Good Movies

You know, I'm fortunate enough to have a DVD player on my workstation and while I've been coordinating screenings and press for the film I've been watching some damn good movies lately. I just wanted to remind you guys that if you haven't seen these movies recently, give them another look, they are great:

1) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- Every bit of praise heaped onto this movie is well deserved. This film is what I would consider perfect screenwriting (for this type of film anyway) and this is Redford and Newman and Hill and Goldman each at the top of their respective games.

2) The Godfather -- Brando, Pacine, Cazale, Caan, Coppola. 'Nuff said. (Let's not forget Abe Vigoda either, or the guy who played Clemenza, or the guy who played Luca Brazzi.)

3) Seven Samurai -- Even subtitled this movie will give you chills. Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura should be regarded as two of the best actors who have ever lived. (Drunken Angel and Stray Dog are completely amazing as well.)

4) E.T. -- I can't even explain how great this movie is. It helped define my childhood.

5 & 6) American Graffitti and THX-1138 -- For any of you who don't think George Lucas knows what he's doing need to watch these two movies. Very quickly you will realize that he is better than you. But these movies make you realize how deliberate of a filmmaker he is, he's almost as deliberate as Kurosawa, every frame is constructed exactly how he wants it. So, for those of you who think he's lost it, watch these two and then rewatch all 6 Star Wars pictures and you'll realize everything is on purpose. Like Qui-Gon said, "Nothing happens by accident."

So, check these movies out again.