Well, another week, another list. You know the drill, I give my honorable mentions from the decade then get on to my list, so lets do it.

And, don't worry. I will have some good stuff coming once this series is over!

Honorable mentions:

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "The Jungle Book," "To Sir, With Love," "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," "It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Lilies of the Field," "West Side Story," "Mary Poppins," "101 Dalmatians," "A Man for All Seasons," "Father Goose," and "The Absent-Minded Professor"

10. "Charade"

First, listen to this music...

...then go watch this largely forgotten thriller from the early 60s starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn's husband is killed after having hidden a large sum of money, and three of his former friends are soon after her thinking she must have it. She finds herself under the unlikely protection of Grant, but can he be trusted? As the name implies, there is much charade-playing going down, and we won't have all the answers until the very last scene. The acting in this who's who cast, which also includes Walter Matthau, James Coburn, and George Kennedy, is top-notch. The cinematography of Paris is amazing. And the story will keep you holding your breath as twist after twist is revealed and we get to the exciting climax!

9. "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"

Some say the name of the movie should have been "The Bad, The Worse, and The Worst," since Clint Eastwood is more of an antihero. Despite this, this remains an important benchmark in the Western movie genre. Lots of things in it are still used now, whether seriously or as spoof, from the iconic theme...

...to the showdown at the end, to Clint Eastwood talking tough, this film's influence is undeniable. I would go through the plot, but in my mind, the plot isn't what makes it so great. It's the individual scenes that keep your attention throughout the three-hour running time. And, surprisingly, it still holds up as an edge-of-your-seat thriller even today! Even if you're not a Western fan (I am), this masterpiece is still definitely worth a look!

8. "Cool Hand Luke"

Luke Jackson may just be the most likable antihero to ever be filmed. A man is sent to work on the prison farm for breaking street lights and while there, shows a tendency to rebel against any kind of authority he can, even if it brings great pain to him. No matter how many times he's caught trying to escape, he still persists with his mission of nonconformity. Even though some might see him as a failure, the other men still rally behind him, admiring his spirit. Whether you agree with Luke's actions or not, this can be a good movie. If you disapprove, you can view this story as a cautionary tale against hubris. If you are behind him, you can see it as a powerful story of the triumph of the human spirit. Even when it seems he's lost in the end, he still keeps that perpetual smile that all the men admired. In fact, some view him as a martyr and even a Christ figure!

Whatever your beliefs, this masterful film is definitely worth watching and reflecting on afterwards. Also, despite 1967 producing some pretty solid Best Picture nominees (I'll get to one of them later), I still say this movie was gypped!

7. "Midnight Cowboy"

It was not the only X-rated film to win Best Picture for nothing! Don't let the X fool you, though. I'll admit the movie can be disturbing, but by today's standards, it's pretty tame and would probably be more of a hard PG-13 or mild R. Jon Voight plays a cowboy who was abused as a child and as an adult, decides the best way for him to earn money is to be a male "escort." He is not very successful in this venture, though. He soon befriends a local con man named Ratso Rizzo, played by Dustin Hoffman. Together, the two friends do their best to find the American dream and become more acquainted with the late 60s underbelly of America than they ever wanted to be. At once bleak and beautiful, this film shows a period of America which we would like to pretend didn't happen, but that we should never forget about! And even though one man meets tragedy during the course of the story, I believe there is still some hope that the other may still salvage the American dream yet. So, if you're open to some more gritty stuff by 60s standards, I think it's worth a look.

6. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

Another cowboy Best Picture nominee from '69 and a considerably more lighthearted one. We see two men in the west who, despite being a couple of charismatic sharpshooters, don't really seem to know what the heck they're doing when it comes to planning a robbery. No matter where these two antiheroes go, trouble, failure, and posses seem to follow. What I like most about the movie aside from the action is the wit of the dialogue. Even though there can be a couple of intense violent scenes, the characters can also be very funny at times, especially in the banter between Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who play the title roles. It's not hard to tell the screenplay was written by William Goldman (who also wrote the comical Princess Bride). Despite not being terribly influential on future film (except for maybe the cinematography, it's been awhile since I saw it), it still remains a Western classic that sort of brought the genre into a more modern context and is, quite simply, a lot of fun!

5. "To Kill a Mockingbird"

This is another one of those films that I consider perfect. Not that I get as engrossed with it as I do The Godfather or The Shawshank Redemption, I just think that it's a flawless example of filmmaking. It starts out as a picturesque, nostalgic childhood adventure during the summers in the Depression where a kid's biggest worry was what games they would play that day. It does kind of seem as though the kids are turned a bit too loose, but whenever they get out of line, they have their father, the lawyer Atticus Finch to dispense some sage advice. We soon discover that their town is not as innocent as it appears. Turns out Atticus is defending a young black man accused of rape, and the townspeople are none too happy about it. Atticus can't shield his children from it forever, and they learn some powerful lessons about humanity and also gain a new respect for their father when they see him standing for his principles to defend an innocent man. I really like the picture the film paints of the Depression. It was a simpler, yet more racially tense time that's interesting to look back on. What really makes both the film and the book work, though, is how well they can show such mature issues through the eyes of a child. The book and the film are timeless pieces of Americana that should never be forgotten.

4. "Psycho"

Yes, we all know about this scene...

...but there's a lot more to the movie than this. However, since we're already on this scene...it is very masterfully done. In spite of pushing the boundaries at the time of the nudity and violence you could depict onscreen, there is no actual gore or inappropriate anatomy shown in this scene! The master Alfred Hitchcock carefully shot this infamous scene many times so as to avoid showing any gratuitous nudity or the knife penetrating her flesh. (Spoiler: Also, the blood is chocolate syrup.) Even though there are a few jump scares, the movie's main genius comes in its attention to detail, atmosphere, and raw tension. In fact, the film moves so slow at times, it's just all the more of a jolt when something scary happens! When a secretary goes on the lam with a large sum of money, she stops at the Bates Motel, and the rest is history. Even if you know the killer's true identity by now, the true depth of the character is just as shocking today as it was then. For that reason, I won't show the final scene, but just take my word for it that it contains the most chilling closing monologue I have ever seen. And for those of you wondering why we're just now getting to Hitchcock and he only gets this entry, don't worry. I expect his day is coming...

3. "The Graduate"

First of all, the soundtrack is like entirely Simon and Garfunkel, and that's good for me...

Second, these were the days where, even in a rom-com you had to be able to act, unlike a lot of the "plastics" we see today. Third, this movie is relatable on a few levels. I think any college student/graduate would be able to empathize with Ben Braddock's anxiety over the future and the feeling that he has nothing thus far to be proud of. This brilliant opening credits scene tells you pretty much all you need to know about him...

This depression coupled with the desire to be different from the previous generation's expectations leads him to an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the wife of one of his father's co-workers. It's clear though, that he is doing this as a search for some sort of meaning, and he isn't finding it. Soon, he finds a more appropriate girlfriend, Elaine, who Ben feels would be the only good decision he ever made in his life. Only problem: She's Mrs. Robinson's daughter, and the inevitable complications ensue! This iconic film's influence is still felt today in about every "hipster" film, as well as any romantic comedy that goes for more of an artistic edge than most. The film is very artful with many visuals and effects which reveal without telling you how a character is feeling in a scene and whatnot. Also, this movie, I believe, kicked off the trope of disrupting the wedding and stealing the girl at the end. At least this one was honest enough to show you that it's actually a really bad idea if you don't have a backup plan!

2. "Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"

It won't be news to even a casual film buff when I say that just about everything Stanley Kubrick touched is cinematic gold, even if it wasn't initially seen as such, and this film is no exception. Often seen as one of his greatest works, this darkly hilarious film points out how ridiculous society was at the time of its release. A paranoid army captain believes that the commies are planning an attack, so he sends a preemptive strike at them, which leads to long comedy of errors, resulting (spoiler alert) in the end of the world. Kubrick brought to light several holes in our system as well as our comical paranoia in the nuclear age and how scared we all were of our own inventions! Add to this three(!) stellar performances from comic genius Peter Sellers and a typecasting break from George C. Scott, and we have a film that's still as comically relevant today as it was then!

1. "2001: A Space Odyssey"

I don't think anyone could possibly know this because you would have to watch every square inch of film ever produced in order to, but I suspect this just might be the greatest film of all time, objectively speaking! A lot of audience members (both now and then) couldn't get through it because it just seemed like a long line of boring scenes with barely any plot to tie them together. Nowadays, most film buffs understand that this isn't meant to be watched like a regular film. Stanley Kubrick's magnum opus is actually an artistic symbol of the evolution and folly of man. It is intentionally ambigous, especially with its beautiful (albeit trippy) conclusion. This film is meant to be watched multiple times, so that you can catch everything which will clue you into what it's trying to say. Plus, if you're a fan of any sci-fi film made from the 70s onward, you owe a debt of gratitude to Kubrick's artistic masterpiece! It redefined the possibilities of what sci-fi films could be. My only advice going into this gem is don't go into it expecting a regular movie, but more of a moving painting which requires delving deeper into it!