1 Year…100 Movies, #91: SOPHIE’S CHOICE (1982)

“Don’t you see? We are dying. I longed desperately to escape, to pack my bags and flee, but I did not.” – Sophie

Well, we’ve hit another milestone on our way up this list: our first sad/depressing film. The main thing I knew about this movie before I saw it was that it was used to describe a difficult situation. You know, people would be like, “oh, man, that’s such a Sophie’s Choice.” So, this had me curious as to what this choice in the movie was. I first saw this film shortly after moving back home from college. I know, such an uplifting, happy choice.

Basic Premise of the Film: The possessed guy from “Ghostbusters II” plays a young writer who recalls his time spent at a boarding house where he befriended the aforementioned Sophie and her lover, who’s not all quite there — we later find out he’s schizophrenic. Movie is spliced with flashbacks to Sophie’s previous life where we find out that she’s a Holocaust survivor and we’re also shown exactly what her choice was. Based on a novel of the same name.

Let me tell you guys, when I finally found out what her choice was, I literally bawled my eyes out. I won’t tell you what it is in case you should want to watch the film for yourselves but, man, I don’t know how I would have picked. Terrible situation, guys. Let’s all hope we never have to ever find ourselves under similar circumstances. Other than that revelation, it’s not so hard to see why this movie is considered one of the “greatest.” Meryl Streep is seriously THE greatest actress of our living time and this film shows you exactly why. She definitely deserved the Oscar she won for this role. Watch it and realize that she’s flawless. I think my only problem with this film is that I’ve seen it categorized under “Romance” on Netflix. Like, wait, what…? I guess it has romantic elements but, I wouldn’t consider the film as a whole a “romance.” Even when Google-ing it, it says Drama/Romance. Okay, world, I guess you win. Call it a romance. We can’t finish talking about this film without mentioning Kevin Kline. He is seriously a revelation in this film. I read on the movie’s trivia page on IMDB this was his actual feature film debut. He played the schizophrenic character so well (this opinion is based on what I learned in my psychology classes while I got my BA). Kline is such a great actor – you should definitely watch his Oscar winning role in “A Fish Called Wanda.” 

Lastly, we must talk about this film’s ranking on the list. The movie wasn’t even listed on the 1998 list. I wish I was able to find broadcast footage or some sort of written record as to what changed that compelled the people who voted to include this film on the updated 2007 list. I think that it’s not only the acting by Streep and Kline, but also the story. It’s important to know that the backstory of Sophie’s choice, tragically happened in real life as well. Overall, I consider it a beautiful film that shows why some people need dysfunction and why we shouldn’t judge.

I watch this film a couple of years ago on my computer. Currently streaming on Netflix.  As always, available for rent on YouTube for $3.99 (a little more expensive that the average film, but totally worth it in my opinion).

And now for fun, here’s the original trailer for the film. I think it’s so cool to see how movie trailers used to be compared to now.

1 Year…100 Movies, #92: GOODFELLAS (1990)

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” – Henry Hill

Of all the gangster/mob movies out there, this film is definitely one of my favorites. This is a film I could have easily skipped watching because I know it so well, that once I told my husband it was next on the list he said, “I think you need to watch it again to fully appreciate it’s amazingness.” Okay, sure, why not? If you’ve never heard or seen this film before, WHY?! Honestly, it’s such a great film. But more on that later.

Basic Premise of the Film: The life of Henry Hill. From adolescent on the outskirts of the mob to adult fully living a life of organized crime to convict in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Based on a true story.

If you’ve ever seen a Martin Scorsese film, you know that the man does not play. From what I’ve read (and also from all of his films that I’ve seen) this movie is Peak Scorcese. The script is great, the acting is great, the pacing is great the film as a whole is amazing. This movie hits all the parts that you would expect of a mob movie but it doesn’t glamorize it. I think it’s most baffling to believe that at least half of what is depicted in the film actually occurred. Like you know shit like this has actually gone down in real life but it is still so hard to believe that it did. There is so much that I could be say about this movie but most of it has already been said before. Very few movies are able to successfully reel you in with the opening line. “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”  You can’t hope to come up with a better opening line than this one.

When AFI’s list first came out in 1998, the film was listed #94, on this one it got bumped up to #92. My prediction for the next update is gonna be floating around #88 — I think the significance and brilliance of this film will only be more important as time passes by. Special shout out to Joe Pesci in this film. He won the sole Oscar the film was nominated for and, boy, did he ever deserve that trophy. The role of Tommy DeVito is also peak Joe Pesci. I mean, I LOVED “My Cousin Vinny” but this is the Joe Pesci film to watch. Can’t forget Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro in this film either. They were absolutely great. If there’s a film Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci will be remembered for, it’ll be this one (DeNiro has “The Godfather, Part II” among others).

I viewed this film on DVD. My husband owns it, is low-key obsessed and watches it probably every six months which is why I could’ve probably just skipped over it. As always, available for rent on YouTube.

And now, for funsies…

”GoodFellas: The Making of a Classic”

1 Year…100 Movies, #93: THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)

I hope this isn’t a spoiler or the “OH SHIT” moment.

Well, here’s another movie I have not seen or haven’t heard much about. I know there’s a young Gene Hackman in it — who I thought might have been bae back in the day but he looks the exact same, just less wrinkles. I was actually talking with my husband about how this was the next film I needed to watch (because I could just skip over Pulp Fiction) and he said “Oh, I don’t think you’ll like it. I thought it was boring.” WAIT. WHAT!? How is he going to try and ruining my movie viewing experience before I even get to form my own opinion…? He then redacted his previous statement by saying that he was probably too young to fully understand the film as a whole and might need another viewing to form a better verdict. I guess we shall see which one of his statements is more true.

Basic Premise of the Film: There’s drug smuggling afoot. Two New York Detectives (but really one of them) are trying to bust it up. Based on a true story.

Okay, I didn’t know what to expect beforehand except for my husband’s “review.” Honestly, this film was so much better than I was expecting. It took a minute for the film to really reel me in. There was like maybe 20 minutes or so of plot set-up before the film really took off. Suspense: AMAZING! Plot: GREAT! What really sent this movie over edge for me was this really great foot/train pursuit. All the Oscars were won based on this like 10 minute segment of the film, I swear. Also, the movie poster was a low-key spoiler of an “OH SHIT” moment. After this, you can totally see that a lot of detective-suspense movies after this one wish they were The French Connection. The French Connection isn’t THE detective movie (see: The Maltese Falcon), but it’s definitely one of the best out there that I’ve ever seen. I think one of the things I low-key liked best was that the drug and the smugglers for once weren’t from a Latino background with a cocaine hookup. In this film, they’re French (obviously) and the drug was heroin. They gotta mix it up sometimes, right?

Acting on this film was I think some of the best on this list so far — with the exception of Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur, of course. You’re-gonna-need-a-bigger-boat Roy Scheider was great as Detective Russo. Obviously, the star of this movie was Detective Doyle — Gene Hackman. He was great and definitely deserved the Best Actor Oscar he won. Not only that but this movie was deserving of the Best Picture Oscar as well — the first R-rated film to do so! When the list first came out in 1998 this film as listed at #70 now it’s at #93. 23 spots is a pretty big drop, but that’s still five less that Ben-Hur’s 28. Hopefully, when this list is updated again it’s still on the list because that whole sniper-train chase scene alone deserves to stay on the list.

If you’ve seen “The French Connection,” what did you think of it?

I viewed this film on a hosted website. CLICK HERE if you’d like to watch it. As always, available for rent on YouTube. 

And now for funsies…

Here’s a short YouTube documentary on what makes this film so great. The things I couldn’t find the words for, this covers it.

1 Year…100 Movies, #94: PULP FICTION (1994)

This film holds many a dear memory for me. When I was a freshman in college nearly ten years ago I had never seen this movie. Up until that point, the only Quentin Tanrantino movie I cared about was Reservoir Dogs (I hadn’t even seen any of the Kill Bills). I absolutely loved that movie. I mean, who doesn’t? Unless you don’t, then please tell me why. I need to know. Anyways, my lack of having seen this film all changed when I met my, at the time, future husband. We bonded over the fact that we both were very fond of a specific Tarantino film — his was Pulp Fiction. The first time we tried watching the movie, we made out on and off for most of the night (this was like the third time we were casually hanging out) so I didn’t get the full effect. Fast forward a few months later, we watched it again and I was able to understand why people loved it so much. Honestly, I wasn’t completely blown away but I FINALLY GOT IT. One of the more recent times that I’ve seen it was actually on the big screen in theaters and that just made it all the better. But before I get too ahead of myself…

Basic Premise of the Film: The intertwining stories of about 12-ish people. The story is told out of order but it it starts and ends in the same side story. Low-key we follow the journey of a briefcase full of money/gold/diamonds/popcorn/who knows — all we know is that it glows and it’s valuable.

Honestly, it’s not too hard to see why this film is on the list. With every viewing it gets funnier, better, and funnier — to me at least. Samuel L. Jackson has some of the best lines! You can’t honestly tell me you’ve never seen a meme or heard people talk about his epic biblical speech before he unloads a couple of rounds on some crooks. The filming and writing of the film is just great. It definitely deserved that Best Original Screenplay Oscar it got. Not to mention it introduced the world again to John Travolta. I just want to know what changed in the way the film was perceived from when the “100 Greatest” list was first created in 1998 versus when it was updated in 2007 because it only moved up one spot! Like was it just a little bit more historically significant and had a little bit more of an impact on our culture? I guess Ben-Hur falling so many spots allowed it to move up one more. Maybe when the list is updated again it’ll crack top 90 because it’s only gonna be that much more significant as time goes by.

Another one of the several films on this list that I was able to skip over because I’ve seen it so many times — my husband and I own in on DVD and BluRay. The film is also available for rental on YouTube for the usual price of $2.99. Also currently streaming on Netflix.

And now, for funsies: Here’s one of my favorite scenes from the movie. Mia forcing Vincent to dance because girl really wanted that trophy. That, and who doesn’t love a good Chuck Berry song in an awesome film?

1 Year…100 Movies, #95: THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971)

This is a film that I don’t know too much about either. I don’t even know why it’s supposed to be great. What I do know is that it stars a very young Jeff Bridges (you know when he was super hot) and, after reading the cast list, a young Cybil Shepard as well. Also, it’s completely in black and white — you know, like that movie Nebraska was a couple of years ago. Other than that, a bitch knows nothing. Hopefully, I’ll like it. If not, oh well, I’m sure I’ll be able to figure out why it’s at #95.

 

Basic Premise of the Film: There’s two friends: Sonny and Duane. They live in a small town in Texas. Follows them through their senior year high school. Duane’s girlfriend, Jacey, is a life ruiner, and goes from one friend to the other. Pretty much we see Sonny and Duane go from boys to men.

 

I’m gonna come out and say it: my least favorite part of this film was Jacey.  She was dating Jeff Bridges, kinda sorta broke up with him, was interested in this other dude (Bobby) who wouldn’t bang her until she lost her virginity, got back with Jeff Bridges so they could bang and then broke up with him…AGAIN. OVER THE PHONE. Rude, much?!?! Then the guy she really wanted to hookup with is married by the time she’s bangable, so her mom tells her to try and get with Sonny. BISH, WHAT!? Uggh. I couldn’t stand her. Her motive honestly was to be the talk of the town. She even hooked up with her mom’s side dude. She made no sense to me.

 

BUT the rest of the storylines were good. Cloris Leachman gave a great performance — so much so that she won an Oscar for it. My biggest problem was that I had trouble keeping up with the passing of time. It was hard to tell when either a few weeks or a month or two had gone by. I mean, it wasn’t no Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (which was the worst when it came to keeping track of when we were in the past/present), but it was on it’s way there. Like I told my husband when he asked how the movie was: it wasn’t boring, but it wasn’t my kind of movie. I love movies, but this is not one that I’ll rush to watch again.I saw how and why it’s so acclaimed and won/was nominated for awards, but for me, it was okay. Not the first or the last time I will think this as I make it further up the lsit. Out of the six films I’ve gone through so far, this is the fourth film that was only introduced to the list with the 2007 update. In the next update it might just be off the list altogether, but I guess we will have to wait until next year to see how that pans out.

 

I viewed this movie hosted online. Surprisingly, not ad infested like other sites. CLICK HERE to watch. You can also watch it by renting it on YouTube for $2.99.

 

And now, for funsies..

 

While I was reading about how the movie was initially received (to critical acclaim like most of the films on this list) I just so happened to find out that there was a SEQUEL made to this movie in the 1990s. SAY WHAAAAT!? It’s called Texasville and takes place 34 years after the events of Last Picture Show. All the main casts pretty much comes back. It’s supposed to be just okay (according to Wikipedia). Here’s the trailer for that sequel in case anyone was wondering what it’s about. If anyone has seen it, let me know how it is…for a friend.

 

 

 

As always leave your thoughts, questions and opinions for me in the comments.

1 Year…100 Movies, #96: DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)

So, I’ve been gone for a while – school started and I kinda sorta started a new job – so I just got caught up. BUT, I’m back and have lots of catching up to do.

“Do The Right Thing” is a film that I don’t know much about. I just know the obvious, written and directed by Spike Lee (he’s in the movie too) and that’s it’s supposed to be a great movie. I know there’s good hype around it, but since it’s one of the newer films on the list, it’s legendary status isn’t as well know as Ben-Hur, for example. I did look up who else is in the cast and there’s definitely some great people in this one. The film stars the likes of Martin Lawrence, Samuel Jackson, the guy Cher was originally going to marry in Moonstruck, a young Gus Fring (for my fellow Breaking Bad fans) as well as Rosie Perez. Yeah, I’m kinda sad I don’t have much more to add to my pre-movie commentary, but on with the film.

Basic Premise of the Film: A little bit like all of those ensemble cast films where everyone has their own stories and their paths cross at different points. Everyone is literally trying to do the right thing for themselves.

There’s not much that can be said about this film. That can sometimes be a bad thing when it comes to movies, but in this case, it’s a good one. The film has a very political message and is as culturally significant now as it was then. The struggles in the film are struggles that many are still facing today. What I liked is that it left us with the question about whether the right thing was done or not at the climax of the film. No matter which way you see it, this is definitely the first controversial film on this list. The quotes at the end by Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are enough to start a heated discussion.

Overall, this is a great film, its one that everyone should watch at least once before they die. One of the most surprising facts for me is that this film wasn’t initially included in the 1998 list, but was introduced in 2007 – I guess it took an extra nine years for them to see that this is an important film. It’ll be interesting to see where they rank this film when they update the list next. My guess is that it will be higher for sure!

I viewed this film on a hosted site. Lots of pop-up ads but if you’re willing to battle them, CLICK HERE. Can also be rented from YouTube for $2.99.

And for funsies: Did anyone else think Mother Sister looked a lot  like an older Taraji P. Henson?

1 Year…100 Movies, #97: BLADE RUNNER (1982)

I have to be honest: as much as I love movies, I have never seen Blade Runner. I know, I know, for shame. It’s not that I’ve never wanted to, it’s just that there was a lack of opportunity (I didn’t/nobody owned it and it wasn’t available for streaming). When I finally decided I needed to watch it, before I decided to make my way through this list, there was one more obstacle to get through. That little conundrum dealt with whether it should be the original theatrical release or the slightly extended and reworked Director’s Cut — which is supposed to be what the movie should have been in the first place. I did some digging around and I found that people are split (thanks Reddit!). I even found out that there’s still a third version — The Final Cut — that’s pretty much the Director’s Cut but with a few tweaks here and there, or at least that was my understanding. I was still busy deciding when I just so happened to come across the VHS of this movie at the local Goodwill. Fate had decided that I was going to watch the Director’s Cut. That’s fine by me. The only thing I know about this film is that a cult favorite, the visuals of a futuristic LA are great and that Harrison Ford is HOT (I mean, c’mon, young Harry Ford was Daddy AF, amirite?)

Basic Premise of the Film: Robots are a thing and used as slave labor in other colonized planets. Very hard to distinguish from humans unless given a specific test to detect their emotional response. Since these robots (“Replicants” as they are called in the film) are able to develop human emotions and shiet, they’re only given a life span of 4 years. Now, some of these mofos have gone rogue and come back to Earth to have their lives extended. It is up to the Blade Runner — the catch-a-robot cop — to find them and destroy them (or “retire” as it’s called in the film). May or may not fall in love with side chick to may or may not be a Replicant herself.

Honestly, this was a movie I didn’t quite get. If anything, the plot was much simpler than I was expecting. It could also have been the hype around it that kinda affected my viewing experience a bit. That’s probably the thing with these cult favourite films: some people absolutely love it while others are like “it was okay.” I would probably categorize myself as a cross between the two, but more so on the okay side. Maybe it was because I was watching the wrong version of the film. Who knows. I will note however, it was quite easy to miss something important to the overall plot if I didn’t pay attention to something for a hot second.

In regards to the film’s ranking on this list, when the 1998 list came out it wasn’t even ranked. 2007 saw this film’s introduction into the great American Films lexicon. Now, this movie is definitely one of the, if not THE best example of the neo-noir film genre (I read this fact, googled “neo-noir” and found out what it meant so I could have an opinion). Not only that, but it is directed by one of the most respected directors, Ridley Scott, for his contributions to science fiction. Also, Harrison Ford. He doesn’t need any comments, you just now it’s good. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Harrison Ford film I didn’t like — except maybe Six Days, Seven Nights, that was okay. When the updated list comes out soon, this film may be ranked higher because of it’s significance in film making. In closing, I can see that a lot of these films I won’t find entertaining, because this is the first film on the list that I was a little “meh” about. But what I will probably see the further I climb on the list, a lot of the films have been ranked because of their styling and significance in the film industry (like Toy Story). Now, onto the next one!

 

I viewed this film on a VHS that I came across at the Goodwill Outlet a couple of weeks ago. It was the “Special Edition: Director’s Cut” version. Also available to stream via Xfinity On Demand (until 2/29) — probably on HBO Go as well because it’s hosted by HBO — and available to rent on YouTube. 

And now for funsies…

1 Year…100 Movies, #98: YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

 

Alas, we have come to the first musical on the list. Not that it took too long since it’s the third movie on my way up to number one. Before watching this movie I had never seen a James Cagney anything — trust me, I looked through his IMDB resume to make sure. What I did know is that James Cagney was a big deal. He’s one of the OG Hollywood Legends. So much of a legend that he’s listed at #8 on AFI’s “50 Greatest American Screen Legends.” That’s how you know you’re in for a treat. One thing this film had going for it was that I already knew the title song because of a little film called, Steel Magnolias — the one with Julia Roberts and Sally Field. There’s a scene where they sing the “Yankee Doodle Dandy” because it’s the baby’s birthday. But, enough with the side story. Other than that fun factoid, I knew nothing.

Basic Premise of the Film: The trials and tribulations in the life of George Cohan, a famous vaudevillian and Broadway actor — who’s kind of a cocky douche sometimes. Starts on his birthday, July 4th in the early 1900s and goes all the way to him in semi-retirement at the onset of WWII. Totally based on a true story.

A habit I have after watching certain movies is to go on Wikipedia to see what fun facts I can read about (sometimes I’ll read the actual trivia page on IMDB). It was through doing this that I found out that this film is biographical. The first biopic on this list! There really was a guy named George Cohan — who knew!? I’m sure all of you who’ve seen it did. Anyways, this movie was great. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what put it on the list, but when you think about it, the musical production was great. I mean, who isn’t still singing “You’re a Grand Old Flag?” If it hadn’t been for George Cohan,  I would have never learned that song in elementary school. Beside the title song, there were lots of amazing musical numbers. The pacing was excellent. I didn’t really feel the two hour length of the film — that could have also been aided by the fact that I was folding laundry as I watched it. BUT the movie never dragged on or anything.

When the “100 Greatest” list was first introduced in 1998, this film was listed at #100; 10 years later it got bumped up a couple of spots. Now, I don’t know if this film is better than Ben-Hur, but it definitely is more culturally and historically significant. It covers a specific period of American entertainment history, sometime that Ben-Hur doesn’t do.

I viewed this film online. CLICK HERE to watch it. I apologize in advance for the inappropriate ads (no nekkids or anything, just VERY suggestive). But hey, free movie right? It’s also available for rent on YouTube for $3. 

And for funsies, here’s a clip from the film to make you feel a little extra patriotic (song starts at 1:05)

1 Year…100 Movies, #99: TOY STORY (1995)

“To infinity and beyond!” – Buzz Lightyear

This is the first movie on the list that I don’t even have to watch. I grew up watching this movie and know it backwards and forwards. No joke though, it’s still as funny to me as it was the first time I saw it as a 6-year-old. The best part is that now, 20 years later, I catch all the sly adult jokes the makers of the film snuck in there. Unlike Ben-Hur, this movie didn’t sweep The Oscars, or any awards show for that matter. What it did win, however, was a Special Achievement Oscar. This is a category, before it was discontinued, that wasn’t awarded every year, but was given when someone/something made a special and unique contribution to the film industry. Toy Story was the first full-length animated film to be done solely on a computer and give life to the Pixar Animation Studios.

Basic Premise of the Film: Andy has a faithful fleet of toys that come to life when he is either not in the room or asleep. The movie opens with all the toys worried they’ll be replaced because it’s Andy’s birthday and he’s bound to get newer, better toys. His favorite toy, Woody, tells them they have nothing to worry about, right?! WRONG. Enter Buzz Lightyear — the tickle me Elmo or Cabbage Patch kid of the movie — who comes in and turns Woody’s world upside down. Eventually a jealous Woody decides to get rid of him, and throws him out of the window. Now, Woody has to go on a journey to get him back. This journey sees them being lost all over town and becoming best friends.

Honestly, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, you must have been living in a cave the past 20 years. I don’t know what else to say except that if it wasn’t any good it wouldn’t have spun off two very successful sequels — the last one which was a sobfest to be honest, but I loved it. It’s a film that has stood the test of time when it comes to animation, revolutionized the way animated films are made and definitely one of the best animated films ever. Introduced to the list in 2007, let’s hope when they update the list next year, it won’t be voted off and maybe will be ranked a little bit higher. We shall see.

As mentioned before, there was no need to watch this one. If I would have had to watch it, I would’ve just popped in my DVD. 

And now, for funsies, my favorite scene of the film, mainly because of Woody’s “laugh”:

1 Year…100 Movies, #100: BEN-HUR (1959)

This film is one that is widely known to be a classic. Classic in the sense that it is from the time when most of the Hollywood EPICS came out. I mean that term in the sense that these epics were these big budget movies that were not only great but had amazing headliners at the time. Examples of these include Cleopatra, Spartacus, The Ten Commandments, and Lawrence of Arabia. What’s unique about films like these is that you don’t even have to list who’s in them because you already know. Which is why you don’t really need to see Ben-Hur to know that Charlton Heston is the star of the film. The only film I’ve kinda sorta seen with Charlton Heston before this one was Planet of the Apes and that’s only because the remake Tim Burton made alerted me to the fact that there was even an original to begin with.

Basic Premise of the Film: Guy becomes enslaved because he fell out of favor with power ranking former bro. Vows to return and get his revenge because his mother and sister are imprisoned for no reason as well. Years pass, he comes back, gets his “revenge” of sorts, is reunited with mother and sister after some issues. They all live “happily ever after.” Kinda of a cross between Gladiator and The Count of Monte Cristo.

I went into this knowing that it was a best picture winner. Not only that, but I knew it cleaned house at the Oscars. How did I know this? My husband has an Oscars history book that told me so. But that’s neither here nor there. Afterwards, I got curious and wondered what other films it had been up against for Best Picture: yeah, I hadn’t heard of any of them. This film definitely deserved that statue in my opinion; a year the Academy actually got it right. Now, the movie took like maybe 20 minutes or so to fully reel me in. When it did, I was gone and in love! This movie was amazing. Even in VHS I was able to see the wonder of the cinematography and the production of the film. I also kinda wondered why I’d gone so long without seeing it. As you can see — if you read my thoughts and questions list below — I got a little baby crush on that Charlton Heston. Low-key though. Don’t tell my husband.

I also enjoyed the underlying biblical storyline that was incorporated, that was unexpected but very welcome. I’m just in awe. They really don’t make epics like this anymore. No, The Avengers doesn’t count, no matter how epic you thought it was. I don’t know what else to say except that if you love movies or consider yourself a movie buff: YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS. When the “100 Films” list first came out, the movie was ranked at 72. Ten years later when the list was updated to include films that had been released since, it was demoted all the way to 100. I can’t necessarily say whether it did or didn’t deserve to drop 28 spots, but I guess as I make it through the list and see which films got bumped up and which ones were introduced I can come up with a better answer to that question. Until then, it’s been a great start to watching the movies on this list.

Viewed on a 2-tape VHS set. Before I happened to come across it for purchase, I found a site that hosted it to view online. CLICK HERE if you wish to view it. (If the link goes dead, sorry, you might be SOL)

And, just for fun…

Here’s a list of the questions and thoughts I had as I watched this THREE AND A HALF HOUR film (I typed them as I watched it):

• Overture? Time for snacks.
• What Mary and Joseph are in this? I didn’t know this was a biblical story. Happy Birthday, Jesus!
• How am I like 10 minutes in and the title and credits are only just now coming on? 
• Ahhh….a prophecy about a king leading the Jews to freedom from the Romans. That sounds familiar.
• AHAHAAHA…a carpenter’s boy who does magic tricks. I wonder who that is.
• Oh haaaay there, Judah (Charlton Heston). You ain’t bad looking.
• Well, Judah and his Roman friend, Messala ain’t friends no more.
• Judah, fresh as fuck. Just planting a kiss on Esther. He gonna marry her, I bet you.
• Judah’s sister…what a damn fool. Knocked over the ceiling tile and hit the Governor. On accident though. Too bad that fool died. 
• Awww…Judah taking the blame.
• Dang, Messala. Cold blooded. Wouldn’t even help the homie out.
• Messala investigates; saw for himself Ben-Hur wasn’t full of it. Still doesn’t help the homie out.
• Jail break! Go Judah!
• Welp, I guess they really aren’t friends anymore. Gonna make an example of Judah so people will be scared. Savage AF Messala. Yes, Judah. You will come back and get your revenge. 
• Really savage. Got these prisoners walking barefoot through the hot ass desert with no water. 
• WHAT?! NO WATER FOR JUDAH!? COLD BLOODED AF.
• Nooooo Judah! Don’t die.
• Jesus for the win! Judah said, “God help me.” ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! Even the Roman soldier who was about to stop Jesus from giving him water was all like, “Okay, I ain’t messing with you.”
• Enter boat/ship ride. Where they at? Turns out Judah’s been slaving as a ship rower going on four years now so, where they are, is irrelevant. I guess.
• Judah’s angry AF. He gonna be snatching some heads when he gets the chance. 
• I’m starting to get a little crush on Charlton Heston here. He’s wearing the diaper equivalent of shorts. But dang, he is not bad looking at all. Hey, boo.
• This commander got these people rowing like mad men for no reason. They passing out left and right and he has no fucks to give. These Romans are ruthless. Shout out to the one Roman soldier that was feeling bad — he had a heart deep down. 
• JUDAH FTW. SAVING LIVES WHEN EVERYONE ONE ELSE IS PANICKING. (Plothole: Why that one dude only got a nub for an arm. I need to know). Look at him, even saved the Roman general — he totally owes him one now.
• This guy is pleading for his innocence since he saved his life to the main boss dude, Emperor Tiberius. Ah, snap. Judah’s moved on up the slave ladder. He’s like a personal assistant now. Go Judah!
• Judah got adopted by the man he saved. SAY WHAAAAA…? His name is now “Young Arrius.”
• Papa-san gonna let Judah go back to Jerusalem and get his revenge. That’s love and gratitude right there.
• Judah gonna be a chariot racer. That’s his ticket back to Jerusalem.
• Messala’s all like: “Uhhhhhh….Hey, Judah.”
• Judah about to really snatch some heads since his mother and sister died in the prison. Sidebar: They actually alive, but since they have leprosy, they don’t want him to see them like that, so Esther lied for them.
• Intermission? Time for snacks and to switch the VHS tape.
• This some Pete Rose shiet right now. Persian guy come through betting Judah gonna win this race, Messala’s like hell naw and agrees to a 1,000 pounds bet — they English or Roman? What’s currency do the Romans use? Did they say “pounds” because they’re too lazy to say “libras?”
• Everybody is cheering for their hometown boy, Judah, to win this race. He is after Prince Judah Ben-Hur.
• I’m sure somewhere in this race, George Lucas got the idea for the pod race in Phantom Menace. 
• Can even half of these mofos ride chariots!?!?! They all falling off! Judah sneaking in and taking the lead slowly. It’s only really between J and M now, everybody else is gonna crash.
• Ah, snap. J almost wiped out. Now, J and M are fighting each other with whips, while still racing. Such bitches.
• That’s it, Judah wins! Messala low key tore up AF now. Everyone is so happy their brethen won.
• Dang, Messala on his deathbed, crippled beyond fixing, and he’s still being cold blooded. Over here telling sex on a stick Judah that his mom and sister are actually alive and where he can find them if  “he can even recognize them.” RUDE. BYE MESSALA.
• Well, he found them and Esther convinced him not to make himself known for their own sake. Such will that Judah almost didn’t have.
• Jesus is back! This time he was in the mountains doing his Jesus thang. 
• Judah denounces Rome. He was about to become a citizen, and he said I don’t want it. Okay, you stand up for your beliefs and feelings, girl. Back to being enemy of the state it is, then. 
• Judah’s on a “Fix It Jesus” journey to heal his sister who is on the brink of death. Bless him.
• One problem: Trial of Jesus has just ended and he’s about to be crucified. (Now, I knew Jesus was a very minor barely secondary character, but I didn’t think they were gonna show all of that).
• What. She’s healed! Also: Jesus ain’t on that cross no-more.
• Aww, happy ending. Morale of the story: Keep fighting the good fight, and don’t lose your faith.