Holiday Wish List

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


Director: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormond
Running time: 166 minutes
Country: USA



The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is the single most magical film that I have ever laid my eyes on my whole life. It is a beautiful film that is obviously very odd and weird but it teaches a lot of things about life and about our loved ones. It teaches that we are meant to lose our loved ones that time takes our loved ones away from us. It also tells us about what life can be like from a person who lives life the opposite way and it tells us what death could be like. It is a film that made me cry and that doesn't happen very often to me. It obviously made me cry because of the tragedies and the heartbreak within but also the beauty because I just adored all of the characters. As far as the story of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is concerned, it is one of those plots that you would feel surprised that hasn't been made up before especially after the short story of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button was published in 1921. It is a very clever story as well as odd because of the way the film was made in the more technical way. I thought of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button exactly the same as what I thought of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street last year. After feeling this way to both of those films for two years in a row, I now can feel that there will be at least one film every year that will be a very close favourite of mine and will love from a different director, actor, actress, screenwriter etc. I watched the trailer over and over again just as I did Sweeney Todd and I still do now even though I've seen the film more than once now. To me, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is the best feel-good film of all time because it made me feel brilliant in every single way of the story whether the scenes were heartbreaking or not. To me, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button brings a new way of creating a film in more technical ways because it had pretty much every single quality that a film needs and deserves. The technical qualities of the film literally blew me away. The cinematography was absolute magic! It was really golden and magical in a new visual kind of way that was all in bright colours. The cinematography in this film reminded me a bit of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth apart from that the cinematography in Pan's Labyrinth was a lot darker. The art direction was absolutely fantastic as well with the realistic designs from the past and exactly the same thing with the costume design. The visual effects were outstanding on Benjamin Button as a young boy-pensioner and that was still Brad Pitt portraying Benjamin. The visual effects there were like Dan without legs even though Gary Sinise does have both of his legs. The best technical design out of the whole film was the make-up because when we see Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with the make-up on looking old in which they do it makes us think "Could this be what Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett will look like in 30 years time when they're looking older?" I think it was the make-up that made this film seem so real and also created new kinds of make-up design too because when you see Brad Pitt as old Benjamin particularly when really young (in his case) you know it's him but doesn't look like him. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is almost the same as Forrest Gump because of the very similar sorts of characters and the feelings that come out when you watch the film. The stories are totally different and so are Benjamin and Forrest but when you see them around people, they are both similar: timid, nervous, hard to understand but both have a very big heart. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Forrest Gump are two of my five favourite films and because their characters are similar, they are both funny, beautiful and heartbreaking too.

Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button is a very much deserved Oscar nominated performance. I underestimated Brad Pitt at first especially because it's a Fincher film too and he collaborated with him previously for hard-hitting thrillers Fight Club and Seven but Pitt has delivered his best film performance of his career so far and probably his best for the rest of his career as an actor too. Brad is the only actor who could have made him so real. When we see Benjamin in the war with the captain on the boat who he becomes great friends with is like Forrest with Bubba because they were close too and are understanding towards each other. It was similar to him and Dan as well which didn't really surprise me that much. What I truly loved about Brad Pitt being in this film is that, yes, he's a real heartthrob for a mid-40s man but he shown his true colours and talents as an actor as he did for films like Fight Club, Seven and a few others. As I said, when Benjamin looks old but is really young that could be what Brad Pitt could look like in the future as would Cate Blanchett. When we see Benjamin looking like a teenager but is really a pensioner that might have been what Brad Pitt looked like as a young teenager. Brad Pitt was one of my favourite actors before but he is even more now. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button has brought his career back together again after appearing in films that have been disappointing of this decade. Cate Blanchett's performance as Daisy was absolutely outstanding too. Because of the amazing make-up on her, seeing her young in the scenes with Benjamin and then seeing her on her death bed with her daughter next to her while she's reading Benjamin's diary, it seems a bit like Cate Blanchett is portraying two characters for some reason but I obviously know it is one. Cate Blanchett never has disappointed me and I hope that she never will! Cate is probably the best actress who can make her character realistic in any way possible. Kate Winslet is another actress who can do so. Daisy is a lot like Jenny in Forrest Gump except that she wasn't addicted to drugs and sex like Jenny was but Benjamin Button is very similar to Forrest Gump with finding life really hard and achieving the best thing possible in life too. Cate Blanchett is in my opinion the present Katharine Hepburn who was a legendary actress whom Cate Blanchett portrayed in her Oscar winning performance in The Aviator. She should have been nominated for Best Leading Actress at the 81st Academy Awards. I thought the same with the Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Taraji P. Henson's performance as Queenie who is Benjamin's adopted mother. She is the same kind of person as Mrs. Gump in Forrest Gump because she's supportive, she loves her son and she has that really broad accent. I really liked Julia Ormand as Daisy's daughter Caroline. There is a twist that is both beautiful and heartbreaking that affects her life.

David Fincher has created a one-of-a-kind classic as far as I'm concerned because it is a story of pure beauty, heartbreak and comedy. This is a brand new kind of Fincher film that involves three genres: drama, fantasy and romance. His work on The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button deeply fascinated me just like Tim Burton's did on Sweeney Todd. Fincher's direction of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is like Tim Burton's directing of Big Fish and Robert Zemeckis' directing of Forrest Gump which is where those two films are the most similar to The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Despite how much I loved (maybe more than loved) this film, I am unsure whether I would want Fincher to direct another film like this because if he creates another that is a romantic-drama and be ruined, it might ruin the great reputation of The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. I felt the same thing about Tim Burton as well but he did do Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (which I loved) and Alice In Wonderland (which I cannot wait for!). Some don't think he is the best director to have directed The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button but I personally believe that he is the only director who would have been good enough to do so. The screenwriter of this film is another reason why this film is very similar to Forrest Gump. Eric Roth's script brought the same kind of feeling to The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button as Forrest Gump even though they are totally different stories.

This film was nominated for an astonishing 13 Academy Awards but shockingly only won 3. It made history by becoming the fourth film to have been nominated for Best Picture and have earned the most nominations of an Oscar ceremony but has failed to win Best Picture, Director or Screenplay. Others are Mary Poppins, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? And The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button dominated the Oscars in the technical categories. It won Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects and Best Make-Up. It was nominated for Best Picture but lost to Slumdog Millionaire, Best Leading Actor (Brad Pitt) but lost to Sean Penn in Milk, Best Supporting Actress (Taraji P. Henson) but lost to Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Best Director (David Fincher) but lost to Danny Boyle in Slumdog Millionaire, Best Adapted Screenplay but lost to Slumdog Millionaire, Best Cinematography but lost to Slumdog Millionaire, Best Costume Design but lost to The Duchess, Best Sound Mixing but lost to Slumdog Millionaire, Best Film Editing but lost to Slumdog Millionaire, Best Music Original Score but lost to Slumdog Millionaire.

It's as simple as this: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is this decade's Forrest Gump. It is David Fincher's best film and always will be as it will always be my favourite Brad Pitt film too. It is one of Cate Blanchett's best films but I do love her performance in Notes On A Scandal the most. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is one of the most tearjerking films of all time in a heartbreaking way but is the most tearjerking film of all time regarding both beauty and tragedy. The Dark Knight was my favourite film of 2008 but The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is the best film of 2008 now for me. It is one of my extremely close favourite films if not my favourite film and I am glad to say that. It is a very heartfelt film that will always stick in my heart until the day I die! Absolute masterpiece!

"How do I know you didn't try to flush our entire fucking family down the toilet?"


Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon
Running time: 119 minutes
Country: USA, UK


After watching The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button in the first 3 hours of 2009, Revolutionary Road made an even more special 6 hours of 2009 by watching it straight after it. Revolutionary Road is another masterful suburban drama from Sam Mendes. This film brought together quite a few things from American Beauty like the fallouts between husband and wife, the sceneries behind it and what the plot is in general. This is an emotional drama that has a dark outlook on life. This one is darker than American Beauty because American Beauty is a beautiful story as well as depressing. Revolutionary Road is more dramatic. What I truly love about suburban dramas is that there is both beauty and drama within them.


Leonardo DiCaprio was fantastic as Frank Wheeler. Nobody has ever seen him play a character like Frank who is a man at a job he hates and is a family man. We have previously seen DiCaprio play really different characters in the past where he just lives his own life like Jack Dawson, Billy Costigan, Frank Abagnale Jr. and Danny Archer. Despite how different Frank is compared, he has that some used in DiCaprio because Frank is a rather serious character. Kate Winslet's performance was fabulous as April Wheeler. April is a troubled woman who ends up being an actress much to her dismay. To star a new fresh life, she wants to live in Paris with Frank and their son and daughter. Kate has played that mothering kind of character before like she did in her Oscar nominated performance in Little Children. Kate has truly given the best performance of her career even beating Rose in Titanic. April is mixed up and confused about what she wants. Kate has a huge chance of winning two Oscars in the same year: for Revolutionary Road (Leading Actress) and The Reader (Supporting Actress). It's a damn shame that Kate won the Oscar for The Reader instead of Revolutionary Road. Kathy Bates was good as Mrs. Helen Givings in a possible Oscar worthy performance. Michael Shannon made me laugh in this one because John Givings is such an irritating character. It was great seeing Leonardo and Kate in a film together again.


Sam Mendes' direction was fantastic but was very different compared to American Beauty even though the stories in both are quite similar. This film must have been a life changing experience for Mendes because he worked with his wife Kate Winslet, he worked with one of the most popular partnerships of all time which was in Titanic and now Revolutionary Road. Also, because Kate and Leonardo are almost like best friends in real life. I mean, what a fantastic collaboration: Mendes-DiCaprio-Winslet. There are two masterpieces involving cast (including Kathy Bates) with director and story theme and they are Titanic and American Beauty. Mendes is THE fantastic just like American Beauty was.


This is Kate Winslet's best film so far where she has to finally win an Oscar especially working with her husband. Love DiCaprio in this but love his performance in The Departed the most. Sam Mendes' second best after American Beauty and it's my third favourite film of 2008 behind The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and The Dark Knight. Revolutionary Road is a re-born suburban drama from Mendes. Loved Mendes before but love his work even more now!!

"All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words."


Director: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco
Running time: 128 minutes
Country: USA


Milk is one of those films that some people wouldn't be interested in because its a film on homosexuals. Yes, it is about that but it is a heroic true life story about a man who leads his people to earn their rights as human beings. For any homosexuals out there when you watch this film, you could feel proud of being that way. Milk is a loving masterpiece for heterosexuals as well just like some other gay films are. Milk inspired me alot because of the commitment Milk made not just for his rights but every gay man or woman around the world. This film was very emotional to watch because of what happened to some of those homosexuals in the 1970s.


Sean Penn gives out his best performance to date. I am not used to seeing him playing a character like Harvey Milk because Penn has that sinister look in his eye and he plays those sorts of characters. However, there is one thing that Harvey Milk's character has in common with Jimmy Markum and Matthew Poncelet is that they are determined with very powerful personalities. Harvey Milk was in my opinion a similar sort of hero as Mahatma Gandhi was. Gandhi led his Asian people to freedom whatsoever the cost was. Milk did this aswell for gay rights. One reason why they are too similar is that they both died in the same way. Harvey Milk was like a general of an army of homosexuals who lead his people to rights and freedom as I said like Gandhi did and also like Moses did with the Hebrews. Josh Brolin was fantastic as Dan White He is in a bit of a crisis with his job. He is a favourite for Best Supporting Actor but I think winner has already been decided. James Franco was phenomenal too as Scott who was Milk's young lover. It's strange because I'm not used to seeing him and an actor like Sean Penn kiss each other. I think he could earn Oscar nomination too.


Gus Van Sant's directing was awesome because he wanted us to feel what it is like to be gay if you are or not. Also, he made us realise that gay rights are very important from all around the world. This is Gus Van Sant's best film so far which makes Milk better than Good Will Hunting. The script is original but it seems like a film that really needs checking through thoroughly with the script.


This is the best Sean Penn film, the best Gus Van Sant film, one of my top biography films and one of the best films of 2008. This film brings together one of the biggest heroes in cinema history in my opinion. This film is beyond words. It is a story which is positive for homosexuals and homosexuality in general. Trust me, if you are gay or not this film will inspire you from start to finish.

"I have no sympathy for you. I know you are invulnerable to true regret."


Director: John Patrick Shanley
Starring: Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Running time: 104 minutes
Country: USA



Wow! This film was bloody amazing! Doubt is a story that brings light familiarity to 2006's Notes On A Scandal. The only difference is that it involves nuns and priests instead of teachers. Doubt turned out rather similar to the 81st Academy Awards like Notes On A Scandal did at the 79th what with the nominations. Doubt is probably one of the most powerful films of 2008 alongside Changeling, Revolutionary Road, The Wrestler and The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Because I couldn't find any showings at the cinema and the Oscar ceremony is less than a month away, I had no choice but to watch it online. Doubt is a film that really grabs your attention and holds you while you're watching it. Doubt is an amazing film but it is a very predictable film. The story had a very motivating and moving tone but it is quite delayed within the first 20 minutes because it is only until Sister Beauvier begins to suspect Father Flynn of child abuse within the school on a young black boy. It takes a very light twist but not a really shocking one though. The cast of Doubt is really well ensemble with all four actors earning Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.


Meryl Streep delivers her best performance in years as Sister Aloysius Beauvier. Meryl looked really grumpy, bitter and strict for that character's personality. Personally, it was about time Meryl played this type of character. Sister Beauvier is the principal of the attached school of the Bronx Catholic Church. I was blown away by how powerful she made every single scene be in this film. Sister Beauvier is very bitter and very firm with her students. She behaves a lot like Barbara in Notes On A Scandal. Phillip Seymour Hoffman in my honest opinion gives the performance of his career thus far as Father Brendan Flynn. Yes, better than palying Truman Capote. He was an amazing choice because Phillip does seem like that scheming and slimy type to play this sort of character. Also, he seems that typical type of actor to play a priest. Father Flynn is a priest in the Catholic church but is a sports teacher in the school. His career changes around when both Sister Beauvier and Sister James accuse him of child abuse. After seeing Enchanted, Amy Adams performance looked very good in Doubt and when I did see Doubt, her performance in my opinion is the best female supporting performance of 2008 so far. I really admire Amy even more as a person now as well as an actress. In the past 2 years she has portrayed characters that are totally different: a beautiful, charming and bright princess in 2007 and a young nun who is a teacher in 2008. Even at her young age, Amy revealed she is an actress to be reckoned with and is not to be underestimated. Viola Davis' performance was really amazing as Mrs. Miller who is the mother of accused victim Donald Miller. Mrs. Miller is a very mysterious woman and is questioned about what sort of mother she really is by Sister Beauvier of all people. Viola wasn't in the film for very long but she was really powerful and emotional in every single second of her two only scenes she was involved in. This film is the one film of 2008 that features the best performances from the entire cast.


John Patrick Shanley directs this film from his own novel and he certainly didn't disappoint at all. There have been some novels that have been made into films that were directed and published by the same person that have been bad but this is absolutely awesome. Writing a script can be rather easy from a novel but it is harder from a true life story in which I stated in one of my reviews. I think it was my Zodiac review.


Doubt is my favourite Phillip Seymour Hoffman film so far. Doubt is Meryl Streep's best performance since Sophie's Choice. It is Amy Adam's best performance so far. She has been in two masterpieces as far as I'm concerned. Doubt is a very powerful film but Changeling is the most powerful film of 2008. I liked Doubt more than Changeling. Doubt is another snub for Best Picture with The Dark Knight, Revolutionary Road, Changeling, WALL-E and The Wrestler.

"When you live hard and you play hard and burn the candle at both ends... in this life, you can lose everything you love, everything that loves you. Alot of people told me that I'd never wrestle again, they said "he's washed up", "he's finished" , "he's a loser", "he's all through". You know what? The only ones gonna tell me when I'm through doing my thing, is you people here. You people here... you people here. You're my family."


Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
Running time: 111 minutes
Country: USA, France


The Wrestler has gone way above my expectations. It is a complete masterpiece of sports films. Some people have referred it as the new Raging Bull and the sports film of the decade. I would call it both for these various reasons. It is a very emotional story with a rather heartbreaking storyline, it has very realistic effects and it has absolutely beautiful characters to watch. This film is one of those rare sports films that are actually really serious and have a very powerful meaning. For example, the meaning of the boxing film Cinderella Man is that it is a story or committing yourself for your family because you are poor and are endangered financially. The Wrestler has a very different and very new meaning compared to other sports films that have been made in the past. To me so far, this is the sports film of the decade but not of all time (Raging Bull takes that place). The reason why my expectations weren't very high on The Wrestler was because it was directed by a director that has been extremely bizarre films that have a fantasy of their own (Darren Aronofsky - The Fountain, Requiem For A Dream, Pi). Also, it seemed like an extremely bizarre wrestling film as well but when you watch it, you will discover that it really isn't at all. When you see the name of the title 'The Wrestler' it seems like a rather weak story that doesn't even try and think of a decent name but when you see it, you will see that it didn't even need to try and you would forget about the name of the film, you would just remember what is in it.


Mickey Rourke delivers the best leading male performance of 2008 but not best male performance of 2008. That goes to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight of course. Mickey Rourke is a perfect match for Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. What I truly loved about Randy's character was that people seem like he rips off or copies the actions of another professional wrestler particularly in the WWE such as Hulk Hogan but he isn't. He is a very different wrestler compared to other wrestlers there are in real life. Also, Mickey Rourke was a professional wrestler in his earlier days of his life and that is probably the main reason why Rourke was the best choice for Randy 'The Ram' Robinson. Mickey Rourke has never really had any proper credit for the films he has been in before apart from Sin City and The Wrestler is the film that guarantees him an Oscar nomination or even a win if not Sean Penn. I never thought I could see Mickey Rourke playing a character with a lot of emotion that you could feel sorry for but he has done it. Mickey is good at playing really hulky characters like Randy and Marv which is another key point I am making of why he was so good as Randy. I don't really know who would be able to portray Randy 'The Ram' Robinson any better than Mickey Rourke did. Well, Sylvester Stallone would have been an option because of the body build especially because of Rambo but he would have only done a really shit job because he is a crap actor and he probably knows it. His acting was literally perfect: his body build, his voice, his style of acting and communicating with people. Before I saw The Wrestler, I was surprised that Marisa Tomei was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes but after seeing it I now realise that it is no surprise that she was nominated for that award in that category. Her performance was very slimy with a slimy attitude in which Cassidy really is like. Cassidy is a stripper who works at a strip club. Marisa was really good because she was obviously an older stripper which is part of Cassidy's character and also because Marisa seems like a really irresistible woman for a 40-year-old which is very rare of a woman at her age. She will be a close favourite for an Oscar nomination this year as well.


Darren Aronofsky directs this film like no other director could. He has done some extremely bizarre fantasy stories in the past but this one totally tops them all like a hammer sticking a nail in a wall. He has created a story that I didn't think would turn out as good as it really did. He has finally created a film that some people won't be bewildered or confused by as he did for Requiem For A Dream, Pi and especially The Fountain. When you see the poster of the film for the first time, I think that it looks like a golden wrestling film with a real fantasy story but it isn't a fantasy at all as I have already said. He has directed a film that will always be remembered as the best wrestling film of all time if not one of the top sports film of all time. This is without a doubt Darren Aronofsky's best film and it is as simple as that. The script was originally written which doesn't really happen very often with sports films. It had very original characters and with a very original plot so it is better that way.


I would love to see Aronofsky make more dramas like this one with a very powerful meaning to it. The Wrestler is certainly Mickey Rourke's best performance which for some reason feels like a breakthrough performance for him even though he must be in his 50s or 60s. I choose Mickey Rourke over Sean Penn for Best Leading Actor definitely. The Wrestler is a rather memorable performance from Marisa Tomei which makes this film the best from her too as well as In The Bedroom. The Wrestler is one of my favourite films of 2008 without a single doubt in my mind. It is the best sports film since Cinderella Man which makes it the fourth best sports film of all time after that film and Cinderella Man and Bend It Like Beckham. I will always remember this film as more than a masterpiece. I would best remember it as a new, creative and artistic film that brings a bright and clever future to its genre both drama and sport.

"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."


Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Jason Butler Harner
Running time: 141 minutes
Country: USA


I knew I was going to love Changeling because it seems very powerful and with said phenomenal performance and it is a Clint Eastwood film. This is the most powerful and emotional film of 2008 so far. In fact, it was so powerful and emotional I was literally blown away from it. I was almost crying when Christine was sent to the mental hospital. This film sends a very important message and that is that there are bad people in a business no matter what their profession is. This is a film that alot of parents who have had their children missing could like. Also, it can teach parents particularly single ones what can happen if one is too trusting with someone in which Christine was. I think this is probably one of the most powerful films of the decade and of all time.


Angelina Jolie has been in some crap in the past including a few Razzie nominations and wins but her performance as Christine Collins was absolutely outstanding which made it seem like another breakthrough performance. It is the best performance of her career. Her Oscar winning performance in Girl, Interrupted probably isn't better than Changeling. Angelina bought together a character that is mixed with reality because when the police 'find' her son, she is almost immediately convinced that the boy isn't her son and because she is refusing to accept that her son has been found, the police cruelly put her in a mental house. I bet it must have been hard for her because nobody believed her and especially being sent into a mental home sane and innocent. Angelina makes Christine her own character because of her powerful determination to the character. As far as not understanding why she is in a mental institution, Christine's character is quite similar to Josh Nash in A Beautiful Mind apart from he is mentally ill and she isn't. John Malkovich was really good as Rev. Gustav Briegleb but I preferred his performance in Burn After Reading. Briegleb is his second most powerful character after playing himself in Being John Malkovich.


Clint Eastwood directs this film like no other director could ever have done. He has made Changeling a truly amazing and powerful masterpiece. To me, this is THE perfect Clint Eastwood (as director) film which is why I would call Changeling his best film. The script made Clint Eastwood's reputation as director of this film even better.


It was powerful, emotional and quite thrilling too. This is the third best Clint Eastwood film after Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby. This is also Angelina Jolie's best role too. Please bring us masterful performances, Angelina, instead of being part of some shit. Changeling is a masterpiece that most people would remember as a film with a lot of true and powerful messages. This is one of my top drama films, one of the top of 2008, one of the best music scores and one of the best true story films too. I recommend it to every single living person on Earth which shows how much I love Changeling.

Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it?

A: He cheated
B: He's lucky
C: He's a genius
D: It was written


Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Rejendranath Zutshi
Running time: 120 minutes
Country: UK


Awww...what a beautiful, magical, inspiring and very thoughtful film this is that I really do appreciate for being what it is. Slumdog Millionaire is so magical because of the beautiful technical design of the film especially the breathtaking cinematography and music score. When I first saw Slumdog Millionaire, I liked it but I thought there was something genuinly missing from it but I was unsure what it was but after seeing this masterpiece again, I truly do think it is a breakthrough in not only Danny Boyle's career but also reveals a whole new kind of way of filmmaking for the future. I am going to start loving films that have been made by British filmmakers but starring Asian actors/actresses which is where this is like Bend It Like Beckham because that was rather similar. Slumdog Millionaire is a film that goes beyond words. It is really original when it comes to the "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" show but is seems like a very well adapted story when it comes to seeing Jamal grow up from living in the Slums to becoming a famous millionaire. Slumdog Millionaire is one of the 2008 films that have earned a lot of glory and powerful critical reactions to its inspiring and glorious feeling.


Dev Patel's performance as Jamal is absolutely fantastic. This film follows the story from his childhood all the way to his outstanding breakthrough in his life. Because of his success in the show by winning it all it is a big question of whether he cheated, whether he's a genius, whether it was luck or whether it was his destiny. This film tells us the answer of that question as it is goes on. Jamal's character is a deeply interesting one because it felt like he wanted us to know what he was going through in his life. I think the message the character tries to send is that he not only wants us to see what life was for him as a young child but also for people in richer countries to understand what it is like for those people who lives in those kinds of places or who are poor anyway. I became really interested, motivated and inspired my Jamal's personality and the way he was with people throughout his teenage years. He was a very friendly and beautiful boy and he was still like that as an adult during "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"


Boyle's work in Slumdog Millionaire was absolutely superb with a new kind of way of creating films especially ordinary dramas. Boyle's direction of Slumdog Millionaire was so brilliant, it combined two races of human beings into one. Danny Boyle is one of the best filmmakers ever and it's as simple as that. In my opinion, Danny Boyle is the Stanley Kubrick of this generation because he is one of those directors who can create anything in almost every genre. Boyle's done drama, crime, family, horror, science fiction and romance. I'd like to see him do comedy, animation, action, war or western because I seriously think he can pull it off. The script is fantastic! It deserved the script Oscar win despite that I prefer The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.


This is an absolute masterpiece but despite how good this film really is, I still think that the Best Picture glory should have gone to The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Danny Boyle probably deserved his Best Director Oscar because he was long overdue for one anyway and I am so glad that Slumdog Millionaire was the film that he earned one for. It is one of the best films of 2008. It is my third favourite Danny Boyle film after Trainspotting and 28 Days Later. Slumdog Millionaire is a fascinating masterpiece that I really love and appreciate for what it is like most people hopefully do.

"Over the years I have acted in ways that you have judged... harsh. Well, I do not wish for you to undergo any further suffering."


Director: Saul Dibb
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper
Running time: 110 minutes
Country: UK, Italy, France


I knew I would like this film but I had no idea that I would love it as much as I did. There are many reasons for this. I really loved the story of this one because it was very powerful with a lot of raw emotion and also a lot of amazing qualities within it. It made me feel really quite upset for Georgina because she doesnt deserve anything she gets from her husband and her best friend. I find it an amazing and powerfulstory that is a true story but has a lot of moments in the film that do happen in real life even now. It was a real feel good film because of the beautiful sceneries within it and what beauty can be brought out in this world. There are more reasons why I love this film so much. I love period dramas like this and history films and this is one of my favourite history films.


Keira Knightleys performance is in my opinion the best performance of her career so far because I think she has portrayed the most powerful character yet in her young career. I am starting to love Keira in this period dramas with rich costumes and rich families just like she is in Atonement. I loved her performance in Atonement but loved her performance even more in The Duchess. I think that this performance from Keira can be close to a possible nominee for Best Actress Oscars. She is certainly on my list for that award. Keira is an actress that some people would expect the same from her. I do see the same with her in some films because she looks the same pretty much every time she is in a film but she portrays different characters in her young career. She has only disappointed me once and that was her performance as Domino Harvey in Domino. Please, Keira, bring us some more awesome period dramas. Ralph Fiennes performance is awesome aswell as the Duke Of Devonshire because he brings together once again a powerful character with a hard and cold heart. He is a really strict character in this one because he acts like Henry VIII. He is a character that expects a male heir even though it isnt him nor Georgina to decide, it was just fate. His abusive attitudes with women are really bad. It is bad that he still expects them to do as he says. I find Ralph Fiennes to be good at that as he always has been as a villain. If there was a film involving Henry VIII like The Other Boleyn Girl, I do think he would be amazing for that role. He is like a really controlling psycho. He leads Georgina into a no way out situation which causes problems for other characters within the film too.


I really liked Saul Dibbs direction in this film. It was a lot like the way a director like Joe Wright would direct it especially after he directed Pride And Prejudice and Atonement which previously starred Keira Knightley. Dibb hasnt done any films that are well known until this one. So, it sort of seemed like a start to him and it was an absolutely awesome start. There was a lot of different types of angles used in this film.


It is one of Keira Knightleys best films. I did love her in Atonement, Pirates Of The Caribbean, Bend It Like Beckham and King Arthur. One of Ralph Fiennes best films too but love him more in Schindlers List and Harry Potter. It is an underrated film so far but does have a really good chance at the Oscars 2009.

"Welcome to Australia!"


Director: Bazz Luhrmann
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown
Running time: 165 minutes
Country: Australia, USA


Australia is a good epic romantic film that does deserve a chance at the cinema but it has a few flaws. This film was well made but it didn't quite show how important this film was to the director. Both actors were good but I couldn't feel very much love between them because there was a light lack of romance within. This has had weird rumours that it is this decade's Gone With The Wind and it is refered as the next Gone With The Wind. I just find that really quite silly because there won't be another romantic epic like Gone With The Wind. Besides, the story in Australia is a completely different to Gone With The Wind. Apart from that it was a film that I really enjoyed.


Nicole Kidman turned out to be really good as Lady Sarah Ashley but at the start she was quite irritating and made the audience feel like she was one of those nobody-gives-a-shit-about-you sort of person but when she meets Drover, Nicole's performance builded up and gradually got better. When I saw Nicole as Lady Ashley, it showed how young Nicole Kidman really looks for her age. She made Lady Ashley a very beautiful and sexy woman who in most people's cases including mine almost irresistable. Why she didn't earn Golden Globe nomination I have no idea. I am going to start liking Nicole Kidman in some more epic films in the future. I liked Hugh Jackman too as Drover because he was more of an action-packed hero and charmer. Heath Ledger was going to portray Drover but did The Dark Knight instead for a damn good reason. Besides, I don't think Ledger would have been very good anyway because he was about 10 years too young for romance with Nicole Kidman. Anyway about Hugh Jackman, he had a really big build and looked like a really big man which isn't his normal build. His normal body build is films like The Prestige and The Fountain. His size in Australia was a lot like his size as Wolverine in the X-Men trilogy. His acting was awesome .He doesn't deliver any bad performances apart from Van Helsing despite what sort of character plays. Australia is his closest chance at the high awards. Brandon Walters was really good as Nullah because he showed that Nullah is a very effective little boy but with a big desire and a big and brave heart.


Baz Luhrmann directs this film quite similarly to how David Lean did for Lawrence Of Arabia as far as camera angles in a desert area is concerned which doesn't really surprise me why it took 2 years for Luhrmann to make this film. The way he handled the direction of the characters was very good with the scenes within the film but could have been a bit better. The script was very original which is almost a first time from an epic film. It was very well written for a film that sort of tries to beat or be compared to a film like Gone With The Wind.

This isn't my favourite of neither Hugh Jackman nor Nicole Kidman. It is a really good romantic epic that does have a few disappointments but it is a piece of entertainment after all which makes it a good piece of art that was worth watching, worth paid to see and worth made. It isn't Baz Luhrmann's best film neither. I prefered Moulin Rouge! Australia is a really good film that does deserve a chance at the cinema and a few Oscar nominations as far as cinema qualities is concerned.

"You have to realize who you are Harry."


Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon
Running time: 153 minutes
Country: UK, USA


I was really excited about seeing this one because I am a massive Harry Potter fan. I knew what the flaws could be of the film and after watching it, I could see that there was quite a few even though it was still a very enjoyable film to watch. I will say what the flaws were of the film: it was too funny. All Harry Potter films have some comedy in it. It had comedy that you didn't want to laugh at but couldn't help to. I found it way too long. I got bored within the first 10 minutes of the film but after then, I got into it. Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is a fun film that is filled with more extraordinary magic within it that we hadn't seen before.


Daniel Radcliffe proved once again that he IS Harry Potter. Dan acts almost the same as he did Order Of The Phoenix. Dan is more of a hero in this film than Order Of The Phoenix. Harry gets into another hard situation at Hogwarts because Draco Malfoy has been given orders by Lord Voldemort for a mission. Harry's love interest isn't Cho this time, it's Ginny Weasley. Rupert Grint was good as Ron again but Ron is an absolutely idiot because of how funny Ron can be, they overloaded it in this one. Emma Watson is the best of the three and she totally deserves to be but she sort of annoyed me in this one because of her feelings for Ron and I didn't even see Emma cry once. Ron has a girl who becomes obsessed with him. They become boyfriend and girlfriend but Hermione starts to become jealous. Michael Gambon was awesome as Albus Dumbledore in this film! I still prefered the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Dumbledore gets himself into greater danger by getting more involved with Harry and Voldemort. I was quite disappointed that Voldemort himself (Ralph Fiennes as him) wasn't in this film at all. Alan Rickman was awesome once again as Severus Snape. Snape was in this film more than he was in any of the other Harry Potter films. Jim Broadbent was brilliant as Professor Horace Slughorn who has a dark past regarding Voldemort. He is a close friend of Albus Dumbledore and was a close friend of Harry Potter's mother Lily Potter. Horace Slughorn is funny because he is a bit of a wacky character. He takes over Snape as teacher of Potions while Snape becomes teacher of Defense Against The Dark Arts.


David Yates is a really good director but I have to say that I sort of felt that he slightly lost the plot with Half-Blood Prince because it took a long time to get into the story and also because it was overloaded with comedy. I hope that Yates doesn't make that same mistake with Deathly Hallows: Part I and Part II. The script was good but was very daft in some scenes especially with the romantic-comedy humour within it. Despite that, David Yates has created another intense, magical, adventurous film that introduces another cinematic experience.


Overall, Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince is a very enjoyable film to watch but has its flaws. It is another brilliant Harry Potter film. It is better than Philosopher's Stone but not as good as Order Of The Phoenix, Goblet Of Fire, Chamber Of Secrets or Prisoner Of Azkaban. It is probably the most popular summer 2009 blockbuster but to be honest, I don't think it is the best. There are some things about Half-Blood Prince that were awesome but there were some things within it that could have been improved. So, let's hope we will see an amazing final chapter within Deathly Hallows in November 2010 and May 2011.

"I am Shiva the destroyer, your harbinger of doom this evening."


Director: Jonathan Demme
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Rosemary DeWitt, Bill Irwin, Tunde Adebimpe
Running time: 113 minutes
Country: USA


I was actually very surprised at this film. It is a very dark story but has some beauty within it. It is a dark story that involves a young woman called who has been in and out of rehab for the past decade and has now returned home for her sister's wedding. I can only predict that her presence will affect the wedding and the people involved in it too. That is something that we do find out in this film of what Kym has gone through in her life and what she would like to change. It is beautiful as well because we see the beauty of weddings as always and also seeing the romance and love the couple have for each other. Kym's sister Rachel is the woman getting married to a black man called Sidney. It is a beautiful mix between two races of human. They are both so well adapted together and it shows how peaceful people can be when like that when some of the time, there are racist attacks and insults towards each other.

It is really well filmed with absolutely fantastic performances from all actors. Anne Hathaway's performance as Kym was absolutely amazing! She very much deserved her Oscar nomination which probably surprised many people but it didn't surprise me at all. Anne proves that she is the only actress who would have been good enough to portray Kym. Anne is a woman who isn't really appreciated for her films as much as she deserves to be just like Heath Ledger didn't have really until he died. After seeing her in Rachel Getting Married, I am starting to really like her as a really talented actress. Her performance in Brokeback Mountain wasn't really a breakthrough but Rachel Getting Married certainly was and in a huge way. Rosemarie DeWitt's performance as Rachel was absolutely fantastic as well. She really did bring powerful feelings towards her characters and she really showed all of the anger, heartbreak and also love for her sister Kym despite of how much damage Kym has done to the family and to herself. Rosemarie DeWitt was robbed of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.

Jonathan Demme hasn't directed that many films in his career. He is most famous for his Oscar winning film The Silence Of The Lambs which he earned a Best Director Oscar for. Demme always directs films that is filled with pure drama but are all in different ways. Rachel Getting Married is an underrated 2008 film just as I think Jonathan Demme's work on the film is as well.

Overall, Rachel Getting Married is a really good film that is underrated and is a film that has proved Anne Hathaway is an actress who is a force to be reckoned with. It is her best performance and probably will be for a long time. Jonathan Demme's best film is obviously The Silence Of The Lambs and I am predicting that it always will be. Rachel Getting Married is a beautifully filmed, well directed, written and produced film that I would definitely watch again at some point in the future.

"Nobody's innocent in this shit."


Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Golshifteh Farahani
Running time: 128 minutes
Country: USA


Body Of Lies is a minor disappointment. It is decent but it could have been a lot better. What was flawed about this film was that the plot wasn't as realistic as I was hoping. Also, I thought that the action wasn't as intense or exciting as I was anticipating. Personally, the title "Body Of Lies" didn't really give me a brief description of what the title meant to the story. The action felt sort of rushed and too short for my liking. I thought the torture scene was interesting and that is it.


Leonardo DiCaprio was totally miscast for this film. I really love his films but I think it was because of him that I didn't feel the powerful realism of the story. Also, I don't think he fits very well with the action genre. Yes, he was in Blood Diamond but that was more of a deep-thought story than an intense action thrill ride. Russell Crowe's collaboration with Ridley Scott is absolutely brilliant! Out of the 4 films together that I've seen and that have been made, it is the worst of them. I hope Robin Hood becomes a breakthrough and improves their collaboration and determination for great films.


Ridley Scott is a director who can improvise a film at any kind of genre. Sometimes, he can pull it off but sometimes he can't. Films like Body Of Lies, Hannibal and Kingdom Of Heaven are his three films that he unfortunately was unable to pull off and suceed. All three of them could have been better but unfortunately weren't.


Ridley Scott was certainly the wrong director to direct Body Of Lies. A director like Michael Bay might have pulled it off better than Ridley Scott did. Body Of Lies is a disappointing film that I was really hoping would be good but now after reading negative reviews about and being shocked about it first, I now realise what they mean. Come on, Ridley Scott! Make Robin Hood a lot better than this!

"It doesn't matter what I feel. It doesn't matter what I think. The dead are still dead."


Director: Stephen Daldry
Starring: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Alexandra Maria Lara
Running time: 124 minutes
Country: USA, Germany, UK


After seeing The Reader becoming an Oscar Best Picture contender but probably the least favourite to win, my expectations were fairly high because I thought it had to be as good as Slumdog Millionaire and Milk. When I did see The Reader, I thought it was a good film but I was mildly disappointed because I don't really think that The Reader exactly made me feel any emotion for Michael Berg because I personally think that kind of character has been used too many times in a film where characters have just drooled over another one. One thing that every film must have is music but I think that there was a little too much particularly within the first 30 minutes of the film. Don't get me wrong it was well directed, written and produced but I wasn't really that fond of the story. I don't really get what the meaning of the tagline is: "Unlock the mystery." I knew that she was on trial for crime but the problem was I was predicting that there was a deeper mystery within the film that could have made a twist. Also, I was pretty disappointed with the ending of the film. It was a good film but I don't think it deserved a Best Picture nomination. It should have gone to in my opinion Revolutionary Road. Others might have included The Dark Knight, WALL-E, Doubt, Changeling and The Wrestler.


The acting in this film was the best thing about The Reader. Kate Winslet's performance as Hanna Schmitz was an oustanding one but I don't think she should have won the Oscar for that film. She should have won the Oscar for Revolutionary Road instead. I was going with Kate in my predictions for the Oscars before I even saw The Reader but out of the 5 nominees, Meryl Streep was the best. Kate delivers the best female leading performance of the year and of her career in Revolutionary Road. I liked her in that more than Meryl Streep. Since Titanic, Kate Winslet hasn't really shown any real nudity on-screen and realistic sex but in The Reader she becomes more crude than she has ever been. She appeared naked from the top quite regularly especially with the sex scenes in which there were quite a lot of. There aren't many actresses who are willing to expose nudity in a film and Kate Winslet is one of those rare actresses who don't let their naked body bother them while on-screen in front of directors, producers, cinematographers etc. It was rather strange regarding the awards for Kate because she won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in this film but won the Oscar and BAFTA for Best Leading Actress for this film. Well, it is a leading film but I think it was Kate Winslet vs. Kate Winslet because it was like a battle between her performance in The Reader and Revolutionary Road. I liked David Kross as young Michael Berg. He was very brave in this film because he appeared totally naked front and back in sex scenes and while Kate Winslet was naked as well. It was really good acting from both of them because Kate knew he was a man who is 15 years younger than her and Kross is 15 years younger than Kate. I think his acting in the love making scenes and the ways he was being with his family were really good but I couldn't feel very much sympathy or heartbreak within him because of Hanna. The great Ralph Fiennes gave me a better impression of the character and I felt sorry for Michael then because Ralph Fiennes is an actor who never disappoints and can draw real emotion as well as fear regarding other characters he has played in the past. He has been in 3 films in 2008 and he isn't in that many really. He was in In Bruges, The Duchess and The Reader and they were all awesome performances from him.


The directing from Stephen Daldry was good but I am not that fond of him as a director because I absolutely hated The Queen (apart from Helen Mirren's ace performance as our present queen and the disaster that struck Britain hard). He is an actor who tries to get us focused and deep into the character's personalities. In The Reader, I think that Daldry tries to give the audience impressions that they would grow really deep into the film itself and to make the characters lovable and deeply interesting. The script was good but I have seen better scripts. At first after reading the story, I thought it was an original script but after seeing and hearing that it's a novel, I then knew that it was an adapted script.


Overall, The Reader is a good film that in my opinion is rather flawed. My reasons are in my review. The Reader features another outstanding performance from Kate Winslet. The best leading actress performance of the year and of Kate's career is still Revolutionary Road. Out of the 5 Best Leading Actress Oscar nominees, Meryl Streep is the best even though I went for Kate Winslet before I saw the film and before the Oscar ceremony. Ralph Fiennes was good as always and now David Kross has become a force to be reckoned with because of his brave exposure of nudity and his young talent. His performance was good but not amazing. The Reader is a film that is good and disappointing that in my opinion didn't deserve the Best Picture nomination. It robbed it off Revolutionary Road. If not that film then should have been The Dark Knight, WALL-E, The Wrestler, Doubt or Changeling.

"You're in no position disagree with me, boy. I got a loaded .45 here. You got pimples."


Director: Martin Brest
Starring: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar
Running time: 157 minutes
Country: USA


Scent Of A Woman is a very emotional story with a huge adventure and a huge impact on self discovery. That is where it is beautiful especially when Frank is driving a car, despite he is blind, he enjoys it and he tries his best to be like everyone else. Also, as he becomes closer to Charlie, he tries to help him and sort of behaves like his father. It is really emotional as Slade becomes close with Charlie, Slade cant seen Charlie and doesnt know what he looks like. Slade becomes quite angry with himself for being the way he is. It becomes from a hard going relationship to a very deep personal relationship. Both Slade and Charlie discover about themselves and they both a change of heart. Charlie goes from being a complete bad ass to a really nice hearted young guy after being with Colonel Slade. Because of Slades bitter attitude, he lost most of his family. He starts to get back with his family and meeting new people and because of this Slade becomes a whole new person again.


Al Pacinos performance is simply outstanding. It was his first and only Academy Award he won and this is probably one of his best that not many people might not have taken into consideration. He is mostly overrated for Godfather trilogy, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface and Serpico. But in a way it is quite good. I love powerful characters who are very different who behave like normal people now. I love characters who are either retarded, deaf, blind, disabled, deformed etc. For example, Al Pacino as blind man Frank Slade, Dustin Hoffman as autistic Raymond Babbit, John Hurt as John Merrick and more. I mostly love it when characters like that are portrayed by such powerful actors and the greatest actors of all time. As far as the Frank Slade character is concerned, Slade is quite hard on the outside where he has that part of the army within him still but inside he is a really nice man with a big heart. Al Pacino very much deserved his Oscar in this film. Not his best performance though. His best performance is Michael Corleone particularly in The Godfather: Part II. Chris O Donnell delivers another outstanding performance as Charlie Simms. Charlie is a lonely young man who has no family. Chris portrays Charlie with such powerful emotion and with a lot of laughter too. I found it quite funny when he saw that beautiful woman in the restaurant and Pacino danced with her and he was quite shy. He is the one character in the film that made me laugh. He deserved his Golden Globe but should have had an Oscar nomination.


The direction from Martin Brest was really good. I could tell that Pacino and O Donnell needed to do a lot of hard work with all the different actions that were going on. I thought the script was simply outstanding because as I said it is an extremely emotional and powerful script but at the same time it is quite a funny script too. This film can help people with learning about who they really are.


I have only seen three of the five 1992 Academy Award Best Picture nominees and after seeing Scent Of A Woman, Howards End and Unforgiven it is my favourite one of those five so far. It has achieved Al Pacinos most powerful performance but not his most famous performance though. It is one of the best of 1992 and one of Al Pacinos best as I have said repeatedly. The one thing that disappointed me about Scent Of A Woman was that I thought it was a bit too long. Despite of how long it was, it was still a really well written film that deserves its place as one of the most beautiful films based on self discovery and friendship.

"Accept me as I am. Only then can we discover each other."


Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, Sandra Milo
Running time: 138 minutes
Country: USA


Wow!! This is an absolutely fantastic masterpiece from such a legendary director. 8 ½ is one of the weirdest films ever but I have seen weirder ones though. 8 ½ is a beautifully filmed story with very mixed feelings. It is a very dark story that is even psychological on occasions especially of what Guido goes into with the visions and fantasies he has. It is like a dark film-noir film but it isn't one though. I really enjoyed this film mostly because of its filming and the way it was written and produced. I got a bit confused at times but I did really enjoy it.

Marcello Mastrianni's performance as Guido was really good. Guido is suffering from "director's block". I thought to myself when I was watching it: "what the hell?" I read on another site that it is a phenomenon involving temporary loss of ability to begin or continue writing, usually due to lack of inspiration or creativity. Guido is a pretty psychological character who can be quite dangerous. The way Guido wants to make his films are like how Fellini directs this own.

I loved Fellini's approach to this film because it is a film that is inside his imagination. He uses a different director's name instead of his own name. Fellini's 8 ½ is Burton's Edward Scissorhands. Federico Fellini is a genius of creating films of art. I think this is the one Fellini film that shows this in the best way. The dialogue regarding filmmaking and the way Guido wants to make the films and also of the dark cinematography reminds me a lot of Tim Burton's Ed Wood.

This is the second Federico Fellini film that I have watched. It is an absolute masterpiece that I did underestimate at the start because of its complex dialogue. I will be watching more Fellini films in the future and it will be a tough challenge for any other to beat 8 ½. La Dolce Vita, Amarcord and Le Notti Di Cabiria are ones that could be. This is probably one of the best films that I've seen with the best art within. 8 ½ is one of the best films of the 1960s and is one of the finest cinematic achievements in the history of cinema.

"We bury our sins here, Dave. We wash them clean."


Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden
Running time: 137 minutes
Country: USA


I love this film!!! Mystic River is a fantastic murder mystery that is filmed with a lot of events occuring. The dialogue is something that I found quite disturbing because of the way the characters were around each other. It is one of those films that shocks you at the beginning and shocks you at the end of it too. I love films like this that keeps you interested all the way through it. Finding out who Katie Markum's killer was almost excitement to me because I really wanted to know. As the story went on, it fell a bit obvious but on other occasions it became a real mystery. It is a breakdown film of not only heartbreak but also of love and friendship.

Sean Penn was amazing as Jimmy Markum. Before his daughter was killed, he seemed like a grumpy middle-aged man but he became a very caring father after his daughter was murdered. However, he ended up having something in him that I don't think he was anticipating. He ended up being filled with rage when he found out who killed his daughter. His performance is memorable but his best is definitely Milk. Tim Robbins surprised me a lot in this one as Dave. Dave and Jimmy were childhood friends. Dave was a victim of abuse by paedophiles as a child. After an average performance in The Shawshank Redemption, Robbins has now proved he can perform something that is filled with emotion, heartbreak and with very interesting character. Robbins was the best of the film. Marcia Gay Harden was awesome as well as Celeste Boyle who is Dave's wife.

Clint Eastwood has crafted a masterpiece! Clint is a fantastic director of making different kinds of films but in adult ways. One thing that all of his films have in common for me is that they are all ordinary dramas. This is probably the one Clint Eastwood film that is mixed on how to live life carefully and to always be certain of things.

This is my favourite Clint Eastwood film as a director and I think it will be for a long time. The Human Factor looks pretty good so that might be a tough challenge. I love Million Dollar Baby and Changeling too. Sean Penn's performance is fantastic after an Oscar win for this film but his best is his other and more recent Oscar-winning performance as Harvey Milk in bio-pic Milk. Mystic River won Tim Robbins an Oscar as well. A good performance is rare from Tim Robbins. I think that this will be his best performance forever! 2003 was a great year in cinema but I prefered films like Return Of The King, Lost In Translation, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Finding Nemo that year. Mystic River is a fantastic film that has become very close to hitting my main favourite films list.

"You ask me one more question and I'm beating the shit out of you."


Director: John Hughes
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald
Running time: 97 minutes
Country: USA


This is a classic teenage film that I have wanted to watch for quite a while because I have heard and read so many positive reviews. This is probably the oldest film aimed at teenagers as well as adults; like before all of the American Pie films, Juno, Knocked Up etc. The Breakfast Club is a very funny film that does teach a lot about people and their differences regarding appearance but shows how much people have in common when discussing their personal lives regarding their family. It was quite an emotional film which did actually surprise me! I really love films that are set in one single day like this one was. The Breakfast Club is one of the very first films that are aimed at teenagers as well as adults.


The Breakfast Club tells the story of five teenagers in high school who are all very different regarding interests and behaviour. The acting from all five actors was all absolutely fantastic!! Judd Nelson's performance is definitely the best out of the five actors because he was the most emotional, the funniest actor as well as playing the most fascinating character within the film. I thought that the message that was sent out was absolutely terrific! Everybody does have their differences but they do have their similarities too.


Overall, The Breakfast Club is a very enjoyable film that always will be remembered as a classic for many generations to come.

"Well I ain't sorry for you no more, ya crazy, psalm-singing, skinny old maid!"


Director: John Huston
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Peter Bull
Running time: 105 minutes
Country: UK, USA


The African Queen is another classic romantic film. African Queen is a beautiful romantic film whereas some other romantic classics suh as Casablanca are quite dark ones. African Queen is a really adventurous romantic experience that joins together with modern day romance and with beautiful sceneries it's untrue. It is a film that isn't just about love but bravery and courage as well. I wouldn't call The African Queen a masterpiece but I would call it a really fun love story that is full of excitement and entertainment in almost every aspect of the film. This film has a grand leading cast with two legendary actors.


This is the first time I have seen Humphrey Bogart in a colour film before until now. Humphrey's performance as Charlie Allnut came only 6 years before he died. Charlie is a very heroic man especially when with the German officers. Katharine Hepburn is another legendary actor who has become an actor who has made such masterful films with masterful performances. Her performance as Rose Sayer is another classic performance that will be remembered for generatins to come.


John Huston's directing gave that taste again from The Treasure Of Sierra Madre with the pure adventurous experience and tense moments but it was obviously a romantic film which makes it slightly different. It had an absolutely awesome script as well.


I don't know how Humphrey Bogart beat Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire to Best Leading Actor. Bogart's acting is still top-notch but he was better in The Treasure Of Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon and his best Casablanca. My favourite John Huston film is still The Treasure Of Sierra Madre. The African Queen is a really good film that deserves to be viewed by all film fans.

"Just changing the name on the door."


Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins
Running time: 93 minutes
Country: USA


Scarface is one of the very early classics that is underrated and not fully appreciated as much as the remake is. The 1930s version of Scarface is different compared to the 1983 remake. The stories were both different but the remake adaptation is cooler and more enjoyable. There were some moments where there was some similarity especially the way Tony treats his sister.

Paul Muni was good as Tony Camonte. He was a real nasty piece of work and a very vicious gangster. The character is based on real-life gangster Al Capone. He was a badass but not as bad as Tony Montana was in the remake. I admit one thing that Paul Muni's portrayal is extremely underrated as well as the whole film.

It is weird because this adaptation is only 1 hour 30 minutes long but remake is 2 hours 50 minutes and that didn't mess up or flaw once. Howard Hawks is a director that I haven't seen any work from apart from this one now. After seeing his filmography, he has done some classics but I haven't seen most of them.

Scarface is a very enjoyable classic that is underrated. I think it's because of when it was made and also because most people prefer the remake. Unfortunately, I prefer the remake starring Al Pacino because that is a classic nowadays. I am going to watch more Howard Hawks classics now. Scarface is probably the best and most famous classic gangster film before The Godfather was released which makes it the most famous gangster film of the 1930s. It is a great film-noir film too that I enjoyed. A very enjoyable film that I might watch again in the future.

"If you strike that girl, I'll quit! And what's more, I want what I'm worth."


Director: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Al Ernest Garcia, Harry Crocker
Running time: 71 minutes
Country: USA



The Circus is a film that I admit is extremely underrated for a Chaplin film because most people favourite either The Gold Rush, City Lights or Modern Times over it. The Circus obviously showed once again how hilarious Chaplin can be. It also shows us how serious he can be as well. What I mean by that is that he made this one quite touching and dramatic which is something that Chaplin is good at when mixing it with comedy.


Charlie Chaplin's performance is once again absolutely terrific! Chaplin shows the Tramp's emotional side because of the young girl he falls in love with as well as the usual slapstick and comedy within it. What I really love about Chaplin and the Tramp character is they go on different kinds of adventures where he comes across different kinds of people and experiences different things.


Overall, The Circus is an absolutely amazing classic that is another flawless Chaplin film. It is one of his best films but I prefer Modern Times. It is one of my favourite comedies of all time and totally deserves to be.

"Just, don't let them take me back to the institution."


Director: Richard Franklin
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly, Robert Loggia
Running time: 113 minutes
Country: USA


Psycho II is a fairly good sequel to the classic thriller Psycho. It is a sequel that is basically the first film all over again because Norman plays the innocent and "mother" kills. The only difference is that we know that Norman is the killer whereas we didn't in the first film. Psycho II is the sequel of a classic that not many people seem to fully appreciate. No, it isn't good and it isn't bad neither but this was made like it was more for scares and entertainment not to relive the reputation of the classic that was Psycho. I found it almost as tense as the first film was especially when we see Norman holding a kitchen knife, when people enter his house or live with him whether it's in the Bates house or inside the motel. It is weird seeing the actual Bates house in a colour effect whereas it was black and white in the original and first adaptation. I don't think Psycho is a franchise really. Yes, it does have more than one film with it but maybe it is a bit like a spoof to the first film and spoofs don't make good trilogies at all.


Anthony Perkins shows once again that he is the only actor who can portray Norman Bates properly. Maybe Christian Bale would have been a good Norman Bates in modern days after seeing him in American Psycho. Perkins is 23 years older in the sequel. He was 26 in the first film but he is 49 in the sequel. Norman is back to no good again especially having Mary living with him who is the daughter of Lila Loomis previously known as Lila Crane who was the sister of Norman's shower victim Marion Crane. Vera Miles brings a really good return after 23 years portraying Lila. She seems to want revenge on Norman for her sister's murder. She tries to warn her daughter from Mary from getting too close to Norman and to not live with him because of what he did in the past and how crazy he really is. The directing wasn't very good and I am ever so glad that Hitchcock wasn't here to see it. I feel the same thing about the remake that neither Anthony Perkins nor Alfred Hitchcock were able to see that and how awful it was and both would have been angry and embarrassed because of the film they made together.


The director makes this film like the first one all over again but in a bad way with bad filmmaking. It would have been better to have just left the first one but I am still glad I got the opportunity to see this film. I am now curious about Psycho IV: The Beginning because I want to know the truth of why Norman is the way he is regarding his psychotic ways and his split personality between himself and his mother. This is a film that sort of rips off Hitchcock's classic and memorable work of Psycho and also Anthony Perkins' previous performance as Norman even though he was still involved in this film. Psycho II is a mediocre sequel to its classic previous film that is neither good nor bad. The story is fairly interesting but has too much about the first film in it. So to me, I will now feel that there is only one film about Norman Bates. To be fair this one was far more predictable than the first one was because the first one had two twists which is very rare of a film to do so.


Psycho II is a sequel that I would prefer to not watch again but one that I wouldn't call bad nor good. It is a flawed sequel that wasn't greatly filmed and didn't have as many interesting characters apart from Norman of course. The first film is one of my 10 favourite films of all time and Psycho II is an average sequel to such a classic film!

"I don't know love. I was built to protect not to love, so there is no use for me other than this."


Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm
Running time: 121 minutes
Country: France


When I first saw the DVD cover and a couple of pictures of The Fifth Element, I thought it looked really bizarre but interesting at the same time. When I did see it, I actually liked it more than I thought I would. In fact, I was blown away by this film. I love films about planets and space which is why I love films like Star Wars and Star Trek. I figured that a couple of things were ripped off from The Fifth Element as well as The Fifth Element ripping things off as well. The sceneries on Earth with the floating vehicles and the cities in the sky was ripped off by the prequel Star Wars trilogy. The Fifth Element copied that from Ridley Scott's Blade Runner too which is where that kind of thing originally came from. This film reminded me a lot of Star Trek (2009 film) because the dialogue would be something that would be used in a Star Trek film. Obviously the visual effects did as well and the genre it was part of. It shows that history is a myth most of the time but shows that it should be taken seriously as well. The Fifth Element would make a good family film because it has a wide range of things within the film that can expand your imagination just like you can with epic sci fis like Star Trek and especially Star Wars.


Bruce Willis' performance was fabulous as ... He goes through a hard time because he has separated from his wife and lives alone with his cat. Also, he gets frustrated with a job being a taxi driver. He inadvertently meets Leeloo who is the so-called Fifth Element who can destroy evil and save the world alongside other Ancient stones: earth, wind, water and fire. It was really weird seeing Bruce Willis with blonde hair because we usually see him either with black hair or almost if not completely bald. Gary Oldman was pretty funny as Zorg who wants to find the stones and destroy the world. He was an idiotic villain but was actually quite frightening at times due to his desperation to find the stones. Milla Jovovich was good as Leeloo who is the Fifth Element. Before they made her in human form, she was one of those extra-terrestrial robot-aliens and they had the remaining parts of her. She was a good choice because she seemed a woman who can play that kind of character. Mixing the clothes that she wore with the hair colour she had made her seem a bit of a weirdo but also a gorgeous woman. Ian Holm is a really good actor who has been in a lot of famous films over the years. His performance as Cornelius was awesome! Cornelius was the man who would tell everybody the truth of what could happen.


Luc Besson caught my attention when I saw Léon: The Professional because I loved that one. I admire his work even more now after seeing The Fifth Element. Everything about this film was beautifully and creativity crafted. J.J. Abrams would have done a decent job at this film but I am glad that Luc Besson did it though. Personally, I don't think there are many science fiction epics at all because they don't feel like epics and some don't have realistic or powerful characters within it. The film was really well written which did surprise me. I think everything about this film surprised me as it did with Star Trek (apart from, perhaps, the visual effects).


The Fifth Element is another science fiction film that will expand your imagination from start to finish. I think it is one of Bruce Willis best films; same with Gary Oldman. It is one of the best films of 1997 as well as one of the best science fiction films ever!