The Empire Strikes Back
Arguably better than its predecessor
Airplane II
Not as good as predecessor
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
They Nuked the Fridge here
Next: Films by one or more of the Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker trio
Airplane
And stop calling me Shirley.
Ghost
Jerry Zucker directs serious movie.
Big Business
Bette, Lily, twins times two.
Next: Modern black and white
Paper Moon
Two con artists during Depression
Raging Bull
Boxer’s career goes up, down
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid
Steve Martin spoofs noir films
Next: Favorite actual noir films
The Maltese Falcon
Complicated plot, but excellent film.
The Big Sleep
Bogart and Bacall; worth watching.
The Lost Weekend
Best Picture winner; about alcoholism.
Next: Disaster Movies of the 1970s
The Towering Inferno
Two novels inspired this movie.
The Poseidon Adventure
Arguably better than the remakes.
Earthquake
Worse than a real earthquake.
Next: Trippy animated movies
Lord of the Rings (1978)
Stunning visuals; by Ralph Bakshi.
Heavy Metal
Collection of stories, all related.
Fantasia
Disney classic, still great today.
Next: Films of John Candy
Class of '44
His screen debut, in 1973
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Annoying but lovable travel companion
JFK
Played a Nawlins lawyer - seriously!
Next: Favorite biopics
Man on the Moon
Jim Carrey nails Andy Kaufman
Auto Focus
Dark Bob “Hogan” Crane bio
The Late Shift
Leno, Letterman battle, friendship ends
Next: That didn’t age well
Revenge of the Nerds
Nerds’ crimes are okay? Really?
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Mickey Rooney as Japanese? Cringeworthy.
Sixteen Candles
Racist caricature, date rape? Inappropriate.
Next: Films of Morgan Freeman
Glory
Gravedigger becomes respected infantry sergeant
Deep Impact
Best fictional black POTUS evah
The Shawshank Redemption
Wise old con helps friend
Next: Films of Tim Robbins
The Shawshank Redemption
Tim Robbins does not die.
Mystic River
Tim Robbins does die here.
Dead Man Walking
Tim Robbins directs, doesn’t die.
Next: Spaghetti Westerns
A Fistful of Dollars
Dirty Stranger pillages grateful town.
Vengeance Is a Dish Served Cold
Slave trader avenges father’s murder.
For a Few Dollars More
Outlaws run into bounty bullets.
Next:
Leonardo DiCaprio
Titanic
Plucky youth turned into popsicle
The Aviator
Howard Hughes was messed up
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Aging action hero’s career downturn
Next: Brad Pitt films
Interview with the Vampire
A new spin on vampire legends.
Ocean’s Eleven
Not remake; updates Sinatra’s original.
Moneyball
Sports biopic about Billy Beane.
Next: Films of Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Big Lebowski
Perfect as unctuous personal assistant
Boogie Nights
Good as conflicted porn star
Moneyball
Fair as brusque baseball coach
Next: Baseball movies other than Moneyball
42
Forty-two was a number once.
61*
Maris vs Mantle vs Ruth.
Eight Men Out
So they say it was.
Next: movies with food in the title.
The Cherry Orchard
No pie recipe included, alas
Global Steak
Better pass on that cheeseburger
Kings of Pastry
Not all bakers are jolly
Next: Movies with one-word titles
Shaft
Shaft is a bad mother…
Help!
Fun Beatles romp, Bond parody.
Clerks
Kevin Smith’s first, possibly best.
Next: Mixed genres
Freaks
Disturbing, but worth a look.
Argo
Rewritten history; caper wasn’t American.
Hook
Peter Pan story, for adults.
Next: Two-word movie titles.
Breaker Morant
Outstanding Australian military courtroom drama
Minority Report
Cops preemptively nab bad guys
Paper Moon
O’Neals (father, daughter) are wonderful
Next: Three-word movie titles