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An error has ocurred. Please try againI thought I would never give a movie a 10 but in the end I decided it was the only way for movies that were either: very special in the historical evolution of cinema, like King Kong for example; incredibly unique or fresh, like Boogie Nights or Magnolia; or could not be forgotten for days afterwards because of the wonderful acting, story or cinematography, like The Road or La Strada. Truthfully, to get a 9 signifies directorial brilliance, yet some of my favourite directors will never get a 10. Hard to explain exactly why that is.
This list includes as many genres of cine as possible. Most lists of top movies include very few animated movies, comedies or horrors, and this has always seemed unfair to me.
I also do not think a movie should ever qualify for a 10 if it is a re-make of another film, even if it as good as the original (as I feel Soderburgh's version of Solaris is for example...wooo easy tiger), because that would be unfair to the original screen-writer and director. However, if it is a movie that has been re-made many times, like Great Expectations, then it can qualify as a 10.
Reviews
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009)
If you like Herzog, check this out, way better than rating
There has been a lot of bad talk about this film but I have watched a lot of Herzog and I love this movie. It is an investigation primarily on mental illness, city life, and how people can get really messed up inside the "walls" of the city (and the little enclaves like families that exist within it). A very strong performance by Michael Shannon and I have to say this guy is really starting to hit his straps now after starting out in bit-part hoodlum roles etc., many years ago. He really has an intensity in this role that no-one else could have accessed, and I mean no-one. This was casting at its absolute best; his big physical presence and natural 1000 yard stare really added to the role. Again Herzog has gone out and made a movie that no-one else wanted to make. It has been a while since I saw it now, but I remember a moment of pure beauty at the end of the movie, I think with with a boy, a ball and a tree within the hugeness of the mega-city wasteland. These are moments where Herzog somehow gives us his inner feelings.
Last Days Here (2011)
Brilliant documentary about an artist's battle with himself
I have to say this documentary really blew me away. I knew absolutely nothing about the group at all and discovered this film by chance on an international flight. From the first minute the movie caught my attention and drew me into the strange and bizarre world of the lead singer of the heavy metal group, Pentagram.
The story was so intense, dark and gritty that at times I began to wonder if I was part of an elaborate hoax: a genius black comedy perhaps. I actually wondered if maybe the group did not even exist at all!
I now believe the story to be true. It traces the absolute passion of the band's singer and his terrible battle with his own nature. I believe this movie will not be seen by enough people because the subject matter is brutal at times and almost too real, but this is a true tour de force of documentary storytelling.
Watch it!
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Beautiful. I really wish there were more movies like this.
Beautiful movie on every level; dressed cunningly as a comedy I think this film is really about the myriad difficulties we face functioning as human beings, and particular the difficulty of being a creative dreamer.
The quality of the cast shows us in what high standing the director is currently held, and the casting is beyond perfect: it is inspired. Bill Murray, as team leader, Steve Zissou, is part of a cast that includes; Willem Dafoe, Angelica Huston, Jeff Goldblum, as well as a slightly younger generation of players: Cate Blanchett, Owen Wilson and Noah Taylor (with a great Australian accent).
This is basically my first Wes Anderson movie. I may have seen a little of the Royal Tenenbaums years ago but I know very little of this director apart from the ravings of many people who I trust. I am very impressed and will now be checking out all his videos.
I think the foundation of this film is the ancient idea of the completely flawed, human hero who continues to follow his dreams despite numerous setbacks. He is no superman: in fact he needs others in an almost symbiotic way, but it is this complete emotional honesty that enders us more and more to the Zissou character.
In interviews, Bill Murray has stated that this was one of his toughest films to make, yet one never senses this watching the movie. Perhaps this unseen, creative difficulty just endears us to him even more.
The Last Drop (2006)
One of the worst war movies ever made.
Absolute waste of money even on DVD. Only watch this if you have a penchant for extremely bad dialogue. In fact it is quite simply some of the worst script writing efforts I have ever witnessed on a movie with a larger budget. You could also watch it if you are writing a guide to the worst movies ever made, or a list of the best ways to waste millions of dollars.
Realising that I would have to write ten lines on this movie has filled me with woe, for the very fact that I may have to actually revisit it; you see it has been some time since I actually saw the movie! However, I do remember at the time that it seemed a particularly sad descent for Michael Marsden, who had fine performances as a villain in Kill Bill I and II.
Black Gold (2011)
Absolute disaster from go to woe.
How the director of great cinema like: Seven years in Tibet, In the name of the Rose, and finally, Enemy at the Gates, could make this film I just do not understand. I can not say what I believe is worse about this picture because everything is equally bad; however, I would not be so fast to blame the actors because I believe firstly that the script is a complete disaster. It is so cliché I wonder how anyone in their right mind could actually write such a document. Indeed I sense in this movie the evidence of an obvious creative talent being subsumed by the so called "needs of the masses."
The filming and camera work are above average, but it is far from Lawrence of Arabia, as an earlier fan has suggested here. Lawrence of Arabia has been consistently voted one of the greatest epic movies of all time on many polls and this movie will never even make the top 500 epics on any poll. Surprisingly the action scenes are only average for a movie with this type of budget also.
Finally I just do not get the fake Saudi accents in English at all. It is a pity because the historical content of the film is very interesting and the religious depictions are open and respectful. It could have been a movie that necessitated some positive change in Arab understanding but instead it went for the lowest common denominator.
Contracorriente (2009)
Brave picture about being gay in a macho society
I loved this movie, perhaps my favorite Peruvian movie with The Teta Asustada. Having lived in Peru five years I can say this was a brave picture to make in a society that is still openly intolerant of homosexuality. I applaud the director and small cast for really coming together to produce something intimate and thoughtful. It is a quiet little film, with moments of great beauty and the cinematography and acting is really first rate. The two lead male actors were brilliant in demanding roles. Sometimes the music was a just little light for me but over all I was really surprised by this picture and it deserves a much wider audience.