For a brief introduction and a running list of movies covered in this project, click here 65 Straw Dogs (1971), directed by Sam Peckinpah Why didn’t they call it The Violent Bear Trap It Away? Hee hee. Seriously, though, when that thing finally goes off I gasped. It was not a cute “Oh, merciful heavens” gasp, but one… Read More Better than BFI’s Top 100: 65-61
The landing page, with rationale and links to other posts in this series, can be found here. A fear of what it means to grow old is at the heart of a number of Pixar’s better movies: Toy Story 2 stands alone on this thematic promontory, but there’s applause to be shared for movies like Up or Toy Story 3 or The Incredibles,… Read More Disney/Pixar Rankings: 60-56
The landing page, with rationale and links to other posts in this series, can be found here. There are times when a movie being boring is kind of the point. Loving is sort of a boring movie. There are long stretches of Stalker which are well short of exciting. Columbus is not a thrill ride. Incidentally, those are three of the… Read More Disney/Pixar Rankings: 65-61
For a brief introduction and a running list of movies covered in this project, click here 70) The Mission (1986), directed by Roland Joffe If a movie features the most beautiful piece of music ever written for a film, does it deserve to make a list like this without question? The Mission is a very good movie on… Read More Better than BFI’s Top 100: 70-66
The landing page, with rationale and links to other posts in this series, can be found here. Is The Three Caballeros so superior to Saludos Amigos? Not by so much, really, although it gets a lift from its more smoothly integrated human-animated scenes. But The Three Caballeros does have the largest collection of psycho birds before Hitchcock. Ze Carioca… Read More Disney/Pixar Rankings: 70-66
For a brief introduction and a running list of movies covered in this project, click here. 75) Gregory’s Girl (1981), directed by Bill Forsyth There’s a kid in a penguin costume running around in this movie, and I thought for sure that we would find out why, but of course we don’t. It couldn’t matter less why he… Read More Better than BFI’s Top 100: 75-71
For a brief introduction and a running list of movies covered in this project, click here. 80) The Last Emperor (1987), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci Nothing says communism like a dull color palette: one hundred and fifty shades of gray, dead blues, dried puke greens, dried snot yellows, orange that’s been out in the sun too long,… Read More Better than BFI’s Top 100: 80-76
The landing page, with rationale and links to other posts in this series, can be found here. I don’t really have a lot to say about Chicken Little. It’s noteworthy, in my mind, for being one of the worst movies I have ever come across, in terms of quality the inoffensive animated corollary to Crash. It… Read More Disney/Pixar Rankings: 77-71
For a brief introduction and a running list of movies covered in this project, click here. 85) 49th Parallel (1941), directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger One way to avoid the trouble of making an action-adventure movie that’s just loosely tied setpieces is to lean fully into the naturally episodic tendencies of the… Read More Better than BFI’s Top 100: 85-81
For a brief introduction and a running list of movies covered in this project, click here. 90) The Long Good Friday (1980), directed by John Mackenzie Bob Hoskins has too many teeth in his mouth. Where he found them all I don’t know, but they are perfect for Harold Shand, who attacks his problems… Read More Better than BFI’s Top 100: 90-86
Seeing Things Secondhand 