If you can’t appreciate dancing dwarfs, severed ears, or a singing girl that lives in a radiator, chances are you don’t appreciate David Lynch’s directorial and writing efforts.  Needless to say, you’re missing out on unforgettable characters, worlds brimming with colorful oddities, and stories that bewilder, frighten, and defy all conventions of narrative.

While I understand the elements that may defer a moviegoer from watching a Lynch film (tangled, inexplicable plots; pretentious, circus-like strangeness; and an awkward handling of sex and violence), I cannot comprehend the unwillingness to at least give Lynch’s aesthetic a chance.

I have trouble hearing biased viewers of Lynch’s work complain about how they simply don’t understand the film(s) but fail to even analyze or ponder the answers to their own questions.  (I heard many of these types of complaints when Mulholland Drive was released in 2001.)

The whole point and fun in viewing a Lynch film is to unravel its mystery and intricacies, and to analyze the clues—trust me, they’re there if you look for them.

I hope by reading this article that Lynch skeptics and newbies will give his work another chance or watch it for the first time and realize that he’s just as legitimate and versed in skill as James Cameron, Ridley and Tony Scott, or Francis Ford Coppola; he just makes the audience work a little bit harder.

Here are five of David Lynch’s best and oddest films:

Eraserhead (1976)

Lynch describes his directorial debut as a “dream of dark and troubling things.”  For Henry Spencer (Jack Nance), that is exactly what his industrial world seems to be.  Once Henry and his girlfriend Mary X (Charlotte Stewart) have a baby, it becomes a bit more clear as to what this dark dream is about.  Mary X gives birth to a slimy bandaged creature that incessantly cries.  The creature drives Mary X to flee motherhood and Henry to brutal violence.  Eraserhead manages to serve as a dark and artful manifestation of fear: fear of fatherhood, fear of obligation, and fear of commitment.  Rather than explore the theme of dreaded responsibility in a familiar, drab manner, Lynch provides the viewer with a perverse fairytale to dress up the topic.  It seems that Lynch also wants to remind us that although life can sometimes be a nightmare, in heaven everything is fine (as sung by the lady who lives in Henry’s radiator).

Blue Velvet (1986)

Once Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) discovers a severed ear in a nearby field, he finds himself in the middle of a sadistic mystery he simply cannot resist.  At the heart of the mystery is nightclub performer Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), whose husband and child are being held captive by psychotic Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper).  As soon as Frank appears on screen, characters and audience are in for a demented ride of sexual perversion, abuse, drugs, and abrupt violence that is bound to unsettle most.  What enhances the various moments of taboo subject matter here is how Lynch styled the film like a Nancy Drew episode, with hints of Alfred Hitchcock (think Shadow of a Doubt).  Because of this, the film deceptively has an innocent tone in some parts, especially once Jeffrey’s girlfriend Sandy Williams (Laura Dern) also becomes immersed in the mystery.  The innocence is quickly shattered once Frank rapes Dorothy with her own blue velvet bathrobe (one of his many cruel and frenzied acts).  Despite the extreme subject matter and content, Lynch received an Oscar nomination for best director.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)

The great thing about this film is that it helps Twin Peaks fans better understand the often puzzling series, or at least Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).  Since Fire Walk with Me is the prequel to the television series Twin Peaks, we are able to more personally connect and unravel the secrecy surrounding the deceased Laura Palmer.  Laura is lost in a world of drugs, orgies, sexual abuse, and personal demons.  Alarmingly, much of it seems to stem from Laura’s father Leland (Ray Wise) and the demonic presence (Bob) that possesses him.  With literal backward dialogue, inexplicable disappearances, visions, and a one armed man, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me is a forcefully imaginative murder mystery that doesn’t just keep people guessing: it takes you to another place.

Lost Highway (1997)

Saxophone player Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) and his girlfriend Renee (Patricia Arquette) are being watched.  Someone or something is videotaping the couple as they sleep and prowling through their house only to leave the videotapes on their doorstep.  Things grow even odder once Fred finds himself on death row for murdering Renee.  As if things couldn’t get any odder, Fred then transforms into someone named Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty).  I will admit that the film does lose a bit of its suspenseful edge once Fred changes into Pete (story-wise at least), but overall Lost Highway is a fascinating thriller that will easily hold anyone’s attention.  If the offerings of the storyline don’t intrigue you, then at least the film’s soundtrack will. Also, it’s probably the only work that features Marilyn Manson, a wheelchair-bound Richard Pryor, and John Waters’s muse Mink Stole.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Unsurprisingly, Lynch was again nominated for an Oscar for best director with Mulholland Drive.  Out of all the films I have listed here, this one (oddly enough) seems to make the most sense, subplots and all.  When naïve Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) enters Hollywood to pursue a career in the movies, dark eyed Rita (Laura Elena Harring) brings the big screen to her in the contents of a purse and a case of amnesia.  Considering Lynch leaves us a number of intimations as to what’s going on, it is not difficult to realize that all these events are a product of Betty/Diane’s dream.  What amazes me, view after view, is how beautifully and intricately Lynch has constructed this dream.  The incoherence, frightening fragments, and pop-up characters all contribute to the true quality of a dream.  We’re dazed and fuddled, desperately trying to piece the unusual happenings into a lucid structure, which is quite similar to how we all try to interpret our own dreams.  Mulholland Drive is a profound and exciting exploration of identity, especially a longing to be someone we often cannot be.

The 80s was the original age of MTV, so when it came to selling soundtracks for films, record producers made sure to load them up with killer songs, often performed by top artists of the time. The result was a smash with the public, particularly with the younger set, spawning Hit singles and promotional videos, launching a trend that continues to this day!

Here is a random line up of Soundtrack albums that guarantee an awesome trip to the past!

1: Top Gun

The soundtrack to the hit Tom Cruise vehicle about young hot shot pilots. Top Gun became a bestselling phenomenon and a model for hit soundtracks to follow, launching the classic, Oscar Winning Number One Hit, “Take My Breath Away” performed by Berlin, as well as three more hits, the tender soft rock number “Heaven In Your Eyes”, performed by Loverboy, the adrenaline pumping “Danger Zone” and “Playing With the Boys”, performed by soundtrack stalwart Kenny Loggins. Featuring other standout songs by Cheap Trick, Teena Marie and Miami Sound Machine, plus a killer main theme performed by Steve Stevens, adrenaline is what this soundtrack is all about!

2: Ghostbusters

The soundtrack to one of the most popular action/comedy classics of all time, starring Bill Murray and company, also launched one of most popular songs of all time, with the unforgettably quirky title tune, performed by Ray Parker Jr. Other great songs include the swingin’ “Cleanin’ Up the Town”, performed by the Bus Boys, the kooky new wave hit “In the Name of Love”, performed by the Thompson Twins, and Ray Parker Jr’s instrumental version of the theme song, as well as other standout moments by Air Supply and Laura Branigan. When it comes to Great 80s Soundtracks, “Who You Gonna Call?”

3: Back to the Future

The soundtrack to the beloved 80s sci-fi/comedy, is a nice blend of 80s and 50s songs, including the Number One smash hit “The Power Of Love” and “Back In Time”, performed by Huey Lewis and the News and the classic main theme composed by Alan Silvestri.

4: Rocky 4

One of the great workout soundtrack’s, this pumpin’ collection features the top ten hits “Burnin’ Heart”, performed by Survivor and the funky showstopper “Living In America” performed by James Brown, as well as Survivors Number One Smash hit “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky 3 and a standout “Training Montage” theme by composer Vince DiCola . Kenny Loggins , Gladys Knight and Go West are among the other artists that pepper this killer soundtrack, which is guaranteed to give you extra fuel at the gym!

5: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

While not producing any major hits, (though the sizzling opener “Play With Me”, performed by Extreme, has since become a Guitar Hero favorite) this soundtrack to the popular time travel/ rock n roll comedy features a most outstanding set of 80s glam rock tunes that’ll have you cheering “Party On Dudes!”

6: Transformers: the Movie

When the hit cartoon series about shape shifting robots, became a full length animated feature, there was no stopping the excitement as this sensational, hard hitting soundtrack fueled the high tech action, featuring the famous theme song performed by Lion, and the hits “The Touch”, one of two songs performed by Stan Bush and surprisingly “Dare To Be Stupid”, performed by Weird Al Yankovic.

7: Footloose

One of the touchstone soundtracks and films of the era, is also one of the most hit filled, featuring the toe tapping title track performed by Kenny Loggins and “Lets Hear It For the Boy” performed by Denice Williams, both of which shot to Number One. Other Hits include “Almost Paradise” performed by Mike Reno of Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart, “Holding Out For A Hero” performed by Bonnie Tyler, “Dancing In the Sheets” performed by Shalamar, “I’m Free (Heaven Helps the Man)” also performed by Kenny, and the soft rock classic “Waiting For a Girl Like You”, performed by Foreigner.

8: Flashdance

The soundtrack and film that officially launched the MTV craze, features two Number One Smash Hits, including the classic Oscar winning title track, performed by Irene Cara (which has since become a dancing anthem) and the frantic “Maniac”, performed by Micheal Sembello. Other contributing artists include Laura Branigan, Donna Summer, Kim Carnes and Joe Bean Esposito.

9) Fame

Even before Flashdance, came this iconic film and soundtrack that pretty much started it all, spawning a TV series, a stage musical and setting the standard for pop music soundtrack’s to come. This essential 80’s benchmark features two more classic Irene Cara songs, the immortal title track and the simple, but powerful ballad “Out Here On My Own”, as well as the show-stopping numbers “Never Alone” and “I Sing the Body Electric”.

10: Dirty Dancing

Another 80’s essential, this mega hit soundtrack is also a celebration of the lightweight, pop/dance songs of the decades before it, primarily the 60s. It’s peppered with both original and updated classics and a few new songs, including the Oscar Winning, Number One Hit duet “I’ve Had the Time Of My Life”, performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warren, which became one of the seminal songs of the decade and the films star Patrick Swayze’s hit ballad “She’s Like the Wind”.

11: The Karate Kid

The soundtrack to the classic, coming of age, hit (starring our heroes, Danial San and Mr Myagi), is the teenage “Rocky 4”. Featuring another hit song from “Rocky;s” own Survivor, “The Moment Of Truth”, along with another 80s workout staple “You’re the Best”, performed by Joe Bean Esposito and other supporting artists including Jan and Dean and Paul Davis.

12: Beverly Hills Cop

The soundtrack to the hit Eddie Murphy action/comedy is a vibrant collection of syth/pop and funk, featuring no less than five hits, including “New Attitude” and “Stir It Up” both performed by Patti LaBelle, “Neutron Dance” ,performed by the Pointer Sisters, “The Heat Is On”, performed by Glenn Frey and the classic main theme “Axel F”, composed by synth/pop pioneer Harold Faltermeyer. Other contributors include Shalamar, Danny Elfman and The System.

13: Beverly Hills Cop 2

The soundtrack to the hit sequel, features an even more varied set of pop/rock and R&B songs and produced three major chart hits, including the pulsating “Sakedown”, performed by Bob Seger, which shot to Number One, the controversial “I Want Your Sex”, performed by George Michael and the percussion fused “Cross My Broken Heart”, performed by the Jets. Other standout artists include Pebbles, the Pointer Sisters, Jermaine Jackson, Corey Hart and Ready For the World.

14: Purple Rain

Prince’s soundtrack to his film of the same name is one of the quirkiest and most electrifying albums ever made, featuring killer guitar solos, screaming vocals, backwards choruses and dark and unforgettable songs, including the Number One Smashes “Lets Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry”, the infamous “Darling Nikki”, the haunting “the Beautiful Ones” and the epic title track.

15: The Lost Boys

The soundtrack to the 80s cult hit about modern day teenage vampires is a lively and moody collection of pop/rock songs, featuring the rowdy “Good Times” and the mid tempo “Laying Down the Law” by INXS. Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm, performs the killer theme song “Lost In the Shadows” and Gerard McMann performs the immortal ballad “Cry Little Sister”.

With the rampant rise in independent film production, it is becoming quite clear that not much is needed in order to construct a prodigious film, at least not in terms of finances or accessible talent.  One may even begin to notice that the farther a film strays from the major studio system that the better it is.  (Even this year’s Academy Awards acknowledged the quality of the independently minded: Precious and The Hurt Locker).

While children and adults alike scamper off to theatres for Pixar and Disney efforts like Up or DreamWorks’ Shrek Forever After, those who crave stories that are actually compelling are finding their appetites satiated by the likes of video rentals and film festivals.  Independent films, unlike Sex and the City 2, Grown Ups, The Karate Kid, or Toy Story 3, are willing to take risks and explore the unpredictable.

Though there may be nothing wrong with indulging in shoddy entertainment, we need to remember that we have a small world of gritty, intense, and fantastical truth at our fingertips. This world allows us to delve into the taboo and experience stories that are so efficacious we feel them long after viewing.

I’ve selected five independent horror films that not only encourage the mind to wander and entertain the obscene but demand attention from even the skeptics who’d rather be watching Avatar.

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Ginger (Katharine Isabelle) and Brigitte (Emily Perkins) are symbiotic sisters with a morbid obsession with death.  While battling the expected perils of suburbia and puberty, the unexpected hits when Ginger is attacked by a werewolf.  As Ginger’s newly acquired animal instincts gradually take over, tail and all, she and Brigitte grow farther apart and havoc ensues.  Screenwriter Karen Walton and director John Fawcett may not have crafted a highly original story with Ginger Snaps, but they do manage to portray women outside the conventional negative light of the horror genre.  Clichés and blatantly obvious stereotypes are not embraced here.  John Fawcett even insisted on using prosthetics and makeup instead of CGI effects, enhancing the creature’s terrifying appearance and overall significance.

May (2002)

May (Angela Bettis) is an unusual and shy woman who endlessly struggles to connect with others.  She struggles so much in fact that she is compelled to make her own friend…out of human body parts.  Angela Bettis is at her best as May, eerily convincing as a socially awkward woman with a need for friends or just their blood.  Lucky McKee’s darkly hilarious script has the viewer wondering if he should be laughing as May gouges out her own eyeball, kills her cat with an ashtray, or manages to torture a classroom of blind children.  What sets this horror gem apart from most is that McKee permits the viewer to get to know May and peer in at her most curious and disturbing moments.  Perhaps what is most disturbing is how close we grow to accepting her, oddities and all.

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

This Korean film (directed by Ji-woon Kim) has left a lot of people baffled but even more intrigued.  It’s intrigued American audiences so much that it was remade by Charles and Thomas Guard and titled The Uninvited (2009).  Sadly, the Guards failed to even remotely reach the level of excellence that the original possesses.  Soo-mi (Su-jeong Lim) leaves a mental institution and ventures back home to live with her sister Soo-yeon (Geun-Young Moon), father, and stepmother.  Their stepmother makes things beyond difficult and uncomfortable for the girls, and, to make matters worse, a ghost seems to be plaguing their home and Soo-mi’s ability to recuperate from past psychological troubles.  Eventually it is made known that these difficulties don’t even begin to cover the actual issues at the heart of this film.  A Tale of Two Sisters is brimming with mystery and puzzlement, constantly taking the viewer on an unexpected turn that only augments the haunting beauty of the experience.  Once you figure out what has happened, it will never leave you.

The Children (2008)

Normally I am opposed to horror films in which children are the main antagonists, but director/writer Tom Shankland manages to create a highly believable atmosphere.  A family plans to spend an enjoyable Christmas holiday together, but plans quickly change when the children strangely become infected by a type of virus that causes them to lash out violently.  No one is safe as the children viciously attempt to eliminate their parents and other family members.  What stands out most in this film is the cast.  While most of the cast was comprised of actual children taking on the role of malevolent murderer surprisingly well, the not too recognizable adult actors also pulled their weight.  Eva Birthistle, Stephen Campbell Moore, Hannah Tointon, Rachel Shelley, and Jeremy Sheffield are beyond convincing as parents riddled with doubt, desperation, paranoia, and fear.  Shankland successfully and convincingly constructed a horror film that asks the most difficult question of all: Can you kill those you love most?

Eden Lake (2008)

Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and her boyfriend Steve (Michael Fassbender) leave their world of deadlines and instruction and escape to Eden Lake, a beautiful, remote, and romantic getaway spot.  Of course, in true horror fashion, their romantic holiday is disrupted by a clan of tumultuous youths.  The group endlessly tortures the couple, vandalizing their car and leaving them stranded, stealing their possessions, even going as far as attacking the couple and capturing Steve.  Jenny is left to her own devices, endlessly trying to evade the malicious gang and escape Eden Lake with her life.  This film may seem like it follows your typical horror path (The Last House on the Left, Funny Games, and Frontieres), but it is so much more than that.  The performances from everyone in the film are so exceptional that the actions feel real, and because of this the viewer can connect with the characters.  You believe in the struggles and the violence, the disturbing and frustrating games that seem never ending.  I guarantee you that the high tension and authentic feel of the film will captivate you and pull you in.  The ending is viciously shocking and won’t be one you easily forget.

As I have also mentioned before, the 80s was the decade of Dungeons and Dragons! Never was a time more ripe for fantasy and make believe, thanks to the special effects renaissance and renewed interest in mythology that Star Wars created. While none of the genre films that came out that decade were enormous Box Office Hits, theres no denying that they were plentiful and have since stood as an enduring time capsule to the young at heart and the adventurer in all of us! While there are many films to choose from, here are (in no particular order) what many consider to be the best and most endearing fantasy films of the 80s.

1. Dragonslayer

This dark and atmospheric tale of a ferocious Dragon terrorizing a distraught kingdom and the eager sorcerers apprentice who must defeat it, is truly one of the best examples of  80s Fantasy cinema. While largely ignored in its day, this simple, but rough and raw film has since become one of the classics of the genre and benefits from stark on location photography in Scotland and Wales, a memorable performance from Sir Ralph Richardson in one of his last roles and probably the best fire breathing lizard in film history!

2. Willow

After scoring major success with Star Wars and Indiana Jones, writer/producer George Lucas decided to turn to Fantasy and teamed up with rising director Ron Howard to create another Blockbuster Trilogy. Yet only this one film would see the light of day, as it didn’t become the big smash hit it was expected to be. However it is now highly regarded as one of the more enjoyable and seminal films of the genre and one of the benchmarks for special effects technology, particularly the now common Morphing effect. While not very original, this adventurous tale of the small, but stalwart magician Willow Ufgood and his quest to restore an infant princess to her throne, is still an exciting and fast paced adventure filled with fun, danger and imaginative special effects!

3. The Black Cauldron

Disney’s return to form after years of mild and safe comedy’s and cheap animation, unfortunately turned a lot of heads with this decidedly darker and more elaborate fantasy tale (adapted from the award winning “Chronicles of Prydain” book series) of a young boy who dreams of becoming a warrior and his quest to find and destroy the title object before it falls into the wrong hands. The first Disney cartoon to be rated PG, this slightly more violent and malevolent adventure had trouble finding an audience in its day, but it certainly has plenty to offer for the serious fantasy and animation fan, with colorful characters, humor and horror and one of the most creepy and frightening Disney villains ever created, (The Horned King) memorably voiced by John Hurt.

4. The Dark Crystal

Muppetteer Jim Henson also took a darker route with this innovative and enveloping fantasy, featuring an all puppet cast and a moody, but wondrous atmosphere. Many of the familiar Muppet voices return to tell the story of a planet ruled with an iron claw by the vicious dragonlike Skeksis and the young hero who will defeat them by finding the title object. This all too familiar formula is given a fresh boost, with groundbreaking techniques in puppetry and enchanting sets and miniatures.

5. Labyrinth

Jim Henson followed up The Dark Crystal with this wonderfully  bizarre and elaborate fantasy/rock musical, featuring pop star David Bowie as the Goblin King, looking like anything but a goblin. Jennifer Connelly makes her breakout here, as a daydreaming teenager who learns the importance of responsibility, when on a whim, she wishes her baby stepbrother away into the Goblin Kingdom, there she must make her way through a tricky and treacherous maze, where she picks up various friends along the way and fends off dangers at every turn. Co written and produced by Henson and George Lucas, this 80s fantasy staple features creatively inventive sets, special effects, puppetry and costumes and show stealing tunes performed by Bowie himself, in one of his most memorable roles.

6. Return to Oz

This largely ignored film has the unfortunate distinction of being thought of as a sequel to the most beloved fantasy/musical of all time, when in fact it is merely a film version of the continuing Oz books written by L Frank Baum, which find Dorthy retuning to that magical place over the rainbow, only to find that Oz is in ruin and now ruled by the evil Nome King. Dorthy must find the Scarecrow, the rightful king of Oz and with the help of some new friends including a talking chicken, a tin soldier and even a Pumpkin headed man named Jack, must brave many dangers including the crazy Wheelers, and an Evil Princess, who changes heads, literally! This darker approach to the beloved fantasy land is nevertheless great fun for more serious fans of the genre, with memorable characters, delightfully frightening scares and eye popping special effects!

7. The Neverending Story

One of the more popular films of the genre, particularly for younger kids, is a wonderfully original story of a modern day boy who becomes fascinated with a magical book, that has a different story for every reader and whose characters may even be talking to him. The books land of Fantasia is wonderfully realized, with dazzling special effects and landscapes and a wide assortment of unique and varied characters, including good luck dragons, ogres and rock monsters, brought to life through wondrous animatronic and puppet effects, meticulously creating a one of a kind world.

8. Krull

At first intended to be a film version of the popular Dungeons and Dragons game, this interesting blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy did little at the Box Office, but has since become a cult classic. The all too familiar story of course involves a young warrior prince setting out to save his princess, however the setting is this time on another planet filled with prophetic wizards, shape shifting magicians, a one eyed cyclops, an reclusive sorceress, renegade bandits, flying horses, crystal spiders and even alien invaders. Imaginative production design and beautiful Italian locations make this a planet well worth visiting.

9. Clash of the Titans

The final film for special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen, is a grand swan song for the film legend, featuring some of his most iconic creatures. The classic Greek myth (the adventurers of Perseus, son of the great god Zeus) is given the Sword and Sorcery treatment that was flourishing in the 80s, with standout sequences, including encounters with the deadly Medusa and the towering Kraken and scenery chewing performances from Burgess Meredeth, Maggie Smith, Flora Robson and Laurence Oliver as Zeus.

10. The Secret of Nimh

Based on the award winning children’s book “Ms Brisby and the Rats of Nimh”, animation director Don Bluth’s first full length feature, is a surprisingly serious and deep minded story of a timid mouse, desperate to save her family from certain danger and the super intelligent rats who help her.  What may seem on the surface to be a mere children’s film is nicely offset with a gloomy and wondrous atmosphere, a fair amount of violence and whimsy and Bluth’s warm and glowing animation, brought to life with a memorable voice cast including Derek Jacobi as the Rats wise leader, John Carradine as a creepy old owl and Bluth regular Dom De Luise providing some comedy relief as a clumsy crow.

11. The Little Mermaid

Disney finally reclaimed their crown for fun and fantasy, with this lively musical retelling of Han’s Christian Anderson’s classic fairy tale. When Ariel, a daydreaming teenage mermaid, discovers the world of humans, she trades her beautiful voice for legs and sets off to find her dreams, little knowing that she’s a pawn in the evil schemes of the crafty sea witch Ursula. Delightfully told through colorful animation, tuneful songs, including the Oscar Winning “Under the Sea” and some of Disney’s most memorable characters such as the Reggae singing crab Sebastian and one of the all time great animated villains, the half woman half octopuslike Ursula, wonderfully voiced by Pat Carrol.

If you have not seen the movies that contain the scenes below I suggest dialing up Netflix and staying in for the weekend (and watch them on a screen bigger then your PC’s monitor, please!). If you have seen these, you might you remember some of the scenes I reference below. Either way, these are scary moments from pretty scary movies, some well known, some legendary and still others cult favorites.
I hope these stick with you as much as they have me these many years later that I had to write this list to try and get them out of my system!

1.) In the rain with the “Freaks” – This entire 1932 Tod Browning thriller is disturbing. “Can a full grown woman truly love a midget?” was the movie tagline, and during this odd little film (based on the short story “Spurs”) we learn that no, a full grown woman-Cleopatra in this case-only uses Hans (the midget) as a rich cuckold, eventually leading to her horrific fate at the end of the movie. There are plenty of truly unnerving scenes in Freaks, the ending itself had to be snipped and added to, the “Gooble gobble, gooble goble” dinner scene pretty much spins the world on its axis, but for me it’s the scene before the end, when then freaks are coming for the conniving Cleopatra and her lover Hercules, that has stuck with me all these years. In the rain, thunder and lightening flashes, the freaks are illuminating making their way across the circus grounds to avenge Hans. The image of Prince Randian, the “living torso” rolling his way under a wagon with a knife firmly stuck in his mouth is especially fantastic.

2.)The ending to “Seconds” - The ending seconds to John Frankenheimer’s film “Seconds” is harrowingly horrific stuff. Poor old ‘reborn’ Rock Hudson strapped to a gurney and gagged at the conclusion of this 1966 thriller has got to be one of the most chilling endings in any film.

3.)Creating a mannequin down at the Tourist Trap – This 1979 cult classic sees the ol’ Rifleman Chuck Connors terrorizing Tanya Roberts (pre Charlie’s Angeles) and friends in a weirder then usual slasher flick. Even at the best of moments mannequins are creepy (Kim Cattrall no withstand) enough and in this film there are simply too many with their disjoined jaws, weird high chanting and their ability to fall on unsuspecting travelers at the worst moments. The one scene I find unusually creepy in this film of many creepy scenes is when Chuck has a girl strapped to a table and is going about making her into a new mannequin by applying plaster-of-Paris across her face, in effect smothering her while he tells her exactly how and when her heart will explode.

4.) I’m Lost In The Super Market…with The Blob – How can you not love a horror movie that was made on a shoestring budget by a religious company looking to cash in on the drive-in movie horror craze? This 1958 classic starring soon-to-be mega star Steve McQueen, sees a rurual town terrorized by a red jelly amorpahs mass: The Blob. Though the scene where the Blob terrorizes the audience of the Colonial Theater is iconic, for me it’s when Steve McQueen’s character, Steve (yeah, they were getting real creative with the names on this one!) and his girlfriend Jane are trapped with the blob in the grocery store. The taught moments end with a heavyhanded bit of foreshadowing as the blob attempts to reach ‘the kids’ taking refuge in a walk-in refrigerator, but man just looking down the store isles for the lumbering blob is freaking scary dude!

5.) Up On The Ship - If you have gotten through life without seeing “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” don’t admit it to anybody. This perfect 1922 German Expressionist vampire movie, directed by directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlock is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but doesn’t lack for it. As with all German Expressionist there are creepy angels and wide shadows throughout the film but for me Max Schreck rising like a plank from out of the depths of the schooner’s hold to take the lives of the ships crew, might be one of best horror visuals in all of filmdom. If you are going to see only one movie on this list, make it Nosferatu.

What makes a “good” movie truly captivating and unforgettable?  There are a number of reasonable answers to this question, but I’m more than willing to argue that a movie’s score/soundtrack is a large part of it.  A film’s soundtrack is like a guiding light for the audience, intimating when the tears should flow and the laughs should echo.  The soundtrack alone is fully capable of telling the film’s essential story with or without dialogue as its aide.

Along with dilapidated mansions consumed by feral vines, modern cities with jagged buildings and polluted streets, and aged fishing boats braving violent waves, soundtracks help to establish a movie’s atmosphere.  Music emotionally connects us to the human interaction(s) going on in the world of the film.  It speaks for us during those intense car chases or those unbearable goodbyes.

I’ve selected five soundtracks that I feel not only superbly encompass the atmosphere of the movies they are a part of but contain superior music (sometimes surpassing the quality of the film).

Great Expectations (1998)

Great Expectations was a brave endeavor on director Alfonso Cuaron’s part as he tackled Charles Dickens’s legendary novel.  The movie itself is watchable but doesn’t exactly mirror greatness, at least not like its predecessors.  Susan Bode’s set decoration and John Kasarda’s art direction are lush and artsy, easily impressing most viewers.  But what stands out is the soundtrack.  Featuring old and new artists: Tori Amos, Mono, Chris Cornell, Reef, Pulp, Duncan Sheik, Poe, Scot Weiland, The Verve Pipe, Lauren Christy, Fisher, Iggy Pop, David Garza, Grateful Dead, Cesaria Evora, and original music by Patrick Doyle and Ron Wasserman, this soundtrack offers unique surprise.  “Life in Mono” by Mono poignantly enhances the romance between Finnegan Bell (Ethan Hawke) and Estella (Gwyneth Paltrow), even if their performances don’t soar.

Highlights:  Mono-“Life in Mono” and Chris Cornell-“Sunshower”

Donnie Darko (2001)

This is by far Richard Kelly’s best film to date.  The story is complex and imaginative, drawing in viewers of all ages.  Since this sci-fi fantasy takes place during the presidential election of 1988, the music is a reflection of what a troubled teen may be inclined to listen to during that period.  Michael Andrews composed a haunting and ominous score to compliment a series of magnetic artists: INXS, Tears for Fears, The Church, Duran Duran, Oingo Boingo, Joy Division, and Echo and the Bunnymen.  Donnie Darko’s (Jake Gyllenhaal) efforts to cope with his family, high school, visions of a massive bunny rabbit claiming the world will end in 28 days, and falling in love with schoolmate Gretchen Ross (Jena Malone) are even more intensely felt courtesy of these various artists.

Highlights: INXS-“Never Tear Us Apart,” The Church-“Under the Milky Way,” Joy Division-“Love Will Tear Us Apart,” and Echo and the Bunnymen-“Killing Moon”

Garden State (2004)

While I’m not a fan of Zach Braff, I have to admit he does have a knack for compiling first-rate soundtracks.  It is obvious that he understands the importance of just how much music can heighten the emotional experience of a movie.  While the story behind Garden State is hardly intricate, it does manage to efficiently explore family estrangement and human detachment.  And while Zach Braff and Natalie Portman are keeping quiet around a fireplace or throwing knowing glances at one another in a bathtub, the soundtrack speaks volumes for them.  Braff’s mix of current artists and older gems holds an impeccable balance of quality: Coldplay, The Shins, Zero 7, Colin Hay, Cary Brothers, Remy Zero, Nick Drake, Thievery Corporation, Simon and Garfunkel, Iron and Wine, Frou Frou, and Bonnie Somerville.  The heart and charm of Garden State lies in its music, and even Zach Braff seems to take pride in that.

Highlights: Frou Frou-“Let Go” and Cary Brothers-“Blue Eyes”

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Whether you liked Sofia Coppola’s take on the doomed queen or not, it is doubtful you couldn’t appreciate the anachronistic soundtrack that met it with beautiful defiance and attitude.  While we may have been expecting piano pieces, we are delivered a colorful set of punk and new wave acts that irreverently spice up the 18^th century: Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bow Wow Wow, The Strokes, The Radio Department, New Order, Gang of Four, Adam and the Ants, Windsor for the Derby, The Cure, Air, and Squarepusher.  As the young queen Marie Antoinette rebels against her title and royal expectations, this soundtrack serves as a brilliant manifestation of her struggle for freedom amongst a constant reminder of duty.

Highlights: Siouxsie and the Banshees-“Hong Kong Garden,” New Order-“Ceremony,” Adam and the Ants-“Kings of the Wild Frontier,” and The Cure-“All Cats Are Grey”

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

I know I am not the only one who is not a fan of the hugely successful romantic teen vampire phenomenon that is Twilight.  That being said, I was blown away by the high caliber of the soundtrack that is unnaturally paired with an insipid storyline and lackluster performers.  The preceding film’s soundtrack did not thrill me with acts like Paramore setting the film’s mood, but quite a sense of growth is apparent with New Moon’s selection of artists: Death Cab for Cutie, Band of Skulls, Thom Yorke, Lykke Li, The Killers, Anya Marina, Muse, Bon Iver and St. Vincent, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Hurricane Bells, Sea Wolf, Ok Go, Grizzly Bear, Editors, and Alexandre Desplat’s enchanting score.  I’m not looking forward to Eclipse, but it looks like it will be delivering an equally worthy soundtrack with competent artists (Bat for Lashes, Florence and the Machine, and Fanfarlo to name a few).

Highlights: Thom Yorke-“Hearing Damage,” Lykke Li-“Possibility,” Bon Iver and St. Vincent-“Roslyn,” and Grizzly Bear featuring Victoria Legrand-“Slow Life”

As I wrote in my last article, Science Fiction ruled the 80s Box Office, because of the breakthrough special effects and innovative flimmaking techniques of Star Wars, audiences were clamoring for more journeys into fantastic worlds, dazzling high technology’s and more up close and personal encounters with extraordinary creatures. So Hollywood responded with an ever evolving slew of Science Fiction films that continued to expand on photorealistic Special Effects and complex storytelling. There are many films to choose from, but here are (in no particular order) what are widely considered the Top Ten Best and most seminal films of the decade that defined Special Effects!

1. E.T

While not exactly the most exciting or action packed of films, this simple story of a little lost alien and the fatherless boy who befriends him became a worldwide smash and one of the top films not only of the decade, but of all time! Director Steven Spielberg created real magic here with an exceptional cast (particularly the all too real performance from E.T himself, as well as the remarkable Henry Thomas as his friend) and a hauntingly beautiful and emotionally soaring score from John Williams (who won an Oscar for his work). The result struck a chord with audiences all over the world and its resonance continues to this day.

2. Aliens

The exact opposite of “E.T” and sequel to the 1970s Science Fiction/Horror classic “Alien”, this is the Big, Bad a– action film that set the template for years to come and that officially kick started director James Cameron on the path to Blockbuster success! Fueled by a great cast of memorable Bad A– characters (including returning series star Sigourney Weaver, in one of her best performances) and some of the most kinetically exciting and terrifying action scenes ever filmed!

3. The Empire Strikes Back

The second film in the Star Wars Trilogy, is considered by many fans and critics alike as the best and certainly the darkest of the films, thanks to even more amazing Special Effects than the groundbreaking original and more serious themes and character development, resulting in a richly satisfying adventure, complete with another excellent John Williams score and one of the great (for the time) surprise plot twists in film history!

4.  The Terminator

Yep another Cameron one! This was his groundbreaking debut and while very low key and low budget, it became one of the pivotal films in Science Fiction and Action/Suspense Thriller history, thanks to a dark and relentless story involving time traveling robot assassins, reluctant predestined hero’s and the end of the world, caused by all powerful machines! The film also jump started bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger into  superstardom, largely because of his unforgettable portrayal of the titular killing machine!

5.  Robocop

In the wake of the dark and gritty tone left by “The Terminator”, comes this unique and off putting blend of Science Fiction and Action/ Thriller about a gunned down street cop, who gets refurbished into an unstoppable cyborg policeman. Strongly directed with a  strangely winning combination of dark and violent action and outrageous black humor, as well as sporting a fantastic performance by Peter Weller in the title role and a great supporting cast of both noble and deranged characters!

6. Blade Runner

Though a misunderstood failure in its day, this essential Science Fiction classic has stood the test of time as one of the most important and influential films of the genre.

A triumph of production design and moody atmosphere, director Ridley Scott’s (Alien) ambitious and ambiguous  Sci-Fi/Noir tale of a burnt out and disillusioned android hunter (played by Star Wars star, Harrison Ford) and the mysterious robots he must hunt down (two of them mesmerizingly played by Rutger Hauer and Darryl Hannah) ,has almost singlehandedly influenced every Science Fiction film that came after it, with sets and Special Effects that still hold up!

7. Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan

Of all the hit Star Trek films throughout the decade, this is truly the best of them! Bringing back a memorable villain from the cult TV show (Ricardo Montalban in a juicy performance) and going for the gusto with riveting action and suspense, tight direction and great performance’s from the long loved characters, as well as a glorious score from newcomer James Horner, this second film in the series has everything a Sci-Fi or Star Trek fan could want!

8. Ghostbusters

One of the most unusual and wildly popular films not only of the Sci-Fi and Comedy genre, or the 80s, but of all time, is a surprising and unique blending of crazy comedy and Sci-Fi/Horror, written by Saturday Night Live’s Dan Aykroyd and writer/actor Harold Ramis and starring comedy legend Bill Murray in one of his signature performance’s. As a trio of kooky down on their luck professors, Murray, Aykroyd and Ramis decide (after creating technology that can track and catch ghosts) to open their own paranormal pest control business and not a moment too soon, because the gates of hell are about to burst wide open on the Big Apple! Featuring a standout supporting cast including Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis in show stealing roles, along with evenhanded direction by comedy stalwart Ivan Reitman, great special effects (look out for that giant Marshmallow Man) and a smash hit theme song, when it comes to 80s classics, comedy classics or classic catchphrases “Who You Gonna Call?”

9. Back to the Future

Another one of (if not) the most loved films of the 80s, this warm hearted and energizing classic is again a perfect blend of Sci-Fi/Comedy, as well as a high school vehicle, a rock n roll musical and a celebration of 50s and 80s youth culture all rolled into one! In his winning film debut, Micheal J Fox stars as Marty McFly, a typical 80s kid thrust back in time to the good ol 50s,  thanks to his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown’s Time Machine!  Fueled by one of the tightest scripts ever conceived, surefire direction from Robert Zemeckis and some wonderful performance’s and characters (particularly Christopher Loyd as the loony, but lovable Doc and Thomas F Wilson as the bigger than life town bully, Biff.), this charming and exhilarating blast to the past, is one trip you wont soon forget!

10. Batman

The one that started it all! Not only did it officially jump start director Tim Burton’s illustrious career, but it launched the Blockbuster Superhero film craze! Burton’s bizarre and atmospheric visual style helped reinvent the comic book genre for good, taking it in a powerful, more serious direction, but often adding a wicked dose of humor (sometimes too wicked), thanks to film legend Jack Nicholson’s unforgettable portrayal of Batman’s greatest nemesis, the Joker, the theatrically sadistic and maniacally crazy “Clown Prince of Crime”, while comedy star Michal Keaton gives a surprisingly perfect performance as the brooding and mysterious “Caped Crusader”. The two leads magnetic personalties, paired with Burton’s moody direction, dark and creative Oscar Winning production design (including a killer Batmobile) and composer Danny Elfman’s superb score (heightening the drama with thundering power), combine to create one of the great 80s masterpieces!

1: Avatar - $746,579,530

2: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – $402,111,870

3: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – $301,959,197

4: The Twilight Saga: New Moon – $296,623,634

5: Up - $297,004,164

6: The Hangover – $277,322,503

7: Star Trek – $257,730,019

8: The Blind Side – $255,907,512

9: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel – $219,553,378

10: Sherlock Holmes – $209,026,2464

If you have not had the chance to see Avatar here is the official trailer:



Because Dr. Logan’s grotesque experiments, make the possibility of finally being able to  have a zombie “pal” that more real.

4. Army of Darkness 1992

Magic spells, a discount store employee as the “hero”, the middle ages and odd ball creativity.

3. Wild Zero 2000

An alien invasion that causes earthlings to return to life as flesh-eating zombies WITH appearances by naked women with guns, delirious rock managers in hot pants, and transsexual zombies!

2. 28 Days Later 2003

Chimps with a thirst for violent flicks are released by animal rights atavists bite the hand that feeds them, turning humans into the fastest zombies the big screen has ever seen!

1. Dead Snow 2009

NAZI ZOMBIES, need I say more? Get off your arse, turn off American Idol and watch sometime worthwhile.

(Via The Movie Blog, written by John Campea)

Like all movie lists, this one is subjective and in no way authoritative. The main purpose of which is to spark discussion and maybe interest in seeing some of these fantastic films again, or for the first time. So now I present to you our Top 100 Movies Based On Books:

#100 – THE JOY LUCK CLUB Rottem Tomatoes Rating – 90% Synopsis: Through a series of flashbacks, four young chinese women born in America and their respective mothers born in feudal China, explore their past. This search will help them understand their difficult mother/daughter relationship. John’s Thought: Yes, I am a heterosexual male… and I loved this movie.

#99 – THE MAMBO KINGS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 78% Synopsis: Musician brothers Cesar and Nestor leave Cuba for America in the 1950s, hoping to hit the top of the Latin music scene. Cesar is the older brother, the business manager, and the ladies’ man. Nestor is the brooding songwriter, who cannot forget the woman in Cuba who broke his heart. John’s Thought: No Antonio! Too sexy! Too Sexy!

#98 – STARDUST Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 76% Synopsis: “Stardust,” based on the best-selling graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess, takes audiences on an adventure that begins in a village in England and ends up in places that exist in an imaginary world. A young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) tries to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller), the beautiful but cold object of his desire, by going on a quest to retrieve a fallen star. His journey takes him to a mysterious and forbidden land beyond the walls of his village. On his odyssey, Tristan finds the star, which has transformed into a striking girl named Yvaine (Claire Danes). John’s Thought: Easily the single most underrated and under appreciated film of 2007

#97 – FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 82% Synopsis: A heartwarming tale of family, friendship and murder in rural Georgia. In a Southern nursing home, a feisty resident and old local fixture named Ninny Threadgoode (Tandy) befriends Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) a depressed housewife and stirs her to action with an inspirational tale. She tells the story of a transcendent friendship between two young women living in Georgia in the 1930s, Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth (Mary Louise Parker), who forge a powerful bond after witnessing a terrible tragedy together. The two women open a cafe (where fried green tomatoes are a house specialty) together in their small Southern town of Whistle Stop and manage to survive the hardships of life, despite racism, prejudice and the pressures of trying to live their lives as individuals in a strict and close-minded Southern society. John’s Thought: Powerful cast, powerful story. An honestly moving film.

#96 – THE SHINING Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 86% Synopsis: A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future John’s Thought: Iconic film with some of the most quoted one liners from a horror film in history.

#95 – PATRIOT GAMES Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 80% Synopsis: Jack Ryan, the hero of Tom Clancy’s techno-thriller series, returns in the sequel to _The Hunt for Red October_. Ryan is on vacation in England when he spoils an assassination attempt on an important member of the Royal Family. Ryan gets drawn back into the CIA when the same splinter faction of the IRA targets him and his family. John’s Thought: Once again proving you CAN change actors and still make the franchise work. Ford in his prime and my introduction to the brilliance of Sean Bean.

#94 – WAG THE DOG Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 84% Synopsis: When a Firefly Girl accuses the president of sexual misconduct in the Oval Office less than two weeks before the upcoming election, White House official Winifred Ames (Anne Heche) is told to bring in Conrad Bream (Robert De Niro) to fix the situation and save the president’s chances for reelection. This mysterious “fixer” fabricates a conflict with Albania in an effort to detract attention from the sex scandal, bringing in legendary Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) to “produce” the war. When the CIA foils the initial plot, the creative team turns to a new story line, creating the saga of a U.S. soldier left behind enemy lines whom the president vows to find and return to American soil. John’s Thought: Especially funny watching this movie now after the events of the last 8 years. Hard to go wrong with Hoffman and DiNero before he started sucking.

#93 – CHARLOTTE’S WEB Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 74% Synopsis: Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen. John’s Thought: Loved this as a kid, still love it today and will leave it on whenever I stumble across it channel surfing. Much better than the Julia Roberts voiced one from a couple of years ago.

#92 – PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940) Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 88% Synopsis: From the classic novel by Jane Austen about the morals and mores of the class system in early Georgian England. The intelligent and spirited Elizabeth Bennet is one of 5 daughters — which, during that era, meant trouble: because women cannot inherit, upon her father’s death her family’s home will become the property of their nearest male relative. Only marriage, preferably to someone wealthy, can ensure her security. But the proud young lady instantly takes offense when Mr. Darcy, a promising newcomer in town, doesn’t seem quite admiring enough, and she spurns his advances. Slowly and painfully, Elizabeth realizes her error, but not before it seems she has lost him forever. John’s Thought: Easily the best adaptation of this book ever done. Not taking away from any of the other ones… but Olivier rules.

#91 – THE NOTEBOOK Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 51% Synopsis: The movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival. But they are separated by Allie’s parents who dissaprove of Noah’s unwealthy family, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and gets engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. Allie, then, with her love for Noah still alive, stops by Noah’s 200-year-old home that he restored for her, “to see if he’s okay”. It is evident that they still have feelings for each other, and Allie has to choose between her fiancé and her first love. John’s Thought: I avoided seeing this for a couple of years because it had “chick flick” written all over it. My loss… turned out it’s an exceptional film.

#90 – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 82% Synopsis: A straight arrow coach leads his team to the 1988 Texas state semifinals in the west Texas city of Odessa, where high school football is king. Expectations of classmates, coaches, family, and community members exact a toll on the athletes central to the story. Economic and racial undertones pervade this adaptation of H.G. Bissinger’s book by the same name. John’s Thought: My first thought is that we’ve seen this movie 100 times already. Wrong. This is a special film, and a reminder that despite taking a lot of junk roles, Billy Bob Thornton can act his ass off sometimes.

#89 – BRIDGET JONES’ DIARY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 80% Synopsis: Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her many imperfections. As a New Year’s Resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones. Thrown into the mix are Bridget’s band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance who Bridget cannot seem to stop running into or help finding quietly attractive. John’s Thought: I’ve yet to meet a woman who hasn’t seen this flick… and there’s a reason for that.

#88 – THE COLOR OF MONEY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: Eddie “Fast Eddy” Felson, a former pool player forced into retirement by gangsters (as seen in “The Hustler”,) finds himself, self-respect, and finally, redemption when he enters a relationship with young pool player Tom Cruise very similar to his own early career. As they travel together, Fast Eddy realizes how much he had lost, and can see the inevitable finale of their relationship as history begins to repeat itself. In an effort to avert tragedy, Eddy severs their relationship, and returns to his first love, pool. Finally, in a big Atlantic City tournament, Cruise returns the favor, and teaches Eddy the final lesson that allows him to finish his quest of re-discovery. John’s Thought: Hey, remember back when Tom Cruise wasn’t a raving lunatic? Yeah, those were good days.

#87 – MINORITY REPORT Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 92% Synopsis: Based on a Philip K. Dick short story, Minority Report is about a cop in the future working in a division of the police department that arrests killers before they commit the crimes courtesy of some future viewing technology. John Anderton has the tables turned on him when he is accused of a future crime and must find out what brought it about and stop it before it can happen. John’s Thought: Spielberg and Curise are an unlikely couple, but man it worked well for this flick.

#86 – APOLLO 13 Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 95% Synopsis: A movie based on what was to be the third lunar-landing mission. This film shows the trials and tribulations of the Apollo 13 crew, mission control, and families after a near-fatal accident cripples the space vehicle. A mission that couldn’t get TV airtime because space flights had become routine to the American public suddenly grabbed the national spotlight. This is a tale of averted tragedy, heroism and shows a testament to the creativity of the scientists who ran the early space missions. John’s Thought: A solid cast highlighting yet another brilliant performance by Tom Hanks.

#85 – CAPOTE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: In 1959, Truman Capote, a popular writer for The New Yorker, learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas. Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work, In Cold Blood. To that end, he arranges extensive interviews with the prisoners, especially with Perry Smith, a quiet and articulate man with a troubled history. As he works on his book, Capote feels some compassion for Perry which in part prompts him to help the prisoners to some degree. However, that feeling deeply conflicts with his need for closure for his book which only an execution can provide. That conflict and the mixed motives for both interviewer and subject make for a troubling experience that would produce an literary account that would redefine modern non-fiction. John’s Thought: Most avid film fans already knew Philip Seymour Hoffman was stupidly gifted… this film just sort of introduced him as an “A” lister to the rest of the world.

#84 – ACCIDENTAL TOURIST Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 84% Synopsis: After the death of his son, Macon Leary, a travel writer, seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon’s wife, seems to be having trouble too, and thinks it would be best if the two would just split up. After the break up, Macon meets a strange outgoing woman, who seems to bring him back down to earth. After starting a relationship with the outgoing woman, Macon’s wife seems to think that their marriage is still worth a try. Macon is then forced to deal many decisions. John’s Thought: Nominated for best picture and best screenplay. Geena Davis actually won best supporting actress for this one.

#83 – TRAINSPOTTING Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 88% Synopsis: A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who’s never touched drugs but can’t help being curious about them. John’s Thought: I still think this is Danny Boyle’s best film

#82 – THE VERDICT Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: Frank Galvin is a down-on-his luck lawyer, reduced to drinking and ambulance chasing. Former associate Mickey Morrissey reminds him of his obligations in a medical malpractice suit that he himself served to Galvin on a silver platter: all parties willing to settle out of court. Blundering his way through the preliminaries, he suddenly realizes that perhaps after all the case should go to court: to punish the guilty, to get a decent settlement for his clients, and to restore his standing as a lawyer. John’s Thought: One of the best courtroom dramas I’ve ever seen.

#81 – REMO WILLIAMS THE ADVENTURE BEGINS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 55% Synopsis: An NYPD cop is ‘killed’ in an accident. The death is faked, and he is inducted into the organization CURE, dedicated to preserving the constitution by working outside of it. Remo is to become the enforcement wing (assassin) of CURE, and learns an ancient Korean martial art from Chiun, the Master of Sinanju. Based on the popular pulp series “The Destroyer,” by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy. John’s Thought: Chiun is still one of my all time favorite supporting characters in any movie I’ve ever seen. His lines are some of the most quotable and hilarious I’ve ever heard. Probably only second to Bruce Campbell’s as Ash.

#80 – DRUGSTORE COWBOY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 100% Synopsis: Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch play a heroin-driven Bonnie and Clyde, knocking over drugstores in the Pacific Northwest. Ultimately, they must dispose of the body of one of their crew, sneaking it out from a motel where a sheriffs’ convention is being held. John’s Thought: Remember back when Matt Dillon was relevant? I still don’t think he gets enough credit for how good he can be.

#79 – FULL METAL JACKET Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: Full Metal Jacket begins by following the trials and tribulations of a platoon of fresh Marine Corps recruits focusing on the relationship between Gunnery Sergeant Hartman and Privates Pyle and Joker. We see Pyle grow into an instrument of death as Hartman has forseen of all of his recruits. Through Pyle’s torment and Joker’s unwillingness to stand up against it the climax of part one is achieved with all three main characters deciding their fates by their action or inaction. The second chapter of Full Metal Jacket delves into Joker’s psyche and the repeated referal to the fact that he joined the Corps to become a killer. When his mostly behind the scenes job as a combat correspondant is interfered with by the Tet offensive he is thrust into real combat and ultimately must choose if he really is a killer. John’s Thought: Not many people agree with me, but I think this was easily Stanley Kubrick’s best movie.

#78 – 9 1/2 WEEKS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 62% Synopsis: An erotic story about a woman, the assistant of an art gallery, who gets into an impersonal affaire with a man. She barely knows about his life, only about the sex games they play, so the relationship begins to complicate. John’s Thought: As hard as it is to believe now, there was a time when Mikey Rourke was once considered a very handsome man.

#77 – RAGTIME Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 90% Synopsis: The story runs in the 1910’s New York. Coalhouse Walker Jr. is a black piano player. He has won fame and fortune playing with a jazz band. Some white men do not like this situation, and one day they assault him and spoil his brand new car. Walker tries by all means to get justice, without an answer. John’s Thought: The strength of the film is in its characters that feel so authentic you can’t help but feel a part of this period piece that was a forerunner for the slew of social change movies that followed in.

#76 – BABE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 98% Synopsis: Babe is a little pig who doesn’t quite know his place in the world. With a bunch of odd friends, like Ferdinand the duck who thinks he is a rooster and Fly the dog he calls mom, Babe realizes that he has the makings to become the greatest sheep pig of all time, and Farmer Hogget Knows it. With the help of the sheep dogs Babe learns that a pig can be anything that he wants to be. John’s Thought: Whoopie, a movie about a talking pig. We’ve seen it before. I don’t care… this movie is frigging beautiful.

#75 – FORREST GUMP Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 72% Synopsis: Forrest, Forrest Gump is a simple man with little brain activity but good intentions. He struggles through childhood with his best and only friend Jenny. His ‘mama’ teaches him the ways of life and leaves him to choose his destiny. Forrest joins the army for service in Vietnam, finding new friends called Dan and Bubba, he wins medals, starts a table tennis craze, creates a famous shrimp fishing fleet, inspires people to jog, create the smiley, write bumper stickers and songs, donating to people and meeting the president several times. However this is all irrelevant to Forrest who can only think of his childhood sweetheart Jenny. Who has messed up her life. Although in the end all he wants to prove is that anyone can love anyone John’s Thought: A movie of a less than ordinary person who lives an extraordinary life. Great film, but no way in hell it should have beat out Shawshank Redemption for best picture that year.

#74 – DIGGSTOWN Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 50% Synopsis: Gabriel Caine has just been released from prison when he sets up a bet with a business man. The business man owns most of a boxing-mad town called Diggstown. The bet is that Gabe can find a boxer that will knock out 10 Diggstown men, in a boxing ring, within 24 hours. “Honey” Roy Palmer is that man – although at 48, many say he is too old. A sub plot is thrown in about Charles Macum Diggs – the heavyweight champion that gave the town its name – and who is now confined to a wheel-chair. John’s Thought: One of the best “I never saw that coming” endings to a movie of all time.

#73 – FIELD OF DREAMS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice in his corn field tell him, “If you build it, he will come.” He interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series. When the voices continue, Ray seeks out a reclusive author to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose for his field. John’s Thought: Listening to James Earl Jones talk about baseball in this film reminds me of why sports are so magical better than any other sports themed monologue in a movie I’ve ever heard.

#72 – PSYCHO Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 97% Synopsis: Phoenix officeworker Marion Crane is fed up with the way life has treated her. She has to meet her lover Sam in lunch breaks and they cannot get married because Sam has to give most of his money away in alimony. One Friday Marion is trusted to bank $40,000 by her employer. Seeing the opportunity to take the money and start a new life, Marion leaves town and heads towards Sam’s California store. Tired after the long drive and caught in a storm, she gets off the main highway and pulls into The Bates Motel. The motel is managed by a quiet young man called Norman who seems to be dominated by his mother. John’s Thought: I’ve never felt totally comfortable taking showers in hotels ever since.

#71 – THE FIRM Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 76% Synopsis: Mitch McDeere is a young man with a promising future in Law. About to sit his Bar exam, he is approached by ‘The Firm’ and made an offer he doesn’t refuse. Seduced by the money and gifts showered on him, he is totally oblivious to the more sinister side of his company. Then, two Associates are murdered. The FBI contact him, asking him for information and suddenly his life is ruined. He has a choice – work with the FBI, or stay with the Firm. Either way he will lose his life as he knows it. Mitch figures the only way out is to follow his own plan. John’s Thought: Wow, there’s a lot of Tom Cruise on this list

#70 – CASINO Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 83% Synopsis: Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, a mob-connected casino operator in Las Vegas, attempts a civilized lifestyle with his money-conditional wife, Ginger. Nicky Santoro, a boyhood friend of Ace and now a Made-Man of the Mafia, arrives in town with an ambitious agenda of his own that soon disrupts Ace’s life. Before long, Ginger and her long-time leeching lover Lester, along with Nicky’s mistakes, causing problems. John’s Thought: Sexy, violent and just plain cool

#69 – BLADE RUNNER Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: Los Angeles, 2019: Rick Deckard of the LAPD’s Blade Runner unit prowls the steel & micro-chip jungle of the 21st century for assumed humanoids known as ‘replicants’. Replicants were declared illegal after a bloody mutiny on an Off-World Colony, and are to be terminated upon detection. Man’s obsession with creating a being equal to himself has back-fired. John’s Thought: I don’t like this nearly as much as most people, but there is no denying its place in Sci-Fi history

#68 – THE ENGLISH PATIENT Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 84% Synopsis: A burn victim, a nurse, a thief, and a sapper find themselves in each others company in an old Italian villa close to the end of World War II. Through flashbacks, we see the life of the burn victim, whose passionate love of a woman and choices he made for her ultimately change the lives of one other person in the villa. Not only is this film a search for the identity of the English patient, but a search for the identities of all the people in the quiet old villa. John’s Thought: A lot of people found this dry and slow, but I thought it hit every note perfectly.

#67 – A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 78% Synopsis: A true story about two boys, Norman and Paul, growing up in Montana. One is rebellious of his father, Rev. Maclean, while the other has his feet on the ground. The one love they both have is fly fishing. John’s Thought: Who knew a movie about a love of Fly Fishing would be so good. To me, my favorite performance by Tom Skerritt of his career.

#66 – ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 93% Synopsis: Epic, episodic, tale of the lives of a small group of New York City Jewish gangsters spanning over 40 years. Told mostly in flashbacks and flash-forwards, the movie centers on small-time hood David ‘Noodles’ Aaronson and his lifelong partners in crime; Max, Cockeye and Patsy and their friends from growing up in the rough Jewish neighborhood of New York’s Lower East Side in the 1920s, to the last years of Prohibition in the early 1930s, and then to the late 1960s where an elderly Noodles returns to New York after many years in hiding to look into the past. John’s Thought: If I ask you to name a gangster movie with Robert DiNero, would this one even be in the first 3 you’d name?

#65 – THE FLY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: Seth Brundle is a scientist working on teleportation. Just when he thinks he’s ironed out the last bug in his system, the intervention of a common house fly turns Seth into a 6 foot insect. The transformation from man to fly is gradual but horrific, and is witnessed by Veronica; a reporter documenting Seth’s story. Seth has some time to try to find a cure, but is there enough time…? John’s Thought: Just watched this movie again recently. So honestly freaky and yet really funny at some points too.

#64 – MUNICH Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 77% Synopsis: During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack. John’s Thought: If there was ever any question that Eric Bana possessed the tools to be a top notch A List movie start, this project settled those questions in my opinion.

#63 – THE NATURAL Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 83% Synopsis: An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league in this magical sports fantasy. With the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree, Hobbs lives the fame he should have had earlier when, as a rising pitcher, he is inexplicably shot by a young woman. John’s Thought: The scene near the end of the home run set to that incredible music with the sparks flying still gives me goose bumps.

#62 – TERMS OF ENDEARMENT Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 89% Synopsis: Aurora and Emma are mother and daughter who march to different drummers. Beginning with Emma’s marriage, Aurora shows how difficult and loving she can be. The movie covers several years of their lives as each finds different reasons to go on living and find joy. Aurora’s interludes with Garrett Breedlove, retired astronaut and next door neighbor are quite striking. In the end, different people show their love in very different ways. John’s Thought: A fantastic balance between funny and sad.

#61 – Dr. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 100% Synopsis: U.S. Air Force General Jack Ripper goes completely and utterly mad, and sends his bomber wing to destroy the U.S.S.R. He suspects that the communists are conspiring to pollute the “precious bodily fluids” of the American people. The U.S. president meets with his advisors, where the Soviet ambassador tells him that if the U.S.S.R. is hit by nuclear weapons, it will trigger a “Doomsday Machine” which will destroy all plant and animal life on Earth. Peter Sellers portrays the three men who might avert this tragedy: British Group Captain Lionel Mandrake, the only person with access to the demented Gen. Ripper; U.S. President Merkin Muffley, whose best attempts to divert disaster depend on placating a drunken Soviet Premier and the former Nazi genius Dr. Strangelove, who concludes that “such a device would not be a practical deterrent for reasons which at this moment must be all too obvious”. Will the bombers be stopped in time, or will General Jack Ripper succeed in destroying the world ? John’s Thought: Hailed as one of the funniest films ever made… and yet the book didn’t really have any comedy elements in it at all.

#60 – THE GREEN MILE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 78% Synopsis: Paul Edgecomb is a slightly cynical veteran prison guard on Death row in the 1930’s. His faith, and sanity, deteriorated by watching men live and die, Edgecomb is about to have a complete turn around in attitude. Enter John Coffey, He’s eight feet tall. He has hands the size of waffle irons. He’s been accused of the murder of two children… and he’s afraid to sleep in a cell without a night-light. And Edgecomb, as well as the other prison guards – Brutus, a sympathetic guard, and Percy, a stuck up, perverse, and violent person, are in for a strange experience that involves intelligent mice, brutal executions, and the revelation about Coffey’s innocence and his true identity. John’s Thought: My second favorite Darabont movie behind another film on this list higher up and a performance of a lifetime for Michael Clarke Duncan that he’ll probably never equal.

#59 – GIRL INTERRUPTED Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 52% Synopsis: Susanna is depressed and directionless after finishing high school in the late 1960’s. A suicide attempt lands her in Claymore, a mental institution. She befriends the band of troubled women in her ward (Georgina the pathological liar, the sexually abused Daisy, the burn victim Polly) but falls under the hypnotic sway of Lisa, the wildest and most hardened of the bunch. Will Susanna “drop anchor” at Claymore and perpetually act out like Lisa, or will she finally pull her mind together and leave institutional life behind? John’s Thought: I still don’t rationally know why I like this movie so much… but I do.

#58 – QUIZ SHOW Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96 Synopsis: An idealistic young lawyer (Rob Morrow) working for a Congressional subcommittee in the late 1950s discovers that TV quiz shows are being fixed. His investigation focusses on two contestants on the show “Twenty-One”: Herbert Stempel (John Turturro), a brash working-class Jew from Queens, and Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), the patrician scion of one of America’s leading literary families. Based on a true story. John’s Thought: Ralph Fiennes and John Turturro just rock the hell out of this movie. Far more intense and exciting than you’d think a movie about a game show would be.

#57 – ROMANCING THE STONE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 85% Synopsis: The writer of romantic novels Joan Wilder travels to south America to look for and rescue her kidnapped sister. She finds herself stranded in the jungles and finds help in the form of the soldier of fortune Jack Colton. The two go through a number of adventures, deal with the bad villains Ralph and company, and end up falling in love. John’s Thought: One of those great films that was just fine as it was they never should have made a sequel to.

#56 – THE COLOR PURPLE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 84% Synopsis: This film follows the life of Celie, a young black girl growing up in the early 1900’s. The first time we see Celie, she is 14 – and pregnant – by her father. We stay with her for the next 30 years of her tough life. John’s Thought: One more reason why Steven Spielberg is simply the best director in the business in our lifetime.

#55 – THE DEAD ZONE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 89% Synopsis: Johnny Smith is a young schoolteacher with his whole life ahead of him. Unfortunately, after leaving his fiancee’s home one night, he is involved in a wreck with an 18-wheel tractor-trailer and is in a coma for 5 years. When he wakes up from it, he discovers he has an ability to see into other people’s lives, past, present and future, by coming into physical contact. But the visions he has are often frightening, and even apocalyptic. John’s Thought: This is the first movie I ever saw Christopher Walken in (hey, I was 11 years old) and to this day I still get a little freaked out when I see him on screen.

#54 – FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 81% Synopsis: Follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett and Mike Damone, respectively. The center of the film is held by Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer dude who faces off with the resolute Mr. Hand, who is convinced that everyone is on dope. John’s Thought: One of those movies I love now for totally different reasons then why I loved it as a kid. Back then it was just because of boobs and sex… today it’s because… oh wait… same reasons.

#53 – THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 75% Synopsis: Based on the 2nd in the series of books by ‘CS Lewis’ , “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the film tells the story of 4 children who go to live with an old professor during the war. One day, while playing hide and seek, Lucy, the youngest of the children, finds a wardrobe which leads to a magical land called Narnia. However Narnia is being ruled by the evil White Witch who has made it snow for 100 years and according to an old prophecy, Edmund, Lucy, Peter and Susan are the “chosen ones” who will defeat the Witch. They are assisted by the true ruler of Narnia, the lion, Aslan. With the good Narnians on their side all 4 children must now defeat the witch using all their strength and fulfill their destinies to become the new kings and queens of Narnia. John’s Thought: Loved this movie! Perfectly captured the sense of magic and wonder like a master storyteller around a campfire. Too bad the sequel was such a let down.

#52 – OUT OF SIGHT Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 92% Synopsis: A career bank robber busts out of jail (Clooney) with the help of his buddy (Rhames) and kidnaps a US Marshal (Lopez) in the process. When the two cons head for Detroit to pull off their final big scam, the Marshal is put on their case but she finds she is attracted to one of them and has second thoughts about bringing them in. John’s Thought: Maybe it’s just because of the great cast and fantastic story surounding her… but J-Lo actually didn’t completely suck in this movie. Guess you gotta get lucky at least once right?

#51 – FIRST BLOOD Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 85% Synopsis: Ex-Green Beret John Rambo wanders up north in search of a friend. Rambo was awarded with the medal of honor for his service in Vietnam but has not found solace in the States thereafter. And he certainly does escape prejudice when a small town’s tough, idealistic sheriff spots him entering. The sheriff believes Rambo would be something of a light disturbance to the town and tries to keep him out. When Rambo rebels and then escapes into the cold misty forests, the force embarks on a massive manhunt to subdue him flanked by his former superior officer Colonel Trautman who knows the odds and ends of Rambo’s cunning. John’s Thought: This film was more than just the brainless blow-em-up action movie that the rest of the franchise became. It was actually a character film, and a damn good one at that.

#50 – IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 95% Synopsis: Based on the true story of Gerry Conlon, a Belfast youth who – along with family members and friends – was wrongly convicted of bombing two pubs outside of London. A story about the relationship between a father and his son who fought for justice to clear his father’s name. John’s Thought: This movie was basically a memo to mankind letting us know Lewis is one of the greatest actors alive.

#49 – MYSTIC RIVER Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 87% Synopsis: During a summer in 1975, Dave Boyle and two friends, Jimmy and Sean, are playing on a sidewalk in Boston when Dave is abducted by two men and subjected to sexual abuse over a period of several days. Eventually escaping, but haunted into adulthood by his trauma, Dave becomes a primary suspect when Jimmy’s daughter, Katie, is found murdered. Sean, assigned to investigate the crime, finds himself facing both demons from the past and demons in the present as the circumstances surrounding Katie’s death are uncovered. John’s Thought: This movie flat out haunted me for a while after I watched it. Tragic and poetic ending. Intense personal, moral and violent conflict. I basically laugh at people who dis on Eastwood as a director.

#48 – SOPHIE’S CHOICE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 84% Synopsis: Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live in Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stingo, the movie’s narrator, a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions. John’s Thought: First movie I ever saw Meryl Streep in. I still think she’s never been better (and that’s not a bad thing)

#47 – LORD OF THE FLIES (1963) Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 100% Synopsis: A group of boys are marooned on an island after their plane crashes. With no adult survivors, they create their own “micro-society”. Ralph is elected “chief”, and he organises shelter and fire. Jack, the head of the choir takes his boys hunting for food (wild pigs). A bitter rivalry develops between Jack and Ralph as both want to be in charge. The “hunters” become savage and primal, under Jack’s rule, while Ralph tries to keep his group civilised. The growing hostility between them leads to a bloody and frighting climax. John’s Thought: When watching the film “Doomsday” earlier this year I was struck by how much of a rip off it was (in basic theme) of this film. Except this film did it… you know… in a not sucky way.

#46 – KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 88% Synopsis: Luis Molina and Valentin Arregui are cell mates in a South American prison. Luis, a homosexual, is found guilty of immoral behaviour and Valentin is a political prisoner. To escape reality Luis invents romantic movies, while Valentin tries to keep his mind on the situation he’s in. During the time they spend together, the two men come to understand and respect one another. John’s Thought: Have I ever mentioned that William Hurt just absolutely rules?

#45 – WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 90% Synopsis: The world is astounded when Willy Wonka, for years a recluse in his factory, announces that five lucky people will be given a tour of the factory, shown all the secrets of his amazing candy, and one will win a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate. Nobody wants the prize more than young Charlie, but as his family is so poor that buying even one bar of chocolate is a treat, buying enough bars to find one of the five golden tickets is unlikely in the extreme. But in movieland, magic can happen. Charlie, along with four somewhat odious other children, get the chance of a lifetime and a tour of the factory. Along the way, mild disasters befall each of the odious children, but can Charlie beat the odds and grab the brass ring? John’s Thought: Unlike most people, I almost liked the Tim Burton version of this story as much as the original. ALMOST.

#44 – KISS KISS, BANG BANG Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 83% Synopsis: A noir send-up. A narrator introduces himself at a Hollywood party: he’s Harry Lockhart, a thief from New York, in L.A. for a screen test. He meets Gay Perry, a glitzy private eye who’s to school him for his role; there’s Harmony Lane, a wannabe actress whose time has passed; the host is an aging actor who starred in detective movies, plus his daughter, with starlet looks and a choppy past. The next day, Gay and Harry stake out a house where Gay is to take surreptitious photographs for a client – what they find is a corpse. From there, twists and connections abound and bodies pile up. Who’s double-crossing whom? And, has Harry found Harmony too late to save himself from misery? John’s Thought: This movie ranks right up there with Bubba Ho-Tep where the fact that it never got a wide release should be considered a crime against humanity. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer were both just amazing in this flick

#43 – OF MICE AND MEN Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 100% Synopsis: Based on John Steinbeck’s 1937 classic tale of two travelling companions, George and Lennie, who wander the country during the Depression, dreaming of a better life for themselves. Then, just as heaven is within their grasp, it is inevitably yanked away. The film follows Steinbeck’s novel closely, exploring questions of strength, weakness, usefulness, reality and utopia, bringing Steinbeck’s California vividly to life. John’s Thought: So beautifully and tragically crafted. I’m always saddened by how many people have never watched this movie.

#42 – HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIREr Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 90% Synopsis: Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for his fourth year, where the Trizwizard tournament is becoming ready to begin. Students must be over 17 to enter, with the winner receiving eternal glory. Harry can’t enter it this year…or can he. When his name is read out from the Goblet of Fire, everyone assumes that Harry Potter has cheated. Harry insists that he never placed his name in there, with someone else behind it. But Who? Harry must now survive through dragons, sea creatures and a terrifying maze, all before coming face-to-face with a particular dark wizard. John’s Thought: This one will be hotly debated, but to me it’s head and shoulders the best of the Potter films so far.

#41 – THE YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: Guy Hamilton is a journalist on his first job as a foreign correspondent. His apparently humdrum assignment to Indonesia soon turns hot as President Sukarno electrifies the populace and frightens foreign powers. Guy soon is the hottest reporter on the story with the help of his photographer, half- Chinese dwarf Billy Kwan, who has gone native. Guy’s affair with diplomat Jill Bryant also helps. Eventually Guy must face some major moral choices and the relationship between Billy and him reaches a crisis at the same time the politics of Indonesia does. John’s Thought: You’d think Mel Gibson thought 2007 was the year to live danerously by shooting off his stupid drunk ass mouth about the Jews

#40 – ORDINARY PEOPLE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 90% Synopsis: Beth, Calvin, and their son Conrad are living in the aftermath of the death of the other son. Conrad is overcome by grief and misplaced guilt to the extent of a suicide attempt. He is in therapy. Beth had always preferred his brother and is having difficulty being supportive to Conrad. Calvin is trapped between the two trying to hold the family together. John’s Thought: One of those films that leaves you speechless after seeing it. For my money the best job Robert Redford ever did as a director.

#39 – THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 93% Synopsis: Bourne is once again brought out of hiding, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made him what he is–legendary assassin. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was. John’s Thought: I was never all that impressed with either of the first two Bourne movies (they were ok), but this one was flat out brilliant.

#38 – THE THING Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 77% Synopsis: An American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog. The helicopter pursuing the dog crashes leaving no explanation for the chase. During the night, the dog mutates and attacks other dogs in the cage and members of the team that investigate. The team soon realises that an alien life-form with the ability to take over other bodies is on the loose and they don’t know who may already have been taken over. John’s Thought: One of my favorite openings to a film, especially as the movie goes on and you understand the significance of it more and more.

#37 – L.A. CONFIDENTIAL Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 99% Synopsis: 1950’s Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir-ish tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley, the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead, except sell out; Bud White, ready to break the rules to seek justice, but barely able to keep his raging violence under control; and Jack Vincennes, always looking for celebrity and a quick buck until his conscience drives him to join Exley and White down the one-way path to find the truth behind the dark world of L.A. crime. John’s Thought: It’s only years after it was made that you realise just how stacked this cast was. Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce were hardly the recognizable names that they are today.

#36 – THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: Clarice Starling, a young intelligent FBI trainee, has been sent to the Batlimore state hospital for the Criminally insane to interview an inmate Dr. Hannibal-the cannibal- Lecter. A Brilliant renowned psychiatrist turned infamous Psychopathic Serial killer. She must match wits with Lecter -who has the darkest of all minds- and trust him to give her clues in the search for “Buffalo Bill”. a nick name for a loose,unknown, unstoppable Pyschopathic Serial killer. John’s Thought: Who knew that a cannibalistic serial killer could become a pop culture hero?

#35 – PLANET OF THE APES Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 88% Synopsis: In the year 3978A.D. a spaceship with a crew of 4 crashes down on a distant planet. One of the crew members had died in space and the other 3 head out to explore the planet. They soon learn that the planet is much like their own. They then find the planet is inhabited by intelligent apes. One of the men is shot and killed and the others are taken to the apes’ city. There, one undergoes brain surgery and is put into a state of living death. The other befriends some of the apes but is feared by most. After being put through ape trial he escapes with a female human native to the planet. After helping his ape friends escape a religious heresy trial he escapes out into the wilderness with the female. There he learns the planet might not be so distant after all. John’s Thought: I lost count of how many sequels they made of this amazing films. I think they stopped just short of having “The Apes Do Disco”.

#34 – THE SECRET OF NIMH Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 94% Synopsis: A fieldmouse named Mrs. Brisby must move her family to a safe location before the farmer plows the field where they live, but her invalid son Timmy cannot go outside due to his pneumonia. She enlists the aid of some highly intelligent, escaped lab rats that have built a subterranean society inside a rose bush near the farmer’s garden. The rats, led by the wise Nicodemus, decide to help her physically move her house to repay a debt of gratitude to her late husband, who made possible the rats’ escape from the laboratory. But things become complicated when some of the rats decide to use the situation to kill Nicodemus and make it appear to be accidental. John’s Thought: I often forget about this magnificent animated film. Truly one of best films that captures your imagination.

#33 – SIDEWAYS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: A week before the marriage of his great friend, the decadent actor Jack (Thomas Haden Church), the bitter frustrated writer divorced oenologist English teacher Miles Raymond (Paul Giamatti) travels with him to the wine country of California to spend a week together. While Miles intends to drink wine and play golf, Jack indeed intends to score and get laid with as many women as possible. While hosted in the Windmill Inn, they meet the waitress Maya (Virginia Madsen) and the attendant Stephanie (Sandra Oh), and they spend some time together, visiting different wine makers and and Miles and Maya disclosing their inner secrets and falling in love for each other. John’s Thought: I still don’t really understand how Paul Giamatti didn’t get nominated for his performance in this.

#32 – CHILDREN OF MEN Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 92% Synopsis: “Children of Men” envisages a world one generation from now that has fallen into chaos on the heels of an infertility defect in the population. The world’s youngest citizen has just died at 18, and humankind is facing the likelihood of its own extinction. Set against a backdrop of London torn apart by violence and warring nationalistic sects, “Children of Men” follows an unlikely champion of Earth’s survival: Theo, a disillusioned ex-activist turned bureaucrat, who is forced to face his own demons and protect the planet’s last remaining hope. John’s Thought: Some of the scenes in this flick have the most amazing cinematography and continuous shots.

#31 – STAND BY ME Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: Based on Stephen King’s Short story “The Body”, “Stand By Me” tells the tale of Gordie Lachance, a writer who looks back on his preteen days when he and three close friends went on their own adventure to find the body of a kid their age who had gone missing and presumed dead. The stakes are upped when the bad kids in town are closely tailing – and it becomes a race to see who’ll be able to recover the body first. John’s Thought: Hey everybody look… it’s Wesley Crusher

#30 – 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: This movie is concerned with intelligence as the division between animal and human, then asks a question; what is the next division? Technology is treated as irrelevant to the quest – literally serving as mere vehicles for the human crew, and as a shell for the immature HAL entity. Story told as a montage of impressions, music and impressive and careful attention to subliminal detail. A very influential film and still a class act, even after 25 years. John’s Thought: There are parts of this film that still confuse the hell out of me.

#29 – MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 84% Synopsis: The year is 1805. Europe has fallen to Napoleon, and only the Royal Navy stands in his way to total victory. Off the cost of South America, a new conflict is brewing. Captain Jack “Lucky Jack” Aubrey (Russel Crowe) of the Man-of-War HMS Surprise is under orders to sink or capture the French privateer Acheron, which has been deployed to the region. After seven weeks of uneventful sailing, the Acheron strikes first, all but crippling the Surprise in an engagement in which Aubrey realizes his enemy’s ship is nautically superior to his own. Along with his close friend and confidant Stephan Maturin (Paul Bettany) who also happens to be the ship’s surgeon, Aubrey is now faced with the choice of retreating to England and admitting defeat or remaining at the Acheron’s mercy. Aubrey must now do the impossible if he is to survive, repair his ship, catch up to his enemy and defeat the Acheron–somehow. John’s Thought: Tragically overlooked film. The young kids in the cast actually add to the film

#28 – MEMENTO Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 94% Synopsis: Point blank in the head a man shoots another. In flashbacks, each one earlier in time than what we’ve just seen, the two men’s pasts unfold. Leonard, as a result of a blow to the head during an assault on his wife, has no short-term memory. He’s looking for his wife’s killer, compensating for his disability by taking Polaroids, annotating them and tattooing important facts on his body. We meet the loquacious Teddy and the seductive Natalie (a barmaid who promises to help) and we glimpse Leonard’s wife through memories from before the assault. Leonard also talks about Sammy Jankis, a man he knew with a similar condition. Has Leonard found the killer? Who’s manipulating whom? John’s Thought: Such a unique way to tell a story and the movie that put Christopher Nolan (director of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) on the map for people.

#27 – DANCES WITH WOLVES Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 77% Synopsis: Lt. John Dunbar is dubbed a hero after he accidentally leads Union troops to a victory during the Civil War. He requests a position on the western frontier, but finds it deserted. He soon finds out he is not alone, but meets a wolf he dubs “Two-socks” and a curious Indian tribe. Dunbar quickly makes friends with the tribe, and discovers a white woman who was raised by the Indians. He gradually earns the respect of these native people, and sheds his white-man’s ways. John’s Thought: Yeah people got sick of Costner, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is one hell of a movie.

#26 – THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 75% Synopsis: The last months of Jesse James’s life, from meeting Robert Ford, a 19-year-old who idolizes Jesse, to the day Ford shoots him. Jesse’s a wanted man, living under a pseudonym, carrying out a train robbery, disappearing to Kentucky, and reappearing to plan a bank holdup with Robert and Robert’s brother as his team. The rest of the gang is dead, arrested, or gone from Missouri. Whenever Jesse’s around, there’s tension: he’s murderous, quixotic, depressed, and cautious. Ford wants to be somebody and wants the reward. On April 3, 1882, things come to a head: Jesse is 34, Robert 20. Ford becomes famous, reenacting the shooting on stage, facing down the label “coward,” shot dead in 1892. John’s Thought: Deliberately paced, beautifully told with a couple of stunning performances to boot.

#25 – DAS BOOT Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: A detailed look into the claustrophobic and terrifying world of a German U-boat crew hunting ships from undersea. Gritty, realistic, and peppered with black humour, this is one of the few sympathetic portrayals of the war from the German side to be released in western distribution. John’s Thought: I think this might have been the first foreign film I ever saw… it still might be the best.

#24 – RAGING BULL Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 98% Synopsis: When Jake LaMotta steps into a boxing ring and obliterates his opponent, he’s a prizefighter. But when he treats his family and friends the same way, he’s a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment. Though LaMotta wants his family’s love, something always seems to come between them. Perhaps it’s his violent bouts of paranoia and jealousy. This kind of rage helped make him a champ, but in real life, he winds up in the ring alone. John’s Thought: A different kind of sports movies and one of DiNero’s best performances.

#23 – THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 97% Synopsis: As the English and French soldiers battle for control of the North American colonies in the 18th century, the settlers and native Americans are forced to take sides. Cora and her sister Alice unwittingly walk into trouble but are saved by Hawkeye, an orphaned settler adopted by the last of the Mohicans. John’s Thought: STAY ALIVE! Man, the scene where he kills the guy who was about to get tortured… yikes

#22 – THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE Rotten Tomatoes Rating - Synopsis: This remake of the 1946 movie of the same name accounts an affair between a seedy drifter and a seductive wife of a roadside cafe owner. This begins a chain of events that culminates in murder. Based on a novel by James M. Cain. John’s Thought: A lot of the so called “all time classics” don’t end up living up to the hype. This one does.

#21 – THE UNTOUCHABLES Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 82% Synopsis: Young Treasury Agent Elliot Ness arrives in Chicago and is deternimed to take down Al Capone but he learns that it’s not going to be easy, because Capone has the police in his pocket. But Ness meets Jimmy Malone a veteran patrolman and probably the most honorable one in the force. He asks Malone to help him get Capone but Malone warns him that if he goes after Capone, he is going to war. They recruit academy cadet, George Stone and Treasury agent Oscar Wallace, who is also an accountant, who wants to prosecute Capone for tax evasion. When they make headway, Capone tries to get them but they are untouchable. John’s Thought: Leave it to a wop to bring a knife to a gun fight. Yeah, we tend to do that.

#20 – 3:10 TO YUMA Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 88% Synopsis: The rancher Daniel Evans, who lost part of his leg in the Civil War, is broken and owing a large amount to a powerful man in Bisbee. When the outlaw Ben Wade is captured after the heist of a stagecoach, Dan offers to escort the cold blood killer to the city of Contention to take the 3:10 PM train to Yuma to be sent to trial. In return, he would receive US$ 200,00, enough to save his land and give a better life to his family. During their journey, Ben gets closer to Dan while his gang of criminals follows the group to rescue their boss. John’s Thought: I honestly don’t know why this movie didn’t get better received because I thought it was flat out amazing and my favorite western since Unforgiven.

#19 – DIE HARD Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: Tough New York cop John McClane finds himself in a tight situation when an office building in Los Angeles is taken over by terrorists. Apart from himself, everyone else in the building – including his wife – is held at gunpoint while their captors spell out their demands. The F.B.I. are called in to survey the situation, but John McClane has other plans for the terrorists… John’s Thought: Betcha didn’t know this was based on a book. Yeah neither did I at first.

#18 – A BEAUTIFUL MIND Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 78% Synopsis: From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experienced it all. A mathematical genius, he made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his tragedy, and finally – late in life – received the Nobel Prize. John’s Thought: Russell Crowe is hands down the best all around actor alive today. This film is just exhibit 4 on the list that proves that point.

#17 – CASINO ROYALE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 94% Synopsis: Recently promoted to 00 status, James Bond takes over his first mission, in which he faces a mysterious private banker to world terrorism and poker player, Le Chiffre. Along with a beautiful Treasury agent and the MI6 man in Montenegro, Bond takes part in a high stakes poker game set up by Le Chiffre in order to recover a huge sum of his clients’ money he lost in a failed plot that the British spy took down. 007 will not only discover the threatening organization behind his enemy, but the worst of all truths: to not trust on anyone. John’s Thought: Daniel Craig because my all time favorite James Bond, and Casino Royale became my favorite Bond film. Too bad Quantum of Solace didn’t live up to Royale’s level.

#16 – MILLION DOLLAR BABY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 91% Synopsis: Maggie Fitzgerald, a poor thirty-one year old waitress from the very lower classes and with a dysfunctional loser family, decides to make a difference through boxing. She convinces the experienced hardened boxing trainer Frankie Dunn to coach her and be her manager, with the support of his old partner Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris, who sees her potential as a boxer. Frankie has a problematical relationship with his daughter, and practically adopts Maggie along her career. John’s Thought: Holy crap this movie twisted my emotions into a thousand knots and inside out. Love this movie. Eastwood is indeed one of the premiere directors in the business.

#15 – MISERY Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 90% Synopsis: Novelist Paul Sheldon crashes his car on a snowy Colorado road. He is found by Annie Wilkes, the “number one fan” of Paul’s heroine Misery Chastaine. Annie is also somewhat unstable, and Paul finds himself crippled, drugged and at her mercy. John’s Thought: All of today’s torture porn movies can kiss my ass. The stuff poor James Caan goes through in this flick still makes me squirm.

#14 – SHADOWLANDS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: CS Lewis is the author of the Narnia books – The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Known as Jack, he teaches at an Oxford College, during the 1930’s. An American fan, Joy Gresham, arrives to meet him for tea in Oxford. It is the beginning of a love affair. Tragically Joy becomes terminally unwell and their lives become complicated. John’s Thought: Touching and deep at the same time. Dealing with the issues of faith and suffering isn’t not an easy theme to navigate, but Shadowlands does beautifully.

#13 – NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 94% Synopsis: After stumbling across a case of money among dead bodies, Llewelyn Moss thinks he can keep it quiet, but when silent killer Anton Chigurh locates Moss and his money, Vietnam veteran Moss makes a run for it. With bodies falling everywhere Anton goes, it’s only a matter of time before he catches up with Llewelyn. Whilst all this is going on, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is overseeing the investigation and begins to see the country in a different light than it once was. John’s Thought: What can be said about this flick that hasn’t been said this year already?

#12 – GOODFELLAS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 94% Synopsis: Henry Hill is a small time gangster, who takes part in a robbery with Jimmy Conway and Tommy De Vito, two other gangsters who have set their sights a bit higher. His two partners kill off everyone else involved in the robbery, and slowly start to climb up through the hierarchy of the Mob. Henry, however, is badly affected by his partners success, but will he stoop low enough to bring about the downfall of Jimmy and Tommy? John’s Thought: An absolutely stacked cast with some of the most memorable and quoted lines in mobster movie history.

#11 – SCARFACE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 87% Synopsis: A remake of the 1932 classic, the 1983 version follows cuban refugee, Tony Montana and his close friend Manny Ray, and together they build a strong drug empire in Miami. Of course Montana must deal with the hardships of this type of buisness. And as Montana’s power begins to grow so does his ego and his paranoia. John’s Thought: Which line was better? “Say hello to my little friend” or “first, you get the money…”?

#10 – WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939) Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 100% Synopsis: The Earnshaws are Yorkshire farmers during the early 19th Century. One day, Mr. Earnshaw returns from a trip to the city, bringing with him a ragged little boy called Heathcliff. Earnshaw’s son, Hindley, resents the child, but Heathcliff becomes companion and soulmate to Hindley’s sister, Catherine. After her parents die, Cathy and Heathcliff grow up wild and free on the Moors and despite the continued enmity between Hindley and Heathcliff they’re happy– until Cathy meets Edgar Linton, the son of a wealthy neighbor. John’s Thought: so many versions of this story, but this one will always be the measure.

#9 – THE PRINCESS BRIDE Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 95% Synopsis: When the lovely Buttercup is kidnapped by a ghastly gang intent on fermenting an international incident they find they are pursued by the Dread Pirate Roberts who just might be Westley, her one true love. Also after everyone is nasty Prince Humperdinck to whom Buttercup is now betrothed but who seems to care little for her continued survival. The stage is set for swordfights, monsters, and tortures – but will Grandpa be allowed to finish telling the story with all these kissy bits? John’s Thought: One of the most special movies ever made that is nothing short of pure magic. Holds a special place in the hearts of a lot of people.

#8 – THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 95% Synopsis: The film deals with the situation of British prisoners of war during World War II who are ordered to build a bridge to accommodate the Burma-Siam railway. Their instinct is to sabotage the bridge but, under the leadership of Colonel Nicholson, they are persuaded that the bridge should be constructed as a symbol of British morale, spirit and dignity in adverse circumstances. At first, the prisoners admire Nicholson when he bravely endures torture rather than compromise his principles for the benefit of the Japanese commandant Saito. He is an honorable but arrogant man, who is slowly revealed to be a deluded obsessive. He convinces himself that the bridge is a monument to British character, but actually is a monument to himself, and his insistence on its construction becomes a subtle form of collaboration with the enemy. Unknown to him, the Allies have sent a mission into the jungle, led by Warden and an American, Shears, to blow up the bridge. John’s Thought: I was pretty young the first time I saw this movie, and it confused me how Obi Wan Kenobi was suddenly a british soldier.

#7 – THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 95% Synopsis: This film tells the story of Captain Marko Ramius, the skipper of the Soviet Union’s newest nuclear sub. Jack Ryan of the CIA gets involved in a tense, tangled hunt for this sub, when Ramius defects, taking the “Red October” with him. The story is an action packed techno-thriller. John’s Thought: This is probably the one in my top 10 that will make most people scratch their heads. So freaking brilliant. I really liked the way they transitioned between russian to english.

#6 – SCHINDLER’S LIST Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: The true story of Oscar Schindler, a German businessman who owns a factory. He witnesses the horrifying visions of the Holocaust and the toll it takes on the Jewish people. Eventually, he creates a list of over 1100 Jews whom he saves from death. John’s Thought: Funniest movie since Slapshot! Just kidding… sort of a Seinfeld reference.

#5 – THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 96% Synopsis: Sauron’s forces increase. His allies grow. The Ringwraiths return in an even more frightening form. Saruman’s army of Uruk Hai is ready to launch an assault against Aragorn and the people of Rohan. Yet, the Fellowship is broken and Boromir is dead. For the little hope that is left, Frodo and Sam march on into Mordor, unprotected. A number of new allies join with Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Pippin and Merry. And they must defend Rohan and attack Isengard. Yet, while all this is going on, Sauron’s troops mass toward the City of Gondor, for the War of the Ring is about to begin. John’s Thought: The big question in a lot of people’s mind’s was “Was the first LOTR movie just a fluke?” Nope.

#4 – THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 92% Synopsis: An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign! John’s Thought: The masterpiece that started the trilogy. A lot of people (me included) didn’t think they’d be able to properly capture the novel. They went far beyond anyone’s expectations.

#3 – THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 89% Synopsis: After the murder of his wife, hotshot banker Andrew Dufresne is sent to Shawshank Prison, where the usual unpleasantness occurs. Over the years, he retains hope and eventually gains the respect of his fellow inmates, especially longtime convict “Red” Redding, a black marketeer, and becomes influential within the prison. Eventually, Andrew achieves his ends on his own terms. John’s Thought: As we get into the top 3, I also have all these films on my all time top 3 (not just for movies based on books). Shawshank never won best picture… one of the greatest crimes at the Oscars in History.

#2 – THE GODFATHER Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 100% Synopsis: Vito Corleone is the aging don (head) of the Corleone Mafia Family. His youngest son Michael has returned from WWII just in time to see the wedding of Connie Corleone (Michael’s sister) to Carlo Rizzi. All of Michael’s family is involved with the Mafia, but Michael just wants to live a normal life. Drug dealer Virgil Sollozzo is looking for Mafia Families to offer him protection in exchange for a profit of the drug money. He approaches Don Corleone about it, but, much against the advice of the Don’s lawyer Tom Hagen, the Don is morally against the use of drugs, and turns down the offer. This does not please Sollozzo, who has the Don shot down by some of his hit men. The Don barely survives, which leads his son Michael to begin a violent mob war against Sollozzo and tears the Corleone family apart. John’s Thought: Probably the single most important and influential film ever made. I still can’t believe how many people have never seen this movie. GO SEE IT.

#1 – THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING Rotten Tomatoes Rating – 94% Synopsis: Gondor is overrun by the orcs of Mordor, and Gandalf rides to Minas Tirith to aid the humans in the war that is ahead. Aragorn must realize his true identity and purpose as the King of Men, and journey with Gimli and Legolas to summon the Army of the Dead so that the battle against evil can be won. Meanwhile, paranoia and suspicion rises between Frodo, Sam and Gollum as they continue their increasingly dark and dangerous travel to Mount Doom, the one place where The Ring can be destroyed once and for all. John’s Thought: It only makes sense for this film to be on the top of the list considering I call it the greatest all around achievement in film history (when you take all the elements of effects, cinematography, direction, acting, writing, etc, etc, etc.

So there you have it folks… the top 100. Now, I’m sure in all the time I spent putting this list together that there are probably 2 or 3 that I left out or forgot about that I’ll slap my head about later. That’s to be expected. But for now, what are some of your favorites? Which ones did I leave off this list that you think should have been included and why? What would you bump off the list?

What other little gems should be all know about?

*UPDATE* – LIke I said in the paragraph above, after spending weeks going through literally thousands of movies, a few obvious ones slipped through the cracks. So here is an update on films I SHOULD have included on the list:

- To Kill A Mocking Bird
- Jaws

Many people are asking why Gone with the Wind isn’t on the list. It’s a great movie, but I sometimes use the “Buddy with DVDs” test. If a buddy showed up with 2 DVDs, Gone with the Wind and any movie on this list… which movie would I chose to watch? Answer: Any movie on this list, thus Gone with the Wind doesn’t make the list.