From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit
Writing about stories, stories about writing
Citizen Kane (1941) Starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten and Dorothy Comingore Written by Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles Directed by Orson WellesThis has been a really hard review to write; I've had to think a LOT about Citizen Kane and why I thought about it the way I did. I completely understand why the American … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Citizen Kane (#1)
Casablanca (1942) Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains Written by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch (screenplay); Murray Bennett and Joan Alison (stage play) Directed by Michael Curtiz Even at number 2 on this list, I think this movie is underrated. This love story is unlike any other … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Casablanca (#2)
The Godfather, Part II (1974) Starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall Written by Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay) and Mario Puzo (screenplay, novel) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola When Ryan and I were watching the AFI Top 100, we decided that it would probably be a good idea to save The Godfather Part … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: The Godfather Part II (#32)
The Godfather (1972) Starring Al Pacino, Marlon Brando and James Caan Written by Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay) and Mario Puzo (screenplay, novel) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola I've become fascinated with stories of regular people becoming extraordinarily bad ones. I'm not talking about the "fairy tales from a villain's perspective" story that have become a … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: The Godfather (#3)
Gone With The Wind (1939) Starring Vivian Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard Written by Sidney Howard (screenplay) and Margaret Mitchell (novel) Directed by Victor Fleming When I was but a wee leveret in the wilds of Baltimore City, I loved Gone With The Wind. This was a time before it (or … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Gone With The Wind (#4)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Starring Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness and Omar Sharif Written by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson Directed by David Lean Have you seen Lawrence of Arabia? No? Well then, you should probably put down the Internet and go watch it as soon as possible. Because it's the internet, this review will be … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Lawrence of Arabia (#5)
Starring Judy Garland and Margaret Hamilton Written by Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, Edgar Allan Woolf (screenplay) and L. Frank Baum (novel) Directed by Victor Fleming 1939 was a very good year to Victor Fleming. He won an Academy Award for (co-)directing Margaret Mitchell's southern epic Gone With the Wind, and helmed what's arguably an even … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: The Wizard of Oz (#6)
Singin' in the Rain (1952) Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds Written by Adolph Green and Betty Comden Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly It's interesting to me that so many movies chronicle the rise of the "talkies" and the demise of so many silent film stars once pictures had sound. It … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Singin’ in the Rain (#10)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore Written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Frank Capra (screenplay) and Philip Van Doren Stern (story) Directed by Frank Capra Part of what makes It's a Wonderful Life such an indelible movie is its inextricable tie to Christmas and the mood we all … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: It’s a Wonderful Life (#11)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Starring William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins Written by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson (screenplay) and Pierre Boulle (novel) Directed by David Lean The Bridge on the River Kwai is a chronicle of what can happen to twist our logic into insanity through the fog of war. … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: The Bridge on the River Kwai (#13)
From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit 