69 - My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
I was actually really surprised to learn that My Neighbor Totoro was made in 1988, I thought it was a movie made within the past decade. Oh well, that's besides the point and doesn't matter, this is a fantastic movie. I'm not a big anime guy, never really have been, but this movie was turned on to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Satsuki & Mei are two little girls and their adventure with spirits, one of which Mei has dubbed as Totoro. It's really a cute story but there's apparently a darker side, perhaps? Is any of this at all confirmed? Of course not, it's just a little theory some people created, but it's interesting as hell to learn about.
68 - Step Brothers (2008)
Step Brothers is a movie that took me a couple years to actually get into. It sucks it took me so long, but holy hell it's hilarious. Will Ferrell as Brennan & John C. Reilly as Dale are just great. They had me laughing all throughout the movie as they tell the story of how their parents marry each other and they become step brothers at the age of 40. They're losers, who still act extremely childish as they live with their parents. There are so many memorable moments in this movie that I remember and quote to this day. This is definitely one of those movie where it doesn't matter how often I watch it, I will never get sick of it.
67 - SLC Punk! (1999)
SLC Punk! is one of those punk rock films that tells the story of Stevo (played by Matthew Lillard) and "Heroin" Bob (played by Michael A. Goorjian) as they go around the punk rock scene in Salt Lake City, Utah. Stevo is a narcissistic punk rocker who hates the world around him and the movie tells the story of the people he meets and hangs out with, partying and discussing the world. It's fantastic to watch Stevo's character evolve throughout the movie, dealing with highs and lows that ultimately change him for life and completely alter him as a person. A lesser known movie, but one that should be appreciated for what it is and get recognition.
66 - Final Destination 3 (2006)
The third movie in the Final Destination series and it's my favorite. I love amusement parks & I love roller coasters so this story that features Wendy, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who has a vision as her and her friends board a roller coaster, a vision of the ride going completely haywire and killing everyone, resonates greatly with me. She tries to warn everyone to get off and only several people do, not including her best friend and boyfriend. The rest of the story is filled with death getting his revenge on those who cheated it one by one. The deaths are much better than in the first one & the characters don't annoy me nearly as much so that would be why this movie is ranked significantly higher than the original.
65 - Halloween II (1981)
Yesterday I spoke about the 2009 remake of Halloween II and here's the original. Halloween II takes place immediately after the events of the original Halloween with Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasance) as they try and stop Michael Myers desperately from killing half the city of Haddonfield, Illinois. He terrorizes the town and the hospital Laurie is staying at as she tries to get away from him. It's definitely a step down from the original, as most sequels, but still one of the best. I may not know nearly as much about this movie as the original, but I still love it and still remember laying in the hospital back in July watching Michael Myers killing people in a hospital. Good times.
64 - Red State (2011)
Red State is the movie, directed by Kevin Smith, that intrigued me for over a year. Once I heard that Smith was branching out and trying a more serious movie, I was very excited to see how it would turn out. There are movies Kevin Smith made outside of his View Askewniverse that I didn't particularly enjoy (Cop Out) and I was really hoping I would enjoy this one. Obviously I did! It was originally billed as a horror movie, but it's definitely not. It's an independent movie that tells the story of 3 teenagers, Jared (Kyle Gallner), Travis (Michael Angarano), & Billy Ray (Nicholas Braun) who answer a Craigslist ad of an older woman who wants to have sex with all of them. They meet her at her trailer, where she drugs them and is revealed she's a part of a insane church cult who is trying to do away with all the "scum" of the Earth. They become their hostages and it's a story of them trying to escape as the authorities get involved to try and save them, led by Agent Joseph Keenan (played by Jonathan Goodman) I commend Kevin Smith for trying something different and doing it quite well, I hope he continues to do movies like this in the future.
63 - Misery (1990)
Oh look, yet another movie based off a Stephen King book. Can you tell I love Stephen King? Misery is the masterful tale of an author, Paul Sheldon (James Caan) who gets into a car accident after writing the final story of his series of novels called Misery. A rabid fan of his, Annie Wilkes (played spectacularly by Kathy Bates, who won the Academy Award for her role) saves him from the wreckage and sets him up in a bed in her home. He has sustained serious injuries that have left him unable to walk and in need of medical care. Annie tells Paul all the phone lines are out due to the snow storm that just occurred, little does he know that he's being held captive by an insane number 1 fan. She reads Paul's final novel and realizes the main character is to be killed off, which she cannot stand for. The movie shows Annie slowly becoming more and more insane until we reach a climax involving a block of wood and a sledgehammer. This is one of those movies that will continue to live on from generation to generation, and with good reason.
62 - The Devil's Rejects (2005)
He may not be the most popular director, but I can't help but dig the movies Rob Zombie puts out. The Devil's Rejects is a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses (a movie that may or may not make an appearance on this list later on...) and tells the story of Mother Firefly (Leslie Easterbrook), Otis (Bill Moseley), & Baby (Sheri Moon) who terrorize those around them. I have to say, even though he's a major dick, I really like the insane jackass of a character, Otis. Moseley does a brilliant job of capturing his inner psycho and projecting it on screen. From brutal murders, sickening actions to those kidnapped, & a general uncomfortable feeling as you watch insane people treat their fellow man as dark as you possibly could. This was a movie I decided to take a flyer on, without having ever seen it and not realizing it was a sequel, still very much enjoyed it, obviously. It's not a movie style/theme for everyone, but it certainly works for me.
61 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Earlier in my list, I proclaimed The Evil Dead as the 2nd best zombie movie ever made. Now we have the, in my opinion, best zombie film ever made. Night of the Living Dead isn't the most special effects filled movie in the world, it's pretty bare bones, but the rawness is beautiful, really. It was the first movie to ever feature zombie-like creatures and it launched the zombie dynasty created by director George A. Romero. Seriously, there is not a person in this world who is better than Romero at making zombie movies, he is the king. This story doesn't rely on terrifyingly made up zombies with special effects of zombies ripping the tendons out of the teeth, it's just basic makeup and effects and it still works brilliantly. I don't really think you can call yourself a zombie movie fan if you don't appreciate and enjoy this movie
60 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Words cannot describe the spectacular acting jobs that is presented in this classic movie. The combination of two psychos, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) & Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) are two of the most insane folk you'll ever see and don't ever want to be associated with. Hannibal Lecter is being interviewed by Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) as he stays in a high security prison to try and track down, understand, & catch Buffalo Bill who has kidnapped a member of the U.S. Senate's daughter. The awards this movie brought in are impressive, especially considering its a story filled with brutal murder, cannibalism, & a general sense of gloominess. Five Academy awards were brought in by this movie, including the coveted Best Picture, Best Actress for Foster, Best Actor for Hopkins, Best Director for Jonathan Demme, & Best Adapted Screenplay. That's impressive.
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