Category decade of the 60s
16. Breathless - 1 pt
15. The Jungle Book - 2 pts
14. The Producers - 3 pts
13. Goldfinger - 4 pts
12. Funny Girl 5 pts
Directed by William Wyler starring Babs as Fanny Brice and Omar Sharrif as Brice's second husband Nick Arnstein. Streisand won the award for Best Actress for her performance and it is well deserved. Somehow I knew the music, I hadn't seen this in decades so I think my mom must have had the album and played it because I knew most of it. Streisand's voice is remarkable and their are a few songs that are really good.
The story never really comes together, this is one of the are movies that is over produced. The sets are amazing and were going to be used in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid but were cut out because they thought it would detract from Funny Girl so they had to go with those sepia still shots in a montage for New York in Butch.
I liked the film, didn't love it but liked it. Made me curious about Fanny Brice and she was worthy of having her story put to film.
11. Persona 6 pts
Ingmar Bergman, writer/director. Cast of his stock actors of mostly Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann who are both exceptional. For those familiar with Bergman he filmed nearly exclusively on the island of Fårö in Sweden.
Bergman takes characters and strips them down to bare bones and then goes deep into the soul. It is hit or miss but on this one he scores huge. When this began with a collage of imagery with a Jesus-like close up of a nail being driven into a wrist and then flashing to a penis I thought whoo-boy yikes but the story began. An actress, Liv Ullmann who 'apparently' loses the ability to speak seeks solace at a convalescence retreat with a nurse, Bibi Andersson.
It is a slowly delicious interaction between the two ladies as Bibi uses Liv as a sounding board and unveils very-personal stories, one quite erotically zesty and I mean quite erotic. Well worth the time to watch for that story alone.
Bergman, known as 'The Master Of Light' is well-known as a director for a reason he's special. He grew up a loner and rebelled against authority of any kind. He broke rules and does so in his films. A truly unique experience and great film.
10. Easy Rider 7 pts
Billy: [after being thrown in jail]
Parading without a permit? You gotta be kidding! I mean, you know who this is, man? This is Captain America! I'm Billy! Hey, we're headliners, baby!
Dennis Hopper directed and 'partially' wrote it but it was written primarily by Peter Fonda, both starred along with Jack Nicholson. Hopper breaks through the Hollywood establishment with a culture shattering clenched fist. The movie is a road trip with iconic characters, Billy and Captain America.
Hopper was out of control, basically insane during filming, getting into fights, pulling a knife on Rip Torn who quit and later would sue Hopper and win a huge settlement as Hopper lied and said Torn pulled the knife, the entire crew quit actually a few crews quit on Hopper and he had to hire anyone he could to keep the movie going. Hopper used locals and in the 'diner scene' the ugly redneck bigotted nature and threats were real. I If you know anything about Hopper he was constantly on the edge and a full fledged bully. He basically forced Toni Basil into doing that nude scene in the cemetery and she looks scared. It is quite disturbing. The acid trip scenes are not my thing but the music paired with two of the most iconic characters ever captured on film are poetry when the music hits but their were a few 'clunker' tunes mixed into the track. This one is not for everyone but parts are exceptional.
9. La Dolce Vita 8 pts
Directed and written by Federico Fellini. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, and Anouk Aimée.
Wow. I had never seen this one. From the opening shot of helicopter Jesus, to Ekberg in the Trivi Fountain, breathtaking. Fellini is one of the true artists who just so happen to be a film maker. He is a legitimate genius. This movie takes us on a ride through the seedy underbelly of 1960 hedonistic Rome and we don't ever want it to end. Intoxicating glamor at every turn. It is of a specific time and place but it seems timeless. This is when Fellini was sane and hadn't gone over the wall wrapped up in pure imagery.
I love this film. Its definitely not for everyone but I just love it.
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To be continued........
menace 
