51. West Side Story

What it's about
Romeo and Juliet with music, set in 50s New York.

What I thought
Loved the music

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Gotta love a musical. Especially one as dynamic as this one. Some good acting in there, just watch it and let the music and dancing lead you through this tragic story. First time my daughters had seen it and it took some comforting to calm my youngest girl down at the end of it."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "To be fair, I like this version of Romeo and Juliet. Songs were good, the choreography were all right. I didn't love it, I liked it. It was okay. No nuns or Nazis in it though."

50. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

What it's about
Lots of walking and a ring.

What I thought
The parents watched this one without me. Not sure why.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "LoTR drinking games are fun. This film is not. Oh, how I hate Peter Jackson. From forgetting it was also Frodo's birthday at the start to... well the list is too long. Bean's death scene being a great example of Jackson's ability to screw over decent scenes. Slow motion plus sad music does not equal a sad scene."

What Dad thought
Dad had seen this one before. "If I'd have watched this before reading the book, I wouldn't have hated it. It has all the ingredients to be a fantasy I should love. Unfortunately, Jackson's choices whilst adapting the book for film were not ones I would agree with. I've had to reread the books to get the taste of the film out of my mouth. Overall 2 rings out of 10."

49. Intolerance

What it's about
Intolerance.

What I thought
The music was nice.

What Mum thought
First time for Mum. "I feel pretty bad for this, but I struggled. I can understand why it's there, for Griffith to cover such a topic in 1916 in this way, was very ambitious and... well... epic. But it seems to me to appreciate it fully you have to be a fan of the silent movie to watch it. Some scenes are spectacular, particularly within the Babylon storyline and it certainly has an impressive list of actors. But I'm more relieved we got the shorter version of it."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "I get the feeling some of these films are on here, not because people have watched them and decided they should be, but because of the blurb and name behind it. This film did not grab me in any way."

48. Rear Window

What it's about
A man thinks he sees a neighbour kill his wife.

What I thought
I thought Grace Kelly was pretty and I liked the music.

What Mum thought
Mum had seen this one before. "Kelly, Stewart and Hitchcock. A winning combination and another film I've seen a few times before. Whilst this isn't my favourite Hitchcock film (North by Northwest if anyone is wondering) it's certainly in my top 3. I love the illusion of voyeurism, only seeing things from Stewart's POV, the smaller, quite touching stories of the other neighbours. Of course, I mustn't forget Thelma Ritter as the brilliant and witty Stella."

What Dad thought
First time for Dad. "Really enjoyed this film. I've seen this parodied so many times and have always wanted to see it. Liked the script, the camera work, and the extraordinary ability to create atmosphere just from a guy looking out a window."

47. A Streetcar Named Desire

What it's about

A strange woman goes to stay with her sister and very angry brother-in-law.

What I thought

I didn't really like this one. I like the Paper Moon song though.

What Mum thought

Mum had seen this one before. "I really like this one, but one I wouldn't watch all that often. Great performance from Brando, who really makes the film for me. Leigh does a great job as Blanche, but Blanche is quite an annoying character. What makes the film, and the play, quite difficult is that there doesn't seem to be anyone to connect to. Hunter's performance seems overshadowed by Leigh and Brando, even Malden. The violence towards women within the story is quite brutal, particularly for its time. It certainly deserves its place on the list, yet it'll be a while until I watch it again."

What Dad thought

First time for Dad. "I really did not like this movie. Firstly, I couldn’t understand the accents! This wasn’t a hardship to me as I can watch, and enjoy films, reading subtitles but this is a play that never should have made it onto the screen. Brando gave a strong performance but it was the only thing I enjoyed about this film."