Orson Welles' Citizen Kane is No Longer #1

Earlier this week a list was released which has the top 50 films of all time, according to the critics, and other film experts. For 50 years, Citizen Kane was number one, but now it has been replaced by the Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece, Vertigo. Every 10 years the list is generated by Sight and Sound magazine, starting back in 1952. The magazine also polled over 350 directors, asking them to rank their top 10 films of all time.

The critic's top 10 include:

1. Vertigo, Alfred Hitchcock, 1958

2. Citizen Kane, Orson Welles, 1941

3. Tokyo Story, Ozu Yazujiro, 1953

4. La Regle du jeu, Jean Renoir, 1939

5. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, FW Murnau, 1927

6. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, 1968

7. The Searchers, John Ford, 1956

8. Man with a Movie Camera, Dziga Vertov, 1929

9. The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Dreyer, 1927

10. 8 1/2, Federico Fellini, 1963

Some other notable films in the top 50:

14. Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola, 1979

20. Singin' in the Rain, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1951

21. The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, 1972

28. Mulholland Dr, David Lynch, 2001

31. The Godfather Part II, Francis Ford Coppola, 1974

31. (tied) Taxi Driver, Martin Scorsese, 1976

35. Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock, 1960

The list of the top 10 films chosen by directors contains many of the films also in the top 10 of the critic's poll, but I thought it was interesting to see #5 as Taxi Driver, #6 as Apocalypse Now and #7 as The Godfather. Many feel that the 1970s in America was a golden age of film with auteurs such as Scorsese, Kubrick, Woody Allen and Coppola leading the way. I have seen very few movies that were made previous to the late 1960s so my knowledge of the early days of the medium is limited. I have also seen very few foreign films. When I watch a film I like to watch the film for the directing style, the acting nuances and the set design. With foreign films, reading the subtitles makes it hard to do that. My list of top films would include some on the above lists, but also many others would be added. If Hitchcock's Vetigo and Psycho are on the list, why not Rear Window? Scorsese's Taxi Driver is amazing, and one of my top 10 no doubt, but I would also include him for Raging Bull, GoodFellas and Casino. Kubrick's 2001 is an achievement, but I preferred A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. If the Godfather 1 and 2 are on the list, I would include another violent film by another Italian-American filmmaker, Scarface, by Brian DePalma. The absence of Woody Allen films is a mistake in my book, and I would include Annie Hall and Manhattan. Allen's hero, Ingmar Bergman was on the critic's list at #17 for Persona. I was surprised to see David Lynch on the list at #28 for Mulholland Drive since I preferred Blue Velvet. I would have included James Dean's tour de force, Rebel without a Cause, which I feel is too often overlooked as a masterpiece of cinema.

But, alas, with any list there is controversy about what was included and what was omitted. I often wonder if critics feel pressure to like the art house or foreign films, so they can hold onto their credibility. If they do, then that is too bad since many of the more down-to-earth, less cerebral films are also enjoyable. Would a critic feel odd to include The Wizard of Oz or It's a Wonderful Life? They shouldn't, since those are outstanding works of art.

With the lists I notice how few of the entries are films made in the last 20 years. It seems like the film industry has often catered to the lowest common denominator, sticking with sequels, remakes and films based on comic book heroes simply because they attract a wide audience. That is a shame. For that reason, people owe it to themselves to check out independent films and documentaries. These are made due to the love of the media of film and the passion to tell a story, not out of the desire to break box office records. Attend local film festivals and make it a point to seek out these gems. We all "vote" with our wallets for what we want to see.

Source: http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time

Documentary Discussion

Documentary films are great because they make you think. Common themes for them tend to be either political/social issues or the arts. I have liked this genre of film ever since the 1980s when I watched Michael Moore's Roger and Me, about the demise of a former booming GM factory town, Flint, Michigan. Morgan Spurlock's Super Size Me had such an effect on me that I have quit eating McDonald's cold turkey ever since I saw it eight years ago. Not every documentary filmmaker inserts themselves into the film like Spurlock and Moore. Many prefer to exist behind-the-scenes only. Charles Ferguson is another of my favorite documentary filmmakers. He made No End in Sight and Inside Job. Some of my favorite documentary films have dealt with agriculture and food in America. These include Food Inc., Fresh, King Corn and more.


I have discovered the Documentary cable channel recently and have rented a few docs via Netflix. Here are some that I recently saw and enjoyed.

A Life in the Theatre

This is about a woman who is in her 90s, and she has been the owner of an off-off Broadway live theatre in New York for many years. It was excellent since it demonstrated how the love of art can bring people together. Those who work in the theatre have an amazing camaraderie. Developers want to destroy the theatre but she fight to save it.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

This is about an Australian man who has battled obesity and the related health problems and comes to America to embark on a journey. He travels across the country, eating only a liquid diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables that he puts in a juicer. It is a look at obesity, health problems and the ability of humans to change their lives. The filmmaker ends up losing lots of weight, not needing any more medicine, and inspiring many others to do the same.

Music Man Murray

This is about an old man in Los Angeles who runs a record store. It is packed with thousands of recordings he has collected over a lifetime. He estimates that the store is worth a couple million dollars. The challenge is to sell the store and its content for a good price so his collection and his legacy will not be destroyed.

Map the Music

I enjoyed this film since it looks at the power of music to bring meaning to our lives. A woman is shattered after losing her father, so she embarks on a road trip to talk to everyday people and a few famous musicians about what music means to them.

The One Percent

This is an examination of the one percent of Americans who are ultra wealthy, and the 99 percent who are not. The filmmaker is one of the heirs to the Johnson and Johnson family fortune. He talks to rich and poor, about the distribution of wealth in America, despite the fact that his family does not want him to make the film. Relatives of Warren Buffett and Oscar Meyer also appeared in the film.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

This movie was a fascinating look at a comedy legend and her struggles to remain a relevant member of the show business world. Even though Joan Rivers is 75 years old and has had decades of success, she still has a fragile ego and she longs to be accepted. The film shows her performing stand up in New York as well as at an Indian casino in Wisconsin. It shows her doing a roast on Comedy Central, and it documented her opening a play in Scotland and England. She revealed that she originally wanted to be known as an actress not a comedienne. She is OK with people criticizing her comedy but has a thin skin if people are critical of her acting skills. She acknowledges that show business is challenging since rejection is a big part of the industry. The movie mentioned how Johnny Carson gave her her big break in the 1960s but later quit speaking to her when she took a job on Fox as a late night host. She mentioned how her husband Edgar was devastated by the failure of the Fox show and later committed suicide. Joan's daughter Melissa mentioned that stand ups are generally insecure people, craving attention and approval, and that her mother is no exception. Rivers seemed like a very lonely person whose main goal is to fill up her calendar with work so she does not have time to think about her life outside of her career.

Good Grief! Charles M. Schulz and the Philosophy of Peanuts

Above photos, from top:

This is an example of how Peanuts dealt with issues such as the quest for happiness.

The first Peanuts strip from 1950. Notice the absence of Charlie Brown's stripe on his shirt.

Peanuts kids dancing in the TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, music by Vince Guaraldi. The boy in the orange shirt is a minor character named 5. The twin girls on either side of him are his sisters, 3 and 4.

The Peanuts gang, main characters.

Cartoonist Charles M. "Sparky" Schulz.


I recently listened to a book on CD called "Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography". It was a highly detailed account of the life of Charles M. Schulz. It is amazing to see the similarities between Schulz and the star of his comic strip, Charlie Brown. Schulz was a private, humble man from Minnesota who struggled with issues of insecurity just like Charlie Brown. He drew every strip himself, with no assistants, for half a century, from 1950 to 2000. Many cartoonists have assistance meeting their deadlines but Schulz insisted on doing it all himself. Once he was asked why he did not helpers, and he said, would Arnold Palmer have someone else hit the ball for him?

As a kid I had many Peanuts books and always enjoyed the strip. I think that it has remained popular, even for many years after the death of its creator in 2000, for many reasons. I see Peanuts as a cerebral strip, a thinking person's comic. It deals with issues that other comics do not, such as theology, philosophy, art and music appreciation, and psychology. Schulz realized that kids are much smarter than people think. Charlie Brown dealt with feelings of isolation, depression, insecurity, wanting to be liked. The comic is funny, but it also makes us think too. The characters enjoy being kids, but they also wonder about the meaning of life and the quest for happiness.

The characters were complex. Linus was the intellectual philosopher, who often would quote Bible verses, with his security blanket and his yearning to meet The Great Pumpkin. Schroeder idolized Beethoven and was oblivious to Lucy's admiration of him. Charlie Brown battled feelings of insecurity and tried to find joy in baseball and sought out advice from Lucy's psychiatry booth. Snoopy pretended he was a World War I flying ace. Schulz said this about Snoopy:

"Snoopy’s whole personality is a little bittersweet. But he’s a very strong character. He can win or lose, be a disaster, a hero, or anything, and yet it all works out. I like the fact that when he’s in real trouble, he can retreat into a fantasy and thereby escape."

Charles Schulz ("Sparky" to his friends and family), had regrets about not being there for his kids. His characters from the strip were more like his kids than his real life family. I admire anyone who is able to do the same job for a long period of time. The thing that is ironic is that Schulz had stopped drawing the strip due to battling cancer, and he died the day that the last strip was published in newspapers.

Here are some Peanuts trivia facts:

There was a character named 5. His full name was 555 95472. He has twin sisters named 3 and 4. I recall a Seinfeld episode where George said that 7 would be a good name. Maybe this was an homage to the Peanuts strip?

Some of the other minor characters included; Molly Volley, Tapioca Pudding, Truffles, Thibault, Lila, Eudora, and Peggy Jean.

Snoopy has seven siblings, from his early days at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm. Their names are Spike, Olaf, Molly, Rover, Belle, Marbles, Andy. They were all featured in the Peanuts TV special, Snoopy's Reunion.

From 1950-1957, Snoopy walked like a regular dog, on all 4 legs.

Linus and Lucy are brother and sister. They have a little brother named Rerun. Charlie Brown and Sally are brother and sister.

Charlie Brown's dad is a barber, same as Charles Schulz's dad.

Schulz had his own ice arena, near his California home.

Charlotte Braun was a short-lived character, appearing in the strip from 1954-1955. She was bossy and loud, like Lucy.

Both Peppermint Patty and Marcie have a crush on Charlie Brown. He seems oblivious.

* Some information from Schulz and Peanuts, A Biography, by David Michaelis, and peanuts.wikia.com.

Adam Sandler: What Happened?

Adam Sandler used to make some good, funny, movies. Remember The Wedding Singer (1996), 50 First Dates (2004), Happy Gilmore (1996) and Billy Madison (1995)? I even liked some of his serious roles such as Punch Drunk Love (2002) and especially Reign Over Me (2007). So, he has shown that he can do comedic roles as well as serious parts. He's not an untalented guy. He had some funny roles on Saturday Night Live, especially when working with people like Chris Farley and David Spade. But, too often he has made awful movies that fall short of being funny, they are just stupid. These include projects like Little Nicky, Mr. Deeds and Anger Management. The last film I saw with him was Funny People, which despite the title, was not all that funny. So many of his films seem to be aimed at the sense of humor of a junior high boy. I have no problem with sophomoric humor. I loved movies like Superbad and Step Brothers. They are childish, but funny. I didn't even bother seeing Grown Ups, Jack and Jill or That's My Boy. He has been typecast to such a degree that the silly, crazy comedies are all that he can do, and even those are a disappointment at the box office sometimes. Also, many of his work seems to be focused around creating projects for his SNL buddies like Rob Schneider and David Spade.

*Some information from imdb.com.

Arsenio Hall will Return to Late Night TV

Generation X TV fans will recall Arsenio Hall's high energy late night talk show which aired from 1989 to 1994. His show was a hit with young and urban viewers who had abandoned Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, which went off the air in 1992. Some may recall that Arsenio's show was a threat to Carson's ratings dominance. Saturday Night Live actually did a hilarious skit where Johnny Carson tried to emulate Arsenio by renaming his show "Carsenio". Dana Carvey played Carson, with a flat top haircut and lots of Arsenio-like fist pumping, and Phil Hartman was spot-on as Ed McMahon. Carvey had a group of rowdy audience members patterned after Arsenio's "dog pound". In 2013, Arsenio will return to late night TV hosting a show that will be distributed by Tribune Co. and CBS Television Distribution. Hall has taken a break from the spotlight to focus on being a father. Recently he was back in the news again after winning Donald Trump's NBC reality show, The Apprentice. We'll see how he does in the crowded universe of late night TV. I always liked his energy and enthusiasm. When Bill Clinton played his sax on the show in 1992, people said it was a key factor to Clinton's crafting of his image to reach a wider audience.

*Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1687713/arsenio-hall-late-night-talk-show