Recap of Movies #76-100

Adjustments

Movie #: 88
Movie Title: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Original Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
Adjusted Grade: 5 out of 5 (Exceptional)


Movie #: 96
Movie Title: The 400 Blows (1959)
Original Grade: 2 out of 5 (Fair)
Adjusted Grade: 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)




My Best to Worst of #76-100

Movie #	Movie Title	My Grade
85	Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)	5 out of 5 (Exceptional)
90	The Lion King (1994)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
77	The Green Mile (1999)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
88	Batman Begins (2005)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
83	Toy Story (1995)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
86	Toy Story 3 (2010)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
97	Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
89	The Dark Knight Rises (2012)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
80	WALL-E (2008)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
92	M (1931)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
100	The Pianist (2002)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
93	No Country for Old Men (2007)	3 out of 5 (Good)
84	Rocky (1976)	3 out of 5 (Good)
98	Modern Times (1936)	3 out of 5 (Good)
79	Fargo (1996)	3 out of 5 (Good)
99	Unforgiven (1992)	3 out of 5 (Good)
82	The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)	3 out of 5 (Good)
87	Paths of Glory (1957)	3 out of 5 (Good)
76	Spirited Away (2002)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
78	The Graduate (1967)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
94	Bicycle Thieves (1948)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
81	On the Waterfront (1954)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
95	Amélie (2001)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
91	The Searchers (1956)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
96	The 400 Blows (1959)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)

Movie #76: Spirited Away

Movie #: 76
Movie Title: Spirited Away
Year Released: 2002

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Notable Cast: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijo, Takehiko Ono, Bunta Sugawara

Short Description: During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #43
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #39
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #62
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/23/2016

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)

Rationale: There are only a handful of Japanese anime movies or TV series that I like because the plot and animation have to be just right for me. Spirited Away meets those criteria to a point, but not fully. The animation is fine. I didn’t think it was anything to write home about. The plot is a bit odd for my liking, though. I’m not really into spirits, beasts, gods, and demons so that’s where Spirited Away lost me. The “growing up” theme for the main character Chihiro was written well and her transformation throughout was apparent. Guess I’ll stick with the anime I already know and love.

Movie #77: The Green Mile

Movie #: 77
Movie Title: The Green Mile
Year Released: 1999

Director: Frank Darabont
Notable Cast: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter, Graham Greene, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Albert Brooks, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton

Short Description: The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #66
Ranker.com: #65
Lifed.com: #77
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #40
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/22/2016

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)

Rationale: Tom Hanks gets the majority of the screen time because the movie is presented in a flashback from his character’s point of view, but Michael Clarke Duncan clearly steals the show as death row inmate John Coffey. There’s an undeniable amount of soul and passion that he brings to that role. In fact, all of the actors portraying inmates do an excellent job, particularly Sam Rockwell as "Wild Bill" Wharton and Michael Jeter as Eduard Delacroix. Maybe a bit longer of a movie than truly needed, but every minute is splendid.

Movie #78: The Graduate

Movie #: 78
Movie Title: The Graduate
Year Released: 1967

Director: Mike Nichols
Notable Cast: Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross, William Daniels, Murray Hamilton, Elizabeth Wilson

Short Description: A disillusioned college graduate finds himself torn between his older lover and her daughter. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #17
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #68
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #62
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/20/2016

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)

Rationale: The Graduate was a letdown for me because I had hyped it up after watching Dustin Hoffman’s performances in Tootsie, Rain Man, and Midnight Cowboy. Not to say he was bad in The Graduate, it’s just not on par with the others. On the other hand, Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson did a swell job coming off as seductive and alluring when coming onto Hoffman’s Benjamin Braddock. While I appreciated the original songs created by Simon & Garfunkel for the movie, they were played over and over, becoming annoyingly repetitive after the third or so time through.

Movie #79: Fargo

Movie #: 79
Movie Title: Fargo
Year Released: 1996

Director: Joel Coen
Notable Cast: Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Harve Presnell, Peter Stormare

Short Description: Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of the quite pregnant Marge Gunderson. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #48
Lifed.com: #36
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #79
FlickChart.com: #88



Date Watched: 7/19/2016

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: Fargo is another example of a movie I didn’t love and didn’t hate. The only thing I particularly liked was the kidnap-gone-wrong plot and the only problem I had was the heavy northern accents got to be annoying by the end. This is only the second “comedy” I’ve seen by the Coen brothers and neither were that funny to me. I worry that may be the case for any subsequent comedic offerings of theirs I watch and can only hope I find them to be more humorous.

Movie #80: WALL-E

Movie #: 80
Movie Title: WALL-E
Year Released: 2008

Director: Andrew Stanton
Notable Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, Sigourney Weaver, MacInTalk

Short Description: In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #60
Ranker.com: #85
Lifed.com: #53
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #53
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/16/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: WALL-E is a movie I’d only seen once before and my initial perception after the first viewing was “eh”. Like this project as done for other movies, though, my feelings have changed for the better after another go. The love story between WALL-E and EVE is quite cute, especially WALL-E as he’s caring for EVE when she goes into standby mode. Animated movies have a hard enough time conveying convincing human emotions in their human characters, let alone non-human characters, but the animators and writers did a superb job here. As everyone has come to expect from Pixar, the imagery is second to none, particularly the outer space scene when WALL-E and EVE pass the rings of Saturn.

Movie #81: On the Waterfront

Movie #: 81
Movie Title: On the Waterfront
Year Released: 1954

Director: Elia Kazan
Notable Cast: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, Rod Steiger

Short Description: An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #19
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #46
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #85



Date Watched: 7/15/2016

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)

Rationale: Not gonna lie, I don’t remember much about On the Waterfront. The movie started out so slow that I lost interest quick and by the time the moderately exciting confrontation between Marlon Brando’s Terry Malloy and Lee J. Cobb's corrupt union boss Johnny Friendly came around I just didn’t care as much as I could have or probably should have. At the least there was one particular speech by Karl Malden's Father Barry that seemed passionate and moving so not all was lost on me.

Movie #82: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Movie #: 82
Movie Title: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Year Released: 1948

Director: John Huston
Notable Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett

Short Description: Fred Dobbs and Bob Curtin, two Americans searching for work in Mexico, convince an old prospector to help them mine for gold in the Sierra Madre Mountains. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #38
IMDB.com: #75
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #74
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #65



Date Watched: 7/14/2016

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: I personally preferred the supporting characters Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) and the old prospector Howard (Walter Huston) to Humphrey Bogart’s Fred Dobbs because the sheer amount of paranoia from Dobbs was almost unbearable after a while. More action than I expected with a couple gun fights and they balanced out the long stretches of conversation nicely. Another good, not great entry on my list.

Movie #83: Toy Story

Movie #: 83
Movie Title: Toy Story
Year Released: 1995

Director: John Lasseter
Notable Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, John Morris, Erik von Detten

Short Description: A cowboy doll is profoundly threatened and jealous when a new spaceman figure supplants him as top toy in a boy's room. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #99
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #52
Lifed.com: #99
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #33
FlickChart.com: #74



Date Watched: 7/13/2016

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)

Rationale: Toy Story was the first feature-length film by production company Pixar to use computer animation for the entire movie and the fact that new technology was being used shows. Movement by the characters isn’t as fluid as it should be and fine detail, like textured fur, is missing on some toys. Who cares though? Toy Story has a rich voice cast, lead by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, and a fun story with an important lesson about embracing change instead of being afraid of it and fighting it. Toy Story is easily one of the best Pixar films to date and arguably one of the greatest animated movies of all time.

Movie #84: Rocky

Movie #: 84
Movie Title: Rocky
Year Released: 1976

Director: John G. Avildsen
Notable Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith

Short Description: Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer, gets a supremely rare chance to fight the heavy-weight champion, Apollo Creed, in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #57
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #34
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #95
FlickChart.com: #84



Date Watched: 7/12/2016

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: Rocky tells an adequate story and Sylvester Stallone is fine at what he does. My strong complaint with Rocky is that there’s not enough action later in the movie. The entire thing builds towards a showdown between underdog Rocky Balboa and world champion Apollo Creed, yet the actual fight scene lasted for what seemed to be a mere few minutes. Even the build-up to the fight lacked a bit of punch (see what I did there?). I don’t mean to belittle the amount of time spent on Rocky and Adrian’s budding relationship cause that’s clearly the foundation of the movie, but maybe an equal balance of loving and fighting would’ve been more satisfying.

Movie #85: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Movie #: 85
Movie Title: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Year Released: 1989

Director: Steven Spielberg
Notable Cast: Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, Sean Connery

Short Description: When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father's footsteps and stop the Nazis. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #97
Ranker.com: #99
Lifed.com: #98
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #64
FlickChart.com: #15

Note: This is the first movie on my list to appear on five of the top 100 lists I used to compile the 251 movies I’m watching.


Date Watched: 7/10/2016

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
Adjusted Grade: 5 out of 5 (Exceptional)

Rationale: I’m gonna be biased because this is my project, darn it. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is my favorite of the three Indiana Jones movies (Yes, three. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull doesn’t count in my book), thus the very high grade. Not much needs to be said about how well Harrison Ford fits into the role of Dr. Jones. What does need to be said is how well Sean Connery fits into the role of Dr. Jones as well. Connery as Henry Jones Sr. was an excellent casting choice for Henry Jones Jr.’s dad (even though Connery is only 12 years older than Ford) and he brought a refined element of humor that fit well given the serious theme of a race against time and Nazis to find the Holy Grail. From the opening train sequence with young Indy trying to steal treasure back from grave robbers to the ending desert ride into the sunset, The Last Crusade will never let you down.

Movie #86: Toy Story 3

Movie #: 86
Movie Title: Toy Story 3
Year Released: 2010

Director: Lee Unkrich
Notable Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Estelle Harris, Blake Clark, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Jodi Benson, John Morris

Short Description: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #57
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #57
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #58
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/9/2016

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)

Rationale: For a supposed ending to the series, even though a fourth installment is in the works, Toy Story 3 wraps everything up nicely. The cast of new toys, headlined by Lotso and Ken, and an increased role for Barbie were perfect complements to the already established group of Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the rest. The climax of the garbage dump scene was a tad too dramatic, but that’s one of only a couple minor knocks in an otherwise strong movie. Spanish Buzz is the comedic highlight of the movie and if you didn’t get at least a little emotional at the very end when Andy passes on his toys to Bonnie, you might just be dead inside.

Movie #87: Paths of Glory

Movie #: 87
Movie Title: Paths of Glory
Year Released: 1957

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Notable Cast: Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson

Short Description: After refusing to attack an enemy position, a general accuses the soldiers of cowardice and their commanding officer must defend them. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #55
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #50
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #68



Date Watched: 7/8/2016

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: The acting was done so well that it’s easy to feel genuine sympathy for the three men that were unfairly singled out for treason by their despicable general. Not exactly how I expected the ending to go, but I’m glad that my expectation was wrong because the story told a dark truth that some people will do or say anything to keep their neck off the chopping block and deflect blame onto others if they get to keep their power.

Overall Best to Worst: #101-251

Overall Best to Worst of #101-251

This list is my overall best to worst of every movie I've seen so far on my list of 251. I fully expect this list to get harder to compile every time I finish a set of 25 movies and need to incorporate those, but it'll be fun to see how I rank all 251 movies when I'm done. Without further ado, here it goes.

Movie #	Movie Title	My Grade
104	Jurassic Park (1993)	5 out of 5 (Exceptional)
108	Titanic (1997)	5 out of 5 (Exceptional)
198	Apollo 13 (1995)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
158	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
119	Slumdog Millionaire (2008)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
218	Gran Torino (2008)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
212	Argo (2012)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
181	The Intouchables (2011)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
143	Django Unchained (2012)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
124	Life Is Beautiful (1997)	4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)
120	Avatar (2009)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
233	Sophie's Choice (1982)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
205	Cinema Paradiso (1988)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
186	The Prestige (2006)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
146	The Avengers (2012)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
164	Amadeus (1984)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
215	Groundhog Day (1993)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
166	Finding Nemo (2003)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
148	Oldboy (2003)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
249	Star Trek (2009)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
235	Persona (1966)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
248	Cinderella Man (2005)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
207	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
223	Training Day (2001)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
238	Ocean's Eleven (2001)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
209	Iron Man (2008)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
159	Casino Royale (2006)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
250	The Sting (1973)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
189	Tootsie (1982)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
200	The Bourne Identity (2002)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
176	Cabaret (1972)	4 out of 5 (Excellent)
185	Once Upon a Time in America (1984)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
157	L.A. Confidential (1997)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
144	Scarface (1983)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
193	Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
136	Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
169	Pan's Labyrinth (2006)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
133	Platoon (1986)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
137	The Gold Rush (1925)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
140	The Hangover (2009)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
113	All About Eve (1950)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
103	The Princess Bride (1987)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
202	In the Heat of the Night (1967)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
226	Rain Man (1988)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
173	Sullivan's Travels (1941)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
107	Up (2009)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
165	Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
138	Inglourious Basterds (2009)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
121	Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
125	The Sixth Sense (1999)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
213	The Great Escape (1963)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
168	The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
240	A Fistful of Dollars (1964)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
126	Ikiru (1952)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
232	When Harry Met Sally (1989)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
190	Cool Hand Luke (1967)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
208	The Thin Red Line (1998)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
244	The Untouchables (1987)	3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
147	This is Spinal Tap (1984)	3 out of 5 (Good)
229	Catch Me If You Can (2002)	3 out of 5 (Good)
199	Ratatouille (2007)	3 out of 5 (Good)
246	Shaun of the Dead (2004)	3 out of 5 (Good)
101	The Terminator (1984)	3 out of 5 (Good)
132	Heat (1995)	3 out of 5 (Good)
128	The King's Speech (2010)	3 out of 5 (Good)
114	It Happened One Night (1934)	3 out of 5 (Good)
115	Ghostbusters (1984)	3 out of 5 (Good)
192	The Breakfast Club (1985)	3 out of 5 (Good)
184	Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)	3 out of 5 (Good)
161	His Girl Friday (1940)	3 out of 5 (Good)
135	Bonnie and Clyde (1967)	3 out of 5 (Good)
206	Rosemary's Baby (1968)	3 out of 5 (Good)
178	Edward Scissorhands (1990)	3 out of 5 (Good)
172	Casino (1995)	3 out of 5 (Good)
251	Ben-Hur (1959)	3 out of 5 (Good)
174	The Lives of Others (2006)	3 out of 5 (Good)
139	Midnight Cowboy (1969)	3 out of 5 (Good)
109	Stand by Me (1986)	3 out of 5 (Good)
149	Evil Dead 2 (1987)	3 out of 5 (Good)
141	Network (1976)	3 out of 5 (Good)
227	Magnolia (1999)	3 out of 5 (Good)
210	The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)	3 out of 5 (Good)
216	Airplane! (1980)	3 out of 5 (Good)
224	Bringing Up Baby (1938)	3 out of 5 (Good)
177	Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)	3 out of 5 (Good)
194	The Wild Bunch (1969)	3 out of 5 (Good)
225	Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
130	The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
117	The Philadelphia Story (1940)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
134	King Kong (1933)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
131	The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
154	The Deer Hunter (1978)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
167	Nashville (1975)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
122	High Noon (1952)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
182	Strangers on a Train (1951)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
197	Requiem for a Dream (2000)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
155	MASH (1970)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
106	The Maltese Falcon (1941)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
201	A Matter of Life and Death (1946)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
211	Wild Strawberries (1957)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
242	The Last Picture Show (1971)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
231	Swing Time (1936)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
214	Brazil (1985)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
222	The King of Comedy (1983)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
160	Spartacus (1960)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
237	The French Connection (1971)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
234	The Big Sleep (1946)	2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)
118	Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
116	The Grapes of Wrath (1940)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
112	The Sound of Music (1965)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
204	All the President's Men (1976)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
153	Donnie Darko (2001)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
221	Carrie (1976)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
228	The Conversation (1974)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
241	Grease (1978)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
175	American Graffiti (1973)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
145	A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
151	La Dolce Vita (1960)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
196	Trainspotting (1996)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
127	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
152	West Side Story (1961)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
105	8 1/2 (1963)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
123	Rashomon (1950)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
110	The Night of the Hunter (1955)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
191	The Great Dictator (1940)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
195	Das Boot (1981)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
170	Come and See (1985)	2 out of 5 (Fair)
142	Shane (1953)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
247	Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
217	Easy Rider (1969)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
179	Harold and Maude (1971)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
111	Yojimbo (1961)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
162	Touch of Evil (1958)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
180	The African Queen (1951)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
156	Notorious (1946)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
236	Spirit of the Beehive (1973)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
243	Do the Right Thing (1989)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
203	Manhattan (1979)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
187	The Seventh Seal (1957)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
188	Three Colours Red (1994)	1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)
239	Princess Mononoke (1997)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
245	Shadow of a Doubt (1943)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
220	Blue Velvet (1986)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
102	Annie Hall (1977)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
163	Duck Soup (1933)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
183	Tokyo Story (1953)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
230	Metropolis (1927)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
219	A Night at the Opera (1935)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
171	The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
150	Intolerance (1916)	1 out of 5 (Poor)
129	Andrei Rublev (1969)	1 out of 5 (Poor)

Movie #89: The Dark Knight Rises

Movie #: 89
Movie Title: The Dark Knight Rises
Year Released: 2012

Director: Christopher Nolan
Notable Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman

Short Description: Eight years after the Joker's reign of anarchy, the Dark Knight, with the help of the enigmatic Selina, is forced from his imposed exile to save Gotham City, now on the edge of total annihilation, from the brutal guerrilla terrorist Bane. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #40
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #36
FlickChart.com: N/A

Note: This is the last movie on my list to appear on only two of the top 100 lists I used to compile the 251 movies I’m watching.



Date Watched: 7/6/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: The Dark Knight Rises got the grade it needed AND deserved rather than a higher grade because of the asinine plot that there’s a bomb set to explode in five months OR a “random” person can blow it up sooner. Huh? Seriously though, I love the portrayal of Bane by Tom Hardy and the physicality he brought to the role. Anne Hathaway was much better than I anticipated as Selina Kyle and I’m a fan of the fact that she was never specifically called Catwoman, but rather only referred to as a cat burglar. The easter egg at the end of the movie regarding Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s John Blake and the secret he uncovers was a perfect open ended cliffhanger to the trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises had big shoes to fill after the success of The Dark Knight and it made an admirable attempt.

Movie #96: The 400 Blows

Movie #: 96
Movie Title: The 400 Blows
Year Released: 1959

Director: François Truffaut
Notable Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier

Short Description: Moving story of a young boy who, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #41
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #53



Date Watched: 6/22/2016

Grade: 2 out of 5 (Fair)
Adjusted Grade: 1.5 out of 5 (Marginal)

Rationale: I’m not sure why this needed to be made into a movie. A lying, thieving kid has a rough home life, causes enough trouble at school to be expelled, and runs away from the reform school he’s sent to. Probably a subject more worthy of being made into a documentary than a feature length film given how true that plot is for some families nowadays. Easily the best part was when the physical education teacher led the students on a march outside the school and a couple at a time the kids peeled off and ran to freedom during their school day. That was by no means exciting or original, but it’s the most noteworthy part I care to recall.

Movie #90: The Lion King

Movie #: 90
Movie Title: The Lion King
Year Released: 1994

Director: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Notable Cast: Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings

Short Description: Lion cub and future king Simba searches for his identity. His eagerness to please others and penchant for testing his boundaries sometimes gets him into trouble. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #80
Ranker.com: #80
Lifed.com: #97
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #27
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/5/2016

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)

Rationale: I’ve seen The Lion King so many times in my life that I could easily have written this without watching it again, but there’s no need to pass on watching one of the best animated movies ever just because you’ve seen it already. The Lion King is the perfect blend of top notch animation, superb voice acting (especially Jeremy Irons as Scar), catchy songs and music, and a wonderfully told story with an important life lesson about learning from your mistakes instead of running and hiding from them. I don’t have a single favorite animated movie; rather, I have three favorites that tend to be interchangeable and rotate as my number one. The Lion King is one of those three and I don’t see that ever changing.

Movie #92: M

Movie #: 92
Movie Title: M
Year Released: 1931

Director: Fritz Lang
Notable Cast: Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke, Gustaf Gründgens

Short Description: When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #52
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #36



Date Watched: 7/4/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: I was thoroughly impressed with M. For an 85 year old movie the story felt very modern, almost like one you’d find in an episode of Law and Order. Usually I dread old, black and white, foreign films I know nothing about, but M is a perfect example of when you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (or a movie by certain qualifiers like old and foreign). Though I will rarely advocate for reboots or remakes, M is one that I wouldn’t mind a current director and cast taking a crack at more so to bring light to this version that I’m sure few people know of and everyone should be aware of.

Movie #93: No Country for Old Men

Movie #: 93
Movie Title: No Country for Old Men
Year Released: 2007

Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Notable Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald

Short Description: Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #39
Lifed.com: #78
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #75
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 7/3/2016

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: I wanted to love No Country for Old Men because Javier Bardem was incredible as bad guy hitman Anton Chigurh. Unfortunately it’s only good in my book. The story is well written and very cerebral, but I never got a feeling of suspense or excitement likely because of its slow pace. The only scene that had me glued to the screen was when Anton eerily questioned a shop keeper and essentially threatened his life with a coin flip being the deciding factor between life and death. It probably doesn’t help No Country’s case that in my opinion There Will Be Blood was a much better movie from 2007 even though No Country ended up as the Best Picture Oscar winner.

Movie #94: Bicycle Thieves

Movie #: 94
Movie Title: Bicycle Thieves
Year Released: 1948

Director: Vittorio De Sica
Notable Cast: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell, Vittorio Antonucci

Short Description: Set in Post-WWII Italy, a working class man's bicycle is stolen. He and his son set out to find it. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #92
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #41
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #60



Date Watched: 7/1/2016

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)

Rationale: Bicycle Thieves was just alright. Nothing was really bad about it although the internal conflict of Antonio Ricci near the end of the film when he contemplated stealing a bike to replace the one that was stolen from him was drawn out longer than needed. In a good way I was mildly surprised by the ending as I wasn’t expecting that conclusion, even though it was sort of hinted at.

Movie #95: Amélie

Movie #: 95
Movie Title: Amélie
Year Released: 2001

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Notable Cast: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Raymond Dufayel

Short Description: Amélie is an innocent and naive girl in Paris with her own sense of justice. She decides to help those around her and, along the way, discovers love. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #64
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #28
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 6/30/2016

Grade: 2 out of 5 (Fair)

Rationale: The main character, Amélie, annoyed the hell out of me 90% of the time. While trying to fix other people’s problems she goes almost the entire movie actively and aggressively avoiding her own, specifically relating to a love interest she’s never talked to face to face because she’s so bizarre and timid. Literally, she concocts an elaborate plot to get this guy as far away from his scooter as possible, while still having a distant view of it, so he can see her return an item he lost because she can’t get over her own fear of talking to him and just hand him his item. WTF? The 10% of the time I didn’t mind Amélie was when she went Kevin McCallister from Home Alone on a rude shop keeper and rigged his house to mildly torture him as payback.