65.


Casino Royale

As of recently, I've bumped the 3 comedies that made me laugh hard in 06 over Royale as the top films of the year, however Casino Royale is still amazing. After the final couple Brosnan blow-em-up debacles, what a relief it was to have a Bond film that could stand on its own as simply a great great movie. The plotline is deep enough that it takes a couple viewings to get the first hour of the film, and after that, the fun starts. Eva Green and Daniel Craig on the train makes for one of the best scenes of the year, and the entire act inside the Casino is simply perfect. The card game, the staircase fight, the shower, the poisoning, all of it a clinic in suspense, thrill, and quality filmmaking. Then comes the torture scene which would be one of my top 10 scenes of all time, and for anyone who's seen it, I don't think I need to explain... Shot for shot one of the most incredibly breathtaking sequences on film I have ever witnessed. Daniel Craig is the perfect Bond for this role, giving the character depth and emotion where he had none before. Eva Green is a great Bond girl, giving the beauty of the film brains and wit like she hasn't had in 007 movies for a long time. The opening scene is brilliant, the finale is brilliant, what can you say, it is for me like Batman Begins was for everyone else in 05. A classic of the action or spy genre.

Pity Ross's half assed running of his website and the idiots who pruned old posts means we can't re-live that classic moment of Magnus the uber asshole.

Word of advice shack, save all this to you're computer. you wouldn't believe the passionate essays i wrote for my top 30 of all time that i lost on the old BOF when i didn't save them.

64.



Overboard

Overboard is a film that after originally watching on tv, I had casted as a typical 80s comedy. However over time it has grown on me and now stands as one of the most enjoyable purely fluffy films that I have seen. Once again a great concept is half the battle here, as making a romantic comedy about a man who tricks an amnesia victim into being his pretend wife, is wildly creative and funny in how much it works. Kurt Russell rocks, and while he is sporting the mullett white trash look in the film, he as always delivers fully. Goldie Hawn has never looked better(though that poster is creepy), and I feel that her prancing lost diva work in here, is pretty wonderful. They two have great chemistry, and the romance is quite believable. Somehow despite being a fluffy romcom, the characters in this film feel so humanistic and lovely, what a difference it is to have two actors completley emersing themselves to having fun in this movie, as compared to the regular romcom trash that people like J.Lo, Diaz, etc. make nowadays. What a fun movie, and more than a guilty pleasure for me. I love it. You can't get much better for romantic comedy fluff, period.

63.


Titanic

James Cameron > Jesus

Titanic is a defining piece of film history. As so many things packed into one, a disaster epic, a monstrous romance, a period and setting piece, a visual extravaganza, Titanic defines big on so many levels. Certainly though, every bit of its success is on the back of Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet, who I honestly believe deservingly will go down as one of film's greatest and most tragic on-screen couples. Admittingly a few lines along the way are cheesy, but who cares? It's Titanic. Jack's demise in the film is one of the best film deaths ever, and other moments such as the ship itself sinking, the old lady throwing the heart in the ocean, the naked sketch scene, the captain going down with the ship, the handcuffs, and so on, stand as simply iconic. Titanic is a film that came out to slightly bad hype in December 97, and made moviegoers love film again, made them go to it like they hadn't in many many years. Deservingly one of the greatest crowd pleasers ever, and one of the best romances ever, Titanic is masterful. A must have on the list.

Oh dear God how I hate that movie.

62.


Almost Famous

You are not cool.

Ah, good ol' Almost Famous. One of my first dvd purchases and for good reason. Almost Famous is probably(haven't seen Spinal Tap) the best film made relating to the 70s rock movement and the groupies/culture that followed it. Cameron Crowe is another swell director, and this is probably his crowning achievement. Almost Famous bases itself on the story of Fugit on the road writing about these people, but it is as expected, not really about that. It is about finding your way of living, becoming a part of something you didn't expect, and the friendship and love that goes with it. Fugit does very well as the lead, and the supporting cast of Crudup, Hudson, McDormand, Hoffman, Lee, etc., is one of the best ensembles of this decade. Famous is also an extremely rewatchable film, the experience is always there. It's too bad Kate Hudson could never come up with any potential as good as what she showed here, but hey, she's still young. Who knows.

Titanic should be in the top ten.

61.


Little Miss Sunshine

There's movies with big heart, and then there's Little Miss Sunshine. The indie dysfunctional family film is something that has been done and rehashed to poor effects(cough the Squid and the Whale) so many times, that despite good reviews, I was not originally looking forward to this film a great lot. But the truth is, Sunshine completley surpasses and rises about that sub-genre, creating a film of the type that is funny, sweet, heartwarming, and touching all at once. The premise, going to a beauty pageant, isn't anything remarkable, what completley makes this film great is the writing and acting. The cast in Sunshine is one of the best in several years, with every one of the 6 leads delivering and then some. Each character in the film shines in their own way, each has traits to relate to and love, they're all so good that deciding which of them is better than one another is almost impossible. One of the best films of last year easily.

Not a fan of Titanic, LMS was a tad bit overrated.

60.


True Romance

For now, Tony Scott's biggest triumph to date. Romance and crime is a mixture that I hope to put together one day if I become a filmmaker, and while I think the oppurtunity would be there for an all out masterpiece, True Romance will just have to suffice as a closest thing. True Romance is very simply, a riveting piece of crime and gunplay cinema. Many people call the scene between Walken and Hopper one of the best ever, but my favorite scene in the film is the fight between Arquette and Gandolfini, a scene that is an absolute adreneline rush of violence and blood spilling, it takes excess to a new level in that scene and I love it. Christian Slater gives probably his best role ever here, and Patricia Arquette does a very good job as the female accompaniment. Supporting cast is excellent in Walken, Hopper, Oldman, Kilmer, etc. Tarantino has proven himself as a master of the script when it comes to gritty and violent fare such as this, and this is no exception, whether it was him behind the camera or not. True Romance is more light than his normal films, but that doesn't really hurt it. A classic.

Nice to see the thread revived. I should update mine at some point.

59.


Finding Nemo

One of CGI's very finest efforts. Finding Nemo is just an incredibly rich film in all areas, from the world and visuals Pixar created, to the heart and joy of the character, to even humor from Ellen's Dori to the Duddee Turtles to the Pelicans to all the stuff in the fishtank... My favorite character is Bruce the shark though. Nemo is just so adventurous, enjoyable, wonderful. It stands as one of the more rewatchable animated films I've seen, I usually sit and watch for minutes at the time in all the zillions of mall stores and etc. it's playing in off the plasmas. Is it the greatest CGI film ever? Maybe. For personal reasons I have one more above it, but if I had to rank greatness in terms of storytelling, visual magnificence, characters, and quality when watching, Nemo would probably be tops. I still think it should've been nominated for Picture in its year, hopefully Wall-E can for Pixar to give a follow up to Beauty in the Beast in terms of films to pull off that feat.

58.


The Matrix

I wish I was around and following movies when The Matrix and the phenomenom it was came out of nowhere. It is very simply, a sci-fi creation for the ages, a film that is not only original and smart in its procedure, but full of excellence in action and tech scenes as well. However, I think what make The Matrix as great as it is and so much better than the sequels, is how simplistic is allows itself to be at times. Scenes like Neo trying to jump across the roof, the kung-fu fight, the infamous bullet dodge, the pill scene, or even the first scene where Neo is found, those are what stand as the best scenes of the film for me. As well, the cape and shades costume attire is just plain awesome. Keanu Reeves is not a very good actor, but he is perfect and them some for the role of Neo, it will be a career defining character for him, and deservingly so. Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus and Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith, are also spot on. The Matrix is a great sci-fi piece of cinema, a smart film to get your head working, and an action extravaganza that had some of the best technicals of its day pretty easily.

I'm almost embarrassed by my top 100 in this thread, it's amazing how much my taste in film has changed in such a short period of time. It would look completely different now.

57.


Pulp Fiction

I've got flowers on the wall, that don't bother me at all

Pulp Fiction in all its fame, is a rollercoaster visceral ride of a gangster film. Quentin Tarantino is one of the current generation's finest auteurs, and Pulp proves that completley. It is obvious from the beginning that the film has its own sense of style and uniqueness, and that's all him. Pulp Fiction is a film that is not only violent, but witty and entertaining as well, and with characters that almost feel real. I think the screenplay is the strongest aspect of the movie though, the opening monologue alone proves Quentin is one of the greatest writers in cinema today. The ensemble deliver enough punch to be talked about for years to come, the best of the bunch however is Samuel L. Jackson in what I believe is not only his best performance, but maybe up there for best performances period. It's definitley the most badass. Travolta, Thurman, Willis, etc., all deliver in roles that rank among the best and will define them for a long time. What can you say, it's Pulp Fiction. One more thing I'd like to add, is that this film is immensely rewatchable... originally I didn't have it as an amazing of a film as its considered, but over time and multiple viewings it has grown to be one of my faves of the genre.

56.


American Psycho

American Psycho is an excellent exercise in both insanity and satire of the business and materialistic world. Patrick Bateman isn't some immensely evil man, he isn't a masked freak, he is just crazy. Has the bloodlust. Is off the edge. American Psycho, despite having sick and tragic themes about this man who kills people, is actually one of the more darkly funny movies that you could make about the subject. Bateman's monologues about Huey and the News or Whitney Houston before he slaughters people is just classic in all its twisted humor, and other moments like some of Bateman's conversations with people, and the business cards, is great. Bale gives his best performance to date, in both carrying the humor and the breakdown throughout the film. The ending, and the words he says while the film closes out, is also fantastic.

55.


About A Boy

I'm not afraid to hide it. I freakin' love Hugh Grant fluff pictures.

While I find it nearly impossible to dislike one of his series of films, I've come to the conclusion that among the pack, About A Boy is probably the best. The addition of Paul Weitz, who is becoming one of my favorite current directors, is probably a large reason for that. About A Boy is a movie that just shines. Away from Grant's awesome performance and the enjoyability factor, Boy has a tremendous screenplay, and a tremendous amount of heart. Certainly Nicholas Hoult gives a fanastic child star performance, and Toni Collette and Rachel Weisz as female support round out the cast nicely. About a Boy, a film about a man and a boy in a companionship which leads to both of them growing up in themselves is a story that on paper would seem cliche, but the movie pulls it off so well. I consider it practically impossible to dislike About A Boy. Definition of wonderful, and a big reason why I still love both Weitz and Grant.

54.


Catch Me If You Can

Over time, I've come to the conclusion that I have a very grave film confession: I consider Steven Spielberg to be a somewhat overrated director... Oh yes, I'm not kidding. The truth is for the longest time I didn't consider him a favorite because I hadn't seen some of his most praised work. So in the last year, I saw Saving Private Ryan... and was vastly disappointed in the lack of character depth... I saw Schindler's List, and found it was a bit overlong and tedious with the breakdown at the end being typical Spielberg... Jurassic Park still stands to me as good popcorn and visual fun but nothing more... Raiders is also a prime fun and entertainment movie without further depth, though I need to see that again sometime soon. Jaws is something I really really need to see again, I think I was a little kid the last time I visited that.

But anyways, Spielberg love is not immune to me. This is actually my 2nd favorite film from his collection, and I'm not afraid to say I love it lots. When Steven met Tom and Leo... ah. I expect that in the future with the fame Dicaprio will gain, the S.S. film with Hanks and Leo that didn't get any awards will get some more recognition than it does now, or at least I hope it does. Catch Me If You Can is simply a perfect cat and mouse film, injecting both great filmmaking with some light athmosphere and humor. I love both the actors, so seeing them play off each other throughout the film is just great. The jobs Leo goes to, meeting Amy Adams and then being forced to never see her again, passing the law exam on his own, the motel encounter, all of it is just perfectly enjoyable and great stuff overall. The phone conversations carry plenty of weight between the 2 men, it's easy to see the bond they almost formed going back and forth, Leo's character never had a proper father role model in his life, and talking to Hanks is something that obviously he puts his soul into. The real father of Leo, Chris Walken, is also as always very good, though I don't know if I would've gaven him an Oscar nomination (though he has been robbed of many over the years). The scene where Leo trys to give him a car and ends up rejected is one of the most heartbreaking of the movie. I don't think Spielberg has ever been a great man with character depth, but I feel the level of Leo's character in this film is very solid, the conversation on the plane and when he comes back to the jail at the end proves that. Catch Me If You Can is not only the Berg's most underrated films, but in my mind one of his best overall.

Huge fan of CMIYC

53.


Star Wars

What can I say, it's the original Star Wars. Without a doubt one of the most breathtakingly original and genius pieces in cinematic milestone history, and one of the most influential films ever as well. As the biggest media phenomenom ... EVER, Star Wars takes its roots in basic themes, good vs evil, the hero who rises up, and just a universe that George Lucas somehow created in his head that is fucking incredible imagination-wise. Luke and Mark Hamill playing him does a good job at the hero, but in terms of genius character creation he does not quite compare to the great on-screen villain and baddie of all time: Darth Vader. Oh, what a name that will live in infamy. In full black and hidden attire, he defines villain and film greatness. I'm disappointed in AFI's decision to rate Lecter as the greatest villain ever, because in my mind, the honor clearly goes to Vadar. Harrison Ford as Han Solo just defines COOL, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leah is a dream girl, Alec Guiness as Obi-Wan is the definitive mentor, and light-sabres, X-Wings, Chewbacca, and Yoda are also genius things to come out of Lucas's head. Is it the best Star Wars film? Well that's what the suspense of the rest is the list is for, mwhaha. It is one of fantasy and sci-fi's most epic creations however.

I have no idea what your top ten or twenty will look like, which is a good thing. At this rate, it probably won't show up for like, three months, which is a bad thing.

You should hold off on reviews until like, top twenty-ish, or, if they're pre-written, post em five at a time.

Eh, I started 2 weeks ago and I'm halfway there. It'll be done before April most likely.

Well, exaggeration was the point, but on the other hand, that's only about 3 films a day if my math hasn't failed me...you could cut that 3 more weeks down to 10 days with a 2 film/day increase. :up: :O :o

Well anyways... be glad Jayhawk never posted his top 100 this board. Fucker took about 4 months, literally.

Continuing...

52.


The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day might be the most tragic love story ever, for the reason that in its unhappy and sad ending, there is no event or death that seperates the two leads and denies their love. There is in fact nothing preventing it at all. Rather, the only thing holding the two apart through their lives is the fact that for all their years neither has the courage nor will to admit to admit their dual feelings, to go after what they want, to try and find happiness. And so, they live to the day they die as repressed souls, only lonely and broken their entire lives with themselves and their lack of will to blame. It is a devastating thought to look back at the end of your life with the realization that you were not strong enough to achieve what you wanted in your time, that it was your blame for not following what you want... just crushing, regret over a disappointing life is the one thing I fear in my time more than anything else. As well as that concept, Remains stands a very very good period piece, and the acting, oh the acting. Hopkins should have had his second Actor/Actress sweep in 3 years, both him and Thompson give career defining performances, the latter likely being robbed due to a double nomination that year. Screenplay, score, cinematography, beautiful. The Remains of the Day is the film, not Schindler's, that should've won Best Picture in 93. I would've gaven director to Spielberg for his life's achievement, and Picture/Actor/Actress/Screenplay to this, in another Hopkins domination. But alas, the small heartbreaking butler's tale is overlooked... Ah well.