Squish's Best And Worst (Winter 2009)

Hey Kiddies!

Well it's been a while since I've done one of these, and there's something rewarding in watching my list of favourite things grow. Oh and I also love getting a nice healthy hate hard-on… Sorry I've been watching way too much "Generation Kill", I'm turning Marine-potty-mouth.

It's pretty simple. What I do is tell you what my 5 top-rated film reviews have been since last time, and I tell you why. Then I poop on five films too. I'll skip my recent post of my favourite movie ever, Requiem For a Dream, since it's actually a review that's been dug up out of the archives.

The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford 96% (My Baby Shot Me Down)

I would not call myself a buyer of movies, or a movie collector. I do the Netflix thing, I totally dig the lovely little independent Invisible Cinema, I borrow films from the library, and when I do decide to buy a series or a film, it has to fit a certain criterion: 'NEED TO HAVE' favourites that I can use as part of the showcase of my life, which I will pay the full price for very rarely, MAYBE twice a year. The other more common purchases fall under 'WANT TO SEE under 5 bux'. If it's less than the cost of a rental, it's juicy. The $2.99 bucket bin at Zellers has actually been quite good to the Hecklefest crowd. The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is without a doubt a film so gorgeous in every way that it obviously belongs on Blu-Ray, and belongs on my shelf. Only 4 movies have ever hit the 96% mark on my site, and yes, I'm quite confident putting this next to Apocalypse Now  and Sympathy For Lady Vengeance on the quality scale. Do yourself a favour and find out why this Historical Western Drama is so incredible.

Alien / Aliens 94% (Or Cause Good Movies Don't MAKE People Scream...)

Obviously a no-brainer, the first two Alien films are as epic Sci-Fi as 2001: A Space Odyssey. Aliens also gets the added bonus of being one of the few blockbuster films that are debatably better than the original (Godfather, Terminator, Alien). Personally, I prefer the original in each case, but I won't deny their awesome-itude. The linked review isn't so much about the movie itself. I figure there's enough out in the multiverse about this one that I thought instead to write about everyone's favourite Xenomorph and its origins.

Raging Bull 92% (Rage On)

Another no brainer decision, Raging Bull is currently #72 on IMDB's Top 250. It's a film that's great drama, and with 8 Oscar nominations and 2 wins including best actor, well there you go. This tale of a boxer's struggle with himself, the ring and his family is a nice piece of cinema.

Inglourious Basterds 90% (Trouly Glourious)

For those of you who are going to accuse me of being a Tarantino whore, well yeah I have a page dedicated to him, and yeah he's one of my top 3 directors, but um, that's because he makes quality film like this one. It's a Tarantino film that shows that he can go into the dramatic while remaining in the cool - that he's maturing as a writer and delving into lovely other realms while not straying far from his core.

The Apartment 90% (Don't Stay Cooped up)

I've seen other films written by Billy Wilder: Sunset Boulevard, Ace in The Hole (which has one of my favourite characters ever in it) and now The Apartment. Why the Hell I don't have a Billy Wilder page is a question that is increasingly burning a hole into my temple. The Apartment was the last nail in the coffin to tell me that I need to make my next 'body of work' study the films of auteur extraordinaire, Billy Wilder.

And now, as promised, the worst (films) my site has to offer.

Roadkill 60% (Toss To The Roadside)