Category: Lists

Scorsese, Tarantino And More Directors Share Their Top 10 Films Of All Time

There was a full slate of scuttlebutt from Sight & Sound’s decision earlier this week to move Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo to the top of its revered Top 10 list of all-time movies, replacing longtime leader Citizen Kane. All lists are subjective, of course, and most of the heated debate taking place online after the list was revealed circulated on whether Vertigo was worthy, whether Kane deserved to be displaced, and what movies were continually overlooked in this Sight & Sound poll.

Online debate is great. But here’s something tangible to sink your teeth into. In the Sight & Sound issue dedicated to the poll, individual directors share their Top 10 lists … and they are eye-opening. The Playlist grabbed a selection of the lists, and we’re sharing a few of our favorites below. Will they better help you understand why Citizen Kane, through no fault of its own, is now considered substandard to Vertigo? No. At the very least, these lists can help you create a fantastic Master List of must-see titles that you might have missed over the years. Who better to make suggestions than the directors of Annie Hall, Pulp Fiction, Raging Bull and The Godfather, parts one through three?

Here are the lists:
Woody Allen
Bicycle Thieves (1948, dir. Vittorio De Sica)
The Seventh Seal (1957, dir. Ingmar Bergman)
Citizen Kane (1941, dir. Orson Welles
Amarcord (1973, dir. Federico Fellini
8 ½ (1963, dir. Federico Fellini)
The 400 Blows (1959, dir. Francois Truffaut)
Rashomon (1950, dir. Akira Kurosawa)
La Grande Illusion (1937, dir. Jean Renoir)
The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (1972, dir. Luis Bunuel)
Paths Of Glory (1957, dir. Stanley Kubrick)

Francis Ford Coppola
Ashes And Diamonds (1958, dir. Andrzej Wajda)
The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946, dir William Wyler)
I Vitteloni (1953, dir. Federico Fellini)
The Bad Sleep Well (1960, dir. Akira Kurosawa)
Yojimbo (1961, dir. Akira Kurosawa)
Singin’ In The Rain (1952, dir. Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly)
The King Of Comedy (1983, dir Martin Scorsese)
Raging Bull (1980, dir. Martin Scorsese)
The Apartment (1960s, dir. Billy Wilder)
Sunrise (1927, dir. F.W. Murnau)

Guillermo Del Toro
Frankenstein (1931, dir. James Whale)
Freaks (1932, dir. Todd Browning)
Shadow Of A Doubt (1943, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
Greed (1925, dir. Erich Von Stroheim)
Modern Times (1936, dir. Charlie Chaplin)
La Belle Et La Bete (1946, dir. Jean Cocteau)
Goodfellas (1990, dir. Martin Scorsese)
Los Olvidados (1950, dir. Luis Bunuel)
Nosferatu (1922, dir. F.W. Murnau)
8 ½ (1963, dir. Federico Fellini)

Michel Hazavanicius
City Girl (1930, dir. F.W. Murnau)
City Lights (1931, dir. Charlie Chaplin)
To Be Or Not To Be (1942, dir. Ernst Lubitsch)
Citizen Kane (1941, dir. Orson Welles)
The Apartment (1960, dir. Billy Wilder)
The Shining (1980, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
North By Northwest (1959, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
The Third Man (1949, dir. Carol Reed)
Raging Bull (1980, dir. Martin Scorsese)
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937, dir. Walt Disney)

Miranda July
Blind (1987, dir. Frederick Wiseman)
Smooth Talk (1985, dir. Joyce Chopra)
Vertigo (1958, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
After Life (1998, dir. Hirokazu Koreeda)
Somewhere In Time (1980, dir. Jeannot Szwarc)
Cheese (2007, dir. Mika Rottenberg)
Punch Drunk Love (2002, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
The Red Balloon (1956, dir. Albert Lamorisse)
A Room With A View (1985, dir. James Ivory)
Fish Tank (2009, dir. Andrea Arnold)

Michael Mann
Apocalypse Now (1979, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
Battleship Potemkin (1925, dir. Sergei Eisenstein)
Citizen Kane (1941, dir. Orson Welles)
Avatar (2009, dir. James Cameron)
Dr. Strangelove (1964, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Biutiful (2010, dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu)
My Darling Clementine (1946, dir. John Ford)
The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928, dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer)
Raging Bull (1980, dir. Martin Scorsese)
The Wild Bunch (1969, dir. Sam Peckinpah)

David O. Russell
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946, dir. Frank Capra)
Chinatown (1974, dir. Roman Polanski)
Goodfellas (1990, dir. Martin Scorsese)
Vertigo (1958, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)
Pulp Fiction (1994, dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Raging Bull (1980, dir. Martin Scorsese)
Young Frankenstein (1974, dir. Mel Brooks)
The Discreet Charm Of The Bourgeoisie (1972, dir. Luis Bunuel)
The Godfather (1972, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
Blue Velvet (1986, dir. David Lynch)
Groundhog Day (1993, dir. Harold Ramis)

Martin Scorsese
8 1/2 (1963, dir. Federico Fellini)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
Ashes And Diamonds (1958, dir. Andrzej Wajda)
Citizen Kane (1941, dir. Orson Welles)
The Leopard (1963, dir. Luchino Visconti)
Palsa (1946, dir. Roberto Rossellini)
The Red Shoes (1948, dir. Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger)
The River (1951, dir. Jean Renoir)
Salvatore Giuliano (1962, dir. Francesco Rosi)
The Searchers (1956, dir. John Ford)
Ugetsu Monogatari (1953, dir. Kenji Mizoguchi)
Vertigo (1958, dir. Alfred Hitchcock)

Quentin Tarantino
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966, dir. Sergio Leone)
Apocalypse Now (1979, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
The Bad News Bears (1976, dir. Michael Ritchie)
Carrie (1976, dir. Brian DePalma)
Dazed And Confused (1993, dir. Richard Linklater)
The Great Escape (1963, dir. John Sturges)
His Girl Friday (1940, dir. Howard Hawks)
Jaws (1975, dir. Steven Spielberg)
Pretty Maids All In A Row (1971, dir. Roger Vadim)
Rolling Thunder (1977, dir. John Flynn)
Sorcerer (1977, dir. William Friedkin)
Taxi Driver (1976, dir. Martin Scorsese)

1990s movie stars: Who’s still hot?

Two decades later, how are the biggest movie stars of the 1990s faring at the box office?

Who’s still hot? Who’s not? And the biggest question as far as movie studios and distributors are concerned: which ‘90s stars still have the Wow Factor at the box office?

To most effectively and fairly answer these questions, we did the following. We took 14 of the Top 15 box-office stars of the 1990s (according to the Internet Movie Database, and excluding The Sperminator Governor) and looked at how each’s star-vehicle movies have fared at the box office over the past four years. We ignored their voiceover roles in cash-cow animated or CGI flicks, as well as their ensemble movies, and films in which they had only supporting or bit-part roles. Leading roles only.

We then added their box-office totals from those movies and calculated their averages. But averages alone didn’t seem like a fair way to rank the stars, because it takes only one blockbuster movie to be near the front of the pack (hello, Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones 4). Indeed, some of these actors, such as Ford and Bruce Willis, also have appeared in absolute stinkers that died at the box office, or even went straight to DVD.

So, to punish those actors, and reward those who haven’t had any stinkers, we came up with The Wow Factor (with apologies to Darrell Sheets of TV’s Storage Wars). The Wow Factor is merely the sum of (1) each actor’s average box-office haul and (2) each’s lowest box-office total from 2008 through 2011.

Yes, Sandra Bullock is not only one of the most beloved people in Hollywood, she’s also the most bankable of all the ‘90s stars.

Bullock has appeared in three movies since 2008. Despite one of them being the Razzie Award-winning dog All About Steve ($34 million), the other two were blockbusters — importantly, neither of which was an established franchise (hello, Harrison Ford and Indiana Jones 4). The Blind Side took in $256 million, and The Proposal $164 million. Hollywood must be salivating at her decision to return to acting.

Tom Cruise is the butt of a lot of “has-been” jokes, but the bottom line does not lie. His last three movies have brought in $300 million — and counting, as Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol isn’t anywhere near done in theatres. His lowest earner was Knight and Day, at $76 million. That figure dwarfs the minimums of all other ‘90s movie stars in this timeframe.

Adam Sandler’s movies seem to get incrementally worse and less funny, but he is box-office gold. Even his clunky rom-coms bring in at least $52 million. His last five: Jack and Jill ($72 million), Just Go with It ($103 million), Grown Ups ($162 million), Funny People ($52 million) and Bedtime Stories ($110 million).

It is no surprise to see Leonardo DiCaprio at No. 4. His past five movies have averaged $104 million, and that average was sunk by last fall’s moribund J. Edgar ($37 million).

Julia Roberts, the only other female on IMdB’s list of the Top 15 1990s actors, seems to have been quite choosy with her roles since the Grunge Decade, clearly content not to be among the A-Listers anymore.

The lone Canadian, Jim Carrey, would probably rival Adam Sandler’s box-office bang if he’d stop trying to duplicate Robin William’s serious-role Oscar win. To wit: I Love You Phillip Morris ($2 million). While his blockbuster days might now be gone, both Yes Man ($98 million) and even Mr. Popper’s Penguins ($68 million) prove that millions of people still want him to make them laugh.

It isn’t a shock to see Tom Hanks, Kevin Costner, Bruce Willis, Robin Williams and Mel Gibson at the bottom of this list. Each is more hit than miss anymore on the big screen.

Gibson — the surefire No. 1 box-office star of the ‘90s — is now box-office toxicity. His two star turns since ‘08 (and since his publicity-nightmare drunken meltdowns and separations) have earned a combined $44 million, including $0.97 million for The Beaver, a complete disaster.

Maybe he’ll be roaring again by the Twenties.

Homer Simpson named top character
The Simpsonís dumb dad Homer Simpson has topped a new list of the best TV and movie character of the last 20 years.
The yellow cartoon character with a love of doughnuts beat out boy wizard Harry Potter and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s TV vampire slayer Buffy to take the top spot on the new Entertainment Weekly magazine countdown.
Tony Soprano and Batman villain The Joker round out the top five, while Jennifer Aniston’s Friends character Rachel Green, Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands, Hannibal Lecter, Carrie Bradshaw and Spongebob Squarepants made the top 10.

Will Smith tops Forbes.com’s bankable stars list
NEW YORK ñ Will Smith was voted the most bankable star in Hollywood in a survey of industry professionals by Forbes.com.
The financial magazine’s Web site gives the actor a score of 10 out of 10 for his bankability in its first “star currency” list, compiled by surveying more than 150 industry professionals.
Following Smith on the list: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio, who all tied for second with a score of 9.89. Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson rounded out the top 10.
Smith’s superior box-office clout has been long established. He’s known for “owning” the July Fourth weekend box office with films such as “Independence Day” and “Men in Black,” and has had few flops.
The 40-year-old actor recently topped the annual poll by Quigley Publishing Co., which has surveyed movie exhibitors since 1932 on which stars generate the most box-office revenue.
The Forbes survey, which acknowledged that it was “subjective,” also took into account a star’s ability to attract financing for a project. The list was released Tuesday.
Smith’s latest film, “Seven Pounds,” received terrible reviews, but still earned $70 million at the domestic box office. His summer superhero blockbuster “Hancock” grossed $228 million.

Checker’s “Twist” tops all-time singles chart
NEW YORK (Billboard) – The 50th-anniversary Hot 100 Song chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 since the singles chart’s inception in August 1958 through July of this year.
Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.
To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from all 50 years, earlier time frames were each weighted to compensate for the differences in the faster turnover rates from those earlier decades, compared with the slower churn the Hot 100 has experienced since the advent of Nielsen Music data.
Here are the top 10 singles on Billboard’s 50th-anniversary Hot 100.
1: THE TWIST (CHUBBY CHECKER)
Label: Parkway / Peak Date: 9/19/60 and 1/13/62 / Peak Position: 1 (1 week) and 1 (2 weeks)
“I resurrected a corpse” is how Chubby Checker feels about recording “The Twist” in the early summer of 1960. And Frankenstein’s monster had nothing on his achievement.
“The Twist” is the only song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to enjoy two separate chart runs to No. 1: September 19, 1960 (one week), and, after an October 1961 appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” January 13, 1962 (two weeks). It also set a record for the most weeks (39) on the Hot 100 by a No. 1 song — which held until UB40’s “Red Red Wine” lasted 40 weeks in 1988. Others since have surpassed the mark.
“‘The Twist’ brought the world dancing apart (to) the beat,” says Checker, now 66, who was born Ernest Evans in South Carolina before moving to Philadelphia. “Then came all our dances — the Pony, the Mashed Potato, the Fly, the Hucklebuck — all dancing apart to the beat. Chubby gave us that. How did he do it? With ‘The Twist.”‘
Forty-eight years later, however, Checker fesses up to being a reluctant savior for the song. “The Twist” first came out as the B-side of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters’ 1959 single “Teardrops on Your Letter.” DJs largely ignored “The Twist,” but inner-city youth who had flipped the disc began doing a hip-wiggling dance to the track, which did not go unnoticed by “American Bandstand” host Dick Clark. When he couldn’t get Danny & the Juniors to record a version of the song, Clark went to Philadelphia’s Cameo-Parkway label and suggested that Checker take it on. Checker had recorded “The Class” for him in 1958 as a holiday single to send to friends.
“I said I didn’t want to sing that song,” Checker remembers. “It had been out already. Nobody was playing it. But I wanted to make records, and so when they said, ‘Come up here and sing “The Twist,”‘ I said, ‘OK.”‘
“The Twist” was the gift that kept on giving: Five more of Checker’s 32 Hot 100 entries mined the dance. He even joined the Fat Boys for “The Twist (Yo, Twist),” which hit No. 16 in 1988.
2: SMOOTH (SANTANA FEATURING ROB THOMAS)
Label: Arista / Peak Date: 10/23/99 / Peak Position: 1
(12)
Exactly 30 years before Santana reached No. 1 with “Smooth,” his eponymous band made its first appearance on the Hot 100 with “Jingo.” It wasn’t an auspicious debut, peaking at No. 56. But if you had told Carlos Santana back then that he would have the biggest hit of his career 30 years later to the week, do you think he would have believed you? Probably not. Co-written by Itaal Shur and Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, “Smooth” introduced Santana’s smash album “Supernatural” and became one of the biggest radio monsters of the decade, spending 12 weeks at No. 1.
3: MACK THE KNIFE (BOBBY DARIN)
Label: Atco / Peak Date: 10/5/59 / Peak Position: 1 (9)
In 1958, “Splish Splash” put 22-year-old Bobby Darin on the map, and three more hits in quick succession cemented his teen appeal. But the furiously ambitious Darin wanted the longevity promised by singing in supper clubs, appealing to Frank Sinatra’s audience. “In night clubs I lean to other things. I even do ‘Mack the Knife’ from ‘The Threepenny Opera,”‘ Darin told Billboard at the time. He recorded “Mack” for his standards album “That’s All,” produced by Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler for Atlantic’s Atco imprint. It won the Grammy for record of the year as well as a slightly belated nod for Darin as best new artist.
4: HOW DO I LIVE (LEANN RIMES)
Label: Curb / Peak Date: 12/13/97 / Peak Position: 2
LeAnn Rimes’ second Hot 100 entry, after the 1996 No. 26-peaking “Blue,” stands as the longest-running Hot 100 title of all time, charting for 69 weeks total between June 1997 and October 1998. The song, recorded when Rimes was only 14, even outlasted two of her follow-up releases on the chart. It also led the Adult Contemporary chart for 11 weeks and has gone on to sell 3.5 million physical singles. On the digital front, it routinely shifts more than 1,000 units per week, for a total to date in excess of 203,000. “It’s just one of those songs that lives on in everyone’s life,” Rimes says today.
5: MACARENA (BAYSIDE BOYS MIX) (LOS DEL RIO)
Label: RCA / Peak Date: 8/3/96 / Peak Position: 1 (14)
This flamenco-flavored party song and accompanying silly dance by two middle-age men named Antonio Romero and Rey Ruiz was a hit in Spain in 1993, and “Macarena” was a favorite on cruise ships before docking in Miami’s South Beach clubs by mid-decade, first appearing on the charts in 1995. But the bilingual Bayside Boys Mix of the song exploded on radio, spending 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1996 and reaching the top several weeks before it was used to introduce — and provide a punch line for — Al Gore’s speech at that year’s Democratic National Convention. Los Del Rio’s early version eventually returned to the chart, peaking at No. 23 and spending 21 weeks on the tally.
6: PHYSICAL (OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN)
Label: MCA / Peak Date: 11/21/81 / Peak Position: 1 (10)
Olivia Newton-John was weary of the sweet love songs that had defined her career for more than a decade. With longtime producer John Farrar, she decided to up the tempo for the title track of 1981’s “Physical.” The song also stirred up controversy for its lyrical nod to sexual intimacy, ultimately fueling a 10-week stay atop the Hot 100 to become Newton-John’s biggest career hit. It had immense crossover appeal, scoring on the pop, adult contemporary, club play and black charts. After all was said and done, “Physical” was the No. 1 song of 1982.
7: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE (DEBBY BOONE)
Label: Warner Bros./Curb / Peak Date: 10/15/77 / Peak Position: 1 (10)
Pat Boone’s four daughters tried for years to forge a music career as the Boone Sisters, with no luck. Label honcho Mike Curb was determined to launch lead Debby as a solo artist and found the ideal song at a screening of the movie “You Light Up My Life.” Curb borrowed the instrumental track and had Boone’s vocal recorded over it. His instincts were right on: “Light” remained at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 10 weeks beginning in October 1977, a record at the time for a female artist, and won an Academy Award for best original song and a Grammy Award for Boone as best new artist.
8: HEY JUDE (THE BEATLES)
Label: Apple / Peak Date: 9/28/68 / Peak Position: 1 (9)
The first single the Beatles released on their Apple Records label, “Hey Jude,” was written in 1968 by Paul McCartney to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian during the divorce of his parents. “I started with the idea, ‘Hey Jules,’ which was, ‘Julian, don’t make it bad, take a sad song and make it better,”‘ McCartney told biographer Barry Miles. “Hey Jude” entered the Hot 100 for the week ending September 14, 1968, at No. 10 and rose to No. 1 two weeks later. It held the top spot for nine weeks, making it the most successful hit of the band’s career. It remains a staple of McCartney’s live shows to this day.
9: WE BELONG TOGETHER (MARIAH CAREY)
Label: Island/IDJMG / Peak Date: 6/4/05 / Peak Position: 1
(14)
Early in the decade, Mariah Carey experienced a prolonged dry spell of hits that coincided with some bizarre public appearances, a film flop and a disastrous $80 million deal with Virgin. But she regrouped spectacularly on Island Def Jam with “The Emancipation of Mimi.” “We Belong Together,” the album’s monster second single, was produced by Jermaine Dupri. It spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and helped the album shift 5.9 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “I prayed to get through everything I got through, and I prayed for this record to be really good and really strong and for me to be proud of it,” she told Billboard in 2005. “God always answers my prayers.” Carey now has 18 No. 1 Hot 100 hits, second only to the Beatles’ all-time record of 20.
10: UN-BREAK MY HEART (TONI BRAXTON)
Label: LaFace/Arista / Peak Date: 12/7/96 / Peak Position: 1 (11)
Three years after winning the 1993 best new artist Grammy Award, Toni Braxton released her second consecutive multiplatinum album, “Secrets.” The follow-up to her self-titled LaFace Records debut spun off the preacher’s daughter’s first Hot 100 No. 1 (“You’re Makin’ Me High”) and this, the biggest hit of her career. The song — written by Diane Warren, produced by David Foster and rendered in Braxton’s distinctive, husky alto — spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100. A “Diva Mix” of the track, inspired by her show-opening performance at the 1996 Billboard Music Awards, spread “Heart” to overseas success as well.

Best of 10: AFI releases top-10 genre film lists
LOS ANGELES – The American Film Institute’s top-10 lists of the best in 10 film genres:
ANIMATION
1. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” 1937.
2. “Pinocchio,” 1940.
3. “Bambi,” 1942.
4. “The Lion King,” 1994.
5. “Fantasia,” 1940.
6. “Toy Story,” 1995.
7. “Beauty and the Beast,” 1991.
8. “Shrek,” 2001.
9. “Cinderella,” 1950.
10. “Finding Nemo,” 2003.
FANTASY
1. “The Wizard of Oz,” 1939.
2. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” 2001.
3. “It’s a Wonderful Life,” 1946.
4. “King Kong,” 1933.
5. “Miracle on 34th Street, 1947.
6. “Field of Dreams,” 1989.
7. “Harvey,” 1950.
8. “Groundhog Day,” 1993.
9. “The Thief of Bagdad,” 1924.
10. “Big,” 1988.
GANGSTER
1. “The Godfather,” 1972.
2. “Goodfellas,” 1990.
3. “The Godfather Part II,” 1974.
4. “White Heat,” 1949.
5. “Bonnie and Clyde,” 1967.
6. “Scarface: The Shame of a Nation,” 1932.
7. “Pulp Fiction,” 1994.
8. “The Public Enemy,” 1931.
9. “Little Caesar,” 1930.
10. “Scarface,” 1983.
SCIENCE FICTION
1. “2001: A Space Odyssey,” 1968.
2. “Star Wars: Episode IV ó A New Hope,” 1977.
3. “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” 1982.
4. “A Clockwork Orange,” 1971.
5. “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” 1951.
6. “Blade Runner,” 1982.
7. “Alien,” 1979.
8. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” 1991.
9. “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” 1956.
10. “Back to the Future,” 1985.
WESTERN
1. “The Searchers,” 1956.
2. “High Noon,” 1952.
3. “Shane,” 1953.
4. “Unforgiven,” 1992.
5. “Red River,” 1948.
6. “The Wild Bunch,” 1969.
7. “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” 1969.
8. “McCabe & Mrs. Miller,” 1971.
9. “Stagecoach,” 1939.
10. “Cat Ballou,” 1965.
SPORTS
1. “Raging Bull,” 1980.
2. “Rocky,” 1976.
3. “The Pride of the Yankees,” 1942.
4. “Hoosiers,” 1986.
5. “Bull Durham,” 1988.
6. “The Hustler,” 1961.
7. “Caddyshack,” 1980.
8. “Breaking Away,” 1979.
9. “National Velvet,” 1944.
10. “Jerry Maguire,” 1996.
MYSTERY
1. “Vertigo,” 1958.
2. “Chinatown,” 1974.
3. “Rear Window,” 1954.
4. “Laura,” 1944.
5. “The Third Man,” 1949.
6. “The Maltese Falcon,” 1941.
7. “North By Northwest,” 1959.
8. “Blue Velvet,” 1986.
9. “Dial M for Murder,” 1954.
10. “The Usual Suspects,” 1995.
ROMANTIC COMEDY
1. “City Lights,” 1931.
2. “Annie Hall,” 1977.
3. “It Happened One Night,” 1934.
4. “Roman Holiday,” 1953.
5. “The Philadelphia Story,” 1940.
6. “When Harry Met Sally …,” 1989.
7. “Adam’s Rib,” 1949.
8. “Moonstruck,” 1987.
9. “Harold and Maude,” 1971.
10. “Sleepless in Seattle,” 1993.
COURTROOM DRAMA
1. “To Kill a Mockingbird,” 1962.
2. “12 Angry Men,” 1957.
3. “Kramer Vs. Kramer,” 1979.
4. “The Verdict,” 1982.
5. “A Few Good Men,” 1992.
6. “Witness for the Prosecution,” 1957.
7. “Anatomy of a Murder,” 1959.
8. “In Cold Blood,” 1967.
9. “A Cry in the Dark,” 1988.
10. “Judgment at Nuremberg,” 1961.
EPIC
1. “Lawrence of Arabia,” 1962.
2. “Ben-Hur,” 1959.
3. “Schindler’s List,” 1993.
4. “Gone With the Wind,” 1939.
5. “Spartacus,” 1960.
6. “Titanic,” 1997.
7. “All Quiet on the Western Front,” 1930.
8. “Saving Private Ryan,” 1998.
9. “Reds,” 1981.
10. “The Ten Commandments,” 1956.

The Top 10 films of the year chosen by The Canadian Press
TORONTO – The Top 10 films of 2007 as chosen by the writers and editors of the entertainment department at The Canadian Press:
Away From Her: Dubbed a masterpiece by American film critic Roger Ebert, Sarah Polley’s directorial debut is a visually stunning, heart-wrenching yet deftly reserved exploration of a long and occasionally troubled marriage and what happens to it when Alzheimer’s disease intrudes. Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent play Fiona and Grant, and while both are outstanding it’s Pinsent who steals the film, masterfully conveying his internal devastation, but outward stoicism, as he watches his ailing wife of 45 years fall in love with another man. (Lee-Anne Goodman)
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead: A harrowing story of a self-destructive family in meltdown. Uncomfortable to watch from the opening frame, Sidney Lumet’s film traces the mounting desperation of the Hanson brothers after a jewelry store heist goes terribly awry. The superb cast of Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei and especially Philip Seymour Hoffman, who displays an astonishing range of emotions, elevates this crime drama far above most in the genre. (Mike Fuhrmann)
Into the Wild: Newcomer Emile Hirsch arrived on the scene with a roar in this heart-stopping adaptation of the Jon Krakauer book about a young man’s deadly attempt to live off the land in rural Alaska. Director Sean Penn (who did some of the camera work himself) captures breathtaking panoramas that will make even the most reluctant traveller feel like hitting the road. Hirsch’s portrayal of Christopher McCandless, meanwhile, is devastating – striking an exquisite balance between charming idealism and the arrogant bravado of youth. Rounded out by some top-notch performances from Catherine Keener, William Hurt and Hal Holbrook, whose touching portrayal of a widower who befriends McCandless almost steals the movie. (Andrea Baillie)
Juno: Yes, the dialogue was impossibly quirky and clever. But it was hard to ignore the sheer overall charm of this teen pregnancy comedy, which featured a tour-de-force performance from Halifax actress Ellen Page, not to mention another sweet turn from baby-faced Michael Cera of Brampton, Ont. Montreal-born director Jason Reitman sets a nifty comedic tone with his followup to “Thank You for Smoking.” And the film’s script, by former stripper Diablo Cody, is sure to win kudos during awards season. (Andrea Baillie)
Knocked Up: It’s been criticized for being unrealistic and borderline sexist, but never mind: Judd Apatow’s followup to “Forty-Year-Old Virgin” was also laugh-out-loud funny, with only “Superbad,” the filmmaker’s other 2007 outing, coming close to beating it as the year’s best comedy. Sure, Katherine Heigl is gorgeous and Seth Rogen’s character is a loser and a slob, but he’s also a sweetheart. And yes, the women in the film are often shrill, but Apatow makes it quite clear they’re taking on a much larger load in terms of responsibilities than the men in the movie. The film’s best moments? The antics of Rogen’s ragtag band of stoner friends – some of them proudly Canadian – and his magic mushroom road trip with Paul Rudd to Vegas. (Lee-Anne Goodman)
Lars and the Real Girl: Any movie about a sex doll could so easily be a study in frat-boy creepiness, but this gentle and kind-hearted film about the social misfit of a small town who falls in love with the anatomically correct Bianca is delightful. Billed as a comedy, it does have some very funny moments, but mostly it’s a sweet look at how a non-judgmental community rallies behind Lars and his chaste love for a Brazilian sex doll in order to help him grapple with his childhood demons. Canadian Ryan Gosling stars as Lars, and he’s brilliant, particularly in a heartbreaking scene in his shrink’s office as he describes the thing that most terrifies him – human touch. (Lee-Anne Goodman)
Michael Clayton: A coolly intelligent thriller with three fabulous performances – George Clooney as the depressed, down-on-his-luck fixer at a high-powered Manhattan law firm, Tom Wilkinson as the senior partner who’s gone off his meds and needs to be brought to heel, and Tilda Swinton as an ambitious powerbroker at an evil corporation. Smart, slick, suspenseful and beautifully shot, the film boasts a deliciously satisfying ending but also has moments of quiet reflection that keep viewers thinking long after the final frame. (Lee-Anne Goodman)
No Country for Old Men: A riveting morality tale from the Coen brothers that has it all – mesmerizing performances, breathtaking scenery, taut suspense, dry wit and a surprising, unconventional, ending. There’s also the gasp-inducing violence – often unforeseen and shockingly graphic – which could put off the squeamish. But those who bear through the blood will find a compelling meditation on brutality that stays true to the Cormac McCarthy novel that inspired the film. Spanish movie star Javier Bardem is a standout as the unsettling villain Anton Chigurh. (Cassandra Szklarski)
Once: Originality at the movies is a precious commodity these days, which is why this quiet film about a halting romance between an Irish busker and a young Czech immigrant was such a dazzler. Shot in a gritty, cinema-verite style, it stunningly reinvented the conventional movie musical, with songs evolving organically (and often ingeniously) from the storyline. The scene in which the two leads (singer Glen Hansard and his young co-star Marketa Irglova) tentatively play a duet in a music store was perhaps the most magical in any film this year. (Andrea Baillie)
The Savages: This quirky family drama manages to be both funny and touching while avoiding the sentimental sap that often plagues similar fare. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney are brilliant as estranged siblings who reunite to put their faltering father in an old age home, their nuanced performances saturating each flawed character with hilarity and pathos. There are no easy answers in this smart story, a deft look at abuse, self-esteem and the complexity of relationships. (Cassandra Szklarski)

Film Institute lists year’s 10 best
LOS ANGELES – The crime tale “No Country for Old Men,” the oil saga “There Will Be Blood” and the legal drama “Michael Clayton” were among critical favorites that landed on the American Film Institute’s list of the year’s 10 best movies.
Also on the AFI’s list, released Sunday, were the jewel-heist story “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” the stroke-victim tale “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” the road drama “Into the Wild,” the pregnancy comedies “Juno” and “Knocked Up,” the animated rodent comedy “Ratatouille,” and the sibling comic drama “The Savages.”
Unlike other film honors, the institute does not rank films or pick one as the year’s best. The filmmakers behind the top-10 choices will be honored at a luncheon Jan. 11.
Many of the films on the list picked up Golden Globe nominations last week and are expected to compete for Academy Awards. Nominations come out Jan. 22.
Among Globe best-drama nominees were “No Country for Old Men,” Joel and Ethan Coen’s Texas thriller starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin; “There Will Be Blood,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s California oil-boom epic with Daniel Day-Lewis; and “Michael Clayton,” Tony Gilroy’s corporate-lawsuit drama starring George Clooney.
The AFI also released a top 10 list of TV shows and movies for 2007, featuring “Dexter,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Longford,” “Mad Men,” “Pushing Daisies,” “The Sopranos,” “Tell Me You Love Me,” “30 Rock” and “Ugly Betty.”
The top 10 lists were chosen by two 13-member panels, one each for movies and television. Members included actress Melissa Gilbert, filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan and critics Leonard Maltin, David Ansen and Richard Schickel.

Hockey, Britney lead top Yahoo searches of 2007
The NHL has topped Yahoo Canada’s list of the most searched terms for the second year in a row, the internet company reported Monday.
Other hot search items included Britney Spears, Environment Canada and two Hiltons ó socialite Paris and blogger Perez.
“Canadian search results show that we are more than just a celebrity-obsessed culture,” said Oliver Ho, Yahoo Canada’s front page and buzz index editor, in a release. “This year’s top searches also revealed a more practical and pragmatic side of our consciousness with searches for Revenue Canada, the weather and the Lottery Corporation.”
The company, which compiles the top 10 based on searches on its Yahoo Canada search engine, also broke down the top searches by category.
Apple’s new iPhone and redesigned iPod led the list of top searched gadgets in 2007, while Nintendo’s Wii led the searches in the console wars, followed by Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s new handheld PSP and PlayStation 3 console. Rounding out the top electronics hits were accessories for Nintendo’s DS handheld videogame system, digital cameras and plasma TVs.
Former MP Belinda Stronach, who withdrew from politics and battled breast cancer during 2007, led the news list, followed by the October provincial elections in Ontario, the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and Paris Hilton’s short-lived summer jail term. Also making the list were searches for the Virginia Tech and Dawson College shootings, the Robert Pickton murder trial, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the New Democratic Party and the Ontario Liberal Party.
The general search term “funny pictures” led the most-searched images, while tattoos took spots five and nine, hairstyles No. 6, and High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens made the list “clothed” and “unclothed” at spots four and seven. Funny videos in turn led the video list, with the Manitoba Bigfoot sighting, Britney Spears and movie trailers all earning places in the top 10.
In entertainment searches, which the company said consistently top the lists in both Canada and the U.S., Spears and American Idol led the list, with Canadian musician Avril Lavigne in fifth place, soap opera Days of Our Lives hitting No. 8 and the late model Anna Nicole Smith rounding out the 10th spot.
The company found Canadians also have the urge to uncover the odd online, with UFOs, giant squids, vampires, sasquatch sightings and the devil’s bible all making the list of oddities.
Here Were The Top 10 searches in 2007:
1 NHL
2 Britney Spears
3 American Idol
4 WWE
5 Perez Hilton
6 Revenue Canada
7 OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation)
8 Environment Canada
9 Paris Hilton
10 NASCAR

Forbes: Damon’s a `Bourne’ moneymaker
NEW YORK – Matt Damon is Hollywood’s best investment, says Forbes. com.
For every dollar he was paid for his last three roles, Damon brought in $29 of gross income, the site calculated.
That put the 36-year-old “Bourne” star atop a Forbes list of 22 film heavyweights, ranked by the same financial formula.
The first two “Bourne” movies grossed an estimated $850 million at the box office and in DVD sales, Forbes said. The third installment, “The Bourne Ultimatum,” opened last weekend and raked in $70.2 million at the box office. It was the biggest August film opening ever.
Brad Pitt took second place on the list, with a gross income return of $24 for each dollar of his pay, and Vince Vaughn tied with Johnny Depp for third with $21.
Pitt’s ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, is the most profitable actress with a gross income return of $17. Pitt’s current significant other, Angelina Jolie, ranked sixth with $15.
“The biggest stars in Hollywood are not the actors that deliver the biggest returns,” Forbes senior editor Michael Ozanian said in a statement Monday.
Russell Crowe is at the bottom of the list. His last three films ó “A Good Year,” “Cinderella Man” and “Master and Commander” ó averaged just $5 in gross income for every dollar spent on the Oscar winner, Forbes said.
Movies starring the two Toms ó Hanks and Cruise ó averaged $12 and $11 of gross income, respectively. Will Smith and Denzel Washington each brought in $10.
On the comedic front, Adam Sandler brought in $9 per dollar earned, Will Ferrell and Jim Carrey $8 each).
Forbes.com calculated the net revenue for a film by adding the worldwide box office and revenues from U.S. DVD and video rentals and then subtracting its budget. The net revenue was divided by the actor’s total compensation to derive gross income. The average gross income of an actor’s last three films produced their box-office return.
The “Ultimate Star Payback” list was posted Monday.