VIEWING DATES: November 6 to 14, 2023

#93 – THE APARTMENT (1960)
D: Billy Wilder
S: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurry

Shortcuts up the corporate ladder often lead to graver hurdles. That’s the moral lesson at hand in this offbeat classic. And only a legend like Billy Wilder can turn that premise into a toasty warm treat.  

Jack Lemmon plays insurance clerk CC Baxter, whose best ace at work is to house philandering executives in his titular residence. Trouble ensues when CC’s boss, Jeff D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), takes in the girl he likes, elevator operator Fran Kubelik, (Shirley MacLaine), all while upholding his family man façade. Naturally, this drives Fran to extremes and in comes CC as the unwitting rescuer. Never before were mental struggles portrayed so vividly, yet still made watchable without being sugarcoated on. It all culminates with a new connection being forged and one of the most offbeat love exchanges in rom-com history.

Much as Psycho never got any Oscar love, it’s easy to understand why this crowd-pleaser prevailed. It’s simply how it crumbles, cookie-wise.  

#92 – A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
D: George Stevens
S: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Raymond Burr

The electrifying Elizabeth Taylor figured twice in this countdown. First was in George Stevens’ adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy. Montgomery Clift plays George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), a working-class everyman whose pining for socialite Angela Vickers (Taylor) leads him to dispatch his pregnant wife, Alice (Shelley Winters).

At the time, this came under fire for tackling abortion. Outside of that controversy, however, it’s a passable morality tale that lags by the climactic courtroom sequence. It was replaced by its spiritual silent predecessor, Sunrise (1927), in 2007’s updated list.

#91 – MY FAIR LADY (1964)
D: George Cukor
S: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway

Think of Audrey Hepburn, and Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s usually comes to mind. Yet, here she is represented by her first musical. 1964’s Oscar champ was inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion and, somehow, inspired 1999’s She’s All That in return. Sadly, the premise of a man dolling up a woman on a wager will no longer fly in today’s woke world. But no one can deny this visual spectacle. And, sure, there were some laughs too.  

#90 – THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
D: Alan Crosland
S: Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, Eugenie Besserer

Technically, Alan Crosland’s musical was still mostly silent, and was most likely included here as curiosity piece. Still, there’s magic in hearing the first audible spoken line in film, uttered no less by Al Jolson in his career turning point. Watching it feels like witnessing the milestone firsthand nearly a century later. It’s like we really “ain’t heard nothin’ yet”.

#89 – PATTON (1970)
D: Franklin J. Schaffner
S: George C. Scott, Karl Malden

The fact its iconic image was of an American general preaching in front of the American flag already made it a shoo-in in this American list. But then, that scene plays even before the opening credits and not everyone remembers the 160-plus minutes that follow. Still, Franklin J. Schaffner’s epic was a lock for those Oscars, especially George C. Scott’s acting win – even if he ultimately declined the trophy.  

#88 – EASY RIDER (1969)
D: Dennis Hopper
S: Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson

“Have motorcycle, will film”. That would be this cult hit’s unofficial motto. A counter-culture classic if there was one, Dennis Hopper’s caper featured himself and Peter Fonda as two drug dealers searching for enlightenment across states. Naturally, they face bitter truths instead. The hardest to take is that most journeys end abruptly with questions left unanswered. Still, it’s worth tagging along, especially with a scene-stealing Jack Nicholson in tow and Steppenwolf’s Born to be Wild on full blast.

#87 – FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
D: James Whale
S: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye

Some might vouch for its follow-up, 1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein, to be the Universal Monsters series’ token entry. But much as Elsa Lanchester proved to be a gorgeous ghoul, the true scares can still be found here. James Whale’s take on Victor Hugo’s gothic gem starred the ill-fated Colin Clive as the eponymous mad scientist, but it’s Boris Karloff who sends chills to this day as the nameless monster. Add the fact that it was among the first films to depict a child’s on-screen death and we’ve got ourselves a true horror classic.

#86 – MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
D: Frank Lloyd
S: Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone

Frank Lloyd’s take on Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall’s book wasn’t the most historically accurate. But that didn’t stop it from being Clark Gable’s second of three Best Picture Oscar winners that decade. It must have been mesmerizing to see actual Polynesian shores and locale that time. But, really, the film’s gravitational core was Charles Laughton as the Draconian Captain Bligh.

#85 – DUCK SOUP (1933)
D: Leo McCarey
S: Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo Marx; Margaret Dumont

It takes audacity to poke fun at war, even during peace time. And the premise of fictional Freedonia invading fictional Sylvania feels hard to stomach now, especially with certain actual nations on the receiving end. Well, the Marx Brothers sure got away with it back then, with their uproarious slapstick and endless puns. It’s still an amusing watch, even if the schtick feels dated and the songs are terrible.