Must-See Movies
(In no particular order, just mind-hand-keyboard)
The Matrix
Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburn - Outstanding movie. Some of the best special effects on film, and almost completely seemless integration between real filming and CGI. The only noticable glitch I've found in 10+ viewings is during the lobby scene. Neo is firing a pair of 9mm Skorpions, and 9mm brass is being ejected from the guns. The next view is looking the same direction, but from a lower angle, near Neo's feet, where 7.62x39 (AK-47) brass is hitting the ground. All that aside, this is possibly the best movie I've ever seen. Great subliminal dharma lessons, too.New tech-glitch info. Right after the lobby gunfight, when the bomb blows the elevator doors across the room, look at the marble-clad pillars. They'd been all shot-to-hell during the gunfight, but when the doors are bouncing and the firestorm is pouring through the lobby in slo-mo, the columns are *pristine*. Oops.
The Usual Suspects
Chazz Palmenteri, Kevin Spacey - Kevin Spacey once again gives his usual excellent performance of a fairly difficult role, that of a crippled con-man, while Chazz Palmenteri plays the FBI Heavy with ease and style. Watch for the exceptionally well masked yet clearly (from a retrospective point of view) revealed plot twists. Good cinamatography, too.
So I Married an Axe Murderer
Mike Meyers - Pricelessly funny. Mike Meyers playes both the young man getting married, and his Scottish immigrant father, to hilarious effect. Actually too much comedy for one film. The bagpipe scene is just one of many highlights.
Henry V
Kenneth Brannaugh, Emma Thompson, Brian Blessed - Can't be a Shakespere fan or in the SCA without seeing this one. Compare it to the Olivier version from the 50's, and you'll see Sir Lawrence come up short against one of the best Shakesperean actors of our day.
Brazil
Great movie, but I want to see it again before writing this review. DeNiro doesn't even seem like DeNiro.
The Sixth Sense
Bruce Willis - Unbelieveable. Bruce Willis can actually act (though this may be the one and only time you'll ever see it on film). Excellent storyline, utterly unpredicted (by me at least) *major* plot twist. I've probably just given it away, but this is a *must* see. Be ready to cry, too. This is only the third movie ever to make me cry. The second was A League of Their Own, and the first was Field of Dreams (one of only three Kevin Costner films worth seeing).
The Blues Brothers
John Belushi, Dan Akroyd - No description necessary, just a must-see film. (*For the advanced viewer, see if you can find the Joe Walsh cameo appearance.)
Dr. Strangelove (Or, "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb.")
Peter Sellers, James Earl Jones, Slim Pickens - Another one so important as to not require a description. Bonus points for hearing "...preserving our precious bodily fluids..."
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Graham Chapman, John Cleese - The single best (most realistic) swordfight on film, right up until the sword throwing bit. I also love the scene at the end where King Arthur (Chapman) shouts "Right! We attack the castle at once!" and suddenly 6000 or so English soldiers come pouring over the surrounding hillsides to start the fight. I want that power. Badly.
12 Monkeys
Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt - Another in a long series of post-Apocalyptic movies, but much better than most. Brad out-acts himself with his stunning potrayal of delusional schizophrenia. Bruce is good, too. Though this review is sparse, it's still a must-see.
Aleksandr Nevsky
Directed by Sergei Maksimilyanovich Eizenshtein - The story of the Prince of Novgorod repelling an invasion of Teutonic Knights. It was essentially a propaganda film aimed at Nazi Germany, along the lines of "See, this is what happened the last time the German's invaded Russia." Some of the most magnificent B+W cinematography you may ever see.
Battleship Potemkin
Another Eizenshtein film, this one about the beginings of the Russian Revolution that was the cradle of the Soviet Union. More incredible cinematography.
The Sticky Fingers of Time
Outstanding story and cinematography, both color and B+W. This film recently played at the SouthWest Film Center's Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, though Lillith and I can't for the life of us figure out why. Our best guess is perhaps the direcor is a lesbian, but, who knows.
Fight Club
Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter - Simply a great film. Great premise, great acting, keeps you guessing until the end. "You know, with enough soap, you can blow up anything."