Franchise Review- The Matrix

   In 1999, a revolutionary sci-fi action film captured the imaginations of millions of moviegoers and set new standards for the genre. That movie was SUPPOSED to be "Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace". But two months earlier, "The Matrix" came in through the backdoor and stole George Lucas' thunder. The legendary "SW" creator

"The Matrix"(1999)
Larry and David W weren't really on anybody's radar during the Clinton era, unless you were hip enough to catch 1996's "Bound", their indie directorial debut(seek it out, you won't be sorry). Keanu Reeves hadn't had a significant success in the five years since "Speed", with his first foray into science fiction being 1995's "Johnny M". What I'm trying to say is that expectations were non-existent. The brothers would confidently combine cyberpunk subculture with Hong Kong cinema and the dystopian future popularized by the "Terminator" films, for their ambitious $60 million sophomore outing. When Will Smith(thankfully) passed on the lead role, Reeves put his blank slate non-acting style to good use as restless hacker 'Neo', Thomas Anderson learns the truth from mysterious fugitive Morpheus(Lawrence Fishburne) and leather-clad warrior Trinity(Carrie Anne Moss), and his destiny as the savior of mankind is slowly revealed.

   I'll admit that I couldn't fully grasp the entire picture upon my first viewing. All I knew was that a lot of cool shit was happening. Several scenes became instantly iconic, in the most imitated actioner since "Die Hard"(thank Joel Silver for throwing his weight behind such a 'confusing' concept). The movies that make the largest impact tend to come out of nowhere to blindside the unsuspecting masses, and that was certainly the case here.

The 30 Best Films of the '30s

"Young Mr. Lincoln"(1939) 20-30

prototypical romantic comedy

The 40 Best Films of the '40s

Rita Hayworth

Hepburn

Irish Catholic, third biggest hit of WWII era

John

Calvacade trilogy

nomination for Wayne

Get used to his name and face. Bogart was the biggest and best actor of the 1940s.

Hitchcock

Henry Fonda

Hitchcock's only Oscar winner

We might as well get my Dad's favorite movie out of the way. I heard a lot about this one growing up.

Peck

March

An elephant that can fly? Now, I've seen everything. The most financially successful Disney animated film of the 1940s was produced on a relatively low budget($950,000) to account for WWII losses. That didn't stop the circus sensation from becoming a part of everyone's childhood for at least fifty years. Based on a children's book by Helen Aberson, this cute elephant's relationship with mother Mrs. Jumbo and mighty mouse sidekick Timothy is genuinely touching. Ignore the crow "controversy" and under-7 parental warnings. At 64 minutes, "Dumbo" is still delightful.

Bergman

Cary Grant

Cary Grant

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Jimmy Stewart. We're killing three birds with one stone.

Stewart

Wyler

Cooper

The highest-grossing film of 1941

Is Michael Curtiz the most underrated filmmaker ever? Joan Crawford was at her best in an absorbing adaptation of James M. Cain's 1941 novel, skillfully directed by the "Casablanca" creator. Mildred Pierce is a divorced mother, a workaholic waitress, an entrepreneur, and a murder suspect. There are three jealous men in her life, and one of them is dead. Ann Blyth's dastardly daughter keeps this from being a one-woman show. Kate Winslet and Todd Haynes teamed up for a 2011 miniseries that's more faithful to the book and more time-consuming.

Wyler

The fifth Disney animated film, based on a 1923 book by Felix Salten, should be required viewing for everyone under the age of 10. After a slow start in theaters, several rereleases between 1947 and 1988, made "Bambi" totally revered.

Christmas

Billy Wilder's sobering depiction of alcoholism, based on Charles R. Jackson's 1944 novel, was way ahead of it's time, solidifying the 39 year old Austrian's reputation as one of the first great directors. Don Birnam(a riveting Ray Milland) is a failed writer and a suicidal drunk with a long-suffering girlfriend(the beautiful Jane Wyman). Wilder insisted on a realistic atmosphere, which included filming inside NYC's Bellevue Hospital for one particularly unnerving sequence. "Weekend" won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Actor, Director, and Adapted Screenplay, and should be a part of your next one.

Cagney

"Then it don't matter. I'll be all around in the dark..." Henry Fonda is everywhere movie lovers look, thanks to this immortal adaptation

Or "Bicycle Thieves"

This bruising 100-minute boxing drama, adapted from a short story by Ring Lardner, may be the most underrated film of the decade. A 30 year old Kirk Douglas goes from tramp to welterweight champ, selling his soul and alienating himself from his brother(), his trainer(, and various female companions in the process. What starts out as an uplifting rags-to-riches tale turns into something darker, and sets up a dynamic Oscar-nominated Douglas for 1950s movie stardom. Director Mark Robson underlines the futility of the fight game. Skilled screenwriter Carl Forman went on to be unjustly blacklisted.

Cagney

Huston

Billy Wilder

The fourth Disney

Bogart

Bogart

Welles

Capra. This film is packed with exemplary character actors-

1940 Honorable Mentions- "His Girl Friday"(1940), "The Great Dictator"(1940), "The Letter"(1940) ***, "Kitty Foyle"(1940) ***

1941 Honorable Mentions- "High Sierra"(1941), "The Lady Eve"(1941), "Meet John Doe"(1941), "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"(1941)

1942 Honorable Mentions- "All Through the Night"(1942), "Woman of the Year"(1942), "The Magnificent Ambersons"(1942)

1943 Honorable Mentions- "Shadow of a Doubt"(1943)

1944 Honorable Mentions- "Dragon Seed"(1944), "Meet Me in St. Louis"(1944), "National Velvet"(1944)

1945 Honorable Mentions- "Without Love"(1945), "Back to Bataan"(1945), "Brief Encounter"(1945), "They Were Expendable"(1945) ***, "Spellbound"(1945)

1946 Honorable Mentions- "Gilda"(1946), "To Each His Own"(1946), "The Stranger"(1946) ***, "The Big Sleep"(1946), "Undercurrent"(1946), "My Darling Clementine"(1946), "The Yearling"(1946)

1947 Honorable Mentions- "The Farmer's Daughter"(1947), "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"(1947), "Out of the Past"(1947), "The Bishop's Wife"(1947)

1948 Honorable Mentions- "The Lady From Shanghai"(1948), "Johnny Belinda"(1948) ***, "Hamlet"(1948), "Rope"(1948), "Unfaithfully Yours"(1948)

1949 Honorable Mentions- "The Third Man"(1949), "Little Women"(1949), "The Fountainhead"(1949), "All the King's Men"(1949), "Twelve O'Clock High"(1949)