While I'm Away: My Top 20, The Epic Conclusion!

I get back in town tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s my all-time five favorite films. Is there one you hate? Have I created trust issues? Plus: more fun facts!

5. Roger and Me, 1989, Michael Moore
Fun Fact: Watching this movie made me decide to become a filmmaker! Oh how I rue the day!

4. Tales of Manhattan, 1942, Julien Duvivier
Fun Fact: The video added back in a cut sequence featuring W.C. Fields, but it ruins the flow of the movie.

3. In a Lonely Place, 1950, Nicholas Ray
Fun Fact: The novel by Dorothy Hughes is a great read, too, but it has a very different ending!

2. Harold and Maude, 1971, Hal Ashby
As a kid, I loved this and Silver Streak, but I never would have guessed they had the same writer.

1. The Crowd, 1928, King Vidor
Fun Fact: That's right folks, my favorite movie is silent. I'm a true film snob! (And hey, there's the shot that got borrowed for The Apartment.)

While I'm Away: My Top 20, Part 2

I’m out of town for the weekend, so the countdown of my top 20 favorite movies continues! For the top ten, we'll include one fun fact about each!

10. The Apartment, 1960, Billy Wilder
Fun Fact: The opening sequence recreates a shot from my favorite movie (to be revealed tomorrow!)

9. Vertigo, 1958, Alfred Hitchcock
Fun Fact: This was written by the same fun folks who wrote the great French thriller Diabolique.

8. It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946, Frank Capra
Fun Fact: This film is adapted from a story the author sent out with his Christmas cards.

7. Brother from Another Planet, 1984, John Sayles
Fun Fact: Sayles wrote the early drafts of E.T., back when it was called Night Skies

6. The Battle of Algiers, 1965, Gillo Pontecorvo
Fun Fact: Both the Pentagon and the Black Panthers screened this movie to learn tactics.

...to be concluded tomorrow!

While I'm Away: My Top 20

Hi guys, I’m out of town for a few days, so I thought I’d run my all-time top 20 favorite movies. This is purely subjective list, not a list of the “greatest” movies. Some of them are too canonical to be featured on this blog, but some of them will get write-ups in the future. (Only one of them has gotten a write-up so far, but that one shows up tomorrow)

20. Charade, 1963, Stanley Donen
19. M , 1931, Fritz Lang
18. Bringing Up Baby, 1938, Howard Hawks
17. Annie Hall, 1977, Woody Allen
16. Breathless, 1960, Jean-Luc Godard

15. High and Low, 1963, Akira Kurosawa (above)
14. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, 1962, Tony Richardson (top picture)
13. Rushmore, 1998, Wes Anderson (below)
12. The Manchurian Candidate, 1962, John Frankenheimer
11. The Lady Eve, 1941, Preston Sturges

To be continued… Can you feel the suspense building? Don’t you wish that there was a way to text me your vote for number one?? Well, there isn’t! Ah, sweet agony!