My Favorite Movies

The perfect blend of action, adventure, comedy. and drama, there is a little bit of everything for everyone in this magnificent epic from director Akira Kurosawa. Never has a movie been made that is so long in length, but so captivating throughout the entire picture. The acting is superb by all, with notable performances from Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune. Each character is given time to grow and develop while never taking away from the plot or the action of the story. Speaking of the action, the battle sequences in this film are superb. No need for fancy special effects to get the desired effect, the battle scenes in this movie are about as real and as gritty and powerful as you will get. The direction is as always fantastic, Kurosawa has proved time and time again that he is one of the greatest directors of all time and he really proves it here with this amazing work of art. I would recommend this movie to people of all ages, for it is something that you cannot miss.

I know I'm probably going to get a lot of flack for saying this, but Return of the King is one of the greatest movies ever made, period. That's why it's such a shame that whenever I make my way onto the LOTR boards on IMDB, the popular thing to do nowadays is to bash the series and say that Sam & Frodo are gay (which speaks volumes about the general maturity of most of the internet). I however have never and will never turn my backs on these films, they are some of my favourites and the greatest trilogy ever.

Everything about these films are epic and fill you with a grand sense of wonder and amazement as they suck you into the world of Middle-Earth. Return of the King capped off what was already an amazing series and somehow was the best movie of the entire series! This grand finale ups the ante in terms of acting (especially Sean Astin) and action with it's amazing blend of battle scenes and incredibly deep storytelling.

Having been a fan of the Tolkien books before the movies came out, I guess you could say that I am biased when writing this review, but that is not the case. Had I never read the books before the films, I still would have been engrossed by the story and characters of this fantastic series. That's why I find it hard to fathom what possible reasons these people have to say that this series sucks. Oh well, that's off the point anyways.

Watch the entire Lord of the Rings series, it's an experience that you cannot miss!

One of the most uplifting and inspiring movies ever made, it truly depicts hope and friendship in their purist forms. The movie centers around Andy Dufrensne, a banker wrongfully accused of murder that gets sent to Shawshank prison. This is no ordinary prison however, for it is run by a corrupt and tyrannical warden played by Bob Gunton, and has the most brutal and unforgiving guards you will ever see in your life. What makes this movie great is the two character study of Andy and Red, the two main characters. Both share a strong friendship that lasts them many years and allows them to stave off the insanity and intensity of the hell that they live in. Both men put in terrific performances and really drive home the movie's main message of hope. Andy never loses hope throughout his entire ordeal, showing an incredible amount of courage and the will to live. Red is the counterpoint to all of this, as he has given up all hope in getting out and has become institutionalized. The ending of this move will leave even the most cynical optomistic and really gives the people a great cap-off to a true masterpiece. This movie comes with my highest recommendation.

To approach a film like Citizen Kane is a bit of an intimidating experience because the film has been praised for many years, almost universally, as the greatest film of all time. Well to add to the list of many people past and present, let me assure you that this film deserves all the praise that it gets and is truly one of the greatest films of all time. From a purely technical standpoint this film deserves it's place with the greats alone, with such innovations in deep-focus and low angle camera movements. But behind the innovative technical achievements of the films lies the refreshingly simple yet powerful and gripping storyline. At the helm of it all is Kane, played brilliantly by Orson Welles, who runs a newspaper company and takes it to the very top, turning it into the biggest newspaper in the city. Through all of this are his ups and downs as he marries and then further remarries, runs for Governor, and collects many priceless items on his way. On his deathbed he utters the word Rosebud and then dies. When we cut to present day, the newspaper writers and journalists all try and figure out the mystery behind his final word. The twist ending in this film is one of the most intriguing in film history, and it really brings out the truth behind Kane's final words. The truth such as his lost innocence and his loss of his parents love as a child. When you watch this film, there should be no doubt in your mind that you have just watched one of the greatest films of all time, and it's certainly obvious why this movie has stood the test of time. I highly recommend it to anyone.

You know, every time I see Casablanca, I find it harder and harder to find a more entertaining movie. It is so entertaining in fact that it's very hard to notice that in essence it is a love story and a very good one at that. The city of Casablanca plays the perfect backdrop to the events that unfold at Rick Blaine's Cafe Americana, the hottest joint in the city that offers a little of everything, including a possible ticket to America. This is the place where it happens, where you can finally make away from the oppressive Nazi's, and find freedom, but there is a small problem, the Nazi's are ready to kill anyone who dares try and leave. This is where the main conflict comes into the story, as two letters of transit fall conveniently into Rick Blaine, our main hero's lap, and with them come a whole horde of interesting and unique characters including a former love interest of his and her renegade husband who is on the run from the law. As the Nazi's continue to press on and tensions rize, the always neutral Rick must make a decision once and for all. The always clever Humphrey Bogart heads this fantastic cast in surely what was the performance of his career, along with a great supporting role from Ingrid Bergman, whom he has great chemistry with that is evident in some of the love scenes. The small talk and casual banter in this film is some of the most entertaining in history and really makes this film one of the most quotable in history. I'm sure you have heard such lines as "Play it again Sam" or "Here's looking at you kid", these lines are essential in making up the mystique of this film and really have made it a household American classic. There are few films that can say that their well developed charcters, amazing cinematography and direction, and outstanding performances added up to make one of the greatest films of all time out of such a simple premise. This film really is one of the most supremely entertaining films in history and I would recommend it to anybody.

A true masterpiece in every sense of the word. Once Upon a Time in the West re-enforces the notion of movies as a work of art. The perfect blending of music with the actions of the characters and the development of the story, make this quite possibly the most operatic movie ever made. The score by Ennio Morricone is one of the most beautiful in the history of Cinema, and the movie wouldn't have worked nearly as well without it. The story takes a backseat to the beautiful audial and visual style of the film, but that in no way takes away from it. The movie revolves it's four characters around one setting, the McBain ranch. It's really the McBain ranch that brings the central themes out in the story, such as greed, loss, revenge, and the American dream. The movie has a strong message about technology integrating itself into the west and the dying lifestyle that all these characters represent. This movie is Leone's best in my honest opinion and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

When I went onto IMDB one day, I was browsing through the top 250 list to see what changed and what happened in the last little while, because god knows that list changes a lot. Then I came across this film, only having been released 2 years ago and already number 20 on the list, it intrigued me to see what it was. After reading about the film a couple of times, I figured that it would be a film I would want to see and decided I would give it a shot. Luckily enough the movie was playing on The Movie Network one night and I decided to tape it, not knowing what I would see the day after.

When I watched the film for the first time it completely blew my mind! I had never seen a film quite like this before, and did not expect to find another like it for quite some time. What I saw that day was truly one of the greatest films ever made, and I will argue that to the death.

The film is about Kids and eventually Adults growing up and having to live in the slums of Rio De Janeiro. The town that they live in is called the City of God, but as you find out early into the film with a robbery, that it is anything but heaven on earth. The streets are riddled with crime, everyone is living in poverty and drugs are the leading source of income and livelihood. The main character of the film is Rocket, a young man who only wants to be a photographer, but winds up being caught in the middle of a drug war between rival factions, one bring lead by a childhood acquaintance Lil' Dice and later Lil' Ze.

This film is once of the most raw and visceral films out there. A lot of films give off the impression of being that way to add effect, but this film is purely through the atmosphere that there characters live in. The areas which this movie takes place are so bad that you feel this added sense of realism to the entire story, this entire recreation you could say of a very true story. That sticks in the back of your mind as you're watching this film, it is a true story and you will wonder by the end; how could anyone live in such a horrible situation and survive? This is the exact impression that I'm sure the director was going for.

The direction, while were on the subject was one of the most impressive outings for a director for the first time I have ever seen. The director shows a great flare and passion for the subject matter and that it apparent when you watch this film that he took a lot of time to recreate and make it feel as real as possible.

The acting was fantastic for all involved. Casting a group of relative unknowns both in Brazil and North America, Meirelles was able to get a very powerful and convincing performance out of everybody. The real standout performance in this film is that of Leandro Firmino who played Lil' Ze with such presence and intimidation that he gains respect from all the characters in the film with just a mere look. His acquisition of all the drug houses in the slums leads to him becoming that crime lord of the City and he plays this role extremely well in a performance that is Oscar worthy. The actor who played Rocket also did a fine job in the leading role as the Desperate kid just wanting to escape from this life into something better.

I cannot recommend this movie enough, this is one of the best films to come out over the past 10 years and deserves a spot in the greatest 100 movies ever made. That's right, I rate it that high. Watch it!

An absolutely sweeping epic that never fails to deliver with great performances and action throughout. David Lean was a genius when it came to creating films with such a huge grand scale to them, but also with an intelligent subtext to them like this one. The, then newcomer Peter O'Toole delivers a brilliant performance as the enigmatic, but always charismatic T.E. Lawrence who led the Arab's against the Turks in the Arabian desert during World War I. The character of Lawrence is one of many layers and is one whom brings out the main themes of the film such as, ambiguity, fear, and coping with the horrors of war. The direction is amazing, with long sweeping shots of the desert and wide shots of all scenery, you will never find a more grand or epic movie than this one. The desert provides the perfect backdrop for the exploits of Lawrence and the Arabs. Everything about this film is simply stunning and a sight to behold. Not to be missed by anyone.

I'm sure you've heard this type of story before, a man comes down with some sort of sickness and decides he wants to be a better person, que the inspirational corny music and watch as a director force feeds us our emotion. If you were going into Ikiru with this mind-set like I'm sure many of you have before, you'd be dead wrong. Through such a simple story, Kurosawa was able to create not only one of the finest movies ever made, but one that will stick with you your entire life.

Ikiru is a low-key masterpiece. A film that doesn't shove its messages into your face, but allows you to connect with the main character yourself and understand along with him the terrible plight that has befallen him. In the role of our main character Kanji Watanabe is none other than Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura. He delivers a performance of such power and skill that I would put it up against any performance in any film ever. That's how fantastic Shimura is at conveying his utter desperation and loneliness without forcing us to feel a certain way or not. This is the film that cemented in my mind that it was Takashi Shimura and not Toshiro Mifune that was my favourite of the Kurosawa regulars.

Coupled with the great acting of Shimura, we cannot of course forget the direction of the genius himself, Akira Kurosawa. He crafted a film so genuinely human and honest that he should have not only been given best director for this year, but his film should have been given best picture as well (screw best foreign language film). What's interesting about this film in particular for Kurosawa is the way that he divided it up. He made the first half of the film about Kanji dealing with his life altering illness and coming up with the idea for the playground, and then the second half was about his colleagues and relatives at his wake. Some people may not enjoy the structure of this film, but I feel that it never loses it poignancy and was very necessary in a lot of ways. It really gives you a multi-faceted view of the events of the film instead of just giving you one perspective. Instead of giving us a feel-good happy ending to the film, Kurosawa instead shows us all-too-realistically what we are truly like as human beings on the inside. It's a heartbreaking, powerful film, but it's not unlike what we would truly see in real life.

Of course we come to the main theme of the film, which is of course the importance of every day. Not to waste your life, make every day count. This is one of the films where I think that it could truly change your life. It's such a fantastic film that I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in seriously sitting down and watching it.

How ironic is is that Stanley Kubrick's forgotten classic may also be his best? The love that I have for this film stretched to the very first time I saw it, when I was captivated by the grand mixture of pathos and action, masterfully interwoven by one of the greatest directors who ever lived. At heart this is a war film, but to call this a war film would in essence be incorrect. No, it's an anti-war film and the greatest anti-war film in history.

It's the story of three soldiers who are wrongfully convicted of being cowards in the face of the enemy in a battle that was unwinnable in the first place. They are placed on court martial and it's up to Kirk Douglas, played with compassion and empathy by Kirk Douglas, to be their defense.

The acting in this film is some of the best in Kubrick history, with the real breakout performance being that of George Macready who plays General Mireau with such carlessness and irresponsibility that he verges on being a supervillain. But that is the beauty of Path's of Glory, this movie is based on true events, and to think that something so vile and foolish could happen within the ranks of a group of men who are supposed to be on the same side, then it's a real wonder how any side could win a war.

Stanley Kubrick truely proves that he was master behind the camera even in his early days with this masterpiece that I would rank up with any war or anti-war film. He was able to combine a rich war story brimming with action, with a stunning story of the exploration of morality and the human spirit.

The final scene in this film is one of the most powerful and touching in film history , when a group of soldiers who taunt and cat-call a German woman on stage who is being held prisoner, but when she sings they break out crying because of the realization that she probably has family and friends that she missed back home just like them.

If you have not seen this film already, please do watch it. It truely is the greatest Kubrick film ever made.

Having just watched the film again, I think I can give you a pretty clear reason as to why I love it so much. This film is so rich in character and so fluid in its dialogue that even in the moments when you're scratching your head and trying to make heads or tails of what is going on with the plot, the film still manages to grip you and keep you enthralled. That's the mark of a great director and a great film. Very few films achieve this distinction quite as much as the Maltese Falcon.

On top of the already excellent movie. there is a great historical significance to the Maltese Falcon as well. It was the first film to be directed by John Huston, who would go on to be one of the greatest Hollywood directors of all time. It was also the film that launched Sydney Greenstreet's career. It was one of the principle films in creating the genre of film noir. Perhaps most importantly though, it took Humphrey Bogart from being a second rate gangster movie actor to being an A-List celebrity who would go on to be the most popular star of his era. Perhaps for these reasons alone this film should be commended, but that's not even the beginning.

Bogart plays the character of Sam Spade from the works of Dashiell Hammett. His perfomance set the standard for the genre for years to come, he plays a cold hearted PI that always has an answer for a problem and lets very few things bother him. This sets the tone for the entire film.

The plot would be very hard to describe, as it goes through so many twists that you'll be wondering if this is an M. Night Shaymalan film. But that's the beauty of this film, it's about character and more importantly dialogue. That's all this film is literally. If you're an action junkie and cannot stand a film to not have a car chase in it, then I can't recommend this film to you. However if you're a patient person with a penchant for snappy dialogue, then this film has some of the most quick-witted that you'll ever see. And who can of-course forget about the infamous "The stuff that dreams are made of" line. While this film is not quite as quotable as Casablanca, it certainly serves up that same rich acting and dialogue, and then some.

John Huston went from being a writer to directing this film, and for a first try I have to say that this is one of the greatest directorial debuts I have ever seen. You would have thought that he was directing for years by the way that he handles the material so smoothly. Everything is tight and interesting in a way that it never gets boring. This film is loaded with rich cinematography and lighting. It fills you with that sense of foreboding, everything is so dark and ominous that you feel something could come around the corner at anytime. That's true talent and from this film you could tell that Huston was going on to greatness.

I am going to finish this review because I feel I am starting to ramble. I'll just say this, from a film that is supposedly the very first film noir, I have to this day seen only one better film noir in my life. Watch this film now, it comes at my highest recommendation.

An unbelievably moving and touching film set in Italy after World War II. This work of neorealist art truly depicts povery and depression through the eyes of the everyday, ordinary man. The film centers around Maggiorani's character, a man who like his peers around him has no job. One day a job is offered to him but it requires a bicycle, so his wife pawns the sheets off of their bed in order to get the bicycle from a nearby shop. It seems at first that this bicycle is the answer to all of their prayers, but then while working one day it gets stolen. This sets the main character and his son off on a journey to find the bicycle. There are many contrasts between the rich and the poor strewn throughout this picture, and the theme of poverty is very much present at all time throughout the main characters. The film has an ending that really speaks out on people's morality and desperation, when the main character ends up stealing the bicycle himself, thus making him a bicycle thief. The movie has a very somber ending, but it definitely stays with the neorealist subject matter by not presenting a happy ending, but rather showing what the ordinary man would do any a situation like this. Highly recommended.

With City Lights Chaplin created his masterpiece. The one film of his amongst dozens of great films that will stand out as being his absolute best. I am not the only one who shares this sentiment, and I'm sure I am not the last person who is going to discover this film and witness its brilliance in their lifetime.

I am sure that there are people out there who would disagree with me, giving the nod to films like The Gold Rush or The Great Dictator. But really all that does is speak volumes about the consummate performer that Chaplin was. He is one in a million, a man whom anyone all over the world can recognize. Any person who could watch his films without feeling anything couldn't possibly have a heart. That's the real reason why he was such an amazing filmaker, his ability to make you laugh and then sympathize with him the next. He always had a certain number of elements to his films that made them stand out amongst the rest, he was a storyteller through and through.

That's the reason why City Lights is his most moving and involved film, because he takes all of those elements (the pathos, the slapstick, the drama etc.) and he took them to another level. Not only did he make a film that was so poignant from a romance standpoint, but also a film that included some of his most comical slapstick sequences ever.

Who could forget the infamous boxing scene, an uproariously funny part that even made my brother, who is not a Chaplin fan, laugh. This film is so perfect in so many ways, no forget that, this film is so perfect in that Chaplin way. He reached the pinnacle of his hilarity at this film and he wouldn't stop being funny for many years to come. Not an easy thing to accomplish.

I am going to end this review now because I fear that I am to the point of rambling. The simple fact is this, if you haven't seen this film, GO.....SEE......IT.......NOW!!!!!

Oh yeah, and it gets my highest recommendation, or something like that.

When I first decided to check out Jean Renoir, the director that I had heard so much about, I figured I should probably start at the top. I decided to watch the film which is called his unquestioned masterpiece, the film in which people should remember Renoir for years to come, that film was of course "The Rules of the Game." But when I finished watching it I couldn't help but feel let down. I appreciated the film for what it was and the influence it has had, but I left it looking for something more. I left it wanting to see the film that would make me truly believe that Renoir deserves his spot in the top directors of all time. I believe I have seen it in Grand Illusion.

Humane, Seriocomic, Beautiful, Sharp, Satirical, Ironic. All these words can be used to describe Grand Illusion, a striking anti-war indictment wrapped in a prison drama film. It's roots are deeply entrenched in the old ways of the upper class society's benevolent rule over all including war, and that's exactly what the film speaks about. The Generals and Lieutenants sitting in their offices far away from the battlefield with a sense of smug accomplishment due to their upper class upbringing. All officers are taught to act the same, to bring a false sense of superiority to their position, even if they're not any better than the common soldier. Those days came to an end during WWI, with a whimper and not a bang, but even then some people would chose just to ignore it rather than accept it. Thus enters the characters of Captain de Boeldieu (played by Pierre Fresnay) and Captain von Rauffenstein (played by Erich von Stroheim) two men with the exact same upbringing yet they fight on opposite sides of the war. Boeldieu has allowed himself to sympathize and even befriend people that Rauffenstein believes to be below him. The interaction between these two really cements the futility of their continuing existence as both men are similar and yet both are a dying race.

It's characters are rich and articulate. The dialogue in the film is clever and straight to the point with a touch of comedy added to give the film a feel of dark comedy. The characters of Lt. Maréchal ( played by Jean Gabin) and Lt. Rosenthal (played by Marcel Dalio) are very representative of Jean Renoir's humanist side as they represent many of the best things about people even as they are under great strain. Renoir shows us that no matter what class you are in, your importance is no less than the next man.

When the Nazi's occupied France during WWII Joseph Goebbels seized the film and banned it from any and all possible view. Now that film is available again and on DVD, I highly recommend it to anyone, it's truly one of the greatest films of all time.

On one side you have a writer, he's in deep financial debt. He's being threatened with having everything he owns in the world taken from him in the blink of an eye, his scripts are bad, he's going nowhere in the movie business and he knows it. On the other side you have the aging film actress from the silent era. Her glory years have long passed her, yet she clings onto this undying hope that she will return and reign supreme as the star that she knows she is. These are the two principal characters in Sunset Boulevard, and they will be the set up for one of the greatest film of all time.

What makes Sunset Boulevard so great is that it is both a satire and an indictment of the movie industry in the same film. It almost tells us to hate the film industry for so callously discarding of their stars when they have served their purpose. Such is the case with Norma Desmond, long used up in an industry that has forgotten about her. But at the same time the film satirizes the daily processes of film-making in general, from script-writing, to direction. It's almost as if it's giving mixed messages, if it were not for the fact that it works so well.

Gloria Swanson gives an eccentricly scene -stealing performance as Norma Desmond, yet proves to be very tragic at the same time. William Holden plays the prototypical fast-talking Joe Gilles, who plays a comical character with quick witted lines of dialogue similar to other films of the era, but yet he also sees through the old star in a way that isn't present on the surface. While there are the two main characters, one must also draw attention to the character of Max von Mayerling, played by Erich von Stroheim. He defines understated in a role in which he remains loyal to Norma to the very end, despite the fact that he knows she's washed up. His character is also a clever spoof of himself as he was also a director and once the husband of Norma. Where the film also shows its wit is the casting of Buster Keaton and other silent stars in bit parts, in a way of almost downplaying the movie industry as a whole.

I will not get into the plot because either you already know it or if you haven't seen it you need to now. I just saw this film for the first time and I am still awestruck as the how excellent it is. I give it the highest recommendation for you to see it.