My Perfect Ten Movies
'To pluck the best pearls from the sea is indeed a Herculean task but when done, its worth every bit the effort.'
Though the artistic greatness of films (and other works of art) can never be rated or quantified, I have tried to compile a list of my personal favorites for you. This is what I go to the movies for! Listed below are the movies (in order of liking) that I have rated a perfect ten as also the ones that came close to being rated a 10 on 10.
Let me know your views on the same. Go Feast!!!
Though the artistic greatness of films (and other works of art) can never be rated or quantified, I have tried to compile a list of my personal favorites for you. This is what I go to the movies for! Listed below are the movies (in order of liking) that I have rated a perfect ten as also the ones that came close to being rated a 10 on 10.
Let me know your views on the same. Go Feast!!!
List activity
3.4K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
40 titles
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.Christopher Nolan does just what the characters of Inception had set out to do - sowing the seed of a premise and concept that holds so much promise and then delivering that promise with such aplomb, so much so that you'll want to continue living in that world created by the cognitive senses by interpreting what's on screen, then fantasizing on it a lot more with the subconscious.
Inception is Nolan's masterstroke, delving deep into the subconscious of the human mind. Technical brilliance and visual splendor have rarely blended together as beautifully. - DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonOver the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free - The Shawshank Redemption shows us that there is hope even within the walls of a prison.
Frank Darabont uses his powers as a supreme storyteller and an astonishing visualist to their fullest effect. He leaves us a poignant film with a powerful message of hope, and redemption, masterfully told. It is deeper than most films; about continuity in a lifetime, based on friendship and hope that can reduce the most hardened into misty-eyed wonderment. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHeath LedgerAaron EckhartWhen the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice."I choose chaos", says the Joker (Heath Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant) and those words sum up what's at stake in The Dark Knight. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this movie is an absolute stunner. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. There's something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe.
The movie creates a place where good and evil — expected to battle it on — decide instead to get it on and dance. The haunting and visionary Dark Knight soars on the wings of untamed imagination. - DirectorLee UnkrichStarsTom HanksTim AllenJoan CusackThe toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.From the ever-reliable purveyors of digital charm at Pixar, Toy Story 3 is a bona-fide summer delight loaded with action, humor, nostalgia, a veritable blizzard of pop-culture references and general good vibes. It is injected with humour and powered by fun as the adventures of Woody, Buzz and Co brings these toys together in ways that will entertain and move you. What the film does so beautifully is to twist the existential crisis of a toy into a reckoning of our younger selves. It understands how we attach fond significance to those things that have been mute companions and witnesses through the years, and have measured our lost time.
Toy Story 3 hits every button from laughter to tears and lifts you up on waves of visual dazzlement. Unflinchingly honest and genuinely moving, Toy Story 3 is a marvel, an absolute touchstone in movie history. Tag it as one of Pixar's best! - DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.A tight script, intelligent direction and fabulous performances by one of the best ensemble casts in history, make this a timeless film and an exemplary study in characterization.
The drama plays out at an engaging pace making this brilliant war of words an entrancing cinematic experience. Sidney Lumet creates energy and movement through quick editing and varying camera angles, which makes the film pulse with power and emotion despite it's one set location. If you love movies you owe it to yourself to see this one. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleHugh JackmanScarlett JohanssonAfter a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.The Prestige is a carefully crafted story of two rival magicians in Victorian England, directed by the greatest magician of them all - Christopher Nolan. There are nifty tricks galore up the sumptuous sleeve of this mystifying and wildly entertaining thriller, about obsession, secrets and lies.
Nolan has been exploring the dual nature of man throughout his extraordinary career. With The Prestige though, Nolan takes this aspect to new realms. He directs the film exactly like a great trick, so you want to see it again the second it's over. I'd call that wicked clever! - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.In Schindler's List, we see images that we never thought we would ever see in a non-documentary film. It will kick you in the stomach and not stop until you can't take anymore. It will twist your finger and force you to open your eyes and take in things you would hope to never see in your whole life.
Marked by a brilliant screenplay, exceptionally supple technique, three staggeringly good lead performances and an attitude toward the traumatic subject matter that is both passionately felt and impressively restrained, this is the film to win over Spielberg skeptics. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsChristian BaleTom HardyAnne HathawayEight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.The Dark Knight Rises arrived in cinemas on the back of deafening hype. The astronomical expectations seemed insurmountable for even a visionary of Nolan's caliber. So does Nolan deliver?
Absolutely! Bold and unflinching with a scale so magnificent, his grandiose style is an unrelenting and marvelous spectacle making The Dark Knight Rises an art piece of such boundless spectacle and an epic of never-seen-before scope and scale. It visually obliterates the modern blockbuster with a story of daring boldness, leaving its audience breathless.
With its myriad of characters, story elements, plot beats and emotional arcs, it becomes a gripping adventure commanding every iota of your attention. The Dark Knight Rises is intelligent, heart-pounding spectacle cinema that grips like a vice from minute one and won't let go. Hail Nolan! - DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsJürgen ProchnowHerbert GrönemeyerKlaus WennemannA German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.Director Wolfgang Petersen’s claustrophobic masterpiece Das Boot is the ultimate submarine adventure that will leave you with no more fingernails to chew. We follow the exploits of the crew of German submarine U-96, as it gets sent on its mission to destroy Allied convoys.
The submarine is 10 feet by 150 feet, and the sweaty claustrophobia of dim lights, reverberating sounds and confined faces is conveyed spectacularly through some amazing performances and incredible direction. And such is the marvellous depiction of fear in the crew's eyes, as they huddle in silence each time the enemy lurks above! The suspense literally keeps you at the edge of your seat - the silence, deafening. The movie is put together with such fantastic detail, it brings us into the very belly of U-96, almost smelling the mouldy air, feeling the sickening lurches of the depth charges and yearning for fresh air. Brilliant, moving filmmaking like this deserves a place on your shelf. - DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'AngeloLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.Make no mistake, this movie is not pretty. It's not fun. It made me squirm and cringe. Not because it was bad, but because it's powerful stuff.
It is a refreshing change from the usual saccharine attempts to address racism - a brilliant tale told without restraint or bias.
When Edward Norton's brilliant, fully rounded performance rubs up against the film's grainy toughness - complimented by an impressive, gut-wrenching screenplay - American History X becomes an exhilarating experience. - DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.The Silence of the Lambs is a movie without unnecessary excess, with all its' facets merging perfectly in the telling of the tale. It runs the gamut of emotions while still capturing a clever wit and a searing intelligence. Jonathan Demme exercises a great level of restraint in the midst of portraying madness.
But no comment about this film is complete without a mention of the lead cast. Hopkin's Hannibal Lecter is a visual treat. What makes him more than your everyday villain is the piercing intelligence and irresistible charm he brings to the role. Jodie Foster imbues Clarice Starling with such humanity one can't help but feel connected to her and her pain.
A powerfully compelling cinematic experience! - DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.An acerbic, darkly comic critique of how social conventions can lead people into false, sterile and emotionally stunted lives, American Beauty is a real American original. Sam Mendes (in one of the most promising debuts in cinematic history) whips the audience around from humor to horror to something poetic and humane.
American Beauty is emotionally satisfying. There's a sense of poignancy at the end, but also the feeling that we have been on an incredible trip through the lives and souls of three perfectly-realized characters.
The result is the kind of artful defiance that Hollywood is usually too timid to deliver: a jolting comedy that makes you laugh till it hurts. - DirectorTerry GeorgeStarsDon CheadleSophie OkonedoJoaquin PhoenixPaul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa.The film is beautifully understated, eschewing sentimentality in favor of raw emotion and letting the story tell itself. The acting is flawless with Don Cheadle's breathtaking performance being a particular standout and a stirring potrayal of Paul's Tutsi wife, Tatiana by Sophie Okonedo.
Filled with indelible, haunting images, it's a moving and provocative film that shows how one man can make a difference, even when the evils and horrors around him appear unsurmountable. All in all, this is a film of rare courage and imperishable heart that deserves to be seen. - DirectorAndrew StantonLee UnkrichStarsAlbert BrooksEllen DeGeneresAlexander GouldAfter his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.Pixar's animation wonder - Finding Nemo, is a shimmery, velvety undersea coming-of-age story which is aglow with translucent sea flora and shimmering, iridescent creatures. Every moment is magnificently orchestrated to tease a response from us - anything from awe to aw-shucks - and those who don't fall for it are sure to be denounced as insensitive, blind to the magic of animation and, last but not least, pitiably unable to view the world through the eyes of a child.
All in all - A buoyant adventure that continues Pixar’s winning streak! It's pure artistry! - DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris HemsworthMark RuffaloThe Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.It's been a long time since a movie had me laughing, crying, feeling anxious, shouting at the screen in anger, feeling warm and fuzzy and ending with me feeling like I need a support group just to deal with the climax!
With Avengers: Infinity War, not only do the Russo Brothers orchestrate mayhem on a staggering scale, they succeed in fitting together all the pieces of a massive jigsaw in which each character has a place and a chance to shine, while cleverly juxtaposing humor with the tragic scenes, so you don't feel overwhelmed seeing all the destruction.
It ends on a gut-punch cliffhanger, albeit not one that makes you feel ripped off. Avengers: Infinity War feels like the stunning culmination of a decade's work at Marvel and every superhero fan's dream epic. - DirectorAnthony RussoJoe RussoStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansMark RuffaloAfter the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos' actions and restore balance to the universe.To finish Marvel’s first decade and clear the ground for the second, all Marvel had to do was to tie up all the myriad strands of plot (including the pan-cosmic genocide of Infinity War) and countless emotional conflicts left dangling by the 22-strong series launched in 2008. But with Avengers: Endgame, they do all of that and so much more. With this movie, Marvel does not merely redefine the superhero genre, but takes the old model, beats it to a pulp, and creates a genus that consistently delivers on action and emotion-filled story lines built on genuinely human characters. It dares to wrestle with big, existential issues, confront some surprisingly grown up questions and take enormous narrative risks.
It represents a staggering achievement on several fronts, none perhaps quite as startling as its absolute mastery of narrative. A miraculous blend of grief and humor- big, bold, brash, then sneakily meta. The word 'epic' gets thrown around so much that we've forgotten what it actually means. This movie is here to remind you exactly that! - DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason FlemyngDexter FletcherNick MoranEddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is loaded with a troupe of unforgettable larrikins, played with boisterous enthusiasm by a solid, ensemble cast.
The plot is very clever and has a delirious pace (Guy Ritchie in top form) that threatens to draw you from your seat at every turn as the fortunes of the protagonists change in flashes, from sky-high to rock bottom. Thus begins a violent, dangerous and funny ride to the unexpected conclusion of the film.
The movie works beautifully as an exercise in joyful anarchy, an unsentimental roller-coaster ride that is both violent and funny. It has an exuberance, and in a time when movies follow formulas like zombies, it's alive. - DirectorBryan SingerStarsKevin SpaceyGabriel ByrneChazz PalminteriThe sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.The irony here is that nothing is remotely 'usual' about The Usual Suspects. The plot is a Chinese puzzle box of a thriller.
The Usual Suspects is acted to sweet perfection with an absolutely enthralling performance by Kevin Spacey. Bryan Singer's sensationally assured direction exerts a riptide pull. A terrific cast of exciting actors socks over this absorbingly complicated yarn that's been spun in seductively slick fashion.
A whammy of a surprise ending makes you want to see the film again to see if Singer pulled a few fast ones to make the pieces fit. A must watch! - DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansScarlett JohanssonEarth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.The Avengers is a clean-burning, six-cylinder entertainment -a wall-to-wall action bonanza, executed with a fluid coherence. It laughs in the face of expectation and instead sets its own bar that all blockbusters need to follow. Smart, funny and pulsating, Joss Whedon succeeds in appeasing its core fanbase. If you dont believe me, check out the thrilling alien-bashing finale on the streets of Manhattan - it is a pure fanboy wet-dream.
From ambition to scale to the way it justly balances each remarkable character - The Avengers is utterly stimulating, satisfyingly scripted and damn right faultless big screen entertainment. The Avengers make us do something increasingly rare in these over-franchised times - root for a sequel. Go smash! - DirectorBilly WilderStarsTyrone PowerMarlene DietrichCharles LaughtonA veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise.Witness for the Prosecution is much more than your quintessential courtroom drama - it is a labyrinthine thriller that has a palpable atmosphere of treachery to give you one of the most involving films ever made.
It has Billy Wilder's dark, intelligent and witty paw prints all over the snappy dialogue, unique characters (special mention of the amazing chemistry between Charles Laughton and his overbearing nurse, played with great cheek and determination by Elsa Lanchester) and intriguing plot.
The twists, turns and utter contortions of this simple case of murder keep you glued. Well, after all, it's Billy Wilder! - DirectorDavid FincherStarsMorgan FreemanBrad PittKevin SpaceyTwo detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.Se7en is a nerve-jangling thriller, evocatively shot by visionary director David Fincher, who crafts one of the most iconic films of the ‘90s.
It is impossible to deny the potency and artistry with which Fincher executes the material. Although very little of each murder is shown, the director expertly allows suggestion to lead the appalled viewer towards the truly cataclysmic climax. Fincher’s sepia-toned gloom successfully lends the film the knock-out punch it intends to. It plays out at an engaging pace destined to entrance you with it's abject horror. The film is as dark and brutal as a film can be, without showing much actual violence. Most of the stuff in the film is implied, but it’s so damn disturbing that you feel like you actually saw it… And that is the beauty of Se7en! - DirectorBrad BirdJan PinkavaStarsBrad GarrettLou RomanoPatton OswaltA rat who can cook makes an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous Paris restaurant.I could go on for hours about the delights of Ratatouille. The animation is superb, the vocals flawless, the script witty, the central dilemma between family ties and the pursuit of excellence subtly handled. Its jokes (all of them brilliant), its conflict (all of it rousing), its every move springs from this simple fact: Ratatouille has heart. Brad Bird gives us the most distasteful setup imaginable – Rats in the kitchen! Not only touching the food, but preparing it - and turns it around into something absolutely delectable.
Ratatouille is an intricate dish, infused with energetic and amusing storylines that are all fully cooked and complementary to the film's rich visual look. Bring your hardiest appetite. Ratatouille is immensely satisfying! - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a spectacle with the emotional charge of a thunderbolt on a canvas brushed with master strokes. With authority and disarming creative propensity, Peter Jackson is the creator of illusions borne from J.R.R. Tolkien's epic novel. The result is a marvellous journey in the magical land of Middle-Earth, where gentle hobbits, noble elves, powerful wizards and humans meld with trolls, misshapen orcs, black-cloaked ringwraiths and Uruk-Hai.
Cinematically inspiring, the costume, production design, prosthetic body parts and make up are extraordinary in their detail, complete in every way. Taking us on a magic carpet ride and fulfilling every dream of our imagination, it's an inspiring, stimulating, thrilling, terrifying, exciting and wondrous adventure that is totally unforgettable. - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenViggo MortensenWhile Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is an awesome spectacle that seamlessly integrates breathtaking visual and computer generated effects with its central story that even the smallest person can change the course of the world.
It is a worthy continuation to the first film, and while we are once again dazzled by the complexity of Jackson’s vision, we are never overwhelmed by the vastness of scale, which only complements its integral heart. Peter Jackson changes cinematic history with what is not merely a great adaptation of a work of literature, but a real creative elaboration of it in a way that only moving pictures and music and soundscapes can elaborate on words.
The Two Towers is a dazzling adrenalin fantasy rush. - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodViggo MortensenIan McKellenGandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.With The Return of the King, Peter Jackson does author J.R.R. Tolkien proud by turning his tome into a film epic by which all future film epics will be judged. This one pops your eyes, excites your senses and brings you in as close as a whisper for scenes of startling emotion.
The themes of honour and nobility of spirit, of decency and loyalty are carried through the extended adventures and are the prime drivers of the film. Sure, it's jaw-dropping spectacle and unparalleled ambition realised on screen, but it's more than that. It's a fitting end to the journey. The Rings trilogy is more than a movie. It's a colossus on the march into screen legend. - DirectorPete DocterRonnie Del CarmenStarsAmy PoehlerBill HaderLewis BlackAfter young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.It's old hat to call a movie an "emotional thrill ride," but in Inside Out, it's literally true, as the abstract concepts of our minds prove to be the perfect playground for the Pixar pixelators.
The film is, literally and figuratively, an emotionally driven masterpiece. Emotions run wildly funny in this exceedingly original story. But what's most brilliant about the luminously beautiful Inside Out, is how director Pete Docter not only connects beautifully to those emotions but turns them into his characters. Working with a multi-layered story, dazzling conceptual design, and the same gorgeous animation that we have come to expect, Inside Out comes with a surprising amount of depth, resulting in a film that is not only delightfully entertaining, but also thought-provoking and very much emotionally-complex.
There’s not really any other way to say it: it’s quite simply a masterpiece. - DirectorFernando MeirellesKátia LundStarsAlexandre RodriguesLeandro FirminoMatheus NachtergaeleIn the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.City of God is an arresting and unmissable cinematic triumph, peopled with affecting characters that avoid cliche, and a familiar story signposted with brutally shocking punctuation.
In a film of battering audacity, no shock hits harder than the way that director Fernando Meirelles choreographs murder to a dance beat, an exuberant form of kiddie recreation. Meirelles is a world-class talent who illuminates every frame of this fresh, ferocious and indelibly moving film that moves at whiplash velocity thanks to a terse script. City of God has the scent of a classic! - DirectorFran KranzStarsJason IsaacsMartha PlimptonAnn DowdThe parents of both the shooter and one of the victims of a school shooting tragedy agree to meet and talk in an attempt to move forward.‘Mass’ - Fran Kranz’s meditative chamber piece, is a sober and gut-wrenching piece of filmmaking, built around an intensely emotional dialogue of grief, regret and maybe catharsis, as performed brilliantly by a quartet of actors.
In a master stroke of genius, Kranz keeps his cards close to the chest, not revealing what the meeting is about until we are well into the film. And in a film so sparse on setting and character, it’s a nice little technique that tees us up for the emotional maelstrom that is to come. The beauty of this slow burn revelation comes from how organically it all plays out in Kranz’s whip-smart and intricately detailed script.
And in the conversation that ensues — as the point of their encounter becomes clearer — what begins as an impressive exercise in acting and character development assumes the contours of something far more seismic and emotionally shattering. Sorting through the debris of madness: ‘Mass’ crafts a spiritually enlightening meditation on grief. - DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithThandiwe NewtonJaden SmithA struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional career.In its outlines, it's nothing like the usual success story, in which, after a reasonable interval of disappointment, success arrives wrapped in a ribbon and a bow. Instead, this success story chronicles a series of soul-sickening failures and defeats and missed opportunities, all of which are accompanied by a concomitant accretion of barely perceptible victories that gradually amount to something.
The Pursuit of Happyness is a go-for-the-gold heart-warmer affirming that anyone can pull himself up by the bootstraps and make something of himself. Smith plays Gardener with such wry, resigned matter-of-factness that you cant help but root for him. In other words, it all feels real! - DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsZach GalifianakisBradley CooperJustin BarthaThree buddies wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas, with no memory of the previous night and the bachelor missing. They make their way around the city in order to find their friend before his wedding.Sin, shots, and strippers - It's hard to bring something new to this setup and get too creative with it But it is within such complicated comedic realities that Todd Phillips tackles The Hangover, and he delivers big time. Uproariously funny, this pre-marriage road trip turns the events of one night of drunken debauchery into the stuff of movie myth -- and you can't help but laugh all the way through.
There are so many moments to savour; it never feels like a series of skits, but an unravelling in which we all participate. Here is a movie that deserves every letter of its R rating. - DirectorClint EastwoodStarsAngelina JolieColm FeoreAmy RyanAfter Christine's son goes missing, she reaches out to the LAPD to find him. But when they try to pass off an impostor as her son to quieten public protests, she refuses to accept him or give up hope.Changeling, a riveting true crime story set in Los Angeles in 1928, is proof of Clint Eastwood's sure touch and emotional acuity as a director on powerful display. It's a mesmerizing human drama that pulls us in, to the haunting strains of Eastwood's resonant score.
Jolie plays Christine Collins like a gathering storm, moving from terror to a fierce resolve. And Eastwood, at the peak of his artful powers, tightens the screws of suspense without ever forgetting where the heart of his film lies. Lesser hands might let the story sink into teary sentiment. All in all, a devastating and touching story, beautifully told by a filmmaker still at the top of his game. A failure that’s more involving than most successes! - DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.The Godfather is a handbook on cinematic lucidity. An exquisite, cohesive Mafia epic, The Godfather constructs a compelling family saga.
The artistry of Coppola combined with the spot-on cinematography casts the early parts of the film in slight sepia tones and covers many scenes in a deep veil of shadow. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is the spider at the centre of a web of deceit, murder and larceny. Brando's restrained motions and rasping speech patterns are stunningly suggestive of power while his actions (courtesy of the script) wield it. He is ably supported by an amazingly restrained potrayal by Al Pacino.
The Godfather will continue to hold a central place in cinema history, an epic which has coloured everything made subsequently with its imagery and operatic scope. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.Memento is a mesmerizing mind-bender, a diabolical and absorbing experience - infact, its more like a poignant exercise. From the start, this jolting jigsaw puzzle of a movie grabs you and won't let go.
The stunning opener starts with a murder and then Christopher Nolan runs everything backwards. Nolan stages scenes of dizzying suspense that resonate with raw emotion. His reverse action isn't a trick — it's a way to put us inside Leonard's (Guy Pearce who puts up a riveting act) head. Nolan leaps into the wild blue and dares us to leap with him. Go for it! - DirectorFrank CapraStarsJames StewartDonna ReedLionel BarrymoreAn angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.What is remarkable about "It's a Wonderful Life" is how well it holds up over the years. It has a simple message told elegantly, intelligently and with a whole lot of heart that never gets old.
A socially responsible movie is entitled to the luxury of a heartfelt happy ending, especially if it has been earned! And this film so earns it! Led by Capra's masterful story-telling, James Stewart with the supporting cast put up an amazingly controlled performance, to give a simple but poignant script an unbending strength of character. All these carefully devised components make it an absolutely enduring classic which does not wear down even as decades go by. - DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIvana BaqueroAriadna GilSergi LópezIn the Falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.Like any great myth, Pan's Labyrinth encodes its messages through displays of magic. The result of the intricate interplay that we witness on screen is a fairy tale for adults that is violent, sometimes shocking, yet utterly engrossing.
It's a heartbreaking tale of cruelty and hopelessness, softened only by the wondrous fantasy of Ofelia's (Ivana Baquero in brilliant form manifesting a child’s fears and uncertainties through little more than widened eyes and shortened breath) imaginary world. Guillermo Del Toro gives us a film which is both searing and haunting as it takes us from the bleak to the sublime.
The spell it casts lingers long after the final reel. - DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.Memories of Murder is such a taut, effective thriller it's a shame you have to read subtitles to gauge just how good a movie it is. The movie seems so American from afar. It's got serial killers and comic detectives and sex crimes and night chases and squabbling partners. But literally in the first sequence it establishes its uniqueness and the understated eye of its director, Joon-ho Bong. A policier beset by melancholy and infused with turbulent social-political shadings, Bong’s masterpiece almost single-handedly resuscitates the moribund serial killer genre. Throughout the film, Bong fills his compositions with elements that sum up the incongruity, the sheer messiness, of life at its most banal, even in the middle of a murder investigation.
Yet even as the movie presses towards resolution, one can feel the director's reluctance to provide easy epiphanies, smug outcomes, tame answers. He's more interested in capturing a society in flux as illuminated by the crisis of the murder investigation. What emerges is quite extraordinary! - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordSean ConneryAlison DoodyIn 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.Justifiably one of the most indelible adventure films in cinematic history, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is pure escapist entertainment of the highest caliber. The thrilling action set-pieces and the the palpable chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are to be seen to be believed.
Steven Spielberg has the truest instincts for keeping an audience visually engaged, plugged in. This is his great gift - to put us inside his movies - and at his natural command of the simple mechanics of storytelling, it enables him to evoke a kind of pop transcendence that comes close to the effect of the higher, classical arts. This film is pure, pop epiphany, exhilarating, witty and uniquely, indelibly his own. It's what going to the movies is all about! - DirectorGeorge Roy HillStarsPaul NewmanRobert RedfordRobert ShawTwo grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.Viewing The Sting is cinematic enjoyment at its purest - a true filmmaking classic that works as much as pure entertainment as it does as a story of revenge.
The Sting boasts a superbly well-written screenplay, ripe with perfectly constructed dialogue and a plotline riddled with suspense along with a clever interweaving of key sub-plots. The striking chemistry between Paul Newman and Rober Redford is unmissable. With a parade of eccentric characters, well-developed sinister figures, and clever exchanges of dialogue, The Sting isn’t your typical sensationalistic Hollywood potboiler. So, sit down, turn off the lights and prepare for 2 hours of joyous escapism and unbounded charisma! - DirectorDoug SweetlandA stage magician's rabbit gets into a magical onstage brawl against his neglectful guardian with two magic hats.Presto entails a battle of wits between a 19th Century magician and his very hungry stage rabbit, denied a carrot before a big performance. Their battleground is the magician's top hat, connected to a magic wizard's cap through which the magician can pull anything (and the rabbit, for his part, can send anything).
Every moment in this short film is so brilliantly orchestrated that it is sure to evoke an uproar from the audience. The brief running time -conveyed wordlessly - presents a firehouse of truly inventive props, pratfalls and conceptual comedy that aptly reflects Pixar's standing as the smartest purveyors of popular entertainment in the world.
Take my word - Dont miss this one! - DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsBruce WillisAlan RickmanBonnie BedeliaA New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.Die Hard is a finely crafted, relentlessly thrilling, masterfully executed action film that turns up all the knobs and sets the standard for all of the American films made in the genre.
To begin with, it's the classic plot hook of one man against many, right against wrong. But Die Hard is more layered than your average action movie. Bruce Willis proves to be an excellent casting choice as a sardonic action hero. Director John McTiernan keeps the pace up around him, and ensures maximum suspense from the many well-executed set pieces. Die Hard manages to be heart-pounding and teeth-gritting every single time. Yippy-Ki-Yay!