Created May/June 2012

Initially, I intended this project to be limited to 70 films but wasn’t sure which films to weed out to trim the list down to 70.

I finally selected the following films to be removed from the list (with some reservation for the Shawshank Redemption) as follows:

1. Chocolat (a nice example of magic realism but somewhat predictable)
5. Castle in the Sky (I prefer Nausicaa.)
10. She’s All That (There are better teen movies, aren’t there? e.g. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants ?)
17. The Count of Monte Christo (A great prison escape film based on a well-known novel, but a bit predictable.)
25. The Princess Bride (not enough substance, if I may be bold enough to say so)
38. The Illusionist (not enough substance) Wikipedia article
40. Pi (too extreme as a plot somehow with a lot of violence that doesn’t seem to lead anywhere) Psychflick review / a review by Brooke J. Cannon, Ph.D.
43. The Thomas Crown Affair (really enjoyed it but not enough substance that leaves a trace except for the sophistication that’s comparable to the best martini ever tasted)
45. The Maltese Falcon (not my favorite film noir)
51. Labyrinth (interesting but Alice in Wonderland is already on the list)
62. The Shawshank Redemption (A feel-good prison film with an innocent protagonist, maybe I should keep this one?)
72. Snatch (Brad Pitt is well-cast but somehow that’s not enough.)
78. The Squid and the Whale (I don’t like it enough to recommend it to others.) Is There Such a Thing As A “Good” Divorce"? A Review of The Squid and the Whale
81. Psycho (There are better Hitchcock films and also better horror films.)
83. The Bakery Girl of Monceau (I prefer other films from the series of six moral stories by Rohmer.)

I was specifically looking for films that appeal to low to mid-teens (12/13-14/15) and upper teens (16/17- 18) that are also sought out by college students/adults and can be used as a springboard for writing activities such as prompt writing (short essays), film analysis, etc. Weeding out more and keeping the number of films to 70 meant eliminating many good films, so I separated out the films that are appropriate for younger teens (as shown below) to see how many will be left for the more mature teens before selecting the films that can overlap for the two age groups. I turned to Common Sense Media to gauge the age appropriateness of each film.

However, ultimately, I could not eliminate any further so the title became Movie Challenge- 77 films in 70 Days (which indicates a double feature once a week except for three weeks out of ten… or a double feature twice a week to allow for a day off now and then…or spread out over the holidays and weekends throughout the year.)

APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER TEENS (27 films) *animated film, short film or documentary to be combined with a feature film for a double feature viewing?

2. True Grit Age 13/14 and up, according to Common Sense Media
3. Alice in Wonderland Age 9/10 and up
*6. Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind Age 10 and up
*15. Bee Movie Age 5 and up
16. The King’s Speech Age 13/14 and up (Wikipedia article )
20. The Devil Wears Prada Age 13 and up
22. Chariots of Fire Age 11 and up
24. Bridget Jones’s Diary Age 15 and up
26. The Matrix Age 13/14 and up
27. The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman Age 13/14 and up
29. The Sand Pebbles (Wikipedia article )
*30. Fantastic Mr. Fox Age 7 and up
32. Citizen Kane Age 12 and up (Paul Schrader’s Film Canon- Gold)
34. Groundhog Day Age 10/11 and up (Philosophical Films page and Perry Garfinkel article and Shambhala Sun article )
35. Gattaca Age 12/13 and up
*44. Food, Inc. Age 13 and up (documentary)
*46. Once Upon a Time by Carl T. Dreyer (Perhaps this can be replaced by The White Balloon or The Apple .)
48. The Truman Show Age 9 and up (Linda A. Mercadante article )
*57. Antz Age 7 and up
*58. Born into Brothels: Calcutta’s Red Light Kids ( KIds with Cameras ) documentary
65. Days of Summer Age 13 and up
67. The Philadelphia Story Age 10/11 and up
75. The Help 12 and up
82. Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (Rotten Tomatoes link )
89. Julie and Julia by Nora Ephron ( Charlie Rose Interview Videos ) Age 12/13 and up
91. Ran by Kurosawa Akira (Wikipedia article )
92. K-PAX Age 13/14/15 and up (Wikipedia article and IMDb user review ) Q: Stigma-producing, anti-psychiatry, or neither?

APPROPRIATE FOR MATURE TEENS (50 films) +27 from above= 77

ONLY FOR THE VERY MATURE (6 films) – Anybody who has watched the 77 films above (and learned to do their homework) is “theoretically” ready for these. :-)

37. Blue Valentine Age 17/18 and up, for adults
42. Blue Velvet Age 18 and up, for adults (Paul Schrader’s Film Canon- Silver) Psychflick review
50. Mulholland Drive Age 16/17 and up, for adults (the ten clues explained by Anthony Kusich)
52. The Big Lebowski Age 16/17 and up, for adults (Wikipedia article on dudeism ) Paul Schrader’s Film Canon- Silver
63. Everything for Sale (Rotten Tomatoes link )
68. Talk to Her (Rotten Tomatoes link ) Paul Schrader’s Film Canon-Bronze Psychflick review

WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?

Paul Schrader’s Film Canon

What Constitutes a Cinematic Masterpiece by Paul Schrader

A critical response to Schrader’s film canon from Donato Totaro

99. Vertigo (Schrader’s Film Canon- Gold)

FURTHER FODDER- Readers respond to Paul Schrader’s Film Canon- Top 20 Directors Omitted from the Canon

100. Salaam Bombay by Mira Nair
101. Children of Heaven Age 10 and up
102. 1900 (In light of Roger Ebert’s review , maybe not.)
103. Water (Interesting review the perspective of which I don’t necessarily endorse entirely.)
104. Crimson Gold (sitting on a fence after this review )
105. La Haine
106. Where the Wild Things Are (David Denby’s review )
107. Full Metal Jacket New York Times review
108. Apocalypse Now / Film 4- 50 Films to See Before You Die
109. Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner Open University discussion with key cast and crew / Study Guide link

MUBI list Aesthetically Complex link

Open Culture free movies

The Auteurs/MUBI World Cup Films, 2009
2010 Directors’ Cup Statistics
2011 Directors’ Cup Statistics
2012 MUBI World Cup
NPR- Movies I’ve Seen a Million Times

Movie Challenge- 77 Films in 70 Days