Top 100 Movies: No. 68 - The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Posted on March 12, 2008
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The People vs. Larry Flynt is on this list for three reasons: 1) The performances by Edward Norton, Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love; 2) the subject matter - free speech; and 3) it’s a great, entertaining movie (OK, that’s kind of a given).
Edward Norton is terrific as a lawyer who defends his client in an effort to protect our freedom of speech. Unfortunately for him, his client isn’t that sympathetic - he’s a pornographer.
Whether or not you find Larry Flynt’s chosen profession distasteful, the legal issues litigated were vital to our First Amendment rights. The clip below sums up what was at stake.
Tags: courtney love, list, movies, the people vs. larry flynt, top 100, woody harrelson
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Top Grossing Movies of the 80’s and 90’s: The 1980’s By Year
Posted on November 15, 2007
Filed Under General Movie Lists | 1 Comment
On Tuesday, we took a look at the top grossing flicks for each year of the 90’s. Today, it’s all about the 80’s.
At least one real surprise for me - who remembered that Three Men and a Baby was the top flick of 1987? I sure didn’t. I knew it was a hit, but number 1? Wow.
Three Men and a Baby beat out Fatal Attraction, Beverly Hills Cop II and Good Morning, Vietnam for the top spot that year. Then again, its total gross was less than any of the other number one films of the 80’s. Pay special attention to the video I posted for this flick. Let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary.
The rest of the top films are pretty predictable, especially 1980 through 1983.
OK, did I just discuss Three Men and a Baby and not even mention The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders by name? Wow (again).
Thanks again to Box Office Mojo for the information.
1989 Batman ($251,188,924)
1988 Rain Man ($172,825,435)
1987 Three Men and a Baby ($167,780,960)
1986 Top Gun ($176,786,701)
1985 Back to the Future ($210,609,762)
1984 Beverly Hills Cop ($234,760,478)
1983 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi ($252,583,617)
1982 E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial ($359,197,037)
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark ($209,562,121)
1980 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back ($209,398,025)
Tags: back to the future, batman, beverly hills cop, beverly hills cop ii, e.t., fatal attraction, good morning vietnam, list, movies, raiders of the lost ark, rain man, return of he jedi, star wars, the empire strikes back, three men and a baby, top grossing, top gun, trailers
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Top 100 Movies: No. 78 - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Posted on November 14, 2007
Filed Under Top 100 Movies | 5 Comments
I am a huge fan of the Coen Brothers and it shows - three of their flicks made it into my Top 100 Movies. The first, of course, is O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which is loosely based on Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
Like most Coen Brothers’ movies, O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? has some great (and memorable) lines (”Damn! We’re in tight spot!”) and a stellar cast. However, standing above the rest is George Clooney. He delivers his best performance by far and in doing so proved that he could be funny outside of The Facts of Life and interviews. Seriously, you have to hand it to him, he paid his dues and is now a huge star.
In addition to Clooney and the great lines (and yes, a great story and cast), O Brother, Where Art Thou? features one of the great all-time theme songs - I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (the video is below the trailer).
Man, now I’m really excited for No Country for Old Men!
Tags: coen brothers, george clooney, homer, i am a man of constant sorrow, lines, list, movies, no country for old men, o brother where art thou, song, the odyssey, top 100
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Top Grossing Movies of the 80’s and 90’s: The 1990’s By Year
Posted on November 13, 2007
Filed Under General Movie Lists | 4 Comments
What was the top grossing movie in each year of the 80’s and 90’s? I’m glad you asked. OK, nobody asked, but I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the last two decades of the 20th Century, when the blockbuster came into its own, and see which flick was tops in each year. We’ll start with the 90’s today and do the 80’s on Thursday.
The 90’s were interesting. You had the juggernaut that was Titanic of course, but also some movies that you might not remember being the highest grossing flick for a particular year. In addition, Tom Hanks starred in three of the top grossing movies. Three!
The numbers listed after each flick represent its domestic gross (thanks to Box Office Mojo).
1999 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace ( $431,088,301)
1998 Saving Private Ryan ($216,540,909)
1997 Titanic ($600,788,188)
1996 Independence Day ($306,169,268)
1995 Toy Story ($191,796,233)
1994 Forrest Gump ($329,694,499)
1993 Jurassic Park ($357,067,947)
1992 Aladdin ($217,350,219)
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($204,843,345)
1990 Home Alone ($285,761,243)
Tags: aladdin, episode I, forrest gump, home alone, independence day, jurassic park, list, movies, saving private ryan, star wars, terminator, terminator 2 judgment day, the phantom menace, titanic, tom hanks, top grossing, toy story
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Top 5 Basketball Movies
Posted on November 1, 2007
Filed Under Top 5 Lists | 3 Comments
Believe it or not, NBA basketball is back. I am more of a college fan, but enjoy the pro game as well. So in honor of a new basketball season, I put together a list of my five favorite basketball movies. I wanted to post a top 10 list but, unfortunately, there are few good basketball flicks.
Without further ado, here are my Top 5 Basketball Movies.
5. Blue Chips (1994)
Blue Chips stars Nick Nolte, Shaq, “Penny” Hardaway and a bunch of other basketball players that you probably haven’t heard of (or forgot about). Blue Chips is a good movie in which Nolte stars as a coach so desperate to win he sacrifices his reputation, program and career.
I couldn’t find the trailer for this one, but here is clip from the movie, which has some “language” (for those of you with sensitive ears).
4. He Got Game (1998)
Excellent film by Spike Lee starring Denzel Washington and Ray Allen, who currently plays for the revamped Boston Celtics.
3. Hoop Dreams (1994)
One of the best documentaries of its kind. A great flick that follows two Chicago inner-city basketball players through junior high and high school. This is a must see for sports fans.
2. White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
A “dramedy” about basketball hustlers staring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, who are great together. A funny movie with a message. Here’s a TV spot for this flick. The quality is low, but it’s all I could find.
1. Hoosiers (1986)
A great film about a great sport. If you’re not inspired by this flick, I don’t know what will.
Tags: barbara hershey, basketball, blue chips, bobby knight, boston celtics, chicago, college, dennis hopper, denzel washington, documentary, gene hackman, he got game, hoop dreams, hoosiers, movies, NBA, nick nolte, penny hardaway, ray allen, shaq, sport, sports movies, Top 5, wesley snipes, white men can039t jump, woody harrelson
