Number 61: Serenity



I was one of the late comers to the Firefly bandwagon having never seen the show before seeing this in the cinema. I rectified that soon after and fell in love with the whole universe. Serenity is a fitting send off to a show killed to soon and a great Sci-Fi Western action film to boot. Whedon's sharp wit is on full display here and even thou the budget was small by summer blockbuster standards it looks every bit a big scale real deal. Shiny!

Number 60: Braindead



The messiest bloodiest film I have ever seen, and pretty damn funny to boot, Braindead is the perfect reposte to those who think Peter Jackson is a one trick LOTR pony. Now this film definetly isn't for the faint of heart and as far as I know I live in one of the few places that actually got the film totally un-cut (the US release lost about 10 minutes) but if you have the stomach its hard to beat as the best splatter film around. Thought you knew every single way the human body could be deformed and ripped to pieces? Think again, Braindead has many tricks up its sleeve, and the best zombie baby around to top it off.

Number 59: Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring



A era defining trilogy that had a great opening salvo, Fellowship doesn't have the large scale battles of installments 2 and 3 but it set's it up very well. I'd say more but I'll leave it for 2 and 3.

Number 58: Schindlers List



Spielburg crafts a fitting memorial to one of the most senseless episodes of the 20th century while educating those who have little knowledge of the subject that to forget is the worst crime of all. The trio of Neeson, Kingsley and Fiennes anchor this, Fiennes in perticular delivering a haunting protrayal of evil as Camp commander Goeth. Never and easy watch but an essential one.

Number 57: Casino



For me Scorcese's most complete and enjoyable film. I enjoyed Goodfella's but this is the small story writ large. This film has such an assured manner to it, and its rise and fall tale is perfectly managed. As the film says. Never again would boys like us be given that much power again.

Number 56: Das Boot



A tense masterpeice of cinema, Wolfgang Peterson's War epic captures the hell of combat like few others. Its the authentic edge and tightness of the setting that make the film, you can almost taste the sweat and fear. Lots of cuts I'm a fan of the directors cut myself, more tension the better.

Serenity, Eternal Sunshine, Out of Sight = I love ya. All on my list.

Fear and Loathing, eh. Blazing Saddles, Saving Private Ryan, Schindlers List, possibly 3 of the most overrated films ever!

Dont know which way I side on you here, but love the list and explanations anyways.

Number 55: Leon



So often you can come across a film that in premise and structure isn't that amazing but instead is elevated to greatness by the performances. Leon is such a film. Reno's childlike assassin, Portman's Lolita and Oldman police nutjob make this indispensible cinema. A sequel would doubtless be awful, but that doesn't stop a man from hankering for one.

Number 54: Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers



Often derided as the weakest of the trilogy I find the Two Towers to have a slight edge over Fellowship if forced to choose. Its a tiny one but its there. Towers has a tough job bridging from one film to the next and it does an excellent job. And the main battle at Helms Deep is for me the best of the series. The build-up play especially is flawless.

Number 53: Clerks



Kevin Smith's indie tale of disaffected non caring youth is for me one of the most honest and raw takes on the subject around. You can recognise the characters and say you know people just like them, souls stuck between adolesence and adulthood. And these guys are funny to boot. Granted if crude isn't your bag Clerk you will not like, but you can't deny its honest. Smith's yet to top this and likely never will.

You know, Aliens isnt all that great.

Aliens vs. Predator is actually better.

Number 52: The Descent



Horror has lost its ability to scare of late so its a good thing men like Neil Marshall are around to keep my fright count up. This tale of 6 caving female friends crawls up behind you and when it pounces you'll be lucky not to have a heart attack. The single most terrifying experience I've had in a cinema and it still gives me jumps today. Marshall is a horror master at work. 2nd best horror of the decade, the first will come up later.

Number 51: Fight Club



It was derided on initial release but lauded today. Quite why it got an early lukewarm reception I can understand, the facist undertones are there but in the end this film strikes a cord alot of people living today feel, namely the loss of soul to consumerism. Pitt shows his often underappreciated acting chops and Helena Bonham Carter and Edward Norton look suitable bow beaten as needed. One that needed time to ripen, it continues to get better with age.

Number 50: A Bridge To Far



Bit lazy I'll just post my review of it.

Dirk Bogarde
James Caan
Michael Caine
Sean Connery
Elliott Gould
Gene Hackman
Anthony Hopkins
Ryan O'Neal
Laurence Olivier
Robert Redford
Maximilian Schell


Just look at the names for a second and take it in, what an amazing pool of acting talent this film benefited from. Indeed in todays age of massive hype there wouldn't be enough superlatives in the English language to describe a new movie with a comparable cast.

And as befitting to the players A Bridge to Far is a pretty grand affair. Its multi-stranded look at the failed Allied Operation Market Garden offensive takes in all the sides and strives for a great deal of historical accuracy in its portrayal.

Sean Connery is the man who stands out for me with a nuanced capture of Maj. Gen. Roy Urquhart the main allied commander at Arnhem. Parts gun ho optimistic yet with a sad air of pragmatism he brings a large amount of weight to a role which could have so easily fallen between the cracks given the vast amount of A listers on the job here. Indeed nobody really phones their role in because you'd never get away with it in this movie.

Its not a massively pro war movie nor is it a Platoon style anti-war one either. It celebrates the honor among many men even in the heat of battle but it doesn't avoid the messy aspects of the whole business either. It pitches halfway probably because of its style which is distinctly old-school.

It doesn't rush the job either as the whole movie clocks in at well over 2 hours but this does give the story room to breath and allows for the sense of foreboding over the operation, be it from the protests of Gene Hackmans Polish commander to the bad luck with the nearby German Panzer division to build up far more effectively then just springing it on the audience.

I may hate the saying but I'll use it here. They don't make them like this anymore

The movie is good. However I found it more tense before they actually ran into those creatures in the cave. Knowing that something was out there but not what or where... But when the creatures started to attack, it got really predictable. Didn't scare me much at all. With most of these horror movies you can tell by the camera work alone when something is about to "shock" you, so most of the shocks were not surprising in any which way.

The international ending is better, but it still pulls that same horror cliche that is in so many movies.

Aside from that ranting, I still liked The Descent! Mostly for the first hour.

Number 49: Bridge on the River Kwai



For me Alec Guiness trademark performance and a lesson in the art of a relaxed cinema style lost to many of todays films. Its a film that creeps up on you gradually never pushing any of its plot or character developments, instead it rolls them out like a carpet. And the final realization by Guinesses character of the great betrayal he has committed goes down as one of the greatest ever scenes of cinema.

Ah Fight Club. Itd be right up there for me if it wasnt for the annoying Ah ha! moments Fincher stuffs in every few minutes. Seemed like half the lines were ones that Fincher intended to be cleverly caught as clues on second viewing.

Number 48: Rambo, First Blood



Forget the silly cartoons this franchise became the first Rambo is a dark heavy affair that holds its power no matter how many times you watch. Seeing Rambo finally crack under the pressure of country bullies and taking to the forest was a big surprise for me since i did go into this film thinking it was going to be an all action affair. Instead you get regret and a sense of a man lost. Deserves to be seen to banish any misconceptions.

Number 47: Blade Runner



Riddley Scott's best ever film and one of the greatest futuristic visions ever committed to film Blade Runner is fully deserving of its high reputation. granted there are like 5 different versions and which is best im not sure but any is a good start point. Ford delivers a measured performance as Deckard and with people like Sean Young and co in support he's given able backup. Now to buy that big final edition release.

Number 46: Platoon



Oliver Stone's personal ode to the brutality of the Vietnam war is a film that could only ever be made by those who lived through it. In essence a story of a fight for a man's soul, with the devil in the form of Tom Berenger and the Angelic Wihlem Defoe feuding over the faith of Charlie Sheens fresh recruit it pulls you in with fully formed characters and real sense of a brutal slog. Excellent usage of music as well.

Number 45: Spirited Away



The sheer inventive imagination on display in Spirited Away can be hard to fully appreciate at times. There is so much going on, so many visual quirks calling for attention that this film needs multiple views to fully appreciate. A masterful piece of storytelling and my favourite animated film ever made Spirited Away could be stuck on an endless repeat and I'd find something to love each time.

Number 44: Evil Dead 2



Equal parts terrifying and hilarious the whole Evil Dead series never fails to entertain. The title of best would have to go to the second installment (One is a tad to raw and Three is a tad to silly) with a great mix of scares and laughs. Poor old Bruce Campbell gets knocked around like a rag doll for the entire running time but its to the films massive benefit. And the ending is totally left field yet cruelly funny.

Number 43: Downfall



A sobering look at the final days of the Third Reich Downfall is an essential film mainly due to Bruno Gantz's performance as the Fuhrer. Its a joke that this didn't even gain him an Oscar nomination as its one of the best performances of the last 20 years, he doesn't just act Hitler he becomes him. A glimpse into hell and a reminder never to let it happen again.

I feel the same way, if they all died from getting trapped and lost, it wouldve been one of the scariest movies ever. Creature feature twist... eh. Been down that road a few too many times.