Reel Corner - November 2020

Top 20-20 of 200 Memorable Films

ReelCorner1120
November 2020 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

Top 20-20 of 200 Memorable Films

Congratulations Pink!
200 issues is quite an achievement,
and The Reel Corner has been honored to a part of all 200 issues.

There are some interesting facts about the number 200:
> A quarter of the world’s wealth is controlled by just 200 companies.
> 200 miles a day was the average daily distance covered by the Pony Express, the United States first east to west mail service
> There are only 200 white tigers in the world
> The Great Wall of China was built in 200 B.C.

As for movies, the Reel Corner has developed a commemorative movie list for Pink readers of our top 20-20 of 200 memorable films. In no particular order...


Top 20-20

1) Forrest Gump: The presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the events of Vietnam, Watergate and other historical events unfold through the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, whose only desire is to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

2) The Godfather: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

3) Birdcage: A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so their son can introduce them to his fiancée’s right-wing moralistic parents.

4) Saving Private Ryan: Following the Normandy landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.

5) The Dark Knight: When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

6) Moonstruck: Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.

7) Three Days of the Condor: A bookish CIA researcher finds all his coworkers dead and must outwit those responsible and figure out who he can trust.

8) Black Panther: T’Challa, heir to the hidden but advanced kingdom of Wakanda, must step forward to lead his people into a new future by confronting a challenger from his country’s past.

9) LaLa Land: While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love, while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.

10) Titanic: A 17-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

11) Platoon: A young soldier in Vietnam faces a moral crisis when confronted with the horrors of war and the duality of man.

12) The Usual Suspects: A sole survivor tells of the twisted events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police lineup.

13) Ocean’s Eleven: Danny Ocean and his 10 accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

14) Batman Begins: After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption.

15) Iron Man: After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

16) The Lion King: Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.

17) Mrs. Doubtfire: After a bitter divorce, an actor disguises himself as a female housekeeper to spend time with his children held in custody by his former wife.

18) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory.

19) Top Gun: As students at the United States Navy’s elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.

20) Field of Dreams: An Iowa corn farmer, hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the 1919 Chicago White Sox come.

20-20 Classics

1) The Maltese Falcon: A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette.

2) Gone With the Wind: A manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the American Civil War and Reconstruction periods.

3) The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy Gale is swept away in a tornado from a farm in Kansas to the magical land of Oz, where she embarks on a quest with her new friends to see the Wizard, who can help her return home to Kansas and help her friends, as well.

4) The African Queen: In WWI Africa, a gin-swilling riverboat captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship.

5) An American in Paris: Three friends struggle to find work in Paris. Things become more complicated when two of them fall in love with the same woman.

6) Casablanca: A cynical American expatriate struggles to decide whether or not he should help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape French Morocco.

7) It’s a Wonderful Life: An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

8) The Sound of Music: A woman leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the children of a Naval officer widower.

9) The Apartment: A man tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.

10) West Side Story: Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.

11) Lawrence Of Arabia: The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.

12) Streetcar Named Desire: Disturbed Blanche DuBois moves in with her sister in New Orleans and is tormented by her brutish brother-in-law while her reality crumbles around her.

13) Princess Bride: While home sick in bed, a young boy’s grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate, who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.

14) Singin’ in the Rain: A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.

15) Roman Holiday: A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.

16) On The Waterfront: An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

17) Rear Window: A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

18) A Star is Born: A musician helps a young singer find fame as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

19) Rebel Without a Cause: A rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.

20) To Kill a Mockingbird: Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge and his children against prejudice.


ReelCorner 1219 Donne
Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts­—especially films—she travels to local and national film festivals including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film goers to support Hilton Head local theaters—Coligny, Park Plaza and Northridge theaters. To support her habit of frequent movie going Donne is a retired executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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