Die Hard - +
(John McTiernan, 1988)
Better than most action movies, Die Hard is an intense thrill-ride with one ass-kicking good guy. No super duper acting here aside from Reginald VelJohnson, who gave an excellent performance and maybe the best (oddly enough), but everyone is good enough and anyway that doesn't stop any of the characters from being awesome. John McClane is an insanely badass character, and Bruce Willis was meant for the role. Alan Rickman... well he was just as great in this as he always is.
Roman Holiday -
(William Wyler, 1953)
Just last week I gave Moulin Rouge! full marks (on a different forum), the first film I have done so since a while ago, and immediately wanted to add it to my top 10. This week, the exact same thing happened with Roman Holiday. For a day or two after seeing it, I had Roman Holiday and Moulin Rouge! competing for the #10 spot in my top 10. I eventually decided that I prefer Roman Holiday, so it won and it remains there now. Audrey Hepburn, my favorite actress of all-time, gives her first and probably best performance. Gregory Peck was as cool as ever, and Eddie Albert was perfect as his side-kick. It has a bit of a subtle ending that's not like most typical romantic endings, where the guy and the girl push all conflict aside and live happily ever after. But it worked perfectly.
Shakespeare in Love - +
(John Madden, 1998)
A very memorable and entertaining romance, so much so that I'd call it somewhat of a modern classic. I still didn't think that much of it though. At least, I don't know when I will want to see it again. It simply had its own distinct identity, and - along with being well-made all around on at least a good-enough level - that's what defines a classic in my opinion. There's really nothing wrong with the film at all, it just has to have the right audience to work. It was a nice fairytale take on the making of Romeo & Juliet.
On the Waterfront -
(Elia Kazan, 1954)
Marlon Brando gives the best performance in a film filled with incredible performances. Seriously, this had so much great acting in it. After Marlon Brando, the title for best goes to the effing fantastic Lee J. Cobb. He wasn't all too different from Juror #3 (his character in 12 Angry Men) at first, but that quickly changed and honestly, he gave a much better performance in this. Martin Balsam (Juror #1) was also in this, albeit a minor character. I've have been seeing him pop up as minor characters in a few different movies lately, actually.
Sherlock, Jr. - +
(Buster Keaton, 1924)
Fun little movie by the extra-great Buster Keaton. Short and sweet. It's probably my least fave Keaton flick so far of the four I've seen, but when you have someone like Buster Keaton you can't have a bad movie. I have a magnet for this film, which I bought for my dad ages ago when I was probably 10 or so (he's not a fan of Buster Keaton or silent films in general, and how was I to know one day I would become one?), so I guess I'm sort of the scaled-down version of a Buster Keaton fanboy. For now...
Dirty Harry -
(Don Siegel, 1971)
The good guy was a mean badass and the bad guy was a psycho who was really, really dumb. They made the perfect enemies. What can I say about Dirty Harry? It kicks total ass and everyone should see it at least once. It shows exactly what Clint Eastwood's reputation is all about. And it has one of THE best soundtracks for a 70's film.
Our Hospitality - +
(John G. Blystone & Buster Keaton, 1923)
Another super enjoyable and amusing Buster Keaton film that I liked just about the same as The General, maybe a little more. I don't have much to say about it because, like all of Keaton's work, it was just fun to watch. Buster Keaton was a genius what he did, I think. He's making his way up my favorite actors list, and really quickly. In fact, right now he's got the #1 spot. That may eventually die down when I get burnt out on his work, but maybe not?
An Affair to Remember -
(Leo McCarey, 1957)
Captivating romance with one of the best romantic endings ever. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr had tons of chemistry, but I admit it was sort of unusual to have a ginger as the leading lady. That's okay though, because you quickly fall in love with her just like Grant did.
Guys and Dolls - +
(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955)
Decent musical with an all-star cast, but not one of my favorites. I might say the first scene was one of the best things I've seen from a musical yet, though. Also, Marlon Brando. He effing rocks.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. -
(Charles Reisner, 1928)
My absolute favorite Buster Keaton film so far. For silent films, it had what I felt was the best and most beautiful female romantic character, not only in Keaton's work but in all silent films. But the real jaw-dropper here is the hurricane scene, which was the absolute best thing I've seen from Keaton yet. Instead of being just amusing, like the rest of his stuff so far, it was laugh-out-loud hilarious, and had some really good effects that still hold up today. You may have noticed I've been watching some Buster Keaton movies. I'm loving the dude. He's a comedic genius with tons of charisma.
Sabrina -
(Billy Wilder, 1954)
I was surprised to find out I've seen this, or at least some of it, before. It's an enjoyable romance starring the greats: Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. But both have done better work (did I mention I'm a Bogie fan now?). I loved the recurring tune "La Vie En Rose", because it's a great song and it's in WALL-E!
Breakfast at Tiffany's - +
(Blake Edwards, 1961)
Not quite as good as Roman Holiday, but still one of the best romances I've seen with Hepburn's most vibrant character. I can totally see Breakfast at Tiffany's having great rewatchability. The ending was especially great (I'm seeing a trend with romances), and "Moon River"... do I even need to mention it? Of any scene from any movie I've watched this week, I was most captivated during the "Moon River" scene. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. It felt as though I had reached enlightenment.
The Manchurian Candidate - +
(John Frankenheimer, 1962)
The Manchurian Candidate is an interesting thriller that reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series, thanks to the cinematography and the weird story. Frank Sinatra is no Marlon Brando (looooooooool), but you can't help but like him anyway.
Taken -
(Pierre Morel, 2008)
I really, really liked this. It's an intense thrilling revenge film stripped to the bare bones but amplified in awesomeness. It is so much more pleasing than most revenge flicks, because Brian, our main protagonist played by the perfectly cast Liam Neeson, is a no-games kind of guy who knows exactly what he's doing. He is out for his daughter and he'll let nothing get in his way. So he annihilates everyone. Man, it doesn't get better than this. If I had to recommend a revenge/action film to someone who has never seen one before in their life, I would recommend Taken. Not necessarily because it's the best, but because it's the quintessential in every sense.
There were some things I didn't like, though. For example Neesons ex-wife was a b*tch to him and his daughter was a spoiled brat who was a b*tch to him. Even in the end, after he went all out just to save her. I'm not saying they were mean to him, aside from his ex-wife in the beginning, they just didn't give as much respect as they should've. But I don't think that was any sort of reason for him not to save her or anything, because I understand he loved her with all his heart. I also don't like how - and this happens all the time in action movies - during the shoot-out scene near the end between the single main protagonist and a bunch of enemies, they could never hit him once (even though they had machine guns and he didn't), yet he nailed them all. Oh well, that does come with almost every action/revenge film that has a shoot-out scene, so a movie that's the most basic form of the genre should probably have it too, right?
(John McTiernan, 1988)
Better than most action movies, Die Hard is an intense thrill-ride with one ass-kicking good guy. No super duper acting here aside from Reginald VelJohnson, who gave an excellent performance and maybe the best (oddly enough), but everyone is good enough and anyway that doesn't stop any of the characters from being awesome. John McClane is an insanely badass character, and Bruce Willis was meant for the role. Alan Rickman... well he was just as great in this as he always is.
Roman Holiday -
(William Wyler, 1953)
Just last week I gave Moulin Rouge! full marks (on a different forum), the first film I have done so since a while ago, and immediately wanted to add it to my top 10. This week, the exact same thing happened with Roman Holiday. For a day or two after seeing it, I had Roman Holiday and Moulin Rouge! competing for the #10 spot in my top 10. I eventually decided that I prefer Roman Holiday, so it won and it remains there now. Audrey Hepburn, my favorite actress of all-time, gives her first and probably best performance. Gregory Peck was as cool as ever, and Eddie Albert was perfect as his side-kick. It has a bit of a subtle ending that's not like most typical romantic endings, where the guy and the girl push all conflict aside and live happily ever after. But it worked perfectly.
Shakespeare in Love - +
(John Madden, 1998)
A very memorable and entertaining romance, so much so that I'd call it somewhat of a modern classic. I still didn't think that much of it though. At least, I don't know when I will want to see it again. It simply had its own distinct identity, and - along with being well-made all around on at least a good-enough level - that's what defines a classic in my opinion. There's really nothing wrong with the film at all, it just has to have the right audience to work. It was a nice fairytale take on the making of Romeo & Juliet.
On the Waterfront -
(Elia Kazan, 1954)
Marlon Brando gives the best performance in a film filled with incredible performances. Seriously, this had so much great acting in it. After Marlon Brando, the title for best goes to the effing fantastic Lee J. Cobb. He wasn't all too different from Juror #3 (his character in 12 Angry Men) at first, but that quickly changed and honestly, he gave a much better performance in this. Martin Balsam (Juror #1) was also in this, albeit a minor character. I've have been seeing him pop up as minor characters in a few different movies lately, actually.
Sherlock, Jr. - +
(Buster Keaton, 1924)
Fun little movie by the extra-great Buster Keaton. Short and sweet. It's probably my least fave Keaton flick so far of the four I've seen, but when you have someone like Buster Keaton you can't have a bad movie. I have a magnet for this film, which I bought for my dad ages ago when I was probably 10 or so (he's not a fan of Buster Keaton or silent films in general, and how was I to know one day I would become one?), so I guess I'm sort of the scaled-down version of a Buster Keaton fanboy. For now...
Dirty Harry -
(Don Siegel, 1971)
The good guy was a mean badass and the bad guy was a psycho who was really, really dumb. They made the perfect enemies. What can I say about Dirty Harry? It kicks total ass and everyone should see it at least once. It shows exactly what Clint Eastwood's reputation is all about. And it has one of THE best soundtracks for a 70's film.
Our Hospitality - +
(John G. Blystone & Buster Keaton, 1923)
Another super enjoyable and amusing Buster Keaton film that I liked just about the same as The General, maybe a little more. I don't have much to say about it because, like all of Keaton's work, it was just fun to watch. Buster Keaton was a genius what he did, I think. He's making his way up my favorite actors list, and really quickly. In fact, right now he's got the #1 spot. That may eventually die down when I get burnt out on his work, but maybe not?
An Affair to Remember -
(Leo McCarey, 1957)
Captivating romance with one of the best romantic endings ever. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr had tons of chemistry, but I admit it was sort of unusual to have a ginger as the leading lady. That's okay though, because you quickly fall in love with her just like Grant did.
Guys and Dolls - +
(Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955)
Decent musical with an all-star cast, but not one of my favorites. I might say the first scene was one of the best things I've seen from a musical yet, though. Also, Marlon Brando. He effing rocks.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. -
(Charles Reisner, 1928)
My absolute favorite Buster Keaton film so far. For silent films, it had what I felt was the best and most beautiful female romantic character, not only in Keaton's work but in all silent films. But the real jaw-dropper here is the hurricane scene, which was the absolute best thing I've seen from Keaton yet. Instead of being just amusing, like the rest of his stuff so far, it was laugh-out-loud hilarious, and had some really good effects that still hold up today. You may have noticed I've been watching some Buster Keaton movies. I'm loving the dude. He's a comedic genius with tons of charisma.
Sabrina -
(Billy Wilder, 1954)
I was surprised to find out I've seen this, or at least some of it, before. It's an enjoyable romance starring the greats: Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. But both have done better work (did I mention I'm a Bogie fan now?). I loved the recurring tune "La Vie En Rose", because it's a great song and it's in WALL-E!
Breakfast at Tiffany's - +
(Blake Edwards, 1961)
Not quite as good as Roman Holiday, but still one of the best romances I've seen with Hepburn's most vibrant character. I can totally see Breakfast at Tiffany's having great rewatchability. The ending was especially great (I'm seeing a trend with romances), and "Moon River"... do I even need to mention it? Of any scene from any movie I've watched this week, I was most captivated during the "Moon River" scene. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. It felt as though I had reached enlightenment.
The Manchurian Candidate - +
(John Frankenheimer, 1962)
The Manchurian Candidate is an interesting thriller that reminded me of the old Twilight Zone series, thanks to the cinematography and the weird story. Frank Sinatra is no Marlon Brando (looooooooool), but you can't help but like him anyway.
Taken -
(Pierre Morel, 2008)
I really, really liked this. It's an intense thrilling revenge film stripped to the bare bones but amplified in awesomeness. It is so much more pleasing than most revenge flicks, because Brian, our main protagonist played by the perfectly cast Liam Neeson, is a no-games kind of guy who knows exactly what he's doing. He is out for his daughter and he'll let nothing get in his way. So he annihilates everyone. Man, it doesn't get better than this. If I had to recommend a revenge/action film to someone who has never seen one before in their life, I would recommend Taken. Not necessarily because it's the best, but because it's the quintessential in every sense.
There were some things I didn't like, though. For example Neesons ex-wife was a b*tch to him and his daughter was a spoiled brat who was a b*tch to him. Even in the end, after he went all out just to save her. I'm not saying they were mean to him, aside from his ex-wife in the beginning, they just didn't give as much respect as they should've. But I don't think that was any sort of reason for him not to save her or anything, because I understand he loved her with all his heart. I also don't like how - and this happens all the time in action movies - during the shoot-out scene near the end between the single main protagonist and a bunch of enemies, they could never hit him once (even though they had machine guns and he didn't), yet he nailed them all. Oh well, that does come with almost every action/revenge film that has a shoot-out scene, so a movie that's the most basic form of the genre should probably have it too, right?