5. 8 1/2

Directed by Federico Fellini, 1963, Italy, 135 minutes

Netflix description: Dog-tired director Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) retreats to thoughts of yesteryear when his producers, his wife (Anouk Aimee) and his mistress (Sandra Milo) all pressure him to start making another movie. Director Federico Fellini's semiautobiographical rumination on the joys and rigors of film-making - as well as lovers past and present - won two Oscars: Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume Design, Black-and-White.

This film was somewhat hard to get through, but the pay off was big! In the end, I really loved it. Its not that its too long, but its a little slow in some parts. Other scenes though, were completely wonderful and I watched some of them over and over again. Some of the best dialogue exchanges I've seen come near the end when Fellini and a prospective actress Claudia talk about the film he is making and the characters in it, when clearly he is talking about himself and she tells it like it is. The dream/imagination sequences of Guido's are also definitely highlights.

I think anyone can relate to the themes of this movie - and not just those with creative-block. Anyone struggling to maintain their own identity and happiness amid the expectations of others can relate. At the end Guido finds himself again, even though he lets some folks down along the way. A great quote from Guido: "Happiness consists of being able to tell the truth without hurting anyone."

All in all, definitely an amazing film to see. Worth watching for the soundtrack by Nino Rota alone!

P.S. While I'm sort of on the subject, I really want to say that my favorite Fellini film is by far Nights of Cabiria - its #184 on the list so I won't get to write about it any time soon, but it was so great and is probably one of my favorite movies ever. Cabiria is played by Fellini's wife Giulietta Masina and is so perfect, I actually find myself thinking about Cabiria as a real person and I wonder sometimes how she's doing! She's like a cross between Charlie Chaplin and Lucille Ball and will melt your heart! Just sayin'.

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, 1968, US, 148 minutes

Netflix Description: Stanley Kubrick's quiet masterpiece probes the mysteries of space and human destiny. While investigating the appearance of mysterious monoliths throughout the universe, astronauts David (Keir Dullea) and Frank (Gary Lockwood) battle their ship's intelligent computer, HAL-9000. This epic sci-fi drama based on Arthur C. Clarke's story "The Sentinel" was nominated for four Academy Awards and won for its stunning special effects.

Wow! This is one of those movies I can't believe I waited so long to see. I'm sure most people have already seen it but I had never gotten around to it. I was missing out!

If you haven't seen it, expect more of a visual experience rather than a typical movie. There's no dialogue for the first twenty-five minutes and a plot doesn't really appear until at least halfway through. But the plot is a great one and the last part of the movie was thrilling. HAL-9000 is one of the most effective villains I've seen, and delivers one of the most iconic lines in film: "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that." It makes me giddy just thinking about it!

I love that it was mostly visual. You just don't see that in movies anymore. It really allows you to think and feel as you watch. If you are like me and have never gotten around to seeing this one, do yourself a favor and rent it. Even if you don't like it, you won't regret seeing it. Sit back with an open mind and enjoy!

3. The Rules of the Game

Directed by Jean Renoir, 1939, France, 113 minutes

Netflix Description: When affluent Marquis Robert de la Chesnaye (Marcel Dalio) hosts a party at his sprawling property, emotions run high. Guests include Robert's mistress Genevieve (Mila Parely) and pilot Andre Jurieu (Roland Toutain), who fancies Robert's wife, Christine (Nora Gregor). Meanwhile, Schumacher (Gaston Modot) is trying to keep Marceau (Julien Carette) from hitting on his wife (Paulette Dubost). All the while, the servants watch with great interest.

Okay, don't pay attention to that description of the movie. It makes it sound boring, or like a weird soap opera. This was not a boring movie at all! I really enjoyed it and I'm surprised that it's not more well-known to the masses. I know I had never heard of it before deciding to watch this list of films.

The film is really a social commentary about the French ruling class at the time it was made (right before WWII). It portrays the upper-class as ridiculous and silly with no regard for the consequences of their actions. Worse still, it shows the working class emulating their behaviors. Because of its themes, it was hated at the time of its release, according to the introduction by Renoir on the DVD special features, and people actually wanted to burn down theaters after seeing it.

Definitely take the time to watch this movie and make sure you don't quit partway through it. For most of the movie, it does seem a bit like a silly soap opera. But the ending completely makes up for it!

2. Vertigo

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1958, US, 128 minutes

Netflix description: One of Alfred Hitchcock's darkest and most compelling suspense films tells the story of police detective Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart), who has a crippling fear of heights -- and an all-consuming obsession with a married woman. When an old friend asks him to tail his wife (Kim Novak), Scottie is drawn into a vortex of deceit and murder. But that's only the beginning as a mesmerizing score draws Scottie to the film's haunting final shot.

I love Alfred Hitchcock and I love James Stewart but I'm really sad to say I did not enjoy this movie. It had some good moments but generally I found it to be really slow-paced. I had a really hard time getting through it, which was not what I expected. I also thought the plot and its twists were implausible and almost silly. But I'm in the minority of course - this is a really well-loved movie and many many people have great things to say about it. Maybe I would have to watch it again to really appreciate it but man, I just can't see myself doing that!

1. Citizen Kane

Directed by Orson Welles, 1941, US, 119 minutes

Netflix description: Orson Welles reinvented movies at the age of 26 with this audacious biography of newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane, which, in essence, was a thinly veiled portrait of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. Welles's complex and technically stunning film chronicles Kane's rise from poverty to become one of America's most influential men -- and it's considered one of the best movies ever made.

The greatest movie ever made, according to most critics and my list… my expectations were high! After viewing it, I wouldn’t say I was disappointed. The plot was gripping and moving and universal enough to resonate with me almost 70 years after it was made. I really enjoyed watching it. But, I was a little puzzled. The greatest movie ever? I wasn’t so sure about that. It became infinitely more interesting after I took the time to read a little about it on Wikipedia and some other websites. Its greatness really comes from the new technology, special effects, and story-telling techniques that Welles employed, as well as the interesting history of censorship. After reading about it and watching it a second time, I enjoyed it much more and definitely feel it deserves its place in history as the greatest movie ever made. Check it out!

Introduction

My name is Jamie and I’m an aspiring film buff. I love movies but I don’t assume to know much about them. Up until recently, I only watched romantic comedies and maybe the latest blockbuster. I didn’t like suspense, gore, or anything scary. Then I had this epiphany – the more you put into a movie, the more you get out of it. I figured out that even though some movies are very difficult to watch (scary, gory, slow paced, or sub-titled), the pay off is huge.

So I started watching some older “great” movies that I had never bothered to watch before, and wow, I was blown away! I couldn’t believe I had missed out on all these movies! I decided to get a list of the greatest movies ever made and watch them, one by one, so I don’t miss out on any more. It’s been an amazing journey and I want to remember it, so I’m blogging about my reactions to some of these awesome films. I call this a laymen’s guide to great movies – because I've never taken a film class, I don’t know much about film theory or anything like that. I’m just a girl who is just now getting around to watching the classics that everyone considers great, and I want to tell you about them too.

The list I am using is from this website called They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They? http://www.theyshootpictures.com/ I like this list because it includes foreign movies as well. I was using the American Film Institutes top 100 list, but I really wanted to watch foreign movies as well. The list I’m using actually has 1,000 movies on it but I plan on only documenting my experiences watching only the top 100 of that list, a much more attainable goal!

I hope you enjoy reading about my viewings and I hope you consider renting some of these movies you haven’t seen!