AFI's 2007 list of the Top 100 American Films

Feel Free to comment about movies that should/shouldn't have made the list:

1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.

2. "The Godfather," 1972.

3. "Casablanca," 1942.

4. "Raging Bull," 1980.

5. "Singin' in the Rain ," 1952.

6. "Gone with the Wind ," 1939.

7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.

8. "Schindler's List," 1993.

9. "Vertigo," 1958.

10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.

11. "City Lights," 1931.

12. "The Searchers," 1956.

13. "Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope," 1977.

14. "Psycho," 1960.

15. "2001 - A Space Odyssey," 1968.

16. "Sunset Boulevard", 1950.

17. "The Graduate," 1967.

18. "The General," 1927.

19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.

20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.

21. "Chinatown," 1974.

22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.

23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.

24. "E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.

25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.

26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.

27. "High Noon," 1952.

28. "All About Eve," 1950.

29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.

30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.

31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.

32. "The Godfather, Part II," 1974.

33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.

34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.

35. "Annie Hall," 1977.

36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.

37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.

38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.

39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.

40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.

41. "King Kong," 1933.

42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.

43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.

44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.

45. "Shane," 1953.

46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.

47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.

48. "Rear Window," 1954.

49. "Intolerance," 1916.

50. "The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.

51. "West Side Story," 1961.

52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.

53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.

54. "M*A*S*H," 1970.

55. "North By Northwest," 1959.

56. "Jaws," 1975.

57. "Rocky," 1976.

58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.

59. "Nashville" 1975.

60. "Duck Soup," 1933.

61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.

62. "American Graffiti," 1973.

63. "Cabaret," 1972.

64. "Network," 1976.

65. "The African Queen," 1951.

66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.

67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.

68. "Unforgiven," 1992.

69. "Tootsie," 1982.

70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.

71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.

72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.

73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.

74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.

75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.

76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.

77. "All the President's Men," 1976.

78. "Modern Times," 1936.

79. "The Wild Bunch - The Original Director's Cut," 1969.

80. "The Apartment, 1960.

81. "Spartacus," 1960.

82. "Sunrise," 1927.

83. "Titanic," 1997.

84. "Easy Rider," 1969.

85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.

86. "Platoon," 1986.

87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.

88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.

89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.

90. "Swing Time," 1936.

91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.

92. "GoodFellas," 1990.

93. "The French Connection," 1971.

94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.

95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.

96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.

97. "Blade Runner," 1982.

98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.

99. "Toy Story, 10th Anniversary Edition," 1995.

100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

I have watched nearly half of the top 100 but I have never seen the following:

4. "Raging Bull," 1980.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
11. "City Lights," 1931.
12. "The Searchers," 1956.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.
17. "The Graduate," 1967.
18. "The General," 1927.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.
27. "High Noon," 1952.
28. "All About Eve," 1950.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.
35. "Annie Hall," 1977.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
41. "King Kong," 1933.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
48. "Rear Window," 1954.
49. "Intolerance," 1916.
51. "West Side Story," 1961.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.
55. "North by Northwest," 1959.
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.
59. "Nashville," 1975.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.
63. "Cabaret," 1972.
64. "Network," 1976.
65. "The African Queen," 1951.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
78. "Modern Times," 1936.
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
80. "The Apartment, 1960.
81. "Spartacus," 1960.
82. "Sunrise," 1927.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.
90. "Swing Time," 1936.
91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.
93. "The French Connection," 1971.
95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.
97. "Blade Runner," 1982.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.

Any suggestions on which ones I should watch of the films I have not yet watched?

Newt On Shamnesty Bill

I really, really, really want to see a Rudy/Newt ticket in '08!

Obama: Religious Right "Hijacked" Jesus

10,000 flock to church to hear Obama speak
By Manya Brachear
Chichago Tribune

HARTFORD, Conn. -- They came to hear a prophet. Some believe they did. Others heard just another politician.

More than 10,000 members of the United Church of Christ rose to their feet in a hockey arena here on Saturday to applaud one of their own who happens to be a Democratic presidential candidate--Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Weaving biblical imagery with political promises, Obama, a member of Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side, encouraged those in the audience to follow their consciences and fight for a better America.

"Doing the Lord's work is a thread that's run through our politics since the very beginning," Obama told church members. "And it puts the lie to the notion that the separation of church and state in America--a principle we all must uphold and that I have embraced as a constitutional lawyer and most importantly as a Christian--means faith should have no role in public life."

He also accused the Christian Right of "hijacking" Jesus to polarize the public.

"Somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together. Faith started being used to drive us apart," he said. "Faith got hijacked partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, who've been all too eager to exploit what divides us.

"At every opportunity, they've told evangelical Christians that Democrats disrespect their values and dislike their church, while suggesting to the rest of the country that religious Americans care only about issues like abortion and gay marriage, school prayer and intelligent design," he said.
Read More.

Yes... those pesky religious right-wingers are using the church to divide Americans and promote their political agenda.

...No word on whether Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton were in attendance.

Jessie Davis, RIP

There is a special place in hell for the kind of monster who kills a pregnant mother and her unborn child. There is a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, but it doesn't seem particularly likely that police would go after one of their own unless the evedince was compelling. I will wait to see the evidence before I make up my mind; but if ever there were a case for capital punishment, this would be the case.

I live in Ohio, so this case which has sparked national attention has also been of local interest. When Jessie was still missing after 6 days, local opinion was that she was probably dead... but we still had hope that Jessie would return to her family.

During the Friday news conference broadcast on AM 640 WHLO, the Police said they would not have another press conference until Monday unless there was something new to report. At 6:00 PM this evening, the police reported that they found the body they believe is Jessie Davis and that Bobby Cutts has been arrested and charged with 2 counts of murder.

This case is so very sad. Today there will be millions of tears for Jessie and her unborn child. I just feel sick about this. Sick to my stomach and sick in my heart.

Could it be true?

The Iranian connection may also have a Shanghai connection as well.

If true, this is very troubling. Very troubling, indeed!

Via Power Line (via the Washington Times)

Intelligence: China Supplying Terrorists In Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan

Bill Gertz, writing in the Washington Times, said today that China is supplying large quantities of weapons to both Iraq and Afghanistan, through Iran:

New intelligence reveals China is covertly supplying large quantities of small arms and weapons to insurgents in Iraq and the Taliban militia in Afghanistan, through Iran.

Some arms were sent by aircraft directly from Chinese factories to Afghanistan and included large-caliber sniper rifles, millions of rounds of ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades and components for roadside bombs, as well as other small arms.

According to the officials, the Iranians, in buying the arms, asked Chinese state-run suppliers to expedite the transfers and to remove serial numbers to prevent tracing their origin. China, for its part, offered to transport the weapons in order to prevent the weapons from being interdicted.

U.S. Army specialists suspect the weapons were transferred within the past three months.

The Bush administration has been trying to hide or downplay the intelligence reports to protect its pro-business policies toward China, and to continue to claim that China is helping the United States in the war on terrorism. U.S. officials have openly criticized Iran for the arms transfers but so far there has been no mention that China is a main supplier.

There is no question about the fact that Iranian-supplied weaponry is making our task more difficult in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The question is one of degree. I don't have a good sense of whether this is a major factor or a small one. Likewise, it would take more information to determine whether China's contribution is material or not.

Still, why put up with even a trickle of Chinese weapons to our enemies? The economic growth on which China's leaders have staked their country's future is dependent on China's relationship with the U.S. Somewhere in our government's vast bureaucracy there are people who could suggest ways in which we could make it unprofitable for China to supply our enemies.

First off, how on earth did the Washington Times uncover an international arms conspiracy involving one of our biggest trading partners and one of our greatest enemies?

Then, on the one hand, if China is supplying the weapons being used to kill American Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, then that is simply outrageous. On the other hand, China probably sees our arming and funding of Tibet as being along the same vein. This is not to suggest that we are wrong to support Tibet, but it seems especially relevant to any outrage we may have towards China.

Wow

Jeff Glodstein has an amazing discussion with Senator Robert Byrd's Grand Kleagle hood. You absolutely have to read this.

New Data Shows Devastating Losses in Iraq

If the US media and the Dems were not so invested in defeat, this sort of data would be well known. Kudo's to Chuck at America's North Shore Journal for putting together these figures.

"Homegrown" Terror: The Thwarted JFK Pipeline Attack

There has been something bugging me about this story and I know I am not the first to bring this up, but the following line seems inextricably linked to the reporting on the JFK terror bust:

Authorities said the JFK scheme was an example of homegrown terrorism.

Homegrown terrorism. When I think of that, I think of Timothy McVeigh. The guy was born and raised in America. He wasn't linked (that I am aware of) to international organizations. Homegrown in that context makes sense to me.

Apparently the press thinks of anyone with US citizenship of being homegrown:

Russell Defreitas, a U.S. citizen and native of Guyana...

How is it that a foreigner who moves to this country with a deep hatred of America and dreams of causing death and destruction herein is best qualified as "homegrown?"

Moreover, I read in one article that the plot was devised 10 YEARS ago!!! A decade is a fairly significant amount of time; particularly when put into the context of terrorism. This plot was dreamed up years before 9/11. This was long before the US began it's global War on Terror.

So once again, I ask: How exactly is this properly categorized as "homegrown" terror as opposed to, oh I don't know, a "sleeper" cell?

The man came to America hating America. He planed for over a decade to cause massive death and carnage. Isn't this what we were most concerned with after 9/11? Possible sleeper cells, radical extremists laying in wait. Isn't this exactly what these terrorists represent?

Allen Kelly, Barking Moonbat

Allen C. Kelly.

I never met the man. Infact, we didn't exchange links, email, or other pleasantries. In a manner of speaking, I didn't know the man at all.

And yet, every day or so when I checked my Google Reader, I ALWAYS checked Barking Moonbat for updates. The Skipper always brought a smile to my face and lightened up my day. I am going to miss that.

I don't know how to explain my sense of loss. In a way it is like losing a favorite author, but it's also more than that. You read a book and it touches you, but you don't have a daily connection to the author. Through his blog, Allen reached out to a world-wide audience and connected with us sometimes several times a day. Everytime I checked my daily feeds this week there was something missing. I don't want to dwell on this, but I did want to share my thoughts on a great man who touched my life. Skipper, this one is for you!

Another sign of progress in Iraq

I'm hesitant to distribute anything from the Washington Post as they tend to focus on negativity and portray anything and everything going on in Iraq as a sign of doom and failure. I believe this snippet was intended to be another harbinger of the four horsemen riding against our brave folks in Iraq but to that end, they failed. I think a deeper look into this graphic and some thought about the actual events described shows real progress on the part of the Iraqi police and on the part of our servicemen in dealing with the guerrilla tactics of the insurgency. When faced with a potent, well-planned and well-coordinated ambush (a sign of interference from professional soldiers from other troublesome "republics" in the area, perhaps) Iraqi police didn't crumble or run away, they worked with US forces to competently suppress the attack and ended up kicking butts and taking names. Milestones like these are important to the confidence of a budding force

The Insurgents' Increasingly Complex Tactics in Ambushes

RIP: Allan C. Kelly

I have been reading this site for years...

I am at a total loss. This is a sad, sad day.

Rest in Peace Skipper.