My Favorite Movies

''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, incorporates 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 Kraków 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 Itshak 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. Itshak Stern and Oskar Schindler both truly come to the realization and importance of human life. As Itshak 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 Hauptsturmführer 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-''

''You just couldn't let me go could you? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. You truly are incorruptible aren't you? You won't kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness, and I won't kill you, because you're just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever.''

Batman and James Gordon join forces with Gotham's new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, to take on a psychotic bank robber known as The Joker, whilst other forces plot against them, and Joker's crimes grow more and more deadly.

Christian Bale: Bruce Wayne / Batman

Heath Ledger: The Joker

The Dark Knight basically begins from where Batman Begins left us last time. Things have changed and a new maniacal nemesis is at large. Cleverly we are instantly thrown into a ensuing bank robbery with some sharp modern music. The first segments of Dark Knight already firmly establish this is going to be a piece of unrivaled greatness.

When we get onto Batman and his antics we find that he has been imitated by others and his old friend Scarecrow is still up to no good, with shifty dealings. What follows are some brilliant action pieces blended with superb acting, with Actors of class under Nolan's direction being used to perfection.

Christian Bale as the dual identity Bruce & Batman, really shows us he's settled into the role. Giving a deep growling Batman with beast like grating tones and a seemingly unlimited strength and fury. As Bruce Wayne, on the outside to Gotham he's still that rich, complacent playboy who's living the life of luxury and at the same time burdening responsibilities and dark secrets.

Maggie Gyllenhall as Rachel Dawes was for me one of the surprises of Dark Knight. I'm sorry but she may be a fine actress but she just wasn't attractive enough, her acting isn't at all in question, it was bold. I reckon they should of stayed with Katie Holmes for this sequel, for then even the people that didn't like her in the role would be happy, considering the outcome at least. I on the one hand wasn't phased when push came to shove and said character was gone from play, in my mind she did start to slow down the film.

''Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I'm an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!''

Now Heath Ledger playing Joker, what can I say? Partly the huge success and interest has been due to this great Actor's performance being witnessed. After all this is Heath's last film he finished. Going on to his performance as Joker I have to say he is perfection, everytime he's on screen he's mesmerizing, every little thing he does which ranges from the sick depraved to the downright mad. Heath Ledger was a chameleon, a method actor, who had the ability to change, to shape himself into any part he played. Dark Knight is one of the finest examples of this, truly blasting Jack Nicholson's version apart and I guarantee an Oscar for him, or for his memory and in honour of this talent. I loved how immersed Heath had become in the Joker even giving us details to how his face had gotten into it's current state and his abusive childhood and father. Whenever we have a villain there is always a reason to how he got to that point and Nolan uses Heath to get this across effortlessly.
Joker never seized to make me laugh in appreciation despite what could be considered sick antics, I considered genius.
Who else could do a pen trick with someone's head? Dress as a nurse with a silencer in hand and his clownish face glistening? Hide in a body-bag to infiltrate a mob boss's joint? Who else could immortalize Batman's most famous nemesis Joker? Without a doubt Heath Ledger bar none.

''You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.''

Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two Face was a really interesting character. He played this politician extremely well, with all his good intentions and honourable ways, Harvey hides a dark side too. References to his coin are used regularly and help us understand the reasons for his later fascination with chance and luck deciding fate. I think Harvey Dent was covered nicely in this, getting across the whole growing hate he supposedly receives from Batman after he saves him and unfortunately Rachel isn't so lucky. Two-face, Harvey's alter-ego to my mind wasn't really that developed which is understandable given the amount of detail here to cram in and what with the Joker unleashed Nolan still does a top notch job. The effects on his face were breath-taking although I was starting to worry that Dark Knight maybe becoming unrealistic and veering towards more cartoony details in it's villains. But same with Batman Begins the Scarecrow was slightly more comic like and I found the whole realism in both Begins and Dark Knight to be a major achievement to me.

''Sometimes, truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.''

Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon really excelled in his role this time. Not only does Gordon have more to do but he's in this awesome trio of Harvey, Bats and himself working together to save and help Gotham. I'm really pleased Gary Oldman & Heath Ledger got to do a scene together too, not to mention Bale too. The chemistry they all share and the talent rocketed through anything and everything. Nolan cleverly keeps the aspect of Gordon's family being important to him and later we remember this, and it helps us relate to his character when things unravel.

Morgan Freeman & Michael Caine seem to have less to do this time round. With Caine taking most of the first half of the movie while Freeman takes the 2nd half to his chest.

The Dark Knight was everything I expected it to be and it's certainly the dark masterpiece I predicted, but I do get the feeling that it's been overly hyped for what it consists of. See it not just for Heath's performance which is a defining and immortalized, but also see it because Dark Knight is the greatest comic book/graphic novel to movie ever. DC comics & Warner Bros. must be beaming right now with this piece of gold.

Dark Knight really does have the last laugh. An astonishing achievement that really does follow up a masterpiece. Let's face it, a sequel is coming, without the need to get Two-Face to call it for us, we know it's coming Nolan.

Perfection.

''Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.''

''The man who can wield the power of this sword can summon to him an army more deadly than any that walks this earth. Put aside the ranger. Become who you were born to be. Take the Dimholt Road.''

[In Elvish]

''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. I recall seeing it at the cinema and despite my disappointment at Saruman being cut from the theatrical version and others, including certain Witch King scenes plus The Mouth Of Sauron at the Black Gate which I loved in the book. Despite these missing the film had me glued for it's three hour duration from start to finish.

The Mouth of Sauron: My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome. Is there any in this rabble with authority to treat with me?
Gandalf: We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed. Tell your master this: the armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return.

Be it the 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 nevertheless I admit this scene is great cinema and really sells the pure adrenaline and emotion of Aragorn's beginning transformation into a King through his impending fight against Evil, against Sauron.

Like 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 battle. But King really is faceted 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 fight even thought 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. The special effects, notably Gollum again, are nothing less than breathtaking, and simply move the story along. The battles are monumentally huge and exciting. There are 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 was handled. After the greatest moment of the series resolves itself, the story provided a breather. And gives a good-bye to friends seen on screen for the last three years. It was truly a bittersweet feeling in realizing that there will be no''Rings" movie for 2004. I will miss this talented group and magical escape.

At this point everyone has come to know and love all of the characters, and the stakes have become tremendously high. Kingdoms are at their knees, and the only two characters who can save the day are getting weaker and weaker. The tension was very high in this episode 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 giant spider)that made this the classic that it is sure to stay for decades to come.

''Sauron will not have forgotten the sword of Elendil. The blade that was broken shall return to Minas Tirith.''

This is the longest of the series, mostly because of the ending that seems to last a while, albeit slightly warped from the book(The Book had a Shire incident with Saruman at its peak). This was a good ending, and we can 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, there have been the extended cuts of course, but after that, it's all over. Peter Jackson gave us an ending that was both appropriate and admirable.

Much to my satisfaction the Extended Version of Return of the King capitalizes on the already perfect theatrical version and dressing it with details sadly missing previously. What we then have are the scenes with Saruman, the Witch King parts and the Mouth of Sauron back in which I mentioned were missing. Also more material from the book to do with Faramir and Pippin, Sam and Frodo's mishaps in Mordor and their disguises as Orcs and Aragorn looking finally into the Palantir to make himself known and seen to Sauron is particularly captivating and effective.

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

For me a film can never be too long or too short, and rarely when you get a film as incredible as King do you want it to end. I know I didn't, it's magical and mesmerising, 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 pardon the pun very precious.

A true masterpiece from Peter Jackson and his crew and cast fulfill his vision, Howard Shore utilizes the Score and adds to the beauty that is Return of the King.

Sam: There and Back Again: A Hobbit's Tale by Bilbo Baggins, and The Lord of the Rings by Frodo Baggins. You finished it.
Frodo: Not quite. There's room for a little more.

''It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth. I don't really know what the truth is. I don't suppose anybody will ever really know. Nine of us now seem to feel that the defendant is innocent, but we're just gambling on probabilities - we may be wrong. We may be trying to let a guilty man go free, I don't know. Nobody really can. But we have a reasonable doubt, and that's something that's very valuable in our system. No jury can declare a man guilty unless it's SURE. We nine can't understand how you three are still so sure. Maybe you can tell us.''

A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

Henry Fonda: Juror #8

12 Angry Men is obviously one of the best films in existence. It is proof that, for a film to be great, it does not need extensive scenery or luscious locations, elaborate costumes or fancy effects, merely perfect acting all in one room.
The twelve angry men are the twelve jurors of a murder case. An eighteen-year-old boy from a slum background is accused of stabbing his father to death and faces the electric chair if found guilty. Eleven of the men believe the boy to be guilty, only one man(Henry Fonda) has doubts. Can he manage to convince the others as well?

The court case provides only a framework, however. The film's greatness lies in its bringing-together of twelve different men who have never met each other before and the interaction of their characters as each man brings his own background and life experiences into the case. Thus, we have the hesitant football coach (Martin Balsam), the shy, uncertain bank clerk (John Fiedler), the aggressive call company director (Lee J. Cobb), the authoritative broker (E.G. Marshall), the self-conscious slum dweller (Jack Klugman), the solid, dependable painter (Edward Binns), the selfish salesman (Jack Warden), the calm, collected architect (Fonda), the thoughtful, observant older man (Joseph Sweeney), the racially bigoted garage owner (Ed Begley), the East European watchmaker (George Voskovec) and the beefcake advertising agent (Robert Webber) who has plenty of chat and little else.

Juror #10: Bright? He's a common ignorant slob. He don't even speak good English.
Juror #11: Doesn't even speak good English.

Almost the entirety of the film, takes place in merely one room, the jury room, where the men have retired to consider their verdict. The viewer finds him or herself sweating it out with the jury as the heat rises, literally and metaphorically, among the men as they make their way towards their final verdict. Interestingly, the jurors (apart from two at the end) are never named. They do not need to be. Their characters speak for themselves.

Henry Fonda is eminently suitable and excellently believable as the dissenter who brings home the importance of a jury's duty to examine evidence thoroughly and without prejudice. Joseph Sweeney is delightful as Juror No. 9, the quiet but shrewd old man who misses nothing, whilst E.G. Marshall brings his usual firmness and authority to the role of Juror No. 4. All the actors shine but perhaps the best performance is that of Lee J. Cobb as Juror No. 3, the hard, stubborn, aggressive, vindictive avenger who is reduced to breaking down when forced to confront the failure of his relationship with his own son.
Several of the stars of '12 Angry Men' became household names. Henry Fonda continued his distinguished career until his death in 1982, as well as fathering Jane and Peter. Lee J. Cobb landed the major role of Judge Henry Garth in 'The Virginian'. E.G. Marshall enjoyed a long, reputable career on film and t.v., including playing Joseph P. Kennedy in the 'Kennedy' mini-series. Jack Klugman was 'Quincy' whilst John Fiedler voiced Piglet in the 'Winnie The Pooh' films and cartoons.

''One man is dead. Another man's life is at stake. If there is a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused, a reasonable doubt, then you must bring me a verdict of Not Guilty. If, however, there's no reasonable doubt, then you must, in good conscience, find the accused Guilty.''

Oscar-winning cinematographer Boris Kaufman focuses in on the heart of what director Sidney Lumet and writer Reginald Rose are attempting to convey to the audience through the brilliant acting of all concerned. Watch as the jurors vote to make it six to six. The camera hones in for just the right lighting, facial expression, and angle to show the anguish and torment in the souls of these twelve angry men. It flashes to the key juror #8(Fonda) from time to time at just the right moment for the full effect of his deep conviction that the eighteen year old should have a fair consideration of all the evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty of killing his father. The use of shade and shadow, especially when the thunder storm crackles outside is used to show the tempest that rages inside the jury room. The heat that eventually makes even juror #4(Marshall) sweat, complements the pressure of the arguments and debates the atmosphere throughout the single room.

Twelve Angry Men is actually based upon a television play. These were transmitted live back in the 1950s because the video tape didn't exist back then, so we can speak of theater. The movie itself has very much the same feel to it. I like the interactiveness between the actors and the modern theater performance, used back then. In recent movies we can see all too often an actor caring about his/her facial expressions when filmed and caring about the voice at the studio dubbing stage. In this film everything, you see and hear looks 100% natural.
I am especially overwhelmed by the values transmitted by the main characters. Honest Hank (Henry Fonda) is of course the most likeable character. E.G. Marshall stands out as well. But it's the great, late Lee J. Cobb who runs away with the movie in his final scene. Very powerful.
All this is simultaneous with a musical score by Kenyon Hopkins that matches mood to action in a perfect blend of all essential elements making this one of the best Hollywood films ever.

''However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous. In the event you find the accused 'Guilty', the bench will not entertain a recommendation for mercy. The death sentence is mandatory in this case. You're faced with a grave responsibility. Thank you, gentlemen.''

''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.''

''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.''

''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.''

''My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.''

When a Roman general is betrayed and his family murdered by a corrupt prince, he comes to Rome as a gladiator to seek revenge.

Russell Crowe: Maximus

Joaquin Phoenix: Commodus

Epic, dramatic, heart-wrenching, action packed and dramatic. Ridley Scott's roman historical masterpiece, forget the still good but flawed kingdom of heaven this is the one to watch.

Russel Crowe gives his best performance of his career. The late Richard Harris and Oliver Reed give high performances and a quality that shines timeless etherality. Joaquin Phoenix is an equal cold maddened son who's hunger and thirst for power is a vision to see.

''At my signal, unleash hell.''

A tale of redemption of a man fighting for good. A cause bigger than himself and to overthrow a tyrant obstructing the birth a republic. Revel in the violence, behold it's beauty and magnificence, wasn't a doubt in my mind that Ridley Scott would reap the rewards of his efforts and win awards galore. People who criticize this film are the same people that ridiculed Blade Runner, Alien, and my message to them is to get stuffed, thats as polite as i can put it.
Gladiator features some wonderful cinematography by John Mathieson. The battle scenes are very graphic. (This movie is not for the squeamish, that's for sure.) There were some scenes in particular that really struck me, such as when Crowe appears to be floating over the ground very fast. The use of colour and colour tones added a great deal to the mood of the movie. Excellent.
The script was being written and re-written as the filming was going on, yet it doesn't show that the actors had no idea how the movie was going to end when they began filming. The acting is terrific. Russell Crowe is wonderfully cast as Maximus. Many reviewers agree that he is now officially a star. Joaquin Phoenix also proves his mettle as the emotionally troubled Commodus, whose behavior and emotion toward his sister could give anyone the creeps. Connie Nielsen makes you believe that, as Lucilla, she really is torn between natural loyalty to her brother and doing what she knows is right. Oliver Reed, in his last performance, is memorable in his role of Proximo, the former gladiator who is the owner of Maximus and brings him to Rome. In short, the actors were brilliant in their roles, not over-acting, but giving subtle, strong performances.

''I don't pretend to be a man of the people. But I do try to be a man for the people.''

The fights staged in Gladiator are masterful set pieces; stylized and captured gloriously. However, the fighting in Gladiator is not unrealistic; it's graphic and bloody. The warriors who battle each other are not super-men, they are normal men, real fighters, who get bashed and beat up at every turn. These soldiers combat in a truly gritty way, they are warriors who need to smell and rub their hands in the earth they battle upon. Chief amongst these mortal combatants is Russell Crowe's, a hero of mythological stance, whose raw aggression on the battlefront, coupled with his powerful expressions (combating and not combating, his silent moments from his execution to his first brawl in the arena are his best) and compelling heroics earned him a well earned Oscar.
These battle-scenes of Gladiator are, of course, extremely well tended to by Ridley Scott who is the master at crafting epic war scenarios (see, I told you fanboy-praise would sneak its way in!). The patient, slow pacing of the film seems to take a sudden halt here, and then fast-forward in an amazingly rapid-fire pace with quick shots, swinging swords, vivid skies and a great score by Hans Zimmer to further emphasize the dramatic mood.
The very culmination of this is not at the end, but rather early. It is the moment that Maximus removes his helmet, reveals his identity and faces the emperor, after a long and ferocious battle. It is a scene so poignant that I always wish it would have been saved until later on in the film, thereby giving it even more weight. But no matter, because rest assured that it is goosebumps-inducing enough.
A gloriously entertaining, heartfelt and carefully crafted war adventure by Ridley Scott in which little feels missing or incomplete. What more could you ask for? Great acting from the cast I suppose, well, this is also present in Gladiator. Best of all, the actors have good dialogue to work with so they don't choke on the dated lines. Russell Crowe propels this film with his heroic personality, Connie Nielsen adds introspective depth, and Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as the twisted but idealist emperor Commodurus.

Gladiator is visually stunning; it is the work of a master craftsman. It is also emotionally intriguing, something some Scott films lack. Its soul-searching music (applause to Hans Zimmer) and its ambitious, gorgeous view of the after-life are beautiful. Its truly gritty-edge give it a dirty, gruesome magnificence.

One of my fave films of all times, one i have watched countless times. Near the beginning in the forests was filmed near my relatives too and I've been. Simply breathtaking scope and settings and the music hits your soul.

I am certainly entertained.

''What we do in life echoes in eternity.''

''Your life is defined by its opportunities... even the ones you miss.''

Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.

Brad Pitt: Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is nothing short of genius. A genius to be expected of a seasoned visionary director such as David Fincher. In the past Fincher has given us the greatest stories and films that have ever graced the screen. Whether it be Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, under-rated Panic Room, or even the drab Alien3,(which still had glorious potential) all of his works are ones that make you think, ones that capture your attention and make you work them out, a puzzle of the greatest magnitude which involves you using the old grey matter. It comes as no surprise that Fincher's latest is perhaps the most romanticized, most glorious attempt at Fincher explaining life in a curious fable about a fictionalized character, from a short story.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a story of imagination, yet it's also a story of the raw unrelenting harshness that is nature, life and the confines of time itself. The premise being that a clock is made by a father whom loses his son during WW1, which ticks backwards, to grant the power to bring back all the ones who died, like his son, to counteract the harsh unrelenting merciless time which is forever pushing forward. Button asks us what if time went backwards for a person?

As events occur, Benjamin Button is shown to us, abandoned by a grieving father, whom loses his wife during the birth, we find he's different. Benjamin is born old. Ironically he is given to a family whom reside in an old peoples home, Benjamin is ultimately different in the sense he starts his journey as an Old wrinkled scrap of a human being. Subject to all the ravishes of time.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button greatest achievements not only lie with the main story but within it's sub plots, it's whimsical sequences such as a man getting hit by lightening various times to symbolize life throwing unpredictable obstacles at us, in showing that life and random occurrences, are ones of unfathomable, unstoppable power.
The characters and locations also make life what it is. The same can be said of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, it's a journey of the most imaginative kind, of originality and flair which breathes tragedy and loss into a truthful resolution of realistic yet fantastical happenings.

''My name is Benjamin Button, and I was born under unusual circumstances. While everyone else was agin', I was gettin' younger... all alone.''

Performance wise, the whole cast add pure professionalism to every frame on display within The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Brad Pitt shines as Benjamin Button, although his performance is blurred by some dazzling effects of aging and even smoothing out to appear younger later on, he excels in showing us a very complex character. He's a man who's alone in the world, alone in the sense he's aging backwards unlike anyone else. We the audience oblige him by relating to his situation, I know I did. Who can say they don't feel alone in the unforgiving pacing of our lives. Not alot I would conclude, Brad Pitt makes us believe and feel for Benjamin, he makes us take the road and journey ultimately with him every step of the way.
Cate Blanchett as Daisy, is simply another effortless masterpiece of acting from a dizzying queen of the screen. I've lost count of the number of masterpieces Blanchett has graced the screen for, her talent unrivaled and dizzyingly effective, she is beautiful in youth, beautiful in her aged appearances effectively making us feel for her as much as we feel for Benjamin. This isn't just a story of his but a story of Daisy, whom we feel for, we experience with and our hearts float toward.
This is their story, a duo tale of two souls, both beginning from different parts of life. Benjamin starting off old, Daisy young, when they meet in the middle it's wonderfully romantic yet short lived, a frozen moment of happiness for the two, Pitt & Blanchett make us believe this is a surreal yet real occurrence of love, tested by a sick joke of nature, of time.
Other fine supporting roles definitely deserving a mention would be Tilda Swinton, Jared Harris, and Elle Fanning. They all simply add wonder to the imaginative array of assortment.

Overall, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button has 13 Oscar Nominations and a further 47 Award Nominations in general, and it's not hard to see why. This sort of rareness only comes about in a blue moon. This is Fincher's perspective and strike upon what the purpose of life is, and it's delicately dressed up as a fantasy bi-opic of mythical proportions. Fincher cleverly uses a reversed idea of time, a symbolic usage of Buttons connecting life together, reflecting people gluing events and one man together, memories and chain reactions all eclipsing regret yet warming it with their embrace. Nearly everything The Curious Case of Benjamin Button gives us is a metaphors or symbols for deeper ideologies. Ideologies that transcend simple explanation, that require re-thinking, pondering, discussion and time to reflect upon, reflect on all angles available.
David Fincher has buttoned together a masterpiece and a story that is unlike anything ever seen on the Big Screen. This is the cleverest fantastical way of showing life for what it truly is, too capture on screen the struggle of keeping love, of sacrificing it, and of losing a loved one, and ultimately accepting it, like in turn we must accept our own fate. Time being a perception and illusion, an invention of ourselves to label our own existence.

''Benjamin, we're meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?''

''Together we will live forever.''

The Fountain is one of the deepest movies I've ever had the pleasure to witness. If you follow it through to its conclusion and are open minded, a deep thinker then it becomes gratifyingly mind-blowing. As for the tree of life and Izzi's book, is it real? Is she the tree? Or maybe Tom and Izzi are both a combined element of the tree in the end, the Tree representing or being their eternal love in essence them.

Guess the main message is accepting death and its hard to lose a loved one. I could watch this film over and over, and still pick up different ideas from it. People will understand this film one day, maybe when were more evolved mentally, we've all closed our minds.

I think to the best of my ability I understand The Fountain now. I accept what other people think because end of the day I'm in awe of something that is unlike most material, that isn't afraid of being hated by a religious or material obsessed public. Always seems whatever card you play, the more stupid people become. The tree she is, he is, entwined in love. Some people think this film is about death or life, that it is sad, the truth is in between, death is the road to awe.

''I'm sorry father, for you there is only death. But our destiny is life!''

Death as a means of life, falls on deaf ears in todays zombie-like society. All in our little boxes or one track thoughts. We want a movie that has a basic plot, simple characters, that forever keep changing titles but in essence end up all the same. Well I don't want that, thats why Fountain is so special to me because it explores the whole notion of Death, Rebirth and Love, not to mention the difficult process of losing a loved one and how we would do anything to save them. In essence sometimes we can't change something that's destined to happen, which begs for the old acceptance and to let the river run its course which remains the real message. The Fountain is neither stereotypically happy or sad to me, in the end its resolute, a simple Zen-like fable bordering on rebirth and love eternal.

The parts played beautifully by Hugh Jackman and Rachael Weisz and the love they feel for each other is for me genuinely believable. One scene near the end where he is looking at her like an embodiment of memories, of realities where the Queen Isabella and Izzy merge, is wondrous to behold. Which begs me to wonder if the book Izzi writes isn't something made up from her imagination but one where she has remembered a previous life. Queen Isabella being one of he incarnations. Aztec beliefs also strangely mirror Buddhist ideas in a ''Death is the road to Awe'' sacrificial sense, underlining First Father and Rebirth. Which also makes me think the future Tom, is he not Tom at all or the embodiment of First Father. In essence is he First Father?

''All these years, all these memories, there was you. You pull me through time.''

Darren Aronofsky is a genius and the greatest film-maker of our time. He is a visionary, and one of the greatest unique script writers out there. Hugh Jackman's performance ranks among the greatest male screen performances in unappreciated movie history. Rachel Weisv is amazing, as is Ellen Burnstyn, and Sean Patrick Thomas. Clint Mansell teams up with The Kronos Quartet and the Scottish rock band Mogwai to bring us some of the most beautiful and epic music I have ever experienced upon thy ears. Matthew Libatique's cinematography is breath taking too making a worthy companion to the rendition of sound. It is so simple, yet so effective and so hypnotic. Jay Robinowitz deserves special mention here because the story is so well put together it flows, and as an editor myself, I can understand how hard that must have been. The three time lines weave in and out of each other flawlessly.

Darren Aronofsky has a talent for looking at things that I think is so close to my own reflection and thoughts on higher things. Upon reflection Fountain is very similar to Requiem but does it in a more spiritual approach.

Darren's fascination with Mortality has always been there, just go back to Pi with the conversation at that Coffee Shop concerning the Tree Of life. The Fountain will cut Movie Lovers down the middle one half thinking it's cult inducing hippy trash about some bald guy in a bubble and the other half truly seeing it for the deep visual entrancing Journey of one man's struggle with Death, in a race against time to try to save his wife.

A masterpiece of Film Fountain belongs with 2001 and even Requiem for it's higher meaningful depictions. Each time I watch it there's always another piece, another juicy mesmerizing question raised that I didn't see before.

''Our bodies are prisons for our souls. Our skin and blood, the iron bars of confinement. But fear not. All flesh decays. Death turns all to ash. And thus, death frees every soul.''

Overall, The Fountain uses each three segments and strands of the singular story to represent and reflect one another. A Grand Inquisitor begins to mirror Izzi's cancer, the future Tom mirroring life going on for the living, the present Tom having to go on with existence. The tree dying being one and the same as the situation of the dying wife. The Fountain is an answer and rubix cube of a cycle, the cycle being death and life. When we see each reality most will interpret these three strains as singular paths of different existence. The only one of relevance linking them all together is the present, the past one being Izzi's mind. When we come to the end sequence, it shows us something mind blowing that's hard to comprehend, and also something that is a revelation of the film's ultimate answer.

It's answer being not one of eternal life, rather one of mortality, struggle and acceptance yet again. Izzi shows us in her book, Tom's past mind set, one of unrelenting unwavering head long brashness. Hence why he drinks from the tree of life he is consumed by it, unready. Yet in this act Tom and Izzi's minds connect future with past, catching present in the middle in harmonic proportions. The answer that remains is that memories, love, death, and time are impossible to fight, quite like swimming up river, fighting against the current, when really you should be going with the flow. With The Fountain, my advice, go with the flow, and reap the rewards.

''Death is the road to awe.''

''I told you, only truth. For 20 years, I sought only this day. Nothing else existed... until I saw you. Then everything changed. I fell in love with you Evey. And to think I no longer believed I could.''

A shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally and maybe a companion.

Natalie Portman: Evey

Hugo Weaving: V

''The only verdict is vengeance, a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain.''

Set in a fascist controlled Britain, V is inspired by the graphic novel by Alan Moore. Resulting in this superb grand masterpiece.

Scarily enough it also has parallels with what is actually happening now, and how this country really is on the same spiraling road into a hell of its own making. Notice the Gordon Brown look alike, the dictator Police-State, the controlling system, propaganda laden News and Terrorists being blamed for the own Governments evil doings. It's thought provoking aspects like these that make V a very interesting piece indeed. This paralleled state of existence not far from our blurry own.

The plot of V for Vendetta is surprisingly complex and expertly stitched together, and I don't want to divulge any juicy details.

Suffice it to say that a masked anarchist (Hugo Weaving) must save a young woman (Natalie Portman) during his attempt to expose a corrupt flawed government. Weaving is perfectly cast, using his formidable physicality and imposing voice to give gravitas to the insanity of the character.
Hugo Weaving although unseen behind the mask shows depth in his masked vigilante V, he portrays his emotion and passion.
Portman has gone from child to teen star and is finally emerging as a talented, adult actress following her Oscar-nominated turn in Closer, which I have yet to see. Here, she gives her best performance to date as the orphaned, Evey.
John Hurt is characteristically impressive as the enigmatic evil government leader, who's more of a dictator than a PM. Stephen Rea gives a wonderful supporting turn as the police inspector charged with finding V - before it's too late. Making us see a flip side and narration to proceedings.

''Strength through unity. Unity through faith.''

The Wachowski Brothers former colleague, James McTiegue, takes on the directing tasks here and steers an enormously impressive first feature, using every means available, in a manner reminiscent of his mentors breakout hit The Matrix. Unlike Matrix, McTiegue allows the story to be more of a focus, and as a result the film is a tense yet emotional storm, with outbursts of spectacularly filmed and choreographed action. Showing more maturity and restraint than the Wachowskis ever did, McTiegue doesn't show off, and his trickery isn't self conscious. When slow-motion overtakes a late action sequence, it seems extremely natural yet believable. The late cinematographer Adrian Biddle (V is dedicated to his memory) does an outstanding job, Oscar-nominated Dario Marianelli's score is a fantastic accompaniment to the piece, setting your emotions ablaze like V, and the visual effects are astonishing, terrifying, and deeply moving, especially in the climatic moments.

With solid acting, great action, and fantastic technical wizardry, it sounds just like another Matrix clone. But the biggest difference in V is that it is a story of real ideas - not a fantastic, science fiction creation, but a genuine examination of the human condition. The power of fear takes center stage here, the fear of war, of disease, of famine. Fear is a basic human nature, and has been exploited as a weapon, a method of control, for centuries. And for those who would use it against the innocent, a masked avenger waits in the shadows to deal justice and vengeance.

There was also a strange debate over the quality of adaptation the Wachowski Brothers offered to Alan Moore's original graphic novel. Moore has publicly separated himself from the film, quoting in the New York Times at the time, that ''the screenplay's rubbish''. Well, before we all walk away from the project, remember primly that Alan Moore will be the first to tell you himself that he is a selfish, pretentious prick. He knows it, we know it, enough said. Moving on... The screenplay's fine which you may have determined from what I have said already. In fact, it's again a masterpiece, and I cannot stress this fact enough. What the Wachowski Brothers have done is find the right balance between the theatrics of the graphic novel, and the solemnity to the richly Victorian narrative. They form a dynamic that plays to both sides, allowing for a story that sparks both political debate and giddy entertainment. We'll first shake our heads at the sentimental, soft-focus flashbacks and intriguing sub-plot for nuclear human experimentation but when mulled over, we realize it's just the comic book mentality showing its true colours. After all, V wouldn't start all his sentences with v-words had this film shunned its comic roots.

''A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. A symbol, in and of itself is powerless, but with enough people behind it, blowing up a building can change the world.''

Revolutionary, thought provoking, V for Vendetta isn't just a comic book/graphic Novel adaptation but a political stab at the world we live in. Yet again a powerful idea can prove the most moving aspect! Music is atmospheric and the scene with Natalie in the rain with arms held up in a pose of rebirth is phenomenal. Makes me shudder with the combined piece of music, very emotional.
Ideas are bulletproof, So says V, I say this film is bulletproof. Thought id add to this review with a proper analysis concluding its greatness and my love for it.
Remember remember the 5th of November! Classic film through and through and definitely a favourite film. V for Vendetta is a vividly vivacious and voluptuous volley of very violent proceedings.

One man's variable quest for Vengeance.

''People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.''

''A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, you become something else entirely.''

''Which is?''

''A legend, Mr. Wayne.''

The story of Bruce Wayne and how he becomes Batman. A fresh start, a new awakening...

Christian Bale: Bruce Wayne / Batman

Michael Caine: Alfred

Liam Neeson: Henri Ducard

''Are you ready to begin?''

Dark, focused and a return to form for batman thanks to Christopher Nolan. Mesmerizing how it tells the origin of batman afresh an conveys a sense of darkness and emotional attachment to the main protagonist.

Amazing settings and locations, in the middle of no-where,Tibet-style Asia journeying. A man trying to find his destiny, ultimately a way to vent justice and bring a sense of self worth to his existence.
Losing his parents and becoming lost as his thirst for revenge is ruined and claimed by another. He disappears from Gotham his home...to search the world for answers, for purpose.

Batman Begins features some of the most compelling scenes ever done in a film I've seen.
A car chase that pits the Dark Avenger in a colossus of a vehicle against Gotham's police. Cleverly it manages to be thrilling, tense and yet at the same time comical, for example the police making quirky amusing comments on the chase or Batman's car/tank size or ability to jump rooftops. Highly entertaining.

Another incredible sequence between Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow/Crane and Batman sees his lethal toxin used against him. We are treated to a terrifying vision of the Dark hero through Cranes eyes. A demonic creature of the night, an oozing dark eyed monstrous being.

Christian Bale truly makes the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne his own. Nolan choosing his muse English Star Bale, also doing Prestige round near the same time, was the beginning of a triumphant reboot of a fading franchise.

We have Gary Oldman too as Sergeant Gordon, a later ally of Batman in Begins and another example of genius inspired casting. His ''borrowing'' of Batman's tank is as amusing as the first time he sees it. Not to mention the beautiful scene where Bale uses an emitting device to call his bats that precedes Gordon's arrival and the chase.

Not forgetting sensational legend Michael Caine as Alfred who provides another sparkle and quality to Batman Begins.

''Haven't given up on me yet Alfred?''

''Never.''

Just strikes a chord with me everytime the accuracy of the bonds between characters, the level of raw emotion and love, especially Bale & Caine, or Bale & Rachel, who just click on every level.
The same can be said of Morgan Freeman's Lucius Fox. Caine and Freeman can always guarantee a film with impact as well as quality and cause smiles then charm audiences with witty dialogue.
I even loved Katie Holmes in this as Rachel Dawes, who did her part to the best of her ability but was picked on by critics due to her being with such a strong assembled cast.

Nolan's masterpiece puts a realistic vantage point on the dark hero. Giving twists and a more human, more believable nemesis who bonds with our hero on many levels. Making an impending final battle even more powerful.
Liam Neeson does an excellent job in this capacity. Hard, cold and idealistic as a mentor turned against pupil twist.
The beginning half of the film was sheer perfection for me. Liam Neeson and Christian Bale really sent shivers down me in all their glory, the sheer emotion and rage, dedication and ideology, fear and strength really struck a chord with me.

Cinematography, score, music, action all effortlessly executed, all pulled of by Nolan to perfection. Not even Burton's iconic take on Batman that I grew up with could stand up to this new improved revamped, Dark, Playboy by day, Bat Avenger by night, hero.

Thus Batman Begins leaving us with the calling card of the Joker and Gordon immortalizing line,''I never said thank you.'' Followed by Batman's reply,''And you will never have to.''
Batman Begins begs us, taunts us for a sequel. Nolan did his job so well that in the end it was truly inevitable.
A certain Dark Knight, pardon the pun, definitely was on the cards.

''It's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me''

''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.''

''God is great...''

The story of the life of an impoverished Indian teen Jamal Malik, who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?", wins, and is then suspected of cheating.

Dev Patel: Jamal Malik

Winner of the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival, Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan's radical Slumdog Millionaire is the feel-good story of an orphaned, street-wise young man trying to strike gold on India's version of the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" while hoping that the girl he has loved since childhood is watching. Based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup and supported by the stunning cinematography of Anthony Dod Mantle and the music of A.R. Rahman, Slumdog shows us the chaos of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) India where it was filmed. Submerging the viewer in a cacophony of colour and sound, the camera swoops and swirls in an often dizzying pace, taking us from the desolation of back alleys and garbage dumps to modern high rises and the fantastic beauty of the Taj Mahal.

Boyle has nine different non-professional actors in three different time frames, each faithfully representing their character as they grow and develop. In the opening scene, the hero Jamal Malik, brilliantly performed by Dev Patel, is being questioned by Police Inspector (Irrfan Khan) who simply cannot understand how a mere slumdog like Jamal, without any education, can answer question after question on the game show without resorting to lying or cheating. In a city of 13 million people where the police know they can get away with almost anything, the methods of torture used to extract a confession are graphically displayed. With Jamal, however, they only succeed in uncovering the deeper layers of his character as the film flashes back to specific incidents in his life that reveal how his knowledge was gained by personal experience.

He knows, for example, that the star of the 1973 film Zanjeer was Amitabh Bachchan, because he was his favourite actor/idol as a little boy and was willing to cover himself with filthy excrement just to get his autograph. Built on memory, the film relives Jamal's life from the death of his mother, to his entry into service to a cynical gangster who turns street children into blind beggars, reminding us of the millions of third-world children, not as lucky as Jamal, who fight against unending poverty each day. Jamal is fortunate to have allies, however: his brother Salim(Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) and Latika (Rubina Ali), another orphan that Jamal becomes attached to form the "Three Musketeers", ready to do battle with the world.
Salim reminding me of a City Of God result for his character, whom inevitably also redeems himself, while showing God as a salvation for greed and killing.

Though circumstances lead the three into different areas when they become adults, Salim (Madhur Mittai) into the criminal underworld, Latika (Freida Pinto) to be "kept" by a rich man, and Jamal to become a "chai wallah", a server of tea to telemarketers, Jamal does not give up, knowing that his life is governed by destiny, fate and ruled by unending love. Using their wits to survive, the funniest scene is when Jamal and Salim find themselves as tour guides at the Taj Mahal, inventing stories about the history of the building that are probably as true as the official versions in the brochures. The center of the film, however, revolves around Jamal's contesting for millions of rupees on the game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", not necessarily to become rich but to woo Latika whom he knows is a fan of the show.

We cheer for Jamal to win his fortune and most importantly, to get his love back. While we are aware that the story is an unlikely fantasy, we also know that as barriers between individuals and nations break down and the world moves toward a greater sense of unity, the distinction between what is possible is broken down into a singularity. Slumdog Millionaire, may or may not be the best film of the year, but with headlines telling us daily that the economy is dying, and that climate change threatens our very existence, a film that is a pure celebration of life is welcomed with open arms. Danny Boyle gives us his best film yet.

''Whose fucking baby is that?''

A Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, then must retrace their steps in order to find him.

Bradley Cooper: Phil Wenneck

Well, well, well...I think there is so many things to write about The Hangover that I feel a sly smirk spread across my face as I contemplate the possible ways of explaining the experience in a detailed reviewed analysis. Just think, you go in expecting something funny but come out with something unique, intelligent and a storyline that isn't just funny but has a killer soundtrack and addictive watchable quality.
The other thing that amazed me about The Hangover was the amount of cameos and people that pop up during the escapade, even the appearance of a random tiger, and a baby.

The cast is one of those casts that isn't strictly well known, but this is a good thing, the main guys are strangely charismatic and we warm to them instantly as we follow them on their journey to Las Vegas. The music and the scenery merge together and the time seamlessly streams on effortlessly making for such a pleasurable film it becomes a joy rather than a chore. The Hangover cleverly starts off, by dropping us in the future and then zips us back in time to the trip the boys take to Vegas.
SO plot wise to explain, Doug Billings played by Justin Bartha (National Treasure sidekick) is taken on a stag do by his strange mates and future bearded brother in law. This is the normal part...introducing us to the characters.
Bradley Cooper is Phil Wenneck (Alias series),Ed Helms is Stu Price, and
Zach Galifianakis is Alan Garner. These men will make you piss your pants with pleasure, and still the belly laughs keep coming.
Other appearances include Mike Tyson, Ken Jeong and Heather Graham to name but a few who really give the film a surreal sort of awakening in the mists of crazy Las Vegas.

''No, it's a satchel... Indiana Jones has one.''

Another clever aspect about The Hangover is that thanks to the clever way it tells the story switching back and forth and not giving us the whole picture right away, we the audience begin to feel just as at a loss as the main protagonists. This means we are interested to find out where there lost friend is, where the chicken and tiger came from, where the hell a random baby popped up from in their hotel closet. Alan Garner making the baby wank...was so hilarious...A moment that was so wrong but it just worked...still crying from the memory.
The Hangover is a feel good film, probably saying this is an understatement but if you like your humour abit on the shady side, abit of crudeness mixed with a jumble of violent and chaotic chases, then The Hangover is definitely for you. As the movie goes along we see the characters evolve and we rejoice in their happy outcomes, we see them find out what happened, we see them fill in the blanks, and we laugh at WHAT did happen.

Overall, I feel The Hangover is one of the funniest films I've seen this year and I doubt if any others can rival it. Granted it may have competition from the controversial Bruno but I doubt it. This is fun, this is a tight knitted script, a collosus belly laugh throughout and definitely a good promotion for holiday makers planning on Vegas. I will without a doubt be watching this gem once again, for the baby, for the tiger, for the Phil Collins, the police car and woman with the nice rack, and a thousand more circumstances which I won't mention. So what you waiting for?! Go see it!

''I have a question. You probably get this a lot but this isn't the real Caesar's Palace is it?''

''What's in the box?''

Police drama about two cops, one new and one about to retire, after a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as his MO.

Brad Pitt: Detective David Mills

Se7en obviously is a very complex and deep movie, while also being quite disturbing. Andrew Kevin Walker created one of the most original spec screenplays of all time, but it is the kind of story traditionally used more as a writing sample than actually made into a movie. But the creative team of director David Fincher believed in this extremely dark, uncompromising story, and made it just the way Walker wrote it.
In the end, it is only John Doe, the serial killer, who can teach Mills and us the truth...that this world is very often shockingly vicious and senselessly cruel. Doe and Somerset actually have similar views of society and the world, up to a point. But while Somerset still cares about his fellow human beings, Doe hates them, and takes out his rage in a series of gruesome murders based on the seven deadly sins.

Se7en is about the investigation Mills and Somerset undertake of Doe's murders, his "sermon" to the world through serial killing. Ultimately, Mills and Somerset can only do so much to try to stop Doe; the killer always seems at least one step ahead of them, and stays that way until the very end of the movie. In a normal Hollywood film, Mills and Somerset would "win" in the end by catching Doe and setting the world right again. But Andy Walker had a quite different ending in mind, and Fincher and his team take the shocking conclusion all the way to the limit of tension and drama.

''If John Doe's head splits open and a UFO should fly out, I want you to have expected it.''

This Se7en, like Fincher's Fight Club, was controversial for being overly violent and gruesome. Certainly there are a number of gruesome and disturbing images of murder victims' bodies, and many aspects of the story are very troubling, to say the least, later emulated by the SAW series. But only one person is shown being killed on screen, and by far the worst of what happens in this story happens in the viewer's mind. Unlike most films that have high level acts of violent means, including, for example, Reservoir Dogs or Silence of the Lambs, this Se7en genuinely attempts to grapple with the moral implications of what is being shown at specific times. In direct contrast with, say Quentin Tarantino, who uses extreme violence for shock factors and to gain notoriety, Fincher actually shows less violence on screen and raises far more psychological warfare in the viewer's mind, giving alot to chew on mentally and alot of appetizing questions to debate about. I cannot think of any movie that contains as much genuine discussion among the characters about crime and human morality as this one does -- while never becoming dull,preachy or condescending for a second.

Whatever you do while watching it, do not see it as empty or hollow. Se7en is far from it. Many scenes study civilization/present civilization. And its evil, absorbed points. Our society we are part of, isn't a pleasant one. Se7en concentrates mainly on the cops search and case, when it comes to the mystery part in finding the killer, we discover the policemen's differences in methods, and how the most obvious one does not actually work. Of course, its Somerset(Morgan Freeman), the one with the most experience who has the best methods. He tries to find out why, not to enact vengeance or revenge but for a true sense of justice. Why some man is killing these people using a specific punishment.
While Mills(Brad Pitt) tries, unsuccessfully, to find out how by studying the crime scene for clues. He ends up bored and frustrated. With the help of knowledge from the library, Somerset gets closer to the killer.
It may seem as though the role of Tracey(Gweneth Paltrow) is a pointless part, but she is more important in alot of various ways. She is the one who brings the men to being more personally bonded to each other. Notice how in the dinner scene she is the one to introduce them by name, making the climax tense and difficult.

''If we catch John Doe and he turns out to be the devil, I mean if he's Satan himself, that might live up to our expectations, but he's not the devil. He's just a man.''

Mills is the kind of guy to pull his gun out before his torch. He has an arrogant, rushed sense of guidelines to follow, though this can be said to be his weakness. Somerset has never even fired his weapon. He sees the evil round him. And he wants to leave it alone and get away from it's unrelenting viciousness, even though, he is a cop, so he has the power to do something about it, but the problem is, he isn't doing anything about it. John Doe is doing it instead. The reason why society is tainted and evil is because we are allowed to fall into the depths of sin. There is now nothing to stop us or stand in our way becoming common-place in our lives, and there should be something. This is why John Doe thinks his behaviour is acceptable and how he can do the things he does,resulting in the problem, that he is being stopped and pursued instead of the crime happening unperturbed, equaling the harsh reality we live in. Perhaps morally how John Doe goes about making a difference is controversial and questionable but it definitely attracts everyones attention making a vast impact on the media, the Police and the people.

There are seven deadly sins. Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Pride. Lust. Envy. Wrath. And seven ways to die. Reminders of the decadence and complacency of our squalid lives and the laziness we have allowed ourselves to become stuck in. Many may think these Sins are strictly meant in a religious sense, but they are however you want to perceive them as. We learn that our Society or the Society in Se7en has become compromised by all the sins and that our way of life is a serious joke of proportions hard to quit or change.

''People don't want a hero, they want to eat cheeseburgers, play the lotto and watch television.''

Kevin Spacey is amazing as John Doe, portraying insanity laced with cunning genius, perfectly. Equaling one of the greatest supporting/cameo performances of all time already. And he's only in it for half an hour. Brad Pitt delivers a kind of forced performance which adds to the Hollywood effect of the film though I couldn't imagine anyone else for the part. Morgan Freeman played his role with the greatest concentration. Throughout he needed a look of woe on his face. And he did just that.
The writing reaches dizzying heights. The genius, Andrew Kevin Walker took an interesting subject and created an instant classic. But most credit has to go to Fincher. Who took aspects you wouldn't even think of glancing at and filming it with a passion rarely seen. Together they project a film of meaning on our screens that no-one should miss. In one scene near the end, he makes it so when a word is spoken we cut to a character as that gives us clues to their fate. A feast for the brain. One of the most imaginative scripts of the 90s. Fincher also knows exactly how to shoot the film. Whether it be steady-cam for the slow and easy parts or the hand-held camera for the adrenalin pumping scenes. Later filming other extraordinary pieces I love such as Zodiac, Panic Room, and the before-mentioned Fight Club.

The cinematography is what makes this an excellent movie. Everything is dark. The world out there is rough, raw, grim and gritty. It does just that. The effect it makes is astounding and truly works. The sinister music that is added keeps the heart pounding throughout and keeps the audience uncomfortable, in a good way. As that's what the film tries to achieve. The opening credits are upon the greatest segment of film I have ever seen. The jumpiness makes you feel uneasy yet intrigued to keep watching. Every scene, due to the effort put in it, is masterful and is what makes the film a joy to watch and observe.

Se7en reveals the best glimpse we have seen of the disturbing underworld. One of my darkest favourites and always will raise questions and a puzzling after taste in the deep recesses of my mind.

''Ernest Hemingway once wrote,

"The world is a fine place
and worth fighting
for.''

I agree with the second part.''

''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...''

''I used to tell Walter, "Never start a fight... but always finish it." I didn't start this fight... but by God, I'm going to finish it.''

Inspired by actual events that occurred in 1920s-era Los Angeles, Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" tells the story of a woman driven to confront a corrupted LAPD after her abducted son is retrieved and she begins to suspect that the boy returned to her is not the same boy she gave birth to.

Angelina Jolie: Christine Collins

Let's begin by saying that Changeling is a film that ambitiously strives and sets out upon a vast journey, delivering a powerful insight and a story from the not so distant past. What I came out with, with Changeling matched my expectations and literally blew them apart, with perfect cinematography, a perfect score, cast and Director Clint Eastwood shows his best film to date. Not only has he captured the era of the 1920s onwards, not only has he created a timeless emotionally charged account of one woman's struggle with evil and corruption but he's set about getting the ball rolling for some cataclysmic standards set for the films of 2008.
Right from the starting title you just know that Changeling is going to take your breath away and thats just the beginning. It's been a while since I've seen a film which can effect and dazzle all your emotions, I cried, I got goosebumps, I squirmed and shuddered at events transpiring. Changeling hits the nail on the head and shows us a society and it's Police with something sadly missing. What shocked me was Clint's effort to capture this, and succeed in making it relevant to today's modern world. In that sense I mean alot of the problems addressed in this film about certain aspects mirror what happens in current affairs in the US and other Countries even today. Corruption and politics are an omni-present factor of civilization.

Changeling gives us a woman who loses her boy, which is just the tip of the ice berg, it proceeds to punch it's way through our minds, like a jabbing jolt of lightning between the eyes, to show the Police, not only apparently finding her son but giving her back an imposter. We then get the Police force unable to admit making a mistake, never in the wrong and when they get a problem they magically wave their magic wand and make it go away.
There's a million things running through my head about Changeling it's hard to grasp all of them in this review, Clint Eastwood does a masterful job of blending music and visuals together equaling the times. To me this is the 1920s, theres no question about it, whether it be the costumes or cast, everything is perfect.

''Fuck you and the horse you rode on.''

The performances in Changeling are the kind of quality you come to expect from an Eastwood film. Unrivaled, unrelenting, and virtually impossible to criticize.
The leading lady, Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins, really shows Changeling IS without a doubt Angelina Jolie's best film. There is no shred of doubt in my mind that Jolie will win Best Actress at the next Oscar ceremony. Her disposition and poise the epiphany of perfection, so much so that I could sing my praises of her in this triumph all day long. One look that she gives in Changeling conveys more than any mere words could hope to achieve. Angelina practically embodies the role of Christine and moulds a fully breathing character, fully believable, fragile, victimized, a crazed mother desperately trying to get her son back.
Her appearance is flawless as is her pale complexion emphasizing her Red ruby lips. Everything about her echoes Clint's vision of how a woman should dress in this golden age.
The supporting cast were phenomenal, Jeffrey Donovan as Captain J.J. Jones was highly successful in being one of those characters you love to hate.
John Malkovich as Reverend Gustav Briegleb, was an absolute emotionally charged ally of Collins in her search. Criticizing the Police and the State for their sloppy and brutal policies of shoot first ask questions later. The fact they just want problems to go away not to be resolved really shows the people of the Law being above the Law, Gustav addresses these inadequacies of the Department well.
Devon Conti plays the boy who the Police bring back to Christine, he plays the part well. Enigmatic and weird in his ulterior motives, his scenes with Angelina are furiously charged in a blaze of a cuckoo bird scenario where an imposter young-ling takes his place in the nest. The same principle is applied here with startling results.

Capt. J.J. Jones: Mrs. Collins, your son was missing for five months, for at least part of that time in the company of an unidentified drifter. Who knows what such a disturbed individual might have done. He could have had him circumcised. He could have...
Christine Collins: ...made him shorter?

Changeling features one of the most horrendous twists and impending conclusions in the middle segments committed to any work of 2008. What transpires and happens is mind blowing, to the stage where I was starting to cry from the shock of it. It shows how a system which is flawed cannot cover up it's tracks forever, justice can take alot of time to prevail. The Lawyer defending Collins and Captain Jones questioning in court has to be one of the most engaging scenes I've seen in a while, not to mention Collins emotionally screaming at a villain and being subjected to barbaric methods in a mental institute. There is alot to offer here and alot to admire in the level of film making, the level being the very highest quality available.

Overall Changeling is a very powerful piece, resulting in one clear defining notion and answer, an answer and shining example of untarnished, unresolved defiance of a lady who never gave up and who's love for a son came first before anything. Changeling is without a doubt a passionate, human, story of timeless truth, of hope.

Christine Collins:But one thing I know is that boy gave me something I didn't have before.
Detective Lester Ybarra: What's that?
Christine Collins: Hope.

''There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking.''

A story about family, greed, religion, and oil, centered around a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business in the dawn of the 1900s onwards.

Daniel Day-Lewis: Daniel Plainview

Now finally onto my review itself. The whole film begins with a form of genius that i have not seen for an age, that bears similarities to Stanley Kubrick's work and 2001:A Space odyssey. I know of no-one else with this unique link from this film which I've hit the nail on the head.
It begins with no dialogue and hauntingly awesome music that impacted my senses. The effect throughout the film of the music composition and score had the same mesmerizing hold on me.

A scene that stays with me is that touching image of Daniel with his son and the baby looks up and touches his face and bristly mustache his is touching, truly beautiful.
Also was crying at the final montage with his son that will make your heart feel weighty while hitting home, pummeling you into a state of disbelief.
PT Anderson delivers his best work with "There Will Be Blood".
Plainview is a misanthropist who paradoxically seeks companionship even as he loathes mankind in general. His investment in oil is motivated entirely by his desire to earn enough money to escape civilization altogether. He loathes religion, dismissing it as a superstition, and entertains human interaction only when he calculates that it is crucial to his oil mining. Daniel Day-Lewis' ("Gangs of New York",''Last of the Mohican's'' ) gripping portrayal of Plainview cannot be over-estimated or doubted for a second. His willful stage presence lends the film a searing intensity that both counteracts and complements the film's measured pacing.

''Stop crying, you sniveling ass! Stop your nonsense. You're just the afterbirth, Eli.''

Yet while the story is certainly rich with detail and subtlety, There Will Be Blood is hardly a film of words as I've said already. At times fifteen full minutes will pass without any dialogue at all. The space that fills these stretches of silence greatly enhances the film's sense of space and desolation. Even when characters do speak, nobody says more than necessary. Words are carefully chosen and tersely delivered, and there is much to be read between the lines.
Words don't describe Paul Thomas Anderson's latest epic film project easily, and he doesn't let them dominate the story either. A significant segment of There Will Be Blood has no dialogue and the ability for it to stay so captivating is only a testament to Anderson's incredible ability to tell stories about people through images that says more than about what's happening.
Anderson's weapon in this film is no secret. It isn't often Daniel Day-Lewis's name shows up on a marquee these days, especially when it's not tied to something that is sure to be good. This latest choice of his, however, is better than good and so is he. His character, Daniel Plainview, a self-proclaimed "oilman," is deeply complex and troubled. The way that Day- Lewis plays the lighter parts and seamlessly transitions to the darker parts is chillingly believable. Plainview is not only interesting, but he's embraceable, despicable, amusing and frightening all throughout the venture.

The only truly supporting cast, is his son and a self-proclaimed prophet, that he comes into complications with played by Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine). Dano's performance is unfortunately over-shadowed by Day-Lewis and it does feel like he was too young to be cast, but the 23-year-old is highly impressive and will perhaps be a marquee name in the near future.
Blood is otherwise the strength and glory of Anderson and his crew. The original score by Jonny Greenwood, who is mostly known for his guitar skills in Hollywood, brings something abstract that simultaneously fits the film's generally quiet demeanor using a variety of percussion sounds and few musical notes. While some films prefer soaring John Williams themes, Greenwood's theme for Blood is one dissonant chord and a sound effect that can be best described as a sombre humming. It's harsh, like the story's theme. Anderson makes every moment matter, whether it's when there's music blaring or where he puts the camera lense.

''There's a whole ocean of oil under our feet! No one can get at it except for me!''

To best describe the film in terms of people familiar with Anderson's work, it's his first film that truly translates to the interests of all dramatic film-lovers. It is distinctly his film, yet viewers will be able to grasp it much more easily than the abstract and obscure multiple storyline nature of Boogie Nights and Magnolia. For people new to his work, be prepared to feel some discomfort, but if you pay attention to the way the story is told, then you'll find the mastery of Blood.
Instead of leaning on dialogue, much of the film's force comes from its gorgeous cinematography. Meticulously detailed and breathtakingly beautiful, There Will Be Blood is visually arresting from the film's beginning to its conclusion.
Similarly, the score (composed by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood) greatly accentuates the film's most dramatic moments. Yet while the music itself is impeccable, the way that Anderson employs it is even more impressive. Violins and sparse percussion rise and fall at unexpected moments, carefully cultivating a sense of unease while still managing to feel natural and well considered.

Perhaps the most incredible thing about There Will Be Blood is its minimalism as I may have said previously. In spite of its long runtime (which approaches three hours), the film never feels indulgent or overly complex. Anderson slows down the pacing of the film to a deliberate lurch. This might frustrate impatient viewers, but the approach ultimately makes the film's several climaxes more rewarding and its emotional peaks more stunning.
There Will Be Blood is both visceral and cerebral and hits home on all levels, the rare film that combines the raw emotion of our most human instincts with smart, well-conceived film-making techniques. Well fulfills and exceeds even the hype and capable of meeting even your wildest expectations, Anderson's latest is truly a masterpiece of cinema.

''I drink you're milk-shake...I drink it up!''

''Whatcha got ain't nothin new. This country's hard on people, you can't stop what's coming, it ain't all waiting on you. That's vanity.''

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter, Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande. Nothing ever goes smoothly sometimes and before you know it he's on the run from a psychopathic cold killer.

Josh Brolin: Llewelyn Moss.

Javier Bardem: Anton Chigurh.

Relentless in method, challenging in presentation, and unforgettable in execution, the Coen Brothers' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's acclaimed novel glimpses upon pure genius in its characters and suspenseful build, but sacrifices much of the clarity (though not the power) of its narration in the strict adherence to its source material. Boasting some of the finest performances of the year, the Coen's fantastically intricate thriller demands an astute mind and a perceptive eye to decipher the multi-layered parallels that lie in No Country for Old Men.

Llewelyn Moss is the lucky/unlucky soft-spoken Texas country hunter who stumbles across a veritable fortune in drug money only to be relentlessly pursued by killer Anton. Mr. Moss' gradual decline in health (mainly due to wounds inflicted on him by Anton) is painful to watch up until the very end. Sheriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) is the opposite of Anton Chigurh. He doesn't understand all of the death and destruction laid at his feet. He longs for a time when murders were easy to track and solve, not these new-fangled deaths where bullets aren't used (air-guns do just fine) and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to their patterns.
Not a big role for Tom yet an important one. He's always one step behind the story yet comes so close.
An interesting guy, Josh Brolin as Moss, has had a flood of movies these past few months. This role is his one of his best yet. He plays the panicked mouse in a bid to keep his prize, in this case a cool $2 million. Some of his choices for his character were stupid but ultimately that's what makes the journey so fascinating. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh is simply a marvel. I don't know who this guy is but I've never watched such an entertaining intelligent cold villain in a film. The best villain I've seen recently in a long time. Scrap the Golden Globe, he deserves an Oscar for playing such a nut, such a compelling character. He does everything so cleanly, he kills at the drop of a hat. Appealed to my dark humour and i frequently laughed at stuff Anton did.
For example him shooting two guys in the desert made me burst out laughing, another where he throws his socks into a bathroom next to a recent victim or putting his feet up on the bed to avoid blood on his boots. Like a human colossus or Terminator on speed. This is a grand achievement to play such a man void of morals with his own weird warped take on things. That pressurized air canister thing that he has was certainly ingenious and bloody dangerous. Oh and that Silenced shotgun, that was one powerful mother of a gun. Anyone believe in Karma? Well wait till near the end and you will see.Not a big role for Tom yet an important one. He's always one step behind the story yet comes so close. Kelly Macdonald as Carla Jean Moss is very successful in changing herself, her accent and character are perfectly executed.

Carla Jean Moss: You don't have to do this.
Anton Chigurh: [smiles] People always say the same thing.

Having watched the two Oscar heavyweights No country for old men and There will be blood round about the same time period on the big screen, I can't help noticing the sharp contrast in audio style, while Blood came with background music so overwhelming that it threatens to take over foreground, Old men had only silence, natural sound and dialogue, with no music at all. There is no right or wrong: each style serves its particular purpose. Imagine the scene in Old men with Llewelyn Moss in the middle of the night in a sunken hollow strewn with a few abandoned vehicles and dead bodies. As the menacing headlight of an ominous looking vehicle at the top of a slope threatens to approach, any kind of music would do more harm than good to the blood-chilling atmosphere.

In their inimitable fashion, the Coen Brothers crafted this adopted story through a mesmerizing plot line that is ever elusive, giving you the slip every time you feel that you have got the hang of things. The plot line looks simple: a common young man who stumbles across two million dollars becomes the prey of a serial killer who is after the money (and his life), while a season sheriff comes after both, an almost standard cat-and-mouse story. But there are more than initially meets the eye.
But first, the three main characters. Moss is not your ordinary reckless young man next door. Seasoned Vietnam veteran, he shows his stuff when chased by a ferocious killing bloodhound, hurriedly loading his pistol but never losing control, and firing it when the canine's deadly teeth is within three feet of his throat. He is undoubtedly the prey, but not one that rolls over and play dead. But this is really the hunter's show. Javier Bardem ("The sea inside") who has won every Best Supporting Actor in sight is good enough to give Daniel Day-Lewis a run for his money had he been put in the contest for Best Actor, to which he has every right. The most amazing thing is that while his physical appearance is at times even comical (mainly due to the ridiculous hair style), his mere presence is so chilling that it makes Jason Voorhees, Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter look like fairy godmothers in Disney tales. I'll come to Tommy Lee Jones later.

''I always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does.''

As the movie follows the standard cat-and-mouse crime thriller development, the audience may be so hung to the edge of their seats that they forget temporarily that this is indeed the Coen Brothers. The climatic showdown that they tricked you into expecting never presents itself. Everything seems to fall apart in the last third of the movie, or does it?
For some people it may do, but these certain individuals lack sophistication in plain terms, thinking of depth or an ability to see between the lines. Clearly No Country is going for it's source Novel and this Story is not a straight line, it's one of complication and of poetic reflection. The ending to me was a marvel, like a new born ray of sunshine upon ones face. The words reflecting deeper meaning and wisdom, that shamefully are wasted upon some ears. For those gracious enough to embrace the ending for what it is, will certainly come off all the better for it, not to mention inspired and in awe.

The cat-and-mouse game ended almost as an afterthought, with none of the excitement the audience thought they had been promised. The focus has long since shifted to depiction of Bell, as one of the old men, in the title, one of disconnection and unparalleled from the main story yet ultimately part of it regardless. If you think back, most of the small roles (starting with the attendant of the now famous and memorable gas station scene at the start of the story) are old individuals. While the audience might have forgotten, the directors/screen writers have not. They haven't abandoned the concept, that this movie is trying to show why this desolate, seemingly endless horizon, Texas country is "no country for old men". Added to this is the final touch, the accident, showing how bizarre life and reality can be.

There was so many great scenes in No Country. The tension, the sounds, the beats, the uses of silence all are definitely used to perfection. Had me jumping on numerous occasions in the cinema, and that part with Anton waiting for his pursuer after finding the transmitter was amazingly shocking.
Without a doubt this film has you on the edge of your seat. The audience I saw this with didn't appreciate it. They didn't see the bigger picture, the gritty realism, the beautiful poetry of that ending, and if you see the words in that finale, allow them to sink in, then truly it will blow you away.
Best film of 2007-2008 I've seen to date. The level of acting and vision is unsurpassed, and it will draw you in and stay with you. Definitely want to watch again and again, there's so much crammed in this. You will soak it up like a sponge. A masterpiece. Unrivaled entertainment, a haunting thriller and an unequaled story.

''Yeah, I'm going to bring you something, alright. I decided to make you a special project of mine. You ain't going have to come looking for me at all.''

''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.''

''For our homeland. Until the very last man. Our duty is to stop the enemy right here. Do not expect to return home alive.''

The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.

Ken Watanabe: General Kuribayashi

A well executed movie with a powerful, historical significance. Told from the side of the Japanese as they prepare to protect Iwo Jima from American invasion.
Some scenes especially the suicide deaths are quite graphic, and the action in it has a gritty, tense, war-drenched realism to it.
Fantastic diverse range of Japanese actors, Ken Watanabe always impresses. Would like to watch this again, very powerful, very emotional, very relevant and historical. Lets all take notice of the past for the future.
In the second half of Letters from Iwo Jima a group of Japanese soldiers find an American who has been badly wounded and take him into their cave. Their general speaks English, so he begins talking to this soldier, whose name we later find out is Sam. Although the two men should be sworn to kill each other, they are able to have a connection in the one conversation they have. A while later, the general comes back into the room only to discover that Sam's wounds have killed him. He searches him for a while and discovers a letter written by his mother. The letter is full of words that truly come from the heart of this kid's mother, and by the time the general finishes reading the letter, every soldier in that cave has realized that Americans aren't these savages; these hate-driven murderers. No, they all realize that Americans are exactly like they are, and that they don't want to be there and want to return home safely just like their enemies. I believe the point that Clint Eastwood is making with his Iwo Jima saga is just this: these two enemies were far more alike than they had imagined and they were both fighting only in hopes of returning home safely to their family.

''I don't know anything about the enemy. I thought all Americans were cowards. I was taught they were savages.''

As for the specific film itself. In just about every way imaginable, this absolutely brilliant film is a step up from Flags of our Fathers (which is not something I say easily, as "Flags" is a terrific film as well). From the acting of the incredible ensemble cast, to the film's delicate but powerful script, to the beautiful imagery of the film (the colour distortion could not be any more brilliant), to Clint Eastwood's absolutely perfect knowledge of film and what works in a film like this.
The score, written by Kyle Eastwood(Clint's son), captures the feel of the movie better than any score written for any movie this year. It is very quiet music, but listening to it makes you think about all the people that die as casualties of war.
The acting is truly phenomenal. All of the actors do incredible, extraordinary work, although I must single out two actors in particular who really blew me away. The first is Ken Watanabe. I haven't seen any of his native work, but I can safely say based upon his American studio work (The Last Samurai, Memoirs of a Geisha and of course this film) that the man is a force to be reckoned with. I simply hope that he is not reduced to roles in vain of Chow Yun-Fat or Jet Li in their American films. He adds such an atmosphere of wisdom, intelligence and determination, quite the opposite of how the Japanese enemy is usually portrayed in WWII films. His character is entirely human and not reduced to a suicidal, angry general type, which is probably what many people would expect. The second is Kazunari Ninomiya, who plays Saigo. What a heartbreaking performance this actor provides. He is small, scrawny, not built for war. He has trouble fitting in. His expression is that of constant exhaustion. But his determination to live and to honour his general over himself is touching and fascinating to watch. His delivery and performance in general is absolutely stunning.

''We can die here, or we can continue fighting. Which would better serve the emperor?''

In terms of themes, the most intricate and important aspect of the film is its examination of the psyche of the warfare itself. In Flags of our Fathers, like in his earlier films such as Unforgiven, Eastwood portrays an examination and dissection of heroism and what it meant both for those who are labeled heroes and those who did the labeling. With Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood studies the exact opposite of the spectrum; glory. It's almost as if Eastwood is more fascinated with the Japanese comprehension of heroism than the American one. The Japanese soldiers in the film don't have such a thing as heroism to begin with. What they do have is glory and honour. They accept their clear and present defeat with humbleness and modesty, perhaps too much so as they rather take their own lives than fall into the hands of the enemy. If Flags of our Fathers was a criticism of wartime splendor and heroism, Letters from Iwo Jima is a modest glorification of these elements.

In essence, with Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood creates a new kind of war film that stands quite apart from its counterparts both because it portrays the side of the enemy but also and especially because it takes extra special care in emphasizing the human aspect of the soldiers it depicts, humanizing and characterizing them to endless extent. As a psychological study of warfare and as a history lesson, Eastwood has crafted a truly masterful and meaningful piece that's riveting and fascinating as it is intricate and complex. One of the best films of the year.
To sum it all up, Letters from Iwo Jima is one of the greatest war films ever made, and easily does the best job of depicting war as something that harms all involved that I have ever seen. Clint Eastwood has, with this achievement, engraved his name as one of the greatest American directors in film history.

''A day will come when they will weep and pray for your souls.''

''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 know now why you cry,''
[terminator wipes johns tear]
''but it is something I can never do.''


The cyborg who once tried to kill Sarah Connor must now protect her teenager son, John Connor, from an even more powerful and advanced cyborg.

Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Terminator

Linda Hamilton: Sarah Connor

Edward Furlong: John Connor

Robert Patrick: T-1000

Terminator 2:Judgment Day is one of the films i grew up with after the first one this one from Cameron blows away everything.
Arnie is perfect, Edward Furlong perfect, Linda Hamilton Perfect, Robert Patrick perfecto!

After The Abyss James Cameron was unleashed onto T2 with his T-1000 liquid metal Terminator pushing effects to new boundaries. Mr Patrick is one scary mother and who can forget him running with that music in the background. His knife bending implements, his cloaking as other people, his indestructable and persistance in his mission to kill John Conner.

Who can stop him, who do you think? Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger who's fucking off the chain in this f'ing classic! Grenade Launcher, Shotgun f Yeah! Gatling Gun hell yeah Num nuts!

Some of the best chase scenes, killer lines and Edward Furlong as a young John Conner is the tip of the ice berg:

''No Problemo!''

''Did you call *moi* a dipshit?''

''No, no, no, no. You gotta listen to the way people talk. You don't say "affirmative," or some shit like that. You say "no problemo." And if someone comes on to you with an attitude you say "eat me." And if you want to shine them on it's "hasta la vista, baby."


Then you have Arnie's lines that are now Iconic proving the best 80s/90s Action Star without a shred of doubt is Arnie...

''Hasta la vista, baby.''

''Come with me if you want to live!''

''Stay here, I'll be back.

''He'll live.


Accompanied by that heart pounding adrenaline beating music thats relentless much like the visual accompaniment. T2 is one of the best movies of the 90s in chase movies, and for Cameron who made the perfect Abyss then later the fun True Lies then his obsession with Titanic, starts his aces with T2 that for me will never be forgotten and an important movie that stayed with me when I grew up and watched countless times.

The best thing is it still looks awesome, perfect despite some unrealistic parts or choppy effects or stunt-work. Hell for it's time it was ahead of the game and still T2 has better effects than some films nowadays.

In three words to me to conclude T2 is...

Perfection...

Timeless...

Captivating...

''All your life you thought you were better than everyone else. Now you think you're the worst of all!''

He was the Lord of Ten Thousand Years, the absolute monarch of China. He was born to rule a world of ancient tradition. Nothing prepared him for our world of change. The story of the final Emperor of China.

John Lone: Emperor Pu Yi / Henry

One could state Bernardo Bertolucci creation of a masterpiece on an era of history that would definitely change the relationship of nations throughout the era forever, is putting it mildly to say the least. That he did it with such artistic factual film-making is to say his success was close to the divine.
You may conclude that would be a quite accurate statement about The Last Emperor, especially for American film-making, they had nothing to do with it.
To amass such a huge cast today would put many nations into immediate expenditures and losses, much less movie-producers. Every scene is detailed to utter faultless finesse, the reign of the last emperor of China wasn't that long ago, so there were unlimited sources up for grabs. That they were made available and especially shooting on location in The Forbidden City with the approval of the communist government of Peking in the 1980s is even more fantastical. After centuries of the Qing emperors' rulings, for this gigantic nation to change its manner of governing is mind blowing. One would assume China would just as soon deny that year of its history, mirroring Japan denying a fair few if not all, Asian atrocities.

''The Emperor has been a prisoner in his own palace since the day that he was crowned, and has remained a prisoner since he abdicated. But now he's growing up, he may wonder why he's the only person in China who may not walk out of his own front door. I think the Emperor is the loneliest boy on Earth.''

The Last Emperor is an epic that delves into the seas of Time and the ensuing effects it has on a being and his culture as time transitions through his lifetime. The Last Emperor of the Qing dynasty, Pu-Yi, was appointed in 1909 at the age of three and due to his youth ended up being a puppet to his administration. Bertolucci successfully shows us a young man who while understandably spoilt by many luxuries of monarchy, is in truth, a tender hearted, independent thinker, who is passionate about his homeland(Manchuria) and has a ravenous desire for experiencing life in the outside world.
His caged lifestyle in the Forbidden City (Beijing) is definitely a major contributor. From his infancy the director takes us through a chain of historical events that ultimately lead to Pu-Yi being an ordinary man (we know this from the beginning, however flashbacks explain his situation at the start). However, it is not the desired lifestyle that he sought as an Emperor in childhood.

Last Emperor is breathtaking in its cinematography and Bertolucci's direction flawless like a newly cut diamond. Upon research, a lot of criticism was directed at his film 1900 (1976) due to its sheer length. The Last Emperor runs in at 215 minutes(DIRECTORS CUT) and barring 10 minutes of a marriage related scene, it never relinquishes. Bertolucci seamlessly interweaves the flashbacks with Pu-Yi's situation in post-WWII China by providing us with a real life tragedy that epitomizes human weaknesses, vices, love and loyalty. Here is a film that is a true story but goes beyond mere narration or simple depiction, it is a three and a half hour, non-stop attention grasping journey through the spectrum of humanity that defines our lifetime through the eyes of an unfortunate soul who was a victim of circumstances like many are. Any questions that the viewer will have concerning an event in the plot will be immediately answered through the rich tapestry that Bertolucci shows when depicting Pu-Yi's imperial life.

Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston: Words are important.
Pu Yi, at 15: Why are words important?
Reginald Fleming 'R.J.' Johnston: If you cannot say what you mean, your majesty, you will never mean what you say and a gentleman should always mean what he says.

On a technical note, the acting in this film is brilliant. John Lone deserved at least an Oscar nomination for best actor due to his seamless portrayal of Pu-Yi. He makes his portrayal of a 21 - 60 year old Pu-Yi seem like an effortless feat. Through his performance the audience feels an even greater compassion for the last emperor as we come across a man who despite all the hardships he endured was very compassionate and soft centered underneath layers of enigmatic stillness. The sheer down to earth nature of his character as a 55-60 year old who walks with a tired smile, forever accompanied by his loving brother, is a testament to Lone's ability to portray any age and move the audience.
Once again, it takes a Hailey's comet like event for the Academy to nominate someone from the eastern world (or non-British, non-American when it comes to best actor). The rest of the cast is also brilliant barring Ryuichi Sakamoto (who portrays the one-armed Masahiko Amakasu) who, for the most part, presents us with a classic display of Japanese overacting. Although I wouldn't call it overacting in a Kurasawa-esque/Japanese film environment, it becomes quite hilarious in a production such as this.

The film won a number of Oscars, including the awards for Best Picture and Best Director.
What surprised me was that it did not receive a single Oscar nomination in the acting categories, although in my view it could have had three or four, Best Actor for John Lone as Pu Yi himself, Best Actress for Joan Chen as his tragic, drug-addicted Empress Wan Jung, and Best Supporting Actor for Peter O'Toole as Pu Yi's Scottish tutor Reginald Johnstone (and possibly also for Ying Ruocheng as the prison governor). Around the time this film was released, the lovely Joan Chen was widely tipped to become a major Hollywood star; that she has never really done so might suggest that leading roles for Oriental actresses are as hard to come by as they were in the days of Anna May Wong.

So ultimately what does Pu Yi contribute to his life? His is littered with the bodies of those that have come into contact with him, a morbid graveyard created from deaths that did not come from his hands, but from his ego and his power.
My inability to either love or hate him if anything makes him quite human. If he had been blatantly set up as an obvious protagonist or antagonist, the movie would have been flat, shallow. Humans are hard things to find in movies these days, and here is a rare opportunity to catch a sight of one. Hats off to Bertolucci for such an intelligent film and a journey of a lifetime.

''Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!... Open the door!''

''Men prefer sorrow over joy... suffering over peace!''

An elderly lord abdicates to his three sons, and the two corrupt ones turn against him.

Tatsuya Nakadai: Lord Hidetora Ichimonji

Akira Kurosawa's Ran is an epic vision of a feudal Japan. The fascinating idea of Ran is that the principle is a reinvented twist on Shakespeare's King Lear.

The story is vibrant and passionate, revolving around an aging Great Lord named Hidetora, played wonderfully by Tatsuya Nakadai, and his three sons Taro, Jiro and Saburo.
What transpires is Hideotora giving up his resolute power over the lands to share between his three sons.
Saburo disagrees with this immediately spurring his father into a rage and ultimately banishes Saburo and also Tango, an aide, who agrees with Saburo.

''The failed mind sees the heart's failings...''

The clever things Ran throws at us are as follows, and it's obviously not just one aspect of the whole work.
To begin with the cinematography for 1985 is unrivaled, having that timeless and radiant glow of legendary proportions about it. Costumes and battle gear really are flawless and the calvary and infantry simply are jaw-droppingly awe inspiring. Combine the visuals with a very Japanese primal score of music, strong emotionally charged performances and you have a winner. The cast doesn't just say their lines, they bark them with a daunting, charged tone that screams believability and finesse.

I was personally interested with the character of Lady Kaede played to perfection by Mieko Harada. All through history women can be so much more manipulative than any man can dream of being. Some of the worlds most notorious and even great figures in History have sometimes been driven to make choices not of their own making. Little suggestions or murmurs from their wife or partner putting ideas within their heads that otherwise wouldn't have been thought of immediately. You can trace this recurring theme right back through History and straight back to present day.
Ran's Lady Kaede is truly an inspiration, because us the audience ask ourselves how she got to this stage. Then the film delivers answers and suddenly we see the light. She wants vengeance, she wants power and she wants her castle back by any means necessary, even if it means starting a war or killing. Mesmerizing throughout.

Hidetora: I am lost...
Kyoami: Such is the human condition.

Jinpachi Nezu who plays Jiro Masatora Ichimonji, the most power hungry son of the three plays an immense role in showing us how easy it is to be controlled by the thirst for power and the whims of Kaede, who has him wrapped round her little finger. Interestingly enough he despises his brothers and father, looking only for advancement and rulership over the provinces.

Akira Terao as Taro Takatora Ichimonji is the oldest son, and he also instantly becomes corrupted by the power his father gives him. Just because he is the eldest son doesn't mean he's the wisest choice for succession, and this becomes apparent very soon after.
His wife at first is Lady Kaede until he meets an untimely demise. She also manipulates him to great effect causing him to want more than he has just been given, thus taking advantage and stripping his father of more of his power.

Daisuke Ryu as Saburo Naotora Ichimonji, the youngest and the most noblest of the sons, is greatly depicted in Ran. He's shown as a caring son straight away, shielding his sleeping father from the relentless sun, near the start of the film. Yet he then questions his father's decisions, and rightly so. His bravery and valour are mistaken though as an insult to Hidetora thus why he gets banished, and why his other sons close in to reap a hefty power struggle of sorts.
The ending is one of pure emotion, the journey of a father and son with so much suffering, bloodshed and pain is a milestone in Foreign Cinema.

''Man is born crying. When he has cried enough, he dies.''

Hidetora Ichimonji played by Tatsuya Nakadai is instantly recognizable as being an Award winning performance in my eyes. The transition that goes on during the film's running time is mind blowing incredible. We see a man lose everything, we see his own past and his rise to power and the many people he has effected by his action, by his untamed goal for ultimate domination and power. Women who have lost their Castles and been claimed as wives, a boy who has his eyes and home destroyed along with the suffering of his sister.
Their only peace to pray to Buddha but as Ran tells us, he left this place a long time ago, to man who ravage the lands with war and blood.

When Ran concludes, you see the Blind boy, who resembles a girl, drop a poster of Buddha.
We come to the realization that not always can a journey be a smooth one but a journey laced with tragedy, loss, war and ultimately death, plus peace and an end to suffering.

''Are there no gods... no Buddha? If you exist, hear me. You are mischievous and cruel! Are you so bored up there you must crush us like ants? Is it such fun to see men weep?''

''There will be no order, only chaos.''

A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.
Faith in Chaos.

Sean Gullette: Maximillian Cohen

Max is a mathematician who tries to find the perfect number/equation to life, to everything. Upon finding it, people will do anything to get what he knows.

Beautiful sounds and music, fantastic camera work are a few aspects Pi has to offer. The whole flashes, views through keyholes, the ants, the black and white filming intensifies the ordeal that is Pi.

I liked the Jewish lettering and numbering system. Was especially fascinating with some awe defining comparisons and links to certain symbolic aspects within the Torah.
Darren Aronofsky has crafted a superb, psychological, analytical movie that spirals out of control to dizzying heights. Paranoia and madness soaked.
Sean Gullette portrays Max in such a believable fashion. Incredible.

Very meaningful quotes for instance, the following examples:
''When i was a little boy my mother told me not to stare into the sun.
So once when i was six i did''.

''1. Mathematics is the language of nature.
2. Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers.
3. If you graph these numbers, patterns emerge. Therefore: there are patterns everywhere in nature.''

Pi is perfected in it's capturing of numbers and the mixture of faith and religion. Even in religions and nature numbers are in everything, which begs the idea that God, the big everything, or whatever you believe, patterns are in everything, reflecting how numbers are everywhere.

Some interesting ambient music from some surreal groups too like Aphex Twin, orbital, Ront Size, Massive attack, David Holmes, Autechre and Clint Mansell.

The whole film is surreal,beautiful and shot so differently yet originally. Reminds me of the Silent Hill video games on parts the way it messes with your head and stretches your fear of the unknown. Also is similar to Taxi-driver how its main guy seems to plummet and be consumed, by craziness and chaos. How you get to the stage where you snap and there's no going back.
What begins as an obsession to beat the stock market slowly transcends into something altogether higher and pivotal yet dangerous.

Watch immediately if you are into deep films because Pi certainly is near the top of the pile.
Max has headaches, these headaches are to be interpreted as the result of his impending frustration in failing to sustain an answer i.e. the number or pattern. His obsession and the resulting thousands of hours of work and energy that he has invested in exploring the world of numbers - particularly as they relate to the pi value and spirals - has turned him into a mental mess. He consumes huge amounts of medication to fight the migraine, the shakes and God knows what else. His single-mindedness and rigid focus on finding the truth of all truths is increasingly bringing him to the very verge of total insanity.

His dogmatic refusal to accept the world as a place of chaos which neither he nor anyone else can fully or even partially control lead him to the idea that there is an inherent order in the universe and that it - like absolutely everything else - is based on clean and understandable numerical laws and principles. It isn't a coincidence that it was a look at the Sun that triggered this in him; the Sun is round after all, the symbol of life (on Earth, at least) and the Pi value - which is something mathematicians have been working on for centuries - is related to the computation of a circle. He refuses to accept the existence of a world in which there is no order - however blurry and elusive that order may be. He believes that he will get to that number - which he finds out consists of a sequence of 216 numbers - best by analyzing the world stock markets, and later even the numerical significance of texts in the Torah. And as he gets closer to the truth/the number/the pattern i.e. to giving order a name, or a numerical value to the (non)chaos, ironically his own life gets increasingly chaotic: he suffers illusions, the old man gets a stroke, the fanatical Jewish organization is after him, the stock-broker firm is pursuing him, the attacks get worse, etc. In the subway-station hallucination he sees a brain and he instinctively wants to poke it with a pen; this is perhaps subject to free interpretation, but I believe that this is his sub-conscious wish to lobotomize himself, i.e. free himself from the miserable, manic, and uncomfortable existence which has been torturing his mind (and body) for so long. There is an implied, certain amount of self-hate in him; he hates the part of him which seeks this number. His old friend, it seems, knows more about Max's quest than he'd admit, because he was there once, too. He warns Max about continuing his search; he tells him that it's both futile and leads to self-destruction. But self-destruction or at least the sort-of lobotomical self-destruction is perhaps what Max wants. He seeks the answer so that he can finally rest.
Darren Aronofsky, is trying to achieve something very moving and a story of depth, on a higher path of discovery. In all his films he strives to achieve this goal, with dazzling results. Has to be watched again and again to take into account all it's deeper messages and meanings.
Simply Amazing, spirals into perfection and infinity like it's chaotic numeric, faithful subject matter.

Faith is indeed in chaos, a myriad of God, man and math.

''Something's going on. It has to do with that number. There's an answer in that number.''

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

''Darth Vader: I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now *I* am the master.
Obi-Wan: Only a master of evil, Darth.''
[lightsabers clash]



Two droids, C3PO and R2-D2, acquire valuable data from a princess in the form of a Hologram message, then proceed by escaping in a pod to a mysterious planet called Tattooine.
After getting captured by Jawas they come to be in possession of Luke Skywalker. And thus they proceed to meet Obi-wan, Han Solo and Chewbacca.
A quest to save a princess from an evil Empire, it's minion Sith Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin aboard the menacing Death Star.

Mark Hamill: Luke Skywalker. What happened to him after Star Wars? He plays Luke with a bratty innocence to begin with, later with moldings of a hero.

Harrison Ford: Han Solo. The roguish, charismatic Solo played by Ford is another iconic and legendary role for Harrison. As soon as he's on screen he adds life and humour with his witty, yet sometimes sarcastic one liners. The one that all the boys wanted to be.

Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia Organa. The most memorable role i know of for Fisher and also iconic.

Peter Cushing: Grand Moff Tarkin. Supposedly didn't fart in this film but was wearing slippers due to boots being uncomfortable. A veteran actor who was a fine addition.

Alec Guinness: Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi. He plays Obi-Wan brilliantly, although Alec did think like most of the other cast that this was a flop. How they were wrong. Annoyingly popular, Alec's other roles to me still define him. This just stuck in people's minds more due to the big franchise that blew up in the public.

Anthony Daniels: C-3PO. The Camp droid.

Kenny Baker: R2-D2. The droid resembling a bin. Plus cute functioning beeping noises to communicate.

Peter Mayhew: Chewbacca. The walking carpet, the huge chewy.

David Prowse: Darth Vader. The guy who was in the suit. Farmer prowse. ''Aye Want those plans! ooo Arrr''

James Earl Jones: Darth Vader (voice). There couldn't really be any questioning Jame's voice which gelled the whole Darth Vader into iconic villain along with the appearance for me.

Phil Brown: Uncle Owen.

Shelagh Fraser: Aunt Beru

Jack Purvis: Chief Jawa

Alex McCrindle: General Dodonna

Eddie Byrne: General Willard

This film was such a phenomenon mainly due to the fact there was nothing quite like it. It has adventure, imagination, escapism, vibrant characters, a plot that flows.

John Williams can do no wrong with the now iconic score, George Lucas certainly struck gold with this!

There's so many memorable scenes in this that they all blur together. Loved the Greedo/Han Solo shooting part and how that all later escalated into who shot first. Loved Obi-Wan's wiseness, Han Solo's comic relief, Leia's stand off attitude & Luke's rookie like freshness.
The droids were funny characters, Darth Vader certainly a presence straight from his first appearance he looks a menace. Black, foreboding and insanely tall.

It's got a heart and a human quality, that the new prequels lack, as well as striking visuals and that for me is where it counts. If you can capture a child or anyone's imagination and inspire them then,you have hit the nail on the head with the film.

Star Wars without a doubt is that film.

Mouth watering to know Empire Strikes Back would soon follow...

''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...''

Ash: Ripley, for God's sake, this is the first time that we've encountered a species like this. It has to go back. All sorts of tests have to be made.
Ripley: Ash, are you kidding? This thing bled acid. Who knows what it's gonna do when it's dead?
Ash: I think it's safe to assume it isn't a zombie.

A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.

Sigourney Weaver: Ripley.

Alien sees us following a seven man crew journeying to Earth aboard a huge space freighter aptly named Nostromo. The crew is in cryo-sleep, but the on-board Computer A.I. interrupts the journey, thanks to a foreign radio signal is picked up. It originates from an uninhabited planet and the crew lands to investigate. There they make contact with a foreign entity...

What makes Alien legendary is the constant feel of uneasiness it leaves in the pit of your stomach. Right from the beginning you have a sense that something isn't right. The crew is not particularly friendly towards one another, and you truly feel all the Crew relation tension. The ship itself is a huge worn out industrial-style maze of metallic halls and lonely corridors, and it feels more like a prison than a place to live. It is as if not only the alien but also the ship itself is against them. The Alien itself is the scariest monster in history because it is a ruthless, soul-less parasite completely devoid of any human or civilized attributes. The design of the monster is a stroke of genius. Sure it has a humanoid corporeal form, but it has no facial traits or anything else which could give away emotions or intentions,apart from it's gritted teeth visage. Its actions reveals no weaknesses nor rationally intelligence, its more or less the opposite of human and more of an insectoid, instinctive creature, plus it's nature and instinct allows for the alien to be more adapted to the inhumane interior of the ship. To sum up, you then have a setting where the humans are caught in a web of in-group tensions, an inhospitable ship and the perfect killer which thrives in the ships intestines. You almost get the feel that the humans are the ones who are alienated to each other and to their own ship.

Dallas: [looks at a pen being dissolved by alien's body fluid] I haven't seen anything like that except, uh, molecular acid.
Brett: It must be using it for blood.
Parker: It's got a wonderful defense mechanism. You don't dare kill it.

Ridely Scott is such a minimalist in some of his film projects, sci-fi nuts find it to be slow and unenterprising. So many people prefer Aliens, its sequel, to this one, which is unfair. I think Aliens, directed by James Cameron, is another sci-fi masterpiece (and maybe the best action film ever made), but I think Alien is the same quality but for alternative reasons. In fact, I would say that it is among the best films ever made, in sci-fi, only equaled or rivaled to, the enigmatic 2001:A Space Oddysey.
The plot absolutely lacks contrivance. All the plot points develop how they would naturally. And there are great surprises throughout the film. Even if you haven't seen the film, you know about the chest-bursting scene. You probably saw it parodied dozens of times. But watch the scene where Ian Holm reveals his secret! That is one amazing scene! I actually saw the sequel first, so I kind of knew that secret, too, but it still shocked me. It was so well directed.

Notice how the dialogue works. It never particularly draws attention to itself. It actually reminds me of Robert Altman, how he directed such movies as Nashville, where many characters are speaking at the same time, and nothing seems more or less important than anything else. It is just like real life. Alien is one of the most realistic, documentary-like sci-fi films ever made.

Also notice the setting. The Nostromo's design is so believable that I feel that I'm actually seeing a real space vehicle. The alien ship also beams with its spookiness.
The characters are also extremely believable. They are so well written that even the first character who dies is completely developed. If you get the DVD, they actually created dossiers about each of the crew members. It also has extra scenes which round out the characters even more. I think Ripley is one of the most endearing characters in film history. Even in the last two sequels, which were visually interesting but not very well written or directed, Ripley held my interest. I teared up when she died at the end of 3. If they made a fifth one, I would go, no matter how terrible I knew it would be. The acting is also top-notch. Ian Holm, a great actor, gives one of his best performances here. I love the last scene that he is in. Truly a master. And of course Sigourney Weaver could have just as easily been nominated for an Oscar for her performance here as she was for Aliens.

Ripley: [nervously eyeing Alien while she pushes buttons] You are my lucky star. You... Lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky.

The most important part of a film, in my mind, is the mood. And heck, does Alien have one of the most genuinely spooky movies I've ever seen. Make sure you watch it after the sun has gone down. Also, watching it alone will help. The special effects are kind of cheap, but Scott knows this well enough. He only shows the alien for seconds at a time. Besides keeping us from seeing the shoddiness of those puppets, this technique makes the alien seem all the more creepy and mysterious.

As mentioned the ship is very claustrophobic and Ridley Scott adds to the eeriness by using camera movement, lights and shadows in an effective way. The living quarters are bright and should be comfortable to the crew, but there is something sterile about it all. The rest of the ship is basically a huge basement.
The music by Jerry Goldsmith underlines the eeriness so well, and the movie wouldn't have worked without his score. Combined with the sounds of the ship it all adds to the uneasiness.

This is not a story about heroic people who boldly teams up against evil. It's a story about ordinary people facing true fear, which is the fear without a face. The fear we can't understand and can't negotiate with, because its only goal is to survive on the expense of us. It's a story where some people bravely fight back whilst others are destroyed by the terror. It's a story where people a killed in a completely random way. There is no higher-order justice behind who gets to live and who dies. All seven characters are just part of a race where the fittest - not necessarily the most righteous - will prevail, and all seven characters start the race on an equal footing. None of them are true heroes, and none of them are true villains.

All the above makes Alien so great as a horror movie, not just a tense psychological Sci-Fi one. The terror isn't just the Alien itself, it's the entire atmosphere, which gets so effectively crawling under your skin, that you just can't shrug it off, until after the end credits like you can with so many other Hollywood horror movies. The title Alien doesn't just refer to the monster, it is the theme of the movie and it is the feeling you have during and after the movie.

''Final report of the commercial starship Nostromo, third officer reporting. The other members of the crew, Kane, Lambert, Parker, Brett, Ash and Captain Dallas, are dead. Cargo and ship destroyed. I should reach the frontier in about six weeks. With a little luck, the network will pick me up. This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.''
[to Jonesy the cat]
''Come on, cat.''

''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.

''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.

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


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: Dr. Frederick Treves

John Hurt: John Merrick

People will always fear what they don't understand, something considered different from the so called norm. The Elephant Man is the ultimate lesson in this, the most moving account of a man who was monstrous to look at yet beautiful and gentle on the inside. John Merrick is beautifully portrayed by John Hurt who weaves and expresses so much in his eyes, his speech. It is simply tear inducing to see, it will cause a lump deep in your throat and linger. A man so tortured by his corrupted shell it will make you feel so much for him.

Anthony Hopkins also shines as Dr Treves who's acting is flawless. A good man he plays its wonderful to watch, the first time he sees him and he's so a gasp at what he sees, its forever etched into me.

People, humanity are cruel, The Elephant Man depicts this so well. it also reminded me of the Freaks film and how deformities back in the day and even now were turned to profit and amusement for masses. Cruelty and the worst in us is captured i really came close to breaking down it was so moving and wondrous.

The music was beautiful, Black & White feel was perfect to express the timeless quality of the piece. Cinematography gorgeous in every simple detail.

Going back to John Hurt's performance he really does prove by changing himself completely and absorbing into the role what a great English Actor he truly is.
A number of scenes stuck with me including him and Mrs Kendal, ''Why, Mr. Merrick, you're not an elephant man at all.''
''Oh no?''
''Oh no... no... you're a Romeo.''


The way it ends is perfect, him going to bed the way we all do, showing John Merrick was more of a man than many and that beauty runs deep on the inside.

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

''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.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...



Yoda: Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This
one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.



While Luke takes advanced Jedi training from Yoda, his friends are relentlessly pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.

Mark Hamill : Luke Skywalker. Mark fully embraces his role and warms to it, the whole movie sees him transition into a hero yet not quite a ready one.

Harrison Ford : Han Solo. He's funny and charismatic again emulating that magic formula. ''Nerf Herder!'' or ''Scruffy looking'', lines and script that cracks me up. He gets the best ones.

Carrie Fisher : Princess Leia. Carrie does well. Solo and Leia's relationship evolving is heart-felt.
Leia: ''I love you''
Solo: ''I know''
Magic.

Billy Dee Williams : Lando Calrissian. He's a fine addition, remember seeing him in Batman also later as Harvey Dent. His character is very similar to the roguish Han Solo.

Anthony Daniels : C-3PO. The camp droid back with his chum R2.

David Prowse : Darth Vader. Brilliant gestures. Plus the guy that does the swordplay amazing. The final revelation is still chilling. Dampened by the new prequels but still quite an impact.

Peter Mayhew : Chewbacca. Like the part where he's got 3PO on his back. Odd!

Kenny Baker : R2-D2. Beep beep!

Frank Oz : Yoda (voice). Yoda is the best thing since sliced bread in SW. In Empire he's got a quality that's human and fun yet wise and subtle. Much ore emotionally charged and realistic than the cold depiction in the new Prequels although Sith was on an up side.

Alec Guinness : Ben 'Obi-Wan' Kenobi. Brilliant to have him back in his apparent force carnation.

Jeremy Bulloch : Boba Fett. Iconic yet he only has 2 or 3 lines. The whole look is a fan favourite.

The darkest of the Trilogy and the most emotional. Really ups the pace and goes all out after A New Hope. Irvin Kershner, a director who skillfully pulled off Luca's vision with bold strokes.

My fave scenes include Yoda's teaching, the fancy asteroid chase, Vader speaking with the Emperor(On the New Special Ed one) & the Darth Vader/Luke Showdown resulting in that haunting revelation of family ancestry.

The empire tune is legendary and again John Williams has surpassed himself with an orchestral masterpiece.

The ending is clever yet so cruel making everyone wait. Was lucky i was born when i was so i didn't have too. Makes you hungry for Jedi as the credits roll.

A stunning benchmark,classic in every sense, the Darkest Star Wars (until Sith), The Empire really does Strike Back!

''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?''

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.

''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.''

Ripley: Just tell me one thing, Burke. You're going out there to destroy them, right? Not to study. Not to bring back. But to wipe them out.
Burke: That's the plan. You have my word on it.
Ripley: All right, I'm in.

The only survivor of the Nostromo, Ripley is discovered in deep sleep half a century later by a salvage ship. When she is taken back to Earth, she learns that a human colony was founded on the same planet where the aliens were first discovered. After contact with the colony is lost, she finds herself sent back to the planet along with a team of warriors bent on destroying the alien menace. Also looking for survivors along the way.

Sigourney Weaver: Ellen Ripley

57 years after the events of the first film, Ellen Ripley is found and awakened from hyper sleep to discover that a terra-forming colony has been set up on LV-426, the planet wherein she and her fellow crew of the mining cargo spaceship Nostromo first encountered the titular aliens. When Earth-based communications loses contact with LV-426, a band of marines are sent to investigate, taking Ripley and a representative from the company that financed the colony, Carter Burke (Paul Reiser) along for the ride.
For the difficult job of following up Ridley Scott's excellent Alien, director James Cameron decided to go a completely different route--to make a fast moving, slightly tongue-in-cheek, boisterous action extravaganza. Remarkably, he was able to do that while still maintaining a stylistic and literary continuity that melds Aliens seamlessly with the first film.

Ripley is given alot more depth in character in this piece, although unfortunately, some of the more signifying scenes were deleted from the theatrical release (View the 2-hour and 37-minute Director's Cut instead). Cameron created Aliens into a grand vision of sorts, where Ripley's heroic efforts, have much more meaning as she's not only fighting, but also fighting to retain a part of her self, of something she lost due to her 57-year slumber. As in the first film, she is still the most intelligent, courageous and resourceful member of the crew.
The marines accompanying Ripley back to LV-426 may be too much of caricatured stereotypes for some tastes, but for anyone more agreeable to that kind of exaggeration, it's a joy to watch.
Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen, both turn in wonderfully over-the-top performances, at their diametrically opposed ends of the emotional spectrum--Paxton as the spastic surfer/redneck and Henriksen as the intense, moody sage, with a surprising reality and an even more surprising conscience to go along with it. We also get a cigar-chomping Sergeant, a crazy, butch Private, and a complex, pensive Corporal as main characters, and a mysterious, bright young girl, Newt (played by Carrie Henn). Much of the center section of the film focuses on the interaction of these characters, despite the action trappings going on around them.

[pulling out his pump-action shotgun]
Hicks: I like to keep this handy... for close encounters.
Frost: I heard *that.*

Cameron carries over the crypt/labyrinth motif of the first film, and adds a metaphorical descent into the bowels of hell in the climax. The action throughout is suspenseful. Aliens contains one of my favorite "cat fights" in any film. It's also worth noting the influence this film may have had on Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers(1997)--although admittedly, we could say that Cameron was influenced a bit by the Robert A. Heinlein book, as well. Throughout all of the varied action sequences, as well as the important early scenes of colonists on LV-426, Cameron is able to clearly convey the logistics of very complex sets, so that viewers remain on the edges of their seats.

Part of what makes the monsters so effective is that we're not told too much about them. We only get glimpses into their physiology's, their behavioral patterns and their intelligence. Cameron gives us just enough to become wrapped up in the film, but not so much that we become overly familiar with the aliens, or start to question the logic behind the film. He also smartly carries over some devices from the first film that were abandoned to an extent, such as the acidic blood of the aliens, and he supplies answers to the few questions that the first film raised, such as why the blood doesn't corrode instruments and objects when a dead alien is examined.

Ripley: Get away from her, you *bitch!*

The main problem with Alien, some have said, was that, as great as it can be, the characterizations were reduced to the minimum (not that it really mattered, with Ridley Scott ensuring the film retained the right pace and suspense throughout). With Aliens, character development is the last thing fans should worry about, Cameron being fully aware of each individual's potential and exploiting it as much as he can. Ripley, who was just part of an ensemble in the original, is now allowed to carry the whole film, and boy, does she carry it: rarely has there been a more solid, compelling female role in a genre movie like this (the fact that Sigourney Weaver is the only actress, thus far, to have received an Oscar nomination for a science-fiction film is further testament to Aliens' immortality). The supporting cast is equally good, with a multitude of different characters ranging from funny (regular Cameron collaborators Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton) to weird (Lance Henriksen's android Bishop) and bringing something extra to the movie's unique atmosphere.

On a superficial level, it could be said Alien was a horror movie, while the follow-up is more action-oriented; that may be true, but one should also notice that every single spectacular battle scene actually oozes tension, never leaving the audience with a pause to breathe or relax. In fact, Cameron has succeeded where many other directors would have failed: he stayed faithful to the originals tone, but managed nonetheless to make the film undeniably his own as well.
Relentlessly creepy, occasionally very violent and consistently compelling, Aliens is a pitch-perfect piece of adult science-fiction. Watch it on a double bill with Scott's version and you will get four hours of genre film-making at its finest.

''We'd better get back, 'cause it'll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night... mostly.''

''Ok you Primitive Screwheads, listen up! You see this? This... is my boomstick! The 12-gauge double-barreled Remington. S-Mart's top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about $109.95. It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger. That's right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart. You got that?''


A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.

Bruce Campbell: Ash

Army of Darkness is a perfect rendition of a cult classic. If you go anywhere and ask if anyone has heard of it, they'll give you a puzzled expression. But search the web or meet any Horror enthusiast and you'll see that there are Evil Dead maniacs lurking out there, and I am proud to say that I am among these individuals.
Most trilogies tend to turn sour by the third film, Godfather 3 and The Mummy Series to name a few, but here Darkness manages to make itself a stand alone film and a fine damn one at that. It still has it's nods to the original Evil Dead, but if you're looking for the ultimate horror experience, then this film may not be it. Instead Darkness is full of comedic dialogue and antics. Our hero Ash spits out classic one-liners that so many people try to copy today...I'm looking at Austin Powers here.

Bruce Campbell is ASH. His character evolves throughout the trilogy and it's in this third installment that he is the ultimate kick ass hero. It's in this third installment that everyone remembers him from. It's in this third installment where he has the chainsaw, the boomstick, the one-liners, the sugar, the hot damsel. Campbell will always be known for this one character. He's such a coward and yet we still feel the need to cheer him on. Campbell is the master of physical comedy and he uses it to his advantage here, fighting an army of mini Ashes, splitting away from his evil self and getting his face sucked down an unknown demon hole from a book.

''Oh you little bastards! All right, I'll crush each and every last one of ya! I'll squash you so hard you'll have to look down to look up!''

Speaking of which, that's what makes the film even more enjoyable. It's insane bizarre comedic tone. Whether you like slapstick comedy or have a dark funny bone, this film is delightful for all. I never thought I would laugh so much at someone pouring boiling hot water down their throat. Then to have the thing grow inside of you and try to detach itself from your body, only in a movie like this can you watch that and laugh with it. Granted, it would help if you've seen the first two films and in order as well. The opening does give you a recap of what's happened, but you feel more for the film and Ash if you've been through the horrors alongside him.

Much like Peter Jackson got his start in the horror movie genre, so did Sam Raimi, as stated in other reviews of Evil Dead. You know, the guy that went on to direct such big hits as Spiderman,Spiderman 2, even Dark Man. Army of Darkness has the little Sam Raimi magic touch. Once you see it you can tell that it's Raimi behind the lens. Raimi has his brothers scattered throughout the film, playing many different characters at that. As well as Three Stoogies get ups and the POV of certain objects, such as arrows being shot or forks being thrown.

''Into the pit with those bloody-thirsty sons of whores!''

The first movie was Evil Dead then came Evil Dead II and finally this little rare gem, Army of Darkness. The first one was almost pure horror, while the second interjected some humor here and there, but was still mainly a horror while this one has very little horror at all and is more of an action comedy. Once again this movie sort of picks off where the previous movie leaves off, sort of as we have our hero Ash transported back to medieval times where he is mistaken for a member of an opposing army. The previous movie had him hailed as a hero right away, but here he is taken prisoner and forced to fight the evil dead in a very cool pit fighting scene. He quickly wins the respect of the ones who tried to kill him and he is sent on a quest to fetch a book that has the ability to send away the evil dead and help him get back to his own time. What ensues are some very funny scenes and a rather big battle at the end which is also rather funny, lets face it seeing a guy picking up obvious fake skeletons and acting like they are attacking is just humorous. Bruce Campbell is great in this movie, however no one else in the cast really sticks out all that much except for the main villain who also just happens to be Bruce Campbell. Still he carries this movie and he is enough for one funny action horror movie.

One aspect saves Army of Darkness from being ridiculous, and that is it's fully aware of it's own flaws. Sam Raimi is by my opinion a genius in every sense, and manages to turn the sometimes terrible special effects into a vital part of the movies sick dark humour. It's not bad, it's just not taking itself very seriously because that is the point! This movie is far from a low budget blunder. It's got a great plot, a great cast and it's got countless laughs. Also an option for two alternative endings, my favourite being a futuristic twist one that is also Sam Raimi's preferred conclusion.

''Gimme some sugar, baby.''

''He better be worth it. He better go home and cure a disease, or invent a longer-lasting light bulb.''

Following the Normandy Landings, a group of US soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.

Tom Hanks: Capt. John H. Miller

''That boy is alive. We are gonna send somebody to find him. And we are gonna get him the Hell... outta there.''

Spielberg continues what he does best with Saving Private Ryan, a film so graphic in its Second World War battlefield depictions that many veterans have called it the closest thing to being there. The explicit scenes of gushing arteries, severed limbs and faceless corpses come fast and furious, numbing us into the reality of the setting. In fact, if we didn't know Spielberg as a serious artist with noble objectives, we might be tempted to call him a shock artist obsessed with blood, guts, splatter and gore.
Steven Spielberg's genius stems from his ability to always know, exactly where he wants to show his viewer and to transport them there. If he wants to aim for our emotions, he'll make us fall in love with a brown and wrinkly alien we might otherwise find grotesque and scary. If he wants to make us inch the blanket up over our eyes in fear, he'll crank up the grim orchestral music and put us up lose and personal, with a toothy shark nemesis. And if he wants us to truly understand an entirely different kind of horror, he'll show us small children leaping into a pool of outhouse waste, to escape their murderous Holocaust captors. He isn't afraid to dirty his hands with any material he selects.

But what do we do know about Spielberg? We know he would not take us down such a rocky road without a reason. In Saving Private Ryan, the obvious rationalization is to help us understand not where he's coming from, but where the men we will ultimately spend nearly three hours with are coming from. It's in this hell on earth that Cpt. John Miller and his small group of soldiers (fine actors like Edward Burns, Tim Sizemore and Barry Pepper among them) must not only survive with sanity intact, but carry out orders. And not all of those orders make sense at the time, if ever. Case in point, Hanks and his men are sent to locate one Private James Ryan (Matt Damon). Private Ryan is no POW, no casualty, but a soldier still serving somewhere within the vast U.S. Forces, if he's still alive, that is. During WW2, with a communication system that is a technological relic by today's standards.

''My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust.''

Each man has a unique background, skill or specialized field. Whether it be an expert marksman or a Jewish veteran and fighter at war. IT all adds to the gritty realism and the taste of war, that your granddad would remember.
The mission they face, is a very hard venture, not just logistically, but emotionally. Private Ryan is sought so he can be sent home to his mom, who has just lost her three other sons virtually at once. As he himself admits, Private Ryan has displayed no more courage than his fellow soldiers. Why should he get to leave? Indeed that question crops up in the minds of Hanks' soldiers. Why is one man's life worth risking those of a group of men? they ask. It's an interesting angle for a film about heroes and rationality. We often think of soldiers doing their job with no questions asked, happy to put their lives on the line for their fellow team mates. We forget they are human beings like us, flesh and blood.

What Saving Private Ryan does extremely well, is show the world the harsh reality of war. Such as letting prisoners go only to return in circulation later, Allied Soldiers killing prisoners or surrendering Nazis because they are bitter, it all shows that the only fairness in war is the unfairness of it. The story about a squad of soldiers sent to retrieve the surviving brother of three dead soldiers is told with competency and due reverence from all perspectives of the characters involved. It is an uncommon and intriguing drama, but it serves as an excuse to describe a setting, rather than the other way around. The story manages to move us through all sorts of different landscapes and scenarios, giving us an unforgettable glimpse of a world unknown to most of us, and terrifying to those who are familiar with it from personal experience.
And therein lies one of the biggest strengths of Saving Private Ryan. It's a very human story told in extreme circumstances. It covers all the traditional struggles like inner turmoil, terror, carnage yet has a level of sophistication absent from most other war films, particularly those inspired by The Last Great War. Hanks isn't Patton, but a schoolteacher, a human being, someone we can relate to, who secretly cries at the enormity of it all. The enemy fighters don't have horns, but uniforms and feelings just like the Americans. The soldiers are heroes, but reluctant ones.
Spielberg is a master at telling the story of war and men. Saving Private Ryan is not his best, but it certainly comes close.

''I just know that every man I kill, the farther away from home I feel.''

Dr. Richard Kimble: I thought you didn't care?
Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard: I don't.
[laughs]
Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard: Don't tell anybody, OK?

A murdered wife. A one-armed man. An obsessed detective. The chase begins.


Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of killing his wife, must find the real one-armed killer, uncover a secret conspiracy/revelation and betrayal while avoiding Marshal Sam Gerard.

Harrison Ford: Dr. Richard David Kimble. Harrison is remarkable in this as the Doctor who is put on a false charge, sentenced to death and goes on the run. He plays Kimble with finesse and intelligence with charismatic moralistic temperament. Iconic.

Tommy Lee Jones: Marshal Samuel Gerard. Jones was born to play a marshal, he compliment's ford character as they become entangled in a game of cat and mouse. One of those roles that sticks in your memory. Jones makes it stick in your mind like a burning smoking poker.

Look out for a young Julianne Moore as Dr. Anne Eastman.

For me the definition of Chase movies. This is a thrill ride that has your heart thumping start to finish. One of my fave films and for good reason.
Tommy Lee Jones, who did pick up an Oscar, is the U.S. Marshall( Sam Gerard) who is bent on catching the escaped Kimble. Playing like an adapted Les Miserables, this is actually taken from a true story. Throughout the movie, Kimble evades police while trying to track down his wife's real murderer. While containing a few scenes that require a stretch of imagination, as a whole the movie is realistic, and full of edge-of-the-seat suspense.

The chemistry between the Ford/Jones duo is a pleasure to watch. The Fugitive part together with the struggle between two strong personalities makes up for two truly entertaining hours.

In my opinion, "The Fugitive" is the best movie of 1993. It is also one of the few successful films-based-on-a-TV-series. Harrison Ford is good as Dr. Richard Kimble. But to me, David Janssen still the best out of the three incarnations of the wrongly accused, yet rightly resourceful doctor. Tommy Lee Jones is equally effective as U.S. Marshall Sam Gerard, Kimble's pursuer.

For the movie, Gerard's title and first name were changed. Those who have seen either of the TV incarnations of the Fugitive will recall that his name is Lieutenant Phillip Gerard. Why the change is anyone's guess.

The best lines in this film are from Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The former shouts: "I didn't kill my wife!" In response, the latter says, "I don't care!"
The message here, of course, was that Gerard's job was to nab Kimble, not determine his guilt or innocence.

The second half of the film is mostly a patient cat-and-mouse chase. It isn't fast-paced as the first and the ending is well-conceived. What makes "The Fugitive" work so well is I didn't only root for Kimble, but I rooted (and laughed) for Gerard as well. Besides Davis's smart direction and handling of the film's pace, the story by David S. Twohy is masterfully written and is near perfection.

Harrison Ford gives another unforgettable performance as Kimble, but Jones is the stand out here as Gerard.
The supporting cast is great, too and "The Fugitive" is a classic film that shouldn't go unseen.

Pure adrenaline.

''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.''

''Leave this Justin. Go home.''

''I can't go home. Tessa was my home. ''

A widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder, big business, and corporate corruption.

Ralph Fiennes: Justin Quayle

Rachel Weisz: Tessa Quayle

Powerful, emotional and political Constant Gardner is hard for me to watch due to it's material yet i couldn't look away. It had me crying and hurting inside and all from the journey of one man trying desperately to find an answer to his wife's demise. I mean it's a nightmare and a love story that sadly is severed but you still feel through flashbacks that there is a connection.

Brilliant acting from its two lead roles Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes, two of the best of my heart and this country.
Ralph's performance and accent as Justin is top standards while Weisz as Tessa shines like she did in Fountain and shows a performance worthy of the Oscar she plucked from her emotionally charged portrayal told sadly but effectively in past tense.
The romantic portion of the film was immortalized by the two characters Justin and Tessa, (Ralph & Rachel). Their first meeting was dynamically presented as Tessa was a social activist heckling Justin as he was making a political speech. When the hall was cleared, however, it was Justin who was actually comforting Tessa after her outburst. The juxtaposition of the placid, passive Justin versus the fervent, hyper-kinetic Tessa was brilliantly established in that opening scene.

The strands of thriller and social realism are inextricably tied together in the film. As a whodunit, The Constant Gardener seeks to uncover what actually happened to Justin and Tessa on their African journey. At the same time, the main culprit that emerges is the heavy hand of greed as the pharmaceutical companies exploit helpless victims of tuberculosis for the purpose of testing and marketing an experimental drug. At one point in the film, it is disclosed to Justin that the pharmaceutical industry is no different than arms dealers.

This film truly rewards its audience as it works on so many levels. Like Crash you won't be able to stop pondering over every thing you've just seen. The politics here are engaging and bound to stir up even the most complacent viewer. What's even more amazing is that all of the timely political discourse and subsequent thriller aspects of the film,courtesy of the source material, John Le Carre's novel, are wrapped up in an immortal romance. We the audience join Fiennes on his journey across Africa, and we rediscover the love story between he and his wife that ties the film in a poetic realism usually reserved for movies with much less on their minds.

To top it off, it's all delivered in the maddeningly genius Meirelles style that took critics and audiences by storm in his debut masterpiece City of God. We have the shaky hand-held camera darting through vibrant and colorful third-world locales juxtaposed with jaw-droppingly gorgeous aerial photography of Africa in all its glory. Meirelles again shows us he is a true artist and visionary willing to show both the shocking beauty and abject horror of the people and places that populate his films. Again he delivers a message that people are doing horrible things to each other, everywhere.

With City of God he seemed to be saying the only hope is to document and record it. The Constant Gardener makes that argument again and takes it one brilliant step forward. We may not be able to stop a war or a huge global injustice, but we do have the power to help one person at a time. It takes a courageous film to make such a statement, and a brilliant film-maker to deliver it, and that's just what The Constant Gardener achieves.

Fine performances that reside in Constant Gardner not only come from it's two leads but come from Bill Nighy who manages not to be funny, Danny Houston who's in loads of good films recently, and Hubert Kounde who proves it's the quiet ones you got to watch.

Constant Gardner hurts to watch, performances yes it's five stars, but i think it's a movie that is all to real, and for me that hits to close to the mark, to life.
Losing a loved one is a very hard thing for me and to watch another man go through that, it hurts so much and sets me off, until I'm a quivering mess.

The hopelessness, the injustice and that sometimes your enemy, the ones you were fighting are right back at home. In this regard CG is very clever and it's message hits home with a bitter aftertaste and a sharp pain tearing point.

Don't think i could watch this too often due to its realistic and then rather sad finish but it's a masterpiece nonetheless.

Like that last gun shot and blackness, Constant Gardner has one shot, and by heck it takes it!

''I love you in the way I understand love.''

A chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life.

Keira Knightley: Georgiana, The Duchess of Devonshire

Ralph Fiennes: Duke of Devonshire

The Duchess is based on Amanda Foreman's biographic book and is brought to life on screen by Director Saul Dibb.
The story revolves around Georgina, who becomes the Duchess of Devonshire, married into a marriage of convenience and stature, laboured with the task of giving her husband the Duke a male heir.

Keira Knightley is in her element as Georgiana and you can see she revels in it. Keira is at home in her depiction of the intelligent, beautiful Georgiana. Every scene she is in has life, depth and prosperity. Emotion and struggle effortlessly conveyed in her eyes alone at times.
What struck me were her loveless marriage to Ralph Fiennes Duke and the many problems she faces.
Ralph Fiennes plays a villain character very well in films in the past but in The Duchess I wouldn't class him as good or bad in conclusion. His Duke character in here simply has problem expressing his emotions and at times he beautifully acts out how insensitive he can be to Georgiana. His many faults and later affair with Bess, a friend of Georgiana, causes problems and even shows us of the mistreatment of women in this period. To me it's a fascination in a few hundred years, females have been given the freedom and right to do the same as men, and justly so.

Georgiana is a woman ahead of her time, comparable to great ladies like Elizabeth or Catherine The great in the form and way of her strength, resolve and striking intelligence showing she's not just a beautiful lady of Aristocracy.

I must admit her romance and deep love for Dominic Cooper's Charles Grey struck me to how tragic and moving the whole story is. The boundaries of protocol and what society expects of you is amazingly captured, showing real life to be a hugely fascinating and inspiration, as well as rival to anything fictional or fantasy based can offer us.

Charles Grey and Georgiana by the River sharing a moment of intimacy struck volumes with me. A long lost feeling of a love not yet felt with her emotionless seeming husband. as Charles and Georgiana look into each others eyes you can see the love there.
As they kiss and give into loves embrace, it's mind-blowing and even my eyes were unable to control the prospect of crying slightly.

The love scenes were surprisingly really well executed in amazing subtle yet effective ways. Some scenes with Keira and Ralph were obviously awkward but they were intended to be. Keira's love scenes with Cooper are an effective contrast to the ones with Ralph, which are void of love, this importantly helps us to notice the huge difference there.

The Duchess is simply a period masterpiece that may be predicted as being sad but it's not. It's positively radiant in all aspects. Costumes, locations, acting and the music and Score is in a class of its own. The Duchess is beautiful storytelling and a period film dream to put it effectively, a vision of a woman's life miraculously portrayed on the dazzling big screen.

Ralph Fiennes provides a character who you love to hate, but redeems himself somewhat, Keira Knightley is the shining Goddess we all thought she would be.
Dominic Cooper gets another amazing film besides History Boys and Mamma Mia under his belt and has convinced me he's a rising star.

Ralph Fiennes making everyone laugh on various parts from the way he says things so emotionlessly is perfect. I've never seen a Lady with her head on fire before in a Period film, but what made it even more memorable was the fact Ralph has to say ''Put out The Duchess's hair please!'', or something to that effect.
My favourite part near the end, where we actually see a glimpse of Ralph's Duke's emotion was so moving for me. Where he looks out the window and says something like, ''How wonderful to be free.'' For the first time he actually connects to Keira, and knows what she would like, and it's amazing to see this conveyed in his eyes and hers.

In conclusion The Duchess has humour, struggle, a moving score, beautiful cinematography, and an ending that concludes things in such a way, you will be moved, you will be happy and most importantly you will be satisfied and leave the cinema glowing.

'' Madness?
THIS IS SPARTA!''

King Leonidas and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C..

Gerard Butler: King Leonidas

Violent, action-packed, maybe repetitive but visually stunning and imaginative like frank Millar's Novel. loosely based on real events. Truly immense and the scale is gigantic, so much violence it oozes with it.

Did get annoyed with David Wenham's narration a tad, loved the pure macho-ism in this.
Gerard Butler as King Leonidas was absolutely one with the part he plays. He's such a remarkable versatile actor who plays such a strong lead.
Lena Headley as Queen Gorgo also such a strong leading woman among such a male dominated cast yet shes formidable and a good enough actress to remain stand out.
Michael Fassbender and Tom wisdom as Stelios and Astinos had good jokey lines and chemistry in the film.
Andrew Tiernan as the hunchback Ephialties also has depth and meaning. The betrayer, the judas of the story who betrays because he's not accepted, because of his deformed weakness. Abandoned for this, cast away as is the Spartan way. Traitorous but still i can't help but feel sorry for him.
Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes is so moulded into his character i didn't recognize it was him when i first saw this. He's so small in real life and on this he's like a 7ft god-like figure. Really looks woman-esque with all that shrapnel in his face and make up.

''This will not be over quickly. You will not enjoy this. I am not your Queen!''

Fans of ancient history and classical studies will find a lot to criticize because it's not an accurate depiction of ancient Greece but you should always make the legend according to John Ford . Unfortunately by concentrating on the visuals there's other aspects lacking . The Spartans don't really come across as real characters from ancient times , more of a crowd of wise cracking macho cyphers.

But despite these flaws this is a truly memorable movie down to the jaw dropping visuals and it's the visuals and music the film will be rightly remembered for. It's a pity that the Oscar voters ignored 300 because certainly make up , cinematography , editing and possibly best supporting actor for Andrew Tiernan as Ephialtes should have been nominated at least and this film will be highly regarded in years to come.

''You have many slaves, Xerxes, but few warriors. It won't be long before they fear my spears more than your whips.''

Parts I absolutely loved on 300 are numerous, including a love scene with Butler and Headley, utterly blossoming with passion, their last night of intimacy, for love, a bond persevered.
This movie is more than an action movie for me. It's about love, camaraderie, the defending of what they love, of what they believe in. It's about the power not to give up but follow their destiny and to do what they think is the right thing to do. And it's also about the soul-mates, the King and the Queen.

Loved all the battle scenes and great lines:

''Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in hell!''
or '' Give them NOTHING! Take from them EVERYTHING!''. ''They look thirsty, let's give them a drink!'', ''Feast hearty men for tonight we dine in HELL!'', I love the reversal here Queen Gorgo says to that black-hearted traitor Theron while skewering him,''This will not be over quickly. You will not enjoy this. I am not your Queen.'' The line I love the most and thats so lovely and makes me think of love eternal, ''My Queen! My wife. My love...'' It's so heart-felt and so loving and touches my soul, I cannot help but get emotional from that everytime.

The story was great and the part as you get to the ending credits and the sound is still roaring and pounding it gives you real surge.
For me personally this movie is unique. It's a masterpiece of visual effects, colour, sounds, soundtrack and the absolutely stunning performance of the actors.

A graphic novel-to film masterpiece. Quality filming, take a bow everyone who made this possible.

''The world will know that free men stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many, and before this battle was over, even a god-king can bleed.''

''I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person, who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are.''

With their warning about Lord Voldemort's return frowned and discarded by many, Harry and Dumbledore are targeted by the Wizard authorities as an authoritarian bureaucrat in the shape of Umbridge slowly seizes power at Hogwarts.

Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter

I thoroughly enjoyed the Phoenix installment of the Harry Potter films. I followed Harry Potter's story through JK Rowlings books but my fondness for the material extended to its interpretations on film. All directors, for the most part, have done well (special mention for Alfonso Cuaron's Prisoner of Azkaban). But I must say, David Yates has taken the translation and interpretation of Harry's story in this installment to a whole new level of perfect entertainment and fantasy proportions, elaborating a great sense of wonderment for the two remaining films to follow.

There is so much I obtained from Order of the Phoenix, the performances were outstanding and it features three of my fave acting counterparts. Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman & Helen Bonham Carter together is a heavenly miracle on film.
Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort really excels even more so this time than he had in his one scene in Goblet of Fire. His rasping tones and slippery snake-like ways, even his evil laughter and menacing hairless eye brow raise is perfect. This man truly asserts himself as a pure talent and for that reason I love any film Ralph does. Ralph Fiennes has played a villain or hero with equal magnificence, and here he plays the Darkest fantasy bad ass since Rings or even Sci-Fi's Sith in Star Wars.
Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix also excels even though shes not in it too much, she leaves a burning impression for these wonderous roles she participates in. Like Sweeney Todd her fantasy/Period films are delicious and dark.
Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, also after Prisoner of Azkaban, is settled in his role and his chemistry with Daniel Radcliffe is effortlessly believable. Was also particularly pleased Oldman & Fiennes have a scene together, plus Helena & Oldman in that fast paced climactic wand duel was fantastic.

Ok going on to Dan Radcliffe as the lead, the fabled Harry Potter, is maturing, and his emulation of Harry's internal trauma and outward frustration is a marvel, he really does the character of Harry justice.
Imelda Stuanton is a treasure as Dolores Umbrige. Her plastic smiles and giggles have to be seen to be believed. Imelda displays incredible range as an actress and captures the character of Dolores to a 't', pardon the pun.
Also, one of my favourite female character from the book, Luna Lovegood - is a treat to behold!
Evanna Lynch, an avid fan of the books and Luna, made her touch my heart on the screen!
Emma Watson and Rupert Grint give their performances some great heart, and it is easy to see the sweet romance in Hermoine and Ron's future.
Alan Rickman has captured the character of Severus Snape yet again.
Any fan of the books knows how important his character becomes to the conclusion of the Harry Potter story, but quite honestly, Snape has been a continually pleasure to watch in all the Harry Potter films. He barely speaks in this and is sidelined but leaves an impression regardless, it's obvious he's being saved for the next film where his big break comes.

There were funny moments scattered amidst the dark ones, and they felt very natural,well-timed with excellent editing. Many of the adult characters stay in the background, and the focus is kept on Harry and his friends fighting Voldemort (Including Umbrige at one point) in their own extra-special way.
Harry starts to teach defensive spells to any and every student that believes his story, and it's very exciting seeing many seemingly background characters (looking at Neville Longbottom in particular considering the prophecy) suddenly grow in depth and importance.

The Order of the Phoenix is introduced briefly, then kept hidden for much of the film, making a dramatic entrance in the film's final scenes, a thrilling face-off that occurs when Lord Voldemort finally decides to come out and wreak havoc!

David Yates' direction really gives the film a sense of momentum and gloomy dread. Watching intently you begin to realize the Potter story is about to get very very adult, and very dark.

Was inspired from the tension I felt watching the film, as several adult characters would quietly confess to Harry "it feels like it did before..." Yates grabs hold of that feeling and doesn't let it go for the entire duration of Phoenix.

Even after the jaw-dropping climax of Order of the Phoenix vs. Voldemort's Death Eaters, then the epic battle of Dumbledore vs. Voldemort, you feel that this is not the end of troubles to come for Harry, Dumbledore and company...not by far.

The war between good and evil has officially kicked off in Phoenix, and even though it has one pivotal sad occurrence by its end, the ending still cleverly retains a positive and vibrant glow that has you aching for the next film, Half Blood Prince will be highly sought after by me, and Phoenix one of the best of the series so far.

''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.

''You don't like Beethoven. You don't know what you're missing. Overtures like that get my... juices flowing. So powerful. But after his openings, to be honest, he does tend to get a little fucking boring. That's why I stopped!''


Professional assassin Léon reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda, a neighbor whose parents are killed, and teaches her his trade. While a bent drug addicted psychopathic cop spells trouble for Leon...

Jean Reno: Léon

Gary Oldman: Stansfield

Natalie Portman: Mathilda

Classic film with Jean Reno as assassin Léon does a fine portrayal and a suitably hyped-up corrupt cop villain in the shape of Gary Oldman's Stanfield. His crazy lines, ''BINGO'' or ''I want everyone you got...''
''What do you mean everyone?''''EVERYONE!!!!. If anyone can play a villain then Gary Oldman can in his earlier days.

To be noted a fine performance from Natalie Portman in her childhood days, in one of her first roles.

Music, action and visually compelling. Not to be missed.

The original Hitman hands down blows everything else away.

Mathilda''Is life always this hard, or is it just when you're a kid? ''Léon''Always like this.''

''I decided to stop pitying myself. Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed, my imagination and my memory.''


The true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.

Mathieu Amalric: Jean-Dominique 'Jean-Do' Bauby

Emmanuelle Seigner: Céline Desmoulins

Diving Bell/Butterfly is a true Story and evidence that truth can be more astounding than any fiction can.
Tells the tale of Jean-Dominique Bauby who tragically becomes immobilized apart from his left eye.

For the duration of Diving Bell we mostly see what Jean-Do sees through his eye, from his perception and perspective of the world.
We the audience begin to realize and ascertain how trapped and confined he is as the Story continues. Imagery to convey this includes him in an Underwater restricted Suit that shows how his body has become ultimately his prison yet his imagination and memory his escape and freedom from a relentless nightmare.

Diving Bell made me think on a personal level, made me think that I've been guilty of taking life for granted and not realizing the greatness and vastness of things I have and possess. Seeing this man disabled and helpless in his hardship and his immoblilized state is incredible due to the fact he writes a whole book using his eye to convey it all through letters using blinks. Once for yes, Twice for no to confirm the letters said.

Flashbacks also shed light on Jean-Do's life prior to the accident/stroke. This was powerful stuff for me. A scene in Diving Bell between Jean-Do and his Father played by Max Von Sydow is truly tear inducingly heart wrenching. I had to hide my face in the Cinema due to the fact I don't like people to see me cry. Diving Bell on a personal level is like a dream and this book this man creates is his voice crying out from this living nightmare.

Alot to learn to from it's imaginative play on history and dreamy depths of Jean-Do's mind to it's realistic desperation of a man fighting to stay alive. A Sunday described as a desert due to it's lack of company is so clever or the ''We're all children, we all need approval.'' is a life's lesson in effect genius.

Le Scaphandre et le Papillon in a effect a Masterpiece, beautiful.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is one reason I love films and reading.
One man's struggle so wonderfully caught and shown.

''A poet once said, Only a fool laughs when nothing's funny.

''Directive?''

[Wall-E gathers up some trash, compacts it and spits it out.]

''Ta-da! ''

In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

Ben Burtt: WALL-E / M-O (voice)

Elissa Knight: EVE (voice)

WALL-E is without a doubt one of the most accomplished, most well concieved animated films over flowing with story, emotion and will leave you wanting more and more.

It begins even with a short film of a magician and his Bunny Alex which provides plenty of laughs, then it gets onto the film itself. When we are first introduced to Wall-e, you instantly know in your heart you won't be able to resist his cuteness and lovableness. He collects interesting things from the debris and puts them in his home while watching old musicals classics and recording them on his box. What's also fascinating is that he is solar powered and can also recede into box form, so cute.

Earth has become an inhospitable dump, bristling with rubbish and junk. Wall-e's main function is to recycle materials to rebuild the crumbling remnants of humanities cities. Only problem is Wall-e seems to be on his own, last of his kind. Apart from his friend in the form of a cockroach who provides company.

When a space craft lands on this planet Wall-e gets to meet EVA a white robot sent to find something vital on Earth. What we get is some lovely sequences of her following her directive, WALL-E isn't just an animated film, its one of substance and story, and a love story at that.

When later in WALL-E he ends up on a huge spaceship and is swept alongside hundreds of other robots you just have to marvel at the sheer amount of time that has gone into creating this gorgeous animated film. Not only that but references to 2001 and a robot that even looks like Hal and similar behavior marks as one of the best homages an animated film has ever done. Not only that Casablanca also gets a nod with an iconic song.

It will make you laugh, make you cry in places especially near the end, and make you melt from sheer overload of a masterpiece that surely deserves to win an Oscar for Best Animated film.
WALL-E is perfect and a cheery alternative for this summer, that all the family can appreciate.

The credits I loved which I must mention, and Peter Gabriel's song at the end really added to what was already in my mind perfection. WALL-E concludes like it begins, making you feel good and leaving you breathless.

Zeniba: Now, try to remember as much as you can about your old life.
Chihiro: For some reason, I can remember Haku... from a long time ago... but I thought I never met him before!
Zeniba: Oh, that's a wonderful place to start! Once you meet someone, you never really forget them.


In the middle of her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl Chihiro/ Sen wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and monsters; where humans are changed into animals; and a bathhouse for these creatures.

Hayao Miyazaki's animated masterpiece is obviously a very foreign film--and not simply because it comes from another country i.e: Japan, there's an imagination at work that's so organic and remote that it seems to spring from an individual's subconscious and as such feels as if it has no immediate relation to a single culture. But it connects universally, speaking as it does in a language that suggests anything is possible and children( and imaginative adults) of all cultures will respond to it instinctively.
The soundtrack also is very effective in setting the mood in key areas.

Wondered if the film is trying to explain death in a simplistic yet secret way to children. No Face would be a likely candidate for that assumption.
Chihiro lets him in and does not fear him like the adults because she doesn't understand what he is. Interestingly, No Face travels on the ghost train and is, consequently, the only companion invited to stay with 'Granny' when the friends decide to make their return journey.

My personal favorite parts are the battle against No Face as Chihiro fights off by simply using a medicine/cure she was given and teaching him the importance of friendship. Also, revealing who Haku really is and showing such loyalty to the one you love.

The moral of this epic story is that sometimes perhaps, you need to mature and learn that you can't rely on someone else to save you.
You must also value your friends and keep loyal to the end.

Nonetheless, it's a fantastic animation with beautiful music, charming characters, a storyline that sucks you in art beyond possibility and comparison.

Renews my hope with it's Oscar win, recognition of imagination at last.

A must see for any anime fan, or fan of Ghibli studios, and a film able to be enjoyed by children and adults alike, Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, or Spirited Away will leave you breathless and satisfied. Perfection.

''In this life you'll meet a lot of jerks. If they hurt you, tell yourself that it's their own stupidity that makes them act that way. That will keep you from responding to their meanness. There's nothing worse in this world than bitterness and revenge. Hold your head up and stay true to yourself.''


Poignant coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl that begins during the Islamic Revolution.

Chiara Mastroianni: Marjane 'Marji' Satrapi, as a teenager and a woman (voice)

Gabrielle Lopes: Marjane as a child (voice)

Persepolis is not only just an animated film or indeed a comic but one that captures one girl growing up. In the same vein as Grave of the Fireflies this film is not for children like it's cartoony looks would suggest.

What we get from Persepolis is Marjana Satrapi's vision of a life consisting of struggle, control and the freedom for women to do anything scarily non existent. Captivating that the 80s and 90s are depicted in Iran in such a way of death, of war and of propaganda and ideology that I felt that this world was so backward. Marjane's way of life felt like it was stuck in a bygone era like the early 1920s to 1940s. Her imagination and creativity are brought to life and cleverly Persepolis uses black and white to convey the immense desperation, the depressed state of society in Iran and the lack of free rights of suppressed, controlled women.

Animation has the advantage of permitting a pace that allows a lot to be included into a simply and honestly told story, particularly in early childhood and adolescence. Very thought inducing in seeing how atrocities and cruelties are perceived through little childrens eyes, particularly little kids growing up in an environment where these acts are a normal way of life.

As a teenager looking for punk music in the black market, Marjane walks through a throng of peddlers trying to sell her an assortment of trendy videos, including disguising Micheal Jackson as Jichael Mackson is genius.

Communism is crushed, propaganda cast away and bloody fighting and martyrs frequently being produced. Marjane's life growing up as Persepolis shows us is a hard one full of strife. Yet for all its seriousness there is humour there also.
Throughout the movie a sense of humour that is at times very sarcastic, yet very amusing.
Be it sequences where she talks to God in his cloud or as a girl pestering her Uncle about his ideals and Communist past and life. Be it her making the transition from girl to woman in a very amusing sequence that shows all the joys of getting older. Sarcasm of my own there in case you failed to notice.

Persepolis ends with a beautiful rendition of her grandmother and her smelling of luscious flowers put into her bra area. This for me really does show a sense of how great life can be whatever trouble there is, good is always lurking somewhere, waiting to break free.
Whether it be Marjane's ill fated relationships or defiance of a teacher, or even men telling the women to cover up more and Marjane standing up to them, there are so many sides to this story Persepolis has to offer.
Thus becoming in my eyes a definite masterpiece of emotion, feeling and capturing the plight and suffering not just of one woman but also of a whole nation.

Simply breathtaking, Persepolis is nothing short of greatness and told in a medium bordering on simplicity yet emerging as genius.

Pending Review...

''If the war is lost, then it is of no concern to me if the people perish in it I still would not shed a single tear for them; because they did not deserve any better.'' - Adolf Hitler-

Historical, controversial and powerful insight.The last ten days of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime are seen through the eyes of a young woman in his employ in this historical drama from Germany.

Bruno Ganz plays Adolf Hitler who shows us a man who is plummeting into madness and despair. For Hitler was a man with a vision of world domination and racial superiority. Any mistakes would instantly send him into a violent outburst, and Ganz plays this beautifully. His mannerisms, his deluded ideas and he grasps at false hopes.
Alexandra Maria Lara plays Trundl Junge a secretary to Hitler, and the story is conveyed from mostly her perspective of events.
Thomas Kretshmann: SS-Gruppenführer Hermann Fegelein one of a favoured German actor for me was in the film, yet he meets an untimely demise. Another War Film along with recently Valkyrie and The Pianist.

''The war is lost... But if you think that I'll leave Berlin for that, you are sadly mistaken. I'd prefer to put a bullet in my head.''

Granted Downfall is a long film which could of been edited slightly, but makes up for with great fashions of the times, set pieces and a reasonable score. Also this is history being told honestly and in a truthful non-glorifying manner,yet in an also non-demeaning way either too.
Features graphic, violent and horrific scenes obviously.
One scene that especially disturbed me was in the bunker where a mother, sticks a certain kind of cyanide pill into her children's mouths and watches them die. Shows no emotion, no trace of regret, later committing suicide with her husband by gunpoint.

This movie shows a whole nation at the whim of a mad man, who they follow order for order. A dictatorship, a supreme power Hitler's insatiable greed and glazed ideals of a new world for Germania.
Having studied in History classes, the 2nd World War and Adolf Hitler, I find it fascinating and disturbing all at the same time.
A whole nation dragged to its knees by a ruthless tyrannical uncaring remorseful selfish man, who unfortunately is human not some mythical monster. He shows empathy for people, shows a love and affection for his partner and his loyal dog, yet in other parts shows us an angry, rage filled monster, full of hate and power drunk consequences.
Humanity's inhumanity to man. Good to see Germany's view-point, and an honest telling from Directing team Duke White, Garrett White, Oliver Hirschbiegel.

''Many mistakes have been made. Be ruthless. Life doesn't forgive weakness. This so-called humanity is religious drivel. Compassion is an eternal sin. To feel compassion for the weak is a betrayal of nature. The strong can only triumph if the weak are exterminated. Being loyal to this law, I've never had compassion. I've always been ruthless when faced with internal opposition from other races. That's the only way to deal with it.''

The film is also based on the memoirs of Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara), who was Hitler's appointed secretary. The plot also uses Inside Hitler's Bunker by Joachim Fest in order to keep the plot as historically accurate as possible. Hitler is obviously always the main focus of the movie, and even when he is not on camera his shadow on the events that happen on screen is always present. Minor grave endeavors are shown throughout the movie and director Oliver Hirschbiegel does a good job of connecting them to the main problem: the Nazi Party. These happenings range from instances of violence on the streets, to suicides.

The most intriguing part of the film is not the realistic reproduction of a bombed city, or the amazing acting by all involved, although these things are startling and deserve awards. No, the best part is definitely the way Hitler is illustrated. During his last ten days, he didn't have control over anything, not the country, not the army, and not even the Nazi party itself. While the movie depicts those things really well, it goes even deeper and acknowledges that the Fuhrer couldn't even control himself. It was something not even he realized until those final moments in that dark bunker, where he shot himself.

The movie looks great thanks to the cinematography of Rainer Klausmann, with battle scenes and aftermaths coloured in strikingly cheerless tones. Credit also has to go to director Hirschbiegel for the choices he made as far as what to film and where in the movie to put it. It is also to his credit, the way he directs the actors. Bruno Ganz practically embodies Hitler, portraying both his flaws, and positive traits. All the actors around him, while turning in great performances are simply puppets for him to interact with, remarkably mirroring the roles their characters played in Hitler's real life.

So in this film you get not only an enormously accurate picture of World War II itself, but also an accurate portrait of the life of the most important and flawed man in arguably all of human history. Downfall is an endlessly rewarding motion picture and one of the best of the year. So if you don't mind the German language and having to read subtitles, you will be able to acknowledge the importance of Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall.

''You must be on stage when the curtain falls.''

''A faithful heart makes wishes come true.''

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is at a crossroads in her life.

Yun-Fat Chow: Master Li Mu Bai

If I had to sum up Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in just three simple words, they would be Enthralling, Mystical and Mesmerizing. The story is so well thought out and it goes excellently with some of Asia's biggest movie stars namely Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat.

The scenery and the photography was beyond belief. The majestic landscapes of China match imagination when I read all the beautiful Chinese poems of the respective Tang and Sung dynasties. No wonder poets in these eras could come up with masterpieces. They sure had the best inspiration.

Peter Pau not only captured the landscapes and the settings, he also managed to capture the fast-as-lightening action/choreography wonderfully. The shot of Jen gliding over water just lodged in my mind. The soundtrack also is beyond excellence. Tan Dun used different instruments to match the different locales. He mixed in Central Asian music in the desert sequence and Chinese flute in the Southern China scenes. Yo-yo Ma's cello in the main theme makes me want to shed a tear everytime heard.

Now onto the plot, often accused of being far too simple and "high-concept" for such a critically acclaimed film. I would disagree. Certainly, this isn't an exercise in senseless "the-plot-rules-all" film making promoted by many a summer movie. The plot not only serves the characters, but IS the characters, their interactions and relationships. The restrained dynamic between Yun Fat and Yeoh is played against the sparky, lusty affair and her lowly bit of criminal scruff (the latter being standard escapist, fairy tale material, executed perfectly). The final scene between Yeoh and Yun Fat's characters is infinitely more interesting than lesser film makers would achieve, as there is no tragic final kiss but merely tears and regret. Perhaps the most interesting character dynamic is between the aging female outlaw Jade Fox, and her supposed muse, Zi.

The storytelling was done so expertly. As a romantic love story, loving the desert romance between Jen and Lo. It's one of the most charming and believable bonds that I can recollect. Most people gave credit of the fighting to Yuen Wo Ping. I'd give respect also to Ang Lee. I've seen Yuen's martial art films before, but they're never done in such a diverse, an imaginative and artistic way.

The artistic mastery has to come from visionary Ang Lee who has crafted on his canvas of film a beautiful artistic masterpiece.

''Do you even know why you're supposed to kill me? Look at us. Look at what they make you give.''

Bourne is once again brought out of hiding, this time inadvertently by London-based reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar--an upgrade to Project Treadstone--in a series of newspaper columns. Bourne sets up a meeting with Ross and realizes instantly they're being scanned. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally, ultimately, uncover his dark past whilst dodging The Company's best efforts in trying to eradicate him.

Matt Damon: Jason Bourne

From the word go its non-stop action, one of the best action films of modern times in existence. The clever aspects about the third installment is that it's wonderfully directed and executed by Paul Greengrass, it outdoes its predecessors in terms of pace and edgy cinematography, plus the facts that this scenario, this modern story of a Government secret experiment training program, could be real, individuals tapping into our phones, or being targeted and eliminated at any point, any number of cameras or face recognition techniques to clamp us down or capture us become frighteningly realistic.

Bourne Ultimatum features some of the best chases ever committed to celluloid. The chases in this are truly mesmerizing and the sound/beats, accompanying music, plus shakey camera work adds to the tension and teeth grinding element of the heightened mood.
Julia Stiles smile at the end priceless, her reminiscent familiarity to a lost love of Jason's, David Strathairn foreboding, excellent, and relentless in his pursuit of Bourne, and of course main star himself, Matt Damon whom is perfectly on form yet again, Identity and Supremacy being relative warm ups compared to this peak of a paralleled pursuit for the truth. Even the inclusion of Veteran actor Albert Finney another fine addition.

''Issue a standing kill order on Jason Bourne, effective immediately.''

Human, emotion,empathy, compassion, the question and unwavering answer of the mirrored, rising hero in touch with his humanity or a robot programmed follow-order cold assassin. The latter being a lonely road. No links, friends or family. End of the day do the right thing.

The Bourne Ultimatum is another addition to the series based on a novel by Robert Ludlum. It's positive message and detailed fast paced scenes will have you captivated in its almost two hour running time. Once again, Matt Damon is back again and seems more at ease than he was in the other two movies still wondering how or who put him in the predicament that he's in now. This time Bourne is in London and a reporter (Paddy Considine) informs him of an organization called Blackbrier, a more menacing organization than Treadstone that's run by an evil CIA agent, who wants Bourne dead. Also in pursuit of Bourne is a girl named Pam Lundy (Joan Allen) who has faith, that Bourne is not a threat that the CIA assumes he is. And the city-hopping is off in full swing up to his final destination in New York where he fights off his ex-handlers.

Though not a thinking-movie like the slower paced The Bourne Supremacy, this movie depends more on action and non-stop chases, for all action fans. And anyone who gets in Bourne's face, will likely get pummeled. Bourne has Blackbeier's henchman after him who seem to expose similar traits as him. But Bourne is more well-versed than them, so that gives him still the upper edge. Very tense scenes on the rooftops of Tangiers to the traffic-laden streets of the Big Apple, the chase reign supreme.

As a conclusion The Bourne Ultimatum obliterates James Bond into a trash can and pummels the living daylights out of it, while remaining the action film of the decade!
The end symbolizing Bourne beginning again like it started, water being a rebirth of sorts, and Greengrass leaving the possibility of carrying on the Bourne Legacy. If another installment is this action packed and this deep into the psyche of an Agent rebelling against his old immorally correct masters, then definitely I would love to see Bourne return to the big screen, a modern albeit troubled hero of unrivaled dizzying heights.

''I remember. I remember everything. I'm no longer Jason Bourne.''

''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."

''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 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.''

''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.

''I spent my whole life not knowing what I want out of it, just chasing my tail. Now for the first time I know exactly what I want and who... that's the damnable misery of it.''


A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona, are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.

Kurt Russell: Wyatt Earp

Val Kilmer: Doc Holliday

If you love westerns or action flicks you have to love Tombstone. The movie is simply loved. The directing is top notch. Tombstone focuses on accuracy while creating an exciting story.

Kurt Russell who leads, never fails to give an electric performance he is on top form as Wyatt Earp.
Val Kilmer is the total essense of Wyatt's friend Doc Holiday in gaunt like looks and his disposition.
Wyatt and his brothers arrive with their wives in tombstone looking for a peaceful place to settle down. Dana Delaney is the beautiful lady Wyatt falls for though his already married. His wife is a drug addict and Wyatt's marriage doesn't seem to be working out the way he hoped it could have. Wyatt is in retirement but Doc isn't but soon trouble comes in the form of an outlaw gang called the cowboys wearing red scarves tied to their belts. They cause all kinds of trouble wherever they go. One night they kill the town sheriff and then they bring their revenge and kill Wyatt's brother Morgan.

Wyatt is spurred out of retirement for good and becomes US marshal seeking his own vengeful brand of justice. Soon a shootout takes place and even Doc gets in on the action too alongside his friend.

My fave scene involves Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Val Kilmer spinning his gun albeith with a cup I could watch all day, first time I saw this I knew Tombstone was great! This scene I always remember alot alongside Val Kilmer who steals the film in my opinion.

This is one of the best western shootouts I've ever seen I'm not usually a big fan of westerns that don't have Clint or John Wayne but Tombstone has an amazing story about real people and events that sucks you in. Tombstone was very enjoyable and the film was brilliantly acted there were no boring scenes throughout the entire film it was a great ride.

Don't miss this you will not be disappointed with an all male cast including Kurt Russell,Val Kilmer,Bill Paxton,Michael Biehn,Sam Elliot,Billy Zane, and loads of others you cannot go wrong with.

A masterpiece and one of my favourite movies.

''That morning I was not yet a vampire, and I saw my last sunrise. I remember it completely, and yet I can't recall any sunrise before it. I watched its whole magnificence for the last time as if it were the first. And then I said farewell to sun light, and set out to become what I became.''



A vampire named Louis tells his epic life story that covers love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.

Brad Pitt: Louis de Pointe du Lac

Tom Cruise: Lestat de Lioncourt

Kirsten Dunst: Claudia

This soulful account of a vampire based on Anne Rice's amazing novel which i have yet to read will always capture and shudder my soul.

The score melts me each time, the supernatural feel, the timeless narration by Brad. Saw this when i was little and it has stayed with me ever since, every viewing it still satisfies me.

Brad pitt as Louis really conveys his conscientious morally sided Vampire who hasn't like his other brethren lost his humanity. He seems to convey not just in his words but in his face a soulful longing and sulky peaceful yearning.

Tom Cruise as Lestat is charged with energy in a performance that really does let Tom go wild and chew up the secnery. His depiction and his performance with the material show what a fang-tastic actor he truly is. Cruise at his peak.

Also Kirsten Dunst as little Claudia shines also, even at her young age you could always tell she was destined for great things.

My best Vampire film along with Bram Stoker's Dracula.

A classic in every sense that will haunt you and mesmerise you and make you feel good no matter how many times you watch. Always reach the end satisfied, and its a wondrous feeling.

''Evil is a point of view. God kills indiscriminately and so shall we. For no creatures under God are as we are, none so like him as ourselves.''

''Do you believe in destiny? That even the powers of time can be altered for a single purpose? That the luckiest man who walks upon this earth is the one who finds... True love?''


A tale of love, of an eternal struggle for a tormented soul who forsakes God for the most important thing at all. Betrayed by the Church, Dracula drinks the blood of Christ, tormented to live forever until a chance to be with his love arises...

Gary Oldman: Dracula

Winona Ryder: Mina Murray/Elisabeta

The greatest vampire film along with Interview that had me and still has me under it's spell.

The acting, the imagination is beyond anything. The artistic range beautiful and chilling tuneful soulful score that will sink into your very bones.

This film shows off Chameleonic Gary Oldman's unmeasurable unrivaled acting, his ability to completely change himself to his character. He molds into the many faces, the essence of Dracula with a performance not seen or as powerful since Christopher Lee.

Granted Keanu Reeves sounds as usual like himself, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E Grant and the rest of the cast all play their parts sufficiently but all pale in the shadow of the Vampire of Vampires, the Immortal of Immortals.

A tragedy that makes me feel so much inside, that shows love can inspire a man to do anything to keep this bond and the woman he loves forever, for all time. When a film can convey this and show a man haunted by this tormented struggle to be united with his eternal soul mate then this is close to perfection doth do allow.

''Love Never Dies''

''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.''

''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.''

''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