The Top 100 Project

The 122nd T100P 'cast dives into an intimate ghost story after weeks of big-budget epics. Is this movie more effective when you know the twist...or less? Is it a worthy way to end a great run of AFI movies in the '90s? How did the M. Night Shyamalan / Bruce Willis ego dynamic co-exist in this mega-hit? We've got an answer or two, so check us out and also hit up our sponsor at sparkplugcoffee.com!

War! The 121st edition of the T100P digs into the horror & brutality of WWII. The celebrated opening D-Day battle might never be topped for bloody authenticity. Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks end their AFI days. Is their first major collaboration as great as many think? We could tell you now, but you should just plug in your earbuds and hear our jam session...but get your Sparkplug Coffee first.

Hey, it's the movie about the giant boat that stupidly crashed into a jerk piece of ice. It's also the movie about JACK and ROSE! Our 120th edition was the biggest box-office smash ever for 12 years, although it didn't earn all that money because of James Cameron's clever screenplay. This wasn't one of our favourite movies, but take a listen to how much fun we had tearing it to pieces. Do that Sparkplug Coffee thing first though!

Is the subject of our 119th T100P ‘cast terrific stuff? Oh, you betcha. The Ellises love the filmography of Joel & Ethan Coen, so we not only talked about this bloody comedy, but about most of their films. As for Fargo, Frances McDormand is one of the great heroes in all of film and she’s got some despicably awesome villains to thwart. Buy yourself some Sparkplug Coffee, then make the long snowy drive to the mid-west!

It’s been more than 2 years since Fantasia, but our 118th T100P podcast finally features the third animated flick on AFI’s list. Pixar’s first blockbuster has held up so well. It’s funny, heart-warming and was an absolute game-changer for the entire industry. Before you fall with style into the story of Woody & Buzz, get you some Sparkplug Coffee!

Hey, it’s a prison movie with no women where the hero is tortured, raped, beaten and put in solitary confinement for 2 months straight. Nevertheless, Shawshank is one of the favourite pictures for millions of people. T100P #117 tells you what we thought of the work of directorial rookie Frank Darabont guiding Tim Robbins & Morgan Freeman. Don’t forget to get some Sparkplug Coffee, then go to the hoosegow!

It's funny, it's violent, it's jammed with F's, it's brilliant and it's...full of forgiveness? Quentin Tarantino's opus to L.A. hitmen & scumbags is as influential as a modern movie can get. John Travolta got his career back while Uma Thurman & Sam Jackson hit stardom because of this. So rewatchable! Get your Sparkplug Coffee (lots of cream, lots of sugar), then dig into the Pulp.

Marty! Why not cover this incredibly fun movie 2 days before Michael J. Fox and Chris Lloyd travel to the space-agey future with hoverboards and McGuffin-esque sports almanacs?! Of course we gab about the sequels, but Part One is the focus. It truly is one of the all-time favourites for both of us. Dial up some Sparkplug.Coffee as we launch into the past....and the future!

A movie hated as much as it is loved occupies T100P #115. This flick shouldn't make us love it so much, but Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis sell it beautifully at (nearly) every turn. The cast is fine, the F/X are still impressive and the soundtrack is one of the best ever. Prepare yourself for a record number of Gumpian impressions, then order yourself some Sparkplug Coffee while hearing all we have to say about that!

The pinnacle of Holocaust movies is featured in our 114th episode. Steven Spielberg was not the obvious choice to direct this devastating picture, but Mister Blockbuster found a way to merge art with commerce...and make another blockbuster! It remains revered in most critical circles and you really must see it if you haven't. Buy some Sparkplug Coffee and then settle in for the List.

Clint Eastwood's ballyhooed western is the subject of our 113th podcast. Gene Hackman is his leather-tough nemesis (we haven't seen ol' Gene in a while) and we finally get some Morgan Freeman in our AFI lives. This one is full of old-west authenticity. Who's the good guy, who's the bad guy, who's fighting his fear? All that and a ton more, y' hear me. Plus, Sparkplug Coffee and all!

Our 112th edition is a cannibalistic thriller treat with Jodie Foster & Anthony Hopkins equally matched as hero & villain. Let's not forget the scary brilliance of Ted Levine's performance though. We've got a juicy ep for you to *ahem* sink your fangs into. Get some Sparkplug Coffee, then start dancing in your creepy basement.

Kevin Costner makes his sole AFI appearance where he acts, produces and directs this sympathetic Civil War western. We get political again in this podcast, but don't let our liberal guilt ruin your good time because this WILL be a good time. Just don't let yourself get caught crying at the end of the movie (or the podcast). Or do! Sparkplug.Coffee it up, then saddle your horse.

We begin the '90s with one of the most fun gangster movies ever put on film: Martin Scorsese's Wise Guy! De Niro, Pesci and Liotta are criminal scumbags, but they seduce you into loving them anyway. This one has just gotten better in 25 years. Podcast heaven awaits you! Check out Sparkplug.Coffee for your energy boost, then snort up our lines...so to speak.

It's been a while, but here's our first Not 100 Project podcast in 4 months. Brokeback Mountain's quiet heartbreak still resonates, especially as embodied by Heath Ledger. Jake Gyllenhaal is awfully good too. We tackle many angles in this one, including the ongoing debate about Crash v Brokeback at the Oscars. Buy some Sparkplug.Coffee and saddle up Not100P #11!

T100P podcast #109 is ageless and urgent. Spike Lee's finest film stars himself with a tremendous cast of exuberant character actors. The passion, the energy, the (unfortunately) timely subject matter. This is a special way to end the '80s. Get some Sparkplug.Coffee and come hear our low-down on an outstanding motion picture.

Come have 2 grunts fight for possession of your soul by listening to our 108th T100P 'cast. This was back when Charlie Sheen wasn't a twit-bag and Tom Berenger was at his peak. Oliver Stone has only this title on the AFI list, so we spent some time talking about his entire career. Fire up some Sparkplug.Coffee and then dig into a foxhole for some words about a harrowing war flick.

How do you appreciate the topic of our 107th AFI podcast? Think of the genius Mozart as a modern rock star who DOESN'T get whatever he wants. Also, think of the jealous Salieri as a modern sports-writer who launches smear campaigns against men more talented than him. There! Accessible. Check us out while simultaneously ordering a heaping dose of Sparkplug.Coffee. Multi-task, baby, you can do it!

The AFI shows us snippets of the Holocaust and the cruelty of Nazis in T100P #106. Especially Meryl Streep, but also Kevin Kline and...some other guy are pretty much the whole movie. AFI-worthy? Learn more! And for the first time in many months, we open the e-mailbag. Order up some beans from Sparkplug.Coffee, then dive into the "joy" of the Choice.

A recurring AFI theme---a character having to put on an act---is the main theme in T100P #105. Dustin Hoffman wears a wig & a dress, but does the comedy stick the way it did when Lemmon did it in Some Like It Hot? Does the whole movie even hold up over 30 years later? What about the sexual politics and feminist intentions? That + more, but only after you get your Sparkplug.Coffee!