I like movies. I can’t say I am a rabid fan as I only find my way to a movie theater several times a year, but I do scour what I can record on my DVR and often I will have 10 or more movies recorded that I am waiting to watch.
Back when VCRs were king, I was a regular at the video store and library looking for something I hadn’t seen yet. When I purchased my first DVR (an early version of TiVO), I decided that I wanted to watch some classic films I hadn’t seen. The first was Casablanca. I can’t say why I hadn’t seen it before, but I found it somewhere on cable and watched. It was as good as I expected.
In 1998, AFI (the American Film Institute) released their list of the top 100 movies of all time. I made it my mission to see them all. I had seen many of them and if I could recall the plot well enough to describe it to someone else, I could skip it.
AFI updated the list in 2007, but here is the original with a few thoughts on each.
| # | MOVIE | Thoughts |
| 1 | CITIZEN KANE | Hated it. Yes, I could appreciate the artistry, but it was boring as hell. |
| 2 | CASABLANCA | Great story. I wish I had seen it earlier. |
| 3 | THE GODFATHER | I think this might be #2 on my list. |
| 4 | GONE WITH THE WIND | Long and drawn out. |
| 5 | LAWRENCE OF ARABIA | Not bad, but not top 5. |
| 6 | THE WIZARD OF OZ | Great for all ages and deserving of the top 10. |
| 7 | THE GRADUATE | Plastics! Hard to believe that Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft were only a few years apart in age. |
| 8 | ON THE WATERFRONT | Pretty good. Top 20 maybe. |
| 9 | SCHINDLER’S LIST | A powerful film that you cannot look away from. |
| 10 | SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN | A little lighthearted fun but not the second best musical of all time. |
| 11 | IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE | Good story, excellent acting. |
| 12 | SUNSET BLVD. | Kinda creepy. Once you know the story, it is much less interesting to watch. |
| 13 | THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI | I had whistled the song for years before seeing the movie. |
| 14 | SOME LIKE IT HOT | Jack Lemmon makes this movie. |
| 15 | STAR WARS | My undisputed #1. |
| 16 | ALL ABOUT EVE | I was surprised that I liked it. |
| 17 | THE AFRICAN QUEEN | Bogart and Hepburn. I saw this first as a kid and watched it again as part of this effort. Good movie. |
| 18 | PSYCHO | The most classic horror flick there is. |
| 19 | CHINATOWN | A gritty movie about water of all things. |
| 20 | ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST | I might have to make this top 5. The book was good and the movie nailed it well. |
| 21 | THE GRAPES OF WRATH | The book was much better, but the movie wasn’t bad. |
| 22 | 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY | Beautiful to look at, but the first hour could really be skipped. |
| 23 | THE MALTESE FALCON | I wasn’t enthralled by the mystery here. |
| 24 | RAGING BULL | De Niro in another one of his powerful roles. |
| 25 | E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL | I was the perfect age when this came out and fell for the movie instantly. |
| 26 | DR. STRANGELOVE | One of the more odd movies here. I liked it. |
| 27 | BONNIE AND CLYDE | Another one I liked better than I thought I would. |
| 28 | APOCALYPSE NOW | I first saw this when I was avoiding reading Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. I like it more every time I see it. |
| 29 | MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON | A feel good movie if there ever was one. |
| 30 | THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE | A good yarn. Yes, you need the badges! |
| 31 | ANNIE HALL | I never clicked with Woody Allen’s humor. I’d leave it off the list. |
| 32 | THE GODFATHER PART II | A good follow-up but nowhere near the first. |
| 33 | HIGH NOON | The drama and stress created through the artistry of the filmmaking is astounding. |
| 34 | TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD | The book was awesome and the movie pretty good too. Top 20. |
| 35 | IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT | Couldn’t get into it. |
| 36 | MIDNIGHT COWBOY | This was the last of the list for me. Why? At the time it was never shown on cable and Netflix DID NOT HAVE IT IN ITS CATALOG! I wrote Netflix twice to get it added and once it was, selected it. |
| 37 | THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES | Kind of a snoozer. |
| 38 | DOUBLE INDEMNITY | Great concept well done. |
| 39 | DOCTOR ZHIVAGO | I did not believe the characters in this one. |
| 40 | NORTH BY NORTHWEST | Not bad, but not the best for the director or lead actor. |
| 41 | WEST SIDE STORY | Would have to be my #1 musical. |
| 42 | REAR WINDOW | I love the idea of the movie. It is well done too. |
| 43 | KING KONG | The original lacks much but the stop motion is fun. |
| 44 | THE BIRTH OF A NATION | Tough to watch. So blatantly racist, I had to force myself to finish. |
| 45 | A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE | Such powerful performances. This should be top 25. |
| 46 | A CLOCKWORK ORANGE | The most disturbing, but I could not look away. |
| 47 | TAXI DRIVER | The de-evolution of the character is fascinating to watch. |
| 48 | JAWS | The horror film of my youth. |
| 49 | SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS | The best rated animated film. I’d put a few higher. |
| 50 | BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID | A good movie with even better actors. |
| 51 | THE PHILADELPHIA STORY | I don’t think it holds up well. |
| 52 | FROM HERE TO ETERNITY | This one either. |
| 53 | AMADEUS | Who would have thought you could make Mozart both funny and gripping. The acting makes this as much as the script. |
| 54 | ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT | A journey generally worth taking. |
| 55 | THE SOUND OF MUSIC | A good, solid musical. |
| 56 | M*A*S*H | Irreverent to the max. |
| 57 | THE THIRD MAN | The mystery here is why it was on the list. |
| 58 | FANTASIA | I was never a fan. Drop it. |
| 59 | REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE | Such earnest teen angst. Well done. |
| 60 | RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK | Love this movie! As said in the Big Bang Theory show, it is the love child of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. |
| 61 | VERTIGO | A good way to show the battle of an inner demon. |
| 62 | TOOTSIE | I’ve heard it said that this is the best acting in a movie….ever! It was fun. |
| 63 | STAGECOACH | Grand, sweeping images of the old west make it worth watching. |
| 64 | CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND | I liked it. I can see how Richard Dryfus just can’t get this thing out of his head! |
| 65 | THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS | One of the scariest on the list. Top 30. |
| 66 | NETWORK | Not bad. One great scene. An OK movie. |
| 67 | THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE | Good concept but a little mechanical. |
| 68 | AN AMERICAN IN PARIS | A light romantic film. Not bad. |
| 69 | SHANE | Another western that is pretty good. |
| 70 | THE FRENCH CONNECTION | A good thriller to pass the night. |
| 71 | FORREST GUMP | Forrest should run right into the top 25. Great movie. |
| 72 | BEN-HUR | A huge film that knows it. Worth watching. |
| 73 | WUTHERING HEIGHTS | Painful. Don’t make me watch it again. |
| 74 | THE GOLD RUSH | The silent films were tough for me as I like to multi-task when watching and you can’t with a silent film. I am not a fan. |
| 75 | DANCES WITH WOLVES | A modern sweeping film that is a little preachy but well done. |
| 76 | CITY LIGHTS | See #74 |
| 77 | AMERICAN GRAFFITI | The music is #1. The movie is good. Watch it and see some very young stars to be. |
| 78 | ROCKY | One of the most inspirational ones on the list. Needs to be top 40. |
| 79 | THE DEER HUNTER | More scary than it should be. Well acted. |
| 80 | THE WILD BUNCH | Not bad, but not to 100. |
| 81 | MODERN TIMES | Ugh. Another silent film. |
| 82 | GIANT | Oil and egos. If James Dean hadn’t died when filming, it might not make the list. |
| 83 | PLATOON | Powerful. A good take on the psychology in war. |
| 84 | FARGO | Quirky and great. |
| 85 | DUCK SOUP | The Marx brothers had great timing but it does not hold up. |
| 86 | MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY | Not bad. Not great, but not bad. |
| 87 | FRANKENSTEIN | Just OK. |
| 88 | EASY RIDER | I expected much more than I got here. |
| 89 | PATTON | George C Scott makes the character his own and HUGE at the same time. |
| 90 | THE JAZZ SINGER | I didn’t click with the movie. |
| 91 | MY FAIR LADY | Audrey Hepburn is perfect. Just perfect. |
| 92 | A PLACE IN THE SUN | Just OK. |
| 93 | THE APARTMENT | Another one that I didn’t click with. |
| 94 | GOODFELLAS | A great ensemble cast that carries the movie well. |
| 95 | PULP FICTION | Others love this movie much more than I do. |
| 96 | THE SEARCHERS | John Wayne at his best. |
| 97 | BRINGING UP BABY | A light comedy that is OK. |
| 98 | UNFORGIVEN | Another modern western that is well done. |
| 99 | GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER | Pretty good. |
| 100 | YANKEE DOODLE DANDY | I’ve must have watched this film 20 times. Love it. |
Black Bean Hummus
This is a unique take on hummus using back beans. It works!
You can find the tahini in the “ethnic” aisle.
Blend it up, chill and serve.
Black Bean Hummus
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
1 clove garlic, quartered
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
15 oz can Black beans with1/3 cup liquid reserved
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cayenne
¼ tsp smoked paprika
Directions:
Add ingredients, including black bean liquid, to FourSide jar in order listed. Secure lid and select “Sauce.”
Nutritional Info: Servings 7.0
Sodium 350 mg
Serving Size
Carbohydrates 12 g
Calories 100
Fiber 3 g
Fat 7 g
Sugar 1 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Protein 5 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Source: http://www.blendtec.com/recipes/hummus
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
It’s pretty cool that you reposted this list of old and put your opinions on each…I’ve seen quite a few of these and agreed with pretty much all of your assessments…therefore, the ones you don’t recommend will never make it to my screen…Thanks! 🙂
…and yummy hummus….
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Love your list and comments. #25, ET – my favourite movie of all time. I will use your list as a guideline, thanks.
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