Tag: AFI

  • Saturday Morning Cinema – The Apartment

    Saturday Morning Cinema – The Apartment

    Movies are interesting because of the extraordinary stories they tell. Even documentaries often focus on the fantastic exceptions to life’s typical cadence. Viewers can observe and rest at night knowing the content is imaginative creation or, thankfully, not their real-life situation. Since starting through AFI’s Top 100, I have unexpectedly been exposed to perspectives that…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema – Spartacus

    Saturday Morning Cinema – Spartacus

    Spartacus sits at number 81 on AFI’s Top 100 American Movies of All Time. Directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier in the top billings, Spartacus tells the story of a slave group fighting for freedom and the Roman zealot who seeks to establish order by squashing the rebellion’s leader, Spartacus.…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: Sunrise

    Is it ever possible to be satisfied with what one has, or is the pursuit of the greener grass an innate human characteristic? Is there actually greener grass on the other side? These questions are central in Sunrise.

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: Titanic

    Here’s the thing about a movie based upon a historical event – you know how it is going to end. No matter how the characters’ stories play out on screen, if the film does not intend to be revisionist, events will unfold as they are documented. Knowing that, there is something to be said for…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: A Night at the Opera

    Some classic movies inspire with story, spectacle, or innovation. After watching, you can understand why a film is revered and exalted, earning its place as a cherished entry in the annals of cinematic history. A Night at the Opera was…

  • AFI Top 100 – Numbers 88 and 87

    #88 Bringing Up Baby Bringing Up Baby was my introduction to Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. I know, it’s a travesty, right? What kind of punk hasn’t seen their movies before? Agreed, I’m ashamed. Admittedly, if I have seen them before, I don’t have any recollection of the experience. My grave offense probably has to…

  • AFI Top 100: M. Night’s Spooky Movie

    I turn my back on the darkened room and begin walking down the hallway. The room was empty, but something triggers my senses. Goosebumps pop on the back of my neck and start an avalanche down my arms. A chill slides along my spine, and my pace down the hall quickens. I make it to…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – The French Connection

    Though I had never seen The French Connection prior to viewing it for my crawl through AFI’s Top 100, I was at least aware of it through Gene Hackman’s image on the poster and the memorable hat he wears.

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Pulp Fiction

    Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Pulp Fiction

    Pulp Fiction has always been my “okayest good movie”. It is supposed to be iconic and noteworthy for resurrecting John Travolta’s career, cementing Samuel L. Jackson into the persona he often portrays today, and utilizing a “name brand” cast in unique roles. Dialogue-heavy scenes build to cathartic moments that either shock or amuse. Quentin Tarantino…

  • Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Do The Right Thing

    Saturday Morning Cinema: AFI Top 100 Edition – Do The Right Thing

    Do The Right Thing is intense. Characters swirl in and out juggling multiple story lines and perspectives while sitting smack in the middle of a racially mixed and charged neighborhood during a scorching summer day. Released in 1989, Do The Right Thing’s subject matter is as relevant now as ever, especially in regards to the…