# 91

91: King Kong (1933)

Fay Wray (Ann Darrow), Robert Armstrong (Carl Denham), Bruce Cabot (John Driscoll)

When director Merian C. Cooper told Fay Wray that her co-star was the “tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood”, Fay thought he meant Cary Grant. That exchange was not unlike her character’s experience in the film. Ann Darrow is a young woman on the skids when director Carl Denham spots her stealing fruit from a stand. He offers her a part in a movie (ladies….if a director is casting from the bread lines and homeless shelters of NYC, chances are this is not an Oscar-worthy production) and soon Ann, director, and film crew are on a ship headed to Skull Island. Once on Skull Island the director’s vision becomes clear—he wants to make a film featuring the ginormous native gorilla and the lovely Ann—a modern day take on Beauty and the Beast. The natives of Skull Island and Kong have a deal: they give Kong sacrifices of lovely ladies, Kong stays on his side of the huge gate. All is peaceful and everyone is happy with this arrangement until Denham and his crew crash thru the gate and hunt down Kong—all for the love of art and cinema.

I first saw King Kong when I was around 8 or 9. It was shown on a program that aired on PBS in the 1980’s called Silver Screen. Silver Screen aired a different classic film every Saturday night, commercial free, with a short introduction and trivia before the show started.  My love of film was born out of those Saturday nights, watching classics with my parents. I didn’t really love King Kong the first time I saw it. I brushed it off saying that the effects were paltry compared to the effects being used in films of the day (circa 1987-1988) but the truth was I was scared to death of Kong. I remember having nightmares of dinosaurs looking through my bedroom window and I have King Kong to thank for that. Eventually, I got over my fear and learned to love Kong. All of my favorite blockbuster films are descendants of King Kong. This is the film that inspired countless film careers and watching it now I appreciate the ingenuity and craftsmanship that went into the making of Kong. Long Live King Kong!

Trivia: The awesome gate set piece made for King Kong makes an appearance six years later in the film: Gone with the Wind (1939). The Kong gate was one of the many set pieces which were set aflame during the burning of Atlanta scene in GWTW.

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

# 92

92: Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones), Colin Firth (Mark Darcy), Hugh Grant (Daniel Cleaver), Gemma Jones (Bridget’s Mum), Jim Broadbent (Bridget’s Dad)

It’s rough being a singleton in your thirties. Dinners with smug marrieds, holiday parties with relatives who want to know how your “love life” is faring, drunken karaoke at the office—just a year in the life of Bridget Jones. Bridget Jones’s Diary (1996) was first a novel, written in diary form, in which the title character documents her weight, number of cigarettes smoked, and alcohol units imbibed all while searching for love. This was one instance (a rare one) where I read the book before seeing the film. When Renée Zellweger secured the coveted role, Bridget Jones fans worldwide wondered if an American could do Bridget justice. Before the film was released, much was made of the 25 pounds Renée put on for the role. In my opinion, Zellweger never looked better!

I saw the film on opening night in a packed theater—and I loved it. Renée exceeded my expectations. She was not only pitch perfect with her accent, but was absolutely adorable. Colin Firth as Mark Darcy is a stroke of genius—it was also a nod to his iconic performance as Mr. Darcy in the BBC television mini-series of Pride and Prejudice (1995). Bridget Jones’s Diary is in part inspired by Pride and Prejudice, and Colin Firth’s performance as Mr. Darcy is mentioned in the novel Bridget Jones’s Diary. And then there’s Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver—in my opinion the role he was born to play. Grant, a romantic comedy staple of the nineties, typically played the reserved handsome goody two shoes Mr. Right—but in Jones’s he appears to relish the opportunity to play a devilish cad.

Author Helen Fielding did write a sequel: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2001), and the film adaptation was released a few years later. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) is not nearly as good as Bridget Jones’s Diary, but if you’re a completest like me you will want to see it.  Currently IMDB is showing an upcoming Bridget Jones’s Baby without a release date—but I know whenever it comes out I will be in line to see it. Bridget is one of my all-time favorite single girl heroines—she’s not perfect, but I love her just the way she is!

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Jerry Maguire (1996)

# 93

93: National Velvet (1944)

Mickey Rooney (Mi Taylor), Elizabeth Taylor (Velvet Brown), Donald Crisp (Mr. Brown), Ann Revere (Mrs. Brown), Angela Lansbury (Edwina Brown), Jackie Jenkins (Donald Brown)

Velvet Brown is a young school girl obsessed with horses. Just outside her town she meets a wanderer: Mi Taylor. Mi has travelled to Velvet’s town looking for Velvet’s mother—her name was in a notebook Mi inherited from his father. As Mi and Velvet are talking, a gorgeous wild steed gallops across the pasture and Velvet is smitten. She calls the horse Pie and the Pie is all she can talk about. That night Mi stays for dinner and Mrs. Brown decides to hire Mi to help around the farm. Velvet likes Mi and is happy that he’s going to stay with them. When the owner of the Pie decides that he can’t control the horse and wants to be rid of him—Pie is raffled off at Mr. Brown’s butcher shop. Mi purchases raffle tickets for all the Brown children and Velvet wins her coveted steed! Mi is impressed with Pie’s natural jumping ability—and we learn that Mi was once a jockey himself. Mi once raced in England’s Grand National Steeplechase but for some reason (revealed later in the film) he quit jockeying. Mi thinks that if properly trained the Pie could be a contender in the Grand National—and Velvet seizes on the idea. She writes to the race officials on her own and asks Mi to help her train the Pie. Mi is reluctant but then agrees to help Velvet train Pie to race in the Grand National.

I am as enchanted by this film today as I was when I first saw it as a young girl Velvet’s age. The plot is simple but the performances and characters in this film are superb. Elizabeth Taylor in her first starring role is delightful. Mickey Rooney gives a wonderful performance as a wanderer who at first thinks he will just rob the Browns and leave—but is truly touched by the kindness of the Brown family. Ann Revere (Mrs. Brown) earned an Oscar for her performance as Velvet’s mom—one of the strongest female characters I have seen in a film. Angela Lansbury is charming as a young teenage girl in love, and Jackie Jenkins as Donald Brown is a true gem. The climatic race scene is extremely well shot and is as fresh and exciting today as I imagine it was when the film debuted. This film is almost 70 years old but it isn’t dated. The dialogue is fresh, the characters are modern, and the performances are all top notch—there’s even a cute family dog. While you may find this film filed under “Kid’s” or “Family Fun” at the Family Video—no matter what your age this film is a delight and by the end of it you will be cheering for Velvet and the Pie!

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

The Secret Garden (1993)

The Muppets (2011)

# 94

94: Shall We Dance (1996)

Koji Yakusho (Shohei Sugiyama), Tamiyo Kusakari (Mai Kishikawa), Naoto Takenaka (Tomio Aoki), Eri Watanabe (Toyoko Takahashi)

Mr. Sugiyama is a middle-aged businessman who was recently promoted and just bought a new home for his family: a wife and teenage daughter. Though he should be content, he feels there’s something missing from his life. As he takes the subway home each night he sees a beautiful young woman in the window of a dance studio. One night he decides to get off the train at that stop and finds himself enrolling in ballroom dancing lessons. I saw this film in the tiny Student Center Theater at college—it was part of the Foreign Film Series at Southern Illinois University. I saw a lot of films in that little theater with the 1960’s era folding upholstered metal seats and sometimes sticky linoleum floor. In that theater, I learned that when I’m watching a truly great film—the primitive sound system and butt-numbing seats don’t matter. When it’s a really good film I forget where I am watching it—and such was the case with Shall We Dance.

At first Sugiyama’s goal is to meet and possibly hook up with the pretty dance teacher—but his plans are thwarted when he’s put in the group class with the middle aged instructor. Like Train Man (#99) it is the cast of colorful supporting characters that make this film. The stand outs are Naoto Takenaka as Mr. Aoki and Eri Watanabe as Toyoko. Mr. Aoki works with Mr. Sugiyama and keeps his dance life a secret from his co-workers. When dancing Aoki dons a ridiculous bowl-cut wig and assumes the alter ego of a famous Latin Ballroom dancer—but he says that it’s only when he’s dancing that he is truly free to be himself. Through the dance lessons Aoki and Sugiyama become friends—they not only go to the weekly lessons but they also attend various dance halls and clubs. The four men in the group dance class and Toyoko (a middle aged woman with aspirations of competing in the dance competition in Japan) are all changed for the better through their friendship found on the dance floor. Meanwhile Sugiyama’s wife thinks he is seeing another woman and hires a private investigator. Sugiyama’s wife and daughter go to see him compete in the dance competition and are shocked to see that he not only seems to be enjoying it—but he’s also really good. Shall We Dance is a charming romantic comedy and a must see for anyone who has either been a dancer or loves dance films. This gem of a movie was remade for American audiences—and I have not and probably will not see that version. The characters and performances in the Japanese version are perfect and I think any attempt at a remake would pale in comparison.

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)

# 95

95: Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

Audrey Hepburn (Holly Golightly), George Peppard (Paul Varjak), Patricia Neal (2-E), Buddy Ebsen (Doc Golightly), Martin Balsam (O.J. Berman)

I first saw this film when I was maybe 11 or 12. My mom introduced me to Audrey as she was herself a fan—and I remember when Audrey passed away in 1993 that my mom picked up the Special Audrey Issue of People Magazine. I poured over that issue and the photos of Audrey from her childhood in Belgium to her work around the world for UNICEF. Audrey was gorgeous, graceful, and seemed like the nicest person on Earth both on and off screen. As a young girl seeing this film for the first time I was enchanted with Audrey—and I hoped that someday I would morph into a fabulous young woman living in New York City—flitting from party to party and chatting up handsome interesting men all while wearing an amazing Givenchy wardrobe. What I did not realize seeing the film for the first time was that Holly was a hooker. Watching this film now I’m not impressed by the script, or the story—I think Midnight Cowboy (1969) is a far better film that deals with similar themes. But Tiffany’s made my top 100 while Cowboy did not. Other than Audrey, I also love the amazing Henry Mancini score for the film—and not just Moon River but the entire score. This is not the only Audrey film in my top 100, and it’s not in my opinion her best performance—but it is her most famous and popular film. Though Holly is a flighty party girl—I end up caring for her because throughout the film there are small quiet moments where her quirky, almost nerdy traits shine through. And though Audrey isn’t the greatest singer, when she sits on that balcony with her guitar and sings Moon River I always get a little misty eyed. This film firmly established Audrey as a style icon and made the little black dress an essential in every woman’s closet. I have yet to go to New York City and in the early morning stand in front of Tiffany’s windows and nibble on a chocolate croissant and sip from a cup of coffee—but it’s definitely on my bucket list.

Trivia: The band Jets to Brazil got their name from a poster that is seen hanging on Holly’s apartment wall. George Peppard would later play John “Hannibal” Smith on The A-Team TV series—a show that I loved growing up.

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

Roman Holiday (1953)

Sabrina (1954)

Midnight Cowboy (1969)

# 96

96: The Usual Suspects (1995)

Kevin Spacey (Roger “Verbal” Kint), Gabriel Byrne (Dean Keaton), Benicio Del Toro (Fred Fenster), Stephen Baldwin (Michael McManus), Kevin Pollak (Todd Hockney), Chazz Palminteri (Dave Kujan)

I didn’t see this film in the theater and I wish I had. I rented it while I was in college, watched it alone probably on a Sunday afternoon while I was supposed to be working on a paper or studying for some test no doubt. The film follows the police investigation into a boat explosion. There are only two survivors: “Verbal” Kint and a Hungarian terrorist who is being treated for severe burns. Verbal narrates the film as he explains how the five men who were pulled into a line up in New York City ended up involved in a heist on a San Pedro pier. The film doesn’t seem all that special until the end—where one surprise ending is then immediately followed by another that trumps the first. Spacey shines as “Verbal” Kint—a criminal who seems so hapless that I couldn’t help sympathizing with him. The first time you watch The Usual Suspects is definitely the best. You can never go back and undo seeing that surprise ending—although it’s definitely worth multiple viewings.

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

Into the West (1992)

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

# 97

97: Walk the Line (2005)

Joaquin Phoenix (Johnny Cash), Reese Witherspoon (June Carter), Ginnifer Goodwin (Vivian Cash), Robert Patrick (Ray Cash)

 

When I first saw the trailer for this film I knew of three Johnny Cash songs: Ring of Fire, A Boy Named Sue, and The Wanderer, a collaboration he did with U2 on Zooropa (1993). I loved all three of these songs but I didn’t consider myself a Johnny Cash fan, I didn’t own any of his albums. After seeing this film I went out and bought my first Cash album—because of this film I fell in love with the “Man in Black.” I knew that I would see this film in the theater when it was released because I was already a Joaquin Phoenix fan. I fell for Joaquin in Inventing the Abbots (1997) and then was blown away by his phenomenal performance in Gladiator (2000). In Walk the Line both Phoenix and Witherspoon give performances of a lifetime. Both actors learned to sing and play for this film, which itself is impressive—but rather than merely impersonate Johnny and June, Phoenix and Witherspoon embody the couple who fall passionately in love with each other.

Biographical or biopics are a genre of film that I love. I enjoy learning something about a person or topic in a nice 90 minute to 2 hour film, however not all biopics are alike. I think Walk the Line is one of the best biographical films ever made. It’s an honest portrayal of Johnny and June Carter Cash. While some biography films turn into a cautionary tale or glorify or deify the subject—Walk the Line does none of those things. The film covers Johnny’s life from his childhood in Arkansas to his historic concert at Folsom Prison. We learn that he toured with such greats as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Waylon Jennings. This was the early days of rock n’ roll and Johnny was right in the thick of it. While on tour Johnny is introduced to pills (barbituates) and soon becomes addicted. His addiction ruins his marriage with Vivian, alienates him from his children, and devastates his career—and then June steps in.

While the film is considered a biopic of Johnny Cash, the film isn’t called Cash or Johnny Cash, or the Man in Black—because the film is really about the relationship of Johnny of June. Johnny was a fan of June Carter’s as a child, he kept track of her career while in the Air Force, and when he began touring with the Sun Records’ performers he finally meets her and sparks fly. I can’t help but fall completely in love with Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash in this film—a performance which earned Witherspoon an Oscar. She is charming and effervescent when onstage as June Carter, and offstage she’s a strong, moral woman who sees the good in Johnny when he’s at his worst. The performances in this film are first rate, but that’s not all there is to this film that makes it awesome. Rather than just hit every important historical highlight of Johnny Cash’s life, director Mangold focuses on the relationship of Johnny and June—and it’s their friendship and love that drives the film. While the music is certainly important and essential to the film, it plays a supporting role to their relationship. When Johnny hits rock bottom—June decides to help him. It’s because of her love and determination to help him kick his addiction that Johnny is given a second chance. As a result, he and his career are reborn.  The attraction of Johnny Cash is that he’s an everyman, he’s flawed, he made mistakes—but he also found love and it was that love that saved him. This is one of my favorite films because unlike all of the other films about rock stars, musicians or bands—this film doesn’t end with the star burning out or dying of a drug overdose. This film ends on an optimistic note but is also a very honest and genuine portrayal of Johnny Cash that champions the theme that love really does conquer all.

If you like this film I also recommend the following films which do not appear in the Lisa’s Top 100:

Houdini (1953)

Spartacus (1960)

Legally Blonde (2001)