'The Deer Hunter' (movie review): Part 2

'The Deer Hunter' - #45 "greatest move of all time"

 

'The Deer Hunter' (movie review)

I used the previous movie review as somewhat of an excuse to post this off-topic article. The below article would make a great group conversation piece! When reviewing these movies, it would trigger many different reactions and emotions from most people. To many people, some of these movies would reflect a great truth.. or a great falsehood. I appreciated that these critics didn't go out've their way to "get political" with the list.

For me, I think of a time machine. Because so many of these movies reflect places and times--both for each movie, as well as for the individual--they represent a momentary escape to a place, real or imagined. As a very young boy watching 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (#25), I recall having a crush on a young Terri Garr, and being amused by the eccentric actions of the protagonist played by Richard Dreyfuss. I can remember it being bigger than life at the end; and I can even remember walking out of the direct exit from the theater and being blinded by the bright sunlight and feeling the sudden heat of the day.

When thinking of the movie 'Vertigo' (#24), I remember the pleasant scenery and mood of the pre-60s San Francisco and the surrounding coastal area. Often, at least for me, that scenery and mood is what I remember most about a movie. Just that momentary thought can be a brief escape from reality.... "the grass is always greener on the other side."

Sometimes long movies can be the most memorable. 'Gone With The Wind' (#18) is a good example of this. If you really like the movie, then there's a sense that you can get lost in a longer film. Also, particularly for big film buffs, the project itself holds great fascination. It's like a grand party that happened one time, but accounts and artifacts live on... and it can never come back together in the same way again.

I saw the movie 'Sunset Boulevard' (#4) only once. I had no idea that it was this highly rated. It had a great black-and-white cinematic quality to it. I remember at the beginning, when he first pulled into the driveway of the house. There was a certain timeless feel to that rural-suburban house...the coming twilight... the property... the car port... the overgrowth... the privacy. I think we can all think of one or more of those old homesteads... where you're sort've lost in space and time.


Film critics pick the 50 best movies of all time

Molly Driscoll - 'The Christian Science Monitor'

Endless lists have been made, and it's a great way to start an argument at a party. What's better, 'Chinatown' or 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'? 'The Wizard of Oz' or 'Singin' in the Rain'? Everyone's picks are different, but for their new book 'The Greatest Movies Ever,' film critics Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza selected their choices for the best 101 movies of all time. First published in 2008, this edition of the book is revised with new picks like 'Slumdog Millionaire.' Here's a sampler --  the 50 films that got the top spots on Kinn and Piazza's list.

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