The Top 100 Movie List (A Very Biased List): 67-65

67. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Directed by John Madden
Written By Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Colin Firth, Judi Dench, Ben Affleck, & Geoffrey Rush
Oscar Nominations: 13 Oscar Wins: 7 (Best Picture, Best Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Best Supporting Actress Judi Dench, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Music, Best Costumes, Best Set Direction)


I love Shakespeare. The man was brilliant and his writing gorgeous. That said, since there isn't much known about his life, a good biopic is far and few between so I got to settle for fictional ones or episodes of Doctor Who. Whichever. This is a well acted film and quite funny and romantic at times. It is also a good depeiction of how Renaissance Theater worked. The acting is stellar and I got to say that there isn't too much that this movie misfires on.

66. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Directed and written by Roman Polanski from the novel by Ira Levin
Starring  Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer
Oscar Nominations: 2 Oscar Wins: 1 (Best Supporting Actress Ruth Gordon)

There's a lot to love about Rosemary's Baby. The best part is the mood of the film. It really is a psychological horror film. Unlike The Omen where you knew there was something wrong with Damien right away, a fair amount of this film is Mia Farrow's Rosemary realizing that there's something not quite right going on here. From that point on throughout the movie, she finds herself trying to find out if she's going insane or if she is pregnant with the child of the Devil. The paranoia about the freaky neighbors in addition to some of the visuals is what dials up the creepiness factor. It doesn't hurt that Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon both hit the ball out of the field in the acting.

65. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2005)

Directed by Michael Gondry
Wirtten by Charlie Kaufman
Starring Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson
Oscar Nominations: 2 Oscar Wins: 1 (Best Original Screenplay)

I'm going to start by saying that Charlie Kaufman has to be taking some good drugs because that's the only way to explain how trippy this movie is. That all said, it is freaking terrific and probably one of the best written movies of the new millennium. On one hand, it's a love story. On another, it's about a rather novel idea, deleting part of your memory so that you don't have to deal with the pain. From there, we get to be inside Jum Carrey's mind as he tries to wipe out the remains of his ex-girlfriend, played brilliantly by Kate Winslet, possibly the most gifted actress of her generation. She will surpass Meryl Streep someday, I bet it.That said, the highlight of this movie is the writing. In comedies, it's rare to capture the awkwardness of a person's life and that's what Charlie Kaufman accomplishes here. I really have nothing but good things to say about this movie.

Next Time: "You have an immaculate record. Some guys don't trust an immaculate record. I do. I have an immaculate record." "Come in. Come in, my child. We mustn't lurk in doorways. It's rude. One might question your upbringing." "Why do you always complicate things that are really quite simple?"