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Best Andrei Tarkovsky Film
If you are unfamiliar with his work, which film interests you the most?
Discuss here
One Word Is All You Need
Please ignore the films and vote on the word. The films are merely there as an example.
After voting, discuss here.
Favourite Film Directors
Includes only the list of films I give at least an 8/10.
Missing from the Top 250
Of course some films aren't quite eligible to enter the list just yet.
Poll information is accurate as of December 5, 2017.
While The Human Condition trilogy have the same poster, and the first two parts even have the same release year, but they ARE three separate films.
Discuss here
Reviews
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Kaufman just might be my favourite thing about cinema.
I could tell you to watch this film. And I will. But more importantly I find a review should not be about why you should watch the film (again you should) but more so why I liked it and what it did for me. This is my favourite film so it's about time I put more thoughts of it on the internet. I'm sure anyone reading this will think differently of this films and that's one of Charlie Kaufman's best skills. For those unaware he is the screenwriter of such films like Synecdoche, New York and Being John Malkovich. I love both of those but I find this brilliant piece to be his magnum opus. So without further ado, here are the reasons I love this movie;
The acting: It's no mystery I love Kate Winslet. Carrey is great but come on, Kate is my favourite actress and up with Nicholson and DiCaprio for favourite performer. So when I say this is her best performance, it means its breathtakingly good. She is charismatic, funny, devastating and fits the character to perfection. You couldn't find anyone better to play Clementine. As for Jim this is also his best work. Yes he is more acclaimed for (some) of his comedic performances but this takes the cake. Just like Winslet he fits the character to perfection and brings him to life with all the emotions and complexity you'll find in a Kaufman script.
The cinematography: It's just beautiful. It's stunning and exciting. It's strange and thought provoking. What I love about Kaufman films is everything comes to life and fits into place like gears in a clock. The cinematography couldn't fit the tone or look better if it tried.
The story: It's no mystery I love Kaufman. You've been reading (I hope) this review to its fruition and it really is evident. I feel like I'm repeating myself really and I guess it's because a) My vocabulary is terrible and b) this film leaves me so speechless it's hard to find the right words to say. Basically this is one of if not the most original film of the 21st century. It takes the conventions of any romance drama, adds a sizzle of sci-fi and makes it unlike anything. The best part is it looks at all parts of love and the stages of any relationship which in my opinion refrains it from becoming too sappy or cynical. Well done Kaufman, you genius.
Most importantly it hit me emotionally. Not the first time I watched it because I was ten and I didn't have much emotional maturity (not that I do now). But four years I went back and it hit me hard. I'm not one for crying but the crumbling house scene leaves me on the verge every time no matter what mood I'm in. I connect to Joel a lot and the whole tone and strangeness to me adds a lot of feelings of understanding and entertainment.
Because I'm clichéd as hell - in conclusion I love this film. This doesn't mean you will (although many do) and many won't as much as I do. Why? Some would find it strange but really no one is the same. Everyone has experienced different and for me this was cathartic and just a joy to watch. I recommend it and I hope if you do enjoy it you expand your Kaufman horizons to his other works. (Don't shy from a certain film with Nic Cage, it's really good).
Like, don't like this review. I don't aim to show helpfulness but present my opinion because I don't know how you feel or think about cinema and I'm not pretentious enough to tell you what to like and think.
Trainspotting (1996)
Boyle's best work
A stylistic film with a style you have to like to be able to enjoy this film fully, luckily I did. It was funny, it was disturbing, it was brilliant. This is yet just another reason Ewan McGregor is one of my favourites. One of my new favourites of the 90's and definitely worth multiple viewings in my eyes.
Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
An unappreciated gem.
OMG what did I just watch? Not what I was expecting at all. This film has blown me away.
I love this concept. It's smart, it's clever and most definitely thought provoking. It's kinda a mediocre Kaufman screenplay, but hey, a mediocre Kaufman is still better than 99% of modern day screenplays.
Will Ferrell shakes his usual (not trying to sound pretentious here) simpler comedies to do what previously Jim Carrey did in Eternal Sunshine (a Kaufman you must definitely watch) and Adam Sandler in PTA's Punch Drunk Love to give a serious role full of emotion and masterful acting. I was blown away by how good his performance was. He hit all the emotional strings, his delivery was impeccable and you can't help but love him.
I think I particularly relate to Will Ferrell's Harold. He use to be obsessed with number and statistics (I spent time memorising Pi in the 100s of decimal places) but through a girl, a realisation and dreams, all me as well, (He listens to punk rock music as well!!) he comes to terms with death to live his life the way he wants and spread a bit of good in the world, which of course is the direction I want to take. Maybe the narration bit wasn't exactly me but oh well. \_(ツ)_/¯
The performances by Hoffman, Thomson and Gyllenhaal are all also great. No faults or complaints here.
The film hits the marks on all points in direction, storytelling, acting and emotional elevation, already making it better than most comedies and even films in America's recent cinematic history. So why not 5 stars? Well as aforementioned it's a mediocre Kaufman so not quite the level of perfection to earn it full stars, but I felt the third act was a minor (very minor) letdown compared to the first two. Don't get me wrong I still love it. It's still full of the cynicism, optimism, humour and care the first two had, but for a third act it didn't have quite the impact I expected given the build up. A minor and tiny nitpick but enough to cost it full marks.
Definitely check it out, it's worth it 100%. Expect laughs, good acting and clever and thought provoking ideas and messages given through 2 hours of emotion and great imagery.
Alone in the Woods (1996)
A terrible "homage" to Home Alone
You'd think there'd be at least a decent plot since it's just a rip-off of a good movie, that there would be something to enjoy in this movie. Hahahahahahaha. They butchered it into an illogical series of events and poor timing, while also removing every bit of humor and fun Home Alone provided. The quintessential way to screw up any movie. The attempts to homage this film but actually just make you want to cry became superfluous within 20 minutes. This "subplot" the film so called has is unrelated and I'm not sure if it even is a subplot, maybe, quite possible, it's the main story. I just don't know, it's so stupid, bland, illogical, messy and every other word you can think of which insults a movie. You could get more out of looking at the roof of your bedroom while hitting yourself in the head wit a hammer. So if you had to pick go with the hammer. The "plot" was bad enough so lets get into what is even worse about this film.
The acting. You can't expect De Niro or Hanks but this is appalling. The kids are horrible, the "chemistry" is as believable as Anakin and Padme, actually worse in fact and the adults are either as bland as white bread or even worse then the kids. I wouldn't be surprised if the director walked outside his office and yelled "WHO WANTS TO BE A PART OF A TERRIFIC HOME ALONE HOMAGE" and that is how he got the cast because seriously my primary school play featured better performances!!!!!
The effects are well interesting to say the least. Not as bad as something like Jaws 3D but when it's worse than a 1927 movie (Metropolis) it has to be bad.
The sets are bland and boring and the cinematography was performed by either a chimpanzee or someone who's film knowledge of masterpieces include Shark Exorcist and Baby Geniuses. Seriously it's not even bad just plain unprofessional and painful to watch because of it. I don't know the budget of this film but when they can't fill coffee in a cup or put some luggage in the boot of a car!!! you know this was taking with no effort and just a cheap scam to rip off a good movie.
In conclusion you gain nothing from this movie. I wasn't expecting some brilliant film because ignoring the fact I found this "film" at the bottom of a supermarket basket at $2, just looking at the cover is enough. In fact some actors on the cover are different to the ones in the actual film. Think about that. This is just pathetic and sad. It's not even stupid enough to be just a joke, they were serious enough to try and make "quality" entertainment, cheaply by latching onto the fame and hype of a classic. It was done lazy and unprofessionally. Seriously don't bother with this movie, you'll actually lose intelligence and just thinking more and more mke me feel mor like dumb dumb movie bad.
10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
One of the best performances ever
"I'm sorry, but no one's looking for you"
After a woman suffers a terrible car crash, two men shelter her, claiming the outside world is infected with a chemical attack. A very intense film. 10 Cloverfield Lane does a great job capturing the aspects of thrillers. The mystery, music and unsteadiness in the film made this 100 minutes of anxiety. The use of camera was great, however I do think certain scenes had unnecessarily unsteady camera work. It is very entertaining because you are always in a state of anxiety, fear and the heart pumping quickly. There is this constant vibe of something terrible about to occur and that makes this film all the more better. John Goodman is amazing. He plays his character to perfection and this is some of his best work. Mary Elizabeth and John Gallagher were also great. Elizabeth's use of fear really helps set the tone of the movie. The beginning of this film is great. Not many films can have so much going on with so little dialogue. Once you start you won't want to stop. It will make you want to stick to the ending. It fixates you with the unpredictability of it and you just need to know what is next. I love the use of 90% of it being in one bunker and still being so entertaining. The ending was anti-climatic for me though. If it cut the last 5-10 minutes of the film, it would have been a whole lot better and the ending would have perfectly captured that tone of anxiety and ambiguity the whole film till then had shown. In conclusion, there isn't a whole lot of things this film got wrong. This film isn't perfect but just in general great in all aspects. If the ending was just shortened then this film would be much better. I recommend this to anyone who loves to feel all the emotions this film has to offer.
Final note: For best experience, watch in isolated dark room.
The Departed (2006)
A terrific film. Always worth watching.
Has there ever been a film with a better cast than this? I can't think of one. Comment if you can. The acting in this is amazing and every actor did their job. I think this is Leonardo's best performance. He did it so well and it was actually like he was the character and not actually performing. The music is awesome. Especially Shipping Up to Boston which is done by one of my all-time favourite bands @dropkickmurphys. The song was the perfect choice for the film and they played it at just the right times. The plot is ingenious and Scorsese directed it superbly. This film even managed to be better than Infernal Affairs, which is what this film was based upon. I love the opening scene with Jack Nicholson's monologue and it really set the film for what was to come. The film also had it funny moments (thanks to Mark Walberg). This film is extremely entertaining and I love the characters. There is nothing to complain about in this film and I could and probably will watch this over and over again. One of the best this century. I was actually sad when this film was finishing because I didn't want it to end. Acting: 10/10 Dialogue: 10/10 Plot: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Entertainment Value: 10/10
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Iconic as it gets
This film is epic! The film is so entertaining and it created my favourite movie hero of all time. This movie is so iconic in so many ways. Harrison Ford was amazing in this and it is my favourite performance of his. The entertainment of this film is infinite, especially at the beginning and end were there is two of my favourite scenes of all- time. Spielberg directed this extremely well and this is his best work. Spielberg is known for his films to be iconic and a box office success. This is iconic as it gets and is in the 20 highest grossing films adjusted for inflation. If Spielberg were to be only remembered for one film (which is impossible) I'd like it to be this.
The one thing that didn't blow me away was dialogue. It was bad but it didn't blow me away. It had s few memorable lines but not many. I like to quote my favourite films and I always struggle with this one. A common complaint is that Indiana plays no roll in the outcome of the film but there are instances were he has saved lives. If he was not there they would be dead. Indiana is a hero and I hate it when they say he was pointless. To summarise: Iconic and extremely entertaining. This film is a classic I can watch over and over again. Acting: 10/10 Dialogue: 8/10 Plot: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Entertainment Value: 10/10
Big Fish (2003)
Tim Burton at his best.
I went through a 2-year period were almost all the films I watched were Tim Burton's. My two favourite were Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. Thanks to Tim Burton I now want to be a director. In this period however, I missed this film. I only watched it a couple months ago. And that is something I deeply regret.
From the moment the film started I just couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. The plot intrigued and the acting blew my mind. I loved Ewan McGregor in the film and he is now one of my favourite actors. The dialogue was funny at times and it was smart and witty. The visual effects were amazing and the film looked so beautiful. I love the plot, it is different and interesting. I preferred the past scenes more and would have liked to see more of it. The characters were great and amusing. My favourite would be Steve Buscemi's. The ending was great and I loved seeing the fact from fiction. There isn't a bad thing I could say about this film and this is Tim Burton's best. Some may disagree with me on this but this film appealed to me and it is one of my all-time favourites. Acting: 10/10 Dialogue: 10/10 Plot: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Entertainment Value: 10/10