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- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanDon Vito Corleone, head of a mafia family, decides to hand over his empire to his youngest son, Michael. However, his decision unintentionally puts the lives of his loved ones in grave danger.When it comes to a No. 1 movie I don't think anything else will do. A perfect pairing of popular interest mixed with the unanimous thought of it being a great film. And why not? The acting is as good as any movie. The story is the stuff of legends. And Copolla, in just one movie, proved to be one of the most formidable directors of all time. Not bad for a project that was surrounded by doubt and turmoil.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsHenry FondaCharles BronsonClaudia CardinaleA mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad.Every new era ushers out an old way of doing things. The runaway train blazed a path through the Old West that ended the outlaw way of doing things. It civilized, and likely bettered the west. But did we exchange our old values for less scrupulous ones. Universal message gets played out with great acting, script, direction, and the best soundtrack in film history.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJoseph CottenDorothy ComingoreFollowing the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'I get upset when I see someone refer to this movie as dated. For me, it's about as fun to watch as anything. It aesthetically tells a big story about a big man during big times in America. It's bold, it's brash and scathing. It's a fine movie without adding in the ridiculous special effects, philosophical way of thinking, and overall depth with which it hits the human psyche. Look at the poster. It's Terrific.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsBrigitte BardotJack PalanceMichel PiccoliA French writer's marriage deteriorates while working on Fritz Lang's version of "The Odyssey", as his wife accuses him of using her to court favor with the film's brash American producer.Perhaps the best movie I've seen about a serious relationship deteriorating. Beautifully shot, both in terms of locations and the people. The middle scene, when Bardot admits to her contempt of her husband, can't be any better. The best foreign-language film I've seen.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsDavid NivenKim HunterRobert CooteA British wartime aviator who cheats death must argue for his life before a celestial court, hoping to prolong his fledgling romance with an American girl.A WWII pilot crashes into the ocean, miraculously surviving, and starting his life over. But the heavens come calling, as he was supposed to die. This pilot starts suffering mental issues, seeing images, and perhaps hallucinating the afterlife altogether. Yep, this fun movie thinks big.
- DirectorSergio LeoneStarsRobert De NiroJames WoodsElizabeth McGovernA former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.The best movie about the power of redemption, and making those first steps toward redemption. De Niro's Noodles, for all we know, never made his ultimate redemption, but hurt in every cavity of his body to make wrongs right. I assume everyone has something they regret in life, making this hyperbole on the matter must-see viewing for anyone with a conscience.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsJean-Louis TrintignantStefania SandrelliGastone MoschinA weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.Just the most beautiful film ever. The people, places and events are all exotic and attractive. The plot is convoluted, which makes it sexier. And the scene on the train with the background flashing by will be remembered on my death bed. I watched this movie five times in a row when I bought it.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsTimothy BottomsJeff BridgesCybill ShepherdIn 1951, a group of high schoolers come of age in a bleak, isolated, atrophied North Texas town that is slowly dying, both culturally and economically.A powerhouse of 70s American cinema. Great soundtrack, great script, great directions, and most of all, great acting. It was Orson Welles helping Peter Bogdanovich to choose black-and-white for the film. A small-town melodrama that hits universal nerves.
- DirectorMax OphülsStarsCharles BoyerDanielle DarrieuxVittorio De SicaWhen an aristocratic woman known only as "Madame de . . ." sells a pair of earrings given to her by her husband in order to pay some debts, she sets off a chain reaction of financial and carnal consequences that can end only in despair.A movie that attempts to measure and define human emotion through material possession. The best-filmed ballroom scenes put on celluloid, paired with exceptional acting, and a dark message that will cut deep on a universal level.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsAl PacinoRobert De NiroRobert DuvallThe early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York City is portrayed, while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on the family crime syndicate.A step down in story from the original. Luckily, a little man by the name of Robert De Niro steps in and saves the day, fleshing out the parts of the book left out in the original film. Pacino plays a haunted Michael. John Cazale leads the rest of the cast in what is a strongly acted, perfectly shot film.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsToshirô MifuneTakashi ShimuraKeiko TsushimaFarmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.Anytime I see the Samurai, I sit down, watch it the whole way through and feel like I just finished a trilogy of films. The picture is nearly four hours long, but it is dense in plot, and heavy on action. You can spend nine hours watching the excellent LOTR trilogy, or check this one out and see exactly how its done. Rightfully considered among the greats.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsHarrison FordRutger HauerSean YoungA blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.This is a movie that grows on me the more I watch it. After a first viewing, it was an enjoyable time thanks to the effects. It didn't have any human element and I hadn't quite grasped the value of human life the picture was portraying (I was a teenager). Well, I caught on to the philosophy, and I now feel it has one of the great romances in movie history. It may be my favorite movie after another decade worth of enjoyment.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsLeslie CheungMaggie CheungAndy LauA man tries to find out who his real mother is after the woman who raised him tells him the truth.For me, the best Wong Kar-Wai movie. Plenty of human interaction is based off what has been learned beforehand. Plenty of humans hurt others because of their inadequacies. This film deals with such a man, hurt by his troubled childhood, and unable to deal with it, he uses women. It's a sad movie, but incredibly cool as well.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsSylvester StalloneTalia ShireBurt YoungA small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.Standing on the shoulder of giants. This was a fell-good sports movie made in the 70s, that followed the formula of both. It featured the overall acting-soundtrack-direction-script-antihero that led to success for so many other pictures in the first half of the decade. And it got even more cliched by telling yet another underdog story. But, when you do something better than pretty well any other movie, it doesn't matter how formulaic you get.
- DirectorGeorge LucasStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherLuke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.After about 30 viewings, I'm to a point where I try to watch the film from different points of view. At first, I was overwhelmed with the macro portion of the film, taking in planets and ships, and Jedi. Now, I like to try to see things from Luke, or Leia, or Han, or Artoo's point of view. It's that kind of film. Massive in scope, but delicate in its intimacy.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGregory PeckAudrey HepburnEddie AlbertA bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.Far and away the best romantic comedy of all-time. Audrey kills it from start to finish, completely hiding a fine performance from film legend Gregory Peck. It's fun, it's serious, it's fairly realistic in its reverse princess story. And, in the final minutes, it presents the most heartwrenching scene any movie that allows laughs can bring. A classic in all the right ways.
- DirectorDavid LeanStarsPeter O'TooleAlec GuinnessAnthony QuinnThe story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.As big as this film is, it's the human element that makes it great. O'Toole is spot on as the title character and gives you some insight as to who the man was that united the tribes of Arabia during WWI. The quintessential war film from the quintessential epic movie director.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.Everything came together for this one. It's a film I revisit at least a couple times a year. Action. Romance. Turmoil. It's as if they brought all the elements of film together in this one. Oh, and there's Bogey and Bergman to go wtih "As Time Goes By." Rightfully holds its place among the best of all-time.
- DirectorFernando MeirellesKátia LundStarsAlexandre RodriguesLeandro FirminoMatheus NachtergaeleIn the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.You say GoodFellas. I say City of God. One of the great crime films as told through the eyes of a non-criminal. It jumps seamlessly from plotline to plotline and doesn't judge. Everything is matter of fact in the most violent city in the world. You just hope you make it out alive.
- DirectorMichael PowellEmeric PressburgerStarsRoger LiveseyDeborah KerrAnton WalbrookFrom the Boer War through World War II, a soldier rises through the ranks in the British military.Maybe not the best film that is British, but certainly the best British film. Tells a great story about an aging British military man, bringing depth to an otherwise comic character. It builds upon the comic it was based on by simultaneously criticizing and painting a compassionate portrait of the British military. And it begs the Brits to kick the hell out of the Nazis. And there's nothing wrong with that.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsWilliam HoldenGloria SwansonErich von StroheimA screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.There are crimes every year in the Academy Awards. Gloria Swanson not winning best actress for this is one of the most egregious. She's spot-on as the creepy silent film star dealing with having all the money and none of the fame. An affront on Hollywood, while providing the viewer with insight as to why some stars may act the way they act. Wilder's social commentary is always as good as it comes.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsBrigitte LinTakeshi KaneshiroTony Leung Chiu-waiTwo melancholic Hong Kong policemen fall in love: one with a mysterious female underworld figure, the other with a beautiful and ethereal waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents.Wong keeps his movies in a state of ambiguity, and why not? Life is that way, right? Obviously, from him, this one is gorgeous and sumptuous.
- DirectorMarcel CarnéStarsArlettyJean-Louis BarraultPierre BrasseurThe theatrical life of a beautiful courtesan in 1830s Paris and the four men who love her.Movies like this make me wonder if 1945 moviegoers saw it and wondered just what was possible with film. It tells an intimate story intimately, but on an epic stage. Rightly considered one of the greatest French films from one of its most underrated directors, Marcel Carne.
- 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.Like Star Wars, a film that has been copied blatantly time and time again. The Wachowskis created a world that hadn't been seen before and surrounded it with a predictable plot with some not so predictable pieces. But what sets it apart is the action. In a day and age when action films are a dime a dozen, this one is a diamond in the rough.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsJohn WayneDean MartinRicky NelsonA small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.The most entertaining movie I've ever seen. Great set pieces. Great action. They cast two popular singers, and each of them did admirable work. It's over two hours, but could be longer thanks to the deft hand of the master, Howard Hawks.