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by Joseph A. Bonelli (Author), Joyce I. Bonelli (With)
Most movie reviews written at the time a movie comes out are inscribed by critics on stone tablets. These opinions hardly ever change even if there is discernible positive or negative reactions from movie audiences. Movie reviewers and critics are part of the movie industry and this can obstruct their objectivity. This author trained to enter that industry at USC Cinema School but instead entered another industry with a strong classical and scientific background while remaining a movie lover since age five. As time goes on, social mores change and some movies, although perhaps not the great classics, get vastly outdated. Traditional critics would still like you to see them all! But practically, how many lifetimes do you have? This author, along with his collaborator Joyce, have seen most of the movies selected for this list of 769 movies two or three times. They selected only those movies they think still speak to people today and don't put the contemporary viewer to sleep. This vetting process resulted in 336 movies they rate as "Classics" and 433 movies they rate as "Gems" in 39 movie genres (categories) covering 91 years (1929-2020). This book is a bodacious bucket list of all-time sure-fire winners, plus ideas for future movies. It is not an encyclopedic movie guide (which are generally written by committees!) or a book slanted toward foreign films or those deemed historically significant for some reason other than enjoyment and engagement for the viewer. Explore these movies and you will give yourself many fulfilling movie memories.
