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.