Dez's Favorite Movies, #'s 30-26

We are here at the halfway point. Quite exciting. While the last batch was eclectic, this batch is not. I have always loved horror and sci-fi, so I guess this group reflects that.



30. tie: Frankenstein (1931), dir. James Whale and Young Frankenstein (1974), dir. Mel Brooks
Yeah, I know this is kind of a gimmicky entry and a way to get an extra flick on my list, but so what. They belong together. I’ve always been a huge classic horror film fan, especially of the Universal monster movies. The best out of the bunch for me is the original Frankenstein, featuring Boris Karloff’s iconic and sympathetic turn as the monster, really one of the better performances in American cinema history (especially considering the make-up and costume he was dealing with). Most critics pick the sequel Bride of Frankenstein as the peak of classic horror, but I go with the original. Frankenstein suffers from some plot deficiencies in the second half, but it is gothic classic horror at its best. What Brooks, Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle did with their parody Young Frankenstein was astounding. Not only is it Brooks’ funniest film, but it lovingly pays homage to classic Universal horror, down to using the original laboratory sets from the 1931 Frankenstein.

ABOVE: I love the bookcase sequence from Young Frankenstein. "Put ze candle back!"

29. The Thing (1982), dir. John Carpenter

Ostensibly a remake of Howard Hawkes' 1951 The Thing From Another World, Carpenter’s apocalyptic version goes for claustrophobia and gore. A scientific investigation team in Antarctica comes across an astonishing find; alien life crashed here and was frozen for millions of years. Somehow it has thawed, and it ain’t friendly. You could argue that this is a rehash of Alien, and in many ways it is. But man is it fun and gruesome, and although it didn’t do well when it was released, it has since gained a substantial cult following. Led by Kurt Russell’s badass R.J. MacReady, the team desperately tries to battle the aggressive alien life form that has the ability to absorb and replicate other life forms. They understand the implications for humanity if this creature were able to get off the Antarctica continent. Speaking of Alien…

28. Alien (1979), dir. Ridley Scott

Alien broke some ground in several ways. Instead of the largely glistening and sterile image of space projected in Star Wars, Star Trek or even 2001, Scott decided to portray life in space just as dirty, grimy and gritty as life on earth. The sense of claustrophobia Scott creates on this space frigate is unmatched in movies. It is a basic the-hunter-and-the-hunted premise, but expertly executed. Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley is the prototype for tough babes who can kick just as much ass as the dudes. One of the first roles for a female in distress where she was not reduced to merely screaming and waiting for the men around her to save her. She can take care of herself. The film really does turn gender roles on their head, as is also demonstrated by the film’s most famous scene featuring John Hurt. Alien finally serves as a bridge between films like 2001 and The Terminator in its wariness of technology so advanced that that same technology can turn on its creators (and tie that theme also all the way back to my 1931 pick in #30). This is just moving Frankenstein themes into the modern age and into space (I am speaking specifically of the subplot involving Ian Holm’s Ash, not really the alien itself). While the sequel Aliens was loads of fun and excellent, it failed to recapture the terror of the original.


ABOVE: This probably the subject of a whole other post, but Hollywood has really lost the art of making a trailer. Above is the trailer for Alien, and it is the most effective trailer I’ve ever seen. After watching this trailer, if you love horror and sci-fi, you can’t wait to see this. If you hate horror and sci-fi, there is no way in hell you would see it. Not a word of dialogue is spoken in the entire trailer, and no plot points are really given away at all. Pure terror and image. “In space no one can hear you scream.” The trailer would be an adrenaline shot to this day if they showed it in a theater.

27. The Hustler (1961), dir. Robert Rossen

Paul Newman may be my favorite actor, and this is definitely his greatest performance in a career packed with great performances. With his looks, Newman could have sat back and taken easy heroic roles. Instead he dove into talented but fatally flawed losers like Eddie Felson. I talked a lot about Newman and this film in particular in my obituary for Newman that I posted here when he died, so I suggest revisiting that for more detail. The chemistry between actors of the caliber of Newman, George C. Scott and Jackie Gleason is something to behold. I will repost the great clip here that I used in my Newman post, though. Worth watching again.


ABOVE: Check this scene out. Newman and Gleason (in the unforgettable role of Minnesota Fats). Beautiful. (I apologize for the poor quality of the video, The Hustler is available on DVD in a gorgeous remastered version). One of the best exchanges ever: (Felson) "I didn't leave you much..." (Fats) "You left enough." Yes!

26. The Terminator (1984), dir. James Cameron

I don’t really need to say too much here, I assume most of you have seen this? I will say one thing, though. It is funny that a movie like this, in comparison to the latest sci-fi/action blockbusters, seems downright streamlined and low budget in comparison. And it is more effective and interesting too. While its sequel was an excellent action film and great in its own right, this was the only time that a terminator was actually scary. Much parodied, Ah-Nuld actually did a wonderful job portraying this unstoppable force. If only the Governator could be this effective and ruthless when dealing with California’s budget troubles.


"You will sign dis budget. You will cut dese programs and you will raise dese taxes. Do it now for Caleeforneea."