Top 100 Movies of All Time, 61-70

70. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Directed by Stephen Spielberg; Written by Robert Rodat

Starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Paul Giamatti & Giovanni Ribisi

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Director
One of the most visually stunning war films ever created, Spielberg's World War II drama sets a group of American soldiers with the task of saving a man who lost all of his fellow military brothers. Against many well-known battles, this question - whether it's right to save one man while others die - is so very profound and rattling. In the end, the answer is not right and wrong or morals, it's being courageous and believing in a greater good.

69. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Directed by Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly; Written by Adolph Green & Betty Comden

Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Rita Moreno & Jean Hagen

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress - Jean Hagen
It seems that 1952 treated "Singin' in the Rain" the same way I did. It was a fun musical with a great cast, but not one of the top films ever created. This film is the one of the few films in top of AFI's 100 that doesn't have an Oscar nod for Best Picture. It's as if it takes time for the movie to grow on you - the music, the people, the fun. Afterwards, I consider it one of the best movie musicals and really enjoy every minute of the film.

68. Match Point (2005)

Written & Directed by Woody Allen

Starring Johnathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Brian Cox & Emily Mortimer

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

Oh, Woody Allen. Though I haven't seen every Allen film, I know enough to say that he's one of the most egotistical, narcissistic, compulsive, destructive writers in the business - which is why he's amazing. However, it's great to see him put himself aside, allow the story to unfold without nagging (though hilarious) monologues and arguments, and provide the actors with a script made for characters. "Match Point" is just that. It's modern, sexy, and has a jaw-dropping ending. Who doesn't want to see Scarlett and Rhys Meyers go at it?

67. Cidade de Deus "City of God" (2002)

Directed by Fernando Meirelles & Katia Lund; Written by Braulio Montovani

Starring Alexandre Rodrigues, Phellipe Haagensen, Leandro Firmino & Alice Braga

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Director

A surprise of a film that is extraordinarily compelling in its ability to give a story and shed an idea of what life is like in third world countries. It's a look into the slums of Rio de Janiero, the gangs compiled there, and a young man's quest to make something of his life, rather than falling into the usual pitfall of drugs and gang wars.

66. Braveheart (1995)

Directed by Mel Gibson; Written by Randall Wallace

Starring Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Catherine McCormack & Brendan Gleeson

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture
If anything is epic, this movie is. Gibson puts forth the true story of William Wallace: the rebel, the outlaw, the lover, and the hero. It's triumphant how one man can and did change a millions of lives across numerous countries and heart-breaking in that the man who changes rarely sees his transformed world. The battle scenes in "Braveheart" are beyond anything of its time in realism and Gibson was not holding back.

65. The Little Mermaid (1989)

Written & Directed by Ron Clements & John Musker

Voiced by Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Christopher Daniel Barnes & Samuel E. Wright

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Original Score - Alan Menken

What kid didn't watch Disney movies? When I saw this in theaters when I was four, I fell in a deep loving crush with the red-headed mermaid, Ariel. This movie is so entertaining and full of songs that will never die. "The Little Mermaid" is certainly the best Disney film produced in its prime fairy tale era. Then everything went computerized.

64. Jaws (1975)

Directed by Steven Spielberg; Written by Peter Benchley

Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw & Richard Dreyfuss

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

Dun-dun. Dun-dun dun-dun. It sends shivers down my spine. With the combination of Spielberg, William's music, and a man-eating shark, it's no wonder people of the 70s were terrified to go to the beach! Benchley's script is an obvious tribute to Melville's masterpiece "Moby-Dick," Shaw, of course, being Captain Ahab. Pure and utter blood-thirsty revenge is what drives the men to seek the sea creature and kill him. It's hubris at its best.

63. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Directed by Baz Luhrman; Written by Baz Luhrman & Craig Pearce

Starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent & Richard Roxburgh

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

Luhrman brings to life a musical of contemporary songs, assembling them in a beautiful mosaic of a film with Bohemian France for a back-drop and the faces of Kidman and McGregor to fit the molds of the Juliet & Romeo-type Satine & Christian. Visually, this film pushes the envelope of usual Hollywood hits and creates something indulgent and enticing. Besides romantic, endearing and dramatic, "Moulin Rouge!" is so much fun and very funny.

62. Sophie's Choice (1982)

Written & Directed by Alan J. Pakula

Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline & Peter MacNicol

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Actress - Meryl Streep
Meryl, Meryl, Meryl. This is the performance of a lifetime. This is one of the greatest performances ever in the history of Hollywood. Streep captivates every single frame as Sophie Zawistowski, both as the foreign, Jewish, blond bombshell wildly in love with Kline's Nathan and as the oppressed version of the same woman, trying to survive the wrath of the Nazi Empire. Her choice is both between the two men she fell in love with in America and something so unfathomable that it's nearly impossible to ponder what you would do in Sophie's shoes.

61. The English Patient (1996)

Written & Directed by Anthony Minghella

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews & Colin Firth

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

At the beginning winning streak of Miramax films, "The English Patient" focuses of memory, love and war. A tale of a man who transformed into something horrible and his road to the sick bed. The performances in this movie are incredible - especially Binoche - and it's raw directing by Minghella renders a look into the lives of several characters at the end of the second World War.

Top 100 Movies of All Time, 71-80

80. 12 Angry Men (1957)

Directed by Sidney Lumet; Written by Reginald Rose

Starring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb & Jack Klugman

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

In Sidney Lumet's directorial debut, this film unleashes information like a dealer passes players their hands. The numbered and unnamed jury members are convinced that the defendant is guilty, however Henry Fonda's role is to assure them of his innocence. It's a fascinating view of our judicial system and how easy it is to assume.

79. Magnolia (1999)

Written & Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Phillip Seymour Hoffman & Tom Cruise

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

An intertwining story that braids several characters together in a film about love, death, addiction, and truth. The moral is that coincidence only exists to the people who do not believe and that frogs can fall from the sky. Nothing is impossible. Anderson sweeps you away, bringing and excellent script to the screen and directing an all-star cast. It's riveting, inspirational, and very creative.

78. Carrie (1976)

Directed by Brian De Palma; Written by Lawrence D. Cohen

Starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie & John Travolta

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Actress - Sissy Spacek

Based on an okay Stephen King novel, this cast - studded especially with Spacek and Laurie - creates an environment that's a combination of "Mean Girls," "The Exorcist," and "Seventh Heaven." I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's true. Spacek delivers a frightening, disturbed performance as the loner Carrie and Laurie haunts me still as her Jesus-crazy mother.

77. Blazing Saddles (1974)

Directed by Mel Brooks; Written by Mel Brooks & Norman Steinberg

Starring Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks & Madeline Kahn

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress - Madeline Kahn

The most entertaining of Brook's films, "Blazing Saddles" pushes the race card past the limit and doesn't look back. A spoof on cowboy films when spoofs were good films and an upwoawious performance by the widiculous Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Schtupp. Though I prefer the British 70s humor of Monty Python, Brooks surely has a way of making the laughs constant and the plot unmistakably unpredictable.

76. There Will Be Blood (2007)

Written & Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis & Paul Dano

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis

The best film of last year, one of the decades greatest performances by Daniel Day, and a new breed of Anderson films, "There Will Be Blood" engrosses its audience in a tale of obsession, money, religion and family. Which of the four is more important? Only the film will tell.

75. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Directed by John Schlesinger; Written by Waldo Salt

Starring Jon Voight & Dustin Hoffman

Greatest Award/Nomination: Acadmey Award winner for Best Picture

In an era of sex, drugs, and rockin' music, Schlesinger's film was the FX of Hollywood in 1969. Voight brings an endearing quality to his gigolo character, while Hoffman brings a filthy rag of a man to become one of the most empathetic characters in cinema. If the film were made today, the ambiguities would probably be told straightforwardly, however the equivocal script is what makes this movie so damn good.

74. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Directed by Clint Eastwood; Written by Paul Haggis

Starring Hillary Swank, Clint Eastwood & Morgan Freeman

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

In all its simplicity - both stylish and enticing, dark and humorous, honest and brutal - Eastwood's most recent award-winning film serves as a tribute to the hard-working Americans going for that dream. There's so much commonality in Haggis' script to an American, and the finality is that life throws the hardest punches of them all. Swank is stellar as the protagonist and is backed up by her more seasoned co-stars Eastwood & Freeman.

73. Cabaret (1972)

Directed by Bob Fosse; Written by Jay Allen

Starring Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem & Joel Grey

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Director

"Cabaret" is much like "The Sound of Music" in that is fulfills a hunger for music and history, but Minnelli and her clan of "chums" bring a sexier, more hip idea to the screen - not to mention an incredible directorial job by Fosse, an innovator of style, jazz, and dance. Minnelli's Sally is the keystone to later eccentric, egotistical, eclectic female characters such as Annie Hall and Clementine Kruczynski and a memory of the life actresses like Marilyn Monroe brought to the screen.

72. Apocalypse Now (1979)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola; Written by John Milius & Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne & Marlon Brando

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

A grueling war film that enhances the Vietnamese jungles to feel more like Elm Street. The structure of Coppola's writing and directing is truly brilliant, taking us on a journey to meet a man that puts Lucifer on the bench: Marlon Brando. Paranoia, obsession, and mental decadence travel through every shot as themes of the war and of human existence.

71. Finding Nemo (2003)

Directed by Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich; Written by Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson & David Reynolds

Voiced by Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Eric Bana, Elizabeth Perkins, Allison Janney, Geoffery Rush & Willem Defoe

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature

Pixar paddles its way into success with an uplifting film about a father who loses his son and will stop at nothing to find him. The only problem is that they're clown fish, he befriends another fish with short-term memory loss, and he has the entire ocean to search around. This movie is fun and entertaining, especially with the greatest voiced performance by Ellen DeGeneres; without her wit and genius, "Finding Nemo" would never have been the success it is.

Top 100 Movies of All Time, 81-90

90. Big (1988)

Directed by Penny Marshall; Written by Gary Ross & Anne Spielberg
Starring Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins & Robert Loggia
Greatest Award/Nomination: Golden Globe winner for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) - Tom Hanks
"Big" is the kind of movie you like as a kid and the kind of movie you love as an adult. It's smart, funny, and Tom Hanks is remarkably perfect. Combining childhood magic with mature situations and a great script AND the scene where Hanks and Loggia play the giant piano, this film is an all time favorite.



89. The Sound of Music (1965)
Directed by Robert Wise; Written by Howard Lindsay, Russell Crouse & Ernest Lehman
Starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer & Peggy Wood
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture
This is how musicals should be: outstanding music, great performances, breath-taking scenic cinematography, and a world turned upside-down. The story shifts so suddenly from happy hills of music to a dark time of decadence and turmoil. Julie Andrews, as usual, fits impeccably as Maria, the wannabe nun turned wife, and although I usually dislike Rodger's & Hammerstein's musicals, "The Sound of Music" is their best. Not to mention it's a true story.



88. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris; Written by Michael Arndt
Starring Abagail Breslin, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Steve Carrell & Alan Arkin
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay
I know, if you look back to my 2006 top ten, this didn't exactly hit the top of the list, however, "Little Miss Sunshine" is one of those films (like "Juno") that really sticks with you. It's so funny, so smart, so dry, and very surprising. Arkin certainly deserves the Oscar he won for his ridiculous role as the grandpa, and Breslin breaks out with a growling performance. Oh, and who knew someone could pull off a character that doesn't speak for half the story? Paul Dano knows.



87. The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan; Written by Christopher & Jonathan Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman & Michael Caine
Greatest Award/Nomination: Golden Trailer winner for Best Summer 2008 Blockbuster Poster (I'm thinking this will improve come award season)
So exactly a week ago I was only an hour into seeing this film. And, yes, it is that good that it is number 87 on my list. Read the review below, go see the movie for the second or third time, and you'll understand why it can only go up from here.



86. William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996)
Directed by Baz Luhrmann; Written by Craig Pearce & Baz Luhrmann
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo & Pete Postlethwaite
Greatest Award/Nomination: BAFTA winner for Best Adapted Screenplay
When Mrs. Taylor (my 9th grade English teacher) made the entire freshmen class watch this movie in the auditorium, everyone HATED it. Why? Because they were idiots. Luhrmann lures men and women (ha) into his cinematic-story-telling grasp and won't let go. His style is incredible and enchanting. This interpretation of Shakespeare's classic love tragedy surpasses most of any other analysis of the Bard's work. Plus it's easily my favorite Claire Danes film.



85. No Country for Old Men (2007)
Written & Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
Starring Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Woody Harrelson & Kelly Macdonald
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture
"No Country for Old Men" is going to be one of those timeless films that lasts longer than the rest. In nearly every which way, it is the consummation of excellence. Every shot, every scene, every angle, every line, and every pull of the air pressure tank delves deeper into the audience's skin. The cast is flawless as well, especially a nightmarish performance by Bardem as the psychotic killer.



84. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Directed by Billy Wilder; Written by Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder & D.M. Marshman, Jr.
Starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim & Nancy Olson
Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Writing, Story & Screenplay
Gloria Swanson, Gloria Swanson, Gloria Swanson. What a freaking performance! Playing the delusional silent film diva, she steals the show, creeping into her scenes like a disease or Michael Myers. However, Holden, von Stroheim and Olson make up the rest of the picture, giving us an unconventional idea of Hollywood, possibly the true Hollywood at the time. Once you're time is up and as long as you made enough money, you can just pull up a chair in the Hills and relive your golden years when you were loved. Nowadays, those washed-up has-beens are in supermarket tabloids across America and the attention has shifted. Shame. If Swanson's Norma Desmond wanted attention, all she had to do was shave her head and become a lesbian.



83. Donnie Darko (2001)
Written & Directed by Richard Kelly
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, James Duval, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle & Maggie Gyllenhaal
Greatest Award/Nomination: San Diego Film Critics Society winner for Best Screenplay
After the first viewing of this cult film, I've never been so confused, frightened, and entranced by a film ever. It is eerie, though-provoking, funny, and uses the camera in an extremely original way. Kelly's masterpiece has had a large underground fan base that builds every year, allowing him to bring us other insane projects... cough cough "Southland Tales."


82. The Truman Show (1998)
Directed by Peter Weir; Written by Andrew Niccol
Starring Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Natasha McElhone & Ed Harris
Greatest Award/Nominee: Golden Globe winner for Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) - Jim Carrey
Fuck "EdTV." That said, "The Truman Show" examines America's obsession over entertainment, innocence lost, and the classic bildungsroman tale. Carrey embodies the kid becoming a man - even though he's a man becoming a smarter man. Linney kind of creeps me out in this film (in a good way) and Harris shines as the godlike creator of Truman's life. It's one of those movies that doesn't get old.



81. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)
Directed by Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones; Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones & Michael Palin
Starring All of the above
Greatest Award/Nomination: BAFTA nominee for Best Original Song - "Every Sperm Is Sacred"
Running boobies, corporate warfare, running boobies, an exploding man, running boobies, Catholic children in musical numbers, running boobies, real life sex ed., running boobies, the grim reaper, running boobies, talking fish, running boobies, meaningless livers, and yes, running boobies.

Top 100 Movies of All Time, 91-100

Jennie and I are releasing our Top 100 Movies of All Time. The best, our favorites, in all genres from every time period. Every Monday and Thursday we will release 10, so this will be a five week extravaganza! Here are 100 to 91:

100. Memento (2000)

Written & Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss & Joe Pantoliano

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

"Memento" is one of those films that is so original and intricate that for most it's hard to follow, but in the end is an incredible film. The style is brilliantly out-of-sync with its backwards storytelling and Christopher Nolan makes his name known as an up and coming director.

99. A Simple Plan (1998)

Directed by Sam Raimi; Written by Scott B. Smith

Starring Bill Paxton, Bridget Fonda & Billy Bob Thorton

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor - Billy Bob Thorton

An intelligent thriller that sets four small-towners in a money-tight situation. When Bill Paxton's character comes across an airplane full of money, there's no turning back. It's gripping and leaves you on the edge of your seat, plus Billy Bob Thorton gives the performance of his life. There isn't any other movie that will make you sick to your stomach for every single decision greed brings to a human being.

98. The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Directed by Gore Verbinski; Written by Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio

Starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom & Geoffrey Rush

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Actor - Johnny Depp

Pretending that they never made a trilogy out of "Pirates," the original is by far the most entertaining, adventerous, and funny. Depp is mesmerizing as Captain Jack Sparrow, and the effects are phenomenal. Who knew Disney could make a great PG-13 film?

97. An Affair to Remember (1957)

Directed by Leo McCarey; Written by Delmer Daves, Donald Ogden Steward & Leo McCarey

Starring Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Cinematography

A terrific romance that pushes the envelope of cheaters and secret love affairs. Grant & Kerr are great on the screen together, and all seems well until Kerr's Terry has an accident that prevents her from meeting with Grant six months after their love boat affair. Filled with fun characters and plot twists, "An Affair to Remember" isn't one that most believe is a great film, but it's a classic to me.

96. Brick (2005)

Written & Directed by Rian Johnson

Starring Josephy Gordon-Levitt, Lucas Haas, Nora Zehetner & Emilie de Ravin

Greatest Award/Nomination: Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize Award for Dramatic Feature

This film is astonishing in its ability to captivate the film noir in such a way that brings the classic genre to life in the present day. Gordon-Levitt is phenomenal as Brendan Frye, the Bogartian teen "detective" who wants to discover the truth about his love's death. Full of fascinating performances by all of the supporting cast members, Rian Johnson's debut feature film ranks high in the books of new millenium movies.

95. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Directed by Wes Anderson; Written by Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson

Starring Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwenyth Paltrow, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson & Bill Murray

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay

Wes Anderson surely makes blasé situations and acquiescence hilarious. Under his script and direction, this tremendous cast unfolds a story of a genius family gone bad, and getting worse. Hackman stars as Royal, a father, a liar, and an unaffectionate husband who wants to make peace with the kids and his wife. Everything about this movie is unique and astonishing to watch.

94. Juno (2007)

Directed by Jason Reitman; Written by Diablo Cody

Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Gardner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons & Olivia Thirlby

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay

Although it just came out in December, this out-of-this-world comedy draws so much inspiration from almost every single coming-of -age tale. Cody's screenplay is by far one of the most eccentric ever made and Ellen Page will never find another role like Juno. With laugh-out-loud lines, an amazing supporting cast, and one of the coolest soundtracks for company, "Juno" is a hit that deserves this spot in my Top 100.

93. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Written & Directed by Robert Benton

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander & Justin Henry

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

The late 70s & early 80s really focused on character, situations and dialogue rather than beautiful breath-taking cinematography and effects. "Kramer vs. Kramer" keeps the roots of the theatre alive in film, with powerhouse performances by Hoffman & Streep, and an amazing script. It's a small film that sends big messages and analyzes the American family, both men forced into stereotypical female roles and women becoming independent, despite the casualies.

92. The Departed (2006)

Directed by Martin Scorcese; Written by William Monahan

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen & Jack Nicholson

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award winner for Best Picture

Although Scorcese should have won an Oscar long before "The Departed," he won for the right reasons. It's one of those movies in which you're not sure who you want to win. Every man is a liar, a snake, a crook, a rat. So who will come out on top? The script is excellent, and Wahlberg was never better.

91. Anchors Aweigh (1945)

Directed by George Sidney; Written by Isobel Lennart & Natalie Marcin

Starring Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson, Frank Sinatra & Dean Stockwell

Greatest Award/Nomination: Academy Award nominee for Best Picture

If you think "Singin' In the Rain" is where it's all at, you're mistaken. I'll admit, the part with Tom & Jerry is a bit out of hand, but as a kid it was the best! Gene Kelly & Frank Sinatra are a duo for the ages and Grayson is gorgeous and sounds spectacular. The cameo with Jose Iturbi shows that the film is about having fun, letting loose, and finding love. Screw you if you think the Tom & Jerry scene is lame!

WALL-E, Hancock, Wanted, & The Dark Knight

WALL-E
Voiced by Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver & John Ratzenberger

Honestly, Pixar can do no wrong. Even "Cars," my least favorite of the Pixar lineup was really good. "WALL-E," full of compassion, humor and a new hope for a better future, clocks in as one of the mega-animating companies finest. The computerized artwork is so advanced and intricate that it will blow you away. The story is one for the books as well: a classic passive character trying to reach his dreams... love. Awww isn't it cute? The originality factor is the fact that he's a robot created with much inspiration from E.T. Oh yeah, it also has an environmental plug. Very timely.

Grade: A


Hancock
Starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron & Jason Bateman

"Hancock" is a fun, comical twist on the recently crowded superhero film genre. Smith and Bateman bring the movie to life - it would be horrible without them - and Charlize is hot as ever. However, it was predictable. Too predictable. But fun!

Grade: B-


Wanted
Starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie & Morgan Freeman

With a cast like this, the movie is badass enough. But throw in some crazy effects and stunts and it just adds to the pot. It was kind of like a melting pot of "Fight Club" and "Lucky Number Slevin," and it holds onto some of the philosophies in Dotoevesky's "Crime & Punishment"; if you kill one, you're saving many. However, compared to an action film like the one below, I prefer real effects and stunts rather than the popular computer animated ones, but the end was great because main characters die.

Grade: C+


The Dark Knight
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine & Morgan Freeman

Christopher Nolan brings Batman back with many familiar faces from "Begins" and a few brilliant new ones. (Yes, this review is going to rave about Heath Ledger's monumental depiction of The Joker.) The film surpasses Nolan's first take on the Batman series by a long shot. It's powerful, emotional, dark and full of exploding hospitals, flipped 18-wheelers, and intense "social experiments." Two-and-a-half hours seems short for this non-stop thrill ride. The script is smart and allows one-sided characters such as Two-Face to come to life.

Bale, once again, brings us a Batman that is not a hero, but a keeper of Gotham. Eckhart makes us hate Harvey Dent for being the perfect man, someone everyone loves and the mob hates. He's better than Batman. But the character transforms so perfectly into Two-Face that it's scary. Gyllenhaal, faced with a feat of playing a role someone has already played (Katie Holmes), does a fine enough job as Rachel Dawes and is really stunning in the film. The fate of her role is surprising and unforgettable as well. And totally necessary. Then there's Oldman who allows Lieutenant Gordan to be the least stoic of characters in the film, allowing the audience to breathe a bit. Caine and Freeman are excellent as usual, though not as note-worthy as the performance by Ledger.

Heath Ledger will win an Oscar as The Joker; mark my words. This performance is raw, uncontrollable, creepy beyond all words, demented, so dead-on funny, and in every sense: perfect. Every time he was on screen I was captivated, and every time the scene shifted away from him, I wanted him back. He allowed himself to embody so much freedom with the role, and when an actor does that, he or she is unstoppable.

Even though it only released three days ago, I've seen "The Dark Knight" twice (and will probably see it again) and it is ranked as one of the best films I've ever seen.

Grade: A

June Movies

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Starring Ben Barnes, William Moseley, Anna Poppelwell, Skandar Keynes & Georgie Henley

The second film in C.S. Lewis' children tales brings the Pevensie kids to a Narnia thousands of years before they were the the last time ("The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"), however the curiosity of Narnia and the wonderment has completely departed from "Prince Caspian." The battles and effects are very similar to "LW&W" but the innocence is gone. Plus, in "LW&W," the protagonist Penvensies were allied with a giant talking lion who kicked ass and the villain was Tilda Swinton as an icy wintry witch - much better than a Spanish-esque prince against his kingdom. It was like a horrible remake of "Braveheart" with a bunch of goats, mice, and cheetahs in the background. Another down fall for "Prince Caspian" is that although the title character was charming and well-played, the Penvensie's grew out of their acting abilities - the years show their wrinkles (metaphorical wrinkles of sucky acting). Basically, just watch "LW&W" and pretend "Prince Caspian" never happened. That's what I'm doing.

Grade: D


Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Starring Harrison Ford, Shia LeBeouf, Cate Blanchett & Karen Allen

Stephen Spielberg - with the help of George Lucas - brings Indie back for another adventure, about twenty years later. Does the whip-lashing professor keep up with his old self? For the most part, but he really has to thank Shia LeBeouf's Mutt Williams for cleaning up after him and keeping the action young and not so AARP. Cate Blanchett brings an augustness to her Russian villain and Karen Allen gives "The Crystal Skull" attitude and humor that was missing in "The Temple of Doom" and "The Last Crusade." However, the hope that Spielberg wouldn't get too carried away with special effects went down the drain halfway through the film. Two army jeeps speed through the South American jungle, ramping over sawed trees and other jungle bumps, while Blanchett and LeBeouf have a reasonable sword fight. I don't care who you are, that swordfight should have lasted ten seconds before one of the two fell off the jeep and run over by another speeding automobile. There's also the Tarzan scene, the crazy waterfall conundrum, and in the end, those flying rocks should have hit Indie in the face. Oh well, it was still a lot of fun.

Grade: B


The Strangers
Starring Liv Tyler & Scott Speedman

"The Strangers," giving us the whole "based on true events" spiel before the first scene, uses scare tactics effectively in and out of the theater. The basic plot, a young couple (Tyler and Speedman) come home from a (wedding?) and are unwinding. They seem happy - let's say normal - but when Speedman's James proposes, Liv's Kristen isn't as thrilled like she was in "Armageddon" with her dad singing in the background. If you're looking for romance, you'll find a happy ending here, but if you can't see the love, then all you'll see is blood (actually this movie isn't that bloody). Suddenly there's a knock on the door by creepy Gemma Ward a.k.a. Dollface who then gathers her posse of hooded/masked sickos to terrorize Kristen and James. Why? In the words of Dollface "Because you're alone." Creepy. The careful cinematography is part of the nightmare that the film puts you in, placing Liv in the foreground with the hooded killer dude walking in back of her. She doesn't see him, and then he' gone and so is her cellphone. There are plenty of other great hold-your-breath moments in the film, some cliche but effective, however the last three seconds is what takes the film from a high B to a low one.

Grade: B-


The Happening
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, Ashlyn Sanchez, Betty Buckley & John Leguizamo

There is something about an M. Night Shyamalan film that has a lavish, Hitchcockian atmosphere surrounding it, and "The Happening" is no different. Don't get me wrong, M. Night is no Alfred, but he pulls from him a lot. In "The Happening," Eliot and Alma are trying to survive a bizarre occurrence... occurring in Northeastern America. (I'm trying not to overuse any form of "happen" in this review.) Eliot, played by Mark Wahlberg, is the unlikely high school science teacher hero who has the best grasp on things within the group of Philadelphia citizens trying to make their way through bumblefuck Pennsylvania without pissing off whatever this thing is. His wife, Alma, eerily cast to Zooey Deschanel and her big blues, has some past scruples but in the end, the drama concludes with their love for each other. I love the idea behind this film and I love the idea of scaring people to recycle, turn off their lights, and walk around instead of emitting poisonous fumes into the environment. However, Shyamalan failed in something he does so well: focus on the characters. For the first 40 minutes or so, we were given shots of some pretty frightening scenes of New Yorkers killing themselves followed by Eliot & Alma mixed with a load of annoying, bad-lined extras. Shyamalan gave his extras more of a time slot than some of his big stars. It didn't feel right. However, as these people end up face down in the grass - in a puddle of blood - things come around for Eliot and Alma and you can either love them or hate them. I find them enjoyable, interesting, and bizarrely normal. Clearly not his best film, but still one to go see.

Grade: C

The Incredible Hulk
Starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth & William Hurt

Why Ang Lee decided to ruin his early millennium career with the original "Hulk" in 2002, I will have no idea - especially after his masterpiece "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" - but the new version (I'm still not sure if it's a sequel or what), "The Incredible Hulk," is way more fun to watch, has better action, features a ripped Hulk, contains better actors to fill some of the shoes, but still hits some Hulk pitfalls like the original. The Hulk (Edward Norton) is a brute, neither villain nor hero, so it's very hard for an audience to understand him. I would rather empathize with King Kong. Also, watching two computer-generated Hulks battle it out is fun and all, but it's hard to perceive that either of them have weaknesses, especially after Hulk just jumped out of a helicopter hovering above New York City and survived. He's not allergic to kryptonite, so they just throw in a weakness to show he may die. That's my beef with the Hulk in general. The first act of "The Incredible Hulk" is breathtaking in it's South American aspect and tremendous cinematography and the fact that Edward Norton is Bruce Banner without turning into the Hulk for most of this time. Liv Tyler is pretty good as Betty Ross - nothing to criticize, nothing to reward. And the supporting cast is fine. It's nice to see that the movie did not run over 2 hours, so I can't complain there. All in all, better than the first, but nothing to brag about.

Grade: C

Get Smart
Starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson & Alan Arkin

The first 20 minutes of "Get Smart" was beyond smart - or should I say below. Cheap jokes and dead beat character introductions filled the time and the movie wasn't looking too good. Carell is funny, but awkward and I would have never imagined that he can hold a movie as the starring role, and that is sort of true here. I want him to be Brick again. Sad face. Anyway, the film picks up, launching Maxwell Smart (Carell) as an undercover agent teamed with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). There are some very funny sections of "Get Smart," including the fat chick tango, the taming of that colossal Russian dude, the Bill Murray in a tree cameo, and whenever Alan Arkin was in a shot. The action in this film collated with the comedy very well and very surprisingly, not to mention some excellent camera angles and twists and turns. I've never seen the TV show, but the movie was very fun for the summertime.

Grade: B-

The Love Guru
Starring Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Vern Troyer and Justin Timberlake

This movie was absolutely terrible. I hated every second except: Justin Timberlake, the aunt from "Family Matters," the Mariska Hargitay jokes and cameo, Justin Timberlake and the fact that Oprah was too good to be in this film. Because she is.

Grade: D-

Winter & Spring Movies I Didn't Get Around To...

There Will Be Blood
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis & Paul Dano
Pretty much the best film of 2007. Don't rent it, just buy it. Now.
Grade: A+


Untraceable
Starring Diane Lane & Colin Hanks
This film had a few thrills plus the ever-sexy Lane, but was a strange blend between thriller and gore-porn. Not a nice combo.
Grade: C


Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Starring Frances McDormand & Amy Adams

A strong cast, a strong plot, but a terribly predictable ending drew this near gold romance into the chasm of cliche romantic comedies.
Grade: D+


The Other Boleyn Girl
Starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannson & Eric Bana
If you're going to deliver one of the most sexual, scandalous, and treacherous tales of the British Empire, don't gloss it over with a PG-13 rating!
Grade: C


Stop-Loss
Starring Ryan Phillipe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum & Joseph Gordon-Levitt
The acting is fantastic, but the script fails to lead the audience in the direction we believed we would end up: hope. Props to Gordon-Levitt who will once again go unnoticed.
Grade: B


The Ruins
Starring Jena Malone & Jonathan Tucker
There is something intense, horrific, and satisfying throughout the movie, but when the flowers begin to sing, you can't help but laugh.
Grade: C+


Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell & Mila Kunis
Another comedy from the mind of Judd Apatow, this film centers on Segel's forlorn protagonist who just wants to make Dracula into a musical. It's hilarious throughout, but falls predictable in the end.
Grade: B


Smart People
Starring Dennis Quaid, Ellen Page, Jessica Sarah Parker & Thomas Hayden Church
Page & Church steal the show by a long shot. The movie intelligently funny but lacks so much substance - it only grazes being a deep-thinking commentary.
Grade: C


Iron Man
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges & Terrence Howard
For the past few years, the major blockbusters never fulfill great-movie status; however, with finesse, jocularity, and a major resemblance to the Prince of Denmark, this superhero film explodes as the best movie of 2008 (so far).
Grade: A-


Young @ Heart
Starring a Northhampton senior citizens chorus
If you don't smile, laugh, and nearly cry during this inspiring film of senior citz singing their hearts out, you can't call yourself a decent human being. It's heartfelt and great fun, but could be more of a TV special rather than a feature film.
Grade: B-

Speed Racer
Starring (unfortunately) Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Susan Surandon & Matthew Fox
If you have faith in any of the stars above and their choice of movies, don't see this movie. And if you are one of the misfortunate ones who have... REPRESS! REPRESS! REPRESS!
Grade: F