91. Annie Hall (1977) – This, to me, is Woody Allen’s classic movie, his “Shindler’s List,” his “Citizen Kane.” Every line rings true, every casting decision is perfect, every neurotic moment and painful romantic encounter is beautifully realized. This movie brought us “la de da,” from uniquely dressed Diane Keaton, it brought us bugs the size of a Buick, and reminded us that we’d never want to be part of a club that would have us as members. Not a single unfunny moment. 5 cans.
92. Been Rich All My Life* (2006) – Last month I saw “First Position,” about young ballet dancers and their passion for their craft. This documentary looks at the Silver Belles, a remarkable group of women in their 80s and 90s who started dancing as chorus girls at the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theater as far back as the 1920s. They have survived cancer and broken bones, World War II and the closing of the legendary clubs where they once performed, but their gifts as dancers and their love of the dance keeps them on stage and dreaming up new routines at an age when most of us would barely be able to walk, no less put on a show. These women can still move, and, more importantly, they teach the next generation of tap dancers how it should be done. There’s a spirit here to enjoy all of the little things in life, and to keep on dancin’. 4 cans.
93. Love, Marilyn* (2012) – Contemporary stars comment on the life, loves and death of legendary movie star Marilyn Monroe. The documentary traces her rise and fall, her marriages and divorces, her insecurities and attempts to move from movie star to genuine actress in a poignant look at her troubled life and early demise, incorporating her own prolific journal entries. A loving tribute, worth 3 cans.
94. Our Nixon* (2013) – We all have old pictures and home movies stowed away somewhere, but ours are probably not as historically significant as those shot by three close aides to former President Richard Nixon. H. R. Haldeman, John Erlichman and Dwight Chapin were among the President’s men, and their personal memories – as seen through footage they shot and interviews they granted much later – are the basis of this CNN documentary. The footage and the interviews reveal key aspects of Nixon’s terms in office as well as the Watergate affair and offer a compelling look at the deterioration of the presidency. By the end of the movie, I actually felt sorry for these men, whose job was to protect and defend the President. We hear Nixon on the day the taping system is installed in the Oval Office and learn how it works (unfortunately for Erlichman, he had no inkling of its existence). We overhear the hiring of dirty trickster Donald Segreti, a college buddy of Chapin – who was the first of Nixon’s aides forced to resign. We hear Nixon asking Haldeman – even after accepting the latter’s resignation – to let him know the press reaction to the resignation, before realizing he can no longer ask for his help. The film documents the insecurities of Nixon but also reflects the loyalty of his aides, which ultimately led to their – and his – downfall. I felt like a witness to history watching the events unfold, even though I knew the story’s unhappy ending. This is the real “All the President’s Men,” and it is fascinating. 4 cans.
95. Ted* (2012) – Mark Wahlberg stars as John in this amusing story of a man with a girlfriend and a foul-mouthed companion who ruins their relationship. The acerbic sidekick is Ted, a teddy bear who came to life when John was 8 and has been his best bud ever since. Ted is a wing man who attracts chicks and distracts John, urging him to leave work for a few beers and getting him into trouble. Seth Macfarlane, the genius behind so many animated programs, is the writer and director here, and I’d love to know how they filmed the sequences with Ted moving (especially with Ted fighting with John). I used to love the TV show ALF, with a similar – if less crude – character, but Ted takes his fuzzy character to the next level. Mina Kulis plays the exasperated but loving girlfriend, helping John rescue Ted from kidnappers. This raunchy, funny comedy was more than “bearable.” 3½ cans.
96. Blue Jasmine* (2013) – Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) has plenty to be blue about in this most un-Woody Allen movie I’ve seen. She is recovering from a terrible fall – from grace – and forced to live with a sister (Sally Hawkins) she considers far below her social status after her wealthy beyond description husband (Alec Baldwin) gets busted for Bernie Madoff-like offenses. Though she swears she was unaware of her spouse’s fraud and illicit schemes, it is clear from the flashbacks into their opulent life together that she just willed herself to ignore his transgressions – all of them. After a breakdown and electric shock treatments (that she refers to as “Edison’s Medicine”), she has abandoned 5th Avenue to bunk with her divorced sister in a small apartment in San Francisco. She pops Xanax and gulps down vodka at a rate faster than Lindsey Lohan, still full of self-absorption and denial, lamenting the loss of her jewelry and her brief stint selling shoes to women who formerly came to her home for dinner parties – the poor thing. There was little real comedy in this Allen offering, but Woody manages to make cogent comments on class differences, morality and the difficulty in finding a good man. Blanchett is likely to be honored for her work in this movie, giving her Jasmine a haunted yet haughty mien. Her husband may have stolen money, but Jasmine steals the show here. 3½ cans.
97. Sleuth (1972) – Don’t watch this movie unless you are ready to pay strict attention to the sharp dialog and twisting plot. Michael Caine goes to the home of a mystery writer, played by Sir Laurence Olivier, to ask for his wife’s hand in marriage. But first, the writer concocts a complicated plot involving disguises, a break-in, theft and murder. He loves games, as evidenced by the preponderance of toys and puzzles throughout his manor house and garden, and both the characters and the audience better be ready to play along. This movie was adapted from a stage play, and feels a little confined, despite the size of the house in which it takes place. The characters are happy to play along with their own warped plans, and the viewers can only shake their heads at the clever path the story follows. 3½ cans.
98. The Butler* (2013) – A fictionalized account of the real life of a White House butler who served eight U.S. Presidents, “The Butler” blends the personal story of a man and his family with the tumultuous Civil Rights movement from the 1950s on. Forest Whitaker portrays Cecil Gaines, a dignified man trained to be neither seen nor heard, but to merely serve, to anticipate needs and stand at the ready but to offer nothing more than whatever is on the silver tray. Gaines understands his role and the demands on his time, even if his lonely wife Gloria (Oprah Winfrey should be in more movies – she’s really good here) feels overlooked. His older son, Louis, is the bridge between the family story and the Civil Rights movement, as he leaves for college and becomes a Freedom Rider, a Black Panther and a politician whose activism meets with disapproval from his straight-laced father. There are horrifying scenes of the treatment afforded black people in this country, from taunts to physical violence and lynchings. This movie serves as a reminder of the chasm between the races in this country, between social classes and between countries, as it follows right into the Vietnam War. Irony abounds, as Presidents Kennedy and Johnson espouse the need for racial equality while the black White House staff is paid less than the white staff and is supposed to be grateful for their jobs. The presidents (and the first ladies) are played by a variety of well-known stars, from Robin Williams as Eisenhower to Alan Rickman as Reagan, with Jane Fonda, of all people, thrown in for a tasty bit as Nancy Reagan. But this is not the presidents’ story. It’s all about the butler, and when it comes to serving his country, you have to say, the butler did it well. 4 cans.
99. Losing Chase* (1996) – The only thing that elevates this movie above the usual Lifetime fare is the cast – Helen Mirren as Chase and Kyra Sedgwick as Elizabeth. Chase is a lonely and unhappy woman, saddled with a very nice husband (Beau Bridges) who she clearly doesn’t love. She is recovering from a nervous breakdown with the assistance of Elizabeth, hired to be a mother’s helper. She’s pretty miserable, lashing out at the kids and treating Elizabeth like the help – until she falls for the young woman. The problem here is more than just the story – it’s the casting. The always wonderful Mirren is too old for both Bridges and to be the mother of two young children. Sedgwick is nowhere near young enough to be believable as a college student (or recent graduate). The script is overwrought and ends abruptly. I’d say somewhere along the line, we all lost Chase. 2 cans.
100. Casting By* (2012) – Speaking of casting, this documentary underscores the critical role played by the casting director, whose instincts, understanding of the script and the director and connections with actors can lead to the success or failure of a movie or TV show. Much of the movie is a tribute to Marian Dougherty, whose legendary career began by casting TV dramas in the 50s and continued both as independent casting director and the head of casting for Paramount and, later, Warner Brothers. She was responsible for Jon Voight’s debut in “Midnight Cowboy” and handled all of Woody Allen’s movies until moving to Hollywood. She was the first person in her profession to get a screen credit, and the first to get one as a single card, meaning her name and credit were alone on the screen. The movie emphasizes the contributions people like Marian bring to a movie, despite the fact that the director generally gets the credit and is ultimately the one who makes the final decision on who plays what part. I love all the behind the scenes stuff in show biz, so I relished the stories of John Travolta trying out for “Midnight Cowboy,” being turned down and ultimately winding up in TV’s “Welcome Back,” where he made is name as Vinnie Barbarino. 3½ cans.
101. In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) – Only a few men have walked on the moon and lived to tell about it. In this engrossing documentary, filled with spectacular images, the astronauts who have made that journey talk about its significance to them personally and to history. Though Neil Armstrong was the first to set foot on the moon in 1969, he was not part of this film, but his calm demeanor and skill made him the perfect person to be the first man on the moon, according to his fellow space travelers. They talk about how the experience changed them, about spirituality, and even show hijinks as they cavort where no man had never been before. Will man ever get the chance to replicate their feats? Who knows? But until then, take it from the men who traveled where no man had ever been before and listen to their description of a truly unique experience. 3½ cans.
102. Ted Williams* (2013) – Ted Williams was the best hitter in the history of baseball. A member of the Boston Red Sox from the 1930s to the 60s, he probably would hold the all-time hits record if not for two interruptions in his stellar career to serve as a Marine pilot in WWII and the Korean War. Williams is the last big leaguer to hit .400 for the season, finishing at .406 in 1941 after passing up a chance to sit out the last game to protect his average. That was also the year that Joe DiMaggio set the record for consecutive games with a hit (56) and beat out Teddy Ballgame for the MVP trophy. This much I knew, being a baseball history aficionado. What I learned is that Williams detested the baseball writers, barely tolerated the fans, refused to tip his hat, paid little or no attention to his various wives and children and preferred to be out fishing to doing anything else. And I do recall the news – still unconfirmed – that his family had him frozen when he died, preserved in case the world needs another .400 hitter. This HBO documentary didn’t shed much light on the iconoclastic Williams, but you have to give him credit for his significant achievements on the baseball diamond. But as a man? Not a very good guy. 2½ cans.
103. Glickman* (2012 – If you grew up in the New York area in the 1950-60s as a fan of the football Giants or the Knicks, you know Marty Glickman, one of the pioneers of sports broadcasting. This HBO profile credits Glickman with popularizing the Knicks and expanding the game of football with his coverage. But he also cast a spotlight on high school football, did the radio broadcasts of the Jets (after WOR offered double what he was making to do the Giants games) and shared the craft he perfected with such well-known names as Marv Albert and Bob Costas as they got their starts. Glickman himself was an accomplished athlete and qualified for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Because he was a Jew, he was stopped from competing in the relay for which he had qualified. Ironically, he and teammate Jesse Owens set a new world record in the event shortly after the games. This HBO documentary also shows how Glickman helped HBO get started in its own sports coverage. It is a heartfelt tribute to an accomplished athlete, broadcaster and man. 3 cans.
104. The Usual Suspects* (1995) – You won’t believe it when I tell you I had never seen this movie. I always wanted to, but somehow I never got around to it, until today. It was worth the wait. Intricately plotted, the story is about a group of five criminals who are hired to pull off a robbery on a ship and all but one perish in the act when the boat is doused with gas and set on fire. They are a motley but cold-blooded crew, and their caper is told to the cops by Verbal (Kevin Spacey), the lone survivor. He spins a tale about the roles of each man and the mob boss, a mysterious man named Keyser Soze, both feared and fearless. I always worry that I won’t be able to figure out or follow the plot of this kind of movie. The former was true – until the end – but following it was easy if you pay enough attention. It is taut, violent, full of action and surprises and not usual in any way. 4 cans.
There are several really good gems in here.
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