Top 120 Movies Continued

89. Immortal Beloved. A movie about Beethoven. Delicate, powerful, and a rare specimen as "biopics" tend to play poorly in my opinion. The biggest problem is the overestimation of individual people's worth. But, this movie was done well. Gary Oldman does a great job as Beethoven, and the most powerful scene occurs when he walks out to "hear" his Ninth Symphony being performed...amazing the man was so talented but could never hear his own masterpiece.


88. Raging Bull. Enter Robert DeNiro. A phenomenal actor who has done better for himself than Al Pacino, the closest actor in talent. Unfortunately, they have both headed the same direction: towards playing themselves over and over again. Anyway, this is a great Scorsese flick done in black and white about Jake La Motta a former boxer and his life. Little known aside, the real La Motta co-wrote the screenplay. Which is pretty cool. Anyway, this movie continues a great relationship between Scorsese and DeNiro, in which it netted DeNiro a much deserved Oscar for his performance. Unfortunately, it rates this low on the list because it is a tough movie to re-watch over and over, because it is slow at times and lacks a ton of action.


87. Natural Born Killers. If Tarantino had directed this movie, as he regrets now, it would have been even better in my opinion. But, hey, we can have everything we want, right? Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis are superb in a movie that was prescient about the decadence US society gradually descending towards. Good music, good cinematography, and good direction add to the Tarantino script. The movie embraces madness and violence in comedic, yet dark ways. Unlike the Coen brothers who have built a career demonstrating the senselessness and comedic or ironic nature of real violence, this movie shows the happier side of violence, from the killers' perspective. It also asks the Coen brother's question about the meaning of life where violence and suffering are normal, but has very different methods of answering it. Take, as a perfect example, the scene with Rodney Dangerfield as Juliette Lewis' dad. The blurring of lines between television and life are never approached any better than there.


86. The Rope. The only Hitchcock movie on here, and perhaps an unknown and surprising movie for many of you. I like Birds and, especially, Rear Window, but the Rope as a film is awesome. First off, the whole movie takes place in a single apartment.intensifying the already claustrophobic feel Hitchcock tends to bring. In fact, the movie is nearly all shot in the living room. Second, like a rope, the film starts and does not stop until the very end. In other words, aside from changing the reel in the camera, Hitchcock uses one camera and the action does not stop once. When characters move rooms, the camera moves with them...but, not like a handheld camera because the goal is not to feel like you are there, but that you are a voyeur. The film starts with a couple of upper class college guys who are suffer from ennui due to their money and lack of unique thrills. Killing somebody seems to be the answer: a thrill money cannot buy, that is beyond anything they have seen or felt, and a challenge in world where everything has already been handed to them. To enhance the challenge, they hide the body in a chest in the living room that they cover with a linen and put the food on. The "leader' is supremely confident they will succeed and even engages is discussion with some of the guests regarding the morality of killing. The other guys are not too sure. Anyway, the movie goes on, guests arrive -- including the dead guys fiancee and her parents...you can see why there is amazing tension and why this movie deserves to be on this list and watched by all. I won't ruin it, but you gotta watch it.

85. Misery. Keeping with thrillers and tense movies, how about Kathy Bates and James Caan in a great Steven King novel? Caan, an author, gets into an accident in the snowy woods of New England when Bates finds him and takes care of him. She, of course, is his number 1 fan. The new book he is writing is not up to her standards as a character is killed off that she doesn't want to be killed off. She wants him to rewrite. The scene where she mangles his legs to keep him from running or leaving is unreal. So normal it feels like it could happen to anyone. Bates won an Oscar for her role and Caan may have deserved one too.


84. Zelig. Woody Allen strikes again. This is a black and white flick and again a creative way of telling a story. It is documentary style, with Zelig being a guy who does not appear to have any personality of his own. Allen doctored old footage (before computers) so that Zelig seems to appear all over the place (i.e., in Germany at a Nazi rally next to Hitler), and he seems to change his persona wherever he goes and whoever he is with. Mia Farrow places a psychiatrist committed to digging into his psyche to find out who Zelig really is and relieve him of the overwhelming need to be liked by everyone and to fit in. This movie is great on so many levels, especially if you like Woody Allen. But, even if he is not your favorite, it is not standard Allen fare, so it may cross over to something more your style.


83. Ray. I hate Jaime Foxx. He cannot sing that well; his music is junk; and he normally appears in terrible movies with other terrible actors. But, I must hand it to him. The only other biopic you'll see on this list, but deservedly so. Ray chronicles the rise of Ray Charles and his life. Foxx spent 6 months before Ray died in real life, learning to play piano and sing from Charles himself. He would glue his eyes shut for days at a time to learn what it felt like to be blind. Needless to say, Foxx is supremely convincing and as with any movie well acted, you are convinced that he is Ray by the end. Sad at times, the movie never goes overboard with telling the story. And, I forgot how good Charles music was and how revolutionary it was at the time.

82. Blades of Glory. Will Ferrell. Jon Heder. Will Arnett. Amy Poehler. And, does it pass the names test? You bet. Ferrell as Chazz Michaels Michaels; Heder as Jimmy MacElroy; Arnett and Poehler as Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg; Craig T Nelson as Coach. All classic names, especially Ferrell. Not his best, and probably bordering on the point where his shtick is getting old, Ferrell's farce about ice skating is awesome. The scene after he is fired and doing shows on ice as a wizard, but he is completely hammered are awesome. And, the Van Waldenberg's steal the show with their quasi-incestuous innuendo. I love this movie because it makes me laugh.

81. Zoolander. I debated about this movie, because it is good, almost great...but I have always had my reservations. Does it pass the "name" test? Derek Zoolander; Hansel (Owen Wilson); Mugatu (Ferrell); Matilda Jeffries; Maury Ballstein; Olga the Masseuse (Andy Dick is always a good addition). Not the top names, but clear thought. What are the secondary criteria? Memorable scenes? Absolutely. When Derek, Matilda, and Hansel hang out at his house and take a bunch of hallucinogens; or, the Dance Off; or the Break Dance fight; or the four models having a gasoline fight. A few others also stand out, but you get the point. Memorable lines? Where Will Ferrell is, this criterion is always filled. Cameos? David Bowie; Christian Slater; Natalie Portman; Gary Shandling; etc. So, in the face of overwhelming evidence, this movie does stand stronger than I would have first expected. Personally, I rarely re-watch it, but I am willing to concede it is indeed re-watchable and it is well liked beyond just being a comedy.

80. Casino. You will not see the Departed on this list because the ending sucked. And, I can promise you Goodfellas is here, but much higher up. Casino is like The Godfather meets Goodfellas, but too long. Great performances all around: Sharon Stone; DeNiro; and Joe Pesci to name three, but don't ignore James Wood or Kevin Pollack. Here is why I place it so high, despite it being a classically great movie: it is a standard Scorsese flick that does everything really well, but nothing stands out aside from the acting...but, most of his movies manage to squeeze the best out of his actors, especially with alum like Pesci and DeNiro. So why is it any better than his other ones? It isn't. Like Woody Allen who produces so many movies, we are spoiled and his average flicks would be many other directors masterpieces, Scorsese produces a ton of really good movies, but I am not comfortable just putting them all in the top 50 or 20. There are too many other really good flicks to see. So, watch Casino. Enjoy. Relish Stone in a non-over-sexed role...and remember how good DeNiro was.