Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Greatest Movie Decade...

I love movies even more than comics. Nothing gets my creative juices flowing more than watching a great flick… some of my go-to movies when I need an inspirational kick-in-the-pants are Star Wars, The Godfather, Goodfellas, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, Crumb and others.

I’ve got a little 13 inch TV/DVD combo right next to my computer monitor. It’s been a saving grace for me as it has helped me get through many a boring day putting circles around other people’s writing. The movie I just popped in was the original Alien by Ridley Scott. Holy cow, what an amazing movie. For some reason, I forgot when this movie was released, I thought maybe the early 80’s but it’s 1979 release. It didn’t surprise me at all. The 1970’s produced so many great movies that it’s arguably the best decade for movies. If you ask me, it is the best decade by far.

Just off the top of my head you’ve got:

Star Wars
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Alien
Jaws
Apocalypse Now
Godfather 1 and 2
Rocky
Mean Streets
Taxi Driver
The Exorcist
Superman
Animal House
The French Connection
Annie Hall
Serpico

You’ve got all-time greats in every genre right there and I’m sure I’ve forgotten a ton. I can’t think of a better Sci-Fi flick than the three I named… the Godfather is a good as it gets period…. Great Horror with The Exorcist… some of Scorsese’s best work with Taxi Driver…. I know there’ve been some great superhero flicks recently, but the original Superman is right there with any of the new ones. One of the best Comedies ever made in Animal House. Two of the best Cop movies in French Connection and Serpico. And Rocky is one of the best Sports movies ever made.

Damn, I know I sound old saying this…”but they don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”

C’mon, folks…. Name some more great 1970’s movies.

--Randy

5 comments:

Reel Fanatic said...

You've forgotten Robert Altman, I believe .. Bonnie and Clyde was one of the great crime movies of all time, made, I think, in the great 70s

RandolphG said...

Yes. Altman's MASH is a 70's movie... although I think Bonnie and Clyde is a late 60's flick. Maybe 67 or 68? But it's a big influence on the guys who came up during the 70's. Sonny's death in the Godfather springs to mind.

Bonnie and Clyde is one of the movies I remember seeing for the first time. I got home really late one weeknight, put on the TV and happened to catch Bonnie and Clyde right at the beginning. I got so caught up in it I end up watching the whole thing. Leaving me with like and hour of sleep before I had to go to work. It was worth it though.

--r

Jared said...

Great 1970's paranoia movies

Three Days of the Condor
The Parallax View
Marathon Man
The Odessa File
The Day of the Jackal

Anonymous said...

Some favorites from the 70's:

Young Frankenstein
Chinatown
The Deer Hunter
American Graffiti
The Sting
Dirty Harry

My wife's all time fave: Grease

Man, the list goes on...

RandolphG said...

Dog Day Afternoon....

damn, movies today really suck.