Top 120 Movies, Continued

All of these movies are all comedies that are great, worthy movies. But, they are lacking that very last oomph that the most brilliant comedies have. Some of these might make you say, "What!?! How could Casino be lower than these?" Well, let's face it...this is my list, and I think comedies have long been devalued, so I am ready to give them their due.


79. Trainspotting. A great book by Scottish author Irving Welsh (whose books, by the way are really good, but dark and in Scottish slang). The movie was Ewan McGregor's first real role, and he was brilliant in it. Essentially a movie about heroin, getting off of heroin, and getting back on to it. It is dark, but funny in an English movie sense. If you've never seen it, hit it up.

78. Hot Fuzz. If you don't know Simon Pegg's movies yet, you are severely out of the loop. Pegg is British, I think, and has done two excellent movies: Hot Fuzz and a great zombie parody, Shaun of the Dead. Hot Fuzz is superior for a number of reasons. First, Pegg gives a great British perspective on the American cop genre, mixing and matching every cliche to a point of absurdity. Pegg (Nicholas Angel) is a big city London cop who's arrest record is amazing; so good, the rest of the London force hates him because they make them look bad and are gradually taking work away from them. His punishment: transfer to some small village which has won the best village of the year award annually. Something strange is going on, but everyone assures him it is simply a big city cop bored and trying to make more out of nothing. As all of Pegg's movies do, it devolves rapidly into insanity and brilliant funniness.

77. 40-Year Old Virgin. A great movie that does not get ruined by a shitty love story or a strong first half, weak second half disease (see Wedding Crashers). Not a good name movie, as we never learn anyone's last name beyond Carell's character (Andy Stitzer). However, the supporting cast is awesome. Seth Rogen (who should stick to supporting roles), Paul Rudd (brilliant as a sidekick), Romany Malco, Jane Lynch (from Best in Show), and every other small bit part is so key to this movie's success. The love story is good, but really the memorable scenes are incidental: the speed dating skit, the poker game where Andy talks about sandbag boobs, nearly every electronic stores scene, the bar and using your peripherals, and my favoriate, the ride home with Leslie Mann where she sideswipes a car, has him blow into the breathelizer to start her car, and then throws up on him...always makes me laugh so hard. 


76. The Jerk. I will just say this now: I think Steve Martin is good, but overrated in the pantheon of great 70s-80s comedians. Some swear by his movies, and I think The Jerk is good, but I am not prepared to put him in the Chevy Chase early 80s/Bill Murray pantheon. As Navin R. Johnson, Martin inexplicably grows up in a big, southern, poor black family and thinks he is black...except he is so white. He travels to the city where he happens to invent something absurd, makes it rich, but is still a poor person, and then loses all his money. Some great laughs along the way. A solid performance, but nothing that transcends the genre. In my opinion, he is much better in ensembles like Parenthood or Three Amigos.

75. Slap Shot. Mr. Paul Newman...in a hockey movie...a sport no one watches unfortunately. Reeking of the 70s, machoness, and mysogyny it is really a last of its kind. The end of an era. Newman plays Reggie 'Reg' Dunlop an aging coach-player who has lost his chances in the NHL and plays on the Chiefs in a minor league. Full of mostly has-beens and never-weres, Ned Braden is a youngster on the road to the NHL. Except, Braden doesn't seem to want to be there. The team is on the brink of being folded, and Dunlop senses this could be it for him and a whole bunch of other guys. He decides to start emphasize toughness and fighting over skill and scoring -- and, they do start winning, but that is never the point. Mid-season, the Chiefs acquire three brothers each one year apart and wearing super thick black glasses. They use tinfoil on their knuckles, travel with toy trucks and race cars, and have no respect for the game itself. But, they are mean and tough and love Dunlop's plan. If you are easily offended by non-P.C. stuff, this is not your movie...but it is good.

Check out some of the names: Dave 'Killer' Carlson; the Hansen brothers (more on this in a second); Denis Lemieux; Tim 'Dr. Hook' McCracken; Ogie Ogilthorpe; Tommy Hanrahan; Dickie Dunn.

74. Mallrats. Every decade needs a movie or two to capture the ugliness yet nostalgia of a decade. The 80s had John Hughes and his running commentary, but likely peaked with The Breakfast Club. Well, Mallrats is this movie -- though, Clerks in some ways is even more dated. The thing that makes this movie great is that it emphasizes the shift in teenage patterns. In the 80s, every great movie revolved around high school and the problems kids faced in school, with dating, with dances, with drugs...etc. By the 90's the US economy had facilitated the shift from teens as students to teens as consumers. Not that they weren't buying things before, but the massive expansion in the 80s and then 90s brought wealth in unprecedented amounts to a larger chunk of America; coupled with the mushrooming of malls, the advent of the CD and MTV's incessant pushing of music, and Tim Burton's Batman revolutionizing the connection between movies and consumer goods, teenagers became a targeted demographic as never before. Mallrats captures this, as the setting for teenage comedy shifted from the school to the mall (though #70 was a precursor of this). Aside from the sociological implications, some witty dialogue (as always from Smith); good acting by Jason Lee, Shannon Daugherty, Ben Affleck (who is only good as the complete asshole supporting actor guy), and Joey Lauren Adams; and a bright, light, and clean story. Maybe being a teen of the early 90's makes me like this more than it deserves, but it really does connect to the hours I spent wandering the mall aimlessly, buying over priced CDs at Camelot and Sam Goody, and just people watching all day.

73. Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks' classic cowboy tale. Gene Wilder in full form (has any other actor's strange, early retirement had more of an effect than Wilder's? I miss that guy). A basic story attacking racial discrimination in the workforce, but a farce of epic proportions. Great names: Lili Von Shtupp (the amazing, underrated Madeline Kahn); Hedley Lamarr; Taggart; and Mongo. Phenomenal acting. And, classic Brooks' punchlines delivered in ways only capable of Brooks himself (who plays the altercocker mayor).


72. Dazed and Confused. Another pick because it is my blog. I crave this movie. It is so awesome, so much fun, so nostalgic that I cannot even begin to speak to its merits. Let's see. It has an absurd soundtrack for the greatest rock era ever; so good, it required two cds to cover the entire soundtrack. Second, it has the great coming of age that we all know about: junior high to high school; but, before the PC police, hazing was much more intense and socially acceptable with little involvement by the police. Third, it has some great characters who demonstrate the rare moments (but real in my experience) where drugs, music, and the particular points in time bring together all walks of high school life. You have Ron (who knew that was his name) Slater, the resident pot head, hanging with Randall 'Pink' Floyd the star quarterback; you have Floyd and Pickford, who is the pot dealer/cool guy -- and his awesome stoner girlfriend played by Milla Jovovich; Floyd and his close friend also on the football team, Don Dawson who is sort of into the pot heads, but much closer to Pink and the football team. You have the girl cliques that kind of run together, with Parker Posey stealing the show as the uber-bitch (Darla). You have the football guys who are a little uneasy with the stoners, but really just love getting drunk and having a good time (Benny O'Donnell and Melvin Spivey, afro and all). You have the asshole football player who has failed and is repeating and ultimately gets his comeupance (O'Bannon played by Affleck). You have the graduated dirtbag/cool guy who preys on high school chicks, David Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey). You got the nerds who are friends with Pink and get invited to the big bash (Adam Goldberg steals the show). And, you got the super uncomfortable on screen, which is fitting for his role, soon-to-be ninth grader who Pink befriends, Mitch Kramer. You got all that?

The movie revolves around the last day of school with the primary players becoming seniors and some bit players becoming freshman. The beauty of this movie is that we all remember that last day of school so well; summer is here, no more teachers...no more homework. From there, Pickford's parents find out he was going to throw a big party because they were leaving town; they stay and the rest of the movie is the search for a place to party. So good. So classic. So simple.



71. Brazil. Perhaps the least recognizable of the movies on this list, and one of the most difficult to watch because it is dark, deep, and humerous in a twisted way. Running with the Orwellian 1984 theme, Brazil imagines a futuristic world in which bureaucracy highlights the irrationality of rationality to a tee. The selling points? Terry Gilliam (Monty Python; 12 Monkeys; Time Bandits; Fear and Loathing) directs this movie. If that is not enough, then I am not sure what will suffice. Robert DeNiro appears in perhaps his strangest role; but Jonathan Pryce (Kiera Knightley's father in Pirates of the Carribean) gives a strong performance as the classic 1984/Brave New World character: discontent with modernity, seemingly the only or one of the few aware of the darkness surrounding him, and powerless to do much about it. A beautiful woman, who is cleverly tied into the running plot of bureaucratic mismanagement, is his salvation. Or so he thinks. The movie is long and plodding at times, and you may not believe me when I say it is comedic. But, I think it is a masterpiece; a sociological innovation.

70. Fast Times at Ridgemont High."Aloha, my name is Mr. Hand." This movie cannot do anything but make you laugh. The cast is absurd: a young Sean Penn (as Jeff Spicoli); Forest Whitaker (Charles Johnson); Jennifer Jason Leigh (Stacy Hamilton); Judge Reinhold (Brad Hamilton). The other names of interest: Mark 'Rat' Rattner; Mike Damone; Mr. Hand. And, who can forget Phoebe Cates whose diving in and coming out of the pool scene that ends with Reinhold in the bathroom getting caught in perhaps the most embarrassing way any teen male could ever be caught.

Let's see...where do we begin? How about the job Brad has where he has to where the pirate suit? Or, the VW bus that Spicoli et al. roll up in, open the door with smoke billowing out, and fall out of? Or every scene with Spicoli and Mr. Hand? Or the mall scenes, where Damone (who scalps concert tickets to some seriously dated bands) hangs out at the movie theater where Rattner is a ticket stub tearer? Or, the crappy faux diner that Phoebe and Jason Leigh work at? Or the funny naivete in sex that Phoebe (who pretends to be experienced) feeds to Stacy? Or the older guy taking out the younger girl and trying to get in her pants scene? Or the guy fumbling with the bra? Every single coming of age cliche is here, but the movie puts it all together! And, its re-watchability is definitely above a 5 out of 10, closing in on a 7. I love this movie!