5 Masterpieces

Braveheart
I watch this one about once a year, and every time I’m blown away by how good it is. Omitting any personal flaws the man may have, I can’t help but applaud Mel Gibson as both an actor and a director. Braveheart will be talked about for as long as movies exist.

Gangs of New York
I saw this when I was a bit younger and didn’t really appreciate it for its brilliance. Then I watched it again earlier this month and was mesmerized by its genius. It’s obvious that Scorcese went to exhaustive measures to make every detail of this movie authentic, and boy does it pay off!

Black Hawk Down
Another one I saw when I was younger and watched again within the past year, this one has always been one of my favorites. I would easily put it in Ridley Scott’s top five. It’s gritty realism is perfectly counterbalanced by its beautiful heart. This is one of the few war movies I’ve seen that actually pulls at my heartstrings every time I watch it.

The Last Samurai
I was dragged to this one by a friend, and will be eternally grateful to him for it. This is definitely one of Tom Cruise’s best roles, and easily Edward Zwick’s masterpiece. Everything about this movie is expert, from the extremely talented multi-cultural cast to Hans Zimmer’s captivating score.

There Will Be Blood
I had trouble with TWBB the first few times I saw it. I watched it after the initial hype and expected a mind-blowing film. While I enjoyed Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance, I found the rest of the movie to be rather boring. It wasn’t until a couple years later that I realized just how amazing TWBB is. The sets, the characters, the story, the music, etc all fit together to form a perfect tapestry that is completely unique.

Zombieland

In an age when zombie apocalypse plots are a dime a dozen, it was only a matter of time before somebody put a comedic spin on the idea. Shaun of the Dead did it pretty successfully back in 2004, and now Zombieland has been added to the list.

I have no complaints with Zombieland. For what it is, it's extremely well made. It's a ball of fun wrapped in just enough reality to make the characters seem flesh and blood. The cast has great chemistry together. As usual, Woody Harrelson is an absolute joy to watch.

What I love most about this film is it's simplicity. It doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, but it's obvious a lot of time and effort went into making it as good as it could be. Everything has just the right balance. The acting, the emotion, the story, the violence. Nothing ever feels out of place.

Zombieland is a nice break from reality. I strongly suggest it.

Inglourious Basterds (A Reassessment)

Upon second, third, and fourth viewing of Tarantino's latest work, I am forced to admit that my appreciation for it has grown considerably. My recent reactions to it have been so different from my first viewing that I'm baffled as to why I was so disappointed with it.

I think it boils down to expectations. I went into Inglourious Basterds with the desire to see an action-packed war movie. I certainly expected it to be different, seeing as how Tarantino's name was attached, but I hoped it would be exciting and violent (a la Kill Bill, Vol. 1).

My subsequent viewings, however, have been much more rewarding. I've been able to enjoy much of the banter I originally found tiresome, especially when it comes from Christoph Waltz.

I still think the movie is too long, though, which is mainly due to the extensive dialogue. This, however, I am willing to forgive. The rest of the film is rich enough with fun performances and interesting plot to make up for the length.

Instant Play triple shot

Lately I've been watching most of my flicks on Netflix Instant Play... Aside from watching all four Eddie Izzard concerts, here's what I've enjoyed over the holidays...

Ink -- An interesting low-budget but ambitious dark fantasy, draws comparisons to many other movies (Matrix, Terry Gilliam flicks, others), but is really fairly unique, and in spite of its flaws, kept me hooked; sort of a B+ movie...

Enemy Mine -- I saw this a long time ago and had a vague memory of it being good; now it is quite dated on effects, but the story is still very strong and affecting...

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. -- I don't know why, maybe I was just in the right mood, but this is the first Godzilla movie I really enjoyed; the effects were top notch, and the overall fight sequences kicked ass. The plot and characters were mildly interesting and didn't slow the pace like they seem to in many Zilla flicks.