Hmm… I don’t feel I’ve made enough progress with this goal for the first week, probably because my sleeping routine has been completely destroyed and I’ve developed a Death Note obsession all in this last 10 days or so…. brilliant. >.>

Anyway:

7. The Dark Knight
83. The Prestige
215. Public Enemies

I still have 1, 2, 3… 7 others available to watch yet. Looking at how many films I need to see to complete the list, I think maybe it will take a LONG while. =\ But I’ll do it!

I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but having not been in the mood to watch films recently I haven’t got round to adding this goal and making a start. But now, it is time!

Anywho, the list 03/07/2009:

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Schindler’s List (1993)
7. The Dark Knight (2008)
8. 12 Angry Men (1957)
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
10. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
11. Casablanca (1942)
12. Star Wars (1977)
13. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
14. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
15. Goodfellas (1990)
16. Rear Window (1954)
17. Cidade de Deus (2002)
18. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
19. C’era una volta il West (1968)
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
21. Fight Club (1999)
22. Up (2009)
23. The Usual Suspects (1994)
24. Psycho (1960)
25. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
26. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
27. The Matrix (1999)
28. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
29. Memento (2000)
30. North by Northwest (1959)
31. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
32. Se7en (1995)
33. Citizen Kane (1941)
34. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
35. Léon (1994)
36. Apocalypse Now (1979)
37. American Beauty (1999)
38. Taxi Driver (1976)
39. American History X (1998)
40. Vertigo (1958)
41. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
42. WALL·E (2008)
43. Forrest Gump (1994)
44. Paths of Glory (1957)
45. Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001)
46. M (1931)
47. Double Indemnity (1944)
48. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
49. Alien (1979)
50. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
51. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
52. The Shining (1980)
53. The Departed (2006)
54. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
55. The Third Man (1949)
56. Das Leben der Anderen (2006)
57. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
58. Chinatown (1974)
59. The Pianist (2002)
60. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
61. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
62. City Lights (1931)
63. Aliens (1986)
64. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
65. L.A. Confidential (1997)
66. Das Boot (1981)
67. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
68. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
69. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
70. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
71. El laberinto del fauno (2006)
72. Rashômon (1950)
73. Raging Bull (1980)
74. All About Eve (1950)
75. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
76. Gran Torino (2008)
77. Modern Times (1936)
78. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
79. Some Like It Hot (1959)
80. Rebecca (1940)
81. Der Untergang (2004)
82. Metropolis (1927)
83. The Prestige (2006)
84. The Apartment (1960)
85. Amadeus (1984)
86. The Elephant Man (1980)
87. La vita è bella (1997)
88. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)
89. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
90. The Great Dictator (1940)
91. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
92. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
93. The Great Escape (1963)
94. Ladri di biciclette (1948)
95. Back to the Future (1985)
96. The Sting (1973)
97. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
98. Sin City (2005)
99. Star Trek (2009)
100. Touch of Evil (1958)
101. On the Waterfront (1954)
102. Braveheart (1995)
103. Det sjunde inseglet (1957)
104. The Wrestler (2008)
105. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
106. Batman Begins (2005)
107. Jaws (1975)
108. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
109. No Country for Old Men (2007)
110. Strangers on a Train (1951)
111. The Green Mile (1999)
112. Blade Runner (1982)
113. Unforgiven (1992)
114. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
115. Gladiator (2000)
116. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
117. Notorious (1946)
118. Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
119. High Noon (1952)
120. Oldboy (2003)
121. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
122. Die Hard (1988)
123. The Big Sleep (1946)
124. Fargo (1996)
125. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
126. The General (1926)
127. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
128. Mononoke-hime (1997)
129. There Will Be Blood (2007)
130. Donnie Darko (2001)
131. Smultronstället (1957)
132. It Happened One Night (1934)
133. Heat (1995)
134. Yojimbo (1961)
135. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
136. Annie Hall (1977)
137. Ran (1985)
138. The Hangover (2009)
139. The Deer Hunter (1978)
140. The Sixth Sense (1999)
141. Ben-Hur (1959)
142. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
143. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
144. Platoon (1986)
145. Les diaboliques (1955)
146. Into the Wild (2007)
147. Le notti di Cabiria (1957)
148. Le salaire de la peur (1953)
149. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
150. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
151. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
152. 8½ (1963)
153. Life of Brian (1979)
154. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
155. The Big Lebowski (1998)
156. Snatch. (2000)
157. The Gold Rush (1925)
158. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
159. The Graduate (1967)
160. Finding Nemo (2003)
161. Stand by Me (1986)
162. The Killing (1956)
163. Ratatouille (2007)
164. Gandhi (1982)
165. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
166. Brief Encounter (1945)
167. Amores perros (2000)
168. Gone with the Wind (1939)
169. The Lion King (1994)
170. Trainspotting (1996)
171. Scarface (1983)
172. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
173. The Wild Bunch (1969)
174. The Thing (1982)
175. Groundhog Day (1993)
176. V for Vendetta (2005)
177. The Terminator (1984)
178. Sleuth (1972)
179. The Kid (1921)
180. Toy Story (1995)
181. Harvey (1950)
182. The Hustler (1961)
183. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
184. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
185. The Princess Bride (1987)
186. Umberto D. (1952)
187. The Incredibles (2004)
188. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
189. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
190. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
191. Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
192. Children of Men (2006)
193. Stalag 17 (1953)
194. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
195. Casino (1995)
196. Hotaru no haka (1988)
197. Duck Soup (1933)
198. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
199. The African Queen (1951)
200. Dial M for Murder (1954)
201. La battaglia di Algeri (1966)
202. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
203. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
204. In Bruges (2008)
205. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
206. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
207. The Conversation (1974)
208. King Kong (1933)
209. The Exorcist (1973)
210. The Lost Weekend (1945)
211. La strada (1954)
212. Ed Wood (1994)
213. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
214. His Girl Friday (1940)
215. Public Enemies (2009)
216. Le scaphandre et le papillon (2007)
217. Rope (1948)
218. Safety Last! (1923)
219. Changeling (2008)
220. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
221. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
222. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
223. Crash (2004/I)
224. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
225. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
226. Network (1976)
227. Manhattan (1979)
228. Frankenstein (1931)
229. Patton (1970)
230. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
231. Great Expectations (1946)
232. Big Fish (2003)
233. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
234. Laura (1944)
235. Magnolia (1999)
236. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
237. Wo hu cang long (2000)
238. Mystic River (2003)
239. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
240. Glory (1989)
241. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)
242. Roman Holiday (1953)
243. Good Will Hunting (1997)
244. Rocky (1976)
245. My Man Godfrey (1936)
246. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
247. La dolce vita (1960)
248. Harold and Maude (1971)
249. The Red Shoes (1948)
250. Spartacus (1960)

I have seen more than just what I’ve ticked off, but they’re ones I’ve either forgotten most of, or never really saw much of in the first place.

I already have a few more off the list ready to watch, namely The Prestige, Gran Torino, Das Boot, Hotel Rwanda, The Dark Knight, Let The Right One In, and Heat… and I’m going to see Public Enemies tomorrow, yay! =)

As mentioned in a few other goals, I have the whole summer free so should be able to make a good sized dent in this goal over the next month or two. I shall post every Friday with updates!

Watched: Metropolis

Is silent, but never boring or slow!
Dig it.

Watched: Harvey

Not a real fan of James Stewart, but I thought this movie was cute.

Watched:
*The Prestige
*Die Hard
*Iron Man
*Juno

The final movie of this goal!!

Told from the memoirs of his secretary, Traudl Jung, Downfall tells the story of the final days of Adolf Hitler. It shows Hitler, played by Bruno Ganz in an amazing performance, descending into madness and losing control of Germany. As he slowly realizes Germany is lost, he refuses to leave Berlin, even as the Russians close in. Surrounding him are his loyal followers, including Eva Braun, Magda Goebbels and Joseph Goebbels. There are also many other loyal Nazi soldiers trapped in the bunker with Hitler.
What is powerful about this movie is the realism of the war torn Berlin as well as the dedication and loyalty of the Nazis. Even when urged to flee Berlin, most of the Nazis vow to stay with Hitler even to death. They were willing to die by Russian hands or commit suicide for Hitler. This is an eye opening testament to the power Hitler held over the Third Reich.
One of the saddest scenes of the film shows Magda Goebbels revealing her complete dedication to Hitler and National Socialism. She would rather herself and her children die than live in a world without National Socialism. This is proven in a heartbreaking scene where she gives her children a sleeping potion and then returns a few hours later to give each child a cyanide pill. What kind of man can demand this of his followers?
Special notice must be given to Bruno Ganz and his portrayal of Hitler. I have read that it is a sympathetic portrayal of Hitler, but I did not see that. I do not agree. Ganz plays Hitler as a man whose madness drove a nation to insanity and death. His cruelty and madness is brought to life by Ganz. It is a performance deserving of an Oscar.
Downfall is a film worth watching. It will open your eyes to what happened in the final days of WWII and how Hitler ran the country. It is not an easy film to watch but is a film worth investing the time to see.

Watched a few over the past couple of days. Due to bad goings on at work and my grandmother in the hospital, I’m not gonna take time to review the.

160 Night of the Hunter

Fabulous movie. Scary. Robert Mitchum is truly terrifying as “Pastor” Harry Powell.

198 The Lady Vanishes

Early Hitchcock. Really enjoyed this, funny and suspenseful. Well worth watching.

161 Stand by Me

Great early Rob Reiner. Sweet story about boyhood friendship.

00 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

When I started goal, this was number 231 but has since fallen off. It was a good movie, but not one of my favorites. It’s a Western that shows that life is not always fair or as it seems and “when the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

Only one left and this goal is done!!!!! Downfall.

The Seventh Seal is proof that cinema can be more than just mindless entertainment. Cinema can raise questions about life that can lead to viewers contemplating life, death and the existence of God. While a bit heavy handed at times, The Seventh Seal is Ingmar Bergman’s attempt to allow moviegoers to examine their own beliefs.
The film takes place in the Middle Ages and centers around Antonius Block, a knight who has just returned from ten years fighting in the Crusades. He is accompanied by his squire, Jons. Upon their return, Block finds himself confronted by Death. He is at first surprised, but Death reminds Block that he has always been beside him. In an attempt to keep living, Block challenges Death to a game of chess. It is a disjointed game, carried out over several days. After all, the plague has broken out and Death is busy. As Block and Jons make their way back home they have many eye opening experiences.
At one point, they come upon a church in which a man is painting images of the plague and death. He is told it will scare people, but he paints it because it is true. It is what people see every day. Block finds himself at a confessional and vents his frustrations. He states to the figure in the booth, “I want God to put out his hand, show his face, speak to me. I cry out to him in the dark but there is no one there.” It is this question that drives him. He wants to know if God exists, and was what he fought for in the Crusades. The figure he to which he speaks his confession is Death, always close and constantly following him.
They meet a troop of actors, most notably a couple named Jof and Mia, whose English names are Joseph and Mary. They have a one year old named Michael. They are a happy couple, always singing and inviting guests to eat their limited food. Jof is blessed with visions and sees the Virgin Mary walking the baby Jesus. He is moved to tears by the vision.
They meet the theologian who sent Block on the Crusades. Jons meets him first and angrily confronts him on the pointlessness of sending them to fight in the Crusades. The man is now forced to steal from the dead to survive.
They meet a woman in a stockade who is going to be burned for sleeping with the devil and, in doing so, brought the plague upon the country. The Knight, ever curious for life’s answers, asks her about the devil. After all, the devil will know of God’s existence. She tells him to look in her eyes to see the devil, but he sees only terror. Later, as she burns, Jons looks at her but sees only emptiness in her eyes. The Knight can’t believe that.
Block and Jons meet several other travelers as they journey, including a smith, his cheating wife and a young girl Jons saves from being raped. This young girl never speaks a word but is always there looking and puzzling over what the group sees.
Throughout these travels, Death continually meets the knight to continue the game. As they play, the knight believes he will win. One encounter sees him tricking Death into sacrificing a knight. The knight foolishly tell Death he will continually always be a step ahead in the game. A future encounter has Death taking the knight’s queen. It is here, the knight realizes the futility of the game. However, he knows it should just be him, not the party he is traveling with.
As they play, Jof sees Death playing chess with the knight. Mia only sees the knight playing chess. Jof comprehends that they must leave to escape Death. He and Mia gather their belongings and sneak off. The knight sees this going on behind Death as he understands the futility of the game. He fumbles with his cloak, knocking the pieces over. Doing so causes Death to reach over and replace them. This provides the distraction Jof and Mia need to escape. They es
The final scenes reveal Death coming for the party at the knight’s castle. They stand before Death recognizing their end is here and the words are spoken by the young girl, “It is finished.” The final haunting image is seen through Jof’s eyes as he views Death making the party hold hands and dance a macabre dance.
The Seventh Seal is a film with images that will haunt a viewer. The knight playing chess with Death. The woman burning. A group of worshipers flogging themselves in hopes to appease God. The final image of the group in a line holding hands and dancing.
It is film that asks hard questions. It is a depressing film that seems to offer no hope to viewers. God does not show his face to the knight despite his pleadings. The plague ravishes the land. Even the devil seems to be nonexistant as Jons points out when viewing the burning woman. The film asks, without the devil, can there be God?
However, there is hope. Joseph and Mary are the symbolic characters that show the existence of the God the knight is searching for. They are raising a child in a world ravaged by plague. A miracle. They share their food with travelers although they have little. Compassion. They love each other in hard times while people around them cheat and kill. Love. The knight saves them from Death during his chess game. This action reveals that people can be saved in the dark times they live in.
The Seventh Seal is a film that is not easy to watch. It is depressing and bleak in its presentation of life, made even more so by its stark black and white imagery. Despite this, if one views the film with an open mind, one will find a message of hope and even proof of God.

I love Charlie Chaplin and am glad this goal has allowed me to be exposed to more of this work. The Kid features his famous Tramp character and what happens when he finds an abandoned child on the sidewalk. A desperate mother places her child in a fancy car in hopes he will have a good life. However, the car is stolen by thugs who promptly leave the poor child on the sidewalk. The Tramp raises the boy as his own and they experience conflict with a doctor, an orphanage, a bully and the police. The child actor, Jackie Coogan, is incredible. He mimics Chaplin’s Tramp with great accuracy. The two have great chemistry and work well off of each other.
One highlight of the film has the kid throwing rocks at windows so the Tramp can get paid to fix them. As they carry out their little scam, a policeman gets involved and father and son expertly maneuver an escape. When the kid gets in a fight with a bully, the Tramp urges him to win, but the the bully’s older brother steps in and threatens the Tramp. What follows is classic slapstick as the Tramp bounces around the street and off objects avoiding the brother’s punches.
What makes this movie great is not only the slapstick but the humanity. When the kid and Tramp sit down for a pancake breakfast, the kid starts eating syrup off his knife. The Tramp sees it and steps in as a parent. He grabs the knife and shows the kid how to lick off the dull side of knife. Later, an orphanage comes to take the kid. In an elaborate chase, the Tramp scrambles over rooftops to chase the truck carrying the kid away. He jumps from the rooftops into the moving truck to rescue his son and the camera closes in on their faces. The tears and expressions on their faces reveal the love the Tramp has for his son and vice versa.
The Kid is a fantastic film and I think would be a great intro for someone who has never seen a Chaplin film or even a silent film. It is short, only 50 minutes, yet is packed with humor while still telling a sweet family story.

Beauty and the Beast was on the IMDB Top 250 when I started this goal, but it has since fallen off. That is really a shame because Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast is a, pardon the pun, beautiful film. It is filled with imagination and is an example of movie magic at its finest. Be aware, it is nothing like the Disney animated movie but it is a movie watching experience everyone should view.
It follows the familiar story – a Beast who lives in a magical castle trades a father’s life for his daughter’s love. As the daughter lives in the Beast’s castle she learns to care for the misunderstood Beast.
While it may seem a straightfoward and simple plot, the film’s special effects help to elevate it into something magical. As the father first enters the Beast’s castle, his way his lit by candles that light themselves and are held by human arms jutting out of the castle wall. Statues turn their heads and watch people pass by. Magical mirrors show the looker what they really want to see. Doors open by themselves. Curtains are drawn by magical arms. The Beast himself is a sight to behold. Even completely covered in hair, the Beast evokes powerful human emotions as he tries to be understood and loved by Belle.
A wonderful movie experience and I hope it moves back up into the top 250 movies. It certainly deserves the honor.