I originally wanted a "ten best list", but I wrote down 20. I'll compromise at 13. I picked oldies and obscure films, it's recommended summer viewing when you get tired of 2001 and Alien(s). Most of these are hard to find on video, but you can often catch them on the movie channels. Enjoy.

Kiss Me Deadly -- Ralph Meeker as totally corrupt Mike Hammer who finally meets his match, the ultimate noir thriller.

The Race for the Double Helix -- Jeff Goldblum as Watson, the only film I've ever seen that portrays science and scientists realistically.

Blue Collar - Harvey Keitel and Richard Pryor, lefty film about a crooked union (whadda ya say, Tom?). Pryor gives a dramatic performance even better than his comedy.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie -- Maggie Smith, what lies beneath at at a Scottish girl's school in the '30s.
Not what you'd expect, it catches you totally off guard.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -- Clint Eastwood in the definitive western but Eli Wallach steals the show.

Seven Days in May -- Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, need I say more?

Blood Simple -- Frances McDormand in the Cohen brother's first. "A malicious little thriller."

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeosie -- Luis Buenel with Hollywood production values.

Ulysses -- Kirk Douglas as Odysseus, the film that got me into the classics at age 7 and the only one to truly capture the spirit of Homer.

Blow-up -- David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, and the Yardbirds. Antonioni's meditation on the relationship between appearance, reality, and the human mind.

Divorce, Italian Style -- Marcello Mastroianni as Baron Cefalu, a decadent Italian aristocrat determined to rid himself of a troublesome wife. A real hoot.

The Lion in Winter -- Peter O'toole and Katherine Hepburn go mano a mano in Plantagenet France.

Tom Jones -- Albert Finney, probably the best movie ever made.