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Top Ten Tuesday – The Best Substitutes for Downton Abbey

By rights I should hate the English. Seriously, my background is almost entirely Scots and Irish. I grew up hearing about the troubles the English gave to the Scots and Irish, both in school and from my parents.

Yet I do not, I love the English. How can I hate a country that gave us not only Monty Python but also Benny Hill and the Carry On Films? How can I bear any ill will to a country that gave us writers of the caliber of Ramsey Campbell, Brian Aldiss, Michael Moorcock and J. G Ballard? How can anyone hate a country that not only prizes eccentric behavior but encourages it? Take Mr. Kim Newman for instance, a brilliant writer whose work appears regularly in Video WatchDog and Videoscope Mr. Newman dresses himself, has his hair and mustache styled and speaks in the manner of someone from the 19^th Century! And let us not forget Hammer Films as well as the actors that made them work, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. And I haven’t even touched on the British Invasion music from the 1960s.

And I must mention Alfred Hitchcock, H.G. Wells, The Goon Show (especially Spike Milligan), Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, The Avengers and Boris Karloff. Boris Karloff!?!? If England’s only contribution to world culture were Boris Karloff I could forgive them anything!

All of which leads me to the subject of Downton Abbey and what to do until the Sixth and final season airs in this country. I heard and read a lot about Downton Abbey and wanted to see the series. I warned my sweetheart Radah, that if we began watching them we would be hooked, much as we got hooked on Deadwood and Carnivale and Dexter.

And of course we did, binge watching all five seasons and reveling in the plot twists and the wonderfully written and acted characters. Especially the characters of Anna and Mr. Bates and their slow to develop romance and I personally love the character of Tom Branson, a true Irishman who constantly reminds the Crawley family that their life of privilege has a price.

I gave this some thought and came up with this highly personal, opinionated and timely list of movies and television shows which bare more than a passing resemblance to Downton Abbey. My criteria was simple, there has to be a wealthy family, English or American, with major characters both upstairs and down. Which leads me straight to:

Upstairs, Downstairs 1971-1975

I am not really playing fair here. I have to admit I never watched much of Upstairs, Downstairs. One of the most popular shows on PBS to be imported from England I saw just a bit of one episode wherein the family mourns the death of King Edward, bringing to an end the Edwardian era. But I have from reliable sources that much of Downton Abbey, including entire story lines, were inspired by Upstairs, Downstairs. It even inspired an American version on CBS which I would love to see again but seems to have vanished without a trace. Beacon Hill ran for not even a full season and detailed the life of a rich Irish family living in Boston’s Beacon Hill area. Something historians pointed out would have never happened in the 1920s era in which the show was set. Never mind, I recall the family appeared to have been inspired by the Kennedys. I have not seen these episodes since the 1970s so forgive me if my memory is not accurate. I recall a son who came back from WWI missing an arm and looking very F. Scott Fitzgerald with his Arrow collars and slicked back hair and dark rimmed eyes. I also recall the Downstairs crew had a black cook who actually had a story line for himself. The show was controversial in that the first episode had the male characters visiting a brothel, wherein all the working girls were also black. And even more historically accurate when the characters visited a speakeasy the jazz band was all black. All of this caused a bit of controversy which may have been a major factor in the show being cancelled and leaving all the storylines hanging. That and the fact that not many people watched (except me) and I loved the show and would love to see any existing episodes again. Youtube has a promotional ad for the show and that’s about it.

REMAINS OF THE DAY 1993

An elegant and authentic period piece from the prolific team of Merchant/Ivory, Remains of the Day features a brilliant performance by Anthony Hopkins as a butler in a huge English estate so devoted to his life of service he refuses to make any move to find happiness for himself. Matching him both in service and acting chops is Emma Thompson as a head maid who makes the mistake of falling in love with this “gentlemen’s gentleman”. Hopkins character is so focused on his butler duties he continues to work the day his Father dies, ignores direct insults from an upper class, arrogant twit, passes up the chance for love with Thompson’s character and cannot see that his Lordship, the always brilliant James Fox, is a Nazi sympathizer and basically not a very nice person. REMAINS OF THE DAY goes into as much detail about the workings of an English manor house as does Downton Abbey and tells a heartbreaking story of a life that is basically wasted.

REBECCA 1940

Alfred Hitchcock’s first American movie is a wonderful adaptation of a Daphne Du Maurier novel wherein a nameless American woman (Joan Fontaine) is wooed by and marries an English Lord, Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier) and finds herself way out of her depth trying to fill the shoes of Rebecca,( Max’s first wife, who died under mysterious circumstances,) and whose ghost apparently haunts Manderley , the great house where the story takes place. Rebecca does not have much in the way of Downstairs characters but we do get a real winner in Mrs. Danvers, an incredible piece of work from Judith Anderson. Her tour of Rebecca’s rooms and wardrobe is an unforgettable scene. Hitchcock was made to follow the novel closely due to the insistence of the producer, the legendary David O. Selznick. No matter, REBECCA is prime Hitchcock and a wonderful look at the upper and lower classes of England in that time period. PBS did a wonderful miniseries version in 1979 for Mystery, and again in 1997 (a version I have not seen) and the novel is still terrific, as is all of Du Maurier’s work.

The Addams Family 1964-1966

A 1960s sitcom about a “creepy, kooky” family? Yes, absolutely. The Addams Family fits my criteria perfectly. Unlike the working class Munsters, the Addams Family was independently wealthy, although how and when Gomez made his money is never quite explained. We only get one Downstairs character but he is a winner, the unforgettable Lurch as played by Ted Cassidy (unless you also count Thing!). I only recently got the dvds of both seasons of the Addams Family and found, to my delight, they are still funny and the real treasure of the show, the icing on the cake, is Lurch. All the actors are in on the joke and they all shine but Lurch is such a special presence and steals every scene he is in, you look forward to his scenes. I wish there had been more seasons. Both The Addams Family and The Munsters were top rated shows, very popular, and both were cancelled with no explanation from their respective networks. What a shame. When these shows were brand new I wanted to be a member of the Addam’s Family, I wanted to BE Pugsley, especially after Gomez told the school principal on Pugsley’s first day of school (in the very first episode) that “If we wanted him happy we’d keep him at home!”

MY MAN GODFREY 1936

Considered to be the first screwball comedy MY MAN GODFREY concerns a “forgotten man” terrifically played by William Powell, who is collected on a scavenger hunt by a rich, spoiled, drama queen of a “madcap heiress” also well played by Carol Lombard (the two were married for a time). Godfrey holds up very well and is still a laugh riot. We get quite a lot of Downstairs activity, Godfrey becomes the family butler, straightens out the family finances, earns the respect of the Father (the always fun Eugene Pallette) and every other member of the household and even throws Lombard into a shower with all her clothes on. MY MAN GODFREY has been in public domain for years so there are multiple versions on the market. But the fine folks at Criterion issued a special edition and cleaned up the sound and image tremendously, that version is worth seeking out. The many rooms of this mansion are beautiful to behold when you can see all the detail that went into the sets. A masterpiece of Upstairs and Downstairs characters and story.

CAVALCADE 1933

I am again not really playing fair here. This British production from 1933 of a Noel Coward play fits my criteria, it follows not one but two English families who comprise both the Downstairs as well as Upstairs characters. It is a handsomely mounted production but in my opinion is easily the worst movie that ever won a Best Picture Oscar. Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide gives it four stars, (perhaps I should watch it again sometime?) What I recall is a grueling, slowly paced and stagey production filled with Imperial rhetoric and snobbery, and the worst bunch of spoiled, upper class children I have ever witnessed. A sample of dialog? As the Father gets ready to go to South Africa and the Boer War one of the spoiled brat children is heard to say “Promise me you’ll cut Paul Kruger (A Boer Leader) into tiny bits with your sword! Say you will Daddy!” And this was the same year King Kong was released!

THE SERVANT 1963

A young upper class Englishman (James Fox again, absolutely brilliant!) hires a personal man servant and makes the mistake of choosing Dirk Bogarde (also brilliant) who is not at all what he seems. Bogarde’s character has this “sister” you see, Sarah Miles, (and yes, you guessed it, also brilliant!) and… I don’t like to give out spoilers but absolutely nothing is what it seems in this one of a kind film, written by Harold Pinter, directed by Joseph Losey which turns the tables on the whole British class system and which could only take place in England. See it and you’ll understand why, this story could not stand a chance of being told in any other country. Probably the best movie on this list.

THE ADMIRABLE CRICHTON 1957

A devastating satire on the English class system Crichton (also known as Paradise Lagoon) sees an upper class family and their servants’ ship wrecked on a lovely tropical island (which exists only in movies.) The most resourceful, knowledgeable and the best leader in the group is of course the head butler, Crichton, wonderfully played by Kenneth More. Slowly but surely the class distinctions disappear, although this is no grown up version of Lord of the Flies, no indeed, closer in spirit to Blue Lagoon the upper class daughter finds herself enchanted with this new version of the family butler. Crichton is funny, warm hearted and finally heart breaking when the family is rescued and the old class barriers come flying back up. I have not seen Crichton in years but still recall the horror of Crichton resuming his old role and the effect on his beloved. This one is too sad for words.

GOSFORD PARK 2001

One of Robert Altman’s great films and the direct ancestor of Downton Abbey, GOSFORD PARK was written by Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey. Much like any Agatha Christie story it concerns a murder in an upper class English manor house but Altman, as usual, is not interested in making a film to conform to anybody’s idea of genre. Altman is much more interested in the Downstairs characters, of which there are many, and turning the conventions of the murder mystery inside out. One of the delights is that Maggie Smith plays EXACTLY the same character as she does on Downton Abbey. And with an all star cast it is, as always with Altman, a delight to see the many characters juggled about, and every single actor has a moment to shine. GOSFORD PARK, and possibly REMAINS OF THE DAY, are the closest in spirit to the world of Downton Abbey.

THE RULING CLASS 1972

Here finally is what might be called the Anti-Downton Abbey, and my personal favorite, Peter Medak’s cutting edge satire of English class distinctions with a way over the top performance (two performances really) from Peter O’Toole. The story is simple; the 13^th Earl of Gurney has accidently hanged himself, in an opening scene with the great Harry Andrews. In a bedroom scene that is both hysterically funny and still shocking the old Earl dons his red Army coat and a ballet tutu and proceeds to auto asphyxiate himself, all the while ranting upper class drunken gibberish “I see six vestal virgins smoking cigars! Moses in bedroom slippers!” With the death of the 13^th Earl of Gurney the inheritance of the huge estate falls to Jack, the 14^th Earl of Gurney, who is also a paranoid schizophrenic who believes himself to be no less than Jesus Christ. In a performance that has to be seen to be believed O’Toole is by turns funny, creepy, weird, touching and finally believable, this guy may very well actually be Jesus returned to Earth! Even more shocking, when Jack decides to actually take the responsibility that comes with great wealth, inherited privilege and the title of a real English Lord he leaves Jesus behind and becomes no less than Jack the Ripper himself! Here is where a lot of people were confounded and outraged by Medak’s film, it goes from high comedy, complete with unexpected musical numbers, into dark and dangerous waters. O’Toole is more than up to the task and pulls it off wonderfully. Once again we only get one major Downstairs character but he is yet another winner for our side. The unforgettable Tucker (Tuck to the family) played by Arthur Lowe, a character actor in the grand old tradition, Tucker is both a loyal servant and card carrying Communist. He inherits a great deal of money from the deceased Earl and no longer has to work but stays on to torment the bunch of upper class twits who employ him and try to help the new Earl of Gurney make his way in the world in which he finds himself. THE RULING CLASS is merciless in exposing the English upper class as a bunch of in bred, delusional, uneducated, racist, homophobic, stupid and finally insane and murderous, toffy nosed twits who have trouble wiping their own behinds. Reality in other words. If you totally love the world of Downton Abbey, THE RULING CLASS may not be for you but it was a major box office success in its day and remains a serious cult film.

Top Ten Tuesday – The Best of Burt Reynolds

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, Travis Keune, and Tom Stockman

We like to celebrate the movie tough guys of the ’70s here at We Are Movie Geeks and at Super-8 Movie Madness. We’ve posted Top Ten lists to tie into Super-8 shows featuring Charles Bronson (HERE), Clint Eastwood (HERE), and Lee Marvin (HERE). This month we’re going to honor the #1 top money-making star for five consecutive years – 1978 – 1982 – Burt Reynolds. On February 11th, 1936, Reynolds was born in Waycross, Georgia, before his family moved to Jupiter Florida, where his father served as Chief of Police. Young Burt excelled at sports and played football at Florida State University. He became an All Star Southern Conference halfback (and was earmarked by the Baltimore Colts) before injuries sidelined his football career. He dropped out of college and headed to New York with dreams of becoming an actor. There he worked in restaurants and clubs while pulling the odd TV job or theater role. Burt was spotted in a New York City stage production of Mister Roberts and signed to a TV contract and eventually had recurring roles in such shows as Gunsmoke (1955), Riverboat (1959) and his own series, Hawk (1966).

Burt’s movie debut was in the 1961 ANGEL BABY. On the advice of his friend Clint Eastwood, Reynolds used his TV fame to land a leading role in the Italian Spaghetti Western NAVAJO JOE in 1966. The film was a hit and established Reynolds as a bankable leading man in movies, and earned him starring roles in American big-budget films. His breakout performance in DELIVERANCE in 1972 made him a bona-fide movie star (The same year, Reynolds gained notoriety when he posed near-naked in the April (Vol. 172, No. 4) issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine).

Burt Reynolds has appeared in over 160 films and TV shows so far in his six decades as an actor, and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best:

10. HUSTLE

Reynolds joined director Robert Aldrich a second time for this underrated slice of neo-noir. Leisurely paced, character-driven, and dripping with irony, HUSTLE is one of Reynolds’ best films. Once again cast as a cop, Reynolds this time plays an edgier, more jaded version of lawman – an L.A police detective involved in a romantic relationship with a high-class prostitute played with sensual warmth by Catherine Deneuve. The mixing of American tough guy Reynolds with pensive French actress Deneuve almost sounds like a recipe for disaster, but their chemistry together smolders on the big screen. All of their scenes have a rhythm and underlying emotional undercurrent that is at times palpable. The somewhat simple plot follows the investigation of a dead girl found on the beach. But it is the way in which the story unfolds, in layers of ever-more cynical revelation, that makes the film fascinating to watch. Aldrich keeps things off balance by utilizing a great eclectic soundtrack, offbeat love scenes, and hard-edged police action. Supporting players are uniformly excellent, especially Ben Johnson and Eileen Brennan as the dead girl’s parents, Eddie Albert as the smarmy villain, and Ernest Borgnine as the cop’s boss. The great Paul Winfield is solid as Reynolds’ partner, and look for Catherine Bach (aka Daisy Duke) in a small role–as a porn actress! Reynolds’ performance is thoughtful and nuanced in portraying a man seeking something in life that he knows– from seeing the world through lenses of skepticism, doubt, and mistrust – will forever elude him.

9. SHAMUS

In SHAMUS (1973), based on the 87th Precinct novels by Ed McBain, Burt Reynolds played Shamus McCoy, a studly, ex-pool player-turned rugged private eye who is quick with his fists and has an eye for the ladies, especially a ridiculously sexy Dyan Cannon. Hired by a shady rich man to find out who killed a diamond thief, Shamus stumbles on something bigger: gun-running and the illicit sale of surplus US military equipment.Briskly directed by Buzz Kulik, with a colorful script by Barry Beckerman, occasional exciting outbursts of raw rough’n’tumble fisticuffs, gritty cinematography by Victor J. Kemper, a funky New York City atmosphere, and a few charmingly quirky touches (Shamus sleeps on a pool table with a mattress on it and has a deep-seated dread of large dogs), SHAMUS made for a hugely enjoyable and often thrilling private eye flick. Popping up in solid supporting parts are Larry Block as funny sports trivia freak informant Springy, Joe Santos as hard-nosed police Lieutenant Promuto, John P. Ryan as crazed fanatical army Colonel Hardcore, and John Glover in his film debut as a pathetic heroin addict. The downbeat ending was ahead of its time. SHAMUS is something of an overlooked Reynolds film, containing some startling stuntwork by the actor and is definitely one his best vintage 70’s action vehicles. The 1976 sequel, A MATTER OF WIFE AND DEATH, starred Rod Taylor as Shamus.

8. CANNONBALL RUN

Reynolds’ teaming with stunt expert/director Hal Needham reached its peak of car chase films with this comedy based on real life cross-country races held during the 1970s. Although the story had been filmed years earlier as GUMBALL RALLY, this version featured an all-star cast that included Farrah Fawcett, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, Jamie Farr, Peter Fonda, Jackie Chan, and even Bianca Jagger! CANNONBALL is certainly the most absurdist car stunt movie ever, at times resembling the Three Stooges at their best, full of funny performances (Jack Elam steals every scene he’s in, and DeLuise is hilarious), witty one-liners, non-sequiturs, and numerous sight gags. Then there’s the amazing stunts, which aren’t just limited to cars; airplanes, skydivers, and motorcycles also get into the act. With major stars like Moore poking fun at the Bond persona (driving an Aston Martin, naturally) and Chan doing some kung fu (though he must’ve been miffed to be cast as Japanese), everyone seems like they’re having a great time, and the film was a huge box office success. Prior to CANNONBALL, Fawcett was having a tough time in her career, after quitting CHARLIE’S ANGELS and filming three box office flops. Reynolds thought she would be perfect as the female lead, and got her cast despite objections. Fawcett is perfect, delivering a performance that is naturally sweet and sexy, making it even funnier when she utters phrases like “gang bang”. From the first frame when the film spoofs the 20^th Century Fox logo, to the last (this was one of the first movies to show outtakes during the closing credits), CANNONBALL is carried along on Reynold’s sense of unbridled mirth, and it’s a contagious blast. Almost the entire cast (sadly, minus Farrah) reunited a few years later for the inevitable CANNONBALL II, with even more guest star cameos (Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine) and it was also a hit, but was to be the last of Reynolds’ ‘car‘ movies.

7. THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN

For this remake of the Truffault directed 1977 French farce, Reynolds teamed up with comic mastermind Blake Edwards of the PINK PANTHER series and Mrs.Edwards, the lovely Julie Andrews. She plays Marianna, a therapist trying to help famous sculptor David Fowler (Reynolds) end his chronic womanizing. Reynolds had garnered quite a rep as a ladies man in the gossip columns and tabloids, so perhaps this film was his commentary on all the speculations. Quite an impressive group of women were assembled for him to romance in this 1983 comedy/drama. Besides Ms. Andrews, Reynolds shared the screen with Marilu Henner (his future TV wife on “Evening Shade”), Cynthia Sikes, Sela Ward, and Kim Basinger as a funny, daffy Texas belle. There’s plenty of the trademark Edwards slapstick here, but it’s also a chance to admire Mr. Reynolds’s charming screen persona.

6. SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT

Ever wonder what the second highest grossing film of 1977 was, after STAR WARS?Redneck bad boys were all the rage in ’77. Cars were still made in Michigan and CB radios were the hot technology with phrases like “10-4 good buddy” familiar expressions and SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT captured that side of American culture as well as any film.The plot of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT was merely an excuse for the many car chases and gags that comprised the thin story, which is about Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and his buddy Cledus (aka: “Snowman” – Jerry Reed) attempting to win a bet. They have to drive from Georgia to Arkansas, pick up four hundred cases of Coors beer, (an early example of product placement) and deliver it back in Georgia within twenty-eight hours. Along the way they pick up escaped bride Carrie (Sally Field) and get chased by the jilted groom’s father, a Texas sheriff; one Buford T. Justice, hilariously played by the great Jackie Gleason.It was the directorial debut for former stuntman Hal Needham and was the first of nine collaborations with his pal Burt Reynolds. Sally Field was Burt’s squeeze at the time and looked super-cute with her skin-tight jeans and no bra. Jackie Gleason tossed off great one-linerslike the comedy legend that he was and former Tarzan Mike Henry was perfect as his doofus son. Jerry Reed contributed to the top-selling soundtrack and would co-star with Burt in six films. Like STAR WARS, there were two sequels, but they weren’t very good and Burt made but a cameo in the third film. Buford T. Justice was the name of a real Florida Highway Patrolman known to Burt’s father, who was at one time the Chief of Police in Jupiter, Florida.

5. SHARKY’S MACHINE

For his third time directing himself, Reynolds tackled this gritty crime thriller from novelist William Diehl. Echoing his previous TV lead roles (“Hawk”, “Dan August”) he plays Tom Sharky, a cop that doesn’t go by the book. He’s assigned to observe from a nearby apartment (shades of REAR WINDOW) a high-priced call girl named Dominoe (played by the very alluring Rachel Ward in her big studio film debut). Things get complicated when Tom falls for her while watching her affair with a big politico. In a twist recalling the classic noir LAURA, the two, with the help of “the machine”-Brian Keith, Bernie Casey, and Richard Libertini, try to take down a vicious drug kingpin (Victorio Gassman) and his demonic kid brother hitman (Henry Silva). This flick is a great police thriller with some fabulous stunts including a record-breaking fall by Dar Robinson. And just try not to look away when Sharky is tortured by the bad guys! Reynolds proves to be quite the artist on both sides of the camera.

4. THE LONGEST YARD

Hollywood veteran director Robert Aldrich (DIRTY DOZEN, HUSTLE) gave Reynolds one of his biggest hits – and best roles – in this seriocomic tale of prison life and football. On the surface, the character of Paul Crewe is fairly despicable – he is a smartass, a drunk, and a violent malcontent not above mistreating women. But Reynolds not only makes us like Crewe, he makes us actually root for him to find redemption. With Eddie Albert and Ed Lauter as the villains, and wonderful character performances from Richard Kiel, Michael Conrad, Bernadette Peters, and many others, YARD doesn’t gloss over its portrayal of prison society. The hard life often explodes in violence, racial tensions abound, and then there’s the warden’s secretary. Aldrich, himself a gridiron fan, smartly peppered the film with many real-life ex-NFL players, such as Joe Kapp (Vikings) and Ray Nitschke (Packers). This gives the film, along with Reynolds’ natural athleticism (he played for Florida State), a tone of realism lacking in many sports- based tales.The climactic football game takes up nearly half the movie’s running time, and it is certainly one of the most brutal and exciting events – in any sport – ever put on film. Coming on the heels of DELIVERANCE, this movie solidified Reynolds’ box office appeal. With his winning mixture of bravado and self-deprecating humor (we get a lot of the trademark laugh), Reynolds helped make THE LONGEST YARD one of the greatest sports movies ever made.

3. WHITE LIGHTNING

Booze, broads, car chases, corruption and revenge — all the things that make life worthwhile! WHITE LIGHTNING (1973) was a tough country melodrama in which hard-driving Bogen County, Arkansas moonshiner Gator McCluskey (Burt Reynolds) is paroled from prison in order to get the goods on a thoroughly corrupted sheriff (Ned Beatty) who is not only taking graft but also murdered Gator’s kid brother. Crisply directed by Joseph Sargent who manages to instill the proceedings with both atmosphere and pace, the fragmented story of rough backwoods codes is punctuated by several high-powered car chases that keep the dust swirling on those backcountry roads (the stunts were coordinated by Hal Needham who would go on to direct Burt in SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT and CANNONBALL RUN). While the 1976 sequel GATOR was more a comedy, WHITE LIGHTNING has real authenticity in its look at the American South of the early 1970s. Beatty is truly black hearted as the mild-mannered but hateful sheriff Conners, who kills Gator’s brother just because he looks like a hippy commie. He’s the opposite of the buffoonish cartoon lawman that Jackie Gleason would play opposite Burt in the later Smokey and the Bandit films. There is some tough suspense and some genuinely moving scenes in WHITE LIGHTNING, which was a huge hit in 1973, securing Reynolds’s place in the superstar strata throughout the 1970s. R.G. Armstrong, Bo Hopkins, Diane Lane, and Dabbs Greer all lend able support and watch for a young Laura Dern in a small role, her film debut.

2. DELIVERANCE

Reynolds had been toiling in TV and ‘B’ movies for decades before this 1972 classic finally catapulted him to big screen super-stardom. Aside from the “Dueling Banjos” scene (which became a top 40 radio hit), John Boorman’s backwoods horror tale may be best remembered for, let’s be delicate, the “squeal” sequence. Well, which character puts an end to this nightmare? It’s Reynolds as the alpha male of the foursome, Lewis Medlock. He’s the only one truly prepared for anything in this Georgia jungle. Before the Avengers’ Hawkeye, before Katness, Lewis is the deadliest screen bow and arrow marksman since Robin Hood. With his slicked-back hair and black leather vest (exposing his impressive biceps) coupled with his “good ole” boy” persona, Reynolds dominates every scene and stakes his claim as the next great action movie hero.

1. BOOGIE NIGHTS

Times, they are growing turbulent once again for the ole porn biz… with the San Fernando Valley threatening new regulations that could send the industry packing. But, how did it all begin? Leave it to Paul Thomas Anderson to give us a flashback into the wild and “wooly” ’70s when the business of sex was less corporate and more coital. Don’t let the title or the content shake your resolve, because BOOGIE NIGHTS is a great film, not exclusive to Burt Reynolds, but he most definitely added an element to the film that few could have accomplished. Burt, even today, sort of exudes ’70s masculine sexual bravado, as is on display in this film. Burt plays Jack Horner, a filmmaker of the flesh, who discovers a youngstar in Eddie Adams, aka Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg), who works alongside a young actress known as Rollergirl (Heather Graham) in what is, in many ways, a family business. Awkwardly dramatic, hilarious and a remarkably well made film that takes itself seriously, but not at it’s own expense… perhaps an original “most interesting man in the world,” Burt Reynolds makes his mark.

Burt Reynolds made so many great films and runner-ups for this list would have to include Woody Allen’s EVERYTHING YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK, THE MAN WHO LOVED CAT DANCING, STICK, and SEMI-TOUGH.

Top Ten Tuesday: Friendly Ghosts

From Japanese ghost stories such as RINGU (1998) and JU-ON (2002, remade as THE GRUDGE) to modern revisionist ghost stories such as Brad Anderson’s SESSION 9 (2001) and Ti West’s THE INNKEEPERS (2011), cinematic specters have nearly always been evil, or at the very least, malicious. Scary movies have long held the belief that ghosts should frighten us, and Hollywood had lined their pockets with that notion, but is it possible to make a good movie about “good” ghosts? We think so, and here’s our proof… our Top Ten Movies About Friendly Ghosts.

10. HEART AND SOULS (1993)

Anything starring Robert Downey, Jr. is worth checking out in my book, but this comedy was surprisingly enjoyable. Downey plays a guy used by four ghosts to reconcile their lives before moving on into the afterlife. The catch is, Downey is less than enthusiastic, but finds himself the catalyst for something bigger than himself and goes along for the ride. The cast is comprised of several well-known actors making the film that much more enjoyable.

9. TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY (1990)

The 1991 charming, English love story of a woman, Nina, (Juliet Stephenson) who’s inconsolable with grief over the death of her lover and cellist, Jamie (Alan Rickman). Just when Nina thinks she’ll never recover from her loss, Jamie’s ghost returns and, much to her dismay, begins to muck about in her daily life, which includes bringing other ghosts along to watch, of all things, videos to pass the time. TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY was Anthony Minghella’s (THE ENGLISH PATIENT, THE READER) directorial debut, universally loved by the critics, and was called the British version of GHOST.

8. THE CANTERVILLE GHOST (1944)

The popular short story by Oscar Wilde came to life in 1944 when Charles Laughton stepped into the role of the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville. Cursed to roam an English manor until a descendant can redeem the family name through an act of bravery, the character is one for the ages, and Laughton’s interaction with co-star Robert Young is timeless. The first of eight adaptations of the story for film, THE CANTERVILLE GHOST is a timeless comedy that is just as beloved now as it was nearly 70 years ago.

7. FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)

“If you build it, he will come.” The ghosts of the Chicago Black Sox in FIELD OF DREAMS aren’t, exactly, bad, but that voice the serves as their prelude has got to go. Creepy as it may be, it, and the ghosts themselves, help Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) rekindle that loss feeling of youth and helps subside that foreboding feeling he has that he is turning in this father. The ending of FIELD OF DREAMS would make a grown man cry, and I’m sure it’s done just that time and time again. You’ll never look at playing catch with your father the same way twice.

6. THE FRIGHTENERS (1996)

Not only was this a pivotal film as director Peter Jackson’s American breakout film, it was also one helluva funny good time! Michael J. Fox plays a guy who develops the ability to see and talk to ghosts, working with them to con unsuspecting suburbanites into paying for spirit extractions. The ghosts may have the act down in this film, but they were anything but mean… more like completely harmless.

5. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947)

THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947) is the impossible love story between a young widow, Mrs. Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) and deceased Sea Captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison, in one of his most colorful roles). Being a penniless widow, Mrs. Muir, along with her young daughter Anna (Natalie Wood), move into Gull Cottage on the English coast only to discover that it’s haunted by the previous owner, a loud-mouthed ghost reluctant to entrust it to a woman. The two form a friendship (with Lucy being the only one who can hear and see the Captain) and when seeing that she’s in need of money, the captain persuades “Lucia” to be the ghostwriter for his memoirs in the book Blood and Swash and they end up falling in love. With a great, moody score from Bernard Hermann and the Oscar nominated B & W cinematography from Charles Lang, THE GHOST AND MRS MUIR is one of those entrancing ghost stories and a fan- favorite.

4. BEETLEJUICE (1988)

Tim Burton’s dark comedy about a married couple who die and come back as ghosts is one of the most enjoyably original films from the last three decades. Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are confined to their earthly home as a rich, dysfunctional family moves in and begins changing everything, leading the nice couple to employ the not-so-nice tactics of Michael Keaton’s “Beetlejuice” to scare them off.

3. GHOST (1984)

The late, iconic Patrick Swayze stars in the dramatic love story as a man who returns as a ghost in an attempt to protect Demi Moore, his wife, from impending danger with the help of a reluctant psychic, played by Whoopi Goldberg. The film is a staple for many women, but is also a great film on it’s own merit, earning Goldberg a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

2. TOPPER (1937)

You need only take a gander at the cast list for TOPPER to realize there’s no nefarious dealings with the ghosts involved here. Cary Grant and Constance Bennett as George and Marion Kerby, respectively, are among some of the more memorable “good” ghosts around. Granted, they are charged by the minions of Purgatory to do one good deed, but that deed comes easy, and it is to the benefit of all that these wayward souls find their ultimate path to redemption. TOPPER is a laugh-riot classic. The characters and those who play them are among the main elements that make it so.

1. THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)

The big reveal of M. Night Shyamalan’s THE SIXTH SENSE is that Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is in fact one of the ghosts that little Haley Joel Osment sees. This was not only a huge kick in the gut for audiences, but also cemented the fact that the film was one of the best modern ghost stories, period. Willis’ performance might be one of the strongest and most emotionally resonant of his career. While the ending is memorable, the ghostly leading man in THE SIXTH SENSE is what makes the picture enduring, even after you’re in on the twist.

Top Ten Tuesday – The Best of Boris Karloff

Article by Jim Batts, Dana Jung, and Tom Stockman

No other actor in the long history of horror has been so closely identified with the genre as Boris Karloff, yet he was as famous for his gentle heart and kindness as he was for his screen persona. William Henry Pratt was born on November 23, 1887, in Camberwell, London, England. He studied at London University in anticipation of a diplomatic career; however, he moved to Canada in 1909 and joined a theater company where he was bit by the acting bug. It was there that he adopted the stage name of “Boris Karloff.” He toured back and forth across the USA for over ten years in a variety of low-budget Theater shows and eventually ended up in Hollywood. Needing cash to support himself, Karloff landed roles in silent films making his on-screen debut in Chapter 2 of the 1919 serial The Masked Rider. His big break came when Howard Hawks cast him as a creepy convict in THE CRIMINAL CODE in 1930. Producers at Universal were looking for an actor to play the monster in their upcoming adaption of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Their main horror star Lon Chaney had died the year before and Bela Lugosi, starring in their hit DRACULA, turned down the role, so Karloff was offered the part. FRANKENSTEIN became an enormous success for the studio, and for its newest star whose name was not revealed until the final credits of the picture, and then only as “KARLOFF”. The role made Karloff a major box-office draw, the king of horror, heir to Lon Chaney’s throne, and he followed it up with THE MUMMY, THE MASK OF FU MANCHU, THE OLD DARK HOUSE, THE GHOUL, TOWER OF LONDON, and of course two sequels as the monster: BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. His star never faded and for the next several decades he reigned as Hollywood’s undisputed horror king. In the 1960’s, he teamed up with Roger Corman , Vincent Price and Peter Lorre for THE RAVEN and with Price and Lorre again for COMEDY OF TERRORS. Karloff continued working up until the very end, even while physically impaired and infirm, often performing from a wheelchair or with a cane. His last involvement of consequence came in 1968 with the critically acclaimed TARGETS. Karloff was well known as a genuinely kind and gentle soul off the screen.

Boris Karloff appeared in over 200 films in his five decades as an actor and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best:

10. THE DEVIL COMMANDS

One of Karloff’s least-known films until it became a staple of late-nite TV–and DVD – decades later, this taut thriller also boasts one of his most compelling performances. In THE DEVIL COMMANDS, Karloff portrays Dr. Julian Blair, at first glance a “mad scientist” type whose personal tragedy leads to experiments combining scientific method and the occult. But in Blair’s obsession to communicate with his dead wife, Karloff once again creates a character who is at once extremely sympathetic and a bit scary. And unlike similar roles requiring tons of makeup, here Karloff wears none, so the intensity of his anguish, and yes, his madness, becomes almost heartbreaking. Even though it was a Columbia B-feature, DEVIL COMMANDS rarely shows it. Director Edward Dmytryk (who later moved to the A-list to direct Bogie in THE CAINE MUTINY and Gable in SOLDIER OF FORTUNE), working with a solid supporting cast, fills the spare 65 minute running time with eerie narration and hypnotically creepy laboratory scenes. By the time the villagers storm the castle– I mean, home– of the scientist, we know we’ve been treated to Hollywood studio production at its best, with one of the great unsung performances by a screen legend.

9.THE SORCERORS

Boris Karloff was 80 in 1967 when he starred in THE SORCERORS, his last film shot in his native land of England. The story, adapted from John Burke’s novel, follows an aging couple, Marcus and Estelle Monserrat (Karloff and Catherine Lacey), inventors of a device that allows them to control the minds of others and vicariously experience the world through their eyes. They focus on a swinging young Londoner Michael (Ian Ogilvy) to experiment on. As the Monserrats play audience to his living scenarios, they soon add violence and crime to the mix. As Estelle goes crazy with power; she begins making Michael steal furs for her, then leads him to murder. Karloff’s Marcus is the film’s moral center and the actor delivers his last great starring performance. Ancient, arthritic, stumbling on a wooden cane behind white hair and wild eyebrows, he is sadly forced to watch as his device is perverted by the woman he loves. Despite the film’s low-budget, its hip psychedelic Swinging Sixties look provides some definite eye candy (and Susan George in a mini-skirt). The mix of 60’s period atmosphere and music with sci-fi concepts is exciting and the shocks are frightening. THE SORCERORS was directed by 23-year old Michael Reeves and while his next film, the Vincent Price classic WITCHFINDER GENERAL, is considered his masterpiece, THE SORCERORS is outstanding as well, though a bit tough to find (it’s MIA on DVD in the U.S.). In February of 1969, just nine days before director Reeves died of a (possibly intentional) drug overdose at age 25, Karloff passed away at 81.

8. THE RAVEN

“I like to torture!” says Bela Lugosi in THE RAVEN (1935), a great film full of painful devices, secret rooms, disfigured murderers and damsels in distress. Lugosi plays Dr. Richard Vollin, a famed plastic surgeon obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe. Boris Karloff is Edmond Bateman, a criminal that comes to Dr. Vollin for a change of appearance. Vollin disfigures him in order to blackmail him into helping torture another doctor. THE RAVEN runs just 61 minutes hardly lets up for a second, from the car crash which sets the plot in motion, to the exciting climax which takes place in Vollin’s torture chamber. Though the gruesome make-up gave Karloff another monstrous role, THE RAVEN really belongs to Lugosi and the great joy of the film is watching the glee with which the Hungarian actor relishes the sadism in the role. Whether pining for a lost love, skinning his nemesis alive, or using his devices like the pendulum and the room where the walls start closing in, Lugosi is arrogant, imposing, and insane and it may be his most unhinged performance. Karloff, unusually, is the weaker of the duo this time out. His Bateman is a slow-witted, relatively dim, character. It is sad that Lugosi’s career started its slow downfall after THE RAVEN and that he was overshadowed by his “rival” Karloff, due to his own limitations and poor career choices. Karloff would go on to star in another film called THE RAVEN in 1965 opposite Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, a Roger Corman-directed film that just barely failed to make this list.

7. THE MUMMY

Noted German cinematographer (METROPOLIS, DRACULA) Karl Freund made his American directing debut with THE MUMMY, a classic tale that, unlike Universal’s other monster films, had no literary origins. Influenced in part by its horror predecessors, but more so by the huge popularity of anything Egyptian at the time (the excavation of King Tut’s tomb had been completed just a few years earlier), THE MUMMY remains one of Karloff’s greatest roles. Already so popular he was billed on the movie’s poster by last name only (as “Karloff the Uncanny”), his performance as Imhotep is one of horror cinema’s most accomplished creations. Even hindered by strenuous full-body makeup that took up to 8 hours (!) to apply, Karloff’s physicality exudes an otherworldly menace in his scenes as the title character. And as the unbandaged Imhotep, his penetrating gaze and understated delivery overcome lesser but no less restricting makeup applications to make the character almost sad in his desperate attempts to reclaim his lost love. Due in large part to Karloff’s haunting portrayal, the Mummy character proved so popular that it spawned not only many sequels from Universal , but a Hammer Films series, an Abbot & Costello entry, several Mexican films (remember the Aztec Mummy?), and the recent trilogy.

6. BLACK SABBATH

Boris Karloff served as the master of ceremonies for the memorable 1963 anthology BLACK SABBATH and performed as a vampire in the film’s third and final vignette. In â€œThe Wurdulak“Â, Karloff is excellent as Gorka, the vampire-hunting patriarch in rural Russia who returns home just minutes after his self-imposed deadline for being allowed to live. But his family loves him too well to kill him, much to their peril, and they soon fall victim to his thirst. The suspense in this moody and atmospheric story, directed by Italian horror maestro Mario Bava (his sole collaboration with Karloff), builds steadily as it proceeds, and there is an ever-increasing sense of inevitable doom. Bava throws in a lot of mist, baying dogs, glowing color,and creaking doors here, all splendidly amplified at the proper moments to add to an increasing sense of claustrophobia. In his only role as a vampire,, Karloff created one of his more memorable characters which, at this late phase in his long career, demonstrated his professionalism and commitment to the horror genre. The DVD of BLACK SABBATH available from Anchor Bay is the original Italian language version (“I Tre volti della paura“, which means “The Three Faces of Fear” ) which not only has the three stories in a different order than the American release but the viewer is unable to hear Karloff’s real voice (dubbed here). But unlike the U.S. cut, it ends with Karloff atop a phony horse facade as Bava withdraws from a closeup to a startling wide shot of Karloff surrounded by props and a group of small Italian men waving phony tree branches past his face. Bava was offered BLACK SABBATH after the success of BLACK SUNDAY (1960), his first big hit for American International Pictures, and Karloff was part of the deal. BLACK SABBATH is almost 50 years old but it still has the power to terrify.

5. TARGETS

In TARGETS, his last American film role, Karloff comes the closest to playing himself. As the retiring (and similarly-named) horror actor Byron Orlok, Karloff radiates a warmth and sincerity in every scene, whether dealing with fans, friends, or snarky business people. Written (with uncredited help from Samuel Fuller) and directed (his debut) by Peter Bogdanovich, TARGETS is actually two stories that rather brilliantly converge at a drive-in theatre. In one half of the movie, Bogdanovich uses a stark, documentary-style– with no musical score – ”to portray the modern horror story of a Charles Whitman-inspired sniper killing random innocents. The other part of the film is more or less a loving tribute to Boris Karloff, using clips from his films CRIMINAL CODE and THE TERROR, along with references to his long and storied career. Much has been written about the film’s themes juxtaposing the greatest horror movie icon against the violent real-life monsters of today, but in the end, as the London Times stated, it’s a movingly appropriate farewell to a great star.

4. THE BODY SNATCHER

With this performance Karloff proved that he didn’t require an elaborate make-up job to portray a truly scary, sinister character. Of course he’s aided here by the inspired direction of Robert Wise and the expertise of producer Val Lewton ( this, along with Karloff inÂ ISLE OF THE DEAD and BEDLAM, would be the final jewels in Lewton’s horror legacy at the RKO Studios that began with THE CAT PEOPLE ). The film is based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson and very much inspired by the story of Burke and Hare, the legendary grave robbers. Karloff is John Gray, a cabman who moonlights as a procurer of corpses for medical study, exclusively for “old pal ” Dr. MacFarlane. Gray is seething menace as he taunts ‘Toddy’ on his nightly visits to the kindly physician’s practice. Seems Gray never gave up Toddy’s name when he was arrested and served time many years ago for his special services. Now the old ghoul will never let the doc forget it! And if there’s not enough of the newly deceased to collect, then John’s got no problem taking the initiative. In one of the great Lewton/ Wise sequences, Gray’s coach clip clops down the cobble road toward a blind street singer. Out of frame, the hoof beats stop, and her voice is abruptly silenced. Later the doc’s simple-minded servant Joseph ( Bela Lugosi ) unwisely decides to blackmail Gray. A friendly drink becomes a great cat-and-mouse game as Gray entertains Joseph by singing an old melody with a killer finish. This would be the last time the two horror icons ( and some say rivals ) would share the screen. Karloff would continue on through the horror rebirth of the 1960’s, while Lugosi, after donning his Dracula cape in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN, would end his days as the big draw in Ed Wood, Jr. low-budgeters. The entire cast is superb, but this is a real showcase for Boris. In THE BODY SNATCHER, Karloff is the ultimate bogey man in one of his last truly great horror films of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

3. FRANKENSTEIN

Ah, the film classic that made Karloff an over night sensation ( this after more than 70 screen appearances ). And he’s not even listed in the cast credits ( ” The Creature…? ). No photos of him in makeup were released prior to the film’s opening save for a publicity still of Karloff ( his visage hidden by a burlap sack ) being lead to the set, hand in hand, by the guru of grease paint, Jack Pierce. And what an impact he made in the finished film after slowly turning to the camera ( followed by close-up jump-cuts ). No wonder there were reports of patrons fainting in the aisles. But then Karloff’s acting skills truly kicked in. He was able to connect emotionally with audiences. They looked past the putty and powder, the bolts and scars, and sympathized with this flat-topped, pathetic hulk. The monster reaches for the sunlight like a curious child before being tormented by the cruel Fritz. This was a creature more worthy of pity than fear. That is until he lashes at those who would harm him, to the point of punishing his creator, Henry Frankenstein ( Karloff’s so powerful that most people assumed that the monster’s name was simply Frankenstein ). With the film’s restoration in recent years, we see the monster’s despair at the conclusion of the lakeside scene with the little girl and her daisies. Director James Whale along with Pierce created an immortal movie monster and firmly placed Boris Karloff in the pantheon of screen icons.

2. THE BLACK CAT

This tale of American honeymooners (David Manners and Julie Bishop) trapped in the Hungarian home of a Satan- worshiping priest has nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poe’s story. THE BLACK CAT (1934) is about evil, madness, necrophilia, and obsession. It’s the first and best of the eight collaborations between Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and both actors are at the top of their game here. This is one film where both actors dish out pure magic and madness for the fans, and there’s not one moment of disappointment anytime either of them are on screen. Every moment they are shown together is intense, whether it’s in the strange, cruel dialog or the brawl between the two in the finale. In 65 minutes, Edgar G. Ulmer proves his potential as a fantastic visual director (his next most famous film was the 1945 noir DETOUR). The introduction of Karloff and Lugosi’s characters (Hjalmar Poelzig and Vitus Werdegast – those names!) is brilliant, as are the secrets that are revealed as the film progresses. For a very long time, you’re not sure which one of them is good or crazy, or if both of them are in fact, completely insane. The scene of Karloff walking through his dimly lit dungeon lair underneath his mansion is the most eerie moment in THE BLACK CAT. The actor walks slowly, holding a black cat firmly in his arms petting it ever so gently, going up to each glass coffin staring at his female corpses as if they were the most beautiful forms of art ever conceived. With its unique art deco design and costumes, THE BLACK CAT is one of the very best from Universal’s Golden Age.

1. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

” Warning! The monster demands a mate “, so screamed the movie posters. But truthfully, audiences demanded a sequel to the 1931 classic. And boy, did Universal ( with original director James Whale at the helm ) deliver! Colin Clive was back as the tortured Dr. Henry Frankenstein, and, more importantly, so was his lumbering creation played by Karloff ( that’s how he’s listed in the credits, no Boris, but it’s quite a step up from ” ? ” ). The fire from the previous film’s finale has taken its toll on the creature, and makeup wizard Jack Pierce augments his classic original designs with several painful-looking burn scars. This may amp up the audience sympathies for the monster even as he murders an old enemy in the film’s opening scenes. Soon pathos is emphasized over horror as the creature embarks on a series of encounters in the forest ( particularly a long stay with a lonely, blind hermit who educates him ). This leads to another of the poster’s tag lines, ” The monster speaks ” ( supposedly Karloff was none too keen on this development ). Soon those pesky villagers and constables destroy his peace and capture him ( there’s much crucifixion imagery as he’s subdued ). Later he meets the delightfully wicked Dr. Pretorius ( the great Ernest Thesiger ) , who promises to make a mate for him if he helps persuade poor Henry to collaborate ( they even enjoy a couple of cigars ). Then the monster becomes an enforcer ( as he would continue to be in many lower-budgeted follow-ups ) until he meets his bride. Her rejection of him shocks the creature ( his attempts to connect with her by caressing her hand are heart-wrenching ). Ultimately his nobility shines through in the explosive final scenes. Although he would wear those bulky boots on screen one more time, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN was Karloff’s greatest performance as the creature. And the film is on the short list of the very best sequels ever produced.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Spider-Man Villains Not Yet Featured in a Film

Well Marvel movie maniacs, are you getting ready to head to the multiplex for the newest screen incarnation of our favorite web-slingin’ hero? We movie geeks are a couple of steps ahead of you, and maybe the fine folks of Sony Studios. Looking over Spidey’s 50 year history, we’re amazed at his terrific roster of bad guys. Sure Batman has the greatest comic book villain ever in the Joker, but things get pretty goofy a few notches down ( Tweedledom and Tweedledee? ). Really, the webhead’s got a great line-up just waiting for their close-up. All right you NYC menaces, who’ll be the next evildoer to try and squash that bug?

10. MOLTEN MAN

Ah, the last really great villain of the Steve Ditko era, The Molten Man is sort of a spin-off. A low-level criminal named Raxton takes a bath in a special liquid alloy created by Professor Smythe, builder of those pesky Spider-Slayer robots funded by J. Jonah Jameson. Quickly he emerges with bright golden impenetrable skin and unbelievable strength. In later incarnations he was almost a walking lava-man who left footprints of fire, determined to scorch our favorite wall-crawler. Thanks to some extra thick webbing, Spidey was able to hold him for police pick-up ( wonder is he left a ” courtesy of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” card ? ). Just think how CGI will make him glow and hiss steam as he marches towards our hero for a truly heated battle royal in a future flick!

9. THE RINGMASTER AND HIS CIRCUS OF EVIL

Hey you, stop sniggering over jokes about circus folk! The first time Spidey faced this troupe he needed a little help! Back in landmark issue # 16 , that swirling disc in the middle of the Ringmaster’s top hat hypnotized our hero and the entire audience except for a blind lawyer named Matt Murdock. That’s right, the man without fear himself, Daredevil in his snazzy yellow and dark red original duds. After a brief dust-up, the duo took on the rest of the circus: twin acrobats the Great Gambonnos, Cannonball, Samson the strongman, and the crafty Clown, who later took over as leader and added that mistress of serpents, Princess Python ( Hmm, something about a Ditko-drawn bad girl ). This is one surprising resilient group. Later, they even took on the Hulk and turned the big green galoot into a clown. Wonder how many of his grease paint brethren could fit into a car with him? Maybe Jim Carey as the Ringmaster and Angelina Jolie tossing snakes at our webhead in the next movie?

8. ELECTRO

After his first appearance in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 9, the powerful villain Electro became so popular that he was “farmed out” to battle many other Marvel heroes, including Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, and others. With the ability to harness the power of lightning and electricity, Electro (aka Maxwell Dillon) gave webhead all he could handle in their numerous battles. Those stories are notable for Spidey using his scientific knowledge, rather than his Spider-powers, to defeat a bad guy in some ways more powerful than he was, employing such tactics as rubber insulation and water to short circuit the super-charged criminal. Also a member of the infamous Sinister Six, Electro was such an impressive nemesis that director James Cameron allegedly featured the character as the main villain in his aborted Spider-Man film.

7. THE SPIDER SLAYER ROBOTS

Another of Spidey’s foes that kept coming back for more, the Spider-Slayer Robots first appeared in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 25 and recurred in several early issues. A product of J. Jonah Jameson’s hatred for the webcrawler, the robots were actually the invention of scientist Dr. Spencer Smythe, who just happened to be an expert in arachnids and robotics (!). Smythe was hired by JJJ to create the perfect killing machine – of Spider-man. When the first robots were defeated, Smythe went on a personal vendetta against both Spidey and JJJ. In one of the most memorable stories (and comic book covers) of the early issues, Spider-man is handcuffed to Jameson next to a time bomb. JJJ never gave up, though, and in later issues he hired Dr. Marla Madison to create more killer robots. J. Jonah ended up marrying Dr. Madison, but don’t worry – more recently, Smythe’s son Alistair has taken up the task of trying to best Spider-man with yet more lethal machines.

6. THE VULTURE

One of Spidey’s most enduring enemies, The Vulture (aka Adrian Toomes) was a brilliant but (of course) twisted scientific genius who invented a flight harness -complete with wings that gave him superior strength and agility. The Vulture is often seen silently swooping down out of the sky to pummel our hero, so Spidey really had to have his Spider-sense on full alert when battling this creepy-looking villain. Making his first appearance in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 2, the Vulture showed up in several of the early comics, most notably as a member of the Sinister Six in the first AMAZING annual, and in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN # 48 – 49, where Spidey had to do battle with two Vultures (awesome!) Later incarnations of the Vulture included advanced weaponry in the flight suit, and even a Vulture who is genetically altered to look like a real vulture!

5. MORBIUS THE LIVING VAMPIRE

I’m surprised Morbius, the Living Vampire has never been brought to the big screen. With his white skin and red and blue outfit, he’d make the type of powerful cinematic presence that’s in style these days. Morbius is technically not a vampire, at least in the old-school sense. He was a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, who had attempted to cure himself of a rare blood disease with an experimental treatment involving vampire bats and electroshock therapy. However, he instead became afflicted with a far worse condition that mimicked the powers and the thirst for blood of legendary vampirism. Morbius had to digest blood in order to survive and had a strong aversion to light. Morbius first appeared as a villain in The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (Oct. 1971), and went on to become the hero in his own comic book series.

4. THE SCORPION

J. Jonah Jameson may be cranky and stubborn, but at least he learns from his mistakes. In his all-consuming hatred of Spidey, JJJ decided to create a super-powered being to eliminate that wall-crawling pest. Funded by the newspaperman, Dr. Farley Stillwell transforms reporter Mac Gargan into The Scorpion in issue # 20. He can match the web-slinger in strength and agility plus he’s got that deadly stinging tail he controls with his mind. Of course Scorpy turned against JJJ, so the old blowhard went with Professor Smythe’s Spider Slayer robots for his next plot against our hero. The green suited foe would return many times and even take on Captain America in that hero’s book. IF you think the Lizard’s tale is deadly in the new flick, imagine the Scorpion’s tale comin’ at ya’ in 3D!!

3. THE RHINO

The Rhino wasn’t the sharpest tool in the Spider-man villain shed, but he had a Hulk-like momentum in his speed, strength, and rage that made him a formidable foe. The character debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #41 (Oct. – Dec. 1966) as a nameless thug for hire working for an Eastern European country. He volunteered to participate in an experiment that bonded a super strong grey polymer to his skin, thus augmenting his strength and speed, resulting in the powerful baddie known The Rhino. He can withstand bullets, falls from great heights and even anti-tank weaponry without sustaining injury. Although he died at the end of his debut story, the character proved popular enough to be revived, becoming a perennial opponent for both Spider-Man and the Hulk.

2. MYSTERIO

How can ya’ not love a bad guy who conceals his identity by wearing a big fishbowl-like globe over his head? Former movie special whiz Mysterio was one of Spidey’s most unusual early villains ( for one thing he’s not got that animal motif thing going on ). First the guy poses as the webhead to frame him for a crime spree, then he enlists the help of ole’ J. Jonah to publicly defeat the wall-crawler using his film trickery. Our hero triumphed, but soon faced him again as one of the original Sinister Six in Annual #1. With all the new effects tricks at his disposal today (CGI, prosthetics, pyrotechnics ) imagine Spidey facing all manner of movie menaces in a future action epic!

1. KRAVEN THE HUNTER

Perhaps the most respected big game hunter in the world, Kraven the Hunter (real name: Sergei Kravinoff) was obsessed with his quest to capture the most elusive trophy of all – Spider-Man’s head on his wall! Unlike other hunters, Kraven typically disdains the use of guns or bow and arrows, preferring to take down large dangerous animals with his bare hands. The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (August 1964) and initially committed suicide after believing he defeated Spider-Man after burying his adversary alive. He was brought back to life with the curse that he can only die now at the hands of Spidey himself. Kraven is the half-brother of Dmitri Smerdyakov, better known as The Chameleon, who appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March 1963)

THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN Opens in Theaters everywhere today!

Top 10 Tuesday: End Of The World Movies

Who doesn’t love the “time for the bad news” disaster films. Small scale… global scale, complete with the attempt at character development and not much of a script. The constant, recurring theme in all these films? No character is ever safe. Any big time actor/actress could be picked off at a heartbeat, either by sacrificing themselves or from some alien attack. As we’ve witnessed over the decades, the screenwriter has been Overlord to the Earth’s demise.

With director Lorene Scafaria’s SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, the audience is taken on a humorous, moving, and intimate journey set against the epic backdrop of Earth’s final days after it’s announced that a 70-mile-wide asteroid is en route and mankind will soon be at an end. In this week’s Top 10 Tuesday, WAMG looks at how filmmakers have been trying to scare movie going audiences of impending doom.

10. THE CORE

With the turn of the century, the studios apparently thought 21st century audiences were clamoring for more and gave us Jon Amiel’s THE CORE. The 2003 Sci-Fi disaster film has terranauts traveling to the center of the Earth to restart the core that was snuffed out by a government experiment that went awry. In the meantime, the planet begins to erupt by destroying the Coliseum in Rome and melting San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. The tagline on the poster said it all – “Earth Has A Deadline”

9. DEEP IMPACT

In 1998 asteroid flick DEEP IMPACT, film-goers were greeted in the theaters with lots of red comet tails, stars, and the Earth in there somewhere. Critics and even the scientists praised DEEP IMPACT for its scientific accuracy over Michael Bay’s doomsday film. Director Mimi Leder’s special effects laden movie had not one but two apocalyptic endings – two for the price of one. With death and mayhem throughout, DEEP IMPACT was another case of spin the roulette wheel to see who would live and who would die. Some met their doom with the above monster tidal wave on Earth while others by the asteroid itself in space. A movie the Master of Global Destruction would be proud of…speaking of Roland Emmerich…

8. THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW & 2012

The director seems to be the maestro at coming up with destructive visuals to famous landmarks. It is his 2012 that inspired this list, and, I’m sure, you’ll be seeing another movie of his somewhere else down the line here. The great thing about THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (other than the incredibly inaccurate geography of, well, everything in that movie) is how nature seems to be chasing down its victims. This isn’t a film about the planet crumbling underneath us, because of all of our wrongdoings. This is a film about nature coming to life and stalking people. Just as the ice chases Jake Gyllenhaal down the hallway of a wrecked ship in TDAT, so, too, does a well-placed tornado look at Mount Lee, think for a bit, and says, “Hollywood Sign,” you’ve got to go.

7. EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS

In the 1956 sci-fi classic EARTH VS FLYING SAUCERS, aliens in flying saucers give the Earth sixty days to surrender. Scientist Hugh Marlowe invents some sort of sonic gun, which knocks them off balance and, in the finale of the film, the saucers lose control and crash into various Washington D. C. landmarks. Despite a mundane script, the movie works effectively by adopting a dry, documentary tone and splurging the budget on Ray Harryhausen’s spectacular special effects. The smooth, grey, spinning discs of EARTH VS FLYING SAUCERS have become the definitive UFO, imitated in dozens of subsequent alien invasion movies. There’s always been something quite sensational in watching Harryhausen’s destructive vandalism.

6. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

“PLANETS DESTROY EARTH!!” was splashed across the poster for 1951’s WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE – a fantastic doomsday film. The giant planet, Bellus, is on a collision course for Earth and an escape ship is built, filled with food, animals, books, medicines, and people with the golden tickets to make the trip to nearby Zyra. A group of people lucky enough to be chosen escape off the planet just before the Earth has a close encounter with Bellus.

5. THE OMEGA MAN

No planets. No aliens. No spaceships. Just your friendly vampire-like creatures on a mission to take out the Last Man on Earth. Based on Richard Matheson’s “I Am Legend,” this second version reigns supreme over the first adaptation THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964) starring Vincent Price and the third adaptation, I AM LEGEND (2007) starring Will Smith. What could be more scary than the harsh realization of being totally alone after the world has gone to hell-in-a-handbasket.

4. CLOVERFIELD

J.J. Abrams. He’s the creator of so many awesome movies and shows, and always delivers on coolness to the extreme. Regardless of whether you fall into the love it or hate it camp, CLOVERFIELD stands to remain memorable for one reason if no other – the decapitated Statue of Liberty! How twisted is that? The monster beheads Lady Liberty, our most sacred symbol of American justice. Granted, it’s not entirely the idea of Abrams and the writers, seeing as the concept was inspired by the ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Still, that scene, above all others in the film was incredibly intense and jaw-dropping, making CLOVERFIELD worthy of praise in this top ten list.

3. ARMAGEDDON

“A global killer.” It’s still sends chills hearing Billy Bob Thonrton describe the asteroid, the size of Texas, heading directly towards Earth at 22,000 mph. Only option NASA has? Send a deep core oil driller and his crew of roughnecks to land on the asteroid, drill into the surface and drop a nuclear device into it’s core. Easy-peasy! But on this heroic journey, the crew has to embrace the horror and nastiest of conditions in order to save the world and stop the impending Armageddon.

2. PLANET OF THE APES (1968)

Towards the conclusion of the Sci-Fi classic, 1968’s PLANET OF THE APES, just as Taylor (played to the hilt by Charlton Heston) and the gorgeous mute, Nova, have seemingly escaped the clutches of their simian jailers, they’re riding on a horse along the ocean when he sees something on the shoreline. Taylor jumps off the horse, slowly walks over to the object in slack-jawed disbelief before crumbling down into uncontrolled anger, in the mind-blowing realization that he has been home all along. In the harsh truth that his own civilization has been destroyed, Heston yells the staggering pronouncement, “We finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you. God damn you all to hell.” The camera zooms out and pans upwards to reveal one of the most recognizable U.S. landmarks, The Statue of Liberty. Bar none, it’s still the best movie sucker-punches ever.

1. INDEPENDENCE DAY

Roland Emmerich has a hard on for destroying cherished land marks all over the world. At the time of INDEPENDENCE DAY’s release, nobody could have expected they’d see so much demolition in one film. The US Bank building in LA, The Empire State Building and the biggest kicker of them all, the White House were all destroyed at exactly the same time, and the blasts coming from them managed to level entire city blocks. The most destructive force in film since The Death Star landed on every single land mark in the world, and damn was it awesome. The capital of the strongest nation in the world, the very symbol of The United States of America’s strength was completely wiped out in a matter of seconds. The model itself was actually 1/12th the size of the actual White House, and that amazing explosion was filmed with nine cameras, generating one of the most amazing explosions in film history, and easily makes our #1 End of the World Movies.

So that’s our doomsday, apocalyptic list.What films would you have included? Let us know in your comments section below.

Opening on Friday, June 22nd (nationwide), the film stars Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry, Gillian Jacobs, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, Mark Moses, Patton Oswalt, and William Petersen.

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD is rated R (for language including sexual references, some drug use, and brief violence)

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TOP TEN TUESDAY: Top Ten ALIEN Characters

1979. Unwary cinema participants. A monster in space. ALIEN redefined the horror genre as never before.”It is a very slow-building film that gives the sense of some great unnamed terror to come. That’s a quality that has much more to do with horror than it does with science fiction.” David Thomson, author of The Alien Quartet says ALIEN is “basically a haunted house film… The only difference is that the old dark house just happens to be a spaceship.”

Sir Ridley Scott, the renowned filmmaker who reinvented the science fiction film genre – having helmed Alien, a groundbreaking mix of science fiction and horror, followed by Blade Runner, one of the most revered and influential genre films of our time – offers his signature brand of action, thrills, scares, and much, much more, when PROMETHEUS is unleashed in theaters on Friday. With PROMETHEUS, Scott has created a new mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey, aboard the spaceship Prometheus, to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

On the verge of scaring us senseless once again and introducing us to a whole new ensemble, the crew of the USS We Are Movie Geeks compiled a list of our favorite characters from the original ALIEN. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the poor sods who go head to head against “Kane’s son”.

10. The Company

The Company, or “Weyland-Yutani” is the large conglomerate that runs the human colonies outside of the solar system. They are an awful corporate group whose major purpose is to obtain living Xenomorphs as a biological weapon. The goal of this megacorporation, as revealed in Alien Vs. Predator (2010) is to ensure that the human species remains superior.

9. Ash

One of the great twists in ALIEN is the secret behind this cold, methodical crewman. His attack on Ripley with a rolled-up magazine is brutally shocking in a film chock full of brutal shocks. Ash’s creepy smile as he utters, ” You have my sympathies.” is the stuff of cinematic nightmares.

8. “Mother”

The real fear comes not from the mechanoid Alien but the uncaring computer “Mother”. She’s basically the Nostromo’s housekeeper, keeping an eye on everything while the human crew is in suspended animation necessitated by the long journey back to Earth. The dichotomy comes when the “parent” is forced to destroy the house and children she was entrusted to protect.

Ripley: Mother! I’ve turned the cooling unit back on. Mother!
Mother: The ship will automatically destruct in “T” minus five minutes.
Ripley: You… BITCH!

7. Jones

When, at the end of Alien, Sigourney Weaver says, “This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off,” she’s not telling the whole truth. Because there’s another survivor, curled up with her in the hypersleep capsule. Jones (or Jonesey) the ginger tom.

Jones serves multiple functions within the Alien storyline:

1) CATGUFFIN, a pretext for characters to go wandering off on their own.

2) CATPANION, an excuse for Ripley to express herself out loud when she’s otherwise alone.

3) CATSHOCK, a cheap shock tactic in which the cat jumps out unexpectedly.

4) CATSCALLION, a wild card; at the end of the film, the cat might yet be harbouring an alien.

In short, one cannot overestimate the importance of Jones to Alien.

6. Brett

Brett is an engineering tech who is constantly after a raise. He is the first to encounter a full blown Alien… all because he was searching for Jones the cat. Lesson: If you search for a cat, you get dragged into an air duct.

5. Lambert

Veronica Cartwright did an interview for Starlog magazine many years ago that was curiously titled “I was raped by an Alien”. What exactly is the fate of Lambert, the Alien’s first female victim? Her death is off-screen and the fact that her corpse, which we only get a brief glimpse of hanging from the ceiling, is stark naked insinuates that the creature may have indeed raped or sodomized her. I guess what happens in deep space, stays in deep space.

4. Kane

Someone had to be impregnated by the terrifying beastie and it may as well have been the sap willing to go down into the bowels of the derelict ship – Thomas Kane (John Hurt), Executive Officer aboard the Nostromo. It’s what followed a few mere minutes later that will forever be ingrained in the psyche of all who saw the film in May of 1979. The Alien unexpectedly bursts through his chest and kills him during the crew’s dinner.

3. Dallas

The commander of the Nostromo, Captain Dallas, is a stoic movie hero in the vein of Gary Cooper. He has the unflinching respect of his somewhat motley crew, and when their lives are at risk he himself ventures down the narrow air shafts to locate the ship’s unwelcome guest. His horrific sacrifice is even more gruesome in the film’s extended cut.

2. Parker

Chief engineer, smart-alec, complainer and realist. He and Ripley make good team as they’re both skillful and determined to live through the nightmare. That is until he makes the foolish mistake of trying to save the sell-shocked Lambert. (Frankly, we’d have left her whiny ass behind.) There is some comfort that at least before having his head impaled by the creature, he’s able to make a fiery “s-more” out of “the goddamn robot” Ash sent by the company with the flamethrower.

1. Ripley

“Final report of the commercial starship Nostromo. Third officer reporting. The other members of the crew Ash and Captain Dallas are dead.” Ridley Scott’s revolutionary film made history not only with the infamous chest-burster scene but by turning the notion of the woman as victim into the heroine on its ear. Ultimately ALIEN is the story of Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley. Her resourcefulness, courage and let’s just say it, keeping her shit together, makes her a hero for the ages and the obvious choice for our number 1 pick for this edition of Top Ten Tuesday.

Ripley’s Last Stand

Alien

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So there you have it. Let us know who your favorite character is from Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece in our comment section below.

PROMETHEUS marks Scott’s first film shot digitally and in 3D, a format whose technical challenges and aesthetic opportunities were embraced by the filmmaker. Scott uses the technology to enhance the action and thrills in small confined spaces, as well within epic vistas. In returning to the genre he helped define, Ridley Scott continues to push the boundaries of storytelling, both visually and thematically. As he notes, he’s all about the “everything” – from story structure to casting, from sets and costumes to new ways of telling a story. And while the renowned filmmaker is scaring the shit out of you, he never loses sight of the big picture. “After you’ve seen Prometheus,” Scott concludes, “you will have experienced something completely unexpected.”

PROMETHEUS will be in theaters Friday, June 8.

Top Ten Tuesday – The Best of Alfred Hitchcock

It’s always a good time to read about director Alfred Hitchcock and expect a lot of attention on the Master of Suspense in the upcoming months as there are two films currently in production about him. ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE MAKING OF PSYCHO (expect a title change on that one) based in the book by Steve Rebello, is in pre-production with Sacha Gervasi (ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL) directing and an outstanding cast attached. Anthony Hopkins has signed on to play Hitch, Scarlett Johansson is cast as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel will be playing Vera Miles, British actor James D’Arcy is Tony Perkins, and Helen Mirren will play Alma Reville (Mrs Hitchcock). The other Hitchcock film in the works is THE GIRL produced by The BBC that will premiere later this year on HBO. THE GIRL focuses on the love/hate relationship between Hitchcock (played by Toby Jones) and his abused young discovery Tippi Hedren (Sienna Miller).

Wile we wait for those, Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness will be a great way to celebrate the life and films of the legendary British director. It takes place April 3rd at the Way Out Club in St. Louis (2525 Jefferson in South City). We’ll be showing condensed (18 minute) versions of several of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films on Super-8 sound film projected on a big screen. They are: 18-minute condensed versions of NORTH BY NORTHWEST, THE BIRDS, PSYCHO, FRENZY, and FAMILY PLOT, a Hitchcock Trailer Reel, a PSYCHO Promo Reel, and a THE BIRDS Promo reel. The non-Hitchcock movies we’ll be showing April 3rd are the Hammer Horror shocker LUST FOR A VAMPIRE, The Three Stooges in THREE SAPPY PEOPLE, THE GUINESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS, the 1936 Sci-Fi epic THINGS TO COME, and the 1945 horror film DEAD OF NIGHT. We’ll have Alfred Hitchcock trivia with prizes, and much more. The Way Out Club is located at 2525 Jefferson Avenue (at Gravois) in South St. Louis. Admission is only $3.00.

Alfred Hitchcock directed 54 feature films between 1925 and 1976, and here, according to We Are Movie Geeks, are his ten best:

10. FRENZY

FRENZY, Hitchcock’s next to last feature film from 1972, represented a homecoming of sorts since it was the first film completely shot in his native England since his silents and early ” talkies ” in the 1930’s. By dipping into the then somewhat new territory of serial killers, he took full advantage of the new cinema freedoms and truly earned his ‘ R ‘ MPAA rating. Perhaps ole’ ” Hitch ” wanted to give those young up-and-coming film makers a run for their thriller movie money ( take that Brian DePalma! ). Anthony ( SLEUTH ) Schaffer’s screenplay told of an innocent man ( Jon Finch ) on the run ( ala NORTH BY NORTHWEST ) after police believe him to be the notorious necktie rapist/strangler. Seems this fellow’s buddy ( Barry Foster ) made his pal’s ex-wife the latest victim in a very graphic murder in a horrific sequence early in the film ( supposedly Michael Caine passed on the role because of the extreme brutality ). But later in the story ” Hitch ” shows surprising discretion. The killer enters an apartment with another woman and the camera stays in the hallway as they close the door. Slowly the camera begins a long tracking shot down the hall ( we hear no sounds from the closed room ) and out into the busy, bustling street ( perhaps showing that life goes on). Very stylish, you old sneak! Later we get a taste of the master’s sense of humor as the police inspector talks about the case to his gourmet-wannabe’ wife ( her dishes just sound awful!) in a series of running gags ( literally ). Even more hilarious ( and gruesome ) is when the killer realizes that his latest victim grabbed his very personal lapel pin. He’s got to track down the produce truck that carries her corpse ( shades of THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY ) stuffed in a sack of potatoes! Though he neared the end of his career Hitchcock proved he could still leave movie audiences gasping! Look for him in an early scene amongst a crowd who spot a body floating in the Thames ( such a proper Englishman-he’s wearing his bowler ).

An 18 minute condensed version of FRENZY will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

9. SABOTEUR

Though not his first movie in Hollywood, SABOTEUR (1942) was Hitchcock’s first fully American film (REBECCA and SUSPICION both took place in England), one that took its lead characters on a coast-to-coast trek, ending up at one of the most American sites of all: the Statue of Liberty. Robert Cummings is wrongly suspected of being the saboteur who blew up the plant where he worked. He then goes on a cross-country run from his enemies, encountering a beautiful girl, a traveling circus (the unforgettable bearded-lady), etc. The real Saboteur is Nazi spy Norman Lloyd (still with us at 97!) who has since disappeared from the factory. Going on the run Cummings follows a lead concerning Fry which leads him to the ranch of wealthy Otto Kruger who is mixed up with a bigger plot of Sabotage. SABOTEUR introduced many elements that would become Hitchcock staples: the “wrongly-accused man” theme; the innocent hero in pursuit of the real villain with the police on his heels; the cultured villain whose outward respectability masks evil; the reluctant or hostile blonde heroine; the use of important sites (the Statue of Liberty climax, the shoot-out at Radio City) for spectacular set pieces; and, of course, the dark humor. While history hasn’t revealed SABOTEUR to be among Hitchcock’s most popular films, it certainly belongs on this list and is the one most deserving of rediscovery.

8. VERTIGO

Let’s state this right from the top: VERTIGO is one of the greatest films ever made. It’s not simply hyperbole that notables such as Leonard Maltin and Martin Scorsese have called the film Hitchcock’s masterpiece.Â To paraphrase Scorsese, rarely have we seen the complexity of a man’s thoughts and feelings portrayed so beautifully and compellingly onscreen.Â Everything in VERTIGO – from the costumes to the location scenery to the performances of its lead actors is quite simply, perfect. Hitchcock had long wanted to film a story in the City by the Bay, and with the French novel FROM AMONG THE DEAD, he had the framework for his most personal and revealing film. The San Francisco backdrops contribute greatly to the overall dreamlike quality of much of the film, with the Spanish architecture, redwood forests, and of course, the Golden Gate. The plot of VERTIGO is famously convoluted, but suffice to say that Hitch had yet another morally ambiguous lead character in Scottie (the always solid Jimmy Stewart, here playing against his all-American every guy type), and a plethora of dualities in almost every character – and then some. Madeleine (the wonderful Kim Novak) is not really Madeleine, but Judy. And Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) wants to be Madeleine, but paints a portrait of herself as Carlotta. The old college buddy is really a calculating murderer. Hitchcock uses paintings, reflections, mirrors, and shadows to show us these dual personas constantly throughout the film. On its surface, VERTIGO is about trying to change someone you love. Haven’t we all tried this to some extent at some point in our lives? The danger, as it is here, is that it can become an obsession – this power we have to transform someone. To take the point even further, isn’t it the movies themselves which transform reality for us? It would also be easy to dismiss VERTIGO as one of the darkest and most cynical portrayals of romantic love ever filmed. But Hitchcock actually has a genuine affinity for romance. Look at the scene where Scottie finally molds Judy into the Madeleine he loves. As she enters the room, bathed in an ethereal light, Bernard Herrmann’s lush romantic score swells to a crescendo, and Scottie’s face transforms as he embraces her as Hitch shoots in a full 360 dolly (Notice how the background changes, reflecting Scottie’s memories.) Has there ever been a more beautifully rendered sequence showing a man and woman in love? Many directors would have ended the film right there, but of course, Hitch is not most directors. With its themes of the conflicts inherent in romantic love, its obsessive power to transform reality, and its dark impulses that we both fear and are drawn to, VERTIGO abides as a unique look into the mind of one very special genius.

7. REBECCA

Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, REBECCA was Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film and won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1940, the only Hitchcock film to ever do so (though Best Director went to John Ford that year for GRAPES OF WRATH). We never see the title character in REBECCA, but we constantly feel her presence. Joan Fontaine stars as an unnamed woman who is the “companion” of a spoiled rich woman – Mrs. Van Hopper (Florence Bates). She meets Rebecca’s widower: the rich but brooding Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). The two marry and he takes her to Manderley, his palatial estate in the English countryside. There, the second Mrs. de Winter must compete with the memory of Rebecca’s perfection, and cope with the menacing housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson). REBECCA is an eerie exercise in suspense, one of the more gothic and strange of Hitchcock’s films, as it deals more with psychological terror than the espionage thrillers he’d been making in England. REBECCA proved that a skilled director accustomed to making small pictures in England could embrace the Hollywood system and develop a big movie that would find favor with critics and audiences alike. Yet Hitchcock once told Francois Truffaut that his first American film,”is not a Hitchcock picture.” Apparently producer David O. Selznick, a legendary micromanager, insisted on being closely involved with the movie and producing a faithful adaptation of the book forcing Hitchcock to deliver a film that broke the mold of his British thrillers.

6. THE BIRDS

Hitchcock’s vision of the end of the world, or at least the end of humanity as its master, was a brilliant stamp on perhaps the single greatest decade of filmmaking by any one person in the history of cinema. Think about it – nearly every film on this Top 10 Tuesday list was made during the period from the early 1950s to 1963, when THE BIRDS was released. Tippi Hedren portrays Melanie Daniels, a Paris Hilton-like jetsetter who’s really a good girl at heart, if somewhat used to getting what she wants. And what she wants is Rod Taylor, in his best debonair yet macho guise, as Mitch. Melanie impulsively follows Mitch to his homestead of Bodega Bay, bringing along some caged songbirds, and coincidentally bringing on some wild bird attacks.(Mention should be made here of the Bernard Herrmann “score” for THE BIRDS – there are few actual bird sounds, only the electronic renderings of Herrmann, and no music.) You may provide your own interpretation of these events (Are the birds drawn to light? Are they some psychological manifestation of a mother’s jealousy? A romantic rival’s jealousy?= Or just some damn crazy birds?), or you can just enjoy the visceral ride of admiring a master craftsman. The famous setpieces in THE BIRDS – the schoolyard suspense, the attack at the party, the siege in the farmhouse, etc. are all prime examples of Hitchcock’s techniques for heightened suspense and making the macabre out of the mundane.Perhaps the best scene in the movie is the gas station sequence, where Melanie is trapped in a phonebooth (ah, the good old days of land lines!) and looks on helplessly as the birds begin their onslaught. When the inevitable explosion occurs, Hitch immediately cuts to a skyview, and we see the world as the birds see us – tiny, insignificant creatures amid burning petroleum that they have drained from the earth – a brilliant microcosm of the futility of human enterprise when faced with the forces of nature.

An 18 minute condensed version of THE BIRDS will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

5. NORTH BY NORTHWEST

In NORTH BY NORTHWEST Hitchcock once again explored the theme of an innocent man on the run. Unlike his recent THE WRONG MAN, this reluctant hero was not trying to escape the police ( they don’t believe him ), but a group of ruthless spies! Making this film compelling ( and very entertaining ) is Cary Grant at his most charming as Roger O. Thornhill ( the O stands for nothing ), terrific location work, and Bernard Herriman’s pulse pounding score. Early on the baddies led by the sinister James Mason and his aide Martin Landau (something…odd…is going on between those two! ) force bourbon down Grant’s throat and put him behind the wheel of a car. The camera assumes the driver’s view as it careens down a dark country road. Later Grant’s framed for a killing as news cameras capture the murder ( look for the kid in the background plugging his ears before the gunshot ). Grant gets a brief rest as he boards a train and encounters Eva Marie Saint as a cool sexy blonde ( ” Hitch ” had a thing for that type..and locomotives! ). Later we see one of the most famous film images as Grant runs down a deserted field to escape a swooping crop dusting bi-plane. The thrill ride concludes with an incredible chase on Mount Rushmore! Hitchcock went all out to give movie audiences their money’s worth! Look for him just missing a bus right after the great Saul Bass opening titles.

An 18 minute condensed version of NORTH BY NORTHWEST will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

4. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

Hitchcock indulges his penchant for locomotives once again in the 1951 classic STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. One of his greatest thrillers begins innocently enough on board said train when tennis player Guy Haines ( Farley Granger ) has a casual conversation with one of cinema’s creepiest villains Bruno Anthony ( Robert Walker ). Both have people in their lives causing them problems. Bruno has a mean, tight-fisted father while Guy has a loose, shrewish wife who won’t grant him a divorce so he may marry a gorgeous US senator’s daughter Anne Morton ( Ruth Roman ). Hmmm, what if they did murders for each other? The police would never suspect. Guy light-heartedly agrees, but Bruno believes that it’s real and binding. He tracks down Mrs. Haines to a carnival and strangles her ( in a low angle shot we observe the killing through the woman’s discarded spectacles-this party gal wore glasses! ). Soon Bruno calls on Guy to keep his end of the deal or he’ll alert the authorities. What to do? Walker gives a mesmerizing performance as the dead-eyed murderer with serious parental issues ( foreshadowing Norman Bates? ). Strolling through the carnival he barely breaks his stride to pop the balloon of a passing youngster. Later Bruno attends Guy’s big tennis match. All eyes in the stands are on the back-and-forth moving tennis ball except Bruno. He fixes his steady, unmoving, unblinking stare on Guy. The suspense doesn’t let up through the wild climax as both men fight aboard a whirling, spinning out-of-control merry-go-round. The influence of this masterwork continues to this day in films ( the comedy THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN ) to a recent episode of TV’s ” Modern Family “. Watch for Hitchcock attempting to board the train toting a cumbersome double bass case ( ya’ know, a body could fit in that! ).

3. SHADOW OF A DOUBT

In SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) Teresa Wright plays Charlie, a small-town high-schooler in the sleepy burb of Santa Rose who enjoys an extended visit from her favorite uncle, also named Charlie (Joseph Cotten). The horrified Charlie eventually discovers that her beloved Uncle is a mass murderer, preying upon and killing wealthy old women. Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville (Mrs. Hitchcock) based their screenplay on a story by Gordon McDowell, who in turn was inspired by the real-life serial killer Earle Leonard Nelson, known as the “Merry Widow Murderer”. Joseph Cotten was deftly cast against type by Hitchcock, bringing a superficial cheerfulness to Uncle Charlie, which can turn on a dime to efficient cruelty. The structure of SHADOW OF A DOUBT is perfectly calculated, letting the viewer know early on just what kind of man Uncle Charlie really is, but providing tension through his devious charade as a gentle, kind man deserving of his family’s love, an unease which fuels the chilling cat-and-mouse game between Cotten and Wright that provides the film’s tense center. SHADOW OF A DOUBT is said to be Hitchcock’s personal favorite and it’s not difficult to see why: much like BLUE VELVET, it’s about the menace that lurks below every picturesque small town or, as Hitchcock himself claimed, “It brought murder and violence back into the house where it rightfully belongs.” Look for the master’s cameo playing poker on a train.

2. PSYCHO

Everyone remembers the film’s most famous scene: the oft-copied but seldom equaled artistry of the shower murder, with its nerve-wracking staccato string music, its implied nudity and stabbing, and its 78 separate edits. But what everyone does not realize is that this iconic sequence – one of the most famous in film history – was actually a creative response thought up by Saul Bass and Alfred Hitchcock to avoid censorship. In 1959, censorship (the Code) was still alive and well in Hollywood, movie ratings were still years away, and Alfred Hitchcock was at a crossroads in his career. With a string of box office hits and a popular hit TV show, Hitch was one of Hollywood’s most bankable and recognizable directors. But Hitch was also troubled by the critical and box office failure of VERTIGO, one of his most personal films. He felt that his next project should be something different other than the same big studio crowd-pleasers he had built his reputation on, so when he read a review of a new novel by Robert Bloch inspired by the real-life serial killer Ed Gein , Hitch was immediately attracted to the lurid subject matter, with its themes of transvestism, incest, necrophilia, and a dose of taxidermy. Hitch began story conferences with screenwriter Joseph Stefano (later to produce TV’s OUTER LIMITS), getting more and more excited at the prospect of filming cheaply, dealing with taboo subject matter, and – most importantly – killing off his leading lady in the first act. He decided to forgo the usual studio crew for one made up primarily from his TV show, which could shoot quickly and economically. With a few exceptions, such as visual consultant Bass and composer Bernard Herrmann, Hitch kept the production low-budget and under the radar. At a time when Technicolor had become almost commonplace, PSYCHO was shot in black and white for both artistic and cost-saving reasons. (Hitch once responded to a question of why he didn’t film in color with, – That would have been in bad taste.) In today’s horror climate of “torture porn” and overblown SAW-like deaths, it’s easy to forget how difficult it was to make a film like PSYCHO, breaking new ground in telling an adult story in adult terms. The problem of how to film a brutal murder without actually showing anything was just one of many hurdles Hitch had to solve. Setting the tone with its opening voyeuristic shot of a barely-clad couple in the throes of a passionate affair, PSYCHO portrayed an openness about sex that only foreign films at that time had shown.Hitch tread carefully with the censors, often asking for more than he actually wanted, but Stefano remembers that even such a mundane item as a toilet had never been shown onscreen in a major studio film, let alone a toilet flushing! Made at the peak of his genius, Hitchcock’s PSYCHO has rightly claimed its throne as Father (or Mother) of the modern horror film, influencing thrillers for decades and creating a new sense of realism that continues through the slasher films of today. Stripping the bleak essence of human nature to austere, colorless banality, PSYCHO would have assured Hitchcock’s reputation even if it were his only film.

An 18 minute condensed version of PSYCHO will be screened at Super-8 ALFRED HITCHCOCK Movie Madness April 3rd at The Way Out Club

1. REAR WINDOW

Only a master of suspense like Alfred Hitchcock could produce such a quintessential film on the subject of paranoia. There is no shortage of films about conspiracy theories and government coverups, but what of the paranoia that comes from us fearing the worst in each other? James Stewart delivers an uncharacteristically neurotic performance as a wheelchair bound photojournalist who believes he has witnessed a murder while spying on his neighbors from his apartment window. Hitchcock sets up a thrilling story with two distinct and opposing characters, but creates within the viewer uncertainty regarding who is right and who is wrong. REAR WINDOW pits the aggressive, short-tempered bully against the helpless, voyeuristic interloper. Shot almost entirely in one location, as only Hitchcock could do, the film maintains a level of excitement that seethes the potential danger of the story’s protagonist. REAR WINDOW would later inspire a television remake in 1998 starring Christopher Reeves and a modern retelling in 2007 called DISTURBIA.

REAR WINDOW will play in St. Louis as part of Landmark’s Tivoli Theater’s Reel Late Midnight Series April 27th and 28th. The Tivoli is located at 6350 Delmar in The Loop

TOP TEN TUESDAY: Top Ten Jeffs In Movies

In honor of JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME, the gang at WAMG put together a different kind of Top Ten Ten Tuesday. This Friday, Paramount Vantage and Indian Paintbrush are bringing to the screen Jay Duplass’ and Mark Duplass’ story of Jeff (Jason Segel). On his way to the store to buy wood glue, Jeff looks for signs from the universe to determine his path. However, a series of comedic and unexpected events leads him to cross paths with his family in the strangest of locations and circumstances. Jeff just may find the meaning of his life… and if he’s lucky, pick up the wood glue as well.

So who’s game for a Top Ten Jeffs in Movies? We came up with a list of our favorite “Jeffs” and boy are they a busy lot. As you can see below, these guys have run the gamut between film, TV and the stage. Have a look at our list and tell us who you would’ve included.

10. Jeffrey Hunter

From Jesus Christ in KING OF KINGS to Christopher Pike, 1st Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise on Star Trek, actor Jeffrey Pike made his mark as an actor in both TV and film. Most will remember Hunter’s star making performance in John Ford’s classic American Western THE SEARCHERS as John Wayne’s adoptive nephew. Although he died at the young age of 42, Hunter roles covered the cinematic landscape with such noticeable films THE LONGEST DAY (1962), A KISS BEFORE DYING (1956) and THE FROGMEN (1951).

09. Jeff Speakman

Jeff Speakman was supposed to the next Jean Claude Van Damme. A very accomplished martial artist, Speakman is founder and director of American Kenpo Karate Systems (AAKS), an international kenpo karate organization with more than 50 schools. In 1991 he was cast in the lead of his first showcase film THE PERFECT WEAPON, an adequately mediocre actioner that failed to distinguish itself from the gazillion direct-to-video martial arts films that were flooding the market at that time. He appeared in a few more films but his big moment as the next big thing never materialized and he went back to his (very successful) day job.

08. Jeff Fahey

A dependable character actor, Jeff Fahey scored the plum role of the Humphrey Bogart surrogate in Clint Eastwood’s WHITE HUNTER BLACK HEART in 1991 and the title role in the Stephen King adaption LAWNMOWER MAN a year later. Stardom eluded the rugged blue-eyed actor but he kept busy over the next two decades starring in a slew of direct-to-video horror and action films before becoming a TV regular with gigs on CSI and LOST. Robert Rodriguez cast Fahey in his films PLANET TERROR (2007) and MACHETE (2010) and he has a half dozen films in the can for future release.

07. Jeffrey Jones

“There are simply too many notes, that’s all. Just cut a few and it will be perfect,” Jeffrey Jones memorably intoned in his velvety voice as Emperor Joseph II in AMADEUS (1984). Jones followed up this Golden Globe-nominated turn with several more notable roles. He was Principal Ed Rooney in FERRIS BEULLER’S DAY OFF (1986), Mr. Deetz in Tim Burton’s BEETLEJUICE (1988) and was perfectly cast as Criswell in Burton’s ED WOOD (1994 – “We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives”). Often cast as a buffoon or foil, the 6′ 4½”actor had a great career going for him until 2004 when he was arrested on child pornography charges and -well – he was great in FERRIS BUELLER!

06. Jeffrey Wright

Primarily a stage actor, Jeffrey Wright has appeared on the big screen in such big films as SOURCE CODE, CASINO ROYALE, THE IDES OF MARCH, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and W. He also had a pivotal role in M. Night Shyamalan’s THE LADY ON THE WATER as Mr. Dury, a word game enthusiast who is the symbolist of the fantasy story. Wright won a Tony Award for his role in Angels in America, and gave an astonishing portrayal of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in the 1996 film BASQUIAT.

05. Jeffrey Tambor

Mr. Tambor may be best known for his stellar television work starting with ” The Ropers ” (a low-rated spin-off of ” Three’s Company”) to ” Hill Street Blues ” to ” The Larry Sanders Show ” (as the ultimate thick-headed sidekick Hank Kingsley) and the sublime ” Arrested Development ” (very soon headed to the big screen), but he’s been making an impression on film goers as a superb supporting player going all the way back to 1979 as Al Pacino’s unstable law partner in “…And Justice for All “. Since then he’s been bouncing back and forth between big comedy blockbusters ( THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, CITY SLICKERS, and the two HANGOVER flicks ) and family friendly fare (HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS, various Muppet movies, and voices in MONSTERS VS. ALIENS and THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE). Many times he’s a goofy father or somewhat shady business guy (as in the recent indie WIN WIN), so his role as as Tom Manning in the two HELLBOY films was a pleasant surprise. His uptight, clueless beaucrat become a great addition to the demon fighting team by the end of the first movie mission. Film fans have come to look forward to his great scene-stealing performances when they spot his name in conjuction with projects for the small and big screen.

04. Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Morgan has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most charming actors as well as one of the most sought after. Truly this generations ladies man. From WATCHMEN to THE LOSERS to ALL GOOD THINGS, Jeffrey Dean Morgan comes across on screen as a man’s man. Like Jeffrey Hunter, Morgan is another actor who can easily slip between roles in movies and TV. In the last decade he’s been on such hit shows as “Weeds”, “Supernatural”, and “Grey’s Anatomy”. WAMG looks forward to his upcoming roles in the RED DAWN remake, STARZ’s “Magic City”, and anything else that may come down the road for the fast approaching leading actor.

03. Jeff Daniels

For a fella’ that looks like your typical suburban dad next door, Jeff Daniels has had an interesting film resume’. He first used his affable boyish charm as that cheatin’ hubby Flap in James Brooks’s TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. After that smash it seemed that he was looking to team up with gifted directors rather than grab the ” rom-com ” brass ring. In Woody Allen’s THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO he was the matinee idol that literally walked off the screen to romance Mia Farrow. Then he was an uptight every-man literally handcuffed to wildchild Melanie Griffith in Jonathan Demme’s SOMETHING WILD. A complete turn around from that was perhaps his biggest hit as equally dimwitted brother Harry keeping comic pace with the white-hot Jim Carrey in the Farelly Brother’s DUMB & DUMBER. Jeff’s done his share of ” safe” multiplex fare (101 DALMATIONS, ARACHNOPHOBIA), but in recent years he’s made a mark for himself in supporting roles from PLEASANTVILLE, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, to the quirky recent thriller THE LOOKOUT. Let’s hope that Jeff will continue to surprise us with his big screen choices.

02. Jeff Goldblum

“But, John. If the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists.” Jeff Goldblum is perhaps most widely known as Dr. Ian Malcolm from JURASSIC PARK, followed closely as Dr. Brundle from THE FLY. Interesting, both are doctors. Goldblum is an actor not unlike Christopher Walken, an actor we love and that always shows up in every character he performs, but adds such a unique style and personality of his own that we’re perfectly willing to accept this recurring familiarity. Beloved for his trademark style of delivering dialogue with a cool, intellectual stagger, Goldblum never fails to get his point across and always succeeds at making the audience read his facial gestures and body language as readily as we listen to his words.

01. Jeff Bridges

From “The Dude” to Rooster Cogburn, Jeff Bridges puts his all into every character he plays. Bridges made the slacker cool, not just a do nothing bum, reinvented the role John Wayne made famous, but many of his greatest roles are from so many of the lesser known films in which he so graciously partakes, such as a man experiencing an existential epiphany after surviving a plane crash, or when he plays an alien disguised as a human on Earth, struggling to get back home in STARMAN. More than just as actor, Bridges is an artist, a photographer, a musician and has now become a household name and an American icon.

So how did we do? Let us know in the comments section. JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME will be in theaters this Friday, March 16.

Follow on Twitter: @JeffMovie

http://www.jeffwholivesathome.com/

Valentine’s Day TOP TEN TUESDAY: Most Romantic Scenes

The cinemas are overflowing with Amore this week with the nationwide screening of TITANIC in 3D tonight, the true-story romance of THE VOW and the sexy THIS MEANS WAR opening Friday. While this genre has never been my cup of tea, there’s no denying the emotional impact of these scenes that make them noteworthy. So if you’re still thinking of a gift for that certain someone on this Valentine’s Day, here’s 10 romantic scenes to consider while searching for that special movie. But first this holiday message from Miss Piggy and Kermit.

Nothing says enduring love better than the story of BRAVEHEART and the Scot who gave his body and soul to his country and woman he loved. William gives Muron the thistle she had given him at his father and brothers funeral when they were children. Say what you want about Mel Gibson, but I can watch this movie all day long and twice on Sunday.

Moviegoers found the Heart of the Ocean in Best Picture winner TITANIC. While the ship and Rose and Jack were ultimately doomed, the transitional scene at the bow of the ship from hopeful beginnings to icy grave still goes down as one of the ultimate heartbreakers of all romance films.

That kiss in THE NOTEBOOK is one you can feel right down to your toes. Unrequited love is a powerful aphrodisiac in the combination of Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams – and so apparently is a rain storm.

“And they Call it Bella Notte” the enduring sweetness of the LADY AND THE TRAMP Spaghetti Kiss scene. Walt Disney’s “Best In Show”.

The kindling of their affair was played out for the world in 1963 in this passion filled scene from CLEOPATRA. The biggest scandal of the decade became one of the most intense, romantic moments when Burton literally yanks the coined necklace from an unflinching Taylor.

No list would be complete in making your super-hero hearts beat loudly without the first flight of SUPERMAN and Lois. Having us “Believe A Man Could Fly” while circling the World Trade Center left audiences with soaring feelings of pride.

Every girl’s dream – a pretend wedding.

What could be more dreamy than George Peppard pining for Audrey Hepburn as she sings “Moon River” from BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S. In true fairy tale fashion, Truman Capote’s Holly Golightly ultimately found her “rainbow’s end”.

If there’s any simpler way to say I Love You than with the lyrics “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face,” I’d like to hear it. An ingenious way by songwriters Lehrner and Loewe in MY FAIR LADY to get across Professor Higgins’ futile realization that he’s fallen in love with Eliza Doolittle. A smitten man who’s “grown accustomed to the trace…Of something in the air; Accustomed to her face.”

The girl. The guy. An Italian wheat field. More than 25 years later, Merchant/Ivory’s A ROOM WITH A VIEW still ranks among the best “Happily Ever After”.

A final honorable mention goes to GHOST. Put the pottery wheel and Unchained Melody to the side…far off to the side. The celestial kiss by Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, along with the Maurice Jarre/Alex North soundtrack, make for the tissue-filled ending and perfect Valentine’s Day film.

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10. HEART AND SOULS (1993)

9. TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY (1990)

8. THE CANTERVILLE GHOST (1944)

7. FIELD OF DREAMS (1989)

6. THE FRIGHTENERS (1996)

5. THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947)

4. BEETLEJUICE (1988)

3. GHOST (1984)

2. TOPPER (1937)

1. THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)

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10. THE CORE

9. DEEP IMPACT

8. THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW & 2012

7. EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS

6. WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

5. THE OMEGA MAN

4. CLOVERFIELD

3. ARMAGEDDON

2. PLANET OF THE APES (1968)

1. INDEPENDENCE DAY

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10. The Company

9. Ash

8. “Mother”

7. Jones

6. Brett

5. Lambert

4. Kane

3. Dallas

2. Parker

1. Ripley

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10. Jeffrey Hunter

09. Jeff Speakman

08. Jeff Fahey

07. Jeffrey Jones

06. Jeffrey Wright

05. Jeffrey Tambor

04. Jeffrey Dean Morgan

03. Jeff Daniels

02. Jeff Goldblum

01. Jeff Bridges

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