Greatest

My Favorite Paul Thomas Anderson Films (2023 Edition)

by John Charet

* * * * (Out of * * * *)

  1. Inherent Vice (2014)
  2. Phantom Thread (2017)
  3. Licorice Pizza (2021)
  4. The Master (2012)
  5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
  6. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

* * * 1/2 (Out of * * * *)

  1. Hard Eight (1996)

My Favorite Robert Altman Films (2023 Edition)

by John Charet

All of the films and television stuff listed on here, I saw on either a home video format (VHS, Blu-Ray, DVD etc.) or through other means like from someplace online.

* * * * (Out of * * * *)

  1. Nashville (1975)
  2. Short Cuts (1993)
  3. Tanner ’88 (1988)
    (Miniseries)
    (Cable/Television)
  4. A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
  5. Robert Altman’s Jazz ’34 (1996)
    (Documentary)
    (Television)
  6. Kansas City (1996)
  7. 3 Women (1977)
  8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
  9. The Long Goodbye (1973)
  10. California Split (1974)
  11. Secret Honor (1984)
  12. The Player (1992)
  13. Streamers (1983)
  14. The Company (2003)
  15. Gosford Park (2001)
  16. Vincent & Theo (1990)
  17. Come Back to the Five & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982)
  18. Cookie’s Fortune (1999)
  19. Popeye (1980)
  20. A Wedding (1978)
  21. Thieves Like Us (1974)
  22. Images (1972)
  23. Brewster McCloud (1970)
  24. M*A*S*H (1970)
  25. Rattlesnake in a Cooler (1982)
    (Television)
  26. The Laundromat (1985)
    (Cable/Television)
  27. That Cold Day in the Park (1969)
  28. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (1988)
    (Television)
  29. Tanner on Tanner (2004)
    (Miniseries)
    (Cable/Television)
  30. Gun – Season 1 (1997)
    Episode: All the President’s Women
    (Television)
  31. Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson (1976)
  32. Fool for Love (1985)
  33. HealtH (1980)
  34. The Gingerbread Man (1998)
  35. Aria (1987)
    Segment: Les Boreades
  36. A Perfect Couple (1979)
  37. Basements (1987)
    (Television)
  38. O.C. and Stiggs (1985)
  39. Ready to Wear (1994)
  40. Quintet (1979)
  41. Dr. T & the Women (2000)
  42. Killer App (1998)
    (Television)
  43. Beyond Therapy (1987)
  44. Bus Stop – Season 1 (1961)
    Episode: Accessory by Consent
    Episode: A Lion Walks Among Us
    (Television)
  45. Combat! – Season 1 (1962/1963)
    Episode: Forgotten Front (1962)
    Episode: Rear Echelon Commandos (1962)
    Episode: Any Second Now (1962)
    Episode: Escape to Nowhere (1962)
    Episode: Cat and Mouse (1962)
    Episode: I Swear by Apollo (1962)
    Episode: The Prisoner (1962)
    Episode: The Volunteer (1963)
    Episode: Off Limits (1963)
    Episode: Survival (1963)
    (Television)
  46. The Gallant Men – Season 1 (1962)
    Episode: Pilot
    (Television)
  47. Whirlybirds – Season 3 (1959)
    Episode: Experiment X-74
    Episode: The Challenge
    Episode: The Big Lie
    Episode: The Perfect Crime
    Episode: The Unknown Soldier
    Episode: Two of a Kind
    (Television)
  48. Whirlybirds – Season 2 (1958/1959)
    Episode: Infra-Red (1958)
    Episode: Blind Date (1958)
    Episode: Copters and Robbers (1958)
    Episode: Story of Sister Bridgit (1958)
    Episode: Glamour Girl (1958)
    Episode: Act of Fate (1958)
    Episode: Rest in Peace (1959)
    (Television)
  49. Bronco – Season 3 (1960)
    Episode: The Mustangers
    (Television)
  50. Kraft Suspense Theatre – Season 1 (1963/1964)
    Episode: The Long, Lost Life of Edward Smalley (1963)
    Episode: The Hunt (1963)
    Episode: Once Upon a Savage Night (1964)
    (Television)
  51. M Squad – Season 1 (1958)
    Episode: Lover’s Lane Killing
    (Television)
  52. Lawman – Season 3 (1961)
    Episode: The Robbery
    (Television)
  53. Hawaiian Eye – Season 1 (1959)
    Episode: Three Tickets to Lani
    (Television)
  54. Bonanza – Season 2 (1960/1961)
    Episode: Silent Thunder (1960)
    Episode: Bank Run (1961)
    Episode: The Duke (1961)
    Episode: The Rival (1961)
    Episode: The Secret (1961)
    Episode: The Dream Riders (1961)
    Episode: Sam Hill (1961)
    (Television)
  55. Route 66 – Season 2 (1961)
    Episode: Some of the People, Some of the Time
    (Television)
  56. Bonanza – Season 3 (1961)
    Episode: The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch
    (Television)
  57. Peter Gunn – Season 3 (1961)
    Episode: The Murder Bond
    (Television)
  58. Maverick – Season 4 (1960)
    Episode: Bolt from the Blue
    (Television)
  59. Alfred Hitchcock Presents – Season 3 (1957/1958)
    Episode: The Young One (1957)
    Episode: Together (1958)
    (Television)
  60. Nightmare in Chicago (1964)
    (Television)
  61. Sugarfoot – Season 3 (1959/1960)
    Episode: Apollo with a Gun (1959)
    Episode: The Highbinder (1960)
    (Television)
  62. The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna – Season 4 (1960)
    Episode: It’s Magic
    (Television)
  63. Pot au feu (1967)
    (Short)
  64. Countdown (1967)
  65. The James Dean Story (1957)
    (co-directed with George W. George)
    (Documentary)
  66. The Dirty Look (1954)
    (Short)
  67. The Delinquents (1957)
  68. Modern Football (1951)
    (Short)
  69. The Perfect Crime (1955)
    (Short)
  70. The Sound of Bells (1952)
    (Short)
  71. The Magic Bond (1952)
    (Short)

Please note that their are 24 (or maybe more) Altman works (television or otherwise) that have yet to be discovered.

My Favorite Pedro Almodovar Films (2023 Edition)

by John Charet

Some of the films on here I saw on old VHS tapes.

* * * * (Out of * * * *)

  1. Pain and Glory (2019)
  2. Talk to Her (2002)
  3. All About My Mother (1999)
  4. Law of Desire (1987)
  5. The Skin I Live In (2011)
  6. Bad Education (2004)
  7. Live Flesh (1997)
  8. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989)
  9. Volver (2006)
  10. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
  11. Parallel Mothers (2021)
  12. Julieta (2016)
  13. Broken Embraces (2009)
  14. Matador (1986)
  15. Dark Habits (1983)
  16. Labyrinth of Passion (1982)
  17. What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984)
  18. The Flower of My Secret (1995)
  19. High Heels (1991)
  20. Kika (1993)
  21. I’m So Excited! (2013)
  22. Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980)

My Favorite Woody Allen Films (2023 Edition)

by John Charet

Please note that I am judging Woody Allen on here as a filmmaker and not as a person. Yes, I am aware of all of the controversies that have plagued his personal life and I do not condone any of them.

* * * * (Out of * * * *)

  1. The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
  2. Manhattan (1979)
  3. Midnight in Paris (2011)
  4. Match Point (2005)
  5. Husbands and Wives (1992)
  6. Stardust Memories (1980)
  7. Zelig (1983)
  8. Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
  9. Radio Days (1987)
  10. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
  11. Another Woman (1988)
  12. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
  13. Annie Hall (1977)
  14. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
  15. Love and Death (1975)
  16. Sleeper (1973)
  17. Take the Money and Run (1969)

My Favorite Robert Aldrich Films (2023 Edition)

by John Charet

* * * * (Out of * * * *)

  1. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
  2. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
  3. Hustle (1975)
  4. Autumn Leaves (1956)
  5. The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968)
  6. The Killing of Sister George (1968)
  7. Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
  8. Attack (1956)
  9. The Big Knife (1955)
  10. Vera Cruz (1954)
  11. Ulzana’s Raid (1972)
  12. Twilight’s Last Gleaming (1977)
  13. Emperor of the North (1973)
  14. The Longest Yard (1974)
  15. Apache (1954)
  16. The Grissom Gang (1971)
  17. The Dirty Dozen (1967)
  18. The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
  19. …All the Marbles (1981)
  20. Too Late the Hero (1970)
  21. World for Ransom (1954)
  22. Big Leaguer (1953)

My Favorite Chantal Akerman Films (2023 Edition)

by John Charet

All films listed here I watched either on a home video format or online 🙂 P.S. there are still plenty more Chantal Akerman films I need to check out.

* * * * (Out of * * * *)

  1. Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
  2. Portrait of a Young Girl at the End of the 60’s in Brussels (1994)
    (Television)
  3. Toute une nuit (1982)
  4. No Home Movie (2015)
    (Documentary)
  5. Golden Eighties (1986)
  6. Les Rendez-vous d’Anna (1978)
  7. News from Home (1977)
    (Documentary)
  8. Night and Day (1991)
  9. D’Est (1993)
    (Documentary)
  10. Down There (2006)
    (Documentary)
  11. Sud (1999)
    (Documentary)
  12. Je Tu Il Elle (1974)
  13. Hotel Monterey (1973)
  14. Almayer’s Folly (2011)
  15. De l’autre cote (2002)
    (Documentary)
  16. Tomorrow We Move (2004)
  17. La Captive (2000)
  18. A Couch in New York (1996)
  19. Saute ma Ville (1968/1971)
    (Short)

Happy Belated 90th Birthday Tomas Milian

by John Charet

Friday, March 3, 2023, Tomas Milian would have turned 90-years-old. Click here to view a wikipedia entry on him. In honor of this Cuban-born actor with citizenship in both the United States and Italy, I would like to wish Tomas Milian a happy belated 90th birthday. Though primarily remembered as a star of Italy’s two most profitable genres/sub-genres (Spaghetti Westerns and Poliziotteschis), Milian’s interest in acting started when he was a student at New York’s prestigious Actor’s Studio before heading to Italy. As his career took off, Milian proved that he was every bit as comfortable playing charismatic anti-heroes (Django Kill… If You Live, Shoot!) as he was playing no-nonsense cops (The Tough Ones) and sleazy criminals (Almost Human). I still have to see the Nico Giraldi films, but Steve (a regular visitor on here) implies to me that they are unique within the Poliziotteschi sub-genre 🙂 I have loved everything Steve has recommended to me and these films (there are 11 in total) should be no exception 🙂 Milian has also worked with some of the most esteemed European filmmakers of all-time including Luchino Visconti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Claude Chabrol, Bernardo Bertolucci and Michelangelo Antonioni. He has also collaborated with some of the most prominent American/English directors of our time, which include Carol Reed, Dennis Hopper, Abel Ferrara, Tony Scott, Sydney Pollack, Oliver Stone, John Frankenheimer, Steven Spielberg, James Gray and Stephen Soderbergh.

Click here to view a fan site dedicated to Tomas Milian (note: one might have to translate it to English since it is an Italian website)

Click here to view a youtube video link to a 2017 documentary interviewing Tomas Milian entitled The Journey of Tomas Milian

Click here to view a youtube video link to a 2013 Italian television interview with Tomas Milian (note: one might have to go to settings on the video to translate the subtitles to English)

Click here to view a youtube link to an interview with Tomas Milian and actor Fabio Testi on Lucio Fulci’s 1975 spaghetti western Four of the Apocalypse

Last, but not least, here is a list of my favorite Tomas Milian films 🙂 All of which I gave * * * * (out of * * * *) stars to

  1. Boccaccio ’70 (1962) (Segment: The Temptation of Dr. Antonio) (Dir: Luchino Visconti) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  2. Ro.Go.Pa.G. (1963) (Segment: La ricotta) (Dir: Pier Paolo Pasolini) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  3. The Big Gundown (1967) (Dir: Sergio Sollima) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. Face to Face (1967) (Dir: Sergio Sollima) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. Django Kill… If You Live, Shoot! (1967) (Dir: Giulio Questi) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. Run, Man, Run (1968) (Dir: Sergio Sollima) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. Companeros (1970) (Dir: Sergio Corbucci) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  8. Sonny and Jed (1972) (Dir: Sergio Corbucci) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  9. Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972) (Dir: Lucio Fulci) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  10. Almost Human (1974) (Dir: Umberto Lenzi) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  11. Four of the Apocalypse (1975) (Dir: Lucio Fulci) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  12. The Tough Ones (1976) (Dir: Umberto Lenzi) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  13. La Luna (1979) (Dir: Bernardo Bertolucci) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  14. Identification of a Woman (1982) (Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni) Click here to view what may be a revival trailer for the film
  15. Miami Vice – Season 2 (1985) (Episode: Bought and Paid For) (Dir: John Nicolella)

What is your favorite Tomas Milian films? If you have seen a good number of them?

Something Extra from Sight and Sound Magazine

by John Charet

Hey there my dear readers, last week (at least based on my knowledge), I finally got to see all of the voters (consisting of critics and filmmakers) who participated in last year’s Sight & Sound magazine 10-year annual poll regarding what the participants feel are the greatest films ever made. Since going on about it seems pointless (there are literally a kazillion participants), just click here to view the page and choose the page of critic or filmmaker participant that intrigues you the most 🙂 Of course this is only If it interests you all and I will be the first to admit that I have not read them all 🙂 Anyway, enjoy 🙂

Happy Belated 100th Birthday Ava Gardner

by John Charet

Yes, I know I am two months late on this one (her 100th birthday was on December 24, 2022), but I could care less. I would like to wish a Happy belated 100th birthday to iconic Classical Hollywood era star Ava Gardner. Click here to view a wikipedia entry on her. Aside from being famously formerly married to Ol’ Blue Eyes himself Frank Sinatra (the widely acclaimed singer and actor), Gardner was so much more than that. Beyond her beauty on film, Ava Gardner also deserved to be celebrated as a woman with a big heart (read more about The Ava Gardner Trust by clicking here).

Click here to view a series of youtube video links that talk extensively about why Ava Gardner is such a national treasure, whether it be as a Hollywood star or human being

Click here to view the website devoted entirely to the Ava Gardner Museum located in North Carolina – the state she was born in

Now without further ado, below is a list of my favorite Ava Gardner films 🙂 All of them I gave * * * * (out of * * * *) stars to

  1. The Killers (1946) (Dir: Robert Siodmak) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  2. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951) (Dir: Albert Lewin) Click here to view what may be the film’s original theatrical trailer (even though it was a 2010 revival showing). Click here to view the film’s Restoration trailer
  3. Mogambo (1953) (Dir: John Ford) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. The Barefoot Contessa (1954) (Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. Bhowani Junction (1956) (Dir: George Cukor) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. 55 Days at Peking (1963) (Dir: Nicholas Ray) Click here to view what may be the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. Seven Days in May (1964) (Dir: John Frankenheimer) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  8. The Night of the Iguana (1964) (Dir: John Huston) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Let me conclude this post with three questions below for all of my dear readers

Did any of you watch some of the videos on that first youtube link from the second paragraph? Not the movie trailers, but the videos about her legacy? And If so, which ones did you watch and what did you find fascinating about that particular video?

Did any of you visit the Ava Gardner Museum website yet that I mentioned in the third paragraph? And If so, is there anything you read or watched that stood out for you in particular?

Last, but not least, what are your favorite Ava Gardner films?

Happy 90th Birthday Kim Novak

by John Charet

For this blog entry, I wanted to try something a little different (who knows it might become a regular thing around here). In this case, it is wishing a legendary Classical Hollywood era actress a very Happy Birthday. The actress in question is the now 90-year-old Kim Novak 🙂 The aforementioned actress turns 90 today on Monday, February 13, 2023. She is also an accomplished painter and while I could go on with details, instead I shall give you two interesting links that are more in-depth. The first is a wikipedia entry (click here) and the second is an insightful article by former Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum (click here). If any of you are interested in viewing her paintings, click here to view them. As for myself, I shall celebrate by composing a list below of my favorite Kim Novak films (all * * * * out of * * * *) in chronological order.

  1. Pushover (1954) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  2. Phffft (1954) (Dir: Mark Robson) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  3. 5 Against the House (1955) (Dir: Phil Karlson) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  4. Picnic (1955) (Dir: Joshua Logan) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  5. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) (Dir: Otto Preminger) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  6. The Eddy Duchin Story (1956) (Dir: George Sidney) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  7. Jeanne Eagels (1957) (Dir: George Sidney) Since I can’s find a trailer, click here to view one of the film’s many impressive scenes
  8. Pal Joey (1957) (Dir: George Sidney) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  9. Vertigo (1958) (Dir: Alfred Hitchcock) Click here, here and here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer, 1996 Restoration trailer and 60th Anniversary 4K Restoration trailer
  10. Bell, Book and Candle (1958) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  11. Strangers When We Meet (1960) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  12. The Notorious Landlady (1962) (Dir: Richard Quine) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  13. Boys’ Night Out (1962) (Dir: Michael Gordon) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  14. Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) (Dir: Billy Wilder) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer
  15. The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968) (Dir: Robert Aldrich) Click here to view the film’s original theatrical trailer

Click here to view this insightful youtube video link to a 2020 CBS Sunday Morning profile on her

Click here to view another insightful youtube video link to late TCM (Turner Classic Movies) host Robert Osborne’s 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival interview with Kim Novak

Also, click here to view a youtube video link to a 1964 episode of the 1960’s NBC documentary series entitled Hollywood and the Stars: In Search of Kim Novak

Let me conclude this post with a question for all of my dear readers below:

What were your favorite article links in this blog entry?

What were your favorite video links in this blog entry? Which ones did you all find the most fascinating?

What are your favorite Kim Novak films?