Finally, a film gets picked for the TENTH time.
MOVIE #8
Shrykespeare
Star Trek (2009) – Director: J.J. Abrams; starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Winona Ryder, Chris Hemsworth, Ben Cross and Leonard Nimoy. To take a much-beloved franchise that had become over-saturated, lethargic and stale and breathe new life into it takes a level of genius that must be acknowledged. What Christopher Nolan did with the
Batman franchise after Joel Schumacher drove it into the ground is a prime example. But what J.J. Abrams did with
Star Trek could possibly be considered even more amazing. People don’t need an excuse to like Batman – he’s always been the darkest, most relatable of the first-tier superheroes – but the once-cool
Star Trek franchise, after ten movies, five TV series, and thousands of conventions, had completely run out of gas. So Abrams decided to not only start the story over from the very beginning, but to include a twist that suggests that everything is not simply going to be retold as before, but it will be completely different this time around. THAT takes balls. But this is not your father’s Star Trek movie. This was less about the attention to detail, the science, the continuity of previous plot lines, and more about delivering a kick-ass, slam-bang story that will reinvigorate the franchise for hopefully decades more to come. I would like to think that Gene Roddenberry would be proud indeed that his brainchild is in the hands of people who truly appreciate its legacy, from the director to the writers to the bevy of young actors (most of whom are not exactly household names, and still aren’t) who made it all happen. “My God, man....”
(4th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xEbKh4NCMg
silversurfer
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) - Director: George Lucas; Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Alec Guinness. Man, where do I start? When I was young there was not a movie I watched more than the first
Star Wars, it was my introduction to movies, and without it I would not be the movie lover I am today. It is simply that important. (I am actually wearing A New Hope t-shirt right now.) Star Wars was my life as I grew up, and it's remained just as important today. That opening scene, with the opening blast of music and the titles flying off into the distance before the Imperial fighter chases down Leia's ship, man it gives me the shivers just writing about it. Filled with brilliant characters, it's immensely enjoyable, tense, heartbreaking (who didn't [and still doesn't] cry when Obi Wan is struck down) and euphoric. When Lucas originally scripted the movie, he planned to make a movie to appeal to the common man, and sent out this Arthur Conan Doyle quote with each script:
I have wrought my simple plan
If I give one hour of joy
To the boy who’s half a man
Or the man who’s half a boy
And to that end he succeed and more so. It's a phenomenal movie which I never tire of, I've watched it well over 200 times (including twice in the cinema, and you can never beat a full crowd of whooping SW fans!), I own all the merchandise (including a nice little collection of original toys which are worth a small fortune if I ever decided to sell, which I doubt - I'm like the 40-Year-Old Virgin who somehow got married..) and I fully plan on passing the movie down to future generations. Helena scowls when I say this, but that John Williams music will be played before our kids are born, I have names planned based on the characters, and the film will be on repeat when the kids are born. She will hate me for it, but our kids will love me! These kind of movies are a phenomenon, they affect generation after generation, and I will continue to watch the movie a couple of times a year for the rest of my life.
(2nd appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_OhgiNE0Dw
thegreenarrow
My Neighbour Totoro (1988) - Director: Hayao Miyazaki, Starring; Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka and Chika Sakamoto. I used to love watching this when I was younger. Alongside the Disney movies, this was an obscurity which my mum picked up for me on video and I fell in love with it. Years later I would realise it was from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, but until then it was a wonderous story filled with magic, imagination and delight. It's such a simple concept, a delicate and sensitive story based around the friendship of two girls. Nowadays I see it for the complexities it does deal with, as like many other Miyazaki movies it tackles environmentalism and mortality issues, but without ever getting sentimental or force feeding you the ideas. It's refreshing to see movies like this, and whether a child or an adult, the animation is something marvelous to behold. As a child I loved the crazy characters such as Totoro or the Catbus, and as I've gotten older I've come to appreciate some of the more mature aspects of the film, it really is a quite perfect movie for every generation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuLX50_5UAI
transformers
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) - Director: Judd Apatow; Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Romany Malco and Jane Lynch. This movie is not only comic genius, it was also responsible for the emergence of Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen, three of the best comedic minds of our time. This is honestly the funniest film I have ever seen. Apatow's script is heartfelt and absolutely hysterical. Throw in the improv genius and comedic timing of the entire cast and you have comedy heaven. Every scene has brilliant dialogue and every situation is hysterical. I honestly don't see myself laughing more during a movie in my entire life, I spent the entire film in tears from laughing so hard. It holds up very well (I have seen it at least 9 times). Best comedy ever made.
(5th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQVPjLAulaM
(one of the best scenes in the whole movie)
englishozzy
Se7en (1995) - Director: David Fincher - Stars: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey and Gwyneth Paltrow. A bleak, intense, and hugely scary thriller that pulls you in and doesn’t give up until it has taken every last bit of humanity from you. From the assaulting opening credits to the shocking finale, Fincher has created the ultimate horror movie. Instead of relying on blood and gore that so many slasher movies use as a template nowadays, Fincher takes notice of the ways the victims have been murdered in accordance to a deadly sin. Each death as gruesome as the next actually leaves you with an overwhelming feeling of unease. Scenes that are permanently etched into my mind will forever haunt me, and for that I take my hat off to Fincher and the cast for creating the perfect thriller.
(9th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE
Ron Burgundy
Memento (2000) - Director: Christopher Nolan; starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. Guy Pearce is really only just now coming into his peak of his career, despite having been a star in 2 excellent films before he appeared in
The Proposition, The Hurt Locker, Animal Kingdom, etc. But Christopher Nolan is the genius behind the camera in this totally original slow burning driller (drama-thriller; someone on RS here suggested that term earlier, I like it). After seeing this for the 7th time, I think I found a couple of flaws in the movie, but only after looking real hard but they don’t really take much away from the overall satisfaction you get from watching this. Joe Pantoliano is also a really good character actor, though he does play the annoying schmuck role fairly often, he is damn good at it. Carrie-Anne Moss rounds out the cast to pretty much stand up and say she can do better than
The Matrix. The whole idea behind this is pretty gutsy and to actually pull it off is such a fantastic achievement. Remember this is the guy who has now made The Dark Knight and Inception, who knows what else he will make next, let’s just hope he keeps directing and not getting to producing any time soon.
(8th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0
Buscemi
Taxi Driver (1976) - Director: Martin Scorsese; starring Robert DeNiro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shephard, Harvey Keitel and Albert Brooks. Martin Scorsese's greatest film. Robert DeNiro gives an excellent performance as Travis Bickle, which gives him the opportunity to show off his many different styles of acting and incredible ability (there's a reason why he's my favorite actor). The rest of the cast also does a great job (with Jodie Foster easily showing why she's one of the few child actors to make it successfully even as an adult and Keitel playing a scary villain as her pimp). The 1970's New York setting adds to the action and fits the film's feeling of a crapsack world. The noirish tones of the film fit perfectly and get you to enter Travis's world and become engrossed by it. The film may be too dark for some but it is fine filming from the master.
(5th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqLyTdcMLhc
Chienfantome
Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) (1964) – Director: Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens and James Earl Jones. The third Kubrick film in my Top 100 is my favourite. I could list a thousand reasons why I love
Dr. Strangelove. But I will limit myself to the most obvious ones, beginning with the fact it’s a hilarious film. The cast is outstanding, especially, of course, Sellers in his triple role President / military / Strangelove. All the craziness and all the genius of Sellers explodes in this film. But all the ones surrounding him are exceptional too. There is the screenplay of course, the writing and the dialogues and the audacity of an intrigue perfectly in its time and at the same time way beyond it already, looking at the Cold War tension with a delightful second degree. And of course, there is the constant craziness that has no end, or the only inevitable one. I’m always happy when I can see a classic film in theater, only rarely do I see an old film several times in theater.
Dr. Strangelove is one I have already seen a couple of times on the big screen, and that says a lot. 4
Here’s Sellers in action in one of his three roles :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUAK7t3Lf8s
numbersix
The Battle of Algiers (1966) - Director: Gillo Pontecorvo; starring Brahim Hagiag, Saadi Yacef and Jean Martin. Politicized, angry cinema is quite a rarity today, with only Syriana matching some of the classic examples of the 60’s and 70’s. This film gripped me instantly with its edgy direction and vitriolic nature. It is of course a portrayal of the guerrilla war for the independence of Algeria from French colonial rule (the film was banned from France for a while). The film is so close to its subjects that many of the cast are playing either themselves or versions of themselves. The rest are non-professionals with the exception of one (Jean Martin). This gives the film a raw edge, but what makes it all the more impressive is that it doesn’t easily associate with one side. While the film obviously leans towards the native Algerians, it shows their brutality and juxtaposes that with similar tactics used by the French military. No one comes out as heroic or glamorous and the film shows us that war and battles are never black-and-white. Morricone’s score adds some dramatic weight to the film, both in the thrill of the battles and in the tragedy of the innocent victims (again, the same musical piece is associated with both sides).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A-Ilve1ZYc
Banks
Boogie Nights (1997) - Director: Paul Thomas Anderson; starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds and Heather Graham. Once upon a time, Boogie Nights was my favorite movie of all-time – the only reason it’s dropped down to #8 is that I haven’t seen it in a long time. But even if I wanted to, I couldn’t forget the classic tale of Dirk Diggler’s rise and subsequent fall from fame. A porn biopic filled with heart and emotion and told brilliantly by one of the better directors working today, Boogie Nights is a marvel. A career-best performance from Mark Wahlberg with great turns from John C. Reilly, Luis Guzman, Heather Graham, Burt Reynolds, William H. Macy and Don Cheadle and some fantastic direction, with the best tracking shots this side of
Children of Men.
(3rd appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTvWZn95mZQ
BarcaRulz
Fight Club (1999) - Director: David Fincher; starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. My favorite Fincher, my favorite Norton, and my favorite Pitt. All our outstanding and at the absolute top of their game. The first time I saw this I was in awe, and I rewatched it only a few days later with a bunch of friends after telling them all how great it was. A lot of people claim the ending is the best thing about this film, but to me the ending is just a class way to end one of the best overall films I have ever seen.
(7th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QgFWXLN-ug
Geezer
Fight Club (1999) - Director: David Fincher; starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. I'm clearly a fan of ultra cool movies and this certainly qualifies. Tyler Durden is certainly one of the coolest characters ever. Two of my favorite actors giving the performances of their careers, an ultimate ideal that is thought provoking, and some seriously kick ass fight scenes.
Fight Club literally has it all, including one of the best twists ever. Holds up remarkably even after knowing the twist end. The dialogue is beyond fantastic. It deserves all the acclaim it gets.
(8th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QgFWXLN-ug
leestu
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) – Director Peter Jackson; starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen......too many to mention. It’s unusual for me to love the big Hollywood blockbusters, but it does happen sometimes.
(8th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9tnZRs4tNE
W
Independence Day (1996) - Director: Roland Emmerich; starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Randy Quaid and Judd Hirsch. Easily my favorite huge explosion blockbuster-type film. It's always nice to see the world explode onscreen, I don't think anyone would argue that. But this film is a little deeper than that, though not a whole lot deeper because if it was then it would cease to be a popcorn flick. There's a little bit of V, a show I loved as a kid, up until you 100% know they're not going to even pretend to be friends. I also see a little zombie film in it, going through deserted places and positioning your group as best to survive (think the RV people). It's funny, has some great special effects for the time, and has Will Smith in one of his most likeable roles. And if this were a real presidential speech, it'd go down in the annals of history.
(3rd appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUdB8gCMcXI
NSpan
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – Director: Irwin Kershner; starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. It comes as no surprise to me that the finest
Star Wars installment had the LEAST amount of George Lucas' involvement. It is easily the better-made film compared to the original. That said, it is clearly a "middle-piece." It doesn't stand alone. But that's one of the things I love about it. The movie jumps right into the story--no pesky introductions needed. And it ends ambiguously. Despairing, even. Maybe that's darker than what some people prefer, but (personally) I dig it. Although I think that this film is hands-down better-made than the original, that isn't to say that it *quite* captures the whimsical spirit of the first... But I'll talk more about that in my Top 5. (Not-so-subtle wink)! PS. Kasdan also wrote the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark. He is co-writing Alex Proyas' upcoming
Paradise Lost adaptation. I don't wanna get my hopes TOO high, but I think that's quite a team they've assembled.
(10th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6bvuhPyq8Q
undeadmonkey
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) – Director: Gore Verbinski; starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom. I’m sure none of you are surprised. You must have known this was going to show up, my moniker is named after the series after all. I didn’t see this movie until 2005. I had seen the trailers, heard all the hype about the movie, but it just didn’t look like my kind of movie, especially that line in the trailer ‘you best start believing in ghost stories miss turner, you’re in one’. I figured it was a horror movie about ghost pirates. When I finally did see it, I was made to see it. A situation where you were with friends and you wanted to hang, but you didn’t have the decision what to watch, so I watched it. The first scene, I thought ok, fine. The second scene introducing Jack Sparrow, a huge grin appeared on my face and it didn’t leave until the movie was over. That scene has to be one of the best entrances to any character, ever; The swagger, him trying to bail out the boat, stopping to salute the dead pirates, and finally stepping onto the dock from the mast. (Makes me laugh just thinking about it.) And so I found out it was actually an adventure movie with huge doses of laughs, a pinch of horror and a whole bunch of backstabbing, egos, love and honor getting in the way. I was hooked, I am still, and will always probably be. I didn’t much know anything about Johnny Depp before, but I will forever be a fan after this and have seen most of his films so far, he so deserved his Oscar nomination. Geoffrey Rush was fantastic as Barbossa and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth as well. Those two were the only actors and characters that could stand on their own beside Jack. While I’ve told you my favorite scene, I can’t finish without mentioning my favorite quotes. Although I could never say definitely, as I love a lot of the quotes, my favorite at this point in time is. “I’ll buy you the hat, a really big one”. If I ever want to watch a movie that makes me laugh, I turn this one on. It never fails to entertain me.
(5th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z1XpfbuZOA
JohnErle
The Shining (1980) – Director: Stanley Kubrick; starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd. So much has already been written about the genius of Kubrick so I'll single out someone who doesn't usually get much credit -- Shelley Duvall. I don't think I've ever seen a woman on film so fragile, so mousy, and so dependent on a man to take care of her. It's not politically correct to show women like that on screen any more but they do exist in the world.
(8th appearance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cb3ik6zP2I