_The Review: My Top 20 Favourite Movies
******WILL UNDER GO TOTAL RE-WORK IN COMMING WEEKS******
1.The Royal Tenenbaums (Trailer)
I was just wathing sky movies and i saw this film. first i thought "uh..strange name" then i remembered that i had been wanting to see this movie. i remember seeing it in the shops and because it looked so different it stuck in my mind. so i watched it..and man it was amazing.
It's the story of The Tenenbaum family, a family of succesful people torn apart by devorce. children were highly successful. Chaz Tenenbaum (Ben Stiller) was a business man, Margot Tenenbaum (Paltrow) was a playwrite and Richie Tenenbaum (Luke Wislon) Was a failed tennis player. 22 years after thehead of the family Royal tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) left, this follows his attempt to get back into the faimly.
This movie is a modern masterpiece. it has a sort of grace and look to it that is just brilliant. its sense of humor that i liked. it was subtle but effective and dark, which i thought was great. this movie is great on too many levels to count. the acting is really good. also i liked the setting. it was set in new york but tis new york with a twist. in a way you know its meant to (and is) new york but it is changed and made o be somewhat of a fairytale looking city. its new york but not as we know it. I went on to Wes Anderson's (the director) other movies (Rushmore & Bottle rocket) and loved them. they both had the same style and grace. the royal tenenbaums introduced me to Wes anderson, and i've never looked back :) The Royal Tenenbaums takes everything i love about movies, ties it together with a brilliant story and amazing direction, to make what is, IMO the best film ever made.
2.The Pallbearer
As i do with most my reviews let me fill you in on how i came too watch this great movie. well just to warn you even though my build up sounded interesting the story of how i saw it is not, its boring and simple :) well my parents had seen the movie before, so i had heard of it, and i knew David Schwimmer, from "friends". Anyway, i watched this movie "The Pallbearer" i kind of expected some kind of horror movie (going by the name!) but what you get with the "Pallbearer" is a clever,dark,witty,realistic,gloomy but overall brilliant story told with great performances and direction. yes its a romantic comedy, but it has a dark undertone and is like no other i have seen. it is realistic and true but at the same time some elements are pushed out of that box, but never over-done. This is the best film i've seen with a friends cast memeber in it, well office space is very very close! this movie is a must see for any fan of David Schwimmer, Dark comedies,romantic comedies and overall stylish movie. I like alot of dark humour movies, alot of them also have a romantic undertone but this out all i've seen is by far the best Dark / Romantic movie ever. This is also the owner of the biggest IMDB injusitce ever, having only about 4.2, please ignore that score. this is a real heartfelt film with great performances, mise-en-scene and everything you could ask for from a dark comedy, please give this a chance, it is a beautifully done masterpiece of cinema.
Let me share with you my second favourite scene. Tom had followed Julie to her job the previous day and saw his friend scott try to kiss her, scott is married. this is julie telling tom what happened not knowing he already knows:
Julie: Scott came to see me today
Tom: (already knew) how is Scott?
Julie: he made a pass it me
Tom: oh my god i can't beleive he kissed you like that..
Julie: i said pass not kiss, oh my god did he tell you!?
Tom: no no, i hear pass, i go straight to kiss
Julie: Well he did kiss me
Tom: Bastard!
3.Donnie Darko (Trailer)
The situation with Donnie darko was that my friends were telling me how really good it was and i saw the odd review or 2. then i remembered that my brother ad it on dvd. so me and my Brother (who had seen it before) sat down to watch it. After i got over how confussing and mind twisting it was, i really liked it. i kept thinknig about it for ages after. the movie tells the story of "Donnie Darko" a troubled kid, who devolps an Imaginary(Kind of) friend By The Name of "Frank". Frank tells donnie that the world is going to end. Justifiably Confused by this, he goes through many different conflicts well being guided by "Frank". This movie is amazing. the character of Donnie is great and really well acted. you really get the feeling that this kid is slightly off balance but is never overdone or over acted. he projects at times this kid woh could be your best mate, real cool guy but at the same time can be creepy and intense, both aspects are acted very well and made real. The Movie's soundtrack is great and the movie looks beautiful, this movie is a must see. (view trailer above if you wish)
4. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Wes anderson, the mastermind of film has done it again and With The Life Aqautic he has hit his top form In terms of more of a traditional pure comedy. Every moment in this movie is funny. be it Defoe's role as the ever jealous Team memeber, Owen's performance as the kind and quite Ned, or Bill Murray as steve Zissou
.The thing that is soo good about Life Aquatic is the way it can make you laugh without having ot say a word. expressions and gestures to you the story. Also the references to things that happened in steve's life that you didn't see told with comic brillaince. Here are some highlights for me: scene where they spot the rivals ship half sunk in the water and steve is seen mounted on the top as its sinking in a heroic pose. A scene where we see a letter Steve wrote in reply to a young Ned's letter(Steve's "son")and it reads "you are a valued memeber of team zissou. I Remember your mother." this had me cracking up for the rest of the film. This movie has amazing visuals, be it moving from section to section of the boat with ease or the great CGI Visuals of these out of this world sea life. Also the great use of over dramatising moments with comic accruracy. some scenes here include Bill Murray taking on 10+ pirates on his own..Twice! This is Wes Andersons best film, by a long way. i URGE you too see it now, even if you don't like his others, you need to see this. The Life Aquatic now can join Bottle Rocket, Rushmore And The Royal Tenenbaums with pride. Wes did it again.
5.Waynes World
Forget Austin Power..burn, bury, dig up and burn again Austin Powers: Goldmember. Waynes World is Mike Myer's best. it is the defining film of the 90s for me. it's the type of movie that was on again and again on tv, and it was always on about 12am but did i stay up and watch it everytime..you bet your ass i did! theres so many timeless moments here and oh yes, i wil list them: The BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY rock out, the "it will be mine", the "no stairway, denied!" moment and many many more even better moments i have no time to list! Myers and Carvey are flawless in their comic deliery. For me the pure apeal of it was it's ability to be funny everytime i saw it, always. the moment where Garth is stabbing that donut man and says " Who's trying to kill you, Mr. Donut-head Man?" "I don't know, but he better not" always has me in stitches everytime without fail. this is the ultimate comedy, it has everything. though the 2nd one was good, it wasn't as good, even though by theory it should of been because it was Shockingly Similar, but nothing beats the generation defining first film. Another issue i would like to bring up right now would be Bill and Ted's Exellent Adventure. this though before waynes world and very very good did not have the same meaning or feeling for me, so though very good, just as no the same level. why did i mention that? because i've been trying to decide for years and it's nice to have it in writting. If you haven't Seen Waynes World see it now and if you want to watch it again but can't be bothered to wind the tape, just watch Wayne's World 2 :)
6.Bottle Rocket
REVIEW COMMING SOON!
7.Fight Club
Before watching fight club, i knew Two things.
one)that se7en and alien 3 were great and...
Two)That There Was a Twist and i knew what the twist was.
but even knowing the twist that didn't stop me. actually when i was watching it, i got so involved and into the story that i forgot for a while there even was one! lol this movies starts amazing and ends amazing. for me my favourite aspect of the film was the Physiological journey we take through the mind of Ed Nortan's Character. that was the appeal to me. Before the "Fight Club" bit even started i loved it and if was to just carry on being a day by day acount of him and his life, i would have been more than happy. i could go as far as saying that when the whole "Fight Club" thing started, it lost it for me a little. only a bit though. i think it was because i liked the Group meeting scenes and him trying to figure out his life so much that, even though in my head i knew "Fight Club" was going to happen, i kind of didn't want it too. but not too say that was a bad thing it was a great thing. this movie is soo good. the camera work is brilliant and the dialog is top class. it takes you for a gritty, real ride through the mind of a character, who Doesn’t know who he really is and wants to be in life and it makes for one hell of a great movie.
8.Eternal sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
(Trailer)
Wow. 2004 was a good year. 4 movies of 2004 made it into this list. Though life aqautic was the best, this is its conteneder. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind is as the title says, spotless. there is not one negative thing i could say about this beautiful film. what i love about Eternal sunshine is how these very real seeming relationships are tangled and caught in a reality which is slighlty off tilt, the way this comes together is amazing. The movie is so good to watch, you feel enlightened and up-lifted after viewing it. one other thing about Eternal sunshine is how , even though the story is complex, it feels so light. its easy to get into, it takes you on this ride of beauty and delight, all you have to do is watch. Here we see Jim Carrey as a quite withdrawn character in contrast to a usually crazy character he is known for playing. here he shines, a performacne much like his in "The Truman Show", but here he is even more subtle. much like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, there is just something that draws you to this film. see it now, you won't forget it anytime soon.
9.Die Hard & True Romance
Die Hard - Comming Soon!
True Romance
True Romance, was the first violent crime / Drugs movie i saw. at this point i had not seen any of Tarantinos movies, but i think i may have heard of him at this point. Anyway the first thing when i was watching, that i really liked was the intro. the intro to this movie is great!then it settles in to the picture of the cinema, where we are about to see are central characters. the use of narrating at the beginning and end was great. The thing about this movie is that the cast are so good, in here we have Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt, Christopher Walken, James Gandolfini, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Rapaport that makes up this amazing cast. another point that is related to that is that eacher actor / actress seems to have great scenes. you have the amazing scene between Oldman & Slater, and another amazing scene between Hopper and Walken.
This movie is raw and at you, its a must see to fans of the crime genre and well..its just a plain must see.
10.Dumb & Dumber
dumb and dumber is just about the best comedy ever made. this is the kind of movie you can watch 50 times and still not get bored of it. this has nearly every element of a great comedy and they are all done very well. i can't count the amount of times i've seen this. i love the bit where LLoyd, who has just been robbed by an old lady comes back to the apartment and hears that pete, the pet bird has died.
Harry Dunne : It gets worse. My parakeet, Petey.
Lloyd Christmas : Yeah?
Harry Dunne : He's dead.
Lloyd Christmas : Oh, man, I'm sorry. What happened?
Harry Dunne : His head fell off.
Lloyd Christmas : His head fell off?
Harry Dunne : Yeah. He was pretty old.
---------------
this is a movie in which all comedies such aspire too be.
11.Rushmore
Now Rushmore is a hell of alot darker and has a bit more atmosphere than Bottle rocket. the story is compleletly built and evolved from the characters. Bill murray is great as Mr.Blume, is great, one of his best performances. just great.The Character study is top notch and the relationship between Max, Blume & Miss Cross is great. it works on many different levels.You Have Max, who respects mr.blume but in contrast you see that acually its mr.blume who looks up too max and respects him. then you have miss cross who dos'nt really feel much for any of them but is like mr.blume in that she is somewhat lost and confussed and it seems like they both find eachother and understand more through Max. it is a well observed and excuted move. Again much like BR this film is done with a grace and ease, the jokes are all top notch and fitting to the dark tone of the movie. What is done so well here is that Wes displays the heart of the characters so clearly in some many different emontions within this very pressured and dark undertone of the movie. each aspect of the character is loud and OTT but in a calm way, just noticable.
12. Sideways
REVIEW COMMING SOON!
13. Batman Returns
REVIEW COMMING SOON!
14. Scarface
this is Scarface. the story of Cuban gangster Tony Montana, played brilliantly by Al Pacino. This is a long movie but it rarely feels that. it has a great tone to it. its weird because the content is violent, strong and full of bad language but the whole film is presented with this glamorous, hip and bright look, that not many other american gangster movies have. some are darker - Godfather 1 & 2, Donnie Brasco. what Scarface does well (alot like True Romance) is take key scenes and make them every bit as good as the whole film. it has the great action scenes (the final scene, the chainsaw scene, the car chase) but its not all action it has great moments of real deep character. like the relationship between tony and his sister. this movie is a must for all gangster genre fans, al pacion fans and fans of very good movies! what it does very well is take the 80s and push it to the extreme, but its done with style and never overdone. See it now.
15. Liar Liar
REVIEW COMMING SOON!
16. Groundhog Day
One of the toughest thnigs about writting these lists is that (for me at least) i tend to put in movies i've seen recently and really liked because its fresh in my mind. i tend to forget about classics such as this one - Groundhog Day! Groundhog Day is the ultimate feel good, fun, easy comedy. there are so so many good scenes. Bill murray returns again as his usual "annoying, arrogant guy you should hate but end up rooting for" its not only one of the funniest movies ever made it is also has a great heart to it. the writting is top form, the idea, the script, the acting. each person in this movie is a highlight in themselves. be it chirs elliot as the caerma guy or of course the infamous..Ned. groundhog day gives murray a clean sheet of creativity to use his usual comedy ways but perfectly tie it to the story. in some ways this is ultimate bill murray film. its bill murray doing the acting he knows best in a situation that calls for it. this movie is a classic, I'm guessing you've seen it but if you haven't...do. "Ned!" (punch)
17.Eulogy
REVIEW COOMING SOON!
18.Pulp Fiction
REVIEW COMMING SOON!
19.The Burbs
REVIEW COMMING SOON!
20. Uncle Buck
REVIEW COMMING SOON!
IN THE TOP 20 JUST NEED MORE TIME TO DECIDE WHERE
- Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Office Space
- Hostage
REVIEWS IN PROGRESS
One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest - Christian Slater in the London West End play.
thx for the info, i really want to see that! but london is 4 hours away for me :( lets hope it comes closer :)
Christian Slater (of True Romance) - it's got to be worth the trip.
Four hours = North East ? I'm in Milton Keynes.
It finishes on 4th December so there's not much time left to book.
yeah it does seem really good. maybe it is worth it.
its actually probably more like 5 hours, i'm in the midlands, Worcester.
Make your travel plans here.
And here.
Yeah, glad to see that you liked The Graduate. It's a terrific movie, and it has got everything a really good film needs: an excellent screenplay, a 1st-class director and wonderful actors (above all, Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft). Oh, I shouldn't forget the brilliant songs by Simon and Garfunkel.
man yeah its a very good film. i kept hearing how great it was and never thought it would live up to the hype but it did! and then some!
your right about everything you mentioned that made it so good, the music really made the film in my view, great!!
2, 3, 5, 10, and 14 all sucked in comparison to the rest of the list... make more sense somewhere on the bottom of your top 100 than top 15 and that is being generous.
Just my opinion^
wow.. i dont know what too say..each to his own i guess,. though i am thinking of re-thinking some entries on the list, though it wasnt the ones you mentioned. i am thinking of putting Akira back in and moving The Graduate down a few notches, also find a place for pulp and pieces of april.
though i cant see how anyone would have anything against donnie darko,T.Romance & Fight club!!
And i thought that anchorman is one of the funniest movies ever made.
i agree about anchorman... but to me there is a difference between the level of funny a movie is and the quality of a funny movie... and i prefer the latter... as for the others i like donnie darko and fight club, but they don't belong with a lot of the movies on your list IMO, but i guess that is why it's YOUR list... true romance was one of the biggest movie let downs i have witnessed... i saw it 3 days ago and after all the hype it was utter crap.
Great list, Rushmore! I think I'm gonna have to cram ESOTSM into my top 20, too.
Thankyou :)
Yeah, ESOTSM is a truely outstanding film. amazing in nearly everyway. i'm glad it got best Original screenplay at the BAFTAS tonight, deserves it all the way. i think though that what i like so much about the film is not only the film itself but the way it is promoted and the whole package. the choice of songs / posters / all the nice effects and use of colours like This and This The whole look to the film was great.
(if i sat down and thought about it, out of all the films on this list - its the one that would have a chance to knock Tenenbaums off the list!...#1 anyway :)
I like your list, you have Anderson and Tarantino. I haven't heard much about Office Space but i really want to see it now. From what i see in the list I recommend Withnail & I or Brazil.
thx :) i've been wanting to see Withnail & I for a while and for sure i will try annd see it. it seems like the kind of movie i'd like. I have seen about 45mins of Brazil and to tell you the truth..it wasn't my cup of tea but i'm willing to give it another go!
thx mate.
You must not have watched The Exorcist, or it would be #1! ha ha JK
I think it is cool how you use U's like the English people do. I try to do that to!
you're top 20 are very good. i agree with most of them. i've posted my own favourite movies list and it includes alot from Wes and Quentin.
Not as in depth as yours, but i have some movies in there you might want to check out.
anyway, good taste.
Thankyou. Yeah Wes Anderson and Tarantino are great directors, i think that alot of that is because they write all their stuff aswell as directing.
Nice, i went looking for it but couldn't find, but i'll keep a look out
thankyou for your comments
hi RadioXwave
I saw your list now. great list mate. you have some amazing movies on their. i was interested to see you liked Bottle Rocket the most of Wes Andersons films, it is very good, better than rushmore thats for sure. Lost In Translation is also a top notch movie. great list!
uncle buck? can you elaborate on that... i've never seen it, whats to like?
"whats To Like?" - how about everything!! it stars comic legend John Candy (RIP) in what has t be his best role (Next To his role in cool runnings). he plays Buck Russell ("uncle Buck") who travels to his brother's house to look after his nephews and nieces after his brother's wife's mom is taken ill. anyway they leave Buck the house to himslef and chaos follows! he has to deal with Tia, a rebellious teenager who goes by her own rules and 6/ 7 year old Miles (Culkin) and Maisy. what i personally love about this film, and beleive that you will to is the way that candy's character always has time for the kids, Tia gives him nothing but crap but he is always being nice and there for her, he really is unfairly treated in the house. this is a great movie with alot of heart. also Grampa_Chum, you mentioned liking BIG earlier, and is alot like this. it has the same feel, and heart. i really recommend you check it out, sorry for the late reply.
it wasn't late... it does soudn pretty good i'll have to see it sometime... but the only john candy movie i've really liked past the age of 10 was canadian bacon.
:) lol the reply was late by my standards, i try to get them in as quick as i can
I love both Wayne's World and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure too, but I would flip them. I like Bill and Ted's just a tiny bit better.
I do have a good embarrassing story though. I was sixteen, I think, when Wayne's World came out, and I loved it so much I actually bought a "Wayne's World" hat like the one Wayne wears, and wore it around thinking I was so cool. I remember going to the mall, and this guy giving me a thumbs up and yelling, "Party Time! Excellent!" Oh my, what a dork I was...
Johnny Waco
lol What a cool story, i'd love that hat! lol. you called it embarrassing, i would of gone: "Exellent is right!" but actually i bet i wouldn't of :0 but the hat sounds cool. yeah i agree that Bill And Ted are great movies, both some of my all time favourites but i felt that Waynes world (for me) was the one i saw more of and overall enjoyed more but it was close, i still tie those 2 together in the way of coolness. Anyway thx for sharing that great story.
I just realized you'd love the twilight zone; the movie... if you haven't already seen it... joe dante's(the burbs) segment is the best!
yeah, checked out the IMDB page, looks very interesting. Twilight Zone is always something i hear alot about but have never seen, not even the TV show. I feel that Joe Dante did a great job on The Burbs and it had this light comedy yet still keeping it kind of creepy feel to it and thats one of the many reasons i love that movie. i first saw The Burbs when i was young and have loved it ever since. i have no idea why i have yet to buy the dvd....it puzzles me. Anyway thank you for bringing this to my attention. :-] Thx!
Finally Saw Life Aquatic... but I still like tenenbaums more... if I had seen this first I may prefer it, but to me the dialogue and the side-plots were basically just rehashings of the royal tenenbaums' stuck in a setting and story trying a bit too hard to be original and different from his previous films, but basically the same stuff... that being said, it's still all the stuff I love about Wes' movies, but I can't say it was better... I may have changed my mind if the encounter with the shark had been built up a bit more itself, what I loved about the quick tying together of Royal's end, I ended up needing more in life aquatic... still loved it, but not for anything I didn't already love in Royal Tenenbaums, I mean it's basically the same movie, there are just too many sideplots and things that are EXACTLY the same, but I still think it's a great movie, and the fact that Bill Murray is the main character this time around is enough for me to understand why you might prefer this one, but for me I prefer Royal.
good point. i too was thinking recently that Royal Tenenbaums still maybe the stongest. However i was totally impressed and amazed by Life Aqautic. Though maybe not as deep as tenenbaums, it still had the usual heart mixed with quirky touches here and there. I see your pont about the 2 movies having alot of similarities. i guess you could say the Ned-Steve story is alot like Chaz-Royal or just the general idea of a father not connected to his family, so yes i do agree, though in contrast i feel, knowing these similarities still doesn't take away too much from the movie. About the shark encouter, i think they did pretty well. though i see your point here also, i guess it went like this: Shark kills steve's friend, then for about 1 hour its forgotten about and replaced with the story of Ned and steve
so i see your point but i feel that the actual shark sighting scene was briliant and very impressive. Oh and as you say, it's bill murray, can he do any wrong? or Wes for that matter. though like i said i agree on alot of your points and am questioning it's strength next to Tenenbaums. cya and glad to hear you saw it.
the other points I thought were similarly played out...
-Klaus wanting to be part of the family
-the secret forbidden sexual encounter that shouldn't happen, then is embraced
-the rivalry where they shit on each other and love the same woman and then make up awkwardly(zissou and hennessey)
-klaus acting like a child towards ned
-Ned's funeral where they all get together and randomly talk(similar to the tenenbaum wedding)
but like you said, doesn't take away from it, I still love it.
oh yeah slow motion walking to a great 70's pop song ending.
lol all true. i am thinking of putting RT #1 because i think overall now the hype of how good Life Aqautic was has died down, i do like RT more, but it's close.
You've got a couple of my faves on there.. however, I hated The Royal Tenenbaums. Don't kill me! I actually watched it because someone I know and have similar taste with LOVED it too... but it just didn't grow on me at all.
lol I can't think of any reason not to like it, but hey thats me. you mentioned that you did like some from this list, which ones?
Wayne's World, Liar Liar, Pulp Fiction, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.. Office Space was HILARIOUS!
Cool. Yeah office space really is brilliant, may have to see that again soon.
interested in a cheap groundhog's day dvd?... if you don't already own it that is.
hehe, trying to use my liking of murray to tempt me. sorry already own it, but thx for thinking of me.