The Top 100 Project

Tom Hanks the movie star and Robert Zemeckis the master storyteller authored an unusual megahit 20 years ago because it’s about loneliness, sadness and the slow march of time. Wait, hold on. Cast Away just might be the signature movie for THIS depressing year…if a feature of 2020 was to have volleyballs becoming the bosom buddies of sad people on tropical islands. Anyway, our chat didn’t just focus on Zemeckis' procedural about patience. Disney+ came up. The goods and bads of product placement came up. What we want to do the most after the pandemic came up. This being a Christmas movie (it is!) even came up. And, of course, we channeled Brad Pitt from Se7en and asked what’s in the (FedEx) box. So buy a brand new volleyball and don’t give up hope. In fact, go back and ask that welder lady out for drinks and we suggest you both listen to the epic 371st Ellises’ Analysis together. Tom Hanks badly needed Sparkplug Coffee on that island. He would have loved the 20% discount he can get by entering “top100project” i

The Christmas season is here! Well, Christmas lasts about 5 months in this part of the world, so it’s actually been here since we still needed air conditioning. Anyway, Home Alone! It’s the G-rated Straw Dogs. It’s also the movie where we root for a housebound child to practically murder 2 men for trying to steal the VCR. Kevin will probably grow up to be a big fan of the 2nd Amendment…or perhaps a cancer-stricken serial killer who really digs booby traps. Anyway, this John Hughes/Chris Columbus blockbuster is packed with cartoonish violence & cartoonish performances and a resourceful kid gets to be the hero by any horrific means necessary. Arrest that burgeoning sociopath! Anyway, the movie ISN'T packed with much meaningful character development (especially amongst the jerky members of this strange family), but it remains entertaining and fun. Macaulay Culkin wasn’t even 10 years old when Home Alone came out 30 years ago, but it made him a movie star. So don’t give up. Be thirsty for more…of the 370th El

What’s funnier than chain gangs and the KKK in the Deep South during the Depression? Perhaps nothing could be. Okay, it sounds like an unfunny subject, but the remarkable Joel & Ethan Coen defy the odds by casting great actors, featuring a lot of dynamite songs and unleashing plenty of goofiness. O Brother helped make George Clooney a movie star, even though he, John Turturro and the hilarious Tim Blake Nelson are pretty much playing the Three Stooges. If only the Stooges were this likable or blessed with such a gift of gab! We talked a lot about the Coens’ entire career (the comedies, the dramas, the hits, the misses) and we certainly dug into the inspiration for this zany flick (The Odyssey). It's time for some fun, so we suggest you DO seek the tray-sure of the 369th Ellises’ Analysis. Well, Actually: The first film in which both Coens were credited as a director was The Ladykillers. Also, Tim Blake Nelson’s character in The Incredible Hulk was Samuel Sterns aka The Leader. Coffee, eh? Yes! Sparkplug C

So it's Monty Python then. Holy Grails and all that. You know these guys. They're comedy legends. They're The Beatles of satire. Do we need to say more? Okay, we're not the biggest Python nerds of all time and we criticized over-the-top fandom quite a bit here. Also, the movie peters out in the second half and we (prepare to be appalled) just don't get the Knights Who Say Ni. But, faults aside, this inspired bit of lunacy is still jammed to the coconuts with incredibly big laughs. So GET ON WITH IT because episode #368 is ready for a listenin'. Well, Actually: We covered Rashomon nearly 3 months ago, not 1 month ago. Also, Swedish for "with" is "med". Also also, Graham Chapman is indeed in The Meaning Of Life. Our sponsor is Sparkplug Coffee. They won't bring you a shrubbery, but you WILL nab a 20% discount if you use our promo code ("top100project") when it's bill-paying time. Our website is top100project.com We are tweetable: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Ryan also talks about sports movies over on Scori

Despite the great political news in the past few days, we all still need laughs in our lives, so Funny Movie Month continues. Our 367th Ellises’ Analysis digs into a 70-year-old mental-illness comedy with the giant, invisible rabbit. It’s also a movie that just roots for nice people. Too bad Harvey doesn’t cause more guffaws, especially considering it’s one of the AFI’s highest-ranked comedies. Also, sorry to say, but even though this might be one his most-beloved roles, we’re not as over the moon as many fans are about Jimmy Stewart in this goofy flick. There’s still fun to be had with this one though, so pour a couple of martinis (make that many, MANY martinis) and have a friendly hang with us as we talk about Mr. Dowd and his pooka. Sparkplug Coffee sponsors us. Buy their stuff. It’s pretty great. You’re gonna love it. They’ll knock 20% off the bottom line if you use our promo code (“top100project”). Tweet as if your best buddy is either a magical being or even perhaps the Lord himself: @moviefiend51 and @

Heads up, Proud Boys and such, the 366th Ellises’ Analysis is politically polarizing, but we make zero none NO apologies for how we feel. We’re starting Funny Movie Month the day before the American election because we all need some laughs after a monumentally terrible year. Charlie Chaplin’s mixture of politics and humour isn’t a smooth one though. We preferred the farcical Hynkel scenes because what sane person doesn’t like seeing Adolf Hitler being brutally mocked? The Tramp scenes…wait, the “Jewish Barber” scenes are necessary for the plot, but they’re just in the wrong movie. What an ending with the barber’s passionate speech though! It’s sappy and so very on the nose, but it’s advice everyone needs and they should heed it no matter the decade or the dictator involved. So don’t be a phony poseur buffoon in 1940, 2020 or anytime. Bump a balloon with your bottom, be a mensch and devour our musings about Chaplin’s Hitler flick. An excellent way to warm up those chilly November days and nights is to dump so

For the last episode in Scary Movie Month, we tethered ourselves to the couch and checked out Jordan Peele’s blockbuster follow-up to his blockbuster debut. While Peele’s Get Out is leaner and has a more-believable sci-fi premise, Us hits a lot of its own effectively eerie notes. This flick is worth a 2nd and even a 3rd look just to try to spot all the film & TV references and sift through the subtleties. Lupita Nyong’o is brilliant and was worthy of a closetful of awards playing 2 distinct characters. She and her terrific co-stars also REALLY get to play with the hero/villain dynamic. There’s so much duality and subtext here. Maybe a little too much? Anyway, don’t let some punk clone switch you out or make you hold hands with strangers. Just pound the play button on the 365th Ellises' Analysis, but before you do, please be like Jason and put on your damn mask! Well, Actually: Us was NOT a bigger hit than Get Out (which made about a million bucks more). Also, the song we couldn’t remember is “I Got 5 On I

The 3rd entry in Scary Movie Month finds us in Japan as we get under the skin of Takashi Miike's Audition. Whether it's one of the first J-Horror flicks or a forerunner to torture porn is up for debate, but you can't debate that this is an intense experience that you'll never forget. We saw the movie a little differently though. We couldn't agree about whether or not the most memorable scenes are even real. And is Aoyama into sadomasochism? Also, why does Asami do the shudder-inducing things she does? Anyway, the 364th Ellises' Analysis doesn't aim for your ankles but it does go pretty deep (deeper, deeper, deeper) into the nooks and also the crannies of Odishon. Well, Actually: We didn't bring up the Rotten Tomatoes reviews like we usually do, which were 82% of critics and 80% of audiences. Also, we didn't talk about how castration (!) might very well be a subtext of what happens in the infamous climax. Don't let someone twist (off) your arms or legs or anything else without first drinking Sparkplug Coffee.

Rob Reiner took a break from his run of classic '80s comedies to direct a thriller and he scored again, even though he wasn't in his comfort zone. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her tightrope performance that blends horror with campy comedy about as well you possibly can. She's James Caan's #1 fan and she's also the perfect representation of a toxic fan. Stephen King (who wrote the book) could no doubt personally relate to that. We hashed out the work and the clashing styles of the 2 main characters (there were disagreements), but there's no disputing how terrific Richard Farnsworth and Frances Sternhagen are. The 363rd Ellises' Analysis is anything but a cockadoodie, so stash your pain pills, and don't let a madwoman take a sledge to your ankles, MISTER MAN. Well, Actually: The Green Mile had 4 Oscar nominations, not 5. Also, The Running Man is indeed one of the 4 short stories in the Rage/The Long Walk/Roadwork series of King's "Bachman Books". Also also, Bates is only 5'3", while Caan is nearly 5'10", so cam

The first entry in our 5th Annual Scary Movie Month has us visiting ’60s London to gaze at the beautiful, but deeply messed-up Catherine Deneuve. This isn’t Roman Polanski’s best-known work, but his strange thriller deserves to be re-discovered. Speaking of the victim who created a victim, we spent a solid 10 minutes (starting at the 6-minute mark) discussing Polanski’s real-life rape case and how we feel about the man. If you don’t want to hear about that story again, you’ll know when to start skipping and when to stop skipping. Anyway, Repulsion was ahead of its time and it remains surprisingly modern. The look, the sound, the simple but eerie story are all world-class. And this has been a theme on this channel lately, but is any of it real or is it all just one big hallucination? So barricade your door (badly), avoid those grabby hands, pick up an interloper’s straight razor and start killing your free time with the 362nd Ellises’ Analysis. Rotting rabbit isn’t the best choice for a main course, but Sparkp

The 361st Ellises' Analysis is dedicated to our late dog Fox for reasons that will quickly (and often) become apparent. That little Pomeranian is all over this podcast! Anyway, we're split on yet another movie, but we don't disagree about the quality of the outstanding look and style of Twelve Monkeys. Terry Gilliam's quirks are perfectly suited to this time-travel movie. Wait, is it a time-travel movie...or maybe just one man's psychosis? Brains are twisted trying to figure that out. The film hasn't changed, but we have, so maybe that's why a lot of the performances don't seem as great as they did 25 years ago. A pox on us for saying it, but that includes Brad Pitt and all his manic tics. Bruce Willis, however, is doing pretty much the best work of his long career. So find out what we thought about a virus movie that unfortunately remains very timely. Well, Actually: The scientists in the future COULD know things Cole has said & heard because they are supposedly monitoring him through his teeth. Also, th

Almost Famous is one of the most charming and enjoyable pictures of the past 20 years, so it provides us with much fat to chew on in the 360th Ellises’ Analysis. Well, okay, only one Ellis loves it. The other Ellis is no fan of Cameron Crowe’s ultra-personal road movie about friendship, love and rock ‘n’ roll. A big part of the disagreement is that we’re split on the effectiveness of Kate Hudson’s work and especially about how she was written by Crowe, but only a paranoid Billy Crudup can deny that Patrick Fugit is lovable & delightful in his very first movie. Throw in some McDormand, some Hoffman, some Deschanel, some incredible music and some big laughs and you’ve got yourself a hit. Well, this movie wasn’t actually a hit (wasn’t even close) and the negative feelings of one of us might explain why. Anyway, it’s all happening, so settle in for a lengthy gab and also…you have a good day! Well, Actually: To be clear, Roger Ebert said in his review that he wanted to hug Almost Famous, not the documentary ab

The Death Of Michael Corleone provides us with gallons of juice for the 359th episode of The Ellises’ Analysis. While probably no movie could have lived up to the first 2 mafia classics (both of which are in our archives), does The Godfather Part III hold up after 30 years? Well, some of it is good. Some of it is enormously disappointing…or even downright terrible. Better people than us have fired bullets at Sofia Coppola’s performance (and it certainly isn’t good), but we weren’t exactly in love with the work of several other actors either. Al Pacino does a lot of his typical post-’70s shtick and Andy Garcia’s work isn’t as award-worthy now as it seemed then. Oh, and the script? Mario Puzo and legendary director Francis Coppola put way too many hats on hats in this unnecessary threequel. The ripped-from-the-headlines angle about money woes & corruption in the Catholic Church is the best of the many, many storylines. So try your best to avoid falling in love with your “cuz” as you hear us toss it back and

Todd Haynes’ sensitive, personal and deliberately paced drama was Bev’s #1 movie of 2015. She’s got good taste. It’s a quietly beautiful character study of two lesbian lovers who weren’t allowed to be themselves in 1950s America. The great Cate Blanchett is dynamite in the title role, but this project belongs to Rooney Mara’s character (who is compelling too). The film truly puts you in the time and place with its wonderful production design, costumes and music. So don’t be a Harge. Just buck society’s expectations once in a while, but don’t buck our suggestion that you give our 358th episode a long listen (or just one look and you’ll fall so huh-uh-arrrrrrrd in love…). Well, Actually: Same-sex marriage was legalized in America in 2015, so it was 11 years after it had been a wedge issue in the 2004 presidential campaign. Road trips with your forbidden lover can only be made better by taking along some Sparkplug Coffee. If you crush on snagging a 20% discount, you can get one by entering our promo code (“top10

Our 357th episode finds us talking about that legend of legends, Akira Kurosawa, and his 70-year-old classic Rashomon. Simply put, this film is about honour and dishonour (ie. lying). Who’s telling the truth? Can we ever know the REAL truth? This is a difficult storyline with a rapist destroying what seems to be a bad marriage. And how did that samurai end up dead? Points of view are clung to. Kabuki ensues! Okay, so the acting is a bit much, but this movie is so influential with its story structure and its technical merits that it’s easy to look past how big Toshiro Mifune et al are in this flashback-fest. So load us up because Kurosawa is on the docket and if you love film, you pretty much have to love his work. Well, Actually: Patrick Henry was known for saying “give me liberty or give me death”, not “death before dishonour”. Also, it’s the woodcutter (not the priest) who says he “can’t understand” at the beginning of the movie. If you’re looking for a beverage to help you tell the whole truth, Sparkplug C

August is the perfect time to jam about an R-rated animated musical that remains funny, smart and controversial 21 years after it was released. Trey Parker & Matt Stone’s South Park movie is as far from a Disney picture as it gets, but it’s also about as meta as it gets. There’s clever text AND clever subtext here. It’s also more than happy to rag on political correctness while not being at all politically correct itself. Some things haven’t aged very well though. Woke people won’t be happy. Sometimes Parker & Stone go too far, but their tale about the Colorado kids is filled with more sharp satire than just about any other movie you’ll see. And those songs! There are more than a half-dozen stupendous tunes in this. So get a homeless guy to pay for 4 tickets so you can punch the play button on the 356th episode of The Ellises’ Analysis, m’kay. Well, Actually: Marc Shaiman’s name should be pronounced “shay-man”, not “shy-man”. Also, the Columbine shootings happened on April 20th, so the school year sti

Our 355th episode closes out July with the ideal movie for the middle of the summer…Midsommar! Ari Aster’s provocative breakup movie isn’t as outstanding as his marvelous debut (Hereditary), but it’s got a lot of meat on the bear-bone. And if you enjoy foreshadowing in your films, you’ll be in heaven with this one. Geez, it’s painted on the walls! Both of us do have major problems with the ending, even though our issues aren’t entirely the same ones. We have no complaints about the work of the remarkable Florence Pugh…even if some of the things Aster has her do don’t make sense for her empathetic character. Ryan stirs up the muck again by having sympathy for the devil—justice for Christian!—and even some sympathy for this movie’s real villains (those goldurned Swedes). But as a certain book says, judge not lest you…know the rest. So smile as people die a fiery, horrible death because revenge is now…something to celebrate? EXTRA THOUGHTS: Bev mentioned that Ryan has a theory, but we didn’t get into it. This is

Welllllll, let’s go and shake (or stomp) it up in our 354th edition as we chit chat about Ritchie Valens, the beloved Mexican-American teenaged pop star whose career was cut tragically short. With the ending of a fateful plane crash hovering over the whole story, it’s probably inevitable that writer/director Luis Valdez was not going to make a fun movie, but we had a lot of giggles in this podcast anyway. And we sang…often! Yay? Lou Diamond Phillips is miscast as Ritchie for several reasons (we get into all that), but he’s still quite terrific, as is the entire cast (especially Esai Morales as his jealous, alcoholic brother Bob). On the very bright side, this movie about Hispanic people was mostly made by Hispanic people, which might be why it feels so authentic. So lift up your chin in a cool “hey, how are ya, bro” manner and root for these underdog Valenzuelas. Well, Actually: Pan’s Labyrinth is about Spanish characters, but the filmmaker in charge (Guillermo Del Toro) is of course proudly Mexican. Also, th

Brandish your totems (whether they be tops, chess pieces or wedding rings) and dream a complicated dream as the 353rd episode of The Ellises’ Analysis pulls back the covers on Inception. The iconic Christopher Nolan (who is just as much of a brand name as any of his actors are) is the master of “popcorn surrealism”, but does he suffer from “George Lucas Syndrome”? Oh, these phrases we’ve coined…or we think we did! We get into whether or not this entire movie is someone’s dream, plus we debate the many sleepy levels and the effectiveness of the infamous last shot. We also discussed most of Nolan’s filmography. With apologies to Leo, JGL, Page, Hardy and the rest of his talented cast & crew, this episode is focused on their director. So tu ne regrette rien (right?), fold a street in half with your imagination, wait for that kick and inhale the kewl of Nolan’s ultra-beloved sleep movie. Well, Actually: The Dark Knight and Memento are the other 2 Nolan pictures (in addition to the Oscar-winning Dunkirk) to ge

Unchain some melodies in the 352nd episode of The Ellises’ Analysis. You’ll laugh, you might cry and you’ll reminisce about pennies & pottery. What our Ghost chat has more than anything though are tangents. We hashed out why Jerry Zucker (yup, the Airplane guy) has directed so few movies in his successful career. We pondered what is Ghost’s REAL love story. We discussed our feelings about that difficult phrase “ditto”. Oh wait, “I love you”. See? Difficult. And we definitely questioned whether or not a guy who gets 2 people killed deserves to ascend to a righteous afterlife. Maybe Sam bought his way into heaven? Dirty rotten bankers! Anyway, this blockbuster with the Swayze, the Demi and the Whoopi in the main roles still has lots of charm and staying power 30 years later. Tech Note: We’re not sure why the weird echo is still happening (still working on it), although we probably can’t do anything about the neighbour’s air conditioner. Well, Actually: Jerry Zucker’s brother David directed the 1st and 2nd N