A Curmudgeon's View Of Movies and Such (Pat P)

I always enjoy the annual presentation of American Film Institute’s Top 100 greatest American Movies of all time. that it broadcasts each year. It’s kinda like meeting some old and dear friends. Friends like “Casablanca,” “Gone With The Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “ High Noon,” “The Sound of Music,” “Ben Hur” and “West Side Story.” The list is compiled by “a blue-ribbon panel of leaders from across the film community.

I usually have some major disagreements, mostly about films that didn’t make the list. Sorry, but I hated Clockwork Orange that ranked high, and I didn’t care much for Pulp Fiction that was more gore than story, but I admit to being an old-fashion sentimentalist who loves a good story and a satisfying ending. Not too many of those around these days.

I usually go to films to be entertained, not lectured to. Not to see unending death and gore and language that seems to be there for shock value rather than characterization. Most definitely I do not go to see evil rewarded and justice blocked. Nor to hear that life is hell and then you die. Certainly not to come out more depressed than when I went inside the theater.

What would I substitute for some on the list? Well, “ Witness” for one. “Witness” was the perfect movie. Great story, great characters, great suspense, great message. The cop who lives in a violent world thrust into the gentle and peaceful loving Amish community, and at the end it is the values of the Amish that vanquish the bad guy, not the guns. The sexual tension is a model for all romance writers.

Another book that didn’t make the list is one of my very favorites. “The Big Country” with Gregory Peck and Jean Simmons. Another story about non-violence but drawn on a huge sprawling canvas. It’s one of the few movies I can watch over and over again. It’s a story about misplaced loyalty, revenge, and hatred, but the later is conquered ever so well by a hero who puts honor and integrity above bravado and a woman who understands true courage.

And “Giant” with Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor didn’t make a list. Its message about prejudice was enveloped in a great story about fascinating and complex characters in a thirty-year time period that changed the state and our nation.

I could go on.

I must admit that as a movie goer and writer, I’m not as interested in technical brilliance as I am in the story; therefore while I agree with probably 80 of the 100, I certainly would make changes in the other.

The list also reminds me of the dearth I personally find in today’s films. They just don't seem to make the kind of movies I enjoy. A former film addict, I'm simply not that interested in today's offerings. I watched the Academy Awards this year and hadn't seen one of the top films nominated for Best Picture of the Year, nor, with one exception, those honored for individual performances or direction. Deadlines, continuing involvment in RWA and a sick mother demand most of my time. But perhaps I would try to find more of that precious commodity if there were any films I really wanted to see. That means films that truly entertain because of riveting plots, characters you want to succeed, and an ending that satisfies. Doesn't always mean a happy ending, but one that leaves you with the feeling that all will be well, that justice was done. I still want the good guys to win.

Shallow it might be, but there it is.

For those interested in the list, you can find it at Http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/movies. I would like to know what films you might substitute. Which ones moved you for whatever reason? Which ones still linger in your mind even thirty and forty years later?


Having made that rant, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed “On the Lot” on Thursday nights on the Fox Network. Young would-be directors/film-makers vie for a job with Dreamworks. Each week, the participants compete with short films they’d authored, filmed and produced in a period of day or several days.

As an author, I truly appreciate the creative mind and how individuals will take the same subject and produce completely different scenarios. Give it a look.