MY TOP 100 MOVIES: 61-70

My Top 100 Movies – 61-70.

61. Aliens:  Sigourney Weaver defined bad ass. The most intense, scariest movie I’ve ever seen. Rare sequel that exceeded the original. “In Space, no one can hear you scream.”

62. Singing in The Rain:  Gene Kelly, Donald O’Conner and Debbie Reynolds in  glorious song and dance, capped off by Kelly’s unforgettable dance to Singing in the Rain.

63. 12 Angry Men:  Twelve jurors locked away to decide the fate of a teenager accused of murder. Anger, prejudice and reason are bantered about in a hot, steamy New York City jury room. A splendid ensemble cast led by Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley and Jack Klugman bring the confrontations and emotions front and center. It’s the way we like to think juries work, but they seldom do.

64. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Walt Disney’s Masterpiece. Until this movie, cartoons were 4 or 5 minutes long – something to run with the newsreels before the feature. The concept of a feature-length animated  movie was inconceivable. So many great Disney animated movies were to follow, but this was art and genius.

65. Monty Python and the Holy Grail:  The legendary King Arthur’s search for the Holy Grail would never be the same after Monty Python.  British humor run amok on the big screen. Bring out your dead (“I’m not dead, yet”), the Black Knight (“Tis but a scratch. Had worse.”) and the Guardian at the Bridge of Death (“What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”).  It doesn’t get funnier.

66. Lilies of the Field:  For some reason, this classic movie seems largely ignored today. Sidney Poitier won the Best Actor Oscar, the first man of color to do so, for his role of Homer Smith, a drifting former Army Officer who stumbles in to a group of German nuns seeking to build a chapel in the middle of the American desert. “Consider the lilies of the field.”  Amen.

67. Duck Soup / A Night at the Opera:  Before there was Monty Python or Mel Brooks, there were the Marx Brothers. Their frantic humor comes  at you in such a rapid fire that you know you don’t catch it all – not until you’ve seen the movie two or three or even more times. There were 13 Marx Brothers movies, but Duck Soup and A Night at the Opera are the best.

68. Raging Bull:  Martin Scorsese’s brilliant but brutal film about the life of 1940s boxer Jake LaMotta. But for LaMatta, violence isn’t just in the ring. He battered his wife repeatedly, as his life and relationships dissolved around him. Robert Di Niro is brilliant in perhaps the most difficult role of his career, filming the movie at weights ranging from 145 pounds to 215 pounds for different periods of LaMatta’s life.

69. Rocky:  There have been so many Rocky movies over the decades, that sometimes it is easy to forget how good, how fresh and how original the first Rocky movie was. Before it became a cliché of itself, Rocky was a stellar movie that had audiences pulling for the down and out Italian Stallion, and left them cheering.

70. Easy Rider:  A low-budget movie, Easy Rider changed movies forever. The tale of two drug dealers making a big score, then heading across the country on their motorcycles, headed to Mardi Gras. Along the way, Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper pick up a relatively unknown Jack Nicolson. It became the movie for an entire generation. “A man went looking for America . . . and couldn’t find it anywhere.”

My Top Movies: 71-80

My Top Movie List – Day 3.  Here are the films from 71-80.

71. Blazing Saddles:  Mel Brooks turned farts, boobs and a horse punch into a classic comedy that still leaves us laughing at just the thought of it. I’m not a big fan of comedies, as this list will show, but this is genius that appeals to the eighth grader in all of us.

72. The Deer Hunter:  What happens to a group of Pennsylvania steel town boys who get sent off to Vietnam? The best movie made about the Vietnam experience. The Russian Roulette scene still sends shivers.

73. . Taxi: Robert DiNiro’s portrayal of troubled taxi driver Travis Bickle is one of the most memorable performances ever on film. But his performance is not alone. Jody Foster plays a 12-year-old prostitute and Harvey Keitel is her pimp. Martin Scorsese captured the dark side of the darkest times in New York City in a film that builds to a shattering conclusion. “You talkin’ to me?”

74. The Decedents:  This film probably doesn’t make many people’s Top 100, but it is a beautifully crafted film centered around a perfect performance by George Clooney. As his wife lies dying from a boating accident, he deals the discovery that she was having an affair and planning a divorce. He also faces the choice about selling a pristine undeveloped area on a Hawaiian island held in a family trust over which he has control.

75. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: A disturbing movie set in a mental institution ward under the unsympathetic rule of Nurse Ratchet. Jack Nicolson shines in one of his best performances, surrounded by wonderful supporting roles, including Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratchet.

76. Nebraska:  Another movie that may not be on most (if any) lists. Nebraska is a 2013 bitter-sweet, and sometimes laugh-out-loud movie centered around Bruce Dern’s Oscar-worthy performance as an old man seeking to get to Nebraska to cash in a winning lottery ticket. It is a story about the value of family, dysfunctional as it may be. Filmed in black and white, the cinematography is nothing short of spectacular, catching the bleakness of the great American plains in the time between harvest and planting.

77. Sound of Music:  Mountain setting. Great music. A wannabe nun and a bunch of kids. Oh, and Nazis. ‘Nuff said.

78. The Princess Bride: I’m sure Hollywood moneymen looked askance when Rob Reiner described the fairytale movie he planned to make. But the result was pure genius that has survived more than 30 years with its charm and creativity intact – and I’m sure it will keep its charm for another 30 years or more. Like Wizard of Oz, it is timeless.  

79. Sunset Boulevard:  Gloria Swanson is unforgettable as Norma Desmond in this movie about an aging, self-consumed silent picture star who wants to revive silent pictures. William Holden is the narrator through whose eyes we see the madness of lost glory. And of course, there’s that body in the pool that opens and closes the movie. “ I am big! It's the pictures that got small.”

80. Slumdog Millionaire:  A surprise breakout from Bollywood, this 2008 film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Ultimately, it is a love story – the love of two brothers and a young girl they befriend. It is told through flashbacks as a lowly chia wallah Jamal Malik (played by Dev Patel) plays on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”  It is romantic, sweet, violent and of course, being Bollywood, filled with magical Indian music.

My TOP 100 MOVIES: 81-90

My Top Movie List – Day 2.  Here are the films from 81-90.

81. A Streetcar Named Desire:  Tennessee Williams classic was brought to life by Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski and Vivien Leigh as the aging Blanche DuBois.  Despite the omission of the rape scene in the play, it is packed with raw emotion ready to explode. Remarkably, Brando did not win the best acting award, which went to Humphrey Bogart for The African Queen.  “I have always counted on the kindness of strangers.”

82. Die Hard:  Christmas movie or not, this is a near-perfect modern thriller. Bruce Willis is the right mix of hero and smart ass, and Hans Gruber, played by Snape himself, Alan Rickman, is the perfect bad guy.  Yippee ki yay.

83. . The Shawshank Redemption: Drawn from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, this is the best prison movie without any competition.  

84. Fiddler on the Roof:  Chaim Topol was a surprise pick to play Tevia in the movie, but he ended up being the perfect choice. The heart, pain and joy of life is captured through a changing life that he does not fully understand. The music is  unsurpassed. The older I get, the more poignant this movie becomes.  “To life!”

85. Dead Poets Society: Robin Williams soars in this movie of a free-thinking teacher trying to encourage his poetry students to see into themselves through poetry. “Oh, Captain. My captain.”

86. Dr. No / From Russia With Love / Goldfinger:  My guilty pleasure. Goldfinger was my first glimpse at Ian Fleming’s dashing spy.  I saw it in the spring when I was in seventh grade. I followed that by seeing a Dr. No / From Russia with Love double feature that following summer. And I was hooked. They changed my life, sparking an interest in the books, writing and music.  Even today, when one of these first three Bond movies comes on television, I will stop and watch even though I know every scene and every piece of dialog by heart.

87. Capote:  A marvelous biopic. Phillip Seymour Hoffman becomes Truman Capote. He floats across the New York social scene while working on what would become his greatest work, In Cold Blood. At the same time, Capote succumbs to

jealousies over his researcher and childhood friend, Harper Lee, who has reached stunning success with her first novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Epic photography turns stark Kansas countryside into another main character.

88. Avatar: Once in a great while, a movie breaks through barriers and changes the movie making business. That was true with James Cameron’s Avatar. The computer techniques which Cameron worked on for a decade reset movie making nearly as much as the first talkie.

89. Lord of the Rings Trilogy:  Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien is a feat of staggering proportions. In the end, I thought the initial Fellowship of the Ring was the best. For me, as the trilogy went forward, they began to all run together, and the climaxes look remarkably similar.

90. The Reader:  A young boy meets and becomes the lover of an older bus driver in post-WWII Germany. Years later, when he is an established lawyer, the woman is charged with war crimes. But there is a secret the woman is desperate to keep, even at the cost of being convicted. Kate Winslet is remarkable.

MY TOP 100 MOVIES: 91-100

Here is the first installment of my personal TOP 100 movies:  91-100.

91.The Sweet Hereafter: An independent Canadian film with a haunting performance by Ian Holm as a lawyer who comes to a small plains town to sign up clients after a school bus tragedy. The movie explores tragedy, loss and the impact on those left behind, from an unexpected viewpoint. It will stay with you long after you finish watching. 

92. The Ox-Bow Incident: Long before there was Ahmaud Arbery, there was this powerful movie about vigilante justice and injustice.

93. Michael Clayton: George Clooney is the title character, a fixer in a big law firm. Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton are spectacular in this movie about ethics, morality and how far some will go for money and power.

94. Ex Machina:  This movie explores the consequences of artificial intelligence. The stark setting and slow pace builds a jaw-dropping powerful conclusion. Best sci-fi horror movie since Aliens.

95. Groundhog Day: There is a sweetness mixed in the humor in this Bill Murray movie.  

96. Manchester by the Sea: A powerful movie about loss that never disappears.  Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams shine.

97.  Monster’s Ball: Halle Berry's husband is executed in the electric chair -- the so-called Monster's Ball. Billy Bob Thornton is a prison guard who participated in the execution. When they meet, it sets in motion powerful events of love and forgiveness. Peter Boyle is deliciously despicable in his performance as Thornton's father, a mean, exceedingly cruel racist with no redeeming qualities.

98.  Chicago: Lawyers, flappers, gossip columns and the murder trial(s) of the century -- all set to jazz and Bob Fosse choreography. Give 'em the old razzle dazzle, and they'll make you a star.

99.  Up: More than a cartoon. The bitter-sweet opening sequence is one of the best openings of any movie.

100. All the President’s Men: The story of bringing down a president. Redford and Hoffman are sensational as Woodward and Bernstein. No one knew who deep throat was for decades after the book and movie. But when it was revealed as FBI agent Mark Feld, it was remarkable how much he looked like Hal Holbrook, who played him in this movie.

What to Do? Compile My TOP 100 Movies

I recently saw a Facebook Post from a friend who had been “challenged” to post her ten favorite movies over 10 days.  I am a true movie buff. I have been since childhood when my favorite memories include going to the grand ornate Rivoli Theater to watch Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Old Yeller, and yes, Robert Mitchum in Thunder Road (I think my brother took me to that one).

Rather than a paltry ten, I’ve decided to play American Film Institute and name my Top 100.  The list is a compilation based on numerous factors. Most important is whether the film touched me. Most people would not have the movie The Hours on a best picture list, but after watching it, I sat for nearly an hour thinking about it. 

Others are on the list because they are near-perfect story-telling (Casablanca, Witness). But it is a blended list. Citizen Kane is on my list because of its significance in film, even though I didn’t particularly connect with the movie.  Some are blockbusters (Star Wars, E.T., Godfather), and a few you may never have heard of (The Sweet Hereafter).  Some are guilty pleasures (the early Bond films).

I really wanted to put my latest guilty pleasure, The Greatest Showman, on the list because I simply love the songs, the energy and the story. But it, along with a lot of other really good films, just missed the cut.

So, before I list my top 100 over the next 10 days, here are 25 that barely missed the cut. Of course, if you ask me tomorrow, the list may be different.

101.Back to the Future

102.Casino Royale

103.The Greatest Showman

104.Dirty Harry

105.Hell or High Water

106.Up in the Air

107.The Usual Suspects

108.Lost in Translation

109.Life of Pi

110.Midnight in Paris

111.Bridge of Spies

112.Mystic River

113.Zorba the Greek

114.The Quiet Man

115.Gravity

116.Amadeus

117.Tom Jones

118.Bullitt

119.Bohemian Rhapsody

120.Million Dollar Baby

121.Raiders of the Lost Arc

122.Brooklyn

123.Moonstruck

124.Field of Dreams

125.Driving Miss Daisy

Last Train to Stratton: A Prologue

My latest novel, Last Train to Stratton, is now available on Amazon.com in both paperback and ebook versions. 

I'm very proud of this book, but it doesn't easily fit into any convenient genre. There's a love story or two, but it's not a romance. There's some humor, but it isn't a humorous book. There's a murder and an investigation, but it isn't really a murder mystery. Maybe one could pigeonhole it as mid-century fiction or "flyover" fiction, if those are even a categories. 

Maybe it's best to say it's a book about everyday people facing grief, anger and angst in the challenges of life. I hope readers will enjoy it and find it a book that touches emotions in many ways.

Here is the opening to Last Train to Stratton.

PROLOGUE

The times when our lives change, when everything before is altered and everything after is different, are seldom recognized as they happen, rarely understood for the ripples that extend beyond the horizon to places we cannot see. Life does not come with highway signposts that warn “Danger Ahead” or “Go Slow,” or perhaps more importantly “Do Not Enter.”

Robert Frost wrote of two roads diverging in a wood, but most watershed junctures are not so obvious, so visible, so tangible. Instead, significance is concealed among daily comings and goings. The import of decisions and events may not appear for years – decades – a lifetime later, when in quiet reflection, we glimpse the ghosts in our memories, discerning faint shadows of people and happenings that, knowingly or unknowingly, shaped not just the path of our lives, but the way we perceive the human experience. 

While the tumultuous 1960s shook the foundations of society, I cruised through those years on a steady, seemingly well-planned course. I was a budding star in the newsroom, my career progress measured in headlines and bylines. My personal life flourished in an isolated singularity of booze, cigarettes, baseball and uncommitted sex.

But beginning in the fall of 1972, my life transformed like shifting tectonic plates that cause the ground to fall away and reveal an unfamiliar world around me. Looking back on a brief window between Nixon’s zenith and the Nation’s Bicentennial, I can see those transformative moments stacking up in my life one upon another like so much cordwood. Some jarred me instantly like a stray hand on high voltage. Others were part of the mundane daily routine, their significance overlooked until long after the concrete had set.

Such was the case in June 1975. My life shattered, I sat in a cluttered office in a western suburb of Chicago, interviewing for a new job for the first time in more than a decade. It was a small-town job, and in its dullness I expected to find a numbing balm for the pain that scorched my life.

I was wrong.

WELCOME TO TerrellWrites.com

Welcome to TerrellWrites.com.   

Although I have written blogs and had websites before, this is the first focused on my own writing. But I expect to cover other related topics, too.  I expect to write about some of my favorite authors, many of whom I've become friends with. I'll also touch on what I'm readings and upcoming events, including those with the Speed City Sisters in Crime, Midwest Writers Workshop and Indiana Writers Cente

Oh, and maybe occasionally about my travels by motorcycle.

In short, mostly I'll write about words and people. Hope you find something that entertains or maybe even educates a bit.

You can contact me at:  Stephen@TerrellWrites.com

-- Stephen