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