#20 It's A Wonderful Life

1946
Director: Frank Capra

Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

Poor George Bailey, he can't catch a break.  He just wanted to get out of his small town of Bedford Falls and ends up being needed there the most.  At his lowest moment, George gets a visit from his guardian angel Clarence and sees what life would be like had he never been born.  Movies don't get much better than this.  Terrific.

Trivia: For the scene that required Donna Reed to throw a rock into the window of the Granville House, Frank Capra hired a marksman to shoot it out for her on cue. To everyone's amazement, Donna Reed broke the window with true aim and heft without the assistance of the hired marksman. Reed had played baseball in high school and had a strong throwing arm.

Up Next: On The Waterfront

#21 Chinatown

1974
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

Private eye JJ Gittes takes on Evelyn Mulwray as a client when she think her husband (who works for the water department) is having an affair.  From there, Gittes gets in way over his head as the Mulwray story gets stranger and stranger.  Everything is involved- murder, politics and incest.

I can't say I liked this movie, but it was entertaining.

Trivia: At one point, Roman Polanski and Jack Nicholson got into such a heated argument that Polanski smashed Nicholson's portable TV with a mop. Nicholson used the TV to watch L.A. Lakers basketball games and kept stalling shooting.

Up Next: It's A Wonderful Life