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)
Sunset Boulevard (1950) Starring Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Erich von Stroheim Written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett and D.M. Marshman, Jr. Directed by Billy Wilder Hoo boy. There's really no question why this is one of the greatest Hollywood films of all time -- Gloria Swanson is completely magnetic as aging film-star Norma Desmond. … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Sunset Boulevard (#12)
Chinatown (1974) Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston Written by Robert Towne Directed by Roman Polanski Chinatown is a hell of a noir film. Set in the Los Angeles of the 1930s, it uses the acquisition of water by land barons to explore deeper themes of moral bankruptcy and how one man's remorseless … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Chinatown (#19)
Raging Bull (1980) Starring Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty Written by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin (screenplay) and Jake La Motta (novel) Directed by Martin Scorcese This movie feels like something of an "anti-Rocky", the story of all those fighters that don't manage to stay on top very long or sacrifice something … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: Raging Bull (#24)
The Maltese Falcon (1941) Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet Written by John Huston (screenplay) and Dashiell Hammett (novel) Directed by John Huston Chances are when you think about the quintessential film-noir detective, you're thinking about Humphrey Bogart from The Maltese Falcon. On the off chance that you aren't, the person you're thinking … Continue reading The AFI Top 100 Films: The Maltese Falcon (#23)
From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit 