Chris P's: Top 100 Best Films

The Heist of the Millennium...

"Inception" director Christopher Nolan is in a league of his own when it comes to storytelling. His new film is his most complicated, most intriguing, most dynamic, and most original piece of film-work to date. He takes the audience on a journey through a vision, within a vision, within that very same vision, and dives even layers deeper.
"Inception" stars the always reliable Leonard DiCaprio as Cobb, a master dream thief who is hired to achieve a feat called Inception, which is the act of planting an idea in one's head through his/her dreams. What results is a literal battle of minds. I won't give anymore details away about the plot of this film. The impact of the film is lessened the more you know about it going into it. I made sure to stay away from as many trailers as possible before seeing this film. You should too.
The plot of this film is as complex as it is intelligent. So is the script and Nolan's visions of the dream worlds he creates. Dreams are a fascinating subject and this maybe the best movie ever made about dreams. It acts a fascinating piece about the human psyche. The movie develops similarly as Nolan's previous film "Memento" does at certain points and it has the epic feel of his previous blockbuster hit, "The Dark Knight". "Inception" may not be as entertaining as "Memento" or "The Dark Knight", but it is easily the best movie to have come out since "The Hurt Locker". It is the best heist movie since Michael Mann's "Heat". It probably will earn the title as the best movie of the year in my opinion.
Leonardo DiCaprio leads a huge cast of actors through this new age heist tale. He really doesn't bring much to the film in terms of his acting ability, but you don't mind him being the focal point of story. His performance is a more serious carbon copy of his previous performance in "Body of Lies". DiCaprio is a familiar face, we have taken a huge journey with him before in "Titanic" so we feel comfortable taking a new journey with him through this land of dreaming. I'm sure Nolan cast him to bring in a more "safe" performance to navigate through his masterpiece, though it leaves you wondering what a Robert Downey Jr. or a Tom Cruise or a Will Smith would have done with this role. I'm not knocking Leo, but he didn't take a single risk with his performance. He spends most of his performance explaining things and very little acting.
Behind Leo is a strong cast including Marion Cotlliard, Ellen Page, Joesph Gordon-Levitt, and an intriguing performance by the film's anti-villain, played by the wonderful Ken Wantanabe. They all add to the film's wonderful mystique. There is also a special cameo by Tom Beringer and Michael Cane who ground the film amidst all of the chaos.
The film looks superb. It shows how 2D is still and will always be the best way to show/tell a story. There is very little CGI used in this film (a huge relief) and a supremely talented stunt team that stands behind the director. Though I wish the film was slightly edited better as its closing action scenes drug along at some parts (when you get to the snow sequences you will understand).
"Inception" is truly a vision like no other. It is a film that defines why we love to watch movies so much. An original idea that leaves us thinking about the movie after we finish watching it. It will make my list as one the top 100 films ever made. As stated before it is the best heist movie since "Heat" and one of the best movies of the millennium. It is also one of the best times I had at the movies. See this masterpiece and enjoy the interesting dream you surely will have after seeing this movie.

"The Hurt Locker" will mold itself into the category of one of the greatest war movies of all time. It is arguably the most intense action film in the history of cinema. As of this date, it has won best picture at the Oscars, a title well deserved. It is the best live action film of 2009. And it is the second best movie of 2009 behind the documentary "Tyson".
"The Hurt Locker" is director Kathryn Bigelow's fresh take on a military profession that is not based upon typical cliche, "front-line" gun battles. The film focuses on soldiers who are in charge of disposing roadside bombs; a job equally as important as any within the military. "The Hurt Locker" stars Jeremy Renner, a bomb disposal expert who lives vicariously through his job. He lives life in accordance with the theme of the film which states that "war is a drug"; a very interesting idea about soldier mentality that has never really been explored in war films. At times he is cartoonishly wild and unpredictable in his methods, forcing co-star Anthony Mackie to try and hold his unit together on a 40 day tour of Iraq. Mackie wonderfully plays the straight man to Renner's loose cannon. The two are in conflict with each other, yet at the same time are surrounded by the hell on earth that is the Iraq War. Their co-existence is key to their survival and to the survival of their unit.
War movies are mostly praised for their realism and "The Hurt Locker" is the most realistic portrayal of war that I've witnessed since the opening scene of Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan". We get an accurate glimpse of how intense and scary modern warfare really can be. This film is gripping and unpredictable. It is well acted and great to look at. At times you forget that it's a movie, it feels like your watching something more along the lines of a documentary. For example, no performance feels like a performance, the acting is that good.
"The Hurt Locker" is a real achievement in film making and is such a leap above and beyond the crapfest of movies made in 2009. I take my hat off to Kathryn Bigelow who made a beautiful modern war epic that will stand the test of time. I would have given this film a perfect rating but I felt the film got really bumpy in its closing sequences and I wanted a bit more in the department of character development. Though you can never really have it all unless your watching "The Godfather". "The Hurt Locker" is a must-see movie, the only must-see of 2009.
Grade: A-

A great man and a great evil...

Charlie Chaplin has many exceptional talents. "Modern Times" and "The Great Dictator", for example, show how he can expertly blend satire with social wakefulness in the context of a film. In "The Great Dictator's" emotional closing monologue, Chaplin desperately pleads with his audience to be weary of becoming "machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts". It's the most important line of dialogue ever spoken in a film.
"The Great Dictator" is completely Chaplin's creation. He stars, directs, writes, and produces this film at a masterclass level. In the film Chaplin stars as two characters: a Jewish Barber (loosely based on his "Tramp" character) and the clueless yet, feared dictator, Hynkel. The former tries to live life as an ostracized Jew in "Tomania". The latter is trying to increase his power and influence over Tomania and soon-after, the world; an obvious parallel to Adolf Hitler. Their paths slowly intertwine as hilarious happenings ensue.
Chaplin plays both characters greatly. They are both hilariously dimwitted, yet they're deeply passionate about their specific causes. Chaplin has a lot more fun as the dictator who provides the most entertaining moments of the film. The Globe scene, for example, is truly one of the most magical and beautiful scenes in the history of the movie industry. I nearly wept at its majesty. The Barber is the heart of this film. He has his moment and boy, is it a big one. Other stars include Paulette Goddard and Jackie Oakie, who plays the comedic mirror of Benito Mussolini.
This is one of the greatest "Classic" films I've ever seen. It is a very funny movie, yet it also has these magically brilliant moments that will stand the test of time. Additionally, this movie has some important things to say about war, Hitler, fascism, antisemitism, and Nazism. This is a movie for everyone. Definitely go out of your way to see if you can. This is a quintessential classic.
Grade: A