300 to 251
250 to 201
200 to 151
150 The Young Master (1980)
149 Scanners (1981)
Michael Ironside explodes minds in one of the more accessible Cronenberg shockers. The scene where they reveal the cause of everyone's extra sensory powers is still a lot more creepy than any of the overt body horror on screen. It knows when to be subtle and when to be excessive and overall it remains an effective thrill ride. Even if that whole part about accessing the nervous system of a computer is hilarious nonsense.
148 The Prestige (2006)
147 Hot Fuzz (2007)
146 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
(Retrospective)
145 Mr Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de M. Hulot) (1953)
144 Onibaba (1964)
143 Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Still one of the most disturbing comedies ever made. I doubt the nightmarish bomb ride finale or the argument over the possibility of a 'mineshaft gap' between two nations will ever feel irrelevant. The lack of colour gives it all a dark documentary like feeling and the multiple roles played by Peter Sellers layer it all with a surreal atmosphere.
142 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
141 Belleville Rendezvous (Les Triplettes de Belleville) (2003)
Tour de France participants kidnapped by the mafia for use in an underground gambling scheme must be rescued by group of old ladies and an overweight dog. With barely any spoken language this endlessly charming animated adventure features a lot of extremely caricatured faces and stylised locations. It's absurd but hugely likeable story.
140 Ghost in the Shell (1995)
139 Hell in the Pacific (1968)
A tense, poignant but often very funny look at two isolated soldiers on opposing sides of the Second World War. Toshiro Mifune and Lee Marvin are both great as two enemies that need to work past their language barrier to escape being marooned on a tropical island. This comes after they waste a lot of time creating annoyances and distractions and trying to keep each other captive. The score is very atmospheric and though the ending is a little out there it's a interesting look at an East meets West culture clash.
138 The Birds (1963)
137 Creepshow (1982)
(Retrospective)
136 Deep Red (1975)
135 Touch of Evil (1958)
134 First Blood (1982)
'Don't push it. Don't push it or I'll give you a war you won't believe.'
133 Labyrinth (1986)
132 They Live (1988)
Stay Asleep. They Live. John Carpenter's best film without Kurt Russell, it's themes are in line with other classic 1980s releases like Robocop and although the execution of the satire is less refined. That be being said the sheer bluntness of the plot in which people are literally blind to everyday greed and corruption allows for a lot of fun moments. If only the music was more memorable like Carpenter's other keyboard classics. Do I even need to talk about the Keith David fight scene?
131 Prodigal Son (1980)
130 Eastern Condors (1987)
Sammo Hung's slimmest role, this Vietnam / Dirty Dozen type mash up offers a variety of stunt performance thrills and another memorable villain from the forever type cast Yuen Wah as the creepy laughing general. The music is amongst the best from the era and the big missile base showdown is great.
129 To Live and Die in LA (1985)
128 Amadeus (1984)
A lavish dramatisation of the (artistic license version) of Mozart's life in Vienna. It was in the running for an obscene amount of awards but I don't hear it talked about that often, I guess this era is full of action and sci-fi after all. F. Murray Abraham's narration is done in a way that makes you want to hear what he's going to say, and his use of subterfuge against the scatologically obsessed man child of the title makes for an entertaining drama. If anything it makes me wish I could read sheet music.
127 Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
(Retrospective)
126 Network (1976)
From one great tirade to the next, Sidney Lumet's satire of the news and entertainment industry seems to be filled almost exclusively with strung out career obsessed characters - though some are clearly more on the edge than others. So many good performances make it incredibly engrossing, and just like the TV viewers in the story it's easy to get hooked waiting for the next dramatic breakdown.
125 Playtime (1967)
124 The Omen (1976)
Gregory Peck and David Warner, what a team up. Richard Donner's Satan spawn thriller still has a lot of gravitas despite the hokey subject matter, and it also boasts one the best 1970s shocker endings. The supernatural marks on the film in the dark room scene and the infamous sheet glass accident are still really creepy but there's a lot to be said for the overall atmosphere. Credit where it's due though this is a film all about Damien, and it's still a great child performance form Harvey Spencer Stephens.
123 Starship Troopers (1997)
122 Blow Out (1981)
121 Downfall (2004)
It's a shocking thought that Adolf Hitler was a human being in some small way, but the frail, twitching and often raging performance of Bruno Ganz portrays just that. A far cry from the trinket collecting caricature that Indiana Jones was fighting against. The final scenes where the extend of his cult of personality really hits home are very disturbing, and overall this remains a gripping character study even in light of a thousand silly internet videos.
120 A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
119 Horror Express (1972)
'What if one of you is the monster?' 'Monster? We're British you know!'
What a quote. The ultimate in no expectation late night TV viewing, it's surprisingly years later to discover that this isn't a Hammer release but a Spanish production which happens to have the dynamic duo of Lee/Cushing in the cast. There are a lot of similarities with The Thing as the frozen remains of an ancient being are uncovered. The passengers on a steam train soon realise that they're less than fossilised than it first appears. A late in the running time appearance from Telly Savalas adds to the fun as he starts hamming it up, but much of the acting is like that. There's also some hilarious pseudo science nonsense along the way adding to the overall tone.
118 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
117 Die Hard (1988)
116 Falling Down (1993)
'And now you're gonna die, wearing that stupid little hat. How does it feel?'
At it's core this is just a series of silly events that allow Michael Douglas's audience surrogate to vent his frustration at things like fast food advertising and over priced corner shops. But at the same time this is still a tense and melancholy look at somebody who's had enough of his lot in life - a man who feels lost in his journey through the modern world. While it sometimes veers between silly and serious on there's still a chilling element to the finale scenes as his background is revealed.
115 Rasputin The Mad Monk (1966)
(Retrospective)
114 Dial M for Murder (1954)
113 A Shot in the Dark (1964)
'Just for that you're off the case'
Probably the best in terms of both laughs and script quality for the Peter Sellers series (although I find myself watching some of the others just as often, particularly the third and forth instalments). George Sanders is as wonderfully dry as ever and makes a great foil for Inspector Clouseau while the great Herbert Lom begins his descent into madness on a smaller scale in comparison to what would follow.
112 The Fly (1986)
111 Wall-E (2008)
110 The Matrix (1999)
109 Duel (1971)
Spielberg's first feature length effort is just a TV movie with a dumb premise, but don't let that fool you. It soon manages to outgrow it's killer-truck framework and deliver a gripping thriller. With only one real central character and a some drab outdoor locations this is perfectly done road trip. It benefits from a fine performance by Dennis Weaver and some great camera work, as well as a simple but haunting score. These are simple elements but they're put together in a way that lends the story an almost monster movie feeling at times.
108 The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)
107 The Shining (1980)
106 Project A
105 Robin Hood (1973)
Notting-aha-ham. Disney may have started skimping on the animation quality in this era but the voice acting is likeable as is the mix of slapstick humour and instrumental music. Peter Ustinov and Terry Thomas lend it some class and overall it's a great adventure.
104 High And Low (1963)
103 Delicatessen (1991)
Jeunet and Caro's post apocalyptic comedy / romance / horror in which as ex-circus performer come handy man moves in with a group of oddball apartment residents. Soon he discovers that the locals would eat each other rather than go without meat, while the few vegetarians have resorted to becoming sewer dwelling anarchists in Terry Gilliam style plastic outfits. Full of strange musical sequences and surreal moments it's a fun story with rich visuals courtesy of Darius Khondji.
102 Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
(Retrospective)
101 Miller's Crossing
Top 100 to 51
Top 50 to 1
