100 movies to see before you die ...

So I just checked out Yahoo's recent list of 100 movies to see before you die.

Yeah, not my usual style for this blog - no taxes, no gloom and doom economy stories. I thought I'd lighten it up a little bit.

Now, I like to consider myself a movie connoisseur, and I like to think I watch more movies than the average person. I also know that I have very specific tastes when it comes to movies. For example, I don't do war or violence, I find most dramas to be *yawn* boring, and I love low-brow comedies (I went into reviewing the list not expecting to find Old School included - drats).

But lately, I've been more open to watching movies I'd normally judge to be outside of my comfort zone - thanks largely to Professor Enrique Giordano and his excellent class on Latin American Film, I have two new favorites to add to my own personal best films list, Machuca, and Amores Perros.

So here goes. I'm highlighting many of the films Yahoo included on the list, and I'm dividing them into groups.

MOVIES I'VE SEEN

Do the Right Thing


I saw Do the Right Thing on the list and gasped; it's one of my all time favorites. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and make it a point. Best viewed on a swelteringly hot day.

Other "I've seen it" highlights:

Blue Velvet
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Die Hard
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Shawshank Redemption
The Usual Suspects
The Wizard of Oz

In total, of the 100, I've only seen ... 28.

MOVIES MOST PEOPLE HAVE SEEN ... BUT NOT ME

Pulp Fiction


Nope, never saw it, not all the way through. I tried several times and fell asleep every single time.

Others I think most people have seen, at least most movie fans:

Alien
Blade Runner
The Godfather (Parts I and II)
Lord of the Rings
Raging Bull
Titanic

MOVIES ON MY LIST TO SEE

All About Eve


I'll try to check these out as soon as I have tons and tons of free time, like when I'm laid up at home or unemployed (maybe sooner than I think if I don't find a job shortly after graduation).

All About Eve is on the list because I have a thing for Bette Davis. The queen of movie mean, no one does it quite like Bette did.

Have you seen any of these?

Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid
Casablanca
Chinatown
Nosferatu
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

MOVIES I'VE NEVER HEARD OF

Blow-Up


Looks campy, looks like fun. But I've never heard of it.

I've also never heard of:

400 Blows
Grand Illusion
Wild Strawberries
Wings of Desire
The World of Apu

MOVIES I HAVE ZERO INTEREST IN EVER SEEING

Annie Hall


With the exception of Match Point, I HATE Woody Allen movies. Just don't get them, don't find them to be even remotely entertaining.

Many of the other movies in this category are very old, some are movies I don't think will translate well in 2009, some I can't for the life of me figure out why they're on the list, and some just aren't my bag, baby:

Bringing Up Baby
Duck Soup
Gold Finger
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Some Like it Hot (I LOVE Jack Lemmon, but I love him best with Walter Matthau.)
Terminator 2 (2? Why 2?)

And yeah, I think they missed a few, but we'll save that matter for another time.

What about you? Like the list? Abhor it? Where do you weigh in on the titles included? How about those that failed to make the cut?