OpinionSoup Presents: Dr Donny Goes to the Movies 

LIST-O-RAMA: weekly picks and recommendations

FILMS TO SEE, RENT, BUY OR AVOID...
from the beginning of Cinema, to the present!

 

Picks for Week of 9/29/06

 

 

This Week's Film Picks
All-Time Film Picks
Best of the Best, Worst of the Worst Films
Current Top 25 Directors
Current Top 25 Writers
Current Top 25 Film Composers
Top 10 Adapted Writers/Composers
Top 25 Male Actors
Top 25 Female Actors

 

Wanna Rent Great DVD Movies? 468B

Wanna Buy Great VHS Movies?

 

 

This Week's Picks

Dr Donny's #1 Choices This Week:
My Fair Lady (1964) • Amadeus (1984)

YES, BEST

Amadeus
(1984)

F. Murray Abraham
Tom Hulce
Elizabeth Berridge

YES, BEST

Beautiful Thing
(1996)

Glenn Berry
Scott Neal
Linda Henry

YES, BEST

Clear and Present Danger (1994)

Harrison Ford
Willem Dafoe
Anne Archer

YES, BEST

Dolores Claiborne
(1995)

Kathy Bates
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Judy Parfitt

YES, BEST

Grande école
(2004)

Gregori Baquet
Jocelyn Quivrin
Salim Kechiouche

YES, BEST

Lady Jane
(1986)

Helena Bonham Carter
Cary Elwes
John Wood

YES, BEST

My Fair Lady
(1964)

Audrey Hepburn
Rex Harrison
Wilfrid Hyde-White

NO

The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976)

Nicky Henson
Trevor Howard
Joan Collins

NO

Being Human
(1993)

Robin Williams
John Turturro
Lorraine Bracco

NO

*Cliffhanger
(1993)

Sylvester Stallone
John Lithgow
Michael Rooker

NO

Falling From Grace
(1992)

John Mellencamp
Mariel Hemingway
Claude Akins

NO

Getting Even With Dad
(1994)

Macaulay Culkin
Ted Danson
Glenne Headly

NO

The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)

Michael Paré
Nancy Allen
Eric Christmas

NO

Riverbend
(1990)

Tyrees Allen
Mararet Avery
Michael Ballard

CLARIFICATIONS: Both the YES and the NO have degrees of like and dislike. An *asterisk before a NO title means that in my opinion this film is at the high end of NO, perhaps approaching YES. An *asterisk before a YES title means that in my opinion this film is at the low end of YES, perhaps approaching NO. It's the Maybe Zone.

I disagree with other critics sometimes, and you might disagree with me. It's just my opinion.

The problem with a lot of critics these days, is this: they watch too many movies. And often, they don't watch them any too carefully. I have seen these professional critics, especially the venerable Roger Ebert, make silly mistakes when describing a film - mistakes that let you know without a doubt that they weren't really paying much attention to what they were watching, if they watched it at all.

On the other hand, I watch many less movies (almost never more than two a day) - I don't get paid for doing it, and I enjoy movies. When I tell you that a movie is YES - Great or Really Good Film...it will be because I LIKED it...I ENJOYED it...it was WORTH THE MONEY...not because it scored points by some formula that I invented. Most professional critics do use formulas and point systems; they don't want to say that a film is good because they enjoyed it - they want to tell you in technical terms why it is good, throwing in a few brags on the side about how they know the actors or the director or that they just returned from Cannes or Sundance. They do this to impress each other, students, and people in the business. Of course, this is a great disservice to film FANS, upon whom the entire movie industry depends.

"What are the worst things about the film industry?" I am almost never asked. I have an answer, in case I ever hear this question:

1. MPAA Ratings
2. The politicised and currupt Academy Awards®
3. Studios run by bean-counters, leading to
4. Catering to teenage movie-goers, all of which lead to
5. A plethora of peurile American films, causing adult film fans to search other countries for good movies

Although I am a huge fan of good films, I am not MERELY a fan. I was for years the Entertainment Editor of Alive! magazine in Miami, and my education is in Theatre. By the way, I went to FIU with Andy Garcia and was in a play with him. Just thought I'd throw that in for fun (since I dissed the other critics for doing it), but it really is true.

back to top

All Picks

YES - Great or Really Good Film

7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964)
8 1/2 (1963)
12 Monkeys (1995)
21 Grams
25th Hour (2002)
84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
1900 (1976)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

About A Boy (2002)
About Schmidt (2002)
Above the Law (1988)
The Accidental Tourist (1988)
The Addams Family (1991)
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (1984)
The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The African Queen (1951)
After Dark My Sweet (1990)
Against All Odds (1984)
*Agnes of God (1985
Alice In Wonderland (1999)
Alien (1979)
Almost Famous (2000)
Amadeus (1984
American Buffalo (1996)
American History X (1996)
American Psycho (2000)
Amores Perros (2000)
And the Band Played On (1993)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Apostle (1997)
The Arrival (1996)
A. I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
As Good As It Gets (1997)
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
Au Revoir Les Enfants (1987)
Avalon (1990)

*Basic Instinct (1992)
Batman Begins (2005)
Beaches (1988)
The Bear (1988)
The Beatles Anthology (1995)
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Beautiful Thing (1996)
Before Night Falls (2001)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Being There (1979)
The Believer (2001)
Benny & Joon (1993)
Bert Rigby You're A Fool (1989)
Beyond Rangoon (1995)
Bicentennial Man (1999)
Big Fish (2003)
Billy Elliot (2000)
Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)
The Black Stallion (1979)
Blow (2001)
The Boat (Das Boot) (1981)
Born On the Fourth of July (1989)
Bowling For Columbine (2002)
Brazil (1985)
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The Broken Hearts Club (2000)
The Browning Version (1994)
Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
Bugsy (1991)
The Burning Season (1994)

La Cage Aux Folles (1978)
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
California Split (1974)
Capote (2005)
Casablanca (1942)
Casino (1995)
Chaplin (1992)
Chinatown (1974)
Chocolat (2000)
A Christmas Carol (1951)
The Chronicles of Narnia (2005)
The Cider House Rules (1999)
Cinema Paradiso (1989)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Claim (2000)
Clear and Present Danger (1994)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Con Air (1997)
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Crash (2004)
Crossing the Bridge (1992)
The Crossing Guard (1995)
Crossroads (1986)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)
The Crying Game (1992)

Dances With Wolves (1990)
Dancing at Lughnasa (1998)
David Copperfield (1935)
David Copperfield (1999)
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Dead Man Walking (1995)
Dead Poets Society (1989)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
The Dirty Dozen (1967)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
Donnie Brasco (1997)
Don Quixote (2000)
Dracula (1931)
The Dresser (1983)
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Duma (2005)
Dune (2000, made for TV)

East of Eden (1955)
Easy Rider ( 1969)
Ed Wood (1994)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Elizabeth (1998)
The Emerald Forest (1985)
Empire of the Sun (1987)
The End of the Affair (1999)
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Enemy of the State (1998)
The English Patient (1996)
E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Ever After (1998)

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Fail Safe (1964)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Farewell My Concubine (1993)
Fargo (1996)
Fat Man and Little Boy (1989)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Fellini Satyricon (1969)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
A Few Good Men (1992)
The Field (1990)
The Fifth Element (1997)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
The French Connection (1971)
The Freshman (1990)
Frida (2002)
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
The Fugitive (1993)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Funny Face (1957)

*Galaxy Quest (1999)
The Game (1997)
Gandhi (1982)
Gangs of New York (2002)
Gattaca (1997)
The General (1998)
Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)
Get Real (1998)
Ghost Dog (1999)
*Gigi (1958)
The Gin Game (1981)
Gladiator (2000)
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Gods and Monsters (1998)
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Goodfellas (1990)
Good Morning Vietnam (1987)
Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Gosford Park (2001)
The Graduate (1967)
Grande école (2004)
The Great Escape (1963)
Great Expectations (1998)
The Great Santini (1979)
The Green Mile (1999)
Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (1984)
The Grifters (1991)
Grosse Point Blank (1997)

Hannah & Her Sisters (1986)
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Havana (1990)
Hearts In Atlantis (2001)
Henry V (1989)
High Fidelity (2000)
Hilary and Jackie (1998)
A History of Violence (2005)
Hope and Glory (1987)
Hud (1963)
Hurlyburly (1998)

Igby Goes Down (2002)
I Love You Alice B. Toklas! (1968)
Il Postino (1994)
Immortal Beloved (1994)
An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
The Incredibles (2004)
Indochine (1992)
In the Line of Fire (1993)
In the Name of the Father (1993)
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

Jack The Bear (1993)
Jacknife (1989)
Jarhead (2005)
Jaws (1975)
JFK (1991)
Joe the King (1999)
Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
Judgment At Nuremberg (1961)
Juliet of the Spirits (1965)
Jurassic Park (1993)

The Killing Fields (1984)
The King (2005)
K-Pax (2001)
Kundun (1997)

Lady Jane (1986)
The Lake House (2006)
The Last Emperor (1987)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Leap of Faith (1992)
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Les Misérables (1998)
Liam (2000)
Life Is Beautiful (1998)
Like Water For Chocolate (1992)
Lion of the Desert (1981)
The Lion In Winter (1968)
Little Big Man (1970)
Little Women (1994)
Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)
Look Both Ways (2005)
LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
LOTR: The Two Towers (2002)
LOTR: The Return of the King (2003)
Lord of War (2005)

*The Machinist (2004)
The Magic Christian (1969)
The Magnificent Seven (1960)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Man From Elysian Fields (2001)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Marathon Man (1976)
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
M.A.S.H. (1970)
Master and Commander (2003)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Metroland (1997)
Michael Collins (1996)
A Midnight Clear (1992)
Midnight Cowboy (1969)
Minority Report (2002)
The Miracle Worker (1962)
Moonlight Mile (2002)
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
Mumford (1999)
Munich (2005)
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
My Fair Lady (1964)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Mystic River (2003)

Naked Lunch (1991)
Nashville (1975)
Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Nicholas Nickleby (1947)
Nicholas Nickleby (2002)
Night Falls On Manhattan (1996)
The Night of the Generals (1967)
Night of the Iguana (1964)
Nineteen-Eighty-Four (1984)
Nixon (1995)
North By Northwest (1959)
Not One Less (1999)

The Object of Beauty (1991)
O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)
October Sky (1999)
Oliver Twist (1948)
Oliver Twist (2005)
One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
The Onion Field (1979)
On the Waterfront (1954)
The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
Over The Hedge (2006)

Papillon (1973)
Pascali's Island (1988)
Paths of Glory (1957)
Patton (1970)
Pelle the Conqueror (1987)
A Perfect World (1993)
The Pink Panther (1963)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Platoon (1986)
Pleasantville (1998)
Plenty (1985)
Pollock (2000)
The President's Analyst (1967)
Pretty Woman (1990)
Primal Fear (1996)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
The Producers (1968)
The Proposition (2005)
Psycho (1960)
The Pumpkin Eater (1964)

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)
Raging Bull (1980)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Rain Man (1988)
Ran (1985)
Rashômon (1950)
Rear Window (1954)
Red Dragon (2002)
Reds (1981)
Rob Roy (1995)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Romero (1989)
Ronin (1998)
Rounders (1998)
Running On Empty (1988)

Salvador (1986)
Saraband (2003)
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Saving Shiloh (2006)
Say Anything (1989)
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Schindler's List (1993)
The Score (2001)
Serpico (1973)
The Seven Samurai (1954)
Shakespeare In Love (1998)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shining (1980)
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Simon Birch (1998)
SLC Punk! (1998)
Sling Blade (1996)
Snow Falling On Cedars (1999)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
*The Sound Barrier (1952)
The Sound of Music (1965)
Stand By Me (1986)
Star Kid (1997)
Star Trek First Contact (1996)
Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Steel Magnolias (1989)
Steppenwolf (1974)
Strangers In Good Company (1990)
Swing Kids

The Tailor of Panama (2001)
Talk Radio (1988)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Tea With Mussolini (1999)
Telling Lies In America (1997)
Tender Mercies (1983)
The Tenth Man (1988)
Terms of Endearment (1983)
The Thin Red Line (1998)
A Thousand Clowns (1965)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)
*Tombstone (1993)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Total Recall (1990)
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
*Twilight Zone the Movie (1983)
Twister (1996)
The Two Jakes (1990)

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
Under the Volcano (1984)
Unforgiven (1992)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
U-Turn (1997)

Valentín (2002)
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Vanya On 42nd Street (1994)
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Vertigo (1958)

Waking Ned Divine (1998)
Walkabout (1971)
Waterland (1992)
Weird Science (1985)
What Dreams May Come (1998)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Wilde (1997)
The Wings of the Dove (1997)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Woodstock (1970)
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Wuthering Heights

The X-Files (1998)
*X-Men (2000

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Yellow Submarine (1968)
You Can Count On Me (2000)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
The Young Poisoner's Handbook (1995)
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

Zelary (2003)

NO - Flawed, or Just Plain Sucks

3 Ninjas (1992)
8 1/2 Women (1999)
*10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
54 (1998)
*2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)
3,000 Miles To Graceland (2001)

Ace Ventura Pet Detective (1994)
Ace Ventura When Nature Calls (1995)
Adam and Steve (2005)
The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl (2005)
After the Sunset (2004)
Against the Ropes (2004)
Agent Cody Banks (2003)
Agent Cody Banks 2 (2004)
*Alamo Bay (1985)
Alexander (2004)
*Alfie (2004)
All Of Me (1984)
*All the President's Men (1976)
*All the Pretty Horses (2000)
Alone In The Dark (2005)
*American Beauty (1999)
*The American President (1995)
American Psycho II (2002)
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
Anger Management (2003)
Animal Factory (2000)
Anna and the King (1999)
Apt Pupil (1998)
Armageddon (1998)
Austin Powers Goldmember (2002)
Austin Powers Int'l Man of Mystery (1997)
Austin Powers Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
*Awakenings (1990)

Backdraft (1991)
Bail Out (1989)
Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever (2002)
The Banger Sisters (2002)
Bastard Out Of Carolina (1996)
The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976)
The Beach (2000)
Being Human (1993)
The Believers (1987)
The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)
Bewitched (2005)
Beyond the Stars (1989)
Big Momma's House (2000)
*The Big Sleep (1946)
*Billy Bathgate (1991)
Black Eagle (1988)
*Black Hawk Down (2001)
*Blade Runner (1982)
BloodRayne (2005)
Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
The Body (2001)
Bowfinger (1999)
Boys Don't Cry (1999)
The Boys From Brazil (1978)
*Braveheart (1995)
*Broken Arrow (1996)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Bulworth (1998)

Cabin Fever (2002)
*Cabo Blanco (1980)
Caddyshack (1980)
Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)
*Cast Away (2000)
*Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Catwoman (2004)
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Chicago (2002)
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Citizen Cohn (1972)
City by the Sea (2002)
*City Slickers (1991)
*Cliffhanger (1993)
*A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Cold Mountain (2003)
The Color Purple (1985)
The Comfort of Strangers (1990)
Congo (1995)
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Constantine (2005)
*Contact (1997)
Cops and Robbersons (1994)
Coyote Ugly (2000)
Crimes of Passion (1984)
Crocodile Dundee II (1988)
Crossroads (2002)
*Cry-Baby (1990)
The Cure (1995)

*Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
*The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
Daniel (1983)
Dante's Peak (1997)
Dark Water (2005)
Death To Smoochy (2002)
Deconstructing Harry (1997)
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
Demolition Man (1993)
The Desert Fox (1951)
Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo (2005)
*Devil's Advocate (1997)
*The Devil's Own (1997)
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)
Die Another Day (2002)
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)
Dirty Love (2005)
*The Disappearance of Garcia-Lorca (1997)
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002)
Don Juan DeMarco (1995)
Don't Say A Word (2001)
Down Among the Z-Men (1952)
Dream To Believe (1986)
Dr. No (1962)
Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Dune (1984)
Dutch (1991)

End of Days (1999)
*Enemy Mine (1985)
*Eraser (1996)
*Erin Brockovich (2000)
Escape From New York (1981)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (1972)
*Excalibur (1981)
eXistenZ (1999)
Eye For An Eye (1996)

Face/Off (1997)
Failure To Launch (2006)
Falling From Grace (1992)
Fantastic Four (2005)
Final Destination 3 (2006)
Flightplan (2005)
Flipper (1996)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Freedomland (2006)
From Dusk 'Til Dawn (1996)
Fun With Dick and Jane (2005)

The Gambler (1974)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Getting Even With Dad (1994)
Ghosts of Mississippi (1997)
Gigli (2003)
G. I. Jane (1997)
*The Godfather Part III (1990)
Godzilla (1998)
GoldenEye (1995)
Goldfinger (1964)
Gone In 60 Seconds (2000)
The Green Berets (1968)
Gross Anatomy (1989)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Grumpier Old Men (1995)
Grumpy Old Men (1993)

Hamlet (2000)
*Hannibal (2001)
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Harlem Nights (1989)
Heartbeeps (1981)
*Hide and Seek (2005)
His Girl Friday (1940)
Hitch (2005)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Hollow Man (2000)
The Honeymooners (2005)
Honeymoon In Bali (1939)
Hoot (2006)
House of D (2005)
House On Haunted Hill (1959)
House of Sand and Fog (2003)
House of Wax (2005)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
*The Hunt for Red October (1990)

*Ice Age (2002)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
I Heart Huckabees (2004)
Independence Day (1996)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
*Intermezzo (1939)
I, Robot (2004)
Iron Eagle II (1988)
Iron Eagle III (1992)
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)

Jaws, The Revenge (1987)
Jeff Foxworthy: Totally Committed (1998)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
*The Jimmy Show (2001)
Joe Dirt (2001)
Johnny English (2003)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
*Johns (1996)
The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Just Friends (2005)

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Kazaam (1996)
The Killer (1989)
The Killer Elite (1975)
King Kong (2005)
Kingpin (1996)

Lambada (1990)
Land of the Dead (2005)
*The Last Castle (2001)
*Last Tango In Paris (1972)
Laura Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003)
*A League of Their Own (1992)
*Legally Blonde (2001)
Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde (2003)
Legends of the West (1992)
The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Liar Liar (1997)
The Life of David Gale (2003)
The Littlest Viking (1989)
London (2005)
The Longest Yard (2005)
*Lords of Dogtown (2005)
Lost In Space (1998)
The Lost World - Jurassic Park (1997)

The Mack (1973)
*The Madness of King George (1994)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
*Man on the Moon (1999)
Marie-Antoinette (2006)
Mary Reilly (1996)
The Mask (1995)
The Mask of Zorro (1998)
*The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
The Meaning of Life (Monty Python) (1983)
Meet the Fockers (2004)
Meet Joe Black (1998)
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
*Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil (1997)
*Milk Money (1994)
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Miss Congeniality 2 (2005)
*The Missing (2003)
Mission Impossible (1996)
Mission Impossible II (2000)
Mission Impossible III (2006)
Mississippi Burning (1988)
Miss Julie (1999)
*Moll Flanders (1996)
Monster's Ball (2001)
*Moonraker (1979)
Mr. Nanny (1993)
*Mr. Rice's Secret (2000)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Music Box (1989)
My Brother's War (1997)

Nacho Libre (2006)
Nadine (1987)
National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985)
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
National Velvet (1945)
*Natural Born Killers (1994)
Nerds In Paradise (1987)
Netforce (1999)
Newsies (1992)
*The Newton Boys (1998)
The Next Karate Kid (1994)
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988)
The Night Train To Kathmandu (1988)

Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
The Old Curiosity Shop (1975)
The Omen (1976)
Once Upon A Time In Mexico (2003)
*On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)
*One True Thing (1998)
*On Golden Pond (1981)
Out of Africa (1985)
*Outland (1981)

The Passion of the Christ (2004)
*Patch Adams (1998)
*Patriot Games (1992)
*Pecker (1998)
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
*Philadelphia (1993)
The Philadelphia Experiment (1984)
The Pink Panther (2005)
Planes Trains & Automobiles (1987)
Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
The Polar Express (2004)
Porky's (1982)
Porky's II (1983)
The Postman (1997)
*Pretty In Pink (1986)
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Prince of Jutland (1994)
*The Prince of Tides (1991)
The Promise (2005)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
The Puppet Masters (1994)
Pure Country (1992)

Quills (2000)

Rabid (1977)
*Radio Flyer (1992)
The Rainmaker (1997)
Ray (2004)
Reality Bites (1994)
Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
Red Dawn (1984)
Red Eye (2005)
Reefer Madness (1936)
Regarding Henry (1991)
Remember the Titans (2000)
*Rent (2005)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Riverbend (1990)
The Robe (1953)
Rocky (1976)
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
*Rush Hour (1998)
The Russia House (1990)

Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Save the Last Dance (2001)
Sayonara (1957)
*Scarface (1983)
Scary Movie (2000)
Scream (1996)
*Se7en (1995)
*Seven Years In Tibet (1997)
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
Shanghai Noon (2000)
Shanghai Surprise (1986)
*Shrek (2001)
*Sid and Nancy (1986)
*A Simple Plan (1998)
Sister Act (1992)
Sister Act 2 (1993)
The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
Solaris (2002)
Soldier (1998)
Some Kind of Hero (1982)
Son of the Mask (2005)
South of Reno (1988)
Spartacus (1960)
Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Spice World (1997)
Stalin (1992)
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Staying Alive (1983)
Stealth (2005)
The Stepford Wives (2004)
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)
The Substitute 3 (1999)
Suicide Blonde (1999)

*Tadpole (2002)
Taffin (1988)
Tango & Cash (1989)
Tarzan the Ape Man (1981)
*Tequila Sunrise (1988)
Texasville (1990)
Theodore Rex (1995)
A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (1996)
*Throw Momma From the Train (1987)
A Time To Kill (1996)
*Titanic (1997)
*To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
Touching the Void (2003)
Trans (1998)
Troy (2004)
True Colors (1991)
True Identity (1991)
Tumbleweeds (1999)

U-571 (2000)
UFO: Target Earth (1974)
Ulee's Gold (1997)
Underclassman (2005)
*Under Siege (1992)
The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
Urban Legend (1998)
*U. S. Marshals (1998)

Valiant (2005)
Vamping (1984)
Van Helsing (2004)
Victor/Victoria (1982)
*Videodrome (1983)
*A View To A Kill (1985)
The Village (2004)

*Wag the Dog (1997)
*Waiting To Exhale (1995)
*Walk the Line (2005)
Walk the Proud Land (1956)
The Wall (1998)
The War (1994)
War of the Worlds (2005)
Waterworld (1995)
Wayne's World (1992)
Wedding Crashers (2005)
The Wedding Singer (1998)
*What Lies Beneath (2000)
What Women Want (2000)
White Noise (2005)
White Sands (1992)
Wicked Stepmother (1989)
Wild Wild West (1999)
Wing Commander (1999)
*The World According to Garp (1982)
Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993)

XX/XY (2002)
XXX (2002)

You Got Served (2004)
Young At Heart (1954)
The Young Lions (1958)
*Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Yours Mine and Ours (2005)

Zorba the Greek (1964)

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Best of the Best, Worst of the Worst Films

DR DONNY'S CHOICE
BEST OF THE BEST

1935
David Copperfield

1938
The Adventures of Robin Hood

1939
Gone With the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
Wuthering Heights

1941
Citizen Kane

1942
Casablanca

1947
Nicholas Nickleby

1948
Oliver Twist
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

1950
Rashômon

1951
The African Queen
A Christmas Carol

1954
The Caine Mutiny
On the Waterfront
The Seven Samurai (Shichinin no samurai)

1955
East of Eden

1957
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Paths of Glory

1960
The Magnificent Seven
Psycho

1961
Judgment At Nuremberg
One-Eyed Jacks

1962
Lawrence of Arabia
Long Day's Journey Into Night

1963
8 1/2
The Pink Panther

1964
Dr. Strangelove
A Hard Day's Night
The Night of the Iguana (1964)
The Pumpkin Eater
A Shot In the Dark
My Fair Lady

1965
Doctor Zhivago
The Sound of Music
A Thousand Clowns

1966
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

1967
Cool Hand Luke
The Graduate
The President's Analyst

1968
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Lion In Winter
The Producers
Yellow Submarine

1969
Midnight Cowboy

1970
Five Easy Pieces
Little Big Man
M.A.S.H.
Patton

1971
Johnny Got His Gun
The Last Picture Show
McCabe & Mrs. Miller

1972
The Godfather

1973
Papillon

1974
Chinatown
Young Frankenstein

1975
Jaws
Nashville
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

1976
1900
Taxi Driver

1977
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Star Wars

1978
La Cage Aux Folles (Birds of a Feather)

1979
Apocalypse Now
Being There
The Great Santini

1980
The Elephant Man
Raging Bull
The Shining

1981
Das Boot (The Boat)
Lion of the Desert
Reds

1982
E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Fanny and Alexander
Gandhi

1983
The Dresser
Tender Mercies
Terms of Endearment

1984
Amadeus
The Killing Fields
Nineteen-Eighty-Four
Under the Volcano

1985
The Emerald Forest
Ran
Weird Science

1986
Platoon
Salvador
Stand By Me

1987
84 Charing Cross Road
Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children)
Empire of the Sun
Hope and Glory
The Last Emperor
Pelle the Conqueror

1988
The Last Temptation of Christ
Rain Man
The Unbearable Lightness of Being

1989
Born On the Fourth of July
Cinema Paradiso (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso)
Driving Miss Daisy
Henry V
Romero

1990
Dances With Wolves
Goodfellas

1991
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
JFK
My Own Private Idaho
The Silence of the Lambs

1992
Indochine (Indochina)
The Last of the Mohicans
Leap of Faith
Unforgiven

1993
Farewell My Concubine (Ba wang bie ji)
Geronimo: An American Legend
In the Name of the Father
Schindler's List
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

1994
Forrest Gump
Il Postino (The Postman)
Legends of the Fall
Little Women
The Shawshank Redemption

1995
The Beatles Anthology
Beyond Rangoon
Dead Man Walking
Nixon
The Usual Suspects

1996
Michael Collins
Sling Blade

1997
Donnie Brasco
Kundun
Wilde

1998
Dancing At Lughnasa
Great Expectations
Hurlyburly
Les Misérables
Life Is Beautiful (La Vita È Bella)
Saving Private Ryan
Simon Birch

1999
Not One Less (Yi ge dou bu neng shao)

2000
Almost Famous
Billy Elliot
Pollock

2001
Y Tú Mamá También

2002
About Schmidt
Bowling For Columbine
Frida
Gangs of New York
Igby Goes Down
Moonlight Mile

2003
Big Fish
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander
Mystic River
Saraband

2004
Fahrenheit 9/11
Finding Neverland

2005
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
The Constant Gardener
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada

2006
An Inconvenient Truth

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DR DONNY'S CHOICE
WORST OF THE WORST

1936
Reefer Madness

1952
Down Among the Z-Men
The Snows of Kilimanjaro

1959
House On Haunted Hill

1968
The Green Berets

1974
UFO: Target Earth

1976
The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones

1981
Tarzan the Ape-Man

1982
Porky's

1983
Porky's 2
Staying Alive

1984
The Philadelphia Experiment
Vamping

1986
Dream To Believe aka Flying

1987
Jaws: The Revenge

1989
Bail Out

1990
Lambada

1991
Dutch

1992
3 Ninjas
Newsies
Stalin
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
Wayne's World

1993
Being Human
Mr. Nanny

1994
Getting Even With Dad

1996
Kazaam

1997
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Spice World

1998
The Wall

1999
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Suicide Blonde
Wild Wild West
Wing Commander

2000
Big Momma's House
Charlie's Angels
Coyote Ugly
Mission Impossible 2

2001
Joe Dirt

2002
American Psycho 2
Ballistic: Ecks vs Sever
Crossroads

2003
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
Gigli

2004
Catwoman
The Passion of the Christ
You Got Served

2005
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Deuce Bigalow, European Gigolo
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Honeymooners
Miss Congeniality 2
Son of the Mask

2006
Failure To Launch
Marie-Antoinette
Nacho Libre

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BEST PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS

These lists undergo subtle changes every week, as I watch and review more films...some new, some not new. These are "all-time" lists.

Current List of All-Time Top Directors, Writers, Musicians in Film

25 DIRECTORS

1. Steven Spielberg
2. Martin Scorsese
3. Oliver Stone
4. David Lean
5. John Huston
6. Barry Levinson
7. Clint Eastwood
8. Robert Altman
9. Francis Ford Coppola
10. Stanley Kubrick

11. John Boorman
12. Roman Polanski
13. Stephen Frears
14. Ridley Scott
15. John Schlesinger
16. Neil Jordan
17. Woody Allen
18. Ron Howard
19. Milos Forman
20. Robert Zemeckis
21. Lasse Hallström
22. Sidney Lumet
23. Joel Coen
24. Peter Jackson
25. Rob Reiner

25 WRITERS

1. Oliver Stone
2. David Mamet
3. Stanley Kubrick
4. Steven Zaillian
5. Robert Towne
6. Francis Ford Coppola
7. John Huston
8. Woody Allen
9. Ben Hecht
10. Calder Willingham

11. Larry McMurtry
12. Tom Stoppard
13. Ted Elliott
14. Ronald Harwood
15. Ethan/Joel Coen
16. Robert Altman
17. Neil Jordan
18. Akira Kurosawa
19. David Lean
20. Paul Schrader
21. Philippa Boyens
22. William Goldman
23. Peter Jackson
24. Fran Walsh
25. John Boorman

25 MUSICIANS

1. John Williams
2. James Newton Howard
3. Jerry Goldsmith
4. James Horner
5. Hans Zimmer
6. Carter Burwell
7. Elmer Bernstein
8. Howard Shore
9. Ennio Morricone
10. Thomas Newman

11. John Barry
12. Maurice Jarre
13. Mark Isham
14. Danny Elfman
15. Alan Silvestri
16. Marc Shaiman
17. Nino Rota
18. Georges Delerue
19. Patrick Doyle
20. Alex North
21. Dave Grusin
22. Max Steiner
23. Bernard Herrmann
24. Henry Mancini
25. Trevor Jones

Steven Spielberg

Oliver Stone

John Williams

Top 10 Non-Film-Industry WRITERS,
Works Adapted To Film

1. Charles Dickens
2. Ian Fleming
3. William Shakespeare
4. Stephen King
5. Terry Southern
6. Mario Puzo
7. Michael Crichton
8. Philip K. Dick
9. Thomas Harris
10. J. R. R. Tolkien

Charles Dickens
1812-1870

Top 10 Non-Film-Industry COMPOSERS,
Works Adapted To Film

1. J. S. Bach
2. W. A. Mozart
3. Franz Schubert
4. L. V. Beethoven
5. Richard Wagner
6. Paul McCartney
7. David Bowie
8. Irving Berlin
9. Duke Ellington
10. Giacomo Puccini

Johann Sebastian Bach
1685-1750

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Current List of All-Time Top 25 Male Movie Stars

1. Robert De Niro

2. Marlon Brando

3. Dustin Hoffman

4. Al Pacino

5. Jack Nicholson

6. Johnny Depp

7. Daniel Day-Lewis

8. Humphrey Bogart

9. Anthony Hopkins

10. Sean Penn

11. Robin Williams, 12. J. T. Walsh, 13. Willem Dafoe, 14. Philip Seymour Hoffman, 15. James Woods

16. Brendan Gleeson, 17. John Cusack, 18. Ian McKellen, 19. Gary Oldman, 20. John Malkovich

21. John Lithgow, 22. Jude Law, 23. Ian Holm, 24. Robert Duvall, 25. Tom Hanks

O/S Staff Favorites Not Currently In Top 25:

Christian Bale, Gael García Bernál, Orlando Bloom, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Benicio Del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio

Albert Finney, Jake Gyllenhaal, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Ethan Hawke, Heath Ledger, Christopher Lee

Ian McNeice, Liam Neeson, Edward Norton, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Pete Postlethwaite, Keanu Reeves

Geoffrey Rush, Kevin Spacey, Peter Sellers, Billy Bob Thornton, Max von Sydow, Christopher Walken, Elijah Wood

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Current List of All-Time Top 25 Female Movie Stars

1. Anne Bancroft

2. Meryl Streep

3. Angelica Huston

4. Katharine Hepburn

5. Merle Oberon

6. Judi Dench

7. Ingrid Bergman

8. Helen Mirren

9. Audrey Hepburn

10. Julianne Moore

11. Maggie Smith, 12. Cate Blanchett, 13. Frances McDormand, 14. Kristin Scott Thomas, 15. Miranda Richardson

16. Cloris Leachman, 17. Cameron Diaz, 18. Mary Astor, 19. Salma Hayek, 20. Claire Danes

21. Michelle Pfeiffer, 22. Julia Roberts, 23. Jessica Tandy, 24. Susan Sarandon, 25. Vanessa Redgrave

O/S Staff Favorites Not Currently In Top 25:

Joan Allen, Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Toni Collette, Hope Davis, Laura Dern, Shelley Duvall, Mia Farrow

Jodie Foster, Marcia Gay Harden, Audrey Hepburn, Barbara Hershey, Helen Hunt, Holly Hunter, Milla Jovovich, Swoosie Kurtz

Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, Shirley MacLaine, Gwyneth Paltrow, Robin Wright Penn, Lynn Redgrave, Meg Ryan

Lois Smith, Elizabeth Taylor, Lily Tomlin, Liv Tyler, Sigourney Weaver, Celia Weston, Reese Witherspoon, Alfre Woodard

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REPEAT: My "Tops" change from week to week, as additional data accumulate.

Please do your part, whatever you may perceive that to be, to end the reign of censorship in the American Film Industry, as represented by the MPAA Ratings. The MPAA Ratings ensure that American films remain among the world's most juvenile, puerile, and infantile. There is today an entire generation of filmgoers with no idea, thanks to Jack Valenti, of what a truly great film is. 

This page is mostly my own opinion, and it's very true. If you want more facts and more opinion (some of it very, very far off-the-wall), go to the Internet Movie DataBase, http://us.imdb.com. Many opinions also can be found at http://www.amazon.com. My opinions are better, in my opinion.

Dr Donny urges you to SUPPORT INDEPENDENT FILM-MAKERS. 
 

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OpinionSoup is published by Don Harthcock. OpinionSoupMovies © Don Harthcock, OpinionSoup.com, 2005-2006. Portions of OpinionSoup may be reproduced on your site with proper credit and a link. This instruction supercedes all previous prohibitions. Taping OS to refrigerators, posting on bulletin boards & emailing to friends is waycool, highly-recommended, and much appreciated!

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