Entertainment Weekly's Top 100

Note: This is an old blog, but as I am not blogging regularly (I have blog constipation) I thought this would be a good lead in for starting up again. I will punch through each genre when I can in hopes of completing the list soon.
So...here...we....go.




Today my copy of Entertainment Weekly arrived boasting the "The 100 All-Time Greatest", or in laymen terms the top 100 all time movies, books, tv shows, plays, and albums. Now while I can't claim to be an expert in anything other than personal opinion but I found their lists of films very safe and very disappointing. When opening the film portion of the article and seeing that the number one film was Citizen Kane, I could already tell everything after would not meet my expectations and here's why.

For those of you who have not seen Citizen Kane, God truly loves you, is about an empire mogul his rise to power and his climatic downfall. The film is epic because Orson Welles, the director and star, designs film techniques that become standards of how every film that came after Kane was to be directed and filmed. Citizen Kane is not epic because of the plot, which was based off the real life several tycoons of the time including William Randolph Hearst, and was just enough to have Mr. Hearst set to ruining Welle's life. Now for many years Citizen Kane has been hailed as the all time top film but in recent poles the film has been replaced by Hitchcock's Vertigo, which really is both a masterpiece to other film makers and a really good film; but Citizen Kane will always remain the safe choice for pop culture's search for the ultimate film. Just because it's safe doesn't mean its true.

Now it is my personal belief that it is almost impossible to list films by looping them all together in one grand list. The evolution of film has divided film into different genres and as a turn of that each genre effects film differently. Admittedly there are some films that do defy this notion and are stand out masterpieces but such films are rare and their appearances in film rock a generation.  So to ease my mind, and to have something to blog about, I intend to create my own list of my personal choices for the top ten films in each genre. This will not be a perfect list and truthfully you may disagree, but as stated at the end of each of my blogs these words written within are just my opinions and not fact.

So, here we go: 1....2....3....

Westerns: 
1: The Searchers (1956)
Directed by John Ford
Starring: John Wayne

A brutal truth and an unrelenting search for a civil war veteran's niece who has been captured by Indians.  This film is truly definitive for both Ford and Wayne as audiences are treated to the hard nosed acting styles of John Wayne and the sweeping pans of western landscapes provided by Ford. Though this is not the first of the last film for the pair it is one of the most memorable. 

2: High Noon (1952)
Directed by Fred Zinnermann
Starring: Gary Cooper

A marshal stands alone against a viscous gang, bent on revenge, while the town around him refuses to help. This is probably the first real shot at realism in the western genre and it was penned by Carl Foreman, a black listed writer, and directed by an outcast director. The film was not well received by peers within the industry, such as John Ford and John Wayne, and well respected by audiences who witnessed a truth never seen before by heroic films that happened in the past.

3: The Shootist (1976)
Directed by Don Siegel
Starring: John Wayne

A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die in the least amount of pain and the maximum amount of dignity. This the last of John Wayne's films and massive honor to the memory of a man who dedicated his life to film. The film also stars Lauren Bacall, and Ron Howard and is a gem to any lover of the genre.

4:  The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood

A Missouri farmer joins Confederate guerrillas and winds up on the run from the very same soldiers who killed his family. This is Clint's fifth film he directed and one of his best. Filled with action that becomes common place in the remainder of Clint's films, Josey Wales sets the tone for what would become a stellar career in film.

5: Unforgiven (1992)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood's last feature western stands out alone as his best. The aging gunfighter steps up to avenge the abuse of a whore and discovers that some talents don't fade and some men just need to be killed. The film also stars Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman and is a true homage to everything from the earlier Italian westerns to the westerns he directed himself.

6: The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Directed by John Sturges
Starring: Yul Brynner

An oppressed Mexican village turns to a group of skilled gunfighters to help them stand against an army of bandits. This is the American version of the classic film the Seven Samurai and though the film is not as perfect as the Samurai but it does manage to get the blood pumping in the way only a good Western can. Yul Brenner stands tall as the classic gunfighter and with the aide of such acting giants as Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen, this film goes down as just a flat out good time.

7: Lonesome Dove (1989)
Now I know this isn't a film strictly speaking but it is one of the most hailed made for tv films ever! Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Duvall, and Danny Glover, this film stands as a shinning showcase for Larry McMurtry's literary wonder. The stars perform wonders in the six hour teleplay that brings words to life in a way never seen before in prime time television.

8: Open Range (2003)
Directed by Kevin Costner
Starring: Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner.

A former gunslinger stands up against a corrupt landowner when the landowner threatens his cattle crew. Another stroke of realism in the western films, the singing cowboy becomes a distant memory as Kevin Costner wears the chaps and plays Charley Waite. Taking a lead from John Ford, Costner showcases the land, the people, and everything in between in this tale of  men standing against oppression and corruption. If you're a stranger to the Western genre, this film is a good one to cut your teeth on.

9: Appaloosa (2008)
Directed by Ed Harris
Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen

Taking a note from their collaboration in  A History of Violence, Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen team up again in this hit western that bring audiences back to a simpler story and a simpler time in the old west. Though Ed Harris is known for his tics and craziness when getting into character, his directorial style shines in this realistic and gritty telling of a friendship as seen through the eyes of Viggo's character Everett Hitch. The film is a sure fire explosion of action, drama, and a smooth style that again pays tribute to the John Wayne films of past.

10: Tombstone (1993)
Directed by George P. Cosmatos
Starring: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer

Now George P. Cosmatos was not a legendary director by any means. He directed a Rambo film, several of Stallone's lacking action films, so it's easy to say that Tombstone was his peak performance behind the camera. He is helped out by Kurt Russel in his portrait of Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer with is knock out showing of Doc Holiday. Add to the mix such power house talents like Sam Elliott and Powers Booth and there is the perfect western film for new fans to cut their teeth on.