74-50

Just so y'all know: Sin City came in at 77, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is at 376.

74. 12 Monkeys (1995) D: Terry Gilliam

This is awfully high for someone who previously complained about Bruce Willis' hungover acting style. Well, can't do much about that. Its not like he acts "bad", in fact he's quite good. Its just that I'd prefer if he also pepper in a few stylistically different roles as well. That said, I have (with E-town) an affinity for dystopic visions of the future. Here we find humans forced underground by a deadly virus. The issues with Time Travel are handled adequetly, covered mostly by the statement "you can't change the past...its already happened." The ending is a bit of a twist, though somewhat more predictable for mature film goers. Fortunately I had a bit of naievete in me when I first saw 12 Monkeys, so I fell for the ruse.

Performance to Savor: Brad Pitt
Memorable Moment: None

73. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) D: Quentin Tarantino

I had been anticipating this movie for several years before it came out, and Q's decision to split it in two at first seemed an example of studio greediness, but now I see that it was also the correct artistic decision. Unfortunately, my first viewing of the film was less than ideal. I saw it in Hungary, and so the film had Hungarian subtitles. Not a problem. Until everyone started speaking Japanese. Of course, the Hungarian subtitles continue. So my choice is to try to listen in Japanese or read in Hungarian. This continued for a frustratingly long time. As we'll see, I connected a bit better with Vol. II. I also appreciated the subtle to not-so-subtle references, however, this movie simply made me yearn for a more wholly original Tarantino flick. Also, I don't know why everyone raves about Uma Thurman. I thought she was average at best.

Peformance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: "It was a Hanzoi sword!"

72. Hero (2004) D: Yimou Zhang

A movie in the vein of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (I have a feeling whichever I saw first would be rated higher...though I can't prove it.), without being saddled by the need to show a more feminist martial arts movie. I feel here that Zhang, much more than Ang Lee, lets his characters behave naturally, despite their incredible physical powers. Gorgeous cinematography.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: Swordfight on water

71. Amelie (2001) D: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Sometimes I begrudgingly see a movie which I had no intention of seeing, based soley on Grace's recommendation. Examples include: Gone With the Wind, Thelma & Louise, and Amelie. Maybe I shouldn't be so hesitant...these are some great movies. Especially Amelie which completely blew me away with its wit and charm. We are presented with a nervous and shy protagonist, but dammit if she isn't so darn cute! Her heart is made of pure gold, and Jeunet's visual style is perfectly suited to tell the story of a whimsical matchmaker with an active imagination.

Performance to Savor: Audrey Tautou
Memorable Moment: The photo booth repair man

70. Snatch (2001) D: Guy Ritchie

In a lot of ways, this is mostly just a remake of "Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels", which means that under normal circumstances I would dock heavily for loss of originality. More important to my list though, is gut instinct. Sure the stories were similar, but I found them both to be very intriguing, and populated by fascinating characters. My experience with English gangster movies is thus far quite limited, and so any feelings of triteness I might have had towards Snatch are still buried.

Performance to Savor: Vinnie Jones
Memorable Moment: Imposter

69. Monty Python and the Life of Brian (1979) D: Terry Jones

Satire and spoof are most effective when the audience is keenly aware of the source material. Would Animal Farm be as memorable if you knew nothing of Russian history? As a PK (preacher's kid), I know the story of Jesus backwards and forwards, which makes this spoof all the more hilarious. I get a lot of the high-brow jokes which pass over some heads, but also love the low-brow elements as well. It essence this really is the only thing which seperates this movie from Holy Grail and Meaning of Life. Also, I've seen more often as once a year my dad and all of his pastor buddies will get together to drink scotch and watch this movie.

Performance to Savor: Graham Chapman
Memorable Moment: The bright side of life

68. The Mission (1986) D: Roland Joffe

Whoa! Two straight religious-themed movies! I was made to watch The Mission as part of my confirmation training, and the viewing of which was the first time my dad was able to quiet a group of rowdy middle-schoolers. The story is so somber and compelling, enhanced by amazing visuals and dynamic acting, that none of us could avoid being affected in some way. Remarkably, this movie is in no way pro-Church or anti-Church; it smartly leaves any moral lessons left to the reader. Certainly both stances could be held. My personal take is that it is clearly a condemnation of war (obviously), and an encouragement to eschew the rigid formalities of worship en masse and to pursue a personal relationship with whatever it is that you call God.

Performance to Savor: Jeremy Irons
Memorable Moment: Shot with the cross

67. Clerks (1994) D: Kevin Smith

I should probably mention that Smith is currently in the process of making Clerks 2: The Passion of the Clerks, which hopefully won't ruin my affinity for the original. Little more than a play on screen, Clerks stands uniquely in my mind as a movie which has a lot to eloquently say, about very little, about nothing. In many ways Clerks is an R-rated version of Seinfeld. From discussions of contractors on the Death Star to necro-nasty encounters in the bathroom, our characters routinely talk about, act towards, and respond to mundane everyday-ness. Certainly they are more well-spoken and persuasive (Randall) than most, but I think what makes this movie so appealing is the way in which it mirrors our own lives. And there's a lot of dick-and-fart jokes.

Performance to Savor: Jeff Anderson
Memorable Moment: Bad service at the video store

66. Animal House (1978) D: John Landis

This is the highest ranking comedy (that isn't a kids movie) on my list. Take that for what its worth. The thing I like most about this film (displayed best by Otter) is that throughout their adventures, our lovable losers consistantly act confident and classy. Well, maybe only Otter acts like that. Really no plot to speak of, but...who cares? This movie is a classic. John Belushi is gold, Neidermeyer is villainous villainy, Flounder, Donald Sutherland, Peter Reigert, Kevin Bacon, arg. I'm not smart enough to analyze the movie very well. Here's my best: It's funny!

Performance to Savor: John Belushi
Memorable Moment: Breaking the guitar

65. Top Gun (1986) D: Tony Scott

I actually considered docking this a few points because this was the movie that gave Jerry Bruckheimer the confidence to invade Hollywood. But, that wouldn't be fair to Tony Scott and what he accomplished. (Trivia: Tony Scott is Ridley Scott's brother, and they both started out making commercials in England). Perfect 80s movie. Stuffed with machismo, babes, melodrama, and bad music. The sheer wattage given off by Tom Cruise is palpable, though is chemistry with Kelly McGillis is questionable. I'm sitting here trying to think of something more to say, but everytime I think "Top Gun" to myself, I smile, shake my head a little, and chuckle.

Performance to Savor: Tom Cruise
Memorable Moment: Goose dies

64. Rocky (1976) D: John G. Avildsen

This was one of those movies that I'd always put off seeing, mostly because I had no interest in it. I'm not a huge fan of Sly, and I'm certainly no boxing afficianado. But, if you read ESPN.com long enough, you'll hear this movie mentioned again and again. Eventually enough was enough, and I finally sat down and watched the thing. Boy, had I been wrong. This is a great movie. Not only is the screenplay (by Sly) smart and unpatronizing, his performance as The Italian Stallion is captivating. Any scene that he isn't in is boring by comparison. That's how good he is. This isn't just a great sports movie...its a great movie, period.

Performance to Savor: Sylvester Stallone
Memorable Moment: Running up the steps

63. Commando (1985) D: Mark L. Lester

My dirtiest pleasure. Probably the highest ranking movie on my list which isn't considered a good movie by anyone's standards. More than the Terminators, this is, to me, the definitive Arnold Movie. He single handedly battles an entire compound of soldiers! That's like 300-to-1. How does he do it? And there are countless moments which E-town and I constantly recount. Jumping out of a plane, ripping the seat out of a car, crashing in to a pole with no seatbelt, breaking in to an ammo store, the list goes on...I just can't deny how much I love this movie.

Performance to Savor: Vernon Wells
Memorable Moment: Jumping from the airplane

62. Total Recall (1990) D: Paul Verhoeven

This was my first glimpse into the difference between an R-rated movie and a PG-13 movie. We don't really notice it now, but think about the first time you saw an R-rated movie. All the violence and sex is actually quite amazing. This wasn't the first R movie I watched start to finish, but I saw a few scenes at my Grandma's house before my mom came running in and demanded that I change the channel. I had a hard time deciding between this and Commando. They have similar rewatchabilities and Arnold Factors, but ultimately, the story of Total Recall is significantly better. A suprising amount of thinking goes on for this Arnold Movie.

Performance to Savor: Michael Ironside
Memorable Moment: Body as a shield

61. The Last of the Mohicans (1992) D: Michael Mann

At this point, I defer to E-town.

Performance to Savor: Daniel Day-Lewis
Memorable Moment: Scalping

60. Saving Private Ryan (1998) D: Steven Spielberg

Thankfully I have never been to war and I can't imagine the horrors therein. As far as cinema goes, this appears to be as close to battle-time conditions as we've seen. From the soldiers puking on the boats to the begging for life to the paralyzing fear, this is a realistic (insert Brian comment about how this wasn't realistic) war... full of hero's and cowards. I can't attest to its historical accuracy, but as far as movies go, this is near the top of a long list of great war movies.

Performance to Savor: Tom Hanks
Memorable Moment: Afraid to help mate

59. The Passion of the Christ (2004) D: Mel Gibson

Another religious movie! Zealot! Zealot! As far as politics go, I'm tired of hearing people complain that this movie is propaganda and simple proseltyzing by Mel Gibson, that he had no right to shove this down our throats. Well, you didn't have to see it, and second, as far as that logic goes, the same could be said about Michael Moore. I certainly wouldn't classify myself as a conservative, however one wants to define that word, but I do *gulp* admire those who have the conviction to stand up and speak loudly for their beliefs. My only hope is that those whose convictions fall more in line with my own would find their own loud voice. Anyway....regardless of ones religious or political views, I doubt if you can deny the incredible filmmaking on display here. The Passion of the Christ (and for those of you who are wondering passion is derived from a greek word for suffering), is a very powerful story which is in this movie, finally captured on screen.

Performance to Savor: Jim Caviezel
Memorable Moment: Beaten by Romans

58. Unforgiven (1992) D: Clint Eastwood

Eastwood near the top of his game. Like Mystic River our main characters are deeply flawed and are mired in moral ambiguity. Munny's motivations are certainly understandable, but his actions boder on disturbing. Eastwood excels at directing scripts wherein there is no true good guy, and no true bad guy, for each is capable of things which seem contrary to their nature. What's on screen, though sensationalized, is identifiable with the grey areas of our world.

Performance to Savor: Clint Eastwood
Memorable Moment: None

57. Toy Story 2 (1999) D: John Lasseter

Like a breath of fresh air, Toy Story 2 enters the list after a string of violent and dark movies. A relatively high ranked sequel, I can't hide my unabashed joy at all that Pixar turns out. Toy Story was the first CG movie that really got it, and Toy Story 2 simply builds on that confidence. We don't need any lengthy exposition, we can jump right in to the story. And its not just fluff. Our characters are given real existential dilemnas which they must deal with in order to understand themselves. Great stuff, as usual, from the folks at Pixar.

Performance to Savor: Tim Allen
Memorable Moment: None

56. Home Alone (1990) D: Chris Columbus

A relic from my childhood movie experiences, this movie continues to entertain. I'll watch maybe once a year, and each time I'm amazed at how well it holds up. It has no extravagent special effects or extreme displays of technology, so it won't be dated any time soon. And what kid didn't dream of this scenario? Though I doubt any would be as organized and resourceful as young Kevin McAllister.

Performance to Savor: Macauley Culkin
Memorable Moment: None

55. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) D: Wes Anderson

I would like to think that I am a Wes Anderson fan though I've only seen The Royal Tenenbaums, despite all of the good things I've heard about Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and The Life Aquatic. Any directors (or actors, or whoever) do that to anybody? I feel like he's a great director, but its all heresay. I've only seen one of his movies. But, oh boy, was it a good one.

Performance to Savor: Gene Hackman
Memorable Moment: None

54. Jaws (1975) D: Steven Spielberg

The granddaddy of all blockbuster movies. For what its worth, to still be ranked this high after 30 years speaks highly of quality. I admit that T-Biggs is a bit skewed toward newer movies, which is why I plan to revise and edit as the years go on. None the less, Jaws showed movie studios that summer was the time to release movies, it showed directors the proper way to deal with a monster effectively, it showed producers how to maximize budget, it showed writers that action and horror don't have to equal dumb, and it showed audiences how powerful filmmaking can truly be.

Performance to Savor: Robert Shaw
Memorable Moment: Swimming at night

53. Requiem for a Dream (2000) D: Darren Aranofsky

THE movie of my freshman year in college. I will forever assosciate this film with the living experience of first being away from home, living on Doty 3, negotiating collegiate life, finding a girlfriend, making new friends...everything. I had the soundtrack on my computer, which probably added to the doom and gloom of Doty. Aranofsky's flair accentuates the highs and inevitable lows of prolonged drug use, and its multitude of forms. From heroin to diet pills, all ages are susceptible. Dark, painful, disturbing, and not necessarily for the faint of heart, Requiem is the cinematic experience of an overdose...though without the side effects.

Performance to Savor: Marlon Wayons
Memorable Moment: On the pier

52. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) D: Quentin Tarantio

If the Kill Bill movies were released as a single film, as originally planned, I would hope that the end result was mostly elements from KB2. In my opinion QT shows more depth, and requires much more of his actors. Sure the House of Blue Leaves was an unforgettable cinematic experience, but in a lot of ways it clogged the movie; prevented our characters from interacting and dispensing information as to their motivations and backgrounds. In KB2 all of our questions are answered, and stylistically as well. Bill doesn't get quite enough screen time, and his back story is kind of lame, but David Carradine nails what he's given. They coulda picked a less annoying kid for the daughter. Excellent forshadowing as to how Bill is Killed.

Performance to Savor: Gordon Liu
Memorable Moment: Training with Pei Mei

51. 28 Days Later (2003) D: Danny Boyle

My goal for this movie is to see it on a TV. Thus far I've only seen it on E-town's computer monitor. In a van. But, what I saw was undeniably brilliant filmmaking. There has been/will be a glut of zombie movie in recent/coming years, but this is yet the best. Some minor social commentary regarding the nature of humanity, but its wisely kept at bay. As with any zombie movie, there are only so many options to consider as far as plot goes, and we're given the standard package. Where this movie excels, however, is the inclusion of small details. Cillian Murphy's visit to his parents, the army guys capturing a zombie, etc...

Performance To Savor: Brenden Gleeson
Memorable Moment: Zombie on a chain

50. Spider-Man 2 (2004) D: Sam Raimi

Allow me to preface this by stating that I loved this movie. Clearly. Therefore, I am simply going to list the things I didn't like about the movie. Should be a short list.

MJ discovers that Peter Parker is Spider-Man way too soon.
Our villains are so far results of botched medical procedures. Have some different motivations, like Magneto.

That's pretty much it. I loved the music...operatic and grandiose. The special effects were top-notch. Less intusive than the original. Comic book adaptations naturally lend themselves to sequels, so the "rehashed" factor is kept to a minimum. Looking forward to Spidey 3!

Performance to Savor: Alfred Molina
Memorable Moment: Battle on Subway