Ranking the Nightmare on Elm Street Movies

It's spooky season, dear readers!

Yep, it's almost Halloween. And you know what that means. It's time to sit back, dim the lights, crank up the volume, and be properly spooked by a good horror flick. Last year around this time, I naturally shared my ranking of the Halloween movies. As that has already been done in this blog, I will now share my ranking of a different slasher franchise - Nightmare on Elm Street.

9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Ugh. This abomination is possibly the worst remake I've ever seen - and I've sat through the Nicolas Cage version of The Wicker Man (2006). The plot is remarkably similar to the original Nightmare on Elm Street, yet the film somehow manages to dodge all the elements that makes it great. Wes Craven's zany and imaginative dream landscapes are replaced with bleak and generic 2010's horror milieus, the fresh and talented cast is replaced by a dull and uninspired cast, and the genuine spookiness is replaced by lazy jump scares and modern horror clichés.

The original Nightmare on Elm Street canon can be divided into two eras, both with their upsides: films #1 - #2 feature a Freddy Krueger who is actually scary, whereas films #3 - #6 feature a sillier Freddy, savvy with various over-the-top zingers. The lack of zingers in the first two films doesn't matter, because the films are legitimately scary horror cinema - meanwhile, the lack of genuine creepiness in the later films doesn't matter, because the charismatic take on Freddy makes the films fun and entertaining. However, the 2010 remake takes the worst of both worlds, combining the lack of fun from the first films with the lack of atmosphere from the later ones, thus creating the only Elm Street flick that isn't one bit scary or fun.

8. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

While being an overall lousy piece of cinema by pretty much any metric, just as you'd expect from the fifth instalment in a slasher franchise, The Dream Child is still streets ahead of the remake. After all, this film at least features Robert Englund's original Freddy Krueger, who is awesome as ever. The plot and human characters may be woefully unoriginal, and every last bit of actual horror had been eradicated from the franchise. But for completists of the franchise, the fifth instalment features just enough mildly entertaining nightmare set-pieces and Krueger zingers to be watchable. A fairly pointless addition to the franchise, but still more or less Citizen Kane when compared to the remake.

7. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

With its spicy 4.9 rating on IMDB (somehow it's the only Elm Street flick to score less than a 5.0 - I don't for the life of me understand how anyone has given a 5 or more to the nauseating 2010 remake), The Final Nightmare is often considered the worst chapter of the franchise. I certainly get that - it's not a great film by any means. But I rank it above The Dream Child, if only barely, because it's more entertaining - and when two films are equally poor on a cinematic level, that counts for a lot.

Out of all the films in the franchise, Freddy's Dead takes itself the least seriously, which makes for many ridiculous shenanigans that are at least mildly fun to watch. The sequence where Freddy somehow inserts himself inside a video game (I'm fuzzy on the details) has to earn points for creativity, even if the execution of everything involved except for Englund's performance is laughably sloppy.

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

What a strange, strange film this sophomore instalment is. Released in the wake of the first film's success but before the third film revived the franchise to newfound popularity, Freddy's Revenge was quickly forgotten - until it became a cult classic for the LGBTQ+ community. No, really.

Yep, the plot of this overlook outlier of the franchise has gained a legacy as a metaphor - protagonist Jesse Walsh's (Mark Patton) struggles as he's haunted by Freddy Krueger are seen as symbols for a gay teenager struggling to realize his sexuality. Couple this with the film's plentiful moments of imagery with homoerotic undertones, and so you have a low-budget slasher sequel that has found a cult following with the rainbow community.

Freddy's Revenge is only at sixth place on my list, because it's not a very good film by most metrics - the acting is poor, the plot is riddled with holes and clichés, and the dialogue is quite horrible. That being said, I just have to appreciate the breath of fresh air that comes with the film's queer allegories (apparently the filmmakers deny to this day that it was intentional, but having seen the film, I'm not buying it). Also, while it's not exactly The Exorcist (1973), the film does have its spooky moments, as Freddy was still the creepy and dark stalker from the first film and not the goofball we saw from the third film onwards.

5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

There's plenty to dislike in the fourth Elm Street instalment - many of the franchise's recurring plot elements had become tiresome, and the human characters aren't one bit original or interesting. That being said, there are two things that make The Dream Master very worthwhile viewing for fans of the franchise. The first one, unsurprisingly, is Freddy Krueger - he may not be at his best by the fourth film, but he isn't at his worst either. Robert Englund is still full of energy following the character's new direction in the previous instalment, while not being as cartoonish as he would escalate to be in the next few movies. Krueger may not be especially scary at this point, but he's certainly a charismatic villain with some classic zingers.

The second element making this into an adequate sequel is how the film utilizes the franchise's concept - for a film series about a villain who haunts people in their dreams, most Nightmare films simply don't do very much with the possibilities of the dreamworld settings. However, The Dream Master gets creative with its set pieces, much thanks to its imaginative director - Finland's own Renny Harlin! The Dream Master has a wonderful aesthetic, as many of the horror sequences take place in colorful and zany dreamscapes.

4. Freddy Vs. Jason (2003)

The dialogue? Horrible. The acting? Uninspired. The horror? Unnecessarily reliant on violence and jump scares. The plot? Largely nonsensical.

So, yeah, I'd say the crossover between the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday The 13th franchises was everything fans wanted it to be.

The film is silly, but it serves its purpose remarkably well. Seeing iconic horror villains Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees teaming up to kill a bunch of teenagers together is very entertaining, and watching them turn against each other (which eventually leads to an epic fight between the two) is even better. Low on cinematic value, high on entertainment value, and thoroughly deserving of its #5 spot on my list of the Top 10 Guilty Pleasure films, this crossover is quite the spectacle.

3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Dream Warriors is the turning point that helped the franchise stay relevant. Usually, the third instalment of a horror franchise is the point where everything falls into a cycle of repeating clichés and re-living the glory days of the original instalment. However, the Nightmare franchise dodged this trope by changing the very formula of the franchise in a major way. Wes Craven returned to write the script for the film, and this script did some bold changes - namely, the franchise made a self-aware turn from 'dark and actually creepy' to 'humoristic and entertaining'.

This was quite the risk - silly horror movies aren't very often especially good. But, then again, neither are sequels that try too hard to be serious and scary without feeling fresh or original at all. And so, for this particular franchise, it was a smart decision to embrace the inherent silliness of low-budget slasher sequels and make the films from Dream Warriors onward purposefully comedic. The film doesn't try too hard, and ends up being loads of fun as a result. Robert Englund may have been great as the dark and lurking Freddy of the two first films, but he's also damn decent as the goofy and charismatic Freddy that this delightful sequel ushered in.

2. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

Unpopular opinion: Wes Craven's New Nightmare is the scariest film ever made.

I'm being serious here. No horror film has creeped me out as much as the 1994 pseudo-reboot of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The reason for this lies largely in the film's genius premise, as it gets meta but not in a humorous way like Wes Craven's Scream (1996) - but rather in a frightening way. We've all seen meta humor, but meta horror is its own can of worms and I love every second of it.

New Nightmare takes place in 'the real world' - a reality where the previous Elm Street films exist as works of fiction as they do in our reality. Wes Craven (the original film's director), Heather Langenkamp (the original film's lead actress) and Robert Englund (the original Freddy Krueger) all play the roles of themselves - celebrities famous for the Elm Street franchise. But, in this film, Langenkamp starts to see dreams where Krueger haunts him. She begins to realize that Krueger is no fictional character, but an actual entity who has left the world of cinema and is now after her in real life.

This blending of fiction and reality works immensely well. The reason I found the film so creepy is that it works so hard to feel like it's taking place in real life and not in the realm of fiction - seeing Hollywood celebrities play themselves and talk about the other Nightmare on Elm Street films as existing movies create a very real-world atmosphere. And when the demonic Krueger starts to appear in this reality, making the characters realize that Krueger is 'more than just a fictional character', this really gets to the viewer. This is the only horror film that has caused me to lose sleep on the following night, and I attribute that to the fact the film makes the viewer question one's own reality - it leaves you with a frightening feeling of "what if Krueger is indeed a real entity and will show up in my dreams next?". It sounds silly, but trust me, this film does such an excellent job with its meta premise that it will rattle your brain in this way.

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

The original Nightmare on Elm Street isn't just a masterpiece in the context of this franchise, or even horror in general, but across all of cinema - as can be witnessed by its 65th place in my Top 100 favorite movies of all time. Wes Craven's directing is spot-on, as the combination of well-timed jump scared and overall creepy tones make the end product into one of the genre's most genuinely spooky offerings. The concept of a supernatural killer haunting people in their dreams is wildly imaginative, and makes for some creative and visually startling set-pieces.

The casting, from Robert Englund cementing his Freddy Krueger as one of cinema's most iconic villains to young hot-shots Heather Langenkamp and Johnny Depp making their breakthroughs, is fantastic. The plot moves at just the right pace, and Charles Bernstein's score sends chills down one's spine - in fact, my Halloween playlist that I blast every October uses short instrumental snippets from this film's soundtrack as transition pieces between Halloween-appropriate pop tracks such as Monster Mash and Thriller. There may be some surprisingly decent sequels in this franchise (in addition to the laughably poor ones), but none come close to the original, with its ice-cold thrills and Wes Craven madness.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for quite an unusual post - the historic 2016 Presidential Election has its 5-year-anniversary, and to commiserate this tragedy, I'm posting a list that I wrote but never published a year ago - the Top 10 Dystopian Movies.

Ranking All James Bond Movies, Including No Time to Die

Ah, Mr. Reader. I've been expecting you.

As the Bond film No Time To Die is in theaters now, I figured it's about time that my blog had a ranking of all 007 films. There have been a total of 25 films in the franchise (I'm not counting the unofficial Never Say Never Again (1983) in my ranking, but I suppose it deserves an honor-ish mention for being quite an average Bond film), spanning six actors in the title role. This list was especially challenging, as comparing older 007 flicks with newer ones poses some serious challenges: how much should I punish the older ones for not aging well, how to compare the more serious tone of the Craig era with the flimsy style of the Connery era et cetera. However, I'm quite satisfied with the end product, and I hope you will be too!

25. Moonraker (1979)

In 1977, the original Star Wars movie was released and cinema was changed forever. The hype around the film was strong, making outer space adventures all the rage. In one of the most blatant cash grab attempts in cinema history, the first Bond film to be released after Star Wars just so happened to take 007 (Roger Moore) into space, for a ridiculous final act filled with laser fight sequences. I mean, how lazy can you be?

24. Die Another Day (2002)

While Pierce Brosnan's final 007 outing is far from being the best James Bond film (it is, in fact, almost the exact opposite), it certainly is the most James Bond film. What do I mean by this? Well, essentially, every aspect and cliché that the franchise is known for is taken to the maximum for this adrenaline-filled extravaganza that feels like you're watching every Bond film ever made at the same time. I do admit that watching Die Another Day once is entertaining in an odd, guilty-pleasure type of way, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a shitty film (pardon my French).

A Bond girl doing a double-cross. A different Bond girl doing a different double-cross. A bad-guy lair that's a huge palace made of ice in Iceland. A bad guy reveal that combines the fake-out death cliché with the "changed his appearance via plastic surgery" cliché. Action sequences ranging from sword fights to Bond driving his car away from a gigantic laser that follows him. And the most over-the-top Q gadget of them all, the invisible car. How is this all in the same movie???

23. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Yes, I know that this originally reviled film has gotten a lot of appreciation in later years, with many fans of the franchise calling it underrated and one of the better Bond pictures. I do see the point - there is a lot to like in this movie, between Tracy (Diana Rigg) being one of the greatest "Bond girls" and the film's surprisingly emotional ending. But nothing will ever change the fact that George Lazenby is the absolute worst out of the six actors who have played Bond so far. As much as I'd like to like this film, there's no getting past the fact that Lazenby feels unfortunately wooden and un-charismatic in the role.

22. Octopussy (1983)

A generic and basic Moore-era film, for better or worse. There's nothing terrible about Octopussy, but nothing especially remarkable either. Moore is his delightful self in the lead role, the Fabergé egg -related plot is mildly entertaining, and there are some cool action sequences as well as some forgettable ones. Out of all the 25 films in the franchise, this one might just be the least memorable one, but it certainly is adequate enough to be ranked higher than the few ones with the most massive shortcomings.

21. Quantum of Solace (2008)

Dark and gritty reboots of classic franchises have been a major trend in 2000's cinema, and here's the key to why it works: a well-done dark and gritty reboot has substance, something to say. The Dark Knight trilogy works so well because it replaces the tropes of colorful spandex superhero cinema with well-written characters, deep dialogue and powerful themes. The same, to some degree, is why Daniel Craig's first Bond film, Casino Royale, worked so well - it's not exactly Citizen Kane, but it is quite deep by James Bond standards.

And therein lies the big problem with Quantum of Solace. It tries to continue its predecessor's "dark and gritty reboot" schtick, but does half of the job - gone is the silliness of the old Bond films, just like in Casino Royale, but this film doesn't replace it with anything. The film doesn't really have any substance. It feels dark and serious enough, but in a forced way, where the filmmakers clearly went for a dark and serious atmosphere without anything to be dark and serious about. The result is an empty-feeling film that just feels like "James Bond but without all the fun". At least Craig does a decent job with what he's given.

20. The World Is Not Enough (1999)

Considering the fact that Pierce Brosnan is my second-favorite Bond actor, it's quite a shame that his average Bond films were far from the franchise's best offerings (there is a massive exception, but we'll get to that later). The World Is Not Enough does have its moments, such as the opening chase sequence that goes on for a delightfully long duration as the vehicles and settings keep changing. But overall, the film is woefully average.

I still can't decide what I think of the film's secondary Bond girl, a skimpy-clothed nuclear scientist called Dr. Christmas Jones who is played by supermodel Denise Richards - it is either a genius moment of the franchise becoming self-aware and parodying itself, or then just a low point for a franchise running out of ideas.

19. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

For a Sean Connery Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever is quite unremarkable. Even though I know that the 007 franchise never was one for emotional swan songs (until recently, but more on that later), it still annoys me that the Scottish actor's final film in the iconic role was such a dud compared to his other times playing the character. The film is riddled with many of the franchise's more over-used clichés, and even the presence of my second-favorite Bond villain Blofeld (played here by Charles Gray) doesn't help as he is such a caricature in this particular film.

But still, it's a Sean Connery Bond film. And that alone ranks it above the franchise's worst offerings, because Connery is so damn amazing in the role. He absolutely carries the film, even though it could be argued that he isn't at his best anymore after playing Bond so many times that the role started to tire him. Then again - how did that saying about diamonds go again?

18. A View to a Kill (1985)

Roger Moore's seventh and final Bond film ranks just barely above Connery's last one - they both share the characteristic of feeling more "Jesus, we're really out of ideas with these films, better recast the role again after this one" than "One last ride, let's go out with a bang!". Still, A View to a Kill has some pretty cool elements in-between the lazy writing and overall 80's madness. Christopher Walken's Max Zorin is a fantastically over-the-top villain, although his plan to destroy California's Silicon Valley feels more like Austin Powers's wheelhouse. Say what you will about the rest of the film, the final fight sequence on the Golden Gate Bridge is a classic nail-biter!

17. For Your Eyes Only (1981)

This film's opening sequence, where the franchise's larger "plot" turns out to be a (barely) existing thing as Roger Moore's Bond gets his revenge on Connery-era villain Blofeld, is one of my favorite opening sequences from the franchise. After that, it's a bunch of Moore-era hijinks, from entertaining car chase sequences to charming one-liners and Kristatos (Julian Glover) being an above-average Bond villain, while still not among the very best ones.

16. Licence to Kill (1989)

Here's what I like about Licence to Kill, Timothy Dalton's second and final adventure as 007: it is one of the few Bond movies to go outside the box premise-wise. In the film's opening moments, a close friend of Bond's is left for dead by a ruthless drug lord, and Britain's most beloved secret agent sets out for revenge. Instead of following the conventional Bond movie structure, Licence to Kill follows a vengeful Bond going rogue and trying to get to the bad guys without help from Mi6. For a franchise that famously stays in its comfort zone, this was a creative and bold move, which I respect.

Here's what I don't like about Licence to Kill: it should've gone further. I often have this problem with franchise instalments that try to be different but don't have the guts to really be different; for a Bond movie with such an exciting and fresh premise, it sure does feel like a regular Bond movie in the end. They could've done more character-wise for Bond's vengeful motives than some sparse lines of dialogue and Dalton being a bit more intense than he was in The Living Daylights. They could've taken the Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) route by having Bond go really rogue, to the point of Mi6 being a secondary antagonist for the film. All in all, this film was a nice effort to do things differently, but it does feel a tad like a half measure.

15. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

By the standards of this franchise and the aspects that are always compared in different Bond films, everything in Pierce Brosnan's sophomore outing is good, but nothing is great. Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), a megalomaniac media mogul modelled after Rupert Murdoch, is a decent villain but not among the very best Bond villains. Michelle Yeoh does well as Wai Lin, but isn't quite one of the most memorable "Bond girls". The film's best action sequence, the motorcycle chase in Vietnam, is better than the best action sequences of most bottom-tier Bond films, but not as good as the franchise's finest action sequences. Even the theme song, Sheryl Crowe's Tomorrow Never Dies, is good but not amazing.

14. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

While it isn't quite Roger Moore's best Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me is in many ways the definitive movie of his 007 era. From the cartoonish antics and dry humor throughout the film to the very, very Cold War -driven plot, the staples of the Moore era are all there. The film is especially notable for the ski chase opening sequence, as well as Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) certainly being one of the more memorable female leads in the franchise.

13. Skyfall (2012)

Skyfall is a mixed bag if I ever saw one. There's a lot to love: Sam Mendes does a brilliant job directing (between his work on this film and Spectre, he cements himself as my second-favorite Bond director), which is especially evident in the intense opening sequence. Adele's Skyfall is one of my top three favorite Bond theme songs. Daniel Craig continues to shine in the lead role, and Javier Bardem's Silva makes for a fascinating villain.

But there are elements that push it down in my ranking. For an ambitious film that was made for the franchise's 50th anniversary, I feel that it could've been more - essentially, the same problem that I had with Licence to Kill. It's nice that the film tries to be different, but it doesn't go far enough for the film to truly stick out, making the more dramatic and emotional scenes feel a bit forced in the context of a Bond film.

Also, as much as it's not fun to talk about this stuff, I feel a need to address the fact that Bond basically rapes Severine (Bérénice Marlohe). I can give the older Bond films some slack for not aging well as they are products of their time to some degree, but by 2012 the writers really should've known better and have no excuses.

12. The Living Daylights (1987)

While he is fifth in my ranking of the six Bond actors, I do enjoy Timothy Dalton in the lead role - everyone to grace the role, with the exception of Mr. Lazenby, has done an excellent job. Dalton's first Bond film is what you call a "soft reboot" - the franchise isn't changed in a major way as Casino Royale would go on to do, but it's clearly making some subtle changes. While far from being a realistic movie, The Living Daylights is realistic by Bond standards - gone are the over-the-top sci-fi shenanigans and total disregard for the laws of physics from the Roger Moore era.

This was because the filmmakers wanted to return to the roots of the franchise - Sir Ian Fleming's original James Bond novels. I have never read them, but I've gathered that the movie franchise strayed quite far from their atmosphere, until the Dalton era decided to be more loyal to the source material. It is the first Bond film where the stakes feel somewhat real and Bond seems to be in actual danger, which makes up for the fact that parts of the film are a bit boring.

11. From Russia with Love (1963)

The second Bond film ever made is quite a classic, even if I find it to be the most forgettable out of the legendary first three. While many of the elements of the "Bond formula" had been introduced in the very first instalment of the franchise, From Russia With Love added its own touches that would go on to become staples of the franchise. These include having the Russians be the bad guys with an intriguing Cold War backdrop, as well as introducing the iconic character Q (played here by Desmond Llewelyn, who would go on to play the character for multiple decades, across the Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan eras).

From Russia with Love is a classic old-timey spy thriller, with some cool action sequences and an exciting plot. Connery is his charming self in the lead role, as can be expected.

10. Thunderball (1965)

Jetpacks! Underwater fight sequences! Exotic locations in the Bahamas! The fantastically over-the-top villain Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) who wants to blow some major cities up with stolen nuclear warheads! Build-up towards the mysterious S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agency and the main villain Blofeld in an attempt to have a larger story arch for the franchise!

All of this excitement can be found in this stone-cold classic of the Connery era. Not a cinematic masterpiece (not many Bond films are), but a very solid instalment for this franchise.

9. You Only Live Twice (1967)

In what feels like the metaphorical season 1 finale of the James Bond franchise, the much-teased villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld (played here by the amazing Donald Pleasance) finally takes the center stage as the main villain for Sean Connery's James Bond. The villains of the four previous films had largely been various S.P.E.C.T.R.E. operatives, and now it was time to face off against the big bad himself. From the fake-out death that the film's title refers to in the very first scene, You Only Live Twice feels slightly more high-stakes and climactic than its predecessors, while still very much being a silly and cartoonish old-time Bond flick at heart.

8. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

Rule of thumb: 007 films with 'gold' in the title are bound to be awesome - this film is my least favorite out of the three such films in the franchise, and it still makes my top eight. Go figure.

The Man with the Golden Gun is Roger Moore's second outing in the iconic role, and he is fresh and full of energy. The film's villain, Francisco Scaramanga (portrayed by one of the great villain actors in Hollywood history, Christopher Lee), is essentially an evil version of Bond, down to his frightening charm and similar set of skills. The movie also contains what is probably the most memorable action stunt in the entire franchise: the legendary car-spiraling jump over a canal, made possible by stunt driver Bumps Williard.

7. Spectre (2015)

Yep, I'm a big fan of the opinion-dividing penultimate 007 adventure of the Daniel Craig era. The slightly lighter atmosphere (when compared to previous Craig films, that is) makes for a delicious balance of the fun from old Bond films and the seriousness of the newer ones. Sam Mendes does a brilliant job creating this mixture of atmospheres from different eras, and Craig continues to kill it in the main role. The spotlight is stolen, however, by Christoph Waltz, who does an astonishing job as the film's villain.

Speaking of the villain, there are two major plot twists in the film's final act. I won't spoil them here in case you haven't seen this particular film, but let me just tell you that they had me with that first one. The first twist is brilliant, and just what the movie needed - it's probably my favorite part of the film, or at least on par with the best action sequences. But the second plot twist is why Spectre isn't even higher on this list. That twist is totally unnecessary, forced, and a prime example of modern Hollywood thinking that everything needs to have plot twists and connections to work. That is my major issue with an otherwise fantastic 007 instalment.

6. Goldfinger (1964)

From the Aston Martin to the laser table sequence, from the song Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey to the character Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), from Guy Hamilton's directing to Sean Connery's charming acting, this is the definitive James Bond film. If you want to see one 007 movie to get a picture of what the franchise is like, Goldfinger tells it all.

While there are aspects that weigh it down in my book (while I do give the older films some slack for not aging well, this film's scene where Bond really forces himself on Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) is one of the more extreme examples), most of the film is delightful. The plot is well-paced, the action is exciting, and the charm and class of the franchise are at a peak (again, except for that one very unfortunate scene). This film even marks the first occasion of the main character ordering a "Vodka martini - shaken, not stirred"!

5. No Time to Die (2021)

A part of me wanted to rank the newest instalment even higher - whereas a different part of me didn't want to put it this high. No Time to Die is a difficult film to rank, because it is by far the most groundbreaking and different 007 film ever made. But, given the franchise's history of staying in its stale comfort zone as well as my appetite for fresh and groundbreaking elements in arts and entertainment, I see this as an overwhelmingly positive thing. No Time to Die rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, whether it was due to the film's emotional side making it feel less of a traditional action flick or the fact that the presence of strong female characters in lieu of women being treated as objects was a bit much for the toxic masculinity crowd to handle. For the first argument, I do get it, and I admit that the newest 007 adventure isn't nearly as good as a mere action thriller as most of the franchise's instalments. For the second argument, some people really just need to grow up and accept that the world has changed and isn't the straight white male's consequence-free playground anymore.

Now, why would I call No Time to Die the fifth-greatest Bond film ever, even if it does fall a bit short as an entertaining action flick? Well, because it continues the Craig era's ventures into 007 actually being quality cinema, and because the film has more ambitious things to focus on - namely sending off Craig's version of the character with a beautiful swan song, as well as transforming the franchise's style to a less problematic version of itself in order to suit the modern world. These aren't easy things to do, especially for such an old-fashioned franchise that rarely delves into sentimentality, but the film accomplishes its goals in a wonderful way. Also, with this being the 25th film in the franchise, it was a about damn time that things went into new territory instead of repeating the same old shtick over and over again. I mentioned how I didn't appreciate Licence to Kill and Skyfall feeling like half measures when trying to do things differently, and therefore I have a lot of respect for No Time to Die as it actually went the whole way.

Sure, the film isn't perfect - the 2-hour-45-minute runtime is a bit overkill, and I was disappointed that we only got to see new character Paloma (Ana de Armas), who I absolutely fell in love with, for only one sequence. Seriously, I'd be fine if they retired the James Bond character after Craig's farewell and the next film would be a Paloma spinoff. Anyways, I have massive respect for No Time to Die in just how ballsy the plot ends up being, how well Craig's James Bond is written off, and how the franchise finally decided to 'get with the times' and show viewers that Bond is as cool and badass as ever even when he's not forcing himself on every woman he comes across.

4. Live and Let Die (1973)

Roger Moore's debut Bond film isn't a particularly smart film. It's not very well-written, nor is there anything remotely serious or deep about it. There is no real intensity, as the stakes feel a bit fabricated. Having said all of this, I stand by my statement that Live and Let Die is a top-tier James Bond movie. If you feel like turning your brain off for the night and going for some entertaining action shenanigans, you can't do any better than this silly, thrilling extravaganza.

There are chase sequences on the land, in the water, and up in the air! There's a new guy full of energy playing the lead role! There's a hilarious American sheriff thrown into the mix! The theme song is an absolute banger performed by the one and only Sir Paul McCartney! Need I go on?

3. Dr. No (1962)

Where it all began. While some of the classic elements to the James Bond formula only came along in the second and third films, most of the mixture was there from the very start. In its own category of corny 60's spy thrillers, Dr. No is a weirdly flawless film. Especially considering that it's the first film of such a long-running and formulaic franchise, one might expect the first instalment to have some growing pains, but it really doesn't.

The pacing, from the badass opening sequence to the nail-biting final act, is just right. Sean Connery, the most suave 007 of them all, is perfection. Joseph Wiseman is hysterically over-the-top as Dr. No, the film's titular villain. Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) makes for a fantastic counterpart for Connery's Bond. Most people seem to prefer From Russia With Love and Goldfinger to Dr. No, but for me, the very first one has always been the most pure and elegant chapter of the Connery era.

2. Casino Royale (2006)

From the intense, black-and-white, hold-your-breath opening sequence onward, a few things were clear: Daniel Craig was an amazing casting choice for the sixth James Bond, and the world of Bond films had moved on to new territory: quality cinema. While many of the old Bond movies are great action flicks in their own category, they were never all that great by conventional cinematic standards. But Casino Royale changed all that, with its nearly Oscar-nomination-worthy directing by Martin Campbell, unprecedented realism, and successful implantation of the "dark and gritty reboot" trope.

Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is one of the most frightening and badass Bond villains, and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) is the hands-down best 'Bond girl'. Jeffrey Wright is brilliant as Bond's CIA ally Felix Leiter, and bringing back Judi Dench's 'M' from the Brosnan era was an excellent choice. But the man of the hour is Daniel Craig, who is just charming and dry-humorous enough to feel like the character we know and love, but brings a whole new depth to the character with his fantastic performance. You Know My Name by Chris Cornell is one of my top 3 Bond themes as well, and as the icing on the cake, the film gains a lot of subjective bonus points for having casino sequences just as intense as the action sequences, as they had my inner poker fan squealing with excitement. Pure class.

1. Goldeneye (1995)

Funny how my top four ended up being the four debut films of the four best 007 actors. Always exciting to see a fresh face, I suppose.

Goldeneye isn't as groundbreaking for the franchise as Casino Royale was (although I imagine that the gender-switching choice to cast Judi Dench as the new 'M' ruffled a few feathers back in its day - mad respect to the filmmakers for doing such a progressive move in a famously un-progressive franchise, and for having that choice be one of the franchise's greatest casting decisions). But it's a breath of fresh air, and the perfect conventional Bond film. Alec Trevelyan (played by Sean Bean, so, y'know, spoiler alert), with his gripping backstory and vengeful motivations, is my favorite Bond villain of all time. And Pierce Brosnan is my second-favorite Bond actor, barely beating masters like Moore and Craig much thanks to his awesomeness in this film.

There are badass moments of action, thrilling moments of espionage excitement, and charming moments of Pierce Brosnan making me question my heterosexuality. The toughest part of this ranking was deciding which is my favorite out of the two easily best Bond films, but in the end, as much as I respect the dark and gritty aspect of Casino Royale, I had to go with the more fun and entertaining one - it's a James Bond ranking, after all.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate the 15th anniversary of unfortunate cult classic The Wicker Man (2006) by ranking the top 5 worst (and top 5 best) performance from the polarizing career of the actor with the world's largest range between bad and good acting; Nicolas Cage.

Top 5 Worst (And Top 5 Best) Nicolas Cage Performances

Hello, reader!

Last month, unfortunate cult classic The Wicker Man (2006) celebrated its 15th anniversary. The Wicker Man is a great example of why many see Nicolas Cage as bad actor - between his choices to star in inexplicably bad films with seemingly no filter, and his tendencies to either phone a role in for easy money or to delve into ridiculous over-acting, he certainly isn't your typical movie star. But it's more complicated than that - believe it or not, Cage has won an Academy Award for Best Leading Actor - and a deserved Oscar it was, at least according to this movie buff. At his best, Cage can muster some seriously impressive performances. I think Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) from my favorite sitcom Community (2009-2015) sums it up best: "Is he good, or is he bad? Every actor is something. Robert Downey Jr., good. Jim Belushi, bad. Van Damme, the good kind of bad. Johnny Depp, the bad kind of good. There's a spectrum, and Cage is on it".

My spirit animal Abed delved into the age-old mystery of "Is Nic Cage a good or bad actor?" by watching all of his movies and tapping into his inner Cage. I decided to investigate the same mystery the only way I know how - by making a list. Two simultaneous lists, actually - the top 5 worst Nicolas Cage performances, and the top 5 best ones.

#5 in Worst: Stanley Goodspeed in The Rock (1996)

"But how, in the name of Zeus's BUTTHOLE, did you get out of your cell? I only ask, because in our current situation, well, it could prove to be useful information. *Maybe*"

Now, don't get me wrong - I'm not here to talk smack about The Rock as an overall movie. It's a fantastic action film. The action sequences are great, Sean Connery and Ed Harris are awesome, and even Nicolas Cage's character is likable and well-intentioned. But that doesn't stop him from acting in a way that just doesn't fit the film on multiple occasions.

While Cage certainly has his moments in his leading role as FBI chemist Stanley Goodspeed (truly a character you just have to cast Cage to play, based on his name alone), there's a bit too much overacting and other strange choices that don't quite feel right in the film's setting. It's a classic example of the abrupt and inexplicable changes in volume and tone that have played a big part in Cage's legacy as an often Razzie-worthy actor.

#5 in Best: Benjamin Franklin Gates in National Treasure (2004) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)

"I'm gonna steal it"

"What?"

"I'm gonna steal the Declaration of Independence"

National Treasure might not be as decent of an overall movie as The Rock - while the National Treasure sequel shouldn't even be discussed in the same sentence as those two. But purely Cage-performance-wise, I think he's better in these goofy action adventure films than he is in the Michael Bay classic.

Mind you, his style of acting in National Treasure is remarkably similar to his style of acting in The Rock, but the style in question fits a slightly less serious movie much better (actually, it fits either a not-serious film or in some cases, an extremely serious film - but we'll get to that later). He also has better chemistry with his castmates: Cage and Connery never really hit it off in The Rock, but Cage, Kruger and Bartha make for an odd but lovely team in the National Treasure films. All in all, a solid leading performance with the just the right amount of (but not too much of) strange Cage-isms.

#4 in Worst: Rick Santoro in Snake Eyes (1998)

"This is fight night and I am the king"

Cage's lead role in this obscure Brian De Palma film certainly has potential; my problem with it is that Cage himself seems confused about the role throughout the movie. The character of Rick Santoro is a corrupt cop who has a heart of gold somewhere deep down, and the film is more or less a redemption arch for him as he realizes what should be done when an extravagant heist goes down.

Cage's acting methods are just as chaotic as usual, and it seems like he never decided whether he's playing a villain, a hero, an anti-hero, a villain-to-hero shift or something else. He goes from one extreme to another quite quickly, and then back again, making the character and his motivations hard to reach. Still, Snake Eyes is only in 4th place on the "Worst" list and not any higher, because Cage certainly doesn't lack charisma in what is undoubtedly one of his most flamboyant roles.

#4 in Best: Castor Troy / Sean Archer in Face/Off (1997)

"I'd like to take his face...off"

The acting in Face/Off isn't exactly Oscar-worthy, and I know some movie buffs would put this in the "Worst" category (I think a wise man once said that it's a thin line between Good Cage and Bad Cage), but hear me out: the acting in Face/Off is surprisingly good when you really think about it. It may be over-the-top and cheesy at times, but impersonating another character originally played by another actor is never easy.

It is especially challenging here, as lead actors Nicolas Cage and John Travolta make their respective characters so unique and peculiar, and then have to spend a majority of the film playing the other one's character due to the face-swapping story. It almost reads as challenge on who could come up with the hardest character to recreate, and which actor would do a better job playing the other's role. Cage is decent as the hammy terrorist mastermind Sean Archer, but his acting chops really kick in when he plays the role of FBI Agent Sean Archer, who has undertaken Troy's likeness via facial surgery in order to foil his plot. It's silly, but it works wonders.

#3 in Worst: Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider (2007)

"My daddy once said: if you don't make a choice, the choice makes you"

This classic example of pre-MCU Marvel movies being less than flattering happens to also be a classic example of Nicolas Cage's less-than-flattering performances. He over-acts some scenes while under-acting others, leaving the viewer scratching their head concerning just what sort of character Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider is supposed to be. I never got around to watching the sequel Ghost Rider II: The Spirit of Vengeance (2011), largely due to the overall lame nature of this movie - and Cage plays a big part in this, with his acting being so outside-the-box that it ends up going outside the realm of good acting entirely.

#3 in Best: Sailor Ripley in Wild At Heart (1990)

"This is a snakeskin jacket! And for me it's a symbol of my individuality, and my belief in personal freedom!"

If there's one filmmaker in the world whose work Nicolas Cage's unconventional acting chops are perfectly suited for, it's my main man David Lynch. The case in many of Cage's less-than-flattering performances is often that the inherent strangeness of his acting style doesn't fit conventional cinema all that well - but it fits certain types of unconventional cinema like a glove. Lynch has been known to get the best out of many a weird actor, from Willem Dafoe and Isabella Rossellini to Dennis Hopper and Kyle MacLachlan (not to mention rock stars like David Bowie and Sting). So, naturally, Nicolas Cage shines as one of the two leads in Lynch's obscure romantic crime comedy Wild at Heart.

Cage's performance as snakeskin-jacket-wearing bad boy Sailor Ripley is odd to say the least, but you can't deny that his unique brand of charisma feels just right for such a quirky film. His chemistry with Laura Dern is delightful, adding to the memorability of the role.

#2 in Worst: Edward Malus in The Wicker Man (2006)

"OH, NO, NOT THE BEES! NOT THE BEES!"

And so we arrive at the deeply unfortunate cult classic that recently turned 15 years old. Mind you, The Wicker Man has aged well - it is every bit as terrible today as it was upon its year of release, when it was nominated for five Razzie awards (including Worst Actor for Nicolas Cage, and Worst Screen Couple for Nicolas Cage and his bear suit. No, really). This remake of 1973's The Wicker Man is a prime example of Cage phoning a role in for easy money - he doesn't even break out the trademark over-acting until the iconic final scene. Before then, Cage's leading role as sheriff Edward Malus is completely devoid of charisma, as he delivers his lines in a painfully dull manner.

#2 in Best: Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation. (2002)

"Do I have an original thought in my head? My bald head. Maybe if I were happier, my hair wouldn't be falling out. Life is short. I need to make the most of it. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I'm a walking cliché"

Strange as it is to realize, the fact is that Nic Cage plays the lead role (actually the two lead roles) in one of my all-time top favorite 10 movies. A strange actor like Cage does his best work when cast into strange roles, and this is certainly one of those - writer Charlie Kaufman's project to make a film adaptation of Susan Orelan's book The Orchid Thief took a turn when Kaufman decided to make a film about Charlie Kaufman making a film about The Orchid Thief instead.

Naturally, Nicolas Cage was the man chosen to play the role of Kaufman himself - who better to bring out the existential ramblings and chaotic demeanour of such a peculiar figure? Because Kaufman wanted the film to have actual dialogue instead of simply depicting his own conflicting thought process, he wrote a part for his non-existent twin brother Donald, who represents a different side of him. Cage does an excellent job playing both Kaufman brothers, and this ambitious double role earned him an Oscar nomination. Fun fact: Cage is the only actor who has been nominated for and Oscar for playing two different people who both got nominated for writing the same film that the acting nomination is from, even though one of them doesn't exist. Classic Kaufman (and classic Cage).

#1 in Worst: Paul Maguire in Rage (2014)

"I want to find her. I want to find who took her"

Cage's performance in Rage is easily the worst and most disappointing performance I've seen by him. Mind you, he doesn't delve into the cartoonish overacting antics he's known for - bad as those may be at their worst, they're at least a sign of him being a unique and passionate actor. But Rage features a much more upsetting type of bad acting - not giving a shit. It is a blatant example of an actor taking a role for the paycheck, and just really phoning it in. Cage repeats his lines in a dull manner, acts with zero soul and zero chemistry with his castmates, and clearly doesn't care enough about what he's doing that passionate over-acting would enter the mix. Cage's acting in Snake Eyes and Ghost Rider may be bad by many metrics, but at least it's entertaining - in Rage, it's just sad.

#1 in Best: Ben Sanderson in Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

"I'll tell you right now, I'm in love with you. But, be that as it may, I am not here to force my twisted soul into your life"

With Leaving Las Vegas, the film that rightfully earned Cage his Oscar, context is key. You see, his acting in this heart-wrenching drama is actually very similar to his acting in films like Snake Eyes and Ghost Rider - it's classic Nic Cage over-acting with all of his weird stylistic choices on full display. The key difference is that Leaving Las Vegas is a dark film about a man who, after losing his wife and his job, decides to go to Las Vegas in order to drink himself to death.

When he's playing an FBI detective or an architect, Cage's insane over-acting just feels wrong because the role doesn't call for it and it makes his lines and actions feel unrealistic and over-the-top. But when the context is the depressing role of a man who honestly has nothing left, and who doesn't care about consequences anymore, this same style of acting actually makes sense. In this particular role, Cage's style of acting feels realistic and believable, which is exactly what makes the film so gripping - following the protagonist gamble and drink his life away as he has so little to care about that he acts impulsively with no social filters is quite the grim journey. And Nicolas Cage was the right man for the role.

Leaving Las Vegas is a hard film to watch, but my God, it certainly proves that Nicolas Cage is far from simply being a bad actor. He is strange actor, often finding himself in roles where his quirks don't feel quite right, but when in the right role, he is a master of the art. And Leaving Las Vegas drives that point home harder than any other film.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week, as Halloween approaches - and since I already ranked the Halloween films last year, next week's post will continue the slasher theme as I share my ranking of the Nightmare on Elm Street films.

My 100th Post: Top 10 100th Episodes of Television Shows

Greetings, reader!

Well, here we are - after tons of weekly posts every Thursday since January 2020, not to mention a nice handful of Sunday Specials, I have arrived at the milestone of one hundred blog posts. It's been quite the journey - I've ranked director filmographies from Kubrick to Lynch, franchises from Star Wars to Fast & Furious, and genres from romantic comedy to man vs. nature survival. I've gone way off-topic to make lists about Broadway musicals, works of literature and even football, and delved into ridiculously ambitious lists targeted at ridiculously small target audiences, with posts like "Ranking every episode of Twin Peaks (1990-1991; 2017)" or last week's 99th-post-milestone ranking of the 99 best Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-Present) episodes. I can only imagine what I could've accomplished, had I spent all of that time on my studies.

I spent quite some time trying to figure out the best possible topic for my 100th post - ideas like "Top 10 Movie Lists", where I rank lists that are featured in movies (such as the titular list from Schindler's List (1993) or the rules of Fight Club from Fight Club (1999)), as well as a self-praising ranking of my top 10 favorite posts from Top 10 Movies With Veikko Hoffman, as well as many others, crossed my mind. But eventually my mind went to the world of television, and how several long-running TV shows have celebrated their 100-episode milestones. What better way to celebrate my 100th "episode", than ranking the best 100th episodes of various television shows?

Disclaimer: the episodes in question aren't ranked based on how good they are as overall episodes that happen to be the 100th in their series, but rather purely based on how good they are as 100th-episode milestones. Some shows don't make a big deal out of their 100th episodes, but many others go into full spectacle mode with festive episodes that feel like a huge tribute to the whole series. So, without further ado, here's the 100th list of my blog: my ranking of the greatest 100th episodes from long-running television shows.

You know what - why do I always stick to having exactly five honorable mentions? Screw it, today is a day of celebration, so I'm giving an honorable mention to all of the worthy 100th episodes that didn't quite make it into the Top 10! Here are my honorable mentions:

100 (Suits, Season 7 Episode 8)

Day 5: 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (24, Season 5 Episode 4)

Farm Strong (Modern Family, Season 5 Episode 4)

Mercy (The Walking Dead, Season 8 Episode 1)

New Beginnings (Parks and Recreation, Season 6 Episode 11)

Reagan (New Girl, Season 5 Episode 6)

Redemption II (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 Episode 1)

Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song (The Simpsons, Season 5 Episode 19)

The Crimson Horror (Doctor Who, Season 7 Episode 12)

The Day The World Went Away (Person of Interest, Season 5 Episode 10)

The Ship (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 5 Episode 2)

The Variable (Lost, Season 5 Episode 14)

And then, for today's list. Also, a spoiler alert is in order, as many of the episodes shift the show's story in major ways, and these ones are hard to discuss without spoilers.

10. Basic Crisis Room Decorum (Community, Season 6 Episode 3)

"I found the smell. Someone filed a taco"

The 100th episode of my all-time favorite sitcom Community (2009-2015) isn't what you'd expect the 100th episode of such an ambitious and concept-episode-driven series to be. It's not one of the more spectacular and flashy episodes in the series or even the season, but a rather low-key affair. But in a strange way, it feels like an extremely fitting tribute to the show and its roots - almost all of Basic Crisis Room Decorum takes place in the cozy and iconic Study Room of Greendale Community College, and the episode feels very Season 1 with its dialogue-oriented, low-stakes story.

It's a fun series of events with the main cast of characters working on a ridiculous problem together, which is just the aesthetic that Community started with, before going all-out with megalomaniac gimmick episodes and large storylines. The 100th episode of Community takes the series back to its roots, giving us a lot of quality time with the main characters and some of the very funniest gags from the final season - the storyline of Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) thinking he's texting Jeff (Joel McHale), when actually he's texting a Japanese teenager playing a practical joke, is one of the funniest occurrences in sitcom history.

9. The One Hundredth (Friends, Season 5 Episode 3)

"Oh, I had the most fun with you guys! I wish I could take you home and see you everyday. Okay, I'll settle for being your favorite aunt. I know Alice's sister has a pool, but you lived in me. Okay, so we're cool. Yeah, we're gonna be great. Little high fives!"

The appropriately named one hundredth episode of Friends (1994-2004) is quite the joyride. The main event is Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) going into labor, and giving birth to the triples that she has carried as a surrogate for her brother Frank (Giovanni Ribisi) and his elderly wife Alice (Debra Jo Rupp). The hospital setting and atmosphere of waiting make for plenty of shenanigans, including Monica (Courtney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) having their first argument as a (sort-of) couple but resolving it in a wholesome manner, as well as Joey (Matt LeBlanc) getting treated for kidney stones.

While The One Hundredth isn't as much of a spectacle as some of the episodes further up on this list, it does feel like such a major event is worthy of celebrating the series reaching the 100-episode mark. The icing on the cake is the sheer comedic value of the moment where the triplets are given their names - Leslie, Frank Jr. Jr. and Chandler make for one hell of a trio.

8. Game Night (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Season 5 Episode 10)

"Every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place"

Sure, due to the show's title and setting, this series oddly made a bigger deal out of its 99th episode than its 100th - the ninety-ninth episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine was similar to what 100th episodes of TV shows often are, feeling like a tribute to the whole series and very much "the ultimate episode". But that doesn't mean that the following episode would've been a basic venture by any means - the 100th episode is also one of the show's best, and clearly a powerful way of celebrating the milestone (albeit not in the most typical fashion).

Game Night is one of those B99 episodes that take a powerful look at a serious issue, within the confines of the comedy genre. This time the issue in question is homophobia - Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) had recently come out as bisexual, and this is the episode where she tells her parents. They don't take it well, which makes for a lot of heartbreak - but when all is said and done, Game Night ends up being an uplifting episode that puts a smile on one's face. The squad showing their support for Rosa, coming to her apartment to have their own 'game night' after Rosa's parents cancel their game night plans with her, is a powerful testament to just how much of a family-you-find-along-the-way the Nine-Nine had grown to be.

7. The Gang Saves the Day (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 9 Episode 6)

"...God?"

"Hello, Mac. Those were some pretty sweet moves"

How does an 'anti-sitcom' like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-Present), which is very much built on norm-defying dark comedy and the main characters being horrible people, celebrate its 100th episode? Well, just like most of the shows on this list, it paid tribute to the series as a whole by making an episode that feels gloriously It's Always Sunny on every front, staying true to the show's central ideas while celebrating its main characters.

In The Gang Saves the Day, the main characters get stuck as bystanders in an armed robbery situation. Much of the episode is devoted to each character fantasizing how they could save the situation. All five scenarios are wonderfully over-the-top and narcissistic, while truly going into the essence of each character - Mac (Rob McElhenney) envisions himself fighting the robbers like a badass action hero, Charlie (Charlie Day) imagines a full-on cartoon with rat allies and a romantic ending, et cetera. Dee (Kaitlin Olson) getting killed in every scenario except for her own is a fantastic gag, and the cherry atop the cake is the episode's ending: none of the characters do jack shit to save the day, but instead get in on the stealing. This is a brilliant testament to the show and its core characters, driving home the point that they will never grow or learn.

6. Company Picnic (The Office, Season 5 Episode 26)

"How many people need to get hurt before we learn a valuable lesson? One? Two? Three? Four?"

"Dwight..."

"No, no, hear me out. Five? Six?"

"Dwight."

"Seven? Can I finish, please?"

"Okay."

"Eight??"

For this entry and the one after it, I'm especially serious about the Spoiler Alert: these episodes cannot be discussed properly without going into major plot turns, and I don't want to spoil the viewing experience of anyone who hasn't seen The Office (2005-2013) yet.

Company Picnic is a season finale in addition to being a 100th episode, so you know it's gonna be big. It starts off nice enough, with the employees of different Dunder Mifflin branches enjoying a company picnic together - there are wonderfully cringe-worthy Michael Scott (Steve Carell) moments, as well as a bunch of hijinks in the beach volleyball match between the Scranton branch and Corporate.

However, there is one thing that stands above all else in this episode: the reveal that Pam (Jenna Fischer) is pregnant. The reveal in itself is huge, as her love story with Jim (John Krasinski) is one of the carrying forces throughout the show, so their arrival at this milestone is a wonderful way to celebrate the series reaching one hundred episodes. But the manner in which this reveal is done is even better - the conversation where you can't hear the audio but you can slowly guess the context, followed by Jim's facial expression that radiates pure joy in a very moving manner, makes for one hell of an ending. It's honestly the best bit of acting I've seen from Krasinski, very much including the more dramatic feature films he's done.

5. Wedding Bell Blues (Gilmore Girls, Season 5 Episode 13)

"Grandma wants a picture"

"OF THIS?!"

One of the things I enjoy immensely in Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) is that it's essentially a soap opera - but good. Many of the subgenre's conventions fit into the series (comedy-drama hybrid, consisting of various interconnected drama between various characters with complicated relationships with one another), but it is without the type of over-the-top ridiculous antics that we often associate with soap operas. It's a well-written, well-acted and thoroughly worthy-of-your-emotional-investment iteration of the genre. And the very drama that the series is built on is appropriately brought to a point of climax in the show's 100th episode.

The setting for the episode is quite nice: main character Lorelai Gilmore's (Lauren Graham) parents Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Herrmann) have gotten back together after their split-up, and are renewing their vows in a wedding-style ceremony. But what happens within this context is rather explosive: long-built relationships, including Lorelai's romantic relationship with Luke (Scott Paterson), her complicated ties to her ex Chris (David Sutcliffe), Rory's (Alexis Bledel) budding romance with Logan (Matt Czuchry), Lorelai's sour relationship with her mother, Chris's poor job of raising her daughter and Luke's role as a de-facto father to Rory, all come to a breaking point in a thrilling chain of events. The tension is built well throughout the episode (Chris getting steadily more and more drunk is a real Chekov's gun), and the way it all unravels is bound to leave one speechless.

4. Timeless (Star Trek: Voyager, Season 5 Episode 6)

"Hello, Harry. I don't have much time, so listen to me. Fifteen years ago, I made a mistake, and 150 people died. I've spent every day since then regretting that mistake. But if you're watching this right now, that means all of that's changed. You owe me one"

I reckon that the best way for any Star Trek series to celebrate its 100th episode is making the episode hit the very essence of Star Trek, through creative sci-fi storytelling, head-scratching moral dilemmas and an ultimately optimistic look at the future of humanity. This is exactly what Voyager's (1995-2001) 100th episode does, while providing a well-written time travel story that feels appropriately large in scale to feel like a proper milestone celebration. When the episode opens with a no-context scene of the titular spaceship U.S.S. Voyager crashing down on an ice planet's surface, getting horribly wrecked in the process, after which the opening credits start to roll, the viewer immediately knows that this is no ordinary episode but something big.

In this surprisingly dark (albeit cheerful and uplifting by the end) episode, we find out that ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) had made a tiny and stupid mistake while on an away mission, and this had triggered a chain of events that lead to the destruction of the Voyager and the demise of all his crewmates. After years of living with the burden of guilt, he decides that in such an occasion it is acceptable to break the rules of time travel, and to go back in time in order to reverse his mistake and save his crew.

This leads to a thrilling and epic narrative of Kim trying to get his hands on the proper equipment for his journey in time, while the Federation is out to stop him as he is working outside the law. LeVar Burton of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame even reprises his iconic role of Geordi La Forge, adding to the episode's grandiose atmosphere. When all is said and done, most every viewer will feel that Kim did the right thing in the difficult moral dilemma that he faced, and watching him go to such extreme lengths in order to save his friends is very touching.

3. 100 (30 Rock, Season 5 Episode 20)

"Do TV. No one will ever take you seriously again. Doesn't matter how big a movie star you are, even if you have the kind of career where you walked away from a blockbuster franchise, or worked with Meryl Streep or Anthony Hopkins, made movies about important things like civil rights or Pearl Harbor, stole films with supporting roles and then turned around and blew them away on Broadway. None of that will matter once you do television"

How would the TV series about making a TV series celebrate its 100-episode milestone? Well, it's obvious, really. In the 100th episode of 30 Rock (2006-2013), the fictional series TGS with Tracy Jordan is about to air its 100th episode - with the added twist that they're under the threat of being canceled, and the 100th episode has to be enough of a spectacle to get their viewer numbers back up. The show's most classic recurring narrative, Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) going to crazy lengths in order to save the day when her incompetent colleagues aren't up for the job (it should be noted that much of the series is based on Fey's own experiences as head writer of Saturday Night Live), is at its very best here, with lots of ticking clocks and chaotic situations for her to deal with.

Just as you'd expect from an important 30 Rock episode, there are tons of epic guest appearances (Tom Hanks really caught me off guard), as well as moments of meta humor that know no boundaries - Jack Donaghy's (Alec Baldwin) rant about actors not being taken seriously, which is so very clearly based on Baldwin's own career in a delightfully un-subtle manner, brings the two-part episode to a point of perfection. A wonderful tribute to everything that makes 30 Rock great.

2. Invasion! (Arrow, Season 5 Episode 8)

"You're never without me, my beautiful boy. There's nothing else to say except I could not be more proud of what you've become - someone else - something else"

"You honor the dead by fighting. AND YOU ARE *NOT DONE* FIGHTING!"

"I know I called you a murderer. But you are not. You are a hero!"

"You saved my life. You gave me a purpose. This time we had to save you"

The CW's superhero series Arrow (2012-2020) has never made it into my blog before, as it isn't exactly among the top tier of TV shows I've watched. That being said, the series based on DC Comics character The Green Arrow does have its moments, and its 100th episode is chief among them.

By the time it hit its fifth season, Arrow had spawned two spin-offs: The Flash (2014-Present) and Legends of Tomorrow (2016-Present). Ever since The Flash was introduced, the eighth episode of each season had been a spot for a crossover between Arrow and The Flash, with the characters from both shows teaming up and interacting with one another. There hadn't been a crossover between all three shows before, but season 5 of Arrow changed that - and what a perfect coincidence it was, that the episode 8 slot for that season was Arrow's 100th episode.

Invasion! is a three-part crossover event, cut across the three shows - Part 1 is a The Flash episode, Part 2 is an Arrow episode and Part 3 is a Legends of Tomorrow episode. The middle part was my favorite, as it was very clearly a fitting 100th episode celebration in addition to being part of an epic 3-show crossover. It takes a look back at the very narratives and themes that the series was founded on, while having many familiar faces return. It all culminates in a beautiful, heart-pumping scene where figures from Oliver Queen's (Stephen Amell) past and present unite to give him the motivation he needs in order to go on. The episode is an emotional tribute to the series that started the 'Arrowverse', and the end result is nothing short of spectacular.

1. Girls vs. Suits (How I Met Your Mother, Season 5 Episode 12)

"Your suit's death is another suit's life"

"Do it"

"You're doing the right thing. Please don't cry on this, it's silk"

No other series I've seen has a 100th episode that is as fitting of a tribute to the series in its entirety than How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014). Girls vs. Suits follows two very different storylines, and their combination celebrates all the best elements of How I Met Your Mother.

For starters, there's Ted's (Josh Radnor) storyline. He goes out on a date with Cindy (Rachel Bilson), who is revealed by the older narrator-Ted (Bob Saget) to be the roommate of The Mother - the eventual love of Ted's life, and the person whose first meeting with Ted is the point the whole series leads up to. Throughout the series, there had been many close calls where Ted almost comes across The Mother but not quite, and that element is at its very best here. Out of every object in Cindy's room, Ted singles out three items he really likes, and they happen to be the only three things that actually belong to Cindy's roommate. This is a beautiful way of letting the viewer see how meant-for-each-other Ted and The Mother were, thus making the episode into a prime example of the show's romantic and magical side.

And then there's Barney's (Neil Patrick Harris) storyline. His defining character traits of being a womanizer and rocking a fancy suit in every given situation are pitted against each other, when he dates an attractive woman who is adamantly against suits. Choosing between the girl and his suits becomes increasingly difficult for Barney, and it eventually leads to the episode's fantastic climax - an over-the-top musical number, complete with wonderful choreographies and a dramatic performance by Harris as he expresses his unbridled love for suits via song. Whereas Ted's storyline in the episode is a fitting tribute to the more "meaningful" themes of the series, Barney's storyline and especially the musical number are a fitting tribute for the show's trademark flimsy and goofy humor. No other series has celebrated its 100-episode milestone with such a remarkable combination of all the right elements.

Thank you for reading! I recently saw the new James Bond film No Time to Die (2021), and if you're wondering what I thought about it, be sure to check out where it ranks in next week's post - a ranking of all 25 Bond films.

Here's to a hundred more!