Skip to main content

Uncle Orson's All-time Film List

My son loves to read Orson Scott Card. I'm a fan, but not in the same league as my son. He also likes to peruse Card's website, and I thought I'd trot over there and look, what I found, Uncle Orson's All-time Film List:

To make this list, a film had to move me deeply or entertain me greatly on first viewing, and continue to move me and entertain me upon repeat viewings in later years. The first twenty or so are roughly in order of importance to me; after that, the order of the rest could be shuffled a bit without harm. I mean, can I really say that Hudsucker Proxy is "better" than The Man Who Would Be King? Of course not. But I can say that Man for All Seasons is more important to me than any other movie in my life, though the next few aren't far behind.

Regretfully, I confess that I haven't seen all of the films on his list, just most (90+%). What I find amazing is how much I agree with his assessments of the films, and what made them simply Great. For instance, he lists The Man Who Would Be King and says, :This film is so sad that I can't bear to watch the end." And that's so true. I saw it on cable TV years and years ago and was left speechless at the end. When it came out on DVD I had to buy it. I've watched it once. I love the film and can't bear to watch it all the way through.

The film at the top of Card's list is A Man For All Seasons, and while it wouldn't be #1 on my list, it would be near the top. The film should be mandatory viewing for law students, to understand that distinction between being righteous and being self-righteous, so they would hear Paul Scofield deliver that marvelous retort to Corin Redgrave, about how the law must apply to all, even the Devil himself. (Modern film would add, "Especially to the Devil!" but that's just politically correct crap.)

It's a marvelous list with marvelous reasons for why each film is there. And halleluiah, he likes Silverado!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Wick: Chapter 4

No sense in playing coy, this is a great film. I’ve seen it twice and while I don’t quite love it in the way I love the first, original John Wick , it’s my #2. It’s a little overlong, has some wasted space and time, has one absolutely pointless and useless character, and generally ignores the realities of firefights, falling, getting shot, hit, etc. All that notwithstanding, it’s a great action flick, has a genuine emotional core, and is well worth your time if you’re into that sort of thing. Like I am. Summary: John Wick (Keanu Reeves), last seen saying he was fed up with the High Table, goes to war to obtain his freedom. Some of the most incredible action scenes ever filmed ensue, culminating in a very satisfactory finale and a devastating post-credit scene. The first Wick film was a surprise hit. It was a simple, straight-forward tale of vengeance told in a simple, straight-forward manner. Where it stood out was its devotion to human stunt work, on exploiting long camera shots that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

DVD: The Descent

While waiting for the fourth disk of season 4 of House to arrive, I watched The Descent . This movie has been out on DVD for a while, so why bring it up now? Because I think I might become a fan of its writer-director, Neil Marshall . His latest is Doomsday , recently released on DVD, and while it’s sort of a mess, it’s a mess in that oh-fun-what-the-heck-let’s-shoot-a-Bentley-through-a-bus sort of way. The Descent is a different sort of animal. Prepare for spoilers. Since this film has been out for a while, I’m going to feel free to reveal. The setup is simple: Six friends go spelunking, complications ensue. Basic complications involve Sarah and Juno. Sarah is an emotional wreck following the rather horrible and tragic deaths of her husband and daughter (this trip is seen as therapy , oh my). Juno is a reckless thrill-seeker who leads an unknowing Sarah and friends into a cave no one has – publicly, at least – ever explored. All goes horribly...
1 comment
Read more

Dune Part 2 (2024)

I have come not to praise Dune but to bury it. I am in a distinct minority. So be it. To explain why, there will be some minor spoilers ahead; sorry. The short version is #NotMyDune. Summary: Picking up where Dune Part 1 left off, we find the young Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) hanging out with the Fremen. Plots to overthrow rival houses and empires ensue. Go here to see what I thought about Dune Part 1 (2021) . Overall, I found it to be technically brilliant, but lacking a human heart, an exercise in frenetic slow motion. D2 is more of the same, though with far more action. Acting-wise, everyone is doing a fine, more than adequate job. Absolutely no one or nothing stands out. The way the characters are written (adapted, actually), their back and forths and interactions, are all weak and unengaging. I generally hate when they speak. I've read the novel a ridiculous number of times, and these films are prompting me to read it again. I understand that trying to translate the n...
1 comment
Read more