If you recall in that post, I mentioned my list was more like 20 movies, but thought it was too many for one blog-post.
I want to stress these aren't necessarily what I consider the best films ever. I saw a horror movie in 2020, Saint Maud that I consider a masterpiece--but I couldn't sit thru it again.
These movies are 'wonderful comfort movies', that I enjoy revisiting whenever I can.
So in ascending order...
10. Every time I watch Butterflies Are Free (1972) I'm struck by Edward Albert's portrayal of a young blind man. It's flawless. He's a 20 year old aspiring musician, living on his own for the first time (in a very slummy apartment in hippie-San Francisco) and Goldie Hawn lives in the adjoining unit, an aspiring actress who spends most of the movie in her underwear eating his food. She's wonderful.
I love when Goldie takes him shopping for some far out threads, but there's a scene where she pretends to move on and Edward's world is suddenly very dark again. It makes me tear up every darn time. Goldie won an Oscar for her performance but Edward Albert deserved the prize. I'm glad I own this on dvd.
8. This movie bears the distinction of being the first thing I recorded on a vcr when I got one in 1983. (I think it aired on Sunday Night at the Movies but I can't be sure.) It's The Final Countdown (1980). I replayed the recording so much I wore out the tape.
The USS Nimitz is a nuclear aircraft carrier in 1980 (102 aircraft, 6000 men) that is mysteriously thrown back in time to 1941--right before the Japanese are set to attack Pearl Harbor. The captain (Kirk Douglas) must now decide if he should use his vessel (which contains more firepower than the US & Japanese fleets combined) to stop one of the greatest attacks in American history.
Charles wants to fix Burt up with their friend Jill Clayburgh--who is dubious of Burt the first time she meets him, let alone all the baggage he comes with. And then his ex-wife decides she wants him back... did you know this movie was written by James Brooks of The Mary Tyler Moore Show?
6. I can't remember the first time I saw Moonstruck (1987), but boy did I fall in love with Cher here. Cher plays Loretta, an Italian bookkeeper on the brink of middle age who is swept off her feet by her fiancé's younger brother Nicholas Cage. The film is laugh out loud funny, but when Cher agrees to attend the opera with Cage, gets a glorious makeover and meets him at the Met... his look is priceless and so is hers. It almost stops my heart every time.
5. I'm going to say something that will bring the house down. I am not a fan of Singin' in the Rain. I'm not. But I am a huge fan of Gene Kelly, and in 1944 MGM loaned him out to Columbia Pictures to star in Cover Girl (1944) with Rita Hayworth & Phil Silvers.
Three pals dream of hitting it big, so what happens when one of them becomes a Broadway star? "Make Way for Tomorrow" steals the show, but I LOVED the Broadway finale with giant sized 1940s magazines--Vanity, McCall's, Coronet, Woman's Weekly just to name a few--all with a living cover girl.
My God this movie is awesome. I'm glad I own it on dvd.
4. Betty Hutton is picture perfect as Annie Oakley (sorry Judy Garland, originally cast) in Annie Get Your Gun (1950) as the real-life Wild West Show gunslinger. I just loved how her jaw dropped every time she saw handsome Howard Keel! And of course, "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" & "Anything You can do I can do Better" are show-stoppers. Did you know this movie was unavailable until 2000 because of music right disputes with Irving Berlin? It was worth the wait. Note: Bobi, thank you for reminding me of this one--it's my third favorite musical. 😊
3. Jimmy Stewart is a photojournalist with a broken leg, in that marvelous run-down Greenwich Village apartment. Thelma Ritter is his home nurse. And Grace Kelly the socialite is in love with him! Yes it's Rear Window (1954) and I've probably seen this 15 times, easy.
Here's a fun fact--my first time seeing it was at our local theater in 1983, after Universal Studios bought & released 5 of Hitchcock's movies he had squirreled away for 30 years.
It was released on RCA Videodisc a year later. I snapped it up and probably watched it 10 times with my sister.
Note: Steve from Toronto, thanks for reminding me about this one! 😊
2. How many times have I seen the best Star Trek movie of them all? Countless. I first saw Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982) on a date with a very Trekkie woman named Amy and the moment Spock died, she literally screamed "Noooo!!" in the theater. When I frantically whispered "Amy--stop!" she cried "Have you no emotions!!" I swear to God, I'm not making that up.
Fyi, when Leonard Nimoy died in 2015 I cried like a baby.
1. Wizard of Oz (1939) Judy Garland, I am yours forever. The End.
Finally, if I didn't give Honorable Mentions to The Graduate, When Harry Met Sally & every Charlton Heston movie between 1968 & 1973 (Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man & Soylent Green) I'd have to make a third list and we don't want that, do we? 😏
Oh my GOODNESS! So many movies and actors I’ve loved and forgotten about. And a couple of movies I wasn’t aware of and now need to find. This post is like a public service! :0)
ReplyDeleteHaha thanks Marty! 😊👍
DeleteLet me be the first to say Yes! to a third list. This is another great read and this list speaks to me more than the first one.
ReplyDeleteI love Rear Window and would rank it as highly re-watchable! We've also enjoyed The Final Countdown multiple times. Excellent choices. I never liked Candace Bergen or Burt Reynolds so Starting Over is a no for me, but we love to rewatch Silver Streak with Jill Clayburgh and Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Also a big fan of your first two honorable mentions but Charlton Heston is a hard no for me.😁
I don't consider myself much of a movie fan, but you've really got me thinking now. Two obscure movies that we own, love and rewatch are Heart Like A Wheel and Tucker: The Man and His Dream, each starring a Bridges' brother.
Thanks Bobi! I was never a Burt Reynolds fan either but his portrayal of a "sad sack" in this movie was a refreshing change. And yes, I loved Silver Streak! I bet it's been 30 years since I've seen that, you're inspiring me. PS. That Jeff Bridges movie Tucker is excellent--I'd love to see that one again :^)
DeleteFrom my point of view, I love no 8. The Final Countdown (1980). I will find out if I can get the movie. I would love to watch it later on
ReplyDeleteI knew little bit about The USS Nimitz and Saratoga as well. Do you have any idea if there is another country in the world who has a nuclear aircraft carrier like them?
Unlike you, I'm into either war and love time travel movies at the same time
Big hello from Indonesia
Thanks for your comment Asep, I believe the US and France are the only two countries with nuclear aircraft carriers. It is such a good movie! I love when a couple of kamikaze planes fly overhead and see it for the first time! Thanks again and a big hello to you as well. 🙂
DeleteHi Dug! From the list of movies you mentioned, I only remember seeing Moonstruck and Rear Window. I may have seen a few of the others, but don't remember them...(sometimes I get a few minutes into a movie before I remember it). But I made a list to try some of those. When you mentioned 'travel' movies, I wasn't sure what you meant. But I love films made in Ireland, English countryside, Australia, Italy, etc. - sometimes just for the scenery.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rian, these are all fun to watch I hope you're able to check out a couple of them. Hey--I love foreign films very much, and very much for the scenery too. RIan I think I know what my next list is going to be, you just inspired me. :^) I'd love to see some of your favorites as well.
DeleteGood morning Dug! I was smiling while reading these, you like your movies for men but musicals and Butterflies too! That makes you special in my book :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Marie, you're very kind--oops I just realized there are 3 musicals here 🙂
DeleteSuch a fascinating list! I'm happy to see a Star Trek movie on here; The Wrath of Khan is also one of my favorites. However, as an adult, I'm still terrified of The Wizard of Oz. I didn't even let my children watch it! :) The "witch" riding off on her bike with Toto, the house falling on the witch, the flying monkeys...scary!
ReplyDeleteHaha thank you Margaret, and I liked what you said about Wizard of Oz. In fact, it's why I didn't include this one in my first list! Still, Margaret Hamilton (who played the witch) was so dear in real life, and as I can't get enough of Judy Garland... but yep--as a kid this terrified me!!
DeleteGoodness me, a couple of films I quite like – “Rear Window”, one of my favorite Hitchcock films, along with “To Catch a Thief”; and, it might surprise you, “The Final Countdown”.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that Charles Durning could introduce me to Jill Clayburgh any time during her lifetime. I first encountered her (so to speak) in “Silver Streak”, quite a silly film but entertaining, and what an ending.
So, comfort films. I had a couple in my first list, but I’ll come up with extras…
84 Charring Cross Road – Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins at their finest. Also Judi Dench, Ian McNiece and Conne Booth.
Airplane (called “Flying High” in Oz, a much better name). Wonderfully silly.
Groundhog Day – Couldn’t really call it a time travel film, and it has Andie MacDowell.
Key Largo – Not feel good, but it has Bogie and Bacall plus Eddie G Robinson and Lionel Barrrymore.
American Graffiti – I was the same age as those portrayed at the time it was set. We had car culture in Oz but different from the American one.
Charley Varrick – a little known bank heist film with Walter Matthau and Joe Don Baker.
Con Air – the ultimate “Friday night” film. Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovith, Steve Buscemi. Yet another great ending – I wonder how much that cost.
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer – Peter Cook, John Cleese Arthur Lowe. Ahead of its time.
Mystery Train – A Jim Jarmusch film set in a motel in Memphis.
Ocean’s Eleven – The George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts one, not the one by the Rat Pack decades earlier. I like a good heist film.
I’d better stop there, but if you do another I can add some more.
This was a very good list, thanks for sharing Peter--I honestly almost included American Graffiti, I've enjoyed that several times over the years. And yes, Charlie Varrick is a great crime film of the 70s! I gotta see that again! Anyway, some nice titles here and I'll have to look up Mystery Train. :^)
DeleteI've not seen any of these, but I think it is wonderful you enjoy them so much. I'm sure the original cast and crew would be thrilled to know that the movies continue to entertain.
ReplyDeleteI have, however, seen When Harry Met Sally and the Planet of the Apes. I remember very little of either.
Thanks Maebeme, I don't know why this made me chuckle but gosh I can't imagine not seeing any of these! Well, you keep yourself plenty busy as it is. :^)
DeleteHi again Doug,
ReplyDeleteAnother impressive list of films from you. Re. Rear Window, you're welcome. It's a movie I definitely could watch multiple times and not get tired of it. I've seen some of the other films on your second list: Breaking Away, Wizard of Oz, Starstruck, The Wrath of Khan and Annie Get Your Gun. I saw The Final Countdown in the movie theatre when it was released and really enjoyed it. On my list of other favorites would be a bunch of Ray Harryhausen films such as The Valley of Gwangi and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad which I saw in the theater, The African Queen, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1940s version), The Big Chill, Victor Victoria, Treasure of the Sierra Madre and North by Northwest. As for war films, I like Stalag 17, although it's set entirely in a POW camp. Also, there's a neat little slasher film that I saw a free preview of back in the nineties called Mute Witness, which was filmed and set in Moscow. On the subject of Russia, a very well done horror film based on a novella by the author Gogol called Viy was made in 1967. BTW, have you checked out the Jacques Tati films that I mentioned?
Steve from Toronto
Hey Steve from Toronto, I'm glad to hear from you! Believe it or not, The Big Chill was on my list originally (I've probably seen it 7-8 times) but I changed it out at the last minute to Breaking Away. Of course I love the African Queen and Postman Rings Twice (w/Lana Turner), and I envy you having seen Ray Harryhausen films on the big screen. The older I get, the less I'm wanting to watch horror (meanwhile, I'm getting ready to watch Alien Romulus in a few minutes) and no my good guy, while I did look up Jacques Tati I didn't check out any of his work yet. I hope you're doing good and keeping healthy Steve. :^)
DeleteLove the list. Some I have seen, some I am not interested in seeing. Butterflies are free. I remember the first time I saw it, probably at a theater when it was released. It was so racy (lol) and so fabulous! The first time I saw Moonstruck I just couldn't get into it and didn't know what the buzz was about. I watched it about 10 years later and it is one of my most favorite movies. I have no explaination.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I pay a fortune for cable these days but can't get Turner Classic Movies. And I refuse to pay more.
Thank you Miss Merry, and haha you're right about Butterflies--I was a kid the first time I saw it (on regular tv) and was still embarrassed at all the skin. I am so sorry you pay for cable but don't get TCM--that's criminal. I have HBO Max with a TCM channel on it, but it's not the same.
DeleteDoug, wow, so many good movies! We recently watched Moonstruck again, loved it. We also just watched The Dead Zone. I love that movie, a lot of which was shot in my hometown. I cried too when Leonard Nimoy died.🥺 Take care.❤️
ReplyDeleteHi Robin! Finally, some love for Moonstruck! I never get tired of that movie. And that is sweet what you said about Leonard Nimoy, and how cool about The Dead Zone. I want to see that again now. Thanks for sharing my dear friend, hope you have a great week. ❤️🙂
DeleteMoon struck is an all time favorite and I'm (almost) ashamed to say I've watched it so many times I can quote it, line by line. My very kind husband surprised me with a birthday trip to NYC and front row balcony seats at the Met to see La Boheme. The front fountain, crystal chandeliers, fancy dressed people drinking champagne! It was magical. I have so many other favorite movies, I don't know where to begin, but I could point out that we've owned scruffy Toto dogs (Cairn Terriers) for 30 years so there's a broad hint at another favorite.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome about the trip to NY and the Met, it sounded wonderful. Moonstruck is such a great movie, I don't think one can see it too many times. Enjoyed hearing about your Totos too Camille, thank you for sharing. Pretty name too. :^)
DeleteDoug, thank you, thank you, thank you! I LOVE these lists! My wife and I have been watching from your first list and every one is great. Some we had seen years ago and some we had never seen. Can’t wait to start on this list, too. Yes!— bring on the 3rd post!!!
ReplyDeleteGee I am so glad I saw this before going to bed, what an awesome message--thanks so much Don! You made my day! 🙂
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