The films come from this list in Christianity Today. I’ve put into boldface type all the ones that I’ve actually seen, and I’ve noted the ones that made my list of 102 Best Movies.

13 Conversations About One Thing, 2001, Jill Sprecher
2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968, Stanley Kubrick
The Addiction, 1995, Abel Ferrara
Amadeus, 1984, Milos Forman Sherry’s 102
American Beauty, 1999, Sam Mendes
Andrei Rublev, 1969, Andrei Tarkovsky
The Apostle, 1997, Robert Duvall
Au Hasard Balthazar, 1966, Robert Bresson
Babettes G’stebud (“Babette’s Feast”), 1987, Gabriel Axel
Bad Lieutenant, 1987, Abel Ferrara
Bad ma ra khahad bord (“The Wind Will Carry Us”), 1999, Abbas Kiarostami
The Big Kahuna, 1999, John Swanbeck
Blade Runner, 1982, Ridley Scott
Breaking The Waves, 1996, Lars von Trier
Changing Lanes, 2002, Roger Michell
Chariots of Fire, 1981, Hugh Hudson Sherry’s 102
Code inconnu (“Code Unknown”), 2000, Michael Haneke
Crimes And Misdemeanors, 1989, Woody Allen
Days of Heaven, 1978, Terrence Malick
Dead Man Walking, 1995, Tim Robbins
Dekalog (“The Decalogue”), 1987, Krzysztof Kieslowski
Dersu Uzala, 1975, Akira Kurosawa
Dogma, 1999, Kevin Smith
Dogville, 2003, Lars von Trier
La Dolce vita, 1960, Federico Fellini
The Elephant Man, 1980, David Lynch
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004, Michel Gondry
Fearless, 1993, Peter Weir
Fight Club, 1999, David Fincher
Le Fils (“The Son”), 2002, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Fuori dal mondo (“Not of This World”), 1999, Giuseppe Piccioni
Grand Canyon, 1991, Lawrence Kasdan
Groundhog Day, 1993, Harold Ramis
Hell House, 2001, George Ratliff
Henry V, 1989, Kenneth Branagh Sherry’s 102
Der Himmel Uber Berlin (“Wings of Desire”), 1987, Wim Wenders
Ikiru (“To Live”), 1952, Akira Kurosawa
It’s A Wonderful Life, 1946, Frank Capra Sherry’s 102
Jean de Florette, Manon des sources, 1986, Claude Berri
Jesus De Montreal (“Jesus of Montreal”), 1989, Denys Arcand
Jesus Of Nazareth, 1977, Franco Zeffirelli
Le Journal D’un Cure De Campagne (“The Diary of a Country Priest”), 1951, Robert Bresson
Ladri di biciclette (“The Bicycle Thief”), 1948, Vittorio De Sica
The Last Days of Disco, 1998, Whit Stillman
The Last Temptation Of Christ, 1988, Martin Scorsese
Life of Brian, 1979, Terry Jones
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, 2001-2003, Peter Jackson Of course, Sherry’s 102
Ma nuit chez Maud (“My Night At Maud’s”), 1969, Eric Rohmer
Magnolia, 1999, Paul Thomas Anderson
A Man For All Seasons, 1966, Fred Zinnemann Sherry’s 102
The Matrix, 1999, Andy & Larry Wachowski
Mies vailla menneisyytt (“The Man Without A Past”), 2002, Aki Kaurismaki
The Miracle Maker, 2000, Derek W. Hayes & Stanislav Sokolov
The Mission, 1986, Roland Joff?
Nema-ye Nazdik (“Close-Up”), 1990, Abbas Kiarostami
The Night Of The Hunter, 1955, Charles Laughton
Offret?Sacrificatio (“The Sacrifice”), 1986, Andrei Tarkovsky
On The Waterfront, 1954, Elia Kazan
Ordet (“The Word”), 1955, Carl Theodor Dreyer
La Passion De Jeanne D’arc (“The Passion of Joan of Arc”), 1928, C. Dreyer
The Passion Of The Christ, 2004, Mel Gibson
Peter and Paul, 1981, Robert Day
Ponette, 1996, Jacques Doillon
The Prince Of Egypt, 1998, Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells Sherry’s 102
La Promesse, 1996, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Punch-Drunk Love, 2002, P.T. Anderson
Roma, citta aperta (“Open City”), 1945, Roberto Rossellini
Sansho Dayu (“Sansho the Bailiff”), 1954, Kenji Mizoguchi
Schindler’s List, 1993, Steven Spielberg
Secrets & Lies, 1996, Mike Leigh
Shadowlands, 1993, Richard Attenborough
The Shawshank Redemption, 1994, Frank Darabont
Signs, 2002, M. Night Shyamalan
The Sixth Sense, 1999, M. Night Shyamalan
Det Sjunde Inseglet (“The Seventh Seal”), 1957, Ingmar Bergman
Smultronstallet (“Wild Strawberries”), 1957, Ingmar Bergman
Solyaris (“Solaris”), 1972, Andrei Tarkovsky
Stalker, 1979, Andrei Tarkovsky
Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, 1977, 1980, 1983, George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand Sherry’s 102
Stevie, 2002, Steve James
The Straight Story, 1999, David Lynch
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, 1927, F.W. Murnau
Sanger fran andra vaningen (“Songs From the Second Floor”), 2000, Roy Andersson
The Sweet Hereafter, 1997, Atom Egoyan
Tender Mercies, 1983, Bruce Beresford
Trois coulers: Bleu, Trzy kolory: Bialy, Trois coulers: Rouge (“Three Colors: Blue, White, Red”), 1993, 1994, 1994, Krzysztof Kieslowski
Tokyo Monogatari (“Tokyo Story”), 1953, Yasujiro Ozu
The Truman Show, 1998, Peter Weir Sherry’s 102
Unforgiven, 1992, Clint Eastwood
Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo (“The Gospel According to Matthew”), 1964, Pier Paolo Pasolini
Vanya on 42nd Street, 1994, Louis Malle
Le Vent souffle o? il veut (“A Man Escaped”), 1956, Robert Bresson
La Vita e bella (“Life is Beautiful”), 1997, Roberto Benigni Sherry’s 102
Vredens dag (“Day of Wrath”), 1943, Carl Theodor Dreyer
Waking Life, 2001, Richard Linklater
Werckmeister Harmonies, 2000, B?la Tarr
Witness, 1985, Peter Weir
The Year Of Living Dangerously, 1982, Peter Weir
Yi yi (“Yi Yi: A One and a Two”), 2000, Edward Yang
Zerkalo (“The Mirror”), 1975, Andrei Tarkovsky

The last time I posted one of these lists was in April, so I’d better explain. I decided several months ago to make a list of my 100 favorite movies. These are in alphabetical order because I couldn’t rank them. Anyway, here are links to the first 6 lists of ten.
First Ten Movies
Second Group of Ten Movies
Group Three of Ten Best Movies
Next Group of Movies from my list: 102 Best Movies
Ten More Movies: List #5
List #6 (posted in April, 2004)

And here are the next ten movies on my list:
71. Prince of Egypt (1998) In spite of the vague “spirituallity” and a few distortions of fact, I thought this movie was very well done. I was quite impressed with the chariot race at the beginning, and for the most part, the film was both reverent and dramatically compelling. Not just for kids.
72. The Princess Bride (1987) Again not just for kids. A grandfather reads his grandson a story, and the viewer gets to enjoy a movie full of great dialog, memorable characters, and “true love.”
The Grandson: A book?
Grandpa: That’s right. When I was your age, television was called books. And this is a special book. It was the book my father used to read to me when I was sick, and I used to read it to your father. And today I’m gonna read it to you.
The Grandson: Has it got any sports in it?
Grandpa: Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…
The Grandson: Doesn’t sound too bad. I’ll try to stay awake.
Grandpa: Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.
73. Rear Window (1954) We just watched this Alfred Hitchcock classic again about a month ago, and I remembered how much I like jimy Stewart and how beautiful Grace Kelly was.
74. Rebecca (1940) Another Alfred Hitchcock title. I’ve already blogged about Rebecca and about Daphne du Maurier here.
75. Return of the King (2003) I think I may have put this movie on the list before I even saw it. Either you love Tolkien, the books and the movies, or you don’t see what all the fuss is about. So what else is there to say–except how could any one resist falling in love with all four of the hobbits and Aragorn, too. However, Sam is definitely the hero of the story.
76. The Right Stuff (1983) I don’t know how historically accurate this movie is (based on the book by Tom Wolfe). Nevertheless, with a husband who works for NASA and loves all things space, I had to put this one on the list. And I think the John Glenn portrayed by Ed Harris in this movie is both endearing and heroic.
77. Roman Holiday (1953) Audrey Hepburn is a princess who escapes her duties for a day and meets up with an American reporter for aan adventurous exploration of Rome. It’s fun, romantic, and sad.
78. Romeo and Juliet (1968) The director of this version of Shakespeare’s play is Franco Zeffirelli, and therefore the sets and costumes are lush and beautiful I saw this movie when I was a teenager, and I still think of the actors in Zeffirelli’s movie whenever I read Romeo and Juliet.
79. Sabrina (1954) This one is better than than the 1995 remake because the 1954 version has Audrey hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. We “chicks” like chick flicks.
80. Sense and Sensibility (1995) Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet make a nice pair of sisters with contrasting personalities–the elder very sensible, the younger emotional in the extreme. Again, you can’t go wrong with Jane Austen as long as you just stick to the story pretty much as written.

61. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) I really liked this movie. I think I identify our big sometimes embarrassing, sometimes endearing, family with the Greek family in the movie. I would like to have a “clean films” version of the movie because, of course, the “gods of Hollywood” had to stick in the obligatory “sex before marriage” scene. Nevertheless, I really loved the fact that Ian knew that he was not just marrying a girl but also her family.
62. My Fair Lady (1964) Of course, the ending is unsatisfactory. Why does Eliza go back to that conceited Henry Higgins? And Rex Harrison can’t even sing–just speaks his lyrics. Nevertheless, the songs and the acting and the story of a flowergirl who becomes a lady are all delightful enough to make up for any flaws.
63. North by Northwest (1959) Hitchcock and Cary Grant again, a great combination. IMDB says that Jimmy Stewart wanted the role, but Hitchcock thought he was too old. See, children, Cary Grant isn’t old at all!
64. Notorious(1946) O.K., I like Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. I think Grant makes a dashing hero as he runs upstairs to rescue Bergman, the damsel in distress. I’m just a sucker for suspense and romance put together.
65. Oklahoma(1955) The first great movie musical. Yes, it’s pretty corny, but the songs are great. And I can’t resist the humor of “Poor Jud Is Dead.” “It’s summer and we’re running out of ice.
66. Oliver! (1968) Another great movie musical, and Dickens is one of my favorite authors. Jack WIld plays an engaging Artful Dodger, and Mark Lester is so cute as Oliver. I also think Oliver Reed is a great actor. (I once saw Oliver Reed in a film about Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and to this day I picture Rossetti looking a lot like OR)
67. Ordinary People (1980) This one is more serious. Pair it with Dead Poet’s Society; both of them are about boys from affluent families trying to grow up and coping with dysfunctional families. Mary Tyler Moore gives a great performance, and so does Timothy Hutton as the boy who feels responsible for his older brother’s death.
68. The Philadelphia Story (1940) Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn again. I’ve learned one thing from making this list. I had no idea I was so obsessed with Cary Grant. I must have just about every one of his movies on this list. I wonder why? I do know Philadelphia Story is funny and even poignant at times. KH plays a rich spoiled heiress who doesn’t realize that she’s still in love with her ex-husband even as she’s about to marry someone else.
69. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2002) Wow! I didn’t expect this movie to be any good when the kids told me about it, and the plot does get a little thin at times. However, Johnny Depp is one funny actor.
Jack Sparrow: “I think we’ve all arrived at a very special place. Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically.”
OR Jack Sparrow, again:”Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It’s the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they’re going to do something incredibly… stupid.”
One more:
Jack Sparrow: No. Not good. Stop. Not good. What are you doing? You’ve burned all the food, the shade, the RUM.
Elizabeth: Yes, the rum is gone.
Jack Sparrow: Why is the rum gone?
Elizabeth: One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire royal navy is out looking for me; do you really think that there is EVEN the slightest chance that they won’t see it?
Jack Sparrow: But why is the rum gone?
70. Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1996) This isn’t really a movie, but rather a BBC mini-series, However, it’s one of our family favorites. Colin Firth makes a great Darcy. Jane Austen wrote a great book.

This is the fifth in a series of posts about my 102 Best Movies:
41. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) The best comedy ever made. My children used to have passages from this movie memorized. This dialog was their favorite:
Benjy Benjamin: Now look! We’ve figured it seventeen different ways, and each time we figured it, it was no good, because no matter how we figured it, somebody don’t like the way we figured it! So now, there’s only one way to figure it. And that is, every man, including the old bag, for himself!
Ding Bell: So good luck and may the best man win!
Benjy Benjamin: Except you lady, may you just drop dead!
42. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) This one is my children’s least favorite movie and my husband’s favorite. I think he identifies with Jimmy Stewart, the man who never got to live his dreams.
43. The King and I (1956) I really enjoy all the Siamese children and the wives and, of course, Yul Brynner as the king of Thailand. “Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera. . .”
44. Life Is Beautiful (1997 La vita e bella) This movie is strange. It’s in Italian with subtitles; it’s about a Jewish man and his son and his wife being placed into a concentration camp during World War II. However, it’s sort of a comedy or maybe a tragicomedy. ANyway, it’s very moving and bittersweet.
45. Lilies of the Field (1963) I love the nuns and Sidney Poitier as their hired man. This is a wonderful movie about faith and determination and the meeting of three cultures—Black American, German Catholic, and Mexican American. They all manage to somehow, by the grace of God, build something wonderful in the middle of the desert.
46. The Lion in Winter (1968) This one is a solid historical drama, and I like Katherine Hepburn.
47. Little Women (1994) A good modern version of Louisa May Alcott’s classic story. There’s an older version with Hepburn as Jo, but I like this one even if it is ever so slightly feminist.
48. The Longest Day (1962) Hollywood’s version of D-Day. Although it’s a little bit dated, this movie presents a pretty good picture of what happened to at least some soldiers on D-Day. Unlike Saving Private Ryan, which I thought was pointless, The Longest Day doesn’t try to be profound. It’s just your garden variety Hollywood epic with lots of big name stars and memorable little vignetttes of things that actually happened on D-Day.
49. The Magnificent Seven (1960) We just watched this one about a week ago, and I thought it was great. The offspring were not impressed. I thought Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner were both excellent even though I learned in watching the special features on the DVD that McQueen kept trying to steal scenes because he thought he should have been THE STAR. The funny thing was, after being told, I could see McQueen trying to take over scene after scene. This is the story of a Mexican village that hires seven gunslingers to teach them to defend their village from the local desperado. It’s one of the few westerns on this list, and I told the children that it was an “existential western.” It’s based on a Japanese movie,The Seven Samurai.
50. The Maltese Falcon (1941) Detective Sam Spade, another existential hero, gets involved in the search for a valuable statue. Spade has his own code of conduct and his own way of dealing with whatever life dishes out. Humphrey Bogart is the quintessential tough guy detective.

Eldest Son, Second Daughter, and I watched the movie Gladiator tonight. It wasn’t too bad even though it was rated R. Very bloody, of course. And there was an incest theme that my children thought was “gross.” The main character, Maximus, was somewhat heroic, motivated by love of family and by desire for revenge–in about equal parts I would say. The bad guys were really bad, and the good guys were mostly good. Maximus believed that he would rejoin his family after death in Elysium, but that belief had no basis that I could see. His “faith” reminded me of that of most secular Americans. “God loves everybody, and so everybody except for Hitler and Osama Bin Laden will probably make it to heaven where we’ll all be happy forever.” I wouldn’t add this one to my list of 100 Best Movies, but as I said at the beginning it was not bad. (By the way, it’s rated R for graphic violence, not for sex or language.) Braveheart was better.

31. Gettysburg (1993) Is there anything sadder in all of history than Pickett’s charge at Gettyburg? It’s Aristotelian tragedy in the middle of an essentially tragic war.
32. Gone with the Wind (1939) Classic. “I’ll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day.” “I don’t know nothing about birthin’ no babies, Miz Scarlett.” “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” You just have to get the accent right.
33. The Great Escape (1963) Steve McQueen is great as the American Cooler King. The rest of the cast is wonderful, too. This one is supposed to be based on a true story.
34. Harvey (1950) Jimmy Stewart plays a lovable eccentric with a friend named Harvey, a very tall rabbit that no one else can see.
35. Hello Dolly (1969) As I said before, I like Barbra Streisand in movies. This musical is one of the great Broadway musicals of all time, and Streisand is bold and brassy and funny as the matchmaker who wants a match for herself.
36. Henry V (1989) Kenneth Branaugh’s masterpiece. Henry V is inspiring, has great music, and even makes me laugh.
37. The Hiding Place (1975) Jeanette Clift George is the director of AD Players here in Houston, and she stars in this movie as Corrie Ten Boom, a middle-aged Dutch Christian who is caught hiding Jews in her home during the Nazi occupation of Holland. It’s an inspirational movie from a Christian worldview.
38. Homeward Bound (1993) Every body has to like at least one dog movie–even me, even though real dogs are not my best firends. I’ll take the ones on the screen and enjoy this story of faithful pets making their way back to their masters.
39. The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) Oscar WIlde was a mess, but he was funny. This story is so much fun and so ridiculous.
40.It Happened One Night (1934) Clark Gable is a reporter in this comedy.

In honor of the Academy Awards last night and in honor of Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson, I present the next ten movies on my list. I know all of you are waiting with bated breath to see my picks–still in alphabetical order, of course.

21. Driving Miss Daisy (1989) This movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1989, and Jessica Tandy won Best Actress. It’s about the friendship between an elderly Southern Jewish lady and her black chauffer. Third Daughter says it’s extremely boring, but I like old people and relationship movies.
22. Emma (1996) Jane Austen is the best novelist ever, and even though I don’t care much for Gwyneth Paltrow, but Jeremy Northam is good as Mr. Knightly. We watched this one at a REACH retreat last year, and all the moms enjoyed it.
23. Fantasia (1940) Classic Disney. Surely, just about anyone in North America who hears the music to “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” thinks of Mickey Mouse and his broom.
24. Father Goose (1964) Another Cary Grant movie, this time with Leslie Caron on a deserted Pacific island during WW 2.
25. Father of the Bride (1950) Spencer Tracy makes a better father than Steve Martin, more twinkle-in-the-eye. And Elizabeth Taylor is beautiful as usual.
26. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) Anyone who isn’t a LOTR fan by now just doesn’t get it, and I probably can’t explain it. Suffice it to say that Peter Jackson and all the cast and crew of all three movies deserved all the Oscars they won last night and then some. If you think the movies are good (and they are), the books are even better. Frodo lives!
27. Fiddler on the Roof (1971) Tevye the Jewish milkman talks to God and tries to understand his wife Golde and looks for husbands for his six daughters.

Perchik: Money is the world’s curse.
Tevye: May the Lord smite me with it. And may I never recover.

Tevye: As the good book says ‘Each shall seek his own kind’. In other words a bird may love a fish but where would they build a home together?
28. Finding Nemo (2002) I’m Dory. “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming . . .”
29. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) Jessica Tandy again, in a nursing home sharing her memories with Kathy Lee Bates. It’s kind of a mystery, reminiscence, Southern, chick flick with zero romance, sort of feminist but not too.
30. Funny Girl (1968) I can’t stand Barbra Streisand, and I love her singing and acting. In fact, there are at least three Barbra Streisand movies on this list, and in one of them she doesn’t even sing much. In this one she does sing, and she plays an insecure Jewish actress who becomes rich and famous but never can quite believe the the Ugly Duckling has turned into a Swan.

All good movies. You should see them, Eldest Daughter. What’s your score so far? How many out of 30 have you seen?

11. Bringing Up Baby (1938) “In this screwball comedy, heiress Susan is determined to catch a stuffy zoologist and uses her pet leopard, Baby, to help get his attention. The elements of this farce include a yappy terrier who steals and buries an irreplaceable fossilized bone, a pompous big game hunter, a rich old aunt, a jealous fiancee, and a case of mistaken identity involving a second, and vicious, leopard.” Fun with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
12. Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972) You’re probably wondering how this veryseventies movie made the list. Chalk it up to nostalgia. I saw this movie when I was in high school and loved it so much I had to learn how to play the theme song on my flute. It’s sort of a hippie. flower child movie, but the cinematography is beautiful. And it’s a good story.
13. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Paul Newman and Robert Redford star as the famous outlaws. This one is probably dated, too, but who cares? “Raindrops are falling on my head . . .”
14. Camelot (1967) “In short, there’s simply not / a more congenial spot / for happily ever aftering than here in Camelot.” I simply refuse to think that this movie has anything to with JFK; King Arthur is much more interesting than the Kennedys.
15. Casablanca (1942) So it’s on everybody’s list. I like it, too. “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
16. Charade (1963) You have to imagine Audrey Hepbrn and Cary Grant doing this dialog. I’m not sure anyone else could pull it off–even if my kids do say that Grant is old in this movie.
Regina Lampert: I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn’t possibly meet anyone else.
Peter Joshua: Well, if anyone goes on the critical list, let me know.

Peter Joshua: So you think *I’m* the murderer? What do I have to do to convince you that I’m not, be the next victim?
Regina Lampert: Well that would be a start.
17. Chariots of Fire (1981) Chariots is absolutely the most inspiring movie about standing firm for what one believes that I’ve ever seen.
Eric Liddell: I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure
18. A Christmas Carol (1984) With George C. Scott. I like this version best. Gearge C. makes a very concvincing Scrooge, and my children call the Ghost of Christmas To Come “Mr. Nice Guy” in an attempt to make him seem less scary;.
19. Cinderella (1950, Disney) Beter than Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. Cinderella is the classic girls’ fairy story, and every girl should believe that “someday my prince will come.”
20. Dead Poets’ Society (1989) Carpe diem! I think this film has “issues’ as Second Daughter would say. The professor in the movie does have a bad influence on the boys, leading at least one of them to make a disastrous decision when he can’t handle the consequences of that decision. But the offspring like it, and I like Robin Williams–and Nwanda.

I finally finished my list of 102 Best Movies–at least these are my favorites. I’m going to post them on this blog ten at a time. Note that these are NOT in order from best to worst, but rather simply in alphabetical order. I’m also going to try to give you my own idiosyncratic comments concerning each movie. If I left out your favorite, make your own list. It’s not as easy as you might think.

1. African Queen (1951) I think Bogart and Hepburn are great–real chemistry. Best quote:
Charlie Allnut (Bogart):I don’t know why the Germans would want this God-forsaken place.
Rose Sayer (Hepburn): God has not forsaken this place, Mr. Allnut, as my brother’s presence here bears witness
2. Amadeus (1984) We watched this once a long time ago when Dear Husband and I were not too long married. He was somewhat embarrassed by how crude Mozart was in the movie because, as I remember it, Husband’s dad, a Baptist preacher, was watching the movie with us. Anyway, the movie isn’t biographical; I doubt Mozart was exactly as crude, rude and socially unacceptable as the movie portrays him to be (he may have been worse!). It’s about jealousy and second-rate talent recognizing genius and being content with the gifts God has given each of us (or not as the case may be).
3. Apollo 13 (1995) This one is on here for Husband’s sake–and because I know people who were actually there when the events in the movie happened.
4. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) I love Cary Grant, and this movie is black comedy at its best. Quote: Insanity runs in my family… It practically gallops.
Another: Mortimer Brewster: Aunt Abby, how can I believe you? There are twelve bodies in the cellar and you admit you poisoned them!
Aunt Abby Brewster: Yes, I did. But you don’t think I’d stoop to telling a fib!
One more: Reverend Harper: Have you ever tried to persuade him that he wasn’t Teddy Roosevelt?
Abby Brewster: Oh, no.
Martha Brewster: Oh, he’s so happy being Teddy Roosevelt.
Abby Brewster: Oh… Do you remember, Martha, once, a long time ago, we thought if he’d be George Washington, it would be a change for him, and we suggested it.
Martha Brewster: And do you know what happened? He just stayed under his bed for days and wouldn’t be anybody.
5. Back to the Future (1985) Funny movie. It still works for me although I’m sure some of the jokes are already rather dated. Anybody want to make a movie where some guy goes back to the seventies?
6. Beauty and the Beast (1991, Disney) I just like this fairy tale, and Beuaty as a bookworm, and Mrs. Potts the teaspot with the voice of
7. Becket (1964) “King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pious cleric loyal to Rome and the Church, he will appoint his old drinking and wenching buddy, Thomas Becket, technically a deacon of the church, to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously and provides abler opposition to Henry than his predecessors were able to do. This leads to the famous “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?” With Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole.
8. Ben Hur (1959) Guys watch it for the chariot race–which I’ll admit always keeps me on the edge of my seat. However, I think the story is great, and Charlton Heston is a great actor.
9. Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) It’s about war and heroism and absurdity, and I can stilll hum the theme song. (Unfortunately, I can’t whistle.)
10. Brigadoon (1954) I think I like this one partly because of Gene Kelly, partly because it takes place in Scotland, and partly because Eldest Daughter was in a local production of Brigadoon a couple of years ago.