24. E.T.: The Extraterrestrial

What it's about
An alien gets left behind, he's befriended by a little boy.

What I thought
I liked this one. The alien made cute noises and I liked the little girl.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "This is a film that should be watched as a child, then never, ever again. I had fond memories of it. Watching as an adult, it is a sickly-sweet pile of rubbish. ET is far from cute. And, as someone who gets quite emotional during films, not even the slightest tug at my heart when ET died. The positive points - I still like the bond between Elliot and ET (such as Elliot screaming when ET was scared by the umbrella) and watching my daughters watch ET was pretty cool.

Oh, and why did the guy in the spacesuit try and get in through the window? And why did they have spacesuits on? Re-watching it has caused me pain."

What Dad thought
Dad had seen this one before. "To be honest, this was disappointing. I loved this film as a child but as an adult... all I'm thinking is somewhere a race has developed faster than light travel but not the passenger manifest.

Elliot's a bit of an idiot but Spielberg plays on our emotions. Who doesn't get a bit choked up when his pet alien dies? The bike chase is still cool and some of the gags bring a chuckle but overall this film took up a place on the list that should have gone to the Goonies. The kids will love it; we'll put up with it."

23. Grapes of Wrath

What it's about
A poor family travel across America to find a new home.

What I thought
I wasn't too keen on this one and fell asleep.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Brilliant black and white cinematography and great performances. Despite a number of hardships befalling the family, it's still an uplifting story. A little comic relief in it, but overall I just found it to drag. Read the book instead."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. ""

22. Some Like It Hot

What it's about
Some men see a murder so dress up as women and join a band to escape.

What I thought
I really liked the singing in it, and I liked Sugar.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "This film is great fun. Lemmon and Curtis both do a superb job in their roles and have a lot of witty lines. I love them as men, as women and Curtis in his Cary Grant millionaire role. Monroe is gorgeous too and perfect for the role of Sugar. It's a real gem and a classic comedy that definitely deserves to be on the list."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "My first Monroe film! This was a fantastic comedy, a precursor to films such as Nuns on the Run and Tootsie. I loved this film, another gem found on the AFI list. There were fantastic sets, the dialogue was snappy and hilarious. Marilyn was beautiful and excellently cast as the naive band member with a penchant for sax players."

21. Chinatown

 

What it's about
A private detective investigates murder and the LA water supply.

What I thought
 I liked the man's car and I liked the sound of the water.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "The direction, the screenplay, the acting, the cinematography and the soundtrack combine to make a convincing and atmospheric noir film. I can't say it's something I'd chose to watch again or class as a favourite, but certainly well made"

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "A classic noir detective story. Nicholson gives a strong performance as a private detective on the case of a missing person. There are some great shots in the film, at one point a great shot filmed in the car's wing mirror.

This film can be considered excellent but coming so close of the heels of Sunset Blvd means I can't rate it as highly as I would have done."

20. It's a Wonderful Life

 

What it's about
An angel shows a man what would happen if he was never born

What I thought
I really liked Clarence and the snow looked lovely.

What Mum thought
Mum has seen this one many, many times before. "I love this film so much, Stuart and Reed are both wonderful. It's one of my go to films when I need cheering up or just because. One everyone should watch."

What Dad thought
 Dad has seen this one before. "A nice, feel good movie."

19. On The Waterfront

What it's about
A man stands up against the unions.

What I thought
I liked the pigeons and the boats. There wasn't much else I liked though.

What Mum thought
First time for Mum. "This is precisely why we are doing this challenge. This was a brilliant film and I can't believe I'd not seen it before. An amazing cast with Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint... I think Karl Malden pretty much made the film for me, particularly his crucifixion speech. Acting, scripting, cinematography; everything is perfect."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "A thoroughly enjoyable underdog story. Good acting, good script. One to watch again."

18. The General

What it's about
They steal the man's train and so he goes to get it back.

What I thought
I really liked the piano music, and I want to drive a choo choo!

What Mum thought
First time for Mum. "I'm a fan of Keaton, particularly the shorts. Some of the stunts were funny enough, if a little repetitive at times. Overall, the civil war serves only as a backdrop for a pretty dull story."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "This film had some great sets and excellent stunts. Unfortunately I faded in and out. I'm an 80s child and a silent film just couldn't keep my attention. I've heard that Keaton has better films. It was interesting to watch but should it have been included on the top 100 list? I think not."