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: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com To hear Ryan talk about sports films, go to Scoring At The Movies

The Top 100 Project

The Others

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. Using our promo code (“top100project”) will net you a 20% discount. Twitter or not? Sure. We’re @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also prattles on about flicks with sporting ventures in them. It’s Scoring At The Movies

Scream

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 blood, but you CAN get one if you go to Sparkplug Coffee’s website and stay away from the red stuff. You can save a delicious 20% by using our promo code (“top100project”). Hey, Twitter is a place to post thoughts. We are @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website remains top100project.com Ryan also jabbers about sports movies on Scoring At The Movies

Dracula

Making a sequel to a beloved classic was always going to be tough sledding, but the talented writer/director Mike Flanagan simply couldn’t make a great movie out of Stephen King’s follow-up to The Shining. Maybe the failure with Doctor Sleep mostly lies with King’s overly detailed book and all of its subplots. Maybe it’s that we get far too much of the top-hatted Rebecca Ferguson and her fellow steam-sniffing pseudo-vampires. Or maybe it’s that there just aren’t very many real scares in this horror show. We couldn't sneer at Ewan McGregor’s work though because he does a terrific job playing grown-up alcoholic Danny Torrance. We also liked the finale at the Overlook more than most people did. Some ups, many downs. In any case, don’t let our overall disappointment ruin your enjoyment of the 409th Ellises’ Analysis. Just crank up an omnipresent heartbeat sound effect and stuff your demons in a mind-box as we dabble in the redrum of Doctor Sleep. Well, Actually: On second thought, Abra’s mother Lucy might be the one who’s Jack Torrance’s daughter from an affair. And if THAT’S correct, then Dan really would be Abra’s uncle. Sparkplug Coffee is ideal for all who ingest substances, even steam-inhaling vampires. Those creatures—but more importantly humans like you—can enjoy a 20% discount from our friends at Sparkplug. Just toss in our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to go to the checkout. Whether you’re deep in the bowels of a haunted hotel or taking a break from life’s troubles down in Florida, you can tweet us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also has a sports movie podcast. It’s called Scoring At The Movies

Doctor Sleep

2001 was the year of Puzzle Films and covering Vanilla Sky today means we’ve now tackled the 4 big ones. Memento, Mulholland Drive and Donnie Darko are all definitely better than Cameron Crowe’s attempt to stretch himself and they’re certainly not filled with as many maddening flaws. One big problem is that the casting is all wrong here. Both of Tom Cruise’s love interests are duds and Cruise, although giving his typical 205% effort, is a little all over the place. Bev speculates that Vanilla Sky is basically just about Cruise’s character’s vanity. Cruise and Crowe obviously wouldn’t agree because they’re straining with all their might to be deep. Whether you agree or whether you don't, we've got a full hour of theories in the 408th Ellises' Analysis. So don’t delay your pleasure. You need to hear us talk about the man who had it all and even met his dream woman, then lost everything because of his nightmare woman. Or was it ALL just a dream?! Visit the website of our sponsor (Sparkplug Coffee) and get ready to order a bunch of grounds and accoutrements. They continue to offer a 20% discount. All you have to do is put our promo code (“top100project”) into the appropriate section at the appropriate time. Twitter sees us on its site once in a while: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also gabs about sports flicks on Scoring At The Movies

Vanilla Sky

This is the rare time we’ve ever posted an episode on Labour Day, but this movie DOES star the man who has to do “every dirty job”. Harry Callahan is the quintessential good guy with a gun who has to combat a bad guy with a gun, but Harry is also a reckless vigilante in the Batman mode. This movie is also pretty much just a sadist chasing a sadist around San Francisco. Dirty Harry might be fascist and it might even be dangerous, but that doesn’t take away the flick’s visceral entertainment value. It’s a complicated movie about a complicated issue. Don Siegel directs Clint Eastwood in perhaps his signature role, but are they just pedaling right-wing propaganda in this crime classic? How does the movie play after last year’s #BLM and “Defund The Police” movements took America by storm? We had plenty to say about all that. So enjoy your hour with the 407th Ellises’ Analysis because the world isn’t getting any better and all us punks could use a little escape into fantasy right about now. Well, Actually: Popeye Doyle is indeed one of AFI’s Top 50 Heroes (he ranked 44th). Also, Eastwood only directed Sudden Impact in the Dirty Harry series. Make Sparkplug Coffee‘s day and order some of their great product. Are discounts your thing? Well, you’ll get 20% off if you use our promo code (“top100project”) at check-out. We tweet sometimes: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Scoring At The Movies is Ryan’s other podcast, where sports pictures are the topic

Dirty Harry

“Persona” is Latin for “mask”, which makes this Age Of The Mask we’ve been experiencing for the past year & a half an ideal time to talk about Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece. Well, it’s one of his MANY masterpieces. Dude could direct. This is a trippy art film that gives us plenty to debate and tear apart. It’s also been imitated half to death in the 55 years since it was made, which is perhaps why it feels just a touch dated. Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann are terrific playing characters who deal with issues of identity, grief, guilt and deep emotional pain. But are the 2 women really just 1 woman who’s experiencing a serious mental crisis? Imaginary friend?! See, very influential. So head to your summer beach house (for the last few days of this summer) and let the 406th Ellises’ Analysis pry its way into your earholes during the trip. Well, Actually: John Ford was 8th on the Sight & Sound’s 2002 Critics poll of Top 10 Greatest Directors Of All Time, but surprisingly he wasn’t ranked on the Top 10 as chosen by directors. Also, the Bergman movie where he used a spider to represent God is Through A Glass Darkly. Also also, Georges Melies definitely was a film pioneer, but the brothers we were thinking of are the Lumiere Brothers. Whether you talk too much or whether you don’t talk at all, your day will be much improved by drinking Sparkplug Coffee. You can even keep some money in your pocket because they will give you a 20% discount on your next order. You just have to enter our promo code (“top100project”) when you’re ready to shell out the cash. To get in touch with us easily, hit the Twits. We’re @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also has a sports movie podcast, which is Scoring At The Movies

Persona

You know we’re talking about a master filmmaker when this channel has already covered more than half of the man's titles and we’re only now getting to this gritty crime classic. The Killing was early in Stanley Kubrick's career, so he wasn’t yet at the top of his game as he would be for the next 40+ years. Still, there’s plenty of examples of the technical prowess that would come to be trademark Kubrick. Fittingly, the complex plot even resembles a chess game. We weren’t seeing eye to eye about the work of tough-but-sometimes-sweet Sterling Hayden or the ultra-fatal femme fatale Marie Windsor. We DID see eye to eye that the best part of the movie is the last half-hour. So get your listening device ready and make a clean break out to the race track as the 405th Ellises’ Analysis talks about The Killing. Well, Actually: Elisha Cook Jr. is named Mr. Micklas (not “Nicklas”) and is the landlord at the Dakota Building in Rosemary’s Baby. Planning the perfect robbery would go smoother with Sparkplug Coffee in a cup beside you. If you like getting 20% discounts, well, they’ll give you one if you just enter our promo code of “top100project” when you’re ready to pay the bill. And pay the bill please. No theft. Twitter, do ya? If so, you can discover us @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Scoring At The Movies is Ryan’s other podcast, where sports films are discussed

The Killing

It’s not every comedy that features 2 of the brilliant stars of the Monty Python troupe, but it’s actually the Americans who stand out. Kevin Kline was known as a serious actor before A Fish Called Wanda and Jamie Lee Curtis was still mostly thought of as the Scream Queen. So when legendary cut-ups like John Cleese and Michael Palin are overshadowed, you know you’re in from something hilarious. Director Charles Crichton’s swan song runs the risk of alienating audiences (33 years ago…and especially now) by daring to make fun of animal death and stutterers. Funny is funny though. So eat your fish & chips (wait, put Wanda back in the bowl, Otto!) and don’t be DISAPPOINTED as you steamroll through the 404th Ellises’ Analysis. A pretty great addition to your fish meal is coffee. Sparkplug Coffee remains our groovy sponsor. They’ll help you out with a 20% discount when you apply our promo code (“top100project”) to your next order. Are we Twitterers? Sure. We are: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Scoring At The Movies is Ryan’s other podcast. We talk about sports o’er there

A Fish Called Wanda

Even though it's all about dark fantasies, depression and death, Harold And Maude is a cult classic that remains solidly funny half a century later. Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon are a fun/odd romantic couple in this unique love story. Gordon is the manic pixie dream lady who has even bleaker plans than the faux-suicidal Cort. We had a serious discussion about the grim subtext, but we didn't forget that Hal Ashby's movie was and still is wacky and entertaining. There's meat on these bones. So don't be shy. Just live in the now and spend a bit of your day earing up the 403rd Ellises' Analysis. Grab life by the collar and learn to love having a big mug of Sparkplug Coffee on your countertop. They will kindly save you 20% on your next order and all you have to do is use our promo code: top100project. We lay out a tweet from time to time We're @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan also chit chats about sports on Scoring At The Movies

Harold And Maude

It’s probably safe to listen to the 402nd Ellises’ Analysis…although feel free to ask if it is again. And again. And again. Marathon Man is absolutely filled from start to finish with paranoia, torture and pain. Some of those themes—like the arrogant rich versus the desperate poor—have barely aged. The film’s subtext remains oh so timely even 45 years later. The acting styles of Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier famously clashed hard, but that also brings sizzle to the squirm-inducing scenes they have together. And, yes, the poster isn’t lying. It’s a thriller. So go get that stash of diamonds and don’t fall on your own sleeve-knife in the process, but also just try acting as we feverishly chat about Dusty on the run. Well, Actually: We’ve covered Hoffman in 8 films now, including Kramer vs. Kramer. Also, Hoffman turns 84 later this week (on August 8th). Also also, Hoffman definitely has socks on his feet when the “is it safe” scene first begins. Sparkplug Coffee has been our sponsor for many years and they continue to peddle excellent java. They’ll dole out a 20% discount if you use our promo code (“top100project”). If you tweet, find us: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan has another podcast and it’s all about sports films: Scoring At The Movies

Marathon Man

The wannabe Ellises are here with our 401st analysis as we jaw-jack about the queen bees of Mean Girls. Lindsay Lohan was at her peak in this era and if you ever doubted her talent (admittedly, it’s easy to forget how good she was because of the messy turns her life took), just take another look at this movie. Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried (in her debut) are also pretty great as the Plastics. In fact, as tremendous as Lohan & McAdams are, the sidekicks Chabert & Seyfried basically steal the movie from them. As for a personal angle, Bev was once the sidekick of a mean girl, so this picture still has some sting for us middle-aged types. So keep an eye out for rampaging school buses as you jot down some vicious insults in your burn book (or, hey, just be nice) while we analyze the glamour, the laughs and even the mathleting in Mean Girls. If you want to make a lot of friends, buy them a few bags of Sparkplug Coffee. A 20% discount will be yours to enjoy on your 1st purchase when you apply our promo code (“top100project”). Tweetapalooza: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com To hear Ryan dish about sports movies, go to Scoring At The Movies

Mean Girls

Our 400th episode talks about one of the influential films of the French New Wave, which was also Francois Truffaut’s directorial debut. The 400 Blows is famous for all kinds of reasons (especially that freeze frame at the end), but at heart it’s a quiet character study of a young boy who makes bad decisions and has really bad parents. Jean-Pierre Leaud gives one of the great child performances in the history of cinema, whether he’s crammed into a tiny apartment, repeatedly getting in trouble in school, running the streets or getting thrown into juvie. Truffaut shot this hell-raising picture in the streets, often letting his actors improvise and making it feel gritty & real. So party with your young chum, run away from your terrible folks or maybe just go for a stroll along the beach, but make sure to have a podcast in your ears. In fact, make that podcast the 400th Ellises’ Analysis, mes amis. Sparkplug Coffee might not be ideal for kids, but it’s definitely ideal for you. And if you dig a 20% discount, you’ll get one by entering our promo code (“top100project”) into the appropriate space at check-out. We like to Tweet. Well…here and there. We’re @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website is top100project.com Ryan’s other podcast (Scoring At The Movies) talks about sports films. Check it out.

The 400 Blows

Who didn’t think George Clooney practicing real estate law in the unglamorous parts of Hawaii and being cuckolded by the lanky guy from Scream would make for a killer comedy? Well, it might not be killer, but it IS a pretty good comedy. Of course, this particular movie star playing a loser is a stretch (even in Alexander Payne’s unique “let’s dump life on the leading character” style) but the Cloon man is quite terrific in The Descendants. Nevertheless, he’s miscast (as is arguably another actor) and that shows how good a job he did to come as close to sinking into the role as he did here. Payne is curiously kind to just about all the characters in this Oscar-winning effort, which we don’t think measures up to his best work. Still Clooney’s crackling chemistry with the outstanding Shailene Woodley carries the film. As for the inheritance/trusteeship subplot, hmmm, not so hot. Anyway, the 399th Ellises’ Analysis won’t lay there comatose in a hospital bed forever, so fire up our back and forth and let’s hope it tides you over until we return in 2 weeks. Well, Actually: Jeff Peterson doesn’t compose music for awards and TV specials, but he works in the sound department and does other technical jobs. Also, we meant to dole out some more kudos about the touching scenes where Alex comforts Scottie in the hospital. Tracking down your wife’s weasel lover while your kids and a dopey comic-relief kid tag along would be a little easier if you had a giant dose of Sparkplug Coffee in your travel cup. A one-time 20% discount will be yours to enjoy if you just use our promo code (“top100project”). Our handles on Twitter are @moviefiend51 & @bevellisellis Our website is still top100project.com Sports flicks, right? Ryan talks about them on Scoring At The Movies

The Descendants

We conclude Sci-Fi Month by going into the Mother Ship and praising/bashing one of the biggest movies of all time. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have made plenty of action and disaster flicks in their day, but ID4 is their best…yet also one of their dumbest. It’s also terribly fun, despite all the death and destruction. Will Smith became an alien-punching superstar, Jeff Goldblum quirked it up in his one-of-a-kind way and Bill Pullman got to give one of the greatest speeches by any movie president. Oh, and Randy Quaid got to be a loose cannon. There’s just so much to love and so much to mock. Enough pre-amble though. You need to pack a missile in your carry-on, give your special lady a tacky engagement ring and hack into the 398th Ellises’ Analysis. Well Actually: Steven Hiller is a Marine pilot, not a Navy pilot. Also, the disaster movie 2012 was released in 2009. A remarkable way to prepare for an assault on an alien invader is to load up on Sparkplug Coffee. Go to Sparkplug’s site. They’ll give you a 20% discount when you use our promo code (“top100project”). Twitter time: @moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis Our website remains top100project.com Ryan has another podcast and it’s about sports movies: Scoring At The Movies

Independence Day

Ryan and Bev Ellis are partners in film nerdery who share their often humorous musings on the AFI's 1998 & 2007 lists of the greatest 100 American films ever made. But we finished with that in December 2015, so now we just review anything we feel like!

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The Top 100 Project

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