Top 150 movies of All time - 20-11

20. Spotlight - The impeccably directed (Tom McCarthy) and acted drama about the Boston Globe's investigation of child abuse by Catholic priests, which was covered up for decades in the area. It brings back memories of the reasons why I got into the journalism business, what it was like in the newsroom and what the profession can mean to a community. Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery and Rachel McAdams produce perfect performances in the Best Picture of 2015.

19. Titanic - James Cameron's epic disaster drama/love story won Best Picture in 1997 with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet providing memorable performances. It is a story about the haves and have nots who had the honor to board the great ship and the terror of the aftermath when an iceberg gets in the way. The scene where the row boat comes back too late to find most of the people frozen and dead is one of the most bone-chilling of all time.

18. Garden State - Zach Braff wrote and directed this 2004 quirky cult classic about a heavily-medicated young actor who returns to his hometown after his paraplegic mother dies. Andrew Largeman (Braff) re-unites with his old townie friends and meets a cheeky young epileptic woman named Sam (Natalie Portman), who he falls in love with. It is smart, hilarious at times, wacky and heartwarming all in one fun film.

17. Planet of the Apes - The original and best of the epic science fiction series stars Charlton Heston as an astronaut who crash lands on a strange planet where intelligent apes rule over humans. The 1968 film holds up today and the apocalyptic story line comes to a close with Lady Liberty on the beach in one of the greatest scenes of all time. Chimp scientists Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) and Zira (Kim Hunter) give the movie heart.

16. Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola may have ruined The Godfather 3 as an actress, but she wrote and directed a masterpiece with this 2003 film. A washed up, lonely famous actor (Bill Murray) has a chance meeting with a confused, curious and beautiful young woman (Scarlett Johansson) in Tokyo and they develop a unique friendship far from home. It is subtle, simple, funny, bittersweet and smart.

15. Inglourious Basterds - Director Quentin Tarantino tells the fantasy story of the triumphant attempts to assassinate Hitler by a group of Jewish American soldiers with wishful "alternative facts" and intense, intriguing dialogue. Brad Pitt plays the witty and deadly Aldo Raine while Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for his depiction of the devilish German Colonel Landa. Melanie Laurent is also great as Shosanna/Emmanuelle, especially when she puts on her war paint to a David Bowie song.

14. Caddyshack - Golf was never the same after the 1980 comedy directed by the great Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle Murray, Ramis and Douglas Kenney. The epic battle between Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight is an all-timer while Chevy Chase produces his best performance in a movie. It is one of the top movies ever for producing lines that are used daily. "I don't think the real heavy stuff's going to come down for quite a while."

13. The Right Stuff - The epic 1983 film, adapted from the best-selling book by Tom Wolfe, follows America's first test pilots whose courageous efforts led to the first manned spaceflights. The late Sam Shepard plays the most heroic of them all - Chuck Yeager - as he breaks the sound barrier, but never gets to become one of the first astronauts. The three-hour, 12-minute movie is powerful, entertaining and provides an interesting history lesson.

12. Slap Shot - The 1977 comedy about a wacky minor-league hockey team, with the great Paul Newman as its player-coach, still makes you laugh uncontrollably. The Charlestown Chiefs become a winner and draw big crowds when they change their style to violence - led by the lovable Hanson Brothers - after finding out the team will fold. The characters are rich, somewhat believable, and Dickie Dunn just "tried to capture the spirit of the thing."

11. Bull Durham - Had a difficult time deciding between 10 and 11, but ultimately I went with sentiment and this comedy about minor league baseball that turns into a love story lost out by a hair. Kevin Costner could not have played Crash Davis, a minor-league veteran, any better as he grooms the hard-throwing bonus baby Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) and falls for the local gal (Susan Sarandon). The opening monologue is one of the best in film history.

Top 150 Movies of All-Time - 30-21

30. The Big Chill - Director Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 comedy-drama brings together a group of college friends from the University of Michigan after one of the group suddenly commits suicide. Great music of the 60s and 70s is the backdrop for the film that features an amazing cast, led by Glenn Close and Kevin Kline. Kevin Costner was cast as the late Alex, but he was never shown in the movie.

29. Silver Linings Playbook - Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper star as two people going through different types of mental issues before forming a unique relationship. Robert DeNiro shows up as Cooper's gambling father, who is very superstitious about his beloved Philadelphia Eagles. Director David O. Russell (The Fighter, American Hustle, Joy) allows J-Law and Cooper to produce their career-best performances.

28. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - The first in the epic series introduces Luke, Leia, Darth, Chewy, Han and the whole gang as the Rebellion takes on the Empire. The story begins at the end of "Rogue One," which came out last year, as the Rebels have stolen the plans to destroy the Death Star. The characters are iconic and writer/director George Lucas reportedly mixed elements of myth and religion from Beowulf and King Arthur with Flash Gordon among other classics.

27. Nebraska - I'm still disappointed that Bruce Dern didn't win Best Actor (Matthew McConaughey did) for his work in this delightful, humorous slice of life that was directed by Alexander Payne. Dern plays a fading veteran who thinks he has won a million dollar sweepstakes and his son (Will Forte) decides to take him on a journey to Lincoln despite knowing it is just a scam. The trip takes Woody through his old town before coming to a touching conclusion.

26. Wall Street - Director and co-writer Oliver Stone's 1987 drama takes a look at greed in the stock market through the eyes of a young broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) and corporate raider Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). Douglas won Best Actor as one of the great villains in movie history and Sheen provided his best-ever performance. "Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss."

25. Forrest Gump - Tom Hanks won Best Actor for his wonderful depiction of a slow, but sweet and big-hearted man who lives an amazing life after humble beginnings. The 1994 film is a history lesson following Gump through the Vietnam War, his athletic successes in football and ping pong, a successful shrimping business and Watergate before finding his grammar school sweetheart Jenny (Robin Wright) again.

24. Good Will Hunting - Robin Williams won Best Supporting Actor for his role as a therapist working with a damaged young man from South Boston, who is a mathematical genius working as a janitor at a prestigious school. Williams is brilliant in the 1997 film while battling an old colleague for control of the treatment for Will Hunting (Matt Damon). How do you like them apples?

23. Lion - My pick for the best film of 2016 is a heartwarming true story that follows the journey of Saroo Brierley, who is trapped on a train that takes him 100s of miles from his home in India when he is just a 5-year-old. The amazing Sunny Pawar plays the young Saroo in the first hour of the film and Dev Patel takes over as the 25-year-old Saroo in the second half as he desperately tries to find his home. It is a movie about the power of family.

22. A Few Good Men - Probably the movie I have watched the most in my life on television as it is constantly on late at night and never gets old. Rob Reiner directed Aaron Sorkin's screenplay about the coverup after a marine dies when he is disciplined within the unit. Jack Nicholson produced one of his best performances as the chilling Colonel Jessup while Tom Cruise and Demi Moore make it fun.

21. Die Hard - One of the best action movies of all time stars Bruce Willis as the charismatic New York cop John McClane, who springs into action when visiting his wife at a Christmas party in Los Angeles. The late, great Alan Rickman plays one of the best villains of all time - Hans Gruber - the leader of the bad guys. Not usually a fan of shoot 'em up movies, but this one has appeal. Is it a Christmas movie or not?

Top 150 Movies in my 50 years - 40-31

40. Raiders of the Lost Ark - The 1981 epic adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg stars Harrison Ford as archaeologist Indiana Jones, one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history. Jones goes in search of the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten Commandments, and must fight Hitler and his army for it. The power of the Ark is unleashed in an amazing final scene.

39. Seabiscuit - The magical story about a banged up little horse who is turns into a great champion and provides Americans with something to feel good about during the Great Depression. Jeff Bridges is outstanding as the horse's owner and Chris Cooper as the unorthodox trainer. Jockey Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire) says to end the film, "You know, everyone thinks that we found this broken down horse and fixed him, but we didn't. He fixed us. Everyone of us. And I guess in a way, we kinda fixed each other, too."

38. Sixteen Candles - John Hughes wrote and directed this 1984 high school comedy that is most movie lovers' favorite of its genre. Molly Ringwald provides the best performance of her career as average high school sophomore Samantha Baker dealing with parents forgetting her 16th birthday and a major crush on heart-throb senior Jaaaaaaaake Ryan - played by Michael Schoeffling, who apparently beat out Viggo Mortensen. Anthony Michael Hall shines as the king of the geeks.

37. Miracle - Kurt Russell steals the 2004 film with his strong portrayal of Herb Brooks, who coached a group of college kids to the gold medal in men's hockey at the 1980 Olympics against all odds. While it is difficult to re-create the action of the greatest upset in sports history, the story about how the team came together and Brooks' mad genius is told expertly. I love watching this movie again. ... and again. ... and again. ... and again ... and again.

36. Office Space - Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head) directed one good movie to add to his career resume and it is on the list of the best comedies of all time. Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is a bored computer programmer stuck in a cubicle whose life changes when he is hypnotized into total relaxation, leading to a promotion, humor and chaos. Waitress Jennifer Anniston, who doesn't wear enough "flair," is Gibbons' dream girl and a printer gets justly tortured.

35. Rocky - Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred in the epic drama that led off the series, introducing one of the most iconic characters in movie history - Rocky Balboa, the small-time boxer from Philadelphia who takes on world champ Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). The movie won Best Picture in 1976 while Stallone and Talia Shire, who played his lovable geeky girlfriend Adrian, were both nominated along with Burgess Meredith and Burt Young. The final fight scene is as emotional as it gets.

34. 500 Days of Summer - Director Marc Webb tells the story of boy meets girl - and both end up driving each other nuts - in a nonlinear fashion that works brilliantly. Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is the your basic appealing, but impossible-to-read young woman, while Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) cannot fight through his expectations and her conflicting signals despite the early proclamation that she "doesn't want anything serious." It all adds up to a fun, thought-provoking and unique film.

33. Dances With Wolves - Kevin Costner starred and directed the beautiful and emotional 1990 film about a disconnected Union Army lieutenant who befriends an Indian tribe while alone on the American frontier. The movie won seven Academy awards, including Best Picture, and re-invigorated the Western genre. It is still a lesson in how people with different cultures can live together in peace, if effort is made. And what about the Tatanka?!

32. Beautiful Girls - Willie Conway (Timothy Hutton) is going through a period of life decisions when he decides to leave NYC to go home to the small Massachusetts town where he grew up. He meets an adorable 12-year-old Natalie Portman and Uma Thurman - two angels who both solve his problems in a way. It is a sweet, authentic and humorous story about relationships and small-town friendships that last forever.

31. Magnolia - Paul Thomas Anderson's three-hour epic film pieces together several intertwining stories, primarily about the relationships between parents and children, with great Aimee Mann music as background. Tom Cruise provides his most powerful and controversial performance as a male supremacist with a dying father that he has not seen in many years and John C. Reilly is the conscience of the film as a cop who falls for a pretty drug addict (Melora Waters). This is a movie that is in the category where people love or hate it. Ebert and I loved it. Siskel didn't.

No Guarantees for Lightning Anymore

By Mark Pukalo

It looked as though this could be a long offseason with several surprising changes to the Tampa Bay Lightning roster.

In reality, it was short and quiet.

The Bolts shipped out an emerging offensive star (Jonathan Drouin) for a 19-year-old, potential star on defense (Mikhail Sergachev) and swapped a few veteran blueliners while signing another forward on the back end of his career (Chris Kunitz).

General manager Steve Yzerman and his brass obviously were banking on health, rest and hunger being the biggest positives for the 2017-18 season, instead of making more drastic changes to the crew of the USS Tampa Bay Lightning.

It is a logical course to take with captain Steven Stamkos returning from knee surgery, Ryan Callahan looking like his old self after enduring a lost season due to hip injuries and one of the world's best defensemen Victor Hedman leading the way. The Bolts also had a full offseason to rest and recover after two straight long playoff runs that took plenty out of them, leading to a slow start in 2016-17. The group that made it to Game 6 of the 2015 Cup final and Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016 will have something to prove when they hit the ice for the season opener on Friday against Florida.

The question is, will that be enough?

You could make the case that they were a blown third-period lead at home against Arizona from making the playoffs with a skeleton group last season and adding Stamkos, alone, is enough to get them over the top. You can also argue that the group was getting stale, threw in way too many stinkers because of it, needed a bit more of an overhaul this offseason, and should have kept the team’s best playmaker (Drouin).

Yzerman has made the calculation the Lightning can find the spirit that pushed them to great heights from 2015-2017 and he may be right if two very important things happen. The Bolts need to be a lot better limiting quality chances in their own zone and get more consistent secondary scoring.

The defense is likely to be better, but how much? Assuming Andrej Sustr and Slater Koekkoek are the two players sitting out on the blue line to start the season, you add Sergachev and Daniel Girardi in place of Jason Garrison and Sustr. Jake Dotchin is also a year older after a solid debut in 2016-17.

Sergachev will get nine games before his rookie contract kicks in, so they can test his progress. Unless he struggles badly in the first few weeks - which would be surprising - I’m not sure what is gained by sending him back to juniors. If the AHL was an option, sure, let him dominate down there first. But I expect the Russian will be here all season and likely play with a veteran like Girardi or Anton Stralman, even Braydon Coburn at times. If the rookie becomes a solid contributor, that makes this defense much better. Everyone can play a little sharper, but he might be the only player that can make a big difference and that’s a lot to expect from a teenager.

The expectation and hope for the Lightning is their backend will be stronger in the second half of the season and find their stride for the playoffs. Unless there is a long-term injury or Sergachev is deemed not ready, Sustr or Koekkoek could be moved. Although, they could send Sustr through waivers at some point.

The offensive side of the puck is the biggest unknown for the Bolts, which is hard to fathom with talents like Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov leading a host of players that have had plenty big moments over the years. But with all that potential, Tampa Bay was just 14th in scoring last season despite a productive power play.

We’ll see how it works out, but I’m a little concerned about Stamkos and Kucherov playing on the same line for several reasons. First, it gives teams a chance to put their top defense pair against that line and, secondly, they are the teams’ top shooters and will be deferring to set up the other. They might get more shots as the top option on separate lines. In my opinion, you use them like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Put them together on occasion to mix it up and give the team a boost.

Those two will get their points no matter what and the other linemate will benefit. Coach Jon Cooper has tried Brayden Point there and Vladislav Namestnikov most days. I would place a savvy veteran like Kunitz in that position and push more skill to the other top-three lines.

Whatever the three-man units look like, the Lightning need contributions from all of them. Alex Killorn had a great first half and a rough second half last season while Ondrej Palat was quiet in the first 41 games and one of the team’s best in the last 41. Namestnikov has the skill, but went backward last season, and Kunitz had just nine goals in 71 games with Pittsburgh. Point must also avoid the sophomore slump.

The biggest question mark is Tyler Johnson. The 27-year-old center had 53 goals and 122 points with a plus-56 in two seasons from 2013-15. He netted 33 tallies with 83 points to go along with a minus-1 in the last two, but was still signed to a seven-year contract in July. You can say he wasn’t as healthy, but that’s an excuse. Johnson must live up to that $35 million contract if the Lightning are going to return to the level of Cup contender.

One of the spots he and others must step up the most is on the power play, where Drouin made his biggest impact. That unit may end up being a vital factor this season. The Lightning were sixth in the league in 2016-17 with the man advantage and need to stay in that vicinity.

Yanni Gourde helps the energy level on the team and should be a factor whether he is a center or on the wing. Faceoff specialist Gabriel Dumont, J.T. Brown and Cedric Paquette are on notice with capable Adam Erne and Matt Peca in the minors waiting by the phone. Peca seemed to earn a spot on the team in the preseason, but he did not have to clear waivers and was sent down. Mathieu Joseph, Alexander Volkov and Anthony Cirelli may get a chance as well at some point.

There is depth. There is talent. The key forwards like Johnson, Palat, Killorn and Namestnikov just have to be better while Point finds his most-productive spot and Callahan stays healthy.

It’s doable. It’s just not guaranteed anymore for the Lightning.

You notice, nothing about goaltending. While national writers seem to think there is a need for Andrei Vasilevskiy to prove himself, I’m not sure what they have been watching. Sure, he’s young, but there are no concerns here about him taking the No. 1 job full time and Peter Budaj will be fine as the backup for 25 games or so.

The Lightning will be in the mix. You just wonder if they still have that special something, the spirit that always gave them the tools to find answers, rally or break a slump before it got worse. We will see in the first few months of the season.

Cooper must make the right decisions, hold back from constant line shuffling and create the right atmosphere. Perhaps without the dilemma of where to put Drouin, he will settle in to a better rhythm behind the bench.

But this will ultimately be about the players. You know what you’re going to get from Hedman, Stralman, Stamkos, Vasilevskiy and Kucherov for the most part. But the other capable players - especially those with long-term contracts - must find their best form consistently.

If they can’t, it will be another pressure-filled playoff race for a wild-card spot.

If they do, Lightning fans could enjoy another long postseason.

Ultimately, I am a little skeptical. But I don’t think it’s out of the question that things can fall into place with character guys like Stamkos and Hedman steering the ship.

Top 150 Movies of All-Time: 50-41

50. Back to the Future - In the first of the memorable series, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is transported back to 1955 where he must make his parents fall in love again after the time continuum is messed up. Marty has to fight off the advances of his mom, the bully Biff and he introduces the kids to some classic Chuck Berry music ahead of its time. Eric Stolz was supposed to be Marty, but the switch was made during filming.

49. The Social Network - David Fincher directed this film written by Aaron Sorkin based loosely on the making of facebook, with Jesse Eisenberg starring Mark Zuckerberg. Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake add outstanding performances while Dakota Johnson and Rooney Mara steal their scenes. The film is more about entertainment than accuracy, but most are and it is a fun watch.

48. Notting Hill - The romantic comedy was written by Richard Curtis - his second of two brilliant screen plays in the 1990s. The film stars Hugh Grant as a small-time shop owner who enters into an on-again, off-again relationship after a chance meeting with a superstar actress played by Julia Roberts. It's smart, humorous, thought-provoking and heartwarming. The ending is one of the best ever for this genre.

47. ET - Director Steven Spielberg's charming 1982 film is about a goofy-looking abandoned extra-terrestrial who befriends a young boy named Elliott (Henry Thomas). We were introduced to a tiny Drew Barrymore as Elliott's little sister in the epic movie that makes you laugh, cry and want to "phone home." It won four technical awards, but was beaten out for Best Picture by "Ghandi."

46. Clerks - It's crude, somewhat inappropriate, but Kevin Smith's film based on life along the Jersey shore is one of the most humorous of all time. The movie revolves around Dante (Brian O'Halloran), who "wasn't even supposed to be working today!" and his day running the Quick Stop as he juggles girlfriends. Jay and Silent Bob show up and Randal (Jeff Anderson) probably has the best lines while 37 becomes the operative number. LOL.

45. The Godfather Part II - No doubt the greatest sequel - and prequel - in movie history, isn't it? You can make a case that it may be better than the original, but it is hard to match the intrigue and power of director Francis Ford Coppola's first epic film. This story moves from Italy to New York to Nevada to Cuba and all points in between, but ends on the Lake with poor Fredo.

44. The Descendants - George Clooney produces his best career performance as a man dealing with an emotional roller coaster in Alexander Payne's film. Clooney's wife, who he finds out was cheating on him, is on her death bed after a boating accident while he must make a decision about whether to sell his large family's beautiful stretch of ocean land on Hawaii and deal with two young daughters. Shailene Woodley is outstanding as usual as Clooney's oldest daughter.

43. Jerry Maguire - Cameron Crowe's 1996 romantic comedy stars Tom Cruise as a sports agent trying to do the right thing in a profession that has gone off the rails. Renee Zellweger is brilliant as the accountant that follows him out the door of his agency and makes him a better man. Cuba Gooding Jr. won Best Supporting Actor basically for one of the most iconic scenes of all time when he asks Cruise to "Show me the money!"

42. 25th Hour - Director Spike Lee's best film stars Ed Norton as Monty Brogan, a broken man headed to prison after getting caught selling drugs for the Russian mafia. The story follows Monty as he spends the final day with his girlfriend, wonderfully named Natural Rivera (Rosario Dawson), along with long-time buddies. Monty calls out everyone in NYC to the mirror in a powerful, controversial scene (go see it on you tube), but the final finger is pointed at his greed.

41. Major League - A bunch of rejects and has-beens lead the Cleveland Indians to the pennant in this lovable 1989 sports comedy. Charlie Sheen brings the Wild Thing to life and Tom Berenger plays the cliched heady catcher that leads the team. There were sequels that didn't match the humor and spirit of the original when the great Bob Uecker coined the phrase "jusssst a bit outside."

Reprise: Top 150 Movies of All-Time 100-51

By Mark Pukalo

Rating the most entertaining, thought-provoking and powerful movies of the last 50 years is way more difficult than putting a list of your favorite songs together in order.

Enjoying a film can often be about timing, your mood and expectations. I have often gone to the theater to watch, or rented, a movie not expecting much and been pleasantly surprised. But then after viewing it again, I was not as impressed.

The embarrassing memory I have was back in the mid 80s when I recommended we rent - along with a few other tapes - this mildly cute movie called "Short Circuit" when I was with my relatives in Ohio. Once we got 20 minutes or so into the movie, I could not imagine why I thought everyone would love it. It obviously just caught me in the right mood the first time. Or, maybe I merely had a wild crush on Ally Sheedy.

The ones that stick with you are special, whether you want to watch them over and over or you thoroughly enjoy an occasional viewing that justifies your fondness for the film.

I changed my mind a lot during the first 100 on my list of the best movies in 50 years. I don’t expect everyone to agree with the choices but, again, if I can introduce one or two great films for someone to add to their Netflix list. ... that’s awesome.

I will start the top 50 on Monday and there will be many classic films, along with some personal favorites, featured in the next 100 or so days. By my count, you could probably call 20 of the final 50 dramatic classics which would be listed in many critics’ top 100. You could consider about 15 or 16 of them comedies.

Below is a reprise of 100-51, if you missed any of my writeups.

100. Mallrats - Love, smart and goofy comedy, bad language, Claire Forlani, a hidden sailboat and a Hartford Whalers victory. What more would you want in a movie? Jason Lee is at his crude best as he tries to repair a relationship with Shannen Doherty at the mall with a lot of things going on in Kevin Smith's film. Silent Bob's quote to remember: "Adventure, excitement, a Jedi craves not these things."

99. Serendipity - Apparently it means "a fortunate accident." Talk about fortunate, how about having a choice between Bridget Moynihan and Kate Beckinsale? You...can't... lose. John Cusack has that tough decision in this likable romantic comedy. Jeremy Piven also plays a key role as Cusack's friend in the film that ends on the ice in New York City.

98. The Tillman Story - The amazing, but disturbing, 2010 documentary follows the tragic death of Pat Tillman and the controversial aftermath. The former Arizona Cardinals defensive back, who gave up his NFL career to join the army, was found to be killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan - a fact that was originally covered up before his family helps to reveal it. Richard Tillman, Pat's brother, makes a memorable speech at the funeral.

97. The Hunger Games - The first of four in the trilogy of adapted novels from Suzanne Collins is based in a post-apocalyptic society of the haves and have nots. Jennifer Lawrence shines as the heroic Katniss, who volunteers in the last-person-standing brutal contest in place of her younger sister. While the sequels are solid, the debut of the series was shocking, powerful and heartwarming.

96. Fever Pitch - The Farrelly Brothers' 2005 film is loosely based on Nick Hornby's book and movie "Fever Pitch, A Fan's Life" about his time rooting for Arsenal in the English Premiership. The Farrellys adapted it to the life of one of God's most pathetic creatures - Boston Red Sox fans - with Jimmy Farrell in the lead role. The movie ends with the Curse of the Bambino. "Remember when Roger Moret went catatonic?"

95. Jackie Brown - Director Quentin Tarantino's third film is a crime caper about "colorful low-life characters" as Roger Ebert put it. Samuel L. Jackson uses flight attendant Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) to smuggle his money in from Mexico. Jackie outsmarts everyone by teaming with smitten veteran bail bondsman Robert Forster, who was deservedly nominated for Best Supporting Actor as Max Cherry. A just-out-of jail Robert DeNiro and a ditsy Bridget Fonda add humor.

94. Across the Universe - A young Irishman named Jude (Jim Sturgess) travels to America to find his US serviceman father and meets a diverse group of people, including the love of his life (Evan Rachel Wood). Julie Taymor's unique musical drama is told through Beatles songs and with a backdrop of the Vietnam War in the 1960s. While it veers off course a few times, it produces one of the best endings in movie history.

93. Say Anything - Cameron Crowe's directorial debut is this romantic comedy that revolves around an average high school student named Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), who boldly asks out the pretty valedictorian Diane Court (Ione Skye). The complicated relationship has its ups and downs until Dobler puts a boom box above his head to play Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." Originally, the song Cusack was playing? Fishbone's "Bonin' in the Graveyard." LOL.

92. Ex Machina - A creepy rich recluse (Oscar Isaac), who owns a search company, recruits a programmer (Domhnall Gleeson) to his secluded mountain home to give the Turing test to his new creation - a beautiful AI. Alicia Vikander should have won the Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the amazing Ava instead of  for "The Danish Girl." It is a fascinating, unique, science fiction film with one heck of an ending.

91. Fletch - Chevy Chase reportedly said this was his favorite movie role as a crack investigative reporter for the LA Times working on a drug trafficking story who gets embroiled in a devious plot. Irwin Fletcher's witty remarks make the movie, especially in his romance with a millionaire criminal's wife (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) at the club. Just charge your next bill to the Underhills' tab.

90. Independence Day - The science fiction film won an Academy Award for best visual effects in 1996, but it was ultimately just a fun ride with a great cast. Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum blow up and punch the nasty-looking creatures while Bill Pullman makes impossible decisions as President before a rousing final speech. The sequel was not good, but the original was one of the most entertaining of its genre.

89. Live and Let Die - My second favorite Bond film (1973) was the first for the late Roger Moore, who took over for Sean Connery and saves the mystical and beautiful Solitaire (Jane Seymour). Bond uncovers a heroin trafficking ring through Harlem and a Caribbean Island, fighting off some strange characters. It was all topped off by Paul McCartney's brilliant song.

88. Return of the Jedi - Episode VI from 1983 is my second favorite in the Star Wars saga as it brings to a close the legacy of Darth Vader. Vader ends his life by departing the dark side to help his son Luke live on to lead the Jedi. The action scenes on Endor with the rebels and Ewoks fighting the Emperial forces are some of the best in the series.

87. The Replacements - It might not be a masterpiece of cinema, but who hasn't watched this fun football farce about 100 times on late-night TV? Keanu Reeves' best two roles, in my opinion, are as washed up college quarterbacks who make good and he shines as Shane Falco, the leader of the motley crew. Pretty Brook Langton rocks as Falco's love interest and Gene Hackman as his heady coach.

86. Meet the Parents - Gaylord Focker (Ben Stiller) makes a comedy of errors in an attempt to impress his scary future father in law, played by Robert De Niro. Losing the beloved Jinxy and a fated pool volleyball spike don't help Focker join the "circle of trust." Naomi Watts was originally slated to play Pam, but Teri Polo proved perfect for the role - and in Playboy afterward.

85. Bowling for Columbine - While director Michael Moore can be polarizing and push the envelope at times, his portrayal of our country's baffling gun culture in his 2002 film was right on target. The Academy Award-winning documentary is chilling, sad - and occasionally humorous - as he tries to find answers to why many Americans live in constant fear for no reason. The Columbine footage is heartbreaking and shock rocker Marilyn Manson is one of the most sane people interviewed.

84. The Shawshank Redemption - The 1994 film follows the story of Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a man wrongly-accused of a double murder who finds a way to cope with prison life and wins in the end. The movie was not a huge hit out of the gate, but became more popular as time went on. It might be higher on many lists, but I understand the power of the film and Morgan Freeman's performance is amazing. "Hope is a good thing."

83. Bulworth - Warren Beatty plays a burned-out California Senator (Jay Bulworth) who has planned to stage his own murder, but he changes his mind after meeting a young Halle Berry and discovering his talent for rap music. Bulworth finds his soul when he realizes honesty is the best policy. Wouldn't it be nice if politicians could all do that?

82. Lord of War - The under-rated 2005 film stars Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov, an illegal arms dealer from Brighton Beach who becomes a major player in the world. Orlov makes deals with horrible dictators, along with his drugged-out and conflicted brother (Jared Leto), while fooling his dream woman (Bridget Moynihan) into marrying him. An agent (Ethan Hawke) is constantly on his tail.

81. Into the Wild - Sean Penn's gripping 2007 film follows the journey Chris McCandless, who leaves his family and a normal life to travel across the country without a car on his way to the Alaskan wilderness. Emile Hirsch is outstanding as McCandless and Hal Holbrook earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination as one of the people he meets along the way. You go through many different emotions through this film and there's some great Eddie Vedder music as background.


80. The Town - Director Ben Affleck co-wrote and stars in the 2010 crime drama based on Chuck Hogan's book "The Prince of Thieves." A group of long-time friends from Charlestown, Mass. rob banks in the area and Affleck falls for one of the managers (Rebecca Hall), who may be able to identify them. Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner are also terrific in their roles.

79. The Man With the Golden Gun - Bond films get rated vastly different by the critics, but this is my favorite as Roger Moore hunts down Francisco Scaramanga and battles him on a small secluded island in Chinese waters. You're not going to find many better Bond girls than Maud Adams and Swede beauty Britt Ekland, who plays the aptly-named agent Mary Goodnight. It is 007 fun from start to finish.

78. Wedding Crashers - Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have fun crashing weddings and finally meet their matches at the ceremony for a congressman's daughter. Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher draw the two goofs out of their fantasy world and make them better people, but there is plenty of comedy to be had along the way. Will Ferrell makes perhaps his best cameo performance as Chazz, who crashes funerals to meet women.

77. We Are Marshall - The emotional 2006 film depicts the aftermath of the tragic plane crash that killed 75 people in 1970, including 37 players from the Marshall football team. Matthew McConaughey plays charismatic coach Jack Lengyel, who starts from scratch to help lift the Thundering Herd from the ashes - along with the student body in the most inspiring scene of the movie.

76. 2001, A Space Odyssey - Director Stanley Kubrick's science fiction drama, based on a story by Arthur C. Clarke, is a psychological journey through the universe and the origins of humanity. The depiction of space travel in the 1970 film is way ahead of its time. You are forced to interpret the mysterious things that occur, including the mental breakdown of the unforgettable computer named Hal.

75. Once - Director John Carney's first of three brilliant films (also Begin Again and Sing Street) is about a Czech immigrant and an Irish street singer who meet by chance and make beautiful music together. Non-actors Glen Hansard and the gorgeous Marketa Irglova add authenticity to the story with outstanding performances. "Falling Slowly" won Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards.

74. Apollo 13 - Tom Hanks plays astronaut Jim Lovell in the true story of a 1970 mission to the moon that had to be aborted, and the daring route home. One of director Ron Howard's strongest efforts was masterfully detailed and filled with tension, especially on re-entry, and earned a Best Picture nomination in 1995. "Houston, we have a problem."

73. Best in Show - Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest co-wrote this hilarious mockumentary of a national dog show with some crazy characters. Fred Willard makes the film go with his goofy commentary on the show and Levy shows off his two left feet, literally. Parker Posey also shines as the neurotic owner of a beautiful competitor in the show.

72. The Bourne Identity - The first and best of the spy drama series with Matt Damon playing brainwashed soldier Jason Bourne, who must be eliminated after his black ops mission fails. Damon befriends a beautiful German woman (Franka Potente) and he uses his special talents to evade the bad guys. Bourne apologizing to the Neski girl is amazing scene.

71. Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Cameron Crowe wrote this 1982 classic California high school comedy which touched on many different issues while making us laugh. Sean Penn was Spicoli while Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold and, yes, the great Phoebe Cates, were outstanding. Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Don Henley and others contribute to a strong soundtrack as well.


70. Sleepless in Seattle - OK, a little sentimental here, but director Nora Ephron co-wrote this appealing little romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Sam (Hanks) is a widower whose son Jonah (Ross Mallinger) calls a radio show to see if he can get help finding his dad a new wife and picks Annie (Ryan). The ending on the top of the Empire State Building still makes my eyes water. I can admit it.

69. Point Break - The 1991 film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), has gotten more popular with age and fans can recite the best lines. "He's not coming back." Keanu Reeves stars as FBI agent Johnny Utah, a former college quarterback, who infiltrates a group of surfers/adrenaline junkies led by Patrick Swayze that rob banks. Utah jumps out of a plane without a parachute, but gets the girl (Lori Petty) and his man.

68. Radio Days - "Sleeper" made me laugh while "Annie Hall" and "Hannah and Her Sisters" were memorable, but my favorite Woody Allen movie is this old-style classic. The 1987 film has a great cast and remembers the days when radio was king. Mia Farrow is strong as Sally White and Larry David even makes a cameo as a communist, but Julie Kavner has the best line as searchlights looked for German planes - "What a world. It could be so wonderful if it wasn't for certain people."

67. Platoon - Oliver Stone's Vietnam War drama won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1986 and provided some incredible images along with strong performances. The story follows Charlie Sheen through his first tour of duty and the horrors he encounters while trying to stay sane. The scene where dead bodies are pushed into a hole by bulldozers is one of the most numbing few minutes in movie history.

66. War Games - The 1983 film stars Matthew Broderick as an innocent young hacker, who easily works his way into a government computer and plays a dangerous game. Every guy in my age group's crush Ally Sheedy plays Broderick's girlfriend as he rushes to save the world from "thermal nuclear war." Words to live by from computer Joshua - "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

65. Philadelphia - It's rare when a movie has the ability to adjust your philosophy on issues - even slightly - and late director Jonathan Demme's film about a man dying of Aids is one. Tom Hanks took Best Actor for his portrayal of Andrew Beckett, a gay man who is fired after his disease is discovered, and Denzel Washington provides one of his best performances as his lawyer. The movie is filled with powerful scenes and beautiful music.

64. Birdman - Former super hero star Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) tries to find legitimacy on the Broadway stage in this fast-moving, unique "black comedy" directed expertly by Alejandro Inarritu. It won Best Picture in 2014 and Keaton should have won Best Actor after his masterful effort, but Emma Stone and Edward Norton make the movie go with their performances.

63. The Breakfast Club -John Hughes directed this memorable high school movie from 1985 about a group of five teenagers who spend Saturday detention together and form unlikely friendships. Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez were apparently nicknamed the "Brat Pack," at the time. None became superstars, but two show up in movies higher than this on the list.

62. Moneyball - The 2011 film is based on a book by the same name from Michael Lewis about the 2002 Oakland Athletics, who won 20 in a row, and their general manager Billy Beane. Brad Pitt provides one of his best performances as Beane, who tries a new style of scouting through statistics (sabermetrics) to help put together a competitive team with a limited budget while battling his manager and old-school scouts.

61. Malcolm X - The first of two Spike Lee films in the top 100 is a three-hour, 22-minute epic. Denzel Washington is extraordinary as the controversial Nation of Islam leader, evolving from small-time hustler to a powerful figure before his death in 1965 at the hands of some of the very people he led. The final scene in which he moves toward the site of his murder to Sam Cooke's brilliant song "A Change is Gonna Come" is breathtaking.


60. Some Kind of Wonderful - The 1987 film was written by John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch, who later married the star (Lea Thompson) and the duo produced a good little actress named Zoey Deutch (Everybody Wants Some, Before I Fall). It's the story of an average student named Keith (Eric Stolz) as he dares to ask out the popular and newly-available Amanda Jones (Thompson). The rest is a smart, fun journey through high school life.

59. The Sum of All Fears - The 2002 spy drama is based on a book from Tom Clancy by the same name. The story concerns a Neo-Nazi group attempting to start Nuclear War between the US and Russia while Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) works to uncover the truth. Apparently the reviews for this film were not great overall, but I thought it was powerful and quite believable.

58. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Crafty Ferris (Matthew Broderick) skips school and sets off on a strange, fun journey through Chicago with his girlfriend (Mia Sara) and best buddy (Alan Ruck) in another great John Hughes film. "Life moves fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

57. The Commitments - A young music fanatic Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) puts together a soul band with some diverse characters to play on the north side of Dublin. Imelda Quirke (Angeline Bell) and Natalie Murphy (Maria Doyle) grace the screen as part of the Commit-ettes and Joey "The Lips" Fagan (Johnny Murphy) gives the group cred. Joey says when the band breaks up abruptly, "Sure, we could have been famous and made albums and stuff. But that would have been predictable. This way, it's poetic."

56. Armageddon - No, you probably couldn't land a spacecraft on an asteroid, drill a hole, load a nuclear weapon in there and split it perfectly in two. But, heck, who cares? It's a movie and it is fun from start to finish as Bruce Willis leads a motley crew to try and save the world. The ending is quite emotional and Liv Tyler's pouting face gets me every time. "Permission to shake the hand of the daughter of the bravest man I've ever met." Tears.

55. Airplane! - The wacky comedy parody still draws the same amount of laughs as it did when it first hit the big screen in 1980. Julie Hagerty and Robert Hays play the lead roles, but the automatic pilot steals the show. Kareem Abdul Jabbar puts forth his finest movie performance while Leslie Nielsen is hilarious with every line or facial expression as the doctor, and don't call him Shirley.

54. The Departed - Martin Scorsese won his only Best Director honor at the Academy Awards with this 2006 crime drama that is apparently a Boston-style remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film "Internal Affairs." Leonardo DiCaprio goes deep undercover to try to find evidence on mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) and Matt Damon plays the slimiest of police moles.

53. The Big Short - Some people quibble with the facts or say they are exaggerated (NOT ME), but director Adam McKay (Anchorman) does a strong job turning Michael Lewis' book about the horror of the 2007-2008 financial crisis into an entertaining film. Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Christian Bale hit home runs with their performances while telling the story of fund managers and a banker who predicted the collapse of a still fraudulent system.

52. The Hangover - The first and, by far, the best installment of the series follows a group of friends who take their bachelor party to Vegas where chaos reigns. A tiger, Mike Tyson, a stripper with a baby, a stolen police car, a satchel, a stun gun and a chicken (still haven't figured that one out) are all part of the fun. The "wolf pack" retraces its steps to try and find the lost groom.

51. 10 Things I Hate About You - The 1999 romantic high school comedy was reportedly written as a modern day version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew." The late, great Heath Ledger attempts to tame Julia Stiles and a young Joseph Gordon Levitt courts Stiles' cute, quirky sister Bianca. Larry Miller has the best lines in the film. When Bianca whines, "It's just a party daddy." Miller retorts, "and Hell is just a sauna."

Top 150 Movies of All Time: 70-61

70. Sleepless in Seattle - OK, a little sentimental here, but director Nora Ephron co-wrote this appealing little romantic comedy with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Sam (Hanks) is a widower whose son Jonah (Ross Mallinger) calls a radio show to see if he can get help finding his dad a new wife and picks Annie (Ryan). The ending on the top of the Empire State Building still makes my eyes water. I can admit it.

69. Point Break - The 1991 film, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty), has gotten more popular with age and fans can recite the best lines. "He's not coming back." Keanu Reeves stars as FBI agent Johnny Utah, a former college quarterback, who infiltrates a group of surfers/adrenaline junkies led by Patrick Swayze that rob banks. Utah jumps out of a plane without a parachute, but gets the girl (Lori Petty) and his man.

68. Radio Days - "Sleeper" made me laugh while "Annie Hall" and "Hannah and Her Sisters" were memorable, but my favorite Woody Allen movie is this old-style classic. The 1987 film has a great cast and remembers the days when radio was king. Mia Farrow is strong as Sally White and Larry David even makes a cameo as a communist, but Julie Kavner has the best line as searchlights looked for German planes - "What a world. It could be so wonderful if it wasn't for certain people."

67. Platoon - Oliver Stone's Vietnam War drama won Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1986 and provided some incredible images along with strong performances. The story follows Charlie Sheen through his first tour of duty and the horrors he encounters while trying to stay sane. The scene where dead bodies are pushed into a hole by bulldozers is one of the most numbing few minutes in movie history.

66. War Games - The 1983 film stars Matthew Broderick as an innocent young hacker, who easily works his way into a government computer and plays a dangerous game. Every guy in my age group's crush Ally Sheedy plays Broderick's girlfriend as he rushes to save the world from "thermal nuclear war." Words to live by - "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."

65. Philadelphia - It's rare when a movie has the ability to adjust your philosophy on issues - even slightly - and late director Jonathan Demme's film about a man dying of Aids is one. Tom Hanks took Best Actor for his portrayal of Andrew Beckett, a gay man who is fired after his disease is discovered, and Denzel Washington provides one of his best performances as his lawyer. The movie is filled with powerful scenes and beautiful music.

64. Birdman - Former super hero star Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) tries to find legitimacy on the Broadway stage in this fast-moving, unique "black comedy" directed expertly by Alejandro Inarritu. It won Best Picture in 2014 and Keaton should have won Best Actor after his masterful effort, but Emma Stone and Edward Norton make the movie go with their turns.

63. The Breakfast Club -John Hughes directed this memorable high school movie from 1985 about a group of five teenagers who spend Saturday detention together and form unlikely friendships. Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez were apparently nicknamed the "Brat Pack," at the time. None became superstars, but two show up in movies higher than this on the list.

62. Moneyball - The 2011 film is based on a book by the same name from Michael Lewis about the 2002 Oakland Athletics, who won 20 in a row, and their general manager Billy Beane. Brad Pitt provides one of his best performances as Beane, who tries a new style of scouting through statistics (sabremetrics) to help put together a competitive team with a limited budget while battling his manager and old-school scouts.

61. Malcolm X - The first of two Spike Lee films in the top 100 is a three-hour, 22-minute epic. Denzel Washington is extraordinary as the controversial Nation of Islam leader, evolving from small-time hustler to a powerful figure before his death in 1965 at the hands of some of the very people he led. The final scene in which he moves toward the site of his murder to Sam Cooke's brilliant song "A Change is Gonna Come" is breathtaking.

Let's Debate Lightning Moves, Not Drink the Kool-Aid

By Mark Pukalo

There is a certain phrase that I had never used before last month, when describing more than a minor issue, since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2010.

“I totally disagree with that decision.”

Trading a young, successful goalie (Dustin Tokarski) for a journeyman (Cedrick Desjardins) annoyed me and allowing Richard Panik to be lost for nothing on waivers when there were other options was also disappointing. Re-signing B.J. Crombeen and giving Erik Condra three years didn’t seem worth it to me either. There have been a few decisions in the first round of the draft you could question and I might have tried to figure out a way to keep Guy Boucher as well, but that would have been difficult.

Those moves are all relatively insignificant, though. We don’t always get what we want as fans and, with all the decisions a GM has to make, he can’t be perfect. Yzerman has made some absolutely amazing deals to build the Lightning into a Stanley Cup contender. He gets an A through the end of the 2016-17 season.

The Lightning GM has built quite a lot of room for error. It is easy to just say “he knows what he is doing” and go along with everything he does - like many are right now. It’s logical, because there’s little evidence to show where he has damaged the team. He knows what good hockey looks like. The Lightning will be competitive and, if a particular 19-year-old Russian defenseman becomes a star, they will probably be better than that.

That doesn’t mean a loyal Bolts fan can’t be concerned. While people sometimes go overboard with emotional exaggerated responses on twitter - me included - the basic fact is we all have our opinions. That means one thing. We care. Some are more informed than others. Some include a lot of thought and guard against personal leanings most of the time. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that.

Few have seriously come out publicly against the decisions made by Yzerman during this offseason, for a number of reasons. Some truly believe he is on the right track and needed to make some of the moves while others are just going along with them lazily without looking at the big picture. We have a good hockey market in Tampa Bay, with intelligent fans - except for the few out there that still don’t appreciate the talent of Victor Hedman. There should be a lot of different opinions. Aside from bashing a current or traded player unfairly like we have seen lately, all sides should be heard. We may not want to become Toronto or Montreal, but debate is good.

Differing opinions about the GM’s moves should be embraced and talked about honestly. There shouldn’t be one narrative. ... or else. That’s what the best hockey markets look like.

It’s no surprise I was against the Jonathan Drouin trade. It wasn't because Mikhail Sergachev can’t be a good defenseman. You just don’t trade a player with Drouin’s special talent at 22 years old. But I’m more surprised at the direction Yzerman has taken the team in the last month with many other moves. While Sergachev could cure some ills if he develops quickly, in my opinion the Lightning have gotten a little older and slower over the last month. If healthy and many things fall into a place, they can still be a playoff team. But I’m not sure they are better, unless many of their young players make a major leap forward.

The Drouin trade was not about the cap. It wasn’t about the expansion draft. It was a choice. I have worked on a scenario that would have kept him around and makes the Lightning a better team going forward, in my opinion. You can judge.

The trade to assure Vegas took Jason Garrison in the expansion draft was strong and I’m not sure the Golden Knights would have asked for more if Drouin had to be protected over Vladislav Namestnikov. If another pick was needed, fine. If Vegas wanted Vladdy, another deal could be made to send him to Sin City.

I would not have qualified defenseman Andrej Sustr. If the big Czech wanted to stay around as a seventh or eighth defenseman for a season to try and move up, I may have offered $1 million and he would likely walk. Sustr has had plenty of time to show he is worth almost $2 million. In my opinion, he hasn't come close.

Once that move was made, I would work the phones to see what the interest was in Tyler Johnson and Namestnikov. Brayden Point is a better bet long term as a No. 2 center. Plenty of groundwork was likely done to see what young defensemen were available. I’m not sure Winnipeg was willing to trade Jacob Trouba anymore and they are probably looking for defense help in return anyway. The focus had to be on Anaheim (Sami Vatenen, Brandon Montour), Minnesota (Matt Dumba) and Vancouver (Chris Tanev).

There’s no doubt in my mind Minnesota wanted Drouin. But I’m not sure a deal couldn’t have been made without him. Anaheim certainly could use some speed up front and Vancouver as well. In my model, I trade Johnson near his home in Spokane to the Canucks for a couple future picks and a prospect - perhaps forward Jake Virtanen. Then, I overpay for Matt Dumba from Minnesota - perhaps dishing the Wild the versatile but inconsistent Namestnikov (who could replace Erik Haula) and their choice of young forwards Adam Erne, Mathieu Joseph, Dennis Yan or Mitchell Stephens along with a high pick or a defense prospect (Matt Spencer?). I can’t imagine that deal not being better for Minnesota than the one they worked with Buffalo for Marco Scandella. You have to make it worth their while, if Drouin is not part of the deal. There is some talk about Dumba not being a great listener, but he’s young. You work with him. You could also offer a similar deal to Anaheim with Johnson instead of Vladdy for Vatanen.

My defense would now include combos of Hedman-Jake Dotchin, Slater Koekkoek-Anton Stralman, Braydon Coburn-Dumba. Bringing in a veteran seventh defenseman, perhaps to push Koekkoek on the left side (John-Michael Liles, Fedor Tyutin, Jyrki Jokipakka, Eric Gelinas, someone else?), wouldn’t cost all that much and there will be about $4 million in cap space left at the end to adjust if one of the top six guys get hurt. You have Erik Cernak, Dominik Masin, Libor Hajek and Ben Thomas coming and the solid draft pick of versatile Callan Foote gives you even more depth on the blue line. 

When I first heard that the Lightning were interested in Daniel Girardi, I thought it sounded great. They could sign the bought-out righty D man for about $1 million or so to replace Sustr. Then, soon after, Sustr was re-signed. I like Girardi. I covered the Hartford Wolf Pack a little when he broke in. I just don’t like him at $3 million per for two years. You wonder how many teams in the league were offering anywhere near that much, but there are some defense-starved organizations in the league. I have to ask, though, when has the signing of a discarded, bought-out player for more than $1 million or so ever worked out?

The Bolts have depth up front, but I will need to find a few short-term fixes to allow the young players to develop in my model. The big swing could have been to take a chance at catching Lightning in a bottle with Nial Yakupov or convincing Vegas to trade Jonathan Marchessault back to the Bay, but I’m fine with Chris Kunitz for one year. I’m not wild about him because he seems to be declining after scoring just nine goals last season and two in the playoffs, but if Drouin is there (at six years, $5.5 million or a little more) he may work as a heady left wing with Steven Stamkos and the former Halifax Moosehead. With Namestnikov and Johnson gone, I need someone to fill the hole as third-line center and it is an obvious choice - Brian Boyle. New Jersey did not have to go three years to sign Boyle to a reasonable $2.75 million deal and that fits for me. Boyle loved it here and I’d find it hard to believe if he wouldn’t have come back for slightly less than what Ray Shero offered. It’s interesting that Boyle was one of the main supporters of Drouin, isn't it?

Yzerman seems to have an affinity for Namestnikov, who has had chance after chance. Vladdy is not without talent and he flashes it brightly at times, but anyone who watched him last season would be lying if they did not see a drop off in his play when he scored 12 goals fewer than Panik (22) and struggled defensively. You can argue that coach Jon Cooper moved him around too much, but his effort was lacking many nights. The same with Johnson, who was great some games and invisible a lot of others. Matt Carle may end up being Yzerman’s worst contract - although it would be hard to be against it at the time - but giving Johnson a seven-year deal with what he has done the last two injury-prone seasons (33 goals combined) baffles me. Johnson is a talented player. No doubt. I just don’t think he is a long-term answer. The argument that the structure of his contract makes Johnny tradeable after four years or something is laughable at best. Ondrej Palat does more and you can project he is going to be just as valuable five years (or seven) down the road. That was a good contract.

With Kunitz, Boyle and perhaps Erne if he survives the trades, you have some flexibility up front in my model. You have also allowed room for future center candidates Anthony Cirelli and Brett Howden to develop and then jump in for Boyle in a year or two. If Boyle’s cranky back acts up you have Yanni Gourde, Cedric Paquette, Matt Peca and others to sub in the short term and if a third-line center is needed for the playoffs there will be cap room available. I originally thought about a four-year, $16.4 million contract for third-line center Nick Bonino, but you wouldn't want to block top-notch prospects like Cirelli and Howden.

Here would be my lines to start the season: Kunitz-Stamkos-Drouin, Palat-Brayden Point-Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn-Boyle-Ryan Callahan, Gourde-Paquette-J.T. Brown. You could also put Gourde at center and move Boyle to the wing or the fourth line at times. Erne or another reasonably-priced free agent could push for time or sub for Callahan, if he does not come back 100 percent.

Ultimately, I would have chosen Drouin over Johnson and subbed Gourde into Namestnikov's No. 1 swing role, then added veteran leadership like Kunitz and Boyle. I am going for a quicker fix on defense with Dumba (or Vatanen, Tanev) over Sergachev, which is a slight risk. I might also be losing a prime prospect like Joseph or Stephens, but you have to give up something good to improve now.

The debate on my model is how much would be needed for the new contracts of Dumba in 2018-19 and Kucherov, along with Point, in 19-20. But Kunitz perhaps moves out after next season in favor of a younger, cheaper player while Coburn and Boyle are out after two years with Callahan moving toward the end or a possible buyout. Things change, you adjust. You would have Stamkos, Hedman, Drouin and Palat, along with Killorn, wrapped up long term as your core. Killorn deserves another column, because I think fans and talk-show hosts have been very unfair to him for a few disappointing months to end his career-high season (19 goals) in 2016-17.

I could be totally wrong. In some ways, I hope I am. Sergachev could become a superstar quickly and make everyone forget how good and entertaining Drouin is. But, until then, we can debate whether my roster is better than the one the Lightning will start 2017-18 with.

Let’s discuss. Let’s disagree, respectfully. Let’s talk pucks all summer. Please, though, let’s not always just drink the Kool-Aid. 

Top 150 Movies in my 50 Years: 80-71

80. The Town - Director Ben Affleck co-wrote and stars in the 2010 crime drama based on Chuck Hogan's book "The Prince of Thieves." A group of long-time friends from Charlestown, Mass. rob banks in the area and Affleck falls for one of the managers (Rebecca Hall), who may be able to identify them. Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner are also terrific in their roles.

79. The Man With the Golden Gun - Bond films get rated vastly different by the critics, but this is my favorite as Roger Moore hunts down Francisco Scaramanga and battles him on a small secluded island in Chinese waters. You're not going to find many better Bond girls than Maud Adams and Swede beauty Britt Ekland, who plays the aptly-named agent Mary Goodnight. It is 007 fun from start to finish.

78. Wedding Crashers - Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have fun crashing weddings and finally meet their matches at the ceremony for a congressman's daughter. Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher draw the two goofs out of their fantasy world and make them better people, but there is plenty of comedy to be had along the way. Will Ferrell makes perhaps his best cameo performance as Chazz, who crashes funerals to meet women.

77. We Are Marshall - The emotional 2006 film depicts the aftermath of the tragic plane crash that killed 75 people in 1970, including 37 players from the Marshall football team. Matthew McConaughey plays charismatic coach Jack Lengyel, who starts from scratch to help lift the Thundering Herd from the ashes - along with the student body in the most inspiring scene of the movie.

76. 2001, A Space Odyssey - Director Stanley Kubrick's science fiction drama, based on a story by Arthur C. Clarke, is a psychological journey through the universe and the origins of humanity. The depiction of space travel in the 1970 film is way ahead of its time. You are forced to interpret the mysterious things that occur, including the mental breakdown of the unforgettable Hal.

75. Once - Director John Carney's first of three brilliant films (also Begin Again and Sing Street) is about a Czech immigrant and an Irish street singer who meet by chance and make beautiful music together. Non-actors Glen Hansard and gorgeous Marketa Irglova add authenticity to the story with outstanding performances. "Falling Slowly" won Best Original Song at the 80th Academy Awards.

74. Apollo 13 - Tom Hanks plays astronaut Jim Lovell in the true story of a 1970 mission to the moon that had to be aborted, and the daring route home. One of director Ron Howard's strongest efforts was masterfully detailed and filled with tension, especially on re-entry, and earned a Best Picture nomination in 1995. "Houston, we have a problem."

73. Best in Show - Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest co-wrote this hilarious mockumentary of a national dog show with some crazy characters. Fred Willard makes the film go with his goofy commentary on the show and Levy shows off his two left feet, literally. Parker Posey also shines as the neurotic owner of a beautiful competitor in the show.

72. The Bourne Identity - The first and best of the spy drama series with Matt Damon playing brainwashed soldier Jason Bourne, who must be eliminated after his black ops mission fails. Damon befriends a beautiful German woman (Franka Potente) and he uses his special talents to evade the bad guys. Bourne apologizing to the Neski girl is amazing scene.

71. Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Cameron Crowe wrote this 1982 classic California high school comedy which touched on many different issues while making us laugh. Sean Penn was Spicoli while Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold and, yes, the great Phoebe Cates, were outstanding. Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Don Henley and others contribute to a strong soundtrack as well.

The Case for Drouin II

By Mark Pukalo

Those who traveled to Brandon Ice Sports Forum for the first practice of training camp in 2015 may have thought they were finally witnessing the true start of the Jonathan Drouin era with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

There was the former Halifax Moosehead and third-overall pick in the 2013 draft skating on the left side of captain Steven Stamkos with veteran banger Ryan Callahan on the right in the opening drills.

Little did we know, less than two years later despite a strong 2015-16 postseason performance and a solid 2016-17 campaign (21 goals, 53 points) filled with highlight-reel plays, he would be traded to Atlantic Division-rival Montreal. The road to that result was filled with drama.

Drouin was the only one of the top six picks in 2013 to be sent back to juniors. It was different, but the decision had merit with the Lightning's situation at the time.

His rookie year in the NHL showed some promise as he was near the top of the league in assists per minute while mostly playing on the fourth line and getting very little power-play time. However, that season ended with him sitting out all but six playoff games. He was even demoted to the black aces at one point with other unproven and unproductive players put ahead of him. The easy question after that campaign was why didn’t he play more during the regular season when the Bolts were rolling toward the playoffs - especially on the power play - to prepare him for a more prominent postseason role?

But all that seemed to be part of the past as he began the 2015-16 season on one of the top two lines and posted six points in the first five games with Stamkos and Callahan - also seemingly screwed out of an assist in Buffalo when his strong forecheck helped set up a tally for the trio. At some point after that fast start, coach Jon Cooper seemed to lose interest in the development of the trio after a few somewhat unproductive games. It wasn’t strange for Cooper, who changes lines like socks.

From there, Drouin could never find a prominent place in the top-six consistently for Cooper. He was injured, came back and had two brilliant games in Anaheim and Los Angeles, then was hurt again. When he came back he played sparingly against the New York Rangers and the decision was made to send him down to the minors to get some playing time. It seemed logical at the time - go down and play a few games to get back up to speed after the injuries. But it wasn’t really stated that way. The Lightning had a glut of healthy forwards and there was no telling when he would return. He had seemingly lost his spot for no good reason.

There wasn’t a place for a player who started the season with six points (should have been seven) in five games?

Every other player picked in the top six of the 2013 draft was placed in the lineup immediately, allowed to learn from their mistakes and grow with minutes, except for Drouin. Nathan MacKinnon (1), Sasha Barkov (2), Seth Jones (4), Elias Lindholm (5), Sean Monahan (6) all had things to learn and they progressed. Only Lindholm is not All-Star caliber now, but he has slowly improved.

This was a special talent. The team needed Drouin. They needed him to push forward his development and help a failing power play. They needed him in Tampa Bay after a few practice games.

Then, all hell broke loose. Drouin decided to make his trade request public and, after a deal did not happen quickly, he left Syracuse. He made a very poor decision. He was 20. My bet is he was getting really bad advice and he went with it. Perhaps those convincing him to walk away wanted him to out of Tampa Bay and closer to home. Funny how that eventually happened.

Drouin has no excuses for leaving the team. I said so at the time. I say so now. But he came back before the end of the season and seemed to mend fences. Drouin was outstanding in the 2015-16 playoffs, on both ends of the ice. He was hitting, playing gritty defense, making simple plays when needed and putting up points (14 in 17 games) while igniting the power play.

Surely, this would be the start of the Drouin era in Tampa. All seemed forgiven from the fans as the 2016-17 season began. Drouin sweaters were everywhere. But there were times during the first half of last season when he still didn’t get consistent playing time with top players. You wondered at the time if he would have even played much with Stamkos if the captain wasn’t injured. While the trio of Drouin, Brian Boyle and Val Filppula had a little success for a period of time, it was basically a third line. Drouin even played on a pseudo third line with Cedric Paquette and Joel Vermin for a few games and set up a pair of goals in St. Louis.

Was Drouin perfect? Absolutely not. He was 21 until late March. He is still developing, learning. There needed to be more production at even strength and Drouin was inconsistent other than a red-hot stretch in the middle of the season. Cooper never seemed to have faith in him, though. His playing time went up when the Lightning were behind in the third period. That raised his average time on ice, especially when the team was struggling. There was also the game against Boston when the Filppula-Boyle-Drouin line was benched for the start of the third period after they were on the ice for a late goal by the Bruins in the second. But defensemen Jason Garrison and Andrej Sustr were mostly at fault.

We should have known at the time. Drouin was not part of the team’s future. He was traded for a prospect about three months later.

I can understand part of it. GM Steve Yzerman is a hockey lifer. He is mostly a traditionalist. His style is to stay out of things - let the coaches coach and players play - with communication at a minimum with the athletes. He played under Scotty Bowman and won two Cups that way.

Yzerman had to be thinking after the season, how can I give a player that deserted his team for two months $5-6 million per year long term? What would it look like if I did? I just gave Nikita Kucherov three years and $4.7 million per. I have to sign Drouin to a bridge deal just under that or trade him.

Cooper wasn’t going to change his mind. Drouin is not his kind of player. He didn’t coach him in the minors. He isn’t a gritty grinder. Drouin is all about creativity. You have to accept a few risky passes that go array per game to get all the good stuff he can provide.

Whether it was Yzerman’s style or the coaching staff putting him over the edge, it appears the decision was that Drouin was the one to be dealt. He was ultimately never forgiven for his youthful mistake.

No doubt, Drouin could bring in the best prize in the trade market. But I believe it was more than that.

I have been around hockey locker rooms long enough to understand players. Drouin was not disliked in the room. No way. He is confident. He plays with a swagger. You can even call him cocky. But don’t you want that in your best players?

Drouin was never going to win a Selke. But his defensive prowess had nothing to do with his minus-13 last season and my head explodes when people say on the radio that he wasn’t responsible defensively. Watch the 2015-16 playoffs again. The plus/minus statistic can be deceiving at times. Most of his total last season was a minus-7 in January when the whole team stunk.

All of this contributed to a bad decision, in my opinion. It had nothing to do with the cap. I could think of two players - if discarded - that could provide almost $4 million of additional cap room right now. The Lightning have plenty of space to take him at $5.5 for six years - what he signed for in Montreal after the trade. Perhaps he would have asked for more in Tampa? Who knows? But if $33-36 mil was waved in his face by Yzerman, I doubt Drouin would have turned it down.

It could have worked here. I can’t imagine Kucherov being upset for making a little less for a few years to get 20-25 nifty saucer passes from Drouin on the power play.

But I just don’t think Cooper wanted it to work and Yzerman’s plan probably wouldn’t allow a six-year deal for him.

I find it hard to believe that the Lightning could not have improved the defense by trading Tyler Johnson or a first-round pick or by putting together a creative package with prospects.

Drouin is a special talent. He is a future All-Star if he keeps his head on straight. He can be a top-10 scorer in the league. In my opinion, you don’t trade players with that type of potential when they are 22 for a maybe. This has nothing to do with Mikhail Sergachev. He’ll probably turn out to be a nice player. But we don’t know for sure. We know how good Drouin is. We saw a glimpse this season and you can only imagine what he could have been with Stamkos and Callahan in the lineup. But we never got to see that on a consistent basis, even when they were all healthy.

Cooper has done a lot of good things since he came to the Lightning organization. Yzerman has done just about everything right since taking over the Lightning. But the decisions made in the development of Drouin led to a poor outcome, something that could have been avoided.

Yzerman may pick up the pieces and turn the Lightning back into a Cup contender. He’s that good. But it is hard to lose a player that creates goals like Drouin. Whether he becomes a superstar is up to him, and fate.

It could have been done another way. Drouin could have fit into the plan. They should have made it work.

Updated Mark's Mock 2017 NHL Draft

By Mark Pukalo

The 2017 NHL draft is not much different than most. It’s about finding jewels past the first 15 picks and avoiding mistakes early.

The depth of no-brainer, solid future NHL players simply does not seem as strong in the first 15-16 picks. There is some high potential in that group, but the key is to steer away from the Brett Connollys (sixth), Alexander Burmistrovs (eighth) and Brandon Gormleys (13^th) while selecting someone closer to Cam Fowler (12^th), Vladimir Tarasenko (16^th) or Jaden Schwartz (14^th) - using the 2010 draft as an example.

The most interesting group is the offensive-minded players, who are either on the small side or have not shown much interest in the defensive end. There is plenty of risk-reward there and it may be the type of draft year to take chances.

Here’s a quick look at what might happen:

1. New Jersey – Nolan Patrick C, Brandon (WHL) - The Devils have a difficult choice here, mainly due to Patrick’s injury history, but versatile No. 1 centers with size don’t grow on trees in Newark.

2. Philadelphia – Nico Hischier C Halifax (QJHL) - Another skillful Moosehead should blast his way into the NHL next season and the Flyers are happy to add the talent to their top nine forwards.

3. Dallas – Gabriel Vilardi C Windsor (OHL) - Anything can happen between 3-15, but Vilardi may have sealed a top-five spot with his performance at the Memorial Cup. He has good size and hands, but needs to improve his skating - according to many scouts.

4. Colorado – Cale Makar D Brooks (AJHL) - Many agree he is the best puck-mover in the draft and he is slated to play at UMass next season. The Avs can use any kind of defenseman, even though he might be similar to Tyson Barrie.

5. Vancouver – Cody Glass C Portland (WHL) - Rapidly-improving offensive player who could end up being a home run for the Canucks. Good skater and he will be able to fill out a 6-2 frame.

6. Vegas – Casey Mittelstadt C Minnesota (NCAA) - The Minnesota-bound forward is a complete player with a lot of upside and fits the longer-range needs for an expansion franchise. Could end up being one of the best two in the draft, but the Knights would have to wait a few years.

7. New York Rangers – Timothy Liljegren D (Sweden) - Might have the highest upside of any d man in the draft, but did not have as good a 2016-17 season as was expected after getting Mono. The Rangers grabbed this spot to take a swing at a future PP QB?

8. Buffalo – Miro Heiskanen D (Finland) - Smooth, smart player who may be a safer pick than Makar or Liljegren and could go as high as No. 3. 

9. Detroit – Juuso Valimaki D Tri-City (WHL) - The Wings likely would take one of the previous two, but settle for a solid all-around rearguard with decent size.

10. Florida – Martin Necas RW (Czech Rep.) - Lost two top-nine forwards to Vegas, so the Panthers probably look for some offensive upside and must hope this guy is just inconsistent because of his age.

11. Los Angeles – Eeli Tolvanen LW Finland (NCAA) - The offensive dynamo is headed to Boston College and the Kings can use more skill and creativity to go with their size up front.

12. Carolina – Michael Rassmussen C Tri City (WHL) - The power forward (6-5, 200), who is very good around the net, could go anywhere from 3-15 and the relatively small Hurricanes may be a good spot for him.

13. Vegas – Callan Foote D Kelowna (WHL) - More of a two-way player on the backend than his rough and tough father Adam, he would fit nicely for the Golden Knights at 6-4, 210. It doesn’t hurt that he shoots right-handed either.

14. Tampa Bay – Kailer Yamamoto RW Spokane (WHL) – The Lightning need more skill and smarts after the loss of Jonathan Drouin and this small, talented kid could provide it in a few years. Might go for Foote, Liljegren and Tolvanen or a big Russian if they are there. Or, perhaps move down for an extra second or third.

15. Vegas – Owen Tippett RW Mississauga (OHL) - With two picks already in the bank, the Golden Knights may take a chance here with a terrific offensive player who appears to be allergic to his own zone at this point.

16. Calgary – Elias Pettersson C Timara (Sweden) - Scouts say he has just about everything to his game, but is extremely thin (6-2, 161) and needs time.

17. Toronto – Robert Thomas C London (OHL) – With all the offensive talent already on the roster, the Maple Leafs may look for a solid two-way forward and this guy fits the bill.

18. Boston – Maxime Comtois LW Victoriaville (QJHL) - The Bears could use some more skill, but might settle for a solid all-around player that may look like he should have been a top-10 pick in a few years.

19. San Jose – Kristian Vesalainen LW Finland (Euro) - He has a lot of ability and a pro body already (6-3, 207), so the Sharks might bet on improved production as time goes on.

20. St. Louis – Lias Andersson C/LW HV71 (Sweden) - The Blues can make a safe pick here and scouts say this son of former NHLer Niklas Andersson is a coach’s dream.

21. New York Rangers – Klim Kostin RW Russia (Euro) - Has plenty of talent and size (6-3, 196), but has been a bit enigmatic in his early career. May not get past the Lightning at No. 14, though.

22. Edmonton – Erik Brannstrom D HV71 (Sweden) - The Oilers could use an offensive defenseman to groom and the Swede has everything you need except size (5-10, 179).

23. Arizona – Jake Oettinger G Boston University (NCAA) – The Coyotes don’t really have a goalie of the future type, so with a second pick in the first round they may grab one and watch him develop as a Terrier.

24. Winnipeg – Nicolas Hague D Missisauga (OHL) – The Jets could use another solid d man in the system and Hague definitely has the size (6-5, 216) to be a factor.

25. Montreal – Urho Vaakanainen D JYP (Finland) - Smooth-skating rearguard who has been playing against men. The Habs have to retool on defense for the future.

26. Chicago – Ryan Poehling C St. Cloud State (NCAA) - Two-way center who competes and can develop in college for a few more seasons.

27. St. Louis – Conor Timmins D Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) - Solid player who is showing improvement on the offensive end. Safe pick that could prove very smart down the road. Lightning could move down to take him.

28. Ottawa – Nick Suzuki C Owen Sound (OHL) - One of those smallish forwards that could catch a team’s eyes in the middle of the opening round. A hard worker that Guy Boucher would like.

29. Dallas – Jason Robertson LW Kingston (OHL) – This player could go earlier, too, but his skating has come under question. The kid can score though and you can’t teach that.

30. Nashville – Josh Norris C Michigan (NCAA) – Has been under the radar a bit, but his talent is starting to pour out. The Predators could take a chance that he keeps improving.

31. Pittsburgh – Ivan Lodnia RW Erie (OHL) – Plays bigger than his size (5-10, 181) and looks to be on the rise.  Many ways Penguins can go here.