When you ask people to name their favorite holiday movies, the same answers crop up everywhere: It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street, and perhaps some version of A Christmas Carol (Muppet Christmas Carol and Scrooged seem most popular these days). A few people might try to be different and name Die Hard or Bad Santa, and a few traditionalists might reminisce about Meet Me in St. Louis. And of course there's the Silent Night, Deadly Night crowd. Personally, I would have to bring up Auntie Mame.

But the movies I'm about to mention have only a few fans these days. Most are widely available on DVD, and are not shown very often during the holiday season. Some are forgotten treasures, some date badly. One is a well-known Oscar winner that may be too depressing for some New Year's Eve viewers. But if you are tired of watching Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, or have had enough of the leg lamp and the Red Ryder BB gun, consider some of these films for your holiday viewing ... if you can find them.

In honor of the striking screenwriters, I wanted to write a list of my favorites, either contemporary or all-time. But I decided that it would be more respectful to not exclude any of them. Even the bad writers need recognition right now. I've tried writing screenplays, and I salute anyone who has had one produced, whether brilliant or not. Even if it weren't difficult to actually write a script, it's certainly tough to deal with the b.s. of Hollywood and the sad truth that your vision will likely not make it to the screen as devised. So, instead of concentrating on real writers, I figured I'd look at screenwriter characters, specifically those portraying the hardships of the job.

"Joe Gillis" from Sunset Blvd. (1950, Billy Wilder).

I imagine there's nothing scarier for a struggling screenwriter than the thought of ending up like poor Joe Gillis (William Holden). The opening shot of Wilder's classic shows the character floating face down in a swimming pool, and immediately he's labeled "an unsuccessful screenwriter." This sets up a hopelessness for the character, and for writers in general, as the film then flashes back to one of the greatest stories of Hollywood cynicism ever made. Gillis not only represents the difficulty of making it as a screenwriter, he also shares some juicy lines about how writers aren't recognized enough by the public ("Audiences don't know somebody sits down and writes a picture; they think the actors make it up as they go along."); about drastic alterations to his scripts ("The last one I wrote was about Okies in the dust bowl. You'd never know because when it reached the screen, the whole thing played on a torpedo boat.") and about the desperation that turns good writers into seemingly hack writers (replying to talk of his once promising talent, he says, "That was last year. This year I'm trying to make a living."). There were screenwriter characters before him, and plenty after, but Gillis will forever be the quintessential example.

"This list...is an absolute good." Well, it's an absolute "pretty good." As I told you yesterday, the American Film Institute has refreshed its "100 Years ... 100 Movies" list. From a master list of 400 films, a panel that included directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers, critics, and historians, selected their top 100 choices. The original list came out in 1998, and last night's special taught us that apparently not many great films have been released since then! The new poll allowed voters to select movies released between 1996 and 2006 for the first time. Of the newly eligible films, only Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, The Sixth Sense, and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring were added. Steven Spielberg was the director with the most films on the list, with five. Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, and Billy Wilder each had four. James Stewart and Robert DeNiro were the most represented actors, with five films apiece. You can check out the list for yourself here.

I can sit and watch these things for hours. I don't care how many times I hear about the shark not working, I still love it. But to be honest, last night's special was a bit dull. These lists tend to be painfully predictable, and this was no exception. Citizen Kane was ranked #1 yet again, and the only major additions to the Top 10 were Raging Bull (jumping from #24 to #4) and Vertigo (jumping from #61 to #9). New to the 2007 list are the following films: The General, Intolerance, Nashville, Sullivan's Travels, Cabaret, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Shawshank Redemption, In The Heat of the Night, All the President's Men, Spartacus, Sunrise, A Night at the Opera, 12 Angry Men, Swing Time, Sophie's Choice, The Last Picture Show, Blade Runner, Toy Story and -- a special cheers to this one -- Do the Right Thing, though it came in at a pretty weak #96.

Titles that were removed from the 1998 list are: Doctor Zhivago, Birth of a Nation, From Here to Eternity, Amadeus, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Third Man, Fantasia, Rebel Without a Cause, Stagecoach, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Manchurian Candidate, An American in Paris, Wuthering Heights, Dances With Wolves, Giant, Mutiny on the Bounty, Frankenstein (1931), Patton, The Jazz Singer, My Fair Lady, A Place in the Sun, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner and Fargo. Make of those additions and subtractions what you will, but show me one person who'd rather watch Intolerance than Fargo, and I'll show you someone who is no friend of mine.

I love hearing stories about The Films That Almost Were, although they make me sad because I then want to see the films and can't. Sometimes I hope that when I die, I'll get access to a celestial movie theater that will play all the movies that almost got made but fell through, along with alternate versions of released films but with the originally planned cast or script. I'm looking forward to finally seeing Peter Sellers in Kiss Me, Stupid and Paulette Goddard in Gone with the Wind, but as much as I like Steve McQueen, I'm not sure I'll enjoy him in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And I can't wait to see Orson Welles' cut of The Magnificent Ambersons. An entire book has been devoted to movies that we'll never see, Chris Gore's The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made, although I've never had a chance to read it. Here's a list of seven notorious almost-made films that I know about. If I missed anything good, let me know.

Call me crazy but in the words of Nancy Olson's character, D-Girl Betty Schaefer, in Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd: "I think a picture should say a little something." Which is why I'm pretty disappointed with the movies that seem to be coming out of Hollywood these days. Sure, there are still some great ones that get released. But for every The Departed, Inside Man and Brick we're also subjected to The Dukes of Hazard, Zoom, Phat Girlz, Man of the Year and many, many, many more. But that's just my opinion which, if you can believe this recent article in Daily Variety, is very much in the minority.

According to a survey of 2000 moviegoers highlighted in the story, five out of six -- thats 83% -- responded that they were satisfied with the quality of current films. "I think the satisfaction level was the biggest surprise to come out of the data." said Mike Hunter, head of the group conducting the survey, in the article. "The satisfaction with the quality of films was consistent everywhere we polled. So quality is not really a problem." Actually, I think my surprise was the biggest thing to come out of this data. Didn't see that one coming.

I did, however, see this next one. The survey data also pointed out a less-hopeful statistic that's not going to make theater owners and studios so happy -- those polled aren't planning on increasing their movie attendance or DVD watching over the next five years and 5% said they even plan to watch less TV. So, people are satisfied with the quality of films but they don't plan on going to the movies more or watching more DVDs? Interesting. How these results came to be is anyone's guess. Are these survey participants not seeing the same films I am? Maybe not.

I guess it possible I'm wrong and the movies are really as great as these stats seem to indicate. I'm willing to admit I might have higher expectations for films than others -- particularly those surveyed in this poll. But I also believe Hollywood could make more quality product if they really wanted to. Although, Hollywood would, of course, argue that the results of the survey means that they are, in fact, giving audiences exactly what they want. But I think its really more a case of audiences getting what they deserve. Raise your expectations, people, and push for better films with the greatest power you have -- your dollars. Only then will Hollywood figure out who really runs things around here.

A couple of independent films are opening in Austin for a regular run this week: Free Zone at Dobie (as part of the AFS@Dobie collaboration) and Who Killed the Electric Car? at Arbor. In fact, Arbor is hosting an electric car rally this weekend to promote the new documentary. Cars will be on display at the theater on Friday night and all day Saturday.

Because it's summertime, Austin has a number of kid-friendly film events this week ... and a few for adults, too.

• The documentary Nobelity gets one last theatrical run in Austin, on Saturday and Sunday at the Arbor. Director Turk Pipkin will attend the 7 and 9 pm screenings on both evenings.
• Deep Eddy Pool's Saturday night film is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There's nothing like watching fire-breathing dragons from the comfort of a cool swimming pool.

Two years ago, The Hollywood Reporter published the news that Al Pacino was interested in starring in a remake (cringe) of birthday boy Billy Wilder's Witness for the Prosecution. At the time, David E. Kelley was in line to write the screenplay, and Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart, Nobody's Fool) had just begun talks to direct the film. Since then, however, we've heard nary a peep about the film, and it was possible to assume that Pacino had come to his senses and decided to move on to things that, while not necessarily original, didn't involving trying to improve upon Wilder.

It turns out, though, that the remake isn't actually dead. In fact, Michael Radford recently told an Italian paper that he'll be directing the film, and that Nicole Kidman is in talks to play its title character, a woman who agrees to testify against her husband in a murder trial. (Nothing so simply as stepping into Marlene Dietrich's shoes, huh, Nic?) There are precious little other details available about the film; questions range from whether Kelley's screenplay is being used to which role (the lawyer or the husband) will be taken by Pacino.

It's time for another round of Film Blog Group Hug, where we uncover all kinds of hidden goodies written by film bloggers all around the Web:

• The Lana Turner Blog-a-Thon took place last week. You can read a number of bloggers' thoughts on the actress and her film career, not to mention viewing some striking photos.
• Film Freak discusses the films of John Hughes during the writer-director's Eighties teen-movie heyday. I would disagree with the statement that "John Hughes was the Quentin Tarantino of his day," but I was never a big fan of his films, beyond a very slight, guilty fondness for Sixteen Candles. (I think I identified too much with the older sister in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.)
• Peter at Alarm! shares his reaction to Jean-Luc Godard's film Band of Outsiders. He's nearly convinced me to see it myself, even though I normally have trouble watching Godard's movies.
• The House Next Door reminds those lucky New Yorkers about Film Forum's "Essential Wilder" series this month. The Cinecultist has already attended one of the screenings, A Foreign Affair. I love living in Austin, but did a single theater in town do anything to note Billy Wilder's 100th birthday? Nope. Boo.

"Funny, how gentle people get with you once you're dead."

The above quote is from the 1950 film Sunset Blvd, directed by Billy Wilder. It's Wilder's 100th birthday today; sadly, he died in 2002. Wilder co-wrote directed some of the funniest American movies ever-- Some Like It Hot is probably the one people remember best -- as well as dramas like Double Indemnity, Sunset Blvd, and The Apartment. Even his less successful and lesser-known films include some wonderful moments. So in honor of Wilder's birthday, here's a Cinematical Seven on the creme de la creme of fantastic, memorable scenes in Wilder's films.

Had that blasted pneumonia just left Billy Wilder alone, he would have turned 100 this June 22. (As it was, he made it to 96, which is pretty damn impressive.) In celebration of his centennial, Turner Classic Movies -- AKA the Best TV Channel Ever Invented (apart, possibly, from GolTV) -- has planned a six-film series, starting on the 22nd with Double Indemnity, arguably Wilder's greatest achievement. The following day will feature five films, among them Sunset Blvd. (another sign that I'm a hack: I feel nothing watching this movie. Nothing.), Sabrina, and The Lost Weekend.

In addition to the mini-retrospective, TCM will also be offering something pretty special: A 90-minute interview with Wilder, edited down from three hours of footage that aired on German television in 1988. The TCM version of the interview is being called Billy Wilder Speaks and is described by the network as "a lesson in filmmaking, an oral history of the movie business and an intimate portrait of one of cinema's most talented masters." According to Variety, the interview footage (Which doesn't appear to have ever aired in the US before -- has anyone seen it?) is particularly valuable because Wilder, told that his words wouldn't be available in the US until after his death, was reportedly unusually frank in some of his comments. Eeeeeexcellent.