The "Best" Movies: Recap, part 1

A while back I decided to watch the "best" movies. I put together a big list from several other lists:

• American Film Institute (AFI) 100 years, 100 movies (1998)
• AFI's 100 years, 100 movies, 10th Anniversary Listing. (2007)
• AFI's "10 Top 10" (Animation, Romantic comedy, Westerns, Sports, Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Gangster, Courtroom Dramas, Epics)
• Academy Award® Best Pictures winners.

Earlier this month, I finally finished the list.

Since you care so much, I'm going to briefly tell you what I thought about each movie. Not all at once, mind you. I'll tell you about maybe 10 at a time. And probably not much about each one. I won't be doing a full review. And I won't be telling you about Keyser Söze or anything. And I'll go in alphabetical order, just because.

• 12 Angry Men
  #87 Top 100 (2007)
  #2 Courtroom drama
  Great film. Read the play in high school. Saw it on TV years ago. A must-see.
• 2001: A Space Odyssey
  #15 Top 100 (2007)
  #22 Top 100 (1998)
  #1 Science Fiction
  Another must-see. Boring at times. Hokey at times. I actually fell asleep watching once. Or twice. Saw it a long time ago. And I still think it's a good film.
• A Beautiful Mind
  Best Picture (2001)
  Yawn. Okay, I admit, I didn't see the twist coming. But the movie wasn't that good.
• A Clockwork Orange
  #46 Top 100 (1998)
  #70 Top 100 (2007)
  #4 Science fiction
  Yuck. Saw it for the first time this year. Never had any interest in seeing it. And, after seeing it, I know why. Probably a very powerful movie back when it came out. Today, it's just unpleasant.
• A Cry in the Dark
  #9 Courtroom drama
  That's the "dingo got my baby" movie, in case you were wondering. So-so film. Another one of Meryl Streep's "accent" movies. Saw it as part of this "watch 'em all" quest.
• A Few Good Men
  #5 Courtroom drama
  It was okay. Didn't see it until earlier this year. Nicholson was great. Others were ... filler.
• A Man for All Seasons
  Best Picture (1966)
  Another okay movie. And one that I saw for the first time this year. I felt I was watching PBS the whole time.
• A Night at the Opera
  #85 Top 100 (2007)
  A funny, funny movie. Saw it years ago, and watch it every time it comes on TCM. It's the film with the crowded room scene. A classic.
• A Place in the Sun
  #92 Top 100 (1998)
  A soap opera. Love triangle between Montgomery Clift, Shelly Winters, and Elizabeth Taylor. Watched it as part of this movie quest. A so-so film. A sort-of twist at the end. If it's on, watch it. But don't go out of your way.
• A Streetcar Named Desire
  #45 Top 100 (1998)
  #47 Top 100 (2007)
  Boring. Blanche says the "always depended on the kindness of strangers." If she's depending on me to recommend the film, she'll be disappointed. If it wasn't for this movie quest, I wouldn't have watched it.

I'll be telling about more of the movies I saw later.