My Favorite Movies

One of the very deepest character studies in the cinema. Not only an incredibly sympathetic view into the film industry but also a searing journey into the psyche of an ordinary man struggling with his private life and his work. Fellini's towering masterpiece is a challenging epic fantasy yet very rewarding for those willing to go along for the ride.

I don't think there has ever been a movie that fit so many of life's lessons into a mere 160 minutes. It is one of those very rare films that you don't watch but it actually feels like you are on a trip to somewhere special. My only complaint about the film is that it had to end eventually. This is a review that I refuse to talk about plot development because I want you to go in cold. This is Kurosawa's greatest achievement and he made it when he was 75 years old. To me Ran is the ultimate "meditation" movie. It forces you to ponder your own life. You will definitely sympathize with at least one of these characters. Any way let's talk about the performances. They range somewhere between Oscar worthy to something from heaven itself. The direction is something to behold and the magnificent battle scenes only provide a brief break from what the film is really about which is human emotional tragedy. It is the quiet scenes where no one says a single word for a few minutes that resonate the most. You can really tell that Kurosawa cared about every single detail of this film. There truly isn't one mistake in the entire film and I don't think I have ever said that about any movie before. This really is like a sequence of events on earth as viewed by God in heaven. By the end of the movie I don't know how I feel. This movie definitely pulls out every emotion known to man. I implore you to see this movie before you die because when you get to heaven God might have a quiz on this film.

There is probably a million ways to describe this film. A film so unrelenting in its audaciousness and its willingness to throw everything at its audience but the kitchen sink. I remember seeing this when it came out and it was nothing like I had ever witnessed. It didn't know when to stop. Blisteringly funny work from some of the Python cast and supported by an equally good Hoskins and Price. Not to mention an unrecognizable DeNiro and plastic surgery fiend Helmond. Brilliant dream sequences (that actually make more sense as the movie goes along) aren't just expensive set pieces that are meant to get a rise out of the audience but are really checkpoints in the protagonists life.
Whether the film makes sense to you or not will be relevant to how well your braining is working on that particular day. It isn't so important to understand it as it is to be swept along by by its massive gravitational pull. It is a film that can be at once a biting social commentary, slapstick joke fest, and a nightmare among the worst you've ever had. It isn't great because it is original. It is great because it is a film with the guts to be what it wants to be. It swings for the fences like few films have before it.

This is a great film.It is the kind of film that you might not like right after you watch it,but the more you think about it the more you like it.To me this is not a movie that you watch once,but a hundred times.Your brain really has to be on top of its game while you watch it.There is a lot to take in here.The movie takes us from the dawn of man,all the way into the computer age.it raises the question,Is technology going too far?Will we one day be taken over by the very machines we have worked for years to make? This is a very slow moving film at times,so you have to be patient with it.Let the saga absorb you and take your mind to a place it has never been before.

This isn't a feel good Cinderella movie like Rocky. This isn't a film that celebrates the sport of boxing. Hell this isn't a film that even likes its characters. Why is it great? Jake LaMotta may have been a great boxer but every other aspect of his life was in the gutter. He is a man with a severely damaged soul and who doesn't care about anyone but himself. People cared about him though. His brother helped him train and his father was his manager. He left his wife for a young girl named Vicky whom he controls and abuses. That is pretty much Jake's story outside the ring. Inside the ring he is a knockout king and eventually wins the championship belt. His ego gets in the way though. He gets told to throw fights and he is basically cast out into oblivion. Besides DeNiro's brilliant acting, which is among the greatest performances of all time, Scorsese's direction is utterly perfect in every way and it was a great move to shoot it in black and white. The fight scenes are delt with so masterfully and are so violent that you will actually feel like you are in the ring getting pounded. The time period is also delt with very accurately and I appreciated the great attention to detail. Is this the best movie of the 80s? I don't know. I do know that it is the best sports movie ever made. Scorsese will never top himself here and for a film that no one wanted to make, I think he did a pretty good job.

Very inspirational film about a man who finds out that he has stomach cancer and only has a few months left to live. He knows that he hasn't lived his life to the fullest and that he basically has wasted it. Other people view him as a very plain, boring man that contains his emotions. He hasn't missed a day of work in 30 years and he is not that close to his family. At first he decides to blow all his money in bars and clubs. He even stops going to work. All the while no one knows that he is sick but they know that something must be wrong. He gets drunk frequently and becomes extremely depressed. One day he has an epiphany. He doesn't want to waste his money any more and he eventually goes back to work. He sets his mind on building a public park before he dies. Believe me I am not really giving anything away. There are so many moments that will take your breath away in this film that it would be impossible to capture just by reading a short review. I think this movie is so different than any other Kurosawa film that one might not even realize that it is one of his. Still, if you consider yourself a film buff or just want to watch one of the most inspirational movies you are ever going to see than this is required viewing.

This is basically a movie about how a group of people try to sit down to have dinner but that never happens. Pretty much every thing imagineable besides that happens. This is Luis Bunuel's masterpiece and remember he mad Belle De Jour. I just love movies like this where anything could happen at any time. There are many dream like scenes and most scenes you won't even know whether they are real or not until the next scene. This is not a complete comedy though. The story that the soldier tells is haunting in its own way. I really don't want to give anything away here but please put on this movie with an open mind and with no expectations whatsoever. Your mind will certainly be put to the test. The thing about this movie is that there really is no beginning or end but just a series of bizar and extremely well written, highly quotable scenes with vibrant dialogue and crazy characters. That's really the best I can explain this film.

The master of modern surrealist film making. This was David lynch's first time out. This is one of the greatest debuts for any director of any generation. Lynch sets a tone for the film right away. You know from the first frame that you have not seen anything like this before. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing will be up to you. This is the story of a man who accidentally becomes a father after his girlfriend supplies him with the information that they have a child. The child was born very prematurely and doesn't even look human. The man has a hard
time dealing with this. His life turns into one big nightmare. He is haunted by his guilt and wants his freedom from his situation. He encounters horrors that can not be explained in words
which may or may not be dreams. It's kind of weird to say but this is actually a poignant view on the insecurities of fatherhood(in the Lynch vain of course). A classic of experimental horror films and an inspiration to any film maker who still has the guts to bring new ideas and images to the table.

This is by far the greatest thriller ever made. A character like Norman Bates goes from boring and ordinary to hypnotically interesting and bone chilling.I won't talk about the core story because I don't want to spoil it(Let's just say you won't wanna take a shower after this one)but I will say that the end twist is one of the most shocking thrills ever to be produced.I wish I could talk about it more but time is wasting and you should be figuring out how to obtain this movie right about now

One of the most powerful of all films. I have never watched a film that made me so uncomfortable. It made me sweat, squirm, and almost wish I wasn't even watching it. Most horror movie give you a quick thrill or scare and then when the movie is over you forget about it. You know it's not real and that it hasn't had a negative affect on you. It's just great escapism. While watching this film I had a much different feeling. I felt so close to these characters that it made me feel like these things were happening to me. It felt much too real to be a movie. Never has such evil been extracted from a work of art. Evil it is. The worst of all evils. It seems as if the eyes of Satan really exist inside this movie. How else could a movie be so effective. It can't just be great film making. This film hasn't lost any power over the years. Back then it would give people a heart attack and now it is very well respected as perhaps the greatest horror movie ever. I have never seen a film that I loved but I desperately wanted to escape at the same time. I believe this is something that could really happen and that has really happened. Therefore maybe it deserves its own genre. Something that is beyond the horror genre. Something that is oh too real. It is great escapism and it will forever be remembered for being great.

The mother of all epics is surely one of the best films of all time.Sure it has unbeleivable visual effects and the biggest budget of any movie ever, but where it really shines is in its human history.You really care about these characters (whether you love them or hate them)and as the story progresses you will find yourself more and more immersed in the experience.Of course you know the movie is a love story,but it is also a heart wrenching thriller and historical epic.The acting is pitch perfect but the unsung hero of the film is definitely the superb direction of James Cameron.He really makes you feel like you are on the grand ship too.So whether you are looking for a tearjerking love story or agreat thriller, this is your film.It's like combining the best elements of "Love Boat" and "The Poseidon Adventure." A must see!!!

As opposed to The Godfather making three movies to show the whole saga from beginning to end, Once Upon a Time in America attempts to do this in a single film. That is a very risky move. There is a shorter version but that is nothing compared to the complete version so please try to watch the latter. It is the story of several Jewish childhood friends living in New York and their ascent into the mafia. The movie works in flashbacks that DeNiro has later in life. Since the film tries to cram in five decades of material, the story is extremely complex and every decade there is a new story. These characters change with age as they start as kids and become adults. It really can be pretty hard to follow but even if you don't fully understaand one part, you will probably find yourself deep into the story of the next part. There are tons of characters and subplots so you really have to keep track of all these things to make the ending payoff. This was Sergio Leone's final project and you can tell that he put all of his heart into this movie. It may even be his best. It is surely his most ambitious. Please ignore the length of this film and try it out.

This is in my opinion perhaps Hitchcock's most suspenseful film. It is about something so real and that could very well happen to anyone. Jimmy Stewart is a photojournalist who breaks his leg doing his dangerous job. It is a hot summer and all he has is his wheel chair, his camera and his back window. Of course with nothing to do for six weeks he spies on his neighbors. He sees just about every normal thing imaginable. He sees the same exact things for so long that he knows everyone's schedule. One day he see's something out of the ordinary and decides to investigate it. This sets off a chain reaction with the audience. Where almost everyone who is watching it will predict the story differently. There really is no way to predict this plot because there are so many twists and turns in it. But what else can you expect from the master of suspense.

Woody's greatest achievement. This was the first of his "smart" comedies. In every scene in this movie there is something either extremely funny going on or in some cases very sad. There are many references to classic movies and musicians. It has very original moments. Sometimes Woody will just talk to the screen or to people in the street that have nothing to do with the story. As I said this is a great comedy but it is also quite heartfelt. You kind of feel sympathy for Woody throughout the whole movie because he can never quite get what he wants and he is never completely happy. But all of this just adds layers onto the plot. And believe me the film is very layered and something new is happening all the time(almost every minute)and I challenge anybody young or old to walk out of this movie and say they were bored with this masterpiece which I think just happens to be Woody's best film.

his is certainly not your standard war film by any means.You may think I am crazy but I actually think that this movie gives you more incite and truth than Saving Private Ryan does.The thing I find the most compelling is the way the story unfolds in multiple narratives.One moment you may be deep inside the mind of the remorseless,hardened sargeant,and the next you see through the eyes of the scared private. If you simply can't live without your gigantic battle scenes, than maybe you should stay with Saving Private Ryan.If you are looking for the most original war movie of recent years(maybe ever)then check out A Thin Red Line.

This does have a great script , acting , and direction.I'm sorry but Mr. Ebert was wrong on this one.This is probably the best mob movie since the godfather.It is filled with brilliant sequences of action that are just set-up pieces for the equally brilliant story.Not to mention that I think this film has the greatest musical score of all time.This movie also really captures perfectly the prohibition era Chicago where Al Cappone was making a fortune on selling illegal alcohol.Above all, he was operating through violence and that is what gives Elliot Ness the willpower to take him down.He gathers a team of "Untouchables" to try and stop Cappone only to realize that he may be in a game that is above his head.If you are looking for pure entertainment at its highest level than this is the flick for you.

This is one of the greatest films ever made about the possibility of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. An innocent man is put in prison for life for a double murder he didn't commit. Upon arriving he becomes friends with one of the inmates. This seems pretty straightforward but it is the friendship that gives each of these men hope that one day they will have their lives back again. This is an immensely important film because it forces the viewer to look at his or her own life. It lets you believe that no matter how bad of a situation you are in that hope and a big heart can always get you out of the hole you are in. I highly recommend watching this film especially if you are feeling depressed or, of course, if you just want to watch a beautifully acted, greatly directed, perfectly scripted film that I think everyone should see at least one time in their life.

This is yet another example of why Charlie Kaufman is the most original writer in Hollywood.This is one of my top ten films of the decade.What is it about?Well,it's about love ,loss ,friendship ,betrayal... oh, yeah and this freaky invention that allows people to erase some of there memories.That barely even covers the premise.I think Jim Carrey is the best he has ever been and Kate Winslet is nothing short of phenominal.Needless to say, you should probably watch this one a few times, which shouldn't be a problem if you love it as much as I do.I think this is just a tad better than Kaufman's previous masterpieces(Adaptation and Being John Malkovich) and God knows why it wasn't nominated for best picture.So take this crazy mind trip to a place that you are sure to have never been before and enjoy this truly great film.

This movie really caught me by suprise. Before watching this I thought that The Panic In Needle Park was the most harrowing heroin movie. This film realy shows the danger of drugs and how you can completely ruin your life and other's by taking them. The movie isn't all grim though. It is actually bitingly funny while it is being poignant. As these on and off drug addicts do some pretty crazy things and some of the situations are undescribable. That is how most of the film goes until the eventual climax which of course involves a drug deal. Actually the friend that doesn't take drugs is a violent alcoholic and if he did do heroin it would probably calm him down for the better. I guess I should warn you that this film depicts graphic sexuality and very realistic heroin use. There is also a scene with a baby that is a little hard to watch. But really this is just a load of fun with enough energy in it to power 10 movies. The performances are something special and the dialogue is very witty. There is never a dull moment in this so if you like entertaining movies than this is definitely for you.

After Hours is the Quintessential New York movie and for all its beautiful women, there are so many horrors to go along with it. This is one of those few comedies that even while you are laughing you can't help but cringe. This is the story about a guy from Manhattan who decides to go into down town Soho to meet up with a girl. From the moment he arrives everything that can possibly go wrong does. And you know I hate writing a review and not telling you anything about the plot but I think that keeping all the movies secrets in tact is essential here. All I can say is that it must have been a blast to write this script and pretty much just figuring out how else we can torture this guy all in one night. Many people forget that this is a Scorsese film and like all of his other great films this is no exception. Try to watch this movie after midnight though to get the full effect.

I don't think there is a funnier sports movie out there. Paul Newman has said that this is his favorite role and think of all the great roles he has had. You've certainly never seen him like this before. He plays a foul mouthed minor league hockey coach/player. The team is awful and can't win a game and he is considered a joke because of his age. He also finds out that the owner is folding the team and wants to sell them. 3 players are put on the team. They are triplets and no one is expecting much out of them. But when they get in the game they start playing dirty, very dirty and suddenly Newman has found a niche. That is the basic plot but there are also subplots involving romance and that is all good too. Everything that happens on the ice is obviously very funny but the great thing is that each game has a proper set up and you always know who the other team is and what they are all about. The dialog off the ice is very witty and side splitting and the language used is very filthy. That isn't something that you would expect from a Paul Newman movie but it all works to perfection here. There is never a dull moment and the if you think you can predict the conclusion than you have another thing coming. This is a classic comedy and it would have seemed just as fresh if it had come out today. Another thing that I did not mention is that the actual hockey playing is very well directed and extremely realistic. You always know what is going on and they don't confuse you with stylized action or quickly changing camera angles. You really don't have to like hockey to find this entertaining. These situations are universally funny even if you have never even been in a locker room before in your life. So rent this and chances are you might want to buy it shortly after.

Now I think most of us will agree that The Sting is one of the greatest con movies ever made. It's a film that cheats you and then rewards you in the end. Having said that, the rug has never been so completely pulled from my feet as it was in House of Games. Like The Sting, if you think you know what's going on one minute the next minute you will probably be the victim of a great sucker punch. The unpredictability in the film is what makes it so great. As each con gets more and more intricate, you will feel that you have been duped as a viewer-in an enjoyable way of coarse. The plot really can not be dicussed at all because that would not do you or the film justice at all. I can talk about the brilliant writing and direction of David Mamet. He writes in such a way that you feel that you are in the conversations. He writes how people talk and that is so rare in Hollywood these days.It usually does not turn out well for a screenwriter to take the reigns and direct the movie himself but Mamet does not take a single misstep here. His shots are always interesting and his pacing of the cons themselves are the most important and he does that to perfection too. The performances of Crouse(Mamet's real life wife) and Mantegna are top notch and don't waste a single line of their juicy dialogue. Check this overlooked classic out and see what con baffles you.

Oh, what a thrilling movie this is. This is the kind of movie that if you are the idiot talking in the movie theater, as soon as this movie comes on you will definitely shut the hell up. This is a film of spectacular action and unimaginable tortures. The acting is the real deal. Rarely will you ever see a performance as intense and rage driven as Choi Min-sik's. This is a character who starts out as another ordinary white-collar guy. After he is imprisoned for 15 years for reasons he has no idea of he starts to train and becomes a psychopathic killing machine. It is when he is abruptly released that all the carnage starts. But it's not all carnage and mayhem. The incredible plot twists (especially near the end) will leave you absolutely breathless. I highly recommend this great thriller if you have the stomach for it of course.

David Mamet is one of the best writers working in Hollywood and theater today. Here he is given an ensemble cast like no other to flesh out his dialogue. Every word that comes out of these great actors mouths crackle with vibrancy and intensity. This is a movie that you definitely see for the actors. This is their movie. This is also Mamet's best try at screenwriting since House of Games. This is a must see. Just make sure you have a strong stomach.

This is a very good film and one of Gilliam's more serious. The cast does a great job and they all hold their own when they are on screen together. Brad Pitt is especially good as a mental patient and I didn't know he had it in him. Bruce Willis even shows some range and you really feel like he is changing bit by bit as he keeps traveling through time and getting into more and more trouble. The plot is very intricate and it is even sometimes too confusing but it makes its point by the end. I like movies that challenge time passage and when it is this well written how can you go wrong. The art direction in this film is also amazing and the camera work and lighting, which essentially must be good for the movie to work, are unbelievable. So I will tell anyone who is into good stories or just sci-fi films to check this one out.

Ah,Ed Wood. What can you say about him. Widely regarded as the "worst director of all time". His movies are far too entertaining to be called the worst. He is portrayed in the movie as a cross dressing young man who will do anything to make a movie. He has all the heart but no tallent at all. I think it was a risky role for Depp to take but he is great and he really makes the character his own. Martin Landau is brilliant in portraying Bella Lagosi. I don't realy have any major complaints with this movie. I just wish they would gave us a little more backstory with some of the characters. The only character that I think is perfectly drawn out is the Bella Lagosi character. You'll be able to forgive minor flaws though because this movie is pure entertainment with a ton of laughs throughout. Who knows, you may even be tempted to check out one of Ed Wood's movies.

Fernando Meirelles' City Of God is one of the best crime movies I've ever seen. It is about one of those places in the world that you would never want to live. But for some of these boys there is no choice. It is a film that I think will stand the test of time as one of the "great" movies. It tells the story of numerous inhabitants of the "City Of God" from the time they are boys to when they are men. Young "Rocket" just wants to live a normal life without crime or trouble. He finds he has a special gift for photography and actually uses it to his advantage, both to make a gang happy and on the outside to sell his photos to the press. This is a masterpiece not just for depicting this horrible place in all its actuality but for letting us see that amidst all the mayhem there are a few souls that will still prosper and there may be hope yet. Upon the film's end I could only come to one conclusion. This is a horror film not only of the first order but also of the truest and that is the scariest thing of all.

Crumb is one of the most haunting, spine tingling, hilarious and revealing documentaries I have ever seen. Robert Crumb is the artist credited for starting the underground comic movement in the 60s and 70s. But what kind of person is he? Well, he is far removed from society and just the world in general. He is perverted and kind of creepy and I don't know if he is someone that I would want to know personally. But for what he is, which is an artist, he is brilliant. His family is even more messed up than he is. He has a brother that hasn't left the house in years and lives with his mother and another brother that literally spends his time meditating on a bed of nails. The mother does not even seem like she minds as she says that it is better having him here than on the streets doing drugs. Their father was very controlling and not to fun to be around. Out of all these people it almost seems that Robert is the most normal member of his family. Besides showing us Crumb's personal life we also get to see many of his comics and how and why he chose to draw them. Many of them are extremely perverted, racist, or sexist. Outsiders seem to either love his work or despise it and just simply call it pornography. Whatever it is, it definitely is amusing stuff and there is no question of his work's importance. Crumb has one of the most creative minds out out there and he actually has the guts to channel whatever is in his mind onto the page. His work is what keeps him alive. Whatever you think, this is a very strange and affecting documentary that you will not soon forget. That's a promise.

This movie is the real deal. I can see how some people may be turned off by the level of realism that went into the making of this. But isn't that the point? They don't glorify any of the murders and there is really never any incentive that the protagonist has. He just kills like it's his hobbie. This movie is, however, extremely disturbing and it sometimes feels as if you are watching a documentary. The killings are sudden, brutal and seem to happen when you least expect it. As in one scene where Henry murders a woman and then goes out to get a cheese burger like it was just another part of his daily routine. I commend the movie for not trying to juice up the plot at all. They are just trying to take us inside a very sick mind. Even while I was repulsed at what Henry was doing I still could not help but feel sorry for him. He's a guy who never knew what love was and maybe he never will. Of course the film's ending definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth because for a second there you actually thought Henry might change. Good for the film for not taking the easy way out or trying to give the audience a message.