Al's Top Rated Films: 1970–1979

Very powerful and impassioned drama from Milos Forman set in 1963 Oregon, and follows a Korean War veteran and ex-con named R.P. McMurphy who pleads insanity in his latest entanglement with the law. He's happily admitted into a mental institution to avoid going to prison. His comical and careless persona immediately makes him the most interesting and most influential patient in the facility. He proceeds to ask them challenging questions and tries to help a few of them make positive changes in their lives while also trying to have a good time. Trouble comes into play when the merciless and structured Nurse Ratched goes head to head with McMurphy on almost every point of freedom he pushes for, and causes a chain of events the results it severe pain and horrifying drama of everyone involved. Jack Nicholson arguably delivers his all-time greatest lead performance. It's my personal favorite. Louise Fletcher played the iconic and evil Nurse Ratched perfectly. Brad Dourif gave a phenomenal supporting role as Billy Bibbit. Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Sydney Lassick, Vincent Schiavelli, Mews Small, Scatman Crothers, Michael Berryman, Peter Brocco, William Duell, Josip Elic, Louisa Moritz, and others also had great roles among a superb supporting cast.

Brilliant comedy from Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder that hilariously spoofs Mary Shelley's classic horror novel "Frankenstein" (1818). It follows brilliant brain surgeon Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced Fran-ken-shteen), who's the American grandson of the notorious and controversial scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein, who specializes in the reanimation of dead tissue. When Victor dies and Frederick inherits his mansion and all his belongings, he sets out on a trip to his father's small Transylvannian town to discover the mystery of his work and research. He's helped along the way by a hilarious hunchback servant named Igor (pronounced Eye-gor), a gorgeous lab assistant named Inga, a peculiar housekeeper named Frau Blücher (*horse neighs*), and his detached and distant fiancée, Elizabeth. Through several hysterical mishaps, Frederick is able to bring a dead body they dug up from the local cemetery to life, which results in utter chaos when the townspeople find out about his existence, which transforms them into a blood-thirsty lynch mob. So unique and well done. It's my favorite comedy of the entire 1970s, as well as my favorite film from Mel Brooks. Gene Wilder's best work has always been in Mel Brooks film, and this is the cream of the crop in my book. His lead performances was fantastic. Marty Feldman (Igor), Madeline Kahn (Elizabeth), Peter Boyle (The Monster), Cloris Leachman (Frau Blücher), and Teri Garr (Inga) also delivered iconic and memorable starring roles. Kenneth Mars was also superb among the excellent supporting cast.

Flawless sports drama from John G. Avildsen and Sylvester Stallone set in Philadelphia 1975, and follows an unknown southpaw boxer named Rocky who struggles to make a living by fighting in dangerous small-time boxing matches and working as a shady debt collector. He would also love to start dating a shy and recluse pet-store worker named Adrian, which is the sister of his best friend Paulie—who is generally spiteful and nasty to them both. Then one day he gets the chance of a lifetime to fight the world heavyweight boxing champion Apollo Creed, because Apollo and his marketing team want to drum-up publicity by giving a local Philadelphia 'nobody' a shot at the title; and they love his nickname, "The Italian Stallion". Through hard work and dedication with his veteran manager Mickey, struggles with Paulie's overt jealousy, and a series of top-notch inspiring montages, he makes his way to one of the best boxing matches set on film. It's also accompanied by a fantastic driving score that keeps the film rolling beautifully. Sylvester Stallone delivers the greatest lead performance of his career, which is evident by the longevity and inspiration the character of Rocky has carried over the years. Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith also have fantastic and memorable starring roles. Tony Burton, Joe Spinell, Thayer David, and others had great supporting roles.

Outrageously hilarious comedy western from Mel Brooks, and arguably his greatest film. The story is set in 1874 in the American frontier of the wild west, and follows a black railroad worker named Bart who is sentenced to death by hanging after walloping his racist boss Taggart in the head with a shovel. A corrupt land developer named Hedley Lamarr and the clueless power-hungry Governor Lepetomane learn their railroad must run through the nearby town of Rock Ridge, which they don't own. When the sheriff of Rock Ridge is killed and they request a new sheriff, Hedley gets the idea to appoint Bart as history's first black sheriff, which would so offend the people of Rock Ridge, that they'd want to leave, which would allow them to continue on with their railroad and land-snatching plans. But their plans backfire in a variety of hilarious ways. You simply couldn't make this movie today with all the sensitive folks and censors out there. Cleavon Little (Bart) and Gene Wilder (Jim) are among my favorite duos in comedy history. They both arguably deliver their best lead performances of all time. Slim Pickens (Taggart), Harvey Korman (Hedley Lamarr), Madeline Kahn (Lili Von Shtüpp), and Mel Brooks (Governor Lepetomane) also had fantastic starring roles. Burton Gilliam, Alex Karras (Mongo), David Huddleston, Liam Dunn, John Hillerman, George Furth, Jack Starrett, Carol Arthur, Richard Collier, Charles McGregor, Robyn Hilton, and Dom DeLuise also had excellent and memorable supporting roles.

Superb true crime drama and biography from Sidney Lumet set at the First Savings Bank in Brooklyn, New York, August 1972. Sonny, Sal, and Stevie find themselves in a desperate situation when they decide to move forward with bank robbery plans. It was supposed to be a swift in-and-out job, but they hit the bank after almost all the cash has been picked up and transferred for the day. Stevie panics and immediately runs out, leaving Sonny to run things in an intelligent and level-headed fashion while he keeps Sal's itchy trigger finger in check. The police quickly learn about the situation after a small fire is set, which turns the entire block into a media frenzy as the hostage negotiations get heated, along with Sonny's demands to escape the situation alive. Al Pacino arguably delivers his all-time best lead performance. It's my personal favorite. He presented a phenomenal range of emotions as Sonny's story moves along. John Cazale also brings an excellent lead role as Sal. Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Carol Kane, James Broderick, Sandra Kazan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Gary Springer, Carmine Foresta, Lance Henriksen, Susan Peretz, and others also had nice supporting roles.

Fantastic drama from Sidney Lumet set in 1970s New York, and follows longtime lead news anchor Howard Beale of a powerful television network that finds out he'll be losing his job due to a steady decline in ratings. When giving the closing remarks in his latest broadcast, he casually announces that he'll be committing suicide live on the air in an upcoming episode. While network executives initially scramble to deflate the story and prematurely end Howard's career, idealistic producer Diana Christensen persuades the executives into building a reality based show around Howard's irrational on-air ravings, and to tell the "real truth" to the people. While the show starts as a massive success, it soon takes dark and disturbing turns once Howard's influence among the American people becomes impossible to control. Excellent story with a crazy ending. Faye Dunaway delivered her all time best performance with her heartless and quick witted dialogue. William Holden, Peter Finch, and Robert Duvall also all gave some of their absolute best leading roles. Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, Arthur Burghardt, John Carpenter, Jordan Charney, Kathy Cronkite, Ed Crowley, Conchata Ferrell, Darryl Hickman, William Prince, Sasha von Scherler, Beatrice Straight, Marlene Warfield, and several others had nice supporting roles.

Outstanding and epic drama from Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo that follows the early days of the powerful Corleone mafia family and their role in organized crime, circa 1945, New York City. The Godfather "Don" Vito Corleone runs the show, and is highly respected among the company he shares. He loves and cares for many of his friends and family, but also uses fear and intimidation to get what he wants when needed. And if that doesn't work, he won't hesitate to have them put in the hospital or have them killed. He also doesn't believe in mixing drugs with his business, which creates a great disturbance in the family when Don refuses to help Sicilian heroin trafficker and rival Virgil Sollozzo with his drug business, which nearly gets him killed when Sollozzo puts a hit out on him. With Don down and out, his hot-headed son Santino (aka Sonny) runs things until he eventually appoints his youngest son Michael to run the family business. Michael is a decorated World War II Marine and hero, and initially does not believe in the way his father has historically done business, but his mind changes when too much blood in the family as been shed. Marlon Brando delivers a perfect and iconic lead performance. Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall also had fantastic lead performances that rank among their very best. Richard S. Castellano, Diane Keaton, John Cazale, Abe Vigoda, Al Lettieri, Al Martino, Lenny Montana, Talia Shire, Gianni Russo, John Marley, Richard Conte, Sterling Hayden, Richard Bright, Alex Rocco, and several others have great supporting roles.

Fantastic sequel to Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo's classic 1972 crime drama. The story is a prequel and sequel all at once, as we follow a 9-year-old Vito Corleone in 1901 Sicily, when his family was slaughtered by mafia leader Don Ciccio. With some help, he's able to escape to New York City, which then tells the story of his life from 1917 to 1925, and traces his path to becoming one of the most admired mafia dons in the city. The story also follows Vito's son Michael in the 1950s, 7 years after the events of the first film, and finds him settling into his role of running the family business. His attitude about people and business follows in Vito's footsteps in many ways, as he struggles to deal with the never-ending cycle of intimidation and violence, the desire for more power across Las Vegas, Hollywood, and Cuba; and also the desire to build a legitimate family business. When business partners, members of the family, and his wife Kay start to question his motives and turn against him, his story takes a dark and more troubling turn. It's amazing that this film could be considered even better than the first. They're both perfect crime dramas in my book. Al Pacino arguably delivers his all-time greatest lead performance. His transformation from the first film was amazing. Robert De Niro was also fantastic as the young Vito, and complimented Marlon Brando's classic role from the first film beautifully. Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and John Cazale also had great starring roles. Lee Strasberg, Talia Shire, Michael V. Gazzo, G.D. Spradlin, Bruno Kirby, Francesca De Sapio, Richard Bright, Gastone Moschin, Morgana King, Leopoldo Trieste, Dominic Chianese, James Caan, and several others has great supporting roles.

Incredible action-packed fantasy adventure from George Lucas set sometime in the past in a galaxy far, far away; and follows an ambitious and restless young man named Luke Skywalker who lives with his aunt and uncle on a farm on the desert planet of Tatooine, and desperately wants to leave the planet to join the Imperial Military Academy and become a space pilot. Meanwhile, an evil emperor has taken control of the galaxy, and has built an army of deadly stormtroopers lead by an oppressive and mysterious villain named Darth Vader. When the emperor's army destroys Tatooine and kills Luke's aunt and uncle, Luke joins forces with a veteran Jedi Knight, a pompous wise-cracking pilot, a Wookiee, and two droids; as they embark on an adventure to save Princess Leia from the dark side, and destroy the empire's DeathStar weapon from destroying their planet. I'm a sucker for original Star Wars trilogy. Superb action, adventure, comedy, sci-fi, and fantasy at every turn. Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) all delivered extraordinary performances of 3 of the most iconic characters in movie history. Nice supporting roles from Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels, Peter Cushing, and James Earl Jones' famous voice as Darth Vader. Incredible and other-worldly action and cinematography.

Groundbreaking horror flick from John Carpenter that follows an evil blood-thirsty killer named Michael Myers who murders his 15-year-old sister on Halloween night 1963 at only 6 years of age. He's then institutionalized for 15 years until he breaks out the night before Halloween 1978, and makes his way back to the small town of Haddonfield to kill again. 17-year-old high-school senior Laurie Strode becomes his main focus as he brutally terrorizes her and her friends. Meanwhile, Michael's long-running doctor and psychiatrist Dr. Loomis is hot on Michael's tail, and involves the local authorities while desperately trying to stop his destruction. It's amazing to think John Carpenter (writer, director, and score musician) creates all of this suspense with a first person camera shot and a chilling soundtrack. It's low budget for its time, but still a very relevant and thrilling to this day. The character of Laurie Strode is the most iconic character Jamie Lee Curtis as every portrayed, playing the character in 7 total Halloween films to date. She was fantastic. The same could be said for Donald Pleasence's excellent and iconic performance as Dr. Loomis—playing his character in 5 Halloween movies. Nancy Kyes, P.J. Soles, Nick Castle, Brian Andrews, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, John Michael Graham, Nancy Stephens, Robert Phalen, Tony Moran, and Sandy Johnson also had nice roles among the supporting cast.

Hilarious coming-of-age college comedy from Harold Ramis and director John Landis, and one of the best movies of its kind. The story is set in 1962, and follows friends and roommates Larry Kroger and Kent Dorfman as they enter their freshman year at Faber College, and attempt to join a fraternity. Since they have no friends, no girlfriends, and are considered "losers" to most of their peers, it appears the only fraternity they can possibly get into is the Delta Tau Chi Fraternity, since Kent's brother was a Delta member in 1959. Delta is infamously known as the worst fraternity on campus. The members get the worst grades in school (if they attend), and their parties are seen as a menace and nuisance to the community. That causes the head of Faber, Dean Vernon Wormer, to place them under "double secret probation" as he schemes a way to terminate the fraternity once and for all. The cast was superb throughout, and boasts several very memorable performances. Tom Hulce, Stephen Furst, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, John Belushi, and John Vernon all deliver fantastic lead performances. Karen Allen, Bruce McGill, Mark Metcalf, Sarah Holcomb, James Daughton, Douglas Kenney, Mary Louise Weller, Martha Smith, Kevin Bacon, James Widdoes, Donald Sutherland, Verna Bloom, and others also delivered great supporting roles.

Outstanding and powerful crime drama from Martin Scorsese set in the mid-1970s, and follows a mentally unbalanced ex-Marine and Vietnam veteran named Travis Bickle that works as a taxi driver in New York City. Due to his insomnia, he generally works late nights, and tries to pass the day by watching porn movies at sleazy cinemas. he's generally distressed about the crime, prostitution, and other filth plaguing his home city, which gets the better of him as his increasing depression has him contemplating life changes. He becomes a bit obsessed with a beautiful campaign manager named Betsy he takes on a date to a porno movie, which ends badly. On another night a 12-year old prostitute named Iris hops in his cab to escape from her pimp, which kicks off another obsession with her and her dreadful situation. Everything starts piling up as his violence tendencies start to reveal themselves. Robert De Niro delivered one of his all-time best lead performances. The same could be said for Jodie Foster and Cybill Shepherd's powerful starring roles. Albert Brooks, Harvey Keitel, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle, Victor Argo, Harry Northup, Diahnne Abbott, Bob Maroff, Martin Scorsese, and others had great roles among a nice supporting cast.

Excellent war drama from Michael Cimino set in 1968 and follows a group of friends from a small steel mill Pennsylvania town who live relatively happy and content lives, until Michael, Steven, and Nicky head off to fight in the Vietnam war. Meanwhile, Nick's girlfriend Linda struggles with an abusive alcoholic father, and wishes to marry Nick when they return from war. These three men's lives are forever changed when they are captured and become POWs in a Vietcong prison camp where they are forced to play a horrifying and deadly game of Russian roulette that greatly entertains the prison guards, and seriously plagues the future of all three men...especially Nick. Fantastic film that's very deserving of its 5 Oscar wins, including best picture, best director, best sound, and best sound editing. Robert De Niro (Oscar-nominated), Christopher Walken (Oscar-winner), and Meryl Streep (Oscar-nominated) all deliver some of the best and most powerful performances of their careers. John Cazale, John Savage, George Dzundza, Chuck Aspegren, Rutanya Alda, and Stephen Kopestonsky also had great roles among the supporting cast.

Phenomenal drama from Robert Benton set during the 1970s, and follows a career-obsessed advertising executive named Ted Kramer who's forced to make serious life changes when his troubled and mentally exhausted wife Joanna leaves him to take care of their 5-year-old son Billy by himself. Ted struggles and nearly reaches his breaking point as he works to cover all of Joanna's motherly and house-keeping responsibilities while simultaneously holding down his demanding work schedule. After several struggles, Ted and Billy build a stronger and closer bond than they ever had in the past, which ends up causing painful tension when Joanna re-enters their lives 15-months later and wants custody of Billy back. Dustin Hoffman arguably delivers his greatest and most layered lead performance of his career. He was superb. The same could be said for Meryl Streep's heart-wrenching starring role, and Justin Henry's excellent performance as Billy. Jane Alexander, JoBeth Williams, Howard Duff, Bill Moor, George Coe, and others also had great roles among the supporting cast.

Fantastic and horrifying mystery/thriller from Steven Spielberg that's set during the hot July summer in the small town of Amity Island, where the beaches are the community's main source of business. When a disfigured body washes up on shore, and the autopsy reveals he was a shark attack victim, the newly appointed local sheriff Martin Brody swiftly decides to close the beaches to protect the public, which is immediately shot down by the mayor and local business people who rely on big income over the fourth-coming 4th of July holiday. Soon after, another boy is killed by a shark, and the town finally realizes they must hire and experienced shark hunter to track down the beast down and kill it. Fantastic thriller that still holds up very strong today. Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss all deliver the finest performances of their careers. They were all excellent. Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Chris Rebello, Lee Fierro, Jeffrey Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Robert Nevin, and others also had great roles among the excellent supporting cast.

Magnificent horror/mystery from Brian De Palma based on the 1974 classic novel from Stephen King. The story follows pitiable 17-year-old high school senior named Carey White—a troubled girl who is sheltered and isolated by her abusive god-fearing mentally unstable mother, and receives much of the same mistreatment from her nasty and verbally abusive classmates at school. When her classmates get in trouble for being extremely cruel to her, they vow to take their revenge against Carrie. Carrie soon learns she possesses deadly telekinetic powers, and her entire outlook on life changes as the fear of her mother melts away, and she beings to open up and make friends at school. Meanwhile, her enemies at school cook up an extremely vile plan to take their revenge against Carrie, which backfires in the most shocking and horrendous fashion. Sissy Spacek delivers the greatest performance of her career as Carrie. She played the role perfectly. Piper Laurie also delivered an iconic lead performance as her mother. Amy Irving, William Katt, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley, and P.J. Soles all had great supporting roles.

Incredible crime drama and biography from Sidney Lumet set in the 1960s and early 1970s, and follows an honest New York City cop named Frank Serpico who comes under heat when he refuses to share money that corrupt cops habitually extort from criminals and drug dealers after busting them. He ends up putting his life at risk by taking the stand, since no other cops trust him or want to work with him. He attempts to communicate the problem to higher powers as his life is being threatened from every angle, and learns the corruption goes straight to the top. Frank refuses to conform to the corruption, and doesn't quit until he takes down the entire department by exposing the truth. Excellent story and arguably Al Pacino's finest lead performance of all time. John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire, Barbara Eda-Young, Cornelia Sharpe, Tony Roberts, Edward Grover, Allan Rich, James Tolkan, Norman Ornellas, Damien Leake, Nathan George, and many others were great among the supporting cast.

Excellent drama/mystery/psychological thriller from Francis Ford Coppola set in 1970s San Francisco, and follows an eccentric, reclusive, and extremely skilled audio surveillance expert and wiretapper named Harry Caul. He's a very private person who doesn't like divulging information about himself. However, he has a reputation for being the best in his line of work, and struggles with the deadly results from a past job gone wrong. When he's offered a job to eavesdrop on a young couple walking through Union Square for $15,000 by a man referred to as "The Director", he hears something mysteriously unsettling in the recordings. He soon finds himself wrapped up in an extremely dangerous situation that is mirroring the tragic incident from his past as he struggles to do the right thing, stay alive, and live his private life. The story is superbly done and entertaining throughout. The dialogue was fantastic and all the old 1970s technology really gave this film an interesting and unique feel. The cast was fantastic. Gene Hackman arguably his best lead performance of all time. It just may be my personal favorite. John Cazale also had a great starring role. Allen Garfield, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Robert Duvall, and others also had great supporting roles.

Excellent comedy drama from Peter Bogdanovich set during the Great Depression in early 1930s Kansas, and follows a crooked traveling Bible salesman and hustler named Moses Pray who comes across a 9-year-old orphaned girl named Addie Loggins whose mother just died. With nobody to take care of her, Moses reluctantly accepts a money offer to transport her to her aunt and uncle in St Joseph, Missouri. They end up becoming an unlikely team of con artists that dishonestly sells bibles to people that appear as easy targets in newspaper obituary notices. What starts as a business relationship soon blossoms into a band that goes beyond their deceptive ways. Beautifully written and shot with great dialogue and superb acting. Ryan O'Neal arguably delivers his best lead performance, and the 10-year-old Tatum O'Neal stole the show with her mature and outstanding Oscar-winning performance, which still ranks as the youngest person to win the award. Madeline Kahn and P.J. Johnson also had great starring roles. John Hillerman, Jessie Lee Fulton, Noble Willingham, Randy Quaid, and many others had very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic sequel completely directed, written, and starring Sylvester Stallone. The story picks up right after the final fight from the first film, with both fighters being rushed to the hospital to get patched up after their relentlessly bloody battle in the ring. Rocky begins to enjoy life with the money rolling in from the fight and endorsement deals, as well as building a new life with his new wife, Adrian. Apollo Creed is immediately embarrassed and upset about the results of the fight, and endlessly provokes Rocky into a rematch that he isn't initially interested in. But when Rocky's money runs out, his endorsement deals break down, and he has no skills to make a living at a regular job, he's forced to get back in the ring with Apollo for the tremendously thrilling rematch the entire public has been dying for. This was easily my favorite Rocky movie as a kid, and it still holds up as a near-perfect sequel today. Probably my most watched film in the franchise. Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers both arguably deliver their greatest lead performances. Talia Shire, Burt Young, and Burgess Meredith also had great starring roles. Tony Burton, Joe Spinell, Sylvia Meals, Frank McRae, Bill Baldwin, and others also had great supporting roles.

Outstanding crime drama and biography from Franklin J. Schaffner that follows Henri 'Papillon' Charriere—a French writer and safe-cracker who was convicted and sent to the infamous Devil's Island prison in 1931 for murdering a pimp, which he argues he was framed for. While inside, he meets a notorious counterfeiter named Louis Dega who offers to finance Papillon's attempt to escape if he can offer him protection. When the attempt fails, Papillon finds himself experiencing horrific solitary confinement and strenuous labor as a punishment for planning to escape. They become friends throughout their time on Devil's Island, which is heavily tested by the prison guards' horrendous methods of investigating Papillon's escape plans. Great story, and the dreadful prison conditions look to be some of the worst I've seen pictured in any film. Steve McQueen delivers an amazing and convincing lead performance. Dustin Hoffman was also fantastic. Victor Jory, Don Gordon, Anthony Zerbe, Robert Deman, Woodrow Parfrey, Ratna Assan, William Smithers, Gregory Sierra, and others had very nice supporting roles.

Fantastic western mystery directed by and starring Clint Eastwood set in the mid-1880s, and follows a mysterious drifter who quietly strolls into the tiny town of Lago looking for a beer, a whisky, a shave, and a hot bath. He's quickly greeted by three irate gunman who were hired to protect the town. He quickly kills all three of them, then rapes a woman shortly after. The peaceful townspeople fear the drifter, but also must hire him to protect their town from ruthless outlaws Stacey Bridges and the equally cold-blooded brothers Dan and Cole Carlin. These men want their revenge on the town after whipping a man to death in their streets and being sent to prison for a stretch, thanks to the squealing of the locals. The drifter agrees to help the town in exchange unlimited credit on whatever he wants from the local businesses, as he sets the scene for a hellacious and deadly showdown. This is by far the most brutal character I've ever seen Clint Eastwood play, and he does it so well that it ends up being one of his all-time best lead performances. Great story, dialogue, and action all around. Geoffrey Lewis, Scott Walker, Anthony James, Mitchell Ryan, Walter Barnes, Billy Curtis, Jack Ging, Stefan Gierasch, Verna Bloom, Ted Hartley, Marianna Hill, and many others also had great supporting roles.

Fantastic western directed by and starring Clint Eastwood set in late 1860s Missouri, and follows an honest farmer named Josey Wales whose home is burned and entire family murdered by Union militants after joining a group of Confederate guerrillas and not surrendering after the war ends. A $5,000 bounty is placed on his head as he's driven by sheer vengeance, and will not stop until he gets his revenge. This is simply one of Clint Eastwood's all-time greatest films. Not only because of his excellent lead performance, but also because it's the best western he's directed. Chief Dan George, John Vernon, Bill McKinney, Sondra Locke, Joyce Jameson, Will Sampson, Sam Bottoms, Paula Trueman, Sheb Wooley, Royal Dano, Matt Clark, Frank Schofield, Woodrow Parfrey, William O'Connell, Madeleine Taylor Holmes, and the rest of the supporting cast all did great.

Hilarious and cleverly made crime comedy/drama from George Roy Hill that follows a small-time scam artist named Johnny Hooker who teams up with a professional and masterful con man named Henry Gondorff to even the score with a crime boss named Doyle Lonnegan, who was responsible for the murder of his friend and partner Luther Coleman following a street con gone wrong. Henry is a mutual friend of Luther, and works with Johnny to pull off the quintessential "long con" with a group of other con men who in hopes of swindling a huge sum of money from Lonnegan without him or the police catching on. Excellent story and superbly done in every way, evidenced by its 7 Oscar wins and 3 other Oscar nominations. Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Robert Shaw deliver excellent lead performances, but it was Robert Redford who had the best role with the most screen time, per his Oscar nomination. Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould, Dimitra Arliss, Dana Elcar, Jack Kehoe, John Heffernan, Robert Earl Jones, James Sloyan, Charles Dierkop, Sally Kirkland, and many others had nice roles among the great supporting cast.

Superb science fiction drama/adventure from Steven Spielberg that follows paralleled stories of two Indiana residents who have mysterious UFO encounters. 3-year-old Barry Guiler runs out of his rural home in the middle of the night to chase a bright light in the sky, and disappears with his mother Jillian desperately running after him. We also follow a family man and electric lineman named Roy Neary who also sees a vision of a bright light while his truck mechanically malfunctions in the middle of the road one night. Both of their lives are turned upside down when they can't stop obsessing about a certain shaped structure they see in their minds, and it won't stop until they unlock the mystery and travel cross-county to find it. This has always been one of my favorite science fiction films. Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon both deliver a couple of their very best lead performances. François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, Shawn Bishop, J. Patrick McNamara, Warren J. Kemmerling, Lance Henriksen, Merrill Connally, and many others had nice supporting roles.

Hysterical comedy adventure directed and starring Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones set in AD 932 Great Britain, and follows the historical British leader King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they search for the mysterious and fabled Holy Grail as instructed by God himself. Many hilarious situations and obstacles present themselves along their most ludicrous and bizarre quest. To be honest, I was a little older before I was able to fully appreciate this brand of wacky British humor. It's fast-paced silliness pumps out a record number of jokes and references that revels more excellence and hilarity upon each viewing. One of the most unique films I've ever seen. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin all had excellent and iconic lead performances. Neil Innes, Connie Booth, Carol Cleveland, John Young, Sandy Johnson, Rita Davies, and others had excellent supporting roles.

Terrifying horror flick from Tobe Hooper set in 1974, and follows 5 young friends who visit a small rural Texas town to visit the grave of one of their grandfathers after hearing it's been vandalized. They end up picking up a peculiar hitchhiker who becomes increasingly distressing and ends up cutting his hand and one of the friends' hands with a knife before getting kicked out of the van. They decide to move on after the perplexing event, and come across a deserted house when they run out of gas. After hearing some generator noise from a nearby house, two of them go to investigate on their search for gas. Unfortunately, the house belongs to a morbid man with a mask made from human flesh named Leatherface, and his frighteningly deranged family of cannibals. Leatherface ends up horrifically killing each of the 5 victims one by one, until only Sally remains; making for an extremely intense ending sequence of desperation and fear. This is easily one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. The scenes with Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface are completely horrifying, and Marilyn Burns has to be one of the most hysterical screamers in the history of horror films. They both delivered excellent lead performances, along with Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and John Dugan.

Classic mystery/thriller/horror from Richard Donner set in 1966 Rome, Italy, and follows a wealthy American diplomat named Robert Thorn who rushes to the hospital after he learns his pregnant wife has just gone into labor. Upon arrival, he's informed that the child was a stillbirth, and a mysterious priest offers him the option to adopt a baby boy who was also just born, but has no parents. Robert reluctantly agrees, takes the boy, and hides the information from his wife knowing she would be devastated. Starting on the boy's 5th birthday in their England home, mysterious and violent deaths occur more and more surrounding the him, which starts to drives her mother insane as Robert desperately searches for answers, as they both begin to conclude that the boy could possibly be the Antichrist himself. Excellent story, characters and acting throughout. Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, and Harvey Stephens all had fantastic lead performances. David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Martin Benson, Holly Palance, and many others had great supporting roles.

Magical fun for the whole family from Mel Stuart based on Roald Dahl's original 1964 novel. The story follows an honest paperboy named Charlie who comes from a very poor family and becomes hopeful for change when worldwide famous candy-making billionaire Willy Wonka decides to hide 5 golden tickets hidden in Wonka chocolate bars, for a chance to win a tour of his candy factory that has been a secret from the public since it opened. If that wasn't enough, the grand prize winner will get a free lifetime supply of chocolate. When Charlie miraculously wins one of the tickets, he and his Grandpa Joe join 4 other rich, spoiled, and thankless kids with like-minded parents as they tour Wonka's magical facility and learn some lessons in manners along the way. This film is a nostalgic favorite for me, and the candy factory is still awe-inspiring to this day. Gene Wilder (Willy Wonka) delivered his most iconic and memorable lead performance of his career. Peter Ostrum (Charlie) and Jack Albertson (Grandpa Joe) also had great lead roles. Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt), Roy Kinnear (Veruca's Dad), Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde), Leonard Stone (Violet's Dad), Paris Themmen (Mike Teevee), Nora Denney (Mike's Mom), Michael Bollner (Augustus Gloop), Ursula Reit (Augustus' Mom), Diana Sowle (Charlie's Mom), and Günter Meisner (Mr. Slugworth) all had excellent supporting roles.

Excellent rip-roaring crime thriller from Don Siegel set in San Francisco 1971, and follows a diabolical madman who calls himself the "Scorpio Killer" when he randomly kills innocent victims with a sniper rifle. Afterward he leaves letters taunting police, claiming he will not stop until his demands are met. The task to take him down is given to the inflexible and rugged rule-breaker Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan, and it proves to be a difficult case with all the games the killer wants to play. This is easily one of the best thrillers of the 1970s, and has some very gripping and realistic cinematography. Clint Eastwood's delivers one of his most iconic lead performances of his career, also also did a little directing as well. Andrew Robinson was also fantastic as the killer. Reni Santoni, John Vernon, John Larch, John Mitchum, Lyn Edgington, Ruth Kobart, Woodrow Parfrey, and several others had very nice supporting roles.

Hilarious and powerful comedy drama from Hal Ashby set in the 1960s, and follows a mentally challenged, naive, simple-minded gardener and television-addict named Chance who's being forced out of the Washington D.C. home he's lived in his entire life after the elderly owner passes away. Now middle-aged and homeless on the streets, his personality ends up attracting the attention of a rich and powerful broker named Ben Rand who runs into Chance on the street with his car. After he and his wife Eve show him some hospitality after the accident, Ben mistakes his innocent and simple demeanor into believing he is a man of wealth and intelligence, and comically turns Chance into a powerful and trusted Washington insider. Peter Sellers delivers a superb multi-faceted lead performance. He was absolutely fantastic. Shirley MacLaine, Melvyn Douglas, and Jack Warden also had great starring roles. Richard Dysart, Richard Basehart, Ruth Attaway, David Clennon, Fran Brill, Denise DuBarry, and many others have a great roles among the supporting cast.

Epic war mystery/drama from Francis Ford Coppola set during the height of the war in Vietnam in 1969. The story follows U.S. Army officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard, who's tasked to locate and assassinate renegade special forces Green Beret Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who has taken on a god-like role and leads his army from the Cambodian border on illegal guerrilla missions in enemy territory. The Army believes Willard has gone completely insane and needs to be terminated. The cinematography is superb, and much of the dialogue is very gripping and unique. That said, the ending sequence was sort of a confusing mess, and I didn't really feel Marlon Brando's performance was on par with the rest of the film, despite the critical acclaim of his role. Martin Sheen arguably delivered his very best lead performance. Robert Duvall also had a great starring role. Frederic Forrest, Sam Bottoms, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, G.D. Spradlin, Jerry Ziesmer, Scott Glenn, Albert Hall, Colleen Camp, and many others had great supporting roles.