300 to 251
250 to 201
200 to 151
150 to 101
100 Dawn of the Dead (1978)
(Retrospective)
99 Black Narcissus (1947)
98 The Mask of Satan (1960)
(Retrospective)
97 The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
96 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Peter Weir's maritime adventure features one of Russel Crowe's most likeable performances along with some gripping scenes of naval warfare. The period atmosphere is boosted by a classical score which manages to be haunting and upbeat in equal measures. There's also a lot of great historical detail, from the scenes of military discipline, the naturalist journal keeping or the grim medical practices. Points for almost invisible visual effects work and amazing battle sound effects.
95 Run Lola Run (1998)
94 Seven (1995)
93 Twelve Monkeys (1995)
A high point for Terry Gilliam and Bruce Willis, their warped time travel journey is full of weird contraptions, oddball characters and creeping dread. The vague technology of the time machine and the use of flashbacks and switching locations add a nightmarish quality. Like Brazil it's often disturbing and darkly comedic but there's an otherworldly quality to it all not found anywhere else.
92 A Better Tomorrow (1986) (Retrospective)
93 Strangers on a Train (1951)
The usual Hitchcock ideas are all present in this thriller about a charming sociopath and a sports personality becoming entangled in a murder; you've got the fascination with death, the eccentric old ladies, and the inventive camera work particularly in the scene where the central death is reflected in a pair of glasses. The finale is a bit ridiculous with a fairground ride going out of control but it's still a classic. Tennis has never been so tense.
90 Cronos (1993)
89 Once Upon a Time in China (1991)
88 Evil Dead II (1987)
Perfecting the balance between gross and fun, this time around the creatures are more ridiculous, the characters are more overblown and the violence becomes nonsensical as litres of green and black goo are sprayed across the set. While there is still a clear lack of budget things are done with more finesse and it's easy to see why everyone thinks of this entry when looking at the series. With flying eyeballs, possessed hands and chainsaw montages, an it's unforgettable experience. Bruce Campbell holds the film together having to act by himself for a considerable part of the running time as slapstick and crockery smashing comes to the fore. It stalls a little when the other visitors to the cabin arrive but once Ted Raimi makes his appearance as the possessed Henrietta it picks up steam and results in some of the best moments.
87 The Blues Brothers (1980)
86 Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
85 Willow (1988)
84 Superman (1978)
You can probably hear the John Williams theme just thinking about this one. Christopher Reeve remains the definitive Man of Steel and while the origin tale structure has been reused many times in later superhero features it still holds up here. Superman stops diamond thieves and lifts the weight of California on his shoulders in this wholly entertaining adventure; it's a shame that studio meddling resulted in a troubled sequel (the Richard Donner cut is interesting but never quite worked for me). Still, the original works just fine by itself.
83 Iron Monkey (1993)
82 Toy Story (1995)
81 The Devil Rides Out (1968)
(Retrospective)
80 Braindead (1992)
(Retrospective)
'Your mother ate my dog'
'...Not all of it!'
79 The Old Dark House (1932)
78 Pulp Fiction (1995)
77 Vertigo (1958)
76 Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
'No prisoners'
75 Little Otik (2000)
Surrealist film-maker Jan Svankmayer's greatest work, a bizarre fairy tale all about appetite and eating. A woman unable to bear children goes off the deep end when her husband digs up a tree stump that looks like a baby as a joke.When he lacks the willpower to stop her taking it too far it's soon apparent that the wood is still alive... and it's very hungry. A twisted version of children's story morals, this is full of crazy moments, weird actors, storybook animations and stop motion monster scenes.
74 Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
73 Laputa (Castle in the Sky) (1986)
72 Fargo (1996)
71 Mr. Vampire (1985)
70 Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Moose Trained by Yutte Hermsgervordenbroti
Special Moose Effects Olaf Prot
While The Life of Brian may be more consistent in its production values and direction after Terry Jones took the reigns, and it might be stronger in terms of direct satire and plot... but for me is on pretty much equal fitting in terms of stupid laughs and memorable characters. There's a ramshackle sketch like quality to it all and the weird tangents and animated scenes just add to the fun.
69 Ben-Hur (1959)
68 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
67 North By Northwest (1959)
66 The Life of Brian (1979)
65 Story of Ricky (Ricky Oh) (1991)
Just your everyday prison gangs story... about an inmate with supernatural powers. In which one of the wardens has a hook hand and a false eye in which he keeps mints. As a film it's pretty ludicrous in places as gravestones are smashed with fists, guts are spilled and heads are crushed. In one of the most ridiculous moments the antagonist in a fight has his stomach cut and instead of admitting defeat he decides to strangle his opponent with his own intestines. It's an absurd example of comic book logic and extreme cinema melding together into one blood soaked and insane movie.
64 The Abyss (1989)
63 Fist of Legend (1994)
(Discussed during the Let Li feature)
62 Ice Cold in Alex (1958)
The great beer movie. John Mills comes up against land mines, spies, Jerry gun fire and alcoholism in this journey through the searing heat of wartime North Africa. The struggles are endless as he tries to push a worn out ambulance through the desert while fending off his own demons. There result is an engrossing character driven movie with plenty of drama without it ever needing to become another Second World War action movie.
61 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
(Retrospective)
60 Ichi the Killer (2001)
'What is that, tempura?'
This mix of extreme violence and manga insanity is one for horror fans only. The characters are all bizarre and twisted and the imagery is completely over the top with crazy amounts of splatter and crazier fashion. Seriously, there are some loud shirts. Yakuza rivalry plots interconnect with threads about hypnotherapy and masochism so don't expect any relatable characters or a story conclusion that adds up on the first viewing. On the surface it's about a plan to wipe out several mob bosses - and the guy with cinema's best Chelsea Smile does awful things as he goes around trying to get to the bottom of it all. It's hard to recommend but it's a ride that I think is too strange to be missed.
59 ZatÅichi (2003)
Beat Takeshi's revival of the blind swordsman is a finely crafted and offbeat action adventure with plenty of stylised blood flowing and lots of strange and charming musical moments. I the way the story plays out as each character's motivations are slowly revealed adds a lot of suspense, and the overall tone is quite diverse as it goes through the moments of revenge, tragedy and dry humour.
58 Star Trek VI: The Voyage Home (1986)
57 The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
As a whole the entire trilogy remains a high point in the fantasy genre, but the first instalment has the best pacing and more character focus than the others. Everyone is fleshed out to some degree, the music is all excellent with a variety of great themes, and the effects still hold up bar one or two moments where the budget was stretched or things were rushed. I have a few complaints (their depiction of Sauron as a big stupid lighthouse is very weird and nonsensical) but ultimately this is great entertainment.
56 Battle Royale (2000)
55 Sorcerer (1977)
(Retrospective)
54 Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) (1981)
(Retrospective)
53 Casino Royale (2006)
52 The Producers (1967)
'Will the dancing Hitlers please wait in the wings, we are only seeing singing Hitlers.'
If there was ever proof that the best Mel Brooks comedies have Gene Wilder in them, then this is it. The mismatched team of his neurotic accountant with Zero Mostel's sleazy stage producer con man makes for a lot of laughs as they concoct the plan to oversell a perfect Broadway flop. A plan which involves stealing money from old ladies and then offending the audience by glorifying the Third Reich so they can keep the money. Either as a series of gags or as a study of what people will or won't enjoy in a comedy it's full of great dialogue and weird characters.
51 Trainspotting (1996)
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