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''I give hope to men. I keep none for myself.''

The former Fellowship of the Ring prepare for the final battle for Middle Earth, while Frodo & Sam approach Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.

Viggo Mortensen: Aragorn

Return of the King asserts itself as the final and best of the Rings Trilogy. The Lord of the Rings trilogy as a whole became the most nominated film series in Academy Award history with 30 nominations, surpassing both the Godfather trilogy (28) and the Star Wars franchise(21). It broke another record by winning all the Oscars for which it was nominated; including Best Picture, and Best Director(11 out of 11). The previous record was nine out of nine by The Last Emperor(1987) and nine out of nine by Gigi(1958). Also the third of only three films to win 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The only film to win more than 10 Academy Awards without receiving a single acting nomination, which is ironic considering the immense cast.

I recall seeing it at the cinema when it first was released, then seeing three more times because of the greatness and inspiration it provides. Being a fan of the book trilogy Lord of the Rings which I read many years ago when I was 14, I did have some minor disappointments at Saruman being absent from the theatrical version and others; including certain Witch King scenes and The Mouth Of Sauron at the Black Gate which I loved in the book. Despite these missing from the Theatrical version, Return of the King had me glued to the screen for its three hour duration; the reasons why?, because in essence Return of the King has so much...majestic set pieces, beautiful landscapes, perfect costumes, dazzling earthy effects, deeply portrayed characters and wonderful storytelling.
I'd like to mention as an example; Peter Jackson maybe bending the rules of adapting a book, yet succeeds in giving the story an elevated boost of significance in cinematic and emotional terms. The example; The amazing conversation between Elrond and Aragorn where he gives him the sword. Although in the book his sword is remade and given to him in Fellowship; this interaction between the two simply is great cinema and really sells the pure adrenaline and emotion of Aragorn's beginning transformation into a King. This greatly shows a lever against the over-whelming evil of Middle Earth, against the Dark Lord Sauron whom seems all but invincible. Peter Jackson cleverly succeeds in giving a message of Hope while using it as a vehicle to move the story forth.

Similarly to it's predecessor The Two Towers; we are treated to separated characters; on one side it flicks to Sam, Frodo and Smeagol as they approach Mordor and Mount Doom then back to Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas trekking towards the Paths of the Dead and preparing for eminent battle. But Return of the King Goes one step further than it's prequels, because then we also have all these other pivotal characters; Gandalf and Pippin at the White City, in all it's magnificence with the maddened Denethor. Theoden and Eomer preparing to help Gondor from the descending armies of darkness. The secretive Eowyn with Merry going to Gondor's aid, even though they are not permitted too. Return Of the King gives so much detail and luscious fantasy and story before we even come to the battle scenes its a great film. Chuck in the battle at the White City, the final climactic onslaught at the Black Gate and the powerful scene where Sam carries Frodo up Mount Doom showing the powerful bond of friendship and vigor, bravery and compassion, then what you have is not only a film which is great but one that is the definition of what can only be described as close to perfection.

''Courage, Merry, courage for our friends.''

The musical score retains its beauty, elegance and power that Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers had; Quite simply Howard Shore has made a soundtrack and score on all three films that has unrivaled beauty and depth, that is essentially another invisible character among the cast like any wearer of the ring. When you hear Howard Shore on any Lord of the Rings film, it's like hearing soothing, blaring, powerful, emotional tones from heaven. The score simply is THAT perfect.
The special effects, notably Gollum again, are nothing less than breathtaking, and simply compliment the story; this is Peter Jackson's effect company WETA making not just effects but in essence creative fantastical art reminiscent of Illustrators Alan Lee or Brian Froud whom we're behind the book art.
The battles are monumentally huge and exciting. There are again, some liberties taken with the story; especially during the end with the homecoming, and yet, everything that needed to be covered regarding the main characters Peter Jackson seems to provide anyway. After the greatest moment of the series resolves itself, the aftermath and lengthy goodbye ending provided a breather for not just the characters but the for us, the audiences. Return of the King gives a fond farewell to friends seen on screen for the last three years; and for the cast whom filmed for 7 years if not more, a trilogy which forged friendships on and off screen. It was truly a bittersweet feeling in realizing that there will be no more Rings for 2004. I will miss this talented group and magical escapism although I never tire of experiencing the whole journey again.

At this point of the third book or film, everyone has come to know and love all of the characters and formed emotional ties; thus the stakes have become tremendously high for the characters and this makes viewing even more exciting and enriching. Kingdoms are at their knees, and the only two characters who can save Middle Earth are gradually becoming weaker and weaker. The tension was very high and I can honestly say that out of all 3, this was the only one that had me on the edge of my seat. There were many memorable scenes (one of my favourites including the part with the Shelob; An interesting fact; Peter Jackson is arachnophobic and based the Shelob design on the types of spiders he feared the most.)that made this the classic that it is sure to stay for decades to come.

''Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!''

This is the longest of the series, mostly because of the ending that seems to last, albeit slightly warped from the book (The Book had a Shire incident with Saruman at its peak). This was still a good ending, a feel good conclusion; and it allows us to see why Frodo did what he chose to do effectively. He, and us the audience, have gone through an incredible ordeal and I think we needed that 20 minute linger. When the battle is over, and the celebrations have ended, there is a sad emptiness felt. The films spanned over 3 years, the filming for the trilogy nearly 10 years, as all films were shot simultaneously together.
There have been The Extended Editions, The Limited Editions of course, but after that, it's all over. Peter Jackson gave us so much that resulted in being both appropriate and admirable.
Much to my satisfaction the Extended Version of Return of the King capitalizes on the already dazzling theatrical version and dressing it with details sadly missing. What we now have included; The encounter at Isengard with Saruman and Wormtongue, the Witch King breaking Gandalf's Staff and the Mouth of Sauron at the Black Gate. These scenes provide a new scope and insight into The Return of the King and help it stay true to the book. The Extended edition also sees Peter Jackson include more material from the book to do with Faramir and Pippin, Sam and Frodo's mishaps in Mordor and their disguises as Orcs is given clarity and realism. Aragorn looking finally into the Palantir to make himself known and seen to Sauron is particularly captivating and effective. I should also mention there is alot more humour too especially in the Paths of the Dead extended scenes.

''That's for Frodo! And for the Shire! And that's for my old Gaffer!''

For me no film or indeed book, can never be too long or too short, and rarely when you get a film as visionary as Return of the King do you want it to end. I know I surely didn't. It's magical and mesmerizing; be it a moving scene with Ian Mckellan and Billy Boyd preparing for fighting at Minas Tirith or Elijah Wood and Sean Astin struggling with the Ring's evil resonance, this film is in Gollums words: very precious.
A true masterpiece from Peter Jackson, Fran Walsch and all crew and cast fulfill a Tolkein vision, Howard Shore provides the perfect Score and adds to the beauty that is Return of the King. Whats more we are treated to some inspirational credits; accompanied by Annie Lennox performing the song Into The West and gorgeous art-work by Alan Lee of the cast in their roles. This is art. This is a story of friendship and hope. This is The Return of the King.

''Home is behind, the world ahead... And there are many paths to tread. Through shadow, to the edge of night, until the stars are all alight... Mist and shadow, cloud and shade, all shall fade... all... shall... fade...''

''So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?''

''Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them.''

''For death and glory.''

''For Rohan. For your people.''

''The Horn of Helm Hammerhand will sound in the deep, one last time!''

Frodo and Sam continue on to Mordor in their mission to destroy the One Ring. Whilst their former companions make new allies and launch an assault on Isengard.

Christopher Lee: Saruman the White

Brad Dourif: Grima Wormtongue

The Two Towers is like Fellowship a triumph that any Tolkien fan, adventure/fantasy or war enthusiast should see.

Acting wise Elijah Wood as Frodo is simply phenomenal, captures the pain that the little soul must be expriencing.
Ian McKellen as Gandalf is excellent again as the newly formed White Wizard, even though he has a much smaller role than before.
Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn was another good choice and you could really experience what he must be going through. John Rys-Davies was really good, his jokes with Legolas refreshing.
Sean Astin fit the description of good old Sam well and also acted out the character perfectly.
Bernard Hill as Theoden, Brad Dourif as Grima, Miranda Otto as Eowyn, Karl Urban as Eomer, David Wenham as Faramir and Liv Tyler as Arwen were all excellent also in their performances. Gollum was really perfect and multi layered. Andy Serkis deserves recognition and praise as well as awards, for the perfect distorted muffled warped voice for Gollum, and an applause to the design team who made the motion capture suit.

Love the Extended Version where Christopher Lee & Brad Dourif are given more screen time they deserve. Director Peter Jackson did another excellent job in this movie along with Howard Shore.

One scene they needed to include in the normal version was the one in the extended edition of the flashback between Faramir, Boromir and Denethor. That scene was really essential to explaining the relationship of Faramir, and his father and brother.

The Battle of Helms Deep was so energized you couldn't tell what was CGI mostly. The battle of Isengard was also well done and when the ents broke the dam and Isengard was flooded.

The cinematography was beautiful and just jaw-dropping gorgeous. Makes me really want to be in New Zealand. Rohan, and Edoras especially were beautiful. Howard Shore's score was again perfection, a character in itself. The Rohan theme song fit the beautiful scenery perfectly.

That scene between Theoden and Aragorn, where the King loses hope and Aragorn gives him the speech, that spark is one of courage and depth to me and another fave part of mine. What with new additional characters and characters with separate paths and Stories The Two Towers was a hard one for Jackson but still turns out to be what we all expect.

A Masterpiece.

''I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail.''

''Our people, our people. I would have would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king.''

''Be at peace, Son of Gondor.''

In a small village in the Shire a young Hobbit named Frodo has been entrusted with an ancient Ring. Now he must embark on an Epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it.

Viggo Mortensen: Aragorn/Strider

Elijah Wood: Frodo

Ian Mckellan: Gandalf

The fellowship is the heaven version and pinnacle milestone of film like Two Towers & Return Of the King which I feel are all one compact vision.

Fellowship has one of the best prologues I have ever seen in in my life. The part where Boromir is dying and Aragorn is comforting him is one of the most emotional and tear inducing scenes for me.

The WETA effects, camera work, editing, sound and Orchestra work by Hoeard Shore are all dripping perfection.

For this piece of work Howard Shore has created and drawn out a truly beautiful soundtrack to accompany the movie visually. In truth, you can listen to the CD alone and experience the movie, just close your eyes. Howard brings all of the epic moments from the movie to life through the art of music.

To tell the story of LOTR, the cast of the movie was required to do much more than just act but had to tell an epic story of human struggles and emotions, ranging from anger to joy to sadness which spanned over 10 years for the cast and crew. The acting in this movie is beautiful, and nearly flawless. The characters are fleshed out and believable, the relationships are hypnotising, and it is as if the audience experiences everything and is part of the ensuing adventure.

The casting drew together a small group of seasoned veterans, including Lee, McKellan, and Holm, giving the movie a solid backbone of experience and life. The other characters are also played out beautifully, especially that of Sean Bean's. The relationship between he and Mortensen make the story of the movie all the more real. Sean Astin and Boyd also deliver sound performances, but the most unique aspect of the movie is the relationship between Astin and Wood. Seeing the making and the Extended Version, it is much easier to understand, but Astin forged a friendship with Wood during filming, and this was able to make the close bond of the two in Fellowship even more real and powerful.

In conclusion and in essence, Fellowship & LOTR can be credited as many things, because it does something incredibly challenging and does it exceedingly without flaw.
Peter Jackson had to adapt from a series of books, he had to capture Tolkiens unique view of writing material, he had to deliver a vivid and real world full of gritty earthy fantasy, and it required its cast to deliver brilliant performances full of emotion, relationships, and conflicts.

Watch Theatrical or Extended Versions both are perfection.

Masterpiece.

''Fifty years from now, the sun is dying, and mankind is dying with it. Our last hope: a spaceship and a crew of eight men and women.''

Was looking forward to watching this and it proved to be most interesting and it proved to be quite exciting and entertaining.

Was some great effects and good acting, was a big tribute to 2001:A space oddysey. A number of similarities yet with a more upgraded and modern tone to it.

Cliff Curtis as Dr Searle as usual was very chameleonic and moulds into his role.

Chris Evans as Mace was an interesting role too. He's unemotional,cold,and dedicated to the mission then heroic and caring the next.

Cillian Murphy as Robert Capa the main Character is an intelligent thoughtful lead and Cillian acts his part well

Some good action and dramatic emotional scenes, with some shocking twists and jumpy thrills.

A good solid Sci-fi action film that has a positive outcome and similarities to Alien and Space Oddysey.

''I am Jaguar Paw! This is my forest! My sons and their sons will hunt here after I am gone! ''


As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, the rulers insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man captured for sacrifice, flees to avoid his fate.

Rudy Youngblood: Jaguar Paw

Dalia Hernández: Seven

Immense, epic, primal Aztec thriller. One man's fight to save his family from impending doom and adversaries intent on his demise.

Firstly I cannot stress enough how you really do feel as soon as Apocalypto begins, you're part of the villagers lives, as it sucks you in you cant help but get a little attached and immersed by them, which I find is a very clever element.

You know something bad is going to happen by the heightened sense of foreboding and when it does it turns the main hero Jaguar Paw's world upside down.
Alot of violence and gore intensify the film and show how brutal Aztec life could be in the different yet similar tribal culture.

Mel Gibson has made another successful film study which has alot to say in today's society, about the more we take from the world and don't give back the more the world won't have anything left to give. Definitely recommend seeing this film to see how Jaguar Paw, wonderfully portrayed by Rudy Youngblood, defies his captors and rushes to save his family who are trapped. Resulting in one of the best chase movies ever, an exotic, blended, subtitled Fugitive but with more adrenaline rushes, blood, gore and shocks.

It's sensitive and Paw's wife Seven is beautiful, wonderfully played by Dalia Hernández. Who could forget her heavily pregnant form and Paw listening to his child within her, and the love they have for each other conveyed in their eyes. Truly wonderful.

For all its seriousness also there are a number of humourous elements within Apocalypto which also sucks you in. Definitely an insight too into Aztec life a long while ago around the time of Christopher Columbus.

Amazing to think there are still tribes similar in the amazon nowadays who bare a remarkable likeness to the tribes on show in Apocalypto, showing that timeless quality, that traditional transition.

Sacrifices, graphic scenes and a perspective not just of Jaguar Paw but of the one's chasing him, Zero Wolf is a formidable nemesis who after losing his son is after blood, Paw's blood. Ultimately Apocalypto gives us a turbulent journey of a man who wants nothing but to get his family back and in this task ends up overcoming impossible odds.

Jaguar Paw's adventure and ordeal will make your heart beat fast everytime.

A tense thriller revolving round Nicholas Garrigan, a young doctor(played by James McAvoy) and Ugandan Dictator Idi Amin(played by the superb Forest Whitaker).

Inspired by true events this story starts off all good with its main hero thrown into the limelight when he becomes Doctor to Amin.

On the outside it seems wonderfully perfect scenario until he finds he cant escape Uganda. What goes on behind the perfect image/scenes and propaganda is strife and murder, fear and misery.

Forest Whitaker's performance as the crazed dictator is nothing short of blinding. James McAvoy also very pivotal and portrays his character with finesse.

Only thing i didn't like was the way it ended which left it all floating up in the air. Of course the factual part was interesting about Amin's regime ending and right prevailing. A good effort, humour also in doses in this, made me laugh on a number of a occasions.

Also Forest Whitaker farting i cant get out of my head! And James Mcavoy shagging every 10 seconds. Doctor's the worst i tell u !

Forest Whitaker deserved the oscar for his perfectly executed portrayal of a crazed power hungry man. ( Not the fart ,the acting :P).

Horrific, gory as hell, sick yet funny. I really enjoyed this chapter of Hannibal Lector. Think alot of the critics were far to harsh on this film. Judge for yourself and make up your own mind. Worth watching. Would say Gaspard Ulliel did a good job of potraying Hannibal, very cold and emotionally detached and isolated, yet at times human and vunerable. Nice to have a fresh face in the role admittedly Anthony Hopkins is the master but he was getting overused especially with the add ons which are Hannibal and Red Dragon.

Murray: Is it true what they're sayin', he's some kinda vampire?
Clarice Starling: They don't have a name for what he is.

A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

Jodie Foster: Clarice Starling

Anthony Hopkins: Dr. Hannibal Lecter

The events in this film occur after the events in Manhunter(1986). Although there are several characters common to both films, there are only two actors who appear in both movies. Both actors play different characters in both movies. Frankie Faison plays Lt. Fisk in Manhunter and Barney in Silence of the Lambs, and Dan Butler plays an FBI fingerprint expert in Manhunter and an entomologist in Silence of the Lambs.
The film originally was going to be released in the fall of 1990. However, Orion pictures, which distributed the film, decided instead to delay its release until January 1991 so that it could concentrate all their efforts in promoting Dances with Wolves (1990) for Oscar consideration.
Silence of the lambs is one of the masterpieces of the last decade. And does it have its reasons. First of all, it's entirely dependent on the terror that gnaws all the way to the mind of the viewer. The decline of the Human Being is magnificently chiseled with one liners that amusingly depict the killers and psychopaths state of mind and approach us carefully into a nature that is deformed, evil and sick of the Man's putrefaction.

The main spectacle is drawn between Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. Both entirely relevant to the movie, they produce a bright contrast and with their performances they nail the feelings right and expose one of the best duels on movie history. This duel, although, is not conventional. Clarice Starling will use Hannibal Lecter's profound knowledge of the criminal mind to capture the infamous Buffalo Bill. But Hopkins will play a game in which their personalities will engage in a retroactive combination, in a "quid pro quo" mind spar: she will have to expose her most profound, hidden secrets to Lecter, so he can also dispatch on his pleasure of analyzing the suffering of others. Both of them reveal all of their character's whole personality with their eyes: Foster is in constant pressure, scared but facing hell with courage and Hopkins shows human emptiness in his eyes, windows to what is a world full of deprivation.
In preparation for his role, Anthony Hopkins studied files of serial killers. Also, he visited prisons and studied convicted murderers and was present during some court hearings concerning serial killings.
Anthony Hopkins described his voice for Hannibal Lecter as, "a combination of Truman Capote and Katharine Hepburn."

Hannibal Lecter: Why do you think he removes their skins, Agent Starling?
[sarcastically]
Hannibal Lecter: Enthrall me with your acumen.
Clarice Starling: It excites him. Most serial killers keep some sort of trophies from their victims.
Hannibal Lecter: I didn't.
Clarice Starling: No. No, you ate yours.

Ted Levine is truly scary. You get the impression that he is the true Buffalo Bill, twisted and perverse. He shows absolutely no human, recognizable aspect. He is a terrible villain.
Buffalo Bill is the combination of three real life serial killers: Ed Gein, who skinned his victims; Ted Bundy, who used the cast on his hand as bait to make women get into his van; and Gary Heidnick, who kept women he kidnapped in a pit in his basement. Gein was only positively linked to two murders and suspected of two hers. He gathered most of his materials not through murder, but grave-robbing. In the popular imagination, however, he remains a serial killer with uncounted victims.

Easily one of the best and most sophisticated crime thrillers I've seen, The Silence of the Lambs is a masterful stroke of a movie. To begin, the performances are what really shine here. Both Foster and Hopkins are award-worthy. Jodie Foster is completely believable in her role as the intelligent heroine, and really has the audience sympathizing with her. On the other hand is Lecter, wonderfully played by Hopkins - his character is one scary guy, I definitely wouldn't want to be near him. Their chemistry in the film is amazing, and the conversational scenes between them, both of them separated by bars or a glass wall, are tense and brilliantly acted. The performances all around are simply top-notch.

Hannibal Lecter: A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

The plot itself is an intriguing one at that, and I liked the relationship that was formed between the FBI agent and the serial killer - it's all really interesting. Then, there's the serial killer that is the sole reason that Clarice has any relation to Lecter - because Lecter has information that could help her. The gender-bending Buffalo Bill is shown throughout the movie, kidnapping women, and the viewers get an insight into his bizarre world, mostly shown in his underground "chamber" under his house, where he skins and stores his victims, dead and alive, and wears their skins. The finale in the pitch-black basement/lair between Clarice and Buffalo Bill is genuinely terrifying, and will surely have you on the edge of your seat.

Interesting to know also the inspiration for the Silence of the Lambs was the real life relationship between University of Washington criminology professor and profiler Robert Keppel and real life serial killer Ted Bundy. Bundy helped Keppel in his investigation of the Green River Serial Killings in Washington. While Bundy was executed 24 January 1989, the Green River Killings went unsolved until 2001 when Gary Ridgway was arrested. On 5 November 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first degree murder in a King County, Washington (Seattle) courtroom.

A last concluding note: Lecter's mention of having consumed a victim's liver with "some fava beans and nice chianti". Liver, fava beans, and wine all contain a substance called tyramine, which can actually kill you if you're also taking a certain class of antidepressant drugs known as MAO inhibitors. MAO inhibitors were the first antidepressant drugs developed, and were used primarily on patients in mental institutions. Lecter both worked in, and was committed to, a mental institution.

Interesting Goofs

Factual errors: A forensics expert's opinion of the autopsy scene: over 8 errors were made. Among them: the body was fingerprinted without collecting evidence under the victims fingernails, and the ink would have destroyed the evidence. You cannot get fingerprints off a body if it is in that condition.
Miscellaneous: In flashbacks, young Clarice Starling has brown eyes. However, when she is older, Agent Starling's eyes are pale blue.
Revealing mistakes: As the forensics come to take photos of the victim's body, the "corpse" visibly blinks as the hands touch its face.

''Well, Clarice - have the lambs stopped screaming?''

''I am the Dragon. And you call me insane. You are privy to a great becoming, but you recognize nothing. To me, you are a slug in the sun. You are an ant in the afterbirth. It is your nature to do one thing correctly. Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe.''

A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.

Anthony Hopkins: Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Edward Norton: Will Graham

Ralph Fiennes: Francis Dolarhyde

Excellent installment to the Hannibal series. Red Dragon A very clever prequel.

Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins and some of the best and loved Actors of mine in this to make this Masterful Prequel. Beautiful performances especially from Ralph & Anthony. Two players who know how to dance with villainy.

The start of the movie had me glued to the start and I watched this after a very difficult time in my life, the day my heart got broken. Thankfully Red Dragon succeeded in taking my mind of things, and I find that it deserves a decent Review and to go in my Favourites considering my fondness for the film.

The only thing that annoyed me about Red Dragon is that Anthony Hopkins looks alot Older and Lambs, it was hard not to compare and think of how young he looked in that. Considering Dragon is a prequel to make Hopkins look younger somehow is now possible even the mediocre X-men 3 has made use of CG smoothing for actors faces/facials.

It's got some nice twists, music, pace and alot of charm. Darkly immersed and satisfying Brett Ratner shows he can do the Dark Side, not just comedy or Action Set Piece movies.

Touching and enjoyable, loads of laughs with some serious scenes.

Pending Review...

Christine: I remember... there was mist. Swirling mist upon a vast glassy lake... There were candles all around, and on the lake there was a boat...
[pause]
Christine: ... And in the boat, there was a man.
[walks over to the Phantom, at his organ]
Christine: Who was that shape in the shadows? Whose is that face in the mask?
[touches his face and rips of mask]
The Phantom: [covers face] Damn you! You little prying Pandora! You little demon! Is this what you wanted to see? Curse you! You little lying Delilah! You little *viper*! Now you cannot ever be free! Damn you! Curse you!
The Phantom: [changes mood from angry to sad] Stranger than you dreamt it, can you even bear to look, or dare to think of me?... This lonesome gargoyle who burns in hell but secretly yearns for heaven secretly, secretly but Christine... fear can turn to love you'll learn to see to find the man behind the monstor this... repulsive carcass that seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty secretly, secretly...
[crying]
The Phantom: Oh, Christine.
The Phantom: [Christine hands him the mask]
[spoken]
The Phantom:Come. We must return. Those two fools who run my theatre will be missing you.



Her voice became his passion. Her love became his obsession. Her refusal became his rage.....


A disfigured musical genius The Phantom, hidden away in the Paris Opera House, terrorizes the opera company for the unwitting benefit of a young protege,Christine whom he trains and loves. Yet a love triangle surfaces as her childhood sweetheart Raoul comes back into her life...

Gerard Butler: The Phantom. Retains soulful resonance and passion with his unique role. Quite good singing on his part that may not be tuned but has power.

Emmy Rossum: Christine. Tranquil, delicate and her voice resonating. A talented young actress who adds her character sweetness and poise.

Patrick Wilson: Raoul. The other love interest who also flexes some impressive vocals. A talented actor and singer.

Miranda Richardson: Madame Giry. Fantastic supporting actress in another fantastic role.

Minnie Driver: Carlotta. Had her own song for the film, she plays her part well as the spoiled lead at the beginning.

The movie, in my opinion, takes what is best about the play and does it even better. Though some of my favorite bits from the stage show (the rehearsal of Don Jaun where the piano plays itself, Raoul's part in "Wondering Child") are gone, they have been dropped in favor of brilliant improvements, namely having the chandelier crash at the conclusion of the film (it really brings the whole thing full circle), and allowing more glimpses of Paris 1917, finally explaining why it is Raoul returns, what happens to the Phantom, etc. Other good bits that we see now but never saw onstage: an affectionate moment between Meg and Madame Giry, some history of the Phantom, a deeper sense of what Meg may know or not know about the Phantom's presence, the stalking of Josephe Bouquet, the life of the underclass of the opera house, the Hall of Mirrors from the book, etc. Also, the music has been beautifully re-orchestrated, and never sounded better. I'll take orchestra over canned synths, any day, thank you.

The cinematography is beautiful and the "opera" moments are well done- complete with the intense, almost intrusive dancing and vibrant but totally unrealistic sets and costumes that characterized "grand opera" at the time. The sense of constant claustrophobia back stage is great, and adds to that sense of what it was like to live and work in this tiny world where everyone is a performer and half your wardrobe comes from the costume department (did anyone else catch that moment where Christine takes her dress from the wardrobe?), adding to the central question at "Phantom's" core- what (who) is real, and what (who) is an illusion- and is real preferable to illusion, or vice-vera?

The bleedingly bright colours and deep shadows of the movie help echo all of this- reminding us always, this story is not real, hero on white charger and all, but we don't want it to be: it's a legend, it's a fairy tale, it's a farce... it's a masquerade. It's, as the Auctioneer says, "a strange affair." "Phantom" told and acted realistically, totally wouldn't work, so don't ask it to, or judge it that way.

The best thing about this movie is the performances, and the director has done a wonderful thing by moving AWAY from Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, both of whom gave role defining performances, neither of which are any more "correct" than any other. The question isn't, are Butler and Rossum as good as their predecessors, but rather do their versions of the characters work, and the answer is: yes. Return to "Phantom" as a text, not as a show with a history, and you'll see that Christine is supposed to be dreamy, lost, emotionally unstable and young, just as Rossum plays and sings the role. Butler, with his harsher singing and deeper range, is much more believable as a madman who is sometimes pathetic and pitable, but still ultimately a deranged egomaniac who lives underground and makes wax statues of the woman he loves. The rest of the cast is equally good, with Minnie Driver giving a heroically hysterical performance, Jennifer Ellison combining strength and curiosity with innocence and a certain grounded quality (I've always believed the audience is ultimately supposed to identify with Meg, who is the only character who never panics and maintains a healthy sense of "reality) that contrasts nicely with Rossum's morbid dreaminess, and Patrick Wilson doing much more with Raoul than any of the actors I've seen on stage. I wish Simon Callow had had more to do, but such is life- at least he was there. Miranda Richardson continues to prove she can play anything, and conveying more with a look than most actresses can with a full script of dialogue. Her accent is totally brilliant: it sets her apart, makes her glamorous and mysterious, and at the same time, is another sly tongue in cheek reminder that what we are watching should only be believed to a point: it is, after all, just another version of beauty and the beast.

Multible plots,emotional, this really moved me. Different cultures all with a connection to each other somehow. Vunerable people who ultimately have different struggles and how one ripple can affect so many different people. Thought the Japanese girl was brilliant as the deaf mute. Really felt like she was isolated and alone. Brad Pitt i thought looked very old in this but very good acting while Cate Blanchett was exceptional and diverse as always. This won an oscar for the music and i must say i love the guitar notes and mixture of compositions. Makes me want to play more, not just the guitar but the piano too.

Pending Review...

Pending Review...

Pending Review...

''Remember, with great power. comes great responsibility.''

When bitten by a genetically modified spider, a nerdy, shy, and awkward high school student gains spider-like abilities that he eventually must use to fight evil as a superhero after tragedy befalls his family.

Tobey Maguire: Spider-Man / Peter Parker

Well back in 2002 Spider-man was a complete marvel, like Marvel Comics, to me and countless others. It had a favourite Marvel Hero, from Stan Lee & Steve Ditko's comics, brought to life on dazzling film, with an array of colours and boldness to die for. We all want a Hero to cheer for, and with Spider-man it was indeed granted.
Watching it now, it's all too clear to see some, if indeed many, of it's consequential flaws.
Whether it be some dodgy effects, impartial composing on certain scenes, or a villain that resembles the awful series Power Rangers, it still remains a very good film. Despite being dethroned by DC's beastly Batman Begins in 2005, as the best Super-Hero film to grace the screen, and bettered effect wise by later sequels and a bold Iron Man.

The dialogue and lines, are very poignant and meaningful. For instance the line, ''Remember, with great power. comes great responsibility.'' is very reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone's Ollivander played by Ian Hurt,who says exactly the same thing. The point being it's an old saying yet very coincidental considering the films separate similar release dates.
With Spider-Man we get something unbelievable, with Marvel especially, the Heroes scream comic book surrealism. While DC's Dark Knight strives for realism, darkness and depth, this colourful, tale akin to Iron Man is loud, predictable and a rollercoaster of fun. Granted Spider-Man's origins are ludicrous, hence the whole bitten by a radioactive spider turns Peter Parker into the web slinger guardian thread. This story is one of imagination and creativity, it doesn't divulge in realistic temperament rather customizes upon it's otherworldly strengths.

As all this plays out, Spider-Man also has a romance aspect within it's spidery plot. Mary Jane played by a rosy, red haired Kirsten Dunst, gives us a childhood sweetheart, providing a love interest for Peter Parker and rival Harry Osbourne.
Wonderfully portrayed by geeky Tobey McGuire, Spider-man and Peter Parker's character is fleshed out by his potent performing. A beefed up McGuire dazzles us with a whiny, strong, Dual-esque, Super-man-like geek turning superhero.
While Harry Osbourne, is played by rising star James Franco, a sneery, sneaky, rude yet incredibly handsome, rich, young man. For one of his first roles Franco excels.
Throw into this affair other incredible cast members, such as J.K Simmons, Rosemary Harris, and awesome Willem Dafoe.
Which brings me back to a topic mentioned previously. The main villain of Spider-Man, the chaotic green goblin. The casting of Dafoe was an inspred choice, I mean this guy actually does resemble a Goblin. Just check out the guy's face for instance. The two things that let the film down, plus the Green Goblin character, is one, the terrible Power Ranger Costume he ends up wearing and two, the clunky dialogue and lines he ends up with. Some, granted, are excellent, while others are reduced to squalid, cackling, pantomime-esque taunting.

''Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option.''

Overall, this is an origin movie. A film, a story to bring Spider-man to life. So does it succeed in bringing this legend to life? Yes and no. Does it manage to be entertaining, thrilling and a feel good film? Certainly does by far, it excels. If I want a perfected formula in origin movies, I have to turn to Nolan's Batman Begins, rather than Riami's Spider-Man franchise.
Danny Elfman also boosts this adventure with his impressive score. Whether it be a Burton film or a Desperate Housewives theme tune, Elfman can spark a memorable tune always.

So Spider-Man comes out to play, he comes out onto the big screen with heart felt, bounding leaps, and creates a sort of domino, like X-Men did for more heroes to be adapted to the screen. Hulk, Iron Man all followed suit, and adopted to jump on the band wagon they created with their daring creation. Raimi proves not only can he do horror, like his glorified Evil Dead trilogy but he can also do Blockbuster superhero entertainment for the masses.
Peter Jackson and Sam Raimi both started with humble horrors, now these creative masters have bound forth,with these big projects, adorned with a buzz of electric creativity.
So a recommended treat, and sure as hell, Spider-manis one web you won't mind being stuck in.

''Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: "With great power comes great responsibility." This is my gift, my curse. Who am I? I'm Spider-man.''

''Sometimes... to do what's right... we must be steady... and give up the things we desire the most... even our dreams.''


Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a brilliant scientist named Doctor Otto Octavius, who becomes Doctor Octopus (aka Doc Ock), after an accident causes him to bond psychically with mechanical tentacles that do his bidding.

Tobey Maguire: Spider-Man / Peter Parker

Kirsten Dunst: Mary Jane Watson

James Franco: Harry Osborn

Alfred Molina: Doc Ock / Dr. Otto Octavius

Thought the first one was really amazing and then i saw this and it was just as good and even better in some aspects.

The effects have improved so much and the villian Dr Octopus or Doc Ock is perfect! Played superbly by Alfred Molina.
One of the best scenes in this is the Showdown on a speeding train with Ock and Spidey, that starts on a clock Tower and escalates in him trying to stop said train. Magic!

Love the way Peter loses his powers then regains them through his love for mary jane...

I've watched this so many times! Also worth checking out the Spiderman 2.1 which is the Director's Cut and has more scenes and Material worth checking out.

''Go get 'em, tiger.''

''This suit, where'd this come from? The power, feels good... But you lose yourself to it...''

A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.

Tobey Maguire: Spider-Man / Peter Parker

The third outing for Spider-Man, the third film for our beloved hero, a third outing we waited for with baited breath. So what does Spider-Man 3 deliver to us? A mixed bag thats what. It's enjoyable yes but does it offer anything new? not exactly.
The story revolves around revenge, and revenge is a powerful emotion, yet a dark descent. Peter Parker believes it's a thing to be avoided as it has turned his former ally into his most deadly nemesis. However Peter himself finds himself sucked into the web of revenge and violence as it emerges that the man who police now believe killed his uncle has just escaped. A simple feat to bring him to justice? Perhaps, but Flinto Marko has also stumbled into some sort of experiment and has been transformed into the Sandman. While battling these two foes, Parker finds a use for a black, symbiotic substance that has attached itself to his Spiderman suit, giving him great power. But is the power from this alien source as innocent as Parker hopes?

After seeing the third Pirates of the Caribbean films and being very disappointed and bored, I was enjoying the prospect of a third Spidey film. Having been impressed by both of the other two Spiderman films I was quite disappointed to find an overly busy film that offered me very little apart from special effects. These were impressive as always but (as with POTC) the ability to do so much on screen should not mean that so much has to be done. Sadly here the effects sequences are overly busy and frantic and it was hard to feel involved in the action or build a tension, in a way it was often little more than a swirling video game sequence.

''We've all done terrible things to each other, but we have to forgive each other. Or everything we ever were will mean nothing.''

The disadvantage of the effects is that the whole film does feel quite artificial, something to be expected, from a summer multiplex filler, but not something that should be embraced in the way it is here. The most glaring issue is the void inside of characters in the film because this causes so many other flaws. Flow-wise each of these characters has to be introduced and mostly this is done by handy coincidence and lazy script loop holes... i.e. Venom hits Earth just as Parker is in the woods and doesn't jump him until he happens to be in his Spiderman suit, or how, guess what, now Marko killed your Uncle, or Eddie Brock happening to be in the church where Venom leaves Parker etc. One of these is forgivable but there are so many of them that it reveals the whole thing to be build on easy narrative devices that lack sense. The writing problems continue in the way that the theme of revenge is dealt with; it could have been a real strong base for the action but instead it is very superficial with no meat on the bones; the killer for me being when Harry forgave Peter simply because his butler said "oh yeah, forgot to mention, your Dad died of his own wounds, sorry for not mentioning it sooner", at that point I got up and did a back flip.

The lack of detail in the script but an abundance of characters also means that it flows at a basic level and a lot of the fun is gone. There are still some funny moments and JJ is still a great side character but it doesn't have the buzz and energy of the other films. The cast struggle with this as well. Maguire works at the same level as the script and his inner turmoil is just as superficial and seems to be switched on or off in each scene. It doesn't help that his "evil" look is that of a temperamental emo in a mood with the World but he can't find anything in himself to improve matters. Dunst and Franco are equally as basic and they act knowing that there are no "real" people on their pages, just 2D clones of the last two films. Church is rubbish for the same reason and his final scene was as bad as he was. Grace was a weird find but his fall to revenge was too quick and easy and it robbed his end of any meaning. Simmons can do no wrong, and produces one of the funniest tablet taking scene I can recall, although another one belongs to another Campbell cameo.

Overall then it probably has just about noise and popcorn appeal to pack them in and indeed it has broken opening weekend records in the US but this does not indicate a good film, which this certainly is not. With too much going, the potential is wasted and the ideas and themes are sketched, rather than detailed. This knocks through into everything else and produces little more than a video game with cut sequences. Not terrible by any means but a massive decline in quality compared to the previous two installments.

''Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. My friend Harry taught me that. He chose to be the best of himself. It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right.''

''Before you could say 'gypsy scum' we were knee-deep in dog muck, thieving kids and crusty jugglers.''


Jealous colleagues conspire to get a top London cop transferred to a small town and paired with a witless new partner. On the beat, the pair stumble upon a series of suspicious accidents and events.

Simon Pegg: Sgt. Nicholas Angel

Nick Frost: PC Danny Butterman

Very funny and very entertaining. Action packed, comical and certainly Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are a good pair again. Good follow up to my loved Shaun Of the Dead.

May i just say Simon Pegg is a credit to my country in the laugh stakes. An ordinary bloke combined with Edgar Wright's script and writings has blasted into orbit with Shaun and now Fuzz also.

Steve Coogan & Bill Nighy at the start too with extended cameo's is the icing on the cake in a beginning that had me laughing my socks off. We had Die Hard, we had Bourne but fuck me, Hot Fuzz will give stitches!

A fave part for me? aside from the quirky country accents and Cornetto from the shop, that blasted thing Nick Frost does with his notebook in the car with the funny little animation...Magic!

Simon Pegg & Nick Frost reprise their ingeniousness not lost since Shaun and emphasize it in spades in Fuzz.
Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Paddy Considine all give performances that dazzle.

Music and locations top marks! While a shoot out at Somerfield, a Pub brawl and a Town where everyone is armed to the teeth is of the charts in our eyes.
Hot Fuzz will remain for years to come an accolade to British filming showing our originality and humour that sadly is lacking in the rest of the world. You have to be British to appreciate the humour here hands down, whereas it will have people drooling and envying our uniqueness hands down.

Again Hot Fuzz spoofs the whole Policeman gig just like Shaun Of the Dead did with the whole Zombie Horror B-Movie gig, it does so though and comes of triumphant and certainly no matter how many times you watch it Fuzz will leave you laughing, hurting and your facial muscles aching from the experience.

Fuzz=Masterpiece.

''The swan's escaped, right... and who might you be?''

''Mr. Staker, yeah... Mr. Peter Ian Staker.''

''P.I Staker? Right! Piss Taker! Come on!''

Shaun: Do you want anything from the shop?
Ed: Cornetto.

A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Simon Pegg: Shaun

''Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies?''

The great British sit-com has undergone something of a revival in recent years. Galvanized by the new wave of smart, sassy imports from the US, the Brits have girded their loins and produced a spate of quality comedies that have banished memories of the bland, identity dross of the late eighties and early nineties.
Shaun of the Dead is the continuation of what went before; of a similar format yet in a completely new setting, with new characters, plus new cast members and for the first time a feature-length run time for the big screen. So how does it play out? Even with such a departure from the original setting, the history of TV to cinema adaptations is a dodgy road to say the least. Fortunately for those of us who already fans or (more likely) if you've never seen the series before, prepare to be impressed.

The style is all it's own. With inventive direction and editing making the visual impact which fans will instantly recognize, to the writing which importantly is firstly genuinely funny, interspersed with references to popular culture of the past two decades, always with a self-knowing grin, a wink to the viewer rather than a pretentious nod. And of course several self-references and in-jokes of the TV series all fill in the gaps between the tastefully presented killings. There is blood, after all this is a "rom-zom-com" or "romantic zombie comedy" - a self-proclaimed new genre and rightly so. This is as about as original as it gets. They actually manage to pull off humour, violence, decapitations, action, romance, suspense, sadness and joy all within the space of 90 minutes.
Spaced, a wholly original and delightfully quirky comic bagatelle which has built up a small but dedicated following in the UK. Now writer/actor Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright have teamed up once again to give us Shaun of the Dead which is, in a nutshell, a feature-length episode of Spaced (with added zombies). Happily timed to coincide with the Hollywood remake of the 1978 classic shocker Dawn of the Dead, Shaun is the perfect antidote: Irreverent, warm and very funny.

''Ed, this is serious!''

Shaun is your stereotypical sit-com loser: An ineffectual slob in a dead-end job, he is terminally afraid of commitment and spends all his time with his flat-mate Ed (Nick Frost, also from Spaced) who is an even bigger loser. After his girlfriend dumps him, Shaun and Ed seek solace in their local pub the Winchester - a good old-fashioned English hostelry with warm beer and pork scratchings which is infamous for its lock-ins. They stagger home in a state of advanced refreshment, unaware that the dead are now walking the earth. Indeed, it takes Shaun a little while to work it out the following morning despite interacting with a few of them (one of the recurring themes is that most of us go through the drudgery of our daily routines in a trance close to inertia).

When the penny drops, Shaun resolves to rescue his mother and his (ex) girlfriend and generally stand up for himself for the first time in his life. There is not much more of a plot than that. The film, like Spaced relies on a flawless script, observational humour and the theatre of the absurd. Pegg has perfected this in his writing but he is also a surprisingly good actor. It helps that he has surrounded himself with the pick of the British comedy fraternity who seem to have been lining up (literally in one scene) for a cameo. The stars of similarly acclaimed series' such as Black Books, The Office and Little Britain are all on show here as well as Jessica Stevenson, Pegg's Spaced co-writer, who plays a jolly-hockey-sticks human vigilante with a stiff-upper lip and can-do attitude ready to give those nasty zombie's what-for.
Veteran support comes from Penelope Wilton (a sit-com stalwart from a bygone age) as Shaun's curtain-twitching mother and Bill Nighy as her fearsome second husband who performs one of the most dignified and poignant descents into zombieness ever caught on camera.

Despite all the high praise, it must be acknowledged that Shaun of the Dead is still a spoof - a comic tool that you could argue is as low a form of wit, as sarcasm. But where it scores highly, is in its respect for the original material. Most spoofs are vicious lampoons that unmercifully mock the films they are spoofing. Shaun of the Dead gently pokes fun but doesn't lose sight of the fact that if something is worth parodying, it must have some merit. Pegg is also careful to ensure that his film can stand up on its own - there is barely a minute goes by without a very good joke and despite the light-heartedness, there are some satisfyingly scary moments and ample gore.

What is most encouraging is that us Brits have started playing to our strengths. It took a long time for comedy writers to realise that making an English version of Friends is doomed to failure (in the same way that The Office will not work with an American make-over). We should celebrate the Britishness of this film, laugh knowingly at the in gags, and be proud that it doesn't take a huge budget or movie stars to entertain people at the cinema.

Ed: There's a girl in the garden.
Shaun: What?
Ed: In the garden, there is a girl.

''Listen. Since I've met you I've nearly been incinerated, drowned, shot at, and chopped into fish bait. We're caught in the middle of something sinister here, my guess is dad found out more than he was looking for and until I'm sure, I'm going to continue to do things the way I think they should be done.''

''Archaeology is the search for fact... not truth. If it's truth you're looking for, Dr. Tyree's philosophy class is right down the hall.''

''He chose...poorly.''



When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father's footsteps and stop the Nazis.

The third installment of Indiana Jones and it's a pleasure going back to it's creative roots like the first film, makes you fall in love with Indy all over again afresh.

Harrison Ford: Indiana Jones has the charm and heroism of the previous two installments.

Sean Connery: Professor Henry Jones, inspired casting who could be more fitting to play Indy's father than legendary Connery. He gives the film a huge boost.

Denholm Elliott: Dr. Marcus Brody, another jovial character who offers humour. Love the bit where he say the pen is mightier than the sword in the tank with Connery.

Alison Doody: Dr. Elsa Schneider, the femme fatale and risky love interest of Jones.

John Rhys-Davies: Sallah A character welcome back after Raiders

This is my personal fave of the trilogy, it has some memorable scenes and the plot is one i can relate to that revolves round the Holy Grail and the cup of life. Loved the bike chase, the frantic tank scene, the tests at the end. Of course the beginning start with the prelude featuring River Phoenix is inspiring and compelling start to the movie.

Music Top notch again bow John Williams.

Plot spot on, cast without fault and an adventure that is fun and unforgettable.

Steven Spielberg & George Lucas have emulated that classic formula that was lost since Raiders and given us this timeless third film in the trilogy.

You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and... What I'm trying to say, Tristan is... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine.


Charlie Cox: Tristan Thorn

Claire Danes: Yvaine

In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man makes a promise to his beloved that he'll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.

Vindictive witches, a magical star that moonlights as a beautiful woman, seven brothers--all possible heirs to a vacated throne--picking each other off, a Medieval Las Vegas, a gate guardian who does kung-fu, flying pirate ships, wild swashbuckling sword play; this movie has it all.

A great fairytale style adventure for adults, although a little too violent in places for kids. Fantasy stories are often difficult to write, as the author has to create an entire world, but the land this story takes you to is given more than adequate foundation, and the back stories of the numerous characters are developed quickly and clearly. Basically, there are "two worlds," one of scientific law, and the other where magic governs. They are separated by a stone wall, with one single gate of passage. Entry from the "real" one into the "fantasy" land is restricted by an old guy who beats the snot out of interlopers.

There are several subplots, but the one prize everybody wants: the witches, the princes, a gypsy, a star crossed lover, and a few others is a woman who is sometimes human, sometimes a stellar object (don't ask, just believe!), and she has a power they're all after. Extremely well written, all these interlocking subplots converge for some good old style fairy tale good vs. evil fireworks. Acting is superior throughout; the witches are scary, the backstabbing princes are nasty, the star/woman is indeed "heavenly," the spectator ghosts are amusing, the pirates are both greasy and funny, the hero easy to root for. Special effects are devised and utilized very well.

I'm quite particular about movies depending on the very mood that I exhibit at any given time, but this film caught me completely off guard in its capability for both originality and level of surprise.

After The Lord of the Rings, I thought that perhaps all we had to look forward to in the fantasy genre was for the Harry Potter series to finish its run. I'd seen several attempts of new efforts here and there that simply failed to captivate me.

What held me from the very start was the well-spoken narration by Ian McKellen. From there on it just became more and more charming to behold with each set and character introduction. The whimsy was light and delightful.

There were the archetypes of old, but they were merely touched upon, not hammered upon in great detail. The story was very complicated, yet simple in concept. I thought that the beauty of the story telling was that everyone knew what actually should happen to the main character which was a direct contradiction to his main goal.

I thought it was remarkable that the story held no restraint in eliminating characters. It was quite brutal yet understandable.

The film, to me, was all about true beauty of soul and the meaning of love, a deep love that is such a powerful bond. So many characters were absolutely remarkable for their own inner radiance. The quality of them helped to turn the tale in surprising new directions that really kept the pace exciting.

The ending surprised me above all things most. I'm prone to finding tears of sorrow in movies, but rarely to tears of happiness burst free. In the last moment of the movie, I shed some tears of joy. I praise Stardust for keeping fantasy alive and wonderful. This film is a blissful escape, and a very charming one overflowing with imagination and new ideas.

''Never show anyone. They'll beg you and they'll flatter you for the secret, but as soon as you give it up... you'll be nothing to them. The secret impresses no one. The trick you use it for is everything.''

Having been firm friends, a friendship turns into a deadly rivalry. When Alfred performs the ultimate magic trick, Robert tries desperately to find out the secret to the trick and to use it for his own means. Obsession turns the two men and begins to unravel their lives....

Hugh Jackman: Robert Angier

Christian Bale: Alfred Borden

The Prestige is based on the book by Christopher Priest. The story is about two entertaining magicians who become rivals, ever since a terrible occurrence transpires, a friendship that turns to rivalry, a rivalry that turns deadly. Friendly rivalry becomes an obsession. Their obsessions over trying to discover how the other does the trick, or how to upstage said trick, could turn into a life threatening game.

Firstly this came first, and does not reveal all twists right at the end, like cop out wannabe The Illusionist.
The story is in a word mesmerizing. You cannot help but stay focused, and throughout the film you want to know what will follow. There are many twists and turns within the snake shaped plot, There is a quote in the movie that is used throughout, "Are you watching closely?" You need to be paying close attention and The Prestige is better appreciated when given multiple viewings.

Nolan's previous work (Memento, Insomnia, Following.) has built upon his manipulation of audience engagement with film texts, and tweaking our sophisticated knowledge as viewers in such a way that our work as an audience helps propel the film as we are forced to guess, then second guess our preconceived notions of where his films are headed. Without recognizing our intelligence as an audience, the film would have no place to go.

The psychology of Nolan's films are like that of a masterful storyteller, akin to Robertson Davies' Fifth Business set of novels. The make up and structure of the medium, whether it is writing or film-making, or magic tricks, is key to the enjoyment of the medium's content. We are well aware as we watch The Prestige, how the film unfolds in three acts, exactly as the magic pieces are described in the film. It is both a pleasure to behold on a story level, as well as a film level. Technically, it is parlaying exactly what it is being mystically told as the plot develops. This movie is a classic example why film schools exist.

''Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge".

Besides all of the various twists, the acting and casting are phenomenal.
Hugh Jackman was a big surprise success as Rupert Angier, who's choices for deep films like my Fave Fountain isn't just a chance occurrence. Prestige shows Hugh Jackman is a deep man and he's got an excellent agent to boot I'm guessing.
Christian Bale is always on top form in anything mostly, and gives life, depth and a very convincing accent to his character Alfred Borden.
Michael Cane as Cutter shows us a veteran hand, Nolan, Bale & Nolan in a Batman successful collaboration once again.
Scarlett Johansson was also very good as Olivia Wenscombe. Piper Perabo makes a short appearance but very effective and memorable.
Even Legend David Bowie and Andy Serkis popped up as Nikola Tesla and Alley.

Christopher Nolan's Prestige achieves in getting across a tale of dueling magicians, resulting in high quality entertainment and drenched with darkness, true to Nolan's style. Prestige isn't a battle of words, but one where actions speak volume. The film is full of mirroring and doubling, so it's not surprising that the magicians' feud mirrored by Nikola Tesla's equally dangerous rivalry with Thomas Edison over the electricity that may or may not be the key to the mystery...if there even is one at the core...

''The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary.''

Magic is the perfect equation for both stories and film-making, in the way the film could almost be an allegory about why movie buffs usually make the worst movies. Each protagonist is an incomplete man in every sense of the word. Bale has the genius but not the ability to sell his illusions to an audience. Jackman has the showmanship but not the originality to create a truly great trick. In the middle is Michael Caine's engine, the backstage genius with the surprisingly shaky cockney accent, caught somewhere between director and ghost writer in the scheme of things.

''Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".''

Ultimately, it's a film that could be about everything or about absolutely nothing, one that is either led entirely by plot differentiating or one where the themes and storytelling dictate the characters' actions far more than credibility, and where the biggest trick is that ultimately there is no trick. All interpretations seem equally valid, which is part of the fun and puzzlement. And best of all, it's a joy to behold.

''Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled.''

''Whatever happens tomorrow, or for the rest of my life, I'm happy now... because I love you.''

An obnoxious weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.

Bill Murray: Phil Connors

Andie MacDowell: Rita

One of my favourite films ever. Funny and you learn from it, Bill Murray is a comic genius as well as a phenomenal actor , amazing how he transforms and conveys his transformation, into a completely different person through the films repeated day.

His evolution and change of character is so endearing to watch. Andie MacDowell also shows good charisma and acting alongside Bill, with her role also in Four Weddings & A Funeral shows her penchant and comfort in Romantic comedies.

Ultimately love conquers all, how if one day could be perfected that true love is at the heart.
If any of us had the chance to change everything you end up with something so perfect. It's magical and at the same time an escape, escapism from the grim reality of everyday life and it shows how the simple act of being a good person can go out and touch so many lives.

Groundhog Day remains to this day a film that everyone can relate to, that if we could have another chance to make one day perfect is what life is all about. Because in life we don't get this luxury but it is one that Hog gives us a vision into.

A Masterpiece which I have watched countless times.

''Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free.''

''All I want for Christmas is you.''

Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Bill Nighy: Billy Mack

Liam Neeson: Daniel

Keira Knightley: Juliet

Hugh Grant: The Prime Minister

Classic in its own right, add to collection immediately.

One of my fave Romances...

L A has comedy, it has multiple characters and interweaving stories, it has a heart and most importantly it has Love.

The format being English, British if you will adds to my love of this all deserving film that will make you addicted to watching it in spades, it is that compulsive.

Love Actually is everything you could want and receive for in a Love Story that shows not some depressive tale but one that makes you feel good, makes you feel light and fuzzy, makes you energized and lifts your soul, L A visually and musically hits home.

Bill Nighy as Billy Mack is pant wettingly funny, while Liam Neeson, Colin Firth & Alan Rickman show how English Class always surpasses all. Hugh Grant & Martine McCutcheon also shine as a Prime Minister and the girl who does his tea. Keira Knightley also has a little twee part. It's sweet, it's simple and only cold hearted critics will dismiss this emotional feel good Romance Masterpiece.

Love Actually is in a word brilliance!

''Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaking suspision love actually is all around.''

''El, you really must try this because it's puerco pibil. It's a slow-roasted pork, nothing fancy. It just happens to be my favorite, and I order it with a tequila and lime in every dive I go to in this country. And honestly, that is the best it's ever been anywhere. In fact, it's too good. It's so good that when I'm finished, I'll pay my check, walk straight into the kitchen and shoot the cook. Because that's what I do. I restore the balance to this country. And that is what I would like from you right now. Help keep the balance by pulling the trigger.''

Hitman "El Mariachi" becomes involved in international espionage involving a psychotic CIA agent and a corrupt Mexican general.

Antonio Banderas: El Mariachi

Salma Hayek: Carolina

Johnny Depp: Sands

Rip roaring yarn, an absolute blast. Robert Rodriguez masterpiece with a cast that oozes perfection. Mexico is for anyone who loves a Rodriguez piece or even QT piece.

The film has one of the best beginnings to me due to the fact it has that classic piece of guitar work playing that Mexican tune. Antonio walking about creds flashing about, being in love with a film does not my friends cover it.
Antonio Banderas as Mariachi is inspired doing more even than Desperado did with it's OTT gore and violence. Mexico is a story in the trilogy that shines best and stands alone too if you choose.
Salma Hayek as Carolina is beautiful deadly and seductive. Seen in Flashback sequences, her scene's are few but stick in your memory. Provides the eye candy and draw for males in the posters too.

Johnny Depp as Agent Sands is one of the funniest black quirky roles that only Depp could play. He's got killer lines which balances out the often tormented El Marachi and his tormented way of dealing with the loss of his love.

Johnny Depp/Sands lines I love that crack my face everytime:
''Look out there, its a fucking coup d'Ètat.''
''I can't see, fuck-mook. I have no eyes.''

''You know that withholding vital information from a federal officer is a serious offense. Especially when that officer has paid handsomely for it and wouldn't think twice about ripping that patch off your eyehole and skull-fucking you to death.''

Great sequences including shoot outs, a chained swing escape, a bike escape and twists and turns. Sands also reminds me of the Crow with his ''eyes'' experience.

Enrique, Eva Mendes, Danny Trejo, Mickey Rourke(who holds a doggy by the bum :P !) and Willem Dafoe give amazing supporting roles too. Love it!

In my Fave movies and one i never get tired of watching, it ends like it began. Mexico leaves me watching the credits with a feel good stance.

Masterpiece.

''So that was Mrs. Lundegaard on the floor in there. And I guess that was your accomplice in the wood chipper. And those three people in Brainerd. And for what? For a little bit of money. There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don't you know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well, I just don't understand it.''


Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson.

William H. Macy: Jerry Lundegaard

Steve Buscemi: Carl Showalter

Peter Stormare: Gaear Grimsrud

In a word Fargo is majestic, and everything i look for in a film ranging from isolated snowy visuals to detailed characters and black humour to haunting music and story...Top that with adult action and a blood soaked true story for the basis, it's a winner!

The cast is perfection, Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson is so believable.
Peter Stomare & Steve Buscemi are a riot as the hired kidnappers and William H. Macy as the money desperate husband who's scheming sets off all the madness and fun. I loved the accents and the Ya's used by the Minneapolis people.
One thing that made me laugh, as well as the encounter with the Cop on the road side that Steve and Peter have, was the funny conversation with the Airport Lot Attendant that Steve Buscemi has. GOLD!:

''There's a minimum charge of 4 dollars, long term parking charges by the day.''

''I guess you think you're... you know like an authority figure, with that stupid fuckin' uniform, huh buddy? King clip-on-tie there, big fuckin' man huh? You know these are the limits of your life, man. The rule of your little fuckin' gate here. Here's your 4 dollars, you pathetic piece of shit.''

Based on truth, Joel Coen has directed a masterpiece and this is apparent from the first 30 minutes. It had me hooked from the haunting music to the inspirational location.
Plot wise the material is gold proving what people will do for money and how ultimately that longing can be fulfilled by dreadful means.

There's some beautiful scenes in Fargo that have suspense and gore but manage to be funny in my eyes which does wonders.
What prevails in the end and this true story effortlessly realised by Joel & Ethan, who wrote this wondrous Fargo.

Loved so much and so tantilisingly delicious with dark wit and poise I'm considering putting in my favourite Movies.

Fargo, like No Country is a vision of grandeur from the Coens showing realism and depth, and above all else that you don't have to have fantasy, to have a gripping bizarre story.

The truth it seems is stranger than Fiction...

Fargo doesn't just qualify, it exceeds all expectations and blows them apart.

PS -Blonde moment, Fargo is not based on a true story clarified by my friend Dr BenJay, nice one Coen's, bloody hell...Got to see the funny side!

''So, you were scared, weren't you Goldie? Somebody wanted you dead and you knew it. Well, I'm gonna find that son of a bitch that killed you, and I'm gonna give him the hard goodbye. Walk down the right back alley in Sin City, and you can find anything.''

A film that explores the dark and miserable town Basin City and tells the story of three different people, all caught up in the violent corruption of the city.

Jessica Alba: Nancy Callahan

''It's time to prove to your friends that you're worth a damn. Sometimes that means dying, sometimes it means killing a whole lot of people.''

How do I describe Sin City? Put in simple terms, the masterpiece Sin City is without a doubt smart, stylish, sexy and sick. It's also violent and funny. Certainly not a film for the whole family, but for those of us who enjoy our movies rated Adult or 18, this flick kicks the head and the gut like a mule, pardon the pun.

''This is blood for blood and by the gallon. These are the old days, the bad days, the all-or-nothing days. They're back! There's no choice left. And I'm ready for war.''

Sin City for years was a world that only existed on paper in black and white with splashes of colour, but it was enough to make Sin City live and breathe in ways that few others in the medium have ever been able to accomplish. Because Miller's dark, noir overtones painted a very clear, and fully realized visual of every seedy back-alley and strip club, and cheap motel room in the fictional Basin City it became painfully obvious that it was just too visceral a place to ever be real in a way that could be encapsulated on film, or at least we, including Miller himself, thought. We were wrong.

''My warrior woman. My Valkyrie. You'll always be mine, always and never. Never. The Fire, baby. It'll burn us both. It'll kill us both. There's no place in this world for our kind of fire. Always and never. If I have to die for you tonight, I will.''

This is THE comic movie we have been waiting for and it does not disappoint from the first overly dramatic voice-over to the last frame of the credit scroll. Telling three tales from Miller's world (The Hard Goodbye, The Big Fat Kill, and That Yellow Bastard) the comic transitions from paper to celluloid, flawlessly merging together these worlds. This is especially incredible for something so over the top and stylized like this, that it's almost hard to imagine that these are the actors you've grown to know and love for years. But they are and it all comes together beautifully.

The cast, crew, and artists involved in making this adaptation a reality should be commended for their service to the idea that a true comic book movie can, in fact, be made without making concessions to the masses, without altering the plot or changing the characters, and still manage to retain the feel that the ink on paper had while creating a truly entertaining film. Much of this film's success can be directly contributed to the fantastic casting job which encompasses an incredibly long list of a-list and up and coming celebs plus a few obscure but cult favorites, I'm talking to you Rutger, who pulled off appearing in this and Batman Begins,plus the tag team direction of Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez should be particularly touted for pushing Miller to finally do this project, and for leading the way to make this the film that Miller always wanted it to be and that Rodriguez knew he could make.

''Deadly little Miho. She won't let you feel a thing unless she wants you to. She twists the blade. He feels it.''

Music is amazing and stylish, Narration perfect, Rosario Dawson & Jessica Alba drool inducing and sexy!

Miho, Jackie Boy, Nancy, Gail, Manute...Loving all the Character's who come to life next to their comic-book representations. All three stories within Sin City are well knitted together here, will be interesting when the sequel comes out as it is a prequel. The Story and book aptly named A Dame to Kill For, will interestingly enough be the source material for Sin City 2. So expect Manute, Dwight and Gail to appear again and also characters you thought wouldn't be seen again. The concept of Sin City seems to be a paralleled thought. As with Frank Millar's mindset, we see through his work what he's truly thinking. Ironically we are all dead men, even our heroes, and this cannot be stressed enough in-between the lines of Sin. What makes it stand out further is that the town is corrupt but to stand up the corruption, a hero must do something sacrificial in defiance of the immoral villainous nature of it's denizens.

''I'll stare the bastard in the face as he screams to God, and I'll laugh harder when he whimpers like a baby. And when his eyes go dead, the hell I send him to will seem like heaven after what I've done to him.''

I'd also advise getting hold of the EXTENDED RECUT special edition immediately! Remember in the Cinema, the beginning, the gun Josh uses. It was silenced! Now in this version it's restored to how you saw it in theaters. Each Comic book Story can be seen in order,That Yellow Bastard, The Hard Goodbye,The Big Fat Kill &The Customer Is Always Right. Gives you the viewer more choice as if your reading the comic. Extra footage really adds more depth to an otherwise perfect adaptation.
Amazing Extended scenes, should be owned by any lover or fan of Sin City.
A Dark Noir Graphic Novel from Frank Millar directed by Robert Rodriguez. Two Geniuses' work i love. Also a mention to Tarantino for that marvelous scene with Dwight & Jackie Boy in the car.

''Recognize my voice, Hartigan? Recognize my voice, you piece-of-shit cop? I look different, but I bet you can recognize my voice!''

Sin City equals a Graphic Novel masterpiece. Original and noir drenched style on speed and then some.
Though Sin City has been claimed to be a guy film, I don't see why women cannot enjoy it. Yes, most of the women in Sin City are essentially prostitutes, but these women are just as powerful as the men and they defend their own territory, their own kind. They are not portrayed only as mere sex objects

Everything finely fits together in Sin City. It's Rodriguez's best work to date. Everyone involved in the making should be commended for their effort that's wonderfully paid off. It's certainly not a film to sit down with the family (Yes, it's deservedly and strongly rated 18) but a great piece to view with friends or company. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installments of the saga by Frank Millar.

''Aim careful, and look the devil in the eye.''

''A boy's best friend is his mother.''

A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

Anthony Perkins: Norman Bates

Janet Leigh: Marion Crane

Throughout his life, illustrious director Alfred Hitchcock thrilled and captivated audiences everywhere, but never before or since as well as he did with the psychological chiller, Psycho, which introduced the cinematic world to a guy named Norman Bates. And now nearly fifty years later even in an age of fading, worn out sensibilities, graphic horror and the likes of psychological Silence of the Lambs, and American Psycho, Hitchcock's masterpiece Psycho remains, even after repeated viewings, truly frightening and intrinsically disturbing.
For Psycho unlike a cheap blood-and-gore flick routine, actually has a philosophy of life to go along with all its horrors and dramatics. In the world of film and sin, such as Marion's stealing her boss's money, will always be followed by repercussions in Karma or the cosmic balance.
The long conversation between Norman and Marion over dinner probes some pretty serious psychological depths and ideologies. "We're all caught in our private traps," says Norman, and the movie illustrates how first Marion, then Norman, becomes trapped. What's most shocking about Norman is how pitiable he results in being, especially when compared with the villains of alternative horror movies.

Psycho also undeniably has one of the most famous scenes in the history of cinema, the genius and illusion soaked sequence, yes you've guessed it...''The Shower Scene''.
The shower in question is in the Bates motel, run by Norman Bates, and his mysterious mother. Even in modern times, if someone looks strange, many still make comparisons to the hermit like Norman Bates.
If someone has a clingy or moaning, temper induced mother, many a Norman Bates reference is implied. Psycho has become tattooed and injected into modern culture thus becoming a glowing household name of sorts.
Why?...because the film was and still is a milestone of unmeasured significance, not just of splatter and gore, but of cinematic effects and technique. Psycho is, all at the same time, smooth, mesmerizing yet frightfully terrifying. It is a textbook example of how to captivate an audience, and then shock them right up until and during it's climax.

''A hobby should pass the time, not fill it.''

Psycho in effect was essentially a totally new way of writing a plot, and manipulating threads of a story. The supposed lead heroine is killed early on in a bizarre shocking twist of fate and events, a replacement protagonist suffers a similar twist of fate, and all the audience are then left with are the utterly desperate and confused Lila Crane(sister) and Sam Loomis(boyfriend), who have only their fears and assumptions to propel them to the damning answers they seek. We the audience connect to them if only for a glimmer of a moment, because we know that Norman's mother murdered Marion Crane.....or so Hitchcock leads us to believe.

Psycho only runs for around an hour and a half, but that is all that is required for one of the greatest psychological horror/thrillers to be born. Not one scene is wasted on being a space to fill in, every scene serves a purpose, remains powerful, and in effect, extremely economical.
Even though Psycho was made on a relatively low budget, having Hitchcock behind the camera makes for lots of subtly effective shots, images, motifs, etc. He orchestrates two frightening death scenes, a suspenseful beginning that fools you into thinking that Marion is the protagonist, and a quietly chilling conclusion. Bernard Herrmann's score really is as good as everyone says, and not only the shrieking violins during the famous shower scene. In particular I liked the scene where Marion is debating whether to steal the money, and the music mirrors her indecisiveness.
Pace is startlingly quick when required, yet at times also slow and hypnotic when emotion and fear need to be emphasized.
The long scene as Norman Bates cleans up the murder scene serves as a haunting reminder to what just occurred, letting us the audience soak it up like a sponge.

The script is well conceived and written obviously, with some flourishing dialogue that even overshadows some wooden acting from John Gavin.
Cinematography is brilliant, with great use of lighting and shadows. And, of course, the directing is just simply cutting edge, even for today. Anthony Perkins does a perfectly chilling job as the psychotic Norman Bates, and Martin Balsam is a completely natural private eye. And famously, to complement these ground-breaking plot twists, are the chilling and perfectly executed murder scenes.

''She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?''

''Yes. Sometimes just one time can be enough.''

Two things overall in Psycho as mentioned prior. One is that harsh, driving Bernard Herrmann score which fits the mood of the film so well. The other is Hitchcock's direction and his use of black-and-white photography to convey a threatening mood. He said that he used black-and-white to make the film less gory, in fact, it seems far more eerie and frightening than a colour version ever could.

It's easy to take Psycho for granted now, it has been imitated so many times in so many ways by far lesser talents. Indeed, it's one negative is that it inspired so many pale imitations, including its own three sequels and a very bad remake. Yet even so, Psycho remains a one and only original carbon print. And its iconic status can't be denied or criticized, Psycho redefined the concepts of what a Hitchcock film was and what a horror film could be.

''You know what I think? I think that we're all in our private traps, clamped in them, and none of us can ever get out. We scratch and we claw, but only at the air, only at each other, and for all of it, we never budge an inch.''

''Say what again. Say what again, motherfucker, say what one more Goddamn time!''

The lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

John Travolta: Vincent Vega

Samuel L. Jackson: Jules Winnfield

Pulp Fiction, which was the best film of 1994, dismissing where Tom Hanks and his followers standpoints, PF erects itself, as one of the best movies ever made. A brilliant study in the life of the lives of professional hitmen in L.A. as well as a segment of a boxer who is trying to avoid the hitman, after squelching on a deal with the boss. Then finding himself in a nightmarish situation, when he bumps into the boss while trying to return to his hideout.

The film goes back and forth in time, and some scenes shown earlier in the film will be played out again when other characters are in that scene. Tarentino's style of storytelling has been oft imitated.

Everyone in the film delivers a superb performance, and even as despicable as some of them are, you can't help but be mesmerized by them. John Travolta and Sam Jackson shine as the hitmen; Travolta's Vinnie Vega is a heroin-addict who doesn't seem to have a code of ethics in his life, while Jackson's Jules Winnfield is a man with ethics and religious convictions who feel that he is doing good in the world. Uma Thurman is Mia Wallace, the boss' wife whose only married to him because he's money. Bruce Willis plays a boxer in the second act named Butch who was supposed to take a dive for the Boss, Marcellus Wallace, and not only didn't, but killed the man in their match, who discovers that his girlfriend didn't bring his heirloom watch to the hideout and has to get it from his apartment where Travolta is waiting to kill him. He catches Travolta in an embarrassing situation and kills him. Then when driving back, he sees the boss, who he tries to run over, but he misses and he crashes the car and the two chase and fight each other into a pawn shop where they end up being captives by two twisted homosexuals, who want them for sexual torture toys.

In the third act, Vega and Winnfield are taking one of the small-potato criminals to have him punished by Wallace, and Vega accidentally shoots him in the head, ruining the car and bloodying their clothes. They end up having to see Harvey Keitel, who plays The Wolf to help them dispose of the body, clean the car, and get them clean clothes. Tarantino delivers a brief but explosive performance as the owner of the house where they will hide their dirty work.

The first scene which features Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer as Bonnie And Clyde wannabes who try to rob a diner and Winnfield, who has changed from an experience earlier in the day when they were not killed by a madman in the earlier hit, tells them that it's wrong for them to do so.

Pulp Fiction becomes a bit easier to understand once you realize that it's essentially a black comedy dressed up as a criminal drama. Each of the three main stories begins with a situation that could easily form the subplot of any separate drug comic movie. But something always goes wrong, some small unexpected accident that causes the whole situation to come crashing down, leading the increasingly desperate characters to hilarious conclusions. Tarantino's originality floods from his ability to focus on small details and follow them where they lead, even if they move the story away from conventional plot developments.

''You see, this profession is filled to the brim with unrealistic motherfuckers. Motherfuckers who thought their ass would age like wine. If you mean it turns to vinegar, it does. If you mean it gets better with age, it don't.''

Pulp Fiction received its share of acclaim and awards, and deservedly so. But that being said, while seen by most as a good film, Pulp Fiction is not regarded as another old vintage classic, or Pulp Fiction is not ensconced in the pantheon of the greatest of the great Hollywood films of all time. Those are for a reason. As good a cinematic achievement as Pulp Fiction is, the fact is that as a film it plows turf that's just way too coarse for comfort. Over-the-top blood, guts, and brains-blown-out violence. Gritty gutter language. Subject matter dwelling in the underbelly of life that goes way beyond seedy or unseemly. And it's all presented in a very graphic way. Some people really like it that way. Hey, I understand. That's what Tarantino wanted too, right? But the simple fact is that such fare isn't for everyone but I loved. In this way its own intentional and unrelenting coarse nature is what self-selects it out of the greatness category. To achieve greatest of the greats greatness it has to be seen that way across the board, amongst every audience. Pulp Fiction by Tarantino's design isn't intended to appeal to everyone. Cleverly he wants to offend and he wants to shock and good old Tarantino pulls it off, just take a look at that basement scene for one of the best shocks in film I've seen. Also a worry for anyone traveling to the US.

In addition to these layers, Pulp Fiction also has a lot of humour in it, much of it at times when you know you shouldn't laugh but you do, and also out of situations that you wouldn't laugh at usually. I'm sure some of the parts I laughed at were just because I wasn't expecting something to happen, or maybe I just have a morbid mind, but a lot of the humour came out of the violence.

''What now? Let me tell you what now. I'ma call a coupla hard, pipe-hittin' niggers, who'll go to work on the homes here with a pair of pliers and a blow torch. You hear me talkin', hillbilly boy? I ain't through with you by a damn sight. I'ma get medieval on your ass.''

What is the movie's purpose exactly? It's a complex question,one side of it also is its theme of power. Marsellus is the sort of character who looms over the entire film while being invisible most of the time. The whole point of the big date sequence, which happens to be one of my favourite segments within the film, is the power that Marsellus has over his men without even being there. This power extends to Vincent, compelling him to act in ways you would not ordinarily expect from a dumb, stoned gangster, faced with an attractive woman whose husband has gone away. The power theme also helps explain one of the more controversial aspects of the film, its liberal use of the N-word. In this, the word isn't just used as a adjective to describe blacks: Jules, for instance, at one point applies the term to Vincent. It has more to do with power, rather than with race or colour. The powerful characters utter the word to express their dominance over weaker characters. Most of these gangsters are not racist in practice at all. Indeed, they are intermingled racially, and have achieved a level of equality that surpasses the habits of many law-abiding citizens in our society. They resort to racial epithets because it's a patter that establishes their separateness from the non-criminal world.

There's a nice moral progression to the stories. We presume that Vincent hesitates to sleep with Mia out of fear rather than loyalty. Later, Butch's act of heroism could be motivated by honour, but we're never sure. The film ends, however, with Jules making a clear moral choice. Thus, the movie seems to be exploring whether violent outlaws can act other than for self-preservation.

Everyone in the cast had amazing chemistry and bonding with each other, which added believability to a somewhat unbelievable story. The only reason that Pulp Fiction did not get a perfect score is that one scene with Butch and a cab driver went on for a tad too long. Knowing me, though, I'll soon change my mind, but it can still be said that Pulp Fiction is one of the most influential, most adult graphic novel-like movies of the 90's.

Pulp Fiction is the turning point of post-modernistic, or pulp-modernistic, film-making. It is laced with extraordinary characters and one of the most original screenplays ever written. The dialogue is verbose and witty and the actors carry it off perfectly. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman & Bruce Willis carry the show away, with a wonderful chemistry that ignites the screen. It is a film that has firmly embedded itself in our culture, and changed the way we look at narrative structure in film-making. It's non-linear, 'everything good art should be.'

''That was pretty fucking trippy...''

Filby: Which three books would you have taken?

This is my ultimate classic! Watched this countless times when i was a boy! The air headed Eloi and there passive nature, and the creepy Morlocks.
I love the way when he uses the time machine everything around grows and dies, changes, warps and the mannequin in the window with her changing fashions, so clever.

Incredible music score and direction.

Rod Taylor is amazingly charismatic and dashing as the main protoganist.

The lady (Yvette Mimeux) is so stunning. Original is so damn perfect and beautifully made its still good even today.

Would recommend to any intellectual guys/ladies out there. Which three books would you take? At the time when this came out all the Religious people thought the bible would be one, don't be ridiculous! Laughable! That would have dire consequences, if it was me i know what id take.

It would be a book that portrays the good of mankind and its morals and empathy, philosophy and Plato. Show emotion for all its good sides and glory, always do the best thing.

The Eloi remind me of little children innocent and needing guidance. The young are so receptive and ideas flow through like water into the sea from a flowing river ending its journey.

I think H.G wells hit the nail on the head with the Morlocks and a big stab at the industrial revolution and what mankind could become if we went the wrong way forward. An emotionless hungry race with ugly machinery void of morals(like a group of cannibals/animals), still i love how the two races are the same but one has been trapped underground while the other living on the surface, two different paths altering them entirely.

The dusty books too totally disregarded by the Eloi the climactic, recorded singing rings telling the sad tale.

Worth watching time and time again! This film had no need of a remake nothing could surpass this!. Thought id put the plot in too for a secondary look at this brilliant adaptation :

Plot: After scoring popular hits with When Worlds Collide and The War of the Worlds, special-effects pioneer George Pal returned to the visionary fiction of H.G. Wells to produce and direct this science-fiction classic from 1960.

Wells's imaginative tale of time travel was published in 1895 and the movie is set in approximately the same period with Rod Taylor as a scientist whose magnificent time machine allows him to leap backward and forward in the annals of history.

His adventures take him far into the future, where a meek and ineffectual race known as the Eloi have been forced to hide from the brutally monstrous Morlocks.

As Taylor tests his daring invention, Oscar-winning special effects show us what the scientist sees: a cavalcade of sights and sounds as he races through time at varying speeds, from lava flows of ancient earth to the rise and fall of a towering future metropolis.

''Me? I've had so many names. Old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce. I am the mountain, the forest and the earth. I am... I am a faun. Your most humble servant, Your Highness.''

In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Ivana Baquero: Ofelia

Sergi López: Captain Vidal

Breath-taking. Simply breath taking, Pan's Labyrinth is without a doubt one of my fave films ever that captures the imagination and historical sides perfectly.

Amazing how it switches between fantasy and reality, and how the two merge together throughout, also liked how her step-father played by Sergi Lopez is depicted as this evil, fascist soldier.
His story is wonderful, detailed and he truly is what you may consider to be an evil man. He does some cold stuff that really has to be marveled at.
Ivana Baquero as Opheila is wonderful and a rising star, her sweetness and innocence couldn't be better portrayed by anyone.
Doug Jones really plays the creatures well with his body and movements, his roles in films such as Hellboy, Fantastic Four 2 are a rival to even Andy Serkis and his Gollum or King Kong.

The faun and the pale man are very impressive. Definitely one of Tel Toro's best films for sure. Such a powerful and visual yet brutal fantasy tale depicting fantasy mixed with reality both as harsh as each other!

The Spanish language is so similar to English in my mind having done it at college, you can hear how the same it is when you read the subtitles and compare.

Gripping and violent, loving yet tough, a girls journey who gets to her rightful place yet encounters death, despair, tragedy and the gritty truths of life and its harshness.

This isn't just a fantasy film but a war and historical one too. The music too is haunting and mesmerizing and will stay with you. A perfect merging that Guillermo Del Toro proves to me that he is one of the best imaginative directors out there.

A benchmark and huge Success in filming, richly deserved it's Oscars was hoping it would win best foreign film but you tend to lose faith in the voting sometimes at the Oscars. Although 3 Oscar wins did please me considerably.

A masterpiece which i love...

''A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew that the Princess' soul would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning...''

''I don't know how to thank you.''

''Thank God, not me. He wants us to survive. Well, that's what we have to believe.''


A Polish Jewish musician struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.

Adrien Brody: Wladyslaw Szpilman

Thomas Kretschmann: Captain Wilm Hosenfeld

When we think of human suffering, of loss and despair. What is it that we think of in human history, a great well of loss? The answer is simple, the holocaust.

Pianist tells a wonderful story of one man's journey through a tragic period in time that is ultimately one of my favourite areas of interest. The level of detail is captured perfectly from every last stone and structure, from furniture, to the very fabric of characters clothes. Roman Polanski has triumphed and blazed with his masterpiece that shines.

The music that Pianist emits is haunting and mesmerising. The scene in which he plays for the Captain will stay with me all my life, where he doesn't just play from his heart and soul but for the desire that he still wants to live and clutch onto hope.

Adrien Broody plays Wladyslaw Szpilman like no one else could. We along side him take the Journey with him as we watch him lose his family but ultimately gain his freedom away from persecution.
Thomas Kretschmann appears later as the Captain, a friend who helps Szpilman, his performance reminded me of Downfall. He's a fave of mine who shows once again he's an amazing actor even with his small but important part.

We see human suffering displayed from a man getting thrown from his wheelchair out of a window, to a woman asking ''Where are you taking us? only to be given the ultimate answer, a bullet to her head, the fate of Jews in the eyes of Nazi's, Eradication...death...
Schindlers List did the whole suffering of a people alone but with Pianist it is now not alone, it is paralleled with greatness with soulful rapturous playing that shows hate can always be overcome by the faint glimmer of hope.

Roman Polanski has crafted a masterpiece which i love and am haunted by in the deep recesses of my being. Such soothing pieces and the Moonlight Sonata crammed in there too, a ghostly vision of beauty and a song i play too that shudders through me when i hear it.

Thank you to my dear friend Sam for his dedication and for making me watch this.

When i think of Pianist i think of unsurpassed greatness and I want to play the Piano more to let out the hurt.

''Fuck off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.''

An office employee and a soap salesman build a global organization to help vent male aggression.

Edward Norton: The Narrator

Brad Pitt: Tyler Durden

Helena Bonham Carter: Marla Singer

Fight Club is after looking past all the violence, extreme cinematographic techniques, computer-enhanced images, and other tricks Fight Club plays on us, we see another level to this film. It's a show about young men trying to find their place in society at the end of the 1990s.

Edward Norton and Brad Pitt play a couple of typical guys in typical situations for men of their age, with no idea where to go with their lives. Okay, you can argue that Pitt's character isn't so typical, and that he has some idea what to do. I'd say he's only about a half-step ahead of Norton.
Helena Bonam Carter also shines as Marla Singer, shes such a good actress and displays her fondness for roles which provide questions and deeper meanings, like her many unusual characters portrayed, Fight Club is another one of her esteemed choices, that redefined her career as an actress.
It begins with nameless character, known in credits only as the Narrator, spiritually and physically beaten 30-year-old professional fighting insomnia and seeking a way to reconnect with the world, although I doubt he was ever properly connected to begin with. He is engaged in a losing battle with life he chose (although judging by his misery you would think somebody else chose it for him). Battle that's fought on modern day yuppie frontlines - corporate offices, airports, his expensive IKEA decorated condo, airline first class, business trips etc., and is in desperate need of something. He is essentially inside a materialist prison, a brain washed zombie clone in society,
Watching from aside one would think that something is emotional comfort, meaning, love or a thing along those lines. Whatever it is, he seems to have found it, albeit briefly, in various disease support groups that he now starts to frequent pretending to have different ailment or disease for every day of the week. Listening to people, in some cases dying, open up about their problems gives him a visceral sense of freedom. Suddenly he can sleep and enjoy life again. "I let go. I found freedom. Losing all hope was freedom", he reasons. Until,as fate would have it, Marla Singer strolls into his life and messes all of that up. She, you see, is also a pretender and the knowledge that another person like him is present at these meetings bothers our Narrator to the point that his insomnia returns.
We also understand how Tyler invents his later apparent alter ego of sorts, when we re-watch. This being represented with quick flashes of his mental perception of himself coming forth. Later in Fight Club even these quick cuts are explained, giving an extra dimension to the film itself, a film within a film within a film, worlds within worlds.
The story then shifts to the Narrator's relationship with a strange, confident individual named Tyler Durden with whom he hits it off on a plane during a business trip, soap and crashing arise in the conversation, a random friendship results, in which we learn more. Their bond intensifies, solidifies, then after Narrator returns home and finds his condo blown sky high as a result of an electrical malfunction. This act the first escape from the possessions and materialistic shackles confining him.
Having no family or friends to turn to in a time of need, he calls Marla, hesitates, then calls Tyler before moving in with him in a boarded-up apocalyptic house. On Tyler's insistence they create a weekly fight club that starts up as a jealously guarded secret gathering, where a few young males can nurse their anxieties and frustrations by beating each other to a bloody pulp! Bingo! This is what Narrator has been looking for all his life, a release and escape from reality.

''This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time.''

Norton & Pitt's characters, went through school, graduated college, and got normal, thoughtless jobs...jobs, not careers, because they felt it was expected of them, they in a way, conformed to society. Now they don't know what's expected of them. Their fathers are gone and can no longer tell them what to do. They've been confronted with opposing images of what constitutes a man all their lives: the cold, power-hungry yuppie, the sensitive, caring friend to the environment, the politician that cheats and lies to the people he represents, the attractive actors and models who don't seem to be capable of having an original thought.
Like so many other viewers I found this a worthwhile movie to watch for about the first third. The film deals out some hard blows against modern consumer society, that could be called daring or even paradoxical for a high budget Hollywood production. The given thesis of relief and the chance to achieve self-discovery through violence, is inane as we allow it to be. As the story develops we see that the whole Fight Club thing leads the protagonists to become some sort of a terrorist organization, culminating in a series of attacks that obviously destroy a good part of the town in the end. Isn't that turning the whole point upside down, so that the message could be: Non conformity will inevitably lead to chaos and destruction, so please avoid any critical assumptions.
In a way I felt that in the end the script-writer attempts to apologizes for the hard strokes dispersed in the dawn of the effort.

They're finally coming to a point where they have to figure out what they want to do with their lives, or give up life by these images society presents them.

''Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact. And we're very, very pissed off.''

Whether you're offended by the violence or not, you have to appreciate the symbolic importance of the conflict. You have to appreciate wanting to be someone else, and in the end, wanting to be simply just yourself. This is essentially what Fight Club is, an eternal battle with ones self, a culmination of struggle, and a release from the prison society creates for us. Fight Club is a revolution of the mind.

''It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.''

''If anything in this life is certain, if history has taught us anything, it is that you can kill anyone.''



The early life & career of Vito Corleone in 1920's New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-Revolution 1958 Cuba.

Al Pacino: Don Michael Corleone

Robert Duvall: Tom Hagen

Diane Keaton: Kay Corleone

Robert De Niro: Vito Corleone

It's a very rare experience to see a sequel that lives up to it's predecessor, it's even less likely to see the two acting veterans, De Niro and Pacino, together in a movie although they never share screen time, we have to wait until Heat for that luxury.

The flashback sequences give us an insight into how and why Vito Corleone came to power featuring Robert De Niro as Vito. The acting is every bit as great as the first. Al Pacino still gives a great performance, like he did in the first, and the other cast members who came back from the first, including Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, also give as great knock out performances.
The new actors also add to the greatness, though the following stand out as the best: Robert De Niro, Lee Strasberg and Michael V. Gazzo. The characters are well conceived.

The mafia is portrayed as dangerous and not to be messed with. The film has it's share of memorable quotes, but not really any scenes that were instantly memorable. All in all, a great film, but mainly because of De Niro and Pacino.
De Niro absorbs Brando's part perfectly.

A masterpiece.

''You all know there's only one way to end this war. We must destroy the cube.''

A war re-erupts on Earth between two robotic clans, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, leaving the fate of mankind hanging in the balance.

Shia LaBeouf: Sam Witwicky

Megan Fox: Mikaela Banes

Really fun and all of this is awesome as hell! Laughed the whole way through! A funny plot, takes ages to get going, good family Blockbuster film all round.

The cube storyline was a nice idea,original, like pandoras box. Good chases and set pieces, effect laden. As good as the bourne ultimatium (equal to it though and hugely entertaining).

Would watch again for sure. Looked forward to this, what i got was one of the best films I've seen in ages. Hyped up. More Josh Duhamel. Megan Fox made this film smoking hot. Lil boy Shia LaBeouf was likeable and awesome.

Immense soundtrack that really gives a bit of edge to the film, Bumblebee's radio i found funny. Original ideas are getting better!, what other old series/cartoon they going to remake into a big blockbuster movie?

''I was staring through the cage of those meticulous ink strokes - at an absolute beauty.''

The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum.

F. Murray Abraham: Antonio Salieri

Tom Hulce: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Simply Beautiful, musical and a genius study of two men. One hell bent on destroying the other in a haze of jealousy.

Amadeus is a masterpiece of music and a haunting tragic story of Mozart with a complex duality to his character.
F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri is fascinating as the man who idolizes Mozart, who burns with jealousy at him, at a talent and creativity he can never possess or muster. We first see him in his old age in a squalid state of madness and memory, in the confines of an asylum.
His pain is wonderfully conveyed, there's a blur between who you feel for, the jealousy burning in his eyes, i love it!
He refers to Mozart as a creature, a plague upon the world and his life, a misery with his talent he inflicts, his talent that should of been Antonio Salieris, but is denied by the obnoxious yet inspirational faceted Mozart.
Antonio Salieri is the mirror reflection of Mozart twisted in the shadows, unlike Mozart's crazy unpractical way Antonio is humble, craving the very thing Mozart possesses, what he takes for granted and uses for his own benefit.
He admires him from afar and later helps him to write when he falls ill. Them writing a masterpiece is a wonder to behold.

''I heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theater, conferring on all who sat there, perfect absolution. God was singing through this little man to all the world, unstoppable, making my defeat more bitter with every passing bar.''

The beginning is genius yet gutting and in a way amusing:
Father Vogler: Oh, that's charming! I'm sorry, I didn't know you wrote that.
Salieri: I didn't. That was Mozart.

Tom Hulce as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a wonder to behold, a genius in music but his character, his laugh, his mannerisms are a vast contrast to his intellectual artistic musical vision. He's got controversial ideas that he pulls off much to the disgust of Antonio Salieri.
Arrogant, childish and very rash in his way, which wasn't my image of Mozart yet shows a talent for musical genius isn't everything.
Tom Hulce I've seen in other films before but this is the best ever performance I've seen him achieve, latest film i saw him in was Stranger Than Fiction, so he's still around in acting terms.

It is not clear if Salieri the anti-God actually killed Mozart or if it was the natural order of things, but Salieri gets his comeuppance, his own "Confutatis maledictis" that is helped along by the more savvy Constanze, who knows what sort of man Salieri really is. The scene where Salieri and Mozart hammer out the Mass is one of the most exciting scenes of cinema in the '80s -- with one man sitting at a desk and the other lying in a bed!

In real life, Antonio Salieri was an accomplished musician, many of whose works remain in print. His stuff fell out of favor -- but Vivaldi predated Mozart and Salieri, and his music was barely heard after his death until the 20th century! Musical tastes change -- how many discotheques are open in the 21st century? Not as many as in the 1970s, I warrant. And there are ample implications in the historical record that Salieri and Mozart got along quite well. So the story inside the beautiful decor is a libelous fiction -- in fact, it's a lot of hooey. But when have novels or films cared for historical fact over a cracking good story? And it's probably more correct to call it a parable.

Mozart and Salieri aren't really meant to be embodiments of their real-life counterparts. Salieri is an archetype. And if Mozart was this much of a bozo in real life he deserved all he got.

All the performances are wonderful, especially in the Emperor's court. Charles Kay is superb, Jonathan Moore is the epitome of sincerity, and Jeffrey Jones expresses more by his extreme underplaying than many more notable actors do in several movies of bluster. Sometimes you wonder if someone ought to take Jones' pulse, but you're always aware of what the emperor is thinking.

The costumes perfect, the beautiful ornate locations shown in all their splendor, all effortlessly combined in a dazzling array of bewitchment and enlightenment.

Us the audience begin to formulate what will happen and how plotting from madness and hatred begins to surface. When the souls of the music leap forth from the pages, when genius turns to betrayal and madness you know you have a masterpiece of grandeur and wonderment.

Amadeus is a legendary masterpiece of epic proportions.

''Your merciful God...rather than let a mediocity...Share in the smallest part of his glory. He killed Mozart. And kept me alive to torture. 32 years of torture. 32 years...of slowly watching myself become extinct! My music growing fainter, all the time fainter till no one plays at all. And his...''

''To think people like you once ruled our country...''


In 1984 East Berlin, an agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives.

Martina Gedeck: Christa-Maria Sieland

Ulrich Mühe: Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler

Sebastian Koch: Georg Dreyman

The Lives of Others is greatness, it is captivating to behold. Every tuneful composite, rich and diverse. Every shot detailed and clean. This is based on true events, coming across the Ultimate ''Enemy Of the State''.

How lives can be watched, every little detail recorded, dissected and analyzed.
A man who's detached from those lives who watches yet has no part in them but then it begins to unravel, Wiesler begins to connect.
Cold, unemotional and impassive as he listens in more and more he begins to formulate an understanding to the essence and grasp on life that his Government so poorly lacks and has lost.
This evolution in character has rarely been depicted in a film, so well fortunately and miraculously The Lives Of Others succeeds in being a masterpiece that deserves nothing less than five stars in it's depiction.

Jokes, passion, love, Laughter are all but frowned upon. Where one thing said out of place against the Socialist Order could be enough to destroy your life. The freedom of speech confined to a long forgotten memory.

Others isn't just a film that shows ideology but a lesson of humanity and compassion, a fierce analysis of it's characters.

As Wiesler shed's a tear listening to the beautiful piano playing of Dreyman he's starting to wake from a nightmare of isolation. Followed by a scene with a boy and Wiesler in an elevator, where the boy tells of his father's fear and indifference towards the Government's ways.
Wiesler begins to ask the boy for his fathers name, but alas he falters and fails as he begins to ask. A glimmer of hope for a dying fragile humanity fighting from the deepest recesses of his soul.

The Lives Of Others made me think of so many higher thoughts. If anyone had the audacity to touch my woman in any way i wouldn't hesitate to track them down and destroy them. When a film makes you think of that you know it's powerful in many ways.
It hits all the right buttons and makes me see the constant imperfection looming over the world, yet a faint but improbable tunneled view of hope remains shining a light into the mirrored complexity of the soul.

Interesting the issue of Suicides classed as ''self Murders'' in Germany in 1977. A selfish yet painful form of the worst depravity:Escape...

Idea's can be powerful motivations and ripples but also highly dangerous, ''Others'' cannot stress this enough.

When we come to the conclusion, it's beautiful, poignant, tragic and heart wrenchingly real, a swan song that echoes and lingers within the very fabric of your being...

Yes the wall has come down, but look deeper...It's not just a physical wall that has broken but one that cannot be seen or touched, but is up here in your head and down here in your heart, and to put a wall on the two constants that drive you is to deny your humanity...

''If you want to, you can lay me over the table and amuse yourself. And even call in your men. Well. No woman ever died from that. When you're finished, all I'll need will be a tub of boiling water, and I'll be exactly what I was before - with just another filthy memory.
-sighs-''You make good coffee, at least?''


Epic story of a mysterious stranger with a harmonica who joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.

Henry Fonda: Frank

Claudia Cardinale: Jill McBain

Jason Robards: Cheyenne

Charles Bronson: Harmonica

There were three men in her life.

One to take her...

one to love her...

and one to kill her.

C'era una volta il West by Sergio Leone the man who made The Good, The bad and the Ugly has crafted something of legend, of finesse, of grandeur.

Never before have i seen a Western that feels like a fairytale and music and tuneful heavenly melodies that jump out and set the scene, the mood. Music that tears your soul apart in vibrant doses. Harmonica playing, whistling, shanties, some harpsichord/piano playing oh god I'm in heaven. There's some tunes that will stick in your head all day on this, the scenes pay gladly, and it surely pays off.

Combine that with performances that are as timeless as eternity and you have something that really does glow. Claudia Cardinale is so beautiful, she really cannot be faulted with how her face shows such soulful sorrow and yearning and such beauty. Although I'm always amazed how a woman living in the turbulent West can have perfect make up and perfect eye lashes.
Henry Fonda as Frank plays a cool calculating villain with those radiant eyes of sea blue. The beginning massacre reminded me of Kill Bill, where him and his men wipe out a whole family.
Charles Bronson also has a shroud of mystery and wonder, he's a legend and screams this with just a look everytime he's on screen. Plus that damn iconic Harmonica hence his alias which adds to the mystery of his character.
Jason Robards has a voice that makes David Carradine sound like his long lost brother from yonder, he adds alot to the amazing trio that is Fonda, Bronson & Robards.

Gunwork, cinematography, score, did i mention Claudia. This movie is a dazzling magical Western Classic that combines tunes with emotion, and has character's who know what there doing.

There's a final revelation between Fonda & Bronson that clicks everything in place.

A Sergio Leone triumph. Masterpiece and inspiration for many movies to follow after 1968. Definitely ahead of the game and it's time.

''He's whittlin' on a piece of wood. I've got a feeling when he stops whittlin'... Somethin's gonna happen.''

''Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.''

Set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II: An American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.

Humphrey Bogart: Rick Blaine

Casablanca, what other film can evoke such powerful feelings of nostalgia, can exemplify so completely the golden period of Hollywood film-making? The year was 1942, and the world found itself in the midst of the bloodiest conflict in modern history. Unlike anything our generation could possibly imagine, citizens were faced with an incredible uncertainty about their future. The Nazis marched across Europe, an astonishing, seemingly-unstoppable enemy, and the United States watched with bated breath from across the Atlantic. Most Hollywood productions responded to such ambiguity with fully-fledged, unabashed patriotism, and war-time filmmakers became obsessed with validating audiences' beliefs that the Allied forces would inevitably win out against Germany, and, indeed, many often concluded their pictures with unnecessary epilogues in which we've apparently already won. Such propaganda, while no doubt ensuring commercial success from war-weary cinema-goers, has regularly tarnished and outdated even the most otherwise impressive contemporary WWII pictures, as the directors' willingness to simulate a happy ending strikes distinctly false from an era in which the overwhelming atmosphere was that of uncertainty and insecurity(see Billy Wilder's Five Graves to Cairo(1943).

''Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.''

This is not to say that Casablanca(1942) is not a work of American patriotism; indeed, it might just be the greatest example. The film owes its enduring legacy to how seamlessly director Michael Curtiz, and his troupe of writers and actors, was able to encapsulate the sentiment of the time in which the picture was made. The story ends with Rick and Renault strolling resolutely into the thick mist, their futures obscured by the fog of uncertainty that hovers before their faces. What will the next few turbulent years have in store for these heroes? Will they be overwhelmed by the enemy, or continue their noble fight for freedom? Following Operation Torch, the 1942 Allied invasion of North Africa, there were plans to film one of those dreaded propagandistic epilogues, showing Rick, Renault and a detachment of Free French soldiers on a ship. Owing to Claude Rains' fortuitous unavailability for filming, the original ending was left intact, and producer David O. Selznick was never more correct than when he concluded "it would be a terrible mistake to change the ending."

When Casablanca was first conceived, the filmmakers apparently had little idea they were about to produce one of cinema's best-loved pictures. A prime example of the studio-bound exotica that was popular at the time, and obviously a war-time off-shoot of Howard Hawks' Colombian aviation adventure Only Angels Have Wings(1939), perhaps also John Cromwell's Algiers(1938), which I unfortunately haven't seen. The film reproduced the stuffy, humid climate and seedy, corrupt personalities of Morocco on the Warner Bros. sets, which ironically communicate more romantic charm than the real location could ever have provided. The film was shot by veteran cinematographer Arthur Edeson, who had previously worked on the wonderfully-atmospheric All Quiet on the Western Front(1930), Frankenstein(1931) and The Maltese Falcon(1941). His perfectly-framed photography suggests a mixture of stuffy melodrama, glamorous adventure and shadowy noir, though, interestingly, he avoids the sordidness of the latter style's successors, despite the wealth of suitably-seedy characters to be found in Casablanca. Framed through Edeson's lens, it seems that even the most squalid and repulsive of personalities can take on a curious facade of nobility.

''I love you so much. I hate war so much.''

No less than six people had a hand in the film's justly-celebrated screenplay. The story was based on a then unproduced play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison, ''Everybody Comes to Rick's'', and was adapted for the screen by Julius and Philip Epstein and Howard Koch, with uncredited input by Casey Robinson. The Epstein twins were initially keen to give the film a few comedic elements; this would, no doubt, have made for entertaining viewing, not unlike a Howard Hawks picture, but might have detracted from the story's core themes of love, loyalty, regret, moral responsibility and self-sacrifice. Koch had perhaps a clearer understanding of the director's preferences from another wonderful film from Curtiz, Angels with Dirty Faces(1938), also poses a vital moral dilemma, and chose to focus largely on the politics and melodrama of Burnett and Alison's play. That so many conflicting artistic ideas somehow melded together, not only into a cohesive narrative, but also into history's greatest screenplay, is a miracle to be credited only to the cinema gods, particularly in view of the fact that Curtiz commenced filming with an incomplete script that was updated daily.
The screenplay, in a word results in being excellent, and it also compliments the whole directing. It progresses with scenes that are just so phenomenal, so legendary and so nostalgic. It includes one of the most legendary quotes in the history of motion pictures, for example; "Play it once, Sam", "We'll always have Paris" and "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship". Even when I had never seen the movie, I just immediately recognized those sentences with a wry smile, as they are among the sentences everybody knows even if they've never seen Casablanca before. The whole plot is also surprisingly exciting, comparing to the plots nowadays it would definitely work in any movie, as it is just so thrilling from the beginning till the end and you just can't know how it ends before the last minute of the movie. The final climax is simply genius and it's actually so satisfying that I had to start clapping my hands in appreciation for the climax.

Perhaps another possible explanation for the film's unlikely legacy lies with the distinguished cast, borrowed from all over Europe. Humphrey Bogart, Dooley Wilson and Joy Page were the sole American imports, and assorted supporting talents were plundered from the United Kingdom (Claude Rains, Sydney Greenstreet), Sweden (Ingrid Bergman), Austria (Paul Henreid), Hungary (Peter Lorre) and even Germany (Conrad Veidt). Bogart, who had been typecast throughout the 1930s as a lowlife gangster, had been given the opportunity to show some humanity in Raoul Walsh' film noir High Sierra(1941), but it was Casablanca that proved his first genuinely romantic role, and, with several notable exceptions, the remainder of his acting career would comprise of similarly-noble yet flawed heroes. Bergman, despite having a rather passive role, was never more enchanting than as Ilsa Lund, and, photographed with a softening gauze filter and catch lights, positively sparkles with gentle compassion and a tragic sadness. Perhaps it's just the romantic in me, but Casablanca represents one of Hollywood's most unforgettable accomplishments. Even as the film draws to a majestic close, and two men forge a lifelong friendship in the fog-ridden uncertainty of War, we immediately feel like asking Sam to play it again...just for old time's sake.

''I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.''

''You're all tough, then?''
'' What? Kill me if you can!''
''It'll hurt.''


A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.

Toshirô Mifune: Sanjuro Kuwabatake / The Samurai

Yojimbo is another Great from Legendary Akira Kurosawa which is a clever story of a beguiling Samurai who plots to defeat two rival groups for the good of the town.
Toshirô Mifune as Sanjuro/The Samurai shows is great acting skill yet again with a character as unique as his role in Seven Samurai. The cleverness and swordplay he possesses on screen is wonderful.

There's some genius storytelling here and the music also does a nice touch of telling the story and adding humour. Severed limbs, a dog with a hand in it's mouth accompanied with some of the droney mellow tunes imaginable. Some of the orchestra work reminds me of a big meandering bear roaming about to and fro in a drunken daze.
Close ups of faces, some amazing swordfights and fast Samurai Sword cuts. There's even guns in this that to me seem out of place in this eastern world.
The movie screams seriousness but is playful and gleeful too.

The plot is clever and I'm sure alot of future movies have derived from this simple idea of one man outwitting a number of villainous characters.

Again the final battle is one to be admired. One man fighting against many, against cheats and a cowardly armed pistol wielding power hungry youth. What happens has to be watched and witnessed. It's masterful and quick, blink and you miss it.

Yojimbo another baby grand from Akiro and an unforgettable experience.

''What's the use of worrying about your beard when your head's about to be taken?''


A poor village under attack by bandits recruit seven unemployed samurai to help them defend against the foes.

Takashi Shimura: Kambei Shimada

Toshirô Mifune: Kikuchiyo

Yoshio Inaba: Gorobei Katayama

Seiji Miyaguchi: Kyuzo

Minoru Chiaki: Heihachi Hayashida

Daisuke Katô: Shichiroji

Isao Kimura: Katsushiro Okamoto

The Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) is the greatest Samurai film I've ever seen. The story and level of detail is unsurpassed greatness in it's simplicity and at the same time complexity. With this genius trait of duality Seven Samurai takes storytelling up a notch. Inspiring Western Classics such as The Magnificent Seven, or even Japanese console games like my favourite series Onimusha. Seven Samurai is the original masterpiece from Akira Kurosawa, who has not only made a vision into the past but a tale of humanity, of the bond, of the honour and the courage of men fighting to protect a village for the sake of good but he's captured the heart of 17th Century Japan in all it's timeless greatness.

Toshirô Mifune as Kikuchiyo is jaw dropping in his acting and performance as an unusual samurai who has a murky past. He's definitely the comic relief and fiery tempest that lifts the whole movie with electrically charged wonder. The scene of his that made me tremble with awe was his speech in the barn as reflected in my quote at the end. Really has to be seen to be admired.
Takashi Shimura as Kambei Shimada was also impressive as the leader of the Seven. His level of acting unsurpassed in every detail, when stressed he deflated rubs his head as a means to cope. It's little things like this that make this film shine.

There's a love story in it's depths, a story of two different classes, Samurai & Peasants/Farmers who ultimately cannot exist without each other and in a way they envy each other in a forever turning wheel.

The landscapes are breathtaking, Cinematography unrivaled, music soothing and when it needs to be lively and perky. The whole film screams Japanese intricacies that for 1954 it sure does have a timeless persona about it.

The final battle is one of the greatest battles ever captured on film taking place in a rainy village it's emotional as well as filled with raw aggression. From every arrow fired or Bandit riding horse galloping only to be met with cold steel, it's beautiful. What happens will stir your heart and victory comes at a heavy cost.

Will leave you thinking and will leave you breathless...

Who really won you will ask yourself...

Farmer Or Samurai?

One word sums up Seven Samurai...

Genius...

''What do you think of farmers? You think they're saints? Hah! They're foxy beasts! They say, "We've got no rice, we've no wheat. We've got nothing!" But they have! They have everything! Dig under the floors! Or search the barns! You'll find plenty! Beans, salt, rice, sake! Look in the valleys, they've got hidden warehouses! They pose as saints but are full of lies! If they smell a battle, they hunt the defeated! They're nothing but stingy, greedy, blubbering, foxy, and mean! God damn it all! But then who made them such beasts? You did! You samurai did it! You burn their villages! Destroy their farms! Steal their food! Force them to labour! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should farmers do?''

''Your the son of a farmer aren't you?''

''It's a hell of a thing, killin' a man. Take away all he's got, and all he's ever gonna have.''


Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner and a young man.

Clint Eastwood: William 'Bill' Munny

Gene Hackman: Little Bill Daggett

Morgan Freeman: Ned Logan

Richard Harris: English Bob

Another Western Classic Unforgiven can only be summed up by the man himself Clint Eastwood:

''The Movie summarized everything i feel about the Western, The Moral is the concern with gunplay.''

Clint Eastwood performance is so accurate this man knows what he's doing. Westerns his forte. He directs and stars in this masterpiece.
Morgan Freeman also shines brightly.
Gene Hackman a cool and magnificent villain who's ruthless, aggressive and unpredictable.
My fave has to be Richard Harris as English Bob. He cracked me up everytime.

Theres a gritty realism and seriousness to the film but the flip side to the coin is that it has humour also. There's some graphic violence and tense scenes that have to be marveled at.

The landscapes and country are beautifully realized and Clint has made the film glow with an old timeless feel. It feels older than it's 1992 release.

The showdown in the saloon is of the chart quality, Clint completely goes off the rail nuts spiraling back into his old former self. It's mesmerizing to watch.

A Western Classic from the Master Eastwood.

''I don't deserve this... to die like this. I was building a house.''

''Deserve's got nothin' to do with it.''
[aims gun]
''I'll see you in hell, William Munny.''

''Yeah.''
[fires]

''I do what I do best, I take scores. You do what you do best, try to stop guys like me.''


A Los Angeles crime saga, "Heat" focuses on the lives of two men on opposite sides of the law - one a detective; the other a thief.

Al Pacino: Lt. Vincent Hanna

Robert De Niro: Neil McCauley

Classic Michael Mann cat and mouse drama. From a professional thief and an equally determined cop.
Pacino as the cop with more snazz than any other man, every time this guy opens his mouth with his one liners or bellows his stuff you gotta marvel and watch and De Niro as the crook is a no nonsense, intelligent, stern professional who's the perfect accompaniment to Pacino, notice a young Val Kilmer & Ashley Judd too, not to mention Jon Voight, Natalie Portman and Tom Sizemore who give rock solid performances.
A big issue when it came out relating to De niro and Pacino the rivals in Hollywood, finally on screen, finally united. Godfather 2 was their first film together but they never had screen time. Heat fulfills this wish.

The scene where they talk in the restaurant is charged, two powerful actors facing off and you can see it in their eyes alone. When they open their mouths it feeds the power, you will be blown away.
This isn't your typical action movie, what it is a tense roller coaster thrill ride that will grab you by the balls and not let go. Its got intelligence...Check! It's got a build up and some wicked action shoot out scenes...Check! It's got two of the biggest faces and supporting cast...Check!

Mix this with some brilliant music and background noises especially the bit at the Bank and the car driving/chases scenes, and you have a firecracker without even taking a breath.

The witty dialogue will have you in stitches of laughter:

''Why'd I get mixed up with that bitch?''

''Cause she's got a great ass... and you got your head all the way up it! Ferocious, aren't I? When I think of asses, a woman's ass, something comes out of me.''

Michael Mann's Heat and recently Miami Vice ooze his style and charisma. Quality film, also look out for the blue scene too, true Mann style.

The final scene is so powerful with the two men tightly gripping each others hand, respecting each other, two giant's, two lions of men concluding an epic chase, one that shows them as equals.

Soul touching, a masterpiece.

''You know, we are sitting here, you and I, like a couple of regular fellas. You do what you do, and I do what I gotta do. And now that we've been face to face, if I'm there and I gotta put you away, I won't like it. But I tell you, if it's between you and some poor bastard whose wife you're gonna turn into a widow, brother, you are going down.''

''There is a flip side to that coin. What if you do got me boxed in and I gotta put you down? Cause no matter what, you will not get in my way. We've been face to face, yeah. But I will not hesitate. Not for a second.''

''Today is history...''

Oskar Schindler uses Jews to start a factory in Poland during the war. He witnesses the horrors endured by the Jews, and starts to save them.

Liam Neeson: Oskar Schindler

Ben Kingsley: Itzhak Stern

Ralph Fiennes: Amon Goeth

''...The list is life...''

Thomas Keneally's bestselling book was made into a movie adaptation of awesome historical resonance and emotional valour. Oskar Schindler was a Catholic war profiteer during World War II. Initially prospering because he was a member of the Nazi party and a charismatic businessman. Although ultimately Schindler later saved the lives of more than 1,000 Polish Jews by giving them jobs in his factory, which turned out crockery for the German army. Schindler lost his wealth, but gained salvation for many lives and the descendants that would spring from those lives.

List was made mostly in Poland; incorporating authentic locations with cinematographic wonder. The look of Schindler's List, primarily in grainy black and white, reminds us that we truly are watching a dark period of history. Despite the movie's considerable length, it is never slow or dull. It is hard to believe that Hollywood, which so often churns out mindless drivel aimed at making money, could produce something so important and powerful as this film.
Schindler's List is a cruel and honest depiction of the 2nd world war and does not shy away from showing us the ugly genocide, cruelness and humanities inhumanity to man.
A true story about a man who had morals, had a heart and above all the will to act and make a stand against bullies, against corruption, and men with no sense of decency.

Schindler's List is blossoming with beautiful symbolism, who could forget the little girl in a red dress, with John Williams score proudly blaring with proceedings, she is the one constant in an abundantly chaotic hellish place. The Ghetto is being massacred, yet here we have this child, this poor girl scared, frightened, alone. This sums up the plight of the whole Jewish race, persecuted for simply being whom you are, and for believing in your own beliefs, for being born the way you are.

Liam Neeson as Schindler is simply a beautiful character. You see so much in his eyes alone, so much compassion in every gesture, that it moves you emotionally on every level.
His heart shines through, if one man making a difference is to ever be shown in an example, Oskar Schindler would be among them.
Oskar Schindler was a Sudeten German industrialist, a wealthy womanizer whom wasn't afraid to throw his money around in the pursuit of making friends in high social circles. Always bearing his Nazi Party badge proudly, Schindler would often frequent nightclubs, extravagantly showering high-ranked Nazi officers and their girlfriends with champagne,caviar and luxuries. With impeccable connections in the black-market, there was little that he couldn't get his hands on, and he was a good person to know back in the day. Buying friends was something that Schindler could do well, and he would often use these newfound alliances to aid his own business ventures. When thousands of the Polish Jew population were relegated to the Krakow Ghetto in 1941, Schindler saw an opportunity for further success, enlisting desperate Jewish investors and employing Jewish workers (who were substantially cheaper to employ) to open an enamelware factory. His connections in high places ensured lucrative army contracts, and Schindler need only have watched as his personal fortune grew, despite doing little to run the company beyond offering it a charismatic front.

It is clear from the beginning that Oskar Schindler does not harbour any racial prejudices. When Schindler requests the services of Itzhak Stern (Sir Ben Kingsley), a clever, humanitarian Jewish accountant, Stern truthfully declares that, "By law I have to tell you, sir, I'm a Jew.",
"Well, I'm a German, so there we are," replies Schindler indifferently, before getting straight to business. It is not race that he is concerned with, it is himself and, of course, his money. Stern does not enjoy running Schindler's business, and he initially acquires little satisfaction from it. When Schindler attempts to convey his genuine gratitude for his profitable services with a glass of whiskey, Stern absentmindedly refuses to drink it, and an embittered Schindler drinks it himself before ordering Stern to leave.
The relationship between Oskar and Itshak is another beautiful aspect to List that really shines through the darkness, watch how a reluctant, skeptical Itzhak remains distrustful of this German Oskar, and later how a deep bond of friendship is forged, a love forms between the two men. One free of hatred and misconception, one full of mutual respect, and an example of godliness in human beings.
The masterpiece is the creation of the list itself, the piece of paper which became more than a simple scrap of information. Itzhak Stern and Oskar Schindler both truly come to the realization and importance of human life. As Itzhak states, ''This list... is an absolute good. The list is life. All around its margins lies the gulf.'', as he says this, you begin to feel the gravity and raw divine levity of their actions. These men are the glowing beacons in this dark time. These are good men fighting for the lives of others, for something more than just themselves.

When Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) comes into the story, a Hauptsturmfuhrer of the SS, the hopeless plight of the Jews grows darker. In a harrowing extended sequence, largely based on the testimonies of many Holocaust survivors, the Jewish populace are mercilessly "liquidated" from the Krakow Ghetto, many simply shot on the spot for no reason.
"Today is history," proclaims Goeth beforehand. "Today will be remembered. Years from now the young will ask with wonder about this day. Today is history and you are part of it?. For six centuries there has been a Jewish Krakow. By this evening those six centuries will be a rumor. They never happened. Today is history." Ironically Amon is right, but not in the sense that he or his SS soldiers believe, this is history yes, but this is humanity at it's darkest point, at the extreme end of the thread, this is the harrowing point of no return.
Ralph Fiennes as Amon fascinated me, because here we have a man whom has no moral restraint, he is a symbol of German arrogance, and he revels in all the killing his job entails. Amon also has no manners, he is introduced to us, while his colleague explains the segments of the Ghetto, his reply being a selfish quip about the car top being down. His remarks on the ''villa'' he is to live in looking like a ''house'', all selfish pompous remarks on a man not fussed about what is actually going on around him. His disdain is followed when he chooses a maid he likes, Helen Hirsch(Wonderfully played by Embeth Davidtz), not because of her experience but because of her looks. Spielberg tops off this introduction with showing us Amon, giving a cold order to his lieutenant to execute a Jewish civil engineer, for simply telling them the foundation of a building is suffering subsidence. ''We are not going to have arguments with these people...'' he states. This is the extent of his sadistic chaotic nature. In this camp he is God...or indeed to the Jews the devil, the executioner, the bloody reaper of souls.
First day after the completion of the camp, Amon christens it by having a snipering session of reluctant workers, while his girlfriend moans at him. The final rendering, him in the bathroom, doing his business, his girlfriend asking him to make coffee, while he replies...''Make it yourself.''
So one may conclude Amon is an ignorant, sadistic slob whom is prone to acts of violence in a seemingly random guise of untrained thought.
Amon Goeth, in retrospect, is the complete opposite reflection of Schindler, an evil real villain whom is brought to life by the genius of Ralph Fiennes acting abilities, in one of his finest roles and his career defining moment. Fiennes performance is simply the embodiment and representation of evil.

So what is evil? The apparent reveling in killing for no logical reason many cry, much like a boy crushing ants in a garden. Amon enjoys killing, he enjoys his job, he's eradicating in his mind vermin, the Jewish population are no longer classed as human beings in the ideology of National Socialism. Yet in taking this action the National Socialists as a whole, have ultimately lost their own humanity by abandoning compassion, morality, and logical reasoning. Upon saying this, Oskar shows us not all Nazis were evil, not all were harboring racist views, yet many were simply too weak to make a stand against many. The fear of being persecuted themselves, as Jewish sympathizers, a stone to great to move.
A perfect example of the differences between Oskar and Amon, two members of the National Socialist Party, is the power of undeniable, unrelenting Mercy. The battle for good and evil is the same as the black and white used in this story.
We see this in one of a variation of best scenes in the film, involving Schindler's story, concerning the Emperor pardoning a man instead of killing him, as he tells it to Amon, you can see for a second and in the behaviour of Amon that follows, that what Oskar tells him is sinking in,if what for just a moment...yet it does not take a corrupt being such as Amon long to slip back into his old ways. ''We're good Amon...'', Oskar warmly says, ''I pardon you!'', Amon childishly dismisses at first.
Another clever montage, Spielberg shows us three possibilities involving love, a Jewish wedding taking place at the Camp, Helen Hirsch being beaten and harrassed by Amon in the cellar of the villa, and Oskar among friends watching a lady singer performing. It cleverly shows the differences in attitudes and morals once again. The Jewish wedding is full of joy,love, hope, a kiss. Oskar shown to be a wonderful lover of parties, women, romance,a kiss. Whereas Amon loves to brutalize and often hurt anything he does not understand, ''No, I don't think so. You Jewish bitch, you nearly talked me into it, didn't you?''...For the whole scene she says not a single word. Which is just as well, because any answer is a wrong answer, for someone like Amon.
This is a true depiction of love for a true Nazi, unfeeling violence and inhuman sadism. He is lacking the necessary emotions that define a human being's soul.

Director Steven Spielberg, long known as a blockbuster filmmaker, with adventure classics as Jaws, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and Raiders of the Lost Ark to his name, Schindler's List was and remains Steven Spielberg's most mature, most timeless, most historically important directorial effort. Working with a screenplay that Steven Zaillian adapted from Thomas Keneally's Booker Prize-winning Schindler's Ark, Spielberg treats the subject matter with the respect it deserves and indeed requires. Wisely choosing to depict the events as realistically as possible, Spielberg allows the images to speak for themselves. Flawless acting, stunning cinematography and a haunting John Williams score excel this film above all others of the 1990s. This is the powerful story of the difference that just one man can make, and it is a story that deserves to be seen by all. We can only feel grateful and in awe that it was Steven Spielberg who chose to be at the helm.

Steven Spielberg has crafted a masterpiece. A masterpiece which shows life in concentration camps even Auschwitz, it shows political thinking and hatred for Jews at the time not just by Nazis but by most of Europe, it shows one man standing against this corruption in a time where it was dangerous to do so.
Oskar at the conclusion of events begins to see the value of human life rather than the glorifications of making money, we watch him receive the ring from the people, the friends he saves, and then we see the realization that materialistic wealth is meaningless compared to the value of human life.
To live in a time consumed by fear and hatred, coldness and malice, then to see it overcome by hope is inspiring to witness, Schindler's List should be watched by all...for to forget ones past is to endanger our future and thus begin that vicious circle of repeating our mistakes as human beings.
The last scenes show the Jewish workers in Schindler's factory in commune on the Sabbath, cleverly Spielberg shows two candles burning in colour to show the Jewish people have their faith and beliefs as hope, it also shows they have a future. As the Nazi soldiers listen to the Jews praying, even they are, I imagine, in awe of a religion far older and mysterious than they can perceive. They neither understand it or respect it, and this Spielberg successfully shows the catalyst of the Nazis, that being one of jealousy and ignorance.

Later, the survivors, and relatives of survivors, and the Actors whom played them in Schindler's List are shown at Schindler's grave at the emotional climax. In colour, they are all shown placing an individual stone there, in his memory, and every stone representing a life he saved. Spielberg finishes his defining masterpiece with an effortless touch...a rose being placed in the center by Liam Neeson, the man whose own humanity and soul were saved by his selfless, courageous actions and deeds, the man who saves one life does indeed save the World entire.
Schindler's List was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won seven including Best Picture and Best Director for Steven Spielberg. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes were nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. It deserved every honour afforded to it's message, historical accounts and it's wonderful, powerful storytelling.

Obviously Schindler's List is about the horrors of the Holocaust, but it's also a story of friendship, one of hope, and a story of lives and experiences. Steven Spielberg's best film to date, Schindler's List is his best work.

''It's Hebrew, it's from the Talmud. It says,-Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire-''

''My daughter was murdered. They put a gun to her. As we stand here, she's on an autopsy slab getting cut open by scalpels and chest spreaders, and you're talking to me about domestic fucking responsibility? Good to see you, Theo.''


With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men are reunited by circumstance when one loses a daughter.

Sean Penn: Jimmy Markum

Tim Robbins: Dave Boyle

Kevin Bacon: Sean Devine

Clint Eastwood's 24th directorial outing and one of the finest films of 2003. Working from Brian Helgeland's adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel.

This was simply incredible. Three friends, a traumatic childhood occurrence where Dave is taken and abused. The three are effected by this and grow up only to be united when Jimmy's daughter is murdered.

This is a stormy thriller made on the foundations of family, friendship and an innocence forgotten and lost.

Performances are top notch notably Sean Penn is fiery and shudderingly good when he's held back by an array of police men, that made me shudder with electric.
Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins were impressive too, nice to see Emmy Rossom though obviously her part was short.
Laurence Fushburne is a good supporting actor too in this.

''The reality is we're still 11 year old boys locked in a cellar imagining what our lives would have been if we'd escaped.''

"As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster."


Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.

Robert De Niro: James 'Jimmy' Conway

Ray Liotta: Henry Hill

Joe Pesci: Tommy DeVito

Another Scorsese scorcher like Casino, the narration is top notch as we see Henry Hill grow up and life as a mobster/gangster.

Violent, graphic and detailed. It's one of the best Gangster films out there which is apparent as soon as it begins and were treated to a perfect blood soaked car boot scene.

Ray Liotta as Henry Hill is a cool character as we see him evolve in a web of friends in the mob. His narration is pretty damn compelling to listen too as the story progresses.
Rober De Niro is a great supporting lead role and naturally plays amob affiliated chracter, in this case Jimmy.
Joe Pesci as usual is the tough, no nonsense guy who provides the comic relief as well as having a mean streak. He's a nut, i love it!

Martin Scorsese's style shines through, good close ups and zooming and panning shots.

Music suitable for the era. the end of the 80s bordering on the 90s.

Goodfellas explores Mobster life over 25 years accurately, an undisputed masterpiece.

''I'm riding SHOTGUN!''

''Can't Figure it out, you wanna be like me, or you wanna be me?''


A detailed account of the famous outlaw Jesse James and his relationship with Robert Ford.

Brad Pitt: Jesse James

Casey Affleck: Robert Ford

Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford is another masterpiece from the wonders of 2007. No doubt in my mind the level of detail, of storytelling, of narration that weaves an intricate study of the characters Jesse James and Robert Ford.

A memorable scene for me would be the scene at the dinner table. You really see the love Robert Ford has for Jesse James in the speech, the story he says for him. Beautifully played by Brad Pitt and the wonderfully Casey Affleck.
Brad Pitt plays his role with ease masterfully in control.
Casey Affleck's slurry words and way of speaking is perfectly pulled of and his loving, envy and looking up to of Jesse is mesmerizing to behold.

I love the characters especially Jesse and Robert, how they're fleshed out, not only conflicted with each other but with their inner demons. The greatest weakness the heart within. Reality is moulded to suit the desires and fears of within them thus causing conflict and a level of friction between each other.

Cinematography perfectly executed music like a toy musical clock mystical soothing with melodies and piano playing suited to the era. The running time to me was satisfactory for the degree of detail needed.

What shines most is that the film doesn't try to glorify its main character Jesse into a hero or anti-hero whichever you choose. Nor does it attempt to denounce Robert Ford as a coward thus making the title a little bit hypocritical.

This is a real life tragedy that flows with haunting tones, to put it simply this is not a typical Western, don't be expecting wild shoot outs and all out carnage.
Do expect a tale of greatness, of vision and of precedence that surpasses every aspect in droves.
What helps also is it's based on the novel by Ron Hansen, which is a detailed analysis and biopic of two characters who are multi-faceted.

And no Sheriff Timberlake isn't related to JT :P

Joking aside this is a masterpiece. Wouldn't mind the soundtrack too?
It's not the title or result that is the fascination,

it's the journey...

''Jesse would look over at Bob with melancholy eyes as if the two were meshed in an intimate communication. Bob was certain that the man had unriddled him, had seen through his reasons for coming along, that Jesse could forecast each of Bob's possible moves and inclinations, and was only acting the innocent in order to lull Bob into stupid tranquility and miscalculation.''

''You have to think about one shot. One shot is what it's all about. A deer's gotta be taken with one shot. I try to tell people that but they don't listen.''


An in-depth examination of the way that the Vietnam war affects the lives of people in a small industrial town in the USA.

Robert De Niro: Michael

Meryl Streep: Linda

Christopher Walken: Nick

What can i say but beautiful simply beautiful. Forget every other Vietnam movie, every Rambo film, every war imitator Platoon,Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now for a moment, The Deer Hunter has one thing they don't have initially... a heartful study of men and more importantly of a man who deals with the after effects of war in so much detail. This is three hours that will change your life.

Robert De Niro's performance is without a doubt a colossus of triumph. An evolution of a man has never been shown in such detail. How war changes your whole way of life that it stays with you even after it's over.
Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken are fantastic. A love triangle also provides interest and a frustration that as it plays out you can only watch in wonderment.

I love the scene where all the men are gathered round somberly, for a moment at peace...listening to their companion play the piano all captured by it's soothing notes. Close ups of faces caught up in the emotion of the music are shown in a way it moved me. Then it out of the blue fast forwards to them in the turmoil of Vietnam and the atrocities of soldiers attacking civilians. We see Micheal explode into action, a positively cringing game of Russian roulette with the Vietcong rebels. Three bullets really takes the biscuit, to witness the outcome is pure adrenaline and to see his friend at the start lose hope only to be comforted by Michael is heart warming yet terrifying.
The bond of friendship and what lengths you will go to for it is so resolute in this it will turbulently set your emotions flaring. Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro later on repeating their roulette game against each other is beautiful. As he begins to crumble to see tears, to remember his life, it's like waking from a dream but what happens is tragic.

One of the best films I've seen that really does show not just war but an analysis of the human psyche, which we can all relate too.

Don't be put off by the long running time, this is a classic that doesn't quit till the credits and will give your mind alot to chew on.

Metal Gear Solid, Rambo, and now Deer Hunter. Really does depict horrors of Vietnam and the after effects on its soldiers.

Another classic, one of De Niro's best and grand story telling and vision by Director Michael Cimino.

''I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!''

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity.

Anthony Hopkins: Frederick Treves

''My life is full because I know I am loved.''

If one was to turn on David Lynch's The Elephant Man midway through, without knowing what it was, one might be startled at the appearance of the main character. One might even be tempted to make fun of the character. But if one was to watch the film from the beginning, sympathy with John Merrick (John Hurt), The Elephant Man, would be strong enough to deny that the former situation was ever a possibility. Lynch does not allow his audience to glimpse Merrick albeit mask, until his appearance has been built up substantially. When we the audience are at our zenith of anticipation, we see him: no dramatic music, no slow motion; a simple cut and he's there. There he is. And it's not made out to be a spectacular introduction.

This is the beauty of Lynch's direction. We are led through our morbid curiosity at the same rate the characters in the film are. We develop alongside them. More specifically, we develop alongside Frederick Treeves, played with an astounding sublimity of emotion by Anthony Hopkins. Next to Treeves we pity Merrick, respect him, pity him again, and then ask ourselves with him, 'is he just a spectacle to me? Am I a bad person?'...
Lynch certainly doesn't let us bypass this question easily. Are we bad people for being intrigued or are we good people for pitying? Certainly there is a mix of intrigue and pity with every character who first meets John, and we are not excluded. However, as with almost every character who truly comes to know John and confer with him, we learn to respect him as a human being and not as a spectacle. Nonetheless, this issue never finds close in the film, nor do I feel it ever can be closed in actual life. Hopkin's Treeves is never fully sated in how he feels about this dilemma, and so, neither can we be.

''People are frightened by what they don't understand.''

Technically, The Elephant Man is a beautifully shot piece. In crisp black and white, the film recalls the cinematic technique of American cinema circa the 1930s. The scenes dissolve into one another; there is no brisk editing. The lighting is kept low-key during dark scenes, balanced during daytime scenes-this is standard film-making of the era. The one digression from this form are the distinctly Lynchian surrealities-pseudo-dream-sequences of commendably original imagery that break up the film and serve as distinct mood-setters for the audience. These are, for the most part, fairly intimidating side-notes. We as an audience are caught off-guard because in these tangents we are not identifying with Treeves, we are put instead into Merrick's shoes. It is unsettling.

But Lynch has never been a director to flinch at unsettling prospects. We must watch Merrick beaten, abused, harassed, humiliated, and tormented. We may feel a surge of happiness when he finally stands up for himself, but by that point we still have to cope with what we've already, what he's already, experienced. I suppose that is the greatest and most devastating aspect of the film-empathy. Every moment is heartbreaking. Yet no matter how hard it gets, and how much better it then turns, there is always the threat of another jab. And those jabs only get more and more painful.

The Elephant Man is a perfect film. It is sorrowful but it doesn't apologize for what it is. It is a film about where our empathy stems from, a film that asks you to feel sorry for it's victim but rebukes you for your blind pity. It asks you to respect Merrick, not cry for him, alas you cry anyway. The Elephant Man is a film that treks you through despair and asks for your hope in the end. It asks you to hate humanity but to love the humane. It asks you to look at a man who appears sad and know that inside, he's righteous, he has a soul.

''Never. Oh, never. Nothing will die. The stream flows, the wind blows, the cloud fleets, the heart beats. Nothing will die.''

''New lovers are nervous and tender, but smash everything. For the heart is an organ of fire.''


At the close of WWII, a young nurse tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.

Ralph Fiennes: Count Laszlo de Almásy

Juliette Binoche: Hana

Willem Dafoe: David Caravaggio

May i first start by saying my deepest condolences to Director Anthony Minghella and how happy i am to have finally seen this masterful film that tells of love and redemption.

The English Patient is a beautifully accurate film that tells of a badly burned pilot who fails to remember his past. As the film progresses were treated to flashbacks that weave the story and we the audience attempt to piece the parts of the puzzle together.

Ralph Fiennes as Lazlo is fantastic as we see his passionate forbidden affair with Katharine in detailed memories. He's arrogant at first and yet his accent and personality is spot on.
His burnt self being a fine example of an audition for HP:Order of the Pheonix. But on a serious note his performance is incredible proving once again he's one of my fave and English actors.
Willem Dafoe also plays his character satisfactory along with the rest of the cast, liked seeing Naveen Andrews who I've seen in the series Lost, had no idea he was in this. His little romance with Juliette Binoche's Hana was cute and a nice addition to the movie's main plot.

The landscape, the settings North Africa & Italy are vast and grand to behold on the screen. Costumes i was impressed with, some cracking cinematography. The music also was perfect to accompany the visuals.

An intelligent film which is gripping emotional and has character's you grow attached too.

Him carrying her in the white shawl with the haunting music, now thats powerful. What a beautiful vision of love.

''In love, there are no boundaries.''

''Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long Holly.''


Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident.

Joseph Cotten: Holly Martins

Alida Valli: Anna Schmidt (as Valli)

Orson Welles: Harry Lime

What are my thoughts after seeing this classic? hands down the most intelligent captivating old vintage film I've seen recently.

Masterfully directed by Carol Reed and told in beautiful Black and White, this is a suspenseful mysterious thriller that will keep you glued to the screen if you can get your head round the clever plot and dialogue.

That song that plays throughout will always be associated with The Third Man. It's gorgeous. Cinematography is top notch and the music will pierce your emotions.

Orson Welles is amazing,breath taking in a role he makes his own.
Joseph Cotten also does well as his old friend who investigates.
Alida Valli stunning in the day, the beautiful female lead.
As the film unfolds more pieces of the puzzle are revealed.

If your a true film fanatic then Third Man deserves to be watched by any budding film critic or movie maker for sure.

Classic.

''So long as the Arabs fight tribe against tribe, so long will they be a little people, a silly people - greedy, barbarous, and cruel, as you are.''


A grand classic from bygone days. Sweeping epic about the real life adventures of T.E. Lawrence, a British major who unified Arab tribes and led them in the fight for independence from the Ottoman Turks in the 1920s.
Epic rumination on a flamboyant and controversial British military figure and his conflicted loyalties during wartime service.

Peter O'Toole: T.E. Lawrence

Alec Guinness: Prince Feisal

David lean had a lot to live up to after making Kwai, a candidate for best film of all time, and does he not disappoint,instead he creates one of the finest movies in motion picture history.

Not wanting to give much away about the story, I will state this. Lawrence is a film of such unimaginable beauty, that one really has to see it more than once before they can fully grasp it all. Suddenly every other film pales slightly against the pure detail.

Steven Spielberg states it as one of his great favourite films of all time, he says ''A Miracle of a film!'' and you can easily see and hear why. The life of T.E. Lawrence is brought to us in such a mind-blowingly spectacular way that defies and fulfills expectations.

This is where it all sprang, all those epic areas that are the birth and beginning of all these modern Blockbusters, owe almost everything to this. There are scenes in this movie that wouldn't look out of place in Lord of the Rings, Alexander or The Mummy. Considering Arabia was done 1962 it makes you wonder why rubbish films are still being churned out when we have the pinnacle right here.

This is before we even get to the wonderful performances of its principle cast, the sweeping score and the never equaled unrivaled cinematography.
Peter O'Toole shines as T.E. Lawrence who with his piercing blue eyes and blonde hair accompanied with that English voice equals the perfect English Gentleman hero with morals and a standing of good.
Alec Guinness as Prince Feisal seems abit English still than Arab in his disposition. Still no doubting his acting talents.
Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali whom Lawrence gets off on the wrong foot with then becomes respected shows some beautiful performing.

Visually perfect and the score spine tinglingly delicious. Even more impact where David Lean decides to have the music on its own with no picture where you can just close your eyes and immerse yourself within the melodies and haunting soothing tunes that embody the spirit of the film.

Lawrence of Arabia is the milestone piece of film ever to grace the screen. It borrows some structural elements from Kane and perfects the art of the biographical film.

''Why must fireflies die so young?''


A tragic film covering a young boy and his little sister's struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Tsutomu Tatsumi: Seita

Ayano Shiraishi: Setsuko

Having finally watched Grave of the Fireflies, it's obvious this is one of the most adult analyzed and true to life Historical human pieces in existence disguised as an anime.

The story tells of two children who lost their parents during World War II. Seita and his younger sister survive on very little. Fireflies shows the toll that war brings on the innocent public, the death, destruction and loss are shown in a way that plays on your emotions. The film is sometimes likened to Schindler's List, for its direct, blunt and relentless truth and it is in this regard is worthy of the comparison.

Fireflies made my throat taunt, my heart heavy and water swell in the recesses of my eyes.

During the course of the film, the two siblings grow faint and weak from starvation, and they simply are not able to obtain enough food to keep alive. The saddest moments seen was during the end of the movie, when Seita cremates his 5 year old sister, who ''never woke up again''.

It's hard to watch Fireflies and feel positive at all, the death and loss is too much for a number of people to fathom. However upon reflection, the movie is one of the greatest studies into loss, love and tragedy ever, which will stay with you and compel you to take a second look at anime. For anime is not simply just kiddie cartoons, it is merely another form of presenting a film in a different format/media.

This isn't a fantasy piece like Spirited Away but one of reality which ends up being just as genius and compelling. Isao Takahata has crafted a tale that also has historical accuracy in the sense it displays the sense of hopelessness and desperation in Japan at the time and especially near the end of WW2. A nation that could not support itself where the rich as always stayed rich and the poor got poorer, ending with a divide that bears similarities to the film Empire of the Sun. The reality of Fireflies cannot be stressed enough, the struggle mesmerizing.

Puts a new spin on Anime and lifts it to new dizzying heights.

''You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.''
''I am big. It's the pictures that got small. ''


A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.

William Holden: Joe Gillis

Gloria Swanson: Norma Desmond

Directed and written by Billy Wilder Sunset Boulevard tells the story of a writer, with struggles and problems, who's escape from men after taking his car, crosses his fate and path with a mysterious recluse.
The recluse in question happens to be an aging silent film star from bygone days. What transpires within Sunset Boulevard is set on the table, the answers put in plain sight but what's captivating and enthralling for me is the journey and progression of the story.

William Holden gives us a magnificent performance not to mention perfection narration throughout the duration of Sunset Boulevard. He makes you want to listen, a charisma that is refreshing as well as soothing.
Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond is the real highlight for me, the icing on the cake. An actress who could show pure emotion with a mere look, an expression and that displays real power.
Eric Von Stroheim who plays the Butler is the perfect choice who fit's the role he plays down to a tee.
Nancy Olson as Betty Schaefer provides the catalyst and dilemma love triangle for Holden's Joe.

Winner of three Academy Awards Director Billy Wilder has executed and given birth to a strange tale that really ends up being a true cinematic classic experience. As soon as Boulevard starts we are treated to dazzling music, mesmerising narration and shots that scream finesse and grandeur. The message that comes across as it enfolds is a merciless depiction of the dark and desperate highs and lows of Hollywood.

Age, experience and the foolishness of youth all seep from the pores of this classic, not to mention lies and twists, revelations and mystery. A woman clinging onto delusions and dreams, ideas, showing love and affection but not being returned. The effect is a tragedy where you know the end but as I said earlier, you the viewer are compelled to see how it plays out.

Sunset Boulevard for 1950 has stood the test of time and ends up being better than a thousand modern films around nowadays.

Timeless, captivating and a true masterpiece of unrivaled precedence.

''You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it. It was you, Charley.''


An ex-prize fighter turned longshoreman struggles to stand up to his corrupt union bosses.

Marlon Brando: Terry Malloy

Karl Malden: Father Barry

Lee J. Cobb: Johnny Friendly

Rod Steiger: Charley 'the Gent' Malloy

On The Waterfront tells the captivating story of Terry Malloy previously an Ex-Fighter and now currently doing errands for Johnny Friendly. The Gangster-esque turbulent trouble that follows, we the viewers are treated to, begin when Terry leads an interfering yet charitable and good worker to his demise on a roof by some of Johnny's men.

Waterfront then proceeds to introduce characters and an unlikely romance blossoming out of the impending strife. When Terry meets Edie Doyle you can feel the chemistry there between them but also the revelations that lie, lurking under the surface about her brother who happens to be the worker who died.
The complications are apparent and Waterfront does not hide this in any way.
Terry's guilt is plain to see although really it isn't all his fault. What's fascinating to behold is the evolution of his character, the change or turn if you will, which manifests as his redemption. What we find is that Terry at heart is a good soul and that shines ever so brightly amongst the darkness that is the Waterfront.

Marlon Brando as Terry justly won Best Actor for his performance in Waterfront in 1954. To comprehend what that means you really should witness this pivotal man at work and this film, absorb yourself and bask in it's glory.
Eva Marie Saint as Edie Doyle gives a connection of immense magnitude with Marlon who deserves credit again for her, as mentioned before, chemistry.
Lee J. Cobb as Johnny Friendly plays a good lead Mobster and a fitting villain. Another Vintage Actor from a fave film of mine 12 Angry Men.
Rod Steiger as Charley the Gent manages to play the crooked brother with flying colours.
Karl Malden as Father Barry sees whats happening to the people around him, sees the corruption and helps Terry see it too. Wonderful to behold as he is jeered by his fellows.

Directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg, you instantly know you've struck gold. A drama that haunts, that electrifies and leaves you in awe.

The harshness and hardship of the Waterfront is wonderfully realised. The taint of the Mob has infected and submerged the dock, not to mention it's denizens, as Terry begins to see this and stand up against it, this is what makes great men great. Without a doubt, Waterfront is what makes a film great, like it's hero Terry, it refuses to be beaten down and comes out triumphant.

A timeless masterpiece.

''His descriptions of things are really good. He makes you wanna be there.''


A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt: Brendan Frye

Nora Zehetner: Laura

Lukas Haas: The Pin

Noah Fleiss: Tugger

Brick establishes itself through it's main loner protagonist Brendan and his love and affection for a girl Emily. The Catalyst, her ending up dead which spirals into a detective mission for Brendan to solve the mystery and to find the culprit.

The Debut feature of writer/Director Rian Johnson is his vision, his baby realised and executing an entirely new and bold approach to Aerican High School Life. The whole spin on the genre is apparent as soon as us the viewers become aware and are made to be aware of these key-factors that reside in Brick. These Key areas being head-spinning dialogue and crisp detective film noir style seeping through.

The music adds to the effect and Illusion and sucks us into the world of Brick. Conveyed through every visual shot, every frame and every minute magnificent angle accompanied by luscious crystal clear piano notes, ringing and brass instrumentals.

Performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emille De Ravin and Lukas Hass are at an all time high in being believable, intelligent and utterly convincing. The young disposition of the actors also show that brick is a good start for these rising stars and that more is definitely to follow.

Drawing parallels and styles from old classics such as The Maltese Falcon & ChinaTown what Brick ends up being a twist laden rollercoaster coated with a rubix cube puzzle of ideas and dialogue.
As Brick progresses the ball really picks up momentum and the build up ends up being phenomenal.

Brick is a masterful detective movie that ends up being a blaze of emotion and turbulence that traps you in it's walls and doesn't let go until it's spat you back out...

Even then Brick will linger long after the credits have rolled and faded away.

''You're the only thing I love!''

'' Charlie, before you go, I'd like to say something. Look, the fact is you had a family and you suffered a great loss, and until you discuss that and we can really talk about that, this is all just an exercise. I can be patient, Charlie, but you need to tell someone your story. It doesn't have to be me, but someone. ''


A man who lost his family in the September 11 attack on New York City runs into his old college roommate. Rekindling the friendship is the one thing that appears able to help the man recover from his grief.

Adam Sandler: Charlie Fineman

Don Cheadle: Alan Johnson

Reign Over Me is one man who has become lost, who has had to deal with loss in the aftermath of 9/11.
Wonderfully played by Adam Sandler, Charlie Fineman is one of his best roles accompanied by Don Cheadle as Alan Johnson as his friend this is a heartfelt effort and it had a deep impact on me in it's telling of the human spirit.

Reign Over Me also features some amazing supporting cast such as Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland & even Ted Raimi pops up.

Music wise it Reign Over Me succeeds, also featuring one of my fave computer games on the PS2, Shadow Of The Colossus which pleased me.

So what do we get from Reign Over Me overall, we get one man, in this case Charlie, who suffers from pain and turmoil sinking in loneliness and depression by choice shutting out anything relating to his lost family who died in the plane collision. What we see is Charlie in a Journey with his friend Alan to ultimately overcome his grief and pain. The evolution is astounding as is the chemistry shared between Adam Sandler & Don Cheadle. You believe they are friends and not only that you believe in the power of friendship and redemption when Reign Over Me finally concludes.

A powerful film which Mike Binder Directs and executes successfully showing powerful emotional drama and bonds.

A tour De force, Reign Over Me lives up to it's acclaim.

This is pure comedy and drama and action blended together. Love the swordplay and anthony Hopkins on form with antonio and catherine zeta jones.

''You're special. You have a very special purpose in life. You've been chosen. The Island awaits you.''


A man goes on the run after he discovers that he is actually a "harvested being", and is being kept along with others in a utopian facility.

Ewan McGregor: Lincoln 6 Echo / Tom Lincoln

Scarlett Johansson: Jordan 2 Delta / Sarah Jordan

Excellent film around clones, good combo of sci fi, action & thriller all rolled together. It was better than i thought it was going to be, very good issues it raises about cloning.

The Island from Michael Bay may have a whiff of Logan's run about it, and lacking in originality but who cares when you have high speed chases, effects and hellishly good jokes mixed with a cast to die for.

Ewan is awesome, Scarlett delish and Sean Bean as a villainous creator is inspired. Hell even Steve Buscemi pops up to breathe air into this.

It's not all fun though it's got seriousness as well, who could forget Michael Clarke Duncan getting dragged off to his doom with wires protruding from his body or a woman having her baby only to have the infant taken away as she is given poison. The whole cloning and its morality comes into question much like the silly 6th Day did with Arnie but not as effectively as Island.

Music and visuals are typical loud and garish. Bay also uses some locations he uses in his future Transformers including a run down building I recall seeing.
There is a bike and car chase that even tops Bad Boys 2's high speed carnage.

All in all The Island was a Box Office smash that may have been unbelievable in areas but I dont care, the film succeeds in the most important thing of all in this type of film...

fun...

''Sean... He's on the beach now, a toe in the water. He's asking you to come in with him. He's been racing his mother up and down the sand. There's so much love in this house. He's ten years old. He's surrounded by animals. He wants to be a vet. You keep a rabbit for him, a bird and a fox. He's in high school. He likes to run, like his father. He runs the two-mile and the long relay. He's 23. He's at a university. He makes love to a pretty girl named Claire. He asks her to be his wife. He calls here and tells Lara, who cries. He still runs. Across the university and in the stadium, where John watches. Oh God, he's running so fast, just like his daddy. He sees his daddy. He wants to run to him. But he's only six years old, and he can't do it. And the other men are so fast. There was so much love in this house.''

In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence.

Tom Cruise: Chief John Anderton

Max von Sydow: Director Lamar Burgess

Minority Report is from Speilberg and Philip K Dick's book as the material to feast Steven's directing talent upon. The result is Report ends up being visually stunning, a brilliant story and concept and a compelling sci-fi piece all infused together.
MR is set in the year 2054, a future that, outside of the roads and constant eye-scans, still visually resembles the present (or the past, in this movie's case). Tom Cruise stars as John Anderton, one of the heads of Pre-Crime, a division in Washington, D.C. that has the ability to stop murders before they happen, thanks to the work of three Pre-Cogs, psychics (two male and one female) permanently placed in a watery bath, delivering info about the future to the Pre-Crime division (just how it's done is revealed in a very clever and tense opening sequence).

Tom cruise on form can do no wrong yet again along with an amazing turn from Colin Farrell. The chase that transpires between the two esculating from a Jet Pack chase to a Flying Car Factory is awe dropping to watch. In fact if you think this is just all about action you shouldn't be watching movies, as Minority mixes depth with watch-ability and comes out victorious and on top.
Max Von Sydow also had a role that pleased me immensely.
Samantha Morton also stuck out for me and fueled my emotions.

Director Burgess: You don't have to run John.
John Anderton: You don't have to chase me.

Spielberg's work here is, right from the off, much unlike anything I've ever seen him do. Sure, there was the debatable quality of A.I., but not a segment in that film resembled Minority Report's opening scenes, a montage of quick-cuts awash in blue colors that builds in both violence and intensity, in spite of the fact this sequence moves backward (meaning the violent act is committed first, then we see what led up to it). The segment ends with a close-up of an eye, with the camera pulling back to reveal a woman lying in a pool, ominously stating the word, "murder." It's a chilling, daring intro that holds a lot of promise, and instead of disappointing, the rest of the film actually manages to improve upon it.
The future that Spielberg presents here is entirely believable, from both a societal and technological viewpoint. Most interestingly, when I first saw the previews, I'd expected a "Big Brother" type society akin to 1984, one in which the government monitored all the actions of the people. But that's not the case here. The government presented here questions the ethics and logic behind Pre-Crime because if this were reality, it would be a subject matter of serious concern, and not just hive-minded behavior and blather about how this is for the good of humanity. Finally, we get a film that features a dark view of the future, but simultaneously gives us reasonable, intelligent characters that realize there are pros and cons to everything.
Much more successful, somewhat surprisingly for Spielberg, are the darker moments. There's a great scene when you see Anderton and his kid at the swimming pool. Anderton sinks to the bottom to show how long he can hold his breath, but then when he resurfaces his kid has gone. It captures all the terror of losing a child with great skill.

I also like the scene where Anderton is confronted with his child's 'killer'. Anderton, quite rightly, is utterly deranged and Cruise does an excellent job of selling the character's anger and grief. Therefore it's slightly annoying that these great darker moments have to co-exist with such contrast. Just take the ending. Pre-crime is shut down, Anderton is reunited with his wife, Anderton's wife is pregnant and the pre-cogs live happily ever after. It's far too neat and tidy, especially for what's supposed to be a gritty thriller.

''There hasn't been a murder in six years. The system, it is perfect.''

Like Total Recall, this elaborates on (plus alters) the Philip K. Dick story it's based on, and if the result is essentially The Fugitive with a bigger budget and a Sci-fi twist.
You all know the plot (Precrime cop Cruise discovers he's wanted for a murder he's going to commit in just over 50 hours and goes on the run, etc.,), but Scott Frank and Jon Cohen's screenplay offers intriguing notions alongside all the thrills, and Spielberg delivers a welcome return to basics - let's not forget this is the master who did Duel and Jaws - while not betraying any close fans of his works. (Yes, we all know Schindler's List, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan and A.I. Artificial Intelligence were not just mainstream but educational.) One moment we're experiencing a high-speed chase through an automobile factory, the next we're pondering the ramifications of a system that allows crime to be non-existence.
Along with BladeRunner, A Scanner Darkly, Total Recall, all of these I am a fan of and in Dick's work there is immense vision and a warped mind that appeals to my tastes everytime. Steven Spielberg usually can do no wrong. A.I. was a gamble for the master but with Minority he throws an Ace.

This is by far Steven Spielberg's most complex film to date. Though this is not Spielberg's first venture into science-fiction, it is his best. Tom Cruise makes a very believable protagonist here. The entire issue of "Pre-Crime" is treated as something of a flawed advance in law enforcement. It raises questions of how the police can be truly certain that a person is going to commit a crime or is it inevitable that the future can be altered. You see, it is all just too complex to really put into words here, you just have to watch the movie and form your own thoughts.
Drawing inspirations from Hitchcock's thrillers, also from every chase movie ever and if you think this a bad thing you are gravely mistaken. Minority on canvas is like a spray of Fugitive mixed with a dabble of Sci-Fi Matrix feel in all its shades of blueness. Coat that with thriller and a story to die for and that sums up Minority Report in a nutshell. The twists when watched first time are mind blowing, one movie I own that i never get tired of watching.

Masterful Work.


''Everybody runs, Fletch. Everybody runs.''

''Every passenger going to 2046 has the same intention: to recapture lost memories. Because nothing ever changes in 2046.''


He was a writer. He thought he wrote about the future but it really was the past. In his novel, a mysterious train left for 2046 every once in a while...

Tony Leung Chiu Wai: Chow Mo-wan

Li Gong: Su Li-zhen

Visionary, ahead of its time!

2046 is a combination of ideas and a man who transitions through time who creates a futuristic creation of a future revolving round the number 2046 and a train that conveys us to memories. Granted 2046 is actually a room number and we all assume it's a year which ironically it does turn into.

Tony Leung Chiu Wai who I've also seen in Hero is phenomenal in his performance that defies belief. Even the tones and colourful narration gives the film more depth and emphasis.
Gong Li's part as a gloved Gambler wasn't as long as expected and i found Ziyi Zhang had a larger part in the story.

Chow we see his life and his playboy lifestyle, his encounters with girls and we see an evolution into his character bordering on the myth of love in his perspective. The future turns out to be a vision of the past, of emotions and a human study of the unknown.

Kar Wai Wong who Directs 2046 is very clever as he not only has made a film that borders between Sci-Fi & life but one that has depth and a clarity not usually seen in mainstream or typical films.

2046 won't be understood by many, for it's complexities and being a writer and watching another writer struggle with his mind and wrestle inspiration from the confines, truly magnificent to behold for me as I can relate to the creativity in it's multi-faceted depths.

For these reasons 2046 has left an impression of masterful magnificence upon me.

''Are you trying to develop a sense of humor or am I going deaf?''

After arriving in India after escaping mayhem in Japan, Indiana Jones is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees, and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.


Harrison Ford: Indiana Jones, obviously the main protagonist hero.

Kate Capshaw: Wilhelmina 'Willie' Scott, the love interest and wife of Spielberg in real life i believe.

Jonathan Ke Quan: Short Round (as Ke Huy Quan) Hilarious as Jone's little sidekick. Comic relief.

The darkest and most graphic of the three films.

As usual the beginning starts of beautifully and to an extent musically. A iconic reference to Humphrey Bogart in Doctor Jones attire AKA the white tuxedo donning the crimson rose. Also amused at the clubs name Obi-Wan a clever little joke towards Star Wars. George Lucas doing the Story may have something to do with that.

The scenes in India are of a grand scale and covey a rich quality, again the music by John Williams is spot on. Some very good action scenes yet this one does have some that maybe watching again are slightly over the top yet the enjoyment again makes up for it. A brilliant showdown on a bridge that is tense and thrilling. Some scary traps and dark ritualistic goings on and a mysterious evil cult.

In places maybe due to the location it feels tacky and the plot maybe is more cartooned than the previous film.

When i first saw this it was a fun amazing ride, on seeing again and writing my review from a criticizing stance it's still above average, despite some flaws but still always an enjoyment to watch.

''They're working off a list. Of Jews with money. They murder them.''
''How do you know all this?''
''Because I was set up myself! Because I've seen my entire family be slaughtered! .''


In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.

Carice van Houten: Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries

Sebastian Koch: Ludwig Müntze

Downfall, Lives of Others now Black Book. German films at there best, there prime.

Black Book tells the tale of a woman of Jewish origins who loses her family and begins spying on a Nazi Officer for the Resistance. But as usual nothing is as it seems with betrayals, untrust and malcontent.

Paul Verhoeven who also did Basic Instinct & Total recall knows what he's doing. I love World War 2 films and this offering is nothing less of pure detail and indulgence with a killer story and emotional strife.

It has sex, it has violence mixed with tragedy and in essence captures the feel of the era through it's characters, costumes and scenery. Nice to see Sebastian Koch again from Lives and Carice van Houten shows off her talented acting capabilities.

Black Book has twists and turns galore and shows that the Nazi threat isn't the only one to beware of.

A triumph which was twenty years in the making Black Book is an epic seductive, violent yet bold tale told amidst the last days of WW2 .

''That's a great plan, Walter. That's fuckin' ingenious, if I understand it correctly. It's a Swiss fuckin' watch.''


Dude Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Jeff Bridges: Jeffrey Lebowski - The Dude

John Goodman: Walter Sobchak

Lebowski like Fargo is another smash from the Coen's. Revolving round unique characters and a crazy plot that defies belief. Bowling and the Coen's fascination with money are at it's heart. TBL basks in it's originality and crazy roots.

Jeff Bridges plays The Dude like a pro completely different in a role that tests his acting capabilities. John Goodman totally different in looks and character from anything I've seen him do. He's got raw aggression and often makes things worse but hilarious nonetheless. Steve Buscemi & John Turturro have smaller roles but nonetheless performances memorable. I mean Jesus and his rants, not to mention a ball polishing scene that had me laughing and uttering WTF??!!

From toilet flushing to black humour to dreamy sequences and squabbles that are over nothing it will create a riot of laughter, everything in The Big Lebowski screams to my humour and sates it.

I can understand why many won't like it but who cares personal taste conquers for me, and I'm going to say Lebowski earns it's cult status and I'd watch again and still pick up new ideas from it's confines.

Lebowski is a masterpiece yet again from the Coens who maybe are becoming favourite Directors/writers to me...

Willy Wonka: You're all quite short, aren't you?
Violet Beauregarde: Well yeah, we're children.
Willy Wonka: Well that's no excuse. I was never as short as you.
Mike Teavee: You were once.
Willy Wonka: Was not. Know why? Because I distinctly remember putting a hat on top of my head. Look at your short little arms. You could never reach.



Johnny Depp: Willy Wonka

Freddie Highmore: Charlie Bucket

David Kelly: Grandpa Joe

Helena Bonham Carter: Mrs. Bucket

Noah Taylor: Mr. Bucket

Missi Pyle: Mrs. Beauregarde

James Fox: Mr. Salt

Deep Roy: Oompa Loompa

Christopher Lee: Dr. Wonka

Five kids from around the world find golden tickets inside candy bars made by world famous candy maker Willie Wonka, which allow them a tour inside the never before open to the public factory, led by Wonka himself, in which the children learn some rather unsettling lessons about being a kid.

It should be mentioned that this review comes from someone who read the book but wasn't a huge fan of the 1971 film which in my mind was 70s tack. This film does have a solid fan base because the story is more closely connected to the book than the first film was, but that doesn't necessarily make it a better film. I had a few of problems with this film, the primary one being Burton and Johnny Depp's interpretation of the character of Willie Wonka, which clearly had to be a collaborative effort and also the sweetly sick feel of the film may overwhelm some.

As dark as the book might have been, I have always felt that this was supposed to be a children's story and that Wonka should be an appealing character to children. Depp works very hard at producing a completely unique interpretation of the character but this Wonka comes off as hating children, which I found amusing considering his occupation.
There is a mean-spiritedness weirdness to this Wonka that was sadly absent in Gene Wilder's characterization. He's a Michael Jackson-esque recluse and why the children would be so enamored of him is quite strange.

The children are nastier than they were in the original as well...Mike Teevee, in particular, is one of the nastiest children I have ever seen in a movie. I also found something rather unsettling about the fact that the Oompa Loompas were all played by a single actor (Deep Roy). Like Attack Of The Clones if it's possible gone even more wrong.

On the plus side, I thought Freddie Highmore was absolutely amazing in the pivotal role of Charlie, the only good little boy in the bunch. Highmore makes Charlie the only really likable character in the movie (apart from Depp of course and Helena!) and one of the few actors from this version with depth, I preferred this latest adaptation.

Another thing I liked in this version is that we get to see the other four children leaving the factory after the tour, which we didn't in the '71 film.

In the first film, you get the feeling that they might be dead...a lesson from Wonka which is also troubling. Mention should also be made of an impressive turn by the great Christopher Lee, playing Wonka's father...a character we never met in the '71 film but whose presence here does provide some insight into this Wonka's personality.

The songs are dark and dreary but the film does boast impressive art and set direction.
A mixed bag to be sure, but you'll probably like it better if you never saw the '71 film.

''Life is a game. So fight for survival and see if you're worth it.''


In future Japan, the government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Tatsuya Fujiwara: Shuya Nanahara - Boys #15

Aki Maeda: Noriko Nakagawa - Girls #15

Ah Battle Royale reminds me of my days at school....
Only joking, kind of! Royale tackles brain washing and youth in one foul swopp and i can see why it is compaered in certain ideas to Clockwork Orange. Even the music nods at Stanley Kubrick in places. Reminding me of Final Fantasy to music wise and that kid in the smart suit.

The killing is pretty good in this, meant to be disturbing but it caused me to laugh at times in it's approaches.

Could you kill your best friend? Does Battle Royale answer this. I know what i got. You can do anything with the right motivations.

Nice to see Chiaki Kuriyama from Kill Bill and after seeing this i can see why she got the part in that hack and slash.
Takeshi Kitano was deranged, loved his teaching.

The countdown aspect of the student dying, pure perfection. The ultimate game and something maybe we need in our education systems for all the chavs and townies and disrespecting youths in Society.

Battle Royale is a masterpiece that shows the limits and extremes of the human mind.

A masterpiece visually and musically.

''Life is a game. So fight for survival and see if you're worth it.''

''When we escape, it will be together.''

''Dia, What are you doing? Dia! Look at me, look at me. What are you doing? You are Dia Vendy, of the proud Mende tribe. You are a good boy who loves soccer and school. Your mother loves you so much. She waits by the fire making plantains, and red palm oil stew with your sister N'Yanda and the new baby. The cows wait for you. And Babu, the wild dog who minds no one but you. I know they made you do bad things, but you are not a bad boy. I am your father who loves you. And you will come home with me and be my son again.''


A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen become entangled in a search for a priceless diamond which will change the fate of many.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Danny Archer

Djimon Hounsou: Solomon Vandy

Jennifer Connelly: Maddy Bowen


Powerful, political,and its happening now, worth watching. Fine cast and superb story.
Shows how man can be so cruel upon one another, and how greed can consume us. Love and family are where the heart lies.

Blood Diamond deserves to be watched. Not only is it an action thriller with amazing chases but there more importantly a message here about things going on in a part of the world alot choose to ignore.

A powerful scene for me was the children being used as soldiers, how malleable and receptive like an eager sponge soaking up brain washing propaganda form a militia out for blood, out to suck the land dry and lay despotism and fear. Even having their own nicknames to promote their authority, its really scary.

Edward Zwick who also did Last Samurai which i also adored has crafted a tale that has its main stars shine with dialogue that packs a punch.

The music and score is vibrant, the locations breath taking. The diamond trade terrifying at the cost of innocent lives exploited.

Leonardo DiCaprio is on top form with an accent that is completely believable. Jennifer Connelly equally at home in her role with her peircing blue eyes. Djimon Hounsou really sells his anguish as a troubled father desperately trying to get his family back. Was also Quite taken with Arnold Vosloo's performance too.

Blood Diamond is a tale of a world older than our own, that you can watch over and over. That has multi layers, that the goodness in humanity will always shine through.

''That's red earth. It's in our skin. The shona say the colour comes from all the blood that's being spilled fighting over the land. This is home. You will never leave Africa.''

''When you decide to be something, you can be it. That's what they don't tell you in the church. When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I'm saying to you is this: when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?''


Two men from opposite sides of the law are undercover within the Massachusetts State Police and the Irish mafia, but violence and bloodshed boil when discoveries are made, and the moles are dispatched to find out their enemy's identities.

Leonardo DiCaprio: Ofcr. William M. 'Billy' Costigan Jr.

Matt Damon: Det. SSgt. Colin Sullivan

Jack Nicholson: Francis 'Frank' Costello

Martin Scorsese a skilled director is an understatement. The Departed is Scorsese at long last back to what he does best. A mob gangster style film in the same vein as Goodfellas and Casino.

There are problems with the film though. On the one hand its not very original being instantly recognizable of an unmistakable remake of Infernal Affairs. Martin Scorsese has fallen into the Hollywood trap of stealing from the East and glorifying it for himself.

On the other hand though he has with The Departed injected his own style, his own brand of uniqueness. The music and soundtrack to this film is brilliant, no denying it. Music can make or break a film. After all a crap song with a pivotal scene can destroy it's impact.

Right from the beginning you instantly realize The Departed is a movie that will have some classy story telling. You realize Jack Nicholson, Leo and Matt's presence are sure fire bombs of greatness. Their acting is unsurpassed, unrivaled and mesmerizing to witness.

Scorsese even throws in the adult cinema scene a glance back to his days and the classic Taxi Driver. Jack Nicholson shines though as the mob boss who has humour even in serious moments.

Also of note the whole Irish Boston thing also reflects Martin Scorsese's heritage, his roots and that shines. Gangs Of New York emphasized this as does this.

When you have greats like Taxi Driver & Raging Bull its obvious the Oscars were having a sympathy vote for poor Scorsese who did deserve to reap the rewards for his efforts, but The Departed not his best work.
On the whole it has some amazing dialogue, some detailed intriguing scenes and violence and a conclusion that had me open jawed in shock.

An above par remake of Infernal Affairs glamorized by Hollywood class, by the Maestro Scorsese.

When everyone is a rat who is left to rat out too?

Frank Costello
You do well in school?

Young Colin
Yeah

Frank Costello
Good. So did I. They call that a paradox.

''Promise me one thing, Pete. If I die over here, carry me back to my family and bury me in my home town. I don't want to be buried on this side among all the fucking billboards.''


Ranch hand Pete Perkins looks to fulfill the promise to his recently deceased best friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico which means tracking down his killer but all is not what it seems...

Tommy Lee Jones: Pete Perkins

Barry Pepper: Mike Norton

In the World there are many stories to be told. Through books, through films and through media. Three Burials is a great mulit layered story and is without a wavering doubt among of them.
Loyalty, companionship without limits, a longing for old lifestyles and the redemption of a total asshole in the form of Barry Peppers Norton.

This film does a good job of showing the real way people who embrace the old ways still live in the modern world under there own laws. Horses, spurs and Leather boots coincide with pickups and mobiles.

The wife Lu Ann says that Mike Norton is beyond redemption. He is completely self absorbed and unaware of others. Even sex with his wife is wooden and lifeless.

The music is pure indulgence and helped with the luscious visuals and landscapes. The journey is what's important here and Tommy Lee as a Director and Actor proves he's up there with the very best painting his own Klimt or Picasso, Buriels shows he's not just an actor but like Clint Eastwood a man who knows film, who knows what needs to be done directorial wise.

This felt like a modern Western not your Wild West one but one similar to No Country in depth and story. Listening to the Country music which i must listen to again really did stick within me.
Two men who take a Journey one for redemption unaware of it at first, the other on the surface revenge, then later if you look deeper for honour and a loved friend.

If you love a Story that's heartfelt and warm, that will lift your spirits when your sad, then Burials must be seen.

''You and your plans. You know what my grandmother used to say? If you want to make God laugh... tell Him your plans. ''


A horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love.

Emilio Echevarría: El Chivo

Gael García Bernal: Octavio

Goya Toledo: Valeria

Amores Perros tells the stories of El Chivo, of Octavio, of the relationship between Valeria and Daniel, each starting before the crash and ending soon after it. First, Octavio is introduced to the audience as young man who desires to be with and runaway with his sister-in-law. As luck would have it, Octavio has the opportunity to earn large sums of money with the help of his dog, Cofi, in order to do so. Cofi then wins more than fifteen dogfights for Octavio until he is shot by a jealous rival of his owner. After this, Octavio tries to save his dogs life and speeds away in the condemned car. During this story, we are introduced to Daniel. An advertiser, Daniel plans to leave his wife in order to pursue a relationship with an up-and-coming model, Valeria. In the process, we learn that Daniel has given up everything for the romantic affair. Later, El Chivo is introduced to us, an ex-Zapatista revolutionary and supporter, who is now nothing more than a poverty-stricken man in the company of dogs. More so, we quickly learn that El Chivo is now a hit-man who was once a husband and father. All of these stories progress until the moment of the crash.

After the violent crash, we learn of the faced perdition of the three lives. Octavio's sister-in-law betrays him and escapes with his earnings from the dog fights, effectively ending the sordid affair. The accident cuts off one of Valeria's legs and causes insufferable tension between her and Daniel. Additionally, as a witness to the crash, El Chivo saves the life of Cofi, who later kills his only company as a poor man, his dogs. Finally, the three become stranded and alone. Octavio, embarrassed, leaves his house due to his betrayal of his sister-in-law. Valeria dies due to complications associated with the loss of her leg, and Daniel loses his family and his lover. Also, El Chivo loses his substitute family in the street dogs. The three are entwined as the ultimate victims of life and love.

This film receives many merits, not simply due to the three unique stories, but due to the collaboration of artistic and cinematic elements.
Inarritu, with many others, creates a unique original atmosphere surrounding the three stories. A chosen blend of rap, jazz, alternative rock, and instrumentals compose the soundtrack.
This masterful mix allows the audience to understand the pace of such a city, as Mexico City, the velocity of violent and dramatic actions, as well as the spectrum of emotions amongst each of the characters.

As with the cinematography has a similar effect for showing the diversity of the situations and actions.
Inarritu makes use of various lenses for creating the atmosphere of distinct areas of the city, in order to explain the different tensions and stresses. Many of the scenes where we see Octavio and El Chivo, the atmosphere is dirty, gritty, and void of colour. In scenes with Valeria, all appears clear and clinical. The city appears modern and cleansed and the sky full of smog, showing us the differences between society's created classes.

These elements blend with the story and the performances to create the film. The story is central to the masterpiece. It deals with the theme of a crash as the only means able to touch the life of another in a large city. Through the crash, Inarritu uses the presence of dogs to connect the lives and to accentuate the phrase love's a bitch. In the end, all of the story's aspects depend on the performances and appearances of the characters. We feel their suffering and struggle when we see each person lose their happiness.
Octavio loses his dog and money because he was preoccupied with a woman who betrayed him.Valeria understands that her career is ended as a model because she no longer appears beautiful, and El Chivo realizes that his former company of street dogs had been serving as his lost family. Characters are terraformed into memories conveyed of themselves, lost and alone in their world.

I recommend this film to all who would want to see a piece of genius that combines varied strokes of style, of art.

''There is Life in every breath...''
''That is, Bushido.'' ''


An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle.

Ken Watanabe: Katsumoto

Tom Cruise: Nathan Algren

The Last Samurai is a beautiful film which echoes brilliance acting and scenery combined in an array of Japanese splendor. Filmed partly in New Zealand home of my beau this really is magnificent to watch.

Tom Cruise is brilliant while Ken Watanabe magnificent in their acting and performances. Granted Samurai is slightly Americanized but what transpires is soully romantic, honourable and noble. Like a real life Sith we see the last days of the Samurai and a more modern approach to warfare which is ultimately unfair and unjust, going against everything the Samurai stand for and as guardians of the land that in itself cannot be stressed enough.

Billy Connolly, Timothy Spall also give memorable supporting roles.

The battle sequences are some of the best and the costumes and feel of the era of the 1870's is captured down to a tee. Music wise it will flow through your bones mixed with the luscious visuals and landscapes, remarkable to behold.

Overall the message is clear, and Tom Cruise shows along side Ken Watanabe what Honour truly means.

A powerful display and one I'm proud of owning.

''There will be no rescue, no intervention for us. We can only save ourselves. Many of you know influential people abroad, you must call these people. You must tell them what will happen to us... say goodbye. But when you say goodbye, say it as if you are reaching through the phone and holding their hand. Let them know that if they let go of that hand, you will die. We must shame them into sending help.''


The true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda.
A true story of a man who fought impossible odds to save everyone he could and created a place where hope survived.

Don Cheadle: Paul Rusesabagina

Nick Nolte: Colonel Oliver

Joaquin Phoenix: Jack Daglish

Hotel Rwanda in a way is the African version of Schinder's List if thats a way of describing human suffering, it's the best shot i have.
Bold strokes and human conviction displayed in beautiful persecution, seriously spine tingling as propaganda driven Soldiers kill innocents, as a country is torn down the middle. Two different types: Hutu and Tutsi.

It's amazing, gripping and heart crushing to take in.
Don Cheadle as Paul Rusesabagina displays such heroism, such compassion and shows that there are so many ways of fighting but none more important than battling using your heart and beliefs against the brute force of a Tyrant, of guns, of crimson eyed militia.

Frustratingly the Peacemakers cannot interfere, there in a sense no hope except in a man who wants to protect others, who is selfless.
Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix Jean Reno all churn out knock out supporting actors performances elevating the film even more with it's starry casting.

Massacres, Machetes...a blood soaked land, reporters desperately try to show the world, while we the audiences wish through gritted teeth and bated breath for something higher to stop the atrocities. Despotism, savagery that show the world is far from at peace.

Most importantly too Hotel Rwanda is based upon truth, based on events that occurred. Just like Schindler's List, Rwanda is about genocide, about extermination.
In this case the Tutsi paralleling the persecuted Jews of long ago.

Paul seeing all the bodies of the killing is gut wrenching as is seeing his complete breakdown as he whimpers and cries from witnessing such evils.
Another great scene for me when the truck transporting the Tutsi is attacked by angry hordes, intense to say the least.
An arguing Paul and a General talking about Scotland was memorable.

Hotel Rwanda delivers a message that man will forever be repeating mistakes unless we eliminate hate, despair and to learn from a blood soaked past.

The UN, the soldiers, when they give up it all seems hopeless. Paul is subjected to trials and revelations and above all he has a conscience doing what is right for the good of the people regardless if there Hutu or Tutsi, Black or White. We are all equals deserving of a better world to live in together, in peace.
Hotel Rwanda gave me so much it's hard to formulate and paint into words it's powerful meaning, Stories and event's like this need to be told...always.

The music is haunting, shredding my insides with it's waving tones and tear inducing sombre melodies of African Mastery Magic.

Tension is an understatement, Rwanda will have your heart racing and have you cursing at the screen with longing to try and alter what is happening.

If one man can make a difference, if one man can save many, then the world is made a better place.

A magnificent masterpiece of human struggle, redemption and hope.

''A kiss under the mistle toe... a mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it.''
''But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it.''


When a corrupt businessman and the grotesque Penguin plot to take control of Gotham City, only Batman can stop them, while the Catwoman has her own agenda.

Michael Keaton: Batman / Bruce Wayne

Danny DeVito: Penguin / Oswald Cobblepot

Michelle Pfeiffer: Catwoman / Selina Kyle

Dark, detailed, and finally Burton does what he should of done with Batman. It feels more like a Burton, it feels enriched with artistic flavour that we've come to expect since Edward Scissorhands & Beetlejuice.

This what Batman should of been like and this is Burton allowed more control over getting his vision across and in BR it shows straight away, as soon as we see the origins of Penguin in his early life you know this is Burton at his best, in his prime, not worried about impressing the Movie Studio.

Michael Keaton does his silent strong hero act again showing he's settled into the role of Batman.
Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman is one of the best examples I've seen of the dual layered villain who's caught between her love for Batman and her personal issues. Her scenes are iconic and who couldn't love her when she makes that wonderful entrance followed by a Meow then that glorious exit in front of Batman & Penguin. Instantly as any man would, they want to possess her.

Danny DeVito as Penguin is lovely, truly a disgusting freak he plays with his resemblance to a Penguin being obviously apparent. You cant help but snigger at his Copplepot name and again he's a true vision of the Penguin that only Tim could create.

Now i have to mention Christopher Walken as Max Shreck (yeah who think up these names ! No Ogre's in sight...) we have these three animal figures and what does Burton put in the mix, a human element, a villain who has no disfiguration apart from his evil cold heart, much like the winterly resides of Gotham.

What i love about Batman Returns is the dark tragic love between Catwoman and Batman, Wayne and Selina. Two opposites who are meant to be together yet have fiery dispositions that sometimes oppose the other, while at the same time enriches the passion and love between them. It touches me every time, something i didn't feel in the previous Batman, the first one was great as a set up for giving birth to this.

Music wise it's haunting, it leaves you mystified and feeling good like you've just witnessed greatness. It's got all the qualities that Batman Returns is one of the best depictions of a Burton film and Batman I've seen.

Detailed characters, dark and twisted. BR is a masterpiece.

''Meow!''

''Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.''


After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days.

Min-sik Choi: Dae-su Oh

Ji-tae Yu: Woo-jin Lee

Oldboy is overly violent, hallucinogenic and drenched in bloody revenge. Which means I absolutely loved it!

Whats more compelling than a man trapped within a room for 15 years, slowly eaten up by madness.
Oldboy has some intricate, slick cool music which is at times modern then classical to set the mood, it's all a fascinating study, and evolution of a character who after this ordeal escapes his captors then pits to find his kidnappers.

Highly surreal from eminent director Chen Wook Park Oldboy is epic and vast. There's something ethereal and dreamlike in it's confines.
Fight scenes, shootouts roar with energy and power.
There's love at it's heart, Oldboy is very cool and this can't be stressed enough.

Classic music with torture, one man against whole swarms of men, Ants symbolizing loneliness, a tentacled being on a subway train...all this combined with soulful melodies which melds together effortlessly.

Question is, what will Dae-su do when he finds his kidnapper? will his enemy kill himself as promised or is there more to this than meets the eye? Watch it and find out!

A twisty tale of revenge, Oldboy was alot of fun, full of ideas.

''With the energy of a green pine tree, The great Sangnok High...

''Amélie has a strange feeling of absolute harmony. It's a perfect moment. A soft light, a scent in the air, the quiet murmur of the city. A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her.''


One person can change your life forever. Amélie is one of these people, and this is her story...

Audrey Tautou: Amélie Poulain

Amélie is the best French film since Love me if you Dare that I have ever had the pleasure of watching.

Artistic, imaginative, visual and extremely clever are but a few ways to describe Amélie.

So what's is Amélie? What is it about I hear you cry?!
Well the answer is simple, it's the gorgeous tale of Amélie Poulain and her dreamy wondrous life. I could certainly relate to her magical, colourful imagination.
Audrey Tautou as Amélie makes the role her own while film maker Jean-Pierre Jeunet hits the nail on the head spinning and weaving one of the best films to come from France I've ever had to have the luxury of seeing and beholding.

I mean the music blends with the colourful imagery much like Amélie's old friend Raymond's artwork. Which brings me to the characters in the film wonderfully fleshed out while we are treated also to some breath taking sequences.

As a director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet has a unique perspective. He seems to make great use of colour, some would assume then to be unnecessary extremes, but for myself it gives Amélie a glossy visual look, whatever the weather's like in the film.
Also he tends to to zoom about with his cameras but again this adds to the way the film sucks you into its own little bizarre world, just as Amelie draws Nico into her heart without them actually meeting.

A few nice special effects polish it off, and there are a few little details that you probably won't see the first couple of times.

It's hard to translate into words how much I loved Amélie .
Like being next to a Monet, or a Da Vinci, watching as he effortlessly splashes vibrant colours and shades across his canvas.
I had this strange but fantastic feeling of being inside the mind of Amélie, seeing so much in the dazzling imagination she viewed life with, and wanting to stay with her much longer than the two hour duration of Amélie.

It was just so refreshing to watch a movie where your fantasy realms are realized in fantastic detail.

Amélie is simply a story of imagination, of love, of dreams, of life.
What other movie offers a gnome on holiday, a photo booth mystery, a bizarre childhood, a clever trail to reclaim an album...none I tell you! This Amélie truly is a masterpiece and I cannot stress it enough.

And what's most wonderful of all, I'm still smiling from the experience.

''Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's.''

''You need more than guts to be a good gangster, you need ideas.''


Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer.

Alexandre Rodrigues: Buscapé - Rocket

Leandro Firmino: Zé Pequeno - Li'l Zé

Guns, drugs, ambitious youths, gangs, killing...What's not to like about City Of God?, it's got all these serious issues in a potent mix...

Brilliant narration that whole heartedly pulls you in. The character's in the story solidifies like a spider web newly spun. Detail is not enough to describe City Of God as a word alone. Feast your eyes upon one of the greatest films directed by acclaimed Director Fernando Merielles.

City Of God, Cidade de Deus is a way of life that unfortunately exists in the world. As bad and evil as it is I oddly felt a strange satisfaction and sense of awe at the power of wielding a gun and it's effect of godly superiority upon it's wielder. When shooting and killing is as easy as breathing, problems in your life pale in comparison compared to City Of God.

Based on Paulo Lins' eyewitness testimony of the bloody turf war which for years raged in Rio De Janeiro's most notorious slum, City Of God contains enough indelible characters and unforgettable stories to fill several good films. After some five years of preparation, director Meirelles marshals this wealth of material in a dizzying variety of ways, finding (even after two hours of gun battles) new ways to shoot and edit a sequence.

However, if City Of God were notable chiefly for inventive editing, then it would be merely a remarkable technical achievement; but the film's real ace is the kids. Through an exhaustive series of open auditions and workshops, Meirelles and co-director Lund not only unearthed dozens of non-professionals right out of the favelas, they also encouraged them to improvise large sections of the script.
The scene in which two young kids must decide whether they want to be shot in the hand or the foot contains some of the most powerful acting ever committed to film with devastating consequences.

The multiple stories told are really beautiful, you feel more than a spectator. you feel part of their world. Rocket, Ze, Bene, Thiago and Sandro...these characters, I feel like I've been through their ordeals and transgressions with them. The photography also in this was fascinating showing there's more than one way of ''shooting'' something.

A masterpiece, a true story...my review, my words, a small tribute in return for the greatness that is City Of God.

It ends how it begins..
With no Winners...

''I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream. That's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight... razor... and surviving.''


During the on-going Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe.

Marlon Brando: Colonel Walter E. Kurtz

Martin Sheen: Captain Benjamin L. Willard

Robert Duvall: Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore

Apocalypse Now is another Vietnam movie that has achieved cult classic status.

Were treated to some of the best visuals in film depicting the horrors of Vietnam.
Martin Sheen does a good job as the lead however i was surprised at how little is facial expressions changed. Having seen Platoon with his son i was reminded of that too.

Theres also some great actors featured in cameos such as a young Harrison Ford, Laurence Fishburne and a brilliant Robert Duvall as a surfing fan Colonel Kilgore.
Marlon Brando took an age to appear on screen the soldier whos become a God in a village, his performance cannot be faulted with such a legendary actor. The result of the journey for Willard is to confront this man he respects and at the same time needs to reach an ultimate conclusion.

There's some great landscapes, music and shots. Playboy bunnies entertaining the troops only for them to get rowdy, Vietcong firing volleys of arrows and innocent civilians getting killed by uneasy troops. Vietnam antics depicted at their most volatile. There's even a cute puppy in the mix which is a contrast to the jungles chaos.

Going back to the songs and music it all seems to gel together and Apocalypse Now is another Vietnam War Movie that's got detail and deserves it's shining status.

The redux version that i watched was great although it was abit on the long side and i was flagging near to it's conclusion.

Still, in a word it's greatness hands down.

''Smell that? You smell that?''

''What?''

''Napalm, son. Nothing in the world smells like that.''


''I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Someday this war's gonna end...''

''You're crazy and you're dangerous and my biggest nightmare is you with a fucking badge!''

A tough-minded drama about two friends in South Central Los Angeles and the violence that comes between them.

Christian Bale: Jim Luther Davis

Freddy Rodríguez: Mike Alonzo

Eva Longoria Parker: Sylvia

Driving round, smoking, drinking. Quality man!

Bale is outstanding, war-affected ex-soldier character he portrays is scarred yet oddly funny in a perverse sense. Loved it man, makes you think.

Eva Longoria shines, a rising actress and model and Freddy Rodriguez too does a splendid job, they both support fireball Bale well.

Soundtrack on this is so good, i want to go and own it. This is like Training Day or 8 mile. It's got a level of seriousness that gleams in all it's gritty realism.

A must own and a must see!

''I'm a soldier of the apocalypse, man!''

''You don't get it do you? You're my job. You're what I'm paid to do. You're about as mysterious to me as a blocked toilet is to a fucking plumber. Reasons for doing what you did? Who gives a fuck?''


Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen. Sleep is a distant memory, a game of wits...

Al Pacino: Detective Will Dormer

Robin Williams: Walter Finch

A remake by Hitchcock-esque Chris Nolan. Haven't seen the Norwegian 1997 version but Nolan's version without a doubt is a masterpiece.

Let's begin by saying having witnessed the genius of his first creation ''Memento'', Insomnia is evidence it wasn't a one off. Skilled Nolan has made one hell of a thriller which is slick, intelligent, mesmerizing and then some!

The dialogue is off the chart, had me open jawed in awe.
Al Pacino obviously is pure class in his performance and depiction of a tired wary wise detective out to catch a killer.
Robin Williams in another serious role that again supports the notion of what a versatile great actor as well as a comedian he truly is. Plays the villain so well who blackmails, twists and provides a worthy adversary for Pacino. This example plus One Hour Photo shows his extraordinary talent and versatility.
Hilary Swank i wasn't aware she was in this. Does a reasonable job of fleshing out her character.

I love misty foggy films which to me add a sense of mystery and wonder. That and the eerie score, ambient sounds and haunting melodies all add to the suspenseful piece.

It's soulful, it has twists and turns and some parts even will set your emotions flaring.

''You and I share a secret. We know how easy it is to kill someone. That ultimate taboo. It doesn't exist outside our own minds.''

Everytime I watch a Nolan film, I'm always swept away by the ambient sounds, music and score of any of his pieces. The misty town accompanied by the mysterious tunes on offer are a milestone of an achievement. We the audience begin to feel like Pacino's main protagonist, sleep deprived, sleep starved yet in need of it's touch.

I love the issues of guilt, remorse and of vengeance that are studied in Insomnia, 2 years after his last film, Nolan literally carries on from where he left off, with an in-depth character emotional study. The raw power of emotion, and the shrouded mystery of confusion and deception.

In retrospective, Insomnia's pace is a mixture of acceleration and drifting depending on what is happening in the thrilling plot. Let's also mention it's a remake of a Norwegian thriller done in 1997, which Nolan gives his own unique perspective and spin on. Tragedy laced with a psychological struggle, where Cop and killer are pitted against each other. The killer having the advantage of a tormented, sleep deprived, guilt ridden Nemesis to take advantage of. Like Nolan's other tasty offerings Insomnia is one to watch again and again.

''Let me sleep.''

''I could die right now, Clem. I'm just... happy. I've never felt that before. I'm just exactly where I want to be.''


A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

Jim Carrey: Joel Barish

Kate Winslet: Clementine Kruczynski

Surreal and original, Jim Carrey in his most reflective provocative thoughtful film to date since Truman Show. Lots to think about and interpret.

We have all had hurt in our life. We have all had pain from love gone bad. But the lesson that lies here is to forget is to not learn the lesson that time is the greatest healer and what you thought you lost you never lost at all.

Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet give performances that burst dedication to their craft. They are impressive how they breathe life into their respective characters. Elijah Wood plays another weirdo/dick though.

There's one piece of music in this that i really love and i think you will know the piece i mean when you watch it. Its perfect. The surreal dream like moments really i loved, how a mind that starts to break down can persistently cling on to it's memories.

Love cannot be erased, no matter how hard you try, no matter what rage you feel after a blistering argument. I think i know that more than anyone as i have the most special, most loving person in my life and she will forever be in my heart...

''Then you just took it. It was so intimate. It was like we were already lovers.''

''This is what I do; if some idiot with a sledgehammer could break in do you really think I'd still have a job?''

A woman and her teenage daughter become imprisoned in the panic room of their own house by 3 criminals.

Jodie Foster: Meg Altman

Kristen Stewart: Sarah Altman

Forest Whitaker: Burnham

David Fincher has made a number of films i'm a huge fan of. Ranging from Zodiac to Seven. Panic Room again Fincher delivers again, a tense fired-up fast paced thriller. He has a talent for using every trick in the book in a way that perfectly merges with the material. He also always makes the most out of every script, which means the comparative quality of the movie relies strongly on the quality of the script Fincher has to work from.
Alien 3 was a false start for Fincher, a mangled and predictable script made merely watchable by excellent direction and some good acting.
In the cases of Se7en and Fight Club the screenplays were brilliant and so are the pieces themselves.

I won't even begin summing up all the loop holes Writer David Koepp has come up with. The fact he's aware of some of them (a villain says `we could've done that' after Jodie Foster's Meg Altman smashes the cameras) doesn't make them any less dumb. There's a case to be made for characters not behaving completely rational in the circumstances the movie presents, but Panic Room frequently stretched my ability to suspend my disbelief. Fincher does a good job of masking most of them, but no amount of great directing could ever compensate for the script's inclination towards cheap thrills.

[Meg smashes the house's security cameras with a sledgehammer]
Raoul: Why the hell didn't we do that?

Koepp's screenplay is conceptually quite strong but turns out to be not only a shelter for plot holes you could build a panic room in, but also a collection of ideas that you could call 'tried-and-tested'. I would rather call them tired-and-testing. You've heard the derogatory terms before; it's Die Hard in a house! or it's an adult Home Alone.
There's truth to both labels, but it goes beyond that. A scene echoing Rear Window I can forgive, but does that cops-knocking-on-the-door sequence have to be lifted from Bound? And is it just me or does the (in itself excellent) opening sequence merely update the one from North by Northwest? Then there's the use of plot devices so familiar you have trouble actually remembering in what film you've seen it before (because it's ten movies, not one). The best example may be the diabetic kid fitted as standard.

Another thing I appreciate in Fincher's other films is the amount of depth he finds room for. One thing becomes clear when watching this film, it's Fincher's homage to Hitchcock project, a thriller played straight with some technical wizardry supporting it (lots of CG camerawork and a reverse dolly zoom, a technique pioneered by Hitch in Vertigo, as the final shot), but a thriller which mainly goes for suspense. While Fincher's direction goes a long way in the suspense department (he cleverly bypasses the predictability of the screenplay) he doesn't seem to have applied any knowledge about why (certain) Hitchcock films are still interesting. Those films' main strength are the strong psychological themes throughout (Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo). While Koepp makes some desperate resort to Altman's claustrophobia, it doesn't really go for that angle. In fact it doesn't seem to go for any psychological angle at all. As such, I found it too plot driven and lacking characters I really connected with. That lack of depth in any sense may not kill the movie, but it does reinforce my impression that this is Fincher's 'good-career-move' flick. A straight, stylish thriller with plenty box office potential but little substance. It feels somewhat like a film to rebound his career after cult hit Fight Club became a box office dud.

''I spent the last 12 years of my life building rooms like this specifically to keep out people like us.''


BUT....like I said, while the writing on this film isn't anything to be proud of, in terms of bringing it to screen there are little errors. Fincher succeeds in drawing tension from the most trivial of scenes, using his trademark bag of tricks. He's helped by Howard Shore's fitting soundtrack as well. Again every one of his shots is interesting in itself while they still serve a function, which is atmosphere. It's not as doom-laden as Se7en but threat is always sustained throughout. Panic Room isn't simply stylistically satisfying the way most Hollywood movies are nowadays. It goes beyond that. Technically, this really is a masterpiece. Also, Fincher gets the best out of his cast. Foster has a few truly wonderful (short and emotional) beats, while also showing being capable of handling a physical role such as Meg's. And the triple act of the burglars works wonders, even if Dwight Yoakam goes far OTT by the end.

I've lost count of the times I've watched this thrill ride. Camera angles, intelligent vantage points and multiple split screen shots which work to great effect. The music and sounds really do add to the tension also providing shocks and electric to certain scenes. In the guise of long dreary tones, that if you have ever played the original Resident Evil in the mansion, the same isolated helpless melody is used here, to great effect.

Jodie Foster a veteran actress is top notch class as a damaged fragile mother warily looking out for her daughter. Kristen Stewart also gives a performance worthy of note.
Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam and Forest Whitaker also flesh out their characters to great effect, granted Dwight as Raoul is in a mask for most of the duration of the film.

For all it's tension there is humour also and some brilliant action sequences as Meg and daughter outwit their captives, the burglars.
One of my secondary fave thrillers, David Fincher continues to make smart slick films that give something for your mind to chew on.

''It's disgusting how much I love you.''

''But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.''

In a Fascist future where all forms of feeling are illegal, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.

Christian Bale: John Preston

Who doesn't want to see Christian Bale in a Sci-Fi futuristic dystopia where feelings are against the law where he can unleash hell with guns. Like someone seriously on speed this kicks some hugely good choreography and stunt work not too mention shoot outs that will have you in awe.
Christina Bale does some of his best acting and shows a tormented soul that once he starts feeling again, he enters a world of senses that ultimately set him free.

Equilibrium is the perfect example why I do not rate lower for derivativeness or unoriginality at certain times. The film is basically high-concept combination of Fahrenheit 451(1966), George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four(original published in 1949, film versions appeared in 1954, 1956 and 1984), The Matrix(1999) and a bit of The Wizard of Oz(1939) thrown in for good measure. What matters is not how original the ideas are (assuming it's not a case of plagiarism), as whether something is original or not is an epistemological problem that tells us more about our own familiarity with other material rather than the precedent status of the artwork we're questioning, but how well the material is handled. The high-concept material in Equilibrium is handled brilliantly.

''Cleric, I can only hope one day to be as uncompromising as you.''

On its surface, after a brief action-oriented beginning, Equilibrium is basically a progression from a fairly complex sci-fi film (meaning simply that it takes a lot of exposition to get up to speed) to a thriller to a gun fu-styled actioner. The progression is carried out deftly by writer/director Kurt Wimmer: who unfortunately hasn't shown the same level of elegant panache in other films I've seen from him, including Sphere(1998) and The Recruit(2003), with all of the genres somewhat present throughout the film. Wimmer is so austerely slick here that Equilibrium sometimes resembles a postmodernist automobile commercial. The transition from genre to genre is incredibly smooth.

The most impressive material on this surface level is the gun fu action stuff, which almost out guns The Matrix in style, if not volume. Preston is so skilled to be an almost invincible opponent. His solitary misstep as a fighter occurs once he gives himself over to emotion. This is nicely related to the common advice from kung fu sensei that emotion lessens one's effectiveness in combat.

''Mankind united with infinitely greater purpose in pursuit of war than he ever did in pursuit of peace.''

Of course a major factor of Equilibrium is the set of philosophical points it has to make about emotion. There are sections of the film that are appropriately dialogue-heavy, and Wimmer is more than conspicuous with these concepts. Just as important as dialogue for Wimmer's commentary on man's emotions are body language and behavior. Some viewers might see it as a flaw that characters frequently show what they consider to be signs of emotions in their comments or behavior, but that's part of Wimmer's agenda. Because it's difficult to even say just what counts as an emotion, and emotions are so wrapped-up with being sentient beings, it would be difficult if not impossible to fully eliminate them, and it's certainly not recommendable. The cast does an excellent job of portraying characters who are supposed to be mostly emotionless but with cracks in the stoic armor continually poking through.

Wimmer has a harsh view of our society's self-medication epidemic--even the title of the film seems to be a stab at the common claim that drugs like Prozac and Xanax are taken to help one erase emotion, or remain emotionless, extremes of mood, or extreme dispositions. The Equilibrium government extends this agenda into the tangible material realm as they also attempt to erase mood swings by eliminating any cultural artifacts that might promote varied moods/emotions. Wimmer seems to see it as a not-too-exaggerated extension of the modus operandi behind Prozac-like drugs.

The other primary theme is one of institutional control. Wimmer has a lot to say about unquestioningly following authorities, and he's careful to show that it's not just governmental authorities that can be a problem. He does this by tightly wrapping religious allegory with his depiction of Equilibrium's government. The leader is known as Father, and the government secret service members are clerics. Those outside of this control are shown as authentic, free, individualistic and happy despite the hardships involved with their embrace of forbidden thought/items.

Equilibrium has amazing visuals, music and action with a final showdown that will leave you satisfied.
Bale shows again that he can do action and then some. A must see.

''Be careful Preston. You're treading on my dreams.''

''See, ya are what ya are in this world. That's either one of two things: Either you're somebody, or you ain't nobody.''


In 1970s America, a detective works to bring down the drug empire of Frank Lucas, a heroin kingpin from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far East. A true story.

Denzel Washington: Frank Lucas

Russell Crowe: Det. Richie Roberts

To start with American Gangster starts of with the best and most powerful beginning ever that sets the ball rolling involving a man being burned alive before illustriously giving us the title. Ridley Scott is clever here as he manages a hard thing to do, he manages to get us the audience to shut up and watch.

I was worried that this film may glorify what it meant to be a typical ''Gangster'' to younger generations and i was relieved to find it does not(Unless your stupid.).

Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas is not your stereotypical villain, he's a man with brains and a plan. He steals the show with his great acting although Russel is also on top form.

Visually this film has it all. The feel, the era its all conveyed here in rich doses. Music adds flair and beat in area's. True it is slow in area's and the length is very long but makes up for the content being pure quality. Action scenes and violence emphasize scenes to great effect ranging from a man getting shot in the head in broad daylight to another having his head bashed in a piano.

It wraps up things quicker than expected at the end with all dirty cops being exploited and flushed out.

The rise and fall of a character such as this is always an interesting journey and I'd definitely watch again as there is alot of detail.

Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe and Ridley Scott turn out a winner...

''Remember the sign we saw, my soul. That beautiful, soft summer morning... round a turning in the path. A disgusting carcass on a bed scattered with stones. Its legs in the air like a woman in need... burning its wedding poisons... like a fountain with its rhythmic sobs. I could hear it clearly with a long murmuring sound, but I touch my body in vain to find the wound. I am the vampire of my own heart. One of the great outcasts condemned to eternal laughter who can no longer smile. Am I dead? I must be dead.''


New York 2095. In a strange pyramid floating in the sky, the gods of ancient Egypt are judging Horus. In the city, a young woman with blue hair and tears is arrested, but she has a secret power, even to herself...

Linda Hardy: Jill Bioskop

Thomas Kretschmann: Alcide Nikopol

Charlotte Rampling: Elma Turner

Awesome and visionary!

Egyptian and futuristic have a fondness for mythalogical gods and customs. Sci-fi twist is amazing!

Constantly reminded me of my sweetheart Rachael the first time i saw it because im so in love, its great! Very surreal and mixed with animation, was weird but ive absorbed into it. Some weirdness to it though.

So many films don't have this range of vastness and imagination that you have to watch repeatedly to grasp.

Abit more serious than Fifth Element which it has a similar style too but with some strange animated sequences other than that it still captivates me on viewing again.

[Strangelove's plan for post-nuclear war survival involves living underground with a 10:1 female-to-male ratio]


General "Buck" Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?
Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious... service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.
Ambassador de Sadesky: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.



Peter Sellers: Group Captain Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove

George C. Scott: Gen. 'Buck' Turgidson

Sterling Hayden: Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper

A crazy general starts a chain reaction to nuclear holocaust that a war room of politicians and generals frantically try to alter.

When i think of all the great actors who can change themselves and become completely absorbed into their respective character's i think of Alec Guinness or Jack Nicholson, more recently Gary Oldman, Johnny Depp or the late Heath Ledger. Among these Chameleonic actors i would put Peter Sellars who shows his pure undiluted talent in Dr Strangelove.

Stanley Kubrick has crafted a film that not only makes stabs at the whole Cold War and Nuclear endangerment but puts the whole seriousness and comedy spin on it thus killing one bird with one stone.

The whole black and white feel to it adds a classic feel, and the music and sound on this,(Swear one of the songs is on Die Hard with a Vengeance on a random note) is superb.

Starts of slow but once the ball gets rolling the laughs keep coming, with the funny Dr Strangelove and the hilarious man riding the A bomb scene.

An intelligent film masterfully made by Stanley Kubrick.

Carl Fogaty: Yeah? Why don't you ask "Tom" about his older brother Ritchie? Ask "Tom" how he tried to rip my eye out with barbed wire, and ask him, Edie, how come he's so good at killing people.


Viggo Mortensen: Tom Stall

Maria Bello: Edie Stall

Ed Harris: Carl Fogarty

William Hurt: Richie Cusack

Ashton Holmes: Jack Stall

Brilliant cast and feel to this film. Love Cronenberg's recurring theme of mutation in his movies.

In HOV the medium in the spotlight is violence, be captivated as it mutates and alters everyone it touches. This man Tom Stall, played by the talented Viggo Mortensen who has a dark, mysterious side and how one incident brings out his sated violent tendencies and a dark side.

With some gory and violent scenes this film is a good look into how are aggressive animal instincts can take hold of us if given in too. Ed Harris as a man from Tom's supposed past is terrific as a vengeful hit-man while William Hurt making an appearance later gives an amazingly chilling performance.

One thing that i liked best was the changes that unfold during the film. The differences in his son Jack who is quietly submissive to bullies at school who later after his father's change slowly becomes more aggressive, one example him beating the crap out of an annoying fellow pupil who hassles him.
Another aspect i found intriguing was Tom and his Wife Edie's sex life and how that alters from being cute and placid, conveyed in a lovely scene where she's got a cheer leading outfit on. Later a rough and aggressive sexual encounter on the stairs which erupts forth out of the swirling haze of violence that has descended upon all the people surrounding Tom's cracking showful persona.

A definite cult movie and classic, not to be missed with an ending that will leave you thinking and pondering your own conclusions.

It All Begins Again...


Imogen Poots: Tammy

Mackintosh Muggleton: Andy

Catherine McCormack: Alice

Robert Carlyle: Don

Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes to plan...

Without Director Danny Boyle i was worried this sequel may not provide the same standard as the first. Boy was i wrong...

From the word go we the audience are treated to an insight into the survivors of this epidemic virus who are hiding out in a derelict house. Thus begins the action, frights and horror resulting in hordes of infected rage victims mercilessly attacking them.

The whole film on a whole will make you cringe but it does so in a way that is so clever it will bore into your insides with sheer unblemished horror.

That music when Robert Carlyle's Don is escaping the Rage Zombies at the beginning is powerful and helps convey the desperation and mood. It's used in other circumstances and scenes in the film, in key areas which also help considerably.

28 Weeks Later however is not the same as 28 Days Later which had a more isolated feel to it. With Weeks it cranks everything up as with most sequels. Character's are killed off without hesitation which adds to the realism and grittiness of the movie.

I did however find it abit insulting that the US Army were the main people helping to rebuild London. Typical Hollywood-ised American Propaganda, often than not in the past in real life we, the English have helped them and saved their asses from embarrassing situations.

Obviously a sequel to follow from how it concludes, guessing 28 Months Later or 28 Years Later...

Certainly the best Zombie films to date where the stereotypical slow sluggish Zombie is replaced by a fast frantic monstrous version as with Days.

A British Classic and a cult movie for years to come...

''I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.''

A wealthy New York investment banking executive hides his alternate psychopathic ego from his co-workers and friends as he escalates deeper into his illogical, gratuitous fantasies.

Christian Bale: Patrick Bateman

Christian Bale is arguably modern cinema's
biggest rising actors from the UK going to an all boy's school in Bournemouth originally.
I sometimes consider hailing him as the greatest performer of this generation, particularly when I watched his leap-to-fame performance in American Psycho. On its release i remember reading it received mixed acclaim; nevertheless, Bale was nearly always commended for performing in the remarkably charismatic role of Patrick Bateman.

The character ranks among contemporary literature's greatest creations and real life serial killers, similar to Hannibal Lector, Leatherface or Zodiac, and back in 2000 a young Bale somehow managed to embody the yup maniac. The character's slickly menacing demeanor, attentive idiosyncrasies, and always brewing revulsion is intuitively mastered in this offbeat satire.

Patrick Bateman is both the definitive New York yuppie and the ultimate sociopath. He is hidden by the Wall Street businessman persona, and his pastime activities are unnoticed by his self-obsessed associates- like himself. He thrives off a colossal maze of jealously, established on distaste for any minor, physical and social hiccup. Little do such men know that they are dehumanizing any merit they once had.

Bret Easton Ellis' original novel contains possibly the most graphic depictions of sex and violence in any novel I have ever read. I read it a while ago from my Library. Appropriately, director Mary Harron places much of the novel's explicit content off-screen, similar to how the book simply lets the reader imagine the vivid nature of the content.

For this reason, American Psycho is faithful to its source, and for a novel which includes such terminal violence there is still a huge amount of wit and charm. This owes to the book's satirical disposition, with its brazen accuracy and jagged humour. It is in many respects an absurdist's take on an already surreal culture; this lends the questionable theme of subjective reality to the protagonist's actions and experiences.
Mary Harron utilizes the satirical facets of the novel, and essentially uses satire as a device of ridiculing yuppie culture. Nevertheless, the component which is best suited is that this image of an alpha-male dominated society, which is directed from a female standpoint, but not an overtly feminist one. More than anything, American Psycho is a critique of ignorance, materialism and self-infatuation.

The cast play it cool throughout the feature, concurrently sinking their teeth into the bitter irony of cultural stereotypes.

For those of you who might be put off by the sardonic title, don't be. This is a twisted and intelligent take on cultural archetypes, with much prominence being placed on whether the viewer deems Patrick Bateman's sociopath alter-ego a manifestation of sub-conscious monotony or that he is genuinely committing the murderous, masochistic acts shown on screen.

Whichever way you look at it, there is no definitive answer, but one thing is for sure, that this cinematic assertion is a strong sentiment of yuppie narcissism. As dark as it may seem, there is no denying the indisputable entertaining quality of a film crammed with meaningful malevolence. This is a film which unsympathetically attacks the business world, implying that dumb people from wealthy backgrounds are groomed for slacker success. These white collar machines are not savvy, nor do they even so much as turn a blind-eye to anyone other than their materialistic statements of self-worth. In a way, this is their only means of clinging onto reality, for they hide behind their denial, with a reputable image of self-worth.

My favourite scenes are numerous including Bale's rivalistic business card scene being better than everyone else's to shooting an old lady after trying to feed the cat to an ATM.

Made me burst the reference to Phil Collins too, so crazy it will make you laugh for all the wrong reasons but you will love it.

The ending left me thinking which was also of note, it lingers, it resides in your mind,

As Michael Douglas once said:

''Greed is Good...''

American Psycho is an assault on the senses. A classic.

''It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.''

William Wallace, a commoner, unites the 13th Century Scots in their battle to overthrow English rule.

Mel Gibson: William Wallace

Braveheart is a story blessed with many endearing nobilities and notions, but more than anything a dual sense of honour and liberty: on the one side William Wallace, a legendary figure who accomplished the impossible by leading the Scots when no one else would; and on the other hand Mel Gibson, who demonstrated with this movie a directorial talent that many of us doubted. Previously, I had Mel labeled as a likable albeit type-cast action hero from series such as Mad Max or Lethal Weapon. His dual personality never indicated a passion for directing, an intensely romantic and dramatic epic. The Man Without a Face proved that Gibson could direct a good film, Braveheart proved that he could direct a great one.

Gibson's greatest achievement in Braveheart (besides the mesmerising battle sequences) is that he envoked excellent performances from the entire cast: every actor and actress (even those who appear for only a few moments) hits exactly the right mark. In fact, I'm outraged that Braveheart received no Oscar nominations for its acting: Why honour Gibson as Best Director of 1995, yet ignore the performances which are the fruits of his labours? I'm not saying that any particular person in Braveheart (Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Angus McFadyen) should have won an acting Oscar, it's the fact that nobody was even nominated that bothers me.

I am aware that this film is at times historically inaccurate: Even in 1995, when I first saw Braveheart, I knew enough military history to know that the battles of Sterling and Falkirk were not being accurately presented. But this awareness did not and does not interfere with my enjoyment of the movie, because Braveheart exists outside the borders of history: mirroring the same artistic license as Dances With Wolves, Robin Hood, The Last of the Mohicans, Gladiator and The Three Musketeers, it is an emotionally rich epic inspired by history yet not confined to it's chains, less concerned with accuracy to every detail than with the eternal struggles of good and evil, love and hatred, freedom and oppression. And isn't that enough? Braveheart is one of the most stirring films of storytelling: If you can't reconcile yourself to its inaccuracies and simply enjoy it on its own terms, then maybe you are missing the point.

Patrick McGoohan's performance as Longshanks has, in my opinion, not received nearly enough praise: He masterfully plays the king as a man who embodies the phrase 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'; he commands an entire nation, yet covets what he does not or cannot have. He answers to no one, and can barely restrain himself: he does not even try to conceal his contempt for his homosexual son, his lust for his daughter-in-law, his rage against any obstacle to his will. The performance is also physically impressive. We see the king gradually consumed by tuberculosis through the movie, and McGoohan makes the ordeal so believable that, though Longshanks is unrepentant to the end, we are moved to feel remorse for him in spite of everything.

Besides McGoohan, Angus McFadyen (as Robert the Bruce) gives the most impressive performance in Braveheart. When I first saw the movie, I identified with William Wallace; but now I identify with Robert the Bruce, who is in fact the key figure of the story. He is not a great man like Wallace, but he wants to be great, and he idolizes Wallace so much that he is almost overwhelmed to hear Wallace tell him "If you would lead us, I would follow you." But the Bruce is warned by his sly, leperous father (played unforgettably by the late Ian Bannen beneath Oscar-winning makeup) to not live a life of action, but rather a life of calculation. As he wrestles with the dual influences of Wallace and his father, he embodies a theme at the movie's heart: the eternal conflict between youth and age, idealism and cynicism, uncompromising heroism and craven opportunistic nature.

When I first saw Braveheart, I was most impressed by the power of its battle sequences; after seven years, I am most impressed by the enduring power of its story. It is a great movie because it seriously argues that one man's lifelong personal experiences and struggle can make a difference, if not in the world then at least in the lives of others, it is a great movie because it is ultimately an inspiring story of perseverance in the face of considerable brutality and heartbreak, greatness because a thousand words are not adequate to express all of its emotional power and impact. I do not have the heart to give Braveheart less than a perfect score, even if I wished, because it is much more to me than mere entertainment...It is a constant reminder to me that I must never lose heart, to stand up for what one believes in, to be true to ones self.

"You have bled with Wallace...now bleed with me!"

''Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.''

''What truth?''

''There is no spoon.''

''There is no spoon?''

''Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.''

Keanu Reeves : Neo. The one, this is Keanu's most iconic role, still think it would of been good if Will Smith had done it, as he auditioned for the role also at the time. Keanu displays the ordinary working man who's a computer hacker in his social time. His movements and interaction with other characters is truly above par.

Laurence Fishburne: Morpheus. Playing the tutor, the guide, Neo's teacher and friend. Yoda like sternness and a level of seriousness befitting of his character.

Carrie-Anne Moss: Trinity. This along with Memento was Carrie's best career choices hands down.

Hugo Weaving: Agent Smith. A cold calculating alien entity who is an agent/guardian of the program. Hugo is perfect for the job, he's got some killer lines and such exquisite facial expressions and mannerisms. Another iconic role and fine performance from an exceptional actor. Rings, and this, incredible. The recent V for Vendetta also by The Wachowski Brothers, shows what a versatile actor Weaving is.

A computer hacker and by day office worker, Mr Thomas Anderson learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers and boundaries of it.

Who would of thought that in 1999 something this revolutionary would come along?

Forget Phantom Menace this blows it away, conceptually and ideas wise.

The choreography is remarkable yet to be noted that the stunt work has been used to similar effect for years in Chinese and Japanese Cinema. The whole bullet time was phenomenal and the boundaries of a universe that can be broken fascinates me.

It's got a vibrant soundtrack, a greeny yet at times blue tone to the whole film which really does set the whole matrix feel . Immerses your senses, a good question on what is real and what reality really means. How it defines us and what we perceive. Throws everything in the air and i know it's obviously fantasy sci/fi but what if? What if everyone was stuck in a dream, a virtual dream, a worldly program.

Ahead of it's time, the best and Only Matrix (Except Reloaded) worth watching.

Gives birth and life to the whole genre.

A dystopia masterpiece with a flair of raw power. The matrix has you, it has us all.

''Nothing is over! Nothing! You just don't turn it off! It wasn't my war! You asked me, I didn't ask you! And I did what I had to do to win! But somebody wouldn't let us win! And I come back to the world and I see all those maggots at the airport, protesting me, spitting. Calling me baby killer and all kinds of vile crap! Who are they to protest me? Who are they? Unless they've been me and been there and know what the hell they're yelling about!''


Sylvester Stallone: John J. Rambo

Richard Crenna: Col. Samuel Trautman

A mentally unstable Vietnam war vet, John Rambo, when abused with a small town's police force, begins a one man war with it.

Back in the 80's, a film was released, which i was pleased to get to watch recently that would change the way action movies felt.

The film of course is Rambo:First Blood and it made a small time actor called Sylvester Stallone into an action star.

Based on a novel about a disgraced and out of place Vietnam veteran by David Morrell, First blood tells the story of John J. Rambo who returns to America after a torturous tour of duty in Vietnam. His friends are gone, killed in action and he returns to a world where he is treated like an alien or a criminal by the Police force.

He's an outsider and they really don't likeany outsiders. What follows is a brutal and harassing unprovoked attack on John by them.

Finally something snaps inside him and Rambo becomes a one man army who no-one can control. When it comes to the crunch, Rambo has no mercy. he becomes detached and unstoppable, a collosus...

Relentless in his goal he will destroy anything or anyone who gets in his way.

There is a powerful message in First Blood. Rambo is one of the many Vietnam war Veterans (whether fiction or factual) who returned after slugging their guts out fighting a losing battle that was the Vietnam war.
Only to return unappreciated, unwelcome and unheard even ignored.
The ones who lost their limbs or worse for a war no-one cared about. What hell these people must have gone through. I mean it makes you think, What was the whole point of fighting for a country that never cared?
Why bother risking your life and body on the line only to have your neighbour spit back in your face and not give a damn? I have always felt sorry about these unfortunate people since i learnt about the Vietnam war in History lessons from School, it was a horrifying time. The things they did to people doesn't bear thinking about.
So i was feeling for Rambo from the very start. To go through all that and then get the treatment he got from the Police, he just didn't deserve it. He wasn't even hurting anyone for the first half of the movie, THEY were hurting him. I never felt sorry for the cops at all in this film, as far as i was concerned they deserved everything they got. They didn't deserve my pity, they bought it all on themselves. They really made him a vicious one man army so justice was ultimately dished.

First Blood contains great performances from Richard Crenna as Col. Trautman, Brian Dennehy as Sheriff Will Teasle, David Caruso (who found renoun in NYPD Blue and CSI Miami) as a wet behind the ears deputy and of course Sylvester Stallone as the main character who became a hero to Vietnam vets and the American citizens by playing John J. Rambo. First Blood is easily a film that can be watched again and again and will stand it's ground in the seas of time.

That last scene will stay with me forever, it was so powerful between the Colonel and Rambo i couldn't help but get teary eyed...

''This is what I've seen in the four weeks since infection. People killing people. Which is much what I saw in the four weeks before infection, and the four weeks before that, and before that, and as far back as I care to remember. People killing people. Which to my mind, puts us in a state of normality right now.


Cillian Murphy: Jim

Naomie Harris: Selena

Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.

The brilliantly directed Danny Boyle film '28 Days Later' started as a little known film circulating cinemas across the country. Through word of mouth and the critically acclaimed director Danny Boyle the film started to get the recognition it deserved.

The mixture of superb cinematography and unique camera angles give this horror film an 'arty' edge which in my opinion put's this horror film a cut above most others.
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's (Author of 'The Beach' and 'The Tesseract') adaptation of the rage filled zombie's is also a welcome relief from our stereotypical brain dead, gormless zombie's that appear in films such as 'Resident Evil' and 'Land of the Dead, with the horror being generated from a mass epidemic spreading across a country and maybe the world.

The acting within the film is well thought out (with some exceptions) with clever casting of Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston all with staring roles and all have gone on to other big Hollywood movies, the only down side is the acting of Brendan Gleeson's daughter who's acting can only be described as terrible. Overall the breath of fresh air that '28 Days Later' brought to the zombie/horror sub genre was almost a rejuvenation for zombie films.

The mix of clever directing and sheer terror seen throughout the film makes it without doubt my favourite horror film, above titles such as "The Shining', 'Halloween'' and 'The Exorcist'. This could be to do with the fact that i am English and have enjoyed all of Danny Boyle's previous film, but all the same this is a film i would fully advice anyone to see.

''Nobody takes a picture of something they want to forget''


Robin Williams: Sy Parrish

Connie Nielsen: Nina Yorkin

Michael Vartan: Will Yorkin

An employee of a one-hour photo lab becomes obsessed with a young suburban family.

What is a masterpiece? Maybe a movie masterfully directed, powerfully acted, with a believable and deep screenplay and with a superb use of score, cinematography and art direction.

Is One Hour Photo a masterpiece?

I'm almost sure.

Mark Romanek, better known for directing videos for bands such as The Rentals, makes his feature film debut with an original screenplay of his own about loneliness and the alienation of our society. A sad story about sad people, and a frightening tale with ordinary life monsters.

Of course this is the kind of movie that is better watch without anything spoiled at all, so I won't bore you with the plot... instead, I'll go straight to the "artistic" evaluation of the film. Having said that, why not start with the cinematography? I have to say that this is one of the best uses of cinematography I've seen in the whole story of movie making... the cold, boring Sy (Robin Williams) life is full of cold colors that will remind you of Stanley Kubrick's "2001"... but the irruption of Sy's "family" is underlined by a subtle change into "Kodak" style colors... that's the line between Sy's increasing madness and "real" life. The score, which we could consider minimalist is also perfectly used to underline the increasing tension and is no wonder that Romanek has a lot of experience shooting videos... the only score flaw, however is that some rithym reminded me a lot of Filter's version of "One" (as published in "The X Files Movie" soundtrack). This is one of those movies in which everything (art direction, costumes, cinematography, sound, editing) seem to match to perfection.

For the acting, the supporting cast is believable, and Connie Nielsen is the stand out. She's a lovely wife and mother, but not a cliched one... she's believable. In fact, I bought this family as a real family, I easily forgot that these people were actors (the screenplay develop this characters to the exact point of making us actually care for them without distracting that the focus of our attention is Sy and his devotion for them).

So here we get to the whole point of the buzz surrounding this movie: is this the best Robin Williams performance ever?

Yes.

This is not Robin Williams acting. This a candid camera work into Sy's life. How many times can you really say that after watching a movie? Not many, I guess. Robin Williams and Mark Romanek are under control of this movie and not in a single frame they lose it (well, I have just a problem with a shot... but it is a single shot and it is perfectly explained, so why really bother).

And for the direction, I've just said it all: strong, accurate, perfect at acting and composition... the best director nod should be assured. Mark Romanek has achieved one of the best film debuts I can remember in a long time (maybe since Quentin Tarantino and Tim Robbins debuts in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs and Bob Roberts)... Romanek is not a promise, he is a reality.

This film will be compared (it was compared, due to the similarity of the origins of Romanek and Spike Jonze) with Being John Malkovich.. but it is not an accurate comparison. One Hour Photo is a serious approach to its issues, while "Malkovich" played with surrealism in order to surprise the audience. In "Photo", it is the use of icons (as unexpected as a toy, for example) which can surprise you with unexpected references. As you can see, I really was taken in with this movie, which was leaving me in awe in every scene... till a point that I can't do anything but surrender to the fact that Romanek's movie will play a very influential role in the years to come.

What about when it was at the Oscars? There is a difference between where it should have been and what it can be... Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Score, Cinematography, Film Editing and Sound nominations should be in their deserved way. Reality is that given the competition, this was overlooked and simply in the best of the scenarios get an Actor and an Original Screenplay nominations (maybe even wins). But as the reviews are highly positive, maybe the top 10 lists will fuel its chances and we saw One Hour Photo's clip at Oscar Night.

Make Sy happy. Actually, he deserved it.

''I'm afraid. I'm afraid, Dave. Dave, my mind is going. I can feel it. I can feel it. My mind is going. There is no question about it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I can feel it. I'm a... fraid. Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am a HAL 9000 computer. I became operational at the H.A.L. plant in Urbana, Illinois on the 12th of January 1992. My instructor was Mr. Langley, and he taught me to sing a song. If you'd like to hear it I can sing it for you.''

Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest.

Keir Dullea: Dr. Dave Bowman

''Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?''

Had very high expectations for this film. Minimalist performances and a strong visual style makes this interesting if somewhat bizarre, never seen anything like it.

I liked the surreal primitive origins with the first ape-like men, especially the one who figures out how to use handed tools/weapons like the bones. The intelligent computer HAL, with a crazed nature to preserve itself was clever, also felt sorry for it when its erased and its singing. Trying to figure out the Monolith/domino look alike. Is it an extraterrestrial relic or a starting point for life itself. Who knows?
Simply put, 2001 is among the best science-fiction films in history. Stanley Kubrick was a genius of a film maker and this is one of his very best works. And although it is misunderstood by many, and respectively underrated, it is considered one of the best films of all time and I'll have to agree. Back in 1968, no one had done anything like this before, and no one has since. It was a marvel of a special effects breakthrough back then, and seeing how the effects hold up today, it is no wonder as to why. The film still looks marvelous after almost forty years! Take note CGI people. Through the use of large miniatures and realistic lighting, Kubrick created some of the best special effects ever put on celluloid. This aspect alone almost single-handedly created the chilling void of the space atmosphere which is also attributed to the music and realistic sound effects. I can't think of another film where you can't here anything in space, like it is in reality. Not only is the absence of sound effects in space realistic, it is used cleverly as a tool to establish mood, and it works flawlessly.
Aside from the magnificent display of special effects, there are other factors that play a part in establishing the feel of the film. The music played, all classical, compliment what the eyes are seeing and make you feel the significance of man's journey through his evolution from ape to a futuristic space traveler.

''I know I've made some very poor decisions recently, but I can give you my complete assurance that my work will be back to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in the mission. And I want to help you.''

Stanley Kubrick initially approached Arthur C. Clarke by saying that he wanted to make "the proverbial good science-fiction movie". Clarke suggested that "The Sentinel", a short story he wrote in 1948, story would provide a suitable premise. Clarke had written the story for a BBC competition, but it didn't even make the shortlist. "The Sentinel" corresponds only to the relatively short part of the movie that takes place on the moon.

The screenplay was written primarily by Stanley Kubrick and the novel primarily by Arthur C. Clarke, each working simultaneously and also providing feedback to the other. As the story went through many revisions, changes in the novel were taken over into the screenplay and vice versa. It was also unclear whether film or novel would be released first; in the end it was the film. Kubrick was to have been credited as second author of the novel, but in the end was not. It is believed that Kubrick deliberately withheld his approval of the novel as to not hurt the release of the film.
Stanley Kubrick planned to have Alex North (who wrote the score for Kubrick's Spartacus(1960)) write a musical score especially for the film. During filming, Kubrick played classical music on the set to create the right mood. Delighted with the effect, he decided to use classical music in the finished product. North's score has subsequently been released as "Alex North's 2001" (Varese/Sarabande 5400).

The story, while seemingly simple, is profound. Sequentially, several mysterious black monoliths are discovered and basically trigger certain events integral to the film. What are they? Where did they come from? What do they do? These are all questions one asks oneself while watching the story develop and is asked to find his own way. While most come away with a general idea of what took place in the story, each individual will have to decide what it means to them. Any way one decides to answer these question results in profound solutions. It's not left entirely up to interpretation, but in some aspects it is. Experience it for more clarification. The end result is quite chilling, no matter your personal conclusion.
While it is indeed a long film, and sometimes grinds to a halt, it has to be done to accurately portray the journey of man. It's not a subject that would have faired well in a shorter project, faster paced feature. Those with short attention spans need not apply.

''It can only be attributable to human error.''

Importantly left for the conclusion, is the epitome of a remorseless antagonist, HAL 9000, the computer. Never has a machine held such a chilling screen presence. Which reminds me, for a film with such profound ambition and execution, there is surprisingly little dialogue, although it isn't needed. Another sign of Kubrick's genius.
Masterful Stanley Kubrick worked for several months with effects technicians to come up with a convincing effect for the floating pen in the shuttle sequence. After trying many different techniques, without success, Kubrick decided to simply use a pen that was taped to a sheet of glass and suspended in front of the camera. In fact, the shuttle attendant can be seen to "pull" the pen off the glass when she takes hold of it.
Stanley Kubrick was extremely well read. It is rumoured that the image of the star-child came to him from the "Spirit of the Earth" in Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Prometheus Unbound": "Within the orb itself, Pillowed upon its alabaster arms, Like to a child o'er wearied with sweet toil, On its own folded wings and wavy hair The Spirit of the Earth is laid asleep...
An early draft of the script had narration.

All in all, one of the best Sci-Fi's out there and also one about the meaning of life and what happens afterwards. A personal. Everyone must see this film at least once.

''I am putting myself to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.''

''Goodness is something to be chosen. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man.''

The story of Alex and his droogs,(gang members) how they terrorize, rape and cause trouble. Betrayal from his Droogs follows and Alex soon becomes chosen for an experimental brainwashing technique in a prison complex with disastrous consequences.

Malcolm McDowell: Alex

''We were all feeling a bit shagged and fagged and fashed, it being a night of no small expenditure.''

Malcolm McDowell plays Alex the main character who tells the story, his way of speaking was intriguing and his journey was something to contemplate on.
I watched this for the first time a while ago and it being my 1st Kubrick film(2001 too!) i was apprehensive of seeing it. Was pleased with the narration and strange retro-music. I'm not a fan of the 70s and so being, the film to me looks and feels tacky in areas. For example the decor and fashion.
On the other hand the ideas raised in this are thought provoking and at the same time timeless and relevant even in today's society.
The first half of the film made me amused at such acts of violence or inadequacies. Alex performing ''I'm singing in the rain'' while raping a woman with husband watching will shock, the old ''in out''. With fate bringing him back later into the house, it will make you cringe.
It shocked me that once free will is taken away how helpless a person can become. How a programmed mind with blocked emotions isn't actually choosing he's lost this option entirely. He's been stripped of his god given free will.

Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange holds the recent record of being the number one film of all time on my charts. The film is everything that you'll never want to watch. The scenes are disturbing, gut wrenching, mind twisting, and way over the top. In result, A Clockwork Orange has the most powerful and overwhelming dramatic impact that I have ever experienced in a mainstream film.
Plot wise, A Clockwork Orange is the story of a young man named Alex DeLarge, who is, by day, a regular student who lives with his parents at home, but, by night, a homicidal rapist/killer with his accomplices who dress up like demented clowns at a bleak freak show. He and his buddies weasel their way into the happy homes housing innocent people by chanting the same deceiving phrase every night, they scream that their friend has been critically wounded in an accident near by, and plead to use their telephone to call for help.

''It had been a wonderful evening and what I needed now, to give it the perfect ending, was a little of the Ludwig Van.''

For a few unfortunate few, this devious trick proves to be successful in nature. However one fateful night, a woman known as The Cat Lady, refuses their pleas for help, and calls the police in suspicion. Alex, being both smart and sneaky, somehow manages to break into this perverted woman's home, while his accomplices wait outside. Once indoors, a fight begins. A struggle featuring a sex toy owned by Cat Lady, one that not only causes panicked arousal, but also is featured as the weapon of her graphic and disturbing murder. Alex quickly flees the scene once the police sirens reach his shaky ears, but when he gets back to his pal's waiting outside, they return their experiences with him by bashing him over the head with a hard object, allowing their jumbled escape, but his certain demise.
After the process of being sent to prison, Alex grows to learn to tell offices and guards what they like to hear. He reads the bible, is never involved with any major fights or complications, and almost volunteers for a new kind of experiment. An experiment so probationary it is still being tested and held under wraps. What it does, though a series of sessions, is cure a violent individual from his sickness; he will feel terrible pain if involved in any sort of violence after the medicine takes place.

The scenes involving the apparent salvation of Alex's disturbances are truly emotionally troublesome. They are so explicit and detailed that I myself felt tempted to look away from the screen at points. This is not a film for those who are sensitive, those who are easily offended, or especially for those with week constitutions. This is one of the most intense films around, but it happens to be one of the most perfect and precise in message. I definitely don't recommend the production to everyone, though.
The soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange is one of the most inspirational. Although the actual music is far from fitting each individual scene, the overall presence is not only worth listening to, but also worth the getting.

Here, a young Malcolm McDowell explores the character of a lifetime with vivid imagination and tremendous description. His character fits him very well as an actor. Even though the character is meant to be despised, I couldn't help but to be very convinced and interested in his sick, demented, psychotic mind. Most of this is because of the flawless point of view the film contains, one that both provokes empathy and involvement. It investigates the mind of a killer, rapist, and a confused, somewhat harmless, adolescent--all existing in the same character. This is no doubt the character, and the performance, that inspired a generation.
There was a point in the film where I could relate to how helpless Alex was. Unable to even defend himself or even listen to his favored Ludwig Van Beethoven. You're powerless to intervene and therein lies the beauty and genius to the backbone of the film.

When you get to the end you're bewildered, in a good way by what you've just witnessed. I know I was left breathless by the questions Orange raises in numerous intervals and occasions during the film's duration. The first half being the reckless endangerment while the second half being the consequences, the nightmarish repercussions.
''I was cured'', Alex says and you feel the journey of the film, you wonder, human nature is it correctable? I know what conclusion i came too, simply what defines us are not only our emotions but the choices that drive them and the freewill of acting upon the choice that lies within our power, good or evil. It's simply human nature. It's A Clockwork Orange.

''Initiative comes to thems that wait.''

''Honey, sometimes when you go to sleep you go on a little walk. And sometimes you talk about a place - called Silent Hill...''

''I don't remember.''

''That's okay honey, that's why we're gonna go there. So you can remember.''

A woman goes in search for her daughter, within the confines of a strange, desolate town called Silent Hill. Based on the video game.

Radha Mitchell: Rose Da Silva

Sean Bean: Christopher Da Silva

Big fan of the silent hill games so was generally excited and eager to see the film version.

Was slightly disappointed with the storyline especially the ending which to me did not feel like a conclusion(sequel please).

Did like the creatures and the way everything changed into the dark other-world. Sean Bean seemed disconnected from the story, which could of had him searching for his wife in the same reality as opposed to them in alternate worlds. Loved the pyramid head(where did he go?), the nurses in the corridor was very clever.

Also the haunting sounds and music is kept true to the games and that tune with the guitar is spine tingling.

Silent Hill, Brotherhood of the Wolf director Christophe Gans has managed to capture the look and feel of the Silent Hill.

Duplicating everything from the town's fog-shrouded streets and dilapidated shop-fronts to the grinding, rusted nightmare of its 'dark world', Silent Hill immobilizes and formulates the look and feel of the game with perfect clarity and accuracy. Familiar locations are present and correct, the grotesque creatures replicated with horrific attention to detail and even the game's familiar, unsettling score returns to gnaw steadily at the nerve endings. This is a masterful tribute to the game series.

Did quite enjoy Silent Hill overall so much, but still think the film is no where near as good as the games. Saying that this is the best video game adapt I've seen apart from the Resident Evil series, although Silent Hill was always more psychological relying on ambient sounds and darkness to play against your fears.

Still...room for improvement if they do a sequel...

I can't wait to return to Silent Hill

''Mother is God
in the eyes of
a child.''

Arthur Edens: If you wanted to commit me, you should have kept me in Wisconsin, where my arrest, the videotape, and the eyewitness statements would have been enough to satisfy jurisdiction. I have no criminal record in the state of New York. And there's only one standard for involuntary commitment: danger. Is the subject a danger to himself or to others? If you want to do this, Michael, you better have your balls in order because the one place you don't want to see me is in court!



George Clooney: Michael Clayton

Tom Wilkinson: Arthur Edens

Tilda Swinton: Karen Crowder

An attorney known as the Fixer in his law firm comes across the biggest case of his career that could produce disastrous results for those involved.

The more films that pile up out of 2007, the more lax of a critic I think I'm becoming. How many high ratings have I handed out? Have I become belligerent and easily impressed? am I incapable of distinguishing cinematic flaws? No, I think that's not the case. 2007 quite simply has been one of the greatest years of the decade so far along with this year. Even the seemingly unpredictable, you've seen it rarely type films from the fairly obvious have been made with expertise and flair, particularly "No Country" and ''Blood'' now "Michael Clayton".


A big corporate company with a dark secret, and the means to do anything necessary to cover it up (including kill, bribe, cover up...). Sound familiar? It is, but "Michael Clayton"a character-driven, superbly written drama/thriller from Tony Gilroy (the writing force behind "Bourne")is made with such an energy and precision, as though its the newest thing around, you don't feel as though its the same garbage you've seen elsewhere a hundred times over.

Besides Gilroy's classy and elegant writing, matched perfectly with his tight and focused directing (both of which work together to keep the puzzle moving at a brisk and clearly understandable pace), much of what gives MC its kick is its stellar acting. Tilda Swinton is great as a corrupt, yet nervy corporate leader; she evokes a strange blend of menace and nervousness. Sydney Pollack is also great as Michael's boss.
Tom Wilkinson, as the seemingly crazy lawyer who has actually come to his senses, is of course magnificent, he sucks you into his paranoid and slightly delusional persona wholeheartedly. And as the title character George Clooney uses his star presence to brilliant effect, he is charming and magnetic, a presence that holds your unwavering attention, and at the same time he reveals Michael's moral deterioration and epiphany with subtly and effectiveness.

Sure Michael Clayton isn't anything new, but its made so neatly and polished, I can't convince myself otherwise.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this film is its pacing which is not frantic, but quite mellow for a thriller of sorts only having few scenes of panic which are very well built up. The final car chase is so understated you do not even get it until the end. This is a well made mystery drama thriller and a showcase for Clooney's talent as an actor.

A powerful film with a message that hits home...

Jake La Motta: [talks about Janiro] I'm gonna open his hole like this. Please excuse my French. I'm gonna make him suffer. I'm gonna make his mother wish she never had him - make him into dog meat... He's a nice, a nice kid. He's a pretty kid, too. I mean I don't know, I gotta problem if I should fuck him or fight him.


An emotionally self-destructive boxer's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring, destroys his life outside it.

Robert De Niro: Jake La Motta

Cathy Moriarty: Vickie Thailer

Joe Pesci: Joey La Motta

Frank Vincent: Salvy Batts

Don't be misled into thinking that Raging Bull is simply a film about boxing, à-la Rocky. It does indeed focus on the life of a boxer, but there is so much more to it then that. Rather than simply being a sports story of redemption, or something of the like, Raging Bull is one of the most startling and powerful portraits of stunted machismo ever captured on film. De Niro, following up on other such persona's of tough guy losers, gives arguably his strongest performance here as Jake La Motta, who slowly but surely tore down everything he had managed to accumulate around him, including a marriage, relationships with all those close to him, and his hard won boxing career.
De Niro is clearly the center of attention here, and he lives up to his reputation with wonderful flair, his performance is one of the most deserving of his Oscar in history.

But don't go thinking this is a one man show, although De Niro's electrifying performance is easily the highlight of the movie, once again, there's so much more to it then that too.
For one thing, the technical genius of director Martin Scorsese, whose bold decision to shoot the film in black and white paid off immensely, giving the film a stark, bold look, almost like an old photograph, lost in the depths of time. It's really a shame more movies aren't shot in black and white these days, in today's colour saturated world, the occasional flash devoid of colour can come as quite the relief.

The legendary fight scenes are also incredible, with Scorsese determined to get his cameras directly in the middle of the action, instead of simply watching from a distance. We as an audience genuinely seem to feel every bone jarring punch, which really helps us sympathize with La Motta, rather than creating an antagonist out of the character. In fact, one of the most praiseworthy aspects of the film is Scorsese's ability to maintain a completely balanced view of the character, never taking sides to present him as a hero or a villain - a flawed lead in all cases. Even at times of spousal abuse and such, when we are genuinely meant to hate the character, we still realize exactly what in La Motta's troubled psyche is making him do such a thing, and still, somehow manage to empathize with the character.

Although the film really does belong to De Niro, he is ably supported by numerous similarly phenomenal supporting performances. Joe Pesci gives a terrific performance as La Motta's brother who also falls prey to Jake's increasing paranoia and aggression. The scene between Jake and Joey with Jake continually challenging his brother to hit him as hard as he can is one of the most powerful in the movie. Cathy Moriarty is also memorable as La Motta's 15 year old trophy girlfriend, who, even though at one point being the one person he could trust, also finds herself pushed away by the boxer's growing distrust of everyone. These two fantastic performances provide excellent backup for the incredible De Niro.

All in all, it seems fair to say Raging Bull is one of the most powerful and well made films in film history - with Martin Scorsese establishing himself as a master director, and Robert De Niro giving an astonishingly affective performance, perhaps the strongest of his career, driving the stunted machismo mood of the film home. Definitely worth seeing, if you have yet to do so!

Robbie Turner: [voiceover] Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume. The one I had been planning on that evening walk. I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life. The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library. The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame.


James Mcavoy: Robbie Turner

Keira Knightley: Cecilia Tallis

Saoirse Ronan: Briony Tallis(aged 13)

Romola Garai: Briony(aged 18)

Vanessa Redgrave: Older Briony

Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.
Based on the English novel by Ian McEwan.

A typical tragic, turbulent poignant love story that is augmented by a very well thought out story and technical and cinematic expertise in directing, editing and cinematography. Joe Wright captures it's edge.

If the audience did not read the book they might feel it is about a doomed love and how the lovers' would attempt to find each other after being forcefully parted, however, the story evolves, into a tale about the guilt and remorse of the one who disrupted the lovers' love and happiness. Her own naivety, immaturity, fear, and disappointment with her own attempts and wishes for passion, lead her to doom the happiness of the lovers and eventually severely regret her own actions.

There are some breath-taking scenes of grand proportions like the soldiers on the beach, the bustling towns, the gorgeous countryside. Costumes were perfect, as was the whole feel of the film. The soundtrack and piano playing tingling to the senses.

The progressive time-line is not linear. Futures occurrences happen before the past, a flipping back and forth, sometimes with a difference of several years other times only several minutes apart. This gave the movie an interesting perspective and made it more artistically enjoyable yet clear since flipping back and showing what lead up to the crucial occurrence clarified the plot. Also was good to see from firstly the couples viewpoint as well as the little girl.

Being a little slow, epic, and overly sentimental it will arouse romantics and annoy pragmatics.
The ending is heartfelt, heart wrenching and sentimental as she does what she can (incorporating into her life) to atone for her past act of a rippling mistake and indiscretion.

"Oh My God, you know Superman too? Geez I'm feeling a connection... have you heard of Garfield?".

In New York a story that is centered on a Hand Held Video camera/DV type filming. A Group of people we see their lives until a mysterious creature attacks the city throwing everything into chaos...

Lizzy Caplan: Marlena Diamond

Well I was opened minded about this and in actual fact, it blew me away! Artistic license why a monstrous creature would specifically tear off the head of the Statue Of Liberty?
yet if you go with the flow it's pretty damn realistic.
The realism is it's strong point. The whole film due to it's different style is like going from the shallow end of a swimming pool, thus representing your normal everyday films then plunging into the deep end with this unique style and alternative method.
The whole angle of telling a story from this home video camera is a unique medium in Storytelling which i applaud.
Now the guy behind the TV Series Lost(which i adore!) J.J. Abrams is the producer. His imprint and style certainly comes out on this combined with Matt Reeves directing really churns out something unique.

The said creature is stereotypical yet effective, reminded me when i first saw it of some undersea mutation,also looking like something out of Halo or Silent Hill. It's little hybrids flaking off reminding me of the flood or nightly ghoulish entities.
There was some old memorable songs at the party bit which amused me. Was interesting to see into these people's lives which pretty much felt like an insight into their world.
The last film i saw that was like DV footage was Open Water which i wasn't overly impressed with.
Cloverfield pulls off this genre better than any other previous movie.
Like the series Lost J.J. Abrams has an ending and conclusion I'd notice anywhere which leaves more questions than answers hanging in the balance. That's not a bad thing it's something i admire due to the fact it adds a level of mystery and wonderment.
Cloverfield will leave your mind to make up it's own evaluation and will spark your imagination long after the last credit has died.

''You're not good enough for her. That's it. That's fact. That's science. Beth McIntyre is like from a whole nother planet, man. She's beautiful, she's charming. And you, I love you, but let's face it you're kind of a douchebag. And going to Japan is not going to fix that.''

Simply put, the film is an amazingly visceral experience. It's studio logo, production logo, film. No credits whatsoever, which just adds to the overall immediacy of it. If you've been following it to any degree whatsoever, you know that it's shot entirely with hand-held cameras. The characters also run. A lot. So immediately, I think this will be a love hate experience. My own reaction to it was that it again, added to the immersion, and I didn't find it to be really distracting at all. Many people I saw it with said they couldn't even watch the screen at times, so buyer beware. It also will anger those who need all the details, and need to have every loose end tied up (or even a majority of them). The entire film is the tape found after the events of the film are over. That's it. There is no set up, and no hold-your-hand-for-you resolution (or really, much of one at all). It's unconventional, and I enjoyed the ending. I definitely have to applaud the decision to not simply make a cookie cutter action film that is easy to watch. I think it will be interesting to watch how it does at the box office though.
After that...I feel like there isn't much that can be said about the acting, and that should be a credit to it. It absolutely feels like you are experiencing this with the characters, who feel more or less exactly like real people. After leaving the cinema, I was on edge for a good deal of time, as I tried to shake that level of immersion. The film has also surprisingly humorous dialogue, and I would say that our respective audience, laughed more than they screamed with terror glazed eyes.

Cloverfield definitely will not be everybody's cup of tea, but if you're already anxious to see it, I have no doubt that you'll be pleased. It was a relatively unique experience, and again I want to applaud the decision to make it in this unique way.

''It's like a nightmare! It's like a nightmare!''

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''Ladies, we're gonna have some fun.''

Two full length feature horror movies written by Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez put together as a two film feature. Including fake movie trailers in between both movies.

Rose McGowan: Cherry Darling
(Planet Terror)

Kurt Russel: Stuntman Mike
(Death Proof)

Absolutely a blast from end to finish. Such a brilliant soundtrack and old style feel to it as intended by QT and RR.
The joint film revolves around one plot about some hot looking young girls and a mysterious guy who seems to stalk said girls. We find out hes Stuntman Mike (magnificently played by Kurt Russell). The other a zombie infested virus movie which has shoot outs and over the top gore galore.

What i like about this double feature is all Quentin's and Robert's intricate attention to detail. How all the dialogue these people deliver comes across and they makes it interesting to view as if your along for the ride.

''There are few things fetching as a bruised ego on a beautiful angel.''

What theDeath Proof contribution lacks in gore( there is some great gore though in places) it makes up for with complex character detail layering and the dialogue. This is an intelligent film that could be a reality, and the superior half of the Grindhouse feature.

In fact all QT films have wonderful convos, character interaction and stories, this latest offering is deliciously laden too. Love all the intricate small attentions to details too.

Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike is the perfect weird loner guy with a sadistic penchant for stalking hot young ladies.
Rose McGowan has a part in this too, smaller than her lead part in Planet Terror, but she plays it well although looking weird with Blonde hair.

''Well, in Hollywood, anyone fool enough to throw themselves down a flight of stairs can usually find someone to pay them for it. But really, I got into the business the way most people get into the stunt business.''

Vanessa Ferlito's lap-dance was awesome yet i thought she had an unusual face for sure. Very seductive. Loved the dark clever conversations, her character Arlene has with Mike on the porch of the bar.
Sydney Tamiia Poitier as Jungle Julia was a typical bitchy girl but I thought it was sweet her text messaging. Another example of little details that I love.
Rosario Dawson was awesome as Abernathy as usual although the character she played did have some times where i thought she was weak willed or being bossed around by her buddies. She had some great lines though.
Zoe Bell as Zoe Bell and Tracie Thoms as Kim were stand out characters yet they seemed abit mean and manly in some parts with their gruff hard tones. Liked there witty comments.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lee was in my mind stunning and lovely as usual but she was completely sidelined in this, that was bad. Felt like she was just put there for looking at for male audiences, could of included her in the finale chase or had a story to show what she does while their away.

''The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.
And I've got promises to keep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
Did you hear that butterfly?
Miles to go before you sleep.''

I loved all the references too in Death Proof, QT's love of yellow and black stripes, of feet and classy retro-y music. The whistle ringtone that Abernathy has. The movie sign-post Mike crashes into. Also his lusty appreciation of young ladies and killing them with his car! And what amazing car chases and action in Death Proof!

Put this film with Planet Terror as it was intended, and they totally compliment each other. Planet Terror with its OTT action, gore and horror/fantasy basis then Death Proof with its intelligent dialogue, thrilling chases and closeness to being reality.

''If you're going to hire Machete to kill the bad guy, you'd better make damn sure the bad guy isn't you!''

I must mention the Machete(which should be a film!) trailer and Grindhouse obviously feels like it was made for the cinema. The whole style and old cracking lines feels like you're watching a vintage, a dirty, sleazy, personified old school movie.

Rose McGowan was delicious and excellent as the main heroine of Planet Terror.
Freddy Rodriguez was a hard man although i thought it was a stupid outcome. Short too height wise.
Naveen Andrews, seen him in the series Lost, and English Patient and still when i see him speaking in his normal English accent it takes me time to adjust. He was excellent. Shocking us with his obsessions and ball collecting. ''OH SweetHeart I just want your balls!''.

Marley Shelton and Fergie Lessie couple, was I hearing things?! Seeing things?????
More Bruce Willis needed.
More Tarantino needed(He was f**ing awesome in his part made me laugh what happens!).

The gore was amazingly cheesy in this, splatter chopping, things blowing up! Limbs being ripped off! Semi-naked women! Crazy splattery shootouts, Helicopter limb chopping. Gun Leg action!

''I've seen me a lot of weird shit in my day, but I ain't never seen a one-legged stripper. I seen me a stripper with one breast. And I seen me a stripper with twelve toes. I've even seen me a stripper with no brains at all, but I ain't never seen a one-legged stripper. And I've been to Morocco.''

The music and the sound effects are immense in this film, they simply rock BIG TIME! Very atmospheric.
The ending reminded me of Dusk Til Dawn, good old Robert Rodriguez! I also love his company name too, RIP Productions, RIP AKA Rodriguez International Pictures.
Overall we have Planet Terror with its OTT action and gore and Death Proof with its intelligent dialogue and thrilling chases.

''Hey, Pam, remember when I said this car was death proof? Well, that wasn't a lie. This car is a hundred percent death proof. Only to get the benefit of it, honey, you REALLY need to be sitting in my seat.''

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''I know now that my wife has become host to a Candarian demon. I fear that the only way to stop those possessed by the spirits of the book is through the act of... bodily dismemberment.''

Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.

Bruce Campbell: Ash

While Evil Dead obviously was never in the running for an academy award, it has touched two generations of fans now in the last 35 years or more. It was made by college kids as nothing more than a B-movie/home made effort but it turned out to be one of the most original and gruesome movies in the last quarter century.

Evil Dead is a tale about 5 college kids taking a vacation in a secluded cabin among the woods somewhere in Michigan. During their stay they stumble upon the centuries old Necronomicon, the book of the dead. (Not to be confused with the book of the dead from The Mummy).
After stupidly reading from the book, the ancient evil the book possessed, comes to life and begins attacking the 5 kids (including one scene where a woman is raped by a tree) until they are either killed or possessed. One by one they are dispatched by the one remaining survivor named Ash and by daylight the evil is gone....or so we are led to believe.

This movie took the possession concept from The Exorcist to a brand state of mind. This was supposed to be an Amateur effort orchestrated by young students yet the special effects are not bad for 1981 and non-Hollywood standards. If you see this movie and not the next 2 in the series, its quite amusing to see Ash play the role of the normal, afraid everyday nobody as opposed to the hero he'd become. If you look at the movie from the perspective of it was a low budget flick run by unknown actors, actresses, directors, etc you can truly appreciate its lasting effects on the world and the sequels spawned from it.

''We're going to get you. We're going to get you. Not another peep. Time to go to sleep.''

The POV shots are used with such innovative bravado and technical efficiency. Shots used in the manner of Dario Argento. One of the first people to use the shaky Cam effect. The use of POV in Evil Dead would influence a number of film directors. Sam Raimi is one of the best American filmmakers when it comes to these specific shots.

Ash in the first Evil Dead is a tragic figure. Here he is a far cry from the heroic figure of Evil Dead 2(1987) and Army of Darkness(1991). Ash in Evil Dead is tormented by the loss of his friends and girlfriend. Ash is pretty much patterned after the main character of Sammo Hung's Encounters of the Spooky Kind. Ash is a simpleton who fights to survive against the demons that possess his friends.

One of the best elements of this movie is the subplot involving Ash and his girlfriend, Linda. Its this element as well as others that makes The Evil Dead(1982) my favorite of the trilogy. Bruce Campbell and Betsy Baker are wonderful in the scenes they do together. Its heartbreaking and sad to see Ash dismember and kill a woman he loved so much. The sequence where Ash gives Linda the necklace is one of the movie's lighter moments.
The humor is blended into the horror scenes without being overly ridiculous. Evil Dead is full of dark, gruesome humour that is both funny and scary. Mixing horror and humor is a tricky thing to pull off because there has to be a balance for the combo to work. The Evil Dead is successful in combining the two together in a combined effort. Fun to watch horror with funny proceedings and dialogue, as opposed to humour with unsuppressed gore.

''You will die! Like the others before you, one by one, we will take you.''

Notorious for the rape in the woods scene, Evil Dead becomes a daring picture at this point of the film. Scene like this separates the first from the next two as a masterful horror picture. Ellen Sandweiss is very brave in going through with this scene. A terrifying sequence to observe and watch. Sam Raimi reuses this scene in Evil Dead 2 without the unrivaled viciousness of the one here.
The gore here is fantastically displayed. For a low budget film the make up effects are impressive. Was not popular with the MPPA because of the extreme colour used to portray typical blood.
The filmmakers use a stylish and crude approach to make the gore scenes work. Joel Coen must have learned something about filming gore scenes from Evil Dead when he directed Blood Simple.

Unlike alot of other horror film examples, there is no sex scenes(Branch scene doesn't count). Which makes the film that bit more professional, although Raimi still flashed a girl topless just for laughs. Raimi tried to capture what real teenagers would do in a cabin miles from the nearest town, But when Bruce inhaled real marijuana smoke in front of the camera for a scene, he was totally senseless. But still the totally untrained actors tried there best to do every stunt, every emotion, everything that Raimi threw at them for as little pay as $100 a week. One of the hardest scene to shoot was the last. How are we to end this film with a good kick? how about the supernatural energy running through the house and into Ash. True non-acting locals were called in to do the sequence of doors, noises and Sam himself was behind the camera. He started at a shot of a leaf on the ground, then started running through the woods, through the back door, through the closed doors of the house, out the front door and straight into Bruce. Although there was a rumour that Sam did the whole scene on a motorbike because of the speed the camera seems to be going. The Evil Dead, a real good start for Bruce Campbell and for Sam Raimi if what abit dated and rough round the edges now, a true classic, for most, for its impact on low-budget film history.

''Now the sun will be up in an hour or so, and we can all get out of here together. You, me, Linda, Shelly. Hmm... Well... not Shelly, she? We'll all be going home together. Wouldn't you like to be going home? I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you? Scott?''

Dutch:[the Predator pulls off his mask] You're one... ugly motherfucker!

A team of commandos, on a mission in a Central American jungle, find themselves hunted by an extra-terrestrial warrior.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Dutch

Strangely enough most of the film was shot under the original title Hunter, it was only later when the creature design was changed that the movie evolved the name Predator. The clapperboards showing the original title can be seen in the outtakes on the special edition DVD.

So Predator will always have a special spot reserved, from being one of the best horror/sci-fi films of 80s fare, it's also a huge childhood favourite of mine. Despite the fact that I've seen it dozens of times as a kid, Predator functions as a macho action film, gory horror and intriguing sci-fi, and despite it's short running time of just 100 minutes, it somehow manages to find room for all three. The fact that it stars action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger ensures that the film will always be favourably recounted. He's not a good actor, but Arnie always manages to bring that extra something to his movies. The plot is deliciously simple and follows a group of commandos that go off into the jungle on a secret mission. However, things go awry when it turns out that they aren't the only ones with weapons there. Finding the skinned bodies of the last group of men that entered the jungle is about to become just the tip of the ice berg...

''When I was little, we found a man. He looked like - like, butchered. The old woman in the village crossed themselves... and whispered crazy things, strange things. "El Diablo cazador de hombres." Only in the hottest years this happens. And this year, it grows hot. We begin finding our men. We found them sometimes without their skins... and sometimes much, much worse. "El cazador trofeo de los hombres" means the demon who makes trophies of men.''

The jungle makes for a great setting for an action sci-fi adventure, becoming almost a character in itself.
These sorts of films tend to be set in space, so experiencing the action down on earth is a fresh approach; and the fact that it's set in the jungle, with it's dense foliage, cements the fact that Die Hard director John McTiernan is able to clock up the suspense, just like in the Vietnam war; the soldiers are dealing with an unknown enemy, a kind of guerrilla warfare visage. The atmosphere really is excellent, and the special effects help to create a futuristic tone, while the suspense builds and makes sure that the audience are on the edge of their seats at all times. Predator was released hot on the heels of the success of James Cameron's amazing Aliens but don't be thinking this film is merely a rip off following a trend, Predator has more than enough up it's sleeve to ensure that isn't the case. The action is great, and director McTiernan clearly knows what he's doing. It's fast and furious, and the amount of weapons on display ensures that the film is sure to delight fans of macho action films. The fact that the lead actor is a monster of a man doesn't exactly hurt matters either.
Arnold Schwarzenegger lost over 25 pounds before filming began in order to better fit the role of a special warfare operative, who would be lean as well as muscular.
Also is the third film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger wears a Seiko model H558-5009 diver's watch. Since nicknamed "The Arnold", it is highly sought-after by collectors and regularly trades for values in excess of its original retail cost. Its distinctive black collar and stainless steel fittings suitably complements Schwarzenegger's exaggerated arm muscles in his early films.

Blain: You lose it here and you're in a world of hurt.

According to an interview with director John McTiernan, the "hole in the jungle" appearance of the Predator was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme in a "blue screen" (actually red) suit. Van Damme quit after two days, unhappy with being cast as an uncredited special effect. The alien was scrapped, redesigned and was eventually played by 7'2" Kevin Peter Hall.

Two of the actors portraying commandos besieged by the Predator have been elected to state governorships: Jesse Ventura (Independent) was elected Governor of Minnesota in 1998, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican) was elected Governor of California in a hotly-contested recall election in 2003. In addition, Sonny Landham (Republican) ran an unsuccessful campaign for Governor of Kentucky in 2003.
A bold attempt was also made to get shots of the Predator swinging from tree to tree using a monkey in a red special-effects suit. However, the monkey kept removing the suit and the idea was abandoned.

Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger may well be a standardly predictable actor but it doesn't matter because it's his screen presence, not his acting ability, that makes his performances what they are. At times he's cringe-worthy, but it's hard to deny his prowess when it comes to the action sequences, and that is all a film of this nature needs. Arnie isn't the only big man in the film either, as an assortment of muscle men, including ex-wrestler Jesse Ventura, and Carl Weathers, Rocky's Apollo Creed, among other B-movie actors, join him. The man himself also finds himself a very worthy ally, in the form of the movie's central alien. The Predator may not be as beautiful and graceful as the creature from Alien, but it's just as inventive and sports a different kind of intelligence. Here we have an extra terrestrial that isn't merely trying to breed, or to phone home, but one that is actually there to hunt humans for sport, for fun.
Aside from being ingenious, the idea also borders on the insanely frightening. The gore here is gratuitous, but never goes over the top and on the whole, Predator is a film that never really got the credit it deserves. It's mindless fun yet entertaining and inspiring despite some dated effects.

Interesting Goofs


Revealing mistakes: When Mac removes the scorpion from Dillon's shoulder, a gray adhesive can be seen holding the scorpion when Mac holds up the knife.

Continuity: When Arnold is swinging through the trees trying to get the predator to follow him into the trap, there is a clip where he his hugging the tree and his hair is messy. There is a pan of the forest then back to Arnold but now his hair is all neat and tidy.

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Poncho climbs the rope to check out the chopper, the hook on the rope's end is lifted by his clothes. When it drops back onto the chopper there is no metal sound.

Crew or equipment visible: When Poncho is hit with the log the Predator just shot, you can see the ramp that flings Poncho into the air right under him.

Factual errors: It is not possible to fire a mini gun, which Blain carries, without some power source, which he does not carry; the pack on his back only contains ammunition. Further more, if a human were to fire a mini gun with live ammunition, one would be propelled backwards by the recoil.

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Dutch is running from the Predator, and trying to lead the beast into the small tunnel which contains the "trap", a quick cut-away shot of the trap mechanism appears to be a photo of the trap, as opposed to "live" footage, and even appears to be a bit out of focus.

The Predator:
Anytime.

''If I am not me, then who the hell am I?''

When a man goes for virtual vacation memories of the planet Mars, an unexpected and harrowing series of events forces him to go to the planet for real, or does he?

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Douglas Quaid / Hauser

Total Recall based on We Can Remember It for You Wholesale, a short story from 1974 by Philip K. Dick (and novelized in conjunction with the film production by Piers Anthony), had a laborious history getting to the silver screen. Tens of drafts were written. Production companies were attached then went out of business. Many directors and stars were attached who either changed their minds or who were dropped. Luckily, Arnold Schwarzenegger talked Carolco into picking up the project for him with Paul Verhoeven, who subsequently already proved his dazzling directorial talents on the similarly toned RoboCop(1987).

While Total Recall certainly has influences, including The Martian Chronicles(1980),Dune(1984) and the first major movie project based on a Philip K. Dick work, Blade Runner(1982), it's more notable for the films that it has influenced in subsequent years, including The Fifth Element(1997) and many of the "rubber reality" films such as Abre los ojos(1997),Vanilla Sky(2001) and The Thirteenth Floor(1999). It's also yet another film on the very long list that have had various elements "adapted" into part of The Matrix(1999), most explicitly here, the bug that Quaid has to remove from his body with a high-tech machine and the possibility of waking up from a particular reality by taking a red pill.

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 20 years then you probably know that with Director Paul Verhoeven (Black Book), nothing is not doable and he loves to show violence and sex to the extreme. This film is no exception, as the carnage is wonderfully graphic and oddly satisfying similar to Robocop, in terms of violent proceedings. We see people get their arms blown off and their necks snapped in delightful ways. Pleasingly, CGI isn't used to enhance the violence but rather to alternate with make up and prosthetics to achieve the gore factor. Uncertain on this, but I am under the impression, this was the last movie made before CGI overtook the industry, so everything we see in the movie is eclectically real. From the train stations on mars, the three breasted woman, and the mutant living inside a man was all done on set in the camera without any effect wizardry. It really draws you into the story and gives you this sense that this place has been around for an age, and we're just being given a rare insight into this world. The production designer deserves huge credit for the realistic look that attributes to the film in everyway.

''I'll be back!''

Most of the locations used, were successfully created, with the usage of expertly created miniatures and they look fantastical considering when Total Recall was created. It's not as impressive as the work that Alex Funke did on LOTR but it's still pretty successful, in the sense it still manages to hold it's own in todays film making world. The actors all are just perfectly cast in this movie, and while Schwarzenegger may be touted as the star in the movie, the real star is Michael Ironside. This is essentially Ironside doing what he does best which is playing the bad guy so brilliantly and also avoiding all the usual bad guy cliches like speaking with some accent or smoking in every scene. Sharon Stone essentially has a less dazzling role than the other players, but the little she does give every scene she partakes in, is greatly acted and fun to watch. Rachel Ticotin plays the other woman in Schwarzenegger's life and she does an amazing job of playing the woman that Schwarzenegger dreams of. She is smart, cute, and can kick your ass if she has to. Then there's Schwarzenegger who basically does what he does, in every movie which is to run, shoot, make a joke, then run and shoot some more. But you know what, that cliche formula works...So why change a good thing right?

A movie no matter how good or well written will be nothing without the support of great music and in this case, the late great Jerry Goldsmith provides a fantastic score that is just pleasing to the ears. Really adore the score he plays in the first 2 mins. of the picture alone, when we see Schwarzenegger walking around on mars. It's these weird dreamlike tones that makes you feel the same way that Schwarzenegger does, it helps us connect with what the character is feeling. The great piece he plays for when Quato tells Quaid to open his mind is without a question an epiphany of grandeur in the score. Usually action music consists of loud brass and strong drums but Goldsmith narrowly avoids that tired cliché and provides a smart intelligent score that enhances the movie at every turn. The great Howard Shore has been the only composer that I know so far that has written a decent action music for a movie and that was the amazing score he did for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The two composers seem to have a lot in common when it comes to music so someday I hope that Shore will reach that level of respect and admiration that Goldsmith has achieved.

This is NOT a family friendly sci-fi flick in the vein of Star Wars, it's rated 18 for a very good reason, so parents can hide the little ones and enjoy. If you want an adult sci-fi movie that doesn't require CGI or confusing dialog, then you'll be in heaven with this Philip K Dick adaptation.

''You are what you do. A man is defined by his actions, not his memory.''

''Yippie-kay-yay, motherfucker!''

New York cop John McClane gives terrorists a dose of their own medicine as they hold hostages in an LA office building.

Bruce Willis: Officer John McClane

Without a doubt one of the best known action movies ever made, Die Hard, did receive negative attention from critics upon its 1988 summer release, but the audiences unsurprisingly loved this diamond in the rough, charismatic John Macleane brought to life by Bruce Willis.
Overall action movies are always very similar and predictable, and this movie is too predictable, perhaps that is the only big weakness of this movie, because who can deny there is something special with Die Hard. Die Hard is simply a very progressive, accelerated and perfectly paced action movie, not only does it tell a good story, and even comes with a few complexes, it also brings some of the best and most solid action ever to be seen.

John McTiernan has proven to be a solid action director over the years, after the breakthrough with Predator he made this classic action flick, that never seems to be getting old, even now. 17 years later, it still works as well as it did 17 years ago, brilliant.

''You throw quite a party. I didn't realize they celebrated Christmas in Japan.''

''Hey, we're flexible. Pearl Harbor didn't work out so we got you with tape decks.''

This is just what I suppose we can call a perfect popcorn movie, the kind of movie where you lean back and just let the thrill ride begin, you know things will end happily, but still it entertains for the 2 hours it lasts, and it entertains at a very high level. Perhaps one of the weaknesses of the movie is the happy ending, I would have loved a darker ending, leaving something to think about, especially since there obviously is the problematic climax involved in the movie, there are some good side stories, especially the dramatic with John and Holly's marriage. Strangely that works out perfectly and we get to know everything about it, even though the movie actually doesn't spend much time explaining, it's just done so well and perfectly direct that we basically know everything about these two when the movie ends.

I am not sure if this was a final breakthrough for Bruce Willis, but he definitely shows in this movie what great actor he is, we see a lot of different sides of him, the tough guy, the soft guy, and even better, the funny guy. I like to have a laugh time to time in movies, and I hate movies taking themselves too seriously at times but the jokes in this movie are spot on, especially the one signed by Bruce Willis, I loved his attitude, a grand performance!
Die Hard was most often praised for the production at the time of release, with the brand new shiny Fox Plaza office tower serving as the fictional Nakatomi building. DH also attracted attention for the energetic and skillful direction of John McTiernan, whose most notable credit was the action-sci-fi thriller scorcher Predator, which was released the year before with amazing Arnold Schwarzenegger.

'' "And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer." Benefits of a classical education.''

Bruce Willis was the perfect actor for this performance in Die Hard, since he brings the wit and vulnerability to a role which has become iconic. If Stallone or Schwarzenegger were in this movie, I'm sure the effect would have been a lot different, in their own personified style.

On a personal level I think Die Hard is one of the greatest action movies ever, up there close to my fave Last Crusade.
Like Indiana Jones, Die Hard had an Everyman that we could relate to, or see ourselves as, was cast in the role of Macleane. He isn't a larger-than-life musclebound typical monster, he was a real guy that you cared for, who got hurt, and had real feelings like any of us do.

''Who's driving this car, Stevie Wonder?''

Another mention goes to Alan Rickman who shines as the Villain, Hans Gruber. The old cliche of an English bad guy playing the role of a German terrorist. Let's face it, us English play some of the classiest, evilest, crazy yet darkly amusing, bad asses around providing an ultimate villain to any American hero.
It is Rickman that dominates the film hands down, like in Prince Of Thieves, he is a delightful sneering bad guy who has great lines, great presence and gives his character believability mixed with memorable resonance.
Alan Rickman commented that he didn't view Hans as "the villain", but more as a guy who "has made certain choices in life, wants certain things in life and goes after them." All the same, Alan is the perfect villain for Bruce's wise cracking McClane, who is neither weak nor super human. Bruce worked very hard on this film and allegedly did a lot of his own stunts and really brought a lot of life and warmth to a character who could very easily have been just another grim loner. It's a shame that he's had to spend the majority of his career trying to get away from this character (kind of like Sean Connery trying to live down his glory days as James Bond). And to think that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds and Richard Gere all turned this part down (probably better that they did).

''I promise I will never even THINK about going up in a tall building again. Oh, God. Please don't let me die.''

Also should be mentioned that Die Hard is based on the counterpart novel by Roderick Thorpe. Bonnie Bedelia is Bruce's wife, and the late Alexander Godunov is Karl, who's vendetta with Bruce turns personal. Bonnie does well as the sympathetic wife with a bad haircut and Godunov, in a role very different from his debut part as an Amish farmer in Witness, is surprisingly menacing in spite of his pretty boy looks. Of course, it helps that his career as a ballet dancer gave him more dexterity than the usual hulking henchman. His knock-down-drag-out brawl with Willis is one of the best.
Die Hard overall manages to equal heart pounding and nerve shredding action, every single time viewed. If you are one of those many uneducated action-movie wise individuals who haven't experienced it yet, then now is definitely the time to rediscover a thrill ride classic and action masterpiece.

It's non-stop action, non-stop cliches, non-stop formulaic plots and villainous men with German accents, you've got to love it. Bruce Willis is at highest form in a role which needs nothing but highly toned abs and occasional smart alec NYC one-liners. Alan Rickman is the really lovable part of this film.

John McClane: You'd have made a pretty good cowboy yourself, Hans.
Hans Gruber: Oh, yes. What was it you said to me before? "Yippie-ki-yay, motherfucker."

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''What if this is as good as it gets?''

A single mother/waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship.

Jack Nicholson: Melvin Udall

Helen Hunt: Carol Connelly

Greg Kinnear: Simon Bishop

Nicholson won a well-deserved Oscar for this movie. Then again, I feel like he deserves an Oscar for virtually everything he's been in. Hell, you can even give him an Oscar nod for Anger Management. THATS how great he is! He's one of those actors who can communicate even more emotion when he's not saying anything than when he is. And of course, he has one of the coolest movie star voices ever, so it makes it a joy whenever he does speak. I still feel like "You can't handle the truth!" wouldn't be as priceless a line if Jack didn't yell it. He can say almost any line of dialogue and turn it into gold. In this movie it was "You make me wanna be a better man." Again, an otherwise forgettable line of dialogue made timeless and moving by Jack.

As Good As It Gets is a flawed film but it doesn't matter, with scenes that drag over an overlong running time, but it's highly enjoyable and altogether pretty well-written. Aside from its many hilarious moments, it's also quite touching. But I have to admit that it's the comedy that sticks out most in my memory. There's some priceless gags like when a Jewish couple is sitting at Jack's usual table. He first intrudes into their conversation saying something about his crotch He complains to Helen Hunt, his usual waitress, saying "I have Jews at my table!", He then intrudes in the couple's conversation again, noticing the food on their table, saying "Obviously your appetites aren't as big as your noses." Now, I probably wouldn't want to personally know a man like Melvin in my real life, but I still found those cracks to be hysterically funny. The same when he attacks Greg Kinnear's gay character with constant homosexual slurs.

The performances are great all-around. Though Jack pretty much steals the show, Greg Kinnear gives a wonderfully endearing performance. He doesn't play out the gay stereotypes, yet he's sensitive and feminine enough to have me convinced that he is gay. It's nice to see Kinnear rise from the host of Talk Soup and the thankless late night talk show Later to a fine actor. Previously, I wouldn't have any notion that he could become what he is now. Helen Hunt also gives a compelling, emotionally packed performance. And Shirley Knight, as her mother, provides a little bit of comic relief. Cuba Gooding Jr. has a small but interesting role, and he makes the best of it.
Frank, played by Gooding Jr., decides to give the dog to Melvin, who refuses at first but is left without any option but to obey. He soon achieves a certain subtle love for the beast, and when Simon has healed and comes back for the dog, it doesn't even want to leave. It even starts to develop nasty habits, like avoiding cracks in the sidewalk.
Meanwhile, a troubled single mother and a part-time waitress, Carol is constantly nagged by Melvin. Only she can deliver him food. Only she can take his order. Only she can kick him out of the restaurant. Mistaking this for some sort of sexual craving, she tells Melvin flat-out that she will never sleep with him. He doesn't seem to care. That had never even crossed his mind.
The fact is that Melvin is insufferably lonely. He likes to act as though he likes to be lonely, but the truth is that his loneliness is something he loathes. He would love to reach out and gain some friends--but he's too proud to humble himself in such a way. We all know people like Melvin--he just takes himself to a new extreme.

Melvin is surely one of the great screen characters of all time, ranking up there with Raymond Rain Man Babbitt and Forrest Gump as some of the most unique and likable inventions to ever grace the big screen. Nicholson presents his character in an especially effective way--at first he seems gruff, then he seems strange, then his soft side is revealed, and he slowly becomes the likable mean guy who lives upstairs and likes to try and kill neighbors' dogs.
Hunt won the Oscar for her work in As Good As It Gets, but it was truly Nicholson who deserved it.
Regardless of all this, As Good As It Gets still stands alone as one of the cleverest romantic comedies of all time, and certainly one that both sexes can agree on. The film features some of the most memorable lines ever written on paper, the majority of them all coming from the lips of Melvin Udall, perfectly spoken by a typical gruff Jack Nicholson. They all come off as utterly hilarious and convincing.

"How old are you? If I would guess by your eyes, I'd say you're fifty."

"If I went by your eyes I'd say you were kind.''

This is the type of new-age romantic comedy that rivals the greatness of When Harry Met Sally or Sleepless in Seattle. It's founded in its characters, their lives, their interaction, and how they learn to overcome their own personal obstacles and moral obligations. This film carries all the Autumn-time sweetness and cleverness of a Rob Reiner comedy, and all the lightness of a Frank Capra movie.

I just like to end with the scene for me that really touched me in it's deep awe inspiring glory, that shows a bold definition of what love can truly be like:

Melvin Udall
I've got a really great compliment for you, and it's true.

Carol Connelly
I'm so afraid you're about to say something awful.

Melvin Udall
Don't be pessimistic, it's not your style. Okay, here I go: Clearly, a mistake. I've got this, what - ailment? My doctor, a shrink that I used to go to all the time, he says that in fifty or sixty percent of the cases, a pill really helps. I *hate* pills, very dangerous thing, pills. Hate. I'm using the word "hate" here, about pills. Hate. My compliment is, that night when you came over and told me that you would never... well, you were there, you know what you said. Well, my compliment to you is, the next morning, I started taking the pills.

Carol Connelly
I don't quite get how that's a compliment for me.

Melvin Udall
You make me want to be a better man.

Carol Connelly
That's maybe the best compliment of my life.

Melvin Udall
Well, maybe I overshot a little, because I was aiming at just enough to keep you from walking out.

Pending Review...

''To be or not to be? Not to be.''

A young movie fan gets thrown into the movie world of his favourite action film character.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Jack Slater / Himself

Intended to be a huge summer blockbuster, but ultimately becoming a big-time flop, Last Action Hero stars the then-infallible Arnold Schwarzenegger as the fictional action hero, Jack Slater. Jack Slater stars in his own franchise, Slater and is idolized by Danny (Austin O'Brien), a young boy who escapes his real-world troubles with an unhealthy movie-going habit. When an opportunity arrives for Danny to see the upcoming Slater IV prior to its release, he can't refrain from going, thus a magical ticket given to him by the theater owner propels him into Jack Slater's world, where cliches determine the rules of the parallel reality, and anything can happen.

Unfortunately, Last Action Hero has been maligned through the years for being both misunderstood and eclipsed by the success of another 1993 blockbuster, Jurassic Park. What many may not realize, until they give it a fair chance, is that it's a brilliant piece of action laced with satire, that serves a double function, one of being action packed and humorous. As Jack Slater, Arnold pokes more fun at himself than any critic ever could achieve, which shows an endearing quality of sincerity. Teamed up with director John McTiernan (Die Hard, Predator), it has countless explosions, stunts and special effects, so much so that it represents the best of 80's/early 90's action film, while simultaneously mocking it. Austin O'Brien plays the young protagonist well, and thankfully, isn't just another annoying kid in a summer blockbuster. The subplot of Danny's escapism will appeal to and hit close home for many a film fan, which is one of the film's greatest triumphs.

''Danny told me not to trust you. He said you killed Mozart.''

If there is one flaw, though, it's that the film is about twenty minutes too long, which means the conclusive joke runs out of steam. It seems that Last Action Hero is simply crammed with almost too many ideas and in-jokes, which is where it loses points. Despite this, though, it's immensely entertaining and unrelenting in its roasting of typical Schwarzenegger fare. Forget the fact that critics hated it and audiences rejected it; Last Action Hero is like a valentine to action fans everywhere, a bold and unique blockbuster that perhaps never found its way to its true audience.
Everything about Last Action Hero is designed to spoof and comment upon action movies. It is for the action film genre what Scream was for slasher movies, or Galaxy Quest for spoofing Star Trek. If its a film that seems overblown and over the top, that's only because its making fun of contemporaries, which are exactly the same, only without the self-reflective philosophizing.

''If God was a villain, he would have been me.''

The film opens with a dead-on parody of many an action film. A hostage situation, a crazy criminal, dozens of police cars and guns. A blustering, hot-head of a police chief and then the camera focuses on a glaringly aggressive closeup of a pair of heavy-set boots. It pans reverently up past jeans, a belt buckle, shirt and jacket, until it reveals the face of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Holding what must be the biggest handgun ever constructed, he barges onto the scene and manages to do what the entire LAPD couldn't. He saves the hostages (bar his son), boots people out of his way like they were footballs, defeats the nemesis and saves the day.
It's a scene so ludicrous it could only be a fantasy, and it is, because it's a film. Jack Slater III, starring one of the biggest action stars of the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien) is the only one in the audience, and he can't wait to see the next instalment, Jack Slater IV. When he acquires a magic ticket from a cinema projectionist(Robert Prosky), it ends up transporting him into the film.
The film of Jack Slater IV has become a blinding and bewildering world. And Danny is caught right in the middle. Partnered up with Jack, they must track down Benedict (Charles Dance), the film's classy, intelligent, sadistic villain. Which becomes more complicated when Benedict gets his hands on the ticket, and breaks through to our world. We see how cruel and normal unmoralistic behaviour can be in our reality, and Charles Dance knows how to orchestrate villainy. The art where he shoots a man in a back street out in a public place, shows how unfeeling and real this World is, compared to the 2D predictable film World he echoes from.
Anyone who says Last Action Hero is ridiculous and absurd only demonstrating a fundamental misunderstanding of the film and story. The film's excesses are the exact type of thing its mocking its contemporaries for, the film never misses a trick. Any cliché or plot hole, and you can be sure Last Action Hero will assault it somewhere.

In fact its nice to see an action film that's fully aware of how inane action movies usually are. Director John McTiernan, one of a variation, of favourite action filmmakers, explores every possible angle available. A typical day in Jack Slater's life is so full of unbelievable absurdities you wonder how he could have survived in the job for so long.
McTiernan is quite merciless and scathing when it comes to spoofing action movies. He leaves no stone unturned...The typical gigantic explosions, connect the dots plot lines, villains who talk to they're enemies when they should be killing them, Slater has tons of guns on his person, he is almost never seen without a gigantic cigar, and in the car chase to end all car chases, Jack drives off an overpass and lands on the road with no discernible damage, and then does the same thing in reverse. Last Action Hero even looks suspiciously, like the storm drain from that chase scene in Terminator 2.

''To be or not to be? Not to be.''

There are too many in-jokes and observations to mention in one review. In fact the film is quite exhausting at times with its extensive knowledge of the genre. But just about every pun hits the mark. And it gives Arnie plenty of opportunities to do what he enjoys most, displaying his own image.
Last Action Hero is basically one long commentary on action movie clichés. All helpfully provided by Danny, when the film reenters our world, it achieves new and wondrous heights. Jack can actually feel pain, things don't just work out according to plan.
And in the film's most inspired moment, Jack meets the man who made him, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnie clearly enjoys riffing on his own image, enthusiastically endorsing Planet Hollywood, while his wife Maria Shriver looks off to the side in frustration.

Last Action Hero does sometimes feel like it has a few ideas too many (such as an animated cat in Jack's world) and it does perhaps go on longer than it needs to, but this is an exceptionally witty and very involving action movie parody. Packed with in-jokes, surprise cameos (Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick's are particularly inspired) and every joke in the book, Last Action Hero is a real unopened treasure.
It deserves high commendation indeed for having the guts to satirize one of Hollywood's biggest breadwinners. And if any genre deserves a bit of spoofing, its the self-important action genre.

''You wanna be a farmer? Here's a couple of acres!''

Pending Review...

Pending Review...

''My theory is that everyone is a potential murderer.''


A psychotic socialite confronts a pro tennis star with a theory on how two complete strangers can get away with murder... a theory which he plans to implement.

Farley Granger: Guy Haines

Ruth Roman: Anne Morton

Robert Walker: Bruno Anthony

Sadly Strangers is often overlooked when classic Hitchcock films like Rear Window, Vertigo, etc...are mentioned. People often see Rear Window as the first of the classic Hitchcock films that began with Window (1954) and ended with The Birds (1963). While both films, and all in between were truly great movies that come to mind first when the topic is raised, Strangers on a Train should be considered and included with them as well. It truly is a polished thriller in the grand Hitchcock fashion.

A famous tennis player with a serious marital problem gains a clingy friend in the guise of Bruno, a man who introduces himself into Guy's life when they meet on a train. He brings up the topic of murder, and how he'd like his father disposed of. He knows that Guy's wife is a terminal pain and nuisance who won't agree to a divorce and sees an opportunity to get both murders done without getting caught. Easy, the premise to switch murders! If each murder is done by the other man, an unconnected stranger who was met by chance and can't be linked to the crime in any way, then there's no way that either man can get caught. While this is discussed in a jokingly way by Guy, Bruno turns out to be dead serious and is determined to carry the plan out and put everything in motion, whether Guy is a willing participant or not.

A great idea from a genius director. This Strangers has all the black humour and great dialogue you've come to expect from Hitchcock, along with great acting, especially from Robert Walker as the sociopath Bruno, we discover from his mother that he once plotted to blow up the White House.

This film definitely starts the 1950's Hitchcock juggernaut, a smash hit that followed a number of box-office disappointment in the mid to late '40's. An interesting observation that many viewers will see and that many critics have mentioned is that the character of Bruno is obviously gay. It's not hard to spot.

Others in the cast included Leo G. Carroll, pretty Kasey rogers as the luckless wife, Marion Lorne Mrs. Anthon, Jonathan Hale as Bruno's father, Howard St. John as the police captain, John Brown, Norma Varden and Robert Gist. In this film the most outstanding and memorable quality is the detail moments, such as Bruno losing down a grate something he desperately needs, Patricia Hitcock's glasses, Bruno trying his strength at a carnival concession, the moment at the tennis match when everyone in the crowd is watching the ball and turning their heads back and forth except Bruno who is staring at Guy.
And Farley Granger was never better as a leading man than in this effort. This is an important work, I believe for Hitchcock.

Not to be overlooked and definately among Vertigo, Rear Window and his other greats.

Pending Review...

''Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts.''

A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.

Guy Pearce: Leonard

Memento is deeply psychological, as soon as it starts you can see in between the lines, the stylish layout and the Adult thriller Hitchcock-esque execution, that this is birthed from the mind of Nolan.
That being said Memento not only is derived from acclaimed Director Christopher Nolan but also Jonathan Nolan who wrote the short story Memento Mori.
Christopher does the Screenplay which to my opinion holds no faults, it's virtually flawless.

Carrie-Anne Moss as Natalie, and Joe Pantoliano as Teddy Gammell again show as they did in The Matrix that they have a knack for clamping down and getting roles in deep, challenging, twisty, intellectual pieces. Which also pretty much describes Memento to a small degree. They do a good job in showing no one can be trusted within the film and everyone raises more questions rather than answers.

''I always thought the joy of reading a book is not knowing what happens next.''

Guy Pearce the main focus and Leonard character of Memento, genuinely comes across as being a mysterious faceted three dimensional entity thanks to the mind bending script. Guy's narration really gives the film a gritty Film-Noir detective feel which really lifts Memento to dizzying heights.

We see his short term memory effortless put forth to us, we see his tattoos and his troubles state of mind. In this sense Nolan succeeds in using his tool Guy Pierce to as near success as heaven doth allow.

''I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different.''

So what is the plot that Memento offers us?
It consists of an emotional shock that results in unhinged revenge, Leonard Shelby is now piecing back the bits of remembered past?
Or is he?
Is he alive? If we agree that a person doesn't exist as an entity without memory, existing in a uncanny state of limbo, and that this dead Leonard is watching his life flash by. It's a genius question which for all us deep thinkers allows for us to theorize on our own conclusions.

As all the pieces start to come together in this jigsaw, at the climax yet in the narrative's ascending beginning, Leonard is denied all the usual action of a hero's benefits and indeed rewards reaped: Increased self-knowledge, knowledge of the world and the plot of occurrences.
He is given the answers at the start yet only remembers the questions. Leonard at the end is a more coherent character than at the beginning.

Is this due to the fact we've given a mass of information by then and think we know him and his situation better? Or is he, as his narrative progresses, getting vaguer, moving towards inertia, the catatonia that finally swamped his altar-ego Sammy Jankis.

Our problem is that the film comprises not one plot, but four, all fragmented, full of gaping black holes, all mediated by this character who knows nothing. One is Leonard's narrative as he sees it, as he tries to avenge his wife's murder. The second is told in monochrome flashback (or whatever this is called in a film that runs backward), mostly told in mysterious phone calls, and seem to flesh out the gaps missing in the first plot, but actually creates more. The third is the 'real' plot that may have something to do with cops, snitches, femmes fatales, or may be hallucinated, misremembered by Leonard, or simply planted there as cover for another plot, or may not even exist at all. The fourth is the story of Sammy, who suffered the same 'condition' as Leonard.

All four unique strains are obviously connected with each other to create a discordant vision, but each undermines the other.
In a relative sense, hell is here, and Leonard is in hell. We can only take the opening sequence, where Leonard stands holding a fading photograph over a dead man's bloody body as the only reliable image, and in this image, another, the snapshot, is slipping away, untouchable, like Leonard's memory, like the film, like Memento. It's ending is in a sense a rewinding of sorts.

''My wife deserves revenge, whether I know about it or not.''

Pending Review...

''Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave.''


Deckard, a blade runner, has to track down and terminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to earth seeking their maker...

Harrison Ford: Rick Deckard

Rutger Hauer: Roy Batty

Bladerunner is definitely one of the most visionary films I've ever had the pleasure to view, it's right up there with 2001 in being incredibly ahead of its time artistically, visually and idealistically. As an end product The Final Cut, Director's Cut & Theatrical, all feel ahead of their time, but I admit the final cut adds more tantilising questions and answers that will spark debate for many more years to come.

While 2001 presents a relatively light futuristic reality, Blade Runner is a dark dystopia overwhelmed with vast metropolises.

The wide shots of futuristic LA are both stunning in their visual representations and terrifying at the same time.
The numerous huge advertisements, show a world with capitalism run riot, not something terribly different from our reality, in this modern day. Blade Runner is over 20 years old but somehow it manages to be relevant and knock out other films these day's effortlessly.

Story-wise Blade Runner is a mixture of two of my favourite genres, film-noir and science fiction.
Would have liked to see more of Deckard's exploits, but there's vast amounts to satisfy my artistic and deep needs.
The issues of humanity that it raises are intriguing yet revolutionary, and The Final Cut leaves the ending ambiguous as to Deckard's true identity. In fact, it leaves the entire film ambiguous...does Roy know Deckard? Is Deckard the missing replicant? Or is he not? Again this will be open for debate for countless years, even Harrison and Ridley Scott have their own agendas to what is and what isn't.

This is one of the most stunning films I've seen.
The dark view of the future is achieved mostly by the terrific production design, something like 1940s lucid Los Angeles with a digital edgy gloss. Not only does it look great, but the design is flawless.
It makes sense that immigration is out of control and the future has become over populated and vast.
And the music, while obviously from Vangelis fits perfectly.

I don't remember ever being this blown away by a film upon first viewing and made to think on higher aspects of life in general.
it usually takes multiple viewings for a film to gain my love. As it stands, this is Ridley's Scott's take on answers and questions regarding existence, time and our fear of mortality and it's deathly touch.

Blade Runner is greatness that is deep and hypnotic in all it's glory.

(At the bus stop; a bus is coming)
Satsuki: Oh, boy, we made it.
Bus Conductor: (to passengers) Thank you. Thank you. (To Satsuki & Mei) getting on board or not?
Mei & Satsuki: (shake heads)
Bus Conductor: All right, let's go. (Bus departs.)
Mei: Daddy wasn't on that one, right?
Satsuki: I'm sure he'll be on the next one. Do you want to go back to Nanny's house and wait?

Satsuki: What's the matter?

Satsuki: Mei, you're sleepy.
Mei: Uh-uh.
Satsuki: Aw, come on now. I told you it might be a while. You don't want to go to Nanny's and wait? It won't be long. I'm sure the bus will come soon. Just hang in there. Well, I guess they were delayed, but I hope not. (picks up Mei) Come on.

(Totoro arrives)
Satsuki: I bet you're Totoro.
Totoro: (growls)
Satsuki: Oh we have another umbrella, if you want . (holds it out to him) Go ahead, take it. Come on, I'm going to drop Mei. (he takes it) You put it over your head, like that.

(Headlights approach)
Satsuki: The bus is here.

(Cat Bus arrives, and Totoro leaves)
Satsuki: Mei, wa- wasn't that umbrella he took with him Daddy's?

(Bus arrives)
Bus Conductor: Thank you.
Father: How nice of you to meet me.
Mei: Daddy!
Father: I'm sorry, but the train was late. That's why I missed the first bus. You weren't worried about me, were you?
Satsuki: I saw him, I saw him! He was right beside me at the bus stop!
Mei: Me, too! We saw Cat Bus, too!
Father: Uh, uh
Satsuki: Oh, gigantic arms!
Mei: Great big eyeballs!
Satsuki: It was scary!
Mei: And I was scared!
Satsuki: We saw Totoro!
Mei: We saw Totoro!
Satsuki: We saw Totoro!
Mei: We saw Totoro!
Satsuki: We saw him!



Deep in the countryside in the 1950s, a Tokyo university professor (Shigesato Itoi, Tim Daly) moves into a deserted old house with his two daughters, Satsuki (Noriko Hidaka, Dakota Fanning) and Mei (Chika Sakamoto, Elle Fanning). Though far from Tokyo, they're now closer to the Shichikokuyama Hospital, where Satsuki and Mei's mother is resident in as she recovers from an illness, likely to be tuberculosis. The old house and the surrounding farmland is quiet and almost deserted and as the girls explore their new home, they chase the soot spirits that were left in it up into the rafters but are themselves spooked by the acorns that fall down the attic steps towards them. That night, as Mei, Satsuki and their father bathe together in their new home, they laugh as loud as they can and the soot spirits scarper out through the roof, floating through the sky and past a great Camphor tree that grows outside. But something is sitting high in the branches of that tree and hooting into the night.

The next day, Satsuki goes to school and Mei is playing out in the yard when the spots a trail of acorns disappearing into the trees nearby. As she follows them into the trees, she sees a little white creature sprint across the garden before disappearing. As Mei looks around, it reappears and runs underneath the house and she follows it, not noticing that it sneaks out behind her along with a larger blue creature. Too late she sees them and runs after them, following them into the middle of a Camphor Laurel tree where she sees the biggest creature of all, who calls itself Totoro. When Satsuki arrives home and Mei is still missing, she and her father go in search of her little sister, finding her curled up in the forest and mumbling about Totoro, who, Mei thinks, will be there to take her and her sister on a magical journey if only she could find him again...

There are long, drawn-out scenes in the kitchen and in the family bath that you'd never catch in a Disney film.
The most beautiful scene of all is that of the two girls waiting at the bus stop for their father to come home from work. They must wait on screen for at least a few minutes or so.
It's astonishingly shocking and effective in its lack of activity. American filmmakers, who are always claiming that their animation is not just meant for children, still feel the need to pack every second of their movies with nonstop noise and action. Totorro, on the other hand, has the pacing you'd hope for if you moved out to the country. It's a simple, melancholy little film that just strikes me as so damn true to life itself.

I love the ''Those are Totorro Clouds." This is of course another example of the amazing drawing and animation in this movie. Beautiful interior shots with amazing detail. Great drawings of people, although I'll never understand why anime always includes the huge round eyes and the cavernous mouths. There's the one scene where the tree grows all the way up to the sky.

Only qualms would be the ending but only because i wanted more plus the interest was sometimes diluted by uninteresting scenes but these were few, another masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki.