Jan. 21, 2026 6 AM PT

To the editor: While all lists like this are subjective, I can’t help but nitpick a little (“The 101 best Los Angeles movies, ranked,” Jan. 15). But first, kudos for including “Repo Man.”

As for omissions, it missed two of my favorite Hollywood comedies: Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Hail, Caesar!” and Blake Edwards’ “The Party.”

“Hail, Caesar!” never gets as much love as it deserves, but some of its set pieces, like the musical number “No Dames!” and the Russian submarine carrying off Channing Tatum, are iconic moviemaking. As for “The Party,” it’s simply one of the funniest movies ever made and captures the absurdity of Hollywood better than most.

I find “Singin’ in the Rain” overrated. Other than the title number, I think it’s quite mediocre. By villainizing the actress who can’t make the transition to talkies, it shows a huge lack of empathy for the cruel fate of so many silent film actors.

I find “La La Land,” however, underrated. Yes, it’s on the list, but it deserves to be higher. It’s an homage to the great musicals of the 1930s that were intended as escapism from the Depression, but with a bittersweet twist at the end that makes it very much of its time.

But my No. 1 is “Sunset Boulevard.” For final lines, it surely beats “Chinatown,” and even better is this:

“You’re Norma Desmond. You used to be big.”

“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small.”

Former silent film stars must have cheered at that line.

Kathleen Barreto, Culver City

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To the editor: As much as I enjoyed reading this, it’s a reminder that it’s a near-impossible task to create a best-of list without leaving something out that, in my opinion, deserves recognition.

For me, that movie is “Swimming With Sharks” (1994). Even 30 years later, that movie continues to grab me by the throat as it takes a look behind the curtain of old-school Hollywood. Otherwise, a very fine compilation indeed.

Stephen Lash, Carlsbad

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To the editor: How is it possible that “Pretty Woman” was left off the list? I am “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.”

Elisa Wayne, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Your experts gave short shrift to silent films — a major oversight considering that many of those early movies were shot on the streets of L.A. during its transformation into a metropolis.

“Safety Last!” (1923) should’ve been in the top 10. Harold Lloyd literally hangs out above downtown in this remarkable comedy-thriller that showcases the city arising.

The Angels Flight neighborhood post-World War II has been featured in many movies, but never more skillfully than in “Criss Cross” (1949), a fatalistic noir starring Burt Lancaster and Yvonne de Carlo. Robert Siodmak, one of the underrated masters of the period, directed.

Richard Jewell, Los Feliz

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To the editor: There are quite a few movies on the list that could’ve been omitted to make room for “Grand Canyon,” Lawrence Kasdan’s spot-on portrayal of the economic divide in L.A.

Clyde Dodge, Irvine

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To the editor: Jeepers, creepers! How could you leave out “The Day of the Locust”?

The Nathanael West novel is a classic story of Hollywood madness. And the film, with Donald Sutherland and Karen Black, was quite illuminating.

I’ll just imagine it’s No. 102 on your list.

AJ Lane, Laguna Woods