My Favorite Movies

Beautifully shot, impeccably crafted, and achingly told; a love story that is [literally] transcendent and touches my soul in a way no other film has. Plus, I'm still trying to piece it all together. It's like a living, breathing jigsaw puzzle for me. Hugh Jackman proved to me that he can act.

Unappreciated in its time.

Ever since I was a little kid, I've loved dinosaurs. For the little kid in me, this is the ultimate film.

It has its moments (the dialogue...), but overall, I forgive them because I love it so much. Just a great big spectacle!

It's one of the greatest conceptual films I've ever watched.

It's perfect. It's dark and beautiful. The contrast of children's fantasy and adult storytelling is wonderful. It doesn't have a flaw. It touches home because even though we grow out of childhood into "the real world," we relate so well to the little girl and her wanting to escape, because we always want to escape

Let me start off by being cliche and saying this film is brilliant. Now.. this is one of Hitchcock's most well known probably because of its "big" twist. This twist is carried out so perfectly and thus, the themes it deals with were probably quite controversial being in the public arena at that point in time. Technically this and Rear Window stand out for Hitchcock, the shower scene alone, with 70+ shots, is mind-boggling. The acting may lack a little, really from the supporting characters, but everything else MORE than makes up for it!

The last scene where Bates is just staring at you his mother's voice says "Why, I wouldn't even hurt a fly" gives me a goosebumps. This has to be one of the most chilling moments in film history.

It speaks to this generation... I love the movie. I love the music. I fell in love with Natalie Portman.

Just a big grand beautiful spectacle. What is often missed in big films like this though is the machinations of human emotions. You're so caught up the visuals that you forget about the characters. This film and its actors don't let you do that here and. The closing scenes in the denouement are the most beautiful and the most haunting within the film. Wolfie's laugh closing out the film is the perfect coda.

The best horror film ever made. Even with its size, it has a claustrophobia that is suffocating. Jack Nicholson gives a terrifying tour de force performance.

Johnny Depp is amazing. Feels like a modern, twisted fable.

Simply one of the most amazing films ever made. Hannibal Lecter sears his way into your memory and never leaves.

In my humble opinion, this is Hitchcock's best. It's a comment on how voyeuristic a society has become, while still presenting an exciting intriguing story that seemingly is metaphoric for an audience and how it responds to a film. Jimmy Stewart is the perfect everyman, it's no wonder that Hitchcock liked him so much, and Grace Kelly is simply the most beautiful woman to ever grace the screen (along with Elizabeth Taylor). It touches at the edges with graceful humor, so the audience is never bogged down. Raymond Burr, though he talks very little, is terrificly in the role of the villain and Thelma Ritter is welcome comic relief. Every single shot, every single costume, every single line of dialogue has a purpose in demonstrating where the film is going next. There is not one ounce of extra fat here; everything is used here to make a perfect thriller. For this and Psycho, he deserved his Oscar.

I can't help it, it's a guilty pleasure. The fact that it's a satire makes it even better. A good film, not just a good horror movie.

One of the best films last year. Scorsese, my favorite director, directs one of his better casts.

This is Stanton's masterpiece. I question those who give huge props to Finding Nemo; yes, it's very good, but Disney had seen fish before. I've never believed it's as great as some have said. This, on the other hand, is just incredible. What I cannot believe is that what is classified as a children's film is really a robot romanctic comedy; to call it just a children's film is an insult. This film works on multiple levels, that of romance, adventure, comedy, sci-fi, and social commentary. And, no doubt, with very little dialouge, something almost every person needs to have constantly in a movie or tv show or otherwise their mind will wonder away (usually to the phone).
To be perfectly honest, my immediate reaction was a little divided, a little 50-50 coming out of the theater, but after having mulled over it for a day or two, it has finally sunk in what a beautiful masterpiece this really is.

My favorite Coen Brothers.
A terrifyingly dark comedy with pitch perfect performances from all involved and a screenplay that has not a single error. William H. Macy has never been better.

Woody Allen's best. The smartest comedy I've ever seen.

So original, fresh, funny, and heartbreaking. When Carrey wants he to, he can deliver, and Winslet does again masterfully what she does so well.

Emotionally gory, extremely blunt, but beautifully rendered, this film seems to be quite misunderstood, and somewhat understandably so (it's hard to relate with the amount of freedom of choice and "follow your dreams" talk we have these days) but eventually, hopefully it will get the credit it deserves.

A second viewing really brings out the film's magnificence. I noticed the great acting from DiCaprio and Michael Shannon right off. Shannon is a pistol, releasing vehement torrents on the Wheelers. He says everything the Wheelers won't say to each other, and really instigates the climax of the film. For DiCaprio, it's the power and passion of Frank's love for April that combines with a distaste for the world around him. When he finally decides the Paris move is out of the question, you see his character collapse. His manhood is essentially gone. He loves her deeply, but cannot help but bow to the social requirements held to him as a man, and them as a couple ("I guess it was a pretty childish idea."). It crushes him, and his character's cowardice is clearly shown by his defensiveness in the final scene with Shannon's character. DiCaprio plays this out with a mixture of subtlety and power, and ultimately gives one of his best performances.

With the second viewing though, it is Winslet's performance that comes to be most effective. She represents the depleted housewife of the mid-50's. This is hardly the stereotype like this character has been played before, it is a woman who has always searched for something greater within herself and has gravitated towards people she feels shares that same intense passion. In Frank she saw this, a glimpse of kismet at a party, but she sees the wrong in this judgment, and there is no way to back out. Now she is constantly searching for a way to make them happier. In the first half of the film there is a small light that emanates from April, a hope at happiness and that happiness lies in Paris, a change for something different, a life that doesn't involve "these rules." In the scene where Paris is ruled out, we see April's character shut off, as well. Immediately, she retreats within herself and becomes "an empty, hollow shell of a woman," like Frank's character points out. It is truly a shame Winslet could not be nominated for one of her best performances.

As for the rest, the music is spectacular, eerie at parts, which reminded me of Notes on a Scandal's music. It gives the film a "horrorish" feel, at times. Mendes' direction is nice, but can feel "hard" at times - too deliberate...? It's nice that Roger Deakins' cinematography comes in and polishes it over beautifully (that last shot of Winslet in the window is breathtaking!). The one true problem, though, with the film is the screenplay. It is no surprise that Justin Haythe had difficulty translating Richard Yates' prose. He does an adequate job, but you can feel the rigidness within the story's transitioning (the actors do a fantastic job with the dialogue, though). It's a difficult novel, dealing with complex, dense issues. For me, the other elements of the film help it rise above the screenplay's deficiencies.

This film touches on something deep, deep within me. I think is because it so forcefully, like a parent reaching out and making you grab on to railing, it shows me what a travesty society can make out of life.
Revolutionary Road's themes are timeless, "generationless." That this time period did such a great job of outwardly wearing its inward frustrations is where we have learned to be freer in the 21st Century. We wear our hearts on our sleeves a lot more these days. But, we still deal with the same issues. "Be who you wanna be, you can do it" we tell kids when they are growing up. And no matter how true we are by saying this (it's the "if someone's done it..." theory), it is just something nice to say, a polite curtsey to the acknowledgement of freedom of choice. Unfortunately, we are almost always doomed to follow the patterns set before us: fiscally, religiously, ethically, politically, etc. People do break the mold, but less than we think.

What Frank and April so long to do is brake those chains, to not follow the yellow brick road of life's easy plan, but maybe make a revolution of it. They want to not only change "these rules," but turn life on its head; prove life is not about rules at all, but about living the life you feel is necessary for your survival, and not the survival of the masses. That's really all we've ever asked of ourselves, that's all God has ever asked of us. Uproot and change is inherent in almost all animals, but sometimes human beings need it more than any other, desperately they do. The being, as a whole, forges dependency on it from the start. I see so many people around hoping, praying for that revolution to come into their own lives, and again, like so many others, they are pummeled, crushed, and eventually broken by society's demands on them. By the time they rise bloody and half-aware off the mat, they are ready to conform. We have to continue to fight in our lives for the revolution the Wheelers wanted in theirs.

Classic, holds off the second barely.

My gosh what a beautiful film. Billy Bob captures the small southern town to a "t." He completely envelopes himself in his character; you don't even recognize him. The acting from the rest of the cast is so honest and ordinary, it's amazing. Dwight Yoakam plays Doyle as a weak, cruel bastard of a man who deserved exactly what he got. The screenplay is like liquid, as it goes along, and the tinges of lighting that harken towards it being a play enhance those scenes greatly.

Where has this version of Thornton gone?

"HOLY FREAKIN' MASTERPIECE, BATMAN!"

(This one's gonna be long...)

I came out of the theater for only the second time in my life (Pan's Labyrinth, being the other) feeling that I needed to just stay in the theater and wait for the next showing. One viewing was simply not enough to let everything sink in. It was a stunned feeling, something of awe. The people I went with kept asking me what I thought of the movie, of Ledger, and all I could do was give them one-word answers because, beyond that, I found myself at a loss for words.

The 5 star rating is not for a perfect film, because no film is. It is for the audaciousness, the guts, the balls that Nolan and Co. had to do a film of this stature inside the confines of the Comic Book Movie. Iron Man is a very good film, a fun film that takes no steps outside itself, except in modernizing it for adaptation. It's clever and perky and one of my favorites of its genre. But to put it up to this is to see an ugly stepsister compared with Cinderella; it's what's at the core which is truly important. What we have with The Dark Knight then, is something which at once is a film about a caped man, posing as a bat, who's out for justice, and also a multilayered commentary on the world around us - "deep" may be an overstatement, but "concentrated" seems to fit. Not even the best of dramas that Hollywood puts out each year conveys complexity so cohesively, succinctly, and aesthetically.

Each aspect of the film is high powered, high velocity, full of octane. The acting, from each person of the ensemble, is pitch-perfect (except for maybe Gyllenhaal who doesn't really have a whole lot to work with, but does the best job possible). Bale's ultra-conflicted Bruce Wayne is something to behold. To this day, I do not understand why people have still not caught onto his bandwagon. (He has to be one of the best actors working today without an Oscar nod.) His role may be part of the ensemble this time, but you can't help but feel the weight of his character as the story moves along; his gravitas is even more apparent the second time around. Eckhart excels as Harvey Dent, a character you really believe in as the good guy. He sees/trusts in the good of each person, that the corrupt ones can somehow be put out of their misery, and he makes us believe that he can do that. He's just a regular guy out to the save the world. The transformation to Two Face, though, I didn't feel quite worked 100% of the time, it seemed emptier, in a sense, than Dent. The revenge factor didn't seem to be enough to warrant the kind of violence he brings forth. Pivotal as that may be, it's only a minor complaint - in my opinion - in reference to the whole film.

Oldman, Caine, and Freeman again deliver exactly was is asked of them and really feel like Batman's psychiatry team, just trying to keep him going, "having him endure" as Alfred says. Freeman has most of the [very few] light moments, and each provide welcome smiles and some chuckles. Caine's character Alfred is almost like Wayne's guru, giving him advice every time they speak together. As well, Oldman playing Gordon, a routine good guy, is just so nice to see [again]. His work is effortless; he's the treasure in these two movies nobody recognizes.

To see Ledger in his last fully completed role was to see validation of what I'd been hoping: an actor going out of his way to make a character jump out on the screen and live in the hearts and minds (psyche, more like it here) of their audience. (To be frank, it doesn't happen too often.) The character of the Joker makes you laugh and, at the same time, strikes a chord: Is he meant to be just scary? Is he meant to be funny? Is he actually conveying truth?
Just as Nolan shows gall in his vision, so does Ledger in his final full performance: the laugh, the voice, the constant marauding of his lips like a rabid dog, his stature, even the makeup. All of this comes together creating a theatrical show of torment, mayhem, and death; and it's all to the Joker's utter delight. When it's over, we're begging for a second act. It's too bad it can never come. (Please God, don't let them recast!)
Everything about this performance screams "ICONIC." Hopefully, awards will follow suit.

The other winners here are, first, the cinematography, which gives the film it's wonderful noir quality in blues, greens and browns. Second, is the music which is fantastic again as both composers give the film even more muscle to its spectacular action scenes. The theme from Batman Begins is expanded upon and, thus, makes it feel as though it is variation B in the Batman Symphony. The final nod goes to the IMAX shots which are just as dazzling in the regular theater. The opening sequence of Joker's cohorts crossing the buildings and Batman's decent off of the Sears' tower are both obvious, but exhilarating. And not just those scenes, there are lots of "Oh wow!" moments (the 18 wheeler/bazooka sequence), as the action is balanced perfectly along with the plot, for if either had dominated the other, the full impact of the film would've been less than COMPLETELY SATISFYING.

Even with all the trite material that floats around the box office today, it's nice to see a film made that's not afraid to give its audience a nice, swift kick - something they're not ready for, something they might not be able to handle - and then watch to see how they cope with it.

Some of the power of the film comes from the horrific beauty: the images of the falling "snow," the girl in red walking around the city with death all around her, people gasping for air inside of the herded train car, women waiting in the showers to see if it will be water or gas that comes from overhead, children hiding in the bottom of outhouses, etc. But that power is that this is nothing but truth, real events, and that horror has never been so beautifully presented. Spielberg, with as much a professional touch, as a personal one, presents the Holocaust with as much hope as he does sadness. The story not only captures Oskar Schindler saving the lives of 1,100 Jews, but it also shows the Jews themselves during this time and we see the hope that lies in them. Spielberg has always known how to put a lump in your throat, and with this story, you would think that would already be implied, but what he does here is bring that lump and create tears, and that comes not just from history, but from the passion of everyone who worked with him on this film.

There aren't too many films I would deem "perfect," but this is one of them.

Possibly my favorite Disney. So colorful, such great music and what a heck of a voice cast (and you don't really realize it). This one and Peter Pan are the two Disney films which speak me to me the most personally. The majestic opening scene of presenting the new cub to the rest of the kingdom gave me goosebumps.

A great comedy spoof. Everything works, every gag, every line; every cast member nails it. I think I love it more than Star Trek itself.

Classic. More horrorish than its followers.

(I think the only thing that can take away from this film is that it was a play and can feel that way. Still, the camera work keeps it as fresh as possible.)

Everything about this film is extraordinary. From the light-hearted score that has a seething undertone, to the stage-auteur Mike Nichols' sure-handed direction in his debut, the fantastic black and white cinematography, extraordinary close-nit production design, the balls-out, riveting performances from all four actors, to the dedication of keeping the play and the screenplay as close as possible, no wonder this film is a classic.

At the heart it seems like it's the marriage from hell, but there are small moments throughout that show it's really not. The ending, is a lightning bolt of truth that reveals the innerworkings of George and Martha and the love that has sustained and intertwined them for so long. They are a couple with many issues, most notably, children, and while they crash into each other, "declare war" as it were (and even try to break up this younger couple), they still do love each other.
What is fascinating is how funny the film manages to be. In the insults, the extremism, the absurdism, is a deep level of humor that brings out laughs, sympthathy, empathy, pity, and sadness. The stage/written version of it I would expect this of, but I figured the film would cut away these layers in a sacrifice for reality's sake.
For two hours I was riveted. While every part of the film is great, it is the actors that are the show here and not one single moment do they disappoint.

The film was dark, but the truths that lie in its characters and themes are what make it not just a piece of classic cinema, but classic art.

A love story that's small and intimate (more meaningful than bigger, glossier screen romances). When the film's done, you feel like you know the characters just as much as they've come to know each other.

Like wine that ages well, so does the story of Celine and Jesse. The film is told in real-time which gives it such a wonderful sense of immediacy, especially set in the midst of the late afternoon and the setting sun. The two glow through the whole film.

The two films complement each other so well. One shows the impetuousness and ravishment of young love and the latter shows the guardedness and jadedness of adult relationships. Yet, at the core, these two haven't changed and that is the ultimate complement I can hand to these actors, the director, and the three of them as screenwriters. The essence is the same. A perfect screenplay.

Has to be one of my all-time favorite endings - perfect!

Having finally watched this again, I am reminded of how truly great a comedy this. Not your usual road trip movie, but wonderful defined comical characters make this a great ride. The story is heartwarming and certainly quirky, and though it has indie roots, it never really shows them. Breslin is fantastic, as is Carrell, but really, the whole cast works together wonderfully.

Typical theme... Be Yourself... but so ingeniously done.

Even in its length, you find yourself amazed by how fast it goes by. The cast is exceptionally handled and Reynolds really stands out. Anderson is brilliant in both writing and directing in his debut. Who knew a movie about porn could be so good.

There's something majesterial, something "pure classic" about the first one. It flow perfectly and is thoroughly engrossing. It's cheesy, but it doesn't matter, because the cunningness of originality makes you pass right over it. Seeing George Lucas create this giant something out of nothing is impressive and inspiring.

I could watch this over and over and never get tired of it. Grant and Hepburn have such chemistry and it is not just them, but the supporting cast that truly makes it a successful comedy (yes, even the animals).

Arguably the greatest film of the 80's. Brutal, but beautiful; it's a beast of a film and in no way easy to watch. Jake La Motta is a man at war with himself and he brings everybody down with him. Robert De Niro sacrifices his body and soul to this character. At the heart of the screenplay is truth, the truth of the downfall of one man. Beautifully shot, impeccably photographed, a great musical score, and great acting all-around.

To me, the New York Times review puts it perfectly: "...It is a big film, its territory being the landscape of the soul. Thought it's a movie full of anger and nonstop physical violence, the effect of Raging Bull is lyrical."

The best work from each actor. Those two need to do another screenplay.

I loved it. It couldn't have been better. Better than I expected and better than anything Disney and Pixar have done since Toy Story 2.

A smart film with a great ending. Fincher is one of the better directors of his generation.

My favorite in the series (so far...we'll see). The repartee between Jones and Connery is great as the Nazi's are back for their second try at Indy. This version of the grail quest makes Da Vinci Code look rather silly. It's about adventure, not dialouge

The film is quirky in a way that's appealing, but you still have to get into the film to really appreciate it. It's one of those films you can't explain why you love it, you just do.

Exodus 8:2 - Paul Thomas Anderson makes this the crux for his brilliant ensemble piece. The character study is fantastic and it is a marvel to watch how all the characters manage to be pulled together, almost inexplicably (watch out for the prophet). Amazingly well written and deftly directed. The film can be a bit polarizing, especially the wtc ending, but if you open up to it, surrender to it, it is totally worth it.

The last scene is so perfect!

Quite a dark satirical comedy for 1960. Scathing almost. Yet, some of the comedy is quiet, almost innocent. The pairing of these two is quite compelling. Lemmon alone is reason enough to see it, but the rest is just too good. A classic of its genre.

Too good! You could watch it a hundred times in a row and it sill wouldn't lose a cent of its charm. It is amazing though, through all those song and dance numbers, and romance, they still find time to poke fun at the Big Hollywood Machine.

Beautiful noir. All three shine, but, to me especially MacMurray, b/c up until this film he'd done romantic comedies. He does a great job of making a layered character. Stanwyck and MacMurray both sizzle as well. And there may not be a film w/ dialouge more crisp.

Watching the film this time, it was incredible to see how the pieces fit so well together: the art direction, the cinematography, the acting, the direction, the music, the brilliant non-linear script. The film is amazing on all accounts and that the magic here is essentially a metaphor for film itself makes the payoff even better as the twists are revealed at the end. The film's human themes are strong too, transcending the subject of magic and becoming something ubiquitous and somewhat scary.

There is nothing I can find to downgrade my opinion of this film. The acting from all involved is fantastic. The gritty resilience of Kane; a tense, drained gravitas that Cooper carries throughout grounds the film. The supporting cast of Kelly, Jurado, Bridges, Chaney, etc. all provide a nice host of anecdotes to flesh these 85 minutes out. Really, though, it's about Cooper. It's hard not to immediately sympathize with the character. Cooper's physical features and presence immediately draw these out of you. The music is fantastic, as well, using time as means to draw on the music. Plus, the original song "My Darlin'" is used quite effectively throughout. The script is brilliant, as well, with a stench of anti-conservatism rising above it. It's really hits the mark though, and the last scene where he ditches the star in the dirt says it all.

A powerhouse cast that works so well together and a pitch-perfect romantic screwball comedy with dialogue that's punchy and a premise to match it. It's hilarious, it's touching, it's romantic, it's sweet. It's one of the best in its genre and one of the best of the classic film time period.

Give the thriller genre a whole new definition.

A wonderfully written comedy that features fantastic performances. Why can't comedies be made like this anymore? Dustin Hoffman is fantastic in one of his best performances. Jessica Lange is understatedly charming and moving. Her character floats on and offscreen, having more impact than you realize.

It's been 5 years and I was finally able to watch this film again. With Easter coming soon, this film has been pricking at my mind lately. I knew I needed to watch it again, and I think enough time had passed. Putting my religious views aside, the film is a brutal, but accomplished piece of art. When you look at the vision Gibson had for it, the steady, flourishing hand he has with a camera; the exceptional performances (Caviezel is a tour de force, imbuing the long-standing charicature that Christ has become with grit and heartache, and, most importantly, a simplicity of heart) are made even more difficult with ancient languages used; the cinematography which is like watching a portrait coming to life with the colors and textures which give the film a beautiful fluidity; the music which accompanies the film nicely, never shows up the action and provides emotional crescendos throughout.

(Let me say, for the first time in my film viewing experience, I had trouble separating my personal feelings from what I was viewiing).

Besides the fact that I am a Christian and am so greatly moved by this film is beside the fact that I do find the gore, while being realistic, a masochistic viewing experience for some people. (This is the most violent film I have ever seen.) The beating/flogging scene is, by far, the most brutal part of the film and I had a great deal of trouble sitting through it and not shedding tears. What I have a problem with is Gibson focusing in on couple moments of extreme violence (the freezing time effect), i.e. one flog that gets stuck in Christ's side and has to be yanked out. I accept the violence for what it is, for what the film is trying to accomplish, but it is not something I can fully justify despite my beliefs. Pardon the pun, but it does feel a little like the audience is bludgeoned with it.

A lot of my protestant friends (at the time) found the ending to be too ambiguous and to that I say, art is still art and should not be obscured by a message (talent and dedication went into this, and this is why it's not just another Christian Message Movie). The ending shows exactly what it needs to and subtly gets that point across (any more and it would've succumbed to the ailment of many a Christian film). Also, the symbol the represents Satan is something I really appreciated this time around. You see this androgynous being cloaked in black moving around and wonder why exactly Gibson used this in his film, but, to me it not only is there talking to Christ in the garden at the beginning of the film but it is like a ghost through the rest of the film, floating in and around crowds and individuals; it seems to be a physical representation of the hate or corruption they have in their hearts.

When watching films, I like to think I'm above sentimentality or emotion. When the film's ending came though, I was affected in a way I don't think any other film will be able to do.

The cast is perfect. The music is perfect (especially Depp's voice - who knew). The direction is great and the overall feel is such that you realize only Burton could've done this story this well. What more could you ask for...

At once very funny, but it also has a very sweet, very romantic core. The interludes of couples explaining how they'd met and fell in love was ingenious and served as a backdrop for the story at hand, sometimes fitting in almost exactly. Both Crystal and Ryan are very funny, very natural. The script from Ephron is great and hits at the core of why men and women have troubles, why they're different, but ultimately why they fit so well together - in a sense, explaining the unexplainable and putting it in plain terms. It never felt trite, maybe sometimes comic zingers from Crystal did seem to get in the way of the film's natural tone, but that's neither here nor there, and it never seemed to make love or sex the simple, uncomplicated things that most films like these do.

Having recently watched Forrest Gump again, and now having watched this, I am truly saddened this film did not win Best Picture. The film is powerful with its subtlety. It whisks you away in a manner you wouldn't think possible with the story, but King's wonderful idea and Darabont's masterpiece of a screenplay play out beautifully. The cast is expert. I am always amazed at Morgan Freeman's incredible ability to play a character with such normalcy. Robbins is impressive (someone I feel who is usually hit and miss) and a wonderful cast of supporting members who fill out the film. Darabont shows he has a masterful vision for the camera and Roger Deakins cinemtography is a fine compliment. Maybe I have respect for it more than I love it, but it truly is a work of art and I have a hard time denying the fact it got jipped back on Oscar night 1995.

One of the best movies I've watched. Giamatti is amazing and Madsen mesmerizes you.

Physical comedy is timeless, generationless. That's why this film is my favorite comedy.

A brilliant film on almost every level. Captures noir particularly well. David Lynch is a genius of a director and writer.

I'm a sucker for any animal story. I loved this one since I was little and I still can't enough. Dudley Moore is ingenious!

Probably what was a punch to the gut when the book first came out, the film had to be just as much of a wake-up call to what really goes on in these institutions. The acting is exceptional from everyone. Nicholson finds a way to create an indelible character basically from his own human traits, just emphasized and Louise Fletcher is like a guarded insect whose tics and facial expressions from the effects of her job have long since been retired from the arena of her face. She is a cold, bruising bitch of woman who seems nice, casual at first, but eventually breaks your spirit through remorse, self-pity, and self-loathing. The rest of the cast, from Christopher Lloyd to Brad Dourif to Danny DeVito and even Will Sampson as Chief are an incredibly well-balanced, well-used group. The script and it's story are unflinching: funny, raw, and real all at the same time. It's ending is dark, stoic, and poetic - it haunts me. The film is beautiful not because of how it looks, but because it is truthful, and sometimes that's all we need from a movie.

An awesome mind-trip. The three leads shine with Nicolas Cage giving the best performance of his career.

There really is no beginning to describe how great this film is.

It is expert in every single facet. Every actor adds his or her piece to their character and the overall story. The maneuvering of "As Time Goes By" through the film's music only heightens the drama of the action as well as the past of the two leads. Every single moment develops characters and story and the beautiful/romantic/tragic ending is maybe the best in film history. It really is hard to describe in words how great this film is; everything that makes it great seems to be between the lines.

I've always seen sci-fi film as stories to hint at the deeper meanings of life: Metropolis, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day the Earth Stood Still, etc. We get the same theme here as well, but it is the combination of the Fedora Noir, that strikes this as something clever and original. This is the kind of film that immediately impresses you with its flair, but matures like wine with repeated viewings; that being, it is visionary. These kind of films never get old.

One of the best sci-fi's to come out in the last 20 years.

So inventive you almost have to like it. Both leads are great and the music is spectacularly done.

My gosh, what a film! The turn the film takes about 90 min. in is done subtly, not in one swift move like a great many films do. It is amazing how so many genres can fit into one seemingly ordinary setting, and how it all combines, in the end, to be something that rises above the ordinary restrictions of film and becomes something so meaningful.

I don't think I've seen a film that has both gutted and inspired me at the same time - an almost religious experience. His last scene, writing in the book, is a reawakening to my soul. The film's going to haunt me for a long time.

Why do we love it so much when Hollywood is its own voyeur? Or, find it so fascinating when films take a look at the inner works of the lives of people involved in the arts? Well, that's just part of what makes this a great film. When William Holden's voice comes over as the narration and yet you know that's him lying in the pool dead in the first scene, you know you're in for something first-rate. The script/story is brilliant, an inspired idea (not to mention getting an actress that literally fit the bill). The acting is terrific, especially what is a tour-de-force performance embodied in the comeback of Gloria Swanson. William Holden is great, too, as the leading man, and Eric von Stroheim is ingeniously subtle as the shadowy butler. The music is deliciously melodramatic, giving it an air of noir, and as well, that of a silent picture, something where the music had to dominate, almost over-express itself. I can't help but love all the little nods to old Hollywood too.

It is, in some ways, a comedy, in some ways a sharp biting satire, and in some ways, a noir mystery (even though you already know how it ends from the beginning). But, when you add Hollywood as its backdrop it makes it all the more smart for its time period. The best film about Hollywood.

Such a genuine film. There's no exaggeration here, which is easy to do when a film is dealing with real-life people. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a performance that cannot be lauded anymore than it already has. Knowing of his performance, I was surprised by Fricker's, who captured me with how quiet and reserved her character appeared to be, yet how strong and unyielding she proved to be as a mother and a woman. She demonstrates the true definition of what a mother should be.

To sit through this, you gotta have some balls. Powerful film; Edward Norton is one of my favorite actors to watch.

Pure magic. I don't care if it's anime, this is better than most of the animated flicks that make their way on 3,000, 4,000+ screens.