My rating: 9.2
I was really impressed with Gran Torino. It didn't get as much publicity as The Wrestler or Slumdog Millionaire, but in my opinion, this was the best movie of 2008.
Clint Eastwood plays a Korean War veteran living in a changing neighborhood dominated by Asian immigrants. The story revolves around his relationship with his next door neighbors.
The thing that really struck me about this movie was how believable the characters were. I wouldn't be surprised to run into one of them on the street. Clint Eastwood has proved that he is still one of the best actors in Hollywood. The other two stars, Bee Vang and Ahney Her, were first time actors, and judging by their performance, will probably be back for more movies in the future. All of these factors made the drama way more realistic and engaging.
Gran Torino is under just 2 hours, short compared to other movies in the top 100 list. There is a lot of adult language, and some mild violence, but nothing too bad. If you want to see an enjoyable and intense movie, give this one a shot.
Gran Torino - #83
Godfather: Part II - #3
IMDB rating: 9
My rating: 9.5
The Godfather: Part II was a phenomenal movie. I've heard people say this is better than the original and I have to agree.
My biggest complaint with this movie is the length. It was 3 hours and 20 minutes, which makes it one of the longest movies on the IMDB list. However, unlike the original Godfather, Part II seemed to fly by. I intended to watch it in 2 parts, but it was so good I had to finish it in one sitting.
The Godfather: Part II filled in all the gaps left by The Godfather. It tells the back story of how Vito Corleone started his crime empire and continues where the first movie left off with Michael Corleone. Because of this, it's necessary to watch them in order.
This deserves its spot as the 3rd best movie of all time. Everyone should see this at some point.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - #4
My rating: 9
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly was the first Clint Eastwood movie I've seen and it didn't disappoint. It was a 1966 Italian Western dubbed over in English so I was a little skeptical, but this was one of the more enjoyable movies I've seen.
The movie is listed at 160 minutes, but I watched the dvd special edition which added another 20. The first half went by slowly but it really picked up the pace in the second. I watched this film in 2 parts so it wasn't that bad.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly was a great movie by today's standards which makes it even more impressive that it was made 40 years ago. The music and camerawork were fantastic and really brought out the majestic beauty of the American West. I'm not sure I would put this as the 4th best movie of all time, but I might keep it in the top 10.
There is a lot of violence, but it's not too graphic. If you have the time, I recommend watching this.
American Beauty - #37
IMDB rating: 8.5
My rating: 9
I loved American Beauty. I would put this in the top 10 movies I've ever seen.
Kevin Spacey is creepy as always and he pulls it off beautifully. Thora Birch and Mena Suvari were also excellent.
I'm not sure exactly what it was about this movie that made it so enjoyable. The music, the camerawork, the voice overs, and the scenery all came together to create a dark comedy/tragedy/drama, or a tragecomedrama for short.
There is brief nudity in this movie and a very small amount of violence, but nothing too distracting. This is a movie everyone should watch, hands down.
Requiem for a Dream - #64
IMDB rating: 8.4
My rating: 8.5
Requiem for a Dream was a very unique film. It followed the lives of several people and how they coped with drug addiction.
I thought the acting was pretty good, but nothing to rave about. The actors were believable, but the thing that really stood out about this movie was the unique film style. As a side note, this was the only good movie I've seen with Marlon Wayans in it (sorry White Chicks).
There are many quick camera changes and extreme close-ups, which I thought fit the film perfectly. Another thing that really enhanced the experience was the great soundtrack.
Requiem had a lot of gore and graphic scenes and would certainly not appeal to many people. It's no where near as bad as Saw, but it does have its moments. If you can handle this, you should definitely watch this movie.
Movie E-Zines
I've been looking into some film E-Zines that focus on movie reviews. They were difficult to find, but I finally managed to locate a few of them. Here's a list of some of the better ones I found.
IO Film: Film Inside Out - http://www.iofilm.co.uk
Pop Culture Geek - http://popculturegeek.com/
Channel 4 Film - http://www.channel4.com/film/a2z/f-A_1_a2z.html
Guardian Film Reviews - http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/film+tone/reviews
Movie Gazette - http://www.movie-gazette.com/
About 90% of the film Zines listed in various directories don't exist anymore and some linked to Prescription Medication spam. The ones above exist and appear to be somewhat up to date.
Amadeus - #84
My rating: 9
Amadeus was a great movie, but I'm surprised it made the Top 100 list. It tells the story of Mozart through the eyes of Salieri, a mediocre composer living at the same time.
The only real downside to this movie was the length. I watched the extended edition, which was a little over 3 hours long. I watched it in 2 parts, so it wasn't that bad. I'm not sure I could have made it through the entire movie in one sitting. Another thing that got annoying was Mozart's laugh (you'll see what I mean).
Let me just say that I've played classical piano for 10 years and love classical music, so I might have a slightly bias opinion towards this movie. The soundtrack for Amadeus is the best I've heard, with the possible exception of The Pianist (IMDB #57). You get to hear many prime examples of Mozart's music in this film, including one of my favorites, Requiem aeternam.
The movie was also historically accurate, from the various composers to the costumes and sets and even the manner of speech. It really transported me back to the 18th century.
The reason I'm surprised it made the list is because I didn't think it appealed that much to a general audience. If you have any interest in classical music at all, you should definitely watch this movie. Otherwise, you might find yourself bored.