50. Annie Hall (1977)
Annie Hall begins very irregularly, with Woody Allen’s character telling two old jokes that describe his personality perfectly. Somehow it works, and that’s the brilliance of Woody Allen and in particular this film.
The film is filled with witty and intelligent humor and some brilliant one-liners from Allen. Diane Keaton also does a fine job in the titular role, winning an Academy Award and rightfully so.
I love the style to this movie. In one memorable scene when Allen disagrees with what someone in front of him is saying about writing, he pulls the actual writer from the side to explain to him that it’s wrong. It’s a hilarious little moment.
Of course, it’s a romantic comedy, and it’s easily the best ever made. It does a realistic job of showing two people that love each other eventually grow apathetic towards each other. It’s hilarious, moving, and actually quite sad.
49. The Departed (2006)
This is the most deserving Best Picture winner from the last nine years. Why do I say that? Well this film is an adrenaline rush of a movie, filled with fine performances from one of the greatest casts ever assembled, hard moral questions, entertaining dialogue, and suspense, and excitement. When this film, about two and a half hours long, is finished, you are exhausted, but also completely satisfied.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, an undercover cop working with Boston crime lord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson in one of his great recent roles). Matt Damon plays Colin Sullivan, an employee of Costello’s who works high up in the organized crime department of the police. The two main characters do not truly interact until the end but the film builds on this suspense of who is going to be exposed to make the ending truly memorable.
Of course, this film is directed by Martin Scorsese, who finally won some well-deserved Oscars for this that were long overdue. This is not my favorite film by him but it’s right up there.
My favorite little part comes after Costello is killed in which Sullivan calls a dead man’s cell phone that he knows Costigan has. He picks up and neither of them say anything for about thirty seconds. This is pure brilliance because they both know what’s up and nothing needs to be said. The suspense is brilliant.
48. Aladdin (1992)
This is my favorite animated movie. It’s an engaging underdog story and a good vs. evil piece. In addition to that, it has wonderful music and the hilarious Robin Williams as the Genie.
There is Aladdin, a young man in Arabia who falls in love with a beautiful young woman who turns out to be Princess Jasmine. He knows he can never see her again because he is poor and she is a princess. However, after being betrayed by the evil Jaffar, he stumbles upon a magic lamp and Genie who grants him three wishes.
One of my favorite themes in this film is how Aladdin lies to Jasmine about how he is a prince. Though he obviously has good intentions, he is dishonest. Jaffar also makes for an outstanding villain, one of the best in the Disney canon. The climactic fight against him, in the form of a giant snake, is as exciting a scene ever drawn.
47. Dirty Harry (1971)
In the days of Guantanamo, Dirty Harry, the story of a cop who will stop at absolutely nothing (including breaking laws) to catch a serial killer is as relevant as ever. The film, despite having an overall ‘70s feel to its cinematography and music, has thus aged remarkably well.
Clint Eastwood of course plays the titular role of Inspector Harry Callahan, in one of his many iconic roles. Perhaps off-topic, but I can’t think of a single actor that compares with Eastwood as having so many signature characters. He has the Man with No Name, Dirty Harry, William Munny, and Josey Wales, with a bunch of other great characters he has played.
When I first saw this movie, I was very impressed with the villain. Known only as Scorpio, the serial killer sends notes to the police telling them who he will kill. The man is completely insane and is utterly terrifying. He’s loosely based on the Zodiac Killer, who once terrorized San Francisco.
The film takes place in San Francisco, which makes for both fantastic scenery and the juxtaposition of Callahan’s ultra-conservatism with the most liberal citizens in America. This makes for some interesting thematic points and some great humor. Eastwood’s one-liners are never better than in this film.
This has a few great action scenes. The first comes pretty early and involves an iconic speech about a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world. This more than any other scene in the film illustrates the character so well that you almost feel you’ve seen an entire character study. Being more than just an ass-kicker, Eastwood and the screenwriters have managed to create a very interesting character.
The climax does not disappoint. When all hope seems lost, Callahan shows up and goes to town. It’s exciting and a great way to finish one of the greatest action movies of all time.
It should also be noted that this film was extremely groundbreaking for the time. The body count and amount of blood used made it the most violent film of its time, passing Bonnie and Clyde. It’s been surpassed hundreds of times since, of course, but I’m not sure the entertainment value has ever been surpassed in such a violent film.
46. Aliens (1986)
This is the first of four James Cameron-directed films that was the most expensive movie ever made at the time of its release, the second of his five blockbusters, and my third favorite film of his. It’s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, which I didn’t even like that much. I certainly didn’t love it, as I do this.
Ellen Ripley, the lone survivor of her mission in the first film, is awakened from suspended animation decades later, in which she learned that her daughter is dead and a human community was sent to where the aliens live. Saddened, she must stop all this and goes with a team of Marines. Some of the characters here are a little stupid but they’re all tolerable because it’s such an entertaining movie. Actually I’m not sure Bill Paxton is tolerable.
Once they arrive, the film becomes a shootout with aliens killing many Marines. It’s action-packed, violent, and gory. They also come across the one survivor of the human community there, a young girl named Newt, who essentially replaces Ripley’s daughter. The thematic strength in this film lies in Ripley risking her life to protect this little girl.
There are some great action scenes in this fun and frightening film. Ripley emerges as a true hero with tremendous depth, and Sigourney Weaver earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance, a rarity for an action/sci-fi/horror film like this. And I do not want to give away anything about the climax, but let me say that it’s one of the most exciting scenes in the history of cinema.
No comments:
Post a Comment