The Top 100 Project

Fittingly for Labour Day, we're talking about eating the rich and helping out the poor. Even with his butler job in My Man Godfrey though, the suave William Powell isn't exactly Johnny Lunchbox. He gets to wear a tuxedo and work in the ritzy house of a wealthy family of zany idiots. It could be worse. We were overdue to cover a Carole Lombard film, although her committed comic performance is a bit marred by the way they wrote her to be so whiny and annoying. It also doesn't help that she's jamming love down Powell's throat as Gregory La Cava's picture is presenting a romance that's hard to root for. Even if we let the workplace sexual harassment slide, there's that bizarre ending. Nevertheless, it's certainly better than some of the movies from this era that the AFI put on their various lists. So don't sock the 457th Ellises' Analysis for wanting a "protege" and if you must be phony, at least be a good guy as we serve you a podcast about My Man Godfrey on a silver platter. And if you don't like a bunch of pre

Before you pop the 456th Ellises' Analysis into your ears, we offer a trigger warning if you still root for a certain Floridian man-child. His name was often besmirched and we didn't pull too many punches in comparing him to the way Queen Anne is portrayed in The Favourite. Olivia Colman is dynamite (and won a surprise Oscar) playing the whiny royal in Yorgos Lanthimos' sex-filled-yet-unsexy dark comedy. By the Greek auteur's standards, this is an accessible film, but it's probably still off-putting to a lot of people. It's also women-centric and the men barely matter, so THAT may be off-putting to a lot of people. Basically, if you don't like a movie (or your humble podcasters) getting political in off-putting ways, maybe just skip this one. But, whatever your choice, don't be an unqualified badger who toys with the likes of Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. Instead, be careful what you wish for...although you don't have to just WISH for Sparkplug Coffee. You can buy as much as you like and you'll get a 20% disco

While we probably wouldn't be thrilled if the characters played by Brooklynn Prince and Bria Vinaite in The Florida Project were our next-door neighbours, we absolutely loved watching them in this film. In this and in Tangerine, director Sean Baker has shown he really knows how to make an authentic and enjoyable movie with inexperienced actors. Here they're desperate people in impossible circumstances, but they're also making the most of a tough life. Who needs Disney World when they're this good at making their own fun! All the rookie actors are wonderful, but Willem Dafoe stands out too in one of his sweetest roles, a hotel manager who really cares about the little people who need a little help sometimes. So give us a break, lady, as the 455th Ellises' Analysis talks about Baker's modern-day version of the Little Rascals. If you care to score a 20% discount on Sparkplug Coffee, use our promo code at check-out ("top100project"). Also, shoot us some tweets (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), email us (top100p

Adrian Lyne directed plenty of sex thrillers in his career, but none of them were quite the zeitgeisty blockbuster that Fatal Attraction was. Glenn Close's legendary performance as a disturbed woman who falls hard for Michael Douglas' unfaithful man remains one of the most fascinating things she's ever done. Her movie annoyed feminists though, especially when Close (against the actress' will) did things you can't really excuse. We didn't love the action-packed ending, but the original conclusion wasn't satisfying either. The best thing Lyne and writer James Dearden do in this film though is give the 2 leads plenty of dimensions and motivations throughout the story. You can pick sides, but it's difficult to see either of them as a true villain. Well, until maybe the last 30 minutes. So leave a little girl's beloved pet in the yard where it belongs, live up to your responsibilities and don't ignore the 454th Ellises' Analysis. Also, listening to a woman lecture you on tape would be an easier task if you have Sp

In Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes pays loving homage to sumptuous 1950's Douglas Sirk melodramas. This movie is actually more ambitious than anything Sirk ever did though. Haynes tackles multiple controversies in his "Issues Film", including closeted homosexuality and romance between a black man & a white woman. The actors---especially Julianne Moore---are excellent. Moore, Dennis Quaid and Dennis Haysbert play it very close to the chest and they make their director's deliberately phony-sounding dialogue come across as true and accurate. These characters have three-dimensions and many shades of grey and they all get hurt by the way society was back then...and in some ways still is. Incidentally, we neglected to mention that Haynes himself is gay. We also skated over the horrible act of conversion therapy, which no one should have ever had to go through. And we didn't make the connection that Moore played ANOTHER desperately suppressed '50s housewife in her other 2002 Oscar nomination (The Hours). So don't a

Unlike many of the immature '80s teen comedies that were obsessed with sex, the star-making Fast Times At Ridgemont High stands out for not treating it like a leering joke. Amy Heckerling's first film actually cares about the young women in the huge cast, especially Jennifer Jason Leigh. Sean Penn is uncharacteristically hilarious in one of his characteristically Method roles, but this movie belongs to JJL. She gets to be funny sometimes the way Penn and Judge Reinhold do, sure, but her story gets into dark territory like unwanted pregnancy and abortion. Heckerling and Cameron Crowe (this was his first screenplay) do a masterful job of balancing that kind of serious material with a steady string of laughs. Anyway, you don't have to scalp tickets to listen to the 452nd Ellises' Analysis, especially if you're a cool guy who's intimidated by the intense football player. Just be somebody's baaaay-by tonight. And if you want to sip some coffee while learning about Cuba and having some food, then you should become

Some movies stand out for being great, some stand out for being terrible and some stand out for how juicy the behind-the-scenes stories are. There's always been more gossip about the behaviour of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane co-stars Bette Davis and Joan Crawford than there's been talk about the movie itself. And art imitated life because the actresses playing the sisters in Robert Aldrich's thriller had a mutual hate affair. Crawford has the subdued role as the paraplegic former movie star while Davis gets to eat every little bit of that lovely scenery as the alcoholic former child star. They're tremendous. It's a long movie though, considering their conflict is pretty much the entire reason this film exists. We also didn't think the twist holds up. Still, you can't beat juicy and Baby Jane is that, as is the gossipy jabber in the 451st Ellises' Analysis. So guzzle down some Sparkplug Coffee while you hear us talk about Jane guzzling her booze. You'll get a 20% discount on your next order of Sparkplug (no

Bradley Cooper started his journey to become one of the most-versatile and most-respected actors of his generation when he starred in Silver Linings Playbook. In so many movies since then (and several films before then, really), he's been far better than a 5/10. Writer/director David O. Russell expertly mixes romance & comedy with serious issues like mental illness & irrational rage. Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence (who took home an Oscar), Robert De Niro and the rest of the eclectic cast are very up to the challenge. All of their reactions when they make the parlay after the goofy dance is reason enough to love this movie. So strap on your garbage bag and go for a little run with the kooky love of your life, then sit down with your extended family to enjoy some homemades as you all listen to the 450th Ellises' Analysis together. But, my cherie amour, if you dig on the java, you should also go to Sparkplug Coffee's website and apply our promo code ("top100project") at check-out. That will get you a one-time

There might not be a better accomplishment than to make a movie that has cynics like us want to stand up and chant "USA, USA!" Wolfgang Petersen's Air Force One does just that. Harrison Ford's dogged toughness and his humanity as perhaps the most-popular president in film history is the key here, but the rest of the large cast (especially Gary Oldman as a Russian terrorist) is pretty great too. There are also surprisingly timely echoes of many recent real-life events. In fact, here's a warning for those who don't want to hear us rip on a certain golf-obsessed Floridian: skip ahead a few minutes at the 13-minute mark. But this movie doesn't even need any of these shreds of verisimilitude. It's just a wonderfully entertaining thriller that makes you want to go back to the beginning and watch it again! We also opened up the comment bag at the end of this 449th Ellises' Analysis, which brought about a pretty big announcement. So while a dozen different terrible things are happening in the country that celebrates

Alfonso Cuaron's remarkable career was still in its opening act when he made this beautifully raunchy movie, which inspired us to record a fairly raunchy podcast. Y Tu Mama Tambien is drenched in sex and youthful machismo, but at least there's an older leading lady to offset that with loveliness and soul. Her 2 eager boy toys are fun, dumb and ready to rock at all times. Maribel Verdu puts a fresh spin on the trope of the sexy, older woman while Gael Garcia Bernal & Diego Luna click as friends who learn some lessons on the road. So be a good Charolastra as the 448th Ellises' Analysis hits the beach and dissects Y Tu Mama Tambien. On that long road trip, you'll need to bring along a pile of Sparkplug Coffee. A 20% discount can be had if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Contact us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and also look for Ryan's sports movie podcast (Scoring At The Movies).

It's hard to argue with the fact that CODA is a heartwarming and inclusive film about a family of fishers. Sian Heder's cast of legitimately deaf actors (Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant) gel well with the only hearing member of their family (Emelia Jones). As for Heder's story, it's a well-worn one about strife between people who truly love each other, despite the disputes. You also can't argue with the fact that the critics liked CODA. It's nice and it's safe. But that's the problem. When a movie wins the Oscar for Best Picture, it really should be a lot more remarkable than this is. It's not even the best picture in recent years about this subject. Sound Of Metal and the short documentary Audible are just plain better. So while you can't hate CODA, we failed to see why so many loved it as much as they did. Anyway, fire up our 447th Ellises' Analysis to hear us grade a nice movie on a steep curve, but order a batch of Sparkplug Coffee too. They'll give you a 20% discount if you plug in our promo

Hero (or "Heroes", as it SHOULD have been called...maybe even "Superheroes") was a ballyhooed Chinese blockbuster that followed in the golden footsteps of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Both are beautiful, lyrical and impressive technically, but Yimou Zhang's cool-as-a-spinning-swordsman opus tops Ang Lee's remarkable accomplishment...from an aesthetic standpoint anyway. We just wished Zhang's story had stuck to our ribs the way Lee's did. Hero is indeed one of the prettiest pictures ever made though. Jet Li and his co-stars are right on point. The non-stop action is great and the flashback structure allows Zhang to feature a tremendous colour palette. So use your billowing sleeves to deflect a flurry of arrows as the 446th Ellises' Analysis chats about Nameless and the namesake of China and their noble co-stars. Oh, you should know that our brief gab would feel better in your ears if you had coffee in your mouth. Sparkplug Coffee offers a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). Also, shoot

The one that made movie stars out of Damon & Affleck has been discussed by nearly everybody for the past 25 years, but we managed to find several new wrinkles in this well-written dramedy about friendship, love, grief and advanced math. Matt & Ben won Oscars for their quotable script and so did Robin Williams for his heartfelt performance as Damon's therapist. Williams is at his best in Good Will Hunting and now we can see how his character has even more depth than we thought at the time. Gus Van Sant got marvelous work out of those 3 stars, not to mention Stellan Skarsgard and Minnie Driver. It's an atypical film for an arthouse director like Van Sant, but he wrings all the emotion and comedy out of apples, caramels and Bah-ston coffee. So let the quirky, cool and sexy lady win you over with a kiss as the 445th Ellises' Analysis psychoanalyzes Good Will Hunting. But, hey, don't sit around eating caramels when you can get a 20% discount off Sparkplug Coffee. Use our promo code ("top100project") to sav

Invite all your monkey friends out for a day of river rafting as the 444th Ellises' Analysis dives into the goings on in "Apocalypse Before". Werner Herzog was still fairly new to making movies that are filled with verisimilitude when he made this incredibly authentic cult favourite deep in the Peruvian wilderness with his "best fiend" Klaus Kinski. The two of them had famous battles during this and other projects, but this first collaboration just might be their finest. Despite all of Kinski's dangerous unpredictability, he was a powerful and committed actor who deserved to be more of a movie star than he was. As for Aguirre's story, Herzog's Spanish Conquistadors (and *cough cough* all their slaves) float down a raging river to find the fabled city of gold in El Dorado, but that's a fools' journey that results in many deaths. Yeah, this is a bleak flick, but that doesn't stop it from being a great one. So don't let yourself be stalked by savages. Be a savage yourself as you seek out our thoughts about Aguir

The Quiet Man is not the greatest collaboration between the Johns (Ford & Wayne, natch), but it IS probably their most light-hearted. It's also a film jammed with Irish stereotypes. Of course, the director himself was Irish, so some slack should be cut. Other aspects of the story and the performances that don't age very well, however, are more of a problem. At least Maureen O'Hara is no shrinking violet, even if her character is unreasonably upset about her bullying brother withholding her dowry. As for Duke Wayne, he gets to play a former boxer with a serious case of PTSD...and he's pretty likable doing it. So travel to Innisfree with the 443rd Ellises' Analysis filling your ears, which might drown out all those annoying neighbours who won't stay out of your business. To counteract all the beer you'll drink watching this suds-soaked movie, buy yourself a lot of Sparkplug Coffee and use our promo code ("top100project") to get 20% off. You can also tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) and you can di

Growing a conscience when you're an alcoholic, ambulance chaser is a longtime movie trope (right?), but very few of those guys have been played by Paul Newman. Unfortunately, not even one of the world's greatest actors could overcome some problems with David Mamet's script, namely that Newman's motivations for taking a "let's just settle" civil case to trial are selfish and wrongheaded. Taking on the Catholic Church seems like an honourable move in 2022, sure, but that wasn't so obvious 40 years ago. Did even THE CHURCH deserve what happens in this movie? And is the ending in Sidney Lumet's Oscar-nominee actually a happy one? Was justice done? It's a complicated film. So don't be a double agent working for a talented-but-unscrupulous attorney. Just gather in what the 442nd Ellises' Analysis has to say about The Verdict. Oh, and you might want to be like Newman in the last scene and guzzle a bunch of coffee. We have a java sponsor! They are Sparkplug Coffee. Get a 20% discount when you use our promo code ("top

Orson Welles followed up his monumental Citizen Kane with this similarly-themed film about money, privilege, self-destruction and---say it with us---comeuppance. One of the most-influential directors of all time didn't even get to finish The Magnificent Ambersons though because the studio took it away from him in post-production. We can't have a talented-but-iconoclastic kid go and make 2 masterpieces in a row, right?! As good as this truncated version is, you have to wonder what might have been if they let Welles finish it his way. Joseph Cotten, Tim Holt and the rest of the actors are pretty solid, but the direction, the camerawork and the overall filmmaking are the strongest part of this family-focused classic. So put the car before the horse as our 441st Ellises' Analysis hashes out the magnificence of the Ambersons. And to make your listening experience that much tastier, get a whack of Sparkplug Coffee and use our promo code ("top100project") to get a 20% discount. Also, tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bev

The Player turns 30 later this week and this satire hasn't lost very much of its punch. Hollywood is the land of phony (now more than ever!) and that atmosphere can be poison to artistic integrity, sure, but most other films of this type don't feature a guy getting away with literal murder. Yup, we wondered if Robert Altman's comeback film is even cleverer than it first appears. Could most of or even the entire film just be a sly suggestion that Tim Robbins & his co-stars are not in a real story? Is this movie actually...about them? Maybe Altman and writer Michael Tolkin were being even more meta than it appears. Of course, the tracking shot at the beginning and the dozens of cameos by A-list movie stars are what The Player is most famous for, but the character actors headlining the cast have fun playing the comedy straight. So give us your pitch while we constantly worry about losing our jobs as we hash out The Player in our 440th Ellises' Analysis. And, hey, what will be perfect at that pitch meeting at

Before The Devil Knows You're Dead wasn't peered at by very many eyeballs 15 years ago, but Sidney Lumet's final film deserved to be seen by many and deserved to be a hit. Kelly Masterson's subtle script is award-worthy and the late & very great Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellent as the lead of this tremendous cast. He shares the screen with pros like Hawke, Tomei, Finney and Shannon. The talent just keeps on comin'. This dark movie is about jewels, money, drugs, debt, family strife, killers and crooks. Nobody is happy, things go off the rails and the Hanson family falls apart. Fun, right?! Okay, it isn't, but their bloody journey is fascinating to watch. So rope your loser brother into helping you commit a few heinous crimes, but also stuff our 439th Ellises' Analysis into your car's CD player (okay, that's not possible) to hear our gab. Meanwhile, Sparkplug Coffee helps us with payin' the bills and they will give you a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project"). You can tweet us (@moviefi

Luis Bunuel was a master director who was often ahead of his time. This isn't the only surreal movie he made, although it isn't always easy to figure out what's real and what's fantasy in this case. In fact, Belle De Jour had us questioning if ANY of this often-masochistic story is real. It's a difficult one to unravel because there's the forward-thinking focus on Catherine Deneuve's sexual empowerment, but the movie also feels like a relic of the old days when men did what they wanted to do to women. Either way, Belle De Jour is an undisputedly creative French flick that somehow found a way to feature plenty of sex without actually showing any. So let your freak flag fly at full mast as we talk about forbidden desires, daytime brothels, cuckolding and so much more in the 438th Ellises' Analysis. Oh, and don't you dare forget to indulge your coffee-tooth by buying a load of Sparkplug Coffee (a 20% discount is yours by typing in "top100project") and also tweet us (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis), plus you ha