#30 Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Diane Lane, Raoul Bova, Vincent Riotta, Lindsay Duncan
A delightful romance with many moving moments and great scenery.
#29 Shane (1953)
Alan Ladd, Jack Palance, Van Heflin, Brandon de Wilde, Jean Arthur
George Stevens’ classic western, Ladd and Palance outstanding.
#28 A Few Good Men (1992)
Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kiefer Sutherland
Great courtroom drama. Cruise is greatly under-rated as an actor.
#27 The Sting (1973)
Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
The ultimate ‘caper’ film. Brilliant period piece. A clever, clever film.
#26 Elizabeth (1998)
Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston
Powerful historical drama. Eccleston is exceptional.
#25 O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman
Coen Brothers’ Depression-era take on ‘The Odyssey’. I love it.
#24 Charade (1963)
Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn
One of the best ever romantic comedies. Great cast and script.
#23 Live From Baghdad (2002)
Michael Keaton, Helena Bonham Carter, David Suchet
How CNN ‘stole’ the first Gulf War. Terrific historical drama. A sleeper.
#22 Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)
James Garner, Jack Elam, Walter Brennan, Bruce Dern, Joan Hackett
A hilarious western, even funnier than Cat Ballou. Garner is perfect.
#21 All the President’s Men (1976)
Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Robards Jr.
History as it happened. Watergate and The Washington Post.
#20 The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn
The iconic western. If you like westerns it has everything. If you don’t, well…
#19 Midnight Run (1988)
Robert de Niro, Charles Grodin, Dennis Farina, John Ashton, Yaphet Kotto
Clever, witty, fast-paced, highly entertaining bounty hunter caper. Super movie.
#18 Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Julia Roberts
How Charlie armed the Afghans. Wonderful script. Phil – what a waste.
#17 Thirteen Days (2000)
Bruce Greenwood, Steven Culp, Kevin Costner, Dylan Baker
Cuban Missile Crisis 1962. Greenwood and Culp are the Kennedy brothers. Riveting.
#16 A League of Their Own (1992)
Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Bitty Schram, Rosie O’Donnell
The best ever baseball picture, thanks to Hanks and Davis. Tom can do anything.
#15 From Here to Eternity (1953)
Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed
Timeless WW2 drama set on the eve of Pearl Harbor. Hasn’t dated at all.
#14 The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Humphrey Bogart, Fred MacMurray, Van Johnson, Jose Ferrer, Robert Francis
Most entertaining naval drama of WW2. Bogie and MacMurray are excellent. Ferrer too.
#13 Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Martin Milner, Susan Harrison, Barbara Nichols
If you thought Burt and Tony could not act, you should watch this. They are brilliant.
#12 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins
WW1 historical drama. Staggering cinematography, script and performances.
#11 Since You Went Away (1944)
Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Monty Woolley, Joseph Cotten
Superbly crafted story of an American family at home during WW2. Very moving.
In two day’s time I shall post my Top 10.
Some that you mentioned here, I either saw so long ago, [Shane], that I
can’t respond to now, or have not seen. As I recall, Cruise was good in
A Few Good Men, AND Rain Man. At time, I believed his role was the more
difficult one, I was impressed w/ how he did it.
I agree with you about Cruise. His was the non-showy role. Much tougher to impress. Personally, I think the guy is grossly under-rated as an actor. He is professional, articulate, does his own stunts, rarely swears in his movies (which makes a pleasant change these days). Regardless of his religious views I think he is an excellent movie star.
Thank you! Just to mention a few: All President’s Men, From Here To
Eternity, Caine Mutiny, look of terror on Bogie’s face. Sweet Smell
of Success! Superb acting! Music, club location. Black and white! With this, I’m reminded of Glen Gary,
Glen Ross. [Don’t know if 2nd parts of ea. Glen are attached, or as
I’ve written them here. Would’ve had to re-do comment if I left to check.] Saw Diane Lane for 1st time, “Walk on the Moon”, but I was lusting after Viggo, w/ that wonderful long red hair! I’ll wait and see if you include any Vincent Price! “Mr. Phibes,” “Theater of Blood.” My brother, huge movie buff, once asked me if I liked ANYTHING besides Vincent Price?
I was wondering if you (or anyone for that matter) had even heard of ‘Sweet Smell of Success’. Glad to hear you like it, too. Wonderful movie – and the score is super. One of the best black and white movies ever made. Diane Lane is terrific in ‘Under the Tuscan Sun if you happen to like romances. It is not a ‘sloppy’ romance, but more about a divorcee settling into a new life. Beautiful, beautiful movie.