My friend Alex (who is kind of brilliant, and who also kind of terrifies me) has continued her "Greatest Movies of all Time" series.
Here's Part I.
Here's Part II.
And here ... just launched ... is Part III.
See why I love this woman? She has The Princess Bride, Maltese Falcon, Star Wars, and Night of the Living Dead on the same list. That's my kind of movie fan.
GENIUS.
Here - just to give you a snippet - is her analysis of Lion in Winter, one of the movies on her list - one of the movies on mine, as well:
Although altered a bit from the stage version, this film holds up as a masterpiece of power vs. power. It is at once a story of love, and simultaneously, a story of land. It never seems to linger on one or the other, which I think helps us to decide who's side to be on, and who will win the coveted Crown of England. Relying on stellar performances from almost everyone involved with the film, it doesn't try to be something it's not. We don't get wide shots of wars and battles, or close ups of tears and wailing, the direction of the film steps out of the way of the story. It is clear, and one of the few times, we, as the audience, are able to make up our own minds. It's one of the few movies that can tell of the absolute war between people and power. In it's faithfulness to the play it keeps the witty and often non apologetic dialog fresh and incisive, while at the same time offering us a non theatrical way of delving into the lives of this fragmented family. Power and Love. Two themes we can all admire and understand.
One last anecdote she shares with us (this is why her lists are so terrific):
The script [the Lion in Winter script]arrived in the mail for Katherine, and this was at a time when she had decided to truly retire. She wanted to relax, live at Fenwick and eat her ice cream. Spencer was gone and so was the love of her life. She really had no intention to ever create again. After she read it, she called the director and said: "Do it before I die."This was her third Oscar. She is the only actress to ever win four.
Brava, Alex. I miss you.