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Ever since I could sit on my mom or dad’s lap, I’ve loved going to the movies. I’ll be 78 on the 31st of this month. That means I’ve seen nearly 3 thousand movies in my lifetime so far!
Most movies are okay, enjoyable, fun, exciting or romantic. But by far the most of the movies I saw weren’t memorable. However, in nearly 78 years I have found some motion pictures that, to me, were absolutely memorable and I could tell you moments from each film no matter how long ago I saw them.
Throughout the next couple of months I’m going to share my very favorite films of my lifetime. I realize that it’s often different strokes for different folks and during the time I’m sharing these films, you may come across some you didn’t like at all. But I promise you if you haven’t seen some of these films, they are all the best in my movie critic opinion and I urge you to see them by Netflix or Hulu, or by renting or buying the DVDs. Many of them you can buy for a dollar or a few cents more because of their age.
Also, if you have any movies in mind that our your favorites, please leave a comment in the comment box that includes the name of that film. –Ray
Here are my own Oscar winners that begin with the letters A B or C:
THE BEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME FOR ANYONE TO ENJOY As selected and described by Ray Mossholder
’84 A CHRISTMAS CAROL (George C Scott, Frank Finlay, Angela Pleasence) A miserable old miser gets a brand-new look at Christmas with the help of three ghosts. He is transformed into a loving giving man when the ghosts take him to his past, his present, and his future.
’38 THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (Errol Flynn, Olivia DeHaviland, Basil Rathbone) An all-time great swashbuckler that the years have not diminished. Sherwood Forest comes alive again, and you’ll see why Errol Flynn was considered the most handsome movie star of his day.
’06 AKEELAH AND THE BEE (Keke Palmer, Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett) A young girl qualifies for the national Spelling Bee, and her mother doesn’t want her to participate. Her mentor does because of what it will do for the girl. A story with strong human interest.
’57 ALL MINE TO GIVE (Glynis Johns, Cameron Mitchell, Rex Thompson, Patty McCormick) The Eunsons’, a Scottish family has just arrived in America in 1856 to start their new life. All goes well until disease strikes, first the dad and then the mom. Six children are left alone and the oldest, Robbie, will keep his promise to his dying mom – find homes for his brothers and sisters.
’82 ANNIE (Aileen Quinn, Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, Anne Reinking) Annie is a little girl who stepped out of a comic strip from my youth and has become a box-office smash both on Broadway and on the screen. In this wonderful musical, Annie is in an orphanage during the Great Depression. But no matter how bad things get, Annie is always positive. That drives Miss Hannigan nuts (as if she already wasn’t!) “Daddy” Warbucks, a billionaire, sends his secretary to adopt an orphan for a week. Annie is chosen but Daddy soon realizes he wants to adopt her permanently. As she steals Daddy’s heart, Miss Hannigan, her brother and his girlfriend, plot to steal Daddy Warbuck’s money.
’06 AMAZING GRACE (Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Romola Garai) A true story. How William Wilberforce two hundred years ago led England’s Parliament to ban the black slave trade and stop the slave ships from coming into port. This movie also shows how John Newton, a crewman on black slave ships, came to Christ and wrote the great hymn “Amazing Grace.”
’12 APOSTLE PETER AND THE LAST SUPPER (Robert Loggia, Bruce Marchiano, Laurence Fuller, David Kallaway) Peter spends his last three days of life in a prison cell. But he isn’t slowed down at all. He shows you how the apostle Paul spent his time too, witnessing to his last breath about his loving Lord. Meanwhile, we learn Christ’s apostles deepest thoughts at the Last Supper. A POWERFUL film.
’44 ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre) Two eccentric but totally loveable old maid aunts who serve poison to old men they are trying to help, and a nephew who is aghast when he finds out. That description may sound grim, but it’s actually one of the funniest comedies ever performed. I directed this as a play in high school and it will always be one of my favorites.
’11 THE ARTIST (Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, James Cromwell, Jason Patric) This film won the Oscar as Best Picture of 2011. It deserved it. And even though you know from the beginning that its an almost completely silent movie, it will take you by total surprise. It’s a love story – a silent film star is replaced when Hollywood starts doing “talkies.” A great ending too.
’42 BAMBI (Animated: VOICES: Hardy Albright, Stan Alexander, Bobette Audrey) You don’t have to be a little child to love this movie. I’m living proof of that. The American Film Institute lists Bambi third among all animated films. …A white-tailed fawn, Bambi, is born deep in the forest to a doting doe and friends surrounding him that include the delightful Thumper the rabbit and Flower the shy skunk. Life is both beautiful and tragic for Bambi. His mother takes him to a meadow and warns of danger there, but it’s also where he meets Faline, his childhood friend who will become his lifelong mate, and his father, the Great Prince of the Forest. Bambi learns the dangers of forest fires, a buck who also wants Faline, and the most dangerous of all – hunters. As one hunter told me, “I’ve shot out five television sets watching Bambi!”
’05 BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE (AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Eva Marie Saint) Winn Dixie is played by two Picardy Shepherds, a rare breed from France.) Ten-year-old India Opal Baloni is in a brand new town because her dad’s a preacher. No one is warm to her until she finds a scruffy dog creating havoc in a Winn Dixie grocery store. She takes the dog home and names it Winn Dixie. Everyone loves that dog, and soon India has LOTS of friends. The interplay with the people between her and her mischievous dog is a sight to behold.
’45 THE BELLS OF ST. MARYS (Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers) See Going My Way first and then this movie, it’s sequel. Father O’Malley, the young unconventional priest, is moved to St. Mary’s high school, a run-down inner city Catholic High School about to be condemned. The sisters don’t want to lose it or their students. They’re praying that the sweet old man Horace P. Bogardus will give them the beautiful building that sits next to their school. Father O’Malley and the stubborn but dedicated Sister Mary Benedict work to save the school but use very different methods. Their polite disagreements are fun to watch. So is the whole movie. Bing Crosby sings some really catchy songs.
’59 BEN HUR This film won 11 Academy Awards. (Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith, Haya Harareet) It’s 26 A.D. Judah Ben-Hur, a proud Jew, is wrongly charged by his boyhood friend, Messala, Commander of a Roman garrison, when a tile falls near him from Judah’s roof while Judah is watching him go by in a parade. Messala exiles Judah and his whole family to a remote and rugged area of the country where his mother and sister soon become lepers and have to flee and join the other lepers who are hiding in caves. Judah is full of bitter rage and can only think of the day he’ll get his revenge on his former friend. This leads to the most famous chariot race in movie history and to his encounter with Christ. …This movie is three hours and 44 minutes long, but well worth the watching.
’83 BILL COSBY HIMSELF (Bill Cosby) – Not a story but a one-man show. Two hours of Bill Cosby doing his very best routines. You’ll be rolling on the floor laughing all the time he’s speaking.
’08 BILLY: THE EARLY YEARS (J. Thomas Bailey, Dan Beene, Cliff Beris) With strong acting and a well told story, this outstanding biographical film accomplishes what the title declares. It’s about the early years of Dr. Billy Graham’s life that led to his becoming the greatest soul-winning evangelist of the Twentieth Century. From the night that as an older teenager, he entered a Christian revival, mocking all that was going on and got saved, to meeting, courting and marrying Ruth at Wheaton Bible college, you’ll be fascinated, At Wheaton, Billy became a close friend of Charles Templeton, at that time considered one of the foremost evangelists of his day. Charles later lost his faith and wrote a book denouncing the Bible and its claims. One of the most powerful moments of this great film shows Templeton mocking Billy and arguing that science has proven the Bible is false. Yet Billy became the evangelist who throughout his every crusade would be known for his phrase “The Bible says,,,,,”.
’94 BLACK BEAUTY (Sean Bean, David Thewlis, Jim Carter, Peter Davison) Hollywood made four earlier movies with this title but this is by far the best one. It’s based on Anna Sewell’s 1884 best-selling novel. Beauty tells stories of how hard her and other horse’s lives were in Victorian England in the late 1800’s. Beautifully filmed, this movie is as much of a classic as the book.
’79 THE BLACK STALLION (Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr) A boy finds a wild stallion aboard a ship that afterward becomes shipwrecked. He finds him again and learns to ride him fast. Trainer Mickey Rooney finds out. They end up with the horse at a race track. A great story, exquisitely filmed.
’83 The Black Stallion Returns (Kelly Reno, Vincent Spano, Allen Garfield) The boy is in Morocco when his black stallion is stolen. Then the adventure begins.
’09 THE BLIND SIDE (Sandra Bullock, Quinton Aaron, Jae Head, Tim McGraw) A true semi-biological drama based on a book by the same name that tells the story of Michael Oher who is today an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. At 17, Michael had run away from more foster homes than you can count. Nevertheless, a wonderful couple adopted him and got him enrolled at a Christian high school who accepted him because of his huge size and how “perfect” he’d be on their football team. He required a whole lot of training on the field and equally at home. This is a warm and loving family film with Christian overtones.
’09 THE BOOK OF RUTH: JOURNEY OF FAITH (Sherry Morris, Carman, Eleese Lester) See the Book of Ruth come to life. My precious forever friend, Christian vocal artist Carman, as Boaz, makes this an even greater film to watch.
’37 CAPTAIN’S COURAGEOUS (Spencer Tracey, Freddie Bartholomew, Lionel Barrymore, Melvyn Douglas, Mickey Rooney) Harvey Cheyne is ten and is a totally unliked spoiled brat. Suspended from school, his rich always indulging father takes him with him on a trip to Europe on a trans-Atlantic steamship. True to form, Harvey falls overboard and is rescued by a Portugese-American fisherman, Manuel. Stuck there with no hope of being taken to shore, the captain’s young son befriends him and begins teaching him the ways of the sea. He also learns that his arrogance and boasting aren’t acceptable to the men aboard their ship. Tragedy and loss break Harvey’s heart. But that’s not the end of the story.
’42 CASABLANCA (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains) Filmed at the beginning of the Second World War very shortly after the allied invasion of North Africa, this was Humphrey Bogart’s first role as a romantic lead. He plays Rick Blaine, a cynical expatriate living in Casablanca in early December 1941, just after America entered the Second World War. Rick receives letters permitting him to travel around German-controlled Europe. He hates the Nazis and the letters are vital to his being able to do all he can to stop them. Then his ex-lover shows up unexpectedly with her husband who has just escaped from a Nazi concentration camp. Rick is still very much in love with her, but he’s also a man of high moral virtue. The end of this movie is still called by many film critics, “The greatest moment of real love ever filmed.”
’81 CHARIOTS OF FIRE (Ian Charleson, Ben Cross, Ian Holm) This movie won the Academy Award for BEST FILM OF THE YEAR, and three other Academy Awards as well. It tells the true story of the Scottish Christian track star, Eric Liddell, who runs “for the glory of God,” and Jewish track star Harold Abrahams. In 1919, both men become students at Cambridge University and end up competing in the 1924 Paris Olympics. When Eric accidentally misses a church prayer meeting because he is running instead, his devout Christian sister scolds him that he doesn’t care enough about God. Eric replies that he will return to their work with the China Mission after the Olympics, but that “God made me for a purpose. When I run I feel God’s pleasure.” Eric does have one belief that flies in the face of Olympic leaders. He refuses to run on Sundays. The testing of his faith comes when he learns the heat for the 100 meter race is scheduled for a Sunday. How this issue is resolved, Harold Abraham’s race, and the rest of this story is tremendously worth watching. This movie is listed 19th by the British Film Institute among the top 100 British films of all time.
’02 THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (James Caviezel, Richard Harris, Guy Pierce) Alexandre Dumas’ classic book comes to life in the best of the ten films with this title. In an attempt to save their sick captain’s life, two sailors who have been friends from childhood steer their French merchant vessel toward the island of Elba, where Napoleon is in exile. Landing there late at night and mistaken for spies, these two are arrested but let loose again when Napoleon recognizes they aren’t spies at all. Napoleon gives a letter to one of the sailors, Dantes, a letter to a friend of his in France. The captain dies and the two sailors leave for home. But when the local magistrate finds out about Dantes carrying Napoleon’s letter, Dantes is charged with treason. During 15 years in prison, he becomes the close friend of another inmate, Faria, a former priest and member of Napoleon’s army. The illiterate Dantes is tutored in math, science, philosophy, hand and sword combat and military strategy. Once out of prison, the count really counts. A great story all the way through.
’84 A CHRISTMAS CAROL (George C. Scott, Frank Finlay, Angela Pleasance) Show this in December. Charles Dickens classic story of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who hates everyone and lives only for himself. Then three ghosts come to him and show him his far past, his near past, and his future if he doesn’t change his ways. Ebenezer’s transformation has been filmed several times. This is the best of the best.
’05 THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (Tilda Peacock, Georgie Henley, William Moseley) A beautifully done production of the Pevensie kids as they go through a wardrobe and discover Narnia. The very best parts of CS Lewis’s book come alive in this film. Action galore. Tremendous story.
’08 THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Mosely, Anna Popplewell) Disney studios brings the second of C. S. Lewis’ classic tales to the screen – Prince Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia. A war rages to kill the Prince, and Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy come through the wardrobe again to help him. It takes time as it always does for good to triumph over evil, and it takes Aslan (Christ) to give the victory. Great to watch.
(’10) THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (Ben Barnes, Skander Keynes, Georgie Henley) On a boring summer day, Lucy, Edmund and total brat Eustace are swept through a picture of a ship and find themselves at sea with Prince Caspian. There are dragons, dwarves, and a lost band of warriors to confront on their journey to the end of the world.
’94 CORINNA, CORINNA (Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Majorino, Ray Liotta) A great comedy. Manny Singer’s wife dies and his young daughter, Molly, withdraws from life. But then Whoopi is hired as a maid and befriends Molly, much to the town’s displeasure. In this movie, her name should be spelled Whoopie!
’11 COURAGEOUS (Alex Kendrick, Ken Bevel, Kevin Downes) When a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their Christian faith and with their roles as husbands and fathers. Together they make a decision that changes all their lives.
’56 THE COURT JESTER (Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns, Basil Rathbone) Danny Kaye at his hysterical best, reluctantly doing battle at King Arthur’s court while attempting to woo a fair maiden.
You are welcome to print this out. -Ray
The ABC"s of great movies –Ray