I promised Jake that I would have this done by the end of the week. In order for that to happen...gotta get movin'!
49. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) D: Joel Coen
Today's entry opens with (ahh! passive voice!) two straight Coen Brothers movies. Can't help it. The Hudsucker Proxy is probably the Coen Brothers movie that the most people think is not a Coen Brothers movie. I can't explain this. All the elements are there: Dry humor, slow pacing, eccentric characters. Whenever I tell someone this is Coen, they're like, "Yeah! That's right!". Anyway, this movie follows the oxymoronic character favored by the Coens (Murdering barber, Murderous Midwest, Child-rearing thieves, Gang-banging stoners...). Here its a doofus-CEO, protrayed by Tim Robbins. Throughout the course of the movie we are given the true history of the hoola-hoop and the frisbee, with a great performance by Paul Newman.
Performance to Savor: Paul Newman
Memorable Moment: None
48. Raising Arizona (1987) D: Joel Coen
The first Coen movie I saw. Thankfully the Coens captured a Nic Cage performance with charisma. As Hi, the kidnapping thief, Cage forces us to root for his plight, despite his many flaws. A fun movie, with an appropriate amount of weirdness, a great soundtrack, and fun performances.
Performance to Savor: John Goodman
Memorable Moment: Stealing diapers
47. Shrek (2001) D: Andrew Adamson
In my opinion, the Shrek series is headed in the wrong direction. I believe I've discussed this already with Shrek 2, so check that out if you must. The plot discription for Shrek 3, while encouraging doesn't leave me convinced that the filmmakers are intent on creating a timeless classic (they've cast Justin Timberlake as King Arthur). That said, Shrek, is an unbelievable movie fusing fantasy, lore, CG, action, and comedy...all into a kids movie! There are more than one adult references, which keeps the story sharp, while never losing its sense of purpose. Great film.
46. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) D: Michael Moore
I refer you to my little write up of The Passion of the Christ (to lazy to make a link) for my opinion of the appropriateness of political propoganda. Moore's arguments tend to be blind, biased, and misinformed...but its easy to look past such things when you agree with his points. I wish that the Democratic Party had a charismatic, inspirational, and yes, religious leader around which we might rally. I felt that Kerry said all the right things (for example, he personally didn't believe in abortion, but he did believe in a woman's right to choose, and firmly supported Roe v. Wade). That's about as good as it gets for me. He sets aside what he recognizes to be a personal belief, and acknowledges the autonomy of others to make their own decisions. Unfortunately...not enough people agreed with me. Well, they did, they weren't concrentrated in the correct states. Anyway, apparently religion is necessary these days to get elected, so if we can find someone who is religious, but only personally so...lets go for it.
Performance to Savor: George W. Bush
Memorable Moment: Britney Spears
45. Hoosiers (1986) D: David Anspaugh
The greatest sports movie ever filmed? Quite a lofty title for such a non-assuming flick. I've never really discussed the flick with people who didn't have some element of love for sports, so I can't really attest to its viability in that market. Anyone want to share? Otherwise...a predictable story with a predictable ending, but Gene Hackman gives a fiery performance as (yes, an asshole) the basketball coach that plot really is second to the personal drama.
Performance to Savor: Gene Hackman
Memorable Moment: Arriving at the State Tournament
44. Forrest Gump (1994) D: Robert Zemeckis
This is one of those "good" blockbuster movies. I'm wary of making that classification because "Titanic" and "ET" also fall in that category. Its also easily dismissable. How many of you are gonna say they just didn't like this movie? Well, I understand...I do think Hanks' performance is somewhat overrated (he showed more depth in Castaway), but I really loved the concept of an every day guy being present at definitive historical event. Gumps Renaissance may be a bit on the whimsical side, but it nevertheless lauds the all too sparse qualities of loyalty and pride.
Performance to Savor: Gary Sinise
Memorable Moment: Shit happens
43. The Usual Suspects (1995) D: Bryan Singer
The mother of all twist endings. Though when you think about it, it pretty much negates the entire movie. Right? Doesn't matter, here is a fine example of a movie completely propped up by the unforgettability of its conclusion. Had the denoument been anything but, this movie would've been just another dreary crime drama. Forgotten in the middle of the decade. Kevin Spacey and Benicio Del Toro rose to Hollywood studs because of this flick. Excellent.
Performance to Savor: Kevin Spacey
Memorable Moment: His limp straightens
42. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) D: Stanley Kubrick
I would say that this movie could be just as effective as a silent film, but that would ignore the fantastic use of music that Kubrick employs. From Also Sprach Zarathustra to Schuman, Kubrick recognizes the emotional punch packed by the old classics. Like Mulholland Drive people will be confused by the movie if they attempt to order it sequentially and logically. The point is lost if viewed as a traditional protaganist/antagonist/conflict/resolution film. The Monoliths appear when our species are ready for giant leap forward. From Apes to Humans. From Foraging to Tools. From Earth to the Moon. From the Solar System to Beyond. Its all there. Also there is a critique/observation of the price paid by advancement. In order to use tools for food, we introduce muder weapons. In order to use computers for science, we introduce HAL. There's a lot going on here.
Performance to Savor: Douglas Rain
Memorable Moment: Docking
41. American Beauty (1999) D: Sam Mendes
And thus, screenplays became coveted in Hollywood. If only this were completely true, but we must acknowledge the path re-blazed by Mendes in re-introducing mass culture to a smart, dark, and insanely well-written movie. Mendes perfectly captures the restrained frustration felt by suburbanites, and their relative inability to do anything about it. Mendes interestingly gives away the ending at the beginning, indicating that the movie isn't designed to lead towards some sort of "shocker". We are forced to deal with that reality up front and can therefore consider the end while we observe the means. Its kind of like watching the movie for the second time, to see how everything fits together...only you can do that the first time. Well done, Sam.
Performance to Savor: Chris Cooper
Memorable Moment: None
40. A Clockwork Orange (1971) D: Stanley Kubrick
Never one to shy from a challenge, here Kubrick tackles the nature of free-will, through the lens of politics. Our protaganist/antagonist, is Alex, and...you know what? I'm sure everyone of you wrote a film critique of this movie in high school, so y'all probably have more insights than me, so I'll just share a few things.
If we combine Greek and Latin, Alex (a-lex) can be translated as "Without Law". Though I doubt that was a conscious decision.
That's all I got.
Performance to Savor: Malcolm McDowell
Memorable Moment: Apologies/Alliances
39. Spider-Man (2002) D: Sam Raimi
The best comic-book movie ever? That remains to be seen, but its thus far the best on T-Biggs. Why? Its probably more of a personal thing, but as a young man seeing the movie, I identified more with Peter Parker than Bruce Banner/Bruce Wayne/etc...the first Spider-Man is definitely a film about the painful interaction between the freewheeling days of youth and the responsibility of adulthood. Here that is exemplified by the remarkable powers thrust upon Parker and the sacrifices he knows he must now make. This struggle parallels the struggle experienced by all young adults as they realize that their lives will never be the same. They can no longer rely on their parents for everything, and that soon, people will be relying on them.
Performance to Savor: None
Memorable Moment: Discovering powers
38. Das Boot (1981) D: Wolfgang Peterson
As with every rule, there is an exception. Normally I avoid movies that Simmz' likes, and vice-versa, but we saw this together, and we both loved it. Will that ever happen again? No. I don't really know what about this movie appealed to both of our sensabilities, but I won't question it. The most striking thing to me about this movie is the humanization it provides of the "other" side of WWII. They were men following orders as well. Orders that they didn't understand, and often didn't agree with. They were asked to kill, and they did. But, they were human and such an experience deeply affected them. To often we are asked to accept that the people we are fighting are mindless, dispicable drones, and this movie forces us to reconsider that notion.
Performance to Savor: Jurgen Prochnow
Memorable Moment: Boat sinks
37. Toy Story (1995) D: John Lasseter
If it seems that every movie is "the first..." something or other, you shouldn't be too suprised. The movies that are going to be towards the top of my list will probably be those movies for which I saw something I'd never seen before. Initial impressions are most lasting, and this is reflected in my favorite movies. What "first" is Toy Story? Well...before Toy Story, Pixar had released A Bug's Life, which, while visually stunning, frankly wasn't all that great of a movie. People had questioned the ability of CG movies to leave room for smart and fun story telling. Toy Story blew all of those critics completely away. Without a doubt, this movie will be remember for the influential pioneer that it is: A movie whose remarkable visual style partners synergistically with a terrific story, accessible to both kids and adults.
Performance to Savor: Tim Allen
Memorable Moment: "So play nice."
36. The Karate Kid (1984) D: John G. Avildsen
Who doesn't like this movie? I'll tell you, people who saw it for the first time after the age of 15. And, I'd probably understand. But, to those people, imagine seeing this for the first time at a young age (6-14). Imagine seeing Daniel-san being forced to move across the country, living in his dumpy apartment, being picked on, beat up, humiliated. Imagine watching him fumble his way around girls. Then, he meets Mr. Miyagi, and through him gathers a strength to overcome these familiar obstactles. Imagine wanting to join Karate because of this movie. Imagine dreaming of taking down your own personal tormentors, just like Daniel-san did. How can you not love this movie?
Performance to Savor: Pat Morita
Memorable Moment: The Crane
35. Fight Club (1999) D: David Fincher
So many of my peers love this movie, that I'm not really defending this pick to anyone. So many have read the book (and I haven't) that I dont' really have anything to add. So...I won't bother.
Performance to Savor: Brad Pitt
Memorable moment: Discovering Tyler Durden
34. The Sixth Sense (1999) D: M. Night Shyamalan
Grace often asks me why I even bother watching network television. Not to turn my own crank, but I've gotten quite good at making predictions about the out comes of the shows. These extraordinary powers translate to movies as well. Its those movies that manage to sneak one past my goalie that resonate most with me. Now, what is unusual about The Sixth Sense is that I knew a twist was coming! I had heard my friends talking about it, but I told 'em to shut up before I heard what the twist was. The entire movie I tried in vain to figure out what it was...but I couldn't. And the best thing about the ending is that it doesn't seem forced. It flowed natural with the story. The endings that are unpredictable yet logical, fantastical yet implied...those are the best. And The Sixth Sense nailed it.
Performance to Savor: Haley Joel Osment
Memorable Moment: Revelation
33. The Exorcist (1973) D: William Friedkin
How scary was this movie when you first saw it? Of course, that probably depended on the situation, but for most, I'd imagine it was horrifying. Friedkin dared to show us things we hadn't seen before. Dared to shock us, to make us sick. Why is this movie considered the scariest of all time? Well, first, its just a well made movie. It has legitimate actors, not bouncy blondes. Mostly the true scares are found at the juxtoposition of the innocent (Regan) and the corrupt (Demon). Friedkin mutilates pure images into ones of hate and filth. Head spinning, walking down stairs upside down and backwards, vomiting, crucifixing. All of these images are meant to spoil our minds eye vision of the pure child. That a beast could be so evil as to devour our children? That's the horror.
Performance to Savor: Max Von Sydow
Memorable Moment: Crab walk down stairs
32. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1999) D: Guy Ritchie
I would say that this is the movie that introduced me to British gangster movies...except I never really got in to them. With Snatch and...yeah, sure, Trainspotting, I found a collection of characters and actors that I really liked, performing for directors who really knew their craft. As with South Park, however, I didn't really take the iniative to seek such out this movie-style. Can I explain why? Um. No.
Performance to Savor: Jason Statham
Memorable Moment: None
31. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) D: Michel Gondry
The most realistic depiction of romance that I have seen in a movie. Ever. Fantastical. Impossible. Realistic. Joel and Clementine are both terrified of each other. They want to avoid the pain that comes with heartbreak, but even more, they want to avoid the pain that comes with lonelines. Timidly, they allow themselves to care, only to find that heartbreak is in the cards. Charlie Kaufman, Hollywood wunderkind, uses an (typical.) out-there device to illustrate points which are far to real. Essentially, its a cinematic interpretation of "'Tis better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all." And it works like a charm.
Performance to Savor: Jim Carrey
Memorable Moment: Memories under the table
30. Dr. Strangelove (1964) D: Stanley Kubrick
As a kid I had a brief and unattached image of a man riding a nuclear bomb, waving his hat and cheering like a cowboy. For the longest time I couldn't associate this image with any particular movie. Well...we all see where this is going. I watched this for the first time as a cognizant adult, and there it was! The image from my youth! Alas, it certainly is a memorable part of the film, but by no means is it the best. Kubrick fills this movie with excellent performances and anti-war jabs, all the while making his, in my opinion, most accessible film. It works as a comedy. It works as a drama. Shit, it even works as a war movie. It just works. Oh yeah...James Earl Jones' first movie.
Performance to Savor: Peter Sellers
Memorable Moment: King Kong rides the bomb
29. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) D: James Cameron
Huge time-travel fallacies all over the place. Enormous holes in the script. Who cares!? This dark and semi-apocolyptic vision of the near-future is James Cameron at his (second) best. The transition of Arnold from evil cyborg to good cyborg is handled adequetly enough, and following a brief exposition of characters, we get to watch Industrial Light & Magic jerk off all of the screen. The story provides a perfect medium for ILM to flex its muscle, and the movie is better off for it. Imagine watching this had they used the stop-motion from the first?
Performance to Savor: Linda Hamilton
Memorable Moment: Vision of the apocalypse
28. The Abyss (1989) D: James Cameron
Another James Cameron movie, I know. The reason that I like this more than T2 is primarily the acting, followed closely by the plot. T2, while awesomely cool, handles its Time Paradox somewhat ham-handedly, while The Abyss isn't encumbered by such problems. What we are given, however, is a sophisticated action-thriller, peppered with suspense and extraterrestrial. Cameron wisely holds off on many of his money-shots until the end (a technique learned from Spielberg), and simply lets his actors breathe. Here we are given actors with better chops than in T2 and so Cameron uses FX for enhancement, rather than overshadowing.
Performance to Savor: Ed Harris
Memorable Moment: Water snake
27. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) D: Martin Scorcese
An interesting way to analyze history is to play the "What if?" game. What if Hitler choked on a braunschweiger in his youth? What if JFK was wearing a kevlar helmet? What if Henry Ford was named Henry Chevrolet? Anyway, this could go on forever, but the question asked by this movie is "What if Jesus had decided to save himself from the Cross?" This question has been asked by theologians and clergy for centuries, though it took 2000 centuries before it appeared on film. What gives? Given the nature of Jesus (y'know half-man, half-god...kinda like how an electron is a wave and a particle at the same time), he certainly was well within his power to come down from the Cross. While dying several Pharisees and Roman Soldiers taunted him with such temptations. If you are who you say you are, why not save yourself? Well... this movie doesn't really explore the full nature and power of Jesus, rather, it hypothesizes about the life JC would've led had he shed his role of Savior.
Performance to Savor: Willem Dafoe
Memorable Moment: None
26. Gladiator (2000) D: Ridley Scott
I couldn't decide which movie to place rank higher between this and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I'm not even sure if this ranking is accurage. I feel very similar towards both. The common thread of affinity is unique to both movies. Both movies are propped up by music. That is somewhat misleading. Both would still be very good movies in their own right, but they just wouldn't be ranked this high. The music in both films is so completely perfect to the mood that it transcends the celluloid and becomes a symphony in its own right. Many soundtracks are very movie-specific, yet here we find themes and motifs that can be enjoyed independent of any movie. Just ask Linda.
Performance to Savor: Joaquin Phoenix
Memorable Moment: I will have my vengeance
25. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) D: Ang Lee
See above. I Like the part in the cave when they do it.
Performance to Savor: Zhang Ziyi
Memorable Moment: In the cave
