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Almost always included in the list of greatest films of all time Gone With the wind's reputation precedes it. Gone with the Wind is, simply put, a tale of two halves. The movie is divided by an intermission into a pair of roughly-equal segments. The first, which is brilliant and consistently captivating, covers the time period of the Civil War, beginning shortly after the election of Abraham Lincoln, and ending during Sherman's march through Atlanta. The post-intermission half, which dishes out the suds, picks up at the end of the Civil War and concludes about eight years later. This portion of Gone with the Wind, while still retaining a degree of appeal and narrative interest, spins its wheels frequently. One of the tests of the lasting impact of any film is determining whether it's still effective decades after its initial release. Gone with the Wind looks so good that it is surprising to consider its actual age. It's hard to believe that many of the people involved with this film have long since died. A masterpiece.

What made anyone believe Under Siege needed a sequel is beyond me. I have come to the conclusion that it's impossible for a Steven Segal movie to be anything better than mediocre, and this particular travesty may be his worst yet. The title Under Siege is supposed to represent the situation faced by Segal's character, but it's equally appropriate in describing the experience of the poor viewer who sits through this film.During the course of the film, there are three incidents when our stalwart hero seems to be in a little bit of trouble, but terrible visual effects make these more amusing than tense. And then there's the big, joyous conclusion, complete with applause -- talk about cornball. This makes Scent of a Woman's grand finale look restrained. The whole production might have made a wonderfully campy ride if director Geoff Murphy hadn't taken things so seriously.

This film proves that the crazy guy Mel Gibson is a genius of sorts. With Apocalypto, Mel Gibson has proven it's possible to create a compelling action/adventure film in almost any setting. Gibson's theme is that all great civilizations fail when they begin to rot from the inside. Over the next 2 1/4 hours, he provides glimpses into the degeneracy of the Mayan society on the eve of its encounter with the Spanish conquistadores. However, Apocalypto is not a political tract or a dissertation about why the Mayan age came to an end. Instead, it's a high-octane adventure that concludes with one of the most intense extended chase sequences in recent movie history.