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Entertainment Weekly Does Some Deciding - The Top 100 Movies of the Past 25 Years, 1-10.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008


EW got all list-y this week in its 1000th issue. Below is its list of the best films of the past quarter century; films released from 83-08 were eligible. I have thoughts. Here's 1-10.

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
-Yup. Only question for me would be 1 or 2. Interesting is that Forest Gump, Pulp's chief competition for critical acclaim in '94, is not on the list. I concur with that also. This is the only Tarantino, which is error. Reservoir Dogs is a Top 40 film, and maybe Jackie Brown at the bottom of the list.

2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)
-Wouldn't make my list. I sat in a theater through the first one and thought I'd only escape by cutting a hostage tape. Near as I can figure, these movies were about jewelry.

3. Titanic (1997)
-Did Titanic have a soundtrack? I can't recall. Little Children and Heavenly Creatures are better Kate Winslet movies not on the list. Gangs of New York, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and that one episode of Growing Pains where Mike made a wisecrack about his sister being too fat to enter the kingdom of heaven were better DiCaprios that didn't make the list.

4. Blue Velvet (1986)
-I'd like it lower, say top 75; my brother Joe says Mulholland Drive is better. Hoosiers was another Dennis Hopper from '86, it didn't make the list. My favorite Hopper from the time period was True Romance, it would make my top 50 but didn't make this list.

5. Toy Story (1995)
-I gotta tell you, there aren't too many elements in our culture more overrated than kids movies. You can wrap up all of the various animated movies on this list in a big sack and throw them in the water with DiCaprio for my money. Neither Philadelphia nor A League of Their Own made the list; I take them both as Hanks films over the cartoon. Hell, I take Splash over Toy Story and it's not even close. Wouldn't make my list.

6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
-Hanks goes back-to-back. I'm not in love with war movies; there's one later on the list that's way too low - but not on the list are Platoon and The Thin Red Line, both of which I'd like in the Top 80. I haven't seen Letters From Iwo Jima (not on the list) but I wouldn't have put Flags of Our Fathers (not on the list) on mine. This would probably make my list, but at the back.

7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
-I prefer Crimes and Misdemeanors (not on this list); that would crack my Top 20. I'd move Hannah down, bottom of the Top 50. Zelig was released in '83 and I'd consider it for the bottom of the list, it's not on this one.

8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
-Yup. I like it right here. Yup. It's the only Jodie Foster here; Little Man Tate is a film I'd consider for the bottom of the list. It's the only Hopkins, there's one more I'd consider that I'll mention later. It's the only Demme; I've already mentioned Philadelphia, which would be on my list, and I'd consider Swimming to Cambodia for the bottom of the list.

9. Die Hard (1988)
-I love me some Die Hard too; it's my favorite action movie, and since abovee only kids movies in my cinematic circles of hell are heavy CGI films, it's unlikely an action film in the future will seriously challenge. And Die Hard would be on my list and be high on my list. However - not on this list from 1988 were Bull Durham (my favorite sports movie ever) and Dangerous Liaisons (Uma Thurman, young and shirtless). They'd both be on my list ahead of Die Hard. Also missing from '88, Midnight Run, and A Fish Called Wanda

I'd put all of them on my Top 100. Why you gotta hate '88, EW?

10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
-One asks, if all of those movies are going on your top 100 - what are you taking off, Jividen?

And then we find Moulin Rouge.

Thanks.

Moulin Rouge was fine. I prefer Once, which wouldn't make my list, although the soundtrack would make my list of the top albums of the time period. Of Nicole Kidman films - I'll take To Die For.

That's the top 10.

Here's the rest of the list, in case you haven't seen it yet. I'll have thoughts, again, when I have time.

11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

12. The Matrix (1999)

13. GoodFellas (1990)

14. Crumb (1995)

15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)

16. Boogie Nights (1997)

17. Jerry Maguire (1996)

18. Do the Right Thing (1989)

19. Casino Royale (2006)

20. The Lion King (1994)

21. Schindler's List (1993)

22. Rushmore (1998)

23. Memento (2001)

24. A Room With a View (1986)

25. Shrek (2001)

26. Hoop Dreams (1994)

27. Aliens (1986)

28. Wings of Desire (1988)

29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

32. Fight Club (1999)

33. The Breakfast Club (1985)

34. Fargo (1996)

35. The Incredibles (2004)

36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

37. Pretty Woman (1990)

38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

39. The Sixth Sense (1999)

40. Speed (1994)

41. Dazed and Confused (1993)

42. Clueless (1995)

43. Gladiator (2000)

44. The Player (1992)

45. Rain Man (1988)

46. Children of Men (2006)

47. Men in Black (1997)

48. Scarface (1983)

49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

50. The Piano (1993)

51. There Will Be Blood (2007)

52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)

53. The Truman Show (1998)

54. Fatal Attraction (1987)

55. Risky Business (1983)

56. The Lives of Others (2006)

57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)

58. Ghostbusters (1984)

59. L.A. Confidential (1997)

60. Scream (1996)

61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)

63. Big (1988)

64. No Country For Old Men (2007)

65. Dirty Dancing (1987)

66. Natural Born Killers (1994)

67. Donnie Brasco (1997)

68. Witness (1985)

69. All About My Mother (1999)

70. Broadcast News (1987)

71. Unforgiven (1992)

72. Thelma & Louise (1991)

73. Office Space (1999)

74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)

75. Out of Africa (1985)

76. The Departed (2006)

77. Sid and Nancy (1986)

78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)

80. Michael Clayton (2007)

81. Moonstruck (1987)

82. Lost in Translation (2003)

83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)

84. Sideways (2004)

85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)

86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)

87. Swingers (1996)

88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

89. Breaking the Waves (1996)

90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

91. Back to the Future (1985)

92. Menace II Society (1993)

93. Ed Wood (1994)

94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

95. In the Mood for Love (2001)

96. Far From Heaven (2002)

97. Glory (1989)

98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

Revelation 17 - The Number One Pick in Thursday's NBA Draft Should Be...

Michael Beasley.

And Kevin Love should be second.

Top 200 Major League Baseball Players Ever, #169-168, RUSTY STAUB and HOME RUN BAKER



EDIT - YOU CAN FIND THE UPDATED RANKINGS UNDER THE LABEL BEST BASEBAL PLAYERS EVER
#169 RUSTY STAUB RF/1B Astros/Tigers/Expos/Mets
1963-85
OPS+ 124
BFW 23.1
WARP3 97.4

The strongest criticism of the list is my bias is for career as opposed to peak value; for example, on BP, Jay Jaffe has a JAWS number, a metric combining WARP3 with the 7 best seasons from each player's career; were one to argue the merits of that, I wouldn't bark that loudly. I really have grown in my appreciation for career value as opposed to peak; there's value, in my view, in the post-prime years for ballplayers who remain productive. A player who can hold above replacement value long after his top years are behind him, who maintains his health enough to keep his roster spot, is credited in this list.

#168 HOME RUN BAKER 3B Athletics/Yankees
1908-22
OPS+ 136
BFW 33.7
WARP3 89.5

Not on the list - Carlos Delgado, Ken Caminiti, Minnie Minoso, Frank Howard, Nomar Garciaparra, Frank Chance, Rocky Colavito, Silver King, Hughie Jennings, Bob Caruthers, Hoss Radbourn.

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