The List

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 25th December

2. The Godfather (1972) 16th April

3. The Godfather: Part II (1974) 16th April

4. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) 22nd October

5. Pulp Fiction (1994) 15th October

6. 12 Angry Men (1957) 10th March

7. Schindler's List (1993) 10th April

8. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) 3rd December

9. Inception (2010) 23rd November

10. The Dark Knight (2008) 6th October

11. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 4th April

12. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 27th December

13. Seven Samurai (1954) 7th March

14. Fight Club (1999) 21st January

15. Goodfellas (1990) 31st March

16. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) 4th April

17. Casablanca (1942) 29th February

18. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 27th December

19. City of God (2002) 23rd December

20. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) 25th February

21. Rear Window (1954) 23rd January

22. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 8th August

23. The Matrix (1999) 10th November

24. Psycho (1960) 29th February

25. The Usual Suspects (1995) 21st March

26. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 23rd May

27. Se7en (1995) 11th February

28. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 7th August

29. Memento (2000) 7th December

30. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 27th December

31. Forrest Gump (1994) 11th November

32. Sunset Boulevard (1950) 15th November

33. Leon (1994) 9th August

34. Toy Story 3 (2010) 13th July

35. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 18th January

36. Apocalypse Now (1979) 3rd April

37. Citizen Kane (1941) 8th December

38. American History X (1998) 23rd October

39. North by Northwest (1959) 9th November

40. American Beauty (1999) 28th December

41. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 14th April

42. Taxi Driver (1976) 8th February

43. Saving Private Ryan (1998) 11th January

44. Alien (1979) 3rd March

45. Vertigo (1958) 28th May

46. Amelie (2001) 23rd December

47. Spirited Away (2001) 20th April

48. The Shining (1980)

49. Paths of Glory (1957)

50. City Lights (1931)

51. WALL•E (2008) 12th June

52. The Pianist (2002) 5th November

53. Double Indemnity (1944)

54. M (1931) 1st December

55. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

56. The Lives of Others (2006) 20th October

57. A Clockwork Orange (1971) 4th July

58. The Departed (2006) 13th July

59. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 8th April 

60. Aliens (1986) 3rd March

61. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) 18th January

62. Requiem for a Dream (2000) 14th March

63. Das Boot (1981) 24th March

64. Modern Times (1936)

65. Reservoir Dogs (1992) 29th December

66. The Third Man (1949) 2nd January

67. Life Is Beautiful (1997) 25th April

68. L.A. Confidential (1997) 13th August

69. Chinatown (1974) 15th May

70. Back to the Future (1985) 5th November

71. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

72. The Prestige (2006) 15th June

73. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 5th December

74. Cinema Paradiso (1988) 27th November

75. Raging Bull (1980) 14th March

76. The Green Mile (1999) 22nd February

77. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) 14th September

78. Once Upon a Time in America (1984) 12th April

79. Rashomon (1950) 26th February

80. Singin' in the Rain (1952) 31st March

81. Some Like It Hot (1959) 29th April

82. Amadeus (1984) 10th February

83. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) 21st March

84. All About Eve (1950) 15th December

85. The Great Dictator (1940)

86. Bicycle Thieves (1948) 4th February

87. Full Metal Jacket (1987) 13th February

88. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) 23rd May

89. Braveheart (1995) 24th October

90. The Apartment (1960) 18th March

91. Inglourious Basterds (2009)

92. Black Swan (2010) 10th April

93. Gladiator (2000) 17th December

94. Metropolis (1927)

95. Downfall (2004) 2nd July

96. Oldboy (2003) 2nd February

97. Unforgiven (1992) 19th November

98. Up (2009) 26th October

99. The Sting (1973) 14th April

100. Gran Torino (2008) 10th December

The list taken on the 9th of June 2011

Black Swan

I thought watching this movie for a second time would be much easier, but truthfully the second viewing was perhaps more uncomfortable than watching the first time. This is the definition of a psychological thriller perhaps even more for the viewer than for Natalie Portman's character. 

The film leaves me somewhat undecided about it's merits. Films are generally supposed to be enjoyable affairs that allow the viewer to escape reality for a short-time, to be entertained and perhaps find some solace with the characters. If this is the case then Black Swan really does not merit it's placing anywhere near the Top100. 

On the technical side however this film is possibly one of the best movies ever made. It is incredibly uncomfortable watching someone have a breakdown in front of you in the space of two hours. Even on second viewing when you know what is going to happen there were times where not only did I avert my eyes but I actually left the room. This film is so powerful that it has to be including in this list. 

Portman to me is fantastic in the role. Her portrayal of the character is so believable that it is hard to remember at times that she is acting. From the timid and vapid character to begin with to the dauntless alter-ego of the black swan everything about her role is so beautifully created. 

This is not a movie I think I could watch a third time, but is certainly a movie you have to watch once, and maybe if you are brave a second time. 

Apocalypse Now

First up is a confession that I cheated here and watched the Redux version as opposed to the original, so my view may be slightly tainted by the additional footage - but I owned the Redux version so figured why not!

For the first two hours or so this movie is brilliant. From the opening scene with Martin Sheen struggling to adapt to life outside of the jungle to the murder on the Sampan, it shows everything you ever need to know about war (and not just in Vietnam) and explains the difficulties of it all so well.

The characters you meet throughout the movie are so incredibly real, that even when they are on screen for a short period of time you feel that you know exactly who they are and why they are the way there are. Duvall's portrayal of Kilgore in particular is just awesome: down to his lack of reaction to the dropping bombs and his refusal to give up on his lost surfboard, everything is taken into consideration.

Similarly the river travel scenes are beautifully constructed, showing perfectly well the fluctuating demands of the soldiers - massive periods of inactivity that are interjected with sudden demands that require instant alertness. Both the Sampan scene and the period just after they receive the mail are just brilliant.

You will probably notice however that I have only really complemented the first couple of hours (on the Redux version), and that is because I just don't get the Marlon Brando part of the movie.

When I read Heart of Darkness the character's backstory made sense, Kurtz had to be in that place and therefore his position as a demi-god to the natives made sense. In the film I just don't buy it. Yes Kurtz has gone rogue, and yes he may have disappeared into the wild, but why does he still continue to do battle in the way that he does? Why does he react to Willard the way that he does?

I just don't get it, which is a shame considering how good the film was up until that point.

This is a brilliant movie for at least the first two thirds and is then let down a little. Definitely worth watching for no other reason than you get to see exactly how a war movie should be made.

Singin in the Rain

The best thing about this year's challenge has been discovering some movie classics. I genuinely didn't think I was going to enjoy these films, worrying that they would pale in comparison to today's movies. What I suppose I had forgotten was that in the 1950s and 60s there was very little in the way of special effects, so what you could do is what you could get.

Singin' in the Rain entertains with a very simple story-line, great characters and some wonderful touches. Yes everyone remembers the film because of the scene with Gene Kelly tap-dancing down the street (perhaps more for the Morecambe and Wise version?) but the film is much more than that.

Perhaps my only slight criticism is just how long the songs and dances go on for, which is why this film has become such a success on the stage. For the movie however there are times where for me the musical elements are just ever so slightly too long and begin to make the story drag - I'm thinking particularly the scene where Don is getting elocution lessons, where the dance seems to go on forever!

However the humour is good, and I love the little touches that highlight the difficulties of those early talkie days and the power that the studios had over their actors. This is a great movie and definitely worthy of it's placing in this list.

Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back

I really wish I had been born when Star Wars was first released. It seems to be one of those movies that changed the way that the film industry worked and had a massive impact upon the directors that made the movies that defined my childhood. Which means that I don't really see the allure of the trilogy in the same way that perhaps someone born in the 60s and 70s would.

I can appreciate the groundbreaking use of technology and the attention to the detail in the aesthetics of the movie. The problem is that for me the story itself and the detail in the characterisation is nothing more than superficial. The prequel trilogy does go someway to explain most of what is going on, but those movies were twenty years later in being made and as such is not a defense for the first three films.

At times I'm caught trying to figure out whether these movies are supposed to be serious or humourous. Should I be looking for the moral message in the fight between good and evil, or look for meaning in the use of the force by the Jedis? Or should I be laughing along with the Muppet-aliens and the corny script?

The corniest part of the two movies under review here is definitely the final scene of the New Hope, where we see Han Solo and Luke Skywalker awarded medals for their service. The medal ceremony I can just about forgive, but the rousing soundtrack and cheesy smiles between the characters is just too much - particularly when R2D2 shuffles on - was there really any need?!?

I can understand the cultural heritage, and the historical impact that this series of movies had on the industry, but for me it is a movie that appears in this list because of it's impact upon those who saw it when it was first released. This is one of those movies that you like because it reminds you of your youth which is why BMX Bandits will always trump Star Wars for me.

Definitely worth seeing if you haven't done so before, but don't expect the greatest movies ever made.

To Kill a Mockingbird

There are some books that just shouldn't be made into films. This is without a doubt one of them.

From start to finish this film makes a travesty of one of the best books ever written. The book provides suspense and drama with a beautiful well-paced story. The film tries to condense the story into two hours and in doing so misses almost everything that makes this story great.

There is no tension, or any real discovery by Jem and Scout, over the racial issues that exist in 1930s America. Boo Radley is just a bizarre character that has just been added on to make the book's ending make sense (although it fails at that!). While characters are never introduced nor developed.

Now yes I understand that this is supposed to be told from the perspective of a six year old child so I shouldn't expect a perfect story (unreliable narrator and all that crap). But I would really appreciate some development of Scout's character, some understanding of who she was and who she becomes. The book manages this well, the film is quite frankly pathetic in its attempts.

Gregory Peck is perhaps the only enjoyable part of this movie, and he was well deserving of his Oscar. Sadly for me it wasn't nearly enough to merit this movie being anywhere near a Top 100.

Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver has given me a great idea for a new challenge - the worst first dates ever. Now I am already fairly well versed on how to be pretty bad at the whole dating game, but the ingenuity of thinking that a porn movie was an acceptable option goes far beyond my own powers. Bravo that man. But can I top it?

Aside from all that Taxi Driver was a very interesting movie that depicts quite well the solitude and loneliness that can affect us all at some point in our life. As de Niro's character battles through life and tries to determine its purpose you get glimpses of the frustration of existence.

The whole thing climaxes in two great scenes, firstly as Bickle attempts to assassinate the Senator and then as he runs amok in the brothel. The level of violence would usually be too much for me, but in this film sits quite well - depicting the brutality and perhaps worhtlessness of life. What I struggle with though is why Scorcese felt the need to continue the film after the brothel scene - does it really add anything to the movie?

Robert de Niro is simply fantastic in this movie, and it is without a doubt one of the greatest acting roles ever delivered. He manages to portray a social outcast and misfit in such a way that you feel both sorry and appalled at him in fairly equal measure.

The film is definitely worth seeing for the acting alone, but for me the story-line could be a little better to live up to quite a clever portrayal of human suffering.