A Side Note....

Hello again! My goodness it has been awhile… I’ve been busy with my job and school that I totally forgot about my blog that two people are currently following (you know who you are). So this next post is for the both of you, my loyal followers! J

So I have watched many films over the past two months, inside and outside of class, and there have been some very good ones like (The Killing, Collateral and Bridge on the River Kwai). But some reason, I have decided to talk about some observations I have made about my ever-changing watch list.

The most interesting thing that I have noticed is that my watch list represents the various phases that I go through regarding what kind of films I am enthralled with at the moment. For example, I felt the need to see as many movies in AFI’s list of 100 greatest films as possible. I remember adding at least 10-12 movies that were on the list because I wanted to see at least 80 of the 100. Then I entered another phase, and another one and another one! Then I started having doubts about various films on my list. I probably should not be spending so much time on this…I look through it and think carefully about every single film on the list… There are currently 42…soon to be 45 or 46….who knows? So basically what I am getting at is that I simply can’t select a bunch of films and stick with them for months on end….my interests in film sometimes change and it is all evident in how my watch list changes!

My Favorite Fifty Films (Part 2)

What I've found with this particular list is that I tend to have second thoughts about the ordering of various films or whether a movie deserves to be on the list or not. Regardless, many of the films on this list are here for a reason. Here is why:


31 - Die Hard
Regarded as one of the greatest action films ever made, Die Hard does not disappoint. Alan Rickman is a fantastic villain and Bruce Willis is a great hero. Enough said!

32 - Jaws
The day after I watched Jaws, I went swimming at an indoor pool. I wasn't even at a beach and I was still frightened to be swimming around in the water. The scares in this movie are quite effective, and so is the haunting score by John Williams.

33 - Psycho
The infamous shower scene, the constant suspense, Hitchcock certainly made a generous contribution to the horror genre with this low budget film. Quite audacious in some aspects, but it works nonetheless.

34 - 12 Angry Men
Imagine the challenge of having the majority of a story occurring in one room with twelve characters. It has potential to be quite dull. Yet Sidney Lumet made it the exact opposite. I found myself rooting for Henry Fonda from start to finish.

35 - Toy Story
I will never forget the very first time I went to see Toy Story in theaters. It's the kind of movie that you get so involved with, that it feels like it's over in a few minutes. The voice work is also a wonderful addition to this excellent story.

36 - The Deer Hunter
A long but moving story that features spot on performances from Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and especially Christopher Walken. The Russian Roulette sequences were handled so perfectly that each second is more tense than the last.

37 - Back to the Future
There is so much fun to be had with this time travel film. Christopher Lloyd is absolutely unforgettable as the peculiar scientist.

38 - The Great Escape
This movie starts out moderately clever, then becomes quite clever and before you know it, the cleverness meter rises even more! An exhilarating war picture to say the least.

39 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
So sad, but so absorbing. An incredibly touching film that examines and summarizes the life of a man who is very different from the average person (hence the title).

40 - Inception
What I love about some of the films of Christopher Nolan is that he makes the narrative so complicated that by paying maximum attention, you become completely involved in this distinct cinematic experience. A marvelous piece of science fiction with big brains!

Movie Watch List Update #2

I know it has been a while, but here is the second update on my exciting movie watch list adventure! I am currently at 45 titles and as usual, I had some second thoughts about various movies on the list. I may add them back at a later date, but I felt trimming it would make it more feasible.

Where Eagles Dare - This was a lengthy war/spy film, but it redeemed itself with an action packed finale that lasts longer than you'd expect.

Tootsie - A very funny film with Hoffman in an excellent performance as a struggling actor who creates the persona of 'Tootsie' in hopes of finally getting work.

The Outlaw Josey Wales - This marked my last Clint Eastwood film that I'd see for a while. This one is pretty good. Once again, the length is a drawback, but the whole cast is good and so are the shootouts.

The Wild Bunch - When it comes to wild western shootouts, this one easily takes the cake. The action is fast paced, violent and expertly shot. Some of the film is slow, but the shootouts make up for it.

My Favorite Fifty Films (Part 1)

Something else that I thought might be fun is to share a list of my favorite fifty movies. I'll present ten at a time so I can add my thoughts about each film and why they are on the list. This list has changed a lot since I started it three years ago, but many of the titles on this list will be on here for a very, very long time.

50 - The Sixth Sense
Not only is this movie fun to watch for the first time, but it is even better watching it once you know the twist at the end. M. Night Shyamalan has only made two good movies and this is definitely one of them.

49 - Dawn of the Dead
Out of George A. Romero's Dead Trilogy, Dawn is easily the best entry. The zombie battles are fantastic and the idea of surviving in a shopping mall, fighting against the undead hordes is quite clever.

48 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
This was a last minute addition to this list and I put this one in simply because of how all the elements in this film combine in such an incredible way. One of Nicholson's best performances hands down.

47 - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
I am usually not a huge fan of the Western genre, but when Sergio Leone's name is mentioned, I am immediately interested. The emphasis before and after the brief acts of violence in this film is audacious, but Leone makes it work.

46 - Spirited Away
Hayao Miyazaki is a master at story telling through animation and this film is his finest achievement. The visuals are superb and the characters that inhabit his world are strange at first, but you'll grow to love them.

45 - Speed
Easily one of the best action movies I've ever seen, in fact, I think a lot of films in the action genre wish they were as thrilling and smart as Speed. The way how they make the story seem like one big action sequence helps it become exhilarating as new challenges arise against the protagonists.

44 - Young Frankenstein
Mel Brooks has made some great parodies, and this is the one I chose to be on this list because of Marty Feldmen, a man with an odd face who plays the assistant. He steals every single scene he is in and he is so much fun to watch as he and Dr. Frankenstein attempt to create the monster!

43 - Planet of the Apes
One of the sci-fi greats, the original Planet of the Apes has excellent make up, appropriate landscapes and an unusual score by Jerry Goldsmith. When the twist is revealed in the end, not only is it iconic, it is very memorable.

42 - City Lights
I find that many seem to prefer Chaplin's Modern Times over this film but I am at the opposite side of the spectrum. City Lights is so touching and equally funny. The comical scenes are pure genius and the pacing is flawless.

41 - Pirates of the Caribbean
This is one of the ultimate pop corn movies. This movie is so entertaining and fresh that even the three sequels combined could not match the awesomeness of the first Pirates film. Johnny Depp also gives the best (and most fun) performance of his career as Jack Sparrow.

Movie Watch List Update #2

I'm back to talk about three of the movies that I've just watched off my watch list: Wait Until Dark, The Elephant Man and The Blues Brothers. You'd think that my watch list would have slightly decreased in size, but once again I just added three more titles: The Dirty Dozen, Where Eagles Dare and The Odd Couple. I hope that after these last minute additions, I will stick with the remaining 54 titles on my list. Anyway, here are a few brief critiques from the movies I have just seen:

Wait Until Dark - I was in a bit of an Audrey Hepburn phase for the past month and I was very curious to see if she could pull off the portrayal of a blind woman. Obviously, she succeeded. The movie is quite talky for the first half ( I guess this shouldn't surprise me considering that this movie was adapted from a stage play). But the second half is very suspenseful and goes to show that a blind women without any combat training can still be lethal when she has to go against three crooks who are trying to acquire a doll full of cocaine that accidentally ended up in her apartment.

Elephant Man - David Lynch has directed some bizarre films (Eraser head and Blue Velvet) and this one is strange as well, but it also acts as an emotional powerhouse when we see how a disfigured man is treated with sympathy for the first time in his painful life by a medical doctor who sets out to help him. Wonderful performances by all (especially by John Hurt who plays the Elephant man) which are backed up a haunting score.

The Blues Brothers - If I had to list the most outrageous comedies I've seen, I'd include Blazing Saddles, Airplane and most certainly The Blues Brothers. It has been a while since I've seen a film this funny. To add to that, there are a plethora of car chases that are truly remarkable. You'll be blown away when you witness how they crash, smash and flip over each other all throughout the movie. Many great cameo performances add to this terrifically entertaining film that acts as a love letter to blues music....and crazy car chases of course!

Movie Watch List Update #1

This is me getting attacked by my gigantic film collection.

Back in mid April, I had just finished my third year of University. I was suffering from a bad cold and wasn't able to do much. I was, however, able to watch movies and thought that it would be a decent way to pass the time while I was coughing my brains out and drinking a cup of tea. I had made lists in the past of films that I had wanted to see. Luckily enough, I had stumbled upon a function at IMDB where you could create your own watch list. I was quite excited by this and started right away by looking through hundreds of titles. I started small with roughly 24 films. Because I had so much time on my hands, I was able to get through many of those films quickly. Within two weeks, I had already watched 12 of the films. Yet something that frequently happens on my watch list is that movies are always being added. I had dropped down to 14 titles and throughout the past month or so, it has increased to 54 titles. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to write about the movies that I see on my watch list. There are other topics I'd like to write about on film but for starters I'll tackle my watch list. Some films are on there because there are some actors and actresses who have been in classic films that I have not seen yet (Such as Clint Eastwood, Audrey Hepburn, Charles Bronson). Others are listed on AFI's 100 Greatest Films of All Time (Such as The Grapes of Wrath, All About Eve and On the Waterfront). And sometimes, I get into certain phases where I want to see movies that belong to a certain genre, like Horror (The Omen, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Haunting). So once a watch a few more titles, I'll report back to discuss them in detail.