The Houser Project Pt. 1: #100-76

In November 2009 Katie and I decided to watch all 100 movies on the American Film Institute's list of Greatest of All-Time. Two years have gone by and we're finally done. We're not movie critics, just plain old movie lovers. So we rated each on one simple notion: Impact on cinematography and directing aside, is it a good movie to watch for a regular shmo? Would others, especially from our generation enjoy these flicks? (Obviously these movies did wonders for the industry, changing it forever in ways we would never know without being a director. We acknowledge this.)


A brief background:
We initiated this project first to bond as a couple, to take on something together (they say couples who do things together and share common interests are happier ya know). Katie likes watching movies, I like to blog, we thought it would work, and it did...for awhile. That is, until Katie got kind of bored with the blogging part. Fair enough, it couldn't stand on its own anymore, and I decided to post it here in a few pieces instead. Second, we wanted to see if we were missing out.. if these really are the greatest movies of all time that everyone should enjoy. We wanted to culture ourselves. Then we wanted to share our thoughts. A simple star rating and a one-line finisher.

The Star Rating System:
0 - Obviously a disaster. There are no words for a zero film.
1 - Hated it!
2 - Didn't really like it. (It was okay maybe, but it's not my cup of tea.)
3 - Liked it.
4 - REALLY liked it, but one thing hindered it from being perfect.
5 - LOVED it!
*In the list you will find our combined star rating

Then we added:
= we think you should catch it
= we think you should scratch it
= we split... catch or scratch? You decide.

LASTLY. We kept a list/ranking of all 100 in order how we liked them. The pink number in parentheses is where Katie ranked it, the purple is where Nick had it. So if you see (17, 39) it means Katie thought it was the 17th best movie of the 100, Nick thought it was the 39th.


The American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Films (100-76):

*Titles are linked to the movie trailers for further info.

100. Ben-Hur
(K = 15, N = 11)
This religious flick about falling and re-rising has the power to restore your faith.


99. Toy Story
(K = 30, N = 15)
Cute and classic, started the Pixar dominance but made us think, where are all the dads?


98. Yankee Doodle Dandee
(K = 12, N = 37)
You cannot deny the Patriotic feeling you get from this biography about one of America's greatest playwrights/songwriters.


97. Blade Runner
(K = 97, N = 78)
We got the message; robots have human characteristics too, there's a blur of what is humane, etc... it just took entirely too long to get there.


96. Do the Right Thing
(99, 98)
Spike Lee says we hate it because we're white. True story.


95. The Last Picture Show
(93, 87)
Even through controversy like sex in the 50s, the movie is as dry as the town.


94. Pulp Fiction
(28, 25)
A pop culture icon!


93. The French Connection
(92, 77)
Good guys shoot bad guys. The end.


92. Goodfellas
(16, 5)
Ray Liotta at his finest. One of the best mobster movies ever!


91. Sophie's Choice
(13, 24)
Get through the first 30 minutes and it's well worth the SHOCKING ending.


90. Swing Time
(90, 67)
Decent for a song and dance love story.


89. The Sixth Sense
(24, 45)
Brilliant twist at the end. Shyamalan's greatest work.


88. Bringing Up Baby
(91, 89)
The main female lead's klutziness made us want to punch someone.


87. 12 Angry Men
(42, 34)
The perfect movie for all communications classes to watch.


86. Platoon
(54, 21)
Had us wondering, did this insanity really go down? Holy crap!


85. A Night at the Opera
(94, 97)
Would have rather spent the night at the dentist.


84. Easy Rider
(86, 76)
One of the coolest characters on the list with one of the worst endings.


83. Titanic
(18, 16)
Seriously, everything about this movie is great.


82. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
(72, 86)
A silent film which preaches, "don't leave your wife."


81. Spartacus
(59, 50)
Kirk Douglas is a legit and savage leader in what probably inspired Gladiator.


80. The Apartment
(55, 46)
Early Jack Lemmon is three times as hilarious!


79. The Wild Bunch
(85, 82)
Old gunslingers in new times don't know how to cope. Heard it before.


78. Modern Times
( 77, 62)
Silent Chaplin comedy about modernization and its downfall. The breakdown scene is the funniest part.


77. All the President's Men
(20, 29)
A cool display of what it must have been like for two young reporters to break the Watergate Scandal.

76. Forrest Gump
(3, 12)
The funniest take on history you can possibly get.



Breakdown:
= 14
= 9
= 2

Biggest difference between us: Platoon (33 spot difference)
Surprise CATCH: Yankee Doodle Dandee
Biggest shocker: Sophie's Choice
Best Performance (Not named Hank/Gump): Jack Lemmon in The Apartment
Best Character: Ben-Hur