EDitorial ± 26-Nov-2001

Saturday Night At The Movies

Like me, do you find it hard to tear yourself away from those Channel 4 list programmes? You think, I'll watch the first ten minutes, then find yourself dog-tired, still glued to the screen, some three hours later. Certainly that was me on Saturday night for part one (180 minutes for the first part!) of their top 100 films of all time.

Being something of a film snob - subtitled? black and white? bring it on! - I was a little apprehensive about what would make the list. So I was very pleasantly surprised when they opened with a Spike Lee joint (as he calls them on his credits) followed by a very young Albert Finney. Admittedly Arnie was next, but hey. Want to take a look at the complete list?

Numbers 53, 25, 2a, 17, 1, 33, 2b, 65, 9 and 21

Counting down the final ten, we had:

10. Good Fellas
Great to look at, great to listen to, with mad Joe Pesci (funny? who's funny?) before he made the move into Stella Street.

9. Schindler's List
That Ralph Fiennes collected an honorary degree from Suffolk College a couple of weeks back. He's terrific in this.

8. Blade Runner
Who cares if Harrison Ford might be a replicant? Any half-decent sci-fi film still looks like Blade Runner.

7. It's a Wonderful Life
I prefer Jimmy Stewart in A Philadelphia Story or Hitchcock, but this is the definitive Christmas film.

6. Gladiator
Russell Crowe, the new Kirk Douglas. Don't think my 14-inch colour portable did this justice.

5. Some Like It Hot
Like jello on springs. Nobody talks like that. But I'm a man!

4. Pulp Fiction
Everyone in the cinema held their breath during the bit with Uma Thurman and the needle, then laughed when Travolta danced.

3. The Shawshank Redemption
I must see this again. From a Stephen King book, I believe.

2. The Godfather 1 and 2
Probably my personal favourites. Endlessly quotable. That's my family, Kay, it's not me.

1. Star Wars / The Empire Strikes Back
But not the Phantom Menace. Hugely entertaining, but number one?

Good to see appearances elsewhere in the list by the likes of Laurel and Hardy (Way Out West), Woody Allen (Annie Hall) and the Coen brothers (Fargo), plus The Usual Suspects in the top 20. Almost makes up for the absence of Diner.

Be seeing you!

Ed