My 2019 National Film Registry nominations
Each December, the National Film Preservation Board selects 25 films to be inducted into the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
The board have said nominations from the public play a vital role in what films they choose to select. In 2017 one film I nominated, Superman (1978) was selected. In 2018 two films I nominated, The Shining (1980) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) had been selected. So they clearly take public nominations seriously.
If you want to nominate any films to be in the registry, go to https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/nominate
You can nominate up to 50 films and the deadline is September 15.
Here are my picks for the 2019 National Film Registry.
The board have said nominations from the public play a vital role in what films they choose to select. In 2017 one film I nominated, Superman (1978) was selected. In 2018 two films I nominated, The Shining (1980) and Brokeback Mountain (2005) had been selected. So they clearly take public nominations seriously.
If you want to nominate any films to be in the registry, go to https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/nominate
You can nominate up to 50 films and the deadline is September 15.
Here are my picks for the 2019 National Film Registry.
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- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsAl PacinoMichelle PfeifferSteven BauerIn 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.Arguably Brian De Palma's best film, it has become a staple of pop culture from Al Pacino's performance, the many quotable lines and even the poster. It is considered by many to be one of the best crime films of all time.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsMark WahlbergJulianne MooreBurt ReynoldsBack when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.Fantastic film with an Altmanesque style of storytelling. It put director Paul Thomas Anderson into the spotlight and helped establish Mark Wahlberg as a serious actor. It also gave Burt Reynolds his only Oscar nomination.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsMarilyn BurnsEdwin NealAllen DanzigerFive friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw.One of the most influential horror films of all time, it is credited with introducing several elements now common in the slasher genre including using power tools as murder weapons and the killer wearing a mask. Ridley Scott cited the film as an influence when making Alien (1979).
- DirectorRalph BakshiStarsSkip HinnantRosetta LeNoireJohn McCurryFritz drops out of college, starts a riot in Harlem and hits the road with an ex-girlfriend before getting mixed up with domestic terrorists.The first animated film to receive an X rating, it explored the possibilities of animation not being entirely for family entertainment.
- DirectorTex AveryStarsElvia AllmanSara BernerDaws ButlerThe characters of the traditional fairy tale demand a new approach to the story as a sexy urban comedy with Red as a nightclub singer.
- DirectorAlexander HallStarsRobert MontgomeryClaude RainsEvelyn KeyesBoxer Joe Pendleton dies 50 years too soon due to a heavenly mistake, and is given a new life as a millionaire playboy.It was the first Hollywood film to feature a guardian angel character which was used in several other films such as A Guy Named Joe (1943) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946).
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsWil WheatonRiver PhoenixCorey FeldmanA writer recounts a childhood journey with his friends to find the body of a missing boy.Although set in the 1950s, it has become a quintessential 80s film with themes of friendship and loss. It also brought a rekindled interest in the Ben E. King song in which the film is named after.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRobert De NiroJames WoodsElizabeth McGovernA former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.Frequently considered one of the greatest gangster films of all time, it is also notorious for being cut against Sergio Leone’s wishes when it was originally released in the United States.
- DirectorChris NoonanStarsJames CromwellMagda SzubanskiChristine CavanaughGentle farmer Arthur Hoggett wins a piglet Babe at a county fair. Narrowly escaping his fate as Christmas dinner, Babe bonds with motherly border collie Fly and discovers that he too can herd sheep. But will the other animals accept him?It features creative special effects for making real life animals talk and is often credited with starting the CGI talking animal revolution. It also has a great story of how being nice can help you succeed.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsSteve McQueenJames GarnerRichard AttenboroughAllied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.Popular film which is considered an all-time classic by many. The score by Elmer Bernstein and motorcycle scene have entered the pop culture.
- DirectorHenry SelickStarsDanny ElfmanChris SarandonCatherine O'HaraJack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.It features innovative stop-motion animation and was even nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar, a first for an animated film. It’s characters have become iconic in recent years and have been seen regularly in the Disney theme parks and merchandise.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsMick JaggerKeith RichardsMick TaylorWhen three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.Landmark documentary about The Rolling Stones’ 1969 US tour and features footage for the infamous Altamont Free Concert.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsJohnny DeppMartin LandauSarah Jessica ParkerAmbitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.
- DirectorHoward HughesEdmund GouldingJames WhaleStarsBen LyonJames HallJean HarlowBrothers Monte and Ray leave Oxford to join the Royal Flying Corps. Ray loves Helen; Helen enjoys an affair with Monte; before they leave on their mission over Germany they find her in still another man's arms.It is often considered one of the first sound action films. It is also notable for featuring the only colour footage of Jean Harlow.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.One of the most controversial and polarising films of 1999, it has since become a cult classic and it's social commentary about consumerist culture is still relevant today.
- DirectorGeorge A. RomeroStarsDavid EmgeKen ForeeScott H. ReinigerDuring an escalating zombie epidemic, two Philadelphia SWAT team members, a traffic reporter and his TV executive girlfriend seek refuge in a secluded shopping mall.Released ten years after Night of the Living Dead (1968), it was considered one of the goriest horror films ever made at the time but also one of the most entertaining. It has left a huge mark on pop culture.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJames CagneyPat O'BrienHumphrey BogartA priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.Landmark gangster film with one of James Cagney's most iconic roles.
- DirectorHarold RamisStarsChevy ChaseRodney DangerfieldBill MurrayAn exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.Popular 80s comedy with tons of quotable lines and hilarious performances by Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield. It is also Harold Ramis' directorial debut.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsMarilyn MonroeTom EwellEvelyn KeyesWhen his family goes away for the summer, a hitherto faithful husband with an overactive imagination is tempted by a beautiful neighbor.While not considered one of Billy Wilder's best films, the scene where Marilyn Monroe stands on a subway grate as her white dress is blown upwards by a passing train is considered one of the most iconic in film history.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsEdward G. RobinsonJoan BennettDan DuryeaA man in mid-life crisis befriends a young woman, though her fiancé persuades her to con him out of the fortune they mistakenly assume he possesses.Considered a central film in the film noir genre, it was the first Hollywood film to have a criminal not get punished for his crime.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsSandra PeabodyLucy GranthamDavid HessTwo teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.Although highly controversial and even banned in some countries when it was released, it remains an influential exploitation film and the tagline "It’s only a movie" has become somewhat iconic in recent years.
- DirectorLois WeberStarsCourtenay FooteMyrtle StedmanHerbert StandingThe parallel stories of a modern preacher and a medieval monk, Gabriel the Ascetic, who is killed by an ignorant mob for making a nude statue representing Truth, which is also represented by a ghostly naked girl who flits throughout the film.Groundbreaking for it's nudity, multiple exposures and intricate editing, it propelled Lois Weber to the front ranks of silent directors.