Top Ten Films

Irish & Scottish

1. In The Name Of The Father (Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson)
2. Braveheart
3. Far And Away (If you can forgive the occassional campiness you'll enjoy the story!)
4. The Commitments (An awesome movie that will send you to the record store for Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, and Booker T and MGs records.)
5. Michael Collins (Liam Neeson)
6. Rob Roy (Liam Neeson)
7. Local Hero (A gem of a movie with an awesome soundtrack and beautiful scenery.)
8. Ryan's Daughter (It's long but worth it; the last line is the best.)
9. Some Mother's Son (This one shows the 'Troubles' in N. Ireland from a mother's perspective. If you liked In The Name Of The Father this one is a must see.)
10. The Secret Of Roan Inish (A rich John Sayle's film with something for viewers of all ages.)

-John Downey

Top Ten 'Film noir' (Fr. black film)

1. Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski. Number 19 on the recent American Film Institute’s list of the most important American movies. The only film on this list shot in color.
2. Out of the Past (1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur. Often called the quintessential film noir, it has all the elements: the essentially good man destroyed by an inescapable past; the loving, supportive woman along with the alluring, destructive woman; the set-up; the betrayal.
3. Force of Evil (1948), directed by Abraham Polonsky. Often cited by Martin Scorcese as one of the films that influenced him most. Polonsky was blacklisted shortly after this film was made.
4. Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy wilder; script by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, both Academy Award nominees, from the novel by James M. Cain. Number 38 on the recent American Film Institute’s list of the most important American movies.
5. Gun Crazy (1949, AKA “Deadly Is the Female”), directed by Joseph H. Lewis. Inspired by the tales of Bonnie and Clyde, it is renowned for its inventive and stylish camera work. Script co-written by the then-blacklisted Dalton Trumbo under a false name.
6. Detour (1945), directed by Edgar Ulmer. An early example of film noir, and largely unknown to the general public.
7. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), directed by Tay Garnett. Adultery in Thousand Oaks, murder in Malibu Canyon.
8. The Set-Up (1949), directed by Robert Wise. A washed-up boxer clings to the shreds of his integrity.
9. Kiss of Death (1947), directed by Henry Hathaway. One of the most famous scenes in film noir features grinning gangster Richard Widmark pushing an elderly woman down the stairs in her wheelchair. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
10. The Killing (1956), directed by Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick’s second film, in which the best-laid schemes of mice and men go oft awry . . .

-Stephen Parmelee

Top Ten Films in Which Los Angeles Itself Is a Character

1. Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski
2. Sunset Blvd. (1950), directed by Billy Wilder
3. L.A. Story (1991), directed by Mick Jackson
4. True Confessions (1981), directed by Ulu Grosbard
5. Boyz ’n the Hood (1991), directed by John Singleton
6. Blade Runner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott
7. Grand Canyon (1991), directed by Lawrence Kasdan
8. Good Morning, Babylon (1987), directed by Paolo Taviani
9. L.A. Confidential (1997), directed by Curtis Hanson
10. Postcards from the Edge (1990), directed by Mike Nichols

-Stephen Parmelee

Top Ten Films of varied motif

1. Adult:Lolita(Irons)
2. Animals:Iron Will
3. Animated:Tarzan
4. Australian:The Gods Must be CrazyI&II
5. Business:Secret of My Success
6. Car Chases:Ronin
7. Classic:Some Like it Hot
8. Comedies:French Kiss,MIB
9. Entertainment:Soap Dish
10. Food:Mystic Pizza
11. Gibson:Ransome
12. High School:She's All That
13. Long:Cleopatra
14. Martin: Father of the Bride
15. Musicals:My Fair Lady, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, April in Paris, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Music Man, Carosel, The King and I, Sound of Music
16. Racial:Perfect Harmony
17. School:School Ties
18. Sports:Basketball Diaries
19. Surprise:Primal Fear
20. War:Saving Private Ryan

-Lindsay Scott

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