93. The French Connection (1971)

Running Time: 104 Minutes
Director: William Friedkin
Date Watched: 10/15/2010 Medium: DVD

Summary (from Amazon.com): "Two narcotics detectives, "Popeye" Doyle and his partner Buddy Russo (Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider), start to close in on a vast international narcotics ring when the smugglers unexpectedly strike back. Following an attempt on his life by one of the smugglers, Doyle sets off a deadly pursuit that ultimately takes him far beyond mere New York City limits."

Molly: (1 out of 5 stars): "Dumb story, didn't care one bit what happened to any of the characters, dumb ending. Dumb, dumb, dumb. And it had car chases in it. I hate car chases. I'm glad it was short."

Nick ( 2.5 out of 5 stars): "Decent acting but slow moving. It had its moments but overall was a sluggish movie."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• The traffic jam on the Brooklyn Bridge was shot without permission.
• All of the extras used in the first bar scene were real life police officers.
• In at least one glimpse of the Manhattan skyline (as the car is being unloaded from the cargo ship), you can see the first of the World Trade Center towers under construction.
• The conductor on the subway train was the actual conductor, whose name was Bob Morrone. The actor who was supposed to play the conductor didn't show up on the day that scene was to be filmed. In addition, the motorman was the actual motorman. The Transit Authority refused to allow an actor to operate a subway train.

94. Pulp Fiction (1994)

Running Time: 154 Minutes
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Date Watched: 10/09/2010 Medium: DVD

Summary (from Amazon.com): "The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption."

Molly: (2 out of 5 stars): "Not the worst movie I've ever seen. Entertaining and clever storyline. Bloody and with bad language, so I would never recommend it."

Nick (3.5 out of 5 stars): "This was an entertaining movie that had an intriguing story and a neat way of tying it all together by the end. I can't think of any Tarantino movies that I liked but this one kept my attention. The language was rough and over the top which makes it tough for me to say that I want to see it again."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• The movie's line "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?... They call it a Royale with cheese." was voted as the #81 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

• John Travolta was paid $150,000 for his part in the film.

95. The Last Picture Show (1971)

Running Time: 118 Minutes
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Date Watched: 10/01/2010 Medium: DVD

Summary (from IMDb.com): "A group of 50's high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied West Texas town that is slowly dying, both economically and culturally. "

Molly: (2.5 out of 5 stars): "If the goal of this movie was to make you feel depressed at how awful the lives of the characters were, it succeeded and then some, which is why I gave it 2.5 stars - I think it accomplished what it set out to do. Was it a movie that I enjoyed? No. There wasn't much of a plot; it was more about character development. But it did a good job at that, so I'll give it that. Would I watch it again? Not if I could help it."

Nick (2.5 out of 5 stars): "The acting in his movie was impressive but the there wasn't much of a conventional story. The story focuses on the lives of several teenage boys and does not sugarcoat how they think or act when left to their own devices. There was a lot of rough language and uncomfortable scenes but all were done in the context of developing the characters."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• All the film's music (except for the closing credits and the live band at the Christmas party) is played in the background on radios, jukeboxes or, at the swim party, on a portable record player.
• Film debut for Cybill Shepherd, Randy Quaid, and Sam Bottoms.
• Cloris Leachman's last scene in the movie was printed on the first take without any previous rehearsals. She wanted to rehearse the scene but director Peter Bogdanovich thought it would ruin the scene if it was rehearsed. Ultimately his sense of direction paid off, as Leachman won the Academy Award for her performance.
• Tex Ritter auditioned for the role of Sam the Lion as his son John was considered for the role of Sonny.

96. Do the Right Thing (1989)

Running Time: 120 Minutes
Director: Spike Lee
Date Watched: 09/24/2010 Medium: DVD

Summary (from Amazon.com): "Spike Lee's incendiary look at race relations in America, circa 1989, is so colorful and exuberant for its first three-quarters that you can almost forget the terrible confrontation that the movie inexorably builds toward. Do the Right Thing is a joyful, tumultuous masterpiece--maybe the best film ever made about race in America, revealing racial prejudices and stereotypes in all their guises and demonstrating how a deadly riot can erupt out of a series of small misunderstandings. Set on one block in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the hottest day of the summer, the movie shows the whole spectrum of life in this neighborhood and then leaves it up to us to decide if, in the end, anybody actually does the "right thing.""

Molly: (0.5 out of 5 stars): "Ugh."

Nick (2.5 out of 5 stars): "It wasn't a fun film to watch but seemed to make some good points about how racial bigotry can display itself in different and pointless forms. The movie had a lot of rough language but it seemed relevant to the stereotypical culture it was trying to portray."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• Spike Lee originally wanted Robert De Niro for the role of Sal. But De Niro turned down the part, saying that it was too similar to many of the parts he had played in the past.
• The key scene when Danny Aiello and John Turturro talk alone approximately midway through the film was partly improvised. The scripted scene ended as the character Smiley approached the window. Everything after that until the end of the scene was completely ad-libbed.
• The scene in which Sal (Danny Aiello) and Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito) argue about there being no African-Americans on the wall of the restaurant - only "American Italians" - is somewhat ironic, as Giancarlo Esposito is an Italian-American.
• The story takes place at the intersection of Bedford and Stuyvesant Avenues. In reality, the two do not cross each other, however the film was shot in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn.

97. Blade Runner (1982)

Running Time: 117 Minutes
Director: Ridley Scott
Date Watched: 09/17/2010 Medium: DVD

Summary (from Amazon.com): "Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) prowls the steel-and-microchip jungle of 21st Century Los Angeles. He's a "blade runner" stalking genetically made criminal replicants. His assignment: kill them. Their crime: wanting to be human. "

Molly: (0.5 out of 5 stars): "Nick wouldn't let me give 0 stars to a movie, so I gave it 0.5. It deserves less. This was a horrible movie, a total waste of time, and not remotely interesting. I don't get why it was included on anyone's top list of anything, unless it was the top stupidest movies of all time. I like science fiction and thought the storyline (when reading about it before watching) had promise. But it failed to deliver in a big way. Blegh."

Nick (1 out of 5 stars): "I can understand the significance of the film, given the detail of the future world it created; however, I don't understand the appeal of this movie today. The story seemed incomplete, the characters were not developed well, and by the end of the movie, I couldn't have cared less about what happened to any of the characters."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• Titles considered for the film include 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', 'Android', 'Mechanismo', 'Dangerous Days', and finally 'Blade Runner'. After the film had changed its name from 'Dangerous Days' to 'Blade Runner', Ridley Scott decided he didn't like the new name, and tried to call the film 'Gotham City', but Bob Kane (comic book creator of Batman) wouldn't sell the rights to the name, so it returned to being called 'Blade Runner'.
  
• The ending title sequence in the theatrical cut of the film contains unused footage from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining (1980). These were extra shots of the main title sequence, although none of the shots contain the road that was seen in The Shining.
• Ridley Scott told NPR's All Things Considered that he originally wanted Deckard to wear a 1940s-style hat throughout the film, but Scott decided against that once he saw Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones costume (including the brown fedora) for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which was shot directly before Blade Runner (1982).

98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Running Time: 126 Minutes
Director: Michael Curtiz
Date Watched: 08/20/2010 Medium: DVD

Summary (from Amazon.com): " A patriotic recreation of the life and times of George M. Cohan, with many of his songs. "

Molly: (5 out of 5 stars): "I loved this movie. It was well done, the songs were catchy and fun, and the characters were very lovable. I would highly recommend this to anyone and thought that the fact that it was a true(ish) story made it even better!"

Nick (4.5 out of 5 stars): "A fun, clean movie. The songs were enjoyable and performed well."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• Many facts were changed or ignored to add to the feel of the movie. For example, the real George M. Cohan was married twice, and although his second wife's middle name was Mary, she went by her first name, Agnes. In fact, the movie deviated so far from the truth that, following the premiere, the real George M. Cohan commented, "It was a good movie. Who was it about?"
• James Cagney was eleven years older than his screen mother Rosemary DeCamp.
• Walking down the stairs at the White House, James Cagney goes into a tap dance. According to TCM, that was completely ad-libbed.

99. Toy Story (1995)

Running Time: 80 Minutes
Director: John Lasseter
Date Watched: 07/30/2010 Medium: Blu-Ray

Summary (from Amazon.com): "In this 3D computer animated feature, a pull-string cowboy doll is the leader of the toys until the latest, greatest action figure enters the picture. When the toy rivals are separated from thei rowner, they ultimately learn to put aside their differences and work as a team to get back home to the boy they love."

Molly: (3.5 out of 5 stars): "I loved this movie when it first came out and it is still just as fun. Entertaining and holds my attention, even though it is a 'kid's' movie."

Nick (3.5 out of 5 stars): "A fun and clever movie that brought back memories of many childhood toys. It is a rare movie that can take hold of your attention with both the special effects and the writing/story."

Random Movie Facts (from IMDb.com):

• First fully computer-generated full-length feature film. Each frame took 4 to 13 hours (depending on the complexity of the shot) of time on a RenderFarm consisting of 87 2-CPU SparcStation 20's, 30 4-CPU Sparc-Station 20's and a SparcServer 1000.
• Whenever a character's eyes blink, they never blink together, but one at a time.
• Billy Crystal was originally offered the chance to voice Buzz Lightyear, but declined. After seeing the finished film, he said the decision was the biggest mistake of his career. Upon learning this, Pixar offered Crystal the role of Mike in Monsters, Inc. (2001), which he readily accepted.
• All of the cars in Toy Story have license plate stickers that are dated November 95 - the same date the movie was released.