Rank: 35
Release Year: 1982
Genre: Sci-Fi
Action/Mystery
Plot
Summary: Rick Deckard is a blade runner, hot on the trail of four
replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their
creator. Deckard is charged with terminating the replicants, as they have
broken the law and are very dangerous.
What
Makes It Special: Blade Runner masterfully blends the hard-boiled
detective and sci-fi genres, creating a film that is both visually striking and
profoundly engaging. It is a film that has seen multiple cuts (I personally
like Ridley Scott’s Final Cut the most) and started many debates regarding the
meaning of the film and whether or not Deckard is himself a replicant as well.
Blade Runner offers sci-fi fans everything the genre promises to be (visually
and philosophically), coming together with beauty, intellect, and emotional
depth.
Rank: 34
Release Year: 1950
Genre: Film-Noir/Drama
Plot
Summary: Somewhat desperate for work, screenwriter Joe Gillis is hired
by aging former silent cinema star Norma Desmond to write her a new film that
will hopefully rejuvenate her career.
What
Makes It Special: Sunset Blvd. takes film-noir in a different direction.
Usually, it is a style used for mysteries and detective films, but here Billy
Wilder uses it to create a sense of faded glory that has stripped away
everything revealing a monster (Norma Desmond). The cinematography is wonderful
with a stark contrast between its blacks and whites, accentuating the noir
style. The film also features one of cinema’s grandest performances, as Gloria
Swanson’s Desmond overwhelms each scene. As the drama plays, Joe Gillis finds
that he is not some much a guest or employee of Desmond’s but rather that he is
a prisoner that she has lured in and trapped forever in her mad, dark world.
This is especially a gem for cinephiles, as it features cameos from some of
cinema’s greatest silent film era stars and filmmakers.
Rank: 33
Release Year: 1968
Genre: Western
Plot
Summary: A ruthless assassin working for a railroad baron sets his
sights on a beautiful woman. He kills her family to claim her and her land for
himself; however, a mysterious stranger with a harmonica teams up with a
notorious desperado to help her, setting up a showdown.
What
Makes It Special: Once Upon a Time in the West is a fantastic epic spaghetti
western, featuring all the iconic troupes the genre is known for as well as one
of Ennio
Morricone’s best scores. The western genre is all but dead today, but grand
films like Once Upon a Time in the West saw it at its artistic height. This is
a must-see for all fans of the genre.
Rank: 32
Release Year: 1959
Genre: Screwball Comedy
Plot
Summary: Joe and Jerry are two Chicago musicians who witness a mob hit.
In a frantic attempt to escape the mob’s clutches, they pretend to be women,
disguising themselves and joining an all-female band on its way to Florida.
Complications arise when Joe finds himself falling for a ukulele player in the
group named Sugar Kane Kowalczyk and Jerry is pursued by a millionaire (who
really does think he is a woman). All this and somehow the mob has still
tracked them down.
What
Makes It Special: Some Like It Hot is a bit of a throwback to the 1930s.
Billy Wilder brings back the screwball comedy style, creating wonderful hijinks
and laughs using the classic ploy of men dressing up as women (my first film
experience of this was Nuns on the Run,
but there are many instances). The film is infectiously funny, succeeding on
the pure comic genius of Jack Lemmon and his chemistry with Tony Curtis.
Marilyn Monroe is also at her best in the film. Comedy has seldom been funnier
or better done in cinema.
Rank: 31
Release Year: 1955
Genre: Horror/Drama
Plot
Summary: Harry Powell shares a cell with Ben Harper where he hears how
Harper hid $10,000.00 he stole somewhere on his land. Powell is released from
prison and Harper is hanged for his crimes. Powell makes his way to the Harper
homestead to find the money. He takes advantage of Harper’s gullible widow, but
the two young children are reluctant to tell him where the money is hidden.
What
Makes It Special: The Night of the Hunter is one of the most
artistically compelling films in cinema history. It plays like a nightmare,
with scary almost fantasy imagery and Robert Mitchum is brilliant as the
murderous villain Harry Powell, who uses charm and religious fanaticism to
trick and deceive all around him. The great actor Charles Laughton only
directed one film, but what a film he made. The noirish cinematography and
production design alone are magnificent. The Night of the Hunter is a strange
and special film, the likes of which cinema will probably never see again.
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