100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 70 ~ The Fugitive

To every armchair movie critic out there (myself included) who says:

"They need to stop remaking old television shows into movies...."

I give you: The Fugitive.

The exception that proves the rule.

Because for every 100 that suck, one comes along that makes you giddy and say, "Now THAT was a movie!"

And so it was with this one.

Andrew Davis, you remember him from Under Siege, decided to come back with a bigger budget and bring Tommy Lee Jones along to chew the scenery again.  This time, he plays a U.S. Marshal who is in hot pursuit of an escaped fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble.  And if you can read that last sentence without hearing Tommy Lee Jones intone "escaped fugitive, Dr. Richard Kimble" then you are a better man than I am.

Technically, Marshal Gerard is the bad guy of the movie...

And yet...

It's hard to dislike the guy.  I mean, seriously, he's just doing his job.  As he says in the movie when Kimble professes his innocence... "I don't care."

But he will, don't worry.  And that is why the audience has a hard time rooting against him, while naturally rooting for the man we all know is innocent.

This tour de force of a role also earned Tommy Lee Jones an Oscar, as he stole the movie right out from under the hands of Harrison Ford.

So yes, onto Harrison Ford.  Andrew Davis had to give up something from Under Siege, so he traded in Seagal for Ford.  Good trade.  This is one of those roles where Ford excels best in:

He gets to act, while at the center of spectacular stunt pieces.

No offense to the guy, I love me some Harrison Ford... but the roles where he is a talking head... or just not involved in the action are often the snoozers in his career.  Call it typecasting, I don't care, I call them like I see them.

Yeah, this was a great movie, and while the sequel wasn't nearly as good, it was an admirable effort to bank on the likability of Tommy Lee Jones.  He just needed a Kimble that was directly in proportion to his screen presence.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 71 ~ Blazing Saddles

Mel Brooks finally lands on the list, with one of his two best movies.  Blazing Saddles, the send-up of Hollywood westerns.  If you've never seen the movie, you owe it to yourself to watch it.

You'd do it for Randolph Scott!

And then, that joke would make sense.

Plus a million others.  Mel Brooks and company were firing on all cylinders with this production.  The gags are fast and furious, and if you've only seen the edited version, you've never seen the movie.

The first time I saw it, was naturally on television.  Trust me, censoring this movie doesn't do it justice.  How else can a scene of enjoying dinner around the campfire make no sense without that added sound of what's taking place?

It just doesn't work!

Of course, there is that other thing.

You know, like Gabby Johnson announcing the arrival of the new Sheriff in town.

"The Sheriff is a N..<BELL GONG!>"

Yep, the N word flies fast and furious in the movie, but when viewed in context, ala Huck Finn, it works, and works correctly as a barometer for race relations and how far they've come...and how far they still have to go.

Cleavon Little carries the movie on his shoulders.  It would be hard to imagine anyone else handling the role.  I've heard they considered Richard Pryor for the role, but his style and delivery seem much harsher than what Little provided.

With a town full of Johnsons, a dippy Governor, Mongo and of course Heddy "That's Hedley" LaMarr, the cast if filled with irreverent screwballs.

It's a great film, and a shame that Brooks later parodies, while amusing, did not carry the laugh-out-loud moments of Blazing Saddles.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 72 ~ Stripes

If memory serves correctly, this was the first "R" rated movie I ever saw.  And no, I didn't sneak in, or catch it on cable.  Honest to goodness attended at a theatre with my parents in tow.  Not sure why we went, but I do remember seeing this one on the big screen.

It was awesome.

Pretty darn funny movie, for a 10 year old.  It got funnier as I got older and could appreciate more of the jokes.

It also helped cement my love for Bill Murray, and possibly began the string of seeing the Saturday Night Live performers up on the silver screen.

This was either the first, or second Ivan Reitman film I saw.  Great director who has been on the countdown already, and isn't finished just yet.  If this wasn't the first, then that honor belongs to Meatballs.  Murray and Reitman normally equals cinematic gold.

For those that haven't seen it, it's the story of a schlub who decides to join the Army.  He takes his best friend with him, and naturally gets put in basic training with a squad of all rejects.  Amazing how that happens.  The movie unfolds in two parts, the basic training, and then the top secret mission that these bumbling simpletons get picked for!

Among the supporting cast on this film are the always amazing John Candy as Ox, and Harold Ramis as Murray's best friend.  Ramis probably deserves more than his fair share of credit to how good this movie is, as he had a hand in drafting the screenplay.  Considering the other movies that he has worked on as a writer or director, the man has more hits than misses, and more credits than people probably realize.

Of course the movie undeniably belongs to Bill Murray.  With the lead in Meatballs behind him, and a memorable part in Caddyshack, this appears to be the movie that cemented the fact that Murray could headline a movie as the star.

His biggest hit would come when he reteamed with Reitman and Ramis, but that is a tale for another day on the countdown.

That's the fact, Jack!

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 73 ~ The Replacements

At first I was afraid...

I was petrified.


So begins one of the many memorable sequences in today's installment, The Replacements.  Based on the strike season of the NFL, this picks a squad of replacements, or scabs, as they attempt to fulfill their dream to play in the NFL.

Naturally, these are the cast-offs, has-beens and never-was's of the sport who were given their one chance to shine.  And like the true story as it unfolded, nearly every single one of the players gave their all to live their one moment in the sun and show that they indeed had what it took to make it at the Big Dance.

Give credit to the Replacements...and the timing of the playoffs.  Had both not been as good, and as close, in the season, that strike could have lasted longer, and it's quite possible that the league would have just continued to use the replacement players for an extended period.

The fans just want to enjoy the game, and if the players are giving the effort, who cares if they were drafted # 1, or walked in on an open tryout?

Heading up the cast is Keanu Reeves.  He's got a bit of personality in the film, but is easily overshadowed by the band of crazies that surround him on the sidelines.  Some notable favorites of mine, Orlando Jones who steals the show whenever he's given the chance as a receive who can't catch.  Jon Favreau as a corrections officer who gets to showcase his natural crazy drive.  Plus, who can forget Rhys Ifans as Nigel "The Leg" Gruff.

"I'm wiry."  Yeah, that's him.

Then you fill the cheerleading staff with some local strippers, and you've got the makings of a playoff contender!  Presiding over the craziness, Gene Hackman as the Coach who manages to make something special from this rag-tag assemblage of players.

So enjoy the spot on the countdown!  The only NFL related movie to make the list, is easily the best of the bunch.

Sorry Jerry Maguire.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 74 ~ Desperado

Desperado.

Why don't you come to your senses?

Wait a second, wrong Desperado!

Welcome to today's installment, which brings the story of El Mariachi to the big screen in a remake/sequel to Robert Rodriguez' indie flick, El Mariachi.  This time, he gets a bigger budget and some bigger stars.

Except...

Really, at the time, at least in America (which is all that truly matters, right?) the biggest star in this film was probably Cheech Marin!

No, instead we are treated to that rare movie that gives you not one star-in-the-making, but two!

First, Antonio Banderas slides into the title role, and owns the picture.  He's got the presence and ability to carry the movie on his charisma alone.

Matching him note for note in looks and ability, Salma Hayek was offered up to audiences in her first feature film role.  A memorable scene involving a car crash underscored the beauty and talent that were unfolding on the screen for audiences.

Naturally, putting all this together and making it work, you have to give credit to Robert Rodriguez.  Able to craft a small story on a little budget, he was then offered a big budget ( a few million ) but made Desperado look like a 50 million dollar Hollywood blockbuster.  Check out the director's commentary track to see how he did it, it's a very good listen!

Otherwise, buckle up and enjoy the action adventure tale, and realize it's a very cool snapshot in cinema history as literally some cinematic stars were born right before our eyes.

After seeing Desperado, I was sold on all three talents.  While I haven't seen every movie that all of them have worked on since that point, I've seen a good majority.  Over 20 years later, Banderas and Hayek would smolder on the screen again with their chemistry.

The movie?

Puss in Boots.

Yep, the magic was still there, for a whole new generation of fans! : )

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 75 ~ Happy Gilmore

It was only a matter of time, really.

With the array of stars that have graced this countdown so far, you knew Adam Sandler had to make the list, right?

And here he is, in possibly his greatest role, ever.  Yes, it was hard to choose between the Holy Trinity of Sandler movies (Waterboy and Billy Madison making up the others) but ultimately, Happy Gilmore wins out.

Whenever I hear people say they don't find Sandler to be funny, or they hate his movies, I figure they've never seen Happy Gilmore, or they have no sense of humor whatsoever.  Either way, like politics and religion, I'm not here to change anyone's mind, just presenting my opinion and moving along.

So what makes Happy Gilmore so great in the annals of cinema history?

Could it be the fish out of water story of a hockey player who turns to golf?

That certainly helps. 

Personally, as I mentioned in a previous review, a hero is only as good as his villain.  And that's why Gilmore makes the cut over the other 2 titles.

Shooter McGavin!

How can you not love to hate that creep?  Christopher McDonald owns the role and played the perfect foil to Sandler.

However, if that wasn't enough, you have the throwdown between Sandler and Bob Barker, which is pure cinematic gold.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 76 ~ Grease

I've got chills.

They're multiplying.

Say it ain't so...

A musical?!?!

Of course a musical!!

That's right, apparently family members that grew up in the 50s broke into song and dance routines at the drop of a hat.  Genetics skipped a generation or two, because teenagers stopped doing that until the advent of High School Musical.

But yes, apparently the 50s were the place to be!

The acting was superb.  The story, so simple, and yet so fun.

Boy meets Aussie.  Falls in love.  Then the summer is over, and it's back to school where Danny (John Travolta) is the B.M.O.C.  Complications arise though when the summer fling transfers to his High School.  There's Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) but Danny has a reputation to uphold.

So he's basically a big dick whenever his friends are around.  But in those moments where it's just Danny and Sandy.. he's so sweet and charming, proof that the guy she fell for truly exists.

But without that conflict, you can have no story, and that would be bad for business.

There is plenty of drama to go around in the story, after all, it takes place in high school.  There's career choices to be made, pregnancy scares, racing for pinks...

The usual stuff that kids still do today.

Grease however will be remembered for the songs.  Almost every song is a belt out of the park.  I would say the lamest of the bunch is "Stranded at the Drive-In".

If your feet don't tap during the rest of the movie, there's something mechanically wired wrong on your part, and you might need to see a doctor about it.

The songs are straight-up fantastic, and whenever they play on the radio, much to the horror of my family...

Yeah, I crank it up.