AFI Top 100

I like movies. I can’t say I am a rabid fan as I only find my way to a movie theater several times a year, but I do scour what I can record on my DVR and often I will have 10 or more movies recorded that I am waiting to watch.

Back when VCRs were king, I was a regular at the video store and library looking for something I hadn’t seen yet. When I purchased my first DVR (an early version of TiVO), I decided that I wanted to watch some classic films I hadn’t seen. The first was Casablanca. I can’t say why I hadn’t seen it before, but I found it somewhere on cable and watched. It was as good as I expected.

In 1998, AFI (the American Film Institute) released their list of the top 100 movies of all time. I made it my mission to see them all. I had seen many of them and if I could recall the plot well enough to describe it to someone else, I could skip it.

AFI updated the list in 2007, but here is the original with a few thoughts on each.

#	MOVIE	Thoughts
1	CITIZEN KANE	Hated it. Yes, I could appreciate the artistry, but it was boring as hell.
2	CASABLANCA	Great story. I wish I had seen it earlier.
3	THE GODFATHER	I think this might be #2 on my list.
4	GONE WITH THE WIND	Long and drawn out.
5	LAWRENCE OF ARABIA	Not bad, but not top 5.
6	THE WIZARD OF OZ	Great for all ages and deserving of the top 10.
7	THE GRADUATE	Plastics! Hard to believe that Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft were only a few years apart in age.
8	ON THE WATERFRONT	Pretty good. Top 20 maybe.
9	SCHINDLER’S LIST	A powerful film that you cannot look away from.
10	SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN	A little lighthearted fun but not the second best musical of all time.
11	IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE	Good story, excellent acting.
12	SUNSET BLVD.	Kinda creepy. Once you know the story, it is much less interesting to watch.
13	THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI	I had whistled the song for years before seeing the movie.
14	SOME LIKE IT HOT	Jack Lemmon makes this movie.
15	STAR WARS	My undisputed #1.
16	ALL ABOUT EVE	I was surprised that I liked it.
17	THE AFRICAN QUEEN	Bogart and Hepburn. I saw this first as a kid and watched it again as part of this effort. Good movie.
18	PSYCHO	The most classic horror flick there is.
19	CHINATOWN	A gritty movie about water of all things.
20	ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST	I might have to make this top 5. The book was good and the movie nailed it well.
21	THE GRAPES OF WRATH	The book was much better, but the movie wasn’t bad.
22	2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY	Beautiful to look at, but the first hour could really be skipped.
23	THE MALTESE FALCON	I wasn’t enthralled by the mystery here.
24	RAGING BULL	De Niro in another one of his powerful roles.
25	E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL	I was the perfect age when this came out and fell for the movie instantly.
26	DR. STRANGELOVE	One of the more odd movies here. I liked it.
27	BONNIE AND CLYDE	Another one I liked better than I thought I would.
28	APOCALYPSE NOW	I first saw this when I was avoiding reading Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. I like it more every time I see it.
29	MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON	A feel good movie if there ever was one.
30	THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE	A good yarn. Yes, you need the badges!
31	ANNIE HALL	I never clicked with Woody Allen’s humor. I’d leave it off the list.
32	THE GODFATHER PART II	A good follow-up but nowhere near the first.
33	HIGH NOON	The drama and stress created through the artistry of the filmmaking is astounding.
34	TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD	The book was awesome and the movie pretty good too. Top 20.
35	IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT	Couldn’t get into it.
36	MIDNIGHT COWBOY	This was the last of the list for me. Why? At the time it was never shown on cable and Netflix DID NOT HAVE IT IN ITS CATALOG! I wrote Netflix twice to get it added and once it was, selected it.
37	THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES	Kind of a snoozer.
38	DOUBLE INDEMNITY	Great concept well done.
39	DOCTOR ZHIVAGO	I did not believe the characters in this one.
40	NORTH BY NORTHWEST	Not bad, but not the best for the director or lead actor.
41	WEST SIDE STORY	Would have to be my #1 musical.
42	REAR WINDOW	I love the idea of the movie. It is well done too.
43	KING KONG	The original lacks much but the stop motion is fun.
44	THE BIRTH OF A NATION	Tough to watch. So blatantly racist, I had to force myself to finish.
45	A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE	Such powerful performances. This should be top 25.
46	A CLOCKWORK ORANGE	The most disturbing, but I could not look away.
47	TAXI DRIVER	The de-evolution of the character is fascinating to watch.
48	JAWS	The horror film of my youth.
49	SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS	The best rated animated film. I’d put a few higher.
50	BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID	A good movie with even better actors.
51	THE PHILADELPHIA STORY	I don’t think it holds up well.
52	FROM HERE TO ETERNITY	This one either.
53	AMADEUS	Who would have thought you could make Mozart both funny and gripping. The acting makes this as much as the script.
54	ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT	A journey generally worth taking.
55	THE SOUND OF MUSIC	A good, solid musical.
56	M*A*S*H	Irreverent to the max.
57	THE THIRD MAN	The mystery here is why it was on the list.
58	FANTASIA	I was never a fan. Drop it.
59	REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE	Such earnest teen angst. Well done.
60	RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK	Love this movie! As said in the Big Bang Theory show, it is the love child of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
61	VERTIGO	A good way to show the battle of an inner demon.
62	TOOTSIE	I’ve heard it said that this is the best acting in a movie….ever! It was fun.
63	STAGECOACH	Grand, sweeping images of the old west make it worth watching.
64	CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND	I liked it. I can see how Richard Dryfus just can’t get this thing out of his head!
65	THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS	One of the scariest on the list. Top 30.
66	NETWORK	Not bad. One great scene. An OK movie.
67	THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE	Good concept but a little mechanical.
68	AN AMERICAN IN PARIS	A light romantic film. Not bad.
69	SHANE	Another western that is pretty good.
70	THE FRENCH CONNECTION	A good thriller to pass the night.
71	FORREST GUMP	Forrest should run right into the top 25. Great movie.
72	BEN-HUR	A huge film that knows it. Worth watching.
73	WUTHERING HEIGHTS	Painful. Don’t make me watch it again.
74	THE GOLD RUSH	The silent films were tough for me as I like to multi-task when watching and you can’t with a silent film. I am not a fan.
75	DANCES WITH WOLVES	A modern sweeping film that is a little preachy but well done.
76	CITY LIGHTS	See #74
77	AMERICAN GRAFFITI	The music is #1. The movie is good. Watch it and see some very young stars to be.
78	ROCKY	One of the most inspirational ones on the list. Needs to be top 40.
79	THE DEER HUNTER	More scary than it should be. Well acted.
80	THE WILD BUNCH	Not bad, but not to 100.
81	MODERN TIMES	Ugh. Another silent film.
82	GIANT	Oil and egos. If James Dean hadn’t died when filming, it might not make the list.
83	PLATOON	Powerful. A good take on the psychology in war.
84	FARGO	Quirky and great.
85	DUCK SOUP	The Marx brothers had great timing but it does not hold up.
86	MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY	Not bad. Not great, but not bad.
87	FRANKENSTEIN	Just OK.
88	EASY RIDER	I expected much more than I got here.
89	PATTON	George C Scott makes the character his own and HUGE at the same time.
90	THE JAZZ SINGER	I didn’t click with the movie.
91	MY FAIR LADY	Audrey Hepburn is perfect. Just perfect.
92	A PLACE IN THE SUN	Just OK.
93	THE APARTMENT	Another one that I didn’t click with.
94	GOODFELLAS	A great ensemble cast that carries the movie well.
95	PULP FICTION	Others love this movie much more than I do.
96	THE SEARCHERS	John Wayne at his best.
97	BRINGING UP BABY	A light comedy that is OK.
98	UNFORGIVEN	Another modern western that is well done.
99	GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER	Pretty good.
100	YANKEE DOODLE DANDY	I’ve must have watched this film 20 times. Love it.

Black Bean Hummus

This is a unique take on hummus using back beans. It works!

You can find the tahini in the “ethnic” aisle.

Blend it up, chill and serve.

Black Bean Hummus

Ingredients:2 tbsp olive oil2 tbsp fresh lemon juice2 tbsp tahini1 clove garlic, quartered1⁄2 tsp kosher salt15 oz can Black beans with1/3 cup liquid reserved½ tsp ground cumin¼ tsp ground cayenne ¼ tsp smoked paprikaDirections:Add ingredients, including black bean liquid, to FourSide jar in order listed. Secure lid and select “Sauce.”Nutritional Info: Servings 7.0Sodium 350 mgServing SizeCarbohydrates 12 gCalories 100Fiber 3 gFat 7 gSugar 1 gSaturated Fat 1 gProtein 5 gCholesterol 0 mgSource: http://www.blendtec.com/recipes/hummus