#246 - Brazil

Breakdown: Brazil (1985). Written by Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard, and Charles McKeown. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro.

Synopsis: A bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an administrative error and in turn, becomes an enemy of the state.

Review: Watching Brazil is the equivalent to watching Back to the Future, Dick Tracy, and a David Bowie (Bowie reference #2) music video all at once...while tripping on acid. Another dark comedy on our list, Brazil takes a look at a dependence on technology, the problems with bureaucracy, and obsessions with self-image. Today, living in a world where so many are heavily invested in technology, governmental issues, and plastic surgery, it's fun to watch a film like Brazil and realize how close they actually were to the truth.

Favorite Quote:
Jill Layton: Care for a little necrophilia? Hmmm?

Rating:

#247 - Arsenic and Old Lace

Breakdown: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). Original play written by Joseph Kesselring. Screenplay written by Julius and Philip Epstein. Directed by Frank Capra. Starring Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair.

Synopsis: A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family.

Review: One of the earliest examples of black comedy in cinema, Arsenic and Old Lace makes light of your typical grandmotherly, cake-baking old ladies...who murder people. The story closely follows the plot of the original play, which often makes it feel more like watching a play than a movie (one main set, over-the-top acting common of the era, etc.). Naturally, most fans of the play will be fans of the movie and vise versa. Also, fans of the movie are mostly dead.

Favorite Quote:
Jonathan: You mean that you and Aunt Martha have murdered twelve...
Abby: Murdered? Certainly not. It's one of our charities.
Martha: Why, what we've been doing is a mercy.

Rating:

#248 - Mou gaan dou (Infernal Affairs)

Breakdown: Infernal Affairs (2002, Hong Kong). Written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong. Directed by Wai-keung Lau and Alan Mak. Starring Andy Lau, Tony Leung.

Synopsis: A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.

Review: If you've seen The Departed, you've seen Infernal Affairs...almost literally. The Departed is the American remake of Infernal Affairs. The biggest difference between the two (other than Leonardo DiCaprio not speaking Cantonese) is pace. Infernal Affairs is almost a full hour shorter than its successor. The biggest similarity? They both kick ass.

Favorite Quote:
Wong: Let me tell you a story. Two men need an organ transplant, but there's only one organ. So they play a game. They each put a card in their pocket. Whoever can guess the other's card wins the organ.
Sam: You know I can see your card.
Wong: I see yours as well.

Rating:

#249 - Hauru no ugoku shiro (Howl's Moving Castle)

Breakdown: Howl's Moving Castle (2004, Japan). Novel written by Diana Wynne Jones. Screenplay written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. English version voiced by Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, Billy Crystal, Lauren Bacall, Emily Mortimer, John Hutcherson.

Synopsis: When a shy young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home.

Review: Walking castles? Check. Labyrinth-era David Bowie-esque flying wizards? Check. Evil spirits with barbershop quartet hats? Check. On a weirdness scale, this movie makes Alice in Wonderland look like Wheel of Fortune, but its respectable story line and surprisingly good visuals save it from complete obscurity.

Favorite Quote: "They say that the best blaze burns brightest when circumstances are at their worst."

Rating:

#250 - The Truman Show

Breakdown: The Truman Show (1998). Written by Andrew Niccol. Directed by Peter Weir. Starring Jim Carrey, Laura Linney.

Synopsis: An insurance salesman discovers his entire life is actually a TV show.

Review: With solid performances from both Jim Carrey and Laura Linney, The Truman Show is a kickass way to kick off our list. Truman's life as a TV show from his conception and until, well, the end of the movie, doesn't seem like as much of a far-fetched concept today as it did in 1998. You might even wonder what sort of impact this movie had on the reality TV explosion of the early 2000's. Regardless, The Truman Show's great balance of comedy, heart, and suspense make it a worthy candidate for the top 250. Iss'a good one.

Favorite Quote:
Network Executive: For God's sake, Chris! The whole world is watching. We can't let him die in front of a live audience!
Christof: He was born in front of a live audience.

Rating:

You Can't Quit...Because You're Cut.

We get it. The list isn't perfect. Movies are user-rated and the list is heavily weighted towards new releases (wasn't Wall-E in the top 10 when it came out?) and away from comedies. Of course, we fall into some of the same traps, but here are a few films we thought could have at least cracked the top 250...

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

The Sound of Music (1965)

Once (2006)

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Almost Famous (2000)

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

Kingpin (1996)

Apollo 13 (1995)

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Law Laydown & Da List

A couple quick notes before we get goin'...

1. Because the IMDB Top 250 relies mostly on user reviews, the rankings of movies (especially recent titles) move around quite a bit. For this reason, we will be working with a static version of the top 250 dated February 1, 2010.

Here is da list.

Any new movies that enter the 250 post-February 2010 will be viewed at our discretion. In other words, it better have a sick trailer.

2. Ratings System: Each movie will be rated on a scale of one to five Gary Buseys (one Gary Busey being the worst, five Gary Buseys being the best). In the event of a complete cinematic catastrophe, the movie will be given a "Matthew McConaughey" rating.