- This topic has 12 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 11 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
CASABLANCA (1942)
A stunning Best Picture Oscar winner that crams in the great themes of love, war, corruption and betrayal with a swagger. Bergman and Bogart give the picture it’s sexually-charged radiance but there are equally great parts from a creepy Peter Lorre, a joyously sycophantic Claude Rains, an enigmatic Paul Henreid and a bullying Conrad Veidt. Throw in Dooley Wilson’s piano work (“You must remember this..”) and the result is cinematic perfection.NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
Javier Bardem, armed only with a cattle-gun and a bad haircut, chases opportunist thief Josh Brolin around the South Texan badlands in this unremettingly exciting and violent 1980-based thriller. Not so hot on their trail is Tommy Lee Jones as a sherrif both bemused and appalled at the violence he sees around him. Has a slight cop-out ending but represents something of a departure from whimsical Coen brothers works and will have you gripped.12 ANGRY MEN (1957)
The film that kicked director Sidney Lumet into the big-time and also proved a high-point of Henry Fonda’s stellar career. Fonda is the lone dissenting juror in a seemingly clear-cut case who calmly and authoritatively brings the eleven others round to his side. This surprising liberal journey is littered with revelations about the motivation and characters of his fellow jurors that proves utterly compelling, especially when set entirely within the claustrophobic atmosphere of a jury room.THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)
With three strong leads from Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and especially the very ‘ugly’ Eli Wallach, this would have gone down well as a straightforward shoot ‘em up cowboy film. However, Sergio Leone’s ambitious direction and his compatriot Ennio Morricone’s wonderful music created something way, way better. An air of betrayal and slightly comic menace pervades the action whilst the gorgeous panoramic photography means you should really watch this in a cinema. (But where can you do that nowadays?)THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995)
Right. The plot for this so convoluted and bizarre that I can’t begin to explain, but it will draw you in and you will want to watch. Outstanding performances by Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Spacey all seemingly in the grip of a mysterious criminal genius called Keyser Soze. Spacey’s character reveals plenty when leant on by the police but what is truth and what is sleight of hand? All is revealed in a brilliant, brilliant ending – but is it what you think it is? A wonderful film.No one can disagree with these!!
Mike
Can’t disagree with those choices. As for me, and without giving it a great deal of thought I’d go with the Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Lord of the Rings [agree with Drone that the first was the best, but I still couldn’t wait each year for the next film to be released and they didn’t disappoint], It’s a Wonderful Life…and that’s where the fifth film could be one of many. I haven’t seen The Usual Suspects, but I know it came quite high up in one of those 100 best films ever programmes. No coincidence that some of the best actors of the past few decades feature in most ‘best of’ lists…Kevin Spacey [who seems to have become ‘one of us’ recently], Morgan Freeman, Gabriel Byrne [who I’ve been quite in love with since seeing him in a little known film on the telly many years ago, the name of which escapes me..he was also in a TV soap about a group of Irish folk at the start of his career, and also in one of my favourite films ever ‘Into the West’]. No Country for Old Men is a bit marmite, but I loved it; again starring one of my favourite actors, Tommy Lee Jones, who I’ve rated highly since seeing him in The Executioners Song. Perhaps Pans Labyrinth would be my fifth film.
Nice selection there Mike…
The Usual Suspects being my favourite out of that lot.
Absolutely brilliant film littered with great performances, none more so than Kevin Spacey. Has to be one of the best endings to a film ever, a real spine tingling finale!
Too many films I like to narrow it down to just five, the above mentioned and
Seven
which I mentioned on the other thread would be way up there though.
Just off the top of my head, Con Air and Snatch are two I really enjoyed and can watch again and again…
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
The Godfather (1 and 2 )
A Clockwork Orange
The Seven Samurai
ZuluI like choreographed violence.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Mike what are your opinions on
Hotel Rwanda(moving but underrated film IMO)
The Dark Knight(Heath Leger did the Joker Justice IMO finally)
Shutter IslandBe interested in a Movie Buff opinions
Saw a film recently I recall as being very good but hadn’t watched for gawd know’s how long
Not very good, simply one of the best
THE THIRD MAN 1949
Orson Welles’ and Trevor Howard’s finest performances, superb photography aided by the ice-cold lighting, great story, great music, sensuously seedy and drainingly desperate
Your choices are spot-on Mikelarge, though I haven’t seen the two most recent ones
The Usual Suspects is one of my all time favorite films. It’s so very well acted (even with Stephen Baldwin in the cast…). Spacey gives the performance of a lifetime here and it’s one that I watch over and over. It never gets boring even when I know how it ends. It’s brilliant.
I’ve heard mixed things about No Country For Old Men. Some like it some not so much. So I can’t comment on it.
One film I would add is Schindler’s List. It’s not a cakewalk and it’s in your face harsh but something that has never been seen on the screen. Brilliantly acted, scripted and filmed it’s a landmark film. It took a lot of guts to get this film done and I think everyone who has ever viewed it has been changed. That is what a great film does.
Mike what are your opinions on
Hotel Rwanda(moving but underrated film IMO)
The Dark Knight(Heath Leger did the Joker Justice IMO finally)
Shutter IslandBe interested in a Movie Buff opinions
Dark Knight was the best Batman film I’ve seen but that’s not saying much. I liked the way they de-‘camped’ The Joker from the silly Jack Nicholson version and that suited the darker feel of the film. I thought it was good, not great. The previous Christian Bale effort
Batman Begins
was poor.
Hotel Rwanda struck me as being African genocide-lite for a western audience. I don’t want graphic visuals of the sickening inter-tribal violence that occurred, but it just all felt a little sanitised for me – were we meant to forget what was happening outside the hotel?? Worried it was a bit one-sided too. Don Cheadle was OK, Nick Nolte looked bored!
Haven’t seen Shutter Island.
Mike
Too many to mention so while the first two Godfathers need no introduction, nor do films like Goodfellas, Spartacus I’ll nail my colors elsewhere to;
American History X
. Fantastic acting and truly moving plot.
Million Dollar Baby
. Ditto.
True Romance
. Tarantino’s first big screenplay, he couldn’t get funding to direct so Tony Scott stepped in and did a great job.
Man On Fire
. Another Tony Scott classic IMVHO.
Sin City
. Nothing to do with Jessica Alba pole dancing.
Lee
Saw a film recently I recall as being very good but hadn’t watched for gawd know’s how long
Not very good, simply one of the best
THE THIRD MAN 1949
Orson Welles’ and Trevor Howard’s finest performances, superb photography aided by the ice-cold lighting, great story, great music, sensuously seedy and drainingly desperate
Your choices are spot-on Mikelarge, though I haven’t seen the two most recent ones
An absolute masterpiece! Love the decaying post-war Vienna with it’s incongruous funfairs. Wonderful quotes from Welles (‘the cuckoo clock’, ‘would you care if one of those dots stopped moving’ etc). And that zither music…
They really, really
don’t
make ’em like that any more!!
Simple, but i need six!!
3 great classics and 3 great comediesGoodfellas,
Blow,
Shawshank Redemption,The Hangover,
Due Date (out now, hilarious)
Forgetting Sarah Marshell
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.