99-75

So, I finally saw Napoleon Dynamite. I wasn't disappointed, and I found the movie to be refreshing and hilarious. Didn't crack the top 100 though. Comes in at 112. Right behind True Lies and ahead of Big Fish. We'll see how well the movie ages. Could move up the list if it starts attains "classic" status. Anyway. Had courtside seats to the T-Wolves game. They lost. It was fun though, as I talked to Dan Barreiro, shook Mad Dog's hand, and got a head nod from Ndudi Ebi.

99. Aladdin (1992) D: Ron Clements

I know Robin Williams is played out and annoying, but remember when he was at the top of the comedy game? Well, maybe not the top, but his performance as the Genie is legendary. Spectacular animation on display, coupled with a story everyone thinks about (3 wishes), and we have a Disney classic.

Performance to Savor: Robin Williams
Memorable Moment: Chase on the carpet

98. Speed (1994) D: Jan De Bont

A great action thriller with a clever set up. Docked several spots because of the unsure and repetitive ending. Nothing here is top notch (effects, acting, directing) except the music, which fits the mood perfectly. I always end up watching this on TNT.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: Subway beheading

97. The Natural (1984) D: Barry Levinson

A loving look at a bygone baseball era, when men wore suits and hats to baseball games, and reporters said things like, "Hey, see! Whaddya know? Whaddya say? See?!" Hobbs numbers are mythical, but as Bonds is proving, not impossible.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: Homerun in to the light fixture

96. The Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) D: Gore Verbinski

Can't believe that the guy who made "Mousehunt" also made a movie ranked this high...but here it is. Pirates is a near perfect combination of humor, FX, and um...derring-do? For the longest time, pirate movies have been a curse in Hollywood, so success is met with much acclaim. Everyone is cast perfectly, except Orlando Bloom who's got to start showing me something else.

Performance to Savor: Johnny Depp
Memorable Moment: None

95. Rounders (1998) D: John Dahl

The Sports Guy would probably not agree with this pick. Too low for him. I'm not a fan of poker, and I don't gamble, but this movie isn't just about poker. Its about friendship, loyalty, and following your dreams. Mike McD has a great girlfriend who doesn't share his dreams. What to do? An excellent look at a man torn between a world of legitmacy and security, and a world of his passions.

Performance to Savor: Edward Norton
Memorable Moment: Teddy's Tell

94. Monty Python and the Meaning of Life (1983) D: Terry Gilliam

Nothing more than a series of gags, Python's take on life usuallys boils down to oxymoronic combinations of attitude and setting. For example, a straight laced professor teaching sex ed...by having sex with his wife. Or a troupe of soldiers questioning the literal meaning of their commander's orders. Quirky and smart...never short on laughs.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: The Machine that goes "ping"

93. Psycho (1960) D: Alfred Hitchcock

To label this as the most shocking/scary/frightening/disturbing movie of all time (as many critics/magazines do) is to divorce oneself from the social context in which one first sees it. Surely when it was first released it terrified audiences, but the gore and infamy of the shower scene fall away when later generations encounter the material. What remains is an excellently plotted mystery, inhabited by memorable characters, but no real protagonist.

Performance to Savor: Anthony Perkins
Memorable Moment: Shower

92. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) D: Steven Spielberg

The Bearded One takes a lesson out of his own book, and utilizes it to perfection. As with Jaws, Spielberg decides to withold the supernatual/extraordinary until the end of the movie, effectively building fantastic tension. The questionable mental stability of our lead, as well as the sense of global threat, government cover up, and a link with the galaxy, all contribute to a well crafted motion picture.

Performance to Savor: Richard Dreyfuss
Memorable Moment: Mashed potatoes

91. The Wizard of Oz (1939) D: Victor Fleming

Do y'all remember how scary this movie was? Flying monkeys, melting witches, tornados, houses...how did anyone get through it? What else can I say that hasn't already been said about one of American Cinema's masterpieces?

Performance to Savor: Margaret Hamilton
Memorable Moment: "I'm melting!"

90. The Ten Commandments (1956) D: Cecille B. DeMille

The only person who knew who voiced the Burning Bush was DeMille...and he's dead! So that's a mystery that will never be solved. Say what you want about the Bible, but it certainly doesn't lack in the epic department. DeMille did an admirable job of transferring the sweeping nature of the story on to the big screen without making it seem hoky or cheap.

Performance to Savor: Yul Brynner
Memorable Moment: Parting of the Red Sea

89. Good Will Hunting (1997) D: Gus Van Sant

Hey, its about a tough mathematician. Whaddya want from me?

Performance to Savor: Matt Damon
Memorable Moment: Proof on the blackboard

88. There's Something About Mary (1998) D: Farrelly Brothers

Dumb and Dumber was the first, and Something was the last. That is, movies made by the Farrelly's where the "gross-out" elements fit into the story without feeling forced, or inserted for shock value alone. Definitely a modern classic, with only a few dated elements, and should turn out to be a movie classic, in the comedy genre or otherwise. That last sentence was terrible.
Performance to Savor: Matt Dillon
Memorable Moment: Zipped up

87. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) D: Alfonso Cuaron

The only of the three Potters to be a good stand alone movie. That is, the first two had some serious flaws, but were largely forgiven because of the general affinity for the source material. The feeling with this movie is that Cuaron committed himself to making a good movie rather than just a good Harry Potter Movie. The result is fantastic. Hogwarts and environs are well realized, and I feel that Michael Gambon gets Dumbldore much more than Richard Harris.

Performance to Savor: Emma Watson
Memorable Moment: Hippogriff flight

86. Spellbound (1945) D: Alfred Hitchcock

I'm probably one of the few people in the world who has this ranked higher than Psycho. Certainly Psycho is fairly innovative in that its main character is a misanthropic murder, yet Spellbound offers a unique and imaginative dream sequence by Salvador Dali. Whatever...both movies are classics, and I like Spellbound more.

Performance to Savor: Ingrid Bergman
Memorable Moment: None

85. Fargo (1996) D: Joel Coen

The Coens took potentially dangerous material (alienating the entire midwest by mocking their accent, attitudes, and lifestyles) and churned out an amusing, loving, and disturbing tale. The characters (other than Peter Stormare's) are every day people that you and I both know. By placing these people in remarkable situations, the Coens afford us the oppurtunity to examine how we might respond in similar circumstances.

Performance to Savor: Peter Stormare
Memorable Moment: Wood chipper

84. Apocalypse Now (1979) D: Francis Ford Coppola

Take it away E.

Performance to Savor: Marlon Brando
Memorable Moment: Napalm

83. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) D: Jim Sharman

This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies. Senior year in high school a group of the "smart" kids took a trip to the Ashland Shakespeare Festival. We had a couple of hotel rooms, and incidentally we rented this. I think I was the only one who liked it. Imagine how $immz responded. Then, there were the cowboys, and the farmer...and the Bible Boy. In all, not exactly a crowd to watch a mind-bending musical about Transvestites from Transexual Transylvania.

Performance to Savor: Tim Curry
Memorable Moment: Meat Loaf

82. Shrek 2 (2004) D: Andrew Adamson

A true marvel of computer animation. Stuffed with cameos (literary and otherwise), dazzling sets, and pop-culture references, this movie is about as "for the whole family" as it gets. My only concern is tied to its appeal. Like its predecessor, it relies heavily on current events for its gags. This reduces its rewatchability and thus, its timelessness. I expect both Shrek movies to slowly move down the list as the years pass.

Performance to Savor: Antonio Banderas
Memorable Moment: None

81. Gone With The Wind (1939) D: Victor Fleming

Until recently, this was one of those movies that I'd always planned on seeing, but never planned to see. I'd always say "I'll see it sometime". Of course, its a 3 1/2 hour epic, so I can't really just stumble upon it. Fortunately its Grace's favorite movie and she has a copy. One weekend I decided to just do it. I didn't really know what to expect. Obviously it has as much acclaim as any movie ever...but its old, and about high society during the Civil War. So how much is it gonna resonate with me? Well, I loved it. It is truly an epic movie in every sense of the word. Costumes, sets, acting...and the music. Shit, I'm still whistling the damn music. What suprised me the most was the context of the "Frankly Scarlet..." line. It came when I least expected it, and signified something I did not see coming. Another suprise: Scarlett O'Hara is one of modern cinemas lasting heroins, but not for the reasons I expected. I found her to be entirely unlikable. Sure, she's a survivor, but she's mostly a bitch. Anyway, this movie offered a lot to me which I was wholly unprepared for, which is really the best thing that could've happened.

Performance to Savor: Vivien Leigh
Memorable Moment: "Frankly Scarlett, I don't give a damn."

80. Boogie Nights (1997) D: Paul W.S. Anderson

A far far better film than "Magnolia" where P.A felt the need to bang us over the head with his subtle messages. Here, the characters steal the show, and they are allowed to breathe. We are unsuprised that the porn industry corrupts young Dirk, but we are made to feel bad about it anyway. We are given a world inhabited by loathsome, greedy, shady, druggy, and alltogether amoral shucksters, but are allowed to see their human side. That they, along with everyone, have dreams, and they, like everyone, often see those dreams crushed.

Performance to Savor: Julianne Moore
Memorable Moment: Unzipped

79. Thelma and Louise (1991) D: Ridley Scott

So, I watched another of Grace's all time classics, and clearly, I loved it. Classic buddy road trip gone wrong trip with a little twist: They're women. That shouldn't be a twist, but...it is. Things begin to spiral out of control, and eventually, they are wanted murderers. What's unfortunate is that had these main characters been male, this would've been a run of the mill flick. However, Scott takes this oppurtunity to point out several ills of our society, the most obvious of which is our treatment of women. Beyond all that, this is a fantastically fun pic, featuring the virile young body of Brad Pitt.

Performance to Savor: Geena Davis
Memorable Moment: Cliff

78. Being John Malcovich (1999) D: Spike Jonze

Probably the most unique movie I will ever see. Sure there are weirder movies. Sure that are more pyschadelic movies. But, Charlie Kaufman plays it straight, and matter of factly presents us with a situation that is beyond bizarre. There are no explanations, just examanations of how resourcefulness can be applied to manipulate any situation for one's own personal gain. However, there may be serious consequences.

Performance to Savor: Cameron Diaz
Memorable Moment: Malcovich Malcovich Malcovich Malcovich

77. Harold and Maude (1972) D: Hal Ashby

Dark humor at its finest. Meet Harold, a rich young man completely unhappy with life, and hell bent on thinking of exotic new ways to fake his own death. Meet Maude, a free spirited geriatric with more to offer than women 1/4 her age. Naturally, these two make a perfect pair.

Performance to Savor: Ruth Gordon
Memorable Moment: Ring in lake

76. The Big Lebowski (1998) D: Joel Coen

I imagine that every single one of the people who read this blog have seen this movie. I also imagine that they all hold it in some regard. Therefore, no explanation of why I like it is necessary. You already know, man. That was a lazy-ass comment on my part.

Performance to Savor: John Turturro
Memorable Moment: Ashes in face

75. South Park: Bigger, Longer , and Uncut (1999) D: Trey Parker

South Park the TV Show completely boggles my mind. On the one hand, of the episodes I've seen, its one of the best written shows ever. They are clever, hilarious, and smart, with the appropriate levels of vulgarity and scatology. On the other hand, I never seek them out. I never try to watch the show. Even when I know a new show is on, and it just started, I still flip around. I don't know why this is. I would claim that I'm a fan of the show. But I don't really watch it. Who knows.

Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: None