Not films, but jewels. I’ve had great pleasure watching each and every one of these films. Most of them made me think about something I’d probably not otherwise. They opened my eyes. They changed me. Or, at the very least, they provided a heck of entertainment. I’ve watched most of these more than once. I have many of them on DVD or some other media. I probably want to watch them all again some time.
I first saw “American Gangster” in the cinema. I liked the film so much that I couldn’t wait to get the DVD. Of course, the 3 hour duration is not a big helper for repeated watching, but even so, I still enjoy it once in a while.
This film is excellent on so many levels, it’s hard to mention them all. There is moral, there is entertainment, there is an authentic trip back in time, there is plenty of good acting and directing.
This is now definitely one of my favourite films. 5 stars.
Watched “True Lies” again yesterday. Now this one is a special movie for me. I first saw back in 1994 or 1995, during my first ever trip out of the country, when I went to the Flint, Michigan, USA under a student exchange program. This was “the first” of many things – the first film I’ve seen in English, the first action film I’ve seen on the big screen, etc. It brings back a lot of memories, and it itself is being one huge memory. Even so many years after I saw it, I still remember it almost to a word.
Obviously, I am very biased in this case. But I spoke to a few of my friends about this film, and practically every one of them remembers the film quite well and has only good things to say about it. Even now, decades later, it still looks pretty awesome. I guess the fact that it has lots of real stunts as opposed to CGI helps it to survive the time. Also, this film being a mix of action and comedy, even with action bits slightly outdated, the comedy is still there, doing just fine.
Overall, an excellent entertainment. 5 stars.
I just watched “Rob Roy” a truly classic film, which I somehow missed when it came out back in 1995. This is something! I can’t remember the film which would have been so packed with moral, and which would be as engaging to watch. Really.
The film has it all – honour, love, friendship, and more. It shows how hard simple things can be sometimes. And how place, time, age, gender and social status have nothing to do with who you really are, how much of a human being you are. It also touches upon marriage, and the places of both husband and wife in the family. Compared to this film, most of the other modern film seem to be quite empty. Yes, there is plenty of action and special effects these days, but so little of what people are made of and how they are supposed to be. I think that we need more films like this, and this film in particular should be a part of formal education and character development. If it influence me so much, I suspect it’ll have a quite an effect (and a positive one at that) on the teenagers’ understanding of the world. However, it’s been a while since I was a teenager, so I might be wrong there…
There is plenty of good in this film beside moral. The story itself is quite interesting, even if not new. There is lots of good acting by talented cast. The directing and the visuals are also nice. I also remember positively noticing the music score a few times during the film.
One thing I wanted to mention separately are the sword fights. There are a few and they are awesome. The final fight deserves a film on its own. It’s original, dynamic, and powerful. One of the best ones I’ve seen ever.
Overall rating – 5 stars. Highly recommended.
Just watched “The Escapist“. I think all the dramatic prison escape movies are enough now to have their own genre. I also think that I am becoming a fan of this genre. All these films seem to be based on the same simple story, which they twist and turn in many different ways, making it original and interesting enough to watch over and over again.
“The Escapist” is just such movie. Same old story of a few people breaking out of prizon – each of his own reasons. They need to build the team, conceal a plan, and then execute that plan, loosing as few as possible on the way, and avoid getting caught. This film in particular is extra good because of the story telling and some really good acting.
Moving, dramatic, engaging – highly recommended to the fans of the genre. 5 stars.
I just finished watching “Natural Born Killers“. I’ve seen it before, but it was a really long time ago, and it was with a horrible Russian translation. Plus, I don’t think it was a director’s cut version that I got my hands on today.
The film was shot back in 1994. That’s 15 years ago. And it still looks quite well, despite all the advances in the moving pictures industry. I guess that’s because the true values are hardly ageing – interesting story with drama, true love and romance as well as humor; and tonnes of good acting and directing. Of course, some special effects are outdated, but that doesn’t spoil the experience even a tiny bit.
Overall, a highly recommended movie if you haven’t seen it yet. And still recommended if you saw it a long time ago. 5 stars.