The Top 100 Project

We conclude Sci-Fi Month by going into the Mother Ship and praising/bashing one of the biggest movies of all time. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have made plenty of action and disaster flicks in their day, but ID4 is their best…yet also one of their dumbest. It’s also terribly fun, despite all the death and destruction. Will Smith became an alien-punching superstar, Jeff Goldblum quirked it up in his one-of-a-kind way and Bill Pullman got to give one of the greatest speeches by any movie president. Oh, and Randy Quaid got to be a loose cannon. There’s just so much to love and so much to mock. Enough pre-amble though. You need to pack a missile in your carry-on, give your special lady a tacky engagement ring and hack into the 398th Ellises’ Analysis. Well Actually: Steven Hiller is a Marine pilot, not a Navy pilot. Also, the disaster movie 2012 was released in 2009. A remarkable way to prepare for an assault on an alien invader is to load up on Sparkplug Coffee. Go to Sparkplug’s site. They’ll give you a 20%

Wait, hang on, another movie about a giant rabbit? Only this time the rabbit doesn’t drink booze and pal around with Jimmy Stewart, but leads a teenager with mental problems down the path of scientific discovery and time travel? Well, yeah! Donnie Darko has been analyzed half to death and that’s impressive considering how indifferently the picture was received 20 years ago. Richard Kelly was only 26 back then and he was making his first (and certainly best) feature film. It’s far from perfect, although it has a slew of incredible moments and a dynamite soundtrack. Jake Gyllenhaal sports a solid Kubrick glower and he showed us many glimpses of how good an actor he was going to become. The whole eclectic cast is up to the task, really, and what a trippy movie they’re in.  Okay, but, what about that plot? We give that question a shot! So stay in your comfy bed, but don’t doubt our commitment to Sparkle Motion as the 397th Ellises’ Analysis rips into the story of Donnie D. You’d like to be awake when a jet engine

We began our talk about A.I. at the ending of the movie because the last 15 or 20 minutes have always been controversial. Didn’t it already have the most poetic ending possible before wishes started coming true? We debate that hot topic. Merging the visions of Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick was always going to be an odd mix, but you might be surprised to learn which of them brought the negative and which of them brought the positive to this story. What shouldn’t be surprising is that Haley Joel Osment is terrific in one of the best performances by any child in any movie. He managed to top his great work in The Sixth Sense with this beautifully crafted evolution of a robot who becomes a real boy…or as close to it as a robot can. Spielberg’s fairy tale about a mecha Pinocchio is gorgeous to look at and to listen to, even if it’s episodic and a mite too long. Maybe more than a mite. So let a teddy bear and a gigolo tag along on a quest for your mother’s love as the 396th Ellises’ Analysis continues with Sc

Be Sci-Fi Month, be very Sci-Fi Month. The 395th Ellises’ Analysis is the first of 4 flicks we’ll discuss in June that identify with that creative genre. When you talk about David Cronenberg’s 3 or 4 best pictures, The Fly has got to be a part of that shortlist. Sure, there’s his trademark body horror and some jump scares and plenty of creepiness throughout, but it’s also got more heart than almost any other horror movie. It’s really a tragic love story sold as a fright flick. Jeff Goldblum is at his best here (putting up with extensive, Oscar-winning make-up that eventually swallows him right up), but Geena Davis’ performance is wonderful too. She’s the reason the last scene could make a person require eye-drying tissues. Lauded at the time, The Fly is maturing like a fine Canadian wine and it’s even better now. So don’t liquify your food in disgusting ways. Just curl up with our podcast and a few (solid) donuts to hear us dig into the nooks and crannies of the legend of Brundlefly. Well, Actually: Ronnie’s

It’s only been about a month since this year’s weird Oscars, but this was a good time for the 394th Ellises’ Analysis to spend a solid hour unraveling the beauty of the heartfelt winner of Best Picture. As she so often is, Frances McDormand is quiet, stern and so real. She lets her fellow performers and Chloe Zhao’s story come to her. Fern/Fran accomplishes more with a simple gesture than most people do in a 10-minute monologue. And she’s working with mostly unprofessional actors! They’re real nomads basically just playing themselves, but they all shine (especially Bob and Swankie). Nomadland gets better with multiple viewings and we’ll explain why some elements were more personal to us this time than they were when we saw it for the first time back in early April. So don’t be a loner who can’t be tied down. Or do, if that’s what you want and need. But whichever path you take, toss our chat into your ears and feel every feeling in this movie right along with us. This episode is dedicated to Jason Ellis. If yo

Bonus episode! Taking a page from our COVID-19 specials last year, we each made 2 movie recommendations in this episode, using the caveat that we had to sell the flicks to you using only 19 words. Each of us also tossed around some trivia questions. And we opened up the emailbag! Gender identification at the Oscars came up. Unlikeable directors came up. Desert island movies came up. The Golden Globes controversy came up. And classic flicks that we’ve previously reviewed like The Shining, E.T., Back To The Future, Pulp Fiction, Jaws and Django Unchained came up too. So bonus it up! Note: Ryan has seen Wonderstruck since this recording. The verdict? It’s handsomely made and the actors are pretty good, but the story isn’t very compelling and, while the ending is heartfelt, it’s not very believable. If you do some Tweetin’, Tweet us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis

You’ll get 2 reviews for the price of one in the 393rd Ellises’ Analysis because the sequel came up a lot in this chat about Dreamworks’ groundbreaking Shrek. The snarky and often meta sense of humour that was so fresh at the time is still pretty gut-busting 2 decades later. Getting comedy superstars like Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy to provide the voices for the two iconic main roles was not as common as it's become ever since, but, wow, did the Myers/Murphy stunt casting (not to mention Cameron Diaz and especially John Lithgow) work perfectly. And while Pixar was and is the benchmark for digital animation, the look of Shrek is comparatively awesome in its own right. Well, mostly. So as you digest our gab about the ogre, please don’t bully the bad guy about his pintsizedness when there are so many other reason to dislike him, but DO love yourself no matter what you look like. You can live happily ever after if you become a customer of Sparkplug Coffee. Man, that’s a big promise. Okay, you can just get a great

Asghar Farhadi’s fair and balanced examination of a crumbling marriage (two crumbling marriages, really) is a tremendous accomplishment. Farhadi deals in ethics, morality, sexism, secrets and a lot of lies. He’s certainly got the cast to pull all of that off. His Oscar-winner shows empathy for all his middle-class and working-class Iranian characters and finds fascinating peel-back-the-layers ways to show the humanity in all of them. A Separation is also an unusual courtroom movie that doesn’t rely on big acting moments in a mahogany-filled room. So don’t shove people out of your apartment or accuse them of petty theft. Just settle in for the 392nd Ellises’ Analysis, but forgive us off the bat for how we butchered Iranian names as badly as we did. Well, Actually: According to the IMDb, they’re speaking Persian in this film, not Farsi or Urdu. Sparkplug Coffee is the perfect drink when you’re stressed out and trying to keep things from falling apart. They’ll ship you a bag of beans and toss a 20% discount your

Charlize Theron might very well have outdone her remarkable performance in Monster with her take on a narcissistic ghost writer of Young Adult books in this pitch-black comedy. Director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody reteamed 4 years after the Oscar-winning Juno to give us one of the great navel-gazers in modern film history. Their flick didn’t find much of an audience 10 years ago, perhaps because of the surprising ending that we both loved. Or maybe Joe Average Moviegoer found Patrick Wilson’s character to be as confusing as we did and maybe they also thought his typically bland performance wasn’t enough to offset great work by the polar-opposite Patton Oswalt. Anyway, don’t be a dismissive bully. Just flop face-first on the bed after you’ve had a KFC binge (and feed your dog!) as we tell personal stories and rave about Young Adult in the 391st Ellises’ Analysis. Also, fire off questions, comments & criticism at us on Twitter (@moviefiend51 & @bevellisellis) or via email (top100projectpodcast@

Bonus episode! We had many, many thoughts about the uber-weird 2020 (and somewhat 2021) Academy Awards. Then again, who didn't...if you even watched the show. Not many people did. Most of the movies up for the gold naked guys ranged from good to great, so if you didn't see the strangest awards program this group has ever put on, then you missed out on excellent work being rewarded. Still, though, an In Memoriam on fast forward? No time limits on the speeches? Best Picture isn't the main event? And that anticlimactic ending? We get into all of that. The good news is that the Academy's choice for the best movie of the year, Nomadland, will be discussed by us later this year, so check it out on Disney+ soon and then stay tuned for our full review. Well, Actually: In case it isn't clear, Ryan said the Academy and the producers will probably deny they put the Best Actor on last because they thought Chadwick Boseman was going to win. Also, Bev said "Missouri" when she should have said "Minnesota" regarding the Dere

We haven’t yapped about a Wes Anderson movie in over 4 years, so the 390th Ellises’ Analysis was crying out to end that twee drought. Actually, forget that “twee” stuff. Why be so reductive of such a talented filmmaker? Anderson is quirky and precise, plus he loves his eye-popping colours (especially pink), he loves his ensemble casts and he loves making tragicomedies. This film is a bit more cold and distant than some of his other ones, but it’s also a surprisingly violent movie about grief and trying to remain civil in uncivil times. However, like all of Wes’ works, The Grand Budapest Hotel is awfully funny. Ralph Fiennes is uncharacteristically hilarious in the leading role and what a sensational supporting cast working with and against him. So settle in for our last movie in Oscar Month as we unravel the delightful threads on this grand turducken. A marvelous way to start your morning is to heat up some Sparkplug Coffee. Their one-time 20% discount is still available. Type in “top100project” at check-out

For the 6th year in a row, we present our Oscars Preview. This strange year featured a slew of wonderful movies, almost none of which we were able to see on the big screen. Stupid airborne germs! Nevertheless, the candidates for Best Picture are a strong crop. Most of them are diverse, socially aware and about timely topics. Even though Mank is The Irishman of this year’s bunch (so many nominations, yet so unworthy of them), the rest of the flicks up for the top gold naked guy range from good to fantastic. From Nomadland to Minari to Sound Of Metal to The Father, it was another good year at the movies. So stroke that play button as our 389th Ellises’ Analysis digs into the details of the world’s most famous awards show. Well, Actually: Ryan called the young boy in Minari “David” S. Kim when of course David is his character’s name and Alan is his real name. Also, we didn’t highlight our faves of the past year in this show like we did in previous Oscars Previews, but it IS nearly the end of April. Maybe we’ll t

In the 388th Ellises’ Analysis, we’re back on the Martin Scorsese mob-movie train. The Depahted is a high-energy remake that finally won Marty an Oscar, even though it’s something of a greatest hits flick, especially for this living legend and his frequent collaborators. While it’s entertaining and the cast is an impressive collection of talent, the film doesn’t have the depth or staying power that Scorsese’s best pictures do. Is this even in his Top 5? Anyway, make no mistake, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon doing fine work in the compare-and-contrast lead moles…uh, make that roles…you know you’re in good hands. So don’t be a rat in Jack Nicholson’s gangster crew and please don’t make an appointment with the worst therapist in Bahston…or perhaps in the entire world. Just settle in for a solid hour of us celebrating AND grousing about ol’ Bullet To The Head. Well, Actually: Stanley Kubrick won an Oscar for 2001: A Space Odyssey’s Visual Effects (not an Honorary Award). Also, Orson Welles won a trophy fo

Should you listen to the pragmatic 387th Ellises’ Analysis? Well, if you’re the ego-driven Sir Thomas More, then the response to that question would be to fold your arms, stick out your bottom lip and say “NO!” This is a frustrating movie. It’s well-made and most of the actors are authentic, but far too many of them are also quite dull or they’re seriously overdoing it. Plus, any film that’s about the British royals and the Catholic Church is facing a serious uphill climb around these atheistic parts. In any case, More’s unwavering certainty and his stubborn martyrdom offer no real drama. Fred Zinnemann was a great director, but he just didn’t find a way to make us care about this stalwart lead character. In any case, it’s appropriate for us to come out of Easter weekend talking about a Jesus stand-in during the Henry VIII era of not-so-jolly old England. We recommend you go to Sparkplug Coffee and get yourself an order…or five. They do it great. They also offer a 10% discount for you moral and certain types

The 386th Ellises’ Analysis has us gabbing about a popular 2001 rom-com, although whether or not this is even a rom-com was up for debate. There’s no argument that Reese Witherspoon charms and glows in Legally Blonde. This isn’t the best performance of Reese’s career, but it’s probably her signature role and the movie would likely stink if she wasn’t playing such a likable Elle. We had some disagreements about the quality of the script though, specifically the entire premise of “I’m going to win back my mediocre ex-boyfriend”, partly because the yutz never deserved her in the first place. Anyway, this pithy pink flick is a fun way to ring in the spring, so bend & snap your way into our prestigious Harvard-ish podcast, but first study hard and win everybody over like a certain Miss Woods always, always does. Well, Actually: The immortal Chuck is played by Jason Christopher. Also, the recent TV shows Reese has produced that we couldn’t think of are Little Fires Everywhere and The Morning Show. Bend and snap

It’s way past time we talked about a Robert Altman classic and his pokey-paced anti-western is a tremendous choice for our 385th episode. McCabe & Mrs. Miller has the beautiful duo of Warren Beatty and Julie Christie doing an excellent job of heading up an eclectic cast. Beatty is the drunk, muttering, vulnerable beta (who’s got poetry in him) while Christie is the stern, Cockney-spewing alpha (and the real power in this power couple). This film goes against the typical grain of a western, partly because of the audio mix and the unusual look, but also because John McCabe is far from an old-fashioned hero of the old west. So skulk around town and shoot people in the back (which was probably closer to the truth than most shoot-outs) as we gab about Altman’s odd film that truly holds up. Well, Actually: Julie Christie of course also has a cameo as herself in Nashville and we both liked her in Away From Her enough that we might even cover that picture one day. Sparkplug Coffee would probably not be a great mi

Jimmy Cagney etched his place in cinema history in one of his first films as he plays vicious beer baron Tom Powers in this hugely influential gangster flick. Apart from Jean Harlow, most of his co-stars and even his director (William Wellman) have been forgotten, even though the performances are quite naturalistic for a flick that was made 90 years ago. And, yes, The Public Enemy is the picture where Cagney squishes a grapefruit in Mae Clarke’s face. That iconic moment hasn’t aged well, but most of the movie has. So get ready to root for the (very) bad guy who ain’t so tough as the 384th Ellises’ Analysis zips through a brief episode like the 2 mugs we are. Well, Actually: What killed Jean Harlow amounts to kidney failure. Hey, tough guy, does coffee sound like a good addition to your meal of grapefruit and casual assault? Well, whether yes or no, Sparkplug Coffee is the tops and they’re offering a 20% discount when you use our promo code (“top100project”). Twitter, yeah? Yeah! We are @moviefiend51 and @beve

Are we really covering consecutive, black-and-white flicks about murder that also have an abundance of homosexual subtext? Sure, why not! The Lighthouse was last week. Now we’ve got Strangers On A Train as a companion piece (of sorts). Alfred Hitchcock was always fascinated by murder, but here he is—just like Robert Walker’s excellent villain—obsessed with the perfect murder. Walker also represents the stereotype of a gay killer, so…yeah. Fear not, we dug pretty deep into the history of that. This is a good Hitch flick with flashes of greatness, although the 2nd half simply does not live up to that “let’s swap murders” set-up. So plant that evidence, but stay off amusement park rides that go warp speed as our 383rd episode hashes out what’s going on with Bruno and Guy. Well, Actually: The Picture Of Dorian Gray was released in 1945. Also, it can be confirmed that Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers On A Train novel doesn’t have the crazy carousel ride at the end that the movie does. Also also, the most-recent Hitc

The last few months of Ellises’ Analysis podcasts have been about straightforward movies, so we were overdue to get into surreal territory in our 382nd episode. To borrow a scream from Timon in The Lion King, “WHAT’S GOIN’ ON HERE?!” Well, we have theories, Timon. Robert Eggers is 2 for 2 on the weirdness scale and (just like in The Witch) he loves to play with us about what’s real and what isn’t. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson chew it up as they tease us with their sometimes indecipherable speech patterns and they REALLY tease us as they play up the homosexual subtext. It’s a meaty movie, matey. So leave that seagull alone and gulp down some tasty turpentine as we spill our beans about The Lighthouse. When you can’t drink the water and you don’t want to drink the booze, you’d be a dadburn fool not to guzzle Sparkplug Coffee. They are eager to give all you scurvy dogs a 20% discount. All y’ar need to do is type in our promo code (“top100project”) at checkout. Be modern and talk to us on that thar site know

Olivia Wilde’s acclaimed directorial debut provides a juicy topic for the 381st Ellises’ Analysis. Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever are a fresh and funny team, but Billie Lourd steals the show with her delightful take on a free-spirited party animal. For a low-budget comedy, this movie is ambitious and it’s very technically accomplished, but the characters are inconsistent and the picture has more than a few WTF moments. Unhappy with that statement? Well, just wait because we’ll certainly angry up the blood of those who don’t like hearing Booksmart compared to Superbad. We stuck our faces deep into that hornet’s nest too. So support your BFF, Malala, but get a lot of quarters ready for the swear jar as 2 middle-aged people talk about a laughfest meant for teenagers. Well, Actually: The talented editor (Jamie Gross) is a woman, not a man. Kids who hit the books and also kids who like to party can enjoy a big cup of Sparkplug Coffee with their pancakes. You love saving money, right? A nifty 20% discount is yo