The 100 Chapter 6: 90 & 89

 

Who doesn't love a list?

I devour the BFI Best Films of All Time list whenever they deem it necessary to revise and I (invariably) disagree with most of the findings, but I still get a kick out of browsing. Same with Rolling Stone's inane Best 100 Albums (how does Sgt. Pepper drop from #1 to #24 in the latest incarnation?); the anger I feel subsides when I see they've put a couple of Aerosmith albums on the list! We all disagree with that number one but we keep right on scrolling through each choice.

This project, which has been percolating for quite a while, originated from the constant, back and forth, "good natured bickering" between John Scoleri and myself. John invariably loves everything and I hate it all (for more of the discourse, I advise one and all to pick up a copy of bare•bones print magazine and read our debates about streaming and movie theaters to get a taste). I began to think it would be fun to compose a Favorite (as opposed to Best) 100 and compare our selections. Making it even more tantalizing, I managed to talk the third head of Ghidorah, Jack Seabrook, into participating. This could be interesting, since John's never seen a movie the two Georges (Romero and Lucas) didn't have a hand in, and Jack usually favors the flicks that have words at the bottom of the screen (dis-moi que j'ai tort, Jack!). I, on the other hand, can't wait to educate these two gentlemen as to what constitutes good cinema.

Every Thursday, we'll count down our picks two at a time. We're hoping this will generate discourse outside of our trio. Let us know just how crazy we are. This is going to be fun!—Peter

A History of Violence (2005) 

Starring: Viggo Mortenson, Maria Bello, Ed Harris

Directed by: David Cronenberg

"My husband does not know you. He wouldn't know you, somebody like you."

This is a deceptively easy movie to summarize once you've seen it but, while you're watching it for the first time, the pieces take a long time to fit together. Mortenson's Tom Stall sure seems like Smalltown, USA's most loved diner owner, a guy who'd give you that piece of pie and coffee for free if you were down on your luck; he'd be the first one out to the neighbors' place to help put out the barn fire. After some trouble at the diner involving two psychopaths lands him on the nationwide news, you can see he's very uncomfortable with the attention. But surely that's because he really doesn't believe himself to be a hero, right?

When mobster Ed Harris comes to town and harasses Tom, telling him he knows his real identity, it's surely a horrific case of mistaken identity, right? Family man Tom couldn't really be gangster Joey Cusack, hiding from his past, could he? Once you know the twist, you can look for the clues, and David Cronenberg does not cheat. That's a very important point. A lot of these "he's not who he seems to be" flicks will manipulate characters, dialogue, and situations to fit their ultimate surprise reveal, but Cronenberg leaves a trail of breadcrumbs (the way Mortenson watches himself on TV and shakes his head can be construed differently on the second viewing), almost hoping you'll see what's coming. Once we do find out the big secret and Viggo's demeanor changes, it's done organically, as if Tom Stall might just have a split personality. 

This cast is top-notch, from Mortenson to the incredibly sexy Bello to the never more hammy William Hurt (in what could only be described as a glorified cameo). In an interesting contrast, Mortenson would work with Cronenberg again two years later in Eastern Promises, a movie that takes the premise of History and reverses it.—Peter

Remarks from the Gallery

Jack: I saw this in a theater when it came out. I remember that my wife and I were on vacation somewhere and knew nothing about it. We walked in cold and I was blown away. This should probably be on my list. Viggo Mortenson and Ed Harris are great in it, but William Hurt just cracked me up. His scene near the end is a classic.

John: Undoubtedly a great flick—perhaps Cronenberg's best. And one that was under consideration for my top 100 but didn't quite make the cut on the day. A fantastic cast (Ed Harris, who is always great, is particularly good in this), but I have to call out the one you failed to mention—Maria Bello. She's great as Tom's wife, who's learning about his history along with the audience. 

To Be or Not To Be (1942)

Starring: Jack Benny and Carole Lombard

Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch

When the Nazis invade Poland in 1942, the members of a Polish acting troupe must rise to the occasion to stop a spy from exposing members of the underground resistance movement.

This has always been one of my favorites and rewatching it recently I found that it was as good as ever. The movie is a delight from start to finish. It was filmed right before the U.S. entered the war, but it was released in early 1942, after Pearl Harbor. Jack Benny is very funny as "that great, great Polish actor, Joseph Tura" (as he says of himself more than once) and Carole Lombard is extremely good as his wife, an actress with a fondness for handsome young men. Twenty-two-year-old Robert Stack plays the Polish-American flyer with a crush on her, and the entire cast is perfect, from Sig Ruman as Ehrhardt ("So they call me concentration camp Ehrhardt!") to Felix Bressart as the actor who just wants his moment to shine, to Lionel Atwill as an actor who is such a ham that he almost blows their cover.

If you haven't seen To Be or Not To Be, watch it! It influenced Mel Brooks in The Producers and he then remade it in 1983.—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery:

Peter: You stumped me again, Mr. Seabrook! I've heard of Jack Benny and Carole Lombard but never heard of the flick. I've definitely heard of Joe Tura (inside joke).

John: I was aware of the Mel Brooks remake but too haven't seen either version.

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Starring: Candace Hilligoss, Herk Harvey, Sidney Berger

Directed by: Herk Harvey

"Profane! Sacrilege!"

One of the creepiest films on my list. Yes, modern audiences will likely see where things are going from the outset, but let's be honest, what makes the film great is not any sort of plot twist, but the haunting nightmare visuals throughout. Hilligoss's wide-eyed performance is certainly odd, but it somehow works in this context. And Gene Moore delivers just the right spooky score to underline the visuals. 

There are so many great scenes, but the one that always gives me goosebumps is when Hilligoss is in the shrink's office and he turns around in his chair. The simple dark circles around the eyes makeup is so chillingly effective; kudos to director and star Harvey for being the scariest actor/director in the history of cinema. And in a film filled with... creepy people... the creepiest may be the lecherous next door neighbor, brilliantly portrayed by Sidney Berger!—John

Remarks from the Gallery

Peter: Not bad. When I was a kid I saw this three or four times and still couldn't keep it separate in my brain from Curtis Harrington's Night Tide. Yeah, I know, completely different flicks, but same kind of weird atmosphere. 

Jack: I must have seen this long ago but I don't really remember it. I feel like it was circulating in a crummy print.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Alfred Molina, Kirsten Dunst

Directed by Sam Raimi

"Peter Parker? 'Brilliant but lazy.'"

Growing up, The Amazing Spider-Man was my favorite comic title; its writer, the late, great Gerry Conway, just seemed to come up with hook after hook (most of them used as foundation for the movies). I was lucky enough to experience the wonders of the early 1970s arcs like The Death of Gwen, The Death of the Goblin, The Gwen-Clone, The Jackal/Professor Warren, and The Punisher. When I heard Sam Raimi would be helming Spider-Man (2001), I was thrilled, but the finished product was less than thrilling. It's okay, don't get me wrong, but that Goblin uni pretty much ruins the flick for me.

So, I went into Spider-Man 2 with lowered expectations but found quickly that Raimi had finally figured it out; Alfred Molina's Doc Ock is the best realization of any of the Spidey villains on screen. The trick is to portray the bad guy as a real man and therefore a real threat, as opposed to Willem Dafoe's hammy Norman Osborn. The script (with a helping hand from novelist/comic book enthusiast Michael Chabon) is packed with the kind of self-reflecting dialogue you don't usually associate with guys in spandex. The El scene manages to sustain an incredible amount of suspense even if you do know how it's going to resolve itself. And, as much as I like Tom Holland as Spidey in the new cycle, Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker.

Alas, this was the last time we'd experience that kind of Spidey movie for several years (Spider-Man 3 was a bloated, rambling disaster and don't get me started on the two Andrew Garfield crapfests), but hold on to this one, the second best Marvel superhero movie of all time.-Peter

Remarks from the Gallery

Jack: Ah, for the good old days when Marvel movies were fun! I liked the first Spider-Man movie a lot, but I agree with you that this one was even better, in large part due to Alfred Molina as Doc Ock. Tobey Maguire was a great choice to play Peter Parker. Now you have me wondering what your #1 Marvel flick is!

John: For me, Spider-Man was the beginning of the end (for a while, anyway) of the great Sam Raimi. And while we are in agreement that this one is the best of the Tobey Maguire cycle, I cannot agree that he was the best Spider-Man. Garfield was different, but not drastically better. For my money, Tom Holland is Peter Parker/Spider-Man. 'Nuff said.

Stagecoach (1939)

Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell

Directed by: John Ford

In the Old West, an eclectic group of folks travel by stagecoach from Arizona to New Mexico and are joined by the Ringo Kid, who has just escaped from prison and who vows to avenge the murder of his father and brother when they reach their destination. Can they make it to Lordsburg without being killed by Apaches?

Rewatching this classic today, it holds up well and gets better as it goes along. Stagecoach made John Wayne a star and it's easy to see why; as the Ringo Kid, he is tough and tender, a crack shot and kind to Dallas, the prostitute who has been run out of town by the upstanding wives. Claire Trevor is excellent as Dallas, both tough and gentle, and by the end of the movie she has won over her fellow passengers. Thomas Mitchell won a well-deserved Oscar for playing drunk Doc Boone, who can't stay away from the bottle but manages to sober up in time to deliver an unexpected baby en route.

I could go on and on about the great cast! Don't miss John Carradine as a Virginia dandy who fought in the Civil War and who comes within moments of killing the new mother in order to prevent her from being violated when the Apaches capture the stagecoach. The Indian attack is a thrilling piece of work that features one amazing stunt after another as Apaches get shot and fall off their horses at top speed. Ford's direction is top notch as usual, moving from comedy to drama to action effortlessly.—Jack

Remarks from the Gallery

Peter: Try as I might, I could never get into this one. I'll give it the respect due because it started something big, but Ford and Wayne both (and separately) made so much better later on. 

John: Another John Wayne film that I've never gone out of my way to check out.   

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Starring: Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun, Victor Wong, James Hong

Directed by: John Carpenter

"Are you crazy? Is that your problem?"

There's no such thing as a bad John Carpenter/Kurt Russell pairing, in my opinion. And this one may just be the most quotable of the bunch. Russell's Jack Burton is a classic character. I still recall seeing this in its opening weekend 40 years ago and loving it from the outset. It took time, but it has finally achieved some of the acclaim it has long deserved. It's a great action film, a fantastic comedy, and one of the best US-made martial arts films. Carpenter was years ahead of his time when he made this; back when the sort of wire-fu films were known only to a hardcore contingent of film fans. 

Of course the film doesn't entirely rest on Jack Burton's shoulders (his own beliefs to the contrary). Dennis Dun is his perfect partner in this buddy film, and Victor Wong's Egg Chen and James Hong's Lo Pan are perfect icons of good and evil. It's also got a great Carpenter score (I'm even a fan of the theme song Carpenter sings!). There's a part of me that acknowledges this should be higher on my list, but it's just one more example of how tough it can be trying to rank 100 favorites.—John

Remarks from the Gallery

Peter: We'll just agree to disagree on this one. I have vague memories of walking out on this one before it was over. Silly, hammy, and meandering. 

Jack: Wasn't this trashed on release? I never saw it. I don't think my list includes a single Carpenter flick.