My Favorite Movies

The end of the series and my personal highlight of the Star Wars films, this is the most racy puppet theater of the Universe. It easily shows that you don't need CGI effects, because not only do matte paintings, puppets and masks still work excellently 25 years later, they are also part of the charm. It also shows, that what the prequels were lacking was mostly a character like Harrison Ford's Han Solo, delivering snotty lines by the minute, being the coolest asshole in space. The set-up, the action, the effects, the flow, everything here is perfect and leads to the biggest showdown cinemas ever saw. The tripartite conference scene with the space battle over Endor, the hilarious and imaginative Ewok warfare on the planet and the Emperor on the Death Star is just fantastic. Said Emperor is nothing less than the most evil villain of all times tempting Luke Skywalker to the Dark Side, knowing each step of the good guys in advance and making you wish for his death so much. The final lightsaber battle Vader vs. Skywalker is easily the most emotional of the whole series. And then the ending: Vader's redemption and final celebration, which makes the audience just as happy as the surviving rebels: Perfect. All threads are tied, everyone gets what they deserve (yes, fans of the Extended Universe know Boba Fett made it out of the Sarlacc). The ultimate fairy tale ending. After 25 years this easily remains my favorite movie of all times.

And then Jackson just went and topped it all...The conclusion to his Lord of the Rings trilogy actually has the weakest beginning of the three, if you wanna use that word, because it's still pretty good, just not as mind-blowing as FOTR and TTT. What follows in the last two hours of the extended version is movie making to dream of, though. A lot has been said about the Oscar nominated effects, props, camera work, music and of course Jackson's flawless directing. But few mentioned how much fine acting is happening here between the great visuals and enthralling storytelling as well: it's the small gestures, facial expressions and lines especially Wood, Mortensen, McKellen and Astin deliver that make this movie unforgettable just as much as the stunning visuals do. The lighting of the beacons, the ride of the Rohirrim, Legolas taking out the war elephant, Eowyn and Merry taking on the Witch King, Sam carrying Frodo up Mount Doom and this unbelievably beautiful ending (not one minute too long) - all perfect, memorable scenes and going down in movie history. One of the best movies of our time. "You bow to no one".

Others have already hinted at the injustice of this movie walking away with zero Oscars after having had seven nominations in (the strong year) 1995. That being said, thankfully the audience recognized this film in the years after nonetheless, as seen on the number one spot of imdb.com's top movies list.. An incredibly strong and moving plot, portraying the prison live between injustice, hope, cruelty and humanity, outstanding and heart-warming performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and the wonderful score already make this one of the most enjoyable movies ever. The twist it takes towards the end and the solution of the very last minutes should not be spoiled for those unfortunate souls who haven't seen this masterpiece yet, but those incredibly moving and beautiful scenes will be remembered forever. Probably the most rewarding movie experience ever. A wise tale of friendship and hope and a must see for everyone, again and again.

The third installment of the Indiana Jones series is easily the funniest one, thanks to the great chemistry between Ford and Connery as his father. Especially the opening sequence offers lots of inside jokes for fans of the films, while we're learning more about young Indy. Once again the effects and action are flawless and the film flows so well from one sequence to the next that it's over sooner than you can yell "Holy grail!" Although the story does feel like a remake of the first film, just with a different McGuffin, miraculously it still feels fresh and offers so many surprises, that you don't even notice how ludicrous some plot turns are. Great spectacular movie making that leaves your stomach hurting from the laughs and your eyes widened by the visual qualities. Spielberg at his best.

A difficult project so much larger than life, after a book that shaped a whole genre of literature for decades. And who would have thought beforehand: Peter Jackson did everything right. He cast the right faces, and had the best people work on special effects, weapons, masks, sets. Shooting it in New Zealand turned out to be another perfect decision. Making the right changes from the book to a movie script, the film flows so perfectly and breathes the mood of Tolkien in every minute. Touching, enthralling, exciting, stunningly beautiful and with an unforgettable score by Howard Shore this is one of the really huge movies of our time. Masterpiece.

The most beloved Star Wars film for many, often cited for its gloominess, even though "Revenge of the Sith" is actually even darker. Still, compared to "A New Hope" things get a lot deeper, new characters appear and the lines between good and evil get a bit more blurry. The action is breath taking, the special effects flawless, the Universe gets even bigger. Despite of the dark themes, it is the most magical of the SW films, with Dagobah and Cloud City creating unbelievably fabulous atmospheres. Then there is the now infamous family relations twist and a rather open ending. This is a wonder of a transition film that can stand on its own as one of the most fantastic movies ever.

Years before the new wave of horror that came with movies like "Saw" and "Hostel", this film easily made them all obsolete before they even existed with what has to be most brilliant (in a sick way) and diabolic murder series ever put on film. Freeman and Pitt deliver great dialoges and have a unique chemistry as cops setting out to hunt the person killing in reference to the seven deadly sins. In a depressing city of constant rain, Shore's menacing score and the beautiful cinematography play their parts in the incredibly gloomy atmosphere of the film. The smart script increases the tension with every minute up to a dialogue scene between the two cops and the killer which should be taught in film schools and culminates in one of the most exciting showdowns ever, so downright evil that it's hard to comprehend its dimensions the first time you see it. A classic, easily the highlight of the genre.

A science fiction classic after Frank Herbert's novel. Full of inner monologues, odd characters and a beautifully weird production design - it's a David Lynch movie after all. A great cast with many stars and Toto's fantastic soundtrack complete the movie as one of the most unique films of the genre. Yes, it's all very odd and confusing but always entertaining and with countless unforgettable images and a really unique atmosphere. The scenes with the sandworms are pure movie magic. No remake will ever be this cool.

A couple of years ago I saw this review on the internet and it stuck with me, because it's so true:
"I watched it over and over back in the 1980s when I was a little'un and it always seemed to me like utter perfection. Every scene flowed like magic, and still does. The evidence:
Anything Goes. "Good service around here." The gong. Short Round's pedal box. "Nice try, Lao Che!" "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" John Williams' score. Snake surprise. "We. Are going. TO DIE." "Let's get out of here." "Right... All of us!" Indy's 'hero' stance in the caves. The rollercoaster mine chase. The rope bridge fight. All the children running over the hill at the end."

I couldn't agree more. Nothing gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling like an old Spielberg movie. The rope bridge scene is maybe the most iconic of adventure movie history and once Indy crawls up the remains the audience feels like he does: exhausted but happy.

Spielberg, Lucas and Ford created one of the most beloved franchises of all, taking a bow before the pulp cliffhanger shows and novels of the early 20th century. The result is nothing less than the most iconic adventure film of our time, which has it all: fantastic production design and settings, great special effects, unique characters, breathless action sequences and plenty of humor. Often copied, never reached.

The film that shaped blockbuster movies, Sci-Fi cinema and Hollywood like few others did. What could possibly be said about this, that hasn't been written a thousand times already? Lucas did not create a film, he created a Universe that is still producing stories over 30 years later. The depth, richness of detail and technical expertise are still unmet after all those decades. An exciting melting pot of classical fairy tale motifs, Swashbuckler and Western films, this movie took world-building to a whole new level. And even after all those years it is still looking great.

The expectations after the perfect Fellowship movie were high and once again Peter Jackson did not disappoint. While this films contains the most drastic changes of the trilogy when compared to the book, they all work in favor of the movie. Once again every choice of actor down to the smallest role turns out to be a perfect choice. Special effects (especially Gollum, the most convincing CGI character before Cameron released the blue people), the wonderfully detailed production design and fine camera work are outstanding and although there is a lot of traveling and switching between different places, the film flows pretty well. How Jackson put the incredible action scenes of the battle of Helm's Deep and the sacking of Isengard on film exceeded every expectation and only made you fear that he could not top it off in the last movie. But then he just went and did it.

A lot could be said about the greatness of this film, but where to start? With Steven Soderbergh's flawless directing, the editing and the wonderfully complex storytelling on two time levels, that surely requires some concentration to follow? With his interesting choice of colors, differing between the warm tones of the hot Florida sun and then the switch into cold, blue and white Detroit, where red only reappears in the shape of blood? With the smart, witty, sometimes funny, sometimes brutally violent script that includes dialoges you wanna learn by heart? With an awesomely grooving and cool Soundtrack by David Holmes? Or with a cast to dream of down into the smallest roles, most of the actors giving the performance of their lifetime: J.Lo is hardly recognizable as the irrelevant pop singer of recent years, doing a great job as a female cop tempted by the attracting opposites of bank robber George Clooney, who was never better than here. Their chemistry is a big part of what makes this movie work, especially the hotel bar scene and its continuation contains more sparks than some movie years combined. Don Cheadle as a dangerous gangster, Steve Zahn as petty crook, Ving Rhames as calm and reasonable sidekick, Dennis Farina as amused and amusing father or Samuel L. Jackson's wonderful cameo in the last minute of the film: perfect choices all around. The showstopper being Michael Keaton who simply walks into this film as the same character he was in Tarantino's Jackie Brown (also after a Elmore Leonard book) as if that was the most natural thing ever. No, I can't decide what to bring up first, but it all combines into a crime thriller romance that is pretty much perfection and one of my favorite films.

What a fine, fine movie. Such great dialoges, humor and wonderful acting. If Natalie Portman wouldn't have gotten the Oscar nomination for Closer, she would have deserved it for this. Just try not to fall in love with her wonderfully crazy character. Each awesome piece of music from the soundtrack fits perfectly into the scene it is played in. Such a true, sad and funny movie with a really unique atmosphere. Kudos to Zach Braff for pulling all that off. And the ending is nothing but perfect.

The change of the mean and cold-hearted into a better human being is an old topic of literature and film. Never before has it been told in such a funny and romantic way as here. Bill Murray is, of course, the perfect choice as the cocky and sarcastic TV weatherman having to re-live the same day over and over again while Andy MacDowell is a lovely and charming love interest. The movie is also a great example of how an original and fun idea can be used to its full potential without falling short after few minutes. The phases Murray's character is going through are hilarious yet believable, the gags pretty much drop every few seconds, the script is delivering lines easily remembered for years. Murray already hints at the depth of his more recent roles and his potential in the sadder and romantic aspects of the time loop story.
In short: pretty much every scene works perfectly and leads up to the only possible ending this movie could have. Easily the funniest movie of the 90s, yet heart-warming at the same time, makes you happy all around. A highlight of the genre, no doubt.

Costner's unexpected Western triumph is still a wonder of a movie two decades later. Not only does it take its time to introduce the situation and characters, without ever being boring, it's also one of the films treating Native American characters with respect without making them all good, or all bad, but human. Humor plays a huge part in this film and makes for some of the most memorable scenes. The acting is top notch, especially Graham Greene created an outstanding character with his Kicking Bird. Costner himself did a fantastic directing job, telling this enthralling story in beautiful and unforgettable pictures. To top it all, John Barry wrote one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever for this. One of the best films of all times.

A movie like life itself: full of coincidences, funny, sad, breathtaking, calm, touching and true. Tom Hanks gives the performance of his life as simple fool who is stumbling through America's history and pop culture of the last 30 years without even noticing it. The soundtrack is also an excellent mix through music of that time. A real masterpiece.

Tarantino's masterpiece about LA gangster bosses, their hit men, the boxers they pay to lose, their wives and all the people they meet in the course of a couple of days. Not only are the dialogs among the best ever written for a film, they are also perfectly delivered by a cast to dream of. Especially Samuel L. Jackson is almost frighteningly convincing as killer who rethinks his life. How the episodic parts of the story are intertwined is pure genius, the groovy and memorable soundtrack just adds up to the all around perfect and deeply entertaining experience. A movie that can we watched over and over again, that has already sunken deeply into pop culture and will be loved and discussed forever. In short: a classic.

It got robbed! So much better than the (good) Departed and Babel, this should have snatched the Oscar 2007. One of those movies that simply does everything right from the beginning to the end. Starting with great acting performances all around (especially the adorable Abigail Breslin and the underrated Steve Carell, but the whole dysfunctional family cast is just fantastic and has great chemistry), a wonderfully fitting soundtrack by Devotcka and Sufjan Stevens, to the most incredible ending a creepy children beauty pageant could possibly have. Bittersweet, funny, sad and true, with the heart at the right spot. A jewel! Just thinking of it makes me smile.

Spielberg's take on World War 2, or wars in general if you will, is the ultimate film on the topic. There are a few minor stereotypes, especially when it comes to the Germans, but Spielberg leaves no doubt that everyone loses in war, and everyone is playing dirty, some more than others. The first 20 minutes of the flashback, the landing at the Normandy on D-Day, are so stunningly brutal, true and disturbing, they could be watched as a stand alone, maybe even should be taught at school. After that, the movie goes into a slightly more conventional direction, but never the less sticks to its theme: life is too precious to be wasted in territorial conflicts. The characters are introduced on the way and soon after you pray for each of them to make it out of this mess, although you already fear very few will. Neither cowardice nor heroism make you more or less likely to be among the winners or casualties, war is random. The acting is superb, so is the camera work, the direction, William's soundtrack. The showdown blows you away and leaves you deeply moved. The most touching scene of the film doesn't even happen on the battlefield. When mum Ryan sees a car approaching her farm, with a priest and a general getting out of it, knowing what news they are bringing, it's hard to keep your eyes dry. A lot of people mention Kubrick or Coppola as those who grasped the theme of war best, but coming from a place where it all happened, where its history is written in every stone, this film feels like the ultimate testament. A masterpiece, and once again proof that Spielberg is the greatest film maker of our time.

James Cameron takes Ridley Scott's original movie, takes the best of it and adds a lot of action to the claustrophobic and scary atmosphere of the original. After a long introduction of the situation and the interesting characters, Cameron is in his true element and blows you away with what is basically a 90-minutes actions showdown, pushed by the disturbing soundtrack, great creature effects and camera work. Sigourney Weaver continues to create a true classic movie heroine with her portrayal of Ripley, one of the strongest female characters ever put on film, showing its widest range of layers in this film of the series. When she is going down the elevator getting her guns ready you know that it's kickass time.
Thrilling, scary, breath taking, spectacular. One of the most exciting movies and best sequels ever.

Mel Gibson's epic tale of freedom for medieval Scotland is larger than life cinema and perfect in almost every aspect. Sure, it's not entirely historically accurate, Gibson took some freedom of his own in telling this story. Everything else is awesome beyond words. The cinematography, although partially shot in Ireland, takes you right into the Highlands, the hills, woods and together with James Horner's best soundtrack to date makes you long for this beautiful country. The design and props look real and authentic. Once the tragic love story turns into a fight for revenge and freedom in the face of betrayal things get bloody but on a necessary and realistic level. The battle of Stirling is cinematically one of the strongest sequences ever and still not even the most remarkable part of this film. There is so much more lasting on the audiences' mind for weeks after: a perfect cast down to the smallest role, including Patrick McGoohan as one of the most ruthless and hate worthy villains ever. The powerful conversations of Robert The Bruce (a discovery: Angus McFadyen) and his father (Ian Bannen), which deliver some of the strongest dialoges of the film. The humor, mostly carried by Steven, the crazy Irishman, and Brendan Gleeson in his breakthrough role. Mel Gibson's facial expression in the view of betrayal and loss. The movie delivers magic moments by the dozen and leaves the audience emotionally stirred and touched like few others. A masterpiece, and unmatched in its genre, surely for many more years.

Set on new year's eve 1999 this action thriller combines sci-fi- and psycho-murderer-elements (machines can record what people see through their eyes), the omni-present fear of the millennium and mega city problems like police violence and race issues into an extremely entertaining and exciting mix. Ralph Fiennes shines in what was pretty much his only action hero role, as dealer of said first-person-clips who stumbles into a conspiracy and murder case that are taking quite a few twists and turns until the excellent two-part showdown solves it all with a bang. That's smart, fast, gripping and offers characters with a lot more than just a few layers. Angela Bassett portrays one of the strongest action heroines of the last 15 years and makes Fiennes (intentionally by writer James Cameron) look like a wuss. A bit dated, since we all survived the millennium, but still a great thrill ride with many surprised. Deserves more attention that it got.

A man survives a plane crash and has problems coping with every day life and his family afterwards, thinking he is indestructible. Outstanding acting performances, a moving and touching yet unsentimental plot; plus two of the most staggering scenes ever: the way Bridges is trying to convince fellow survivor Perez that it wasn't her fault that her baby got killed and the amazing last minutes with the flashback to the most disturbing plane crash scene ever. A shame so few people know of this masterpiece.

Tim Burton's best film is a feast of imagination and storytelling, a modern fairy tale. In the story of the life of fictitious adventurer Edward Bloom reality and lies mix into an fantastic composition, carried by great acting performances, especially by Albert Finney and Billy Crudup and, as always in Burton films, a unique design and look. Similar to Forrest Gump, Bloom is stumbling through his life and events bigger than him, but much more aware of his decisions and unafraid of any consequences, making friends with his natural kindness and imaginative character. All his little stories and details create a really inimitable film, a pleasure to watch for all senses. The last 15 minutes are pure movie magic and leave the audience with tears of happiness running down their cheeks. A man is as immortal as his stories. Tim Burton can already count on this one.

What a movie to finish off the last millennium. I still remember how that incredible twist towards the end hit me in the stomach like a fist, back at the movie theater in 1999. Revisiting the movie over and over again ever since, the signs are there and it all makes sense of course. Outstanding camera work, very convincing performances by Norton and Pitt, who proves once again that he can not be put into categories, and an entirely unpredictable plot make this an unforgettable experience. A disturbing, mind-provoking, sometimes funny, sometimes revolting piece of art. What a trip.

This is the one film you should not miss the beginning of, because it's the ending you are seeing. From that scene on the story goes backwards in small bits (in color) and forward (in black and white) in other small bits at the same time, to meet at the climax towards the end. Sounds confusing? It is, and requires quite some concentration from the audience. The result is the more satisfying for everyone who's following this enigma of a film. One of the smartest scripts and best thrillers ever made. Intelligent, exciting, inventive, with superb acting and a twist like a punch in your stomach. A masterpiece of modern film making. No wonder Christoper Nolan is in the major league of directors by now.

Steven Spielberg's first big hit and to a certain degree the beginning of Blockbuster movies. Great creature effects, a convincing cast and excellent dialogues with humor and unforgettable lines ("We'll need a bigger boat") make this a great piece of entertainment up to this very day. John Williams contributes another one of his outstanding scores to a perfectly flowing plot with truly terrifying shark attacks.
A classic. Probably the best animal-horror movie ever.

A romantic comedy that mentions the fall of the twin towers in the first minute of the opening scene has to be something special. And so the movie takes the audience and grabs us by our hearts from the first moment on. Anyone who ever was in love can relate to the many aspects of love the movie shows on half a dozen wonderful characters, creating just as many real magic movie moments. Especially the chemistry between Liam Neeson and his movie-son and Colin Firth and his house maiden and the solution to their stories should touch everyone who's not made of stone. How the director makes even characters in smaller roles shine and the audience feel as if we've known them for years, is a miracle. Just like this funny, sad and true gem of a film. Easily the best movie of the romantic comedy genre and wonderful to watch shortly before Christmas or anytime you just wanna be happy. Everyone involved in this will go straight to heaven.