My Favorite Movies

This film is not about aliens... they are merely the protagonists. Unless you realise this, you will probably be disappointed. The film is actually a stunningly well thought out exploration of the role of spirituality. how afaith can be seemingly lost and recovered. The primary question the film asks is "What if there are no coincidences?" The way the film is layed out is a good example of short term tragedy being instrumental in bringing about long term good. An incredibly well though out exploration of the statement "God move's in mysterious ways".

This film has been unfairly underrated in my opinion. It's a spectacular examination of character development and the premise of the film - namely, the genesis of a superhero character who just wants to be an ordinary man in a mundane and ordinary world are lovingly handled by Shyamalan. The way that he fuses certain necessary archetypes to bring about the revealtion in the fillms climax is very clever.

Amistad is a film that has as much to say in terms of it's subject as Spileberg's other work - Schindler's List... but is often overlooked, perhaps because American critics were not comfortable with looking at their own nation's shameful episodes in history. However the examination of how Africans were exploited prior to the abolition of slavery is thought provoking and moving in it's own way. Watch this in a theatre and you will leave with no more than a tut of indignance at the way these people were treated... when I saw it everybody left in silence. It takes rare and special films to do that.

I weep at different points of this film, it is that moving. This film is simply a great introduction to the Gospel message for kids and adults alike. Don't let the different animation styles deceive you into thinking this is a childish production. The voice talents employed are well cast and do an excellent job of conveying the story of Jesus without swamping the viewer. A must see for believers and the uninitiated alike.

I loved this film... boxing is not normally my kind of thing, but this film is about so muchj more than that. A broken man gets a second chance and fights not for fame and glory... but to but bread on the table for his family. I actually found myself cheering on Crowe's Braddock.

I've always rated Shrek's 1&2 equally. the jokes come faster and funnier in the sequel, but the narrative and pathos in the first film have the edge.

When I watched this film, I was genuinely outraged by the horrors of the Nazi death camps. If I could have entered the screen I would have ended Ralph Fiennes, such was my almost physical burning rage. Don't watch the film lightly... it's the kind that you will probably only find yourself watching a few times in your life... that's not a ctiticism... it's just that the stark historical lessons gleaned from Schindler's List are not the sort of things you'd want to saturate yourself in on a regular basis. On a cinematographic note... Spielberg cleverly pays tribute to Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin by use of a red colour pop during an important sequence.

A benign alien takes on the form of a recently widowed woman's late husband. Moving and thought provoking drama

Imaginitively put together retelling of the first part of Exodus. I cried during the burning bush scene and as the Israelites fled their captors. I found the whole experience pretty moving.

I loved this film not only for it's comedy, but also for the meaningful exchanges between key characters. The scenes between Manny the Mammoth and the humans were exeptionally poignant and touching.

Spielberg brings the wonders of the prehistoric age to life in this adapatation of the Michael crichton novel.

Inspirational film about the rel;ationship between a teacher who is passionate about his work and the relationship he forges with his young students. The film is a superb example of how if you engage with students and help them understand how a subject is relevant to them instead of just legalistically cramming data into them... then the art of learning need not be a chore. To governments and authorities the general public are merely tax machines. They expect us to be born, get a job, and die. To them we are just processed peas. This film wonderfully challenges that assertion and underlines the importance of living for the moment and appreciating the wonderful gift that life is. Carpe diem.

I've heard this film is loosely based on Hamlet. It also has echo's of the Prodigal Son. It's another film about claiming your rightful place in the world, which is probably why I like it.

Moving tale of the friendship between a giant alien robot and a small boy. Cleverly set against the backdrop of cold war America, the film hails all that is good and pours scorn on fear, ignorance and nuclear weapons.

"As you wish"

Excellent action/romance/ comedy that borrows different elements from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales while still staying cheekily relevant to a modern audience by clever use of soundtrack and costume design. This film has so much in terms of both humour and heart warming plot... that it is simply unmissable.

Spider-Man takes off pretty much were the first film left off... and improves in leaps and bounds. While the Genesis arc in Spider-Man was covered excellently, the rest of the film, (excellent as it was), was not as gripping. The sequel more than lives up to the expectations on it's shoulders and explores the characters and plotlines in a deep and wonderful way.

Casablanca is not just a classic, it is a rare breed of movie. To have your central hero lose out in the name of a higher cause is not an idea that modern audiences appreciate as well as they used to. This film revels in it though.

This version of the Arthurian tale veers heavily towards the dark heart of Arthurian legend... fittingly featuring Wagner in it's soundtrack. the film does not worry too much about it's historicity... it is more concerned with the epic themes in Arrthur's story.

Wonderful emotive and moving exploration of the important role mythology, parables and storytelling have in passing on important and fundamental truths.

People write of Shymalan's more recent offerings because they don't like the twists... but in order to appreciate his films, you generally have to understamd that they aren't about the subject matter. Shyamalan merely uses these to explore important themes. This is why the alien invasion is so sparsely covered in Signs... it is not about the aliens, t is about faith. Similarly here, the film is not about "those we do not speak of" or the the Village itself... it is about love. If you are going to focus on the trademark twist or the unravelling plot strands without perceiving the theme, you are wasting your time and you'll be disappointed.

Excellent new interpretation of the Batman mythos. Christian Bale excels as the dark knight. You really get a sense of the duality of Batman/Bruce Wayne through his portrayal.

Because of what Superman represents for me, I had to knock this down a star. I really enjoyed the film and some of the dialogue was pretty memorable... but Superman is iconic and liberalising his boy scout attitude to suit a modern audience is never a good move. By all means mess with evryone around him... but the leave the man of steel's character exactly as he should be. Despite all this I still found the scenes relevant to what I'm talking about pretty moving.

79% not interested? Their loss! This is what it meant to be a child in the 80's... riding around town on your nike with your fellow misfits on crazy and hilarious adventures... only less mafia!

I enjoyed the film... and I think it's been unfairly criticised - man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. There are some reallymoving moments in the film and some lessons to learn about how we choose to solve problems too logically sometimes. It's very much about discovering how we as individuals fit into the stories that surround us... and contribute to the whole. If you buy into the whole "Shyamalan is up himself/look at him having a bash at the critics" idea, then I think you have fallen into a trap he left deliberately for the critics.

A humorous tale of childlike innocence in the modern world... focussing on the importance of dreamers in shaping the world around us.