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JesusTwinFish
1. The Shawshank Redemption
2. Fight Club
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
4. A Clockwork Orange
5. To Kill A Mockingbird
6. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
7. Seven
8. The Godfather
9. Inception
10. The Dark Knight
Reviews
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Tarantino's love for the Nazi's?
What can I say here? Is this another Tarantino film? Yes. Does this movie primarily deal in gore and bloodshed? Yes. Is this another Tarantino film that has over dramatic scenes that over use their stay? Yes. Is this another Taratino film that has no point? No. Why do I say this? Well, because this movie does EXACTLY what you don't want it to do. It makes you WANT to kill. By the end of this movie I'm sure you'll be aching to want someone to die, the only problem is, you don't know who. And the real clever part about it is that it makes you thirst for blood against the people you wouldn't be ashamed in killing...the nazi's. But where this movie goes sour is that it portray's the Nazi's in a - I don't wish to sound out of line - 'lovable' fashion. Especially regarding Christopher Woltz's character (Hans Landa). You can't help but wishing you were everything those characters were (except for being part of a totalitarian, psychotic, mass-murding posse).
But by the end of this movie it is clear nobody is innocent. Is this Tarantino's best movie? No. But does it touch on some wider concepts and challenge American entertainment with it's foreign subtitles? Yes. Therefore this movie is well worth the watch and can be very satisfying for the sick at heart. For me, this is another mediocre Tarantino film in which the characters exceed the story or even the background. However it turns you onto the idea of having no problem to kill and the most ingenious of it all is that it does it with killing the very people you would want to see killed the most through all our history. Now that is entertainment. Though let's not be irradiate and make it reality. hmm?
Funny People (2009)
Apatow's attempt at drama
Make no mistake about it people. This is HARDLY a comedy. This is merely a drama wrapped in a comedic package. And the reason I stress the 'hardly' part is because it borderlines on both. It has some really great comedic scenes in it like the crying scene in the restaurant between George and Ira or the the fighting scene between Clarke and George which I think really captured the comedy of reality (which Apatow is really good at). However, that being said, what Apatow is NOT that great at is - for obvious reasons - drama. You can really tell that he had to try to capture the drama of this movie but also out-stepped his abilities in trying to make it funny as well as dramatic which at a lot of points didn't seem to pan out.
The good news is that this movie is worth watching. For many reasons I think you will find along the way (Apatow is never bad on capturing REAL human emotion). But whether or not this is a movie you will want to buy and own should all be based on what your thoughts of it were the first time you saw it.
All in all this is a movie worth spending your time with. I mean hey, you get to see Adam Sandler really trying to sing in this movie. That right there is worth the ticket.
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Most heart I have ever seen on screen...
Obviously, redemption to some people is redeeming yourself in the eyes of people you loved - your loved ones, or redeem yourself for some bad things you have done. This is not true. People redeem themselves for themselves. They are in a battle with the other person inside of themselves and don't know how to change it, but they know they want to change it. This was the case for the two leads in this movie. Crowe's character, Ben Wade. And Christian Bale's character Dan Evans. Crowe's character was trying to just escape himself in the beginning. He wanted to get away and try something new. Dan wanted to just be something that, in his heart, he knew he wanted to be and what he SHOULD be. When these two characters finally meet they take themselves through a roller-coaster of change and redemption...atonement...as the plot unfolds. That is what this movie is about, self redemption. It's about growing into who we feel we should be and what we consider important in our lives. This movie has the most heart I have ever seen. If you appreciate great movies; see 3:10 to Yuma
Accepted (2006)
Surprisingly Smart
When I first began watching the opening scenes of this movie I didn't really expect much. With the name "Accepted" and it being about teens just graduating High School I expected it to be just another predictable High School flick. Man, was I wrong. The persona this movie takes on "High School teen comedy" is not what it is entirely about; it has a different message behind it that it really wanted to get out. It seemed to take jabs at the current status quo of society - our education system and what we define as "apporpriate" for anything we undertake. Society has deemed that everything has it's own jurisdiction, and everything must be like everything else, even if it is different it must be molded to the status quo. Everything must be the same and we must be able to identify in order to feel comfortable. Which, is not true and it creates universal evils which this movie blatantly points out. It creates bores, people who really do things "just to play it safe" and not follow what they truly want. Of course, cutting of human beings natural tendencies to be spontaneous, fresh, and creative just creates those universal evils I listed above.
Don't see this movie because you want to see a high school comedy, it has so much more to offer than that. For it is very intelligent and speaks the truth about the society which we live in. Listen to the guy who plays the Uncle, he is the truth speaker. Of course, Jonah Hill is also pretty good in his part as the insecure friend not to mention Justin Long shines in his part.
Overall, this movie was surprisingly smart and has an underlying message that we should all try to learn from.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)
So much Potential...
I'm going to say it right from the start. Once Upon A Time in Mexico had LOADS of potential. However, it fell short just a little bit. But, I cannot really Robert Rodriguez; he is a great entertainer and just simply an all around excellent director. I believe he directed OUATIM to what he was allowed to. The guns that were used in the film didn't even arrive until they were already half way into filming. They had a very short time limit an permit to film in the areas they did in Mexico. So, Rodriguez just made due with what he had...and, I think, with what he had, he did a pretty good job.
The one thing that stood out in this movie was Johnny Depp's character "Sands." A smooth talking, clever, rogue CIA agent that carries this film on his shoulders from start to finish. If you are going to watch this movie just enjoy the fine performance that Mr. Depp once again puts up as he does with a lot of his films, even for the eight days he was on set. He stole the show, and made it all around worth watching.
This movie had so much potential. I think that if Rodriguez would have had more time to extend and elaborate on the scenes and the plot line more comprehensible and utilize the great cast that he had - this would have been one of the top movies of 2003. But, unfortunately, he had to make due, which is sad. Because, a cast like this, a title like this, and a filming location like this - this movie COULD HAVE BEEN special. However, it is still entertaining and delivers. Though, not to the extent it could have.
Don Juan DeMarco (1994)
Ahh....the lovely world of fantasy....
Don Juan DeMarco - more than any movie I have ever seen - takes you into a world of fantasy. Of course there are other movies; but none really combined realty with fantasy the way this did and left you wondering at the end which is the true way to go - which is how it should be. The entire movie is nothing but the clashing of reality and fantasy, though, not distinguishing which is which.
There was something unique about Don Juan and his character and that is one simple fact: he KNEW he was crazy. Well, he knew he would appear to be crazy to the "normal" people in society. Yet, he created his fantasy and his dreams because it is what satisfied him, and it is what made him disperse his love (not metaphorically speaking). He created this dream, this "fantasy" of himself so he could live to be the person he would be his best at. We all have different people living inside of us - we just have to find which one is our best and go with that.
Don Juan DeMarco is a brilliant fairy tale of the differences between reality and fantasy. It leaves you wondering how exactly you can achieve such a thing as reality and fantasy co-existing in the same world. But, as Marlon Brando's character put it in the closing lines of the movie....why not?
Alpha Dog (2006)
Displays the ignorance of the inexperienced
I know most people, by the end of watching this movie will see that it was just a bunch of kids that made a severe mistake because they thought they were a bunch of young bad asses that live the high life. I hate kids who are spoiled and treat themselves and others the way that was displayed in this movie - though this is a good movie, don't get me wrong. It's just that, if it wasn't a true story, it would have sucked. I mean, it is one of the stories that if: "It was true, I wouldn't believe it" This movie did however have a severe plot hole because the law states that if you hold someone for ransom then you can receive up to life in prison. However, they didn't even offer up the ransom to the family. Johnny Truelove didn't even offer what ransom he wanted from the guy, so how could this be a ransom case??? I don't know if this was a plot hole or if that is exactly what happened in real life...
Here is where there inexperience came into account. NOBODY new it was a ransom case, hell, the parents didn't even know he was kidnapped. All they had to do, was spill the whole story out to the kid and then send him home...and tell him to keep a secret, it is that simple. They could have easily got him to come over to their side. But no, they thought they were going to be "bad ass adults" about the thing and handle it the "gangster" way....it was ridiculous; and it just showed how inexperienced they were afterward when they were arrested and how they were turned back into little kids all over again, which is what they were, they never grew up. I mean, they were only like four years older than the kid they kidnapped, that is not much. All they had to do was drop the kid off and go back to dealing with his brother again, simple.
In any case, this is one of the movies that has great acting and displays the ignorance of the inexperienced in a very accurate way. However, like I said, if it wasn't a true story, it wouldn't have been that good. Worth watching, and worth learning from as well.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
An excellent ending to a brilliant trilogy, but just a tad messy...
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is clearly not meant for one viewing. Any stone cold Pirates fan will most likely watch this more than once however the ones that don't watch it more then once might feel a bit skeptical about it; I know I was. I'm a Pirates fan so I watched it twice (not at the theaters) and I have to admit that on the second time I appreciated it a great deal more. It was a very satisfying end to the Pirates trilogy.
When this movie starts out it has the usual touch to it that Pirates 1 and 2 had to them in that it is going to be awesome. However, as the movie drags on it begins to lose it's focus and just becomes a bit absurd with all the deceiving and different story lines going on at once - confusing. It get's sloppy with how many different things are going on all at once and has to make call-backs to the first two as comical reliefs to save itself. It worked a little bit. It worked just enough to get to the end of the film which seemed to be what most of the effort of the movie went to.
I cannot even begin to explain the uniqueness and fantastic ending (including final battle) that it brings. Some say it "left room for a fourth" however I do not think that it did, it left us with a happy and touching feeling of hope that seemed to have been lost at world's end (no pun intended). The loss of hope seemed to also be a major theme throughout the film and it was restored at the end. At the end of this on my second viewing it literally brought a smile to my face; not because it was funny, but because it was so relieving (not in a bad way either).
If anybody is a Pirates fan then this is surely NOT to be missed. However, I think to truly appreciate this movie it has to be watched more then once. Yeah, it get's a tad bit messy in the middle and confusing on the first view, but then the ending is very rewarding and very entertaining. The ending will have you on the edge of your seat and people who are suckers for happy ending may or may not be disappointed (I guess it is the way you look at it) And, that is also what makes this movie excellent - your options are open. Pirates 3 is not to be missed, the final and very rewarding ending to, probably, the greatest film trilogy of all time. So watch it, enjoy it, and, stick through it to the ending, you will not be disappointed.
Blood Diamond (2006)
Friendship, Love, and Human Ambition
This movie has a lot of good points behind it. However, one in particular that was obviously noticeable was the political message: conflict diamonds. Of course that seemed to be the major motif in the film. However, I saw it differently. This movie seemed to be a movie about love, friendship, and human ambition with the political message as it's catalyst.
Love is the connection between Danny and Maddy. Clearly, these two fell for each by the time Danny left her to go with Soloman after the diamonds, and at the end when Danny says "I'm really glad I met you" and Maddy responds "I'm really glad I met you too" they clearly wanted to say "I love you" but, Archer is a man that tries not to feel so he couldn't say it. Mr. Zwick may not have gone into a great deal of detail with their love however it is greatly performed by DiCaprio and Connelly when they are on screen together and you can really sense their loss when Maddy walks off to go into the plane. Zwick also seemed to take a different direction with the love also: NO SEX SCENE. That is truly amazing given the fact that Hollywood usually finds a way nowadays to sneak in sex scene, but not this one. So props to this movie for not doing it.
Another motif is that of friendship. Danny and Soloman seem to have a connection between them in the fact that they are both providing services for each other to get what they both want. However, it is clear by the end of the movie Danny and Soloman become more than just associates - they become friends; cherished friends. Enough to the point that Danny gives up his life for Soloman and his son. Even though Danny wouldn't say it, he did it for them; the diamond was just his bonus. However, and tragically, his bonus was also his ambition. Ambition is a big theme in anybody's life - however it cannot become your whole life, like it did Danny's. And that is ultimately what lead Danny to his death.
So watch and enjoy this movie. Not because of the mediocre political message, but because of it's accurate display of Friendship, love, and Human ambition - and how they all coincide, and how they can all make or break one's life. This is truly an excellent film with excellent character development and excellent relationship displays. Blood Diamond is a classic, and deserves to be treated as such. Get it into the top 250.