Man, if I ever make a definitive top 25 movies list for myself, I can't see any way The Manchurian Candidate doesn't make it on there. Holy crap, even better the second time around -- still biting political satire, crazy story, crazy characters, crazy awesome climax and WAY more violent than I remember it being. Pretty tame by today's standards, but it must have been nuts back in 1962, my god. EVERYONE see that movie if you have not watched it before.
(By the way, is there any interest at all in a top 25 movies post? One day I might be suicidal enough to cobble one together.)
Anyway, before I get on with the movie choices for the next meeting, I have to mention ahead of time that my schedule is once again wacky next week. I have Wednesday off again, and I have Saturday off. Wednesday works well enough for me, but if there's any way to make Saturday work, I think I'd prefer that day, since I imagine more people would be willing to come on a weekend than a weekday. Give your input, everyone!
1. Witness for the Prosecution (1957): Sir Wilfred Robarts is a barrister who takes on the case of Leonard Vole, accused of murdering a rich, older woman who had fallen in love with him to the point of making Vole the main beneficiary in her will. Sir Wilfred promises to defend the case to the best of his ability but runs into a road block when Leonard's wife, Christine, is called as a witness. But as the case goes on, it becomes increasingly tangled. Directed by Billy Wilder, starring Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power.
2. Tron (1982): Software engineer Kevin Flynn attempts to hack into software company ENCOM's mainframe to secure evidence of his computer code being plagiarized. During a hacking attempt, Flynn is digitized into the mainframe and must battle his way out of the computer system. Directed by Steven Lisberger, starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner and David Warner.
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951): An extraterrestrial ship comes to Earth, and from it emerges the alien life form, Klaatu, who announces that he is on a mission of goodwill. After an initially violent reception, Klaatu says that his people have grown wary of Earth after humanity has developed atomic power. If Earth continues in an aggressive direction, the planet shall be eliminated. Will humans learn to stop being so violent? Directed by Robert Wise, starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Billy Gray.
4. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Indiana Jones is a treasure hunting archaeologist who is approached by Army intelligence agents with a mission: The Nazis, hunting for occult power, are searching for the Ark of the Covenant. Indiana must get to the Ark before the Nazis can find it and unleash crazy powers on the Allies. Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen and Paul Freeman.
5. Heathers (1989): Veronica Sawyer is part of a high school clique that rules Westerberg High School with an iron fist. Bored and disgusted by how the clique -- known as the Heathers -- treats people, Veronica finds herself drawn to an outsider, J.D., who has moved to the neighborhood. But through an accident, Veronica and J.D. kill the lead Heather and frantically disguise the death as a suicide, which sparks a trend of suicides as teens attempt to emulate the hip Heather. Directed by Michael Lehmann, starring Winona Ryder, Christian Slater and Lisanne Falk.
