Welcome to the FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of my long running blog that I write. Most know on a weekly basis I write SHAUN BERK'S 10 MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS where I include 10 very diverse films each week and the first 4 anniversary blogs have really just been more of the same format but with five years I knew I had to do something different and then I thought of this which I have been working off and on with for about a year. I thought this would be the perfect five-year anniversary and who would have thought it would last this long? Not me, I know that much. I was going to do it on Monday but I figure I will just release it now. I will be going to Chicago tomorrow to try out again for AMERICA'S GOT TALENT which I have no intelligence to say "no" so I will give it a shot again as I got pretty far a couple years ago. This is not a top 100 list and as you see it is alphabetical because I just could not do rankings. You will also see that some of them are grouped as one entry like a trilogy and that sort of thing. This really was movies that have really stuck with me through the years. Some might be films I feel are very underrated that I really enjoyed and want to give more exposure. Others might be favorites from a particular genre or even person. To be honest if I do this again in another month, these 100 would probably be different but please do not expect this for a long time. I now encourage you to go through and see what I came up with. It is a long read so it might just require to skim through it.
About a Boy (2002): The Weitz brothers directed this film which stars Hugh Grant in my favorite film with him. Here he plays Will, an immature man who slowly becomes friends to a young boy named Marcus played by Nicolas Hoult. Will poses as a single father to get dates. Marcus has his own issues like being picked on a lot at school and his mother, played by Toni Collete, who is suicidal. In this friendship, Will tries to teach Marcus how to be more cool and Marcus teaches Will how to grow up some. I like the narration that comes from both of the main characters. I really like a good drama which is character-driven like this one.
Almost Famous (2000): This is the ultimate movie focusing a lot on a rock tour. Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this film which is partly based on his following of Led Zeppelin during a tour. Patrick Fugit stars as William, a rather naive high-schooler who has the gift of writing and writes local rock reviews. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays the real-life Lester Bangs who gives him paid assignments and becomes the mentor to William. William then decides to do an interview with the fictional up-and-coming rock band Stillwater and is then given a shot by Rolling Stone to do a story for their magazine. When first meeting him, they do not want anything to do with him but when talking to him they found he was not so bad and they include him on a life-changing tour. Kate Hudson has her breakthrough performance as the "band-aid" Penny Lane and was so great in this film but has not been the same since. Billy Crudup plays the guitarist of the band and the one in the band that is the friendliest to William. Frances McDormand was also good as William's over-protective mother. This is a great authentic portrait of that time and you can just tell how much Cameron Crowe cared about the story.
American History X (1998): This movie really takes a look at racism. Edward Norton plays Derek Vinyard who is in a Neo-Nazi group where he ends up in prison for hate crimes. When in prison he starts to see the error of his ways but when getting out he sees that his brother Danny, played by Edward Furlong, is on the same path that he was on and must save him from going down that road. Avery Brooks plays the principal of Danny's school and also does what he can for Danny by having him write a paper on what his brother has done. This was very interesting in the way they did not take sides as it shows the prejudice on both sides and usually when Derek or Danny did something violent, they were provoked by something the blacks should not have been doing. It also shows the price of hatred which I liked. There are some pretty graphic scenes but if you can get past the one in the beginning, you can probably get through the film and really learn from it.
American Splendor (2003): Harvey Pekar gets his own movie treatment for his underground comic of the title which is a comic just based on his struggles. Paul Giamatti plays him but the real Harvey, his wife, and some of his friends have interviews in it. It shows him in his file clerk job who on the side did some comics and with his friendship with underground writer Robert Crumb, he was able to get them published and had quite a following reading about this "hero" who was just an everyday guy and had quite a bit of struggles whether at home, at work, wherever. He actually died last July and I had the pleasure of getting to see him speak earlier this year when he was at Ball State. I also got a couple of his books when meeting him so I got one for me and one for my dad who is a fan of him.
Apocalypse Now (1979): This is Francis Ford Coppola's great Vietnam film which is based on Joseph Conrad's HEARTS OF DARKNESS. Martin Sheen stars as Captain Willard who is sent to Cambodia to kill a very decorated soldier named Colonel Kurtz who has kind of gone off the deep end and is seen as a god in Cambodia. Marlon Brando plays Kurtz who does not really come in until the climax. The biggest thing was the rough journey getting to Cambodia for Willard and the other soldiers which include Lawrence Fishburne, Frederick Forrest, and many others. The highlight of this film for me is Robert Duvall as Lt. Col. Kilgore who houses Willard's group. The story is a bit far fetched but I do not feel Sheen's portrayal is that way. A lot of filming was in the Philippines where Martin Sheen nearly died during filming of a heart attack. Just a little bit of trivia on this story. Boris Karloff was actually the first to play Colonel Kurtz on the stage in HEARTS OF DARKNESS. Brando and Coppola had a very rough working relationship during this film.
The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford (2007): This is one of those movies which has just stuck to me which I think about all the time. Andrew Dominik directed this film which was based on a novel by Ron Hansen. I have always been interested in the legend of Jesse James where for years, many people consider him a "Robin Hood" and many films have portrayed him as a anti-hero. While I have used some of these on the blog, I have never really bought into him being any kind of hero. This movie actually addresses what it made people think he was such a hero. Brad Pitt plays Jesse James which starts with his first meeting with Bob Ford, played very well by Casey Affleck. As most know, he actually shot Jesse James and the title already shows it. Bob Ford read the dime novels about Jesse James and his brother Charlie was already with the gang. In reading these books, he thought they were all so true and thought he was this larger-than-life hero and would get quite the wake-up call when he joins the gang and learns of the true Jesse James. I guess this is a western but not a real conventional one and if you're looking for all-out action, this is not it. This is more of a drama of a man who finally gets what he wishes for and spirals into his worst nightmare. Affleck was phenomenal as Bob Ford. Sam Shepard plays Frank James in the beginning but this was the era where Frank leaves the gang. Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker, Zooey Deschanel and many others co-star. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis wrote a beautiful music score and placed the score in the absolute right places in the film where they use Hugh Ross' narration. I could actually listen to this score over and over again. Nick Cave actually has a cameo as a singer in the bar. Roger Deakins did the cinematography which was also great. This is one of the few that I give the label of beautiful where everything just worked.
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974): This is actually a tv movie and a very good one that could have probably competed with the Oscars that year. Cicely Tyson plays the title character who is 110 years old and has lived as a slave. She agrees to do an interview and tell the story of her life when she was a slave, her adjustment to freedom, and her activism. It is a well-told stroy and Tyson was great as Jane Pittman. This is told from her chair and then flashes back to the eras that she is speaking of so it was a rather difficult part to play that she really pulled of.
Being John Malkovich (1999): This is one of those that has always really stuck to my mind. Charlie Kaufman wrote the screenplay and Spike Jonze directed this very unusual story. John Cusack plays struggling puppeteer Craig who takes a job as a file clerk while discovering a portal to the brain of John Malkovich where you can see the world through his eyes for 15 minutes and then you get dumped into the New Jersey turnpike. Cameron Diaz plays Craig's wife Lotte who looks very unusual and Catherine Keener plays Craig's new colleague Maxine who Craig hits on. The three of them however really take to this portal and find other are interested. Lotte and Maxine also form their own friendship. The three of them eventually gain total control of Malkovich where Craig tries to use him to save his career in the puppet industry. This was very well done where Malkovich does play himself. It is a very creative idea executed very well in front of the camera.
A Better Tomorrow (1986): This is a great Hong Kong action film directed by John Woo. Lung Ti and Leslie Cheung play brothers Ho and Kit. Ho is in a criminal organization and Kit is a police officer. Ho did some time in prison and really wants to go straight and reconnect with Kit but Kit is very bitter towards his brother blaming him for the death of their father and promotions that he did not get in the force. Chow Yun-Fat also stars as Mark Lee who is a long-time friend of Ho and also struggles in his older age when he was wounded during a shootout. John Woo shows how violence can become an art. There is a sequel that is also very good.
Bonnie and Clyde (1967): Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty play the bank robbing couple of the 30s upon their meeting and their career in the life of crime. They are very good in their roles and work very well together. It may have been a bit romanticized but I have seen documentaries on them and the movie portrays them pretty accurately. They portray them as anti-heroes but the law really wants them. Not much else to say but a good film on the life of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.
Boogie Nights (1997): Paul Thomas Anderson directed this great portrait of the porn industry in the 70s starring Mark Wahlberg in what may be his best performance. He stars as Eddie Adams who is recruited by porn director Jack Horner, played by Burt Reynolds in what may be his own best performance, when his "asset" is discovered. Jack Horner is the "patriarch" of this family with Julianne Moore, playing the "mother" named Amber Waves of the porn family. Eddie Adams becomes Dirk Diggler who has quite a rise in the industry but succumbs to drugs when going to the top. Each person really has their own unique issue that they really want and we really care about these characters even if they are in a profession we might not like.
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992): I have watched quite a few films on the Dracula legend but for me this one tops it. Francis Ford Coppola directed this version which is more based on the novel. Gary Oldman is great as the title character where we first see him as a 14th Century warrior whose wife dies and we see how he becomes immortal making one of the first back-stories of Dracula. Many years later, we see the basics of the story where Jonathan Harker, played by Keanu Reeves, goes to Transylvania for a business deal but is soon taken hostage and imprisoned in his castle. Dracula then makes his way to Britain wreaking havoc upon the town and seeing resemblance in Jonathan's fiancee Mina, played by Winona Ryder, to his own wife believing she is reincarnated. Anthony Hopkins plays Van Helsing and Tom Waits is rather fun as Renfield. It is also interesting the way Dracula progressively looks younger through the film. This is really a very beautiful version of the legend showing the reason behind the evil and a human side of Dracula. There is also a great climax in the interaction between Mina and Dracula.
Breezy (1973): This is a early film directed by Clint Eastwood and is a rather unconventional love story. Kay Lenz plays the title character who is a very young hippy girl who enters the life of a middle-aged business-man named Frank, played by William Holden, who reluctantly takes her in but then unexpectedly falls in love with her even with their mass differences in life-style. With their differences, they both learn from each other on life. I found this on On-Demand one time and saw Clint Eastwood was directing it and I like William Holden so I checked this out and saw this needs to be on the radar a little more. This is a good and unconventional love story I guess about how opposites attract that I hope to give some more exposure to it. I don't care what anyone says, Clint is the greatest.
Bubba Ho-Tep (2002): This is my favorite Bruce Campbell film. It's unfortunate that not more people have heard of this movie. I'll always explain where Bruce stars as an aging Elvis who is alive but took the name of an impersonator and that Ossie Davis plays JFK who survived the assassination but was turned black by the government. Together they are in a nursing home and take on a mummy who is feeding off of souls of the elderly at the nursing home. When explaining, yes it sounds a bit absurd but director Don Coscarelli and the actors really pull this off to make it a compelling film. I felt this was Bruce's best performance of his career and I really believed that Davis was a black JFK. There were also some great references to their lives and they bring you right with them to destroy this mummy. I also really liked Brian Tyler's music score of the film. It was like these two icons team up to redeem themselves of some of their misdeeds. This is one I have watched pretty regularly through the years. If you get it on DVD, there is a great commentary track where Bruce Campbell is watching it in character as "The King" because he was asked to view it for its accuracy. It is the best audio commentary ever.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): This is my favorite in the western genre. Paul Newman and Robert Redford play the two title characters who are the leaders of the Hole in the Wall Gang which is a group of train robbers. When robbing too many trains, a special posse is on their trail so they flee to Bolivia hoping to escape the law. The two are portrayed in an anti-hero way where the two leads are just perfect for their parts and we have some great action scenes. This is a very fun and well-done western.
Casino Royale (2006): As a long-time fan of the Bond franchise, I have come to call this one my favorite which introduces the great Daniel Craig who will one day play me in my biopic THE RISE AND FALL OF SHAUN BERKEY. This is based on the first Bond novel but United Artists could not get the rights because CBS had them at the time so they decided to purchase the rights and start a bit of a revamp to the series. This is more of the rise of James Bond and in some ways a character study. Bond has just been promoted to the 00 status but M, played again by Judi Dench, sees the loose cannon he can be sometimes. Mads Mikkelson plays Le Chiffre who Bond must stop. This movie shows the things that make him into the cold-hearted person he is in the other stories. Eva Green plays Vesper Lynd who is Bond's love interest in this film. Jeffrey Wright plays his CIA friend Felix Leiter who has been portrayed by many people in the franchise. The opening scene really brings us in and when watching that, I realized we have a new Bond and the best in my opinion. I really like the dark side that Craig brings to the part. I heard they are now in production for the next James Bond film with him in it as they have struggled to get it off the ground.
Catch Me if You Can (2002): This is a true story of former con man Frank Abagnale Jr. who before the age of 19 ran away from home and conned lots of money posing as a co-pilot, doctor, and attorney. Leonardo DiCaprio plays this person and is very good in his part. Tom Hanks plays FBI agent Carl Hanratty who is looking to bring down Frank but comes to admire him. Christopher Walken plays Frank Sr. who teaches him son some about the art of the con but not nearly as good as his son did. Steven Spielberg directed this film. The real-life Abagnale was actually on the set some to give advice. Much of the film was pretty authentic as they also had former FBI agents on hand from that era. Hanks and DiCaprio worked very well together.
Chasing Amy (1997): This is Kevin Smith's third View Askew film where it centers around two comic book artists and best friends named Holden, played by Ben Affleck, and Banky, played by Jason Lee. Tension starts between them when meeting Alyssa Jones who is another comic book writer and is a lesbian. Holden takes quite a liking to her and she even really likes him and form a relationship. However, he hears about things she did when she was younger and has a hard time handling it. So we have a Kevin Smith movie which is pretty vulgar, lots of pop culture references but it has a message where one should not worry about someone's past and focus on the present. There is a great argument where Banky and a guy named Hooper argue over Archie's sexuality. Joey Lauren Adams plays the part of Alyssa and was very good in her part.
Clerks (1994): This is my favorite of Kevin Smith's View Askew films and this is the first of them. We take a look at Dante and Randal. Dante is the clerk at a convenience store who is working a 24 hour shift much to his dismay. Randal plays the clerk at the video store who hangs out more at the convenience store with Dante and lacks people skills very much. For Dante, lots of life-changing events happen during his shift, causing him to break certain rules at the store. The big highlights are of the discussions between Dante and Randal and the strange customers that Dante must deal with on a daily basis. We get a hilarious discussion on STAR WARS which all of the Smith films reference that in some way. Kevin Smith actually sold his comic book collection to find this film and the movie is in black and white. It is an element that works but it was not some statement or anything, it was just all Kevin could afford but makes this first of some great comedies. Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith play Jay and Silent Bob who are some very significant characters through the series. There is also a sequel made many years later which was also quite hilarious but like Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS, this will likely always remain my favorite of Smith's.
A Clockwork Orange (1971): My dad introduced me to this film when I was 17 by getting me this on VHS for Christmas one year. This is one of those that you may not like but you won't forget it. Stanley Kubrick directed this bizarre futuristic film based on the novel by Anthony Burgess. Malcolm McDowell stars in his breakthrough film as Alex De Large who is the leader of a gang called the Droogs. They go around to raid houses and just really enjoy themselves at the expense of the residents. Soon however, his gang members turn on him which gets Alex sent to prison. To get out early, he agrees to a new unorthodox therapy where he becomes fearful of what he loves which is most notably violence and Beethoven. Upon his release, many people he has hurt want revenge and he is defenseless due to his fear of violence. The bizarre part of the film is the imagery which is just really hard to explain. The one scene that just always sticks into my mind is when Alex is torturing a couple and singing SINGIN' IN THE RAIN at the same time. This movie is not for everyone but lives on as quite the classic. This movie was originally rated X on account of no one really knowing what to think. Through the years, it became rated R and deserves that rating.
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002): This is my favorite George Clooney film which he directs and co-stars in as Jim Byrd, a CIA man. This is based on the autobiography by Chuck Barris. Sam Rockwell stars as Chuck Barris who many know as the host of THE GONG SHOW and producer of controversial shows like THE DATING GAME and THE NEWLYWED GAME. He also claims is was a front for his life as an assassin for the CIA which to this day there is no real proof one way or the other. Rockwell is perfect for the part, mostly becoming Chuck Barris. I contend that it is a true story and that he really was an assassin for the CIA. This is Clooney's directorial debut.
Crazy Heart (2009): This was probably my favorite film of 2009 as the THE WRESTLER was my favorite of 2008. I guess the two are rather similar. Jeff Bridges plays washed-up country musician Bad Blake who has lead a pretty reckless lifestyle and now performs at venues like bowling alleys. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays newspaper journalist Jean Craddock who aspires for more and wants to do a story on Blake. They soon form a relationship and Bad forms quite a bond with her and her four year old son. However, his lifestyle soon catches up to him and must re-evaluate his life as his former touring partner Tommy Sweet, played very well by Colin Farrell, wants to tour with him again. Like Rourke in THE WRESTLER, Bridges plays this character to absolute perfection and I even liked a lot of the music being quite a non-country fan. Bridges and Farrell did their own singing and were very good. I am big on films where there is a lot of character development and this one really did it as it worked without the big budget and special effects.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000): Ang Lee directed this Hong Kong martial arts film which introduced a new sub-genre to the genre which was more fantasy and introduced Chow Yun-Fat to the world of martial arts when he is most known for his action films. Here he plays Li Mu Bai whose sword has been stolen by his enemy Jade Fox. Michell Yeoh co-stars as Shu Lien who has been a long-time friend of Li Mu Bai. Ziyi Zhang is also in a star-making performance as a nobleman's daughter who has quite a secret. Chow was good in his martial arts debut. There was also a lot of emotional depth in a love story that has some great martial arts footage with cool special effects.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957): This is my favorite of the Hammer Films and my favorite adaptation to the Mary Shelley classic. Peter Cushing plays Victor Frankenstein who is obsessed with creating life as he has good intentions but they go awry. His creature, played by Christopher Lee, goes onto wreak havoc all over town where he even murders bringing the blame to the creator. This is a really good version and it is still pretty chilling even today. To my knowledge this is Lee's only portrayal of the Creature and I cannot really say that was a good performance since he did not have much room to show his acting but Cushing was very good as Frankenstein making me like this one better than Universal's since at least they gave him his name whereas Universal named him Henry Frankenstein taking away the symbolism of the name. I still enjoy watching the Universal version but favor this one. I was in a stage version of this one time and is my favorite part I have played when I played an evil gravedigger named Peter Schmidt.
The Dark Knight (2008): I have two superhero films on this and both of which are the same year with this one being DC comics and the other being Marvel comics. This is the second part to Christopher Nolan's great Batman revamp with the first being BATMAN BEGINS. In this one Batman has his biggest challenge yet when the Joker, played very well by Heath Ledger, absolutely terrorizes Gotham City. Christian Bale reprises his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne where he feels he is doing what he does because he has to but that there needs to be a better way of fighting crime where he supports district attorney Harvey Dent who is trying to fight crime through the law. The Joker wreaks havoc so much that Batman is blamed for the things that Joker does. I really thought Heath Ledger is the best person to have ever played the Joker, yes even better than Jack Nicholson. I really believed he is very maniacal and Ledger was hardly recognizable in the part. When I first heard about him doing it I questioned it but he sure proved me wrong. Just for the record this was not Ledger's last film, he died during the filming of Terry Gilliams THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSAS. I refuse to believe that just doing this movie is what drove him to his death. Gary Oldman plays Commissioner Gordon who supports Batman's efforts to fight crime. This is a very dark version where Batman is more of a vigilante than a hero and must in some ways resort to the Joker's ways in order to compete with him. This is far from that sitcom in the 60s and the films in the 80s and 90s with exception to Tim Burton's BATMAN. This is the way Batman is meant to be portrayed.
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (2008): I know this is not technically a movie but I don't care. It's my blog and I'll use it if I want to. Joss Whedon actually wrote this during the Writer's Strike that was going on at the time. He found a loophole and was able to get it posted on the internet in order to get around the strike and avoid trouble. There ended up being three episodes that were about 15 minutes long. It has come a very long way as it is available on itunes and even on Instant Netflix so if you have not caught this yet, if you have Netflix, please watch it. If you are in the area, contact me and I will show it. Doogie Howser, I mean Neil Patrick Harris plays the title character who is trying to join a crime syndicate called the Evil League of Evil headed by Bad Horse. However, his big crimes get foiled by the egotistical Captain Hammer, played by Nathan Fillion. Things also get complicated for Dr. Horrible when he meets Penny, played by Felicia Day, who is a very idealistic young girl wanting to help the homeless and he really likes but does not know how to say it. She starts dating Captain Hammer when she believes he saved his life. This was just so much fun and have some really good songs and very significant being something cleverly put out during the writer's strike.
Ed Wood (1994): This is my favorite Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration where Depp plays the title character who was a director in the 50s and is regarded as the "Worst Director of All Time". It shows his start in the film industry and meets a has-been Bela Legosi, played well by Martin Landau, who he befriends and includes in his movies. It also has great use of black and white to pay homage to the era. Some of Wood's hit bad films include PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, GLEN OR GLENDA, and BRIDE OF A MONSTER. It shows his struggles and his hard work to make the film good, but they were just so bad but quite funny. Depp was very good Ed Wood and this is a great homage to the movie scene in the era.
Enter the Dragon (1973): This is my favorite of Bruce Lee's films with most of them I am not crazy about but this one was done very well. He is a martial artist who agrees to go to an island ran by a recluse named Han who holds an international tournament. Han is also suspected of smuggling drugs. John Saxon co-stars as Roper who comes there as refuge being on the run from the mafia. The last focus comes onto Jim Kelly, no not that former Bills QB, but a black man named Williams who is constantly harassed by the police where he lives. This film showcases a lot of international talent like Bob Wall, Kieh Shih, Sammo Hung, and look for Jackie Chan as an extra. This is one that set a few standards for martial arts films in the future. This is actually an American film so if the other martial arts films listed here cannot be watched because you do not like subtitles, this is in English.
Evil Dead 1, 2, and Army of Darkness (1981, 1987, and 1992): In other words, the Evil Dead Trilogy. The first one was really what made Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Bruce plays the iconic Ash who along with some friends decide to go to vacation in a cabin only to find out that it is possessed with flesh-possessing demons. Bruce Campbell went pretty in-depth in his book IF CHINS COULD KILL of the very difficult task this was to finish, and just to get out to the public but their hard work really paid off. In the second one, it is very similar to the first except that Ash has learned a lot and is not as fearful as he is in the first one. In some ways this is more of a remake or maybe re-imagining. In ARMY OF DARKNESS, Ash is transported to 1300 A.D. which is full of zombies so he must do what he must to get back to the modern era. This is a great horror/comedy series which has lived on through pop-culture. They now have a musical. At one point Muncie Civic Theater was going to do it but lost their rights which made my dreams go up in smoke. Hopefully, one day they will do it.
Excalibur (1981): This is an adaptation of the Arthurian legend that has received a lot of mixed opinions. It is likely the darkest version of all time but maybe the more realistic. Nicol Williamson plays Merlin who is a lot meaner than we are used to but Merlin is half-devil. He then becomes the mentor to Arthur who is able to pull the sword out of the stone. He then marries Guinevere and forms a Knights of the Round Table. Helen Mirren plays Arthur's conniving sister Morgana who sires a very evil son named Mordred. There is a lot of very disturbing imagery but I think well done. The highlight for me was Nicolas Clay who plays Lancelot and complicates Arthur's marriage. Nigel Terry plays Arthur in this film. Also look for early roles in Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart, and Liam Neeson. It also has a pretty cool music score.
The Exorcist (1973): This is my favorite in the horror genre. Linda Blair plays Regan who has started acting rather strange putting concern into her mother. Jason Miller plays Father Karras who is questioning if he is meant to be a priest but then is called up when learning that Regan is possessed by evil. I remember first seeing this on a special run in the theaters which was great to watch on the big screen. This is not something for everyone but was a well written horror film. William Friedkin directed this film where the demon and the priest go at it in full force.
Falling Down (1993): This was always one of my favorites growing up. Michael Douglas stars in this film as Bill who gets stuck in traffic and abandons his car becoming very frustrated with society which he reacts very violently to things. It starts where he goes to a convenience store run by a Korean man but does not like his high-prices so he destroys his store. That was just the start of many things. Robert Duvall plays Predergast, a cop assigned to this case and is nearing an early retirement that his wife seems to be the one who wants it. Barbara Hershey plays Bill's estranged wife who has a restraining order on him but knows he is out looking for his daughter. This was a pretty dark comedy and one I have just always enjoyed. It also has quite the all-star cast.
Fargo (1996): This is my favorite of the Coen Brothers. It is a rather complex story where William H. Macy plays car salesman Jerry Lundegaard who really needs some money and has a strange scheme seeking it. His father-in-law owns the place he works at and has a lot of money. He then arranges for two criminals, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, to kidnap is wife so that his father pays the ransom and then he gets half the ransom. Things don't quite go as planned though when the criminals compromise things through their own stupidity like kidnapping someone without license plates. The highlight of the film is of Frances McDormand who plays the pregnant sheriff Marge Gunderson. Look for Bruce Campbell who is on a tv when he was on the soap opera GENERATIONS. Macy was also very good, becoming a more sought-after character actor.
A Few Good Men (1992): Rob Reiner directed this adaptation to the Aaron Sorkin play which is based on a true story. Tom Cruise plays Daniel Kaffee who is a slacker Navy attorney who just always does plea bargains intending to do the same thing with this one. He is then appointed to defend two marines accused of murdering a colleague. He is then joined by Lt. Cmr. Galloway, played by Demi Moore, who is reluctant to join him on account of his reputation. Kaffee then sees that he has quite a case when investigating Col. Jessup, played very well by Jack Nicholson, who seems to have a lot to hide. I had the honor of being in this play which was a great experience. This is actually based on a Code Red in the Marines of a marine named David Cox and nine others severely beat another marine. Cox was acquitted and honorably discharged but was then murdered which is a murder that has not been solved. This was a great military courtroom drama but not sure if you can handle the truth.
The Fisher King (1991): This is likely my favorite of Terry Gilliam who directed this movie. Jeff Bridges plays shock jock radio dj Jack who inadvertently causes a tragedy making him live a little more reclusively and with regret. He then meets a strange homeless man named Perry, played by Robin Williams, who is out for the Holy Grail. Jack soon learns that Perry was once married and his wife was part of the tragedy that he inadvertently caused making him search for redemption by helping Perry in his search for the so called Holy Grail. Amanda Plummer plays Lydia who becomes Perry's love interest. This is a great character study with good performances from the leads.
Gladiator (2000): This is one of those that I have watched many times which takes place during the Roman Empire during the rule of an aging Marcus Aurelius, played by Richard Harris. Russell Crowe stars as the fictional Roman general Maximus who is loved by his people and by Marcus Aurelius who wants Maximus to be heir over his son Commodus. This does not sit well with Commedus when his father dies as he has Maximus' wife and son killed where Maximus is captured into slavery and becomes a gladiator which sends him back to Rome.. Joaquin Phoenix plays Commedus very well. Russell Crowe is just in full force in this film and just keeps us engaged in the action and see his family in the afterlife. I also liked Connie Nielson as Lucilla which is the daughter of Marcus who is also struggling to keep her son safe with her brother's rule. Ridley Scott directed this one.
The Godfather Trilogy (1972, 1973, and 1990): This is one of those that I am just going to include the whole trilogy and yes I put part three. In 1972, Francis Ford Coppola found a great book written by Mario Puzo and decided to make that into a screenplay. It is a great mafia story but if what you are expecting is a lot of killing, this is not it. Sure there are many murders but there is also focus on the Corleone family. Don Vito Corleone, played very well by Marlon Brando, is the patriarch of the family and a very respected man. We also get star-making performances from a young Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton. Pacino plays Michael Corleone, who is a WW2 hero coming home for his sister's wedding. He has tried to stay out of the business but finds that is not easy to do. James Caan is Sonny Corleone and the oldest of the Corleone family who has a tendency to fly over the handle. Robert Duvall is Tom Hagan, the Corleone family attorney and Don Corleone's foster son. The main story on this one is that Virgil Sollozzo, played by Al Lettieri, wants to bring the drug trade to each of the five families which is declined by Don Corleone feeling that while drugs make money, they can bring a lot of trouble in the long run. I also feel that this story got it right as I feel that has been the big decline in the mafia through the years. Coppola also had to fight with the producers to get the people he wanted. Pacino was very unknown at the time and the producers wanted someone like Robert Redford to play the part but Coppola liked Pacino in his earlier performance in THE PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK. We have many iconic scenes like the horse's head, "Luca Brasi swims with fishes", the restaurant scene with Michael, and many others. This is a great mafia drama which would result in what many people considered a better sequel in part two. In this one, Pacino has become Don Corleone and decides to expand his family out to Vegas so we see his family's adjustment. There are also some really good flashback scenes where Robert De Niro plays a young Vito Corleone where we see his rise. De Niro was great in that part. The main part of the modern storyline was that Michael's house was viciously attacked and is looking to find who was in on the hit. Still many beautiful elements mixed with some graphic killings. Many years later in 1990 we get treated to the one with more mixed views with was part three. I have come to view that as "misunderstood". For me parts 1 and 2 get 4 out of four stars and part 3 gets 3 our of 4 stars. This takes place many years after part 3 where Al Pacino plays an aging Don Corleone who believes he has gone legit like what he has always wanted but find that is not easy to do. Andy Garcia co-stars as Vincent who is the son of Sonny Corleone and clearly takes after his father with his fiery temper. One of the biggest criticisms was of Sofia Coppola who plays Michael's daughter and just did not have the experience for that part. I am glad she decided to follow in he father's footsteps to become a director and has done some pretty good things in that field. We also see more vulnerability come with Don Corleone and his age but Pacino still does some great things making it watchable for me. It is better than many other part threes in my opinion. There is also some interesting scenes of the corruption within the Vatican in Italy. Looking at the trilogy as a whole, I have many friends who dismiss it as "long and boring". Yes, they are quite of length and there are many moments where there is conflict in the family and there are family issues where they don't kill people in every minute. There is some great scenes of dialogue and many great actors of old and new so it is meant to be conveyed as more of a drama, maybe a family drama.
Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah (2001): Yes, I'm using this Japanese film from Toho studios where Godzilla has waken and is out to destroy Japan but the government do not believe that it is a big deal. However, to stop Godzilla, we have Mothra, King Ghidora, and a monster called Baragon who all look to stop the radioactive monster. I remember seeing this on On-Demand and I have seen a few of these this was what I felt was the best one done in the series and I have seen that some fans of these films agree. It panders more to adults and has some very good action. No, it does not have CGI but they make the most of what they have. This is the first movie where King Ghidorah is on the good side. If you can get a hold of this one, you might actually like it.
Goodfellas (1990): This is Martin Scorsese's mafia film which is based on the novel WISE GUY by Nicolas Pileggi. Ray Liotta stars as Henry Hill who always admired the gangster lifestyle as a kid and cannot be a full-time member because he is not full Italian. Robert De Niro stars as his mentor Jimmy Conway and Joe Pesci plays the fiery Tommy Devito. Together they take part in many robberies but it gets bad when Jimmy and Tommy start killing people. This was a very authentic gangster picture and even having real-life gangsters including Hill himself on hand. Liotta was great as Henry Hill.
Gran Torino (2008): I did not know what this would be like. I heard all about how great it was so I finally got to watching it to see if it deserved so much praise and I did not leave disappointed. Clint Eastwood directed and stars as disgruntled Korean War vet Walt who does not get along with his kids or neighbors. His neighborhood is changing and witnesses a lot of mischief and gang activity. He then catches a Hmong boy named Thao, played well by Bee Vang, who lives next-door trying to steal his prized car of the same title. Seeing that he was put up to it, he decides to help him and do whatever he can to keep him out of the gangs. Through interactions with him, he slowly forms a friendship with the neighbors and learns a little more about life. Like AMERICAN HISTORY X, this looks at each side of racism including rival gang activity between the Koreans and Mexicans which is pretty realistic. Descriptions of the film bill Walt as a bigot which I did not really find true. He is bigoted towards the crime and gang activity he sees. He saw that Bee was not a bad kid and helped him. This movie sure lived up to the hype and had a great ending.
Hard Candy (2005): This is my Ellen Page selection for this blog where she plays a 14 year old girl named Hayley meeting a 32 year old man, played by Patrick Wilson. He decides to take her to his apartment but she turns the tables on him believing he is a pedophile and taking him hostage in his own apartment to get him to confess to what he has done. The majority of the film took place in the apartment with a bit part from Sandra Oh but otherwise it was these two characters that had to keep it going and they did. Hayley is very determined to get him to confess she resorts to some pretty extreme measures of torture. It is a very suspenseful film with good performances.
Harvey (1950): I have always really liked James Stewart and I laughed so hard watching this comedy. He plays the very friendly Elwood P. Dowd who has a 6 foot invisible rabbit friend named Harvey who is his very dear friend. His sister Veta, played by Josephine Hull, and niece Myrtle, played by Victoria Horne try to have him committed to an insane asylum for what they believe are hallucinations but ends up getting herself committed instead. James Stewart was great as Elwood and you really believe that he has this rabbit friend. He also has a great monologue explaining how Harvey has made his life so much better. I sometimes use a monologue by the taxi driver near the end for my auditions. I think we should all have a friend like Harvey in our lives.
Heat (1995): This is the historical on-screen encounter between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino directed by Michael Mann. Al Pacino plays Lt. Vincent Hanna who is on the trail of a group that had a botched bank robbery. Robert De Niro plays the head of the group Neil McCauley who is planning one more robbery after the botched one due to one of their members flying off the handle. This film focuses on the lives of these two people and in many ways the only way they differ is the side of the law that they are on. Ashley Judd, Val Kilmer, Tom Sizemore, Natalie Portman, and many others co-star. There is a really good scene between Neil and Vincent where they have a cup of coffee at a cafe discussing their difficult lives. This also has a great climatic showdown.
House of Flying Daggers (2004): This is my favorite martial arts film of this particular genre of martial arts which is more fantasy martial arts. Ziyi Zhang stars as blind dancer Mei in the Tang Dynasty of China who is believed to be part of a rebel group of the title. Zhang Yimou directed this martial arts epic which really becomes a beautiful love story mixed with lots of martial art fighting with awesome cinematography. Two officers named Leo and Jin look to use Mei to bring down the group but end up falling in love making things very complicated.
In America (2002): A lot of you are probably noticing that I really like a good, independent drama. Jim Sheridan directs this film where an Irish immigrant family really struggles to make it in New York. Paddy Consadine plays Paddy who is an aspiring actor struggling to get a part. Samantha Morton is his wife Sarah who does what she can to pay for the apartment. Sarah and Emma Bolger play their daughters Christy and Ariel. The story is really told from Christy's eyes where this family has struggled lot and experienced the loss of the girls' brother and the parents' son where each person deals differently. The girls also find an unexpected friend in their unusual neighbor Mateo, played by Djimou Hounsou. This is a great show of a struggling family sticking together and my favorite of that year.
Indiana Jones Trilogy (1981, 1984, and 1989): I went ahead and just included these three. I have not seen the recent fourth one. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is where we meet our friend Indiana Jones, a character played by Harrison Ford, who is a very adventurous archaeologist which gets him into many dangerous situations. Here, he must find an artifact called the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis find it. Karen Allen plays Marion who knows Indiana pretty well and accompanies him on his adventure. She is the biggest reason I may watch the fourth one. I like her a lot and hate she did not have a much bigger career. The next one is TEMPLE OF DOOM which is actually a prequel to the first one where Indy is asked to find a mystical stone and stumbles on a very strange cult with a terrible plan. Kate Capshaw co-stars in this one as Willie who is a night-club singer. Also with Indiana is a resourceful Asian child named Short Round. This one was not nearly as good but had some good moments like the climax on the bridge. There were some pretty gross-out gags though. The last one is called LAST CRUSADE which should have remained that way where we meet Indiana's father Henry, played by Sean Connery. We find that Indiana takes after his father quite a bit and then he sets out to look for his father who goes missing in his pursuit for the Holy Grail. He then joins his estranged father to pursue the Holy Grail but has more problems with Nazis. River Phoenix plays a young Indiana Jones in the beginning of the film. Connery is very good as his father and we then learn more about Indiana Jones through this one. Steven Spielberg directed this trilogy which was written by George Lucas with an iconic score from John Williams as well as a pop culture icon in Indiana Jones.
Iron Man (2008): This is the second of my superhero selections both being in the same year but unfortunately having to be a bit overshadowed by THE DARK KNIGHT. This character is really kind of Marvel's answer to Batman where we have Tony Stark who like Bruce Wayne is quite the playboy and a bit of a prick but do what they can to fight evil. Like Batman, Tony Stark uses his intelligence to create Iron Man. Tony Stark owns a weapons company called Stark Industries meant to supply the U.S. army with his partner Obediah Stone, played by a very creepy looking Jeff Bridges. In Afghanistan, Tony is captured by terrorists and must make an armored suit in order to escape. He then learns that Obediah has been double-dealing the weapons to the terrorists. He then decides to progress his creation in order to fight evil and becomes Iron Man. This is really more of a story of Tony working non-stop to create this perfect outfit where we are with him through all of his struggles to complete what he wants. Robert Downey Jr. is just perfect for this part and in my opinion has the best acting of all the superhero films. Gwyneth Paltrow is good as Stark's assistant Pepper Parks. Jeff Bridges is also very good as the traitorous Obediah Stone who goes onto complete his own outfit to destroy Tony Stark. In 2010, they released the sequel which I liked but not as much as this one. Jon Favreau directed this one and did a very good job.
Iron Monkey (1993): This is my martial arts film from Donnie Yen who plays Wong Kei-Ying who is the father of the much featured Hong Kong folk hero Wong Fei-Hung who is a child in this one. Rongguang Yu plays the title character who is a Robin Hood-type who is fighting the corrupt governement. Wong Kei-Ying is forced to finding Iron Monkey by the government but begins to see that he shares his values and teams up with the Iron Monkey. Sze-Man Tsang played Wong Fei-Hung as a child and showed some very good martial arts skills. I had no idea until now that she is a girl but passed very well. This one is quite a martial arts classic followed by a not-so-good sequel.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946): This is likely my favorite Christmas film and one I have been watching for years and never tire of it where I probably find different things each time I watch it. This is a Frank Capra film. James Stewart stars as George Bailey, a small-town boy from a town called Bedford Falls who we meet as a kid and we see him grow into a pretty good man. Through the years he marries, he has three good children but things get very overwhelming when dealing with the town crook Mr. Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, who is trying to take over the town of Bedford Falls but cannot get a small bank which George's father founded. Lots of things happen which drive George to the edge sending a second-class angel named Clarence, played by Henry Travers in his best performance in his great career as a character actor, who must show that George has what the title implies and shows things that would have happened if he had not been born. Look for Carl Switzer who is most known as Alfalfa in THE LITTLE RASCALS in a small part during the reunion scene. There are also a couple characters named Bert and Ernie who hang out a lot where there is a lot of debate whether that is where the SESAME STREET characters. It shows that we really should not take little things for granted because they can become big things as George learns in his glimpse.
JCVD (2008): This one really surprised me. I saw this DVD when I was walking through Wal-Mart and seeing a picture of Jean-Claude Van Damme, I was just about to dismiss this until I read into a bit and found this might actually me quite good so I went ahead and purchased it. Van Damme plays himself where he has returned to France and is now having a lot of struggles. He is a has-been actor who lost a part to Seagal, he is having a lot of tax problems, and is in a legal battle for custody of his daughter. However, he must forget those things when he is in a hostage situation they make it look like he is leading it which he must make it look that way to keep the hostages alive while relying on his fight skills to try getting out of it. This is Van Damme's best movie and a very clever idea from a guy named Mabrouk El Mechri who actually directed it. There is also a really good monologue from JCVD reflecting on his career and as people in the wrestling business call it a shoot like my friend Jake pointed out.
Johnny Got His Gun (1971): This film was the basis for the Metallica song ONE and is a great anti-war film. Timothy Bottoms stars as Joe who is hit by a mortar shell during WW1 and suffers the worst fate and no it is not death. He loses his arms, legs, eyes, ears, mouth, and nose but no one takes into account that he still has his mind. He then lives through flashbacks and strange dreams while finally finding a way to communicate with the people in the hospital. There is also a very interesting scene where he speaks to Jesus who is played by Donald Sutherland. This is one of those films that show the horrors of war and the mistreatment of veterans. I was glued to the television from start to finish. There is also a 2008 version which I have not seen but have heard good things upon.
Kill Bill (2003 and 2004): I just went ahead and put both volumes on this one. This is Quentin Tarantino's dream film where he pays homage to the classic martial arts, samarai, western, even anime a little bit. Uma Thurman stars as The Bride who was an assassin in the Deadly Viper Association and decides to leave when she gets married. This did not sit well with Bill, played by David Carradine, who along with the others kill her husband and leave the bride for dead. They succeeded with her husband but only put her in a coma. When getting out of the coma, she decides to take her revenge. The others in the group are Vivica A. Fox, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah. In part one, she starts out with a very good fight in the home with Vivica Fox. It's the fight with Lucy Liu that was the best though where she has become the head of the Yakuza and the Bride must fight many others before getting to her. There was a really cool animation sequence on Liu's character when she was a child. Part of this too was like a live-action Anime film where there is a lot of purposely exaggerated violence, among other things. Many of the henchman are wearing Kato masks that Bruce Lee wore in GREEN HORNET. Also, Uma's yellow suit is a replica of what Bruce Lee wore in his last film GAME OF DEATH. In the second volume, they take the action down a bit where it is really more drama when pursuing the rest of the people leaving her for dead. This one was more of a western. In this one, we see flashbacks of how she learns the skills that she learns from Pai Mei, played by Gordon Liu, and in the other scenes she puts what she learns to use leading into the final confrontation with Bill. Tarantino is very good about giving comeback roles to people like in this one he has David Carradine and even Daryl Hannah. Also we have Sonny Chiba who is the Japanese martial arts legend in the 70s, I guess the Japan's answer to Bruce Lee. I am hearing information that in 2014, we will have a part three, possibly with Vernita's (Vivica Fox) daughter seeking revenge on the Bride.
The Killer (1989): This is another of my John Woo/Chow Yun-Fat collaborations where Chow plays a conflicted hitman who when on a job, accidentally blinds a female singer at a bar. He decides to take one more job so that he can get the money necessary for a surgical procedure to get her site back. Things happen where his employers betray him and must do whatever possible to survive. He then teams up with a cop named Li Ying in order to take them down. They soon form a friendship trying to take this group down. These have always been my favorite action films where Woo turns it into an art and adds beauty around the violence.
King Kong (2005): Yes, this is the Peter Jackson version I am speaking of and make no mistake I like the 1933 version but this one for me went just a step higher. Did the movie need to be over three hours? No, probably not and at first I wondered if I was even going to like it but what did it for me was the relationship between King Kong and Ann Darrow. In both the 1933 and 1976 version, Ann Darrow is very resistant of the big ape who saves her from a very savage tribe. In this one, she is once again saved by him and while she first fears him due to the fear of the unknown but then she realizes that he saved her life and befriends Kong. Jack Black plays Carl Denham who is an over-ambitious movie producer who decides to do a movie on this island hiring Ann Darrow as one of the actresses. There were just so many little things that went a long way for me including a scene where she is sitting on Kong's paw and they are both just looking out at the world. Another trademark for the Kong films is that the crew captures Kong to take him to New York and exploit him. He is soon driven to the edge and escapes and in this one Ann just gives herself to him. Naomi Watts was very good as Ann Darrow in this movie.
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007): This was a great documentary of two men pursuing the national record in Donkey Kong. In the 80s, classic video game legend Billy Mitchell set a record for this game. Steve Wiebe is a teacher who when unemployed bought the arcade game for his home in hopes to break the record. When Wiebe breaks his record in an annual tournament, Mitchell sends a controversial tape of setting a new record. Steve then goes to Florida to call out Billy Mitchell to compete for the Guinness Book of World Records. I love watching films where people are so dedicated to something that I deem insignificant and this was a very entertaining documentary on these guys.
Lars and the Real Girl (2007): This was one I was very surprised by. Ryan Gosling plays the title character who is a shy, young man in a small town. He then announces he has a girlfriend which turns out to be a sex doll that he ordered. Sex was not what he had in mind but more of a deep, meaningful relationship. His brother-in-law and sister become concerned but see that he is happy so they support him and his girl becomes another person in the community because of what he feels. There is not much more to say but this did turn out to be a very good love story. This is the type of plot that could have really gone wrong but it was done so well where you really care about Lars and his girl.
The Last Samurai (2003): This is my favorite Tom Cruise film and when I first saw this poster, I did not like this idea but I found I was absolutely wrong. This is a movie that takes place in the post American Civil War world where our favorite scientologist plays bitter and cynical Civil War veteran Nathan Algren. He is then brought to Japan to train a group of Japanese soldiers against a Samurai clan in Japan's attempt to go to the more western values. In an attack that he leads, Nathan becomes wounded and is captured by the group. Ken Watanabe plays Katsumoto who is the head of the Samurai clan who spares Nathan. Nathan slowly begins to respect their culture and learning their ways. This has a similar plot line to both DANCES WITH WOLVES and the more recent AVATAR where a person is angry at their group and begins to like the ways better of the other side. This is a very beautiful film in my opinion and enjoyed the whole thing. I'm glad I watched a show about the history of the Samurai the night before I went to see this.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995): This is one of two Nicolas Cage films I am featuring on this one. Mike Figgis directs this movie which stars Cage as Ben who was a Hollywood screenwriter who has lost his job, his family and many other things because of his drinking. He then goes into Vegas intending to drink himself to death. He then meets a prostitute named Sera, played by Elizabeth Shue, who form an unusual relationship. They agree to see each other but she must agree not to stop him from killing himself and he must not question her profession. Julian Sands co-stars as Sera's pimp Yuri. This is a pretty depressing film but I also found it to be quite compelling Cage did a good job in this one. There are some pretty graphic scenes where it is not for everyone but an interesting film emphasizing acceptance.
Leon: The Professional (1994): This is also one that has stood out in my mind and made me a fan of Jean Reno. Luc Besson directed this film which stars Natalie Portman, in her film debut, as Mathilda whose father has some dirty dealings with some corrupt DEA agents where her father and the rest of her family is murdered. The only killing that really upsets her is the one of her younger brother. When escaping, a man named who lives in an apartment down the hall reluctantly takes her in to protect her. She then sees that Leon is a rather unusual man with the job of a "cleaner". When she sees this, she asks him to help avenge the murder of her little brother and even train her to do what he does for a living. They soon form an adult/child friendship and becomes a bit of a father figure to her and he for the first time experiences life while helping her take revenge on Norman Stansfield, played by Gary Oldman. This movie was actually made in France and the first copy released in the United States had some pretty heavy editing. I then found a dvd which gives about an additional 20 minutes which really make sense of some plotholes you might find in the first copy. Portman and Reno work so well together and Jean Reno was great as a conscientious professional killer who finally learns how to live through a young girl. Portman also made a great debut starting quite a career. The DVD that I have is the International Cut.
Life is Beautiful (1997): This is my Italian film where much of America including myself first got to know the funny Roberto Benigni who wrote, directed, and stars as Guido. Guido is a very funny man who meets the love of his life Dora, played by his real-life wife Nicoletta Braschi, where they then have a son. Guido's world begins to change however when they are all put in Nazi concentration camps where he stays with his son but Dora is separated from him. In camp, Guido does whatever he can to ease his fears by making him believe it is a big game where the winner gets a big tank. Make no mistake, this is not a holocaust comedy. This is a drama during the horrible Nazi rule where a father uses comedy so that his son is not scared. This was such a well done film on that era and Benigni won quite a bit of rewards including the great Oscar moment where he walks on the top of the chairs to get to the stage.
Lolita (1962 and 1997): I decided to promote both on this one because I think they are both very good and each one has its qualities. This is based on a novel by Vladimir Nabokov so I'll just explain the story first. We have a professor and writer named Humbert Humbert, yes same first and last name, who rents a room in a home lead by Charlotte Hayes and her 14 year old daughter Delores which is the character the title references. Humbert forms a liking to the daughter so to get closer to her, he marries Charlotte. Humbert must always compete with Clare Quilty who has his own devious intentions towards Delores. The first one was directed by Stanley Kubrick and the second one is directed by Adrian Lyne and I thought they both did a very good job. The part of Humbert was played by James Mason in the first one and Jeremy Irons in the remake. Again, I did not see any superiority towards their performances. With the part of Delores "Lolita" Hayes, the first one was with Sue Lyon and the second one was Dominique Swain. I actually liked Swain just a little bit better but Sue Lyon was also very good in her film debut. Charlotte is not a very big part but very important where we have Shelley Winters and Melanie Griffith. I must say that Shelley wins on that one. The last main character is the very strange Clare Quilty who is played first by Peter Sellers and the remake but Frank Langella. Peter really wins this one, he was just great in this. Langella was okay but who can match a part perfect for Peter Sellers. As I have pointed out, I can't really say which one I like better. It's very interesting where we have these two guys in Humbert and Quilty who both have obsessions with this 14 year old girl for different reasons. One thing I liked about the remake was a short backstory on Humbert explaining his obsession he would take to Delores. I'm sure both films garnered controversy but with the remake, with today's standards, people really tried to take it down. I had even hear some refer to the remake as "soft-core porn" which is so far from the truth. No, it's not ideal film to watch with the family but two very well-made adult-oriented films.
Monster's Ball (2001): This took me a couple viewings. The first one was like "okay, not bad", then I revisited it later and I really liked this. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Hank, who lives with his racist father, played very well by Peter Boyle in a different part, and has a son, played by Heath Ledger, who he has a rough relationship. Halle Berry plays Letitia whose husband is killed on death row where Hank was the executioner. They meet, not knowing the involvement in that person's life for each other. They both experience bouts of family tragedy and come together to ease each other's pain. I did not really consider it love, nor really lust, they were just all each other had. To me, it was the ultimate love story.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian, and the Meaning of Life (1975, 1979, and 1983): I decided to go ahead and just put these together. These consist of the great comedy troupe which includes Eric Idle, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. In HOLY GRAIL, King Arthur leads his knights in pursuit of the Holy Grail but come up against some pretty funny obstacles but a very well-researched film on the Arthurian legend. The next one is LIFE OF BRIAN where Brian is mistaken as the messiah instead of Jesus garnering a lot of followers but people against him. This one is really my favorite which is a satire on biblical films which teaches us to look on the bright side of life. In their last film MEANING OF LIFE, this one got a little bit more mixed opinions. This one featured many different sketches which talk about life. Some of them work and some just do not. The most memorable whether you like it or not is Terry Jones as Mr. Creosote. We also have THE SPERM SONG which was hilarious. There is also a great beginning scene directed by Terry Gilliam called THE CRIMSON PERMANENT ASSURANCE. All these have some pretty politically incorrect humor and must appreciate this kind of humor to really like it and they might require another viewing with a group that will absolutely go down in history.
Moulin Rouge! (2001): Baz Luhrman directed this love story and another one that just really sticks to me. Ewan McGregor stars in 1899 Paris as an American poet named Christian who joins a Bohemian group and looks for love. In his frequenting of the Moulin Rouge, he meets Satine, played by Nicole Kidman, a dancer at the Moulin Rouge who forms a relationship with Christian even falling in love but must compete with the Duke which puts Christian's life in danger. In the club, there was a lot of 20th century music which was worked in and done very well like Elton John's YOUR SONG, Queen's THE SHOW MUST GO ON, Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN, Nirvana's SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT, and many others along with a few original songs. Jim Broadbent was also very good as Harold Zidler. It's very interesting that whenever I show this movie to people, they guess right away that Zidler is the villain of it because of his flamboyancy and running a rather sleazy club though he was not really the villain as he always had Christian and Satine's best interests in mind. McGregor and Kidman worked so well together in a musical and love story that many people I know who don't like musicals and love stories really liked. It became one of my favorite movies the first time I watched it.
Network (1976): Sidney Lumet directed what was then satire but now not as far-fetched. Peter Finch plays the iconic Howard Beale who is an anchor on the news who has gone off the deep end and due to his ratings, he is being fired. He goes off on a cynical rant on national tv which garners all kinds of ratings so then the network does what they can to get their ratings even if it means to exploit him. Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty, among others co-star. This movie was way ahead of its time and when you are done reading this paragraph, I want to you open a window and shout "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to it anymore".
90s Disney (The Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan, Pocahantas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Beauty and the Beast): I decided to just put this as one entry as this is really my favorite Disney period. With THE LION KING, we meet the lion cub Simba who has a very mean uncle named Scar who sets off a plot to kill the king of the lions Mufasa where it is made Simba to believe he did it so he runs away soon to meet Timon and Pumbaa and learn Hakuna Matata which means no worries. When grown up, he soon goes back to confront Scar and end his rule. This may be a little disturbing for younger children with the climatic battle between the lions and hyenas. This was also turned into a big Broadway musical with phenomenal costuming and music. In ALADDIN, Disney treats us to Robin Williams as the Genie who is made master through a street urchin of the title name. Aladdin then meets Princess Jasmine who was going undercover to get away from the overwhelming duties of being a princess. Aladdin this wishes to be a prince for the possibility of becoming a prince but must deal with the evil Jafar. This has the famous song A WHOLE NEW WORLD. MULAN is Disney's film on Chinese folklore where Mulan is a maiden whose father is being called to battle but is not healthy enough. She poses as a man to take his place and becomes quite a hero. Eddie Murphy is pretty funny as the voice of the dragon Mushu and Donny Osmond sings the vocals for Shang, Mulan's love interest, and if you think that Osmond is just some teen idol, think again as he shows his music talent in this one. In POCAHONTAS, Disney does their telling of the beautiful, free spirited Native American girl whose land is being invaded by English colonists in the 17th Century. She then becomes friends with John Smith, voiced by Mel Gibson, and they try to avoid an all-out war being lead by General Ratcliff. Many people discuss the historical inaccuracies of this film which I'm sure there are many but as far as her marrying John Rolfe, this is not the time period that she meets him. What I liked on this Disney movie was showing the price of hatred. There is also a very interesting song called SAVAGES which is sung by both the white man towards the indian and the Indians towards the white man. In THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, Disney makes what is an already dark story into a family film for elementary age children. We first meet Quasimodo who is the title character and hidden as the bellringer from Frollo, a very mean government official who makes Quasimodo believe he is being hidden because he is an ugly person. Quasimodo soon meets a beautiful gypsy named Esmerelda and begins to learn that Frollo is not a very good man showing how inner beauty is what is most important. There are also some pretty good music numbers in this one. The last one to be featured is BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. This is the classic story given the Disney treatment. We meet a selfish prince who is cursed to be a beast and could only break the curse by learning to love and be loved in return with a time limit. There are others in the castle who were cursed with him where they become things like a candle, clock, tea cup, mop, and wardrobe. Through the years, the beast knows nothing but contempt and finds a man taking refuge in his castle and imprisons him. His daughter Belle finds him there and trades her freedom for his. Through time, he is taught to love again and tries to better himself for her. The other big problem is the evil Gaston who learns of this beast and goes after him. I had the honor of playing Gaston's henchman Lefou which was one of my best parts. This story really seems to convey the fear of the unknown. In this one we have the great title song as well as Gaston's MOB SONG. I guess my thing mostly is the music numbers as well as stories that are for everyone and even have some adult moments. That is why I wanted to just include them all with a brief description.
Oliver! (1968): This is my favorite of the classic musicals. This was the musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic OLIVER TWIST. Mark Lester plays the title orphan whose life is changed when at the orphanage asking for more. He is then sold to a family lead by an undertaker but then escapes that abusive home. He soon meets the Artful Dodger who then gets him in with Fagin, played well by Ron Moody, who teaches Oliver the art of picking pockets. It is a great story with good musical numbers. I tried out for two different versions of this production this year not getting into either one of them. Oliver Reed plays the absolute psychotic Bill Sykes.
Once Upon a Time in China (1991): I consider this my favorite martial arts film. Jet Li plays Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-Hung in the 19th Century who runs a legendary martial arts school but is not liking the changes from the Western world. He must then compete with the local and foreign governments trying to keep in his own tradition. Jet Li is my favorite Hong Kong martial arts actor but I have a hard time sometimes with his American films. This one is really what does it for me as well as the sequels that were put out. I love the beginning theme song which gets played throughout the film during action scenes. This is a great one that did not have to use all the special effects that today's HK martial arts films uses though not a technique I dislike.
Ong-Bak (2003): This is my Thai martial-arts film which introduces us to Tony Jaa who plays Ting. In his village, a very important statue gets stolen where he sets out to get it back where we get to see the great fight skills of this man. Obviously, plot is not what would win over a film like this but the fights. He did some amazing things and trained in the fight style of Muay Borin which is the predecessor to Muay Thai. Jaa did his own stuntwork and did some very dangerous stunts where no wires were used for the fight scenes. This introduces us to a new breed of martial arts.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928): This is the only silent film I have on here and of the ones I have seen, this is my favorite. I watched this one night at home on Tony's big screen tv and I was just mesmerized. Maybe if I watched it on some small screen I would not have had the same effect but this was just phenomenal. This actually takes plays during the trial of Joan of Arc that was put together through a few documents. This is actually a French film where Maria Falconetti plays Joan of Arc and was very good. Carl Theodore Dreyer directed this film which I just can't put into words how much surreal this was with things like the camera angles, camera shots and even the music that was put to the movie. I actually call this bizarre and surreal and it was one of the few silents that just absolutely kept my attention from beginning to end. There was also a very interesting scene where a mother was actually breast feeding.
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996): Woody Harrelson plays the title publisher of the porn mag Hustler which was a person a bit ahead of his time. It starts with the start of the magazine and with the meeting of his wife, played by Courtney Love, and goes through all his controversial moments, arrests, and his crusade towards free speech. Harrelson was very good as Flynt and I have seen shows about him and the movie seemed pretty accurate. Much of his controversy was the degrading material in his magazine on evangelist Jerry Falwell who sues him for it and Flynt argues for his first amendment rights. I will say right now that I hate that magazine but that is my freedom to not look at it. The real Larry Flynt makes a cameo as one of the judges in court. Milos Forman directed this movie.
Phantom of the Paradise (1974): This is an awesome variation on PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. William Finley plays Leach whose music is stolen by crooked record producer Swan as well as a girl named Phoenix, played by Jessica Harper, who Leach befriended. Leach is determined to get revenge on Swan but becomes disfigured and then looks for other ways to exact revenge. This film has some great music numbers on it, I'm a bit concerned about this remake though.
Planet of the Apes (1968): Charlton Heston stars as Taylor, who with two other astronauts crash lands on a near distant future where they find that apes are the dominant species and that humans are enslaved. They are then captured and enslaved themselves and Taylor does what he can to escape. He makes friends with the nice apes Cornelius and Zera, played by Roddy McDowell and Kim Hunter, as well as the very beautiful Nova, played by Linda Harrison. On THE SIMPSONS, they managed to make this into a musical with Troy McClure as Taylor. I guess this genre is sci-fi but are we really sure? Is this what the author of the novel Pierre Boulee predicted. This movie spawned a few sequels, one or two tv series and a Tim Burton remake. Roddy McDowell became an absolute icon after this one.
The Producers (1968): This is my favorite Mel Brooks film. Zero Mostel stars as struggling theater producer Max Bialystock. He then meets Leo Bloom, played by Gene Wilder, who is an accountant and looking over his books. They then stumble upon a scam to make more money by producing a flop. They find a musical called SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER which they are sure will offend everyone and make them want to walk out but instead it turns out to be a big success which is not good for them in this situation. This was made into a musical, one I would love to be in someday. This is what starts it all for people like Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. There were some very funny moments in this great comedy.
Psycho (1960): "The Master of Suspense" Alfred Hitchcock directed this one which stars Anthony Perkins in his iconic role of Norman Bates which was unfortunately the only movie most really remember him from even though he has done quite a bit of good things. Norman runs the Bates Motel where we first meet Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, who is on the run for embezzlement and takes refuge in his hotel leading into the very famous shower scene. Norman also has a lot of problems with his mother, something parodied a lot including with Mr. Skinner in THE SIMPSONS. This was followed by a few sequels with part two being decent, not sure about the others. Gus Van Zant also had delusions of doing a remake which flopped big time. No one can match this classic or Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates.
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002): This takes place in 1931 Western Australia where three Aboriginal girls are taken from their home by the government to learn more western ways. They are taken far away from their home to a school "to save them from themselves". The girls then promptly escape and go on a long trek home evading their pursuers in every way possible. Kenneth Branaugh plays the Chief Protector of the Aborigines A.O. Neville who thinks he is doing the right thing to teach a different culture about his feeling his is the right one but clouds his judgment a lot. This is a very beautiful and sad independent film which is actually based a true story that I want to put on the radar. The icing on the cake for me is Peter Gabriel's great music score showing his many talents.
Red Rock West (1993): This is actually my favorite Nicolas Cage film. He plays a drifter named Michael Williams who is out looking for work and comes into a small town where a corrupt sheriff named Wayne, played by J.T. Walsh, mistakes him for the hit-man that he has hired to kill his wife. Lara Flynn Boyle plays this wife of the sheriff named Suzanne. Michael is nice enough to let her know that he was paid to kill her but then she doubles the money to kill her husband. In real-life if that happens, one would just leave town but then we would not have any movie. Things then really get worse when the real hit-man, played by Dennis Hopper, comes into town. This was pretty unrealistic but a rather compelling story and these are the Nicolas Cage films I like most, the ones that are not known.
Rent (2005): This is a movie which I can watch a lot and the music just always stays in me. This is a Pulitzer and Tony-award winning musical that takes place in New York during the AIDS crisis and focuses on six friends during some very hard times. Christopher Columbus directed this musical which actually retained most of the actors from the musical except Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thomas but she would go onto play the part on the final run of Broadway. Anthony Rapp plays Mark who is a struggling filmmaker and Adam Pascal plays Roger who is trying to write that one hit song but struggles in his poor conditions. Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Wilson Heredia, and Taye Diggs also co-star. I remember Fishers, IN doing the first community theater run in Indiana and I really wanted to do it but did not get the part. There are lots of catchy tunes in this musical which is in some ways more of a rock musical.
Reservoir Dogs (1992): This is the feature film debut for Quentin Tarantino and the one that will always remain my favorite. Lawrence Tierney plays Joe Cabot who has theoretically organized the perfect crime. He gets together six criminals, each of whom know nothing about each other, to pull off a jewelry heist. He does not want them giving personal information about each other. Things get ugly though when the heist goes awry and they find that one of them is an undercover cop. Each have their own color names like Mr. White, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue. Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Eddie Bunker, and Quentin Tarantino are the criminals. Chris Penn also co-stars as Joe's son Nice Guy Eddie. The beginning of the movie takes you right away where where hear Quentin Tarantino's theory of what Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN is about. We also have a great scene where Michael Madsen is torturing a cop while singing STUCK IN THE MIDDLE. Now that I am thinking about this, I think I must be pretty sick being amused by that kind of scene, see also what I had to say on A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. This is the start of many of Tarantino's great scenes of dialogue. Like his next film PULP FICTION, this movie jumps around some so you must stick with it but you'll be rewarded in full in the end. This was actually inspired by a Hong Kong John Woo film called CITY ON FIRE which stars Chow Yun-Fat which is also quite good. A very clever modern heist film.
Rocky I, II, III, IV, and ROCKY BALBOA (1976, 1979, 1982, 1985, and 2006): Notice that I did not include ROCKY V which is the one I call "the Rocky that does not count and Rocky Balboa was the real part 5". I decided to use the series for this entry as I have always been a big fan of the series besides that misfire with part five. Sylvester Stallone was not a very known actor at this time and actually wrote the script to ROCKY. This was at a time when he was down and out in a real-life make or break situation. United Artists really liked the script but they did not want him to star in it as they wanted some bigger name like Robert Redford, James Caan, or Burt Reynolds. Stallone refused to sell it unless he could star in it so United Artists finally gave in but just got a smaller budget and would become a great decision. Most of us know this story, Sly plays the small-time Philadelphia boxer who never really caught a break and fights for pretty little money and is a loan shark on the side. He then gets his big shot when the publicity-hungry boxing champion Apollo Creed is in Philadelphia and learns his opponent backs out. He then decides that it would be great publicity to give a local fighter their big shot. When looking through the locals he sees and likes Rocky's nickname "Italian Stallion". Apollo then learns in the ring not to ever underestimate opponents. Talia Shire co-stars as Adrian who is very shy but Rocky never gives up on her. Burt Young plays the slob Pauly who is Rocky's friend and Adrian's tempered brother. Burgess Meredith is also great as Mick, Rocky's manager. In the second Rocky, Apollo Creed is getting tired of people believing that he should not have won the fight so he gives Rocky a rematch to prove that he is the champion where we continue our friendship with Rocky and his friends. He has since progressed his relationship with Adrian into marriage and she becomes pregnant. In the third one, Rocky is now on the rise as a champion but gets his biggest challenge in Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T, who we first see defeat Rocky. He is also dealing with the loss of his manager Mick where Carl Weathers reprises his role as Apollo Creed to help Rocky get his confidence back and defeat Clubber in a rematch. Hulk Hogan has an amusing cameo as wrestler Thunderlips which was pre-Hulkamania and Vince McMahon Sr. fired Hogan for doing this film and when Vince Jr. took over, he brought back Hogan giving birth to Hulkamania. In the fourth one, Apollo and Rocky are pretty much retired but then learn of a Russian fight named Ivan Drago, played by Dolph Lundgren, who is coming to the US. Apollo feels he must show him up but pays the ultimate price of death provoking Rocky to challenge Drago where the match takes place in Russia. This one has a great training montage where Drago is using all the technology at hand while Rocky just uses the materials that he has on hand at the small cabin he is staying at which I feel is one of the most well-done scenes of all time. This one played quite a part in helping the cold war between the US and Russia. In 2005, he decided to bring back this character which had many people questioning if it would work with his age and all but the story was done correctly which really made it into a very good sequel. In this one Rocky has had it pretty rough. Adrian dies of cancer and he has a difficult relationship with his son Rocky Jr. He then befriends the local Marie which is a character featured in the very first Rocky and is remembered for saying "screw you creepo". She is living a difficult life and is a single mother with a teenage son. Rocky also befriends the son and he has no other motivation except just having friends which I really liked in the storyline. On the other side, we have a champion named Mason "The Line" Dixon, played by real life boxer Antonio Tarver, who people question as the champion with the validity in his opponents. Soon, ESPN does one of those things where they debate who would have won in a fight between Balboa and Tarver which sparked interest in a lot of people including Dixon's PR guys who ask Rocky to fight an "exhibition" fight in Vegas. The fight ends up being much bigger than an exhibition and gives Dixon some competition which no one expected. This fight was very authentic as they had the fight on HBO and got the real people who work for them like the announcers, refs, etc. The big part of this however was differences in the way Rocky and Pauly deal with Adrian's death, Rocky's difficult relationship with his son and the friendship with Marie and her son. There is also a great scene where Rocky is trying to get his boxing license back because his original intentions were to just have a few local bouts not expecting to fight the champion in a very big match. I have heard that this is more of what Stallone wanted for ROCKY V but producers wanted that story instead so this in a sense makes up for that and brings certain closure to Rocky that he did not get in part five. Just please don't do part six. There is no reason to dismiss this one because of Stallone's age. We have so many great moments in these films like the great line "Yo Adrian!", Bill Conti's inspirational music score, the Rocky statue, you name it. It's the ultimate underdog story and can you imagine what it would have been like if Sly had given in and let them cast some other person in the part just because of their name value. Rocky Balboa = Sylvester Stallone and that is just all there is to it. This is something I would like to make into a Broadway musical so Mr. Stallone, if you are reading this please contact me.
Romeo and Juliet (1968): This would easily be my favorite Shakespeare film and really my favorite of his plays. Franco Zeffirelli directed this adaptation of the classic which stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey as the star-crossed lovers who are part of feuding families with Romeo with the Montagues and Juliet with the Capulets but they still cannot resist each other and fall in love. We also see the underrated Michael York as Tybalt, the most villainous character in the story but is really taught that and takes it a step further. In the middle of the film we hear a beautiful song called WHAT IS A YOUTH during a Capulet gather where the two first meet which was wrote by Nino Rota. The two stars worked very well together in the ultimate and original story that Shakespeare wrote of forbidden love. If you look closely you will see about a split second of Juliet's boob. I first saw this in high school and even then I really liked this and noticing people were pretty attentive, they did not notice it. This is considered by many as the best film adaptation which has stuck with me for a long time.
Ryan (2004): This is my only short film to make this because this has become my favorite short film. This is kind of like an animated interview where an animator named Chris Landreth, who also directed, interviews the real-life Ryan Larkin who did some pretty groundbreaking animated shorts in the 60s and 70s but then went into a downward spiral. It then goes into the life of Ryan Larkin where Chris is trying to get him to return to the scene. The animation is the very interesting part where each person has had their demons where part of their body is taken out I guess to symbolize their rough past.
Scarface (1983): Brian De Palma directed this rather violent film which stars Al Pacino as Cuban immigrant Tony Montana. Tony is out to make his way up to the top of the cartel but it never becomes enough. Steven Bauer plays his partner and friend Manny and Michelle Pfeiffer plays Elvira who forms a relationship with Tony. This movie is very violent, it is not for everyone. The F-word is said many times. I remember one time when I was in high school and I believe it was Christmas break I watched this and tried to tally up how many times the F-word was said and I just lost count. There is not much more I can think to say but it is a rather fun film with the dialogue and action. If you watch this the world is yours.
Sid and Nancy (1986): This is a film on the volatile relationship between Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious, played to perfection by Gary Oldman, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungeon, played by Chloe Webb. This one goes into his time with the Sex Pistols and his attempt at a solo career where he had a very interesting version of the song MY WAY. It then documents the relationship between the two where they had a fight resulting in Nancy's death with murder charges being filed on Sid Vicious. This is a very depressing film to say the least but very well acted and likely accurate portrayals. A rock biopic that is not for everyone but Oldman was pretty much Sid Vicious in this movie.
Sin City (2005): This is the film based on the graphic novel from Frank Miller. This movie centers around multiple stories. Mickey Rourke co-stars as Marv, a big guy who was framed for the murder of Goldie and wants to find the killer because she was the only person ever nice to him. Bruce Willis plays Hartigan who looks to save a kidnapped girl and years later sees her all grown up. Clive Owen plays Dwight who must deal with a corrupt police force and teams with a group of amazon type girls. It's hard to really explain any more of this but the cinematography was great but then other movies used this format too much. Robert Rodriguez directed this film with a guest director spot with Tarantino.
The Sixth Sense (1999): This is my M. Night Shyamalan feature and one I feel he just has not topped. Haley Joel Osment plays Cole Sear who has the ability to communicate with dead people who are not aware they are dead. Bruce Willis plays a psychiatrist named Dr. Malcolm Crowe who has been through a lot who tries to help Cole through his visions. Toni Collette plays Cole's concerned mother which was really my introduction to her and turned into quite a fan of hers. Donnie Wahlberg also has a good, small part as a bitter patient of Dr. Crowe. This was a very well done thriller with good performances from the leads.
Sling Blade (1996): This is the movie where I got to know Billy Bob Thornton and this remains my favorite of his movies. Billy Bob wrote, directed, and stars in this film as Karl Childers. Karl is a man who has mental disabilities and is just about to be released from a mental hospital where he has been for a long time when killing his abusive mother and boyfriend as a child. He returns to the small town he has lived at to start a new life getting a job due to his gift of fixing things. In the process he meets a young boy named Frank, played well by Lucas Black, who he becomes good friends with in the town. Frank is having his own problems with his mom's fiery boyfriend Doyle, played very well by country singer Dwight Yoakam, who also jeopardizes Karl's newfound peace. Much of this is focused on the friendship between Karl and Frank. John Ritter co-stars as Vaughan and when I first watched this I had no idea that was Ritter. This is a great story of a small-town man with Thornton great as Karl. He is just not recognizable in this film when playing this part. This is an independent drama very difficult to dislike and makes many of us want to imitate Karl's voice out of tribute.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): This was the Best Picture winner of that year and for it lived up to its hype. Dev Patel plays Jamal who went on the Indian version of WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE and wins the whole thing so people wonder how a "slumdog" like him can ever win that show so the authorities put him through interrogation and even torture. I love the way it is shot too like it goes to the question he answered and flashes back to the reason he knows it. Danny Boyle directed this and I hope. It is a good portrait of slum life in that area.
Star Wars episodes IV, V, and IV (1977, 1980, and 1983): Yes, these are the originals which started quite a phenomenon in the world of Pop Culture. These really do promote diversity where we have humans, we have a black man in Lando Calrission, we have the wookie, droids, ewoks, and many other things. Harrison Ford is in his star-making role as the outlaw Han Solo who is hired to rescue Princess Leia but then decides to continue to fight with the Jedi. Mark Hamill plays Luke Skywalker who longs to get off the farm and train to be a Jedi. Carrie Fisher plays the feisty Princess. All these people team up to take on the Empire lead by Emperor Palpatine but on the Death Star ran by Darth Vader who is voiced by James Earl Jones. Alec Guinness co-stars in the later part of his career as Luke's mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi who used to fight for the Jedi. Many movies and tv shows make reference to these films and have quite a fanbase who would go dressed as the characters to see the movies. There are always Star Wars conventions. Many books have been written and we even had episodes I, II, and III which came out to some rather mixed opinions. These are the ones to check out however in this great sci-fi trilogy written by George Lucas who created icons. If you look at what happens between the Jedi and the Empire, it really resembles Rome.
Stop Making Sense (1984): This is the rock documentary that I decided to use which features the Talking Heads and was directed by Jonathan Demme. This was a great concert film which features David Byrne in that really big suit. The concert is well shot to make this into a good movie with a great performance from David Byrne. The talking heads are a great band who can accommodate to all genres, even my friend J.D. who is 24 years of age.
Strangers on a Train (1951): I gotta include something from "The Master of Suspense" and this one is my favorite Hitchcock film. Farley Granger plays tennis pro Guy Haines and Robert Walker plays psychotic socialite Bruno Anthony. They have their meeting on a train where Bruno wants to kill his father but knows he cannot due to his motives. He then has a crazy scheme where they "swap murders". Guy who is having marital problems takes this as a joke but Bruno is very serious about it. This is a great dark comedy and an idea used for the Billy Crystal film THROW MAMA FROM A TRAIN and a few others. It also leads into a great climax at a carousel.
Supersize Me (2004): This is one of my favorite documentaries and became a fan of Morgan Spurlock after this was over. He decided to look into the obesity problem that we have in the United States and what many believe is one of the culprits in the fast food industry. He decided to target McDonalds where for 30 days he was going to eat McDonalds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and then see how much it affects him. His fiancee being a strict vegetarian did not like what he was doing but supported him. It was a very interesting and dedicated way to investigate what can happen with fast food restaurants who had some lawsuits at the time. I actually did not go to McDonald's for a while but eventually started going there. It was really more of a stab at the fast food industry and he chose McDonalds for his project. Spurlock would then get a tv series called 30 DAYS where him or someone else would do something for the 30 days like in this movie to see what happens.
Taxi Driver (1976): This is probably my favorite De Niro/Scorsese collaboration where Robert De Niro plays unstable vet Travis Bickle who takes a job as the title indicates in New York City where he insists on working the night shift. He believes he must make the world a better place and his main objective comes in the form of a 13 year old Jodie Foster who plays the 12 and a half year old hooker Iris. This does not sit well with Travis that Iris is a prostitute at the young of age and goes through some rather violent means to free her from her pimp Sport, played by Harvey Keitel. One of the most iconic scenes is the "are you talking to me" scene where Travis is in front of the mirror with his newly acquired guns which is a very imitated scene in both tv and film. This movie shows the gray areas of vigilantism and the dark side of the American dream with a great performance by De Niro.
Terminator 1 and 2 (1984 and 1991): These are the ones from James Cameron and in the first one we have the Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger who stars as the title character. He is a cyborg has been sent from the future to kill Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, whose son will one day lead the resistance. Kyle Reese, played by Michael Biehn, also comes from the future in hopes of killing the seemingly indestructible cyborg. This is a pretty innovative sci-fi film where Arnold did exactly what was needed which was show no emotion. I also like Brad Fiedel's music score in the beginning. Onto part 2, where years later Sarah Connor is in a mental hospital because they do not believe her on what she has to say about the future. Edward Furlong plays John Connor who is destined to lead that resistance one day. The John Connor of the future reprograms the Terminator to protect John Connor when an even more powerful cyborg called the T-1000, played by Robert Patrick, is sent to kill John. This was a very good sequel and I really liked the interaction between John and the terminator where John tries to teach him things like quotes and even about right and wrong. John has been living with a foster family and then breaks Sarah out when the T-1000 is out. One scene I really liked was when Sarah Connor started seeing the T-1000 as a father figure to John, one that would never leave him. There has since been two more sequels and even a tv series. I did not mind part 3, but I did not care for the one called TERMINATOR: SALVATION. I just did not feel there was really much to the script. With these two, we have gotten some good one liners that people quote lots like "I'll Be Back" and "Hasta La Vista, Baby".
The Untouchables (1987): Brian De Palma directs this film focusing on Elliot Ness' non-stop efforts to bring down Al Capone. Kevin Costner plays Elliot Ness and puts together a group of non-corrupt cops of the title. Sean Connery plays street cop Jim Malone who is like the conscience of the group. Andy Garcia plays rookie cop George Stone who is a very good shooter. Charles Martin Smith rounds the group out as Oscar Wallace who is an accountant for the police. Together they take on the mob and police corruption Robert De Niro plays Al Capone and does a pretty good job. There is a great shootout on a set of stairs where a baby carriage is also going down the stairs. It is not the most accurate film of all time but still a pretty good movie on Prohibition.
Waiting for Guffman (1996): Christopher Guest directed a series of these mockumentaries and this is my favorite of them. Guest stars as Corky St. Clair who has directed a lot of plays and is in Blaine, Missouri directing a musical on the town history. He gets together a group of very amateur actors in this effort that include regulars Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, among others. Corky learns that a Broadway producer named Guffman will be in the audience to check the show out so they do what they can to anticipate him. I relate a lot to this one being a community theater actor myself.
Waking the Dead (2000): I was pleasantly surprised when watching randomly seeing it on the library shelf. This takes place in a couple different time periods. Billy Crudup stars as Fielding who in 1973 is about to enter law school. Jennifer Connelly plays Sarah who falls in love with Fielding and is quite the activist. When things were really heating up, she dies in a car explosion. When this happens we go nine years later where Fielding is in a political campaign but believes he is seeing Sarah which really clouds his judgment towards the campaign. It goes back and forth into the eras where Fielding is looking to pursue what he believes is Sarah. This was an absolutely beautiful film which is not as high on the radar as it should be so I hope this helps it some. Watching this, I was engaged the whole way through and thinking it could not get any better, I hear the Peter Gabriel song MERCY STREET which really won me over as a fan of Peter.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988): This is the ultimate blend of real-life and animation. Bob Hoskins plays a very bitter detective Eddie Valiant who has a prejudice towards toons. Roger Rabbit is the prime suspect of the murder of studio head Marvin Acme and Eddie becomes his only hope to clear his name. Robert Zemeckis directed this film which integrates Disney and Looney Tunes characters like the priceless scene between Daffy and Donald Duck, also a scene where Mickey and Bugs are together as well as many classic animation characters. This is the best toon-noir of all time or maybe it's the only one. Whatever it is, it was quite groundbreaking.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971): This is one of my favorite musicals which stars Gene Wilder as the title character. As the classic story goes, Willy Wonka has closed his factory for years but decides to reopen and give five lucky children a tour of his chocolate factory. Peter Ostrum stars as Charlie Bucket who is one of the winners and the one who is very poor but rich in the love for his family. The other kids are very spoiled in various ways and learn the hard way that you should follow the rules. I really liked the music in this film but even more I like the way the story was quite dark but did not have to emphasize it with cinematography the way Tim Burton did in his remake. Jack Albertson was also very good as Charlie's very caring grandfather.
The Wrestler (2008): This film ranks very high on my favorites. As a wrestling fan and someone involved in the wrestling industry, I was very excited to hear about this film. Most fictional wrestling films are just stupid comedies like NO HOLDS BARRED, READY TO RUMBLE, NACHO LIBRE, among others. I first heard about this when I was looking for some things in Netflix and was ready to dismiss it but then I saw one of my favorite actors was in it and I read some more and saw that the director was Darren Aronofsky. Once I heard about this wrestling drama starring my idol Mickey Rourke I never anticipated a movie than I did this one. Rourke plays wrestler Randy Robinson whose prime is over but does not know anything else. He likely had a lot of success in his younger days but burned too many bridges to get work beyond the independent leagues. He then must retire and adjust to the real world like his job at the grocery store but he soon finds out that it is very hard to stay out of this industry. Evan Rachel Wood co-stars as his estranged daughter who Randy obviously was not the father to her that he should have been. He does what he can to reconnect with her after his health scare but finds that he has blown it many times. She does a good job in her small part and I noticed that they were cast very well as father and daughter where she has kind of a big chin just like Mickey Rourke. The other co-star was Marisa Tomei who was also very good as Pam who makes her living as a stripper and is friends with Randy. However, Randy wants more of a relationship with her and she has a rule about dating customers that she cannot bring herself to break. Mickey Rourke was absolutely phenomenal in this role that was parallel to his own life as he has struggled a lot in his acting career. Nicolas Cage was originally cast in this part because the movie studio wanted him but ended up backing out and Aronofsky got to cast who he wanted in Mickey Rourke which could not have been a better casting. With my involvement in this industry I find this was a very accurate film on the independent world of wrestling. I know many people just like Randy Robinson and many wrestlers have cited liking this film. Roddy Piper is said to have broken down and cried after the premier liking it so much and relating to it. Rourke also went through a lot of wrestling training to prepare. However, what makes this movie work is that it really is a character study with wrestling involved so people who do not like wrestling can like this one. I know some did not care for the ending but the more I thought of it I see why they did it and liked it. If you want to know my thoughts there just message me.
Well, that is all. I know that you are bound to hate at least one of these so when and if you comment on it, please also include what you like because I know people won't disagree with all 100 of my selections. I also want to thank everyone who has supported me through the years. It is because of that which has kept me going. Next week I return to my normal format which so far includes Denys Arcand, Christina Ricci, Gene Barry, Werner Herzog, Eartha Kitt, and many others.
Shaun Berk's Weekly Movie Recommendations- 260th Edition and 100 of my favorites
11:49 PM with 0 comments »
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments
Post a Comment