#109 The Lion King

Scar: I killed Mufasa!

So I know EVERYONE has seen this one, and if you havent then your childhood must have been seriously lacking (just kidding). It is one of Disney's best films (you notice I didn't say "The Best" because I am partial to Beauty and the Beast) and it was obviously good enough to make this list alongside many other classic films. I did just watch this today so I'm not cheating and writing this from childhood memories, but since I am sure most of you have seen this movie already there isn't much summary for me to do. So let me describe what this movie means to me and why I think it should have made this list. The basic story is that Simba, the prince of pride rock, witnesses the death of his father, Mufasa, and blames himself because of the manipulation of his uncle, Scar, who was really responsible. Simba then runs away and meets a couple of quirky characters whom he lives with until he is discovered by Nala, a lioness from Pride Rock, and is convinced that he must go home to reclaim his throne. The story is pretty basic but the execution is amazing. Mufasa's death scene is by far one of the most dramatic and heartwrenching moments in film. I literally cry every time I see that moment where simba screams as mufasa falls and again when he attempts to wake him after he has died. In addition to its sad moments it has a lot of other emotional elements; there is the relationship between Mufasa and Scar which is very Claudius-esque (Hamlet), the emotional growth of the relationship between Simba and Nala who go from childhood friends to lovers and the comedic element provided by Timon and Pumba. I also love the cyclical aspect of the story. The movie has three important events that take place on Pride Rock, the first is the birth of simba, the next is the final battle where simba reclaims the throne, and finally the birth of simba's child at the end of the film. The setting seems to represent the "circle of life" and emphasizes that life always moves on and with death comes new life. I think the reason this film has appealed to so many people over so many generations is that it has the perfect blend of adult and child content. It is so good that I have seen it in theaters three different times throughout my life; first when it was originally released in 1994, again when it was done as special release in Imax in 2002, and finally again when it was in 3-D in this year. This film is iconic of our childhood as children born in the '90s and now that it has been re-released it can be a part of future generations...

#199 Rosemary's Baby

 Rosemary Woodhouse: Witches... All of them witches! 

This film has to be one of my favorite scary movies, I love older horror because its not all about how much blood and gore we can show you or outrageous scenarios we can put our victims in it's all about the story. The who, what, and most importantly the WHY. Rosemary's Baby and other horror films of the past put the emphasis on the story and each character has a part to play. There is much more depth, in my opinion, to movies of this type. So lets give a brief summary: the movie is about a woman and her husband, who is an actor, and they are expecting a child. They move into a new apartment and everything seems to get a little strange from there. What Rosemary doesn't realize is that the plot against her started long before the move or even her pregnancy. She imagines that the neighbors are the sinister "witches" out to steal her baby, now for those of you who haven't seen I won't spoil what is really going on but suffice it to say that the end will be a bit shocking. The film poses a lot of questions, what is the price of success? and how strong is a mother's bond? to name a few. What I really love about it though are some of the supporting characters Hutch, Maurice Evans, who plays Rosemary's loyal old friend, he is charming and likable, although his part is small his role provides a lot of useful information and he is really the one great defender of Rosemary. I have so much love for Hutch and everything he does for Rosemary. The Castevets ( Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer) are the characters you love to hate. They play the sinister neighbors of Rosemary and her husband Guy and are damn good at it! At first they manage to insert themselves into Rosemary's life pretty easily as just an eccentric lonely old couple but as time goes on their motives begin to be revealed and by the end they seem (at least to me) to even look different then they did in the beginning, more evil and more maniacal. Guy Woodhouse ( John Cassevetes) is also an interesting character, and by that I mean he is a total d-bag. His betrayal of Rosemary is by far the worst thing I have ever seen done to another human being. And his behavior throughout the film is extremely cowardly. Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) has the most complex and unpredictable characters of the film. She goes through this whole ordeal almost entirely alone and learns who she can and cannot trust throughout the film. And ultimately has to decide what being a mother means to her in an unconventional situation.

Now let me hit you with some facts: Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 American horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling 1967 novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. The cast includes Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Maurice Evans, Sidney Blackmer, and Charles Grodin. The American Film Institute ranked the film 9th in their 100 Years…100 Thrills list. And a scene from the movie was ranked #23 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. 

So watch it!