"Citizen Kane"
(1941)
There once was a man called Citizen Kane
All few folks thought he was quite insane
His parents got rich and sent him away
But the memories stuck till his dying day
He ran a newspaper for a brief while
He was very lonely but he lived in style
Later he found himself a wife
But he had an affair and it ruined their life
He got married again but it just didn't work
Mostly 'cause Kane was an awful jerk
Ultimately, he died all alone
A broken old man in his castle-like home
But don't feel bad, it's just a movie
(Though the critics agree it's mucho groovy)
The story's done and Kane is dead
One more thing -- Rosebud's a . . .
Just kidding.
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to take the "Citizen Kane" Practice Test
"Casablanca"
(1942)
"You must remember this..." Humphrey
Bogart and Ingrid
Bergman's performances alone are enough to justify watching
this 1942 classic.
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here for more information about "Casablanca"
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to take the "Casablanca" Practice Test
"Mister Roberts"
(1955)
Henry Fonda,
in one of his best roles, plays Lt. Doug Roberts, a dedicated
naval officer who yearns for combat duty. James Cagney is terrific
as the small-minded ship's captain who's more concerned with
his treasured palm tree than with the needs of his men. Jack Lemmon won an Oscar for his
memorable comic turn as Ensign Pulver, the ship's laundry and
morale officer.
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"Mister Roberts"
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here to take the "Mister Roberts" Practice Test
"Chinatown"
(1974)
The film "Chinatown" features all the essential elements
of a wonderful movie: near-flawless performances by the stars,
a storyline that could keep A.D.D. patients interested, and
an incredible ending.
Jack Nicholson
portrays private investigator Jake Gittes, a hard-boiled detective
who likes to breathe through his nose, who is hired by a woman
to investigate her cheating husband. When the wife turns out
not to be who she was, Jake finds himself in a mess.
Nicholson is terrific, as is Faye Dunaway as the wife with
a lot of secrets. And rounding out the cast, John Huston (the director of so
many pulp thrillers "Chinatown" is styled after) plays
a very wicked man.
"Chinatown" played in Kansas City as part of the National
Archives Film Tour.
Review by Jeff Class
"Schindler's
List" (1993)
Steven
Spielberg's tour du force presentation of the life and times
of Oskar Schindler is uplifting as it is heartrending. Depicting
the heroic endeavors of businessman Oskar Schindler during World
War II in Nazi Germany, this breath-taking web of masterful
cinematography and plot sequencing radiates Spielberg's understated
genius. Able to be viewed as both a movie and a documentary,
"Schlinder's List" is wrought with passion, politics,
and conviction, and will surely live on to be one of the one
of the most remembered and respected films of the twentieth
century. Liam
Neeson, Ben
Kingsly, and
Ralph Finnes elevate this film to classic status with their
memorable performances.
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for more information about "Schindler's List"
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Test
"Smoke
Signals" (1998)
Director Chris
Eyre's beautiful adaptation of a short story from screenwriter
Sherman
Alexie's novel The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in
Heaven is the first film primarily directed, produced, and
staring Native Americans.
