Day Three-The Silence of the Lambs

Tonight, I watched The Silence of the Lambs, number 74 on the list. It is starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, and won the Academy Award for Best Movie in 1991. 

This movie was fucking awesome. I don't think I've ever been as involved in a thriller ever. Every time something unexpected or suspenseful was happening, I was literally holding my breath, which most movies do not make me do. There are a couple things I think separate it from a normal thriller. For one, the acting is absolutely incredible. Anthony Hopkins, as everyone knows, whether they've seen the movie or not (I was definitely expecting this coming into the movie) was ridiculously terrifying as Hannibal Lector. I have never been scared of anyone more in a movie. Jodie Foster was also great. Also, the script was very, very good and overall the movie succeeded at scaring the shit out of me. But, besides just being a scary movie, it was also a psychological thriller, and it succeeded in both categories. It made me think about the killers and their motives, while still being completely scary. 

The one criticism I have of the movie is that I wasn't sure how the characters drew some of the conclusions they did, but this criticism mostly applies for minor events throughout the movie and did not really detract from it at all. 

I think this does deserve to be on the list and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do feel, however, that people could argue there are other high quality thrillers that are just as good and also deserve to be on the list. That being said, I thought it was awesome. 

Day Two-Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Tonight, I watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, number 73 on the list. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford and was made in 1979. It lost the Best Picture nomination to Midnight Cowboy, number 43 on the list.

Although I thought (and still think, for the most part) that Bonnie and Clyde, and Butch Cassidy are very similar movies, my father convinced me that Butch Cassidy was absolutely fantastic and that if I watched it, he would watch it with me. Now, my opinion that they are similar movies has not really changed, but I do agree with my dad that it really is a fantastic movie. I would say I enjoyed Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid more than Bonnie Clyde, for a few major reasons.

Firstly, I thought the protagonists in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were extremely likable, much more so than Bonnie and Clyde. I really cared about what happened to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and was really rooting for them the whole time. I thought this movie did a better job of portraying the anti-heroes as heroic and charming characters. I also thought Robert Redford and Paul Newman had incredible chemistry and were truly believable as best friends, and as archetypical western heroes. Also, I thought the script in Butch Cassidy was one of the best I've ever seen. Despite the fact that there was not a lot of dialogue, since it was a traditional western and there were many action sequences, each scene of dialogue was memorable. I cannot count the time that I heard a line in this movie and immediately thought that if I was a douchebag who puts quotes on my Facebook profile, I would put that line on my profile. Even though the action scenes in Bonnie and Clyde were also well-shot, I thought the cinematography in this movie was outstanding. During all the action scenes, I had my eyes glued to the screen and was not convinced I was watching a movie from 1969.

I also realized that the reason this movie, and Bonnie and Clyde, do not feel dated to me is because they are period films, and at the time in which they were made, they were depicting an earlier era. Therefore, any "dated" features of the film can be attributed to the fact that it takes place in the mid 19th Century, not that it was made in 1969.

Without comparing this movie to Bonnie and Clyde, and looking at it as its own entity, it was just a highly enjoyable movie. Though there wasn't a thick plot, I realized that many crime films, especially ones made earlier on in movie history, aren't very plot heavy. I think that plot heavy movies have become popularized recently, and I enjoyed the fact that this movie explored the relationship between Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid, had some great shoot-outs, had some great dialogues and didn't need to focus on a specific plot in order to wholly keep my attention.

I really loved this movie, and definitely think that it deserves to be on the Top 100 list.

Day One-Bonnie and Clyde

Tonight, I watched my first movie, Bonnie and Clyde. It is number 42 on the list, and was made in 1967, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. It lost Best Picture to In the Heat of the Night, number 75 on the list.

Now, my original hesitance came from the fact that periodically, my sentiment to classic movies is that I like them only because I am supposed to like them, when in fact I would much rather watch a movie made today, whether or not it is considered a better movie. Don't think I am a huge fan of B list modern movies, but maybe I would prefer The Departed to The Godfather, merely because I think as a sixteen year old, it is easier for me to watch something made in 2006 than 1972 (The Godfather is one of the movies I haven't seen yet, so don't hold me to that comment). Also, let's be real, who doesn't like a good modern shitty movie. However, I honestly felt like I enjoyed Bonnie and Clyde because I enjoyed it, not because it is considered a classic movie and I'm obligated to like it in order to be considered a cultured movie fan. To me, the movie did not feel at all dated, mainly because it is considered one of the first movies in the New Hollywood Era, where the protagonists are anti-heroes and criminals, and the violence is more explicit than in previous movies that might have dealt with similar material.

Although a large portion of the movie felt light-hearted, it was really quite tragic. Once Bonnie and Clyde, and the rest of the gang, come to the realization that their actions as criminals are irrevocable, and fully realize the consequences of their actions, the sheer humanness of these criminal legends really got to me. Bonnie as a character was particularly tragic, for she got into crime because she was looking for an escape from the monotony of everyday life, and found it with Clyde, robbing banks. Even though that is not a typical reaction to discontent with one's life, it is was for her nothing more than an escape, and when she realized her inability to clear her name and start anew, she wished that it all had never happened.

For anyone who is not sure if they are a classic movie fan, I would most definitely recommend Bonnie and Clyde. The acting is great and the action scenes are surprisingly well shot for 1967, even with a 2011 eye. The plot line is most definitely captivating, and the characters are at once despicable and likable.

Day one has been successful. Hopefully my ability to articulate my thoughts on movies will improve as time goes on. I definitely have a lot more movies to watch, so I'm sure it will.

Prologue

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

and by that I mean last week, I decided after reading the TIME 100 Best Movies List that I was far too ignorant in the category of classic movies. However, after a suggestion from a friend, I decided AFI's list was better, and that I wanted to focus my self-motivated film education on American films (the TIME list also had foreign films). My original estimate of how many of the movies I had seen was seven, and fortunately it is more like sixteen. That being said, however, I still wanted to have seen all 100. One might ask why? The short answer is that it is just good to have seen all the classic movies that have created our modern movie culture. A more lofty answer (and possibly a more pretentious one) would be that movies are so telling of the culture at the time and are more often than not zeitgeists. So, this movie education could also serve as a cultural education, for I don't really feel I have a comprehensive understanding of many decades I probably should know more about.

A more personal reason for pushing myself to do this is that I have recently taken an interest to screenwriting, and if I at all plan to go into that field later in life, I feel these movies are mandatory in order to begin to call myself an aspiring screenwriter.

The school year, however, is starting up quite soon, so my goal might be a little too ambitious. We'll see.

I was originally going to watch them in order, starting with 100 and ending with 1, but in order to accelerate the process, I decided to watch what is available on Netflix Instant Play while I wait for the movies that are only available on DVDs.

So, without further adieu, I will start with the first movie I watched, Bonnie and Clyde.