A movie a year for every one in my life (1991-2010)
Films of my life, some more so than others, that were released within my lifetime. You would be well within my right to question some of my choices, and I have payed regards to other choices that could have been made, especiall where it was a difficult decision between two or more films. But these films were all chosen based on the following criterea:
They are all films I have seen (any classics that I have not seen are excluded)
They are not necessarily great films, but films I really enjoy (they include some of my favourites of all time)
They are films I would watch if I had to choose one film for every year of my life to watch.
I hope you enjoy, and agree with some of my views.
They are all films I have seen (any classics that I have not seen are excluded)
They are not necessarily great films, but films I really enjoy (they include some of my favourites of all time)
They are films I would watch if I had to choose one film for every year of my life to watch.
I hope you enjoy, and agree with some of my views.
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- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsJodie FosterAnthony HopkinsScott GlennA young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.Chilling, tense, gripping, and superbly well acted (although I stand by my opinion in saying that Jodie Foster, while good, was possibly somewhat overrated, Anthony Hopkins is deliciously creepy and commanding in his psychotic, powerful screen presence (albeit for about 10 minutes of the entire runtime)), this really is a landmark horror film (the first to win Best Picture, and only one of three films in history to have won all (what are considered by most to be) the "Top Five" Oscars (Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, Screenplay)). Now where are my fava beans and chianti?
- DirectorGary SiniseStarsJohn MalkovichGary SiniseRay WalstonA nomadic farm worker looks after his dimwitted, gentle-giant friend during the Great Depression.This film is significant to me because I studied the story in great detail for my GCSE (+16) exams a few years ago. Although I had read the book enough times to drive me insane, the film was still pleasing enough to sit down and watch. A good pair of leading actors (Sinise and Malkovich) drive the plot of doomed optimism in the Great Depression with a sense of camaraderie and great poignancy towards the end, while a good supporting cast give an accurate portrayal of the characters according to the book. And a good cinematography and soundtrack bring the sweeping, parched fields of California to life.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsSam NeillLaura DernJeff GoldblumAn industrialist invites some experts to visit his theme park of cloned dinosaurs. After a power failure, the creatures run loose, putting everyone's lives, including his grandchildren's, in danger.A tough choice between this and "Schindler's List". SL is easily the superior film, and in a list of GREATEST rather than FAVOURITE films, SL would easily trump JP, but I grew up with this old gem. The dialogue is muffled, the script is a bit wonky, and there are so many obvious continuity errors that it's almost a lesson for editors on "How not to do your job", but the Dinosaurs are spectacular, and unbelievably realistic even 17 years on (both Stan Winston's animatronics and ILM's Computer Animated creatures blossom beautiful craft and originality), John Williams' Score is one of my favourites (often overlooked amongst some of his Oscar contenders), and Spielberg does what he does best; immerse us in a world of entertainment unparalleled by any other director for 2 hours of excitement and brilliance.
- DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTim RobbinsMorgan FreemanBob GuntonA banker convicted of uxoricide forms a friendship over a quarter century with a hardened convict, while maintaining his innocence and trying to remain hopeful through simple compassion.Granted, "Forrest Gump" was the undoubted oscar winner of 1994, and Tom Hanks deserved his accolades, but this film has aged in a manner of which FG is no match for. A Lazarus film, that went underground after it's lacklustre release, but eventually was saved by VHS, and then (conveniently enough), the hundreds of thousands of IMDB fans in the subsequent years of the 1990s, this film came back with style, cementing it's reputation as one of the greatest films ever made. The great cast, screenplay, score, and overwhelming sensations of trial and tribulation, friendship and hope made this a must for all viewers, from teenagers growing up under pressure of facing the real world (such as myself, particularly around exam time), to the experienced in life, facing real life problems such as divorce, depression and suicide, this film has allowed them to pull through, as if they were in Andy's shoes in the sewer that night. Very few films can admit to pulling off something as spectacular as that!
- DirectorRon HowardStarsTom HanksBill PaxtonKevin BaconNASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.Given the way we now perceive Mel Gibson, and his anti-semetic antics, and the way many historians view "Braveheart" today, I am immensely saddened by the lack of regard that was given to this modern historical drama (which unlike "Braveheart" actually takes the "Historical" bit seriously!) in the wake of what has become the mould for many dubious medieval war films.
NASA's finest hour is brought to the screen in what I believe is Ron Howard's finest film. Easily the most technically and historically accurate space film made thus far (with the competition only really stemming from other classics such as "The Right Stuff", and serious Sci-Fi such as "2001" (minus the futuristic aspect, the only film that has seemed to realised that there is no sound in a vacuum)), with an uplifting score from James Horner, fantastic special effects (including the inspired use of NASA's "Vomit Comet" Zero Gravity training aircraft to portray the effect of weightlessness) that again, hold up even by today's standards, and absolutely rock-solid performances from an allstar cast. Particular mention goes to Hanks, Quinlan and Harris. Hanks does what he does best, and does it well as always (and the fact that he is a self-confessed space nut, like myself, adds to the effectiveness of the portrayal), Quinlan gives a credibly emotional performance in her (so far) only Oscar-nominated performance, but Harris gives (in my opinion) one of his best performances (if not THE best) to date, with an inspiringly strong, yet heartfelt, accurate portrayal of Gene Kranz, NASA's no-nonsense, bullet-fast thinking Flight Director, and the leader of the "Steely-eyed Missle Men" who manned Mission Control in those tense 7 days in April 1970.
We all know the outcome, but the film is made so well that the climax is always as tense and triumphant each time. A fitting tribute to the brave, intelligent and ambitious men of NASA in the 1960s/70s, in a time when mankind made bold moves to be remembered for. And remember them, we certainly do.
P.S. For those of you who disagree that this film was hard done by back in 1995/96 Oscars, or think that Braveheart deserved to win, fair enough, but bear in mind that the academy overlooked awarding this film Best Visual Effects and gave it to "Babe"........ I rest my case. - DirectorRoland EmmerichStarsWill SmithBill PullmanJeff GoldblumThe aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.A guilty pleasure among guilty pleasures. Again a turn away from the mainstream classics of the year (which in fairness did not boast too many) as I have avoided "The English Patient" as the most obvious choice. While a brilliant film in it's own right, this one is a classic Saturday evening film that I can not resist when it is on.
There was a time, back in the early-mid 1990s, where Roland Emmerich actually made half-decent films (by which I mean two; Stargate, and this). Just like his later films, they stank of special effects galore, a silly script, moronic storyline, and acting so laughable that it made mainstream comedians turn bright red with shame. But the brilliant and most important thing about ID is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. This film focuses on one thing and one thing alone; FUN! LOTS OF IT!!! Rip-roaring action sequences, highly memorable special effects (this film, surprisingly enough, holds the record for the greatest number of miniatures created for a film, which I found surprising considering the emphasis that the media put into the use of Computer Imagery. Ironically, this same development likely means that the film will hold the record indefinitely), and a running theme so jingoistic you can't help but chuckle (from Will Smith knocking the arriving alien out with one forceful punch to the head, to Bill Pullman's famously silly heroic monologue), and all the while retaining all the things that have made alien films such a popular Sci-Fi sub-genre, with references to many classics such as "War of the Worlds", "Alien" and "Star Wars". - DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.One day I will watch "Good Will Hunting" or "L.A. Confidential", and I shall change my mind on this one. But unfortunately, I am forced to stick with James Cameron's tour-de-force (for 12 years) oscar-sweeping, all time biggest cash-cow (again, for 12 years) romantic epic.
Love it or hate it (and there are plenty of IMDB users who hate it, that I know), this is still an undeniably impressive spectacle, with a score and special effects across all fronts that give it the squeeky-clean, classy finish it deserves, and the drama (when it eventually gets going), is extremely well paced and intense, and as we all know, the ending is matched only by "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" as a universal tear-jerker that people of all generations have seen thousands of times, but can never quite keep the plumbing intact (unless you're one of the haters, or are a particularly strong-hearted individual, in which case I don't blame you). - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsTom HanksMatt DamonTom SizemoreFollowing the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.For the longest time, I didn't hold this film in as high regard as everyone else. I felt it was overrated, with a plot that went downhill in the latter stages of the film, as it became a silly affair, who's characters lacked any credibility. I used to prefer it to 80s war films like "Platoon" (to date, my all time favourite film). However, within the last year, I have taken a u-turn, and am very pleased to say how wrong I was.
The very first few minutes of the film are already emotionally demanding enough. A man walks into a war cemetery, with his young family in his wake. At the sight of thousands of tombstones lined up, he instantly falls to his knees in sheer overwhelming grief. With another understated John Williams score in the background, it is easily enough to bring a man to tears in it's own right. And from that moment on, Spielberg has you once again. And what follows immediately after, is 25 minutes of the undisputedly most accurate portrayal of war in cinematic history, with the landings at Omaha beach brought to life in every gory detail.
The rest of the film is a gripping affair, and you can see that Spielberg went the extra mile to make every battle sequence as realistic as the first. The sound is the crucial aspect of this, every bullet snap and explosion feeling fresh, different, and raw. The style of filming also feels visceral, with lighting and camera speeds that range from hazy to razor sharp crystal clear in immense contrasts, giving a sense of unease and tention throughout the film.
As for the acting, once again, Hanks gives a highly likeable performance of a character who is not particularly dramatic or charasmatic, but is still very much the everyman; the man in us all. Supported by a band of individually distinct, cohesive soldiers, risking their eight lives to save one, lost in the wartorn rolling hills and villages of Northern France in 1944.
My only complaint about the film still stands; I feel the characterisation occassionally gives way to some unnecessary, occassionally silly subplots/character cliches. But this is a minor complaint in an otherwise untainted masterpiece. - DirectorLana WachowskiLilly WachowskiStarsKeanu ReevesLaurence FishburneCarrie-Anne MossWhen a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.The Matrix has you, and has you by the balls for a good two hours. When this Sci-Fi landmark came out at the turn of the millenium, it wiped the floor with the overhyped "Star Wars" prequel released the same summer, and set new standards in Sci-Fi films for the 21st Century.
An interesting take on reality, with a level of plot development and originality in league with other classics such as "Memento" and possibly even "The Usual Suspects", this was the first "smart" Sci-Fi film to be released in a while. The idea that the world we perceive is in fact a computer-generated neurological prison, with segues to philosophy and parables to the New Testament made the entire world wake up and think in 1999, and it managed to do this amongst visual effects and choreography that were absolutely mind-blowing (although it has been spoofed so many times now that it is only rivalled by Star Wars for mimicability, and the "bullet time" gimmick is now so overused that it is difficult to please the eye nowadays).
The acting wasn't too bad either. Keanu Reaves acts like a dope as always, but for once it fitted in with the situation beautifully, as he was left just as confused and overwhelmed by the situation as some of us were. Laurence Fishburne's deep drone provided a comfortable, intruiging narration to the story, while Hugo Weaving gave a suitably likeable, but at the same time malevolent, calculating villain.
The main problem with the film is that it throws away its supporting characters like used drinks bottles, but it's clear that characterisation is not the film's goal. Give the lacklustre sequels the "Highlander 2" treatment (i.e. completely ignore them) and you have a film which stands up on it's own to go down in history as one of the greatest Sci-Fi films ever made. - DirectorRidley ScottStarsRussell CroweJoaquin PhoenixConnie NielsenA former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.Ridley Scott's revival of the "Sword and Sandal epic" genre was a tour-de-force picture as the new millenium began, as well as Ridley Scott's first highly acclaimed picture in years. This had all the right elements in it to become a perfect father's-day/birthday gift for years to come, as well as a personal number 1 for many people who I know.
The big positives about this film are very obvious and need little explaination on my part; Russel Crowe's gritty, powerful performance as the vengeful protaganist, Hans Zimmer's memorable score (or rather, Hans Zimmer's sidekick's memorable score, since Zimmer himself never seems to take full credit for anything these days), dazzling cinematography and visuals, and a clearly defined journey of betrayal, vengeance and comradeship that gave the film the credit and the oscars it deserved. - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodIan McKellenOrlando BloomA meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.2001. I started to move on in the world, 10 years old, at what some may call the very first point in life when things start to go bitter (subject to opinion). It was the year when the first "Harry Potter" film was released four years after initial publication, and at that time, the vast majority of my friends were geared up to supply Warner Bros with the support they wanted to keep milking this cash-cow for the following decade. Then, just when "The Philosopher's Stone" looked set to take away the spotlight that Christmas, Peter Jackson's first installment of J.R.R. Tolkein's epic trilogy burst onto cinema screens around the world, and from that moment (for me at least), "Harry Potter" was toast.
Given that I knew nothing about "The Lord of the Rings" at the time, it is a testament to the skill with which Peter Jackson crafted this, the first of three masterpieces that I was completely hooked by the film for the near 3 hours runtime (this is the first film on this list which I actually went to see at the cinema upon release). From the word go, a storyline of epic proportions is explained with sufficient detail and skill to keep the old fans happy, and to reel in the new ones, and it kept me sufficiently interested to research the lore, so that by the time "The Two Towers" came out the next year, I knew as much as I needed to know about LOTR to go into the cinema knowing what was being said.
This is possibly the only series of films where there is not (arguably) a single weak member of the cast, and this film probably rings out the truest to this statement. From Elijah Wood's troubled, trialed and heavily tested Frodo, his faithful, fiercely loyal "Somerset farmer"-themed companion Sam (Sean Astin), Ian McKellen's majestic and fatherly, but nonetheless beautifully flawed and moth-eaten Gandalf the Grey (as opposed to the near-unstoppable master of the universe in the sequels, which was still highly likeable), to the supporting characters; Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd as the initially blissfully oblivious comedy duo of Hobbits Merry and Pippin (who, like everyone else, mature throughout the trilogy to become mature, loyal and very much aware of the overwhelming situation they got themselves into accidentally in this film), Viggo Mortenson's intense king-to-be Aragorn, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies as the Elf/Dwarf comedy duo Legolas and Gimli, and lastly Sean Bean's troubled, but heartfelt performance of Boromir, a performance that would otherwise be very much in the background, but came out as one of the set pieces of this film, as an internal struggle within the Fellowship.
This is just a host of names in this film, who all give 110% to their respective roles. And supporting them are the spectacular vistas of New Zealand, equally spectacular visual effects, Howard Shore's score suitably epic for the trilogy (possibly my favourite score of all time, certainly the best score in recent years not composed by John Williams), and a director who never lost vision in a project many considered too great in scope to be polished off successfully.
The first film is my favourite of the three, as the most character-driven of the lot, and the most progressive storyline, but all three deserve a place in my top 10 favourite films of all time. - DirectorDanny BoyleStarsCillian MurphyNaomie HarrisChristopher EcclestonFour weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the United Kingdom, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.It would be easy to put "The Two Towers" in as the 2002 entry, with the adrenaline increased from the first film, every element that made FOTR good maintained and boosted (although the majority of the character development slows in this film, and the journey feeling from the first film is lost), and Andy Serkis giving a landmark performance as the wretched creature Gollum (both in acting and visual effects), the film's party piece in my opinion. However, Danny Boyle's revival of the Zombie Apocalypse theme deserves a special mention, since the film techniques respective to budget in this film are of a rare quality that many filmmakers have tried to imitate in recent years, but have come nowhere close.
The vast majority of the film is shot with digital cameras, giving it a gritty, realistic edge, and the opening shots of a deserted London are possibly among the finest pieces of British Cinema in existence. A stark portrayal of a future virus outbreak (actually based on the real-life Ebola virus), and although exaggerated somewhat in terms of the primary effects of the virus, highlights an underlying theme of the potential impacts of globalisation and hypochondrialism that have permeated Western Culture. All the time, during this, the film maintains a rivetting atmosphere, with adrenaline-filled sequences who's simplicity is compensated for by the shooting with digital cameras, while pacing itself sufficiently not to become too monotonous. This last point is something that filmmakers of recent Hollywood blockbusters such as "Cloverfield" have failed to realise, in that the whole hand-held camera style (albeit slightly different from the style in this film) becomes tiresome if overused with heavy action and too little suspense, especially if you're trying to maintain a delicate balance of Action and Horror. - DirectorPeter JacksonStarsElijah WoodViggo MortensenIan McKellenGandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
- DirectorBrad BirdStarsCraig T. NelsonSamuel L. JacksonHolly HunterWhile trying to lead a quiet suburban life, a family of undercover superheroes are forced into action to save the world.
- DirectorSteve BoxNick ParkStarsPeter SallisHelena Bonham CarterRalph FiennesWallace and his loyal dog, Gromit, set out to discover the mystery behind the garden sabotage that plagues their village and threatens the annual giant vegetable growing contest.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsJames McAvoyForest WhitakerGillian AndersonBased on the events of the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's regime as seen by his personal physician during the 1970s.
- DirectorDanny BoyleStarsCillian MurphyRose ByrneChris EvansA team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.
- DirectorDanny BoyleLoveleen TandanStarsDev PatelFreida PintoSaurabh ShuklaA teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
- DirectorNeill BlomkampStarsSharlto CopleyDavid JamesJason CopeThirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth to find refuge. Separated from humans in a District 9, they are managed by Multi-National United. When a field agent contracts a virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place to hide.Many people say this film is garbage. That it is confusing, full of plot holes, insensitive, has an undecided characterisation pattern and storyline and tries to do too many things in 90 minutes. Then again, many people like Transformers. Neill Blomkamp's debut feature Sci-Fi/Action spectacular is a hugely entertaining, spellbinding, and a good example of how to do things outside of Hollywood (with very little involvement from the USA, the film is set in South Africa, made by South Africa filmmakers and financed largely by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson).
- DirectorDavid YatesStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintAs Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.I have not yet seen "Toy Story 3". When I do, this mistake will be corrected, but since this is the only film I have seen in the cinema this year that I care to consider ("Wild Targets" was a vast disappointment), I'm forced to stick with it.
Actually that's not such a bad thing, even as a non-Harry Potter fan (or at least, a Die-Hard one). I read the books when they came out, watched a few of the films in the cinema, but beyond that, I did not care for the series a great deal. I am pleased to say, however, that after years of disappointment with the franchise, we have finally been treated to a film that can be taken seriously not just as an HP film, but as a film in its own right too. You will be left behind if you don't know the story so far, but this is the most faithful of the adaptations by far (the two-part split is beginning to make more sense than just a stupid money-making gimmick now), and it carries enough emotional depth to give the three leads credible performances for the first time in 9 years!
Dare I say it, this is actually better than the original novel, which felt incredibly lost and confused at times. This makes a lot more sense of the content that J.K. Rowling has given it that I sometimes think she does. Now all we have to do is wait for the finale, and hope that it can be equally as pleasing as this installment.