Chicago Winters

by Michael Dymmoch

People bitch constantly about the accuracy of weather reports, but they’d do well in the stock market with information as ”bad.”

We had blizzards when I was a kid. I didn’t walk five miles to school in snow, just two blocks to the bus stop. And the snow sometimes started in November and stayed on the ground until March. I lived through the winter of ’67, and the snows of ’78, and the minus 25 degree temperatures in 1985. And in April of 1975 , I remember driving through a “freak” snowstorm that dumped 18 inches of snow overnight.

So when they predict three to six (or even ten) inches of snow and call for a winter storm watch, I don’t get it. This is Chicago. We’re supposed to get snow in winter. People who don’t want to move to Florida or Arizona ought to get a grip and a snow shovel and deal with it.

The Ten Best Movies of All Time

by Barbara D'Amato

One question can start an argument faster than “How do you like dem Cubs?” What are the ten best movies of all time? Like politics and religion, you should not discuss this at dinner.

So—my ten favorites:

1.SNOW WHITE
2.RED RIVER
3.SHANE
4.PINOCCHIO
5.THE WIZARD OF OZ
6.BEAT THE DEVIL
7.ODD MAN OUT
8.STAR WARS
9.PULP FICTION
10.FANTASIA


If you haven’t seen BEAT THE DEVIL, find it and watch it. Trust me on this. Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, and Peter Lorre, all at their best.

ODD MAN OUT is a James Mason film, and he’s not playing James Mason this time. It's a tear-jerker -- in a good way.

My sorry-to-have-to-leave-out list is long, of course. It includes VERTIGO, DUMBO, THE GODFATHER, CASABLANCA, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, and THE GENERAL. And KELLY’S HEROES [Telly Savalas, Clint Eastwood, Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland and Lalo Schifrin’s music] -- a truly funny film.

What riches there are!

Overlooked of the Orson Welles movies is TOUCH OF EVIL. The one that heads all lists is CITIZEN KANE.

I’m sure we all have the utmost respect for CITIZEN KANE, but does anyone watch it for enjoyment?