How many Top 101 Films from Gail Kinn and Tom Piazza have you identified with so far? Are your favorite picks among theirs?
Before we get into discussion on the complete listing from Kinn and Piazza, here are their next 20 ratings:
No. 61 = Pinocchio
No. 62 = Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
No. 63 = Fargo
No. 64 = Blue Velvet
No. 65 = Jaws
No. 66 = The Grapes of Wrath
No. 67 = Do the Right Thing
No. 68 = Wild Strawberries
No. 69 = The Bicycle Thief
No. 70 = Bringing Up Baby
For me, “Jaws” should be ranked higher than it is. It’s the ultimate terror movie with great character portrayal and factual material that all make it a believable horror, something that could — and, in fact, has — happened on many beaches around the world.
I also own No. 62 from this grouping.
I intensely dislike “Fargo”. I don’t think it belongs in any top movie listing. “Bringing Up Baby” is a delightful Grant-Hepburn comedic farce. The others all have good social statements and are wonderful presentations, in my book.
The above picture is one of Humphrey Bogart that I like very much!
Here are Kinn and Piazza’s rankings No. 71 through No. 80:
No. 71 = Paths of Glory
No. 72 = The Maltese Falcon
No. 73 = Pather Panchali
No. 74 = The Lady Eve
No. 75 = The Last Picture Show
No. 76 = Raise the Red Lantern
No. 77 = Rosemary’s Baby
No. 78 = Midnight Cowboy
No. 79 = M*A*S*H
No. 80 = American Graffiti
“The Maltese Falcon” always is on everyone’s list of great detective stories. It doesn’t disappoint, and H.B. is at his best.
I never finished No. 77, and I never will. That sort of spookiness is too much for me! Also, No. 71, No. 73, and No. 76 are hard to take and difficult to bring to some kind of endearment, but they are forceful statements.
On my shelves besides “The Maltese Falcon” are No. 74 and No. 80. Many films seem to deal with human depression, and I’m not a depressive type, so No. 75, No. 78, and No. 79 aren’t my favorites, although I believe they make some good points about the human condition. No. 80 paints a different kind of youth than I ever experienced, but it interested me.
We have one more grouping to list before we look at individual movies and break them down.
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Credits:
“Jaws” VHS Cover, 1975, Universal City Studios, Inc., from my personal home collection
“The Maltese Falcon” VHS Cover, 1941, Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc., from my personal home collection
Favorite 20th Century Films 