bloggedy blog: the personal weblog of a music lover and aging punk wannabe

:: Thursday, June 13, 2002 ::

Top chick flicks. So much serious stuff going on in the world today. Colorado wildfires rage. U.S. Roman Catholic bishops spin and resign. The Shaq and Kobe show, aka the Lakers, threepeat. Meanwhile, on page 3, global turmoil continues unabated. So, let's distract ourselves from these serious matters. Turn to the entertainment section, and let's talk about movies, movies, movies.

Recently the American Film Institute released its list of the 100 greatest romance movies of all time. Topping the list was Casablanca. (Full AP coverage at MovieClub.com.) My friend MH's favorite was all the way down at No. 25. I'm not a hopeless romantic, but was glad to see Doctor Zhivago (No. 7) and Annie Hall (No. 11) make the list.

To be honest, I don't think I could come up with 10 favorite love stories. But I do like comedy, and so I offer you my top 10 all-time favorite comedies:

10. Young Frankenstein. I love Mel Brooks -- a true comic genuis in his day. This is his best. Blazing Saddles is a close second -- probably in my top 15.

9. Being There. Everybody knows that Dr. Strangelove is the greatest Peter Sellers comedy ever, right? Or perhaps The Pink Panther? My vote goes for Being There, a simple tale about a simple man. It's Candide in the '70s.

8. Modern Romance. Okay, maybe I do like romances -- but only funny ones, like this underrated movie from the early '80s. Albert Brooks directs and stars in this comedy about an obsessive-compulsive filmmaker who gets dumped.

7. Eating Raoul. A twisted black comedy, more bizarre than anything the Coen Brothers could cook up. Paul and Mary Bland are nice people, in a Gomez and Morticia Aadams sort of way.

6. National Lampoon's Animal House. A crude and sophomoric vehicle for the comic genius of John Belushi. Still, Animal House is in a class all its own. Directed by John Landis and co-written by Harold Ramis, who was at the top of his game with this one -- even better than his portrayal of Dr. Spengler in Ghostbusters II.

5. A Night at the Opera. I'm crazy about the Marx Brothers. This movie's state room scene alone is worth watching the entire movie.

4. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The AFI wouldn't allow this on its list, because it's a British flick. But the web is global, and I want to show how broad-minded I am. Ergo, Holy Grail makes my list. (For a lot of other reasons as well, you silly k-niggits!)

3. Airplane! Airplane!? Surely, I can't be serious! I am serious, and (all together now) Don't call me Shirley. This Zucker and Abrahams movie made Leslie Neilsen the international megastar he is today. Airplane! is one of the greatest farces ever created, and spawned an industry of lesser farces. But none can compare to this one.

2. Duck Soup. Mrs. Teasdale: This is a gala day for you. Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho): Well, a gal a day is enough for me. I don't think I could handle any more. *chortle* Did I mention that I'm crazy about the Marx Brothers?

1. Raising Arizona. The best Coen Brothers movie I've ever seen, with the best comedic chase scene ever. Nicholas Cage's best acting, too, and Holly Hunter's best, outside of Broadcast News. John Goodman and William Forsythe, as the excaped cons the Snopes brothers, add much to the comic elements of this terrific movie. Ed McDonnough (Hunter): You mean you busted out of jail. Evelle (Forsythe): We released ourselves on our own recognizance. Gale (Goodman): What Evelle means to say is, we felt that the institution no longer had anything to offer us. Funny, funny stuff.

So, there you have 'em. Feel free to comment on mine, or zap me your own favorites.

:: Andrew 08:49 + ::
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