Unsociable Cinema’s 100 Greatest Films of All Time #90 – 81

90. Blood Simple (1984, Joel Coen, US)

The debut feature from the most famous brother team in American cinema is an impressive neo noir thriller which is completely stripped down in both plot and running time. Running for a mere 90 minutes, this blackly cynical tale follows a man who hires a detective to kill his cheating wife, he doesn’t and a whole raft of bad things ensue. It’s the brothers establishing their groundwork and remains an important piece of American independent cinema.

Mulling over what's goes well with a nice Chianti

89. The Silence of the Lambs (1991, Jonathan Demme, US)

One of the many Best Picture Oscar winners to have received unnecessary backlash since its release. Critically lauded back then and now it still holds up. A significantly chilling psychological thriller featuring one of the most parodied and brilliant performances of recent years in Anthony Hopkins as the delectable Hannibal Lecter. Equally brilliant is Jodie Foster who portrays both innocence and fierceness as Clarice Starling who is on the hunt for serial killer ‘Buffalo Bill’

88. The Seventh Seal (1957, Ingmar Bergman, Swe)

Scenes of chess have always to me been particularly dull in movies, and yet they all stemed from this, Bergman’s oppressive masterpiece about issues of life and death is confronted by the ultimate face off with Death in a chess match. The expressionist photography remains beautiful to this day and Sydow’s performance is just as attention grabbing. Restricting it’s higher place on the list is a lack of warmth, which Bergman significantly lacked.

It's 'fro-de-rick fronk-en-shteen'

87. Young Frankenstein (1974, Mel Brooks, US)

A hilarious spoof from the master of mayhem, Mel Brooks. This is surely one of the finest achievements in his career, keeping jokes which are both fairly silly i.e. the debate over the name, or the subtle jokes which are mostly references. Gene Wilder is superb as the eponymous Doctor Frankenstein, his comic timing never faulters neither does his co-written script. Horror-comedy genius from a brilliant comedic director.

86. Throne of Blood (1957, Akira Kurosawa, Jap)

Kurosawa always had a habit of making the best Shakespearean adaptations. This adaptation of MacBeth is one which is both engrossing and very entertaining. Kurosawa regular Toshiro Mifune is on very ripe form, completely overacting on almost every level, but it’s Shakespeare so he kind of gets away with it. Capturing the landscape in highly cinematic way, Kurosawa ground himself with this as probably his most beautiful work.

An ode to those left in the pouring rain

85. All About My Mother (1999, Pedro Almodovar, Sp)

Arguably the start of Almodovar the Mature Filmmaker. The critically lauded work however is still fairly unrestrained with nuns getting pregnant via transgender prostitutes, but it is always to be taken seriously. Opening with a truly heartbreaking sequence, shot absolutely beautifully in the plummeting rain mixed with his trademark use of bright primary colour. If you’ve never seen a foreign language film, begin here.

84. The Fly (1986, David Cronenberg, US/Can)

Cronenberg’s finest masterpiece is truly one of the great works in both the sci-fi and the horror genre. Retooling the 50′s B-movie into a truly gruesome yet very accessible work, verging on emotion which does tug at the heart strings. Cronenberg knows exactly what he is doing in the director’s chair. The slow build to the gore packed end is verging on genius, it toes the line between gross out and switch off. The make up is just incredible.

Get off my ranch

83. Unforgiven (1992, Clint Eastwood, US)

Eastwood known for his sublime spaghetti westerns under the direction of Sergio Leone, takes a critical eye of them with this superb revisionist western which he directed. Watching this he realises the morals of his previous westerns weren’t all there, the overriding message of this being ‘violence doesn’t beget violence’. Eastwood and the rest of the cast, especially Gene Hackman, are on top form and his recreation of the classic western landscape goes unmatched. Repenting for sins in the best possible sense.

82. Thelma & Louise (1991, Ridley Scott, US/UK)

Much maligned now for being man hating, but back in the 90′s this was the staple as the post-feminist film. Highly unusual for a manly director like Scott to come out in favour of a very pro female film which does paint most of the men as useless sexist predatorial pigs. But that’s it. Aimed solely at the women’s market, this is great filmmaking not to be scorned but to be greatly admired, especially the two central performances.

What would you find behind your filing cabinet?

81. Being John Malkovich (1999, Spike Jonze, US)

This bizarre and wonderful indie spirited, yet oddly mainstream work could have only come out of the warped minds of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze. Starring a range of great character actors, including the titular John Malkovich, who pulls out his best performance. This film contains some of the strangest imagery ever put onto celluloid. See it to revel in its remarkable originality and stunning, seamless practical effects.