40 movies you must watch before you die
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- 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.Who'd have thought a story by Stephen King, more over a short story, would do so well both commercially and critically? Well, this is what you get when you get Frank Darabont to direct a movie with Morgan Freeman in it.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at MIT, has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.Biased here. Not everybody loves this movie, but it's on the top of my watch list purely because of the rawness and emotion of the scenes with long strips of conversation. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's screenwriting debut, which they co-won an Oscar for. If only Titanic did not completely eclipse this movie in 1997, this movie would have
won much more than the 4 academy awards than it did. - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsTom HanksRobin WrightGary SiniseThe history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.I don't have to elaborate, do I?
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.Ok, many people would find this movie weird, because of its weird chronological sequence and generally random themes and events that don't really connect or have significance as a whole. Well that's the point here. Narrowing down on scenes and having long, conversational scenes where gangsters discuss philosophical ideas isn't what you'd usually expect of them. Not to mention Samuel Jackson's Oscar-Worthy acting. Tarantino's best.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Kevin Spacey's voice is probably my most favorite voice in the world. He has just the right tinge of timbre in a background of this alto voice that is exceptionally soothing. The theme of this movie is not what you'd expect it to be, and the turning point appears gradually, ending off in an ultimate climax with, again, Spacey's voice as the backdrop of the finale.
- DirectorBryan SingerStarsKevin SpaceyGabriel ByrneChazz PalminteriThe sole survivor of a pier shoot-out tells the story of how a notorious criminal influenced the events that began with five criminals meeting in a seemingly random police lineup.Another one of Kevin Spacey's big roles during his "prime" of the late 90s. An interesting story, with a slightly predictable twist.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsJim CarreyKate WinsletTom WilkinsonWhen their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.I had nightmares for 3 days after watching this. Don't use that as an excuse not to watch it though. It's excellent, really.
I watched this again recently and I realised what I wrote above doesn't do much justice to the movie. The scenes are beautiful; the way the memories were removed were extremely well thought out, the slow fading of the details from the backgrounds were the little facts I loved about the movie. I should probably move this up to my top 5. Yes, I should. - DirectorFrank DarabontStarsTom HanksMichael Clarke DuncanDavid MorseA death row guard learns that a gentle giant in his charge possesses a mysterious gift.The second of Stephen King's works to make it big commercially and critically. Frank Durabont should really be the only one allowed to make his books into movies, with the success of The Shawshank Redemption.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsEllen BurstynJared LetoJennifer ConnellyThe drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.Officially the most disturbing movie I've ever watched. This would not have been without the excellent cinematography and lightings. Although you'd think a movie discouraging the use of drugs by showing its terrible effects would deter the individual, it made me want to try them even more. JK, heh.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsBrad PittEdward NortonMeat LoafAn insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.Brad Pitt + Edward Norton + Soap = Legendary
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA former insurance investigator who now suffers from anterograde amnesia uses notes and tattoos to hunt down his wife's murderer.Just why this movie is so unknown and underrated, I don't know. What I know is that Jonathan Nolan is equally, if not, more talented than his older brother for coming up with a plot so elaborate, perfect and thought provoking 10 years before Inception. The brothers were already *beep* people since the beginning of the 21st Century and only got found out after Inception.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsAdrien BrodyThomas KretschmannFrank FinlayDuring WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.Adrien Brody did himself, his Jewish ancestors, and all the Jews in the world a great justice by his performance in the pianist. Scorsese's Schindler's List, if you please.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.It'll probably be the same description as The Pianist so I'll just say - Spielberg's Pianist in conclusion.
- DirectorTetsuya NakashimaStarsTakako MatsuYoshino KimuraMasaki OkadaYuko, a teacher of middle-school, is shattered to see her four-year-old daughter dead. She returns back to the school and finds out that her students are responsible for her daughter's murder.The freakiest psychological thriller I've ever seen gosh this was a beautifully scary movie I think I got scarred for a few days after watching it
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsBrad PittDiane KrugerEli RothIn Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.This really seals the deal of me being a complete Tarantino fan I mean... I just love all his works and I can't find any redundant scene in this one, as well as his other works. Favourite scene would be the bar scene of course - "Say auf wiedersehen to your nazi balls" LOL I could watch that a million times over
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJamie FoxxChristoph WaltzLeonardo DiCaprioWith the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.Tarantino does it again with his spaghetti western style incorporated into a very realistic take on the slavery situation in the states before the civil war. Christof Waltz does an amazing job again with his meticulous (I would like to hear him say that word in character) acting and attention to every single action or word he says. And you'd love tarantino's cameo in this one
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineDaryl HannahAfter waking from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.And Vol. 2 as well (Counting the both of them as one movie for the purpose of this list)
Tarantino... I should just stop there. You see the trend - DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsEthan HawkeUma ThurmanJude LawVincent, an "In-Valid", assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. However, a week before his mission, a murder marks Vincent as a suspect.Highly underrated sci-fi movie that first explored the complex nature of identity theft and DNA manipulation. I love how detailed it got at some parts; they really didn't overlook much. I still wonder why it never got the fame it deserved.
- DirectorSteven ShainbergStarsJames SpaderMaggie GyllenhaalJeremy DaviesA timid young woman starts working for a demanding lawyer and finds a new way to deal with her self-harming urges.This is the only movie in which I have seen the concept of sadomasochism and BDSM explored. It is really quite disturbing in a way but so artistic and absorbing that you just lose yourself in the movie. And the main actor looked like Thom Yorke of Radiohead, if that's a bonus.
- DirectorCraig GillespieStarsRyan GoslingEmily MortimerPaul SchneiderA delusional young man strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.One of Ryan Gosling's arthouse films that allowed me to conclude that this man is a real showman and deserves much more admiration and fame that he, of course, already has
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsColin FarrellBrendan GleesonCiarán HindsAfter a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.I'll be honest with you - this was the movie that surprised me at the most random moments; Colin firth's excellent Irish drawl fits in with his funny villain persona that he pulls off excellently. And you'd want to visit Bruges after watching this movie.
- DirectorDerek CianfranceStarsRyan GoslingMichelle WilliamsJohn DomanThe relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.Raw, refreshing and real. I can't put into words how well Gosling and Williams acted in their roles, it's one of the few moments I feel as though I'm watching characters living their lives rather than actors acting as characters. Brilliant screenplay and touching scenes. Top 5.
- DirectorRichard AyoadeStarsCraig RobertsSally HawkinsPaddy Considine15-year-old Oliver Tate has two objectives: to lose his virginity before his next birthday, and to extinguish the flame between his mother and an ex-lover who has resurfaced in her life.I'm only 20 mins into this movie and I'm loving it. The delivery is flawlessly deadpan and hilarious at the same time, I don't know what to make of it. Cameras are perfect too, every best matches in with each motion and screenplay couldn't be better. Extremely relevant scenes and done in a very "indie" way, of course.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsMatt DamonGwyneth PaltrowJude LawIn late 1950s New York, a young underachiever named Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures."my funny... Valentine..." the eerie music always seeps into my head when I think about this movie. One of Matt Damon's best and again, underrated movie that deserves more light. Philip Seymour Hoffman's in it too, if that's a bonus.
- DirectorLone ScherfigStarsCarey MulliganPeter SarsgaardAlfred MolinaA coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.This was my Carey Mulligan phase so I just liked nearly every movie she acted in. Fanboying aside, this was a really brilliant movie and should be watched when you feel like ditching your studies and taking a train to nowhere with a stranger you think you trust.
