200 Items Or Less: The Valley Of Gwangi (1969)

A few thoughts: The last dinosaur movie Ray Harryhausen ever worked on, this western fantasy was originally conceived by Willis O'Brien [King Kong, The Lost World], and believe me when I say that makes total sense. This movie feels a lot like the King Kong story, minus a lot of the depth, charm, and ingenuity. That's not to say the animation isn't terrific, because it is (Harryhausen never disappointed), but story and character-wise this movie feels very unoriginal. The main attraction here is of course the dinomation, and the gimmicky joy of seeing a T-Rex walking around in a western setting, surrounded by people with cowboy hats and six-shooters. It's the most simplistic kind of pleasure, so it's no wonder this film has gained a following since its release. The acting is pretty bland, making the underwritten characters all the more uninteresting, but again this isn't the point or purpose of the movie. You're here to see cowboys share the screen with dinosaurs, and that's exactly what you get. It isn't mindblowing, but it's fun to watch in a disposable sort of way.

200 Items Or Less: Army Of Darkness (1992)

A few thoughts: Although I'm not a huge fan of Evil Dead 2 (largely due to what I consider relentless failed attempts at humor), this follow-up is even more ridiculous and somehow I like it better. Set during medieval times, this movie embraces the campiness and craziness, and manages to make the most of this setting. It desperately wants to entertain the audience, and while I found it a bit annoying at times, I mostly enjoyed the insanity this time around. There are tons of weird effects shots, some look pretty good and others look like a pile of garbage, but in the end it all works due to how hard it's trying to be something big and fresh and new. Bruce Campbell brings a ton of energy to the role as he did in the previous one, and he gets a ton of funny and memorable one-liners. The cinematography and editing is fast and sharp, the set design is intricate (enough), the action is fun and the perfect level of corny...what else is there to say? I don't love it, but I have the feeling it could become a favorite of mine eventually. Only time will tell.

200 Items Or Less: The Company Of Wolves (1984)

A few thoughts: Fantasy has found its way into the mainstream over the past 15-20 years, and while I like Lord Of The Rings, Game Of Thrones, and Harry Potter as much as the next rational human, it's this brand of fantasy that I most often find myself gravitating towards. One of the things I really love about this movie was how it felt so much like a classic werewolf fairy tale. Although the creature effects are at times pretty shoddy, the context in which they take place has a bizarre charm to it that makes them work. The gore can get pretty intense, which contrasts the somewhat light nature of the rest of the movie -- a sort of midway point between Grimm and Disney. This is a story about storytelling, which adds layers to the plot in bizarre and creative ways. There were moments I felt like I was watching an anthology, but the way the overarching narrative weaves in and out felt far more natural than most anthologies. This is a beautiful looking movie with wonderful atmosphere, good performances, and full of visual and narrative creativity.

200 Items Or Less: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)

A few thoughts: Everyone knows the TV series but relatively few people seem aware of the movie that came out only a few years before -- and honestly while I enjoyed this movie, I don't see this as a particularly bad thing. It's hard not to compare the two, but it's fairly crucial to the enjoyment of it that you try not to go into this with the same level expectations, even if the cult following here is somewhat justified. The action scenes are dumb but fun due to the actors clearly having a fun time with it, and the dialogue is also pretty hit or miss -- you'll either find it hilarious or insufferable. I found myself mostly in the former, though it sometimes teetered on the fence. The script definitely had Joss Whedon all over it, implementing his usual subversive techniques, although the end product was clearly out of his hands. I enjoyed the cast, which ranged from serious to cartoonish, but it's Swanson's lead who makes it all work. Hauer was also fun. This isn't great but I enjoyed myself and it was pretty short so it never had a chance to wear me out.

200 Items Or Less: The Phantom Of The Opera (1989)

A few thoughts: What would happen if the Phantom of the Opera were blended with Freddy Krueger? Someone felt the need to not only ask this question, but provide everyone with the answer for it as well, resulting in exactly what you might have expected. Never the kind of actor to approach a role with subtlety, Robert Englund gives an over-the-top performance as the Phantom, really putting emphasis on the violent and psychopathic side of the character. Apart from his performance, the main highlight here is the set design and lighting. This is a surprisingly visually-appealing film, even when some of the camera movements feel a little amateur. A much more violent adaptation of the often highly romanticized story, this stands as one of the few to actually succeed as a horror movie. No, this isn't a particularly great film, but to dismiss it as so many others have would be a shame. It's an intriguing take on the story, and while it doesn't have too many other good performances, Englund carries it and makes the whole thing come together nicely in the end.

200 Items Or Less: Angel Heart (1987)

A few thoughts: Since I only write about specific genre films on here (check out my 200 items or less page on that), I feel like I'm cheating a little bit by writing about this one. But since it's so good, I don't mind bending the rules to include it. A psychological neo-noir horror mystery thriller with heavy religious themes and symbolism, this is the kind of film that's hard to box into a corner -- and that's one of the many things I love about it. Although one might find the twist ending a bit gimmicky, predictable, and/or lame, the way it's handled and functions to cap off the story is terrific, making every piece of the puzzle suddenly fit into its respective place. Mickey Rourke gives one of the best performances of his career here, fully letting the time and place absorb into him. He feels like a sleazier version of a Bruce Willis character from the 1950s. Robert De Niro does a solid job with his mysterious supporting role but never immerses himself like Rourke did. This is a dark film, with great cinematography, editing, and a cool plot.

TV Alley: V

V

Created by Kenneth Johnson
1984 - 1985

Following two different miniseries covering the alien invasion, hostile takeover of Earth, and the revolution(s) that take place to battle the invaders, V is a sci-fi series that didn't last long enough to tell a really interesting story, and by halfway through its 19 episode run, fell flat with the realization that the story it tells didn't need to be told to begin with.

200 Items Or Less: Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark (1973)

A few thoughts: A cheesy and accidentally funny horror movie about a bunch of people dressed as tiny imp gorillas that live in the walls of a house and terrorize the residents. This is the kind of garbage I watch, for some reason. The running time being roughly 75 minutes makes this an easy sort of thing to put on without having to make any sort of investment, and honestly that's one of the best things about it. This is a dumb movie with dumb characters who do dumb things while being tormented by dumb looking monsters. One thing that isn't dumb about it is the indoor lighting (the stuff that takes place outside at "night" is bad though), which is very reminiscent of Italian horror, skillfully implementing natural light with unnatural greens, reds, and blues. Not spooky in the least, thanks to the monstrous monster design (which is oddly adorable, I might add), but there is a sort of atmosphere that could have worked had they shrouded their villains in shadow and not given them as much face time. It's funny, pretty bad, and very easy to watch. So don't expect much.

200 Items Or Less: From A Whisper To A Scream (1987)

A few thoughts: I got this movie in a two-pack with the wonderful 'Theatre Of Blood', so decided to plug it in and give it a whirl. I expected virtually nothing from it, and the result was an anthology that hasn't stood the test of time, but is still reasonably enjoyable. Vincent Price appears in the wraparound story, telling tales about the evils of his town, Oldfield. There are 4 segments within this framework, and while none are particularly great or terribly original, I enjoyed them all for what they were. The first one was easily my favorite, thanks to a hilarious and somewhat creepy performance by Clu Gulager. The second and third segments fly by pretty quickly (both involving voodoo), and then the fourth and final segment shows up. Basically, this particular story would suck if it weren't for the always-drunk-and-often-seated Cameron Mitchell, who always brings a sort of sweaty charm to films he appears in. This is one of Vincent Price's last movies, and while it isn't on par with his best work, is still a testament to how solid he always was. What a sport.

TV Alley: Firefly

Firefly

Created by Joss Whedon
2002

The roguish captain of a space vessel and his crew take on several passengers and travel from planet to planet for jobs while trying to evade authorities. A major cult success cancelled after just over a dozen episodes, Firefly has carved out of space for itself as one of the most popular science fiction shows of the 21st century.

200 Items Or Less: The Ghost (1963)

A few thoughts: Barbara Steele appeared in her fair share of gothic horror films, and while this is by no means the best movie she acted in, it does stand as one of the most compelling single performances she's given. A not-really-sequel-but-almost-feels-like-it-should-be to 'The Horrible Dr. Hichcock', Riccardo Freda shows off yet again how much he's in love with having characters drink potions (see: 'Lust Of The Vampire'), and how little he cares about pacing. At roughly an hour and a half, this movie felt at least an hour longer than that. Repetitive, but still full of spooky atmosphere, this movie does a good job at utilizing its setting and giving the leads plenty of material to work with. Sadly, that material isn't particularly good. As mentioned before, Barbara Steele is pretty great here, and this film affords her many opportunities to utilize an arsenal of expressions and emotional frazzlement. I loved the imagery, setting, and the plot had some nice twists, but overall the pacing was way off, which kept me from caring too much about the story.

Top 100 Star Trek episodes

With what I would describe as mild spoilers, I've counted down the 100 episodes of the first 5 (kinda 6) shows that I consider the best, most important, or just my favorites. Really, it all comes down to which ones I liked the most. There are obviously plenty more that were forced off this list, and even now that I'm finishing it up I'm finding more than a few it wish I would have included, but the simple fact of the matter remains that I love this franchise too much to narrow it down to pretty much any number that wouldn't take me 6 months to type up. No honorable mentions, because then I'd probably accidentally leave even more out, and then I'd feel like a total moron, so we'll just jump into the top 100 without any of the fluff. Oh, and don't focus too much on the specific ordering -- the exact order of a list like this would be impossible for me to be totally satisfied with, so in certain instances an episode will be put where it is just because I like the way it looks next to that number. In general, this is *about* where I'd have them, though, so the numbers aren't totally arbitrary.

Now let's do the list. Welcome to my top 100 favorite Star Trek episodes list. Happy skimming.



100. Yesteryear (TAS)