There are a lot of movies that I have been wanting to see based solely on the fact that they contain a line of dialogue that made top 100 list of Hollywood’s best quotes of all time. I’m just that shallow. Luckily, 1001 movies seems to have included several (dozen) movies, possibly for this same reason, and so my need-to-see list has gotten notably shorter. What movies? I’m glad you asked!
Sunset Boulevard: All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.
Gloria Swanson delivers multiple award-winning lines in this movie, including “We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces!” and “I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.” The movie is narrated by William Holden (Best. Voice. Ever.) who plays Joe Gillis, a down-on-his-luck writer who winds up in the clutches of Norma Desmond, who in turn is looking to make a comeback from her silent picture days of glory. Just your basic house of cards waiting for the catalyst to knock it all down.
Dirty Harry: You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya, punk?
This is Clint Eastwood’s best role ever. I’ll grant you as a close second the opening sequence of Sudden Impact (“Every day for the past ten years, Loretta there’s been giving me a large black coffee. Today she gives me a large black coffee, only it has sugar in it. A lotta sugar.“) Sure he was nominated for acting Oscars for a couple of other movies, but I stand by this claim.
The Maltese Falcon: The stuff that dreams are made of.
It’s a quarantine-perfect film-noir mystery starring Humphrey Bogart as P.I. Same Spade. He’s hired to find a gem-encrusted statue of a falcon, a gift from Malta to the King of Spain. His search takes him through complex trails of assassination, intrigue, and espionage.
Citizen Kane: Rosebud
By now, most of us know that Rosebud is the last thing Citizen Kane says before he dies, and we probably also know what Rosebud refers to, thanks to Fraser Crane on Cheers. However, the movie still manages to hold onto a few more surprises that make it worth checking out.
Silence of the Lambs: A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
Whenever I watch this movie, I am surprised at how good it is, because the book was honest-to-god awful. And sadly, it’s the book I always seem to remember (because of how awful it is). The movie is just full of crazy if you enjoy this sort of thing (like I do) – Ted Levine is making a skin suit, Anthony Hopkins eats people, and Jodie Foster goes off on her own to catch a serial killer.
Psycho: A boy’s best friend is his mother
A Hitchcock classic! Norman Bates is the quintessential mamma’s boy, and is also a psycho-killer which really rounds out his personality. There’s nothing more to say except that this is a MUST SEE movie if you are lucky enough to have never watched it.
This is Spinal Tap: The numbers all go to eleven.
Spinal Tap is a cult classic parody of life on the road of a heavy metal band. Despite the obvious comedy extremes (the band is on its 33rd drummer, because the 32 previous drummers inexplicably died), several famous musicians found it so close to the truth they initially thought it was a real documentary. A mildly disturbing thought.
Dracula: Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make.
There are more than forty(!) different variants of Dracula if you search IMDB, so to be clear, I am referring to the original 1931 version. In what might be the most perfect casting decision of all time, Count Dracula is played by the iconic Bela Lugosi, who never blinks once during the entire movie (true fact, trivia buffs!). Dracula is, of course, a vampire, and is sucking the blood of every young maiden he can find in order to turn them into young Lady Vampires. Fortunately Dr. Van Helsing figures everything out and saves the day with a handy wooden stake.
Frankenstein: It’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE!
A 1931 classic Dr. Frankenstein builds Boris Karloff from dead body parts and brings it to life. Later, a mob of torch-carrying nazis…. sorry, villagers … hunts him/it down and burn him/it back to death. It’s a tale as old as, well, yesterday.
“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.” I’ve heard many variations of that when I show people the fava beans I have growing in my garden. Sigh.