My Top Ten Favorite Films Favorite Film Critic: Roger Ebert Why? Over years of attending the CU Conference on World Affairs film seminar (otherwise known as democracy in the dark or filmus interruptus) and hearing Ebert talk about film, I am always amazed at the depth of his knowledge of film history and his deep passion for film. I love listening to him talk about Hollywood, film and all related with razor sharp wit. We don’t always agree on films but I’m always interested in hearing his opinions. Favorite Directors: Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders All of these films pass the "test-of-time" criteria - for me. Meaning that if I can watch a film more than 5 times and discover more nuances and not be bored with it, then it's on the list! The list is not in any order except to say that Dr. Zhivago is still my number one all time favorite film. 1. Dr. Zhivago - “Can she play the balalaika? You bet she can!” 2. Lawrence of Arabia – David Lean, Peter O’Toole, Arabia, the desert, the war, plot, acting. 3. Wings of Desire - East Berlin, angels, voyeurism. The most compassionate film ever made. Wenders at his best. 4. Taxi Driver -  “Are you talkin’ to me?” 5. Gone With the Wind - “As God is my witness I’ll never go hungry again.” 6. Paris Texas - Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski. Accents right on the mark. 7. The Wizard of Oz - This one has everything- a great Kansas twister, good and bad witches, flying blue monkeys, strong female heroines, a yellow brick road, a horse of a different color and political metaphors at every turn. From a filmaking history perspective, right up there with Citizen Kane. 8. PeeWee’s Big Adventure “I meant to do that. Ha Ha.” 9. Being There “I like to watch.” (TV) Chance's life is wonderfully simple. 10. Ordinary People – An ordinary family trying to survive an extraordinary loss. Honorable Mentions: The Dead – James Joyce, Ireland, Angelica Huston, John Huston. Chinatown – “She’s my mother; she’s my sister; my mother; my sister…”