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1. Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia" (1999)
2. Richard Kelly's "Donnie Darko" (2001)
3. Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" (1994)
4. Joel & Ethan Coen's "Fargo" (1996)
5. Frank Darabont's "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994)
6. Michael Curtiz's "Casablanca" (1942)
7. Marc Forster's "Monster's Ball" (2002)
8. Kevin Smith's "Dogma" (1999)
9. Frank Darabont's "The Green Mile" (1999)
10. John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon" (1941)
11. Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" (1980)
12. Ang Lee's "Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)" (2000)
13. Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" (1995)
14. Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" (1998)
15. Michael Cimino's "The Deer Hunter" (1978)
16. Steve James�s �Hoop Dreams� (1994)
17. Sam Mendes's "American Beauty" (1999)
18. Franklin J. Schaffner's "Planet of the Apes" (1968)
19. Christopher Nolan's "Memento" (2000)
20. Terry Gilliam�s �Monty Python and the Holy Grail� (1975)
21. Ridley Scott's "Alien" (1979)
22. Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968)
23. Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002)
24. Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989)
25. Martin Scorsese's "Casino" (1995)
26. Robert Mulligan's "Man in the Moon" (1991)
27. M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense" (1999)
28. M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs" (2002)
29. M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable" (2000)
30. Steven Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)
31. James Cameron's "Aliens" (1986)
32. Roberto Benigni's "La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful)" (1998)
33. Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" (2001)
34. Robert Zemeckis�s �Forrest Gump� (1994)
35. William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" (1959)
36. Jim Sheridan's "The Boxer" (1997)
37. David Fincher�s �Fight Club� (1999)
38. Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" (2002)
39. David Fincher's "Se7en" (1995)
40. Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991)
41. Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960)
42. Ron Howard's "Apollo 13" (1995)
43. Robert Mulligan's "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962)
44. James Cameron's "Terminator II: Judgement Day" (1992)
45. James Cameron's "The Abyss" (1989)
46. Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" (1982)
47. Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report" (2002)
48. James Cameron's "The Terminator" (1984)
49. Robert Redford�s �Ordinary People� (1980)
50. Alex Proyas�s �Dark City� (1998)
Reviews
Secretary (2002)
One of the most stirring films of 2002. (possible spoilers)
One of the lowest points an actor can hit in his or her career is playing a character based entirely on mannerisms. This occurs a lot (in fact, far too much) in comedy. The writer does not have either a) the confidence, or more simply, b) the intelligence to allow their character(s) to be free enough to enable the actor(s) to explore all of their inner workings. I thought this would be the case in SECRETARY, the second film by Steven Shainberg. I was dead wrong. SECRETARY is not really a plot as much as it is a story. Stories are about characters and what happens to them. To talk about the plot would say very little because SECRETARY is (rightfully so) more concerned with its characters and their lives than what happens around them. The story begins with Lee Holloway, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in a role that transcends anything she has done before. It is startling. At the beginning of the film Lee is released from an institution where she was committed a while back for self-mutilation. Her mother (Lesley Ann Warren) is bizarre, a neurotic with a strange laugh and an intimidating smile. Her father (Stephen McHattie) is an alcoholic, with a nasty temper, and thus he drives Lee back to her cutting. What is great, though, is the fact that Erin Cressida Wilson, the writer, does not allow these characters to simply be defined by their mannerisms, but to have feelings and emotions as well. After Lee's father leaves the house, he turns to Lee through phone calls out of desperation. Lee's mother always seems joyful, but then we have scenes of her shoveling kitchen knives into a cupboard and locking it to protect Lee. This is when I realized that it was not going to be a simple film. We are introduced to two more important characters (not including Lee's sister): Peter (Jeremy Davies) another quirky character who went to high school with Lee and has now developed affectionate feelings towards her, so they begin dating. All goes well until Lee decides that she needs a job, so she applies for a secretarial position, and we are introduced to the final and most important character next to Lee: Mr. E. Edward Grey. Grey (played by James Spader in a role that also transcends all of his previous work. He is a stern, hard-assed, seemingly straight-laced lawyer who employs Lee because he sees some desperation in her eyes, and he has felt those same feelings as well. The rest of the film concerns their relationship and how in develops from dominance-submission into love.
Maggie Gyllenhaal is a remarkable actress and she proves it in this role. Nothing she has done before (she's had a handful of supporting roles in films such as Waters' CECIL B. DEMENTED and Richard Kelly's masterpiece DONNIE DARKO) has been as risky as this. Spader's Grey parallels Lee in his suffering; only he has not found a way that is acceptable to him to deal with it. Sadomasochism is not a pretty thing for many people. This film does not beautify it at all, which I highly praise it for, and if you already think that such practices are unacceptable than your views will go unchanged. What SECRETARY does do is make it bearable, because it gives us people who are sad and alone, and we can relate to that. Lee and Grey are two desperate and lonely people, with physical pain, sexual anger and frustration, and mental confusion trapped, screaming below the surface. In many ways it is similar to P.T. Anderson's MAGNOLIA, which was a film about people who bottled-up their anger until they exploded. Lee and Grey need some sort of catharsis, they need to break free. No two people I have seen in recent movies are more meant for each other and have meant more to me. SECRETARY is one of 2002's best films.
Event Horizon (1997)
When good horror goes bad
What is the definition of a "good" horror movie? I honestly don't know, but I'm pretty certain Event Horizon isn't. It's got all the right moves in the way it terrifies, using nauseating images and shocks to make the audience dwell into their seats. But it's very unoriginal, and this is an enormous weakness.I mean, sure it's scary (it kept me up for weeks), but why does it have to "steal"from movies that are so much more superior to it? By the end what is left is poor dialogue,mediocre acting from some of the most talented actors and actresses to date; an original story, filled with unoriginal elements, Sam Neil looking a hell of a lot like Pinhead from "Hellraiser", and a few dead bodies.
Event Horizon terrifies with style and wit but it will never be the movie it could have been until the directors learn the word "originality".
My score (1-10): 6
Lost and Delirious (2001)
Lost and Delirious ** (R, 103 min.)
Mischa Barton, Piper Perabo and Jessica Pare share the screen in this powerful, but lacking coming-of-age film. Mary (Barton) is a lonely and depressed girl who has lost her mother and is now being shipped off to boarding school. She moves in with the nice and beautiful Tori (Pare), and the pleasant, but also somewhat odd Paulie (Perabo). To her surprise, Mary gradually finds out that not only are Paulie and Tori involved in a lesbian relationship, but a very fragile one, indeed. Strong, realistic performances from everyone in the cast help get the film going (and it is pretty good up until the first turning point), but it becomes seriously (and deliriously) confused after a while. Perabo's performance is good for the initial section of the film, until everything goes to hell, which just about sums up what happens to the girls' characters and the plot.
The Score (2001)
The best heist film ever made
Frank Oz's "The Score" is probably the most effective movies I've ever seen, as well as the best heist film made in recent years. While viewing the film at a local theater, I couldn't help but notice how well the plot flowed. To say the least, it was very linear, yet unpredictable at the same time. There were no annoying sub-plots taking over the story, the cast was supreme with top-notch acting and the thrills came not from blood-soaked violence, (The Score is probably the least violent heist movie I've seen in a long time, furthermore making it wonderful to watch)but from the intellectual turning points of each of the characters. When the movie starts out, we learn that Robert De Niro (in a fabulous performance) is a jewel thief and has been recruited by his old friend (Marlon Brando) to do one more favor for him before his retirement. He wants De Niro to steal a scepter from a museum, where it's been hidden in a...... well I'm not going to actually give it away. It's your job to see the movie first. Not to spoil any crucial plot elements, let's just say that the seemingly normal plot takes some immense leaps and bounds before the credits start rolling. It's really something. You know a film is good when it's not slapped with some completely incomprehensible violence/gore, which is why The Score is excellent. Even though the F-word is uttered quite a bit, I can't quite see what the heck kept this movie from getting a PG-13 rating. Some people in the MPAA are just paranoid I guess. But honestly, there is no violent content in the movie that deviates greatly from the story-line, (or no violent content AT ALL for that matter) which puzzles me further about its rating. To end off my review, I must say that The Score is a brilliant piece of film-making and that the director and cast should all deserve Oscars for their engrossing performances. The film starts off like a roller coaster and ends like a sparkling jeweled scepter.
My rating (0-10): 10
Bedazzled (2000)
One of the most heart-warming comedies in years...
Bedazzled is a lovely remake of the 1967 film (unseen by me), and it shows the true emotion of love in an offbeat sort of way. The movie stars one of my favorite actors, Brendan Fraser, as a complete loser and social outcast, who desperately yearns for the love of someone else. Brendan Fraser's nerd impression is actually quite amusing, albeit sad. We watch the people at his workplace constantly avoid him, when he thinks that they regard him as a friend. We also see his love for a woman (Frances O'Connor), and how he makes funny but pathetic attempts to introduce himself to her. Elliot (Fraser's character in the movie) later meets another woman (Elizabeth Hurley), who has an incredible offer for him to agree to: She will put seven wishes in his possession if he sells her his soul. His soul, you say. Why would he give his only soul to this person? Because she's the Devil.
Now Elliot has some trouble with the mere fact that he must sell his soul to this person, just for seven measly wishes. Seven wishes, and no more. Just seven wishes that could alter his life forever, making him wiser, and probably a better person. So the Devil hands him the contract and he signs away, giving the only thing that makes us significant to the, as Hurley says, "Princess of Darkness". Throughout the remainder of the movie he will learn a lot. I'm not going to spoil any of his wishes, but he will find out more than he needs to know about people and life, which makes this a great movie.
There was only one problem I had with this film, that is if Harold Ramis could have picked anyone for the Devil, why Elizabeth Hurley? He could of picked someone like Sandra Bernhard or Courtney Love, a real (something or other) in laments terms, and instead they get a sex symbol? But Ms. Hurley's performance, however, is a lot more keen than I expected, and she adds an entirely new edge to The Devil, making it a great film.
Now I'm not going to give away the ending, either, but I must say it's one of the better endings that I've seen in recent years. It's good, it makes sense, and it is very sweet and cheery. With all the depressing and vulgar crap in our film industry today, this ending is quite sure to please just about anyone (unless you enjoy morbid and depressing resolutions) , making Bedazzled a really great film.
My score(0-10): 9
The Others (2001)
Intense chills and an interesting ending...
"The Others" Review:
Pros- A very scary and mostly fun thrill ride through a haunted house. Decent performances, by a good cast; and an interesting, somewhat original story-line help the movie. The ending is also very creative.
Cons- Some performances are weak. The story is VERY complicated and confusing at brief points. A little disturbing in some areas. The setting is god-awful, which really makes the stroy less interesting.
Bottom Line- A fairly good horror film with a decent cast and some spine-tingling sequences. You should, however, probably rent it, rather than see it in theaters.
My score(0-10): 7
Almost Famous (2000)
The most magnificent film of the decade
Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous is a joyous voyage back into the 70s, during the early years of true rock 'n roll. The story starts out in San Diego, but by the end of the movie, has ventured across the entire country. It is a wonderful tale of one boy's personal journey as he rebels against his single mother(Frances McDormand), and decides to tour with the band Stillwater, as a reporter for Rolling Stone. What makes this movie so great, other than the extremely well-written script and the heartfelt acting, is the overall humor that truly makes this movie a comedy.(There are plenty of monster laughs which, however, I'm not going to spoil for you.)You MUST see this film. No matter what. I honestly don't care if you're not allowed to see R-rated pictures. You MUST see it. Right now. If you don't, however, you'll be missing out on one of the best films ever made, in any genre.
My score(1-10):10
The Patriot (2000)
What great war films are made of
Let me start out by saying that "The Patriot" is one of the greatest films I have seen in a very long time. Its tremendous originality comes from the fact that no other movie(s) about the Revolutionary War have been quite like it. And buried within the film it tells a story of a family. This family is slowly, and unhappily torn down by the war. It is a very sad film in the way that the family is destroyed(many of Mel Gibson's children are violently killed)and it really shows the bonds that they hold with one another. Another aspect that I particularly enjoyed was the acting. Jason Isaacs(Event Horizon) does an excellent portrayal of a ruthless antagonist, and Mel Gibson also does a splendid job as a father, desperately struggling for redemption and vengeance. I recommend all 165 minutes of this film, because even though you will cry, the overall film is not depressing, and the end will leave you with a smile on your face.
Note- I also want to say that the MPAA was foolish in their rating decision. Small children probably should not see this, but as for teenagers and the like, it is certainly appropriate.
My rating(1-10):10
Event Horizon (1997)
When good horror goes bad
What is the definition of a "good" horror movie? I honestly don't know, but I'm pretty certain Event Horizon isn't. It's got all the right moves in the way it terrifies, using nauseating images and shocks to make the audience dwell into their seats. But it's very unoriginal, and this is an enormous weakness.I mean, sure it's scary (it kept me up for weeks), but why does it have to "steal"from movies that are so much more superior to it? By the end what is left is poor dialogue,mediocre acting from some of the most talented actors and actresses to date; an original story, filled with unoriginal elements, Sam Neil looking a hell of a lot like Pinhead from "Hellraiser", and a few dead bodies.
Event Horizon terrifies with style and wit but it will never be the movie it could have been until the directors learn the word "originality".
My score (1-10): 6