1. Modern Times (1936, dir. Charles Chaplin)
A
divine perfection.
2. Amadeus (1984, dir. Milos Forman)
For some reason, I really, really, really love this
film. I like the theme about a
super-artist with divine talent vs. a mediocre artist.
3. Spartacus (1960, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
“Gladiator” is an okay film. But the distance between “Spartacus” and “Gladiator” is wider
than the distance between the Beatles and the Backstreet Boys.
4. The Birds (1963, dir. Alfred
Hitchcock)
I am a big Hitchcock fan, and I had to choose one of his
films. It was a toss-up between this
and “Notorious.” A great thing about
this film is its subtlety in the first half; you think this is a romantic film,
and then those birds go crazy.
5. Yojimbo (1961, dir. Akira Kurosawa)
I think the level of artistry and excellence Kurosawa
reached in the 1952 – 1963 period was just about unprecedented. Out of his great films in this era, I like
this one best.
6. Holiday Inn (1942, dir. Mark Samdrich)
My pick for the best musical. It has great stars, good songs, and pretty nice dance
scenes. But I did almost pick “Follow
the Fleet,” the best Rogers and Astaire musical in my opinion.
7. Son of Paleface (1952,
dir. Frank Tashlin)
Which film is the greatest pure comedy? This is my answer. It’s so funny and still on the cutting edge.
8. The Great Dictator (1940, dir. Charles Chaplin)
Second Chaplin film to make the list! This guy must have been great!
9. The Game (1997, dir. David Fincher)
This film could have been written by Kafka or Philip K.
Dick. My prediction is that David
Fincher will be the biggest thing in Hollywood soon. “Fight Club,” his other hit film, is hugely enjoyable, too.
10. Suddenly, Last Summer (1959, dir.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz)
For the last spot, there were many candidates. I picked this one, because performances were
just amazing, and this story (part detective story, part psychological thriller,
part romance, part grotesque tale) is so appealing.
6/12/2001