you're ravenous!

Spoiler alert! If you haven't seen 'em and want to—don't read 'em.

The Chairman (1969) - "An American scientist is sent to Red China to steal the formula for a newly developed agricultural enzyme. What he is not told by his bosses is that a micro-sized bomb has been planted in his brain so that should the mission ever look likely to fail, he can be eliminated at the push of a button!"
source: DVD
I watched it because: it's mild-mannered, intellectual Gregory Peck! In (arguably) an action movie! He's the pre-Liam Neeson!
IMDB: 5.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 29%
my IMDB: 2/10

notable quote: "Freedom is the recognition of necessity."

MPAA rating: M/PG

directed by: J. Lee Thompson

my notes: oh my lord! So weird. The science part is believable, and the political drama is compelling. But there's a gap between that and the main thrust of the movie, which is that Gregory Peck can somehow be almost totally responsible for the security of the Western World. There's also an inexplicably angry man with one black lens in his glasses (Arthur Hill as Shelby).

overall: not  recommended

Dirty Harry (1971) - "In 1971, San Francisco faces the terror of a maniac known as the 'Scorpio Killer' (Andrew Robinson), who snipes at innocent victims and demands ransom through notes left at the scene of the crime. Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is assigned to the case along with his newest partner Inspector Chico Gonzalez (Reni Santoni) to track down Scorpio and stop him. Using humiliation and cat-and-mouse type of games against Callahan, Scorpio is put to the test with the cop with a dirty attitude."

source: DVD
I watched it because: it's a classic that I'd never seen
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 89% Audience: 90%
my IMDB: 9/10

AFI: 100 Years…100 Thrills (2001) #41

    100 Years … 100 Heroes and Villains (2003) Hero #17

notable quote: "Uh uh. I know what you're thinking, punk. You're thinking 'Did he fire six shots or only five?' Now to tell you the truth, I've forgotten myself in all this excitement. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and will blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself a question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?"

MPAA rating: R

directed by: Don Siegel, Clint Eastwood

my notes: this is a movie made up of what are now ingrained cultural references. The above quote is the primary one, of course, and even as I heard it in the movie I was thinking of Ryan Stiles from Whose Line is it Anyway? doing it in Carol Channing's voice (and Wayne Brady doing it in Scooby Doo's). I also really liked Santoni as the newbie who still knew things.

overall:  recommended

The Tourist (2010) - "Elise (Angelina Jolie) sits next to an American tourist, Frank (Johnny Depp), on a train going to Venice. She has chosen him as a decoy, making believe that he is her lover who is wanted by police. Not only will they need to evade the police, but also the mobster whose money her lover stole. "
source: DVD
I watched it because: I've seen it before (reviewed here) and it stuck with me
IMDB: 6.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 21% Audience: 42%
my IMDB: 9/10

notable quote: "Women don't like questions."

MPAA rating: PG-13

directed by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

my notes: clever, funny, beautifully shot. Surprising, smart, sexy. Ironic. Different.

overall: highly recommended

Fail Safe (1964) - "A series of human and computer errors sends a squadron of American 'Vindicator' bombers to nuke Moscow. The President, in order to convince the Soviets that this is a mistake, orders the Strategic Air Command to help the Soviets stop them."
source: DVD
I watched it because: I'd heard that there's a remake and wanted to see the original first
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 8/10

notable quote: "'We have checks on everything, checks and counter-checks.'

    'Who checks the checker? Where's the end of the line? Who's got the responsibility?'"

MPAA rating: approved

directed by: Sidney Lumet

my notes: perhaps the most tense movie I've ever seen. Incredibly stressful. Agonizing. Henry Fonda (The President) is brilliant. Larry Hagman (Buck) is a revelation. And Dan O'Herliky (Gen. Black) is heartbreaking.

overall:  recommended

 

Key Largo (1948) - "A few years after the end of World War II, Frank McCloud travels to the Florida Keys to visit the family of one of the men he commanded. The dead soldier's father, James Temple, runs a hotel in Key Largo with the help of his now widowed daughter-in-law Nora. He arrives in the heat of summer to find the hotel closed for the season but occupied by a group of shady characters. McCloud and the Temples take an instant liking to each other. The hotel has been rented for a week by none other than mobster Johnny Rocco who was deported from the US some 8 years before but has returned via Cuba to complete a business transaction with his old partners in crime. As a hurricane descends on Key Largo, tempers flare leading McCloud to protect the Temples from the threat that Rocco and his hoods pose."
source: DVD
I watched it because: the list of movies that I intend to see someday is pretty long. I take advantage of what I can get when I get it.
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 97% Audience: 88%
my IMDB: 8/10

notable quote: "I say smack her, and let it go at that."

MPAA rating: approved

directed by: John Huston

my notes: if you're looking for a black and white movie with loads of tension, this is a really good one. Lauren Bacall is ethereal and earthy at once. Humphrey Bogart defines older-man rock-star hotness.

Academy Award winner: Best Supporting Actress—Claire Taylor
overall:  recommended

Cry of the City (1948) - "In New York, when cop killer Martin Rome arrives in the hospital badly wounded, lawyer W.A. Niles unsuccessfully tries to convince him to confess to the robbery of a collection of jewels and the death of the owner. During the night, Martin's girlfriend Teena Riconti sneaks in to visit him. Later Niles threatens Martin, telling that he would catch Teena to force her to assume the other crime. When Martin escapes from the hospital, Lt. Candella, who is an old friend of the Rome family, investigates the case and must chase Martin."
source: DVD
I watched it because: Victor Mature is fascinating
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 85%
my IMDB: 8/10

notable quote: "Ever go to Florida for a couple of weeks? You ever bet a hundred bucks on a horse? Or maybe give a girl a big bunch of orchids, just 'cause you like her smile?"

MPAA rating: passed

directed by: Robert Siodmak

my notes: I liked it a lot!

overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from The Tourist]