Din
Well-Known Member
Quite a few to put in, some real classics in here:
Fight Club - 10/10
Breaking the rules by talking about it, but what an incredible film, one of my favourite films of all times, which I've watched about 5/6 times since I first watched it. So many aspects of this are absolutely top quality, and it's not hard to see why it's so highly rated. Completely unique to practically any film I've seen before (except The Machinist, which I saw a while ago and now realise is a bit of a rip-off of this). Big fan of Ed Norton, and he is superb in this, as is Brad Pitt as well, who is one of my favourite actors, when he can be bothered, is one of the best actors around, as demonstrated in this. But there's also films where he just looks like he can't be bothered, Inglorious Barstards and Fury for example. No doubting how good an actor he is though when he's at the top of his game, which he certainly was here. I could go into detail about the brilliant cinematography, editing, acting etc but I'd likely be here all day, so all I will say is that this was a wonderful film, and I loved it.
The Terminator - 8/10
Just non-stop action really for 2 hours, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. I enjoyed it though and will certainly be watching Terminator II at some stage. Schwarzenegger is good despite the fact that he barely speaks throughout.
12 Angry Men - 9/10
An absolute masterpiece really. For a film to be able to keep someone's attention for 2 hours or whatever despite being in exactly the same setting for the whole thing shows what a work of art this is. The acting is incredible, every actor on screen does brilliantly, which is pretty rare no matter what film you watch, and the characters are just so real and normal that you can relate to them so well. Really is a superb film that really makes you think.
The Elephant Man - 8.5/10
Another absolutely timeless film. Hopkins and Hurt are both brilliant, and the atmosphere created in this, as well as the brilliant script, was designed perfectly to make the audience feel sympathy for Elephant man, which I undoubtedly did. It is beautifully shot as well and I loved the dark, low-key lighting. The ending as well was ridiculously memorable, and actually stayed with me for a while after I finished it. Which also worked out well for me as it gave me an opportunity to show how hard I was in front of my girlfriend who was crying
Gladiator - 8/10
Another really good film. Can definitely see why it's a classic. Beautifully shot and the scenery chosen throughout is brilliant, in particular that opening fight scene. The acting from all the main characters is superb, but in particular Crowe, who stands out from the rest for numerous reasons, and puts in a great performance.
American History X - 8.5/10
Really enjoyed this. Edward Norton is basically a neo-Nazi in modern day America, who gets put in prison for murdering 2 people who try and break into his car, and the story flicks between the build up of him murdering these 2 guys, and him after he has come out of prison, where his beliefs have changed and he doesn't want to be part of the neo-Nazi life any more. Undoubtedly Norton's best performance, that I've seen anyway. He is fantastic and completely dominates the screen. The dark, black and white effect on the scenes before he goes into prison as well were so effective, and the music created a brilliantly dark atmosphere that fit the film perfectly.
American Psycho - 8/10
Big fan of Christian Bale, who's one of my favourite actors. When he is on his game he is as good as any other actor you could find, and he was certainly on form here. Not his best performance, but that's only because the standard of some of his other performances (in particular his role in 'The Fighter') is so high. He plays a wealthy, New York business man who has a psychopathic alter-ego, and gradually his alter-ego starts to take over his life. The direction as well is also terrific, some really good camera-work in there. Thoroughly enjoyed this, however that said, I was slightly confused by the ending, and it seems that in general a lot of people were.
Zero Dark Thirty - 6.5/10
The plot was a little bit of a mess to be honest, and there was a fairly long period where nothing really happened for quite a while. Mostly just Jessica Chastain wondering round shouting at people, and I really didn't like the fact that in the final half an hour you could barely see anything, I know it's more realistic and I'm sure some people really like that effect but I didn't personally. But what it's very good at is focusing on the hunt for the terrorists, and eventually Bin Laden, which is what the film is about. It doesn't try and focus on anything else, there are no character side-stories or back-stories, it purely focuses on the hunt for Bin Laden, and it's very good at doing that, and that is ultimately what made it gripping. It was slightly disappointing seeing how it's quite a long film I and I expected better, but it was quite good overall, and Chastain puts in a good performance.
Se7en - 9/10
Wonderful. Easily the best detective/crime based film that I've seen. Really dark in places but justifyingly so, and the ending was absolutely classic. The lighting is gorgeous, the way that it changes depending on who the murder victim is is brilliantly done. Brad Pitt comes up with another great performance, as does Morgan Freeman, and the chemistry they have on screen is superb. Didn't know either Kevin Spacey was in this, who is also great. Absolutely gorgeous as well to look at (the film, not Spacey) and is beautifully edited. Couldn't ask for much more from it.
Taxi Driver - 7/10
Have to say, there's some 'classic' films I've seen that I didn't think lived up to their reputation, but I can understand why they were classics. Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction for example. This film is considered one of the classics, but to be honest, I can't really see a reason why. The only thing I thought was exceptional was De Niro, who was excellent. Apart from that I just can't see why it is considered one of the all-time great films. It took an age to properly get going and when it did it was too close to the end to have a significant impact to me. It was a good film, and I enjoyed it, but not as good as I thought it'd be. I understand that it portrays the idea of isolation and loneliness very well, but for me the film was a bit too boring to really appreciate that. Not Scorsese's best work in my opinion.
Alien - 8/10
I think I expected slightly better considering all the hype surrounding it. No doubting that it was very good though, and the best alien drama that I've seen. The atmosphere it creates was excellent, no doubting that. Really eerie and fitted what was going on on screen perfectly, and the acting is also superb from everyone. I can't really fault it too much at all to be honest, but there was just something missing for me. I can definitely see why this is so highly rated though, great film, and will definitely be watching the sequel.
Silence of the Lambs - 9/10
Not hard to see why this won all 5 major Academy awards. Incredibly suspenseful and well balanced, it sets the standard high early on and that continues to rise all the way through the film. Hopkins performance is one of my favourite acting performances ever, and Jodie Foster is also excellent. The acting from the 2 of them is what holds the whole film together, in particular Foster. She has considerably more screen-time than any other character but her scenes, combined with the brilliant atmosphere that creates suspense ridiculously well, are really intriguing and kept my attention all the way through, and then every now and then we have a flash of Hannibal, who is just interesting and wonderful to watch. He apparently only has something like 16 minutes of screen-time in this film, which just shows how effective Hopkins is in the role. Quality film that it's incredibly hard to fault.
True Grit (2010) - 7/10
It was decent really, nothing exceptional. I really liked Jeff Bridges character, and he plays him superbly, and Hailee Steinfeld who I'd never even heard of before watching this is also excellent. Matt Damon is decent but not his best. The cinematography is the main talking point when it comes to this, it was absolutely beautiful and the editing really helped as well to get the best out of that as well. The technical aspects though of this film, the acting, cinematography and editing really does draw the attention away from what was a pretty un-special plot. It was a good story, but nothing more.
127 Hours - 8/10
Certainly the best Danny Boyle film I've seen. I'm not usually a fan of James Franco to be honest, but he was absolutely brilliant. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor on the back of this, and I can definitely see why. After a while when I realised that he was going to be the only man on screen for most of the film I didn't think that he'd be able to keep my attention for the whole thing, but he did, and the development of his character was fascinating. Combine that with the energetic atmosphere that was created by a mixture of the soundtrack and editing, as well as the gorgeous cinematography, and it makes for a really good watch.
The Italian Job (1969) - 7.5/10
A jolly romp of a film really, can definitely see why it's regarded as one of the great British films. The plot doesn't really change throughout, with the exception of the memorable ending. Caine is brilliant, his character is hilarious, and it's hard not to smile really when he says "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off". You don't really need too many brain cells to understand this one, especially once it gets about two thirds through and the half an hour long car chase starts. It was lots of fun really.
Training Day - 8.5/10
This whole film is completely dominated by Denzel Washington. Wonderful actor who puts in certainly the best performance I've seen him put on, and he undoubtedly deserved his Oscar for it. Combine that with a brilliant plot and great script and it makes for a great watch. I'm a big fan of Ethan Hawke as well, who is great in this, but Washington really is the star here.
The Usual Suspects - 8/10
I unfortunately already knew the big twist at the end of this before I'd even watched it, which is a little bit frustrating as I think the twist would've blown my mind otherwise. I've got a lot of time for Kevin Spacey, and I loved him in this. The acting in general was very good, which also bought the best out of a great script, and the subtleties in this that indicate what the twist might be yet are hard to spot if you don't already know the twist are very well merged into this film. Really wish I didn't already know the twist before I watched, but still a great film.
There Will Be Blood - 8/10
Would've given it an 8.5/9 but I thought the ending just let it down slightly. The first 2 hours were fantastic, really intriguing and intense and I was absolutely loving it, I was expecting a big ending though and that never came. The final half an hour or so the pace slowed a fair bit and although it was by no means boring, it was slightly disappointing. Up until that point though it was a masterpiece. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, as is the soundtrack which fit the film so perfectly, and was easily one of the best soundtracks I'd heard. The acting in general is very good, even from the child actors, however everything else in this film pales into insignificance without Daniel Day-Lewis. A truly phenomenal performance from him, one of my favourite ever, and it's him that is the complete star here. Really good film overall.
Deja Vu - 7/10
Ridiculous plot but a good watch never the less. It was enjoyable and like a few Denzel Washington films you don't really have to be even properly watching it to understand what's going on. Not Denzel's best performance but he's still good, and his character was very likeable. The opening scene in particular as well with the boat is excellently filmed. It was never going to be a 'classic' but it never tries to be, and is good at what it does.
Fight Club - 10/10
Breaking the rules by talking about it, but what an incredible film, one of my favourite films of all times, which I've watched about 5/6 times since I first watched it. So many aspects of this are absolutely top quality, and it's not hard to see why it's so highly rated. Completely unique to practically any film I've seen before (except The Machinist, which I saw a while ago and now realise is a bit of a rip-off of this). Big fan of Ed Norton, and he is superb in this, as is Brad Pitt as well, who is one of my favourite actors, when he can be bothered, is one of the best actors around, as demonstrated in this. But there's also films where he just looks like he can't be bothered, Inglorious Barstards and Fury for example. No doubting how good an actor he is though when he's at the top of his game, which he certainly was here. I could go into detail about the brilliant cinematography, editing, acting etc but I'd likely be here all day, so all I will say is that this was a wonderful film, and I loved it.
The Terminator - 8/10
Just non-stop action really for 2 hours, and doesn't pretend to be anything else. I enjoyed it though and will certainly be watching Terminator II at some stage. Schwarzenegger is good despite the fact that he barely speaks throughout.
12 Angry Men - 9/10
An absolute masterpiece really. For a film to be able to keep someone's attention for 2 hours or whatever despite being in exactly the same setting for the whole thing shows what a work of art this is. The acting is incredible, every actor on screen does brilliantly, which is pretty rare no matter what film you watch, and the characters are just so real and normal that you can relate to them so well. Really is a superb film that really makes you think.
The Elephant Man - 8.5/10
Another absolutely timeless film. Hopkins and Hurt are both brilliant, and the atmosphere created in this, as well as the brilliant script, was designed perfectly to make the audience feel sympathy for Elephant man, which I undoubtedly did. It is beautifully shot as well and I loved the dark, low-key lighting. The ending as well was ridiculously memorable, and actually stayed with me for a while after I finished it. Which also worked out well for me as it gave me an opportunity to show how hard I was in front of my girlfriend who was crying
Gladiator - 8/10
Another really good film. Can definitely see why it's a classic. Beautifully shot and the scenery chosen throughout is brilliant, in particular that opening fight scene. The acting from all the main characters is superb, but in particular Crowe, who stands out from the rest for numerous reasons, and puts in a great performance.
American History X - 8.5/10
Really enjoyed this. Edward Norton is basically a neo-Nazi in modern day America, who gets put in prison for murdering 2 people who try and break into his car, and the story flicks between the build up of him murdering these 2 guys, and him after he has come out of prison, where his beliefs have changed and he doesn't want to be part of the neo-Nazi life any more. Undoubtedly Norton's best performance, that I've seen anyway. He is fantastic and completely dominates the screen. The dark, black and white effect on the scenes before he goes into prison as well were so effective, and the music created a brilliantly dark atmosphere that fit the film perfectly.
American Psycho - 8/10
Big fan of Christian Bale, who's one of my favourite actors. When he is on his game he is as good as any other actor you could find, and he was certainly on form here. Not his best performance, but that's only because the standard of some of his other performances (in particular his role in 'The Fighter') is so high. He plays a wealthy, New York business man who has a psychopathic alter-ego, and gradually his alter-ego starts to take over his life. The direction as well is also terrific, some really good camera-work in there. Thoroughly enjoyed this, however that said, I was slightly confused by the ending, and it seems that in general a lot of people were.
Zero Dark Thirty - 6.5/10
The plot was a little bit of a mess to be honest, and there was a fairly long period where nothing really happened for quite a while. Mostly just Jessica Chastain wondering round shouting at people, and I really didn't like the fact that in the final half an hour you could barely see anything, I know it's more realistic and I'm sure some people really like that effect but I didn't personally. But what it's very good at is focusing on the hunt for the terrorists, and eventually Bin Laden, which is what the film is about. It doesn't try and focus on anything else, there are no character side-stories or back-stories, it purely focuses on the hunt for Bin Laden, and it's very good at doing that, and that is ultimately what made it gripping. It was slightly disappointing seeing how it's quite a long film I and I expected better, but it was quite good overall, and Chastain puts in a good performance.
Se7en - 9/10
Wonderful. Easily the best detective/crime based film that I've seen. Really dark in places but justifyingly so, and the ending was absolutely classic. The lighting is gorgeous, the way that it changes depending on who the murder victim is is brilliantly done. Brad Pitt comes up with another great performance, as does Morgan Freeman, and the chemistry they have on screen is superb. Didn't know either Kevin Spacey was in this, who is also great. Absolutely gorgeous as well to look at (the film, not Spacey) and is beautifully edited. Couldn't ask for much more from it.
Taxi Driver - 7/10
Have to say, there's some 'classic' films I've seen that I didn't think lived up to their reputation, but I can understand why they were classics. Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction for example. This film is considered one of the classics, but to be honest, I can't really see a reason why. The only thing I thought was exceptional was De Niro, who was excellent. Apart from that I just can't see why it is considered one of the all-time great films. It took an age to properly get going and when it did it was too close to the end to have a significant impact to me. It was a good film, and I enjoyed it, but not as good as I thought it'd be. I understand that it portrays the idea of isolation and loneliness very well, but for me the film was a bit too boring to really appreciate that. Not Scorsese's best work in my opinion.
Alien - 8/10
I think I expected slightly better considering all the hype surrounding it. No doubting that it was very good though, and the best alien drama that I've seen. The atmosphere it creates was excellent, no doubting that. Really eerie and fitted what was going on on screen perfectly, and the acting is also superb from everyone. I can't really fault it too much at all to be honest, but there was just something missing for me. I can definitely see why this is so highly rated though, great film, and will definitely be watching the sequel.
Silence of the Lambs - 9/10
Not hard to see why this won all 5 major Academy awards. Incredibly suspenseful and well balanced, it sets the standard high early on and that continues to rise all the way through the film. Hopkins performance is one of my favourite acting performances ever, and Jodie Foster is also excellent. The acting from the 2 of them is what holds the whole film together, in particular Foster. She has considerably more screen-time than any other character but her scenes, combined with the brilliant atmosphere that creates suspense ridiculously well, are really intriguing and kept my attention all the way through, and then every now and then we have a flash of Hannibal, who is just interesting and wonderful to watch. He apparently only has something like 16 minutes of screen-time in this film, which just shows how effective Hopkins is in the role. Quality film that it's incredibly hard to fault.
True Grit (2010) - 7/10
It was decent really, nothing exceptional. I really liked Jeff Bridges character, and he plays him superbly, and Hailee Steinfeld who I'd never even heard of before watching this is also excellent. Matt Damon is decent but not his best. The cinematography is the main talking point when it comes to this, it was absolutely beautiful and the editing really helped as well to get the best out of that as well. The technical aspects though of this film, the acting, cinematography and editing really does draw the attention away from what was a pretty un-special plot. It was a good story, but nothing more.
127 Hours - 8/10
Certainly the best Danny Boyle film I've seen. I'm not usually a fan of James Franco to be honest, but he was absolutely brilliant. He was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor on the back of this, and I can definitely see why. After a while when I realised that he was going to be the only man on screen for most of the film I didn't think that he'd be able to keep my attention for the whole thing, but he did, and the development of his character was fascinating. Combine that with the energetic atmosphere that was created by a mixture of the soundtrack and editing, as well as the gorgeous cinematography, and it makes for a really good watch.
The Italian Job (1969) - 7.5/10
A jolly romp of a film really, can definitely see why it's regarded as one of the great British films. The plot doesn't really change throughout, with the exception of the memorable ending. Caine is brilliant, his character is hilarious, and it's hard not to smile really when he says "You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off". You don't really need too many brain cells to understand this one, especially once it gets about two thirds through and the half an hour long car chase starts. It was lots of fun really.
Training Day - 8.5/10
This whole film is completely dominated by Denzel Washington. Wonderful actor who puts in certainly the best performance I've seen him put on, and he undoubtedly deserved his Oscar for it. Combine that with a brilliant plot and great script and it makes for a great watch. I'm a big fan of Ethan Hawke as well, who is great in this, but Washington really is the star here.
The Usual Suspects - 8/10
I unfortunately already knew the big twist at the end of this before I'd even watched it, which is a little bit frustrating as I think the twist would've blown my mind otherwise. I've got a lot of time for Kevin Spacey, and I loved him in this. The acting in general was very good, which also bought the best out of a great script, and the subtleties in this that indicate what the twist might be yet are hard to spot if you don't already know the twist are very well merged into this film. Really wish I didn't already know the twist before I watched, but still a great film.
There Will Be Blood - 8/10
Would've given it an 8.5/9 but I thought the ending just let it down slightly. The first 2 hours were fantastic, really intriguing and intense and I was absolutely loving it, I was expecting a big ending though and that never came. The final half an hour or so the pace slowed a fair bit and although it was by no means boring, it was slightly disappointing. Up until that point though it was a masterpiece. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, as is the soundtrack which fit the film so perfectly, and was easily one of the best soundtracks I'd heard. The acting in general is very good, even from the child actors, however everything else in this film pales into insignificance without Daniel Day-Lewis. A truly phenomenal performance from him, one of my favourite ever, and it's him that is the complete star here. Really good film overall.
Deja Vu - 7/10
Ridiculous plot but a good watch never the less. It was enjoyable and like a few Denzel Washington films you don't really have to be even properly watching it to understand what's going on. Not Denzel's best performance but he's still good, and his character was very likeable. The opening scene in particular as well with the boat is excellently filmed. It was never going to be a 'classic' but it never tries to be, and is good at what it does.
