Top 100 Movies of All Time, 51-60

60. The Deer Hunter (1978)

Directed by Michael Cimino; Written by Deric Washburn

Starring Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken, John Savage & John Cazale

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture
In the classic three act structure, "The Deer Hunter" feels more like a Shaw play than a film - and that's where the brilliance of the film occurs. This epic sprawls across oceans, from small town Pennsylvania to Vietnam and adds a bang of Russia if you catch my drift. DeNiro is powerful as the protagonist, Streep is beautiful, but the main focus will always be on Walken's dark and turbulant performance as Nick. Wanna play some roullette?

59. Fargo (1996)

Directed by Joel Coen; Written by Joel & Ethan Coen

Starring Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, John Carroll Lynch, Steve Buscemi & Kristin Rudrud

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Actress - Frances McDormand
"Fargo" incorporates the Coen's brothers' fascinating angle of comedy plus the drama and thrills. Set in northern U.S.A., we hear dozens of silly talking folks in serious and silly situations. But don't be fooled by their Sarah Palin-like dialect, McDormand's Police Cheif Marge Gunderson; she's one sharp pregnant cop. The Coen brothers never fail to understand that humor lies under humanity.

58. American Beauty (1999)

Directed by Sam Mendes; Written by Alan Ball

Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher & Allison Janney

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

An intricate and interesting analysis on the middle class American, Mendes captures a glossy beauty in every scene. The acting is excellent - especially Spacey & Cooper - and scenes, such as the plastic bag, the rose pedals atop Suvari, and each character's reaction to the ending, are forever embeded in my mind as one of the greatest spectacles on film.

57. Fantasia (1940)

Directed by James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe, Norman Ferguson, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, & Ben Sharpsteen; Written by a bunch of other people

Voiced by Walt Disney & Deems Taylor

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award Honorary Award in 1942

Although, as a child, this film seemed to be ten hours long, it always amazed me. I will forever love classical music because of this intriguing cartoon - yet, it's beyond that word. Only certain children appreciate this film. Without words, how do we express ourselves? Nietzsche would love this masterpiece. I still remember hiding when the dinosaurs fight.

56. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)

Written & Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Starring Uma Thurman, Lucy Lui, Vivica A. Fox, Darryl Hannah, Julie Dreyfus, Chiyaki Kuriyama & David Carradine

Greatest Award/Nomination: Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (Drama) - Uma Thurman

Though "Vol. 2" is just as worthy with leading performances by Hannah and Madsen, the first "Kill Bill" will always reign supreme for me. It appears to conjure more realms and genres than the second and incorporates more mystery. Thurman gives her best performance ever while Tarantino delivers his most artsy, kickass film to date.

55. Pretty Woman (1990)

Directed by Garry Marshall; Written by J. F. Lawton

Starring Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo & Hector Elizondo

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Actress - Julia Roberts

This is one of those movies I can watch over and over and over again. It never gets old. EVER. Julia Roberts couldn't have picked a more perfect role and, although he doesn't shine as brightly as she does, Gere isn't so bad himself. By far the sexiest Cindarella story out there.

54. Fight Club (1999)

Directed by David Fincher; Written by Jim Uhls

Starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt & Helena Bohnam Carter

Greatest Award/Nomination: MTV Movie Awards nominee for Best Fight - Edward Norton vs. Edward Norton

It still astonishes me how perfectly the movie follows the book. It's as if Uhls was behind Palahniuk's shoulder when he wrote the novel. Norton embodies the narrating protagonist while Pitt allows the audience to envy, hate, love, and want to be Tyler Durden. It's cinematography is dark and dirty, the characters sweaty and confusing, and the effects leading to the end result mesmerizing.

53. Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Written & Directed by Roman Polanski

Starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Sidney Blackmer & Ruth Gordon

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress - Ruth Gordon

Probably one of the creepiest movies ever. I first saw this film on Christmas night two years ago and freaked myself out. Ruth Gordon gives a twisted performance that is menacing for Rosemary, played by Farrow. Gordon is sweet, yet not, and trustworthy, yet not. The parallels of the movie to Christianity are also astonishing and eerie. Don't watch it on Christmas day!

52. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Directed by Jonathan Demme; Written by Ted Tally

Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn & Ted Levine

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner of THE BIG FIVE

One would never guess that this movie would be one of the three films to win "the big five" Oscars, but after one viewing, you know they deserve every single one. Foster, on the case of a psychotic killer, must trust an even deadlier man - Hannibal Lector (Hopkins). This evaluation of trust, truth, and evils send shivers down the spine and makes you never want to use night-vision goggles again.

51. Being John Malkovich (1999)

Directed by Spike Jonze; Written by Charlie Kauffman

Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener & John Malkovich

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

Erratic, goofy, intriguing, exciting, and inspirational - just a few of the adjectives that come to mind after watching this movie. Kauffman writes his most off-the-wall scripts, while all four aforementioned actors become characters they normally would not choose - even Malkovich as himself! Part love-quadralateral, part ode to Alexander Pope, part interpretation of the American Dream, "Being John Malkovich" shocked the cinematic world, allowing films that don't quite make sense at first to be invited into Hollywood.

Top 100 Movies of All Time, 61-70

70. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Directed by Stephen Spielberg; Written by Robert Rodat

Starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Paul Giamatti & Giovanni Ribisi

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Director
One of the most visually stunning war films ever created, Spielberg's World War II drama sets a group of American soldiers with the task of saving a man who lost all of his fellow military brothers. Against many well-known battles, this question - whether it's right to save one man while others die - is so very profound and rattling. In the end, the answer is not right and wrong or morals, it's being courageous and believing in a greater good.

69. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Directed by Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly; Written by Adolph Green & Betty Comden

Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Rita Moreno & Jean Hagen

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress - Jean Hagen
It seems that 1952 treated "Singin' in the Rain" the same way I did. It was a fun musical with a great cast, but not one of the top films ever created. This film is the one of the few films in top of AFI's 100 that doesn't have an Oscar nod for Best Picture. It's as if it takes time for the movie to grow on you - the music, the people, the fun. Afterwards, I consider it one of the best movie musicals and really enjoy every minute of the film.

68. Match Point (2005)

Written & Directed by Woody Allen

Starring Johnathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Brian Cox & Emily Mortimer

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

Oh, Woody Allen. Though I haven't seen every Allen film, I know enough to say that he's one of the most egotistical, narcissistic, compulsive, destructive writers in the business - which is why he's amazing. However, it's great to see him put himself aside, allow the story to unfold without nagging (though hilarious) monologues and arguments, and provide the actors with a script made for characters. "Match Point" is just that. It's modern, sexy, and has a jaw-dropping ending. Who doesn't want to see Scarlett and Rhys Meyers go at it?

67. Cidade de Deus "City of God" (2002)

Directed by Fernando Meirelles & Katia Lund; Written by Braulio Montovani

Starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Phellipe Haagensen, Leandro Firmino & Alice Braga

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Director

A surprise of a film that is extraordinarily compelling in its ability to give a story and shed an idea of what life is like in third world countries. It's a look into the slums of Rio de Janiero, the gangs compiled there, and a young man's quest to make something of his life, rather than falling into the usual pitfall of drugs and gang wars.

66. Braveheart (1995)

Directed by Mel Gibson; Written by Randall Wallace

Starring Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Catherine McCormack & Brendan Gleeson

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture
If anything is epic, this movie is. Gibson puts forth the true story of William Wallace: the rebel, the outlaw, the lover, and the hero. It's triumphant how one man can and did change a millions of lives across numerous countries and heart-breaking in that the man who changes rarely sees his transformed world. The battle scenes in "Braveheart" are beyond anything of its time in realism and Gibson was not holding back.

65. The Little Mermaid (1989)

Written & Directed by Ron Clements & John Musker

Voiced by Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Christopher Daniel Barnes & Samuel E. Wright

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Original Score - Alan Menken

What kid didn't watch Disney movies? When I saw this in theaters when I was four, I fell in a deep loving crush with the red-headed mermaid, Ariel. This movie is so entertaining and full of songs that will never die. "The Little Mermaid" is certainly the best Disney film produced in its prime fairy tale era. Then everything went computerized.

64. Jaws (1975)

Directed by Steven Spielberg; Written by Peter Benchley

Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw & Richard Dreyfuss

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

Dun-dun. Dun-dun dun-dun. It sends shivers down my spine. With the combination of Spielberg, William's music, and a man-eating shark, it's no wonder people of the 70s were terrified to go to the beach! Benchley's script is an obvious tribute to Melville's masterpiece "Moby-Dick," Shaw, of course, being Captain Ahab. Pure and utter blood-thirsty revenge is what drives the men to seek the sea creature and kill him. It's hubris at its best.

63. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Directed by Baz Luhrman; Written by Baz Luhrman & Craig Pearce

Starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent & Richard Roxburgh

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

Luhrman brings to life a musical of contemporary songs, assembling them in a beautiful mosaic of a film with Bohemian France for a back-drop and the faces of Kidman and McGregor to fit the molds of the Juliet & Romeo-type Satine & Christian. Visually, this film pushes the envelope of usual Hollywood hits and creates something indulgent and enticing. Besides romantic, endearing and dramatic, "Moulin Rouge!" is so much fun and very funny.

62. Sophie's Choice (1982)

Written & Directed by Alan J. Pakula

Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline & Peter MacNicol

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Actress - Meryl Streep
Meryl, Meryl, Meryl. This is the performance of a lifetime. This is one of the greatest performances ever in the history of Hollywood. Streep captivates every single frame as Sophie Zawistowski, both as the foreign, Jewish, blond bombshell wildly in love with Kline's Nathan and as the oppressed version of the same woman, trying to survive the wrath of the Nazi Empire. Her choice is both between the two men she fell in love with in America and something so unfathomable that it's nearly impossible to ponder what you would do in Sophie's shoes.

61. The English Patient (1996)

Written & Directed by Anthony Minghella

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews & Colin Firth

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

At the beginning winning streak of Miramax films, "The English Patient" focuses of memory, love and war. A tale of a man who transformed into something horrible and his road to the sick bed. The performances in this movie are incredible - especially Binoche - and it's raw directing by Minghella renders a look into the lives of several characters at the end of the second World War.

Top 100 Movies of All Time, 71-80

80. 12 Angry Men (1957)

Directed by Sidney Lumet; Written by Reginald Rose

Starring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb & Jack Klugman

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

In Sidney Lumet's directorial debut, this film unleashes information like a dealer passes players their hands. The numbered and unnamed jury members are convinced that the defendant is guilty, however Henry Fonda's role is to assure them of his innocence. It's a fascinating view of our judicial system and how easy it is to assume.

79. Magnolia (1999)

Written & Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Phillip Seymour Hoffman & Tom Cruise

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

An intertwining story that braids several characters together in a film about love, death, addiction, and truth. The moral is that coincidence only exists to the people who do not believe and that frogs can fall from the sky. Nothing is impossible. Anderson sweeps you away, bringing and excellent script to the screen and directing an all-star cast. It's riveting, inspirational, and very creative.

78. Carrie (1976)

Directed by Brian De Palma; Written by Lawrence D. Cohen

Starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie & John Travolta

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Actress - Sissy Spacek

Based on an okay Stephen King novel, this cast - studded especially with Spacek and Laurie - creates an environment that's a combination of "Mean Girls," "The Exorcist," and "Seventh Heaven." I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's true. Spacek delivers a frightening, disturbed performance as the loner Carrie and Laurie haunts me still as her Jesus-crazy mother.

77. Blazing Saddles (1974)

Directed by Mel Brooks; Written by Mel Brooks & Norman Steinberg

Starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks & Madeline Kahn

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress - Madeline Kahn

The most entertaining of Brook's films, "Blazing Saddles" pushes the race card past the limit and doesn't look back. A spoof on cowboy films when spoofs were good films and an upwoawious performance by the widiculous Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Schtupp. Though I prefer the British 70s humor of Monty Python, Brooks surely has a way of making the laughs constant and the plot unmistakably unpredictable.

76. There Will Be Blood (2007)

Written & Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis & Paul Dano

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis

The best film of last year, one of the decades greatest performances by Daniel Day, and a new breed of Anderson films, "There Will Be Blood" engrosses its audience in a tale of obsession, money, religion and family. Which of the four is more important? Only the film will tell.

75. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Directed by John Schlesinger; Written by Waldo Salt

Starring Jon Voight & Dustin Hoffman

Greatest Award/Nomination: Acadmey Award winner for Best Picture

In an era of sex, drugs, and rockin' music, Schlesinger's film was the FX of Hollywood in 1969. Voight brings an endearing quality to his gigolo character, while Hoffman brings a filthy rag of a man to become one of the most empathetic characters in cinema. If the film were made today, the ambiguities would probably be told straightforwardly, however the equivocal script is what makes this movie so damn good.

74. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Directed by Clint Eastwood; Written by Paul Haggis

Starring Hillary Swank, Clint Eastwood & Morgan Freeman

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

In all its simplicity - both stylish and enticing, dark and humorous, honest and brutal - Eastwood's most recent award-winning film serves as a tribute to the hard-working Americans going for that dream. There's so much commonality in Haggis' script to an American, and the finality is that life throws the hardest punches of them all. Swank is stellar as the protagonist and is backed up by her more seasoned co-stars Eastwood & Freeman.

73. Cabaret (1972)

Directed by Bob Fosse; Written by Jay Allen

Starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem & Joel Grey

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Director

"Cabaret" is much like "The Sound of Music" in that is fulfills a hunger for music and history, but Minnelli and her clan of "chums" bring a sexier, more hip idea to the screen - not to mention an incredible directorial job by Fosse, an innovator of style, jazz, and dance. Minnelli's Sally is the keystone to later eccentric, egotistical, eclectic female characters such as Annie Hall and Clementine Kruczynski and a memory of the life actresses like Marilyn Monroe brought to the screen.

72. Apocalypse Now (1979)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola; Written by John Milius & Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne & Marlon Brando

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

A grueling war film that enhances the Vietnamese jungles to feel more like Elm Street. The structure of Coppola's writing and directing is truly brilliant, taking us on a journey to meet a man that puts Lucifer on the bench: Marlon Brando. Paranoia, obsession, and mental decadence travel through every shot as themes of the war and of human existence.

71. Finding Nemo (2003)

Directed by Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich; Written by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson & David Reynolds

Voiced by Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Eric Bana, Elizabeth Perkins, Allison Janney, Geoffery Rush & Willem Defoe

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature

Pixar paddles its way into success with an uplifting film about a father who loses his son and will stop at nothing to find him. The only problem is that they're clown fish, he befriends another fish with short-term memory loss, and he has the entire ocean to search around. This movie is fun and entertaining, especially with the greatest voiced performance by Ellen DeGeneres; without her wit and genius, "Finding Nemo" would never have been the success it is.

Top 100 Movies of All Time, 81-90

90. Big (1988)

Directed by Penny Marshall; Written by Gary Ross & Anne Spielberg
Starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins & Robert Loggia
Greatest Award/Nomination: Golden Globe winner for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) - Tom Hanks
"Big" is the kind of movie you like as a kid and the kind of movie you love as an adult. It's smart, funny, and Tom Hanks is remarkably perfect. Combining childhood magic with mature situations and a great script AND the scene where Hanks and Loggia play the giant piano, this film is an all time favorite.



89. The Sound of Music (1965)
Directed by Robert Wise; Written by Howard Lindsay, Russell Crouse & Ernest Lehman
Starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer & Peggy Wood
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture
This is how musicals should be: outstanding music, great performances, breath-taking scenic cinematography, and a world turned upside-down. The story shifts so suddenly from happy hills of music to a dark time of decadence and turmoil. Julie Andrews, as usual, fits impeccably as Maria, the wannabe nun turned wife, and although I usually dislike Rodger's & Hammerstein's musicals, "The Sound of Music" is their best. Not to mention it's a true story.



88. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris; Written by Michael Arndt
Starring Abagail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Steve Carrell & Alan Arkin
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay
I know, if you look back to my 2006 top ten, this didn't exactly hit the top of the list, however, "Little Miss Sunshine" is one of those films (like "Juno") that really sticks with you. It's so funny, so smart, so dry, and very surprising. Arkin certainly deserves the Oscar he won for his ridiculous role as the grandpa, and Breslin breaks out with a growling performance. Oh, and who knew someone could pull off a character that doesn't speak for half the story? Paul Dano knows.



87. The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan; Written by Christopher & Jonathan Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman & Michael Caine
Greatest Award/Nomination: Golden Trailer winner for Best Summer 2008 Blockbuster Poster (I'm thinking this will improve come award season)
So exactly a week ago I was only an hour into seeing this film. And, yes, it is that good that it is number 87 on my list. Read the review below, go see the movie for the second or third time, and you'll understand why it can only go up from here.



86. William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Directed by Baz Luhrmann; Written by Craig Pearce & Baz Luhrmann
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo & Pete Postlethwaite
Greatest Award/Nomination: BAFTA winner for Best Adapted Screenplay
When Mrs. Taylor (my 9th grade English teacher) made the entire freshmen class watch this movie in the auditorium, everyone HATED it. Why? Because they were idiots. Luhrmann lures men and women (ha) into his cinematic-story-telling grasp and won't let go. His style is incredible and enchanting. This interpretation of Shakespeare's classic love tragedy surpasses most of any other analysis of the Bard's work. Plus it's easily my favorite Claire Danes film.



85. No Country for Old Men (2007)
Written & Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
Starring Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Woody Harrelson & Kelly Macdonald
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture
"No Country for Old Men" is going to be one of those timeless films that lasts longer than the rest. In nearly every which way, it is the consummation of excellence. Every shot, every scene, every angle, every line, and every pull of the air pressure tank delves deeper into the audience's skin. The cast is flawless as well, especially a nightmarish performance by Bardem as the psychotic killer.



84. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Directed by Billy Wilder; Written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder & D.M. Marshman, Jr.
Starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim & Nancy Olson
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Writing, Story & Screenplay
Gloria Swanson, Gloria Swanson, Gloria Swanson. What a freaking performance! Playing the delusional silent film diva, she steals the show, creeping into her scenes like a disease or Michael Myers. However, Holden, von Stroheim and Olson make up the rest of the picture, giving us an unconventional idea of Hollywood, possibly the true Hollywood at the time. Once you're time is up and as long as you made enough money, you can just pull up a chair in the Hills and relive your golden years when you were loved. Nowadays, those washed-up has-beens are in supermarket tabloids across America and the attention has shifted. Shame. If Swanson's Norma Desmond wanted attention, all she had to do was shave her head and become a lesbian.



83. Donnie Darko (2001)
Written & Directed by Richard Kelly
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, James Duval, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle & Maggie Gyllenhaal
Greatest Award/Nomination: San Diego Film Critics Society winner for Best Screenplay
After the first viewing of this cult film, I've never been so confused, frightened, and entranced by a film ever. It is eerie, though-provoking, funny, and uses the camera in an extremely original way. Kelly's masterpiece has had a large underground fan base that builds every year, allowing him to bring us other insane projects... cough cough "Southland Tales."


82. The Truman Show (1998)
Directed by Peter Weir; Written by Andrew Niccol
Starring Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Natasha McElhone & Ed Harris
Greatest Award/Nominee: Golden Globe winner for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) - Jim Carrey
Fuck "EdTV." That said, "The Truman Show" examines America's obsession over entertainment, innocence lost, and the classic bildungsroman tale. Carrey embodies the kid becoming a man - even though he's a man becoming a smarter man. Linney kind of creeps me out in this film (in a good way) and Harris shines as the godlike creator of Truman's life. It's one of those movies that doesn't get old.



81. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Directed by Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones; Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones & Michael Palin
Starring All of the above
Greatest Award/Nomination: BAFTA nominee for Best Original Song - "Every Sperm Is Sacred"
Running boobies, corporate warfare, running boobies, an exploding man, running boobies, Catholic children in musical numbers, running boobies, real life sex ed., running boobies, the grim reaper, running boobies, talking fish, running boobies, meaningless livers, and yes, running boobies.

Top 100 Movies of All Time, 91-100

Jennie and I are releasing our Top 100 Movies of All Time. The best, our favorites, in all genres from every time period. Every Monday and Thursday we will release 10, so this will be a five week extravaganza! Here are 100 to 91:

100. Memento (2000)

Written & Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss & Joe Pantoliano

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

"Memento" is one of those films that is so original and intricate that for most it's hard to follow, but in the end is an incredible film. The style is brilliantly out-of-sync with its backwards storytelling and Christopher Nolan makes his name known as an up and coming director.

99. A Simple Plan (1998)

Directed by Sam Raimi; Written by Scott B. Smith

Starring Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda & Billy Bob Thorton

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor - Billy Bob Thorton

An intelligent thriller that sets four small-towners in a money-tight situation. When Bill Paxton's character comes across an airplane full of money, there's no turning back. It's gripping and leaves you on the edge of your seat, plus Billy Bob Thorton gives the performance of his life. There isn't any other movie that will make you sick to your stomach for every single decision greed brings to a human being.

98. The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Directed by Gore Verbinski; Written by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio

Starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom & Geoffrey Rush

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Actor - Johnny Depp

Pretending that they never made a trilogy out of "Pirates," the original is by far the most entertaining, adventerous, and funny. Depp is mesmerizing as Captain Jack Sparrow, and the effects are phenomenal. Who knew Disney could make a great PG-13 film?

97. An Affair to Remember (1957)

Directed by Leo McCarey; Written by Delmer Daves, Donald Ogden Steward & Leo McCarey

Starring Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Cinematography

A terrific romance that pushes the envelope of cheaters and secret love affairs. Grant & Kerr are great on the screen together, and all seems well until Kerr's Terry has an accident that prevents her from meeting with Grant six months after their love boat affair. Filled with fun characters and plot twists, "An Affair to Remember" isn't one that most believe is a great film, but it's a classic to me.

96. Brick (2005)

Written & Directed by Rian Johnson

Starring Josephy Gordon-Levitt, Lucas Haas, Nora Zehetner & Emilie de Ravin

Greatest Award/Nomination: Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize Award for Dramatic Feature

This film is astonishing in its ability to captivate the film noir in such a way that brings the classic genre to life in the present day. Gordon-Levitt is phenomenal as Brendan Frye, the Bogartian teen "detective" who wants to discover the truth about his love's death. Full of fascinating performances by all of the supporting cast members, Rian Johnson's debut feature film ranks high in the books of new millenium movies.

95. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Directed by Wes Anderson; Written by Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson

Starring Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwenyth Paltrow, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson & Bill Murray

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

Wes Anderson surely makes blasé situations and acquiescence hilarious. Under his script and direction, this tremendous cast unfolds a story of a genius family gone bad, and getting worse. Hackman stars as Royal, a father, a liar, and an unaffectionate husband who wants to make peace with the kids and his wife. Everything about this movie is unique and astonishing to watch.

94. Juno (2007)

Directed by Jason Reitman; Written by Diablo Cody

Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Gardner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons & Olivia Thirlby

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay

Although it just came out in December, this out-of-this-world comedy draws so much inspiration from almost every single coming-of -age tale. Cody's screenplay is by far one of the most eccentric ever made and Ellen Page will never find another role like Juno. With laugh-out-loud lines, an amazing supporting cast, and one of the coolest soundtracks for company, "Juno" is a hit that deserves this spot in my Top 100.

93. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Written & Directed by Robert Benton

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander & Justin Henry

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

The late 70s & early 80s really focused on character, situations and dialogue rather than beautiful breath-taking cinematography and effects. "Kramer vs. Kramer" keeps the roots of the theatre alive in film, with powerhouse performances by Hoffman & Streep, and an amazing script. It's a small film that sends big messages and analyzes the American family, both men forced into stereotypical female roles and women becoming independent, despite the casualies.

92. The Departed (2006)

Directed by Martin Scorcese; Written by William Monahan

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen & Jack Nicholson

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

Although Scorcese should have won an Oscar long before "The Departed," he won for the right reasons. It's one of those movies in which you're not sure who you want to win. Every man is a liar, a snake, a crook, a rat. So who will come out on top? The script is excellent, and Wahlberg was never better.

91. Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Directed by George Sidney; Written by Isobel Lennart & Natalie Marcin

Starring Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Frank Sinatra & Dean Stockwell

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

If you think "Singin' In the Rain" is where it's all at, you're mistaken. I'll admit, the part with Tom & Jerry is a bit out of hand, but as a kid it was the best! Gene Kelly & Frank Sinatra are a duo for the ages and Grayson is gorgeous and sounds spectacular. The cameo with Jose Iturbi shows that the film is about having fun, letting loose, and finding love. Screw you if you think the Tom & Jerry scene is lame!

WALL-E, Hancock, Wanted, & The Dark Knight

WALL-E
Voiced by Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver & John Ratzenberger

Honestly, Pixar can do no wrong. Even "Cars," my least favorite of the Pixar lineup was really good. "WALL-E," full of compassion, humor and a new hope for a better future, clocks in as one of the mega-animating companies finest. The computerized artwork is so advanced and intricate that it will blow you away. The story is one for the books as well: a classic passive character trying to reach his dreams... love. Awww isn't it cute? The originality factor is the fact that he's a robot created with much inspiration from E.T. Oh yeah, it also has an environmental plug. Very timely.

Grade: A


Hancock
Starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron & Jason Bateman

"Hancock" is a fun, comical twist on the recently crowded superhero film genre. Smith and Bateman bring the movie to life - it would be horrible without them - and Charlize is hot as ever. However, it was predictable. Too predictable. But fun!

Grade: B-


Wanted
Starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie & Morgan Freeman

With a cast like this, the movie is badass enough. But throw in some crazy effects and stunts and it just adds to the pot. It was kind of like a melting pot of "Fight Club" and "Lucky Number Slevin," and it holds onto some of the philosophies in Dotoevesky's "Crime & Punishment"; if you kill one, you're saving many. However, compared to an action film like the one below, I prefer real effects and stunts rather than the popular computer animated ones, but the end was great because main characters die.

Grade: C+


The Dark Knight
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine & Morgan Freeman

Christopher Nolan brings Batman back with many familiar faces from "Begins" and a few brilliant new ones. (Yes, this review is going to rave about Heath Ledger's monumental depiction of The Joker.) The film surpasses Nolan's first take on the Batman series by a long shot. It's powerful, emotional, dark and full of exploding hospitals, flipped 18-wheelers, and intense "social experiments." Two-and-a-half hours seems short for this non-stop thrill ride. The script is smart and allows one-sided characters such as Two-Face to come to life.

Bale, once again, brings us a Batman that is not a hero, but a keeper of Gotham. Eckhart makes us hate Harvey Dent for being the perfect man, someone everyone loves and the mob hates. He's better than Batman. But the character transforms so perfectly into Two-Face that it's scary. Gyllenhaal, faced with a feat of playing a role someone has already played (Katie Holmes), does a fine enough job as Rachel Dawes and is really stunning in the film. The fate of her role is surprising and unforgettable as well. And totally necessary. Then there's Oldman who allows Lieutenant Gordan to be the least stoic of characters in the film, allowing the audience to breathe a bit. Caine and Freeman are excellent as usual, though not as note-worthy as the performance by Ledger.

Heath Ledger will win an Oscar as The Joker; mark my words. This performance is raw, uncontrollable, creepy beyond all words, demented, so dead-on funny, and in every sense: perfect. Every time he was on screen I was captivated, and every time the scene shifted away from him, I wanted him back. He allowed himself to embody so much freedom with the role, and when an actor does that, he or she is unstoppable.

Even though it only released three days ago, I've seen "The Dark Knight" twice (and will probably see it again) and it is ranked as one of the best films I've ever seen.

Grade: A