MY LIFE IN FILMS

I have to tell you, I'm an avid movie fan – especially since my semi-retirement. I would estimate that I've viewed more than 10 thousand films in my, well let's say, "numerous" (note quotation marks) years. I don't know about you, but I get ticked off by these so-called film "critics" (Critic: a word which should be stricken from the English language) and their lists of the 10 best, or 100 best, movies of all time. Give me a break! Any film insight by these plebeian creatures, who are usually failed writers or unemployed actors, is gone with the wind as they color their critiques with their own personal audacious beliefs. Take one of the most famous critics, the late Bosley Crowther of The New York Times, whose claim to fame was his days as the newspaper's "Nightclub Reporter" (hic).  Crowther was an advocate of foreign-language films, particularly those of Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Ingmar Bergman, and Federico Fellini. Too bad he never heard of Spielberg, Cimino, Tarantino, Scorsese, Coppola, or Sir Ridley Scott?

Well, I'm no "c-word," but I think I know a great movie when I see it. And, like I said, I think I've seen them all. Anyway, I'll be so bold as to list my "top ten" . . . I'm sure you all have your own list, too.

#1: THE GODFATHER directed by Martin Scorsese. Hands down, the best movie ever made. Brando and Pacino, two of my generation's greatest actors, couldn't have been better. And the direction was so amazing that even mediocre actors like James Caan and Sterling Hayden turned in stellar performances.

#2: BLADE RUNNER: Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece, which helped surge Harrison Ford to super-star status, puts all other movies of its genre in its space dust.  The film's award-winning soundtrack was composed by Vangelis, and its production design depicting a high-tech but decaying future is often regarded as a leading example of neo-noir cinema.

#3: CASABLANCA: This 1942 classic, with Bogey at his finest, is on everybody's "best" list, and rightly so, and seems to get better and better "as time goes by."

#4: THE WILD ONE: Although Brando made two films before "The Wild One", it was after his strong portrayal of the character of Johnny Strabler you never again heard anyone say "Marlon, who?" This film, with a strong supporting cast topped by Lee Marvin as Chino, is considered to be the original outlaw biker film, and the first to examine American outlaw motorcycle gang violence. It is now a cult classic.

#5: ROCKY: Sylvester Stallone's masterful portrayal of Rocky Balboa resulted in "Rocky" becoming the most iconic sports film ever, receiving 10 Academy Award nominations, and winning three, including Best Picture. And, without question, my old drinking buddy from Corona, the late Tommy DeLouise (better known as Burt Young) playing Rocky's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, was also instrumental in "Rocky" being ranked by numerous publications as one of the greatest films of all time.

#6: THE DEER HUNTER: This 1978 American epic war drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino and starring Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and won five: Best Picture, Best Director for Cimino, Best Supporting Actor for Walken. "The Deer Hunter" has been included on lists of the best films ever made, including being named the 53rd-greatest American film of all time by the American Film Institute. 

#7: HEAVEN'S GATE: This 1980 American epic Western film written and directed by Michael Cimino, starring Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken (again), John Hurt, and Jeff Bridges, revolves around a dispute between land barons and European immigrants of modest means in Wyoming in the 1890s. Unbelievably, this cinematic masterpiece was originally panned by "C-words" who must have been snoozing instead of watching the opening sequence of the Harvard University graduation celebration, which is the greatest scene ever put on celluloid, resulting in the movie being pulled from the theaters. In the decades since its release, however, "Heaven's Gate" is now viewed as one of the greatest injustices of cinematic history. In 2015 BBC Culture ranked Heaven's Gate 98th on its list of the 100 greatest American films of all time.

#8: RAGING BULL: This film about former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta is ranked by the American Film Institute as the fourth-greatest American movie of all time, and rightly so. Robert DeNiro won his second Oscar for his outstanding portrayal of the troubled boxer. I was fortunate to see LaMotta fight at Madison Square Garden when my father took me to see him make his first successful title defense against Tiberio Mitri on July 7, 1950, and, in 1954, when I was 14, I caddied for him at the Bayside Country Club (he was a good tipper) but that has nothing to do with my selection.

#9 ANNIE HALL: Woody Allen. What else is there to say. Together with my daughter, Cara, we've been Woody fans since seeing his first film, "What's Up, Tiger Lily", which was about a James Bond clone searching for the world's best egg salad recipe. But "Annie Hall" is definitely his greatest achievement, both as an actor and director. Regarded among the greatest films ever made, it ranks 31st on AFI's list of the 100 greatest films in American cinema, 4th on their list of the greatest comedy films, and 28th on Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies.

#10 PULP FICTION: This 1994 independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence in Los Angeles, California. The film, known for its graphic violence and punchy dialogue, stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, with outstanding performances by all. "Pulp Fiction" is widely regarded as Tarantino's magnum opus, and considered as one of the greatest films ever made. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: "Jaws," which cleared the beaches for a year; "Dogs of War" with another outstanding performance by Christopher Walken; "The Paper," the best newspaper movie of all time.

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