The Worst and the Meanest Movies of 2024

 

By Mark Pukalo

Why do I do a list of the worst movies each year?

Heck, it's fun.

But seriously, with as many films as I run across streaming as a self-proclaimed "amateur" critic, there are going to be some real stinkers that waste my valuable time. Whether they are poorly made, written or acted, they deserve to be called out. They make you angry, confused or bored.

I also think - as Jamie Shipley said in "The Big Short." - "What can I say, you know, I'm pretty good at finding shit."

Sorry. Love that movie.

The worst four movies of the 2024 Oscar Year could all tie for No. 1. I'll admit No. 2 is probably the worst. I didn't put it as No. 1. ... frankly, because few have ever heard about it (It's on Prime and the first scene is all you need to see).

The film that I pick as the worst of 2024 below just annoyed the heck out of me. I don't know if I was expecting too much out of it. I just thought it was dreadful and stole a lot of money at the box office. I'm glad I saw it on a TV.

You will see the worst 12 at the bottom, along with a list of films I was not interested in. If they pop up on streaming sites, maybe they get added to this list or they surprise me.

First, you will see a list of 61 movies I did not care for at all. A few things kept them out of the Dirty Dozen.

"Blink Twice," "Homestead" and "Smile 2" were the worst films I saw at the theater this past year. But maybe they are your cup of tea, who knows? "The Contestant" was so weird it provided a few laughs and the evil milkman (Christian Slater) made me chuckle in Jerry Seinfeld's "Unfrosted."

Religious horror-film fans may like "Immaculate" and "The First Omen," but I could not follow them. Many people liked "Problemista," but I just hated Tilda Swinton's character and wasn't particularly entertained.

There's always a little good about a Nic Cage movie (Arcadian) and you cared about the kid in "City of Dreams." but they weren't good films. "Daddio" had star power and Jenna Ortega looked good in "Miller's Girl." I actually have "Madame Web" rated higher than most. It's in my Top 300!

Here is the first of many lists to come in February before the Oscars. I am currently in the 350s for the year and not quite done!

The Dis-Honorable Mention (61) 

       Agent Recon - Sci-Fi drama about a recon team going to New Mexico to try and fight off a group of Aliens. Not much fun.

       Apartment 7A - Julia Garner is a failed dancer who is brought in by a strange old couple and given the chance to be in a show. This Paramount-Plus original is confusing and weird. It is supposed to be a prequel to Rosemary's Baby. Julia can do better.

       Arcadian - Nic Cage tries to take care of his two sons during dystopian times where monsters try to break in at night. Nothing really new. Uninspiring.

       Armand - Strange Norwegian film centering on meetings and conversations between parents and school administrators after an incident between two 6-year-old boys. It drags and then gets a bit weird.

       A Sacrifice - A socio-psychologist (Eric Bana) goes to Germany to study a cult and his beautiful daughter (Sadie Sink) gets drawn into it. Silly plot and an even less satisfying ending.

       Azrael - Crazy apocalyptic story about a young woman (beautiful Samara Weaving) escaping a religious cult and coming back to destroy it. It's hard to follow and uninteresting.

       Bad Behaviour - Jennifer Connolly stars as a former child actor with problems who goes to a weird retreat that is led by a guru. I didn't get the black comedy.

       Blackwater Lane - Strange thriller on Peacock about a mentally deranged woman who is convinced she will be a victim of a killer. There is a twist, but it's not all that compelling. 

       Blink Twice - Zoey Kravitz's first feature film as a director ultimately has an interesting premise, but I just didn't buy the story and two lead women characters are miss cast in my opinion. Zoey will do better.

       Book of Clarence - A movie that is not sure what it wants to be and never really hits home. Clarence wants to be an apostle and sets out to accomplish his goal.

       Breathe - Paramount Plus exclusive dystopian sci-fi about a family living in an underground bunker who must deal with desperate visitors.

       Cellphone - A woman suffering PTSD from the death of her lover starts seeing her future on the screen of a cellphone. It's really not as interesting as it may sound.

       City of Dreams - The story of as aspiring young soccer player from Mexico who is sold to a sweatshop in L.A. by smugglers. Premise is good. Execution is not.

       Colors of Evil: Red - A girl's body is found on the beach in Poland and a prosecutor goes on a quest to solve the mystery.

       The Contestant - A Japanese comedian agrees to a show where he is locked in a room for many months. It is funny at times and the ending is ok, but I was kind of bored overall.

       Daddio - Two-person show. A broken, but strong girl (Dakota Johnson), takes a cab ride home with a talkative been-around-the-block driver (Sean Penn). Hard to really like either character. 

       The Deliverance - Horror film about an evil spirit that takes over a house and a broken family. It is confusing and more of the same.

       Ezra - A forced story about a comedian and his estranged wife trying to deal with an autistic son. Robert DeNiro is the father's dad. It tries to pull at the heart strings, but does not seem real enough.

       The Fabulous Four - Old friends meet again when one of them (Bette Midler) plans a wedding. Susan Sarandon also stars in a film that thinks it is funny, and it isn't.

       Femme - A drag queen gets revenge on his attacker when the dude shows up at a gay hangout. It has a tiny bit of intrigue on how he gets its done in the end.

       Ferry 2 - A former leader of a drug empire leaves his comfortable, hideaway life to help his niece against evil guys. It's on Netflix.

      Fighter - Bollywood feature about a talented, but fated, pilot (Patty) who is suspended from the Indian Air Force team called the Air Dragons. It's way too long. 

       The First Omen - A young American woman travels to Rome to serve the church, but finds out about conspiracy to birth an evil child. It is probably good for those who like this kind of film.

       Hold Your Breath - Strange psycho, horror drama about a woman who goes mad while trying to protect her daughters in 1930s Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl.

       Homestead - An Apocalyptic event causes privileged people to gather at a rich man's estate along with hired ex-military for security. The message at the end is nice, but the characters are thin, the story is not anything special and the God squad stuff is kind of shoe-horned in at the end. 

       Hope Solo vs US Soccer - Documentary on he controversial soccer goalie. Did not change my opinion. Greg Ryan was wrong not to start her against Brazil, she is s jerk and U.S. soccer is corrupt. I side with the 99ers. 

       Immaculate - Sydney Sweeney stars as a young woman who devotes herself to the church as a nun and moves to a strange convent in Italy. It's just another one of those religious horror films with nothing particularly new. See "The First Omen."

       The Imaginary - Inventive, but rather bland, cartoon about a little girl with a big imagination. Amonda and Rudger are cool kids, though.

       The Inheritance - Horror chaos happens when estranged children of a rich man come home for his birthday to try to keep their father alive. (spoiler) However, the father has made a deal with the devil, you see. It's both cliched and uninteresting.

         

       Jackpot! - It's  "The Purge" as a comedy. Awkwafina and John Cena try hard with a really bad script.

       Lisa Frankenstein - A strange introverted young high school girl finds a dead boyfriend and comes alive. Yeah, really. Not enough laughs.

       Little Wing - A young girl, distraught by her parents' divorce, gets interested in raising racing pigeons. It never got very compelling for me.

       The Long Game - Many of the good reviews over rate this golf movie about a group of Mexican Americans who win the Texas State High School championship in the 50s. Seems a bit thin to me.

       Madame Web - Much like The Marvels and Morbius, another failure by Marvel. It seems like there was a decent movie in there to make, but they failed.

       Meet Me Next Christmas - An incredibly contrived, illogical, dopey Christmas movie. A poor use of the pretty Christina Milian.

      Miller's Girl - Your basic Nabokov story about a sexy teenager (Jenna Ortega) trying to seduce her teacher. Ortega is very convincing, but the story is a mess.

       The Murder of Air McNair - Didn't know much about this case and I didn't learn enough from this rather short documentary. It certainly looks like it could have been someone else to me.

       National Anthem - Dylan (Charlie Plummer) goes to work for a ranch with LGBT residents and befriends a trans girl (Eve Lindley). Plummer is a good actor and its not bad, but quite thin.

       No Way Up - Plane dives into the ocean. Sharks look for food, a few passengers try to make it to the surface. There was one passenger I wanted to be eaten.

       One More Shot - Shamed Navy Seal tries to save the country when a rogue military group plans to set off an explosion in D.C. as a diversion to steal government secrets. Crazy violence and a puzzling ending.

       Out of Darkness - A group trying to survive in the stone age is horrified when they think they are being hunted by a mystical being who kidnapped a boy.

       Parallel - A woman deals with grief after her son dies while living in a lake house that is close to parallel universes. I didn't really get it, but the performances are good.

       The Platform 2 - Didn't much like the first one and this futuristic sequel about a platform prison is not any better. Not sure what the message is through the mess, but I'll say the concept isn't bad.

       Problemista - A young man from El Salvador travels to New York to try and get a job making toys. Instead, he encounters strange people. I just didn't get the point of this, even though Alejandro (Julio Torres) is somewhat likeable. Tilda Swinton character is one of the most annoying of the year.

        Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver - Looks like it is trying to be a Star Wars type adventure with a harder edge. But the characters have little or no personality.

        Red Right Hand - Orlando Bloom is forced to return to being an enforcer for a evil organized crime group in his home town. I have never seen Andie McDowell so evil. Chill Andie.

       Seeking Mavis Beacon - Documentary about finding a Haitian model whose likeness was used on a program that taught kids how to type. No big reveals.

        Sentinel - Three so-called heroes time travel to try to save survivors after an alien invasion. Couldn't really follow this and the characters were awful.

        Sleeping Dogs - Russell Crowe plays a cop with memory issues who re-examines a murder case from many years before. It's confusing and uninteresting, but Crowe tries.

        Smile 2 - Did not hate the first one and the concept of this second film seemed intriguing. I just thought it got way too hectic and it should have ended different. The chaos was too much for me at times.

       Something in the Water - Girls try to get away to a remote island for a sort of bachelorette party, but the boat breaks down. Unfortunately, there is something mean in the water that is hungry.

       Spaceman - Netflix film with Adam Sandler as a Czech astronaut going through depression and regret, while approaching a dust cloud behind Jupiter. It is slow and boring.

       Storm Crashers - Kids try to save a town from a wicked storm in this forgettable animated film. Victoria is kinda ccol with that eye patch, though.

        Tarot - College students rent a secluded cottage and find some tarot cards in a wooden box. They open it and use them. Surprise. Bad decision.

       Tell  Me That You Love Me - Odd documentary about a special education teacher's inappropriate relationship with a retarded man. Facilitated communication: Do you believe it or not?

       Terrifier 3 - Art the Clown might be a little funny, but the horror film has way more blood than logic. Read a long explanation for the movie series and it made little sense to me.   

        Trigger Warning - Jessica Alba killing bad boys can be fun to watch, but this action thriller lacks much to a story. 

       Trouble - Strange Swedish film on Netflix about a hapless divorcee framed for murder after being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

       Unfrosted - Spoof about the beginning of Pop Tarts with Jerry Seinfeld in the lead. Had a few laughs, but is mostly low-level comedy. The evil milk men are very funny.  

       Vanished into the Night - Your basic drama about an estranged couple whose kids get kidnapped - or did they? Not much interesting here, but there is a bit of a twist.

       What Jennifer Did - Documentary about Jennifer Pan, who was convicted of murdering her parents in Markham, Ontario. It's not a thrilling Netflix Doc.

      The Worst of the Worst, The Dirty Dozen

 

     12. After Everything - Finally the end of this bad series of movies. I have often said Hardin is one of my most hated characters and Josephine Langford (Tessa) plays one of the dumbest. Thank God it's over.

     11. Rumours - Seven leaders of the wealthiest democracies meet to draft a statement about a world crisis and get lost in the woods. It is billed as a black comedy, but there was nothing funny about it. 

     10. Speak No Evil - James McAvoy and his wife coax a normal couple they meet on vacation to their secluded home and weird things start happening. Nothing really interesting, new or fun about this horror tale. McAvoy's sinister character is easy to figure out.

      9. Poolman - Chris Pine stars as an annoying free spirit who wants to better his hometown, but bumbles his way through life. I had very little clue what was going on throughout.

      8. Sting - A precocious 12-year-old girl raises an alien spider and must try to survive with her family after the big guy gets mean. Doesn't make you care about anything.

      7. The Girl in the Pool - Paramount Plus original with Freddie Prinze Jr. frantically trying to cover up the murder of his mistress in the pool. It really is just a mess of a movie with a sexy girl (Gabrielle Haugh) as the backdrop.

      6. Knox Goes Away - An aging contract killer (Michael Keaton) is diagnosed with Dementia and tries to help his estranged son while deteriorating. Keaton can't save this dark film.

      5. Night Swim -  A family, led by an injured professional baseball player, moves into a home with a special pool that gives and takes away. What the heck is Kerry Condon doing in this? Hope she got paid well.

      4. The Front Room - The old, weird, religious zealot stepmom moves in with a young family and terrorizes it. It's as bad as expected. Zero value.

      3. Mea Culpa - A defense lawyer in a bad marriage is seduced by her client. The story is not logical and the characters are all very unlikeable.

      2. Divorce in the Black - Tyler Perry does not seem to be trying anymore. This film has a ridiculous plot line about stupid, evil people. The top three are in their own league of bad.

      1. Mean Girls - I got about 10 minutes into this one and said "It's a freaking musical?" It's so bad. Isn't the hot girl supposed to be better looking than the average girl (Angourie Rice). She isn't. Hopefully, Rice will get some better roles down the road, because she is appealing. You never know why a particular movie makes you so angry. But this one did. Expectations probably played a part.

PREVIOUS WORST MOVIES OF THE YEAR

2023 - Sweetwater

2022 - Dashcam

2021 - False Positive

2020 - Dolittle

2019 - Cold Pursuit

2018:  Mile 22

2017 - Mother!

2016 - 13 Hours and Hail Caesar!

2015 - Chappie

2014 - The Monuments Men

Not Really Interested (But May Watch If Available at Some Point): A Case for Love, Afraid, Altered Reality, Am I a Racist?, The Carpenter, The Critic, The Crow, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Double Down South, The Exorcism, The Firing Squad, Fitting In, Founders Days, For Prophet, The Garfield Movie, Get Away, The Greatest of All Time, Harold and the Purple Crayon,  Imaginary, Kraven the Hunter, Jungle Bunch: Labyrinth, The Last Front, Latency, Lost on a Mountain in Maine, The Man in the White Van, Never Let Go, Not Another Church Movie, Operation Meltdown, Ordinary Angels, The People's Joker, Popular Theory, Reagan, The Relentless Patriot,, Sight, Sinister, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, The Strangers Chapter One, Tokyo Cowboy, Villains Inc., Werewolves.

Treasure My 50 Favorite Movies of All Time

 

By Mark Pukalo

It's been more than 50 years since I watched my first full movie. How about them apples?

Hundreds of films have touched me and created lasting memories since.

I've looked into the infinite abyss, screamed "I'm a Golden God," often raised my arms in triumph when I reached the top of long staircase and told everyone when it was pouring outside that the heavy stuff isn't coming down for a while.

I have been trying real hard to be a shepherd the last 10-15 years or so, giving my advice as an amateur film critic and hoping to capture the spirit of the thing in my blogs.

As I paired down my list of great movies to the final 50 that I have seen over parts of six decades, I realized that fat, drunk and stupid was no way to go through life. I know now I need to phone home more, learn to use my head before learning to use a sword, put a cover letter on my TPS reports and always double down on 11.

One day, I thought I'd be cool. I'm still waiting, but I don't do drugs and I know the only true currency in this world is what you share with someone else when you are uncool.

I grew up in Connecticut where I ran the picket fence on the basketball court in grade school and high school. I went to New York City many times where money never sleeps  I've been the Philadelphia where Rocky learned that women can sometimes weaken legs.

There were many trips to beautiful Cape Cod where I once fell to my knees on the beach and yelled, "They finally did it. ... Ahh Damn them, damn them all to Hell!" I have also enjoyed a Fresca.

I've never been to Vegas baby! But now I live in the Sunshine State where they always think it's time to burn some books and sometimes you see some Nattzis.

I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her. Umm, wait, well, the other way around. But I'm still wondering what came first, the music or the misery and whether sacrificing a live chicken would have taken the curse off Bill Buckner's glove.

You may not be able to handle the truth, but I can. These are all great movies. Everyone has a different opinion on how good films rate. But there is something special about all of them.

I see you judging me. I never said I'm the hero. This is just an opinion.

Yes, some people like more classic movies from the 50s and 60s. I respect that. Those great works of art just don't move me like more modern films do. Life is truly like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get these days.

As a writer, it's sometimes easy to forget that we spend most of the time stumbling around in the dark. Suddenly, a light gets turned on. And then, "Oh, that's a bingo!"

Whether they made me laugh, cry, think or just entertained me - for some, all of the above - these 50 films will be with me forever.  They all have the right stuff.

These are movies I'd watch again. ... again. ... again. ... again. .......

THE TOP 50

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 evil Colonel Jessup while Tom Cruise and Demi Moore make it fun.

Almost Famous - Cameron Crowe directed and won best original screenplay for what he termed was his "love letter to music" in 2000. The film was semi-autobiographical as William Miller (Patrick Fugit) is based on Crowe, who was a teenage reporter for Rolling Stone - covering the Eagles, Led Zeppelin and the Allman Brothers among others on the road. Kate Hudson brings the story together with her portrayal of "bandaid" Penny Lane while Jason Lee, Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman shine. It pulls at the heart strings and makes you laugh throughout with wonderful dialogue and music. It is my favorite film of all time.

American Fiction - A very sharp satire about a talented writer (Jeffrey Wright) frustrated by establishment profiting from minority entertainment sources with stereotypes. It's smart, funny, thought-provoking and has one heck of an apt and hilarious ending. The definition of a perfectly-made movie. The scene with Wright and Sterling K. Brown during the maid's wedding is so good.

Animal House - The 1978 classic comedy was directed by John Landis and turned into a tour de force for the late John Belushi, who had the majority of the best lines in the film. Every time I watch the movie, it brings back memories of college and fraternity fun at UConn. The best scenes and lines will live forever. "My advice to you is to start drinking heavily."

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.

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.

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 earned high marks with their performances while telling the story of fund managers and a banker who predicted the collapse of a still fraudulent system.

The Big Sick - Kumail Nanjiani hits a home run with his sly humor "you're the Pakistani Sammy Sosa," playing himself in the true-to-life story. Zoe Kazan was the perfect casting as Emily "I don't date time nerds," but the big surprise was Ray Romano's perfect deadpan performance. Everything seems to come together perfectly for this film, which you can watch over and over and still smile throughout.

Braveheart - Mel Gibson directed and starred in the epic film based on William Wallace, a Scot who led the rebellion for freedom from the wicked King of England. The powerful story is about love, revenge, betrayal, loyalty, courage and the will to fight against tyranny. There is emotion in every scene and moments when you cheer or cry. There has never been a better war drama than the Best Picture of 1995.

Bull Durham - A comedy about minor league baseball turns into a unique love story. 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.

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."

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.

CODA -  Ruby (Emilia Jones) is an under-appreciated high school girl in a blue collar town with a wonderful singing voice who must find a balance between her burgeoning talent and a big role in the family fishing business that includes two deaf parents and a deaf brother. It is a special movie that more people should be able to see - not just Apple TV subscribers. I understand their rights, but let's hope you can buy it on video down the line.

Crazy Rich Asians - The romantic comedy based on a best-selling novel is fun and emotional from the first minute to the last. Constance Wu is dazzling as she takes on her fiance's snooty rich mother when the couple travels to Singapore for a friend's wedding. The best love story of 2018. One of the best of all time. Kina Grannis' version of "Can't Stop Falling in Love With You," at the wedding is breathtaking.

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. But is it a Christmas movie or not?

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."

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 a stunning ending.

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 triumphs in football and ping pong, a successful shrimping business and Watergate before finding his grammar school sweetheart Jenny (Robin Wright) again.

Four Weddings and a Funeral - You might think this a little high, but the 1994 movie has always been special to me. It is four parts smart comedy with one part drama and is basically about love, family and friendship in jolly old England. Andie McDowell's acting is a bit awkward at times, but perhaps that is what her character was supposed to be - an American puzzle for Hugh Grant. The film was nominated for Best Picture and Richard Curtis' screenplay was also up for an Oscar.

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.

The Godfather - The original and best in the series from 1972 stars Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, the leader of a fictional crime family that is in the midst of a war during the 1940s and 50s. The epic film, which won Best Picture, follows the health demise of Vito, the murder of his son Sonny and the emergence of his youngest son Michael - who was supposed to be a senator. It is what all mafia movies are judged by.

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?

High Fidelity - Had never seen a preview for this film before choosing it between the morning skate and a hockey game in New Jersey one day, then went to see it about four or five more times. John Cusack stars as a music store owner who can never settle down, but is driven to irrational behavior when his latest girlfriend (Iben Hjerjle) leaves him. It is based on a book by Nick Hornby, with the setting changed from London to Chicago where Lisa Bonet and Jack Black show up among others in the smart, hilarious movie.

Hoosiers - The 1986 film, inspired by tiny Milan High's run to the Indiana state basketball title in 1954, is an old-school, mystical movie that is well detailed and full of heart from start to finish. Gene Hackman plays a brilliant basketball coach with a dark, hidden past who gets one more chance in small-town Hickory and falls for the guarded local gal (Barbara Hershey). The best sports movie of all time ends with Jimmy Chitwood going one-on-one at the top of the key.

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 Lt. 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.

JoJo Rabbit - A cheeky comedy-drama which both loudly and in subtle ways shows the lunacy of hate and fascism. Taika Waititi writes, directs and stars in the film while amazing 12-year-old Roman Griffin Davis plays the Hitler Youth "JoJo" Betzler, who must deal with finding out his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is a member of the resistance and is hiding a young Jewish woman (Thomasin McKenzie) in the wall at the end of World War II.

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 hundreds of miles from his home in India when he is just 5-years-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 and I have never balled more during a final scene.

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.

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.

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.

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, Neb. despite knowing it is just a scam. The trip takes Woody through his old town before coming to a touching conclusion.

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. She is "just a girl, asking a boy to love her" near the end of this masterpiece. It's smart, humorous, thought-provoking and heartwarming. The ending is one of the best ever for this genre.

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.

Past Lives - Two childhood friends from South Korea reconnect after 20 years and spend a week together in New York, where they talk of love, time and destiny. It is an intelligent, deep, emotional story about how it can be ultimately good for people to get closure so they can be the person they are supposed to be.

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 and Nova (Linda Harrison) adds beauty.

Promising Young Woman - Cassie (Carey Mulligan) carries out mental vengeance on manipulative men and others to avenge her best friend, who was sexually assaulted at a party when they were both in medical school. The best film of 2020 is gripping, humorous and smart. Mulligan will never be better in a role.

Pulp Fiction - Quentin Tarantino's pulsating black comedy burst on the scene in 1994 as it portrayed the criminal underground in Los Angeles with many intriguing, unique characters. John Travolta made a triumphant comeback as Vincent Vega, who is asked by the big boss (Ving Rhames) to take out his wife (Uma Thurman) in one of the best and weirdest scenes in movie history. Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Eric Stolz and Harvey Keitel also hit home runs in the crude, but fun, impeccably-written film.

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.

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.

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.

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 one of their career-best performances.

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. The characters are rich, somewhat believable, and Dickie Dunn just "tried to capture the spirit of the thing."

The Social Network - David Fincher directed this film written by Aaron Sorkin based loosely on the making of facebook, with Jesse Eisenberg starring as 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 fun to watch.

Spotlight - An 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.

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 spinoff  "Rogue One," 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.

Stripes - The best pure comedy of all-time stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as two bumbling men who decide to join the army to introduce discipline to their lives. John Winger and Russell Ziskey add leadership to a group of sad-sack soldiers that includes the late John Candy, who has joined the military to lose a little weight and become a "lean, mean fighting machine." Some have said the second half of the movie ruins it, but Hansel, Gretel, calm down. It's still a classic, Uncle Hulka.

Swingers - Just minutes before watching this movie, the flimsy lid on my cup came off and soda flowed down the theater floor as my friends laughed at me. Then my night got much better as I watched this thoroughly enjoyable comedy-drama about young unemployed actors living life in Hollywood. Jon Favreau wrote and starred in the 1996 film as Mikey, who is "money," while Vince Vaughn broke through as the duo went to "Vegas baby!!" It is smart, hilarious and I could watch it every night.

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.

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."

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 (the girls' father) has the best lines in the film. When Bianca whines, "It's just a party daddy." Miller retorts, "and Hell is just a sauna."

Other significant films worth noting outside my top 200

A Beautiful Mind, A League of Their Own, Air, American Beauty, Anchorman, Any Given Sunday, Apocalypse Now, Avatar, The Banshees of Inisherin, Barbie, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Batman Begins, Better Man, Beyond the Lighted Stage, The Big Lebowski, Blackberry, Bridget Jones Diary, Broadcast News, The Brutalist, Charlie Wilson's War, Collateral, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Contact,  Dead Poet's Society, The Departed, Do the Right Thing, Dreamer, Dual, Dune, Edward Scissorhands, Election, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Field of Dreams, For the Love of the Game, Game 6, Gladiator, Goodfellas, Grindhouse, Grosse Pointe Blank, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, History of the Eagles, Hundreds of Beavers, I Saw the TV Glow, Jaws, JFK, The Last Days of Disco, Logan's Run, Midnight Express, Million Dollar Baby, Minority Report, Mission Impossible, Mo Better Blues, Mulholland Drive, Nickel Boys, Nomadland, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, One Night in Miami, Origin, Perfect Days, The Post, Primary Colors, Pushing Tin, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Risky Business, Room, Saving Private Ryan, Scarface, Secret of My Success, The Silence of the Lambs, Silent Running, The Sixth Sense, The Spectacular Now, Star Trek, Stars Wars III: Revenge of the Stith, Stars Wars VII: The Force Awakens, Talk to Me, Terms of Endearment, The Two Popes, The Usual Suspects, Vice, W, We Bought a Zoo, Will & Harper, The Whale, Whiplash, The Wizard of Oz.

Captain My Captain: Bolts Going Right Direction?

 

By Mark Pukalo

I understand. I really do 

The Tampa Bay Lightning needed to be freshened up with some changes to the lineup. They absolutely had to get better defensively. They had to make tough decisions. It seems, they do every year now. Such is the price of success.

General manager Julien Brisebois has never been scared to make difficult, even unpopular moves. Many of his trades looked shaky at first and turned into gold. Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, Brandon Hagel and, to a certain extent, Nick Paul were all questioned initially.

In the past, letting Ryan McDonagh, Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn go seemed destined because the Bolts were in salary cap jail. This summer, they really were not, and Brisebois decided to push his captain out of town.

Steven Stamkos is now in Nashville and - honestly - I don't think it was because they could not fit him in. We will never know for sure what Stammer would have settled for and what the actual offer from Brisebois was. But make no mistake, the captain would have signed for far less than he is getting in Smashville (four years, $32 million).

The rumor was that the Lightning offered $24 million for eight years. Perhaps there were some incentives that would raise that, but a cap hit of $3 mil. Many said they were $1.5 million apart. Would Stamkos have taken six years for $5 million per? Eight for $4.5?

I don't know. What do I think? Yes.

Would another $2 million on the cap have been too hard to work out? No. Trade Conor Sheary for future considerations or buy him out. Move Nick Perbix. Shave a tiny bit off J.J. Moser's deal?

Maybe I'm dreaming. Maybe Stammer wanted more. But one person around the team told me the biggest goal in the offseason was to get better defensively and Stamkos had become somewhat of a liability on that end. 

We may never know. There have been few leaks. The Lightning brass rarely lets those types of things get to the press and Stamkos has moved on. The captain is too classy to air any sour grapes.

But all is history now. Time will tell if the fan base will forgive. More wins and a better outlook in the postseason would help.

Brisebois has a pretty darn good track record, but his first big failure was two years ago when he traded way, way too much for Tanner Jeannot. The power forward was a major disappointment, adding virtually nothing when he was healthy. Sheary didn't work out last season either and he has two years left.

But much of the rest of the 2024 offseason looks promising. Getting McDonagh back seemed a bit strange until Brisebois made the huge move of trading Mikhail Sergachev to Utah. Sergachev regressed this season before he was injured and moving on from his $9.5 million long-term deal may be a smart decision. Lots of talent, good guy, but inconsistent.

Not only do the Bolts improve defensively with McDonagh replacing Sergachev on the left side behind Victor Hedman, they brought in Moser and rookie center Conor Geekie. Moser can play either side and move the puck while Geekie was a first-round pick and could `be a future No. 2 or 3 center.

Zemgus Girgensons basically replaces Tyler Motte and former Canadien Jesse Ylonen could make the team up front. Look for Finnish rookie Niko Huuhtanen to challenge for a spot as well.

But the player the Lighting most wanted in the offseason was Jake Guentzel. He is better on the defensive end than Stamkos and has been a major point producer. He could play with Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point on a powerful first line or with Anthony Cirelli on the second.

Guentzel and Stamkos should not be compared, though. That would be unfair. The only question many Bolts fans have, is why couldn't we have both?

It is over now. Nothing can be done. Tampa Bay fans will never forget their captain. But they will look forward if the team is more consistent in 2024-25. The lineup still has plenty of potential for success. The question marks lie on the right side of the second, third and fourth lines.

Prediction for early October

Guentzel-Point-Kucherov

Hagel-Cirelli-Atkinson

Eyssimont-Paul-Chaffee

Girgensons-Glendening-Sheary

Ylonen

Hedman-Moser

McDonagh-Cernak

Lilleberg-Crozier

Raddysh, Perbix

Vasilevskiy

Johansson

......

Like it?

The star power is still there. The defense can be much better. Andrei Vasilevskiy should be healthy, rested and determined between the pipes. Hedman takes over as captain?

Perhaps some cap space can be created if Sheary, and/or Perbix is moved. Perhaps Huuhtanen adapts to the NHL quickly or Geekie is ready ahead of schedule. Maybe there is another Mitchell Chaffee surprise on the horizon.

Many teams in the division and the Eastern Conference are getting better, too. That makes predictions difficult at this point. That makes reaching the playoffs far from easy.

Time will tell. But it will hurt for awhile to see Stamkos in that gaudy yellow uniform. Many think it didn't have to be that way.

      

Life Moves Fast: If You Don't Look Around. ... Movie Greats 51-100

By Mark Pukalo

There is quite a bit of variety and plenty of quality in the next 50 films on the list of my favorites in movie history.

These are films I have watched at least a half dozen times or even in double figures. There is a large group of comedies, some classics, music-related films, thought-provoking stories, stunning documentaries and a few that brought me to tears.

The most emotion happened in scenes at the top of buildings in "Across the Universe" and "Sleepless in Seattle." Yes, Jim Sturgess, all you need is love. Yes, Meg Ryan, it was always him.

You have the biting political satire of "Bulworth" and "Don't Look Up," the goofy with "Airplane!" "Best in Show," "Mallrats" "Sixteen Candles," and "Theater Camp," along with the comedic stories of "Wedding Crashers," Guardians of the Galaxy," and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

"Bowling for Columbine" and "Hoop Dreams" are two of the best documentaries of all time while "Once," "Sing Street," and "The Commitments" are musical masterpieces.

Then, you have the classics like "2001: A Space Odyssey," Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi" "The Godfather II," "Malcolm X," "The Breakfast Club," and "Seabiscuit."

Next up will be the top 50. But these 50 films are amazing.

THE MIDDLE 50

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). Director 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.

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.

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."

A Real Pain - Two cousins travel to Poland to tour the country and visit the place where their diseased grandmother survived the Holocaust.  Kieran Culkin will likely win the Oscar as supporting actor for his role as a young man going through emotional issues while showing his engaging personality. His best line is "Money is like fucking heroin for boring people." Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote the film, plays his realist relative well. It is fun, thought-provoking and emotional.

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.

Avengers: End Game - Yeah, it's Marvel and it's about cartoonish superheroes, but this three-hour action film had more heart than most of the similar movies put together. It begins with our heroes splintered and beaten, and ends with an uprising to remember. The last scene is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Beautiful Girls - Willie Conway (Timothy Hutton) is going through a period of life issues 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.

Best in Show - Eugene Levy and Christopher Guest co-wrote this hilarious mockumentary of a national dog show with some crazy characters. The late 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.

BlacKkKlansman - Director Spike Lee's powerful film based on the true story of a black cop, who infiltrates the KKK over the phone in Colorado. John David Washington is brilliant as the real Ron Stallworth and Flip (Adam Driver) shines as the fake Stallworth with the white supremacist fools.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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."

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?!

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.  Meanwhile, 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 Clooney's oldest daughter.

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.

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."

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.

Guardians of the Galaxy - The 2014 film from Marvel Studios is an action/comedy romp with a motley crew of superheroes, led by Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). Bradley Cooper provides the voice for the cheeky raccoon-like character Rocket, whose buddy "Groot" steals the film. It's just a load of fun and the sequel is almost as good.

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 their steps to try and find the lost groom.

The Hate U Give - Black Lives (do) Matter. This film does not scream that, but the sentiment is clear and it shows the temptations and the impossible decisions minority youths in the inner city have to make. I truly believe this movie should be watched and discussed in schools. Let's talk about how we treat each other and how the police can deal with minorities and situations better.

Hoop Dreams - The amazing 1994 documentary follows the journeys of William Gates and Arthur Agee - two African American youths recruited to play at a private, catholic school near Chicago to play basketball. It was originally supposed to be just a 30-minute short on PBS and it grew into a classic. Hard to beat as the best sports documentary of all time.

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.

Into the Wild - Sean Penn's gripping 2007 film follows the journey of 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.

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!"

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.

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 who 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."

Malcolm X - 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.

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.

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.

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.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - A movie about movies. That doesn't sound that great, but director Quentin Tarantino uses all his talent to create compelling characters who weave a story about a period of time in the Hotel California. Leonardo DiCaprio is actor Rick Dalton on the downside of his career, Brad Pitt is his driver and former stunt man Cliff Booth and Margot Robbie plays likable Sharon Tate - a real-life actress who was murdered by the Manson cult.

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/and 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.

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.

Remember the Titans - The 2000 film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer is based on the story of Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), who takes over as football coach at a recently-integrated high school in Alexandria, Va. Hayden Panettiere, Kate Bosworth and Ryan Gosling show up in supporting roles in this emotional story.

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.

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."

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.

Sing Street - Director John Carney provides another enjoyable movie with music as the theme. A young Irish lad (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) puts a band together starting from scratch to impress a complicated, beautiful girl (Lucy Boynton). Mark McKenna is brilliant in a supporting role. It is fun, smart and heartwarming.

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.

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, Buffaloed). 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.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi - 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.

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.

Theater Camp - One of the funniest movies in some years. Molly Gordon and Ben Platt are incredible as two long-time friends and teachers at a low-rent camp for "theater kids." The teachers are hilarious, the kids anxious, driven and eccentric and the storyline of the camp is heartwarming. 

Truth - Cate Blanchett plays Mary Mapes with vigor and Robert Redford portrays Dan Rather in a film about the controversy surrounding the 60 Minutes report on George W. Bush’s military service, which gets tangled in a web of corporate scum and partisan politics. Blanchett’s pulsating speech, defending journalism, at the end is one of my favorite scenes of all time. FEA!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Great Performances, Scenes In First 50 Films

 

By Mark Pukalo

Some movies are a very good one-time watch. Others can stick with you forever.

Whether it's a character you like, a scene that you can't get out of your head or an unforgettable and thoughtful story, the best are often in the eyes of the beholder.

I'm not a horror fan. It has to be interesting for me to like something from that genre, such as the surprise ending of The Sixth Sense or the recent Talk to Me and All of Us Strangers. I don't mind being scared and you will see many thrillers on my best-of lists. But I like thinking man's movies.

Others on this list are just fun like the goofy like the unique "Birdman," the emotional "Elizabethtown," the quippy "Fletch," and the cringy-funny "Shiva Baby,"  - among others.

Then there are the important films like "Oppenheimer," "Philadelphia," "Platoon," "Shut up & Sing," "The Tillman Story," and "Wind River." 

One of the best lines among these 50 came in a forgotten little film called "Saved!" Jena Malone, a pregnant high schooler, arrives at her Catholic School prom with two suspended classmates, her gay former boyfriend and his friend. But they are told to leave. 

Jena replies: "If God wanted us to all be the same, why did he make us all so different?

There are great performances in these first 50 films on my list, which is roughly 101-150 all time for me. Many Oscars were won on these films. 

Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton, Burt Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Robert Forster, Cillian Murphy, Jeremy Renner, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Mickey Rourke are among the most notable efforts. 

If you don't like the list, "Argo Fuck Yourself." LOL. Sorry. 

If you see any of these on streaming services, give them a watch.

THE FIRST 50

A Complete Unknown - One of the best biopics ever made as Timothee' Chalamet plays the enigmatic genius Bob Dylan with aplomb. This could have been a 10-hour movie to show every shift turn in his life, but director James Mangold narrows it down to a critical time period. Monica Barbaro (Joan Baez) and Ed Norton (Pete Seeger) are impeccable in their supporting performances.

The American President - Aaron Sorkin wrote the romantic comedy and Rob Reiner directed as a widowed president (Michael Douglas) - up for re-election - courts a beautiful lobbyist (Annette Bening). Bening plays Sydney Ellen Wade with grace and power while the film mixes plenty of humor with a little politics. You wonder what would happen if we had a single President.

Argo - The intense film is based on the escape of six US diplomats from Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis from 1979-81 and it won Best Picture at the 2012 Academy Awards. Ben Affleck plays CIA operative Tony Mendez, who helps get the people out with the help of the Canadian Embassy. While the final scene was not how it actually happened, it is spine-tingling. If you don't like the drama added, Argo Fuck yourself again!

Begin Again - A brilliant songwriter (Keira Knightley), about to head back to England after a breakup, and a down-on-his-luck record producer (Mark Ruffalo) meet by chance and make wonderful music together in New York. It is imperfect at times and the music is perfectly simple, but there are so many great heartfelt scenes.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes – Beneath was a strong follow up to the original classic as James Franciscus, Charlton Heston and the beautiful Nova (Linda Harrison) encounter an underground race of humans worshiping an atomic bomb. There is plenty of symbolism in this one and a strong plot that provides a powerful ending.

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 also make the movie go with their performances.

Black Panther - Marvel provides another unique and compelling super hero with Chadwick Boseman taking over as king of Wakanda - only to be challenged by his evil cousin. The story and the characters are rich.

Bohemian Rhapsody - The story of the historic rock group Queen and its amazing front man Freddie Mercury is hated by some critics, but it won Best Picture at the Golden Globes. I call it a beautiful mess. While it is far from perfect and some of the time line changes can annoy you, I was incredibly entertained for more than two hours.

Boogie Nights - Paul Thomas Anderson's 1997 film explores the porn industry of the 1970s through the eyes of young star Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg). Burt Reynolds provides the best performance of his career as a film maker who finds Dirk while Heather Graham, Don Cheadle, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore add to an amazing cast. The scene at the druggie's house with the young Asian setting off firecrackers is one the weirdest, intense scenes of all time.

Breaking Away - The 1979 film, based in Bloomington, Ind., follows a group of young townies who enter "The Little 500" bicycle race against the snooty college teams. Dennis Quaid is one of the kids and Dennis Christopher is the talented lead cyclist for the "Cutters" in this likable, humorous slice of life. The movie was nominated for Best Picture and won a Golden Globe.

Cha Cha Real Smooth - Cooper Raiff wrote, produced and starred in this story about a man trying to figure out where his life goes next after finishing college. Andrew falls for the single mother (Dakota Johnson) of an amazing autistic high school girl (Vanessa Burghardt), which both enriches and complicates his days. The slice of life is smart, heartwarming and sad.

Chasing Amy - Kevin Smith's off-beat film stars Ben Affleck as a comic book artist who falls in love with his lesbian friend (Joey Lauren Adams) and both go through soul-searching issues. Basically, it's just about how difficult love and relationships are. Some critics thought it was too stereotypical and narrow, but in my mind it was thought-provoking, unique - sometimes crude - and hilarious.

Conclave - A few of my favorite podcasters mused that it could be renamed "Game of Papal Thrones" or "House of Cardinals." Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) attempts to bring together a Conclave to vote after the Pope dies suddenly. The ensemble cast, the writing, and the direction by Edward Berger is pitch perfect. 

Da 5 Bloods - Spike Lee's latest joint came out on Netflix in 2020 and it had to be added to the list immediately. Four African-American Vietnam vets return to the place where their friend died in battle and a box of gold bars were buried some 40 or 50 years earlier.

Don't Look Up - It pains me that Bernie Bro leader David Sirota co-wrote this with Adam McKay, but I fully enjoyed the political and cultural satire. The scary thing is that this could happen if we have to endure another four years with Trump or someone like him (DeSantis) in the White House. The ensemble cast is brilliant, led by JenLaw.

Elizabethtown - Cameron Crowe's most under-rated film stars Orlando Bloom as a young man, embarrassed by a huge failure in business, who must deal with death in many different ways. His journey leads him to the realization of what life is all about. Kirsten Dunst has never been cuter as friendly stewardess Claire Colburn. Some think her character was not real, that she was supposed to be an angel that saves Bloom. So many great scenes.

Fever Pitch - The Farrelly Brothers' 2005 film is loosely based on Nick Hornby's book "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 concludes with the end of the Curse of the Bambino. "Remember when Roger Moret went catatonic?"

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 before getting 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.

Ghostbusters - Scientists Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis get slimed while vacuuming up ghouls and ghosts in the 1984 classic comedy. The sequels never could reach the level of the original, but they are always fun.

The Holdovers - Paul Giamatti plays a grumpy teacher at a prep school, who must stay over through the holidays with students that can't go home. While all but a single student find another adventure, Giamatti is left with one boy battling family issues and a grieving mother who runs the kitchen  The three characters go on a amazing journey together and find peace.

The Hurricane - I was captivated by William Nack's amazing 1992 story on Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in Sports Illustrated and was anxious to see the movie in 1999. While some of the facts were fudged, as usual in the films such as this, it did not disappoint with Denzel Washington producing one of his best performances as a boxer who was wrongly-convicted of a triple murder. "Hate put me in this place. Love's gonna bust me out."

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.

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 Max Cherry (Robert Forster), who was deservedly nominated for Best Supporting Actor. A just-out-of jail Robert DeNiro and a ditsy Bridget Fonda add humor..

Jurassic Park - Developing a remote island with cloned dinosaurs from the DNA of very old frozen mosquitoes - what could go wrong? The 1993 Steven Spielberg film was the best of the series by far and won for sound and the amazing visual effects at the Academy Awards. Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum lead a solid cast, who try to avoid those pesky raptors.

The Lookout - Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a young man dealing with the aftermath of a horrific accident that he caused and a head injury that allows people to take advantage of him. “I wake up. I get dressed. I take my meds.”

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.

Love Actually - Several intertwining stories that all have a heart. Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Adam Rickman, Bill Nighy and Liam Neeson add spice to cast while Keira Knightley's smile in one all-time great scene caps it for me. A cult favorite, it has become a staple on Christmas.

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.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always - An underappreciated 17-year-old high school student (Sidney Flanigan) travels from suburban Pennsylvania to NYC to abort an unwanted pregnancy with her loyal cousin (Talia Ryder). It shows, as director Eliza Hittman,says, "what it takes to stand in a woman's shoes." It is real, sad and gripping from start to finish.

Oppenheimer - An epic film about the father of the atomic bomb Robert Oppenheimer, how the Manhattan Project came together and how the main character was treated after the deed was done. Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), Robert Downey Jr. and director Christopher Nolan won Oscars. The only thing it was missing for me was a little more time around the actual dropping of the bomb.

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.

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.

Pure O - A simple and emotional film about a middle-aged counselor (Daniel Dorr) at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center who is diagnosed with Pure OCD. Cooper goes through the treatment while trying to navigate the drama around his life that includes his fiance, her parents and the patients at the center. Recovering heroin addict Rachel (Landry Bender) has some of the best scenes with Cooper. It is a film that deserves a chance for more people to see it.

Saved! - Mary (Jena Malone), who attends a devout Christian high school, gets pregnant after trying to "cure" her boyfriend of his gayness. Mandy Moore, Patrick Fugit and Macauley Calkin join a solid cast in this satirical comedy with a strong message.

School of Rock - Substitute Jack Black pushes aside the textbooks to teach his class rock and roll, and they warm to the task. It is funny, smart and has a great ending at a battle of the bands contest. "For those about to rock, I salute you."

Searching for Sugar Man - A fascinating documentary about Sixto Rodriguez, a sort of Latin Bob Dylan from the streets of Detroit who did not make it in America but became a superstar in Apartheid-infested South Africa without knowing it. Two fans from Cape Town attempt to unlock the mystery of Rodriguez and tell an incredible story that is sad and ultimately uplifting. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary of 2012.

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.

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."

Shiva Baby - Smart, cringy comedy about a recent college graduate Danielle (Rachel Sennot), who must endure several embarrassing issues at a reception following a Jewish funeral, including her sugar daddy showing up with a beautiful wife and baby.

Short Term 12 - A terrific cast that includes Brie Larson, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever (she hasn't seemed to age since then) and John Gallagher Jr. weave an interesting story about a residential treatment center for young people.

Shut Up and Sing - Terrific 2006 documentary about how a portion of the American society over-reacted to a simple anti-war statement by Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks at a 2003 concert in London. The controversy led to death threats, a backlash from country radio stations and corporations, and spawned a powerful album with songs about the trio's ordeal called "Taking the Long Way."

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.

Top Gun - The iconic 1986 film was one of Tom Cruise’s first big roles as he plays Maverick, a reckless but talented Naval aviator. Cruise’s battles with Ice Man (Val Kilmer) and the forbidden courtship with teacher (Kelly McGillis) are classic. The music pushes the intensity of the movie, especially Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone.”

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.

Up in the Air - George Clooney plays a man who lives his life on the road, working for businesses who don't have the guts to fire workers themselves. His regimented routine changes when he meets two different women (Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga). I enjoyed this movie and it also makes you think about what's most important in life.

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."

While You Were Sleeping - Sandra Bullock in probably her best and most underappreciated role as subway token collector Lucy, who finds love in a roundabout way. Lucy is one of the most likable female characters of all time.

Wind River - Jeremy Renner should have been nominated for Best Actor in this 2017 movie as he plays a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent who finds an 18-year-old girl dead in the frozen tundra of an Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The mystery of her death takes several turns into a violent, but compelling and emotional ending.

The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke plays a past-his-prime wrestler named Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who is dealing with health and family issues as his standout career comes to an end. Rourke should have won Best Actor at the 2008 Academy Awards for his believable performance - over Sean Penn, who took the Oscar for "Milk." Marisa Tomei shines as a stripper.

50/50 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of my favorite actors, plays a young man who is forced to deal with a rare form of cancer. Anna Kendrick is adorable as a young hospital therapist finding her way and Seth Rogan's humor does not screw up the movie, which was nominated for a Golden Globe. It is an emotional journey and the story is very intelligently told.

From Music To Sports To Movies

 

 By Mark Pukalo

Since I was a little kid, I have always enjoyed evaluating and analyzing things, putting them in order and then adjusting over time.

I've had a lot of time on my hands, I guess. Or, I just wanted my opinion heard.

First it was the local top 30 or Casey Kasem's top 40 songs on the radio. I would do my own each week. I found some of my top 100s for years in the 1970s in a folder recently. ("All by Myself "from Eric Carmen was No. 1 in 1976). I would have a different opinion now.. 

As time went on I was fascinated by the NBA and NFL drafts. Who is making the best picks? Who is going to be a star? Who is over-rated? It was a natural transition into sports writing. 

The first time I saw my name in print was when I mailed my preseason baseball picks to columnist Tom Winters of the Norwich Bulletin and he included it in his Sunday column. I seriously never considered doing anything else. Of course, unless I made the NBA. 

There was a chance to do a lot of evaluating in my job, covering high schools and colleges much of my career. I picked All-State teams, top players lists and wrote many draft stories as my main interest became hockey in the 90s. I watched several high schoolers who ended up having solid NHL careers. 

While I still love to watch the drafts, in the last 20 years or so I have slowly become a serious amateur movie critic. Or at least I like to call myself one. It's become an obsession. A good one. 

The first movie I probably saw outside of our small TV was a cartoon at the old Jewett City theater as a little tyke, but the first one I can remember was in 1972 at the Norwich Drive-In. The family went to see "Conquest of the Planet of Apes." 

I also remember going to the movies in Hyannis, Mass and seeing a film with Art Carney called "The Late Show," in the mid 70s. Then, there was my 8th grade trip to New York City in 1977. After a stop at the Statue of Liberty, and before the Rockettes show at Radio City Music Hall,, we viewed "Smokey and the Bandit." Not sure it was appropriate for 14-year-olds, but we loved it.

I think I became a big movie fan when I moved to the Hartford area. There were so many theaters to chose from and I started going more frequently. There were cheap second-run theaters to see good films. Later, my brother worked at a theater in Norwich and I got some free tickets.

While my favorite all-time film came out in 2000, I did not do my first "best of the year" list until 2007. I probably just posted them on facebook until 2011. It was then that I discovered blogger.com. 

Since then, it has been a yearly project that I enjoy. Streaming services have allowed me to see more films. A special thanks to brother AJ for helping me view even more important, odd and fun films each year. 

I have blogged a few times on my favorite movies of all time. The last blog was during the pandemic. This updated list will be different.

Instead of putting them in order, which is an impossible task, I will group them in three lists of 50 great films that made me laugh, cry and think. We will leave out 2024 for now, but I can update them every year like the English soccer leagues - relegating and moving up movies. 

My dream is to put together a website at some point and/or do a podcast like a few favorite critics of mine. Check out the Intercut Podcast. You can find it on Youtube, facebook and twitter. Amanda the Jedi is also a fun watch with her own videos or when she joins Zach and Arturo on Intercut.

Some day.

Until then, here's a list of films that almost made the first 50, which is basically 101-150 of all time for me in alphabetical order. The last few are always tough, but they can always change my mind with another viewing and move up - even two levels like Wrexham in the English Soccer League.

These are all great films with iconic actors, characters and scenes (Surrender Dorothy!!). All were worthy of the first 50, but it's a numbers game. Here we go..

The First 50 will run next week:

HONORABLE MENTION

After Hours, Aftersun, All the President's Men,  American History X, American Pie,  An Officer and a Gentleman, Anora, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Belfast, Bend it Like Beckham, Better Off Dead, Brian's Song, Civil War, David Byrne's American Utopia, Deadpool, Divergent, Dodgeball, Everybody Wants Some!, Eyes Wide Shut, Flow Fried Green Tomatoes, Frost/Nixon, Ghostlight, Go, Groundhog Day, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Hit Man, Jersey Girl, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, The Idea of You, I'm Still Here, Iron Man, The Infiltrator, I Tonya, I Used to Be Funny, Life is Beautiful, Live and Let Die, Logan Lucky, The Martian, Midnight Run, Mumford, Mystery Alaska, National Lampoon's Vacation, One Good Cop, Parenthood, Red Rooms, Ruby Sparks, Saturday Night Fever, Say Anything, September 5, She Said, Smokey and the Bandit, Sound of Metal, Spaceballs, Splash, Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back, United 93, Vanilla Sky, The Way, Way Back, We Are Marshall, The Wedding Singer, When Harry Met Sally, Zero Dark Thirty, 

Have never seen all the way through for some reason: Annie Hall, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dirty Dancing, Harry Potter Trilogy, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Princess Bride, Road House, Rosemary's Baby, Sin City, Taxi Driver.

Recently Seen Many Years After Everyone Else - Fight Club, My Cousin Vinny, The Big Lebowski, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. (All of them good, but not great).