Yet Another Listal Member's Top 50 Fave Movies

  At the time of its release, The Contender is a story which, while otherwise intelligently scripted, the main characters came off to me to be portrayed with some pretty simplistically drawn party lines. But that's something that I found to be forgivable considering how using this type of situation as a plot device seems like it would be necessary in order to move the plot from point A to point B and make the point that the story does within the running time of a movie. Of course, little did anyone know that the kind of monolithic level partisan mindset depicted here would eventually be a pretty good description of the political atmosphere that has been forming the real world in recent years. And it does beg the question, is it a coincidence that it would happen at a time when a woman was vying for the seat in the Oval Office for the first time ever?

Not only is Deep Throat a codename for a central figure in All The President's Men, it's also the name of one of the first x-rated flix I ever watched, back when puberty was knocking at my adolescence.
Now here I am, years later, wasting my life away in front of the computer, if not spending vast amounts of time downloading onion booty porn,
then I'm either posting up classless ghetto girlfight videos on youtube
or I'm here on this site, aimlessly commiseratin' with all of my fellow Listophiles.
So, yeah....
I know exactly where that particular "left turn" was that led me down the empty road of existance that is currently my life.

Which I know has almost next to nothing to do with this movie, but I guess that term "Deep Throat" sparked off a nerve or something.

Anyways,
back to the list.....

Before the lead character in this movie was a werewolf, he was a Pepper. And for some subliminal reason, that made me want to be a Pepper too.
(Sorry kids. I know that the majority of you most likely won't understand that comment, b'cuz it's before your time. Look it up on youtube if you don't wanna be left in the dark.
And you don't wanna be in the dark.
Because the dark is where werewolves like dwell.)



IMO,
the best werewolf movie ever.

One of my favorite court dramas of all time.
With almost a seasoned ease, Paul portrays a disheveled, aging, never-has-been, malpractice lawyer who finds within himself the humanity which never really had a chance to surface due to the layered weight of his chronic alcoholism.



The movie & Newman's performance sets up very well the desolation & loneliness that the main character moves his life thru as he goes up against the legal system that giganticly favors the "big guys" over the "little guys". One can really get the sense that Newman knows that he stands no chance of winning the case, but continues moving on forward because he is, for the 1st. time in his barely neglible career, fueled by the honesty & goodness of what is right. A feeling that is so new to this character, that, combined with the realizaton that a human life is totally dependent him for justice, it becomes emotion exhilirating enough to keep an almost broken old man to keep fighting on, no matter how high the price.
One of those rare times when the performance comes thru real enough to make us (oh, what am I'm talkin' about this "us" bullsh#t? What I really mean is "me") almost believe that even under the most insurmountable odds, there is always some kind of hope.

After this movie came out, could you feel it?
Could you feel the idea & use of special effects in the entire sci-fi genre take a major step forward?
I know I did.

 At the outset of the first western movies, the cowboy characters had been categorized between two basic types: Those who wore the white hats, and those who wore the black ones.
  As time passed though, the hat colors began to blur between who was good, who was bad, and then to eventually who was just plain ugly.
Inspired by the samurai of the East and fueled with the advent of the spaghetti westerns (despite the simplicity of the dialogue), the icon of the gunslinging cowboy had begun to evolve into a more complex figure, of the quiet lone wolf who's only personality traits were marked by the mystery of his identity and by the grit of his character.

 It seems like these days, every season, an animated movie comes out displaying the next level of computer-generated visuals. For the year of 2008, it was this film and Kung Fu Panda. While not so surprising in that I (we?) expected the details in the graphics to be as detail and realistic as they were, it's still quite stunning to behold.



 And even though Wall-E contains the basic formula elements one would expect from such a family film, it's still quite surprising how often and consistently filmmakers are able to integrate the amazing graphics into the quality of the storytelling in a manner that seems fresh and keeps the messages from feeling too cliche. At the rate that these types of highly sophisticated computer animated flicks are being released, it's remarkable that the ratio has been so much more good than bad.
  A futuristic story that despite its epic themes of environmentalism, technological over-dependence and the effects of idleness on the soul of humanity when it is stripped away from the natural strife of life, at its heart, it's also an effective story of loneliness and longing between two computer-animated robots that despite their mechanical make-up, offer up enough heartfelt human emotion that is depicted with just a simple vocabulary that consists of nothing more than their names and a directive.

Before there were special effects, CGI graphics and matrix-style action sequences in film, there was human physical talent.
And in the early 1900's, the height of this talent was displayed to movie viewing audiences through the almost impossible stunt routines of Charlie Chaplin.
back then, watching his ability to choreograph and incorporate his crazy stunts into the props and background sets (particularly in this film, with the complicated set designs of the factory) must've been the equivalent of watching a summer blockbuster of today.

Okay, seriously, youse guys...



  ... do I really need to explain this one?
Universally considered to be not only the best film of the 80's, but also as one of the best films of all time.  So there's not really all that much more that I can add to Raging Bull that hasn't already been said by people who said it better, much better, than I ever could. 
  Although, I will mention a little circumstantially ironic similarity that exists with Bull and another of Scorsese's classics, Goodfellas. Both films were released at the very beginning of their respective decades (1980 and 1990). So there were a full ten years ahead of both of 'em for other filmmakers to come along and produce something that would "unseat" these two from their relative spots on the throne.
 And in both cases, it didn't happen.  
 I'm not sure if that's any kind of testament to Martin Scorsese's talent, but it did have both decades peaking way earlier than anyone at those times could have expected.

Ridley Scott directs a tale of "in-your-face" first contact, followed by a fatal game of hide and seek between an interstellar search party crew and a xenomorph, just one of what will turn out in following sequels to be a hive-race of double-mouthed acid-blooded slick black visitors who take the role of their hosts quite literally.
Never have the film genres of horror and science fiction been so perfectly blended as in this stylish, dark and damp first entry into the franchise which first introduced what is, in my opinion, one of the most unique and simply bad-@ss alien life-forms ever produced for film.

  Apocalypse Now is kind of like the "2001: A Space Odyssey" of the war genre in that it's a story of a long, far away journey that culminates into a meeting with a strange godlike figure. And even though you might not know what it all meant, what you do know is that whatever it was, it was pretty damn epic, pretty damn trippy, and in the end, pretty damn cool.
  The imagery and the surrealness throughout this film all lead up into a piece of work that could've easily been a number one film fave on any other director's filmography. And yet, for Francis Ford Coppola, the fact that there are still two other movies of his that are (not just in my opinion, but in many others as well) even better than this grand "arty" 'Nam epic (obviously I'm referring The Godfather Parts I and II of course), it is a great testament that the 70's was a period of time that showcased FFC's abilities as that of a great director in his prime.



  BTW, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, a documentary that follows the true story of how Apocalypse Now was made, is not only a great companion piece to this film, but also a great work of cinema in its own right (definitely worth it's own watch).

Before movies like Crouching Tiger/ Hidden Dragon and Hero came along and added the artistically flair fantasy elements to these types of epic movies, there was Ran. Some of the most beautiful and grand visuals ever in an Akira Kurosawa film. The fact that his name was associated with this project guaranteed this film's sweeping quality. And, the added high budget seemed to compromise his vision not in the slightest. Instead, it seemed to open up the potentiality that Mr. Kurosawa had holding in his already abundant visionary dreams.
Definitely my favorite of his works.

  Duck Soup is truly a classic in the realm of comedy classics, with the Marx Brothers carrying on with their timeless mayhem antics and spouting out timeless lines like "I could dance with you till the cows come home. On second thought, I'd rather dance with the cows till you came home."
For any of you who haven't yet seen this, in my opinion, it is the best of all the Marx movies, and I highly recommend that you give it a looksee. And if any of you who do decide to give it a view and it is a first time, then I must say that I envy your position. It will truly be a "gala day" for you. And if you're anything like Groucho, the Marx's head hermano, a gal a day is more than enough for you. You probably couldn't handle any more.

      For me, this movie exemplifies everything that I like about all things Kubrick. IMO, he tends to make movies that are an inch away from being abstract beyond understanding, but yet keeps the flow of the film reeled in just enough to make it seem like it makes sense on some kind of creative level. And while I don't mind discussing what the underlying meaning(s) of ACO might be, I find that too much discussion on it tends to get in the way of the enjoyment that I get from noticing things like how colorfully crafted the art-direction is for a movie that doesn't bat a single lashed eye towards subjects like ultra-violence and the old in-&-out.
Visually, a beautifully crafted film with such a bite in it's theme that it acts as a well-balanced counterweight against the brightly set designs. Seldom do we see the contrast of light and darkness stitched on film in a manner that is instinctual, crazy and perfect all at the same time.

A gruffy mental patient is ready to be de-institutionalized and is set free, out into the world, to try and assimilate into normal society. Not too long after, through the kindness of others, he finds the merest of jobs, finds the merest of homes, heck, he even finds the merest of family. Hopefully, to begin a life of normalcy. Until he finds out that in certain parts of life, normalcy includes dysfunctionality. And with his past, dysfunction is something that can turn out to be pretty dangerous.



For my money, Billy Bob Thornton's break out role, the portrayal of the mentally handicapped Karl Childers, is one of the most unique characters to come onto the silver screen in a long time.


And BTW, after watching Sling Blade the first time, I went out and bought a can of potted meat, just to see of it's true what they say in this movie.
And gosh darn it if it isn't right there on label....it actually say's so right on the list o' ingredients..... "pork shoulders, lips, peckers & intestines....".
Hunh.
Go reckon.

"Close Encounters Of The Under-Water Kind".
Or maybe even "The Day The Ocean Stood Still".



Okay, here's what could possibly be regarded as a mild spoiler about this list... James Cameron is a name that will appear in the top ten more than once. Or twice. Because of this, it should come to no surprise that when it comes to action themed science fiction, he's my favorite filmmaker.
  Sandwiched in between his ultimate classics, Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the Abyss should have been a massive hit instead of the moderate one that it was. And that's because producers of the movie company that released this film decided that they knew better than Jim and decided to trim down the original length of the picture, own to something they thought was more "manageable" and thus, more profitable. And yet, as I mentioned, it old did so-so at the box office. 
  However, after the DVD released of the director's cut which was at the length that Mr. Cameron had intended, it is considered a much more critical success than what we saw in theaters. 
  And it's this version that I only ever watch and also, would put in at such a high position this list of all-time favorite cinema.

Kevin Costner reaches his career peak in this non-stereotypical tale of how the West was truly won. A really great movie that really was one KC's last great movies.
No, seriously.....
If you were to take all the things that were wrong with Coster's follow-up flicks, like Waterworld and the Postman,
irradiate them with the energies that bind, compose and allow the Bizarro world to exist (i.e. "the opposite"), then what you would get would be this movie.
No, seriously....
you would.
I tried it once.

In my opinion, this is the role that should've won Mr. Washington the Oscar, even more so than Training Day. In this movie, Denzel is Malcolm X. This is one of those rare instances where an actor actually becomes the person whom he is portraying. Denzel Washington tranforms himself into the man who went from being a small-time crook named "Little", to become the larger than life civil rights leader named "X".
A great biopic that intrinsically depicts the various transitions involved in one man's spiritual journey that led a singular letter in the alphabet to become a definitive part of American history books.
Definitely my favorite Spike Lee Joint.

By far, my fave of the Apatow comedies. And like his other sex-themed comedy, Knocked Up, his best films seem to be the ones in which he does triple duty as director, writer, and producer.
In this case, this triple-combo results in a movie whose strength lies not just with the high level of comedy (which probably would've been enough), but also for the fact that at it's core, this is a story of a "late bloomer" that is handled not just intelligently, but even more importantly, with a genuine heart.



Ofttimes, throughout the story, many of the characters seem to deliver their punchlines with a tempered sense of sympathy towards the plight of the lead character, even when the results lead to a an exasperated situation of disintegrated success (a tried and true formula of the genre).
This movie can be touching and even socially in-depth at times, but without any cost the number of out-loud laughs.

Okay,
saying that this is M. Knight Shyamalan's best film (by far) may sound overly obvious (by far),
but,
it is (by far).



A very good from-the-beyond-yarn that starts out by depicting the debilitating effects that may result from being able to percieve ghosts. Then, almost completely, turns it around to show how this paranormal ability can be more of a help than a hindrance, if we just gave the spooky spectres a chance.
Maybe seeing dead people ain't so bad.
Though when I think about it,
if I had to deal with any kind of communication with lost spirits,
I'd rather just stick to commiserating online with all of my fellow "Listalolites" on this site.

Okay, let's be honest here....



at some point in life,
we're ALL gonna need a bigger boat.

 In 2001: A Space Odyssey, a life force from "out there" come down to us in the form of heavy monolith blocks. And after escaping a death at the hands of a crafty computer that we ourselves created and yet had taken on an evil sentient intelligence of its own, these "Monolithics" will sweep you up to save the day and then send on you on the most psychodelickest trip of your life.
And all without the use of any magic mushrooms.



  One of the very first very realistic portrayals of a science fiction story, during a time when the focus was more on the fiction than on the science. Great futuristic yet believable visuals back when this stuff was incredibly difficult to create, especially since it was produced at a time when special effects were done with almost no help from computers. And with Stanley Kubrick at the helm, it's no surprise that it was equipped with a suspense thriller plotline that is masterfully yet almost quietly delivered, providing a cinematic experience full of the silent vastness and yet awe-inspiring threat that is the spacial emptiness of the final frontier.
 Not to mention, if you're not on high whilst viewing this film, by the time you get to the ending, believe me, you will you feel as though you are.
 Definitely a movie that you wouldn't want to "just say no" to.

  Excellently directed by Tim Robbins, Dead Man Walking is a movie with a story that purposely and effectively shows both sides to the issue of the death penalty but without taking either stance. And it does so without compromise to its emotional impact.
  With a no-holds barred look into the situations that leads to an act of the most heinous nature, the plot weaves in and out of the repercussions of a crime that affects both the victim's and the perpetrator's lives (and loved ones) and then reveals the kinds of mindsets that challenge one's views, no matter which side people decide to take a stand on.
For example, I don't want to give too much away, but the dialogue exchange in which Susan Sarandon's character, Sister Helen Prejean exposes to convicted murderer Matthew Poncele (played by Sean Penn) the real extent of his racism " ... so it's lazy people that you don't like...?"
and later on, when she finally has him take responsibility for his sins as a "true son of God", those two scenes from this film are two of my favorite scenes in any movie, ever.

 For me, there is no other way that I can describe this movie other than saying that it's just plain stupid, simple and funny.
 Which is probably why it is not only my favorite comedy ever, but also one of my favorite movies of all time (otherwise, why would it be on this list?...duh...!).

   Despite a few rare exceptions, at the time that this movie came out, the idea of a sequel being better than the original was still something that wasn't considered normal.  Terminator: Judgment Day was one of those rare exceptions that came along to help change that.  Which already was enough to make a hardcore sci-fi nerd such as myself look at this movie as being pretty baddass.
  Even at the height of his talents, writer/director James Cameron wasn't never going to be the guy who would be known as the "Shakespear of cinema". But that didn't mean that he would succumb to the idea that the script of action flicks had to be scarified for the sake of balls-to-the-wall action. That was a mindset that was generally accepted in the motion picture industry, particularly through-out the 1980's and 90's. But with the first Terminator, the second Aliens and this one, T2, Cameron did his best to make sure that the writing did as much as the explosive action to get the viewer invested into the film's story. That, combined with the cutting edge of special effects, is the major ingredients that helps to make Judgment Day one of those movies that is at the very top of the heap when it comes to greatest action movies of all time. 

  I'm not usually one who is out to provide spoilers when it comes to online discussions about movies and their plots, and in this particular case, I hope I can continue that. However, there is something that I want to say about Million Dollar Baby that I fear may come pretty close to giving away what happens in the end. So, if you're reading this and don't want any heavy-handed hints on how the story here unfolds, you may want to stop reading now.



  A lot of people often complain that this is a very dark and depressing film. That's something that has since been enhanced by the surging trend of movie reactions videos on sites such as YouTube. 
 But I am a very big fan of MDB, and one of these reason for this is because I think that Clint Eastwood presents the story with a light that shines at the end of the very dark tunnel. I think that tale of a underdog in the world of women's boxing isn't so much about winning the gold as much as it is about two lost and lonely souls who eventually find each other. Not just as a fighter and coach, but also in the paternal sense of an old man who sense of emotional and spiritual direction stalled a long time ago, and a woman who realizes that the best part of having dream is the path itself and who she picks up along the way (in this case, the Eastwood character as her coach and manager). 
  This isn't a story about boxing. It's a story about the bonds of love. Not in the romantic sense, but in the sense of the human experience and the unexpected ways that our life journeys bring us together. In these words, it may sound corny, but when put within the framework of a story like in Million Dollar Baby, it gives that old Gaelic saying, "mo chuisle" a whole new meaning.

  I've mentioned this other horror film entries, for me, the genre of fear had been dead for quite a while throughout the 80's and the 90's. There were several reasons for this that I talk about in more detail in other lists that focus of the horror genre, but for the purposes of this entry, one of the reasons is the way that the lore of vampire had been diluted down from grim and gritty bloodsuckers that hardcore fans who were hungry for scary thrills to more of a romance vehicle for a younger female demographic who were hungry for heatrthrobbing bad boys, even if they were undead. Obviuosly this was a decades long trend that eventually led to the who Trilight franchise that raged throughout cinemas worldwide.



  In 2008, when Twilight seem to have an iron grip on the vampire entertainment establishment, from a small corner of the world, namely Sweden, there came a sliver of daylight that was rising and would bring hope to genre as its original form as a macabre monster who instilled fear in to chest of the intended victim instead of a heart pumping seduction. And beam of hope was called Let the Right One In. 
  Ironically, LTROI, is, just like Twilight, still a story of romance between an undead bloodsucker and a younf tweening adolescent  human. However, the big difference here is that the movie's approach was a big step towards the classic lore that the corpuscle consuming creature was based on at the start. On top of that, not only was the romance treated with integrity towards the affairs of the heart in which the real like drama was a big point to the plot as opposed to looking the other way of what the consequences would entail when beginning a trist with a  neck-hungry necrophile.
 In other words, Right One is told more in an adult manner, yet still with enough of an escapist sensibility that is respective to the genre. Instead of the Harlequin novel formula that was raking in big box office everywhere, this is a soft, beautiful and beguiling story of two 12 year olds finding love for the first time through the flaws of each of their separate (and sometimes desperate) life situations.
The child actors chosen for this movie are perfect in portraying their characters with a true down to earth awkwardness that is usually found with kids at this age, along with a longing that is both sincere and convincing. The art direction uses its limited budget with a barebone effectiveness that both beautiful and true to it's small town ruralistic setting, the storytelling is shot almost like a documentary, allowing the shock and horrors to really scream out when they intermittenly appear with a "just enough" rate of intervals. 
 Let The Right One In a vampire movie that came out just when it was most needed, at a time when the monster and the mythology seemed dead and buried in a formula that had totally sucked the lifeblood out of its horror. 

Whenever I watch this movie, I'm always reminded that, for me, this is about as good as it gets (...sorry). Randall McMurphy is a mischievious criminal who first ends up becoming a leader of squirrelly rebellion and then, eventually, a friend to Billy and the rest the cracked eggs residing in the Cuckoo's Nest.
Jack's performance in this movie is not of a self-centered man of a salty background who becomes overly or angelically transformed, but as someone steeped in his own irresponsibility, with a hard to reach ability to care that is gradually bought up to the surface by the only type of people who could cause such a subtle and internal catalyst: a group of guys who are crazier than he is.

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   These days, because of the way that film franchises have become the dominate way to present movies with multiple chapters to them, it is generally believed that volumes 1 and 2 of Kill Bill are two separate works of cinema. But if one were to ask Quentin Tarantino, the creator of KB, he would tell you this it's only one movie that was divided into two volumes in order to avoid having the original four hour plus running time severly cut down into one. So, technically speaking, as first glance, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 may seem like it's QT's fifth film, when in reality, it's simply the second half to his fourth film.
And if someone were to ask me to describe both halves of Tarantino's fourth film, only two words would come to mind: Bad ass.
Not only is this Quentin's homage to martial arts flix, but it also includes homage's to anime and those funky, grainy 70's Bruce Lee's wannabe's that made us laugh with their unsynchronized voice-overs, jagged camera movements and b-level musical sound effects. And yet, he was able to combine all this in a manner that was just plain...
  well, as I said....
  ... bad-ass.

12 Angry Men is such a good courtroom drama, that for me, it simply blows the majority of every other film in this genre out of the water (okay, technically this isn't really a "courtroom" drama because the entire film happens in the jury-room. But let's face it, the plot's purpose is one that leads into the most important part of the courtroom process, the verdict).
The combination of a tight script with a solid ensemble cast (oh, and lets not forget a big screen directorial debut for Sidney Lumet) make for a tense, compelling movie that even though it keeps 99% it's entire length within one room, a viewer can't help but to be spellbound.

   So far, at this point in time, this is my favorite animated feature ever.
   Not only does The Incredibles have one of the best voice castings for the lead roles I've seen (or is it heard?) but also, on top of that, it has a really great story, written by Brad Bird, the same guy responsible for the Iron Giant (another one of my favorite all-time animated flicks). From beginning to end, this semi-origin of The I's is full of charm, wit and a family chemistry that is entertaining for all audiences, not just for the younger demographic. I always thought that Hollywood never seem to be able to put out 100% in any feature dealing with superheroes, but with Bird's eye on what makes science fiction and superheroes functionable towards the tastes of both mainstream and hardcore movie goers, this is a computer generated comic book caper was able to pull it off with beyond any mild manneres expectations. The effects are incredibly cool (even at a CGI level), the over-all visuals are stunning, and the characters are all drawn with an equally high level of quality and dynamicism. When viewed with the "Jack Jack Attack" extra featurette on the DVD, I feel pretty confident that it will probably be a long time before the family "I's" get dethroned from #1 on my list of fave computer animation movies of all time. 

The year that this film was released, I had a girlfriend who liked to go out with me, but only when she planned it & was in control of the date. On one week-end night, I was supposed to go see Joy Luck Club with her, but since it was at my suggestion, she, as always, phoned me to tell that she felt like maybe she was (conveniently) coming down with something. Now don't get me wrong, she wanted us to see this film, just not at my suggestion (I'll skip any psycho-analyzations as to why she was always like this).
Well I had finally had it, so I called her bluff, & told her that if there was a chance she'd get sick or somethin', we should just call the whole night off.
Before she could respond, I hung up the phone & then went to go see this movie by myself, more to piss her off than anything else.
By the time this stunningly moving, mother-daughter generation-crossing epic-fare was over, my hairy pimp-ass found it quite difficult to refrain from repeatingly dabbing at that "something in my eye" that seemed annoyingly persistent during the final two sob-strewn scenes. Because of my gf, there I was sitting alone in a theatre, effeminately misty-eyed over a god@mn chick-flick.
Right there & then, I knew that my relationship with my then-girlfriend was over.
Cuz no one makes me cry my own tears.
No one.

      A truly romantic story of how the escapist fantasy high/feeling that initially results with falling in love must eventually be realistically dealt with, as the conditions and responsibilities of one's current situation come quickly creeping back in. This movie always reminds of something I heard once: that couples pairing up for the sake of true love is still a relatively young concept in the context of human history. That we as both a society and a species over-all, have not evolved enough yet to be able to deal and accept each other in a manner that would be considered as total unconditional love (which is the only real love). And it is because of this that the world population has yet been unable to formulate an effective means of discussion that would truly begin a process of unity between it's racial, social & in this case, gender factions. Maybe, like this film depicts, this is why so many make decisions more for the sake of a security based on social and financial reasons than what is right for us on an emotional level. And as they impeded on Robert Kincaid (Eastwood) and Francesca Johnson (Streep), decisions which may impede on our ability to follow our hearts and therefore sway us, individually and socially, from a path that would lead to true love before it's too late.

 After the smash success of the very first Spider-Man movie, Marvel's Cinematic Universe begins its dominating expansion throughout the Universe, with a follow up "flycatcher" flick in which the Wall-Crawler, no longer a "sophomore", moves up into the next step of his life, both as a man and as a masked crimefighter.
In this one, Peter Parker roughs thru his dilemmas with the same down-to-earth frustrations as in the comic-books, his relationship with Mary Jane convincingly reaches its next level, and Dr. Octopus is portrayed much better as a villain than he ever was on the printed age.
  As a hardcore nerd of this genre, I was pretty satisfied at Marvel's initial effort at trying to do what Burton did with the Batman; introduce the webhead as a serious legitimate property for film.
The most I could've hoped for this sequel was that it be at least half as good as its predecessor.
Instead, Spidey-2 turned out to become one of my favorite movie adaptations of a comic-book superhero ever.
Which I guess I should've anticipated since before I even entered the theater, I noticed that my spider-senses didn't go off, all atingling an' sh*t.

That's right. I'm Will Munny and I've killed women and children. I've killed everything that walks or crawls at one time or another. And I'm here to kill you, Little Bill......"



  He was once a real tough hombre who was good with a gun and wasn't afraid to use it.
But now, after so many years of trying to build a "normal life" away from that of the wild, wild west, Will Munny comes to realize that when times get hard, old habits, even in old cowboys, die hard.
Push all the right buttons, and the habits of a killer are just like riding a bike (or in this case, riding a horse) ...... he never forgets.

  The manner in which Clint Eastwood portrays the icon of the ol' western gunslinger here, as a man with a mysterious past which he would've preferred to be completely forgotten, yet ultimately, as always, it's a past that comes to haunt him. A tortured soul who has become "broken" by domesticity, his demons are bought back to life one more time when he comes to rely on them for the survival of the redemptive life he has built.
Is it any wonder how this film could've easily been titled "The Final Chapter of The Man with No Name.... But Now He Given Him a Name."

 Here is one movie that has gotten such a stigma attached to it, that I easily forget how much I enjoy watching it. After several years of this movie collecting dust on my video collection, I watched it with my six-year-old niece a couple of months ago, and I'll be honest with you: I don't know which one of us was left sitting there with more childlike awe and wonder on our faces.
  Her, b'cuz as a child, she thought that E.T., was one amazing tale.
  Or me, b'cuz as an adult, I thought that Elliot's mom was one amazing tail.
Seriously, though, as a kid or as a grown up, I think that this is Steven Spielberg's sci-fi masterpiece. With the exception of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, of course.
  An extra-terrestrial becomes trapped on our planet and befriends an Earthling boy who shares it's love for Reese's Pieces. From there, these two beings "from different worlds" (one of the rare times that this phrase is used in the most literal sense possible), begin to share each other's experiences in a bond that can only result from unconditional acceptance.
 A moving picture which teaches that when it comes to a deep longing for love in the form of kindness and friendship, we humans are not alone.
And all we have to do to get it, even on a universally galactic level, is to just simply "be.... good".

First of all, movies don't scare me all that easily. A few did when I was a kid, but not anymore now as an adult. Therefore I rarely watch "scary" movies with the idea that I'm going to get frightened in any way. These days, I just judge 'em based more on the quality of entertainment that I get from the story, art direction, acting, blah blah blah....
That said,
this is film that tried to "realistically" (for it's time) entertain the idea of possession not just by a demon, but by the Devil himself (I know that in the book version, it wasn't Satan himself, but, at the young age when I first saw the Exorcist film, the line "she think's she's the Devil himself" had me convinced that it was truly the Prince of Lies who was responsible for this whole vomit-inducing, head-twisting debacle).
Boy, when I think of the time that this movie was first released and watching it as a kid, I know now why there hasn't been a horror movie since, that has been able to induce within the fright that the intention of such films. This one got it all out of my system in one shot (my mentality is probably still scarred from this flick in a manner that I, even as an adult, have yet to realize). From here on end, all other horror flix are just a step down for my traumatized pimp-@ss.
Even before I saw the movie, I remember catching a preview of this on T.V., as it depicted the scene of when the young girl inflicted with the soul-violating "ailment" was struggling on her bed, cryin for help as it violently shook on it's "own" volition. That night, at bedtime, I was scared as hell to go upstairs to my f#ckin' bedroom.

That f#ckin' movie.......

  With his position as the most powerful Don in the whole of the Cosa Nostra now set firmly in place, Michael Corleone finds that with absolute and corrupt power comes absolute and corrupt responsibility. Not to mention, a hell of alotta stress. With his marriage crumbling and the last connections of his father's regime becoming more poisonous with each day, Michael slips deeper into his devious side in order to keep the order and at the same time, to find a way to manipulate his machinations in a way that will allow his family business to climb the steep and crooked ladder to legitimacy.



  In this second chapter, Francis Ford Coppola continues the saga of la famiglia Corleone. And even though this one lacks the presence of the trio of exemplary actors I mentioned above, those empty spaces are superbly filled up by the strength Al Pacino's complete grasp and laser-beam portrayal of the lead character,
along with an interjecting prologue story starring a Sicilian speaking Robert Deniro.

 After lightning struck once with the first Godfather film, it was almost impossible to believe that it could strike twice in the same series, especially with the absence of Marlon Brando, James Caan and Abe Vigoda (oh c'mon! Y'know his presence added a certain dimension to the whole of the movie....).
 Yet strike it did.
 And with even more intensity than could be expected.

No matter how many times I view it, no matter what time of the day it is, I never get tired of watching this film.
Because Pulp Fiction is like pie.
And any time is a good time for pie.

  Sure, there are sci-fi films better written, or with, now much grander and updated special effects. But other than Star Trek, none have the expansive imagination or have been able to touch the heart of an entire generation of nerds, particularly with such a long-lasting impact, as the original Star Wars trilogy.
And while I know that Star Trek has affected more numbers of sci-fi geeks, but, for me, as "big" as their stories and concepts were, they never seemed to go all out with their depictions of alien races as much as Wars. And as intergalactic as they tried to make their stories, I never felt that they were as epic.
  For the movie of Empire itself, I agree with the rest of the world that this is the pinnacle of the entire Star Wars franchise, with its darker tone and cliff-hanger ending within its still fairytale-like structure. The saga of the intergalactic war between the Empire and the Jedi-led Rebellion hits it stride as Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Princess Leia and the rest of the crew find themselves pursued and cornered by Darth Vader and the forces of the Dark Side.



  The Empire Strikes Back came out at a time back when movies would stay in wide release, not for weeks at a time, but for months, and a few of 'em, like this one, for almost a full year.
   From my own point of view, I think that, on the majority, audiences today have been so desensitized from so-so blockbusters being released every other weekend or so, that they will never get to fully understand or experience the feeling a big movie-event like Star Wars. The year of Empire was one of my fave summers ever as a kid. It was really cool knowing that I could hop on the city bus at any point during the season and go watch TESB. And every time that I did, the other audience members were just as excited to be seeing this film at the end of the summer as they were at the beginning. Every year that one of the three original films was released, you could feel the power of the "Force" within the air, and not just until the next "big" movie came out. You could actually feel it in the air for almost the entire year long. And then some.

The British Empire, humbled via one man and the power of peaceful resistance.
Nuff said.

   When it comes to personal favorite movies of all time lists, most people will respond with at least one “oddball” in the bunch. Whether it be an obscure title, one that is commonly rated as “rotten”,  or just some movie that comes outta left field.

   For me, House of Flying Daggers is that film. It’s not my absolute favorite of all time but it does come within my top ten.  As a kid, I had always loved the idea of martial arts films but the truth is, outside of Bruce Lee’s work, very very few of them were any good. However, slowly but surely, there were a couple of people in the industry, such as Jackets Chan and John Woo who were doing their best to elevate the genre. And while most cinephiles believe that the quality of both story and action for "kung fu flix" reached their zenith with Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, I tend to lead more towards Daggers. As great as I think Crouching Tiger is, for my money, HoFD packs more punch. Not just in the action, but also, in the drama, the characters, storyline, even in the romantic element. Not mention that the set designs and costumes will drop kick the eyeballs of any movie viewer to the back of his/her head.

  Every aspect of this production is wrapped up beautifully together to showcase a fighting style of cinema that is all its own. Enough so that, not only is it my favorite film of the year it was released, 2004, but also, it has landed a spot in the top ten of my favorite films of all time.

   To say that from the mid 70's all the way to the entirety of the 80's, filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were both on a roll is quite an understatement.
Between the two of 'em, they were creating big, budgeted cinema that have become part of the lexicon when discussing the concept of blockbusters. And on this journey to becoming two of the biggest names in Hollywood, this pair of directing dynamos decided  in 1981 to team up  and combine their powers to create one of the most massive, not to mention enduring of these blockbusters, 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Channeling the spirits of the old movie serials that used to act as short episodic tales that were shown before a major feature, Steven and George took the formula of high level, quick paced adventure of these short reels and brought it into the spotlight as the main attraction. Their efforts paid off big time and resulted into one of the highest grossing franchises of the 80's and a star vehicle for rising Hollywood heavy Harrison Ford, whose star had already begun to rise as one of the lead characters in Lucas' Star Wars films. 



  These days, no matter how much I try to assimilate with all the other adults my age, most of whom have had their childhood spirits crushed a long time ago, Raiders is a reminder to me of what it was like to watch a movie with childlike awe. This is a film with a lot of affection for me, that never fails to bring a smile to my now grown-up hairy pimp-ass.
  This early blockbuster not only shaped the way I enjoy watching movies, but also, it also contributes to the foundation of why going to the theater and having the experience of being swept away by what is playing on the big silver screen has become one the greatest joys in my life.

   In this story, Will Hunting isn't just good, he's a genius.
A "wicked smaht" young Southie who, in order to stay outta jail, has gotta  put some time on the psychiatrist sofa and find some way to come to terms with his abusive past, his brawling behavior, his therapist, his extra-ordinary talent and his tendency to continually talk himself away from responsibility.
And in the process, finds that sometimes, the best way to heal old wounds,
is simply, to go see about a girl.



  Good Will Hunting is a "wicked smaht" movie because of its "wicked smaht" script featuring a "wicked smaht" character.
It was written by its star, Matt Damon, along with costar Ben Affleck, at a time when both were burgeoning stars. The female lead, Minnie Driver, was also at the very early stages of her career, while Robin Williams, who had been around for a while, this was the movie in which he finally won an Academy Award after several years of being passed by nominations from other films.  The truth however is that all the acting by everyone involved in Hunting's story is turned up to eleven. Although, it's the writing here that surpasses all other aspects, which is made more impressive when one considers how young Damon and Affleck were when they first scribed this script. It's a little curious why the duo never wrote more movies later on, but I guess I should just be glad that they wrote this one. Because when I first watched it about a year after its initial release as a result of all the critical hype that it had accumulated, not only was I still surprised at how good it was, but I also felt compelled to immediately place it into my list of Top Ten favorite movies of all time. And that's a feeling that only grew stronger after years of multiple viewings.

"You know, we always called each other goodfellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, 'You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a goodfella. He's one of us. You understand?' We were goodfellas. Wiseguys."



  'Ey, look, I understand that there really isn't any movie out there that is universally loved by everyone. But there can be very little argument that when it comes to gangster movies, you just can't beat this one. Based just on its charismatic energy alone, it's wunna dose flix that you ain't gonna find too many wise guys who're gonna need a gun put to their head in order to give it a proper thumbs up. Goodfellas is easily my favorite Martin Scorsese film, and not just because it's considered by a vast majority of movie critics and fans alike as one of the best pieces of cinema ever.  I agree with that assessment; however, I also have my own personal reasons of why this movie in my top ten faves. One of the main ones out of many is the way that Scorsese sets up the storytelling to pay close and comprehensive attention to the minute details that the members of a 60's-70's mafia family have to engage in order to maintain the lifestyle that they have so become accustomed to. MS manages to utilize his accumulated experience in the manner that only an accomplished director can, by progressing the story in a style that shows how the mafia type of self-contained lifestyle can only eventually crumble in on itself as the "normal" world outside of the Cosa Nostra continually changes and evolves.
   What it comes down to is, no matter how much of a goodfella you think you may be, in the end, you will always end up either in prison, getting whacked, or the worst of 'em all, living the rest of your life like a schnook.

  In James Cameron's 1986 sequel to Ridley Scott's 1979 non-plural installment of the series, Ellen Ripley, believe it or not, is back. And this time, she arms herself with some big guns and with an even bigger attitude. Which she's gonna need since of instead of squaring off against just one xenomorph, now she's taking on a whole hive full of them.
  And their momma too.



  Aliens is a perfect example of a movie that has everything that I look forward to in a science fiction adventure-thriller. Suspenseful action, a solid story, a group of distinct characters (with great chemistry), great visuals, kick-ass aliens, a turning plot-twist (we all thought for sure, that Bishop couldn't be trusted), and of course, a catch-phrase that made the entire theater that I saw this movie in to roar ("Get away from her, you b#tch!").
  In all the other lists in which I include this movie as an entry, it's pretty evident that I could on and on and on when it comes to talking about this one. And why it is one of my favorites of all time. But for now, I'll just say that when it comes to my own personal tastes, empty escapism just doesn't get any better than when it kinda makes me wish that I had acid for blood.
For me that's a always a good sign of a real feel-good flick. 

 

  Back in 1968, director/master auteur Stanley Kubrick tried his hand at creating one of the most realistic depictions of what it would be like if extraterrestrial life actually did try to initiate some kind of contact with us mere Earthlings in a non-antagonist manner. Since back then, this was a rare approach in the way that stories about alien life forms were written, particularly when it came to cinema, combined with the fact that it was from the mind of Stanley Kubrick, the final product ended up as a loose, more abstract concept instead of being a science fiction story whose fiction emphasized more on the science.
 Seven years later, after kickstarting the whole summer blockbuster "wave" with Jaws in 1975, Steven Spielberg decided to go even "bigger" and tackle what Kubrick had started, but this time, with a much more "down-to-earth" approach to the cosmic level concept of these kind of encounters.
Telling the story from a more rural perspective, Spielberg was able to reflect the kind of wonder and awed confusion that would result from an average joe's POV and present one of the most realistic handlings of a story of aliens that had been told up to that point in time, (and which would provide inspiration for future  similar themed films such as Contact, Signs, and Arrival, all of which also tried admirably to emulate the "validity" of initial intergalactic interactions).


  When I was kid, I remember lying on the grass in our backyard on a clear summer's night and feeling a kind of awe that would come from looking up all the stars in the sky and wonder at all of the possibilities that must've been up there far beyond the grasp of the human experience. 
  And now, as an adult, whenever I watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind, even with jaded eyes overwhelmed with the modern CGI gimmicktry of today, I am continually still reminded of that particular sense of awe and wonder. Which, from my perspective, is the highest compliment I can give to any work of this genre.

  Kal-El is the last survivor of Krypton, a distant planet that was annihilated by a global ecological disaster.

  To save his infant son. his father placed him in a special rocket and sent it off to Earth. The radiation of the yellow sun of our solar system provides him with the power of a god. Under the name Superman, Kal-El has the ability be fly faster than a speeding bullet, be more powerful than a locomotive and to leap over tall buildings with a single bound (his flying ability probably helps him with that). Not to mention x-ray and heat vision, withstand extreme temperatures, hurricane force breath and the ability to wear a wardrobe ensemble consisting of a cape, boots and colorful underwear worn over equally colorful tights.

  And what does Superman do with all this power that would allow him to squash us mere mortals with not so much as a mere thought?
He uses it to protect us from all those who would mean us fair citizens harm through the violation of truth, justice and the American way.
Because even within an alien sentient being, no matter how distant his origins, underneath his bulletproof chest, there lies within a heart of a hero.
That's just how the Man of Steel rolls.



  Yep. The fact that this #2 of my favorite movies ever is a testament of how huge of a comic-book nerd I am. And since admitting that usually doesn't garner much respect, I only expect the best when a project interprets my favorite medium up on the big screen. We comic-book fans don't need any more ammunition to make us seem any more goofy
that we already are. We can do that all by ourselves.
ALL by ourselves.
   And no matter what anyone says, Kal-El is the original gangsta of superheroes. So, it is only fitting that the last son of Krypton's big-budget movie debut should turn out to be the one that all other comic-book based superhero movies must be measured by. And while I know that this movie does have its dated flaws, it was, just like the character whom it portrayed, the one that started on how epic the idea of a superhero could truly be.

Before I go into why this movie, to me, is the godfather of all Godfather movies, lemme first tell y'all about one of the times when I first realized just how much this film had ingrained itself in my very being had to do with one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie. It was Vito Corleone's "...And that I do not forgive" speech which he gives during the meeting with the various top family leaders. I always thought that people who memorized large chunks of dialogue from movies as a way of entertaining and impressing others, were just huge nerds. Then one time, on a date, I found myself actually reciting this entire speech to the young lady whom I was with. Til then, I didn't even realize that my mind had subconsciously memorized it.
It's amazing the things one can find out about oneself when they're trying to get into a girl's pants. *

*(BTW, I was young. I didn't realize at the time what it took to impress the ladiez....)

Anyways, I could go on and on with why I agree with so many people of why this is such a great movie, but instead, I'll do a top ten within a top one-hundred and 99.



 Top 10 reasons why I think The Godfather is such a great film:

10. The late great John Cazale.
An actor who in his short film career, never starred in any movie rated less than an A+.

9. Marlon Brando is back with a performance uniquely his own.
Reportedly, at the time, his career was seriously on the wane. But then Fate steps in and hands him a role of which would become one of the most iconic in film history.

8. James Caan. IMO, his best performance ever and the best character in the movie.

7. All the "oranges=death/violent act" scenes.
Many were impressed the way directors like M. Knight Shamalamadindong with the color red or Quentin Tarantino with scenes of John Travolta in the toilet, used tools of clues for the audience, to give 'em hints on what's coming up in future scenes. But Coppola had already perfected in this style of storytelling in this series

6. Apollonia!!!

5. Vito Corleone's "...And that I do not forgive" speech during the meeting of the criminal masterminds. One of my favorite scenes in the whole film.
I always thought that people who memorized large chunks of speeches from movies as a way of entertaining and impressing others were nerds. Then one day, back during my single days, while I was on a first date, I found myself actually reciting this entire speech to the young lady whom I was with as a way of impressing her. Up until that point, I didn't even realize that my mind had subconsciously memorized it from watching it so much. It's amazing the things one can find out about oneself when they're trying to get into a girl's pants.

4. Lines like "Sleeping with the fishes" or " Time to take out the mattresses", phrases that have since become part of the lexicon of popular culture.

3. Sonny's death scene.

2. The theme song.
One of those rare times when the music is so tied with the film, that whenever I hear it, I instantly get in the mood to watch the trilogy (yes, even the third installment. Which, even though I don't find matching in quality with its predecessors, I still tend to disagree with the public opinion on this. IMO Godfather-3 IS a quality film. B#tchez.).

1. Francis Ford Coppola's masterful use of foreshadowing.
Example: When Luca Brasi (the guy who ends up sleeping with the fishes) goes to make a deal with the rival crime-family, he walks thru a glass door that leads to the bar where his fate will become sealed. As the door closes, the scene is shot looking at Luca from behind, setting up the shot to so that you will notice the fish designs that have been engraved into the glass and it will visually give the impression that the fish are surrounding Luca's body.
Awesome.
Simply awesome.