The Top 100 Project

Oscar Month ends with this episode as Kevin Spacey & Annette Bening share the hate in most comical fashion. The Oscar-winner was a mega-hit and it’s still vivid & funny, but also a touch dated. The young actors more than hold their own in Sam Mendes’ debut as a film director. Look closer at this one while also tracking down some Sparkplug.Coffee!

With this 7th Next 100 Project podcast, we join the cacophony of movie people weighing in on the 2016 Academy Awards. With #Oscarssowhite being an issue again this year, it’s going to be a controversial show. Chris Rock, you’re up! We also share some of our favourites in 2015 and we even gab a bit about great Oscar moments. Dive in with a cup of Sparkplug.Coffee!

A month ahead of another "vs." movie (with the bitter bat & the arrogant alien), KvK is about as grounded & real as a blockbusting Oscar-winner can get. Dustin Hoffman & Meryl Streep are brilliant as the title characters. This is a very sympathetic movie with a half-dozen perfect, deeply moving scenes. Hit that Sparkplug.Coffee link and get listenin'!

Oscar Month is under way with this stunningly popular title. Newman & Redford have more chemistry than just about any couple ever paired up on the big screen. Their charm takes them a long way and they're convincing as con men too, but is their twist-filled movie funny? How has it held up compared to other '70s classics? Check out our theories and get you & your family some beans from Sparkplug.Coffee!

Oil! Also, money, religion, power...and blood! Paul Thomas Anderson’s blisteringly intimate epic brings us another in a long line of huge Daniel Day-Lewis performances. This remains PTA’s most-successful and rewarded film yet, even though it certainly isn’t flawless. This wraps up the Month O’ Bev, so stay tuned for Oscar Month the rest of February. And don’t forget to check out our sponsor at Sparkplugcoffee.com.

It’s the 24th anniversary of the launch of Quentin Tarantino’s career when this flick was screened at Sundance. The ultimate movie geek’s 1st film remains cool as a cuke and the cast gnashes their teeth on QT’s uber-famous turns of phrase. Turn up the volume as we dissect what makes Pink, Blonde, White, Orange and their contemptible allies so damn special! But…you also must check out our longtime sponsor, Sparkplug Coffee.

Next 100 Project episode #2 is a romance in the land of Schwarzenegger! Richard Linklater’s simple little poem---and its sequels---are must-sees for anyone who loves big-screen love. Ethan Hawke is peanut butter to Julie Delpy’s chocolate. Pure chemistry, kids. Order up some Sparkplug Coffee and sink into the hug that is Before Sunrise!

Welcome to our 2nd phase, which we’re calling the Next 100 Project. Movie #1 in the N100P is the 1st in the Month O’ Bev...and it remains a fantastical delight. With Tim Burton and Johnny Depp involved, it was destined to be a kooky fantasy though, right? Check out our pithy confab while you multi-task yourself some Sparkplug Coffee, who remain our illustrious sponsor!

And it so it goes, and so it goes. We close it out with a journey back in time to talk about 123 movies...and we name-drop 89 of them! We discuss recurring themes throughout the T100P, how we feel about AFI’s 2 lists and we also reveal our own Top 10 Lists. Plus, we get into the not-so-bright spots and the frustrating oversights by the AFI’s compilations. Talk to you on January 11th with the Next 100 Project and do not forget our sponsor, Sparkplug Coffee.

We end the T100P with a cliffhanger! LOTR: FOTR clearly represents the entire trilogy, which is good for us because we spent a lot of this 'cast talking about the 2 sequels. The cast is terrific, the F/X & overall look are extraordinary and J.R.R. Tolkien's story of a hero's journey is a classic. It's also a bit goofy. Click play to hear our lengthy gab gab, but you need your Sparkplug Coffee first!

The 122nd T100P 'cast dives into an intimate ghost story after weeks of big-budget epics. Is this movie more effective when you know the twist...or less? Is it a worthy way to end a great run of AFI movies in the '90s? How did the M. Night Shyamalan / Bruce Willis ego dynamic co-exist in this mega-hit? We've got an answer or two, so check us out and also hit up our sponsor at sparkplugcoffee.com!

War! The 121st edition of the T100P digs into the horror & brutality of WWII. The celebrated opening D-Day battle might never be topped for bloody authenticity. Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks end their AFI days. Is their first major collaboration as great as many think? We could tell you now, but you should just plug in your earbuds and hear our jam session...but get your Sparkplug Coffee first.

Hey, it's the movie about the giant boat that stupidly crashed into a jerk piece of ice. It's also the movie about JACK and ROSE! Our 120th edition was the biggest box-office smash ever for 12 years, although it didn't earn all that money because of James Cameron's clever screenplay. This wasn't one of our favourite movies, but take a listen to how much fun we had tearing it to pieces. Do that Sparkplug Coffee thing first though!

Is the subject of our 119th T100P ‘cast terrific stuff? Oh, you betcha. The Ellises love the filmography of Joel & Ethan Coen, so we not only talked about this bloody comedy, but about most of their films. As for Fargo, Frances McDormand is one of the great heroes in all of film and she’s got some despicably awesome villains to thwart. Buy yourself some Sparkplug Coffee, then make the long snowy drive to the mid-west!

It’s been more than 2 years since Fantasia, but our 118th T100P podcast finally features the third animated flick on AFI’s list. Pixar’s first blockbuster has held up so well. It’s funny, heart-warming and was an absolute game-changer for the entire industry. Before you fall with style into the story of Woody & Buzz, get you some Sparkplug Coffee!

Hey, it’s a prison movie with no women where the hero is tortured, raped, beaten and put in solitary confinement for 2 months straight. Nevertheless, Shawshank is one of the favourite pictures for millions of people. T100P #117 tells you what we thought of the work of directorial rookie Frank Darabont guiding Tim Robbins & Morgan Freeman. Don’t forget to get some Sparkplug Coffee, then go to the hoosegow!

It's funny, it's violent, it's jammed with F's, it's brilliant and it's...full of forgiveness? Quentin Tarantino's opus to L.A. hitmen & scumbags is as influential as a modern movie can get. John Travolta got his career back while Uma Thurman & Sam Jackson hit stardom because of this. So rewatchable! Get your Sparkplug Coffee (lots of cream, lots of sugar), then dig into the Pulp.

Marty! Why not cover this incredibly fun movie 2 days before Michael J. Fox and Chris Lloyd travel to the space-agey future with hoverboards and McGuffin-esque sports almanacs?! Of course we gab about the sequels, but Part One is the focus. It truly is one of the all-time favourites for both of us. Dial up some Sparkplug.Coffee as we launch into the past....and the future!

A movie hated as much as it is loved occupies T100P #115. This flick shouldn't make us love it so much, but Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis sell it beautifully at (nearly) every turn. The cast is fine, the F/X are still impressive and the soundtrack is one of the best ever. Prepare yourself for a record number of Gumpian impressions, then order yourself some Sparkplug Coffee while hearing all we have to say about that!

The pinnacle of Holocaust movies is featured in our 114th episode. Steven Spielberg was not the obvious choice to direct this devastating picture, but Mister Blockbuster found a way to merge art with commerce...and make another blockbuster! It remains revered in most critical circles and you really must see it if you haven't. Buy some Sparkplug Coffee and then settle in for the List.