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100 Best Movies (71-80) The Searchers (1956) This Western soaper cannot be dismissed (even by us). That door at the finale has reverberating echoes Ibsen only dreamt of. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) It may be Hitchcock, it may be black-and-white, it may be realistic in style, but it's still the original Blue Velvet. Shampoo (1975) A Beverly Hills black comedy/soaper closer to Judith Krantz than Moliere. Admirably lacerating self-portraits by the entire cast. An entertaining warning against taking Hollywood's political opinions seriously. Sherlock, Jr. (1924) You'd have selected Buster Keaton's other silent marvel, The General? We prefer this sweet romantic comedy, which provides stunning proof that just about every movie special effect--save morphing--was invented by Keaton back in '24. |
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Singin' in the Rain (1952) In an extraordinarily happy accident, Gene Kelly's de rigueur forced sunniness fails to disguise his steely, "I'd-kill-to-get-ahead" megalomania, which adds a needed touch of truth, and ballast, to what otherwise might have merely been the most entertaining of all show-biz musicals. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) The first of Disney's animated features remains unequaled in its charm, heart and pure terror--to this day, we've never taken an apple from a stranger. Some Like It Hot (1959) The "girls" in Tootsie, Priscilla, Wong Foo et al., cannot hope to match, let alone diminish, the stature of Billy Wilder's expertly constructed farce--nor do the latecomers have anything like this film's trio of generally uneven stars, each here at career-peak best. A Star is Born (1954) Long, Tinseltown soaper closer to Sidney Sheldon than Euripides. Nevertheless, Moss Hart's screenplay makes you understand why Hollywood marriages don't ever work out. Judy Garland, James Mason and director George Cukor are all at the top of their game. |
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Strangers on a Train (1951) A searing cautionary tale about the advisability of chatting with people to whom one has not been properly introduced--it turns out your mother was right about that. Sullivan's Travels (1941) This film about a too-successful comedy director who decides to disguise himself as a bum to get the experience he needs for the big "important" movie he feels he must make indulges in its own seriousness and overly-good intentions, but it ends up coming down solidly on the side of laughs (thanks to writer/director Preston Sturges), beauty (thanks to Veronica Lake) and self-effacing modesty (thanks to Joel McCrea). 100 Best Movies, Part 9 (81-90) |