The other day, I wrote a post about the BBC and its list of the 100 best American films, and a commenter said that I should provide my own list of top movies. Unfortunately, I am not a movie critic and cannot delve into the intricacies of acting and directing. I only know what movies I like and do not like.
With that in mind, I decided to take this challenge into a different direction. When I am scrolling through the guide, there are some things that I will automatically click on and watch for a while. This includes a few movies with different levels of quality. If I cannot make a list of the greatest movies of all time, then I can make a list of the 10 movies I will always watch if I see them on the television guide.
They are coming at you in the order that I thought of them.
Manhunter (1986) – This was on last night and led me to write this post. It is the first movie about Hannibal Lecter and is directed by Michael Mann. In other words, it is Silence of the Lambs meets Miami Vice. You may have seen its remake, Red Dragon, but this one is a lot more entertaining.
Flash Gordon (1980) – Let Dino de Laurentiis try to capitalize on the Star Wars phenomenon, and this is what you get. It has some great actors and some not-so-great actors, but they are all having a good time. It would have been awesome to been in the room when Flash attacked Ming’s guards by playing football. On top of that, Ornella Muti is there in all her glory.
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991) – Two stars of the 1980s, Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke, try to make their transition into the next decade. They ride motorcycles. They go after drug dealers. They act cool. Well, acting might be too strong of a word. I have already written about this one and will move on down the line.
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) – When I become king, a new law will make its way across the land. As a testament to its greatness, everyone must watch this movie. Clint Eastwood is awesome, and it is filled with awesome quotes. I should know because I have them all memorized. In the early days of this blog, I wrote an extensive post about this one.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977) – As with the previous movies, I have already written about this one. Burt Reynolds is at his peak. Jackie Gleason is hilarious. I saw it five times when it was in release and can never watch it too many times. The only problem is that television cleans up the language and, in the process, destroys a lot of the laughs.
El Dorado (1966) – I could have listed a ton of John Wayne movies, but I think I click on this one more than any other. It could be because this one is on regularly. Anyway, it is a script that was filmed several times, but it never gets old. Oh yeah, there is one other thing. As I have written before, it is a poetic movie.
The Legend of the Lone Ranger (1981) – This is a terrible movie. Klinton Spilsbury never made another movie. Heck, he did not really make this one. James Keach was brought in to dub his lines. However, it has some redeeming qualities. Merle Haggard sings the theme song, and part of it was filmed in Monument Valley.
Logan’s Run (1976) – I am a big fan of dystopian movies, and this is one of my favorites. How can post-apocalyptic life be bad with scantily clad women everywhere? On top of that, a push of a button can make one of the scantily clad women appear instantly in your apartment. The only thing that could go wrong is that Carrousel ride at the age of 30. On second thought, it would probably be better to live with a bunch of cats in a destroyed Washington, D.C.
For Love of the Game (1999) – This is a movie that used to hit me on a deep emotional level. As the years pass, it does not have the same effect. Despite that, it is still a good movie. Kevin Costner has made a bunch of sports movies, but this is my favorite one. It could be because Vin Scully is calling the game.
Legends of the Fall (1994) – This is another movie that reaches me on an emotional level, but it is also interesting in a historical sense. Obviously, it is about a family that goes through years of heartache. However, it is also about rum-running during Prohibition. They talk about the Volstead Act and smuggling alcohol across the Canadian border. I could go deeper into a historical analysis, but I may need that for another post.
Now, let us analyze the list by decade.
1960s – 1
1970s – 3
1980s – 3
1990s – 3
Interestingly, nothing made in the past 16 years has knocked a movie off this list. I wonder what that means.
Then, there is this. Over half of the list was filmed between 1976 and 1986. Those must have been formative movie years for me.
Anyway, those are the movies that I will always watch if I find them on television. What are a few of the movies that would make your list?
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
Guilty pleasures?
I like the word innocent better.
There is a little known western called “Purgatory” Sam Shepard is starring I think it has one of the best shoot outs ever…like to see that on tv.
I’ve heard of that but never seen it.
Outlaw Josey Wales is my husband’s all time favorite movie. I’ve never see the entire thing, but I bet I can quote about 50% of it, just because he goes around quoting it, all the time.
Me: “I’m going to take a quick run to the grocery store.”
Him: “You are the gray rider. You may go in peace.”
Logans Run: I saw it as a teenager and remember that the theater audience laughed through the entire thing. They laughted especially long and hard when Farah Fawcett died.
She died in a comically gruesome way. Your husband is a smart man with great taste. My mom always refused to watch it and always complained about the volume. Then, she decided to watch it and liked it.
Innocent it is 🙂
“Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear … ”
Ta da dump, Ta da dump, Ta da dump dump dump …
No need to worry about liking ‘The Legend of the Lone Ranger’. Hell I like ‘Water World’ – and it ain’t even a Western.
It’s not hard to figure out what’s on your personal Classics list. Just flip around channels on your TV and there’s certain movies that I hit that I just have to watch – no matter how many times I’ve seen them – or how bad somebody else figures they are. ‘Field of Dreams’ is another Costner movie that I just love. Musta watched it 50 times.
Number 51 coming up … !
Field of Dreams is a good one. I wonder why they can’t make a good Lone Ranger movie.
They could make a good Lone Ranger movie. They just don’t believe that they have to give people what they want, but have to give us what they think we ought to want.
That can be said for a lot of things going on out there.
Stop channel surfing if they are on, regardless of how many times I have seen them:
The Shawshank Redemption
The Green Mile
Kill Bill
Overboard
My Cousin Vinnie
I am sure there are a few others, but that’s right off the top of my headachey head 🙂
I need to watch a few of those.
Sadly, so true.
Smokey and the Bandit was actually on television this afternoon, here in the UK, and even though the language was cleaned up it was still great to watch it again.
Hearing Eastbound and Down never fails to set my foot tapping!
If I made a similar list I’d be sure to include:
Hatari
Junior Bonner
American Graffiti
Jaws and
Two-Lane Blacktop
Hatari is a great choice. So is Junior Bonner. I haven’t seen either one in years. Thanks for reading and for commenting.