Double Indemnity 1944 Directed by Billy Wilder Netflix says... Smitten insurance man Walter Neff plots the perfect murder with femme fatale client Phyllis Dietrichson: staging her husband's "accidental" death to collect double indemnity on his life insurance and absconding with the loot. It seems my fate to catch up on all the great film noir … Continue reading AFI #29 – Double Indemnity
Drama
AFI #33 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 1975 Directed by Milos Forman Netflix says... While serving time for insanity at a state mental hospital, rabble-rouser Randle Patrick McMurphy inspires his fellow patients to rebel against the authoritarian rule of head nurse Ratched. Milos Forman's masterpiece won all five major Oscars. This is one I've never seen … Continue reading AFI #33 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Rewatching Buffy
Kids, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was my favorite TV show for a lot of years. I daresay it continues to be my favorite TV show of all time. There is so much about the series to love: action, horror, comedy, Sarah Michelle Gellar. It's got it all. Joss Whedon really knew what he was doing … Continue reading Rewatching Buffy
AFI #53 – The Deer Hunter
The Dear Hunter 1978 Directed by Michael Cimino Netflix says... In this Oscar-winning epic from director Michael Cimino, a group of working-class friends decides to enlist in the Army during the Vietnam War and finds it to be hellish chaos--not the noble venture they imagined. Before they left, Steven (John Savage) married his pregnant girlfriend--and … Continue reading AFI #53 – The Deer Hunter
AFI #67 – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 1966 Directed by Mike Nichols Netflix says... On a serene New England campus, emasculated professor George (Richard Burton) and his rancorous wife, Martha (Elizabeth Taylor), turn an evening of cocktails into an unrelenting onslaught of wrenching disclosures and bellowed epithets. Soon, the couple's guests--junior professor Nick (George Segal) and his … Continue reading AFI #67 – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
AFI #68 – Unforgiven
Unforgiven 1992 Directed by Clint Eastwood Netflix says... Retired gunslinger William Munny (Clint Eastwood) reluctantly takes one last job--and even more reluctantly accepts a boastful youth (Jaimz Woolvett) as a partner. Together, they learn how easily complicated truths are distorted into simplistic myths about the Old West. Gene Hackman (who won an Oscar) and Richard … Continue reading AFI #68 – Unforgiven
Taylor’s Grief
The funeral was over. Most of the people who had gathered afterward had already left. This allowed Taylor Steele to finally get busy cleaning the house. She was done talking to people. She did not want to hear anymore platitudes from well-meaning people expressing condolences. Taylor really did appreciate those people and their thoughts and … Continue reading Taylor’s Grief
AFI #71 – Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan 1998 Directed by Steven Spielberg Netflix says... As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain Tom Hanks and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home. Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz … Continue reading AFI #71 – Saving Private Ryan
AFI 75: In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night 1967 Directed by Norman Jewison Netflix says... Philadelphia detective Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) helps a redneck Southern sheriff (Rod Steiger) solve a murder in this fascinating study in racism that still strikes a resonant chord today. Steiger won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as the put-upon sheriff … Continue reading AFI 75: In the Heat of the Night
AFI #76 – Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump 1994 Directed by Robert Zemeckis Netflix says: Winner of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, director Robert Zemeckis's charming blend of comedy and drama stars Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, a simpleminded man who finds himself in the middle of nearly every major event of the 1960s and '70s. Along the way he … Continue reading AFI #76 – Forrest Gump
The Confusing Middle 