The Top 100 Project

I suppose you’d be wise to spend some of your Valentine’s Day hearing us warble about Julie Christie, Gordon Pinsent and friends do mighty good work in Away From Her. The 2 leads are quiet dynamite, but Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy and Kristen Thomson are a fair bit of gentle TNT themselves. Sarah Polley’s debut as both a writer and director is a sensitive, lovely film about senior citizens. What’s especially impressive is that Polley was only 27 years old when she made it. So don’t disappear. Just learn to accept that your life is changing (maybe not for the better) as the 429th Ellises’ Analysis sorts through the beautiful, but devastating angles of this lyrical opus to aging and Alzheimer’s. Sparkplug Coffee is not going to prevent dementia, but it CAN help a grown-up of any age get their day started deliciously. A 20% discount will be your reward if you use our promo code (“top100project”) at check-out. We tweet out thoughts on occasion: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website remains top100projec

February is our "Month Of Strange Love” and the 1st of 4 unusual sex and/or romance films we've chosen is the one about the Spade-ist and the Magg-osist. The 2 lead performances in Steven Shainberg’s Secretary are the main event. Slinky sexy James Spader has been in other perverse pictures like this and he’s always convincingly saucy. Maggie Gyllenhaal, on other hand, was not the obvious choice, although it’s one of many risky roles she’s sought out. Like her brother Jake, she’s willing to take chances that many actors won’t. In this case, it’s BDSM with her boss…although this movie is about so much more than just that. So don’t dig a sharp object into your leg. Just eat a couple peas before you gulp down a lot of ice cream as the 428th Elllises’ Analysis delves into the goings-on in Secretary. If you’ve been ordered to sit at your boss’ desk for days on end, you should bring a straw and a lot of Sparkplug Coffee. They still want to give you a 20% discount on your very next order. You just have to put our “to

One of the greatest technically creative directors of comedies has got to be Edgar Wright. We love his enthusiasm, his warmth and his talent…although we don’t actually love a lot of his movies. Well, hold on, one of us thinks Shaun Of The Dead is hysterical and the other thinks Wright's peak of greatness is Hot Fuzz. Both yuck-fests are jammed with homages and references and also a lot of cartoonish (yet also quite gory) violence. And they’re so rewatchable! In Hot Fuzz, Simon Pegg plays against type as a pedantic, by-the-book London policeman officer banished to a small town to make friends with the good-natured lug Nick Frost. Oh, and Pegg has to deal with some sinister forces, including the brilliantly funny Timothy Dalton. All in a day’s (paper)work. Listening to the 427th Ellises’ Analysis is for the greater good (the greater good), so stay back or the ginger nut (not to mention all that riff raff) will get it. A Follow-Up: We’ve seen Last Night In Soho since we recorded this episode. As always, much res

Many movies made outside Hollywood are among the best of any given year, but the Brazilian-made City Of God remains a revered classic of this entire century. That’s how several critics groups and Best Of lists feel about it, at least. It’s not so simple for us. The slightly dated filmmaking techniques are a little much (especially the frenzied editing) and it’s A LOT much to have to look at 2 hours of children toting around guns, guns, guns. So much killing. That doesn’t mean we can’t admire the visuals and the soundscape in Fernando Meirelles’ opus about kids & teenagers running wild in the favelas in Rio. So try putting aside your handgun and instead putting a camera in your hands as you hear the 426th Ellises’ Analysis rocket through Cidade De Deus. Well, Actually: The girl in The Ring is Daveigh Chase. Also, Kill Bill V1 was released in 2003, not Kill Bill V2. Also also, “Children Of Men TV series” at the 32:40 mark should of course have been the “City Of Men TV series”. If you’re keeping crazy hours

We tackle a Michael Moore documentary for the 3rd time on this channel in this 425th Ellises’ Analysis and this movie is about as politically divisive as anything the funny activist has ever made. The man has been remarkably influential from the beginning of his career, but especially after this highly successful documentary came out and asked if America is full of gun nuts...or are they just nuts. Why IS America so cuckoo for guns and, worse, tend to use them so often on their fellow Americans? Of course, we agree with Moore’s views and his message in Bowling For Columbine, but unfortunately his execution is messy, especially in the unsatisfying ending with Charlton Heston. So the picture is far from perfect, but the issue is too…and it’s become an even bigger problem than it was 20 years ago. So deliver your speech to rich movie stars at lavish ceremonies despite boos raining down on you as we dole out the dealio in Bowling For Columbine. Political movies inspire the need for a good beverage more than almos

Todd Solondz has been a master of “cringe cinema” for more than 25 years and Welcome To The Dollhouse is the misanthropic director at his peak. He understands what real children and real teenagers go through better than most filmmakers do and he certainly understands the effects of bullying. Heather Matarazzo’s take on Dawn Wiener is nicely complex too because she isn’t just a sweet victim of the jerks at school or a victim of her own indifferent family. She’s awkward and out of touch with the kids at school, but she also has no trouble paying that abuse forward to younger kids. So show your fingers to your unattainable crush before the dangerous boy who likes you threatens to do terrible things, but first inhale the 424th Ellises’ Analysis as we try our best to get into a good school while we break down this movie. Well, Actually: It’s actually Robert Wisdom in that infamous sex scene with Selma Blair in Storytelling, not Keith David. If you feel guilty about your missing sister and have to trek to the big c

We begin the 7th Annual Month O’ Bev with a spirited chat about one of her favourite satires. Starship Troopers was a split decision in this 423rd Ellises’ Analysis though because Ryan just doesn’t have a good feeling about Paul Verhoeven’s intergalactic war flick. It’s deliberately campy and it’s lathered in self-aware propaganda, plus the F/X are marvelous, but it also has tonal problems. Casting beautiful young(ish) people like Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards and Dina Meyer just so you can put them and so many other people through bloody hell and rip ’em to pieces is a solid idea. Are they up to the challenge of giving good performances though? We debated. Oh, and there’s the big bugs, who are possibly the movie’s scapegoats. Anyway, there’s plenty of meat on this bone (and plenty of meat to get torn right off the bone), so curl up by the fire and enjoy our first episode of 2022. Battling bugs on their home planet would go a lot easier if you were filled up with caffeine. Our sponsor continues to be Spark

Of all the blaxploitation films that were made in the ’70s, Shaft was the most influential and probably the coolest too. It’s even had longevity, as evidenced by all the sequels and remakes. People (including the AFI) haven’t forgotten about Gordon Parks’ private dick flick, which had a fresh take on just what a black hero could be. Richard Roundtree wasn’t righteous and measured like Sidney Poitier always had to be. John Shaft was a bad…uh, mamma jamma. This, however, wasn’t a film we enjoyed as much as others of its type, partly because it’s a little amateurish technically and the man’s sex life is a bit dicey. Still, you can’t overlook how important this movie was and is to people who look like Roundtree and not like us. Anyway, be the only one to understand our final episode of 2021 (well, you and his wuh-huh-man) as we get political, but also laugh a bunch in our 422nd Ellises’ Analysis. Well, Actually: The Godfather was actually NOT one of the 25 movies inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989 (

If you like your Christmas movies—especially the stars of your Christmas movies—to be very big and very loud, Bill Murray’s hard-drinking performance in Scrooged probably feels like your perfect slice of turkey. It's an unpopular opinion, but we weren't Murray fans in this movie, especially in the unearned finale where he just comes across as phony and desperate. He also seems…gulp…miscast? He certainly doesn’t seem like the right man for the job whenever the focus is on the love story with the delightful Karen Allen. It doesn’t help at all that the versatile Richard Donner was apparently a terrible match directing his improvisational star. But, hey, what do we know? This is a beloved holiday comedy, one of the favourites for legions of people. So whether you think you’ll agree with our take or not, put a little podcast in your e-e-ears as the 421st Ellises’ Analysis tears Scrooged a new one. Well, Actually: Joel Murray was indeed in a couple of movies that Bobcat Goldthwait directed (Shakes The Clown and God

There’s no greater way to celebrate episode #420 of The Ellises’ Analysis than to talk about one of the side-splittingest stoner movies ever made. Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle is crass, politically incorrect, gross and often pretty dumb, but it’s also funny to the EXTREEEEEEME! From the hysterical Neil Patrick Harris cameo to the surreal fantasy sequences to the eternal “Hold On” sing-along, Danny Leiner’s pot-n-burgers flick just keeps delivering joy. It’s also got more depth than you might think, partly because of the unusual-at-the-time diverse cast (particularly John Cho & Kal Penn as the leads). So let the universe unfold as it should as you go through a night of hellish fun with your best buddy just so you can stuff sliders down your gullet. Well, Actually: Since recording this episode, we’ve seen both sequels. The Gitmo one is dreadful, but the Christmas one is actually pretty sweet and often measures up to the original. Also, Ryan Reynolds’ 3rd movie released in 2021 was The Hitman’s Wife’s

The holiday season is here and who wouldn’t enjoy a getaway to an apparently gigantic northeastern inn during the Christmas break? Well, one Ellis wouldn’t enjoy that vacation as much as the other. Actually, we agreed that White Christmas is overlong, that there’s too much going on in the erratic screenplay and that the film has one of the worst Idiot Plots of all time. Still, because of all that joyful singing & dancing by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, the film is more than watchable. Those actors (not to mention Dean Jagger) are the heroes in Michael Curtiz’s musical hit. Logic is not. So let the asbestos snow down as you spend Christmas Eve with your Army buddies and a bunch of strangers. While you’re doing that, we’ll warble our way through the 419th Ellises’ Analysis. I’m dreaming of a cup of coffee, just like the ones I used to drink. Good! Get you some Sparkplug Coffee! If you’re a fan of 20% discounts, using our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to pay up w

Light up a cigarette (or many cigarettes) and kickstart your existential crisis as you gulp down the 418th Ellises’ Analysis. Joel & Ethan Coen followed up their run of hysterical ’90s comedies with this black & white sorta-comedy. This might seem like an odd film, but it’s actually got more depth and enjoyably offbeat ideas than most of their previous work. Oh and fear not. The Man Who Wasn’t There is quite certainly funny. You also can’t argue with the casting of Billy Bob Thornton (who’s perfecto in the lead role), although Bev was just as enamoured with the work of Frances McDormand. So don’t look at the facts. Instead, look at the meaning of the facts (which have no meaning) as they cut the hair and we chat about The Man Who Wasn’t There. Well, Actually: Frances McDormand has 4 Oscars (3 for acting, 1 for producing). Also, Surviving Christmas came out even before Halloween (not in mid-November), which is in fact awfully early for a movie about the holly jolly season. Know what goes great with cig

Minari didn’t rake in bucks at the box office earlier in this weird year and having to read pesky subtitles still turns a lot of people off, but this movie is very worth your time. It’s simply a charm offensive. Lee Isaac Chung’s beautiful and relatable family film is even more relatable if you’ve ever struggled to make ends meet while also trying to live your (maybe impossible) dream. Chung’s entire cast is remarkable, but the outstanding work done by Yuh-Jung Youn and Alan Kim as grandma & grandson is the key to the entire project. We just love that kid! So pop the 417th Ellises’ Analysis into your device while you spend at least a little time keeping flammable objects away from your livelihood as we talk about a Korean-turned-American slice of life in the heartland. When you’re desperate for water for your crops, coffee probably isn’t a priority. However, YOU aren’t likely in a desperate bid to grow food, so load up on the beans! You can also do yourself a favour by going to our sponsor’s website (Spar

Niki Caro was making only her 2nd movie when she wrote and directed Whale Rider, so she showed the world her skills really early on. This sweet story aimed directly at kids (despite its absurd PG rating) is all about an ordinary (yet also magical) girl from New Zealand who loves her grandfather to pieces, but the maddening gramps is a slave to the patriarchy and blames his granddaughter for every problem in the village. It takes him so very long to realize that…she’s The One. Keisha Castle-Hughes made her debut here and she is tremendous, as are all the key players in the cast. This remains a delightful and emotional motion picture all these years later, even if Rawiri Paratene’s cruel grandpa is hard to like for almost the entire running time. The word “hate” was thrown around. Anyway, don’t sulk in bed because life threw a few rocks your way. Just curl up with the 416th Ellises’ Analysis and accept (and for the love of Paikea return) the love offered to you by the awesomest people in your life, whether they

Terry Gilliam’s tragicomic The Fisher King packs in a lot of themes, but a big one is kindness. This is a movie all about empathy and acceptance. Also, how often do Hollywood movies show much of the plight of homeless people? Or deal with depression and suicide? Or show our indifference to the suffering of others AND to blend all that serious material with absurdity and humour? Gilliam likes his weirdos and underdogs too. Oh, and he loves to dirty up his movie stars, all of whom are pretty awesome in this. Mercedes Ruehl won an Oscar while Robin Williams was nominated for one, but Jeff Bridges and Amanda Plummer do strong work of their own. Actually, you could argue that the women have more interesting characters to play than the men do. So acknowledge that you ARE responsible for what you say and how you treat others while you waltz through a train station with the 415th Ellises’ Analysis trilling in your ears. Sparkplug Coffee has been our sponsor for a very long time and we love to promote their groovy gro

He was a big star before it, but Eddie Murphy became galactic after Beverly Hills Cop came out in 1984. His blockbuster hit remains funny all these years later even though it deals with some deadly serious subject matter like death and so much destruction. Martin Brest directed a tremendous action comedy, but his picture is even more impressive when you consider they were apparently winging it a lot of the time. Eddie has always been a brilliant improviser and he & his co-stars did a lot of that here. Eddie’s Axel Foley is also pretty much a genius detective, expertly stirring up the rule-followers John Ashton & Judge Reinhold. So don’t be stupid. Just spend a bit of your day with the fish-in-water 414th Ellises’ Analysis as we do the neutron dance and dig into The Eddie Murphy Show. You’ll find it easier to be a supercop if you pump some great caffeine into your system, so load up on Sparkplug Coffee. When you’re ready to pay the tab, apply our promo code (“top100project”) into the right place and sa

We put the finishing touches on this year’s “Scary Movie Month” with a gab about a dynamite zombie flick from South Korea. Train To Busan is just as much an action movie as it is a horror movie. Director Yeon Sang-ho keeps up the intense pace by having his frenzied film play out almost in real time. He also hits most of the usual zombie beats by layering in class issues and the fear of your fellow fellows. In fact, the “they might be infected, so stay away from them” plotline hits awfully close to home the past year and a half. So wrap your wrists in tape and punch your way through a zombie horde with the 413th Ellises’ Analysis ringing through your ears. Or through your braaaaaains…braaaaaains… Well, Actually: One Cut Of The Dead is Japanese and we highly recommended seeking it out. Staying away from the running dead would be a lot easier if you caffeined up, so we strongly suggest that you buy loads of Sparkplug Coffee. They’ll even give you a 20% discount if you drop our promo code (“top100project”) into t

The 412th Ellises’ Analysis has us gabbing about ghosts as we continue with Scary Movie Month. The Others isn’t truly frightening (especially once you’ve seen it a few times), but writer/director Alejandro Amenabar certainly knows how to make a moody chiller with a killer climax. This is a throwback to classic tension-builders from long ago that focuses on what you don’t see. Amenabar lets terrific performances be his special effects. Nicole Kidman is the worrisome mom of the mansion, but the young actors playing her kids (particularly Alakina Mann) give arguably even better performances than the in-her-prime movie star does. So obey God’s will (or something) and don’t let a wartime tragedy throw you into a twist. Just get comfortable and we will begin talking about The Others. Our spooky sponsor is Sparkplug Coffee and they would love to provide you a 20% discount on your next order of java juice. You merely have to use our promo code (“top100project”) and you’ll save those bucks. Da tweets? Yup: @moviefiend

Scary Movie Month is officially here! We start it with one of the landmark slasher flicks of the ’90s, perhaps one of the greats of all time. Shockmaster director Wes Craven knew better than almost anyone how to make something like Scream work. His movie has a high body count and gallons of gore, sure, but it’s also meta up the nose and it remains pretty funny. Craven also gives us one of the great opening scenes ever. Ironically, we discussed how with all those red herrings, it’s almost as much a mystery film as it is a horror picture. Who killed Casey and who’s now menacing Sidney? So, yeah, Scream’s still got the goods. Don’t bow to peer pressure or make your parents so mad at you. Just pop some corn, crack open a few cold ones and listen to the 411th Ellises’ Analysis warble on about high-school snarksters and their Ghostface Killah. Before you grab your voice manipulator and don your cloak to taunt and/or torture your classmates, you should load up on caffeine by going to the Sparkplug Coffee website. Us

The 1931 version of Dracula was the first Universal Monster movie and it stars perhaps the most famous vampire actor of all time. Bela Lugosi was certainly committed to the part and this is obviously his trademark role. You’ll just have to work hard to overlook his almost funny schtick. Is Lugosi any good as the Count though? Well, is anyone in this cast any good? Maybe one guy (Dwight Frye) nails it by going deliriously over the top. Yeah, it’s fair to say we didn’t have much lust for Tod Browning’s picture. His direction is creaky and stilted and if his film was scary to audiences 90 years ago, it certainly isn’t anymore. However, the sexual subtext and the theme of a Transylvanian visitor representing a foreign plague are effective, just as they were in Bram Stoker’s classic book. So go to bed in your trusty coffin just as home invaders have come to kill you, but before you lay down, cue up the 410th Ellises’ Analysis to hear us yack about Drac. You can’t get a discount on superb coffee if you like to add