An astonishing number of films that were on Entertainment Weekly’s Top 100 films in 1999 didn’t make the cut in 2013. I realize they were compiled by different people; editor Ty Burr was responsible for the earlier list. Still, some of these being displaced startled me, even if I hadn’t seen the newer iteration.
5. Raging Bull (1980) – I saw the craft of this film. I didn’t love it, though I liked it more as it went along. Then again, I saw it on video originally; had I first seen it in the theater, that might have made a difference.
7. The Godfather, Part II (1974) – never saw this, but how does this fall off the list? 1974 Best Picture!
16. Star Wars (1977) – I’m rather partial to this film. The 2nd pic (or 5th, if you insist), may be technically more proficient, but this one I fell in love with.
23. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)- I’ve only sure I’ve seen this fairly recently. This is quality, though quite scary, stuff for kids, I would think.
24. Bringing Up Baby (1938) – Watched this on TV. Enjoyable.
27. The Grapes of Wrath (1940) – Saw this long ago on TV, and STILL kicking the dust out of boots.
28. Sunset Boulevard (1950) – another great film I saw on TV, probably in the 1970s, dropped from the list unjustly.
33. Jules and Jim (Jules et Jim) (1962) (Fr.) saw this in Binghamton back in the late 1960s in a theater. It was my favorite foreign film, and ought not to have been dropped
34. Sherlock, Jr. (1924) – Don’t know it.
35. The Philadelphia Story (1940) – Saw it in the 1980s, I believe, and it was great fun.
36. 8 1/2 (Otto e Mezzo) (1963) (It.) – Don’t think I ever saw it, but felt I should.
42. Aliens (1986) – Didn’t see.
46. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) – I found this very affecting the couple of times I’ve seen it on TV and great whistling.
51. Children of Paradise (Les Enfants du Paradis) (1945) (Fr.) – Don’t know.
53. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) – Saw this on TV after watching the remake in the theater; this is far superior.
59. The Lady Eve (1941) – Don’t know.
62. Henry V (1944) (Br.) – Did not see this version.
65. The Third Man (1949) – On my list to see.
67. Airplane! (1980) – Possibly the flat-out funniest movie in the second half of the 20th century. And features a character named Roger. Belongs on the current list!
68. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) – saw, but recollection is sparse.
69. The Conformist (1970) (It./Fr./WGer.) – Heard of this, but did not see.
70. Beauty and the Beast (1991) – I’ve seen maybe three times now on DVD, and it gets better with each viewing.
71. To Be or Not to Be (1942) – Don’t recall seeing.
72. M (1931) (Ger.) – Didn’t see.
73. Great Expectations (1946) (Br.) – Didn’t see, but want to.
74. Funny Face (1957) – Audrey Hepburn I remember, but it’s sketchy in the mind.
75. Tootsie (1982) – Dustin Hoffman used his actual real anger pre-transformation to give this real bite. Very good film.
76. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – Actually, THE movie on this list I most want to see – Angela Landsbury and Frank Sinatra. I saw the remake with Denzel Washington, and it’s so-so.
77. Battleship Potemkin (Bronenosets Potyomkin) (1925) (USSR) – Didn’t see.
78. White Heat (1949) – Didn’t see. I wonder if it’s true of the critics as well.
79. It’s a Gift (1934) – Didn’t see.
80. Nosferatu (1922) (Ger.) – Saw only bits of it
82. Diabolique (Les Diaboliques) (1955) (Fr.) – Did not see
84. Blow-Up (1966) (Br.) – Saw this in the early 1970s. Was great at the time, but the memory of the specifics has faded.
85. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) – This movie I find SO powerful and has resonance for today, still. Saw it again in the last five years. Belongs on the current list.
87. L’Age d’Or (1930) (Fr.) – Don’t know.
88. The Producers (1968) – Brilliant, audacious Mel Brooks film. I’d have kept it.
89. Wings of Desire (Der Himmel uber Berlin) (1988) (WGer./Fr.) – Did not see.
90. Pickup on South Street (1953) – Embarrassing how many I didn’t see.
91. Mildred Pierce (1945) – Did not see, but feel like I did, because my high school friend Vito mentioned it SO often.
94. The Shop Around the Corner (1940) – Didn’t see
95. Tokyo Story (Tokyo Monogatari) (1953) (Jp.) – #10 foreign film on the current list. Did not see.
96. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) – Somehow missed this.
99. Swept Away… (1975) (It.) – I saw it at the time and was moved by it, but the details are fading.
100. Celine & Julie Go Boating (1974) (Fr.) – Don’t know.
Then there are the top 10 genre films from 2013 that did not make the overall top 100 list.
The 10 Greatest Horror Flicks
8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – Never saw.
9. Carrie (1976) – Didn’t see
10. Alien (1979) – DID see, and was engrossed by it.
The 10 Greatest Action Films
9. Die Hard (1988) – Another one of those films that I’ve seen on TV from time to time and didn’t know which iteration I was watching. It does have its appeal.
10. Kill Bill–Vol. 1 (2003) – did not/will not see.
The 10 Greatest Family Movies
6. The Little Mermaid (1989) – It’s not my favorite, but it has its charm.
7. The Red Balloon (1956) – Did not see
8. Shrek (2001) – I rather liked it, though the sequels were lesser efforts.
9. National Velvet (1944) – I’ve seen bits and pieces, but probably not the whole thing.
10. Spirited Away (2001) – I loved this when I saw it in the theater at the time.
The 10 Greatest Documentaries
4. Hoop Dreams (1994) – Great film.
5. Nanook of the North (1922) – Didn’t see
6. Crumb (1995) – Liked it
7. Gimme Shelter (1970) – Did see; it was depressing.
8. Titicut Follies (1967) – Don’t know it
9. Don’t Look Back (1967) – Not familiar
10. The Up Series (1964-present) – Mr. Frog mentioned this recently. I saw 14, 21, and 28, maybe 35, definite not 7, 42, or 49. Loved what I’ve seen, and I should just see the whole Magilla.
Here are some movies I have seen, some of which may be better than the ones on the 2013 list. It is not comprehensive.
The African Queen (1951)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Bull Durham (1988)
From Here to Eternity (1953)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Saturday Night Fever (1977)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Verdict (1982)
West Side Story (1961)