Bonnie and Clyde, 1967

"This is Bonnie. This is Clyde. They're young. They're in love. They kill people. Their paths crossed like two hot wires. They roared off on what could have easily been a wild romantic lark. But almost before they knew it, with the giggles still in their ears, they had bloodied up four states." 

So states the original trailer of what is heralded as the most significant example of the New Hollywood movement. All of the characteristics of are there: graphic violence, sex humor, disaffected youth, moral ambiguity, the shock ending. Before it won Academy Awards for Cinematography and Best Supporting Actress, critics didn't know how to feel about it. Time Magazine initially wrote a scathing review, and in response received letters from fans arguing against it. A positive review in The New Yorker led others to agree and reevaluate the film, most notably Time and Newsweek. 

Dec. 8. 1967

3 Women, 1977

Sissy Spacek, Shelley Duvall and another woman I hadn't recognized are the three women in Robert Altman's film interpretations of some dreams he had. This is notable when considering that Altman was insistent that he make the film without a screenplay and without a definite ending in mind, instead using a 50 page treatment as supplementation. Spacek plays Pinky, an awkward teenager who's first job is at a day spa in California. She grows attached to one of the spa attendants, and the two become roommates. They pass the time at a bar owned by an odd pregnant woman and her has-been country artist husband. The girls that played the twins were not professional actors. Altman cast them after spotting them as waitresses in California. 

Altman intended the film to be a nod to Ingmar Bergman's Persona, but when watching the film one draws connections to Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore due to the cinematography and nature of the characters. 

Marathon Man, 1976

"Is it safe?"

Dustin Hoffman plays the role of a guy struggling with his past pretty well. In Marathon Man, he's got a lot of skeletons he's gotta deal with. As a history Ph.D. candidate, he runs to cope with his father's suicide, an act that took place after being investigated in the McCarthy era. His problems increase when he is entangled with secret government operations and a paranoid Nazi geezer played by Laurence Olivier. Olivier's performance was a particular success, being nominated for Best Supporting Actor and later landing at villain #34 on the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains" list. Stay for the dental torture scene-it's particularly nasty.

The Panic in Needle Park, 1971

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, 1975

Try to forget that the residents housed in the asylum act no stranger than your goofiest friends. Because this movie isn't about crazy people, it's about the reaction to establishment and conformity, and the ability to escape from oppression. Racial tension still defined much of the decade, and the nature of the film helped in winning five academy awards in 1975, including best picture, director and actor. The inmate roles include a younger Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd. You almost can't recognize DeVito, what with the unibrow. Actually, I think Lloyd might have sported a unibrow, too. Nicholson reportedly improvised a lot on the set. Much of the conversation he has between the director upon arriving is improvised, including the comments about the fishing photo and discussing his rape conviction. The reactions come out incredibly authentic.

The Long Goodbye, 1973

"But if you wanna make me a couple of yankee doodles..."

Robert Altman takes on his own deconstructed version of film noir. Raymond Chandler wrote a number of novels about a detective named Philip Marlowe, the first of those be adapted to films being The Big Sleep. Here, we have Marlowe again, played by Elliott Gould-a sarcastic cat-loving private eye trying to prove his friend’s innocence. Throughout Altman fills the screen with interesting goings-on; there’s always something to keep your eyes interested.

After I first saw it, however, the only thing I could recall was a drunken Gould walking around urbanized parts of desert, fruitlessly searching for something to slow, saucy jazz numbers. It’s true what Ebert says: It tries to be all genre and no story, and it almost works. I had entirely lost the plot, but retained the imagery.

Serpico, 1973

This was one of the two movies filmed between the two Godfather films that featured Al Pacino, the other being the buddy film Scarecrow (Gene Hackman being the buddy). It’s no coincidence that Pacino looks like the Messiah. A NYC cop refusing to go bad in the face of corruption by his partners shares parallels with Christ’s incorruptible character in the face of the dissenting disciples. Director Sidney Lumet later used Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon.