My Favorite Movies

My favourite film of all time since I was twelve! This is the film that got me into films in the first place and I am glad it was this one.

The film is an absoulute masterpiece and is the pinical of Nicholson's career and was the pinical of Kubrick's too.

Nicholson is Jack Torrence. He may not be what the book describes, but he is the character nonetheless. That is why I admire him as an ator because he transforms himself into the character he is playing in all his films like Chinatown, Easy Rider and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest and this, his best film. How he didn't get an oscar nomination is beyond me. It is as big a travesty as by how much Psycho was snubbed at the cermony 20 years previously. Some say he "over-acted". I think he merely became his character which is what good actors do. Besides, his extravagent (not over acted) performance meant he gave a scary and realistic job as a psychopath.

Duvall is also good in the role of Wendy Torrence. Some say she over acts too but I really loved her in this film. How would you feel if your beloved husband had gone crazy and was going to kill you and your child? I think she shows the fear the chracter feels flawlessly and was perfectly cast.

Danny Lloyd is very good too. For a child actor, he really gave a performance without being too "Cutsey" and un realistic like several child actors are in films.

Scathman Crothers really blew me away too. He gives a fantastic performance, particularly in his scenes opposite Danny Lloyd, which made some perfectly placed emotional and touching scenes.

Kubrick directed this very well (Razzies are a bunch of shit for nominating him for Worst Director) and his unique work which contributed to the brilliant end result of this filmshould of never been doubted or shat upon by the reazzies and others who hated it when it opened.

He used some very good angles such as the looking up shot, which was also used in many of his previous films such as A Clockwork Orange Dr. Strangelove and Killers Kiss and added a good menacing effect to the film. Other angles which achieved this were his tracking shots which follows the characters as they move through the hotel. It really achived the effect of showing how isolated the hotel is among other effects achived by the use of this. I particularily like the direction of the "Give me the bat, Wendy" scene and how it moves from the point of view of Wendy and Jack as they move up the spiralling stairs.

The screenplay is good giving some of the best dialogue in cinema such as "I'll huff, and i'll puff, and i'll blow this door in" and "Give me the bat Wendy". The line "Here's Johnnnny!" which wasn't actually in the script is also a classic line. It is the most memorable, but it is not my favourite.

The whole plot is good too. Although haunted buildings had been done many times before, this put an original spin on it. It has some good character development, especially for Danny Torrence.

The pacing is good, also. For instance, the build up into Jack's anger is spread evenly throughout the film, from when the tension is just beggining to show to when Jack is a pure madman.

The use of eriee, ear piercing music really adds to the chills of the film and is used at all the right times. This has one of the best scores, if not the best, i've ever heard. Simple and without tune and very scary. It is very suited to the film.

This is a classic of the horror/thriller genre and should always be remembered as a classic which had so much effort put into it.

Psycho: the master of suspense at his best! Most people prefer Vertigo or Rear Window, but they aren't even in my top 100, although I do love them. This is his best with out a doubt.

I am appalled at the Oscars of 1960. Anthony Perkins, who gave the second best performance I have ever seen as Norman Bates (first being Nicholson in The Shining) was oscar worthy, but was never even nominated!! He was best when he acted nervous, and did little things like chew his gum faster and tap his fingers on the table. He managed the stutter, one of the hardest speech inpediments to act. He was the only actor who could have ever been Norman Bates.
Janet Leigh was nominated, which was a great move and Hitch was also nominated too. Both deserved to win but didn't.

The score is fantastic! The shower scene score is brillianht, yes, but so is the opening credits score, which I actually prefer; it suits it so well. Both pieces are memorable.

I love the ending so much. Both for the twist and the final few scenes. This is the definitive suspense thriller, with out a doubt a classic which has aged brilliantly.

With out a shadow of a doubt, this is a masterpiece. It has been 38 years since its release and its legacy has not been dimmed at all, and still stands as one of the most shocking and memorable films of all time.

Set in a bleak but in a strong contrast, strangely vibrant future, this film plays out as a very twisted, realistic yet abnormal blend of drama, thriller and sci-fi, famous now for its disturbing, unflinching and shocking scenes that will timelessly live on, all the while carrying the same impact it always has.

Kubrick made a masterpiece and few can deny that. This has been a favourite of mine since I first saw it on Television a couple of years ago, aged 13 or 14 I believe. I watched in awe and it stuck with me for days after I first watched it and since then it has not budged from my top 5, only moving from second to third position after I watched Psycho, now my second favourite. It says a lot about Kubrick films when there are two so close together in my favourites list and at one point being next to each other as favourite and second favourite of all time. The other film I am referring to of course, is The Shining, which I watched a year or bit prior to this.

Kubrick, based on the novel by Anthony Burgess (which I have not read) adapted the book into one hell of a great screenplay, full of iconic dialogue and scenes. it is in all honestly one of the best screenplays of all time, close to the likes of Pulp Fiction and Glengarry Glen Ross.

He directed with equal brilliance, making each scene memorable, whether it be because it includes his trademark Looking Up angle, or a strange, out of place, comic caption along the lines of "Pow", when Alex delivers a piece of "Ultra Violence" to one particular victim. This film shows perfectly why Kubrick my favourite director. Hell, this and The Shining are the films that got me into films!

Malcolm McDowell's performance as Alex DeLarge is frightening yet he allows us to feel sympathy for him too. A brilliant performance and one that will never be forgotten. The other great cast member is Patrick Magee who is flawless. Although there aren't many other main stars, seeing as the spotlight is nearly always on Alex, the other cast members are all great.

The use of music, mostly Beethoven, was perfect and has now become one of the most outstanding points of the film. It suits the mood as perfect as Herrmann's screeching violins suited Psycho. Then there is the haunting piece by Wendy Carlos that really heightens the mood and feeling of terror in this film, perhaps because it is calm yet menacing.

The now iconic costumes, like the famous ones worn by the "Droogs", make this film appear even more Surreal and makes the Dystopian look even more strange. The costumes show that every thing, even something like costumes, can make the film even better.

This film is, in simple words, a classic.

New review soon.

Magnificent Magnolia, as I call it. This is a true modern classic.

All of the performaces are good and no one out does another cast memeber, which makes a perfect ensemble cast.

John C. Reilly is excellent as a lonley policeman;
Tom Cruise is fantastic as a sleazy televison personality who repesses his childhood;
Jason Robards is brilliant as a terminally ill old man;
Julianne Moore is outstanding as his trophey wife who actually begins to love him in her best performance;
Willian H. Macy is great as a man who used to be a famous child genious as is
Jeremey Blackman as a new child genious in one of the best performances from a child actor
and all the other primary cast are good too along with the people in smaller, though just as memorable roles.

The direction and screenplay is also great from Paul Thomas Anderson who carved a realistic drama from his wonderful imagination. Although over 3 hours long without interuptions (don't get put off, it flies by), I was never bored. Ever. That is because the cast nor Anderson let it get boring and each story has a some differences which offers change.

The loactions are also very interesting and different from each other.

The end is mindblowingly good and is done without to much pomp and exaggeration which could have ruined the film.

An epic drama you should make time for because you will not regret it and it will affect you in some way. An unforgettable, original and highly entertaining classic.

A beautiful film that is beautiful because it isn't afraid to show the human race in a bad light. Beautiful because of its poetic screenplay. Beautiful because of its symbolism. An unforgettable film experiance.

I said I would review this soon...and that was back in April. However, for time time being, I give up. I cannot express in words how great this film is. One review will not truly justify it.

Undoubtedly one of the best films ever made. A flawless film. It will keep you enthralled for the whole 2 hours and 30 minutes running time. When I first saw the length on the back of the DVD, I wasn't sure whether in parts it would drag. Oh no; no it doesn't. Never. It never feels long. It is never boring. You are glued from start to finish. Even the credits are great to watch with the fantastic Miserlou playing over it. I have no idea what magic Quentin used in this film, but every film maker should take some of it. You can never go wrong.
For starters, Quentin Tarantino has got to be the best script writer there has ever been in Hollywood. True Romance. He wrote it but didn't direct it. However, it is Tarantino's film all the way. Reservoir Dogs. It has one of the best screenplays I have ever heard, which he so successfully managed to transfer in this wonder two years later. Jackie Brown. Easily one of the smartest and enjoyable films of the 1990's. It was his decade, and with just 3 films, that is quite a feat. However, this is the peak of his career. His best screenplay and best film as a whole which I very much doubt he will be to beat.

He directs with such amazing and inspirational skill. Along side Stanley Kubrick, he is one of the main reasons why I want to work in films. Each and every angle is perfectly chosen to suit the scene and to keep your interest. The camera movements all work so well together as they give you an insight into the lives of the characters. It is too hard to even explain how good a job he did of this classic.

Now for the cast. Wow! Each cast member was chosen so well. He chose the right person for the right scene. Travolta and Jackson as the assassins, Tim Roth as a Cafe robber, Uma Thurman as a gangster's girlfriend and Bruce Willis as a boxer. I can't imagine any other actors or actresses in these roles. Each of them are just perfect. Samuel L. Jackson not winning best supporting actor? What. The. Fuck. Not winning best picture nor director? Again, what happened? Although I loved Forrest Gump, it pales in comparison to this. Hopefully Tarantino won't go down in film history with Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock as directors who never won the Academy Award for directing but really were due one.

I have mentioned how great the cast are and together they form the greatest ensemble ever rounded up. Each character is different from the others, each with vastly different stories about them and they all pull it off with such talent. 3 acting nominations, Thurman, Jackson and Travolta, and no wins. One should have won at least!

The individual stories are wonderful, each with brilliant scenes amongst them. You never lose interest because each story is so damn good. This film is Comedy at its darkest. A Thriller at its most gripping. The Violence is tasteful and needed for a good impact. It is pulled off whilst you watch disgusted yet excited. The violence looks so good on the screen thanks to the marvellous cinematography. The blood is a vivid red and the bruises are complimented by it; showing up and looking so realistic thanks to the lighting. It wasn't nominated in this category at the Oscars; yet another major snub for this film. Whatever were they thinking not to nominate a film which looks as amazing as this?

On top of everything else which helps to make this a masterpiece, the music is a key factor to. Miserlou, perhaps all the more famous due to this film (often being known as "The Pulp Fiction tune") has got the be on of the best songs chosen for a film. It is very memorable and suits the film unbelievably well. It is partly what makes Pulp Fiction what it is. Tarantino has an ear for this kind of thing. He never uses a composed piece, but instead a previously recorded piece. For example Little Green Bag by George Baker in Reservoir Dogs. Perfectly suited to the mood of the film. Much like Miserlou to this. It works, and Tarantino knows it. It works just like any score could.

The editing creates a good effect too. A simple cut between two characters during a kill has a wonderful impact and is very memorable. One of the most memorable tiny details amongst the many others. These tiny details are as important as the big ones, creating atmosphere and helping the film in a big way. The editing was nominated at the Oscars but, again didn't win. Just appalling.

Everything about this film and I mean everything is flawless. It is one film which I will never stop loving. The greatest Gangster film, the greatest black comedy, the greatest thriller and an overall great film. Just fantastic in every single way.