The Godfather part 2

Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Year released: 1974

This is one of the best sequels ever, very different to the first yet still amazing. A little of the perfection that I see in the Godfather part one is drooped and the story is more complicated, part two is more deep than its prelude in my opinion. There are parts in this movie that I have not understood even in the three viewings that I have given it after reading on imdb I think I understand what happened however it slightly ruined it a little for me during the middle not knowing what was happening.

Part two is a comparison between Micheal Corleone and his father Vito Corleone, Vito died in the first movie and gave his power to Micheal in part two we flick between the 1900s-1920s with Vito growing up and slowly becoming respected and more powerful, and the 1950s with Micheal running organized crime in Nevada and Cuba. Micheal slowly ruins the Corleone family making it less powerful. The flash backs are amazing I have always liked flash backs and flash forwards looking at how people change over time. The flash backs in the Godfather part two are amazing every scene is exciting through De Niro's amazing acting and the great character of Vito Corleone. I enjoyed watching how the great Godfather started small with a couple friends slowly getting bigger and bigger. I wouldn't mind a movie just on his grow up if it were not in part 2 of the Godfather.

Micheal is very similar to Vito however fails at running his fathers business this makes us draw conclusions as to what aspect did Vito have that Micheal did not. Vito puts his family first in the flash backs and in part one, as a child a don kills his family and he escapes, Vito comes back when he is older to avenge his families death. When somebodies makes a threat about his family that person ends up dead. You fuck with Vito's family he will kill you as simple as that. Micheal seems to put business first and family second this is why he losses his wife and a few other things that would spoil stuff.

The music was not as powerful as it was in the first which was a shame as it is beautiful music that builds the movie hugely. It is better in the first because the theme song is played more it is as simple as that. I love the music and both the Godfathers have been well scored however I simply missed hearing that wonderful mournful sounding music that makes the film appear beautiful which it is.

Al Pacino like in the first Godfather was amazing. I didn't like Micheal Corleone as much as Vito however that is defiantly not because of the acting. I could not tell you who acted better Pacino or De Niro as it would keep me up at nights the acting is some of the best in history from both of them. Micheal is more of a bad guy than Vito he shows very little mercy to anybody and kills people just on principal. Vito killed people but he could also show mercy he was a nice guy Micheal was not, imo.

The Godfather has a perfect start I love the part where they are in the office and Micheal says to Pat Geary "Senator? You can have my answer now, if you like. My final offer is this: nothing. Not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally. " Perfect it makes me shiver the way Pacino delivers this line as well as it being an awesome comeback from such a son of a bitch to cocky for his own good.

A great movie not as good as the prelude but amazing none the less. A deep story of somebody who had everything and lost it. A power presentation of how power can corrupt and fuck everything up. Some of the best acting from two of my favorite actors as well as an amazing performance by Michael V. Gazzo who comes across as a grumpy old man who is extremely cool, John Cazale epically the scene when he says "I'm your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over! as well as an equally good Tom Hagen created by Robert Duvall.
9.5/10

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the ring

Genre: Epic/Fantasy/Action/War
Director: Peter Jackson (go NZ)
year of release: 2001

I used to like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy so much before I smarted up and started enjoying greater movies, it is still an amazing story however it has some flaws that holds me back from liking it as much as I use to.

Lord of the Rings is complicated story about destroying a ring of power that could give a physical form back to the evil lord Sauron which would in turn probably ruin the world called middle earth. The fellowship is the first in the trilogy and is mainly about Frodo taking the Ring to rivendale, through Moria and a bit further. I must say the story is amazing, one of the best books made into a great movie. The charters and dialogue are written wonderfully, this is probably because of J.R.R Toliens in put in making the books so I blame him for all these wonderful advantages to this film although it could have been the three people who did the screenplay who
this quality (Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and Peter himself). The direction is good and the music is great and hugely improves simple scenes like the title appearing.

The characters are written to perfection however acting holds this movie back. Elijah Wood plays the part he was born yet is still very average imo. He has the look for the character but the way he delivery's his lines are reasonably unnaturally and seemed if not forced then just annoying. He comes of as a hard core pussy that seems shy and held back although this is slightly how I believe the character should have been done I believe it has been overdone. Some lines make me cringe however he seems to get a better idea of his character through the movies and the trilogy, I watched the second one the day after I watched this and Elijah had seemed to improve and seem more natural. Sam is average in this one however is brilliant in the second I will watch the third soon however I remember loving his character by the end.

The dialogue is very good. Scenes make you shiver because the lines are rich in creativity and match the style and improve the feel of the movie. The scenes at the start make me shiver as they are so cool. As I have said many times I have a soft spot for narration a voice over that contains great sentences Lord of the Rings starts with "The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it." irejijvahalsjlkjf cool. The music adds to this scene so much as it is slightly sad playing slightly quite long shaky notes similar to the way it is done in the Godfather.

Legolas had the potential to be one of the coolest characters in history, he seems to save the day will the final blow to many enemies, pulls some awesome moves and has a distinct fighting style that suits his character. Orlando Bloom is bad it seems worse when the character has so much potential. He seems to try and create an accent then he keeps breaking it with certain lines e.g "Goblins!" when he picks up an arrow in Moria. I never remember not thinking much of Legolas and when a person said they liked him I realized back then that he had potential only now do I know why. Legolas is a quite character who likes using a bow and two small daggers when killing bad guys his style is not only unlike but looks amazing the choreography in this movie is very good epically with legoglas. He is the fast moving, aerobatic character that should be everyone's favorite however losses this to Aragorn.

Manly the acting wasn't too bad I liked Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn and Ian McKellen as Gandalf Merry and Pippin are good aside from a few scenes, Boromir was too bad Galadreil and Arwen when on the verge of bad and Gimili suited his part well and acted not badly. Many of the actors give a very small range they have a character that seems one certain mood and no other. Only the hobbits really show varying emotions it seems a bit strange possibly a bit annoying.

Lord of the Rings is a very dark trilogy I am sure every one has told you this however I am going to say it again. The lighting is often dim to create dark, mysterious and evil situations this is the only possible way it could have been done if they tried to make a happy light feel to this dark story full of evil it just would not of worked, I can not think of too many movies that have been done similarly to Lord of the Rings and it feels quite original.

Fellowship of the Ring is very singular storied this aspect is great as none of the scenes feel irrelevant a feeling as there are no silly side stories that could have been cut out and hold no effect. Every scene builds to one thing the ring being destroyed this makes the story all the more great. The Two Towers does not have this effect and has slightly fallen even though I enjoyed the second better. Recently a few of the movies I have been watching have the feeling that not everything is relevant and it has pissed me off a little, however it is the reason that I like the Searchers as it is a similar strength in that as well.

The fighting is pretty amazing many scenes have you on the edge of your seat cheering on the good guys, it is reasonably realistic and there are some amazing action scenes. Seven Samurai and this trilogy have some of my favorite battles scenes. Viggo and Legolas lead in there styles of killing Viggo with his big sword heaving heavy blows to his enemies and Legolas quickly using his bow and trying to keep his distance to the hundreds of orcs which he does well in even close quarters. Legolas also uses two daggers twirling them around in fast repetitive hits that look cool. The shaky camera makes you feel almost as if you are there a style created by the movie I just watched breathless (not quite as well done however).

This movie is not a fantastic, amazing, inspiring classic however it is quite good. It does not quite shake that modern feeling and with out the amazing writing mainly in the story, dialogue and characters it would be another average epic to make money with a selection of good and average acting. Jackson adds another layer to its greatness however underneath you can tell someone just wants to make money rather than make a great movie like a painting with a bad under layer that effects the whole bringing it down. The special effects are amazing and there are some amazing pans of my beautiful country. I believe there is defiantly a type of target audience for instance my dad does not like the trilogy as there is only about 1 or 2 jokes every 3 hours, still give it a chance as I believe it has a decent draw into the story.

8.5/10

Singin' in the Rain

Genre: Musical/Comedy/Romance
Year released: 1952
Director: Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly

I am not really one for musicals however this is an exception. This cheerful movie could not be not liked. Gene Kelly is amazing his acting, his singing and his dancing I could not believe how amazingly talented he was. Cosmo was funny as hell, some of the stuff he did I am sure will have me in laughter even weeks later. I enjoyed a lot of the music as I said I am not one for musicals and the reason being I do not really like how everyone learns the words as soon as the song begins. Singing' in the rain only possessed this feeling in about 2 songs and even then it wasn't a whole crowd on the street like I really hate it was simple two or three people. The famous Singing in the rain scene was wonderful the cinematography was so amazing. This is one of those movies you have that strange looking smile on your face throughout the entire film.

Gene Kelly what can I say from the first moment I saw I was amazed. The first time he tap dances I couldn't believe it and he was as well a great singer. The time we see him properly perform in the flash back at the beginning had me laughing the whole time how him and Cosmo could have pulled that violin duet thing is beyond me. His character was constantly awesome as he was very humerus and natural in every scene he was in.

Donald O'Connor was originally my favorite character however now it might be a tie with Gene Kelly his funny lines and songs were very cool. Donald played Cosmo who probably was one of the most talented in this film however in it he never gets recognized Cosmo does more of the back stage type of things. His personality is always cheerful and happy even in the bad situations and he possess a likable charm to him. Although slightly cheesy in parts of the songs, possibly due to the movie aging slightly, he is still one of the coolest characters in this movie.

Lina Lamont was a great character I didn't like her much which was the point. Her high pitched voice was so annoying and I loved watching the studio try and sort it out when the time came to make talkie movies. Lina was a real pretty, snobby and bitchy character she added to the movie with through her actions and because of her voice.

The Singing in the rain song I liked, it might not be my type of music (oh yea Iron Maiden coming to Christchurch) but I was still able to enjoy it as it is not crappy hip hop, rap, techno or pop music of the now day genre which I despise. The scene with Gene Kelly in the rain singing this song is amazing the way every shot is created is amazing the scene with him on the lamppost should be considered a piece of art and should hang in art galleries. The policeman part was very funny as well as how he gives his umbrella to the stranger and walks in a strange way into the distance.

In conclusion a great musical one of the best I have seen, out of about 5 maybe. Singin' in the Rain should be remembered forever because of the talent put in through the music, cinematography, acting, story and dancing. It should be remembered for its great characters, comedy, it is a heart full piece of art.

9 - 9.5/10

Gone with the Wind

Genre: Epic/Drama/Romance

Year of release: 1939

Director: Victor Fleming

I quite enjoyed this very long movie and it somehow kept me reasonably interested throughout the movie. I went in with high expectations and was not disappointed.

Gone with the wind is a true classic, however it has major flaws that it makes up for. I did not like a lot of the acting done by Vivien Leigh (yes that who that actress was from streetcar that makes me feel a heap better) I felt she often did her emotions way over the top and it was quite annoying. At times I got use to it and at times it badly annoyed me however the acting was made up by Clark Gable, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland who were all very wonderful. The cinematography was great and the fire scenes truly were amazing, the fact they used all the color cameras in the world at time is shocking and the scenes really benefited from it. The story keep me interested epically at the start and end the middle just after you flip the disc falls slightly apart.

Gone with the wind is a huge tale of Scarlett O'Hara's story thought the civil war, she through out the movie is in a childish crush over Ashley a man already married and a solider in the War. This fantasy puts her in very bad situation and in a way is cause for much of the troubles she has with her life. Scarlett goes from being very rich to very poor and we see a change in her character.

Scarlett was a true bitch of a character she is selfish and cares only for herself and Ashley. To spite Ashley she even marries a young man obsessed with her when he dies in the war she does not morn as she does not care. Her character was a bonus and I do admire her courage, optimism and determination. At times I cringed at Vivien's performance as the acting sometimes seemed way over the top in a way that was annoying, I am sure if I watched it again I would think less of it and be even more drawn into its amazing story.

Clark Gable played Rhett Butler who was selfish and crazy about Scarlett. His acting was pretty amazing and every scene he was in was improved because of his presence. I felt slightly similar in his scenes to how I felt in Streetcar when Marlon Brando was on, even thought there was not much happening the acting seemed so casual it felt like real life. Rhett was enjoyable from start to finish however he is not in the about the 3rd quarter after the disc is turned over maybe this is why this quarter was easily the least enjoyable and had the feeling it was falling apart. Best character in this movie.

Olivia de Havilland was also very good as well as me liking her caring, good matured, nice person character her acting was not as outstanding as Clark Gables and stood slightly in his shadow however after I thought about it a little I realized how good her performance was. Her character Melanie was so good to all the others around her I could not help but like her. Even though Scarlett acted badly in some scenes it feels like it makes up with it with some great acting.

The scene with the city burning was amazing and had me on the edge of my seat going "Wow" that looks so great. The use of shadows and silhouette is quite good in this movie and creates some good scenes epically when a shadowy silhouette of a horse and riders rides fast past and flaming building that slowly reduces to the ground. Scenes like this I believed to be impossible in the 30's and was astounded to find myself completely wrong.

Gone with the wind is a real privilege to cinema through its amazing story of love and hardships, it great acting and its amazing shots. In conclusion it is for all movie lovers and does not get dull apart from maybe a small part during the middle, which for a 3 and half hour romance movie I was quite surprised. It has great characters and great character developments. Gone with the Wind made $200 000 000 in the box office in 1939 making it at least one of the most grossing movies of all time (since two hundred million was a lot more back then) and I can see why.

9/10

King Kong (1933)

Genre: Action/Drama
Year of release: 1933
Director:Merian C. Cooper Ernest B. Schoedsack

I was quite put off this movie as I had seen the scenes of Kong on the Empire State building and they seemed quite well annoying, what I thought was unbearable. In the first scenes of Kong I had my doubts however I got over it.

I quite enjoyed Peter Jackson's remake of this film and although I enjoyed this more I think I could have liked it more if I had not seen it as I always felt like I knew what was going to happen next and it didn't have me on the edge of my seat in many scenes, I think because of that reason. King Kong really must have been amazing when it came out it must have changed cinema for ever.

If you don't know King Kong is about a crazy director famous for filming in dangerous situations taking a group of people including for the first time in his films a girl, to a secret island to film a picture possibly with some legend god called Kong. The movie is a great story of beauty beating the beast. King Kong did defiantly not look as good as in the remake how ever for 33 it was pretty good epically in some scenes. The acting too was good however not hugely amazing in my opinion. Some of the cinematography was amazing some scenes look great, climbing the empire state building, plane going down, natives having ceremony while the characters attempt to film, Kong going through the gates.

It is slightly annoying Kong's glitchy jerky movements and the way it some times looks like a toy however I don't think the movie would be anything without it. He did not look as bad as I thought however the scene up with the planes on the empire state when I had seen it around in places had really made me not want to watch by the time that scene came around I did not even notice the special effects.

One scene that always sticks to my head is when they watch the natives do some ceremony to prepare their sacrifice for Kong through some long grass. They way some of the natives dressed as monkey danced around in circles seemed cool, why I don't know but it was. The main native's costume looked great and the way all the women looked depressed slowing dressing the doomed girl in flowers was quite sad. I enjoyed the natives in the re-make as they were quite creepy however in this it seemed more realistic and it was cool that the skipper could figure out and speak the language. The way they came onto the boat was a great scene and really was quite exciting.

The fight scene between King Kong and the T-Rex was pretty awesome I was surprised how good it looked for 33 a bit jerky but hey its the 30s. It had me cringe how he actually killed the thing and Kong style of fighting was quite cool and believable. Kong fought like a slightly dumb big monkey not sure of what maneuver he should do next similar to how the monkeys in 2001 fight. This fight in the re-make was too pretty spectacular however this one keeps it simple and I seem to enjoy it more as King Kong does not become Jackie Chan in the original.

In conclusion a great movie a classic with some special effects pretty good for its time.

9/10 my enjoyment of it 8-8.5/10

The Maltese Falcon

Genre: Mystery/Drama
Year of release: 1941
Director: John Huston

I watched this a couple weeks ago and just watched it again then and the first time I couldn't pick up on a lot of the story as it is really quite complex so there were times when I got pretty confused, however I still loved this movie Humphrey Bogart was awesome and the complex storyline I enjoyed quite a lot. The second time I understood it and therefor enjoyed it quite a lot more.

Maltese Falcon is about a Falcon statue worth a lot of money, everybody is trying to get their hands on. A Private detective takes on the task of following Floyd Thursby and after this both him and Floyd are dead, the private detectives partner investigates and uncovers many huge confusing plots to obtain one Falcon statue. Humphrey Bogart has never ceased to amaze me. I have so far always loved his characters however I have only seen 4 of his movies I do not believe this movie to be quite as good as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and Casablanca however it is better than The Big Sleep (which is still awesome) I personal enjoy this movie slightly more than Casablanca (don't be angry hardcore fans) I can see Casablanca is a better movie and its just a matter of time before I enjoy it to its full potential. This is probably the best detective character I have seen sure Dirty Harry, Bud White, Shotgun Ed and Jack Vincennes are all very awesome I see Sam Spade as being slightly superior even if I do enjoy LA Confidential much more. The story is one that needs to be watched again just like Donnie Darko and the Prestige as the story seems quite complex, which is a good thing.

Sam Spade is a kick ass character one that always keeps his cool never gets scared and hardly goes through any emotions. He is very unpredictable and this is said quite often I am always on the edge of my set to see what crazy idea he is going to think up next. Humphrey Bogart is such an amazing actor closing in to be my favorite the only thing that holds him back is the lack of movies I have seen him in its the same with Marlon Brando. His character in Maltese Falcon always says the coolest things every scene he is in is so awesome.

I love the story in this being complex it makes you feel smart when you can figure out what is happening so make sure you are not tired and that you pay close attention. It moves very fast and story change back and forward in seconds they don't talk slow either and you never know who is telling the truth. The ending was amazing and really leaves you on a up if that makes any sense.

The acting by the other characters was also quite amazing Mary Astor created a great performance Sydney Greenstreet was really cool I liked his character a lot and his acting was pretty decent. Maltese Falcon feels a lot like The Big Sleep which in my view is more complex however not quite so good also in both these two movies Bogart is a private detective and almost similar in there characters.

In conclusion a great confusing movie that you have to pay close attention to at all times, legendary acting from Bogart along with some pretty awesome acting by every one else great characters and an awesome plot with an awesome ending.

9.5/10

8½

Genre: Drama
Year of release: 1963
Director:Federico Fellini

This movie at my first glance I found quite boring and I was quite confused at what I had seen, I don't really know what I was thinking, the second time I watched I really saw what I had missed I although it stays a little tiny bit confusing I found it to be a much more normal film. This movie includes some of the best cinematography which in my opinion is only beaten by Lawrence of Arabia.

8½ is a movie about a director with a writers block, he is making a new movie which he has no idea what will be about, he is picking a cast without knowing their characters, everyone is pressuring him into making this movie and he often withdraws into his own fantasy dreams.

8½ is very original and defiantly deserves its place in history. I still get the feeling that I do not enjoy this movie quite to its full potential however. The dreams that the director Guido Anselmi has in a way seem quite random how ever so his true feelings if you look closely. The way in which they slide from reality to fantasy and back again is quite amazing. What stands out however is the cinematography many many scenes looks so incredible. The music really sets a great mood. The acting also was not bad Marcello Mastroianni created his character perfectly. The Italian Dubbing is a little bit badly done it really annoyed me the first time as some of the words do not match their mouths in a few scenes the second time I noticed it a lot less.


Wow the cinematography. Many of the scenes looked so beautiful even if they are simple they look good in an art type of way e.g laid out well, great contrast added to by the black and white this movie really is a moving Mona Lisa. Thinking back on some of the scenes increases my enjoyment of this film. The flash backs to his childhood are perfect some of the best scenes in this movie and in movie history. The first flash back to the bath house was extremely well done, I can not exactly explain why however the music really made me feel and remember this scene from the first viewing as well. The use of shadows on the wall when the nun is chasing him looked great I love the caps and hats on the school boys as well it just looks cool. Most of the best cinematography is done with long shots like in Lawrence, Seven Samurai however this movie seems to do it with a use of close and mid shots. The scene at the start when he is standing on the car is amazing, the scene in the bathroom were every thing is dark and then he turn the lights on is wonderful and the final scenes were a perfect ending to this great movie.

The music was one of the best parts to this movie, music is always important in a movie I have seen it done better in things like 2001, the Godfather however the music in this is very good. It uses a lot of very famous music which I kind of like as next time I hear those songs I will always be reminded of 8½. The music always makes me in the mood to watch the movie if it is suited properly and this movie defiantly does that the 8½ song that is played at the menu and when the whore is dancing is quite cool, and sets quite a light feeling that is almost humorous.

As the story increases my feelings for Guido really grew I felt sorry for him, him trying to make this movie and being shot down by the critic, the pressure being put on him to tell everyone their part and to give out a full script, not liking any of the people around him and earning for what he took for granted in his childhood. The Critic I must say I loved his part was acted very well and his character really pushed this movie up for me, I absolutely love the hanging scene I find this scene hilarious and thinking back on it makes me laugh which would seem very cruel if you have not seen this movie, don't worry I don't laugh at any other execution I am not that type of person. I didn't really like the actress and I think it might just be me but I found their characters too dull they were necessary however as they built on the story in the pressure put on Guido. I loved the depth in that Guido was unhappy, how he wanted things from his childhood he yearned for them as back then he enjoyed his company and had access to a girl who he was crazy about, even though he got into a lot of trouble and had lots of bad times as a child he still remain at least in my opinion happy and even that bad times he seemed to cherish once he was older. Through out most of the film he is not a child and is older self does not seem to like many of the people he is around and many of them really do not know what type of person he really is. The final scenes in this movie really leave it on a good note, the spotlight scene at the end is so incredibly perfect it is amazing. It really adds depth to the movie.

In conclusion a great film a great achievement for film history and a true classic.

about 10/10
(re-watched it today, since it had been nearly a year since I saw it I got confused again like in my first watching, just the little things I remembered the main story, I watched it again straight after (I think it is the first time I have ever done that) and extremely loved it, amazing film.)

Paths of glory

Genre: Drama/War/Crime/Anti-War
Year of release: 1957
Director: Stanley Kubrick (my personal favorite)

"I apologize... for not being entirely honest with you. I apologize for not revealing my true feelings. I apologize, sir, for not telling you sooner that you're a degenerate, sadistic old man. And you can go to hell before I apologize to you now or ever again!"

This is Stanley Kubrick at his best, does not come close to 2001 but I would rank it 4th above full metal jacket and below clockwork, strangelove and obviously 2001. Paths of Glory really astounded me Kirk Douglas was an awesome actor much better than in Spartacus the way he delivered the quote above was absolutely amazing.

Paths of Glory is a movie about a group of french soldiers commanded take on a impossible task of capturing a German held point called the ant hill after attempting this the army of men fall back into their trenches with out orders, to prove a point 3 men are taken to be executed for cowardliness in the face of the enemy. The story is really quite good it makes you get quite angry at the motherfuckers that trying killing their own men just because they gave them a mission that is impossible. You could watch this movie simply for the acting as it is very much up there with some of the best of all time. The entire cast performs amazingly and convinces you of both their opinions and how strongly they stand for them. It's the type of movie were you know whats right but you can see why the bad guys do what they do although in my opinion I strongly stand for Kirk Douglas in that they should not shoot the men.

The acting was great from Kirk and I look forward to seeing some of his others maybe however some of the other characters were surprisingly good as well for instance both the major officers, the man about to be executed and who's religion was wine, the shell shocked victim even the singing German girl. The little part were played so well it was amazing.

I expected this movie to be a war movie, however this movie is more drama than it is war there are some alright war scenes that look quite cool however this movie is no saving private Ryan it is more about these soldiers picked to go on jury for cowardliness and Kirk Douglas trying to save them.

In conclusion a great classic with some wonderful acting by everyone and amazing performances from the little characters that maybe only had one line for 20-30 secs but those 20-30 seconds will always be remembered, a story that shocked me how inhuman some people can be, I was thinking nice and simple shooting movie but it is more than that and I enjoyed the ending of this movie being very symbolic and sad.

9/10

It's a wonderful life

Genre: Drama/Family/Fantasy/Romance
Year of release:1946
Director: Frank Capra

One of the most powerful movies of all time. This movie is absolutely classic it makes me want to live and fills me with happiness, the story is awesome, the acting is amazing and the overall feel from start to finish is great. You really feel the characters feel as if you are George Bailey rather than watching him, I wish they played this at Christmas over in New Zealand like they do in every other country as I could watch it every year till I die, it is truly inspirational.

George Bailey has lived his life thinking of others helping them in many ways however at a certain point in his life he wonders if it was worth it, if life would be better without him and thinks of taking his life when his guardian angel saves him and shows him what his life would be like if he had never been born. I like this type of movie where we see simple actions change the world, like in back to the future or even in some ways Donnie Darko so I knew I would like this film and wanted to watch it for a very long time and still was not disappointed.

James Stewart is always very good, rear window, vertigo and this are the only ones I have seen and he has a perfect record in my opinion, his performance in this was better than both rear window and vertigo which is not an easy thing to do. We see Stewart pull of a range of different emotions we he is happy I felt happy, when he is sad I feel sad and he gives a performance showing both of these emotion in the far extremes. This film is one of few that can really move my emotions so strongly others would include Shawshank and the Green Mile. It was not just James Stewart who acted well in this movie we also had some other wonderful acting from Lionel Barrymore, Donna Reed and well everyone each character was crafted and shaped perfectly and I loved them all.

Lionel Barrymore plays a wonderful bad guy Henry F. Potter he is greedy, mean and rich. His character was hated by everyone in the town and he wanted to own the entire town. His character does not care about people he is a fat lazy businessman who wants to be in control, have lots of money and who desires only the things he can't get as that is all that is left, after watching this movie I came to thinking why doesn't he leave the small town, and I came to think that I suits him to stay where he has power even if it is over few people that mean nothing to him. His character is absolutely classic a villain in s business man style that no one but George can stand up to.

Every scene feels new, fresh and perfected even though I had the strange feeling I had seen many of them before e.g. where he asks Mary if she wants the moon, this scene I recognized from a much much lesser movie Bruce Almighty. Where I had seen other scenes is still a mystery to me however I am not surprised as it is an extremely famous movie.

Some of the cinematography is also very good not as good as Lawrence or Citizen but some of the snowing scenes look very good. The famous scene on the bridge is pretty amazing and the final 10 minutes makes me jump up and down thinking about them and was a true experience while I watched it. The end of this movie is awesome and remembered quite greatly.

If you are ever sad watch this film, if you ever feel emo watch this film, if you like watching small people make a difference watch this movie, if you like classics watch this film, if it is Christmas watch this film, if you like great acting watch this film. I wonder if it has stopped anyone from taking their lives as it is that powerful. I bought it in the same day that I watched it.

10/10

The Shawshank Redemption

Genre: Drama
Year of release: 1994
Director: Frank Darabont

"Get busy living or get busy dieing"

This was the 4th time I have watched this film and it is still one of my favorites I can not see why rotten tomatoes has given it an 8 out of 10 average rating it makes no sense, however I do not believe imdb to be correct either it is not the number one movie of all time that goes to Citizen Kane followed by the Godfather however this movie should place in top 10 or top 20 IMO.

The Shawshank Redemption is a reasonably new day classic the story follows a young man who pleads not guilty to the murder of his wife and her lover however he gets thrown in prison for two back to back life sentences. In the prison he establishes relationships with his inmates and works on certain projects to keep his mind occupied.

I did not really think about this much until the end but the Shawshank Redemption has no action parts at all, yet I was so enthralled by the movie it was as exciting as an action the whole way through it keeps you interested in the talking scenes on the edge of your seat thinking back on it seems funny that you get so excited over a couple of words I felt the same way in 12 angry men. The characters in this are simply marvelous perfect you love them from start to finish and really feel their emotions as if you knew them personally. The acting is not outstanding however it is very good, doesn't absolutely amaze me because of its acting like Streetcar does. It has a few scenes were the acting even drops to average but it is hard to hold such a almost perfect movie down just because of these few scenes. The story is amazing and very emotional it is truly a piece of art.

These character's are some of the best the warden, red and of course Andy Dufresne we feel every hardship and celebrate every triumph with them and that what makes this movie so great. The movie gets better and better as it goes along, every time the characters are at a low makes the high times feel great. I love watching Andy surprise both me and the other characters in this movie it build the feeling I get every time I see him.

Andy looks very guilty in the beginning however we can start to doubt it as the movie progresses and in the end you really can chose weather he is guilty or not however many things in my mind suggest that he is innocent epically the things Tommy said. Andy's character is good in my mind always caring and wanting to help, he never gets angry and hardly gets sad he just cruises through even jail time "strolling like a man in the park". His character keeps his mind busy with his rock carving, sending letters to build an new library, keeping the guards and even the wardens fiances safe from the Irs and many more things. His character is very smart and before his jail sentence you to be a banker. Andy never losses spirit and his character reminds me of Cold Hand Luke yet more caring about people.

Red is the guy who can get you things, he is basically a normal guy goes through life like a normal person. Red gets changed by Andy he really adds a new level to him, gives him hope and even saves him from taking his life. Red is Andy's best friend and from start to finish I don't think they ever fight. He is discouraged by prison like everybody else yet Andy cheers him up, like everybody else. Red obtains certain items from the outside world and delivers them to inmates at a price, and this is how him and Andy become friends Red gets Andy a number of different items throughout this film including Rita Hayworth.

The Warden is a christian man yet very crocked and deserves to be in the prison more than most of the people in there epically Andy and even Red. He is acted quite well I thought. The warden appears to be a good man at first and it is very cool to see just how bad a man he is.

I love the way this movie ends one of the best most astonishing ending I have seen it uses great flash backs in the end scene to show and point out the things you might have missed at first sight. In conclusion a wonderful classic movie no matter what anybody says it is my favorite and critically a great movie. This is the film that everybody likes, I don't know any one who doesn't

10/10

Cool Hand Luke

Genre: Drama
Year of release: 1967
Director: Stuart Rosenberg

What we've got here ... is great movie. I first watched Cool Hand Luke when I was quite tired and near the end I somehow was struggling to stay awake, I watched it again today and really enjoyed it far more than I did the first time. Cool Hand Luke is quite complex and nobody yet has given me a straight answer to the meaning of all the symbolic connections between Jesus and Luke. Which I actually like makes people do some thinking.

Cool Hand Luke is about a rebel with no purpose, he gets locked up for screwing the heads of parking timers. He goes through his life looking for something wanting to find god but not seeing any signs to base his belief on. The acting in this is suburb a classic performance from Paul Newman epically along with everybody else. The depth of this movie is almost endless making each person decide on what he thinks certain things symbolize however even without picking up on this feature this movie is freaking awesome. Luke's character is one of the best and a person could go absolutely crazy trying to figure him out completely.

Luke is a rebel, he does not seem to care about anything anyone and seems to do what he does with certainty and no plan. I believe the point of this movie is that Luke helped the prisoners with what appears to be a cool hand, almost nothing, just like he did in the game of cards, however "some times nothing can be a real cool hand". He helps the prisoners like how Jesus helped the world, Jesus from the outside appears to be nothing he appears to be the son of a carpenter, but is not, he was born in a stable he turned the world and their expectations upside down e.g the first people to see the King of the world were shepherd's considered especially at the time to be the lowest of the low yet Jesus wanted to prove what is in this world means nothing you can be rags or riches it is all the same and makes no difference in heaven. This theme is similar to Luke's character he shows us that having nothing can be everything and is almost to opposite of what the prisoners were expecting. Luke changes people through his unpredictable actions that go against what people expect, just like Jesus, he said thing that some times people needed to hear but did not want to, just like Jesus. Luke however did not seem to care about the in mates which goes against the idea of him resembling Christ. This is confusing and I can not understand except in the terms that god gave his only son to the world to help them, he was exactly what the people needed but in a prison things are different I believe in this film his uncaring actions were to show that God had sent him into the prison to help the in-mates in the exact way that would help them. If he had been caring and loving towards everybody I do not think that the inmates would have taken to him. They wanted to be liked by Luke because Luke didn't seem to like anybody. Also it separates us from the idea that Luke is Jesus which I do not believe is the point he is simply somebody who is similar to Jesus in the way that he helped others around him and God had sent him in for that purpose, and I think Luke finally sees that by the end. This paragraph probably isn't even right, but its fun to think about.

All the other characters in this movie even without the deep symbolic references were also quite awesome. I loved Dragline and all his bets, he was an enjoyable person who really cared about Luke and was quite humorous in his actions. His personality was cool, not greedy he just loved to make money and gamble with it. Dragline was a true follower to Luke and would always think highly of him like the disciples thought highly of Christ.

The thing I love about Cool Hand Luke is the very easy cool feeling you get when you watch it Luke just lives his life day by day cruising and makes the movie cruise not quite as well as is done in Taxi Driver but close. The story gets to extreme situations it is not like nothing happens but when the story really develops the story still remains nice and easy. It flows through the movie so perfectly.

In conclusion a great movie classic, great acting, awesome acting and possibly another dimension added into each simple flowing scene. Found it cool to see the famous line " What we've got here is failure to communicate ... ect" in Guns N' Roses song Civil War.

8.5-9/10

Night of the living dead

Genre: Horror/Thriller/Action
Year of release: 1968
Director: George A. Romero

My friend raved about this movie for ages and tonight I finally watched it. Not Bad best zombie movie I have seen, however I have not seen many good ones. This gets put up there on my favorite horrors list as the list is not very big only consisting of Psycho, the thing, the decent, dawn of the dead, Halloween, the exorcist and maybe a few more.

Night of the living dead is about well a night with the living dead, recently deceased people are coming back to life due to some radiation thingy ma boby, these zombies have a hunger for human flesh and are causing trouble by killing and eating people. The movie follows Barbara after her brother gets killed by a zombie she finds refuge in an abandoned house out in the middle of nowhere, a few other people join her in this house and they board it up so keep dozens of zombies out. The people do not get along very well and have some problems aside from surviving the night.

To begin with it all seemed very cliche and very average however it gets much much better. I think I did not like the beginning as the girl Barbara was a pretty stupid character and pretty badly acted Johnnie was good and it was pretty cool when he said "there coming to get you" however he was not in it for long and after that Barbara shows she is just one of the overly stupid her character is driving the fucking car straight into a tree. Maybe its just me who doesn't like her however for ages she is depressed and emo very effected by this entire experience she never gets over that there are zombies and that her brother is dead, she never helps and her character just gets annoying every one else was very cool and the movie improved extremely after Ben, Harry and Tom were introduced. This movie has amazing special effects for both its budget and its time and does not go over the top. The horror scenes were also very good more exciting than scary (like the decent which is the only movie I have actually been scared in lol) however that does not make them bad, very good horror scenes.

Ben was a great character acted quite well by Duane Jones his character is brave, smart and certain in his decisions and thoughts. His character helps the most and is the leader of the group in this house, he gets badly into an argument between Harry Copper about weather they should say on the ground level of the house being able to escape if the zombies do get in or lock and board them selves into the basement were they only have to cover one door. It was a good argument and very pondering it would personally drive me crazy this decision epically in these stressful situations.

The disfigurements of the zombies, the skin hanging off their faces and ect was very good. It looked realistic and believable not over the top. It looked quite scary. The scene of the zombies eating the people was very good, scary and disgusting quite gory however not overdone. The stabbing scene with the little girl is worth mentioning as it is scary as gory and looks good.

The action in this film was pretty awesome the scene near the end was exciting and quite thrilling. The hands coming through the house seems used in a lot of movies these days however it was good to see it done properly. As I watched I wanted Ben to make it through and every scene was on the edge of your seat hoping he would.

The zombies in this movie are great not smart not fast not strong but very effective. It makes you think and gives time for horror type moments as the zombies get closer and closer and closer. They could not have been much better however it took me a while to warm up to them. They are not the crappy over the top running smart zombies Hollywood is making right ... now and ... now but the classic style of cool zombies the way they should be done.

In conclusion a great horror movie, great characters great original ending, great effects even if it might be low budget.

8-8.5/10

Lawrence of Arabia

Genre: Drama/War/Adventure
Year of release: 1962
Director: David Lean

This was the second time I have watched Lawrence of Arabia I saw it in a store yesterday and today I decided to re-watch it. It was well worth the $15 that I paid for it I liked it this time much more than I did the last. This movie has some of the best cinematography ever. Also this review makes me want to watch it again http://nothingiswrittenfilm.blogspot.com/2008/07/there-is-only-desert-for-you.html has a few spoilers however.

Lawrence of Arabia is a story about T.C. Lawrence and his role in the fight between Arabia and Turkey. Lawrence is a very deep character and you can make your own decisions about his character. This movie however is quite long and although boring is not the right word it does need the intermission in the middle. The use of shots is amazing and the scenery is spectacular no doubt. David Lean did an excellent job this is the second of his movies that I have scene and I will make it my job to make it not the last. The story is very good going through triumphs and defeats. The character work is some of the greatest in history making you decide what type of man Lawrence is whether good or bad straight or queer I like this it adds a level of depth to the film making you form your own personal opinion. Thinking back on this movie is the best part, thinking of the those wonderful beautiful shots used gives me goosebumps and that review opened my eyes a lot.

Lawrence is quite cocky that is the one thing I am almost certain about his character, the way he speaks and moves gestures is graceful and calming a character that could possibly be homosexual. He is in my opinion not entirely good but to say more than that would take further viewings which I will hopeful do. His character in a way enjoys killing which separates him from the category of good however his character deeply wants to give freedom to Arabia so I don't put him in the category of bad either, however deep down is he only trying to do this for personal gain, just because people think that he can not. Lawrence seems to be happy but deep down I believe him to be very troubled and we see this come out in a part of the movie. His character seems to always want to impress for instance how he puts the flaming match out with his fingers and say "The trick is not minding the pain" although this seems to be a very small and unimportant part in the movie however an extremely awesome part I get the feeling that it is more than just a scene it adds to his character. When you ask the question why did he bother to go through the pain when he could have blown it out, I can not give myself a straight answer I get left with he does it for fun just to play and I believe this to be very true Lawrence has a very strange sense of fun and that is a point carried through the entire movie and also he put the match out in this way so that he could impress make the others go wow, even if it is in such a small way it is worth the pain he likes to do the unpredictable and things that people could not believe to be possible and he strives himself to do these things and we see it all through the movie as well. To add to the character being unique all the other characters, who are also very awesome (even the little characters like his guide in the beginning) are very straight characters, there character are clean in your mind and you don't have too many doubts about what type of people the are, what they will do next and etc. This builds a contrast making Lawrence really stand out and the use of shots also adds to this, the ones that occur often an upward mid shot of his head in the way of the sun making a glowing outline of his head with the blue sky around his head making him look like a god, which sometimes I think that he thinks he is. Lawrence was a hard part to play and Peter O'Toole played him wonderfully.

A lot of the scenes in this movie are very beautiful it makes the desert radiate in the sunlight so that we can feel like Lawrence feels and love the desert. Well I love every scene in the desert and I love this film the more I think about it. The battle scenes in this movie are also very good some of the nice long shots which remind me of the way Kurosawa does some of his battle scenes. The long shots in this are some of the long shots that are the best in the film business and sit up with Kurosawa however they are completely different and hard to compare. The scenes of the desert shaking in the distance the horizon waving in the heat. I remember one scene in which it is simply the bottom half is white with the sand and the top half is a nice blue sky and out of it we see a black dot of a man. This scene is beautiful and the whiteness of the sand contrasting against the light blue of the sky makes for a Mona Lisa piece of artwork through it being so simple yet so beautiful. The scenes of the mountains of sand and the wind sweeping off little pieces of it seems poetic and is enhanced by the strong musical touch.

The music in this movie is very nice and thinking of it makes me give that weird type of excited jump that makes you look like a real idiot when your in public. It adds to the scenes very nicely and the scene I always think of and has stayed in my memory from the first sighting of this movie, is the one in which the camera pans across the city and onto the gigantic guns facing the sea.

The beginning of this movie I really enjoy I like this certain technique that is used were we have Lawrence getting on his motorcycle and driving down the street that is lined with trees we have a very good scene of his face smiling at us as he drivers faster and faster until having to swerve
for some cyclists he then goes off a smallish hill and we watch his motorcycle go into some bushes then we cut to a scene of his motorcycle goggles hanging from a branch. Then we change to a statue of Lawrence on a grave stone in Saint Nicholas Church Graveyard a gigantic building and there are people saying did he deserve to buried in a place like this, and people saying he is a great man. One man in this scene says that he once had the satisfaction of shaking his hand in Ciro but did not know him, I found it cool to see a man walk up to Lawrence just to shake his hand in Ciro, I am not sure if this is him because well it was about 2 and half hours since I saw him last, however I find it interesting. After this scene we go back to see for our selves if he really did deserve to be buried in such respect.

In conclusion a great deep movie that only improves when you think back on it. Best cinematography there is artwork in many of the shots many of which you could frame and put up on a wall. Some of the best change in character and character work 3 hours and 40 minutes of being piratically alone with one character and yet we still know nothing about him. Great music that adds to the excitement great storyline and to make this movie even better its a true story written by T.C Lawrence, this man who survived so many amazing miracles actually died in a motorcycle accident. "A miracle of a film"-Steven Spielberg.

9.5/10

Léon

Genre: Action/Drama
Year of release: 1994
Director: Luc Besson

Hmm, I loved this movie, however it defiantly flawed in some places. This movie really triumphs in some places but can also be rather average in others. This is one of those classic examples of the people loving it and the critics hating it. Gary Oldman is awesome I must say and Jean Reno is pretty good too although everyone else is well, meh.

This movie is about a young girl and a hitman who come together after being neighbors when this young girls family is killed by some crocked policemen after her father some how changes his 100% coke into only 90% whilst this is happening Mathilda is shopping for food, when she comes back her family are dead and she seeks aid from her hitman next door neighbor. Mathilda is then inspired to learn to be a Hitman to seek revenge and Léon teachers her. After a while this 12 year old girl Mathilda falls in love with Léon, does he love her back, you decide.

This movie wins for me as the action is great and Oldman and Reno have great characters and are great actors. However Natalie Portman as Mathilda and some of the other actors were pretty bad. The love story in this is pretty weird and it is awkward to watch a young girl think she is in love with an oldish man, I like to believe that Léon only loves her in a father type of way as I think it would be wrong and slightly disgusting if it were in a sexual way, I am not sure of Léon feeling however as there are many shots to suggest that he is tempted by her, for me this point does not bring the movie down too much though and hardly matters.

Léon is a great character he is a lonely sort of shy Italian hitman who can not read or talk very well. His character at the same time is very bad ass and the ideas of killing people in this movie are fantastic. Léon has one friend his plant, I thought this to be cool he liked it as it did not ask any questions. I love how Léon struggles to reach out even though he job would suggest he would not be a timid and to him self type of person, so in a way it is breaking a hitman stereotype. Mathilda definite changes Léon. She helps him with his reading and she brings him out of his shell a little. The character change is not bad however it will never compete in the changes of characters like in the Godfather, Schindler's list or the Treasure of Sierra Madre.

Gary Oldman plays Stansfeild a corrupt cop into selling drugs and killing people. His character is awesome a very scary and insane bad guy that would get placed on my list of favorite bad guys. The famous scene in the bathroom was acted out wonderfully and gives you the goosebumps. The way he likes classical music is cool the same way it is cool in A Clockwork Orange however not quite as good as that, the references to the music is quite small in this. The way in which this character took his medication was weird if it is real then it is pretty good, I have my doubts however, you get left with the feeling that they made it like this just to make it look cool, which is stupid. I think it is a good idea to have the character take some sort of medication as he is clearly insane, I just think it unrealistic and over the top that it effects him straightaway and he always cracks his back after taking it.

Mathilda, well she is a child and has it is in a way an excuse to act badly. I don't like Natalie Portman so I have seen hardly any of her movies, she did a better job in this than in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. Her character was strange a lonely girl who did not care about her parents and sister being killed, but was devastated that they killed her 4 year old brother. It is believable that she did not care about her parents before they were killed as they beat her and did not look like the coolest of parents, its is also believable that she hated her sister who was an exercise freak who hated Mathilda and hogged the t.v however after they were killed I found it strange she did not care at all about them I am not saying I don't believe it at all just I would think that she is still slightly a human being even after all the shit she probably went through. I think her character could have been much better and that it gets a little annoying, I enjoyed her impersonating Madona, Marylin Monroe and Charlie Chaplin and Léon John Wayne was funny.

The action in this is amazing very smart and very exciting. Some people think it is over the top however I say fuck you you are dumb. The action in this is some of the best up there with every thing else like Die Hard. The first action scene of this movie is good however I did not like too much because the acting was bad from everyone except Jean Reno who is not in the scenes very much at all, this scene could have been one of the best scenes in history however just drops bad from the overacting. Brings it back up when Reno is at the end of this scene, that bit kicked ass.

Inconclusion I can see how the critics don't like it and I see how the people love it. Léon is in my opinion one of the best action films ever could have been much better. The acting was good from only Jean Reno and Gary Oldman and some of the small things that happened were over the top also had some strange mistakes. Great movie no classic though.

8/10

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Genre: Adventure/Drama/Western (in someways)
Year of release: 1948
Director: John Huston

I have been wanting to watch this for quite some time now and I must say I still was not disappointed. Every thing about this movie kicks ass. The acting, the story, the morals, the cinematography, the action, the character work, every single scene. How could John Huston make this fucking masterpiece fucking Maltese falcon and the African Queen which I have not watched yet and make a piece of shit like fucking Annie.

This piece of art is about gold and how it changes people it is one of the ultimate stories of greed that just gets better and better every second it goes through. Bogart plays his part very well but surprisingly enough he is only a contender for my favorite character as all the other characters were almost equally as awesome, I loved Howard and his crazy attidude, I am wondering if the Prospector in Toy Story 2 was inspired by Howard as their looks are identicle and they are both prospectors. The story was amazing, the character work was amazing the acting was amazing this movie is amazing.

Acting does not get much better than when its done by Humphrey Bogart he is getting up there with De Niro for me however I have only seen 3 of his movies however he was amazing in all of them. Humprey Bogart's character Fred C. Dobbs starts of as being a reasonable guy he only takes what he needs and is not greedy, we can see this from when the person does not pay him for all his work he then proccedes to beat the shit out of him and take his wallet, we see him lean down and take out the money, then to my surprise with out hesitation or temptation he divides the money up into what he is owed and returns the rest. This really shows how awesome his character is and really made me like Fred instantly. However the whole point of this movie is that gold changes people it is more of curse in the end rather than a blessing in the beginning Dobbs is detirmented that this will not happen to him and I for one believed him I though he was as he said the right type of person to receive a whole lot of gold and would not turn greedy. I tuely believed this but as the story goes along he slowly slips starts to go a little nuts in what I believe to be some of the best character changes of all time better in my opinion to how Oscar Schindler changes although Schindler also did an amazing turn around. This character who starts even to talk to himself really improves this character he is a real rags to riches story it is awesome to watch his character.

Howard was the prospector the leader the one who has gone through the greedy stage before when he had found gold in the past he is not greedy he stays through the whole movie very selfless. The other two on this adventure are almost tag alongs even if they were the ones that invited Howard onto this expidition without howard Curtain and Dobbs would be minning fools gold and probably be dead as well. It was cool to see Howawrd out do Curtain and Dobbs espectations of what he will be like. Dobbs and Curtain thought they would have to carry Howard along as Howard is quite old however Howard always has energy and even out does Dobbs and Curtain in fitness which I found quite amusing. Howard is slighly crazy not insane just his nature is a bit over energetic he is a great character that never once turns greedy. With out Howard holding the team together everything falls apart quite quickley.

Curtain does not seem like a huge character to begin with however he really does become quite big eventually. Curtain is not too gready however we can see slight temptations in him. I very much liked his character by the end always decent never greedy never crazy he is the sane one of the three. Curtain is slighly shy not much but only slightly his character does not speack nearly as much as the other two however he is never really scared just doesn't talk maybe because he does not need to talk. Beautiful.

The story in this is very exciting from start to finish I really got attached to the characters I wanted them to all succed and sell their gold for lots of money and be happy. The story of the gold cursing the beholder really shows strongly as because of the gold they go through many hardships I love the ending very orginal very unexpected and kick ass. The morals are good in this it is the type of movie any one of any age gender or species can enjoy. It is not overly violent however still has some very good action scences a bit like seven samurai.

In conclusion one of the best movies ever imdb is once again wrong even if it is at number 53 it deserves a whole lot more credit should be up there with the Godfather. The story is great, the acting is amazing and the characters and the changes they go through are simple put Godfather type characters.

9.5/10

Brokeback Mountain

Genre: Drama/Romance
Year of release: 2005
Director: Ang Lee

"Ever notice how a woman'll powder her nose before a party starts, and the powder it again when the party's over? Why powder your nose just to go home to bed?"

I believe that all people are born straight, but then again what do I know so I hesitated to watching this movie to be honest, as I like everybody else knew it was a different type of Romance to say the least. This movie is pretty good however sure there are some scene I cringed at but I got over it being a gay movie almost instantly.

Brokeback mountain is about two young men that do a job together. They have to guide some sheep up in Brokeback mountain up in this mountain there is hardly anything to do. These men encounter have a homosexual experience and their lives are both changed forever, for better and for worse. The acting in this movie is quite amazing, Heath Ledger is really astounding and Jake slightly takes it up the ass a bit however still pulls off a pretty astonishing performance. It really makes you wonder how hard some of these scene would have been for each of these men as if I am correct about their sexuality then these scenes may not have felt very natural however even in the hardest of conditions they both show us some very great acting. The story is not bad and its interesting to see something new this movie felt quite original. Its not the chick flick kinda romance made every 5 minutes that Hollywood shits out. In this movie there is really good characters and the work done the way in which these characters evolve is also awesome.

Heat Ledger may he rest in peace changed his accent extremely well to a nice Southern voice. The way Heath Ledger walks and talks in this movie suits his character Ennis Del Mar Perfectly. Ennis is a great character, he starts off talking hardly ever in his low and very quite timed voice, his character although slightly bold at times is overall quite shy. He's the type of guy who has his head down and keeps to himself. He changes by the end due to Jack Twist his lover who he can not be with as he is shy about coming out of the closet. Ennis and Jack go up to brokeback mountain every once a while but for both of them it isn't enough.

Jack is not quite as good a character however still quite good. Jack is outgoing and loud he cares less about what people will think and he wants to live with Ennis. Jacks character doesn't change nearly as much as Ennis. Jake did his role very well he made it believable and one part at lake near the end he really shows he is awesome. I extremely loved him in Donnie Darko, I think he did a better job of Donnie as he could not have made his character much better than that but as Jack he still does an amazing job.

The story in this is quite sad watching these two men question their sexuality, both of them still get married and have children however they are both longing for a fuck up the ass. The ending helped to boost this movie up as well I thoroughly enjoyed the end. The movie does not get too boring it keeps you interested and does not feel messy.

I also enjoyed the very simple score sometimes it is best just to get an acoustic guitar and play some hammer-ons and pull offs and be done. It made for quite a good feel to the movie, it gave the slight hint of sadness and also involved the type of more southern sound to it.

In conclusion not a bad film I think Ang Lee has made this film very well I thought it better than both Hulk and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon however i think critics seem to love CTHD much more than I do. If your gay you should like it, if your straight you should like it as well. Good movie worth my 2 hours. Trust me its not 2 hours of sweaty porn, just a love story that is homosexual.

8/10

Ragging Bull

Genre: Drama

Year of release:

Director: Martin Scorsese

"Though I'm no Olivier / I would much rather... And though I'm no Olivier / If he fought Sugar Ray / He would say / That the thing ain't the ring, it's the play. / So give me a... stage / Where this bull here can rage / And though I could fight / I'd much rather recite /... that's entertainment. "

I always hear of people comparing Ragging Bull and Taxi Driver however they are not really the same at all. The acting in both these two movies is about the same fucken awesome, however I like the Taxi Drivers character much more. I believe Taxi Driver to be far superior but Ragging Bull is still an extremely great movie and well worth 2 hours of your time.

Ragging Bull is about Jake La Motta and boxing career the rises and falls of the Ragging Bull and his life when he is not boxing he gets coached by his very cool brother Joey played very nicely with a lot of arrogant swearing by Joe Pesci. Jake has a bit of a temper and at times it affects his relationship with his wife. This movie has got the acting, its got the story, its got the character work, its got the great cinematography, the great fighting scenes however it just doesn't feel as flowing as Taxi Driver did which is why I enjoy Taxi Driver more however that may change over time like it has with many movies.

This is one of the best acting performances ever I think equal if not better than Taxi Driver almost as good as Streetcar, On the Waterfront and Citizen Kane which I consider the best. De Niro shows me again that he his my favorite actor. He does his scene with his wife so well when he is yelling and screaming I love the scene in which he says "Botherin' me about a steak, huh?" Acting does not come much better than this Ragging Bull really comes off as a real person with feelings a short temper and some very bad problems, maybe too many hits to the head. For some reason I love the opening credits with him in the ring just prancing around pratising his shots seems simple yet perfected. The character is almost away angry and often gets very angry at his wife which I don't really like seeing in movies, but that's just me, this is real life.

The cinematography in this movie is outstanding the way that each fight has been done gets you into the fight, is very actiony and has you on the edge of your seat trying to some how help Jake win the fight without moving the camera too much so that you get lost in what is happening like in the Bourne Ultimatum. The way of time travel was very good they went into the future using both home videos and pictures from fights along with the cool music made this movie feel good.

The did the end very well De Niro looks much older and fatter and it is very very believable that it is years in the future after he has stopped boxing. It was cool to see De Niro quote On the Waterfront and recite almost all of that awesome taxi scene.

In conclusion an awesome movie worth the praise the critics give it even if I do not love it quite as much as it obviously deserves. Great movie with piratically every thing perfect just doesn't give off the flow like Taxi Driver does still Scorsese did a wonderful job, like always.

9/10

Streetcar named desire

Genre: Drama/Romance
Year of release: 1951
Director: Elia Kazan

"I am not a Pollack. People from Poland are Poles. They are not Pollacks. But what I am is one hundred percent American. I'm born and raised in the greatest country on this earth and I'm proud of it. And don't you ever call me a Pollack. "

I really wanted to watch this movie after On the Waterfront which also has Marlon Brando and is directed by Elia Kazan. Brando was so amazing in on the waterfront however in this he is even better. This movie kicks ass.

On the waterfront is about a girl Blanche DuBois coming to live with her sister and her awesome husband. Blanche is a bit of a bitch and she is an English teacher which makes her worse, Blanche gets a bit of a hard time from Stanley Kowalski (her brother-in-law).

Streetcar named desire is a very good movie and I can not find any flaws however I am sure there are some. When I first watched this movie I was tired and I thought I was picking up some of the words but I wasn't the scene about one hour ten minutes through I found really boring however the second time I extreamly enjoyed it. Every scene in this movie feels polished and Marlon Brando's acting was the best I think I have ever seen. The story is pretty awesome and the romance is really quite good.

I believe this to be the best movie acting ever, then on the waterfront, then taxi driver, probably one flew over and ect... I believe Brando's acting stands aside from anything I have ever seen. Every scene with him in is simply amazing every scene with Brando in, is exciting every line that comes from his mouth has you on the edge of your seat. The character Stanley Kowalski is a slightly tempured and slightly over reacting husband who is not really a bright person. His english is not good, and he is strongly in love with his wife, I loved seeing that even a few minutes after a fight between him and his wife they would start to miss each other and his wife Stella, who was also very cool, would jump straight back into his arms. Stanley was exactly the oposite of Blanche who although is a bitch is acted out not badly and actually adds to this movie a lot. Blanche and Stanley basically hate each other.

Blanche is very lonely and I felt even a little bit sorry for her at times even if she was a bitch. Blanche talks in very big words her way of speching is very sifisticated as she is an english teacher. Blanche is also very disturbed as she lost a husband at a very young age, she has also just lost the family house out in the country. She doesn't like to talk about how she lost the house and Stanley is suspicious about this. Blanche always seems to say the wrong things, I found it quite funny. Even though she is a complete bitch somebody gets to like her, Stanley's friend Mitch.

In conclusion one of the best movies I have seen a true classic, I am pissed off that it is so low in imdb's top 250 however rotten tomatoes has got it right with 100% with an average rating of 9. Streetcar named desire has the best acting ever.

10/10

Citizen Kane

Genre: Drama

Year of release: 1941

Director: Orson Welles

"Rosebud"

This movie is often critically acclaimed to be the best movie ever made, and if its not the best movie ever its pretty close. I may not have enjoyed this as the best movie ever made, but every thing in it is superior to every other movie I have seen, well ahead of its time. This movie is almost perfect and every scene feels polished and worked on, an attribute I love to see in movies.

Citizen Kane is about a group of newspaper men trying to find out what Charles Foster Kane's last words "rosebud" meant. They go and talk to all the people who knew him and maybe able to help and we go back in time and watch this certain persons memories unfold. I found this technique very effective and it was truly amazing.

Citizen Kane is often criticized by the dumb ass's that it is boring it is not boring, however I can see how a retard could think this as there are no Yipe Kia moments nor huge explosion or bat mobiles. It is a drama. If you don't like a movie because it is a drama it is not the movies fault. The acting in it is perfect, up there with Taxi Driver, Orson Welles builds his character perfectly and his speech was awesome. The story line in this is very awesome I love the hard times and the good times Charles Foster Kane gets put through. The Cinematography and the use of the shots is very effective. I love the first scene with Kane saying his last words and the way in which this scene has been shot. To go with the start I also really enjoyed the end. There was however one thing that annoyed me a little and that was one of Kane's wife's, her character wasn't bad just annoying, for example the way in which see talked.

Orson Welles pulls the part off like a legend. He makes you like his character very much and it feels like you are watching a real person. His character is quite bold and has very strong beliefs. He is a very good character and you see him through all his ages from a little child right until and old man where he dies, you get to see his character change through his age the way he changes from being childish when he is young to more serious but still just as awesome.

Each scene feels creative and highly thought out unlike some movies these days that feel like they just make the camera angles up on the spot, I like this aspect of this movie as it keeps me interested and makes the movie feel perfected. Some parts thinking back on make you almost jump up and down they are so well done. The scene at the start were it is snowing and we go up Kane's mountain and into the castle in which he lives to see him in his bed and whisper his last words "rosebud". Then drop the glass ball on the ground and it shatters. This scene could not be any better. I thought this about many of the scene the ending scenes are also like this one with it zooming out from his castle just like it zoomed in on it in the beginning.

Kane's wife the singer was a childish loud mouth that pisses you off. Her voice is very winy and high pitched. Her character I did not like it annoyed me however the acting for her part was not bad and her character did add to the story and added to Kane's character. Maybe the more I watch it the better I will like her.

I always love a movie not being in chronological order it makes people think for them selves work out what order things go in. I loved the way it was done in this. Watching the reporters talk to the older versions of these people who we then meet in the mind of the person being interviewed we see what that person was like back when they knew Kane how they have changed through looks and attitude how they were different when they were young.

In conclusion the more I think about this movie the more I believe it is the best ever made. It is well ahead of its time. Good Job Orson Welles you are awesome.

10/10

Taxi Driver

Genre: Drama
Year of release: 1976
Director: Martin Scorsese

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?

I love Scorsese's movies he is a great director and I must say this is his best. This was the second time I have watched Taxi Driver, the first time was also great. De Niro was born to play Travis Bickle.

This and On the Waterfront are in my opinion the best acted movies of all time. Robert De Niro slips into this role and makes you forget he is Robert De Niro he simply transforms perfectly into Travis Bickle. Martin Scorsese has polished this movie into perfection and every scene shines in perfection as well as the story being pretty cool to go with it.

Travis Bickle is an ex marine, and wants a job where he can work long hours and room around the city. His character is lonely and although not clearly obvious he is mentally unstable Travis feels the need to help a prostitute he believes to be too young.

Taxi Driver's acting will never be forgotten, De Niro makes it look easy. His character comes off as being lonely, desperate, crazy but makes you look closely to see all this his character is obviously awesome.I think everybody can identify with the loneliness that Travis goes through at some point in our lives. I love the scene were he says the line " You talking to me" and I have been saying that since I first saw this movie, about 6 months ago. However unlike On the Waterfront there are no other real scenes that stand out because every scene is so well done that the whole movie stands out. Jodie Foster was also very good, her character was outgoing, loud, and childish because well she is a child in this movie. It is strange watching her when she was so young.

Like many of the greatest movies Taxi Driver is not fast paced it is nice and flowing, the music helps this as well. Travis just does his day to day thing and its exciting. I love the ending of this movie, it makes every Travis accomplished feel worth it.

In Conclusion this is one of the greatest movies of all time through its kick ass acting espically because of Robert De Niro who is now probably my favorite actor, the way in which Martin Scorsese has delivered it, the calm flowing and relaxing way this movie goes through each scene add to by the great score of the Saxophone Solo, makes you think and I love the main character Travis Bickle the whole way through this great film, even if he does make so dumb decisions (taking a girlfriend out to a porno film). Defiantly one of the best movies ever.

10/10