Here they come, spinning into the turn . . . .
As we head into the home stretch of your choices for the five movies you would want on a desert island with you for the rest of your life, Wayne Klatt, of Chicago, has selected his:
“East of Eden.” “About working through family hostilities to find forgiveness,” he says. “The ending can be construed as melodramatic, unless you realize that John Steinbeck, like Cal, did nurse his dying father.”
“His Girl Friday.” “‘Some Like It Hot’ comes close, but no one has made a funnier movie based on plot. Who can resist the theme that cleverness can triumph over the established order?”
“Red River.” “Who has ever made a more American movie? The tension comes from a clash of personalities rather than gunplay.”
“Great Expectations.” “No finer film has ever been made about how people can be molded by circumstances, and how they can fight it.”
“That Man From Rio.” “A giddy hilarity about how a soldier on a weekend pass goes on a far-flung mission to save his girlfriend. Portions have been stolen for lesser films, like `ndiana Jones,’ yet the original always seems fresh.”
Judy Curtis, of Middletown, Ohio, chose five movies to eternally entrance her:
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“Sleepless in Seattle.” “It’s such a wonderful love story, probably a little far-fetched, but like in most fairy tales, it ends up that the princess gets her prince.”
“Major League.” “Maybe it’s because we like the Cleveland Indians, maybe it’s Charlie Sheen, but this movie is one that I never tire of.”
“Pretty Woman.” “The vulnerability of Julia Roberts and the suave charm of Richard Gere (who always makes my heart throb) make this movie an all-time favorite.”
“The Incredible Journey.” “A wonderful story about two dogs and a cat who make a long trip across hundreds of miles of Canadian wilderness back to their home. The end is always a joy and worth a hundred tears.”
“Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.” “The way poor Lou was always getting picked on by Bud and how he was always getting into trouble always endeared him to me. Plus, I loved all the Frankenstein movies.”
Stephen Nielsen, of Austin, Texas, narrowed his island movies down to these five:
“Wings of Desire.” “This movie asks all the big questions and answers a few of them — even has room, and lots of it, for Peter Falk. Incredible cinematography, beautifully written, perfectly acted.”
“Cool Hand Luke.” “Heroic story, stubborn defiance of authority, Paul Newman when he was so beautiful that it almost hurts to see him.”
“Danton.” “This is not a Hollywood movie, with street urchins who are clean and shiny; this is real and vivid and bloody and rich, a huge story told hugely, the guillotine ever in the background.”
“Reservoir Dogs.” “The ultimate buddy movie, not for the faint of heart.”
“I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing.” “You know those Canadians — ever ahead of their times in some ways.”
Diane Siracusa, of Barrington, has packed these five movies in case she ends up on an island:
“Lonesome Dove.” “While I can identify with the strong, the weak, the wise and the foolish, each tender scene by rough, trail-hardened cowboys is always a heart-warming surprise.”
“True Grit.” “The ending, with a very overweight John Wayne jumping his horse over a substantial fence, is worth seeing again and again.”
“How the West Was Won.” “Life is hard, brutal, sometimes short, but inevitably when we get the hand we are dealt, what we do with it will make us or break us.”
“Random Harvest.” “No matter how many times I see this movie, I am always fearful that Greer Garson and Ronald Colman will not get back what they had until I actually see `Smithy’ open the cottage door with the treasured key.”
“Anne of Green Gables/Anne of Avonlea” “There is always hope or an alternate plan in Anne’s eyes — and mine, too. So no matter what you say, Bob, I will get off this island!”
But others are still on theirs. Tuesday: their selections.
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Bob Greene comments on the news of the day Thursdays on the “WGN News at Nine.”