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Forum Overview
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Peter Molyneux's The Movies
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by Brody Wilder 04/28/2026, 5:19am PDT |
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WINNER: The Third Man
Orson Welles' most enjoyable film - and he didn't even direct it! Those duties were handled by British maestro Carol Reed, who knew his Hitchcock well, while the screenplay came courtesy of acclaimed novelist (and former MI6 man) Graham Greene. A real Chrono Trigger for the stiff upper lip set. Stars the darling of Welles' own Mercury Theatre company, Joseph Cotten (whose weirdly-textured curls inspired Norman Osborn's iconic striped hairdo), as an American pulp writer who goes to visit his childhood friend in the ruins of post-war Vienna. In the best international thriller tradition, he soon finds himself in way over his head and gasping for answers. To avoid spoilers, I shant tell you who Welles plays; suffice it to say his social darwinist cuckoo clock monologue - the best parts of which he penned himself - has gone down in history as cinema's greatest villain speech. Watch this and get the hypnotic all-zither soundtrack stuck somewhere in the back of your mind for the rest of your life, just like the rest of us.
Close Combat: Battleground
With the Cold War hotting up and Korea just around the corner, it was time for the government-sponsored propaganda machine to start mythologizing the last time we sent our boys off to die on foreign soil. In this case, that soil was the Ardennes region of Belgium, where the American forces found themselves hopelessly encircled in a frozen fairytale forest; that's right, it's our first ever dramatization of the Battle of the Bulge! There's an unexpected authenticity to this generation of military films, made as they were by and for veterans of between one and two wars to end all of those, that sets them apart from the Tropic Thunder-esque LARPing of Hollywood's post-conscription pictures. No matter how thick the bullshit gets, you know these guys were at least self-aware about it. That sense of quiet professionalism permeates every scene of this big-budget blockbuster, the Band of Brothers of its day, and you'll either find it boring as shit or immersive as hell.
Duel in the Sun: Twelve O'Clock High
The stentorian Gregory Peck, for all his commanding presence and moral rectitude, never actually served in WWII; he was disqualified by a back injury suffered during dance lessons (the studio tried to claim it happened while rowing in college, but Peck was too honest for that). Here he plays the stern Army Air Force general assigned to shape up a demoralized and insubordinate bomber group during the darkest hours of America's involvement in the European theatre. Suffering battle fatigue from their remorseless schedule of daylight low-altitude combat flights that essentially made them sitting ducks, Peck daddies his men with a mixture of empathy and tough love. Highly regarded by veteran flyers for its sympathetic portrayal of men asked to do the impossible and be forgotten. I'm particularly fond of the action scenes, including one for which a stunt pilot was paid $4,500 to crash-land a real B-17 Flying Fortress. Safety precautions included having a fire truck on standby, and... that was it.
Marion Pax: She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
The Wayneaissance, like those esteemed caissons, keeps rolling along. The second in John Ford's thematic trilogy of cavalry pictures is both the most expensive and by far the best. John Wayne capitalizes on his newly patriarchal persona to play the aged captain of a remote cavalry post battling Indians on his last day before retirement. It's like he watched Transformers and said, "I wanna be the truck guy". Filmed on location in oversaturated Technicolor, yellow bandanas pop against blue uniforms, red earth, and purple skies - but somehow it's not the least bit garish. (The palette actually reminds me of the Robots in Disguise anime that aired on Fox Kids, if you remember that one.) The soldiers don't transform into horses but they do mount up and ride out on multiple occasions. They also shoot people who look different from them. Yep, it was pretty much all here from the beginning.
After Hours: On the Town
I'm not a huge musical fan, but by God do I like this one. Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and another guy (I think his name was Ozzie?) play US Navy sailors given 24 hours leave in the Big Apple. Their frantic rush to see the sights, find true love, and get back to their destroyer by daybreak drives a non-stop The Warriors-esque odyssey through fantasy Technicolor New York City. This was the first film directed by choreographer Stanley Donen, who would one day give us naked Kirk Douglas wrestle-fighting Harvey Keitel on a space station in 1980's Saturn 3 (he also made Singin' in the Rain I guess). If you know one number from this, it's probably "New York, New York", sung to the tune of "Springfield, Springfield" from Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood. They aren't allowed to say "helluva town" on account of censorship, but it's still a pretty good song in a pretty great movie. |
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The Best Movie of Every Year by Brody Wilder 03/14/2026, 8:42pm PDT 
The Best Movie of 1930 by Brody Wilder 03/14/2026, 8:46pm PDT
Best thread in ages NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/15/2026, 1:05pm PDT
Do you have a job/family NT by Mysterio 03/15/2026, 3:16am PDT
God forbid. NT by Brody Wilder 03/15/2026, 8:56am PDT
Is this Tom Chick? NT by mysterio 2 03/17/2026, 11:37pm PDT
He might honestly be the last person to read and post here. NT by Kenji Carter 03/18/2026, 8:05am PDT
The Best Movie of 1931 by Brody Wilder 03/15/2026, 3:53pm PDT
Holy cow, Caltrops is back! by Mischief Maker 03/15/2026, 4:46pm PDT
Are your motivss pure, Maker of MischIEF? NT by Tomorrow People 03/16/2026, 9:39pm PDT
Re: The Best Movie of 1931 by E. L. Koba 03/19/2026, 5:15pm PDT
Set your expectations for "early talkie" and you should have a good time. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 6:25pm PDT
Dubbing is actually pretty crucial, when you think about it. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 7:21pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1932 by Brody Wilder 03/16/2026, 6:15pm PDT
Keep 'em coming! NT by MM 03/16/2026, 6:34pm PDT
That's SIR Ian McKellan to you, smart guy. NT by caltrops analyzer 03/17/2026, 6:54am PDT
I gave Sir Ian's knighthood to Charles Laughton, who never got one. by I felt like he deserved it. 03/17/2026, 4:46pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1933 by Brody Wilder 03/17/2026, 4:45pm PDT
Thanks for doing these. by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/17/2026, 8:48pm PDT
Thanks for reading! NT by Brody Wilder 03/17/2026, 8:56pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1934 by Brody Wilder 03/18/2026, 1:06pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1935 by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 5:43pm PDT
Hitchcock by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/19/2026, 8:28pm PDT
I like Hitchcock. by Brody Wilder 03/19/2026, 9:22pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1936 by Brody Wilder 03/20/2026, 7:35pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1937 by Brody Wilder 03/21/2026, 7:30pm PDT
We need more movies with electric chairs in them. by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/22/2026, 9:50am PDT
The Best Movie of 1938 by Brody Wilder 03/22/2026, 7:33pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1939 by Brody Wilder 03/23/2026, 4:59pm PDT
I have nothing to contribute, but I love these. NT by Hangman 03/25/2026, 12:58pm PDT
Fukk yes NT by Gary 03/25/2026, 10:02pm PDT
Re: Fukk yes by PICKLES 03/26/2026, 5:47pm PDT
#Beep# NT by Hero detector 03/26/2026, 7:07pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1940 by Brody Wilder 03/26/2026, 7:25pm PDT
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! by HES BACK YOU LITTLE SHIITS! 03/26/2026, 8:47pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1941 by Brody Wilder 03/27/2026, 8:02pm PDT
I love Hammett. An actual real-life PI turned author, his writing rings true. by Mischief Maker 03/27/2026, 10:48pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1942 by Brody Wilder 03/29/2026, 8:20pm PDT
I was half-expecting you to be edgy and not pick Casablanca. NT by Mischief Maker 03/29/2026, 9:35pm PDT
I admit, I considered doing Arabian Nights with Maria Montez and Sabu. by Brody Wilder 03/29/2026, 9:57pm PDT
Wizard of Oz is still good, right? 1939? NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/30/2026, 8:39am PDT
Probably, but it's not my cup of tea. by Brody Wilder 03/30/2026, 4:43pm PDT
I didn't realize these weren't Oscar Best Picture winners until just now by laudablepuss 03/31/2026, 11:43am PDT
The Academy has rarely selected films of cultural, historical, or aesthetic impo by Brody Wilder 03/31/2026, 5:25pm PDT
How the hell did "Arthur" wind up being oscar-bait? by Mischief Drunkard 03/31/2026, 5:43pm PDT
Vince Gilligan said the comedic engine of Pluribus is a descendant of Bewitched. by Fullofkittens 03/30/2026, 7:26am PDT
Re: Vince Gilligan said the comedic engine of Pluribus is a descendant by Gaige Grosskreutz 03/30/2026, 8:40am PDT
Ooooh. So Bogart was 43 in Casablanca, not 37 as the script says. I'd chalked it NT by up to the smoking & booze -MM 03/31/2026, 8:53pm PDT
This was supposed to be a reply to the 1944 list. Whoops! NT by MM 03/31/2026, 8:54pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1943 by Brody Wilder 03/30/2026, 9:22pm PDT
I'm cumming!!! NT by 8======D ~ ~ ~ 03/31/2026, 4:48am PDT
The Best Movie of 1944 by Brody Wilder 03/31/2026, 8:20pm PDT
Double Indemnity is the first of these I have seen, and a top 10/15 movie for me by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/31/2026, 9:18pm PDT
Loving these! NT by The entire world 04/01/2026, 5:48am PDT
Justifies ICJ not pulling the plug on this place in 2011. NT by Keister M. Feister 04/01/2026, 7:33am PDT
The Best Movie of 1945 by Brody Wilder 04/01/2026, 7:47pm PDT
Waaaaaaaait a minute! by Mischief Maker 04/01/2026, 9:23pm PDT
Lots of people like that movie! I could be anyone. by Brody Wilder 04/02/2026, 2:49am PDT
The Best Movie of 1946 by Brody Wilder 04/05/2026, 8:36pm PDT
Brody, what makes for good film noir - to you? NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/05/2026, 9:33pm PDT
First of all, it has to hate women as much as I do. by Brody Wilder 04/05/2026, 10:46pm PDT
I'm still working on your question. Thank you for asking it. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/08/2026, 9:42pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1947 by Brody Wilder 04/08/2026, 3:24am PDT
Re: The Best Movie of 1947 by matt mysterio 04/29/2026, 9:18pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1948 by Brody Wilder 04/11/2026, 11:08pm PDT
You bastards ran him off! NT by we can't have nice things 04/27/2026, 11:24am PDT
What are you talking about? The list is over. Movies ended in 1948. NT by Mischief Maker 04/27/2026, 11:46am PDT
I really hope he continues. NT by Gaige Grosskreutz 04/27/2026, 1:29pm PDT
The Best Movie of 1949 by Brody Wilder 04/28/2026, 5:19am PDT
Fuck yes NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 04/28/2026, 6:49am PDT
The Third Man was the only noir I rooted for the villain by broad strokes Yesterday, 12:36pm PDT
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