One day, talking with an acquaintance over Yahoo Messenger, I got a little fed up. There were a lot of great movies out there which I'd seen and which they had not. Moreover, there were a lot of other people I know who hadn't seen them, either. I decided that I would cook up my own little list of a hundred movies that I figured people really ought to see. The theory was that if people liked them, they might go out and see other films in the same genre, or performed by the same actor, or made by the same director. At the same time, I didn't want it all to be big budget titles and media-blitzed movie stars. I wanted to show people there were films beyond the multiplex.
It's a lot harder than you think to come up with 100 movies for people to see and give them a reason why. I decided to break the list down into ten smaller pieces, which still didn't help, because you're trying to distill genres with hundreds, if not thousands, of titles and performances both great and atrocious down to just ten titles. These may not be the all time best or worst movies, but they're ones that I like, ones that I think other people might like, and ones that should probably be seen.
I decided to get the ball rolling with Westerns. They've been a big part of my cinematic education and it's one of those uniquely American film art forms.
The Wild Bunch – It's bloody, it's violent, and John Wayne thought it killed the whole genre of Westerns. Which fits pretty well with the theme of the dying days of “The Wild West.”
True Grit – It's hard not to mention at least one Western with John Wayne in it. This one's one of two that I figure are absolutely essential.
The Cowboys – This is the other one. Still playing a tough guy, but a much different one from the previous movie. Also neat to see all the future stars that came out of this movie
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly – It's about as hard not to mention a Western with Clint Eastwood as it is to avoid mentioning John Wayne. The last of Sergio Leone's “Man With No Name” spaghetti Westerns, it's a well done flick all around.
Once Upon A Time In The West – Sergio Leone's big budget Western, and it's a killer.
There Was A Crooked Man – There's a few giggles in this one, but the best parts are when Henry Fonda and Kirk Douglas are talking to each other. We know one of them has a plan. The other's plan is a bit more surprising.
Jeremiah Johnson – A Western and a biopic, Robert Redford sells the character of “Liver Eatin'” Johnson perfectly.
The Mountain Men – Covers the early period of the West beautifully, and bloodily, with excellent acting all around.
Quigley Down Under – A Western that goes so far west it hits Australia. Still an excellent movie. It illuminates the Old West saying “Beware the one gun man” perfectly.
Paint Your Wagon – A Western and a musical! While there's a definite comic tone throughout the movie, Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin play off each other wonderfully, and they don't sound too bad singing.
Tomorrow: Sci-Fi
