Sunday, May 18, 2008

Movies I have watched!! -Part One

Hey there !!

I m such a lazy guy that inspite of having stuff to post here, didnt. Anyway, no regrets! & here i go!!

As INTPs like to do it I generally keep track of what movies i have watched. So here it goes.

Lets talk about the top 10 first!! First of all, its a little tough to say which is better than other?! Another trouble is what I am going after when i rate the movie?
Rather it is not only a question for me but anyone. I mean, what should be taken into account? The unbiased quality of the movie or the personal choices of the person who's rating it? They can be pretty conflicting. In fact, in case of Indian movies, especially Bollywood movies, this can bring startling, rather frustrating results. Most movies which work at the box office have little or mostly no artistic value. But i'll leave bollywood-bashing for another post & time.
As far as my choice goes, the movies which have won Academy Awards, AFI; have a tremendous rating at IMDb are the top-notch movies. Exceptions, as always, exist!


THE TOP 10 movies:


1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
4. The Godfather II (1974)
5. American Beauty (1999)
6. Fight Club (1999)
7. The Godfather (1972)
8. The Departed (2006)
9. Silence of the Lambs (1991)
10. Taxi Driver (1976)

Will try to write about each of these movies



SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

Genre: War
Direction: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Hanks, Barry Pepper, Ed Burns, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel.

Probably the best war movie ever made! Spielberg deservedly won Oscar for it. Very meticulous. The first 30 minutes about Battle at Normandy beach are so intense that it could put the real happenings in shade. I dont think apart from Spielberg, who has a penchant for making grand, great memorable movies, any other contemporary director could do it.
All that for the form. The content is equally good,to say the least.Based loosely on real story of Nilland Brothers, the movie is about a fictional search for a paratrooper who is the only surviving son out of four. The hunt is carried out by small troop led by Capt John Miller. Played by redoubtable Tom Hanks, who garnered another of his numerous nominations, his role is of an ex-teacher who joined the military despite knowing the consequences while he himself questions the meaning of war.Sample this, a conversation between Miller & Pvt Reiben who is disenchanted with war

Captain Miller: I'm a schoolteacher. I teach English composition... in this little town called Adley, Pennsylvania. The last eleven years, I've been at Thomas Alva Edison High School. I was a coach of the baseball team in the springtime. Back home, I tell people what I do for a living and they think well, now that figures. But over here, it's a big, a big mystery. So, I guess I've changed some. Sometimes I wonder if I've changed so much my wife is even going to recognize me, whenever it is that I get back to her. And how I'll ever be able to tell her about days like today. Ah, Ryan. I don't know anything about Ryan. I don't care. The man means nothing to me. It's just a name. But if... You know if going to Rumelle and finding him so that he can go home. If that earns me the right to get back to my wife, then that's my mission.

[to Private Reiben]
Captain Miller: You want to leave? You want to go off and fight the war? All right. All right. I won't stop you. I'll even put in the paperwork. I just know that every man I kill the farther away from home I feel.
The supporting cast features many talented actors like Ed Burns, Tom Sizemore & Matt Damon [he'd just received an Oscar nomination previous year for Good Will Hunting] & notably Barry Pepper as Sgt/ Jackson, a sharp-shooter who is equally good at quoting Holy Bible. Before almost every shot, he recites a verse; it inspires & terrifies at the same time.
I rate this movie very highly. The cast, the cinematography, the direction are near perfect. Yes there is lot of bloodshed but it fairly gives an idea of what could have happened in reality. Though the movie is about war but actually its more an anti-war movie. All the characters question their role, the war, even their mission of finding one man while almost sacrificing lives in process.

All the people who think about joining an army must watch this movie. Machismo apart, it has little to offer as far anything goes. Its the politician who gain something (?) the people who actually give away their lives have, sadly, nothing to do with it.

Memorable Quotes

See this too:
"War Pigs"


The complete list :)


1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
4. The Godfather II (1974)
5. American Beauty (1999)
6. Fight Club (1999)
7. The Godfather (1972)
8. The Departed (2006)
9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
10. Taxi Driver (1976)

11. Forrest Gump (1994)
12. Platoon (1986)
13. The Matrix (1999)
14. Crash (2005)
15. The Usual Suspects (1995)
16. American History X (1998)
17. Snatch (2000)
18. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
19. Schindler’s List (1993)
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
21. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
22. Finding Nemo (2003)
23. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
24. LA Confidential (1997)
25. Terminator 2: The Judgment Day (1991).

26. Babel (2006).
27. Blood Diamond (2006)
28. Cast Away (2000).
29. Munich (2005)
30. Collateral (2004).
31. Ocean’s Eleven (2001).
32. Babe (1995)
33. A Bug’s Life (1998).
34. School of Rock (2003).
35. Scent of a Woman (1992).
36. Leon (1994).
37. Casino (1994).
38. Die Hard (1988).
39. Monsters, Inc. (2001).
40. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).
41. Enemy at the Gates (2001).
42. First Blood (1982).
43. Liar Liar (1997).
44. Ice Age (2002).
45. The Terminator (1984)
46. Speed (1994).
47. Shrek (2001).
48. The Incredibles (2004).
49. Toy Story (1995).
50. The Godfather III (1990).

51. The Fugitive (1993).
52. A Beautiful Mind (2001).
53. American Gangster (2007)
54. The Pianist (2002).
55. Rocky (1976).
56. Final Destination (2000).
57. The Untouchables (1987).
58. Good Will Hunting (1998).
59. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
60. The Lost World (1997).
61. Men in Black (1997).
62. Kinsey (2004)
63. Die Hard 3 (1995).
64. Chicken Run (2000).
65. Toy Story 2 (1999).
66. Spiderman (2002).
67. Pay It Forward (2000)
68. The Day after Tomorrow (2004).
69. Jurassic Park (1993).
70. Jaws (1975).

71. Ocean’s Twelve (2004).
72. Jerry Maguire (1996).
73. Shrek 2 (2004).
74. The Bucket List (2007)
75. The Game (1997)
76. Brave Heart (1995).
77. Training Day (2001).
78. When Harry Met Sally (1989).
79. The Mask (1994).
80. Twelve Monkeys (1995).
81. Mission: Impossible (1996).
82. Anger Management (2003)
83. Shark Tale (2005).
84. Die Hard 2 (1990).
85. Philadelphia (1993).
86. Ronin (1998).
87. The King & I (1956).
88. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003).
89. The Da Vinci Code (2006).
90. The Matrix: Reloaded (2002).
91. Small Soldiers (1998).
92. Dunston Checks In (1997).
93. Bruce Almighty (2003).
94. Miss Congeniality (1998).
95. Speed 2 (1997).
96. KPax (2001).
97. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids! (1989).
98. Home Alone (1989).
99. The Italian Job (2003).
100. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1981).
101. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2001).

102. Gladiator (2000).
103. Godzilla (1998).
104. Dumb & Dumber (1994).
105. Meet the Fockers (2005).
106. Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets (2001).
107. Mouse Hunt (1996)
108. Baby’s Day Out (1997).
109. Flubber (199).
110. Mission: Impossible 3 (2006).
111. Home Alone 3 (1997).
112. Meet the Parents (2000)
113. Madagascar (2005).
114. Rambo 3 (1988).
115. True Lies (1994).
116. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone (2002).
117. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000).
118. The Sum of All Fears (2002).
119. Ace Ventura: The Pet Detective (1994).
120. Malibu’s Most Wanted (2002)
121. Terminator 3: Rise of the machines (2003).
122. Final Destination 2 (2003).
123. American Pie 2 (2001).
124. American Pie (1999).
125. Independence Day (1997).
126. Escape from Alcatraz (1979).
127. Jurassic Park 3 (2002).
128. Titanic (1997).
129. The Mummy (1999).
130. There’s something about Mary (1998).
131. Night in the Museum (2006).
132. Swordfish (2001).
133. What Women Want (2000).
134. Jumanji (1997).
135. I Am Legend (2007)
136. American Wedding (2003).
137. War of the Worlds (2005).
138. Hellboy (2004).
139. Jingle All the Way (1998).
140. Commando (1985).
141. Anaconda (1997).
142. FaceOff (1997).
143. The Money Pit (1986).
144. Rush Hour (1997).
145. Men in Black 2 (2002).
146. Mr Bean’s Holiday (2007).
147. Chain Reaction(1998)
148. Assassins (1995).
149. Euro Trip (2004).
150. Basic Instinct (1992).
151. Ghost Rider (2007).


Few movies' rank might be surprisingly low such as Gladiator as though i found Crowe pretty cool, i have little tolerance for all those heavy-costume & set-oriented movies set in history as old as this.Will write more about it. Gotta dash for dinner. :)

& Yes Ghost Rider was the crappiest movie i ever watched. B-grade?? Z-grade!! Also I cant understand Basic Instinct was worth the trouble & the money. Yes its great to watch sassy Sharon Stone's sexy thighs but thats the only thing this movie it offers. Sad it worked at Box Office because of this.

2 comments:

Zweisamkeit said...

For one, i love anything with Russell Crowe in it.... so of course Gladiator rocked my socks off... Then... LA Confidential.. That movie was incredible. Watch it, KP! Watch it.

Unknown said...

where are new posts man, update frequently, lot of us are waiting :)