235. La battaglia di Algeri

• Year of release: 1940
• Director: George Cukor
• Genre: Comedy, Romance
• IMDB Page

It's been some time since my last update and I've got this movie to blame. Now, don't think that this movie is bad. It isn't. But, it's a 2 hour movie about a historical revolutionary war. Despite the fact that I like history, I just couldn't bring myself to watching it. But I did and I'm glad I have.

The story, if you could call it a story, is simple and straightforward. The FLN, an Algerian rebel group wants to get Algeria out of France's colonial hands and independence for its people. Their means aren't humane nor friendly. They use bombings and terror. The French government counters with heavy policing and eventually is forced to send in the paratroopers, under the command of a kickass macho Colonel. The Colonel brings down the rebellion and is victorious, but a few years later the colony achieves independence.

"Fuck you, I'm a Colonel"

I find the movie very believable. The movie feels like a documentary and the black and white setting helps it coming to life. The main actors are also highly credible and it feels as if you're really there. The only downside I could find was that some of the background actors were not doing their job properly, there was even a dude laughing in a scene where laughing wasn't favorable. But that doesn't bring the movie down as much as a random love story would have.

Buy the Collector's edition

236. The Philadelphia Story

• Year of release: 1940
• Director: George Cukor
  
• Genre: Romance
• IMDB Page

Another Cary Grant picture. The third one so far. I liked the first one I saw, I didn't like the second one, so the third one needs to be a good one for poor old Cary.

The story is very simple (and boring). Girl is going to get married, old and new loves show up on the doorstep and girl changes mind. It's a simple and effective story, unfortunately it's brought very boring and more long winded than it should have been. This movie takes a very slow start and it felt like something grand was going to happen later in the movie. Unfortunately, I was kept waiting on this finale for the entire movie. In fact, I'm still waiting on that finale.

I was also expecting some comedy...

[insert a picture of cary grant slapping a bitch]

In conclusion, this movie didn't deliver, sorry Cary. I wouldn't even recommend to borrow it.

Burn it.

237. Mulholland Drive

• Year of release: 2001
• Director: David Lynch
• Genre: Mystery, Drama, Thriller
• IMDB Page

. . .

So, uh, this movie, uh, hmmmm...

This movie is one of the most confusing movies I've ever seen. Stuff happens without actually happening, or do they? All I know are a few things and I'm not sure if I should share them as they are pretty big spoilers. I won't share them, half the fun in this movie is watching it in confusion.

The acting is superb and never really dull or annoying. The entire cast played awesome even though I guess they didn't know what was happening as well. Of course some scenes are better than other scenes, watch it and you'll see what I mean. :)

This movie thrives off of its symbolism and requires a rather straight head to get the entire movie, but it didn't hinder me in enjoying it and neither should it hinder you.

A definite recommend.

Buy it.

238. Barry Lyndon

• Year of release: 1975
  
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Genre: Drama, Romance
• IMDB Page

It's been some time since I made my last post. In fact, I nearly skipped all of February. Hordes of fans were emailing me about my blog... Not credible? Doesn't matter, on with the review!

Barry Lyndon is about the tale of Redmond Barry, an Irish farmer in the 1700's wanting to ascend into higher social circles. The entire movie revolves around Barry acquiring wealth and luxury and his eventual fall.

And that's the story in brief. There are two big parts in it: his rise to glory and his fall. Despite my sadistic nature I didn't like the second half of the movie. Which is not a good thing, being that this is a three hour movie. Needless to say, I dragged myself to the end of the movie, only to find out it has one hell of a (almost) final scene.

"Come on, guys. The second part didn't suck that much."

Either way, I think this movie is more about its historical and cinematographic values. For the former, I can say that the costumes look amazing and the setting is filled with so much atmosphere that you'd wish you were there. 

As for cinematography, as far as I know, it's very good. I read that the lighting is superb in this movie and I can only nod my head in agreement. One thing I liked as well is the absence of too much dialogue. Some movies feel they need to hold your hand and explain everything in great detail and preferably twice in case the short attention span of the average human was looking at something else (perhaps the cleavages in this movie), but this movie deliberately let's go of too much dialogue and it works.

Also, as for the newly invented cleavage factor, this movie gets 2 "big 'uns".

I'm rather undecided about this movie. There are parts that I like very much and parts that I wouldn't stand to sit through again. So, yeah, I'd say buy it. But on own risk.

Buy it.

February 5, a new top 250 comparison

It's been one month since I've started this blog and thus it's a perfect moment to check on how my list fares against the top 250 of IMDB at this moment. I'll only be comparing the movies I've seen/reviewed because of the obvious reasons.

First, new movies in the top 250:

• The Truman Show (#249)
• Les quatre cents coups (#243)

Secondly, movies I've seen as listed on February 5, 2010:

• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (#234)
• Tonari no Totoro (#239)
• Anatomy of a Murder (#241)
• Monsters, Inc. (#242)
• Toy Story 2 (#244)
• His Girl Friday (#245)
• Brazil (#246)
• Arsenic and Old Lace (#247)
• Mou Gaan Dou (#248)
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (#250)

Third, my list as on February 5, 2010:

1. Brazil (1985)
2. Mou Gaan Dou (2002)
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
4. Casino Royale (2006)
5. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
6. Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
7. Tonari no Totoro (1988) 
8. Monsters, Inc (2001)
9. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
10. Blood Diamond (2006) 
11. His Girl Friday (1940)
12. Toy Story 2 (1999)

Casino Royal fell out of the Top 250, which I regret. Unlike Blood Diamond, which shouldn't have been on the Top 250 to begin with.

My top 3 also ranks pretty low of the 12 I've seen so far, but I guess that's because of they aren't that well known with the mainstream crowd.

The only positive link I can see in the two lists is the order of the three animation movies I've seen so far.

In other news, I've been unable to watch some movies for the past couple of days, but I will continue with my viewings later this week, so keep tuned and interested!

239. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf

• Year of release: 1966
• Director: Mike Nichols
• Genre: Drama
• IMDB Page

Drama. That's all what this movie is about.

The story can be boiled down to this: a middle aged couple invites a younger couple and they argue throughout the night. During these fights or to put it better, battle of sarcastic wits, we learn of a few truths that the characters were hiding. To emphasize the conversations and the interactions of the characters, this movie only has a setting or two and it works splendidly.

As it is described above, it is obvious that this movie revolves around its characters, thus you need to have interesting characters and good actors. Two things this movie obviously has. The actors are splendid and the dialogues are both hilarious and dramatic. The characters are interesting, one could argue that "Honey" isn't an interesting character, but the truth is: she is less interesting than the others. Not not interesting.

One of the best things about this movie is its wit in the dialogue. I laughed at a few conversations while the conversations were seriously bitter. There's a lot to say about the acting of Ms. Taylor and Mr. Burton and that's the acting is superb and worthy of some prizes.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this... But, you see... I'm a better actor than you are."

The conclusion of this movie is highly confusing. Is what the middle-aged couple said all true or fiction? And if it is fiction, how much of it is true? The mindgames they played throughout the evening all boil down to the last five minutes. I had to sit down for a moment of two and think about what the issue at hand really was about. 

The only negative remark I have is its pacing at the beginning. I was very bored for the first half hour, but once past the 20-30 minute mark the movie became good.

Buy It

240. Monsters, Inc.

• Year of release: 2001
• Director: Pete Docter & David Silverman & Lee Unkrich
• Genre: Animation, Comedy
• IMDB Page

Monsters, Inc is the second Pixar product I'll be reviewing. I watched this movie a few years ago, but to be honest I didn't remember much of it, which isn't really a good sign. Let's see how well it fares.

The story can be boiled down to a few lines. James Sullivan, friends call him Sulley, is a monster and an employee in a scream converting company. His job consists of scaring small children. His best friend and colleague Mike Wazowski (the eyeball) catches the energy let out by the screams and that energy is used to power the city of monsters. Lately children have grown to be more tolerant towards scary monsters and as a result the city is getting less and less power. To make things worse, a small child, nicknamed Boo, manages to enter the city of monsters and the city falls into chaos as Sully and Mike try to get Boo back to her wold.

I'm pretty sure you can figure out the rest of the story, there's no groundbreaking plot twisting happening throughout the movie. That's not to say the story isn't original, which it is. The pacing is also done well. I only have one issue and that's how fast Sully got back out of his banishment from his city. But that's a minor pacing issue and nothing bothersome.

lol

The animations are nice as well, although I find that Toy Story 2 (1999) has better textures and feels more finished concerning design. Not that any kid would care, because kids don't care about that kind of stuff, they just want to be entertained. And that's what this movie does. The movie kept me interested all the way through and it was an enjoyable watch.

Buy It

241. His Girl Friday

• Year of release: 1940
• Director: Howard Hanks
• Comedy: Comedy, Drama
• IMDB Page

90 odd minutes. I was somewhat relieved to see that this movie was shorter than the previous ones. I had grown tired of long movies. Unfortunately this movie did not take advantage of the shorter length.

The story is a romantic story. Ex-reporter Hildy Johnson is getting married to Bruce Baldwin and visits her old newspaper headquarters. Her old editor and ex-husband, Walter Burns, realizes he still loves her and desperately tries to stop her from getting married all the while politicians come and go and criminals escape. Ms. Johnson realizing she cannot forget who she really is, a reporter, and who she loved/loves, Mr. Burns, returns to the newspaper and her old love.

Does Cary Grant have to slap a bitch?

This movie is rather boring. Or so it seemed the first 4/5ths. It never drew me in, it never made me interested in following it. In fact, I'd rather watch a few long movies than short ones like this one. Sure, it may be a realistic image of what happens when reporters want a story and how far they're willing to go, but it never really entertained.

Don't get me wrong, this movie is not crap or anything of that sort, it is a valid and solid image of the press, but I didn't find it that good.

Borrow It

242. Anatomy of a Murder

• Year of release: 1959
• Director: Otto Preminger
• Genre: Crime, Drama
• IMDB Page

A courthouse drama. I love the Phoenix Wright series, but do I love this movie?

A man, Lt. Manion, kills the man who raped his wife. Paul Biegler, a defense attorney, takes on the case and tries to get the lieutenant out of the charges. It is obvious Manion killed the man, not even Manion himself denies that, but Biegler tries to get him out based on "irresistible impulse".

That's the story without too much details. In fact, this movie's plot isn't too thick nor is there a plot twist in every scene. This movie is very interaction driven. The prosecution versus the defense. Mr. Biegler versus his successor in the DA's office. This movie is filled with witty remarks and comebacks that will make you chuckle.

The characters are or have some morally gray touches and that's what makes them come to live all the more. It doesn't take too long to get to know and to understand Mr. Biegler. In fact after his first scene, you'll know what kind of a man he is. But that doesn't mean he's a hollow character, no sir.

The movie also has the raped wife act in a manner that you'll wonder if she actually has been raped or not. This is a good thing as the rape issue is a very big and key element to the trial and the mystery makes it that much more entertaining to follow.

Despite the movie's long length (2 hours and 40 minutes) I find it entertaining and amusing and I have only a few remarks.

Even the judge finds it to be a bit lengthy

The ending is a bit off. It ends suddenly and unannounced: the entire trial's conclusion is explained (barely), acted out and over with in less than five minutes.

The beginning is slow. It takes the movie a bit too long to pick up the pace and it does so when the trail begins. Unfortunately the trail starts somewhat before the halfway mark and after you spent an hour just watching a lawyer prepare his case.

In conclusion, an entertaining watch. Just make sure you got the time to watch it:

Buy It

243. Toy Story 2

• Year of release: 1999
• Director: John Lasseter & Ash Brannon & Lee Unkrich
  
• Genre: Animation, Comedy
• IMDB Page

To tell the truth here, I've actually been avoiding this movie ever since it came out. I saw the promotional artwork and posters of the girl-woody and thought that this movie was just a sequel where Woody falls in love and has to rescue the girl or something lame like that. Unfortunately I wasn't that far off. It might be the high expectations and/or the nostalgia speaking but I don't feel this movie is a worthy follow-up to Toy Story 1.

The plot is almost the same from what I can recall, I know someone needed rescuing in Toy Story 1, I think it was Buzz, but now it's Woody who needs to be rescued. So, it's the same old again, but the movie still entertained while watching it. So, in short, Woody gets kidnapped by an evil collector. His toybuddies try to retrieve Woody by going all the way across the city. Woody finds three other toys who were in "Woody's Roundup", which was an old collection of Wild West toy figurines starring Woody. The collector wants to sell them to a Japanese museum and he leaves for the airport with Woody and his friends. I do not need to tell you the ending as this is a Disney movie after all.

The point of the plot is entirely MOOt, go watch Toy Story 1

The jokes and funny scenes in this movie are very entertaining and it kept a good pace. I never got bored watching it, but the nagging déja-vu feeling never went away. But, whatever, it is a sequel after all.

I'm not saying this movie is utter crap, but it doesn't really deserve a top 250 spot, especially not if Toy Story 1 is already in it.

Borrow It
(unless if you have kids, then buy it as they can watch the same crap over and over again)

244. Brazil

• Year of release: 1985
• Director: Terry Gilliam
• Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
• IMDB Page

Upon hearing this movie's title, I expected a movie about crossdressers. Was I wrong!

The story revolves around Sam Lowry who works at the Ministry of Information, Department Records. The Ministry of Information is an essential part in the totalitarian, bureaucratic government. Sam is happy, or so he thinks, with his work until he sees a woman while on the job. This is odd because he never saw that woman before, but he somehow has these absurd dreams about her, in which he saves her from an evil bureaucratic monster as an angelic knight. He does everything he can to get in touch with the woman and eventually takes the promotion to Information Retrieval, which he never wanted, to get closer to this woman. He eventually finds her and his world is turned upside down.

I'll stop there. The ending is not something I'd want to spoil for you. I can tell you that the ending and actually the second half of the movie is awesome. Scratch that, this entire movie is awesome.

The plot is very good and doesn't bore you with things no one needs to know about. You'll also find that the story isn't very plot driven but is carried more by the characters. Sam's reaction to most scenes is funny, well-written and highly believable. I especially like the scene with the truck chase. Sam's behavior in that scene is hilariously funny and something that's in his nature to do.

As a side mark, I absolutely love Archibald Tuttle, portrayed by Robert De Niro. Just a vague description of his character makes you interested in him: a terrorist plumber. Most of his lines are also brilliant: "Why? I came into this game for the action, the excitement. Go anywhere, travel light, get in, get out, wherever there's trouble, a man alone. Now they got the whole country sectioned off, you can't make a move without a form." And that's about how he got into being a freelance plumber.

It doesn't get better than a terrorist plumber.

In fact, this entire movie contains funny quote. Read them on the IMDB page if you want to have a laugh, or chuckle, or two.

In the end, this movie does what it sets out to do and does a good job while doing it: making a satire of the bureaucratic system. You just can't help but enjoy some of the exaggerations while feeling a feeling of familiarity with the situations at hand.

In conclusion:

Buy the Collector's Edition

245. Casino Royale

• Year of release: 2006
• Director: Martin Campbell
• Genre: Action
• IMDB Page

007 is cool. C007.

Lame jokes aside, this movie has got it all: action, babes, one-liners and poker. It's James Bond in a casino, but does the movie play its cards right?

The story is good enough to watch the movie. Bond tracks down, or wants to, the man who funds terrorists. To get to this man, Mr. Le Chiffre, he has to enter a poker tournament in Montenegro. Sure enough he wins it and afterwards he gets kidnapped and tortured by Le Chiffre. He gets saved and then there is some plot twisting and bending to keep you entertained.

One of the things bothering me about this movie is the final poker scene. As each player shows his hand he gets the advantage over the already shown hands. Sure enough Mr. Bond is last to show his hand, right after Mr. Le Chiffre showed the other players how you win at poker, and Mr. Bond obviously has yet another better hand. It feels all too artificial and coincidental to happen in real life, but good hands are dealt at 100/hour in the James Bond universe.

[insert (not-so-)funny remark]

The love scenes were also a bit unnecessary. And I'm not talking about Bond's usual smooth talking, but the actual love interest in Ms. Lynd. The part after Bond completed his mission and spends his days recovering and sailing around the world are very much irritating and annoying. Sure, we get the point. Bond and Lynd are in love. But I feel that by overemphasizing this relationship, the plot twist that follows it became all that more obvious and predictable. And we all know you don't play trump cards when others expect it.

But enough about the bad parts. This is an action movie so let's talk action.

The movie opens with a spectacular chase scene on foot. Bond chases a guy and the chased guy knows... wait for it... parcours. If you're unknown with this sport: it's basically overcoming obstacles on foot. There are some pretty awesome movies on youtube. Anyway, the dude knows what he's doing and clears some pretty dangerous obstacles.

In general the action scenes are executed nicely. It's a Bond movie after all, they've got the budget to pull this off.

I remember there being a lot of commotion of Daniel Craig being the new James Bond, because of his hair color. Exaggerated reactions. Daniel Craig did a good job and I don't think Bond's hair color matters at all.

Perhaps one final minor "bad thing". Eva Green, the Bond Girl in this movie, isn't that spectacular. But you know, tastes differ I guess.

Despite the annoying parts:

Buy It

246. Arsenic and Old Lace

• Year of release: 1944
• Director: Frank Capra
• Genre: Comedy
• IMDB Page

Our first comedy is one from 1944. And it apparently stars Cary Grant.

The story starts with the marriage of Mortimer Brewster, a drama critic, and Eileen. When informing his aunts and packing his suitcase he stumbles upon a dead man's body in the window seat. He asks his aunts about the man and they playfully admit they poisoned him. But before Mortimer can recover from the shock, they tell him the dead man is their twelfth murder. Mortimer doesn't want to report his aunts out of love and tries to make the stop their killing spree. Later that evening, Mortimer's brother, Jonathan, breaks in and seeks refuge from the police while carrying a dead body along.

First off, this movie is a tad too long. It misses the two hour mark by a few minutes and in my opinion should have been a bit shorter. Of course, where to shave off some time? You could say the scenes with Eileen, but then we'd miss out on seeing the beauty that is Priscilla Lane. We wouldn't want that, would we?

Does Cary Grant have to slap a bitch?

The comedy in this movie is entertaining. There are some scenes which will make you laugh or put a smile on your face. One of the best scenes is the fight at the end in the Brewster house. Mortimer's speech and behavior throughout the fight and the way he smokes his cigarette through it all are classic. One letdown was the relative living in the house who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt. It was cute and funny at first, but seeing him run up that staircase shouting "charge" the entire movie got old. Fast.

One final remark before the conclusion is perhaps that the movie takes place in mainly one setting, the Brewster house. It fits this movie perfectly. The house is alive and the atmosphere is right.

Buy It

Rating System

I rate the movies I've seen based on a different system than you're used to. Instead of the traditional "out of ten" systems you see in every movie reviewing site I'm going to use a different kind of rating. I'm going to advise what you should do when you want to see the movie I'm reviewing. I've decided on the following categories, posted from worst to best:

• Burn it
  Don't even think about watching this movie.
  

• Borrow It
  Don't spend any money at all on this movie, find a friend, colleague, family member, etc. who can lend you this movie for free.
  
  
• Rent It
  Good movie, but it's not worth to watch this one more than once. Don't borrow it as money should still be spent to see this movie.
  
  
• Buy It
  Simple as that. The movie is worth of being on everyone's shelves and you should or ought to be able to watch it multiple times. 
  
  
• Buy the Collector's Edition
  Some movies are worth the extra cash and this one is one of them. Buy the Collector's Edition, Extended Edition, Director's Cut. Don't buy them all, but you owe it to society to own this movie in all its glory.

There you have it; my own rating system; now go out there and buy some movie gems.

247. Tonari no Totoro

• Year of release: 1988
• Director: Hayao Miyazaki
• Genre: Animation, Adventure
• Translated title: My Neighbour Totoro

Our first animated movie is one by the hands of the Japanese Master, Miyazaki. They call him the Asian Disney. Sounds promising enough to me, let's go.

A father and his two girls, Mei and Satsuki, move to the countryside to be closer to their ill mother residing in a hospital. Upon investigation by the two girls they discover the house is haunted. However, the tiny ghost are scared of into the nearby woods. A few days later Mei plays around the house and sees a tiny ghost that somewhat resembles a squirrel bred with a rabbit. The tiny ghost makes a run for it and Mei chases after it into the woods where she stumbles upon a giant, sleeping creature. She nicknames the creature Totoro. It appears that Totoro is the wood's master and has magical abilities like making trees grow and call a ghost catbus. When Satsuki and Mei learn their mother has apparently regressed, Mei disappears. Satsuki and the entire village start a search, but alas, the small girl is nowhere to be found. But with the help of Totoro Satsuki finds her little sister and sees that her mom only had a cold.

"Well, this is awkward..."

The drawing and animation style are beautiful and they really bring the characters to life. Especially Mei has a good design and animation to it. Her playfulness and rather active play style are captured perfectly. Also, the catbus. It's a bus and a cat. Awesome.

The story is simple, but touching. The emotional scenes have really touched me and I was rooting that they would find little Mei. The simplicity of the story was all this movie needed. And the only mystery is left up to the viewer to decide: Does Totoro only exist in the girls' imagination or does he really exist? Doesn't matter, the story is good.

That's all there is to say. It's a good movie.

Buy It

248. Mou Gaan Dou

• Year of release: 2002
• Director: Wai-keung Lau & Alan Mak
  
• Genre: Crime, Drama
• Translated title: Infernal Affairs
• IMDB Page

The first non-English movie on my list proves to be a rather interesting one. Certainly a movie that deserves more credit.

The story, made simple: Two cadets aspire to be cops, but one of them gets expelled and has to leave the force. The expelled cadet, Yan, isn't really expelled. He is recruited as an undercover cop due to his brilliance and talents. Years later, Yan infiltrated the triads and passed on information about an upcoming drug deal. During this deal so many things went wrong that it became clear that there is an undercover cop in the triads, but it also became clear there was a mole in the police department. This is obviously, at least to the viewer, the other cadet, Lau. Throughout the movie Lau and Yan play a cat and mouse game until a climactic ending. I'm not going to spoil this one for you.

It's obvious that this story needs suspense, it needs a certain atmosphere of suspicion. And it delivers. Big time. Almost from the start until the ending this movie will have you interested, hooked and rooting for the characters. Up until the ending, which is awesome. I'm not going to give away too much, but the climax is super.

"Being a cop sure is hard work"
-"You're just holding the mouse"

The actors are also very good, portraying their characters as good as possible and it's a job well done if you ask me, which you are doing.

If I had to nitpick and find a negative aspect it would have to be the love interests of both of the main characters. They're unneeded and the movie could have done without the girlfriends, but it's not an as disruptive factor as it was in Blood Diamond. Then again, it leaves open to fill in the plotholes, or to put it better oddities, left in this movie. I've seen that there are sequels, so I've yet to learn if these oddities are going to be answered or not.

In conclusion: good movie, go see it!

Buy the Collector's Edition

My Top 250

Here you'll find my own top 250, based on the IMDB top 250. After watching and reviewing a movie, it gets added here, forming my own opinion of how the top 250 should have looked.

1. Brazil (1985)
2. Mou Gaan Dou (2002)
3. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
4. Casino Royale (2006)
5. La Battaglia di Algeri (1966)
6. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
7. Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
8. Tonari no Totoro (1988) 
9. Mulholland Drive (2001)
10. Barry Lyndon (1975)
11. Monsters, Inc (2001)
12. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
13. Blood Diamond (2006) 
14. His Girl Friday (1940)
15. Toy Story 2 (1999)
16. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

The Top 250 Movies as it was on January 5, 2010

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
2. The Godfather (1972)
3. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
4. Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)
5. Pulp Fiction (1994)
6. Schindler's List (1993)
7. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
8. 12 Angry Men (1957)
9. The Dark Knight (2008)
10. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
11. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
12. Star Wars (1977)
13. Casablanca (1942)
14. Goodfellas (1990)
15. Shichinin no samurai (1954)
16. Cidade de Deus (2002)
17. Fight Club (1999)
18. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
19. Rear Window (1954)
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
21. The Usual Suspects (1995)
22. Psycho (1960)
23. C'era una volta il West (1968)
24. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
25. The Matrix (1999)
26. Memento (2000)
27. Se7en (1995)
28. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
29. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
30. Avatar (2009)
31.  Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
32. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
33. Citizen Kane (1941)
34. North by Northwest (1959)
35. Léon (1994)
36. Apocalypse Now (1979)
37. American Beauty (1999)
38. American History X (1998)
39. Forrest Gump (1994)
40. Taxi Driver (1976)
41. Vertigo (1958)
42. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
43. WALL·E (2008)
44. Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
45. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
46. Alien (1979)
47. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
48. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
49. The Shining (1980)
50. Paths of Glory (1957)
51. The Departed (2006)
52. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
53. The Pianist (2002)
54. Aliens (1986)
55. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
56. Das Leben der Anderen (2006)
57. M (1931)
58. Double Indemnity (1944)
59. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
60. Chinatown (1974)
61. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
62. The Third Man (1949)
63. L.A. Confidential (1997)
64. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
65. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
66. Das Boot (1981)
67. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
68. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
69. El laberinto del fauno (2006)
70. City Lights (1931)
71. Up (2009)
72. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
73. Raging Bull (1980)
74. The Prestige (2006)
75. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
76. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
77. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
78. La vita è bella (1997)
79. Some Like It Hot (1959)
80. Back to the Future (1985)
81. Der Untergang (2004)
82. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
83. Gran Torino (2008)
84. Modern Times (1936)
85. Amadeus (1984)
86. Rashômon (1950)
87. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
88. Nuovo cinema Paradiso (1988)
89. All About Eve (1950)
90. Braveheart (1995)
91. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
92. The Elephant Man (1980)
93. Sin City (2005)
94. Metropolis (1927)
95. Rebecca (1940)
96. The Green Mile (1999)
97. The Great Dictator (1940)
98. The Apartment (1960)
99. The Sting (1973)
100. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) 
101. The Great Escape (1963)
102. District 9 (2009)
103. Batman Begins (2005)
104. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
105. Gladiator (2000)
106. Jaws (1975)
107. Ladri di biciclette (1948)
108. Unforgiven (1992)
109. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
110. Blade Runner (1982)
111. No Country for Old Men (2007)
112. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
113. Die Hard (1988)
114. On the Waterfront (1954)
115. Touch of Evil (1958)
116. Oldboy (2003)
117. Det sjunde inseglet (1957)
118. Fargo (1996)
119. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
120. Mononoke-hime (1997)
121. Strangers on a Train (1951)
122. Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)
123. Heat (1995)
124. Donnie Darko (2001)
125. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
126. The Wrestler (2008)
127. High Noon (1952)
128. There Will Be Blood (2007)
129. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
130. Notorious (1946)
131. The Sixth Sense (1999)
132. Annie Hall (1977)
133. The Deer Hunter (1978)
134. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
135. Platoon (1986)
136. The General (1926)
137. The Big Sleep (1946)
138. Snatch. (2000)
139. Ben-Hur (1959)
140. Into the Wild (2007)
141. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
142. The Big Lebowski (1998)
143. Yojimbo (1961)
144. Ran (1985)
145. Star Trek (2009)
146. It Happened One Night (1934)
147. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
148. Life of Brian (1979)
149. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
150. The Lion King (1994)
151. Finding Nemo (2003)
152. Smultronstället (1957)
153. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
154. Trainspotting (1996)
155. The Graduate (1967)
156. Stand by Me (1986)
157. Gone with the Wind (1939)
158. Toy Story (1995)
159. The Terminator (1984)
160. Ratatouille (2007)
161. Groundhog Day (1993)
162. Scarface (1983)
163. Amores perros (2000)
164. The Thing (1982)
165. 8½ (1963)
166. Gandhi (1982)
167. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
168. V for Vendetta (2005)
169. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
170. The Gold Rush (1925)
171. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
172. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
173. Les diaboliques (1955)
174. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
175. Le salaire de la peur (1953)
176. The Princess Bride (1987)
177. The Incredibles (2004)
178. Casino (1995)
179. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
180. Children of Men (2006)
181. The Killing (1956)
182. The Wild Bunch (1969)
183. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
184. Hotaru no haka (1988)
185. In Bruges (2008)
186. The Exorcist (1973)
187. Le notti di Cabiria (1957)
188. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
189. The Hustler (1961)
190. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
191. Harvey (1950)
192. The Kid (1921)
193. Ed Wood (1994)
194. King Kong (1933)
195. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
196. Good Will Hunting (1997)
197. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
198. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
199. Dial M for Murder (1954)
200. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
201. Big Fish (2003)
202. Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
203. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
204. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
205. Brief Encounter (1945)
206. Stalag 17 (1953)
207. Crash (2004/I)
208. Sleuth (1972)
209. Duck Soup (1933)
210. Magnolia (1999)
211. The African Queen (1951)
212. Rocky (1976)
213. Le scaphandre et le papillon (2007)
214. Mystic River (2003)
215. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
216. Manhattan (1979)
217. Rope (1948)
218. Network (1976)
219. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
220. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
221. Wo hu cang long (2000)
222. La strada (1954)
223. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
224. Changeling (2008)
225. Patton (1970)
226. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
227. The Conversation (1974)
228. Planet of the Apes (1968)
229. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
230. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
231. Glory (1989)
232. Spartacus (1960)
233. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
234. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
235. La battaglia di Algeri (1966)
236. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
237. Mulholland Dr. (2001) 
238. Barry Lyndon (1975)
239. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
240. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
241. His Girl Friday (1940)
242. Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
243. Toy Story 2 (1999)
244. Brazil (1985)
245. Casino Royale (2006)
246. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
247. Tonari no Totoro (1988)
248. Mou gaan dou (2002)
249. Blood Diamond (2006)
250. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
     
     

249. Blood Diamond

• Year of Release: 2006
• Director: Edward Zwick
• Genre: Action, Drama
• IMDB Page

My first action movie on the list. I wouldn't call it an action movie though, sure there are some action scenes in it, but it's more of a drama than an action movie. Nevertheless, it's a rather good movie. Why? Let's find out.

The plot isn't very complicated, I'll explain it very briefly. The village of fisherman Solomon Vandy gets attacked by a group of rebels, the RUF. His family can escape, but he's taken as a prisoner and is forced to work for the rebels in the diamond mines. In that mine he finds a diamond as big as a bird's egg. As he buries it the rebel leader catches him in the act, but right as Solomon was forced to hand the diamond over the rebel camp gets attacked. Solomon buries the diamond and escapes, getting arrested in the process. In jail the rebel leader confronts Solomon about the diamond. In that same jail diamond smuggler Danny Archer, played by DiCaprio, witnesses this and takes an interest in the big diamond. Archer gets Solomon out of jail and promises to help Solomon find his family if he hands over the diamond. Meanwhile Solomon's son has been "recruited" in the RUF and gets the standard brainwashing treatment. On their way to the diamond, Solomon and Archer meet up with reporter Maddy Bowen, who's on Archer's tail for a good story. Eventually Solomon finds his son, Archer his diamond and Maddy her story. However, Archer doesn't survive the trip back to the airplane and decides to give the diamond to Solomon.

I'm going to start by mentioning Leonardo's acting. He really shines in this movie and carries it with his performance. His character was very believable and the accent he adapted sounded genuine. Djimon Hounsou is also delivering his best in this movie. There are some very touching scenes in this movie that revolve around and are carried by him.

The interactions between the characters are well done. Especially the father-son moments between Solomon and his son. The only thing I found a bit redundant and silly was Archer and Maddy. This love interest was forced and in my opinion not necessary to have been included.

Or how to make a rather good movie less enjoyable.

One of the things I don't like is that the movie is too long. It keeps a good, steady pace up until one point and then it sort of drags itself past the two hour mark to deliver a rather typical American ending. If the movie had been shorter, I would have enjoyed it more. Simple as that.

The morality in this movie is very noticeable and it carries a strong message. However, I don't think it's delivered very well. It carries somewhat the message as "The Day the Earth Stood Still" has (squint your eyes a bit), but somehow lacks the presentation "The Day the Earth Stood Still" had. The message in this movie was much more forced upon its viewers and there isn't much debate left to be had. I don't think anyone could argue that blood diamonds are a good thing after watching this movie.

If they would have left out the points I mentioned and made it shorter, I think this movie would have deserved a higher place, but I feel "The Day the Earth Stood Still" deserves to be above this title.

Rent It

250. The Day the Earth Stood Still

• Year of release: 1951
• Director: Robert Wise
• Genre: Science Fiction
• IMDB Page

Starting at the bottom the first movie I watched was #250 'The Day the Earth Stood Still'. From what I gathered from several comments and online reviews about the film, it is a timeless classic. And I cannot really deny that it truly is a classic.

The story is simple, but effective. An extraterrestrial being named Klaattu lands on earth with a message of peace. Us, humans, need to learn to live in peace with each other or face extermination. Klaattu's people are supposedly afraid that the humans upon reaching space travel would lead to some serious issues because of the human's violent nature. However, before Klaattu gets to say anything about his message he gets shot down by the US military. Upon recovery in the hospital and diplomatic issues, Klaattu escapes and rents a room in a boarding house. He acquaints a small boy and his mother who live in the boarding house and Klaattu offers to spend time with the boy in an effort to learn more about the human world. Klaattu meets the renowned professor living in the city he crashed into. He urges the professor to gather the smartest people on the world to hear him out, as the politicians failed to do. To strengthen his words Klaattu stopped all electrical apparatuses and vehicles from working for half an hour, hence the name of the movie. While being chased by the military, Klaattu gets shot again. He who thought that Klaattu wouldn't get to deliver his message is wrong as his robot can revive Klaattu, albeit for an undetermined time frame. Klaattu delivers his message to the wise men and the police. And they are left behind, amazed and flabbergasted, as Klaattu takes off in his spaceship.

"Yes. We, aliens, all wear our pants this high."

The story is in many ways still relevant today. The most obvious is the fact that the wars are still being fought today. Man has still not learned to live in peace. Another way is the diplomatic scene of suspicion. I think Copenhagen '09 showed us yet again that the leaders of the world cannot cooperate for the greater good, like in the movie the various leaders would even argue about the location where Klaattu would speak to them.

The open ending of the story is one of the many things I like about it. Klaattu doesn't await the answer of man, he just leaves after delivering his message, telling us he will see our answer soon enough. The movie leaves it to the viewer to fill in what man would do. Is man going to destroy himself or is he going to find a way to cooperate? The morality of the story is a bit too much, but that's what makes it a classic I think. It portrays man as a violent creature in such a way that you are subtly forced to think that man really is violent. Normally I would not like this kind of approach and the storytelling wouldn't get the appraisal it's getting now, but I feel that the portrayal of humans is done in such a way that it forces you to think about man's behavior towards his fellow man.

The acting is in my opinion very good. The acting of Michael Rennie, Klaattu is of a superb level and makes for a very credible alien, despite his human form. Patricia Neal is also one of the brighter lights in this movie.

The special effects in this movie aren't very good, in fact, I can't think of five special effects in the movie. But that doesn't matter, the plot and the acting are the keystones of this movie and are the reasons why you should watch it.

I'd say something about the quality of the directing and stuff, but I'd have no clue what I'd be talking about, but it's all good.

Buy the Collector's Edition