The Top 100 Project

Episode #37 in the Next 100 Project is our final entry in Scary Movie Month. Greg Peck and Lee Remick’s unholy adoption has lost some of its punch, but the best (read: death) scenes are still a treat. This episode also brings about a return of Reasonably Good Questions! Get yourself some Sparkplug Coffee, then explore a swift chat about Dick Donner’s creepy fright flick.

Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie shine (and creep you out) in the topic of our 36th Next 100 Project ‘cast. Brian De Palma’s horror hit doesn’t truly frighten us anymore, but its themes are juicy. Bullying, feminism, religious insanity are all here, plus we discuss if Carrie is a burgeoning super-hero. Punch up the Sparkplug.Coffee link, then be nice to the prom queen and hear of her bloody tale.

Next 100 Project podcast #35 is a big pile of delicious intrigue. Is it also impenetrable? You want answers? We might have some! Special thanks to dozens of websites and articles for their help analyzing David Lynch’s haunting masterpiece. Naomi Watts is positively brilliant and Laura Harring is...pretty good too. Hit up Sparkplug Coffee to get your java, then hit that button!

One of the more messed-up movies ever made has us talking for more than an hour in the 34th episode of the Next 100 Project. Dennis Hopper is a monumentally crazy bad guy in David Lynch’s defining film. It's also technically gorgeous and, even after 30 years, ahead of its time. Suck up your amyl nitrate, tune up the piano and sing yourself some Bluuuuuue Velvet. Oh, and enjoy it with some Sparkplug Coffee!

A movie about pool? Those are 2 of Ryan's favourite things! The 33rd ep in the Next 100 Project explores the rich scenery, the cool writing and the terrific actors in this cynical '60s classic. Paul Newman is the man, but Piper Laurie might be even better. And who can forget the quiet coolness of Jackie Gleason and the dominant ferocity raging deep in George C. Scott? Buy Sparkplug Coffee, then chalk up your listening ears...or your pool cue. Whichever.

#32 in the Next 100 Project takes us back 70 years to peek at one of Hitchcock’s very best. Cary Grant is not Mister Charming in this one and Ingrid Bergman’s duplicity makes her untrustworthy. So you gotta root for Claude Rains, the Nazi! Wait...what? Hear our extensive thoughts (we even answer some emails!), but do it with a cup of Sparkplug Coffee in your hand!

Trek to Japan to shoot booze ads and find your unrequited love interest in the 31st edition of the Next 100 Project. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are a wonderfully matched duo in Sofia Coppola’s masterwork. Dry comedy, fish out of waterness and what about that whisper at the end? Take it all in after you cozy up to Sparkplug.Coffee!

If you haven’t come of age in a while, standing by a bunch of foul-mouthed pre-teens is definitely your best bet. The 30th edition of the Next 100 Project covers Rob Reiner’s acclaimed direction of Wheaton, Phoenix, Feldman and O’Connell. We were a bit split on the movie though. Who liked it more?! [The answer will not shock you.] Get some Sparkplug.Coffee for your long walk on the tracks, then gun this chat into your ears!

With our 29th Next 100 Project podcast, we deal in honour and shame...and also 16th Century small-scale war. Akira Kurosawa’s best-known film stars polar opposites: calm Takashi Shimura and frenetic Toshiro Mifune. They and their fellow actors are surrounded by authentic period sets & costumes...and all that rain & mud. Get your subtitles-reading eyeglasses on, order up some Sparkplug Coffee, then focus on our opinions about the Seven!

Our 28th Next 100 Project ‘cast explores the strange lives of Robert Crumb and his family. The access in this documentary sets it apart. No activism either, just 2 hours with a legendary cartoonist and his fascinating fellow Crumbs. Art as therapy! Get some Sparkplug.Coffee before you jump on for a piggyback ride.

The 27th edition of the Next 100 Project takes us into inner-city Los Angeles. John Singleton’s debut is a “suburban war film” (compliment) and he directs some tremendous performances (big compliment). Cuba, Cube, Chestnut, Fish and Bassett couldn’t be any better. Powerful flick. Order from our sponsor Sparkplug Coffee, put on your mustard-coloured shirt and dig into the Hood!

N100P podcast #26 is all about a romantic comedy that isn’t very funny and also isn’t very romantic. Somehow, Audrey Hepburn’s charm makes it work as well as it does. Mickey Rooney’s awful (and awfully racist) character doesn’t help though. If you want to hear us say “iconic”, “in the book” and “Hays Code” a lot, this ‘cast will be your dream come very true! Pour yourself several drinks, cue up your Moon River mood music and give us a listen (but not before going over to Sparkplug.Coffee).

Paranoia, mistrust and fear. They said this movie was about Communism or McCarthyism, but it’s actually pretty accurate to our political climate today. The 25th Next 100 Project ‘cast finds us in this fascinating & original world, with Don Siegel’s direction & Kevin McCarthy’s leading performance anchoring the flick. Get Sparkplug Coffee, then narrow your eyes at your neighbour as we tell you about the Snatchers.

In advance of the lady-filled remake coming out later this week, N100P podcast #24 finds us back in NYC with the zaniest paranormal investigators and eliminators of all time. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd & Harold Ramis (but let’s not forget Ernie Hudson!) are great, but we say the biggest laughs in this iconic comedy belong to Rick Moranis. Order your Sparkplug Coffee, then heat ’em up and cross those streams!

The Now Playing Project returns! We were supposed to be off this week (and then we were only going to post this podcast on top100project.com), but it's Download City after all. So here's a quick, unresearched, backyard, bonus episode of the Blake v Shark movie. Complete and thorough spoilers, so beware!

Coolness personified, baby! The 23rd ep of the Next 100 Project has us in F/X and action fantasy-land with one of the great sequels (and sci-fi flicks) ever. Ah-nuld and Jim Cameron were a great team, but Linda Hamilton is the not-sung-enough hero here. And how about the awesome villainy of the T-1000? It's been 25 years, but this 'un holds up. Dial in Sparkplug.Coffee, then hunker down for a long lip-smacker about a humungoid hit!

Steve McQueen is the main attraction in the 22nd N100P podcast (although some of us prefer James Garner). This John Sturges P.O.W. flick features an ensemble cast of talented white dudes, including the rich old man from Jurassic Park and the obsessed shrink in the Halloween series. But as for The Great Escape, it’s pretty exciting stuff! To hear a lot more, dial up Sparkplug.Coffee and then do that listening thing...

Lucky #21 in the Next 100 Project is one of the great screwball rom-coms to ever see the light of day. Barbara Stanwyck defines silky greatness and Henry Fonda (yes, ol’ Hank) is delightful at pratfalls and silliness. This is positively Preston Sturges’ masterpiece! Before you hear our words, get some Sparkplug Coffee.

Oooooooooh yeah! The 20th edition of the Next 100 Project is a bonafide classic for people who grew up in the ’80s. Matthew Broderick is the most-famous character John Hughes ever created, smug though Ferris may be. Let’s not forget, this flick remains rather funny too. We break it all down, but you gotta check out Sparkplug Coffee before you listen to Bueller...Bueller...Bueller...

Ridley Scott's feminist road movie is 25 years old, but some of the characters' struggles remain awfully current. Sure, this flick is political, but it's also "Butch & Sundance in a car!" How can you not love that? Geena Davis and the immortal Susan Sarandon have rarely been better. Plus....smooth, smooth Brad Pitt. Buy Sparkplug Coffee, then fire up your podcasting T-Bird.