Watched Fall 2012
by strangelycutlemon | created - 21 Aug 2012 | updated - 03 Feb 2020 | PublicI'm condensing most of my reviews to a few short sentences, so pardon my inner snob for rearing his sniveling head. You may notice through the prose that I'm fairly charitable to the movies that I watch. The simple explanation is that I am on a diet of movies I believe I will enjoy. As I have a short amount of time to teach myself about film, I am trying to work from the top down. Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions and criticisms below.
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1. Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
R | 109 min | Crime, Drama
Sixteen-year-old Lilja and her only friend, the young boy Volodja, live in Russia, fantasizing about a better life. One day, Lilja falls in love with Andrej, who is going to Sweden, and invites Lilja to come along and start a new life.
Director: Lukas Moodysson | Stars: Oksana Akinshina, Artyom Bogucharskiy, Pavel Ponomaryov, Lyubov Agapova
Votes: 49,417 | Gross: $0.18M
The invasive sadness of the movie is marred by several directorial flubs. However, it makes shockingly effective use of the POV camera. 7/10
2. The Bourne Legacy (2012)
PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.
Director: Tony Gilroy | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Scott Glenn
Votes: 315,654 | Gross: $113.20M
A fine and mildly satisfying action thriller, in the same vein as its predecessors. The MacGuyver-inspired moments remain the best parts of the film. 6.5/10
3. Kick-Ass (2010)
R | 117 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a superhero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloë Grace Moretz, Garrett M. Brown
Votes: 593,549 | Gross: $48.07M
A marvel of filmmaking fun, fists, frisson, and f-words. The dark humor is often cutesy, but the movie experience is a truly visceral work of art. 8.5/10
4. Die Hard (1988)
R | 132 min | Action, Thriller
A New York City police officer tries to save his estranged wife and several others taken hostage by terrorists during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson
Votes: 945,913 | Gross: $83.01M
Endearingly sardonic one-liners and ridiculous scenarios make Die Hard really fun. Some pacing dead zones notwithstanding, it's a well-crafted action film and an American classic. 8.5/10
5. The Avengers (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 1,459,777 | Gross: $623.28M
Breathtaking production value, a handful of knee-slappers, and one liners at the expense of breaching character are the essence of this movie. It feels fine-tuned to make the maximum amount of money. I can't love it, but I can't hate it. 7/10
6. Rubber (2010)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A homicidal car tire, discovering it has destructive psionic power, sets its sights on a desert town once a mysterious woman becomes its obsession.
Director: Quentin Dupieux | Stars: Stephen Spinella, Roxane Mesquida, Wings Hauser, Jack Plotnick
Votes: 40,330 | Gross: $0.10M
Odd and little too big for its britches. Makes an admirable if esoteric statement about the film industry, but tends to wear out its welcome by moving as slowly as its protagonist, a tire. 7.5/10
7. Game of Thrones (2011–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Nine noble families fight for control over the lands of Westeros, while an ancient enemy returns after being dormant for millennia.
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey
Votes: 2,285,942
This show pulls exactly zero punches. Visceral, dark, complex and political, Game of Thrones magnificently expands the viewer's capacity to love and despise characters. 9/10 (1 season in)
8. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 823,383 | Gross: $32.87M
Once again Ridley Scott presents us with an impeccably crafted environment, but character development struck me as conspicuously lacking. Much like a tapestry, Blade Runner is beautiful in scope but somewhat flat up close. 8.5/10
9. Sunrise (1927)
Passed | 94 min | Drama, Romance
A sophisticated city woman seduces a farmer and convinces him to murder his wife and join her in the city, but he ends up rekindling his romance with his wife when he changes his mind at the last moment.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, Bodil Rosing
Votes: 53,856 | Gross: $0.54M
This movie proves that facial expression is the soul of silent cinema. Although the middle of the film is confusingly slow and tangential, the transformation that takes place is a joy to behold. 9.5/10
10. The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
R | 95 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Five college friends head out to a remote cabin for a getaway, but things don't go as planned when they start getting killed. They soon discover that there is more to the cabin than it seems.
Director: Drew Goddard | Stars: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz
Votes: 450,912 | Gross: $42.07M
This alle-"gore"-ical masterpiece gives you more than you expect, in unexpected ways. Make it through the first half, and the second will wholly justify it. 9/10
11. Being John Malkovich (1999)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich
Votes: 353,436 | Gross: $22.86M
This ingenious work from the mind of Charlie Kaufman explores the horror and wonder of identity. It's a quirky and rare film that my words can't adequately describe. Do watch. 10/10
12. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
San Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre
Votes: 166,618 | Gross: $2.11M
Humphrey Bogart makes this film with the coldest role I've ever seen him play. Snappy dialogue abounds, but the dramatic tension is rather understated. 8.5/10
13. Casablanca (1942)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Romance, War
A 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.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
Votes: 606,202 | Gross: $1.02M
Beautiful beyond words. You know a movie is special when marginal characters convey themselves so vividly, and the spaces between the lines are the funnest parts to read. 10/10
14. Double Indemnity (1944)
Passed | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.
Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson, Byron Barr
Votes: 167,513 | Gross: $5.72M
This movie is a golden standard of film noir. That said, I thought that it lacked soul and is not particularly compelling in story, dialogue or characters. 8/10
15. A State of Mind (2004)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
A British documentary that follows two young North Korean girls as they prepare for the Mass Games, the world's largest choreographed gymnastics performance.
Director: Daniel Gordon | Stars: Daniel Gordon, Hyon Sun Pak, Song Yun Kim, Jong-Il Kim
Votes: 1,059 | Gross: $0.04M
Watching this movie is like peering at a pack of wolves through binoculars: an eerie look at a far-off but strangely beautiful entity of hatred. It's best to keep in mind that the North Korean government allowed only the "good" parts past censorship. 8/10
16. Community (2009–2015)
TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy
A suspended lawyer is forced to enroll in a community college with an eccentric staff and student body.
Stars: Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase
Votes: 293,612
This is, quite rightfully, my generation's feel-good TV show. For delightfully quirky popcorn entertainment, look no further than Abed and Pierce. 9/10
17. Notorious (1946)
Not Rated | 102 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Romance
The daughter of a convicted German spy is asked by American agents to gather information on a ring of German scientists in South America. How far will she have to go to ingratiate herself with them?
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Louis Calhern
Votes: 107,299 | Gross: $10.46M
A second viewing made me appreciate Hitchcock's audacity in making the villain more sympathetic than the main romantic interest. It's rare that a spy thriller is so dependent on characters rather than weapons, and to such great effect. 9.5/10
18. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,138,072
I tend to agree with my fellow Ambrose alum, who described Breaking Bad as "the show the Coen Brothers would make if they made a show." There is no hot chick. There is no catchphrase. The main characters are a coughing old man and a punkass meth-addict. Everything about this show bespeaks gritty, grimy realism: humanity caught with its pants down. 9/10 (Season 1)
19. Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2008)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
Wars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the source of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private ... See full summary »
Director: Samuel Vartek | Stars: Jim Olson, Tony Clarke, Maude Barlow, Octavio Rosas Lando
Votes: 1,230
While I was not persuaded by the environmental issues presented, this film makes a compelling case against privatized water distribution. Corporations are starving people of water and keeping a thumb on third-world countries, period. 7.5/10
20. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Thriller
When a simple jewelry heist goes horribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn
Votes: 1,088,619 | Gross: $2.83M
No film before or since has embraced nihilism so willingly and made you enjoy it so much (hopefully, to some shame.) I'm not convinced there is any point to this movie but to be a movie, and that job it does quite well and provides a little context to Tarantino's later films. 9/10
21. Watchmen (2009)
R | 162 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
In a version of 1985 where superheroes exist, the murder of a colleague sends active vigilante Rorschach on the trail of a conspiracy that will change the course of history.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman
Votes: 582,713 | Gross: $107.51M
Watchmen is everything a comic-book movie should be: dark, dramatic and visually mesmerizing. The dialogue even sounds like a comic book. Both the novel and the movie exhibit a breathtakingly fresh perspective on the human condition and an array of characters as diverse as their respective ideologies. 9/10
22. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
G | 103 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his delusionally jealous screen partner are trying to make the difficult transition to talking pictures in 1920s Hollywood.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly | Stars: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Votes: 260,757 | Gross: $8.82M
The best of comedy, joy and wonder, distilled to perfection. It took me half an hour to wipe the smile off my face; this is a must-see classic. 10/10
23. Dexter (2006–2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
He's smart. He's lovable. He's Dexter Morgan, America's favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, David Zayas, James Remar
Votes: 766,941
24. Dredd (2012)
R | 95 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
Director: Pete Travis | Stars: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey, Rachel Wood
Votes: 294,506 | Gross: $13.41M
I approached Dredd expecting a certain level of kitschy action-movie fare. Over-the top violence, slow-motion action sequences, at least one likable character, cheesy but fun one-liners, et al.
In every area I can think of, Dredd failed to meet my rather low standards for the action movie it was advertised as.
First of all, the main character has no character. This becomes a problem when determining how much I care about the outcome of the film. About two jokes are attempted in the whole movie, provoking a guffaw from only the lowest of plebeian audience members.
The music works, at a basic level. It's like a someone trying to replicate the Dark Knight soundtrack with Garageband and a keyboard. In all fairness, it fits the tone of the movie.
Throughout the film, the cinematography is the best money can buy. But a slow-mo sequence early on makes big promises that the rest of the film doesn't keep. There are three truly beautiful shots of bullets going through flesh at 1% speed. At that point, the producers seemingly nodded in unison and decided that would do for the remaining hour and a half of the movie. All other slow-motion is reserved for extended falling sequences, each of which wears out its welcome after about 1000 CG sparkles.
Dredd fits nicely into the pseudo-intellectual sci-fi genre, along with predecessors Surrogates (2009) and Gamer (2009). It's a good excuse for morons to say "it makes you think" without the firing of a single neuron. The moral issues are established as a theme, then skirted about without a second thought. All in all, Dredd is meathead material and certainly not worth the price of admission.
25. Drive (I) (2011)
R | 100 min | Action, Drama
A mysterious Hollywood action film stuntman gets in trouble with gangsters when he tries to help his neighbor's husband rob a pawn shop while serving as his getaway driver.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks
Votes: 704,744 | Gross: $35.06M
26. La haine (1995)
Not Rated | 98 min | Crime, Drama
24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a violent riot.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz | Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili
Votes: 196,568 | Gross: $0.31M
27. The Great Dictator (1940)
G | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, War
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner
Votes: 237,423 | Gross: $0.29M
28. Wait Until Dark (1967)
Approved | 108 min | Thriller
A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Votes: 33,740 | Gross: $17.55M
29. Looper (2012)
R | 119 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits - someone like Joe - who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by sending back Joe's future self for assassination.
Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano
Votes: 603,102 | Gross: $66.49M
30. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.
Director: Charles Laughton | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason
Votes: 97,399 | Gross: $0.65M
31. Pulp Fiction (1994)
R | 154 min | Crime, Drama
The 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.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis
Votes: 2,221,315 | Gross: $107.93M
32. The Fog of War (2003)
PG-13 | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Robert McNamara, John F. Kennedy, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon
Votes: 25,053 | Gross: $4.20M
33. Night and Fog (1956)
TV-14 | 32 min | Documentary, Short, History
The history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.
Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Michel Bouquet, Reinhard Heydrich, Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler
Votes: 21,473
34. Wanted (2008)
R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A frustrated office worker discovers that he is the son of a professional assassin, and that he shares his father's superhuman killing abilities.
Director: Timur Bekmambetov | Stars: Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp
Votes: 408,691 | Gross: $134.51M
Delicious visuals and few chuckles of superiority are the only thing this movie has going for it. Worth a watch for a lazy afternoon, but essentially a movie for people who thought Tyler Durden was right.
35. The 39 Steps (1935)
Approved | 86 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A man in London tries to help a counter-espionage agent, but when the agent is killed and the man stands accused, he must go on the run to save himself and stop a spy ring that is trying to steal top-secret information.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle
Votes: 61,565
36. Fight Club (1999)
R | 139 min | Drama
An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf, Zach Grenier
Votes: 2,325,214 | Gross: $37.03M
37. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime
Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta
Votes: 68,834 | Gross: $3.29M
38. Donnie Darko (2001)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne
Votes: 850,332 | Gross: $1.48M
Some lazy writing (and subsequently odd acting) notwithstanding, this film never fails to blow my mind and touch on a deep spiritual nerve. Gotta love the free will/predestination discussions afterward.
39. The Lost Boys (1987)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Horror
After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes
Votes: 161,244 | Gross: $32.22M
Go home, 80's. You're drunk.
Nevertheless, an entertaining flick. I prefer Kiefer Sutherland as the same character in Stand By Me, though.
40. Band of Outsiders (1964)
Not Rated | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two crooks with a fondness for old Hollywood B-movies convince a languages student to help them commit a robbery.
Director: Jean-Luc Godard | Stars: Anna Karina, Claude Brasseur, Danièle Girard, Louisa Colpeyn
Votes: 27,070 | Gross: $0.04M
So weird and tragically funny. This is clearly a movie to watch at least 3 times; I still need to process.
41. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
PG | 95 min | Comedy, War
An unhinged American general orders a bombing attack on the Soviet Union, triggering a path to nuclear holocaust that a war room full of politicians and generals frantically tries to stop.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn
Votes: 518,436 | Gross: $0.28M
42. Sinister (I) (2012)
R | 110 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.
Director: Scott Derrickson | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Juliet Rylance, James Ransone, Fred Thompson
Votes: 280,344 | Gross: $48.09M
The Good: Immaculate sound design and cinematography. A satisfying "reveal" and several hair-raising freaks. A stylistic gem of horror.
The Bad: Utterly predictable. The ending feels like something's missing.
This movie will definitely scare you, and is certainly worth the price of admission. But it's no mind-blower.
43. Black Swan (2010)
R | 108 min | Drama, Thriller
Nina is a talented but unstable ballerina on the verge of stardom. Pushed to the breaking point by her artistic director and a seductive rival, Nina's grip on reality slips, plunging her into a waking nightmare.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Winona Ryder
Votes: 825,137 | Gross: $106.95M
Good Lord. This is one moving film. So stressful and frightening. I don't think it's a mistake that the music and mannerisms make this whole story feel like an actual ballet.
Also, I think that Aronofsky has a thing for computer-generated skin and hair.
44. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
R | 116 min | Drama, Horror, Musical
The legendary tale of a barber who returns from wrongful imprisonment to 1840s London, bent on revenge for the rape and death of his wife, and resumes his trade while forming a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall
Votes: 387,000 | Gross: $52.90M
The last time I saw this, I was 13 and watching a crappy pirated cam of it on some kid's iPod. So rewatching on a MBP Retina was much funner.
I love how you can feel how grody everyone is in Tim Burton's London. Blood and sweat are the currency of the story. I can't say I entirely enjoy Depp's singing, but "Johanna" is pretty wonderful.
45. Chungking Express (1994)
PG-13 | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two 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.
Director: Kar-Wai Wong | Stars: Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong
Votes: 95,844 | Gross: $0.60M
46. Let the Right One In (2008)
R | 114 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Oskar, an overlooked and bullied boy, finds love and revenge through Eli, a beautiful but peculiar girl.
Director: Tomas Alfredson | Stars: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl
Votes: 226,828 | Gross: $2.12M
Wow. Add this to my list of favorite non-scary horror films (as of yet non-existent). Imagine my disappointment when I hover over "romantic horror film" on Wikipedia, but it's only links to "romantic" and "horror film".
47. Troll Hunter (2010)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.
Director: André Øvredal | Stars: Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoltenberg, Knut Nærum, Glenn Erland Tosterud
Votes: 79,573 | Gross: $0.25M
48. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Horror
The uneventful, aimless lives of a London electronics salesman and his layabout roommate are disrupted by the zombie apocalypse.
Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis
Votes: 594,197 | Gross: $13.54M
A practice run for Hot Fuzz?
49. Francophrenia (or Don't Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby Is) (2012)
70 min | Documentary, Comedy, Thriller
A mini-thriller comprised of TV footage of actor James Franco's guest-starring appearances on the American daytime drama, General Hospital (1963).
Directors: James Franco, Ian Olds | Stars: Julie Berman, Sara A. Bibel, Steve Burton, James Franco
Votes: 134
Utterly pretentious BS. James Franco made a thousand people sit through footage of his face with an accompanying whisper track and cheap glitch effects. An unbearable 70 minutes.
50. Saturday Morning Mystery (2012)
R | 88 min | Horror
A dark and bloody parody about a Scooby-Doo-like team of paranormal investigators and their devoted dog. With the crew nearing bankruptcy, they're hired to get to the bottom of a series of ... See full summary »
Director: Spencer Parsons | Stars: Jonny Mars, Josephine Decker, Adam Wyatt Tate, Ashley Rae Spillers
Votes: 982
A horror comedy that really drags on; I found it neither scary nor funny. Despite the filmmakers' efforts, it still looks very indie.
51. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.
Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver
Votes: 742,930 | Gross: $132.09M
Funnier than I expected, with great performances from De Niro, Cooper and Lawrence. No masterpiece, but a great date movie.
52. It's a Disaster (2012)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Drama
Four couples meet for Sunday brunch, then discover they are stuck in a house together as the world may be about to end.
Director: Todd Berger | Stars: Rachel Boston, Laura Adkin, Kevin M. Brennan, David Cross
Votes: 11,616 | Gross: $0.04M
Features a refreshingly different role for David Cross. Unfortunately, the hilarity is oft interrupted by the very melodrama it seeks to lampoon.
53. Carrie (1976)
R | 98 min | Horror, Mystery
Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, John Travolta
Votes: 206,754 | Gross: $33.80M
54. Taxi Driver (1976)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama
A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks
Votes: 921,156 | Gross: $28.26M
55. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Horror, Musical
A newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.
Director: Jim Sharman | Stars: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien
Votes: 166,989 | Gross: $139.88M
wut
56. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Crime
In London, four very different people team up on a jewel heist, then try to double-cross one another for the loot, complicated by their efforts to fool a very proper barrister.
Directors: Charles Crichton, John Cleese | Stars: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin
Votes: 153,962 | Gross: $63.49M
57. Badlands (1973)
PG | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An impressionable teenage girl from a dead-end town, and her older greaser boyfriend, embark on a killing spree in the South Dakota Badlands.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri
Votes: 78,424
58. In Bruges (2008)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After 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.
Director: Martin McDonagh | Stars: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ciarán Hinds, Elizabeth Berrington
Votes: 461,650 | Gross: $7.76M
59. Sin City (2005)
R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller
An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.
Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba
Votes: 793,943 | Gross: $74.10M
The story of three men who risk all for a couple of hookers.
This movie took violence to a whole new level for me the first time I saw it. There are never more than two or three colors at a time, but it's all black really. And yet, for such an incredibly dark tale, I can't help but note: there is shockingly little language for an action movie. It even reenforces themes of monogamy and universal justice. You might say this is the dark armpit of heroism.
60. Last Train Home (2009)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Drama
A couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese new year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower.
Director: Lixin Fan | Stars: Changhua Zhang, Yang Zhang, Suqin Chen, Qin Zhang
Votes: 3,717 | Gross: $0.29M
61. American Beauty (1999)
R | 122 min | Drama
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Votes: 1,211,315 | Gross: $130.10M
Wow. Some movies just hammer home one particular point or plot line. Others, such as this one, cover a huge swathe of themes and ideas in 2 hours. I love that. Apart from two cringe-worthy teen girls performances and some odd spots of lazy dialogue, this film has a lot going for it. Kevin Spacey nails it as a loser on the rise. The music perfectly augments the mood of the movie. I'm going to have to watch this again sometime, in light of all the themes presented.
Suffice to say, what a depressingly true visage of how *beep* and empty people are behind their beautiful façades.
62. American History X (1998)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama
Living a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.
Director: Tony Kaye | Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo, Jennifer Lien
Votes: 1,186,650 | Gross: $6.72M
63. Blow-Up (1966)
Not Rated | 111 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A fashion photographer unknowingly captures a death on film after following two lovers in a park.
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni | Stars: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, John Castle
Votes: 67,670
64. Yojimbo (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty ronin comes to a town divided by two criminal gangs and decides to play them against each other to free the town.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Eijirô Tôno, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yôko Tsukasa
Votes: 131,400
Toshiro Mifûne was one versatile actor.
65. Adaptation. (2002)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama
A lovelorn screenwriter becomes desperate as he tries and fails to adapt 'The Orchid Thief' by Susan Orlean for the screen.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton
Votes: 203,100 | Gross: $22.25M
I suspect that Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Synecdoche, New York are all different parts of the same movie. Charlie Kaufman has adapted himself brilliantly into the history of the world through film. He's like the Samuel Beckett of film.
66. Amélie (2001)
R | 122 min | Comedy, Romance
Despite being caught in her imaginative world, Amelie, a young waitress, decides to help people find happiness. Her quest to spread joy leads her on a journey where she finds true love.
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta
Votes: 794,423 | Gross: $33.23M
Boy there are so many things to love about this movie. The gorgeous color scheme, the irresistible French New Wave quirk, the montages, those dolly shots. The sense of destiny and belonging.
This film is a wonderful celebration of life.
67. The Avengers (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 1,459,777 | Gross: $623.28M
Third watch, still the most overrated movie of the year.
It's the kind of thing that aims to make people like Del Boy extol its undeniable *beep* No offense to Mr. Boy. I feel that the producers saw Joss Whedon's affinity for exploiting genre clichés, and paid him to pull out all the stops. It's like paying a CSI expert to perform the perfect murder. Audiences everywhere bought it.
Deconstruction may be a good place to start.
1) Effects
The cinematography here is, in a sense, the best that money can buy. It does the job without any subtlety, which is no problem. Likewise, the CG was pretty spectacular for the most part. But with a production of this magnitude, I can't help but be confused at times. What's with Loki's godawful costume? Everything he does dredges up memories of sparkly Zeus in Clash of the Titans. Or that otherworldly dimension that looks like a laser tag arena, its sole inhabitant a leper from 300? Really selling it, buddy.
And that's just the surface.
2) Writing
The characters are oft compromised for the sake of driving plot or telling a joke. Also, Shakespeare in the Park was horrific until Robert Downey Jr. called it that. 'Twas truly hilarious.
3) Plot
Tons of boring, tired exposition. The last 30 minutes dragged on spectacularly.
I'm tired of writing about this movie for now. In short, it is a fine piece of pulp entertainment. Iron Man basically makes it. But it amazes me the extent to which people nerd out over such a shallow movie.
68. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,828,238 | Gross: $448.14M
I liked this better the second viewing, possibly because I knew what to expect. The first time I saw it, I was amped for more of the brilliantly interlaced plot line with a compelling commentary on society. Instead, TDKR was more of a satisfaction of what could sell to audiences. Beyond the many nonsensical decisions by otherwise competent characters and the apparent aversion to exploring poverty and anarchy in depth, the movie was a good theatre experience and a fitting end to the series.
And by that, I mean the end. People don't seem to get that the Robin reference was bringing us full circle rather than plugging a sequel. It'll be a long time before anyone has the balls to try something of this magnitude again, and even longer before we've forgotten the stunning performances in these movies.
69. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine
Votes: 1,548,865 | Gross: $130.74M
Anthony Hopkins is great, but Ted Levine is the real star of this show.
70. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
PG-13 | 178 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean
Votes: 2,007,923 | Gross: $315.54M
Few movies can instill epicness to the level that LOTR does, for a few hours at least. That much is clear to all but the greatest of hipsters.
Still, it took me many, many watches to admit to myself that the film is far from perfect. There's an overusage of slow-motion, which feels misguided. Every time Elijah Wood makes that little high-pitched squeak, I cringe.
But for the first in a trilogy in 2001, everything is delightfully ambitious. It's a special effects masterpiece with some of the best source material possible. A true classic.
71. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
R | 108 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories forever.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Gerry Robert Byrne
Votes: 1,078,405 | Gross: $34.40M
72. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
PG-13 | 179 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
While Frodo and Sam edge closer to Mordor with the help of the shifty Gollum, the divided fellowship makes a stand against Sauron's new ally, Saruman, and his hordes of Isengard.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,784,578 | Gross: $342.55M
73. Skyfall (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench
Votes: 731,282 | Gross: $304.36M
74. From Russia with Love (1963)
PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E.
Director: Terence Young | Stars: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Daniela Bianchi
Votes: 145,403 | Gross: $24.80M
75. The Thin Red Line (1998)
R | 170 min | Drama, History, War
Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.
Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Kirk Acevedo
Votes: 199,653 | Gross: $36.40M
76. Let Me In (I) (2010)
R | 116 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.
Director: Matt Reeves | Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Cara Buono
Votes: 127,345 | Gross: $12.13M
Basically superfluous. The original was perfect, and this film mimics everything about it while losing much of the subtlety. Just watch the Swedish version.
77. Sanjuro (1962)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A crafty samurai helps a young man and his fellow clansmen trying to save his uncle, who has been framed and imprisoned by a corrupt superintendent.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Keiju Kobayashi, Yûnosuke Itô
Votes: 41,144
78. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spider-like powers and ventures out to save the city from the machinations of a mysterious reptilian foe.
Director: Marc Webb | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan
Votes: 702,604 | Gross: $262.03M
79. The Bourne Identity (2002)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
A man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Franka Potente, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen
Votes: 576,451 | Gross: $121.66M
80. V for Vendetta (2005)
R | 132 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
In a future British dystopian society, a shadowy freedom fighter, known only by the alias of "V", plots to overthrow the tyrannical government - with the help of a young woman.
Director: James McTeigue | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Rupert Graves, Stephen Rea
Votes: 1,179,633 | Gross: $70.51M
A shiver-inducingly epic tale. Whenever I see it, my faith in filmmaking and humanity is restored a little.
81. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
PG-13 | 201 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom
Votes: 1,980,010 | Gross: $377.85M
82. Shutter Island (2010)
R | 138 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 1,457,578 | Gross: $128.01M
83. The Departed (2006)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg
Votes: 1,422,822 | Gross: $132.38M
84. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen
Votes: 1,194,524 | Gross: $70.10M
85. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
R | 137 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
The Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
Votes: 805,982 | Gross: $66.21M
86. The Call of Cthulhu (2005)
Not Rated | 47 min | Horror, Mystery
While sorting the affairs of his late Uncle, a man accidentally stumbles across a series of dark secrets connected to an ancient horror waiting to be freed.
Director: Andrew Leman | Stars: Matt Foyer, John Bolen, Ralph Lucas, Chad Fifer
Votes: 8,899
Brilliant, both in its adaptation of the original and its mimicry of 1920's film. Very fun.
87. Annie Hall (1977)
PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
Votes: 278,497 | Gross: $39.20M
88. Christmas Vacation (1989)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy
The Griswold family's plans for a big family Christmas predictably turn into a big disaster.
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik | Stars: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki
Votes: 220,160 | Gross: $71.32M
There is no vacation in this movie. You sit on a throne of lies!
89. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
TV-PG | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi
Votes: 70,885
90. Inception (2010)
PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, Ken Watanabe
Votes: 2,552,013 | Gross: $292.58M
91. The Evil Dead (1981)
NC-17 | 85 min | Horror
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
Director: Sam Raimi | Stars: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Richard DeManincor, Betsy Baker
Votes: 232,475 | Gross: $2.40M
I know this won't be a popular opinion, since there are a lot of cinema lovers around here who adore these movies. But my reaction was... "meh". The Evil Dead is billed as 1) horror, 2) comedy, and 3) classic. I thought it was not really scary, not really funny, and mildly groundbreaking. The swaying POV camera was a fun effect, and there were some cool special effects shots (especially for such a cheaply-made c-movie), but I found the whole experience a tad boring. Must be an 80's kids thing, I guess.
92. Ninja Assassin (2009)
R | 99 min | Action, Thriller
A young ninja turns his back on the orphanage that raised him, leading to a confrontation with a fellow ninja from the clan.
Director: James McTeigue | Stars: Rain, Rick Yune, Naomie Harris, Jonathan Chan-Pensley
Votes: 75,610 | Gross: $38.11M
Is it weird that this is the bloody ballet I dreamt up when I was 12? Cheesy dialogue and all.
93. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
A family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.
Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris | Stars: Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Abigail Breslin
Votes: 518,276 | Gross: $59.89M
The happy take on American Beauty. So many things to love.
The Devotchka/Sufjan soundtrack.
Abigail Breslin's pitch perfect performance.
Alan Arkin's lecherous old man.
Steve Carrell's floundering gay meekness.
Paul Dano's loathing apathy.
The realization that life is not a beauty contest, not a climb to the top, not sex and drugs, not achievements. It's all in the family.
94. Gangs of New York (2002)
R | 167 min | Crime, Drama
In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 473,091 | Gross: $77.81M
95. 28 Days Later (2002)
R | 113 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Four weeks after a mysterious, incurable virus spreads throughout the UK, a handful of survivors try to find sanctuary.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Alex Palmer
Votes: 446,025 | Gross: $45.06M
In my opinion, highly overrated. For a zombie movie, it's very slow and boring. The characters have little no depth. The themes aren't explored very well at all. And seriously that kid is a terrible actor.
96. Cape Fear (1991)
R | 128 min | Crime, Thriller
A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
Votes: 216,771 | Gross: $79.10M
I was biting my nails by the end. Which I do anyway, but still. Holy crap, this movie gets under your skin.
97. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 136,257 | Gross: $4.14M
Once again Kurosawa blends the rich sets and armies of feudal Japan with psychological and emotional conflicts. This movie has a lot to say about the depravity and futility of man's existence. One thing that struck me was how traditionally it was shot. It's almost as if a late 50's Kurosawa was simply colorized, for how conventional the cinematography is. True to form, Kurosawa foregoes tracking shots for wide, sweeping pans. Also, what wonderful set pieces these battle scenes are! The man had an ironic skill for creating epic combat sequences.
98. The Proposition (2005)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Western
A lawman apprehends a notorious outlaw and gives him nine days to kill his older brother, or else they'll execute his younger brother.
Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Richard Wilson
Votes: 54,992 | Gross: $1.90M
99. Magnolia (1999)
R | 188 min | Drama
An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 328,601 | Gross: $22.46M
100. Eraserhead (1977)
Not Rated | 89 min | Fantasy, Horror
Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 127,534 | Gross: $7.00M
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