The Mighty Nimrod Speaks TOP 100 COOLEST MOVIES EVER: Episode III: Closing in on the top of the list and reader e-mail... Posted by: Ric Nimrod 1-16-02 12:01am Let the Mighty Nimrod open with a retraction... in the previous two columns, (PLEASE WEBMASTER BILL, INSERT THE LINKS TO THOSE COLUMNS HERE) (List 100-76. List 75-51. You're welcome - BC.). I listed number 53 - The Planet of the Apes as being made in 1965 when as we all know, it was made in 1968. Thanks to my old friend Joel from OSWCC for being the first to point it out to me via e-mail, and thanks to the many others that followed. You are all right and the Nimrod is wrong. Speaking of e-mail I have never gotten as many replies as I have from this 100 coolest movies business. Keep your opinions coming... I enjoy them. Many of you have written to let me know what selections you agree with, what films should have made the list and what films I liked that you hated. And there was one letter that said that Lord of the Rings should make the list (despite the fact that I explained that the list was made BEFORE I had seen the film... tho it would not have made the list). The mighty Nimrod has heard you my loyal minions... I don’t care what you have to say BUT I have heard you all. Actually, I do care and I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read this sh*t and reply to me about it. I care so much that the follow up columns will be reader suggested topics that include the 25 films that should have made the list that did not and the top 10 WORST movies ever. See, you DO make a difference. ANYHOO... lets move on to the next 25 coolest movies in Nimrodland. First, lets remember the rules... the list was compiled in November of 2001 and anything released after that time is not on the list (i.e.: LOTR), There is a Star Wars film in each block of 25 so as to be on topic each week. The list will always change with new releases and film appreciation but all the Star Wars films will have a place SO EP1: TPM is #100 and as long as it remains the worst of the SW films it will ALWAYS be at that number while #99 might get bumped off the list. Understand? We have covered 51-100 so far (I hope the links are up in case you missed them) and this week we will cover 26-50 but first lets take a look at the whole list. 100 - Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace 99 - The Last Boy Scout 98 - Shaft (1970) 97 - King Creole 96 - Batman Forever 95 - Bonnie and Clyde 94 - Lolita 93 - Titanic 92 - Friday the 13th 91 - X-Men 90 - They Call Me Trinity 89 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 88 - Blade 87 - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 86 - Time Bandits 85 - Rock-n-Roll High School 84 - O' Brother Where Art Tho? 83 - Predator 82 - Harvey 81 - M 80 - The Lavender Hill Gang 79 - Big Trouble in Little China 78 - Pee Wees Big Adventure 77 - The Warriors 76 - Lethal Weapon 75 - Halloween 74 - Trinity is Still My Name 73 - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 72 - Requiem For a Dream 71 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 70 - Reservoir Dogs 69 - Close Encounters of the Third Kind 68 - The Exorcist 67 - African Queen 66 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 65 - The Muppet Movie 64 - 48 Hours 63 - Braveheart 62 - Do the Right Thing 61 - Patton 60 - Payback 59 - Boyz in the Hood 58 - Goodfellas 57 - Saturday Night Fever 56 - Dirty Harry 55 - Desperado 54 - The Fifth Element 53 - Planet of the Apes (1968) 52 - Zentropa 51 - Star Wars: Episode Six: Return of the Jedi 50 - RoboCop 49 - Silence of the Lambs 48 - Army of Darkness 47 - Unbreakable 46 - Back to the Future 45 - E.T. 44 - BeetleJuice 43 - The Terminator 42 - Starship Troopers 41 - Major League 40 - Platoon 39 - Raging Bull 38 - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Bomb 37 - Fight Club 36 - Memento 35 - Breakfast Club 34 - Shawshank Redemption 33 - Urban Cowboy 32 - Iron Giant 31 - Smokey and the Bandit 30 - Schindlers List 29 - Godfather II 28 - Batman 27 - Citizen Kane 26 - Star Wars: Episode Four: A New Hope 25 - Dusk 'Til Dawn 24 - 12 Monkeys 23 - Toy Story 2 22 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 21 - The Sixth Sense 20 - Natural Born Killers 19 - Scream 18 - Better Off Dead 17 - Gladiator 16 - Stalag 17 15 - Fast Times at Ridgemont High 14 - Superman 13 - Fargo 12 - Rocky 11 - Leon: The Professional 10 - Jaws 9 - Boogie Nights 8 - Casablanca 7 - Godfather 6 - Die Hard 5 - Rear Window 4 - Raiders of the Lost Ark 3 - Pulp Fiction 2 - King Kong (1933) 1 - Star Wars: Episode Five: The Empire Strikes Back   SOOOO, now lets look at 26-50 50 - RoboCop - When Paul Verhoeven is on his game, he is one of the smartest directors too ever lense a film. When he is off (Showgirls, Hollow Man) the results are horrible, Thank the gods that he is on his game in this gritty crime flick. Robo is not only a B-movie delight of great screen violence (check out the Criterion DVD for the REAL violence) but it is an action flick, a biting satire and an interesting social commentary all in the guise of a sci-fi movie. This flick works on a lot of levels. The direction is awesome and the effects have aged well (its hard to believe that this film is 15 years old). Peter Weller is great as Murphy, his performance being the heart of this film so all those who have protested the absence of Buckaroo Banzai, please give me a break. (Hey... I love Buckaroo as well; it just did not make the list.) 49 - Silence of the Lambs - What can I say about this film that has not been said? It works on EVERY level a film can work on and it won the awards to prove it. It is a masterpiece. 48 - Army of Darkness - The odd combination of a horror film, an action film and a Three Stooges short, this one is a knee slapper that never gets old. This is by far the best installment of the Evil Dead series and while Spiderman is on the horizon and Darkman and the Quick and the Dead are strong... in my eyes this will always be Sam Raimi at his best. And if it is not Sam’s best, it is definitely Bruce Campbell at his best. The movie has little value outside of being entertaining as hell, and that my loyal Nimrodians, is COOL. 47 - Unbreakable - This is a PERFECT origin story for a super-hero. It would have ranked higher if it had been an already existing super-hero story. But as it stands this is a wonderful film with great use of color and innovative direction by Shyamalan. Each frame is a delight to look at and the story is compelling. I loved it. Plus it has the Bruce Willis factor and that’s always cool. 46 - Back to the Future - Jumpin’ Jiggawatts this flick is fun. The entire series is great but this one is the best... Mike Fox (LONG before the jitters hit him) and Chris Lloyd are a great team in this family adventure through time. As if being down right great every time you view it was not enough, lets look at its pedigree: Robert Zemeckis directs, Steven Spielberg produces and there is a kick ass car that travels through time. COOL COOL COOL! 45 - E.T. - Steven Spielberg brought us this timeless film twenty years ago and its coming back to the big screen next month for its anniversary. I hope to make it through that viewing without crying... but I would not bank on it. 44 - BeetleJuice - The first time I saw this movie I was tripping on acid and went to the theater with my friends who were also tripping on acid and the more I see this movie the move I am convinced that Tim Burton is tripping on acid because the film plays out like on big acid trip that really blows you mind if you are tripping on acid. AND THAT is why I wont do two shows a night babe, I won’t... I won’t do it. 43 - The Terminator - A testament of low budget and passionate film making. If Jim Camron can be a truck driver one day and the next be the director that changes films forever and makes Ahh-nold a star then there is hope for everyone. This is a great film and DO NOT let the hype behind its sequel make you believe that T2 is a better film. NOT THE CASE, this movie beats the pants off of its higher budget sibling. Its is smart and action packed and its COOL! 42 - Starship Troopers - Like in Robocop and Total Recall, Paul Verhoeven turns in a GREAT film full of violence and boobies. There is even a little social commentary between the exploding bugs and the bouncing breasts. Why can’t he directs EVERY movie, that way even when he is bad we still get blood and boobs. Just kidding, I could never suffer through another Hollow Man. 41 - Major League - Does art imitate life or... . A timeless tale of the ol’ diamond that seems to have come true as the once terrible Cleveland Indians have been contenders for more than half a decade. Being a Cleveland guy I love this movie. Being a baseball fan I love this movie. Being a fan of good movies I love this film. 40 - Platoon - No matter how many football films Ollie Stone directs, he will always be the guy who went through that Vietnam phase... and this is his best film from the Vietnam films he made. While Natural Born Killers ranks higher on my list of cool, this film is probably Stones best work. 39 - Raging Bull - The film stocks and editing alone make this film about boxer Jake LaMotta a winner. However the direction and acting really bump this bitch up to extreme coolness. A winner of a movie about a brute of a man. 38 - Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Bomb - Kubrick, Sellers, Scott, bombs... if you have never seen this comedy about war you are doing yourself an injustice. Go rent it now, you will not be sorry. 37 - Fight Club - This movie is destined to rank higher in my list as time goes by. I love this movie more every time I see it, as a matter of fact if you only saw it once; you did not really see the whole film. I see more in it every time. It is a layered and smart film that took a bad rap for its violence (there is really not that much violence in this flick). On the surface it is a film about a man with a sleeping disorder that drives him insane, at its heart it is a compelling tale of how we are effected be the commercial driven word we all live in. Brilliantly acted and masterfully directed this movie is cooler every time I see it. 36 - Memento - This movie leaves your head smoking and demands to be watched again and again. It is by far the most original idea to come out of Hollywood in a long time. I will not ruin it for those who have not seen it but let me just say that if this film is ignored by the academy, then the academy don’t know movies (although that is pretty true... I mean Annie Hall did edge out Star Wars, and how many Annie Hall collectors clubs are there?). 35 - Breakfast Club - No film has so accurately portrayed my high school life. 34 - Shawshank Redemption - Its on cable like every week... you have all seen it and you all love it. I mean, this is probably the only movie that I have never heard anyone complain about. 33 - Urban Cowboy - Bud and Sissy live a simple, honky-tonkin’ life until the convict rolls into town. This movie is evidence that Travolta was once cool BEFORE Pulp Fiction. Actually COOLER because he was an actor at this point in his career. Where is this gem on DVD? I need a 5.1 mix of the Devil Went Down to Georgia. 32 - Iron Giant - This movie IS the magic. An animated masterpiece with a giant, flying robot. It jerks the tears outta me every time the flies into the bomb and chooses to be Superman instead of a gun. If none of this make any sense then you need to see this movie. I loved it so much I grabbed my dad the day after I saw it and took him to the theater to see it. It is what movies should be. 31 - Smokey and the Bandit - When I get home I am gonna smack your mama right in the mouth. 30 - Schindlers List - I actually have a friend that has never seen this movie... and its importance is huge BUT its coolness is also huge. Its shot in black and white and edited with that Spielberg touch. Every shot looks and tastes cool and all the elements are cool (subject matter not-with-standing) but none so cooler than Ralph Fiennes portrayal of Amon Goeth. When he randomly picks off the prisoners working in the camp as a morning ritual you don’t know whether to laff or cry but it sure does make for cool cinema. 29 - Godfather II - Some say this is better than the original, I say... it is close. 28 - Batman - The Joker makes this film. While this is the strongest Batman flick, I must say that it still could be better. How? More Batman in the film would be nice. It is the franchises strongest showing thus far. But it looks and feels like Batman so therefore it is indeed cool. 27 - Citizen Kane - Called the greatest film ever made Kane is indeed a groundbreaker in film but it is its cool use of light and the way the story is told with the irrelevant tool of "Rosebud" that puts this classic on the Nimrods list. 26 - Star Wars: Episode Four: A New Hope - NO FILM EVER has had the impact that this one had on me... and most of the world. The effects were a giant leap in filmmaking and while King George impressed with American Graffiti, he dazzled with Star Wars. A 9-year-old Nimrod fell in love in 1977 and that love affair still stands strong. The film turns 25 this year and not only will that be a big celebration, the release of Episode II is coming in May. So, in the words of Han Solo "YEEHAAAA!" and in the words of the future Darth Vader "Yippee". So there it is, and here I go... See ya next time with the LAST 25... ‘til then, Nimrod is OUT