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3) Taxi Driver
Doesn't it make you sad that the "You talkin' to me?" speech is almost universally known, from the biggest movie geek to some random housewife in Topeka who pushes out kids in her sleep, and yet the rest of the film is a virtual mystery to them? Can we make this a criminal offense? I suggest that the offending person would be strapped to a chair and forced to watch Napoleon Dynamite until their eyeballs grew hands and leapt from their sockets, but shit, I would guess anyone who would quote the speech from this movie without having seen the whole thing probably would like that.
-- John Felix
What John Felix is trying to say is, never has there been a more powerful examination of an obsessive mind on the fringe of society, a lonely, misguided man convinced he is the only light in a dark, grimy world of scum, rooted with some of the best direction and one of the best leading performances you'll ever see, bar none.
-- Eric San Juan
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2) Citizen Kane
What is to say that hasn’t already been said about Orson Welles’ spectacular, groundbreaking directorial debut? Considered by nearly every critic to be the greatest film ever made, it finds itself in a position of having an awful lot to live up to. Is Kane worthy of all this praise? Has it been surpassed in the time since its debut? Can any film live up to such hype? I state here now that yes, Citizen Kane is the greatest film of all time. It might not be the most popular, and many film-goers may think of this as a “homework” movie -- akin to eating vegetables, not for the flavor, but for the nutritional value – but it's much more than that. Anyone with the “homework” misconception is missing an opportunity to see true genius at work. Kane is the classic American story; one of simple beginnings, opportunity, guts, power, corruption, greed, and a tragic fall. Welles and his team really had a feel for what film was all about, and what could separate it from theater and radio. Marvel at the camerawork, the deep focus, and the rich background and foreground interplay. Kane is a masterwork on nearly every level: script, acting, directing, cinematography, art decoration… the list goes on and on. Experience Citizen Kane and you experience what every film since tries in vain to live up to.
-- Larry Phillips
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1) The Godfather Part II
During the first half-hour of the epic follow-up to The Godfather, a young Vito Corleone’s father is murdered (off-screen), his young brother is murdered, and his mother is murdered – all by the same asshole. After growing up into Robert De Niro, he plays off a businessman trying to pull a scam on him and has a drunken woman escorted off the dance floor. And that’s the FIRST HALF HOUR! While it could definitely be argued that an hour could be trimmed off the film with little lost, why would anyone want to do that? There are scenes that are composed of such minute beauty, they are on their own pure art. People staring through windows. People dancing. People cooking. People being people. This is all framework that is nearly as valuable as the painting itself. With this sequel, Coppola managed to tell two equally moving stories following the early life of Vito, and newly appointed leader of the family, Michael Corleone. By intertwining the stories there is plenty of opportunity to lose the audience, but it never happens. The film flows and seems to end much earlier than its running time would suggest. The people who watch it are rewarded with some of the most iconic scenes in American filmmaking. For example, take Kay’s reveal to Michael about the fate of his second son, or Vito’s vengeance of his parents’ murder. No one forgets these moments. All of this, plus Nito Rota’s amazing score, proves The Godfather Part II isn’t just a great friggin’ movie, it is THE great friggin’ movie.
-- Shawn McLoughlin
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