224-200

I'm getting kinda excited. We're approaching the end of T-Biggs. Well, the end is in sight at least.

224. Ken Park (2003) D: Larry Clark

Better than Kids though not by much. I saw this in Hungary, where the advertising campaign made the movie out to be a bit of a romantic comedy. Knowing Clark, I knew better, but the hungarians didn't. Imagine their suprise when we got to watch a kid strangle himself and masturbate (from start to finish!), a father fellate his son, and a young man get naked crawl on his grandparents, and butcher them with a kitchen knife. Very touching.

Performance to Savor: Tiffany Limos
Memorable Moment: Strangulation

223. Groundhog Day (1993) D: Harold Ramis

I wanted to rank this one higher, but among comedies, it doesn't quite have that transcendent feel. Still, a great movie.

Performance to Savor: Bill Murray
Memorable Moment: None

222. CB4 (1993) D: Tamra Davis

After Rock left Saturday Night Live, he was on a bit of a cold streak. This movie brought him back and gave him the confidence he needed.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

221. Pitch Black (2000) D: David Twohy

Like Neo for Keanu Reeves, the character of Riddick is custom built for Vin Diesel. Be big and menacing, show little emotion, say very little. He got lobbed a sitter here, and unsuprisingly, he knocked it out of the park. Otherwise, a refreshingly taut script that doesn't rely on action or FX to prove a point.

Performance to Savor: Vin Diesel
Memorable Moment: None

220. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) D: Robert Rodriguez

This movie completely took me by suprise. The line between Tarantino's half of the movie and Rodriguez's half is so completely defined...its unbelievable. Pointless...but in a good way.

Performance to Savor: Harvey Keitel
Memorable Moment: Salma=Vampire

219. Back to the Future (1985) D: Robert Zemeckis

Haven't we already discussed this?

Performance to Savor: Crispin Glover
Memorable Moment: None

218. Ghostbusters (1984) D: Ivan Reitman

Only better than Back to the Future because of Bill Murray.

Performance to Savor: Bill Murray
Memorable Moment: Stay-Puft attacks

217. Independence Day (1996) D: Roland Emmerich

The first of my true "Guily Pleasures". I'll identify the top "GP" when it comes, but you probably won't need my assistance. These movies have no business being this high, but I just can't say that I don't like them. Sure they're bad, but, they're fun. And Will Smith's character's name is Hiller.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: White House blows up

216. Air Force One (1997) D: Wolfgang Peterson

More of a temporary joy than a lasting one. Won't be ahead of Back to the Future or Ghostbusters when I get older.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: Sacrifice

215. Gangs of New York (2002) D: Martin Scorsese

Martin bit off a little more than he could chew. A tighter vision and screenplay could've bumped this up and least 50 spots. When I saw this in the theatre, some thugs came in, and left after the first 10 minutes. I think they thought it was actually about current Gangs in New York.

Performance to Savor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Memorable Moment: None

214. Sideways (2004) D: Alexander Payne

I wish I knew more about wine, but otherwise this is a solid little flick. Rock solid pic which will age (like its subjects) quite well. I see this moving up the list. Who knew Lowell could be so funny? Now he's the next Spider-Man villain.

Performance to Savor: Thomas Haden Church
Memorable Moment: Naked man running

213. A League of Their Own (1992) D: Penny Marshall

Does Bill Raimbeer coaching the WNBA remind any one else of Jimmy Dugan?

Performance to Savor: Tom Hanks
Memorable Moment: Splits catch

212. James and the Giant Peach (1996) D: Henry Selick

Claymation. Really the only appropriate way to adapt Roald Dahl's childish sense of surrealism.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

211. Heathers (1989) D: Michael Lehmann

Grace accused me of not liking movies she likes. Of course that's not true, and this is just the first of several to come.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

210. A Fish Called Wanda (1988) D: Charles Chrichton

The Monty Python group forays into comedy which is a bit more mainstream, but every bit as funny. Quirky and intelligent, the dialogue is sharp, and the pace brisk...that poor woman and her dog!

Performance to Savor: Kevin Kline
Memorable Moment: None

209. Manhunter (1986) D: Michael Mann

I watched a bit of Red Dragon last night with Grace. This is the original flick. Our first glimpse of Hannibal Lecter is provided by Brian Cox (Troy, The Bourne Identity, X-Men 2, L.I.E, etc...). He does a super job, though I wish I hadn't been tainted by Hopkins' bravado performance. I can't divorce my image of Lecter from Hopkins' delivery. Besides that, this movie wisely leaves a bit more of Lecter a mystery, which adds to his horror. Overall, a smarter film.

Performance to Savor: Brian Cox
Memorable Moment: None

208. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) D: Lewis Milestone

Much like "Gallipoli", a scathing indictment of war time attitudes. We open with a group of young men, filled with a passionate urge to fight, only to find that the realities of war are far removed from romantic heroism. The final image is memorable.

Performance to Savor: John Wray
Memorable Moment: None

207. Crimson Tide (1995) D: Tony Scott

One of the things I remember about seeing this was that I had to pee basically for the whole thing, but at no point could I turn away. Excellent, muscular direction by Scott, and top notch performances by the leads yield a stirring film.

Performance to Savor: Gene Hackman
Memorable Moment: None

206. The Thin Red Line (1998) D: Terence Malick

Malick wisely uses ambiguity and a semi-dreamlike state to convey his attitudes about WWII.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None

205. Ed Wood (1994) D: Tim Burton

A rare assembly of acting, directing, and photographic talent. Burton paints Wood with a familiar brush, without resorting to pot-shots and jabs.

Performance to Savor: Johnny Depp
Memorable Moment: None

204. Bound (1996) D: The Wachowski Brothers

Lust and sweat practically drip out of this movie. Full of atmosphere and mood, Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly are perfectly cast as pseudo-lesbian mobster scheming women.

Performance to Savor: Gena Gershon
Memorable Moment: None

203. The Limey (1999) D: Steven Soderbergh

Writer's block.

Performance to Savor: Luis Guzman
Memorable Moment: None

202. The Last Samurai (2003) D: Edward Zwick

I feel that this movie would have been better recieved (what am I talking about, the critics loved it...lets say by our generation), had it not starred Tom Cruise. And that's a shame, because what we have here is a finely crafted, well acted movie. I would call out the ending a little bit for ultimately being a "happy" one, though there is the requisite amount of loss.

Performance to Savor: Ken Watanabe
Memorable Moment: Swordfight in the rain

201. Face/Off (1997) D: John Woo

John Woo makes a big splash across the pond with this rediculous, ludicrous, silly, overblown, loud, unbelievable...masterpiece. Maybe that was a bit strong, but this is a great movie and a great time.

Performance to Savor: Nicholas Cage/John Travolta
Memorable Moment: None

200. The Prince of Egypt (1998) D: Brenda Chapman

Let's just say the songs are still stuck in my head.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: The burning bush

Jake says we're going to Costello's tonight.