Change Your Image
DeathFish
1) "A Clockwork Orange"
2) "2001: A Space Odyssey"
3) "Godfather"
4) "Fight Club"
5) "Citizen Kane"
6) "Seven Samurai"
7) "Casablanca"
Reviews
Gangs of New York (2002)
Partial greatness, good entertainment
The great director Martin Scorsese has shown us that he truly is in the elite of filmmakers with titles such as, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Casino and later The Departed on his record. However as much as I liked many of his other films and regard some of them as being some of the greatest in resent history, I was not convinced by Gangs of New York. Even though it hat some great parts, that deserve to be recognized, it also hat some doubtful scenes, a few dull characters and a lag of originality. These are hard words to use, considering that the movie was entertaining and hat a lot of brilliant moments, but when these doubtful moments emerge between the good parts, it pretty much takes out the joy of the ride in a very anti-climatic way, that spoils the overall impression of the film. I must admit that I was quite impressed by the acting (especially Daniel Day Lewis' performance), the effects and the very distinguishing Martin Scorsese touches throughout the entire movie. But when it comes down to the overall impression of the film, it made me feel quite disappointed, because of my expectations due to his former works, and at the same time impressed. This movie has moments of brilliance, but is overshadowed by Marting Scorsese's other works. 7/10.
Jenseits der Stille (1996)
Jenseits der Stille.
I was lucky enough to get to see this movie in a German lesson in school. Basically right from the start I was caught up in it and knew, that this would be something different. The mood of the movie simply progressed with ease and gentleness, and at the same time hurled you into a world many never would have thought of. The world of a normal young girl, who has to go through an unusual dilemma, because both of her parents are deaf, and at the same time face the difficulties of life, experiencing her own true self. Finding herself turns out to be one of the real challenges in her life, because she has to separate herself from her parents and walk down her own path, without turning her back on them. She wants to be a musician, an idea which her father does not understand or support. Becoming a musician, despite the fact that her parents are deaf, gives a very clear and pure image, of how children tend to disobey their parents and create their own identity. The movie ends without really wrapping up every lose end, but it does not spoil it. Nonetheless it gives the movie the perfect ending, in which everything that really matters, works out. The idea of the movie and the very story has, as I have mentioned, a very deep and original plot, but this movies has more to it than this. Great acting (especially from the father), great music and is overall greatly directed and written. Good movie with many details. 7/10
Taxi Driver (1976)
Character development.
Martin Scorsese's masterpiece Taxi Driver, was in the beginning met by various criticism and accusations. Many shut their eyes and were appalled by the violence and uncovered nature of the film. Even though judged by some, others witnessed the revelation of a genuine film-pearl, as Robert De Niro's character "Travis Bickle" entered the screen. The protagonist in this movie, is perhaps one the most complex and thorough characters in the history of film-making. Because of the extreme centralization of the main-character, the entire movies perspective takes basis in Travis' own perception and interpretation of the world around him. Every scene in the movie becomes, because of the focus on Travis, very subjective and personalized. We witness the world through his eyes, and take over his prejudices and beliefs. Travis lives in the busy and crowded city, but nonetheless he is alone. Loneliness is in many ways the very essence of his being, and at some point it almost becomes his identity. Walking through the streets alone, as a nobody, he dreams of being a somebody. He longs for company, both socially, sexually and intellectually, but cannot seem to find it anywhere. In his attempt to find company he finds Betsy, a young beautiful blond who develops an interest in him, but his social inexperience repels her from him, and he is left alone, even more lonely than before. The entire film is right from the beginning heading for the very debated violence near the end of the film, this also goes for Travis' life. His life has always in some way headed for this moment and therefore it is given even more importance. His Mohawk is a symbol of rage and lust for blood, which the native Indians possessed before they were going to battle, a so-called warning signal. The foundation of the movie is character development of the main character. This development is clouded and complex and at the same time obvious and simple. Only through repeated viewings can the full development of Travis be discovered and analyzed. Every little piece of conversation, monologue, action or sound plays a part in the corruption and development of Travis' mental state. The plot itself is very simple but still intriguing and luring. The cooperation, or lack of same, between Scorsese and the writer Paul Schrader, has a fantastic influence on the film and gives it its' multidimensional flow. Basically everything from writing to screenplay, directing, acting and setup is superb and flawless. The movies many aspects and open possibility to interpretation, makes it ideal to repeated viewings and second thoughts. The directing is on top level, and the great debut by Jodie Foster together with Robert De Niro's fantastic acting makes sure that the entire potential of the movie is used. Fabulous achievement. 10/10
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Acivement in world class
L.A. Confidential is perhaps, one of the best and most intriguing pieces of moving picture in the past few decades. The brilliancy of the script itself, deserves a standing ovation, because it is in my opinion, one of the most thought-out and nerve wrecking of its time. The direction by Curtis Hanson gives this intense and complex movie softness and makes a gentle approach to the audience, because none of the material is forced through, but instead it rests quietly in the subconsciousness of the audience the whole time. The plot is just awesome and stands out from any of the former (and later) police/criminal movies, because we get to experience the action behind the curtain, from a passive point of view. The plot has a great balance between tossing us into the action, and gently luring us through one mystery after another, trying to find the answers. The actors give the ideas of the script and the characters faces, and gives us a chance to relate and identify with the characters involved. Each of them delivers great performances: Spacey as always smart, sly and above all believable, though he does not exceed his brilliant performance in "The Usual Suspects". Crowe with his, so far, best performance in my opinion, with temper and depth. Pearce with an OK performance without really reaching the top, but fills out his character nicely. Devito is amusing and cool and does everything he can to contribute to this movie. Basinger with her Oscar-winning role, plays the beautiful blond convincingly and spices up the last aspect of the movie, with splendor and depth as well. Alltogehter this makes one hell of a good movie. Fast, smart, complicated, exciting, raw and above all believable and entertaining. Well done by the creators of L.A. Confidential.
The Elephant Man (1980)
Heartbreaking movie
The elephant man: This movie is based upon the actual statements of Dr. Frederick Treves from his time when he took care of Joseph (John) Merrick also known as "The Elephant Man". The fact that this is based upon real events just adds to the strength and sadness of this movie. The sheer story can shock and/or touch you when you here about it, but seeing this on screen, with such splendid acting performances, makeup and technical merits, simply just makes your heart ache with contempt and sympathy. The black and white footage mixed with the sad and sinister dark lighting gives this movie a gentle horrifying and yet at the same time calm mood. The music score simply enhances this emotional experience.
I also like the way David Lynch has chosen to end/change some scenes, with this black fade-away, as if the viewer slowly closed his/her eyes to give the scene extra impact. We experience this alongside Dr. Treves and follow his emotional and mental states throughout the revelation of this dramatis personae; the elephant man. We feel sorry for John and pity him, but at the same time we sit curiously on the edges of our seats eager to get a glimpse of his face. We want to see him just as much as the customers we hate so much from the freak show. We look upon him as an attraction at a curtain point, whether we like it or not. We ask ourselves, just as Treves, "Am I a good man, or a bad man?" This is exactly what Lynch wants us feel at some point, he wants us to blame ourselves, blame humanity for the cruelty it possesses, and simply just respect John as the gentle person he is. Not to feel sorry or be ashamed, but to respect the humane content of a character. This movie is simply remarkable. 9/10
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Like a dream of a slow and gentle kiss.
This movie is one the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, perhaps only surpassed by Kubrick's "2001: A space odyssey". This slow-paced tale is brought to life by beautiful images and painting-like scenarios, supported by one of my favorite music themes of all time. Watching this movie is almost like stepping back in time, experiencing every detail of this epic story together with the characters. The plot of the story is intriguing and full of amazing events that keeps you floating through the entire 3 hour trip.
Even though Ryan O'Neal is not the most respected actor through history, and many have written that he delivers a poor performance, I think he makes a remarkable performance, and gives a mysterious shade of life to the main character. He is quite dull in many scenes, but nonetheless he captures this strange dreamlike feeling which on one side drives you nuts and on the other side gently drags you into this imaginary world.
The wonderful achievement Kubrick makes is to set up the scenery as if it was a painting, giving it a beautiful surrealistic touch to reality so to say, mixed with the great choice of music and lighting, this simply pays of as this master worked pearl of film-making.
Generally this movie is a masterpiece from start to finish, with top notch set up, lighting, filming, music, narrator, acting and story. Everything composed together in harmony, bringing this historical era to life in a way that no other movie has ever managed to do. In my opinion a greatly underrated piece of art by the late Stanley Kubrick.10/10
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Great masterpiece.
This is one of the greatest movies by the very best director of all time. The first time you watch this one you might disagree, but if you give it another chance you might just realize what a great piece of art this is. And it keeps getting better and better for each time you watch it! Well the actors deliver great and unique performances (above all as Alex Delarge) and Kubrick nails every aspect of sound music and camera usage, in this unique film. The music might just be one of the greater features of this movie. Because of all the perversity and pure violence many could be offended and therefore not appreciate this work, but just give it another chance and you will see. This movie was made to offend us. A great movie, by my favorite director. Enjoy.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Exceeded my expectations by far
When I first sat down and started this one at home I did not know what to expect. The great reviews puzzled me, because I had the impression that this was just another feel-good drama movie like so many other average movies. This turned out to be completely wrong, it was deep, honest, touching and uplifting. This movie represents the wish for a chance either to forget the mistakes of the past, or to turn things right again and give it one more chance. This wishful thinking is not at all sugar sweet as one could imagine, but it is deep, realistic and surprising. You do not know what is going to happen, and you sit there and suffer with the characters throughout the movie, just hoping that things will turn out OK. The ending really gets to you and was for me quite surprising in its own way. The actors deliver an astonishing performance each of them, most of all the comedy-guru Jim Carrey, which I would have thought could not be taken that seriously. Kate Winslet basically just nails it spot-on and the rest of the crew (Kirsten Dunst, Elijah Wood and so on.) gives the movie life and content outside the main-characters lives too. The movie is from start to finish puzzling, dramatic and for many confusing. The composing of the movie and the use of time and special effects gives this movie the last extra spice. All in all a movie of top quality with everything this kind of movie needs and also some original adds from the creative and enthusiastic director. 8.5 / 10
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Good movie, makes you laugh and think
This movie is a perfect action/comedy movie pumped up with great (and actually quite realistic details here and there) action, with cool uncensored humor, great characters and the thing that makes this one stand out, the moral of it. The questions concerning good or evil, right or wrong and intentions or action. Cool action, catchy one-liners, good bold humor, questions to think about and nice acting makes this a very good hilarious action movie, with actual content. Watch it and enjoy the cool humor and action and be amazed by the truth and pureness of this movies message. I have watched it several times and it still entertains me strongly. Definitely recommended
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Surprisingly Great.
I did not know what to expect when I first pressed play. Maybe I thought it was kind of overrated by the reviewers. But quite fast I sensed something special about it. It is not a boxing movie or a girl-power-Hollywood-waste-of-time kind of movie. It is really a beautiful movie about simple, yet strong things such as: Bravery, determination, hope, trust, compassion and the greatness of giving it one last chance. the last 30 min or so, are very strong and surprising and leaves you with a feeling inside that tells you that this is not just an average movie. To those of you who have not watched it, go ahead and enjoy a special powerful movie, with a good performance by the young Swank, a powerful and worthy performance by the great Clint Eastwood, both as director and actor. And of course a sparkling great performance by our very own Morgan Freeman.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Beauty is underestimated.
This movie is not just good, its amazing. Besides providing us with good performances, original plot, fantastic special effects, thoughtful messages and a lot more, it was an, until then, completely unseen world to the public. This is the first sci-fi movie that takes us out into the unknown space of our galaxy with such splendid effects and mind bursting reality that the audience is left without words. I am only 16 years old, and therefore I was raised into a world of modern effects and 3D animations in the movies. But nonetheless I was really, and I mean completely, blown away by the quality of these effects, even after almost 40 years. The visual effects was just one of the merits of this movie, the camera was in true Kubrick style amazing and enchanting. It feels like you are consumed by the screen and sucked into this surreal world (especially in the round control room or whatever you call it). The effects, the camera and the sheer size of this movie caught me of my guards even though I had seen the rating before I bought it. But this movie has more to it than this. The meaning of this movie can also be interpreted as you wish yourself, even though I think there are some clear points concerning humanity (also true Kubrick style). How humanity on top of its evolution is just maintenance on board, and therefore not needed by the computer, one of humanities tools. How we in space appear like babies, learning to walk once more, losing control of our tools in zero-gravity, breathing through equipment as fish out of water. On the peak of evolution, we set out into the never-ending adventure as simple primates. Many might think that the length and slow pace of this movie is, boring? ridicules? or just a waste of time. But before you can jump to those conclusions, think about why Kubrick spends time with calm music and a spaceship in the middle of space for several minutes. This is to illustrate the beauty of it. Beauty, beauty is in many cases not granted the rightful respect by viewers. Kubrick wants to show us beauty, and if we do not succumb to it and relax, we can not enjoy this film as it was intended. This is not an ordinary movie, we can not just sit and watch as we can with some other movies, this requires time, thoughts and above all commitment and feelings to watch. All of this together, makes this one of the greatest achievements in the world of moving pictures. 10/10 Let me know if you agree with me.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Touching and Thoughtful.
I think that this is without doubt one of the true classics in the world of movies. This is an idealistic story of moral and compassion, it teaches compassion to your loved ones, goodness and honesty. All of this is presented by one boy growing up to be a successful man. Successful not only in the meaning of financial success, but success in life as well. When I think of the movie, I often think of Forrest not as a man, like other characters in movies, but as an idea of life. A pure sense of life created into a fantastic person.
What I like the most about Forrest is that he has an unfailing ability to do things right, on purpose or not, no matter what people might think of him, or what outcome it could have been. Nothing is trivial to him, nothing is too pointless for him to do something about, on the other hand things like image and others opinion about him is not remotely important to him. His in many ways childish behavior, gives him a mystic touch of innocence. This pure way of life, makes us want to be more like him, to be more caring about others, and makes us see what we really should treasure in life. He contains great wisdom from his mother, and his love for Jenny is pure, as well as his friendship with Bubba and all of his friends even after they have all passed on.Tom Hanks delivers an exceptional performance and deserves the Oscar completely, he captures the nature of Forrest Gump amazingly and gives this movie heart and soul. The other actors/actresses also makes outstanding performances, Robin as Jenny touches us deeply with her tragic story and her kindness, which walks hand ind hand with her suffering. Gary Sinise is simply fantastic, I can not imagine Lt. Dan as anyone else, he is simply hilarious and thoughtful at the same time( By the way I have to give the special effects crew credit for their work on his legs ). Basically every actor who appears on the screen does an exceptional job. The director too uses every possible technique to capture the moral and feelings on the screen, and the details keep emerging for each time you see this movie. All in all a true masterpiece providing comedy, drama, a bit of action and most of all a pure sense of happiness and warmth. It makes you think about the big questions of life, and you decide for yourself how to translate the messages and symbols of this movie. For those of you who either did not understand this movie or have not yet seen it , you should go and watch or re-watch it as soon as possible. Enjoy, this is one of my all time favorites. 9/10
Predator (1987)
One of Arnolds best movies of all time
This is in my opinion one of Arnolds best movies (ofcause after Terminator and Terminator 2), it is packed with action and big muscles from start to finish, and I like that about it, because we do not have that kind of action heroes anymore. No one is as big as Arnold or Stallone was in the 80's and 90's. Besides that the movie is exceptionally done, the music is great, but the sound editing is on top level. All of the sounds from the jungle can be heard all the time and the director gets the best out of it. The Predator is one of my all time favorite aliens, I simply like everything about it, it looks cool, it has personality and it even kicks ass in a cool way! The special effects are actually surprisingly good for its time. All in all just a great original action classic everyone should see at least once. 8/10
Hostel (2005)
Not as good as it could have been.
The idea for this movie is actually good, but the movie itself turned out to be quite bad. In the beginning of the movie everything is just porn, drugs and party. The main characters are pretty annoying, and they do not have any depth. The one wants to party, the other is supposed to be good and innocent but is just more like a common loser. Then the second part emerges, they are caught and tortured and we are supposed to feel bad for them. Well that was in my case not what I felt, the only thing I could feel was a bit of joy watching those dumb guys scream in pain ( btw. they didn't do a very good job, most of the torturing scenes consists of bad acting )and struggling to get free. If the characters had been more likable from the beginning we would feel bad for them and then, it would be a horror movie as it is said to be. Now I have been critic enough, but there is not only bad things about it. I could actually enjoy the second part of it, because I had already realized that it was not to be taken to seriously, so I just laid back and enjoyed the pointless gore. Even so I did not feel anything special when the credits started. If I have to say what I think they should have done when they made this movie, in order to make it better. It would be to make the first part more meaningful, and give the characters more personality ( positive personality at least for one of them ). And THEN chop them to pieces to make the audience feel something, instead of just making the soft hearted nauseous, and the gore loving ones smile. In short terms, a good idea, but a movie that lags depth and meaning. 5/10
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Amazing Kubrick does it again
This is another Kubrick masterpiece that has pleased people all over the world. This time it is a different kind of a war based movie, and I have to say that it is one of the best if not the best war movie of all time. Many people write that the second half of the movie is bad, or even horrible. I agree that the first part of the movie is the best part, because it shows a completely new side of the lives of marines. No other movie has ever showed that base camp training episode as well as Kubrick does it. It is very psychological and painful to watch these men braking down and then rise as cold-blooded killers. No one shows that as well as "Gomer Pyle". As many others I think that the drill Sergeant gives this movie an extra spark with his comical lines and hard personality, he actually makes you laugh, and even so you really get to hate him. The second half is the actual battle in Vietnam. This is where the movie is more similar to other war movies, but yet it is unique. Kubrick is all over the place throughout the entire movie, the camera and sound effects along with the music keeps reminding us that this really is a Kubrick film. The second half is without doubt also amazing, because of the uncensored madness it makes you sick with sorrow and hate. The sniper scene is of course one of the strongest and most terrifying scenes of the second half. Also the interviewing part is a very good idea I think, Kubrick finds yet another way of showing the different mind states of these men. That makes the characters even more real and makes you even more sympathetic for them and their destinies. In every way a breathtaking movie from start to finish. Kubick uses all the methods of making a good war movie, and then some. Besides that the movie is filled with intelligent and poetic lines, beautiful details and symbols, and some of my all time favorite movie quotes. This movie leaves a stain and it will always be high on my personal list of movies. Watch it, enjoy it, watch it again and love it. 10/10
Hercules in New York (1970)
Oh my god! :)
OMFG that freaking bear scene! O.K on with it. I have to say that this is indeed one of, if not the worst movie i have ever seen. Even though it was funny beyond words it is still a very very bad movie, everything in it, there is now faint sign of hope for any of those people who participated in it. The funny thing about that is, that history proved that wrong, Arnold actually turned out to be an extraordinary actor with a successful career. See thats surprising when you watch this movie! And back to that god forbidden bear scene. I must say that from the moment I saw the bear I cried with laughter. I really can't see how anyone, anyone of any time can be so thickheaded that they actually make such a costume, and even worse uses it for the movie. And well there is a lot of other unbelievable details in this movie, in fact the entire movie is a huge surprise, I mean Zeus' thunderbolts are actually made of steel bars normally used for supporting concrete structures, and it is obvious if you look at them. Well I could go on with these, excuse me, hopeless and stupid details ( as well as the entire main plot )but I guess there is nothing more to say, a very very bad movie beyond words. I encourage ANYONE with my heart and soul to watch it. Better laughs are rarely found, and besides it is a suitable tribute to Arnold to watch this one from start to finish, a never forgotten movie in history, and it really sucks! Though it is indeed supreme if you need one and a half hours of cheep laughs i rate it 1 because it is technically the worst movie i have seen. 1/10
Blade: Trinity (2004)
Waste of time, and a disgrace for Wesley Snipes
Waste of time. Thats my opinion about this one. The storyline of this movie is very cheap and thoughtless. The acting is very poor even though Paul Levesque actually made me laugh several times with his dump out-of-situation jokes. Wesley Snipes tried to be the same cool blade as in the first movie, but he does not accomplish it, and even if he did it would be the same person over again. The special effects are pretty poor and the new weapons absolutely ridicules. Except from several cheap laughs from Pauls dump and annoying comments there is nothing in this movie that is worth seeing. Taking in notice that it lasts almost 2 full hours it is simply not worth spending your time on. Sit down and do a jigsaw puzzle if you don't know what to do with your time, anything but watching this movie. You might think that I am being a little rough on this movie but it disappointed the hell out of me, since me friend said that it was cool and entertaining. Since then I have not taking his advice concerning movies. For those who like mindless action, dump weapons and plane acting and falls for smart-ass comments this might just be the movie to throw away your time on! Enjoy.
Braveheart (1995)
Braveheart has always and always will be one of my favorites
Yes this is definitely one of my favorite movies of all time. It is amazingly composed, told and shown. The acting is beautiful beyond words, and the special effects are on the highest level. The movie is basically perfect down to every single detail and is so well made that you believe every bit of it. The story is so exciting and the acting so incredible, that you sit tight throughout the entire movie. Besides that the fact that it is an authentic story makes you think about it even more. This is a classical fairytale about the evil force against the underpowered good in an epic fight for freedom, but it is not a fairytale, it is a historical fact. This is definitely a movie for everyone to see, even though my writing may not fully describe the full excellence of this movie, you should see it if you have not yet, and if you have you should see it again.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
The Phantom of the Opera makes your soul cry!
This is in my opinion an underrated movie, it should maybe be 0.5-0-7 higher in average. Because it is indeed a great movie completed with amazing song and music. Joel Schumacher makes the famous story about the master and the servant shine on the screen, and the actors give you a brilliant performance you wont forget for many years to come. The symbolism and metaphors feed your mind with many mysteries and keep your thoughts on the movie all day long. Due to the fantastic music it is also a movie anyone can watch over and over again, finding new meanings every time. It is a very sad movie and for those who like it there will never be a single dry eye while watching this one, especially not in the ending, where even the toughest guys gets challenged. However I can imagine that this is a type of movie that some people don't really understand or appreciate because of the constant singing and complicated metaphorical scenes. And therefore I am pretty sure that some people wont like this one, but those who like movies like this will love it.
Schindler's List (1993)
Brilliant
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. What more can I say? . It takes total control of your emotions: Sorrow, sadness, hate, hope and even sometimes joy in the few happy scenes. The actors and actress'complete this masterwork of a movie with absolute amazing performances. It follows the historical facts very careful and makes you believe that it happened almost as in the movie. A movie that makes you cry every time you see it, if not on the outside, at least on the inside. It touches your soul, even if you do not think it is the best movie in the world. Well the 6th place speaks for itself, this is without doubt one of the best movies ever! I like it so much because it captures the true effects of the war and the killing of all the million Jews. It shows how a single man helped hundreds to live through and keep fighting. Steven Spielberg uses all means to make it one of the greatest movies in the world.