Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) - #98

This continues the series of AFI top 100 movie reviews. While I should be reviewing #100 Ben-Hur, that film is 3 1/2 hours long, and I haven’t gotten to it yet.

I watched Yankee Doodle Dandy on DVD at home Sunday evening. It was the first time I had ever seen the film, and I had no spoiler information.

Yankee Doodle Dandy is a biographical musical surrounding the life and works of George M. Cohan (James Cagney). Because the works of Cohan have strong patriotic themes (”Yankee Doodle Boy”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Over There”), the movie carried a strong patriotic theme as well. Clearly this would have been an uplifting film when it was released the summer after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I don’t typically enjoy musicals, but I will happily make an exception for Yankee Doodle Dandy. There were several points where I found myself laughing, and I was engaged in the film through its entirity. I even have had several of the songs from the film stuck in my head the last few days. It certainly belongs on the list, and if it is any indication, I’m in for a treat as I begin my journey through the top 100. I give it a 4 out of 5.

October 28, 2007 | Filed Under AFI Top 100

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Psycho (1960) - #14

This begins my review of the top 100 movies.  I intend to watch them beginning at 100, and working backwards, however, I may skip movies that I am familiar with, the first such example being #99 Toy Story.

I saw Psycho at the Admiral Theater, on Friday, as part of their classic film series.  It was a fantastic atmosphere for catching the film, and while it didn’t use the original reel (opting for a DVD projection), sitting in the balcony with fresh popped popcorn and an adult beverage certainly added to the experience.  It was the first time I’d seen this film, and I went into it with no spoiler information.

Psycho is the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, which centers around Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a young woman who embezzles from her employer and while on the run stays at a quiet off highway motel and interacts with its lonely owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).  It’s famous for the very abrupt Shower Scene, when the movie quickly turns from a story about a girl on the run to a story about a maniac serial killer.

I enjoyed the film and found it quite deserving of its place in the top 100.  Expecting to see a horror film, I was quite pleased that Psycho is much more intelligent and suspenseful then just the slasher films it may have inadvertently spawned.  I’d give it a 4 out of 5.

October 21, 2007 | Filed Under AFI Top 100

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