The Top 100 Project

Whether it’s because of Stockholm Syndrome or just because the movie earned it by being good, people love Beauty And The Beast. It’s not our favourite cartoon of all time, but we certainly found plenty to appreciate in it, especially the (mostly) old-fashioned hand-drawn animation. We answered the question about whether or not the story has aged badly and we dug pretty deeply into the unfair ramifications of the vindictive hag’s curse. So ignore your children in the cupboard, mon cherie, but feel free to hunker down in your giant castle as the 380th Ellises’ Analysis hits you with a little of the Disney sing-song. Be Sparkplug Coffee‘s guest, be their guest, etc. Help yourself to a 20% discount by using our promo code (“top100project”) at the checkout stage. Twitterpalooza: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also grooves on sports flicks over on Scoring At The Movies

A racism movie that’s masquerading as a math movie isn’t a well-worn genre, but Hidden Figures would be an excellent template if such a genre ever took off. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae are a terrific team playing 3 brilliant black women at NASA in this true story. Theodore Melfi’s finest film handles race relations in far less clumsy ways than other recent cracks at the complex subject (cough cough Green Book). We addressed the suggestion that Kevin Costner is playing a white saviour and we obviously dug into all the racism…ie. the stupidly self-defeating practice of shunning people just because they’re different from you. So saunter off to the washroom with your notebooks several times a day, but make sure our 379th episode is cooing in your ears on the way. Allow your co-workers to bring you a well-deserved cup of java and make it Sparkplug Coffee. Our longtime sponsors will throw a 20% discount your way too. All you have to do is use our discount code (“top100project”) at checkout.

The 378th Ellises' Analysis asks if you're an Enid or a Rebecca. Not that we actually care which of them you are. We're too cool to be particularly interested in you. Okay, WE'RE not too cool, but Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson sure are in Ghost World. Bev's final choice in the Month O' Bev has her discussing her own evolution from a mean girl to the delightfully nerdy adult she has become. We also talked about the offensive artwork in Terry Zwigoff's flick and what kind of reaction the controversial painting at the art show would get today. So grow up a little and loosen your grip on both your BFF and your childhood as you board a bus to nowhere and stuff a podcast about a funky comedy in your earholes. Don't be too cool for Sparkplug Coffee, kids. Your bag of beans will be 20% cheaper if you use our promo code ("top100project") when you're ready to pay. Tweet your thoughts to 2 sometimes snarky people: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also jams about sports motion p

If you dig beauty pageants, the 377th Ellises’ Analysis probably won’t be your jam. We weren’t kind to such ridiculous nonsense in this episode. We did love the performances of these actors though and the Dayton/Faris/Arndt directing & writing team set this chemistry-filled cast up with some good material. And the laughs! Funny movie. There are problems though. The surprise ending that bonds the family is delightful and the movie mocks beauty pageants, but the film is still asking us to root for a little girl to enter one in the first place. Anyway, it’s time to dance with your superfreaky family and gulp down some ice cream for breakfast as you judge our thoughts about Little Miss Sunshine. Well, Actually: It should be noted that pageant assistant Pam (Mary Lynn Rajskub) also takes quiet delight in Olive’s controversial dance, just as the DJ and that weird biker guy do. If you would pop the clutch to get a discount, you should get the car rolling and you’ll get 20% off your first order of Sparkplug Coffe

Hedwig And The An-guh-ry Inch is a unique movie. It’s a rip-rockin’ musical with some great songs, but the story is remarkably tragic and also, somehow, upbeat. And what an ending! The last act is surreal and complicated, but it’s also beautiful. John Cameron Mitchell is the auteur of this project (along with Stephen Trask) and Mitchell is also excellent as the headlining title character. Hedwig is a never-say-die character who always picks herself up and carries on, no matter the trauma. This is actually a pretty inspirational story…and who couldn’t use some inspiration these days. So try to find your other half, but before you go out on that quest, plug the 376th Ellises’ Analysis into your brain and enjoy our chat. Sparkplug Coffee isn’t an an-guh-ry drink. It’s great. A fabulous 20% discount can be yours all yours if you enter our promo code (“top100project”) at check-out. Shoot us some tweetages: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also deals in sports flicks on Scoring

We kick off 2021 and we also begin the 6th Annual Month O’ Bev with an extensive discussion about the funny-lady flick Bridesmaids. Hold on. Women can be funny?! Well, we crapped all over that tired old chestnut, but we also, conversely, admired the serious angles this movie often takes. The ending might seem upbeat, but the future might not be so rosy for these “friends”. We debated if this is a film for women way more than it is for men, we disagreed about the necessity of the gross-out scene and we got pretty deep into the fierce but childish competition between Kristen Wiig & Rose Byrne. So stop clinging to the past and no more wallowing in your failures. Just hold on to both “one more day-ay” and to the 375th Ellises’ Analysis as we spend over an hour hashing out Paul Feig’s comedy smash. Well, Actually: Another movie Judd Apatow produced that received an Oscar nomination was Begin Again (“Lost Stars” for Best Song). Also, at the 27:30 mark, Ryan says “the Helen we’ve seen through most of the movie”

To close out this epic year of #BlackLivesMatter protests, we’re tackling a heartbreaking movie about the real-life murder of a young black man by a white cop. Fruitvale Station was made independently and most the cast & crew were not well known back then, although we all know how big a star Michael B. Jordan has become since. He ‘s been terrific in all 3 of director Ryan Coogler’s films, although not even Jordan can match the transcendent work of Octavia Spencer. We spent some time reminiscing about some of our own New Year’s experiences in this 374th Ellises’ Analysis and we also talked a little about our year in podcasting. So pull out your phone and record an injustice, but keep those earbuds in while you do it so you can listen to us for the last time in The Year Of Suck known as 2020. To store up some energy for a long night of NYE partying, you should guzzle some Sparkplug Coffee. They’re still offering a 20% discount to those who use our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to pay up. Tw

We’ll give you 8 reasons to listen to the 373rd Ellises’ Analysis. 1) We talked about whether or not this film needed to be shot in 70mm. 2) We got into how auteurs like the one who made this movie are using their clout to push back against a changing industry. 3) We spent a bunch of time discussing Quentin Tarantino’s filmmaking tactics and how he makes you enjoy savage violence. 4) We also talked about the goods, the bads and the uglies involved in working with QT. 5) We debated if he really is going to retire from directing soon. 6) We eventually answered the question of whether Daisy is bluffing about having back-up gang members. 7) We praised the bleak ending that somehow manages to end on a measure of hope too. 8) Finally, we praised the performances and the production design while not loving the indulgences of the verrrry long Hateful Eight. Okay, that was 8 reasons. Share the contents of your Lincoln Letter with an enemy-turned-friend as we speak about The Hateful Eight for a good long while. Well, Ac

A Christmas movie with a bloodthirsty spirit (that definitely should have been rated R) is probably the ideal choice for the end of this awful year. Violent pranksters that easily multiply, then infest small towns and cause havoc? Yup, seems appropriate for 2020. Joe Dante’s mega-hit features some remarkable puppetry & effects by Chris Walas and his team, but the performances by the human actors don’t measure up to those of the Gremlins. It’s their movie and they know it! However, any movie with adorable delights like Gizmo and Phoebe Cates is always worth watching. So work harder at following the rules than Zach Galligan does and don’t get the 372nd Ellises’ Analysis wet, don’t subject it to bright light and never feed this nuclear weapon of a podcast after midnight. Well, Actually: Indiana Jones And Temple Of Doom was released in May 1984, not in June. Also, the suggestion of setting Mogwai loose in a sunny desert like Iraq is obviously flawed because they would quickly die during the daytime sunlight.

Tom Hanks the movie star and Robert Zemeckis the master storyteller authored an unusual megahit 20 years ago because it’s about loneliness, sadness and the slow march of time. Wait, hold on. Cast Away just might be the signature movie for THIS depressing year…if a feature of 2020 was to have volleyballs becoming the bosom buddies of sad people on tropical islands. Anyway, our chat didn’t just focus on Zemeckis' procedural about patience. Disney+ came up. The goods and bads of product placement came up. What we want to do the most after the pandemic came up. This being a Christmas movie (it is!) even came up. And, of course, we channeled Brad Pitt from Se7en and asked what’s in the (FedEx) box. So buy a brand new volleyball and don’t give up hope. In fact, go back and ask that welder lady out for drinks and we suggest you both listen to the epic 371st Ellises’ Analysis together. Tom Hanks badly needed Sparkplug Coffee on that island. He would have loved the 20% discount he can get by entering “top100project” i

The Christmas season is here! Well, Christmas lasts about 5 months in this part of the world, so it’s actually been here since we still needed air conditioning. Anyway, Home Alone! It’s the G-rated Straw Dogs. It’s also the movie where we root for a housebound child to practically murder 2 men for trying to steal the VCR. Kevin will probably grow up to be a big fan of the 2nd Amendment…or perhaps a cancer-stricken serial killer who really digs booby traps. Anyway, this John Hughes/Chris Columbus blockbuster is packed with cartoonish violence & cartoonish performances and a resourceful kid gets to be the hero by any horrific means necessary. Arrest that burgeoning sociopath! Anyway, the movie ISN'T packed with much meaningful character development (especially amongst the jerky members of this strange family), but it remains entertaining and fun. Macaulay Culkin wasn’t even 10 years old when Home Alone came out 30 years ago, but it made him a movie star. So don’t give up. Be thirsty for more…of the 370th El

What’s funnier than chain gangs and the KKK in the Deep South during the Depression? Perhaps nothing could be. Okay, it sounds like an unfunny subject, but the remarkable Joel & Ethan Coen defy the odds by casting great actors, featuring a lot of dynamite songs and unleashing plenty of goofiness. O Brother helped make George Clooney a movie star, even though he, John Turturro and the hilarious Tim Blake Nelson are pretty much playing the Three Stooges. If only the Stooges were this likable or blessed with such a gift of gab! We talked a lot about the Coens’ entire career (the comedies, the dramas, the hits, the misses) and we certainly dug into the inspiration for this zany flick (The Odyssey). It's time for some fun, so we suggest you DO seek the tray-sure of the 369th Ellises’ Analysis. Well, Actually: The first film in which both Coens were credited as a director was The Ladykillers. Also, Tim Blake Nelson’s character in The Incredible Hulk was Samuel Sterns aka The Leader. Coffee, eh? Yes! Sparkplug C

So it's Monty Python then. Holy Grails and all that. You know these guys. They're comedy legends. They're The Beatles of satire. Do we need to say more? Okay, we're not the biggest Python nerds of all time and we criticized over-the-top fandom quite a bit here. Also, the movie peters out in the second half and we (prepare to be appalled) just don't get the Knights Who Say Ni. But, faults aside, this inspired bit of lunacy is still jammed to the coconuts with incredibly big laughs. So GET ON WITH IT because episode #368 is ready for a listenin'. Well, Actually: We covered Rashomon nearly 3 months ago, not 1 month ago. Also, Swedish for "with" is "med". Also also, Graham Chapman is indeed in The Meaning Of Life. Our sponsor is Sparkplug Coffee. They won't bring you a shrubbery, but you WILL nab a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project") when it's bill-paying time. Our website is top100project.com We are tweetable: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Ryan also talks about sports movies over on Scori

Despite the great political news in the past few days, we all still need laughs in our lives, so Funny Movie Month continues. Our 367th Ellises’ Analysis digs into a 70-year-old mental-illness comedy with the giant, invisible rabbit. It’s also a movie that just roots for nice people. Too bad Harvey doesn’t cause more guffaws, especially considering it’s one of the AFI’s highest-ranked comedies. Also, sorry to say, but even though this might be one his most-beloved roles, we’re not as over the moon as many fans are about Jimmy Stewart in this goofy flick. There’s still fun to be had with this one though, so pour a couple of martinis (make that many, MANY martinis) and have a friendly hang with us as we talk about Mr. Dowd and his pooka. Sparkplug Coffee sponsors us. Buy their stuff. It’s pretty great. You’re gonna love it. They’ll knock 20% off the bottom line if you use our promo code (“top100project”). Tweet as if your best buddy is either a magical being or even perhaps the Lord himself: @moviefiend51 and @

Heads up, Proud Boys and such, the 366th Ellises’ Analysis is politically polarizing, but we make zero none NO apologies for how we feel. We’re starting Funny Movie Month the day before the American election because we all need some laughs after a monumentally terrible year. Charlie Chaplin’s mixture of politics and humour isn’t a smooth one though. We preferred the farcical Hynkel scenes because what sane person doesn’t like seeing Adolf Hitler being brutally mocked? The Tramp scenes…wait, the “Jewish Barber” scenes are necessary for the plot, but they’re just in the wrong movie. What an ending with the barber’s passionate speech though! It’s sappy and so very on the nose, but it’s advice everyone needs and they should heed it no matter the decade or the dictator involved. So don’t be a phony poseur buffoon in 1940, 2020 or anytime. Bump a balloon with your bottom, be a mensch and devour our musings about Chaplin’s Hitler flick. An excellent way to warm up those chilly November days and nights is to dump so

For the last episode in Scary Movie Month, we tethered ourselves to the couch and checked out Jordan Peele’s blockbuster follow-up to his blockbuster debut. While Peele’s Get Out is leaner and has a more-believable sci-fi premise, Us hits a lot of its own effectively eerie notes. This flick is worth a 2nd and even a 3rd look just to try to spot all the film & TV references and sift through the subtleties. Lupita Nyong’o is brilliant and was worthy of a closetful of awards playing 2 distinct characters. She and her terrific co-stars also REALLY get to play with the hero/villain dynamic. There’s so much duality and subtext here. Maybe a little too much? Anyway, don’t let some punk clone switch you out or make you hold hands with strangers. Just pound the play button on the 365th Ellises' Analysis, but before you do, please be like Jason and put on your damn mask! Well, Actually: Us was NOT a bigger hit than Get Out (which made about a million bucks more). Also, the song we couldn’t remember is “I Got 5 On I

The 3rd entry in Scary Movie Month finds us in Japan as we get under the skin of Takashi Miike's Audition. Whether it's one of the first J-Horror flicks or a forerunner to torture porn is up for debate, but you can't debate that this is an intense experience that you'll never forget. We saw the movie a little differently though. We couldn't agree about whether or not the most memorable scenes are even real. And is Aoyama into sadomasochism? Also, why does Asami do the shudder-inducing things she does? Anyway, the 364th Ellises' Analysis doesn't aim for your ankles but it does go pretty deep (deeper, deeper, deeper) into the nooks and also the crannies of Odishon. Well, Actually: We didn't bring up the Rotten Tomatoes reviews like we usually do, which were 82% of critics and 80% of audiences. Also, we didn't talk about how castration (!) might very well be a subtext of what happens in the infamous climax. Don't let someone twist (off) your arms or legs or anything else without first drinking Sparkplug Coffee.

Rob Reiner took a break from his run of classic '80s comedies to direct a thriller and he scored again, even though he wasn't in his comfort zone. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her tightrope performance that blends horror with campy comedy about as well you possibly can. She's James Caan's #1 fan and she's also the perfect representation of a toxic fan. Stephen King (who wrote the book) could no doubt personally relate to that. We hashed out the work and the clashing styles of the 2 main characters (there were disagreements), but there's no disputing how terrific Richard Farnsworth and Frances Sternhagen are. The 363rd Ellises' Analysis is anything but a cockadoodie, so stash your pain pills, and don't let a madwoman take a sledge to your ankles, MISTER MAN. Well, Actually: The Green Mile had 4 Oscar nominations, not 5. Also, The Running Man is indeed one of the 4 short stories in the Rage/The Long Walk/Roadwork series of King's "Bachman Books". Also also, Bates is only 5'3", while Caan is nearly 5'10", so cam

The first entry in our 5th Annual Scary Movie Month has us visiting ’60s London to gaze at the beautiful, but deeply messed-up Catherine Deneuve. This isn’t Roman Polanski’s best-known work, but his strange thriller deserves to be re-discovered. Speaking of the victim who created a victim, we spent a solid 10 minutes (starting at the 6-minute mark) discussing Polanski’s real-life rape case and how we feel about the man. If you don’t want to hear about that story again, you’ll know when to start skipping and when to stop skipping. Anyway, Repulsion was ahead of its time and it remains surprisingly modern. The look, the sound, the simple but eerie story are all world-class. And this has been a theme on this channel lately, but is any of it real or is it all just one big hallucination? So barricade your door (badly), avoid those grabby hands, pick up an interloper’s straight razor and start killing your free time with the 362nd Ellises’ Analysis. Rotting rabbit isn’t the best choice for a main course, but Sparkp

The 361st Ellises' Analysis is dedicated to our late dog Fox for reasons that will quickly (and often) become apparent. That little Pomeranian is all over this podcast! Anyway, we're split on yet another movie, but we don't disagree about the quality of the outstanding look and style of Twelve Monkeys. Terry Gilliam's quirks are perfectly suited to this time-travel movie. Wait, is it a time-travel movie...or maybe just one man's psychosis? Brains are twisted trying to figure that out. The film hasn't changed, but we have, so maybe that's why a lot of the performances don't seem as great as they did 25 years ago. A pox on us for saying it, but that includes Brad Pitt and all his manic tics. Bruce Willis, however, is doing pretty much the best work of his long career. So find out what we thought about a virus movie that unfortunately remains very timely. Well, Actually: The scientists in the future COULD know things Cole has said & heard because they are supposedly monitoring him through his teeth. Also, th