Personal Marathon #3: Essential Clint Eastwood

Again the Filmspotting forum recommended films for my next personal marathon: Essential Clint Eastwood.

Eastwood, now 78 years old, is saying in interviews that Gran Torino is his last starring role, so I included it on the list.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966) *
Paint Your Wagon (1969) *
Play Misty For Me (1971) **
Dirty Harry (1971) **
High Plains Drifter (1973) *
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) **
White Hunter Black Heart (1990) *
Unforgiven (1992) **
Gran Torino (2008) *

**already seen at least once, but will watch again
* never seen and obtainable

Since all these films are available, I'm looking forward to finishing this marathon quickly!

UPDATE: Going to a sneak of Gran Torino on Saturday even though I feel like the preview shows me most of the film, oh well...

Filmspotting's Top 25 Films of 2008

Adam and Matty have posted their Top 25 Films of 2008 at the Filmspotting site. Actually they posted 30 films at the top of their lists and a few at the very bottom of their lists. They have also listed their Top 5 Lead Male and Female Performances and the Top 5 Supporting Male and Female Performances for 2008.

To hear Adam and Matty discuss their choices, listen to Filmspotting 238, 239, and 240. On the January 17th show (241), they will present the 2008 Blowout which includes surprises, disappointments, and lots of other year-end movie trivia which completes their film year for 2008.

Countdown: My Top 20 Favorite Movies

Here's #10-#6 for my list. For #20-#16, go here. For #15-#11 go here. More to come...stay tuned.






#10.Dr.Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb(1964): "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room."









#9.All About Eve(1950):"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"









#8.Fitzcarraldo(1982)












#7.Taxi Driver(1976): "Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man..."







#6.All The President's Men(1976): "Woodward. Bernstein. You're both on the story. Now don't fuck it up."

Countdown: My Top 20 Favorite Movies

Here's #15-#11 for my list. For #20-#16, go here. More to come...stay tuned.





#15: The Last Picture Show (1971): "One thing I know for sure. A person can't sneeze in this town without somebody offering them a handkerchief. "








#14. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961): "Well, when I get the mean reds the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany's. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that'd make me feel like Tiffany's, then - then I'd buy some furniture and give the cat a name!"









#13. Toy Story 2 (1991): "Here's your list of things to do while I'm gone: batteries need to be changed. Toys at the bottom of the chest need to be rotated. Oh, and make sure everyone attends Mr. Spell's seminar on what to do if you or part of you is swallowed. Okay? Okay, good, okay."











#12.The Right Stuff (1983):"Monkeys? You think a monkey knows he's sittin' on top of a rocket that might explode? These astronaut boys they know that, see? Well, I'll tell you something, it takes a special kind of man to volunteer for a suicide mission, especially one that's on TV."









#11. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969): "I couldn't do that. Could you do that? Why can they do it? Who are those guys?"

Countdown: My Top 20 Favorite Movies

Here's #20-#16 of the countdown. More to come...Stay tuned!



#20.Unforgiven (1992): "We all have it comin', kid."












#19. Bull Durham (1988): "You just got lesson number one: don't think; it can only hurt the ball club."











#18. North by Northwest (1959): "How does a girl like you get to be a girl like you?"











#17. Badlands (1973): "At this moment, I didn't feel shame or fear, but just kind of blah, like when you're sitting there and all the water's run out of the bathtub. "










#16. Annie Hall (1977): "A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark."

Movies for Ella

Granddaughter Ella, currently 3 yrs old, must have an education in great films, so here's the first post of many which will list films she must see or own:

Holiday Movie List (updated often)
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
A Charlie Brown Christmas (plus the soundtrack)
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas