KOA's 100 Films: 100-91

By: Luke Florence

Couldn't say it any better myself.

#100: That Thing You Do (1996)

Director: Tom Hanks

Starring: Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler and Charlize Theron
Academy Awards: Nominated for Best Song.

Plot: "A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager."

One-hit wonders happen all the time, but movies about one-hit wonders are more rare, and good movies about one-hit wonders don't seem to exist. That Thing You Do falls in the latter group.

Watched this movie on VH1 and absolutely fell in love with the title song. To this day I still find myself singing right along when I happen to stumble upon this little gem.

There's nothing spectacular about That Thing You Do, but it cracks the list because it's funny and it's unique. If I were to pick two words to sum this blog, I'd pick those.

#99: Remember The Titans (2000)

Director: Boaz Yakin

Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton and Wood Harris

Plot: "The true story of a newly appointed African-American coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit."

One of the things I was looking forward to in putting this list together was to see how many times certain actors cracked the top 100. Score one for Denzel Washington in Remember The Titans.

I was on a class field-trip bus ride to Chicago when I first saw RTT. It uses football as the central focus while it touches on other important issues like race, segregation, etc. No, this is not an Academy Award winner by any stretch of the imagination, but I really like how the story is told, and even though Denzel plays a high-school football coach he still finds a way to tote a gun, so what's not to love about that?

#98: The Life of David Gale (2003)

Director: Alan Parker

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and Laura Linney

Plot: "A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row."

There are a couple "whodunit" films on this list, but The Life of David Gale is unique because the question of "Who did it"? doesn't seem as important as, "Why did they do it"?

Kevin Spacey is excellent as he portrays the the man accused of committing a crime and is sentenced to life, while Kate Winslet does a solid job acting as the plot-catalyst.

It's a film that will have you intrigued from the get-go and it doesn't let you down during the ending. I had never heard of it before I watched this in Madison, Wisconsin, but I'm glad I watched it ... and you will to.

#97: Twister (1996)

Director: Jan de Bont

Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton and Cary Elwes
Academy Awards: Nominated for Best Effects and Best Sound.

Plot: "A couple on the point of divorce keep meeting each other because both are researchers who chase tornadoes."

Epic movies in the 1920s look different from epic movies in the 2000s. Technology plays an important role in how those titanic-like films are made. But make no mistake, epic movies - no matter what generation - are still just that ... epic.

Twister was an epic 1990s movie. It had drama, suspense, and earth-shattering images that at the time were unprecedented. It made you feel as if you were right there with the tremendous tornadoes bearing down on towns, destroying everything in their way.

I thoroughly enjoyed putting this list together for various reasons. A small reason why was because I liked thinking back to when I first saw a particular film and who I watched it with. Sometimes who you are watching it with creates a shared experience that makes a film more memorable than if you were just watching it by yourself. Well, with Twister, I first watched it at Erik Huss's house w/ Hunt. Not gonna lie, I was a little frightened when I first saw those massive twisters. But, it made for a memorable experience ... one that certainly help it crack this list.

#96: Mission:Impossible (1996)

Director: Brian De Palma

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight and Emmanuelle Béart

Plot: "An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization."

Mission:Impossible was one of the first movies that after I initially watched it thought to myself, "I need to watch that again." I had to re-watch it and pay closer attention to small details.

I didn't enjoy all the other M.I. films nearly as much as I did the original, so don't go expecting to see Ethan Hunt any more in my top 100. To be honest only one sequel appears on the list.

What I appreciated the most from Mission:Impossible is that it had great action sequences, it was cleverly written, and it had a strong/constant moving plot. Seems rather simple, but you'd be surprised how difficult it is to have all three parts play an equal role in any film's equation.

#95: Zombieland (2009)

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Woody Harrelson

Plot: "A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, and a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the Last Twinkie and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America."

I love Bill Murray and it's a shame he doesn't make this list more than just this once, but he nearly single-handily put Zombieland in my top 100 for his cameo appearance.

My roommate Michael Grothaus and I were trying to watch a movie on one of our 1000 movie channels, but they tend to show the same ones over-and-over again. When we came across Zombieland, he assured me that it was funny, so I reluctantly gave in. He couldn't have been more right.

Zombieland is hilarious, full of great one-liners ("Garfield, maybe.") and will have you laughing from start-to-finish. If you don't think it's funny, then to be honest, I don't want to know you.

#94: Philadelphia (1993)

Director: Jonathan Demme

Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Roberta Maxwell
Academy Awards (2): Best Actor (T. Hanks) and Best Song (B. Springsteen "Streets of Philadelphia) ... Nominated three more times.

Plot: "When a man with AIDS is fired by a conservative law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit."

Where else can you find Zombieland and Philadelphia right next to one another? Only in America and only in a KOA list.

Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks both put up movies #2 already as they co-star in this powerful film. Hanks plays a former lawyer who is struck with the AIDS virus, while Denzel plays Hanks' lawyer/confidant.

For me, this was just as much an educational film as it was a dramatic one. When I first watched Philadelphia I only really knew one person who had AIDS and that was Magic Johnson. I was young, uneducated, and had no idea about AIDS. Philadelphia opened my eyes to a lot. It's one of those few films that everyone needs to see.

#93: K-Pax (2001)

Director: Iain Softley

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges and Mary McCormack

Plot: "Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away Planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations."

Just as soon as Denzel and Hanks get their 2nd credited movie, so does Kevin Spacey. I intentionally did not pay any attention to lead actors/actresses when I put this together because I did not want them to factor in my decision about placement or inclusion.

The plot sounds absurd, but once you watch K-Pax you won't walk away thinking it was absurd at all. Yes Kevin Spacey pretends (or does he?) to be an alien. And yes, Jeff Bridges is his psychiatrist who is trying to help him. But, this movie is so much more than that. It had me thinking about my own personal beliefs, and I absolutely love movies that make me question/think.

And at the very least, you should watch this film to watch the way Kevin Spacey eats.

#92: Milk (2008)

Director: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Emile Hirsch
Academy Awards (2): Best Actor (S. Penn) and Best Writing.  Nominated six more times (including Best Picture).

Plot: "The story of Harvey Milk, and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official."

Just as Philadelphia opened my eyes to AIDS, Milk did the same for homosexuality. Now I obviously understood more about homosexuality than I did the AIDS virus, but I was blatantly ignorant to the struggle gays were up against.

Sean Penn is unbelievable as Harvey Milk and undeniably deserved the Academy Award he took home two years ago. The same can be said of Josh Brolin and James Franco as well, although they did not win any Oscars.

Milk opened my eyes and my mind, included outstanding acting and told an inspiring true story. A must-watch.

#91: O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen

Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson
Academy Awards: Nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Writing.

Plot: "Homer's epic poem 'The Odyssey', set in the deep south during the 1930's. In it, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them."

We started with a movie centered around a song and will end with a film featuring a tremendous tune. O Brother Where Art Thou is a memorable flick mainly because it's certainly one-of-a-kind.

It's wildly entertaining, quick-funny, and also has a slew of one-liners ("Damn! We're in a tight spot!"). It is one of those films you will spot a new favorite catch-phrase each time you watch it.

I'm not the biggest George Clooney fan, but he was terrific as Ulysses Everett McGill. His quirky mannerisms, ability to bull-shit, and his obsession with Dapper Dan all add to a classic character. Throw in a superb movie soundtrack and you have the makings of an excellent film.

Well that will do it for my first ten movies. Check back during the week as I will be posting trailers, quotes, and clips from these ten films. Make sure you check out Matt Barnes blog as well after you are done here.

Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."