ahwell's Top 100 Movies - 2020

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Before Fargo, I had yet to see the Coen Brothers on their true comedic side. Fargo being my fourth, the other three had been Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men, and the Ballad of Buster Scruggs. ...
You so need to see Barton Fink, I think you'd dig it, I did and I rated it a
Check out my review, it explains why I love it, but it doesn't go into plot or spoil anything so it's a safe and fast read.
My review: Barton Fink



You so need to see Barton Fink, I think you'd dig it, I did and I rated it a
Check out my review, it explains why I love it, but it doesn't go into plot or spoil anything so it's a safe and fast read.
My review: Barton Fink
Just read it and it piques my interest!!! I also love stories about Old Hollywood!
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You mean me? Kei's cousin?


49. Fargo (1996)

Before Fargo, I had yet to see the Coen Brothers on their true comedic side. Fargo being my fourth, the other three had been Blood Simple, No Country for Old Men, and the Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Ballad has comedic touches, and I did laugh a couple times, but Blood Simple and No Country are the Coens at their blackest and grimmest.

And to see that style mixed with their delightful comedic writing makes for a masterpiece. Every character in this film just oozes with personality and uniqueness, a delightful flavor that makes everyone pop out to you. In another thriller with the same story directed by a lesser director, I might have forgotten the characters, gotten confused about the plot, and gotten - frankly - bored.

But the Coens are brilliant. At barely over an hour and a half (including credits), there is no dilly-dallying. We get concise, wonderfully constructed scenes that flow perfectly. There are a ton of characters to balance, but it is balanced effortlessly. The dialogue is snappy! The scenes are concise! Am I starting to sound like a broken record? Yes! But that's okay because this was amazing!

Set aside the ingenuity and stunning polished craft itself, and you get a marvelous analysis into themes the Coen Brothers seem to touch on a lot - the morality of crime, making decisions, fate and how it plays into our lives, and the often inevitability of death. While it's a "light" movie, there are seriously dark and gripping themes underneath the surface. At the heart is the moral dilemma that Jerry Lundegaard faces. He's a nice enough guy, sort of nervous, fidgety. He's not "evil" by any means. Yet he causes all the bloodshed in the film, whether intentionally or not.

There are scenes when we sort of sympathize with Jerry, and other moments when we want someone to just shoot him already. However, did he need the money? Was his plan that "evil"? And does it matter when innocent people died from it? As I said, Fargo masks all these themes in "Minnesota nice" and "Yah"s and huge midwestern buffets. But it also doesn't give us easy answers to its underlying questions about morality and mortality.

This cinematographer dude, pretty damn good. Wonder if he'll ever win an Oscar?? But yeah, Deakins is the man, proves his genius once again with sweeping, long distance shots of icy Minnesota, and fantastic use of blood in contrast with the snow.

Also, I would PAY to have Marge/Frances McDormand come interrogate me for a couple hours... one of the sweetest, most likable Coen characters out there!
I don't care what anyone says. Fargo is 100% my favorite Coen brothers movie.



I did not fall in love with Fargo on first watch. I liked it okay but something about it just wasn’t working. The second time around though the quirk left a smirk on my face. I had a great time.



I remember really liking Fargo but have never had the desire to revisit it.

I'd also add my voice to watching Barton Fink, which I've also only seen once.
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5-time MoFo Award winner.





48. City of God (2002)

Right from the start, City of God plunges us into a terrifying, wild, world that very much existed (and exists still). We're not given the time even to register what's going on as the opening scene - the chicken chase, which also serves as the climax of the film at the end - suddenly just begins. We're already in the middle of the action.

The way City of God is structured in general is just so brilliant. It starts at an important moment that doesn't make much sense to its viewers at first. Then it jumps back and tells over 20 years of history leading to that moment. In this way, it tells a sprawling crime story that surges ahead with more violence and profanity by the minute.

In many ways, this reminded me of a Scorsese gangster movie. It's obviously complete unique too, but I noticed a lot of similarities. For instance, Scorsese's use of the soundtrack is an integral part of films like Goodfellas, or the Departed, or the Irishman. Here the soundtrack is utilized in much the same way, playing in the background as characters make tough decisions and the viewers watch tough scenes and events. The soundtrack was vital to the styles of both Scorsese's films and City of God.

Another thing was the narration throughout. The main character - who we realize doesn't even play much of a role in the story - walks us through the slow set up and turmoil that made the events in City of God happen. Totally reminded me of something like the Irishman or Raging Bull, as Scorsese loves narration. He also loves telling stories over many many years, which City of God also did wonderfully.

But enough about how City of God is copying Scorsese. It's also a completely new and different experience from anything I'd ever seen. It was shot on location - in dangerous suburbs of Rio de Janeiro - and utilizes a camera technique that, while it can be tedious, completely forces the viewer to focus all attention on the events of the film. The story structure is so fascinating - as I said, it's this sprawling, epic film. We get little texts leading us into the next story which makes it seem even more like a book, with one little chapter contextualizing what will come next.

The characters all pop out as unique, obviously some more likable than others. Benny was easily my favorite character, as I think he was for many people. Just a likable, normal guy, who - yes - did crime, but in the end wanted to escape that life for something better. Instead, at his own "Goodbye" Party he gets shot, which eventually leads to a decade-long war between powerful gangs.

So at the center of City of God is that simple sense of inevitability, the sense of dread that you know more violence will come. It's a cycle, it's something that's not just easily stopped. Especially when all the 10-year old kids were volunteering for various reasons - one gang killed their brother, or another blew up their house, etc. - it struck me that new blood would just come in and continue that violent war, never ending. And the ending sadly confirmed the film's overarching message. Something very similar to Unforgiven or the Searchers, which are obviously both Westerns but have a lot of themes that pertain very relevantly to City of God.

The overall confidence of style in City of God also strikes me. The camera movements are like nothing else I've seen before. They're wild, almost violent in of themselves, and hold back nothing. While, as I said, that can get taxing and withdraw my enjoyment, it's really not that big of a deal for me to penalize the entire movie for. It works for what it is.

It's over two hours, but City of God felt like one held out scream, a piercing, punishing journey through the darkness of the true City of God, and of the human heart. Very deserving of its high reputation.





47. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Ilove it. Every minute, every damn second. A masterpiece like this deserves the recognition it gets as one of the greatest films ever made. Every part of it - Darabont's flawless direction and screenplay, Newman's sweeping score, Deakins's typically legendary cinemtography, and of course the utterly magnificent acting performances - all led to a timeless movie that has already become a classic.

I don't even know where to start. How about with the acting. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman both give equally fantastic performances. Robbins playing a quiet, layed back, yet confident man, one whose choices change the lives of those around him. Then Freeman playing an equally wise character in his own right, a man who actually has done the crime he's convicted of, and the real main character. Both actors completely embody their respective character. So no complaints there; I was completely immersed in the people and places of Shawshank.

And then, the characters themselves. Andy Dufrane, a character who was sent to prison for a murder he didn't do, finds himself in the stony walls of Shawshank Prison. It's interesting thinking about his life before prison. Maybe he was successful, had a steady job, had friends. Was he happy? At least not with his wife, who was cheating on him. We never really learn about Andy's backstory (although I personally think this is a sequel to the Toy Story trilogy). The movie tells us "It doesn't matter."

And then we've got Red, a man who is up in the ranks as one of the most powerful prisoners at Shawshank. He's known to locate certain things from time to time. He has connections. His life inside the prison is one of contentedness. It's Red that is the main character of Shawshank Redemption; It is his redemption in the film, not Andy's. Throughout the story Red questions and learns what it is to live. He learns about hope and compassion, he experiences from Andy what it is like to stand up for what is right. "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

Speaking of that line, the screenplay also blew me away. What I expected would be a prison break dramatic script, instead turned into an endlessly quotable, FUNNY, screenplay that sets up characters and entertains easily while also juggling a hefty plot.

Does Deakins ever disappoint? Not in Shawshank. The shots of the outside of the prison are stunning, and no dialogue could introduce us so well to what exactly those prison walls do to people. That entire "escape explanation" scene was shot brilliantly, especially the final triumphant moment when Andy rips his shirt off and celebrates.

This must be one of the most satisfying and fulfilling movies I've ever seen. The final embrace at the end had me in tears, honest to God. It's so emotional, but it doesn't ply for tears, it's the honesty and beauty of the reunion, it's the beauty of the whole damn movie, that had me in tears.

I can't relate to being locked up in a prison for thirty years. But what I can relate to is the feeling of emptiness, the feeling that something - either internal or external - is stopping you from living.

This movie is inspiring me to get busy living.



You mean me? Kei's cousin?
Daaaamn... I didn't even know Deakins did The Shawshank Redemption.
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Double Indemnity, The Shawshank Redemption and City of God
, all top 30 for me, glad to see they made your top 51. Aliens, North by Northwest, are on my top 100, and I have Fargo at #211. Haven't seen Frances Ha yet.





46. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

One of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. And congrats to Kubrick and McDowell for making a protagonist somehow more despicable than Robert DeNiro's character in Raging Bull. That's an achievement!

I love classical music, and I love Beethoven. So I had a HUGE personal connection with Alex. What a great guy. I feel so bad for him, raping a bunch of women, beating up helpless homeless men, going to prison, getting released TWO ****ING years later, and then getting all the **** he deserves.

Seriously, though, I think this is a masterpiece. It's my least favorite Kubrick that I've seen, but that really means nothing at all, as the other two I've seen are in my top three movies period.

I'm a sucker for dark humor, and boy was the humor dark. I feel like Tarantino watched movies like these to get a feel for his style. You could even see a couple references (like the rape scene with the gag ball).

Acting of course was fantastic, as was cinematography. I feel like the end might have dragged a little, but that's literally my only complaint. I think this was a masterpiece and it really makes you think.

Also, talk about a movie that has not aged at all. Seriously, this movie could be made today with the same exact effect and shock from the audiences. That is a brilliant movie.