The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 40th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

No. 145 – Ran (1985) – Rating 8.1

Kurosawa has been one of the highlights of the project with consistently strong films throughout that have all been an incredible experience to watch. Ran is no different and it’s by far the most visually stunning film from his entries in the IMDb250 list.

Ran is Kurosawa’s re-imagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear set in sixteenth century Japan. Grand in scope, it’s Kurosawa’s final masterpiece from a glorious career and it’s a stunning examination of the madness of war and the collapse of a family due to betrayal, greed, and the thirst for power.

Overlord Hidetora Ichimonji is the King Lear figure who starts as a powerful and dominant character with everything and ends with nothing. Swapping the king’s three daughters from the Shakespeare version, Kurosawa has instead gone for three warlord sons who eventually destroy his legacy and bring down the family, it’s a stunning choice that works perfectly. The journey of Hidetora is remarkable, first he banishes one son for warning him that splitting the kingdom between his three sons after his retirement will not work and with the ensuing wars between the brothers ends up with them all dead and Hideatora wandering the land as a madman distraught by the events of his humiliation and betrayal of his family.

There is plenty that stands out from Ran, the visual feast is what hits you first with the beautiful colour filling the screen when, if like me, you’re accustomed to Kurosawa’s black & white classic films. It’s absolutely stunning to watch especially when each clan is symbolised with a different coloured flag, particularly during the immense battle scenes, there is no doubt it assists to the films unforgettable qualities. Matched to this is the before mentioned battle scenes, they are quite possibly some of the most incredibly crafted battle scenes in movie history, not just for their direction but for the sheer scope of them where literally thousands of extras/actors were used to create truly unforgettable action and drama in huge and dynamic locations.

The performances of everyone involved is also worth mentioning with Tatsuya Nakadai being the standout as the broken Hidetora Ichimonji. His change from warlord leader to madman is unforgettable and heartbreaking as his sons betray him and his family is brought to collapse and one of the main protagonists of the down fall is his daughter-in-law Lady Kaede (Mieko Harada) who encourages her husband to take sole control of the clan and creates a destructive rift between Hidetora and his son that starts the collapse of the family. Mieko Harada’s performance is as the evil daughter-in-law is stunning and as instrumental to the films story as any other character and easily one of the more enjoyable roles of the film, especially with her horrific demise. There are so many other characters to mention that all add so much to the film and there is no doubt without all of them the film could never tell the story it does, you just have to see it to fully appreciate the stunning effort gone into making this epic masterpiece.

No. 201 – Dial M for Murder (1954) – Rating 8.0

Another Hitchcock film and another director who has delivered nothing but brilliant entertainment for me in the project.

Dial M for Murder is another Hitchcock film based on a successful stage play. Almost entirely set in a London flat, it’s the home of Tony and Margot Wendice, Tony (Ray Milland) is a former tennis star now working for a living and is after his wife’s money  and plots to kill her. The reason for his need to off his wife is because Margot (Grace Kelly) has long since lost interest in Tony and has fallen in love with another man, Mark Halliday (Robert Cummings), who is an American writer of successful television crime shows. Tony finds out about the affair and that she is about to leave him leaving him to fend for himself financially and so concocts a plan, a plan involving MURDER (In 3D apparently, which I wished I could have seen).

Tony is too clever to do the deed himself so his plan to take out his wife involves blackmailing an old friend, a small time petty crook called Charles Swan (Anthony Dawson), to carry out the murder for him. Things almost work to perfection but she doesn’t end up dead, Charles Swan does, and so to cover his murderous plot Tony attempts to set up his wife as having an ulterior motive for killing Swan and still walk away with her money. Alas genius detective John Williams (a Hitchcock regular) is the classic Scotland Yard Chief Inspector looking into the case and starts to identify some irregularities and suspects that Margot isn’t the guilty party.

The film is classic Hitchcock and for me rates as one of his best but it’s still behind Psycho, North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rope, Shadow of a Doubt and especially Rear Window but it’s certainly a special movie on its own. The single setting works as wonderfully as it would have done on the stage and maintaining the audiences attention is key to the films success and Hitchcock pulls that off as only Hitchcock could probably do at the time. The plot is entirely engaging and the twist where the murderer is killed off and Tony’s game plan changes is unexpected and is executed to perfection. The small group of strong characters carry the plot from creation to payoff exceptionally, Ray Milland’s performance as a very pleasant villain is my favourite by far and there is never a moment where you cant enjoy watching Grace Kelly on screen is there? The ever enjoyable John Williams as the detective who pieces it all together is equally as entertaining to watch and plays off brilliantly against the calm intelligent Ray Milland in a glorious battle of wits. It’s Hitchcock, it’s genius and it’s timeless.

Check out some of the 3D version below, will need old red/green glasses to see.

No. 75 – Singing in the Rain (1952) – Rating 8.3

I never expected to like Singing in the Rain, I have nothing but bad memories of it when I last saw it many many years ago and I pretty much hate all musicals, but Singing in the Rain is a shining example of the genre as it just oozes magic from start to finish and that’s completely down to the brilliant cast and the perfect merge of music, comedy, dancing and a wonderful story.

The story is all about Hollywood and opens just before the dawn of talkies. Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) is a dapper, smug and romantic silent film star and along with his glamorous blonde screen partner called Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) they are expected by the studios to act as a couple to keep the fans coming despite Lockwood despising her. After the rise of talkies the pair are forced to change their latest silent romantic drama movie ‘The Duelling Cavalier’ and make their first sound picture, now renamed The Dancing Cavalier.

The problems start as soon as Lina Lamont opens her mouth as she squeals out a high pitched voice that doesn’t suit her persona or the era of talkies. Lockwood’s best friend and old dance partner Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) proposes to turn the certain failure film into a successful musical and suggests that Don enlists his new girlfriend and aspiring actress/dancer Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) to dub in her singing voice for the monstrosity vocals of Lamont including going behind the scenes and lip-syncing Lina when appearing live. Conflicts and egos bloom and as Don and Cosmo plot to bring the real leading lady’s voice to the audiences we get the happy ending you know was coming, and it’s wonderful.

There really is something amazing watching an actor like Gene Kelly performing, whether it’s dancing incredibly complex routines, singing unforgettable tunes or laying on suave lines and wooing the ladies, there is no doubt he is a one in a million performer with the looks and the talent to be a true Hollywood Legend. Donald O’Connor also stands out despite being in the shadow of Kelly, his performance is one of huge character and personality  filled with so much humour and talent he at times steals the film away from Kelly with ease. The dancing is something that really stands out whilst you watch the film, O’Connor and Kelly team up in some spectacular routines together and alone and it’s when alone that two of the best moments of the film occur. The first one being Donald O’Connor’s rendition of “Make em Laugh” where he almost defies gravity in a one take dance routine that is as much funny as it is stunningly performed. The second routine is obviously Gene Kelly’s legendary “Singing in the Rain” dance, from the opening hum of the tune you get lifted to a happy feeling as Kelly dances and sings one of the most famous musical numbers ever performed (and the most famous spoof comedy take off too) which is the films highlight and it cements itself as a classic for all time.

Overall a magical feel good movie that has catapulted itself into my film collection with ease and fully deserves its place on the IMDb list.

No. 146 – It Happened One Night (1934) – Rating 8.1

I’ve never seen this film before and I doubt I will ever see it again, not because it’s rubbish or lacking anything to make it a classic but because it’s not really my cup of tea, but despite that ‘It Happened One Night’ is a very enjoyable brilliant romantic comedy and one that you know has been the blueprint for many films to follow.

Secretly married and spoiled Claudette Colbert (Ellie Andrews) is a runaway heiress trying to escape the clutches of her father after she is taken away from her new husband by her father to his yacht, she escapes and heads back to her love by boarding a bus headed for New York. Unemployed newshound Peter Warne (Clark Gable) smells a career-making scoop and follows her making her a deal to help her on her journey in exchange for a story and the promise not to blow the whistle on her location. The ensuing road trip the pair take is where their unexpected love starts to blossom and where some of the finest romantic comedy takes place and it all comes together nicely as the pair realise what real love they have found with each other before they make the mistake of losing it.

It Happened One Night was the first film to win all five major Academy Awards, Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay, which is a feat that wouldn’t be matched until One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). It fully deserves the accolades it received and there is no doubt why it’s held in such high regard and even today, almost 80 years later. Unfortunately it does remind you of the shocking lack of witty humour and romantic comedy that fills so many films released these days which probably contributes to why I find it hard to thoroughly enjoy these types of movies. Leap Year is a fine example of this with its very similar story yet it lacks anywhere near 1% of the quality of It Happened one Night and that’s all down to stunning Capra direction, Clark Gable and Ellie Andrews putting absolutely everything into the film and a story and script that doesn’t patronise in the slightest. Take note Hollywood!

Clark Gable again proves what a brilliant leading man he is with an infectious charm that just surrounds the man and I doubt the film would have worked as well without him as the leading man. The story is perfectly flowing and as a road movie it works nicely as the couple go from scene to scene building the bitter tension between the couple as well as their blossoming relationship with some excellent moments and situations. It’s nice, it’s charming and it is funny. Worthy of the IMDb best 250 list? of course. Would it go on my own personal list? Probably not.

No. 6 – Schindler’s List (1993 ) – Rating 8.8

Schindler’s List is a film sitting at No.6 in our list and there is no doubt it fully deserves its place in the top 10 and will no doubt hold its place in the top 10 for many years to come. It’s a truly remarkable, emotional and incredibly made film that will surely be Spielberg’s greatest achievement as director.

The true story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) who during second world war in Poland was a war profiteer, a Nazi party member and a man responsible for saving the lives of over 1000 Jews in the Holocaust. From the start of the film Schindler’s business fully exploits the Jewish community and it shows Schindler as an unlikely saviour but as the film progresses and the horror of war takes over the film turns. It’s when Schindler witnesses the brutal and bloody elimination of the Warsaw Ghetto that he begins to work subversively against the Germans to protect and save the Jewish people he had working for him.

Schindlers List has so many scenes that stick with you long afterwards, whether it’s the horrific invasion of Krakow ghetto which unfolds like a nightmare of brutality and foreboding or the horrible Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) sniping Jews for fun from his mansion overlooking the camp, the removal of children from the Jewish camp, the women being lead into what appears to be a gas chamber and the most affecting scene where ash rains down around the city as the bodies of hundreds of Jews are burned, they all just hit you so hard on so many levels and for me there has never been a film so emotionally affecting. It’s filmed in haunting black & white apart from one visually emotive moment where just a hint of colour is used in a striking subtle way as Oskar watches a young girl in a red coat walking through the war torn town amongst the black and white visuals of soldiers executing anyone refusing to move and when Schindler sees the girl again later shes resting on top of a pile of bodies and its a defining moment for his characters motives, it’s incredibly powerful.

The entire cast are exceptional and utterly believable. Neeson is stunning as Schindler and adds so much to the character delivering a faultless performance that’s both touching and emotionally charged. Ben Kingsley also excels as Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s accountant for his business and helped write the list saving hundreds of Jews, he takes his character through an affecting pivotal journey, at times coming close to death in some heart stopping moments and is easily the most likable character in the film. However it’s Ralph Fiennes portrayal as the truly frightening SS Officer Amon Goeth that is the standout performance, never do you feel at ease when he’s on the screen and his unpredictable nature and callous murder just caused me a constant feeling of sickness and anxiety and that’s a rare emotion for me to have from watching a movie and how Tommy Lee Jones got best supporting actor for ‘The Fugitive’ over Fiennes will always be a mystery, who talks about his role in The Fugitive anymore?

A strange thing happened just before I started watching Schindler’s List, my sister had been researching our family tree and identified that my family has Jewish connections and it really made an emotional impact on me whilst watching the film, the horrific reality of the events will shock and it will always carry an incredibly powerful message. Stunning movie and it will hold it’s place in the top 10 for many many years.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/baz_mannand  http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 39th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) – 8.7 No. 18

There was a lot that was fresh about the first Indiana Jones movie when it was first released. A white night in shades of grey in Harrison Ford’s rock ‘em sock ‘em archaeologist, the feisty female love interest, a winning mix of slapstick humour and thrilling action. In the intervening years, however, it has weathered a bit. Much of the action is a little too tame. The spirited Marion Ravenwood pales in comparison to modern day action heroines.

The finale, too, though showy and gruesome, is a little bit of an anti-climax after some of the action that has leads up to it. Class is class however, and it is the presence and great comedy timing of Ford that makes Raiders just as watchable as it was all those years ago. The hand of Lucas can be seen throughout, but there is enough darkness and intrigue to make up for the silliness that Lucas instills.

A bit tame in comparison to modern day action/adventure movies, but the original still holds enough charm, and one of the most iconic characters in cinematic history, to stake its place in the IMDb list.

Goodfellas (1990) – 8.7 No. 14

With Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese got the mix of old fashioned gangster story and more contemporary thriller almost perfect. What could have suffered from being a little slow, and a little dialogue heavy is brought to life by Scorsese’s snappy direction and editing. The manic scenes towards the end particularly, as Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill races around town trying to avoid the eye in the sky of the FBI are thrilling.

Liotta, of course, is the man who makes the movie. Alongside heavyweights like Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, who would both go on to far more successful careers, Liotta somehow shines. He shows a great amount of on-screen charisma, puts in a powerful performance, and his narration is surprisingly compelling.

It is performances as much as direction that make Goodfellas one of the best movies of all time. The story isn’t actually all that interesting, but the conviction of De Niro and Pesci, and a surprising amount of humour carry it through. A deserving listee, and a personal favourite to boot.

Casino (1995) – 8.0 No. 178

Where Scorsese scored with Goodfellas, the apparent attempt to recreate the chemistry fails spectacularly for me with Casino. With a story even less inherently interesting than Goodfellas, the directors mix of dynamic cinematography and snappy editing aren’t enough, and are not used frequently enough. What results is an overlong, and rather disjointed narrative as Robert De Niros Ace Rothstein makes his way (slowly) to the top of Las Vegas strip, only slide down the other slide at an even more meandering pace.

The performances by De Niro and Pesci are good, but they have far less to work with than in Goodfellas, or Raging Bull for that matter. Where Liotta’s narration genuinely aided the story in Goodfellas, De Niro and Pesci’s voiceovers are draining and tedious. Sharon Stone puts in a surprisingly great performance, but thanks to the mediocrity of the story, I found it difficult to care.

There are some great moments, and when Scorsese turns it on, his filmmaking is second to none. Unfortunately, i can’t help but feel that the great director became as bored as I did, and the movie as a whole fails to sparkle. Casino really has no place in the IMDb list, and I can’t help but think if it wasn’t for the name power of De Niro, Pesci and Scorsese, Casino wouldn’t enjoy anywhere near the reputation it currently does.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – 9.1 No. 1

Throughout the project i have marvelled at how some movies that are predicated on a great twist, whilst great upon first watch, suffer greatly when re-watched without the all-important element of surprise. Thankfully, Frank Darabont’s masterpiece is genuinely great long before that awe inspiring ending.

Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are the names over the door, but in actual fact, every performance is great, and it is the work of every single actor involved that makes this a perfect film. The story at its heart, that of hope and friendship, is deceptively simple, but it is the believability of the character’s actions and behaviour that make them so affecting. That ending, of course, is the icing on the cake, and neatly draws the narrative together for a truly heart warming finale.

It is hard to fully describe just what a joy it is to watch The Shawshank Redemption. In many ways, it can probably be considered a surprise that it tops the IMDb list. There are so many films with arguably a much bigger reputation, but Shawshank has very quietly become one of the greatest films ever made. It easily deserves its place on the list, and it is difficult to imagine another film that could ever hope to surpass it.

Taxi Driver (1976) – 8.5 No. 40

Its a bit like Scorsese week, and Taxi Driver is a prime example of why there are so many of his films in the upper reaches of the IMDb250 list. A chilling character study of a fairly average New Yorker, whose perception of the world around him drives him to mental instability.

Travis Bickle is an ex-marine, suffering from extreme insomnia. With nothing better to do, he takes a job as a cab driver, driving the worst streets of New York at the most ungodly of hours. The constant grime and sleaze that he exposes himself to on a nightly basis take their toll on his psyche. He looks to be trying to make the best of his life, but a bad break-up and an obsessive personality lead him to delusion.

Robert De Niro is brilliant as the psychologically damaged Bickle. His gradual descent into madness is frightening, and oh so compelling. The ambiguity of his motives is what makes Taxi Driver such a fascinating movie. In the end, when the situation reaches its tipping point, the violence is shocking, and shot completely without glamour. Bickle ends up as a hero of sorts, but if events had gone a different way he could well have been the most heinous of villains.

Scorsese shows some great cinematic techniques, and even this (relatively) early in his career shows a true greatness as a filmmaker. A masterpiece of cinema, Taxi Driver is at times difficult to watch, but it is even harder to turn away. Every bit as deserving of a place in the list as the likes of  Citizen Kane az#nd The Seventh Seal, Taxi Driver is a true classic.

Come back next week for update 40. You can follow our progress at   www.twitter.com/baz_mann and   www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 38th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

No. 118 – Fargo (1996) – Rating 8.2

The Coen Brothers make another appearance in the list with one of their greatest films from their wonderful collection of movies and it was Fargo that started my love affair with the Coen Brothers over 14 years ago. Fargo is one of those films that hits all the right buttons for me as a viewer, the story is sublime, it’s perfectly performed by a truly wonderful cast, the dialogue is glorious, the characters are so memorable and when ever I watch it I always feel completely satisfied with it. It’s a masterpiece.

The basic story is about Jerry Lundegaard (William H Macy) who arranges for his wife to be kidnapped by some hired third party guys, ones kinda funny looking and all goes to plan to begin with. The ransom is to be paid by his wealthy father-in-law and Lundegaard then plans to take the money himself to invest and split a percentage to the kidnappers. However things start to get out of hand when his henchmen start to bungle things up and when three dead people appear on a main road the police, lead by the pregnant Marge Gunderson (an Oscar winning performance by Frances McDormand), start to investigate which eventually leads her to Jerry and eventually to the kidnappers hideout where a bloody mess is being made out of the kinda funny looking one. It’s a wonderful story of a crime gone wrong and it’s never been done better.

The film opens by saying the story is based on events that actually took place which instantly casts a spell over you, of course it’s a red herring and they didn’t really occur but the claim it does is enough to get you emotionally hooked from the start when watching for the first time. The film plays out at a wonderful pace with wonderful exchanges of dialogue mainly between Marge and the people she meets and between Carl Showalter and his kidnapping colleague Gaear Grimsrud played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare respectively, their deteriorating friendship is the key to the downturn in events in the kidnapping saga and it’s also one of the many highlights of the film as Stormare blankly stares as Buscemi’s rants and slowly descends into madness and what a way to cap off the insanity than to fill a wood chipper with Steve Buscemi, a timeless classic scene.

There is just so much to love about Fargo from the wonderful score, the dark humour, the visually stunning photography, the way that Frances McDormand and her husband are always eating or lying in bed when they are in a scene together, the way William H Macy stutters his way through scenes with the brilliant American-Swedish accent and the way people still apparently hunt for the suitcase full of money buried in the snow thinking its really there. Fargo is an absolute joy to watch and in my opinion deserves a higher place in the list.

No. 192 – Ed Wood (1994) – Rating 8.0

The Oscar winning performance from Martin Landau is so damn good as Bela Lugosi, Johnny Depp captures the essence of Ed Wood perfectly and Tim Burton directs my favourite film of his as he recreates scenes from Ed Wood’s films with stunning accuracy, this is the story of the worst film director in history and it’s an absolute triumph.

Those that don’t know who Ed Wood was, Edward Davis Wood Jr was a screenwriting, director, producer, actor, author, and editor most notably during the 1950′s where he made what is regarded as the worst films in movie history that led to him being award the Golden Turkey award for Worst Director of all time. He befriended a ageing drug addicted Bela Lugosi who helped give his films some success and Ed Wood was a heterosexual cross dresser to add extra substance to an incredible story.

The film covers the period regarding Wood’s relationship with Lugosi and his creation of his most notorious films and it’s the relationship between Wood and Lugosi that steals the film. Landau really does put in a stunning performance as Lugosi and straight after watching the film I YouTubed Lugosi’s films that featured in Ed Wood to compare the performances and it really is worthy of the Oscar he received. What also has to mentioned is the perfect production of matching scenes and props from the original films which also assist Landau’s performance and those that were angered as to why Samuel L Jackson didn’t get the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Pulp Fiction will understand why after watching Ed Wood.

The supporting cast are also perfectly matched to their real life characters with Bill Murray, Jeffrey Jones, George Steele and Lisa Marie standing out. Murray and Jones in particular stealing scenes they appear in with Murray as Bunny Breckinridge, Wood’s openly gay friend who performed in his films and suffered a failed sex reassignment therapy and Jeffrey Jones flawlessly captures The Amazing Criswell a psychic Tv entertainer, actor and producer of Wood’s films. There are other notable performances from Patricia Arquette as Wood’s girlfriend then wife Kathy O’Hara and Sarah Jessica Parker in a decent turn as Wood’s first girlfriend Dolores Fuller who failed to accept Wood’s transvestism and delivers a classic line of “Do I really have a face like a horse” after a scathing review. It’s a wonderful assemble cast that adds so much to a truly great film and it’s a film that fully deserves its place on the IMDb250 list.

No. 49 – The Shining (1980) – Rating 8.5

I watched The Shining with big sound reducing headphones and it was quite possibly one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.

Jack Nicholson stars as Jack, a writer who takes a job as caretaker at the Colorado Overlook Hotel for the winter. He is warned by the hotel’s manager that  winters in the mountains are dangerous and that heavy snowfall closes up the roads for months. Jack along with his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) are left alone at the huge empty hotel and as  weeks go by the snow grows heavier and Jack begins to get a bad case of writer’s block, slowly begins to go crazy.

It becomes apparent that the hotel is haunted and as Danny rides his bike through the iconic corridors he starts to get really freaky visions like an elevator opening up to a tidal wave of blood, the most terrifying set of twins (who completely freak me out) that keep appearing to Danny and also his really strange imaginary friend Tony and that “Red Rum” scene. The reality of he situation starts to reveal itself and things start getting worse for the family as Jack starts to loose it until he picks up an axe and goes about stalking his family to kill them, “Here’s Johnny”, the maze scene and the reveal that Jack’s soul always returns to the hotel to caretake and murder is a wonderful conclusion to the film and proves itself as easily one of the scariest movies ever.

“The Shining” is a brilliantly paced, incredibly creepy and at times a truly horrifying film. Watching it alone with my headphones turned up quite loud added a remarkable atmospheric experience I have never experienced before watching a film and when possible I’ve used my headphones to watch as many films since. The haunting instrumental music score by Herbert Von Karajan was one of the reasons for the frights I suffered and it fits the film so well. Nicholson’s performance is probably his best, his change in character is nothing short of stunning as he stares blankly over his typewriter as his mental state deteriorates, it’s all in about his voice and eyebrows and the change of facial expressions he can pull off to look like a bloody crazy man!. Shelley Duvall is also excellent as the sympathetic wife, she’s a proper movie screamer when she has to be and this really helps particularly during the films climax. Scatman Crothers also performed exceptionally as the cook of the hotel, he tells Danny that he has the “shine,” which is the ability to see the future and also comes face to face with Jacks axe towards the end. His voice is captivating (he voiced Jazz in the animated Transformers and Hong Kong Phooey) and his performance is really underrated.

Overall The Shining is a stunning film. Kubrick is an utter genius delivering everything you could want from a horror film with slowly building and rather unsettling momentum, psychological scares mixed with some of the most visually stunning shock moments in horror movie history that have been forever parodied or copied. The Shining fully deserves its place in the Top 50 films from the IMDb250 and will no doubt hold its place for many years to come.

No. 92 – The Elephant Man (1980) – Rating 8.3

I didn’t like Mulholland Drive, which is also on the IMDb250 list, and I’m not a big fan of David Lynch and his films so it’s fair to say I wasn’t looking forward to seeing the Elephant Man again for the first time in many many years when I was at an age I didn’t really understand films too much. However this is one of Lynch’s more accessible films, it’s a very moving and incredibly well made film with some of the finest performances, astounding makeup and glorious black & white cinematography from the IMDb films so far.

The Elephant Man stars John Hurt as John Merrick, a victim of a disease that has left him grotesquely deformed whose spent most of his life travelling in a carnival freak show. Eventually Merrick comes under the care of Dr. Treves (outstandingly played by Anthony Hopkins), who locates Merrick into his hospital where he studies him, helps him to conquer a restrictive speech impediment, and gives him back his human dignity. Treves introduces Merrick to culture, finery and things he’s only dreamed of experiencing but the question is he exploiting his friend for personal gain torments him.

Word about Merrick’s existence starts to spread and Bytes (Freddie Jones) his former owner at the freak show, the press and curious locals all try to get a piece of him and exploit his affliction. This eventually leads to Merrick being kidnapped and taken to France by Bytes and put on show again as The Elephant Man and even though his escape back to England is triumphant it leads to the final days of John Merrick. He visits the theater with Treves and his wife where the performance dedicated to him and then that night he discards all pillows from his bed and is determined to lie down like everyone else to sleep and he does for the final time.

The Elephant Man is a stunning film. The makeup is incredible and was taken from casts of the real John Merrick and adds an incredible sense of realism to the look of the character that is equalled by John Hurt’s perfect performance that was cruelly not given the Oscar it deserved although you can say that Robert De Niro’s Raging Bull is equally as impressive, I feel Hurt’s performance is far more complex and worthy of more recognition. The black & white photography shows Victorian England in remarkable stark realism

No. 182 – The Killing (1956) – Rating 8.0

Another first time viewing film for me and another one that has cemented its place my personal favourite movie list. This the second Kubrick film I watched for this week’s reviews and it couldn’t be more different. Kubrick  has directed such a wide genre of movies with various degrees of success with Sci-Fi, Horror, War, Action Romance and many have made an appearance on the IMDb 250 list and The Killing is his earliest film to have made it and this one is a heist movie.

Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) is a veteran criminal planning one last heist before settling down and marrying girlfriend Fay (Coleen Gray). His target is the money counting room at a racetrack during a featured race and to steal two million dollars in the process. He recruits his team consisting of corrupt cop Randy Kennan (Ted de Corsia); track cashier George Peatty (Elisha Cook Jr.); sharpshooter Nikki Arcane (Timothy Carey) whose to shoot the race favorite horse during the race causing a distraction, a wrestler called Maurice who provides a distraction for the police by starting a fight at the track bar, and the race course bartender (Joe Sawyer). The heist goes pretty much as planned but it’s the aftermath that creates a problem with double crossings, revenge killings, death, a little dog and a old suitcase full of money that isn’t quite strong enough to withstand a bump and then the whole plan is ruined.

Kubrick shows what a wonderful eye he had for film making early on in his career, the film noir feels right and look amazing with some wonderful scenes (see above) where just a bunch of guys, great dialogue, loads of cigarettes and a darkly lit room is all you need to make a scene work incredibly. The heist is carried out with wonderful precision and intelligence and with Sterling Hayden as the lead character everything about the film works like a charm as he gives orders and leads the team with assured authority making everything seem believable and precise. It’s a shame Kubrick didn’t make more films like this in his later years.

Overall The Killing is a wonderful movie, slow paced but excellently executed with a cast that all performed magnificently delivering one of my favourite films from the list.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/baz_mann and  http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 37th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

Blade Runner (1982) – No. 109 8.2

When four human form ‘Replicants’ go off the reservation, a world weary Blade Runner by the name of Deckard is reluctantly pressed into service to hunt them down. During his investigation, he meets a Replicant by the name of Rachael, who astonishingly is initially unaware of her true nature. As Deckard’srelationship with Rachael develops, his hunt raises more questions about the nature of humanity, and whether artificial human beings are less sentient than their creators.

I’vewatched BladeRunner so many times over the years, it has become hard to re-assess it afresh for this type of review. As far as an exercise in world building, BladeRunner is incredible. The mixture of compelling visuals, incredible musical scoring and the combination of contemporary lifestyles withfuturistic technology combine to make the world in which Blade Runner takes place so realistic that it is easy to completely immerse yourself in it. So many movies set in the future, such as I, Robot, Minority Report etc.. display it as a very sterile, white plasteel environment with flawlessly pristine technology available to all. Deckard visitingdingy shops and noodle bars in a flying car, chasing human form robots. The contrast between the progressive technology and the continuing poverty and decay of a big city is used to great effect to create a realistic vision.

The story, on the other hand, comes across now as a little mundane. The tale of a human chasing down artificial intelligence gone wrong is no longer fresh or original, and regardless of whether it was when the film was originally released, it makes it harder to get excited about now in the present day. The philosophicalquestions posed, about humanity, self-awareness and playing God, are very well posed however, and combined withthe unique atmosphere of the created world givea very unique feeling to Blade Runner that has never been surpassed.

For me, the performances aren’t great. Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty is clearly unhinged, which just about justifies his larger than life performance, but everyone else just come across as adequate. Even Harrison Ford, though displaying great screen presence, and a vulnerability refreshing for a male lead, doesn’t sparkle in the same way as he does in the Indiana Jones movies, for example.

I’ve never really been sure if i like Blade Runner all that much. I clearly enjoy watching it, as i have done so more times than i can count, but there does seem to be a simplicity to the sequence of events, leaving me wanting that little bit more on every viewing. For its unique atmosphere, and the thought provoking ideas behind the story, Blade Runner is definitely still one of the true greats, and despite my misgivings i can’t really argue with its position in the IMDb250 list on that basis.

The Green Mile (1999) – No. 96 8.3

The Green Mile follows life on the Green Mile, a death row section of a penitentiary. The prison guards are there to make their charges last days as comfortable as they can reasonably be, but the status quo is upset by bloodthirsty guard Percy Wetmore, the arrival of ‘Wild Bill’ Wharton, and gentle giant John Coffey, who it is discovered holds a very special gift.

The Green Mile has a very odd feel to it. Most of the movie is set within one very small set, and whilst it doesn’t necessarily look cheap, it does create a very contained atmosphere. This doesn’t detract from some very good performances, particularly from Sam Rockwell as Wild Bill Wharton and Doug Hutchison as Percy Wetmore. The story doesn’t suffer from it either. The Green Mile is a touching tale really, of a simple man suffering for God’s work, and of good men trying to make the best of a job essentially working as caretakers of monsters. Hanks as Paul Edgecomb and David Morse as Brutus Howell come across as genuinely likable, personable characters.

My problem with The Green Mile is that there is a dark, sinister edge to it, which seems at odds with the lightness and charm of many of the characters. Every story needs a villain, and Wetmore does display some truly reprehensible behaviour, as does Wild Bill. But the ending they both meet, due to the actions of a man doing ‘God’s work’ seems to contradict the message that all men, regardless of their behaviour, deserve a degree of civility that is threaded throughout the rest of the story. The wardens show great care and sensitivity towards their charges, making their final days as comfortable as reasonably possible. We seem to be being told that all men deserve respect, even if they are on death row. Then we are shown the vengeance wreaked by Michael Clarke Duncan’s John Coffey, and those final actions seem so out of character with the rest of the movie.

These macabre events, combined with the botched execution that leads to them, lend a grotesque tone to a story that starts out so genteel. This may be a completely intended switch, but it leaves the film feeling very off balance. It also means that when we witness Coffey’s final moments at the end of the movie, the impact is dampened by what has gone before. The Green Mile was perfectly watchable, but nothing more. Having now seen it once, i don’t imagine a scenario in which i’ll choose to watch it again. For me, not deserving of its place.

Fight Club (1999) – No.17 8.7

A white collar insomniac finds his Ikea-loving lifestyle turned upside down when he meets shady soap salesman Tyler Durden. They start up an underground fight club, a group therapy session that allows the common man to de-stress after a hard day at the office. The insomniac discovers, however, that Durden has grander ideas, and as events quickly spiral out of the narrators control, he finds that the biggest shock has been saved til the very last.

From the outset, it is not obvious what kind of movie Fight Club is. Comedy, drama , thriller? It starts out as a truly odd tale of a man who cannot find his place in the world. As you follow Ed Norton’s ‘Narrator’ through his adventures at support groups, and his first meeting with Marla, it is impossible to tell where the story is headed. Then Norton’s world is blown to pieces, literally, and things just get weirder.

Throughout Fight Club, you’re never really sure whether to laugh or be appalled. Norton’s character isn’t really likeable, and is actually a bit of a jerk, particularly with regards to his interactions with Marla. Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden has become an icon of cool, but really, he isn’t any more likable than Norton (which i guess actually makes perfect sense). Still, you feel hopelessly compelled to continue watching the car wreck to see the outcome.

Really, it isn’t the characters that you find yourself rooting for, it is the story. The anti-establishment, anarchic ideas of Chuck Palahniuk’s writing are what makes the story relevant and vital. The mischief and mean spirit of Durden’s army should be abhorred, but he makes a convincing argument. Sadly, by the end of the film, its biggest failing is that you can’t really care what fate befalls the protagonists. Whilst Durden’s rage against the machine is compelling in theory, the reality is that no real face is put on the villain of the piece, meaning that when his plan comes to fruition, it can only be seen as senseless. He has effectively waged war on an anonymous evil.

Are we supposed to sympathise with either Durden or Norton? You’d have to ask director Fincher. The talented director’s filmmaking ability is beyond question. The soundtrack and visuals are unique and striking throughout, and the stellar cast mean that you never question the believabilityof the madness that unfolds on screen. The only real issue with Fight Club is that it leaves you feeling emotionally cold. A story of reprehensible characters watching their lives unravel, there really is no emotional anchor to it. An entertaining film, by one of the best directors of his generation, but lacking that intangible something that would make it great. A good movie, but one whose reputation far exceeds its skills.

The Wages of Fear (1953) – No. 177 8.1

In a rundown South American town, the large mob of unemployed denizens are given the opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to drive a cargo across country to a remote oil field for a huge payday. The catch? The cargo is dozens of barrels of highly unstable nitroglycerin, and the vehicles are not built to withstand even the smallest pothole in the road. There are two trucks, and the first to safely reach its destination will win the big prize. It is the most lethal of races, but there are no shortage of men willing to take the chance for a better life.

The Wages of Fear starts off so slowly, that you’d be forgiven for giving up early on. The story of paupers in a run down town, with nothing better to do but make nuisances of themselves isn’t greatly compelling, and in truth this period of character establishment runs far too long. By the time the offer of a job, literally career suicide comes along, you find yourself desperate for a bit of pace. Strange, then, that the slow deliberate journey the protagonists embark on turns out to be one of the most compelling, sizzlingly tense tales ever told in cinema.

Four men, two trucks, and a whole lot of nitroglycerin make The Wages of Fear one of the greatest action movies of all time. The set pieces are inventive, and the performances are pitch perfect as the desperate men risk it all for the promise of a route out of the miserable poverty they live in. None of the characters have shown so far to be particularly noble or nice, but you can’t help but pull for them, even with the cruelty they so often show towards each other, as they race to be the first to get their payload to its destination. Some fantastic shocks, that in retrospect are all obvious but never feel so at the time, and perfect pacing of the second half of the movie make watching the wages of Fear an unforgettable experience. One of the best films i’ve watched for the project, it is just a shame that many have probably given up a third of the way into the movie. It is works of art like this that are the reason i took on the project, as i probably wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.

Memento (2000) – No. 27 8.6

Leonard suffers from a rare condition that means he is unable to create new memories, the result of an assault that left his wife raped and murdered. Despite his handicap, Leonard follows the trail of the man responsible, using a unique method of notation to piece together his investigation as every few minutes his short term memory is wiped. He thinks he has the perfect method to keep track of his situation, but we discover that Leonard is in fact very confused, and at the mercy of the people around him as they make use of his circumstances for their own benefit.

From the opening scene of a Polaroid developing backwards, Memento catches your attention, and arouses your curiosity. The unique decision to unravel the storyline backwards perfectly complements the memory bending storyline. In truth, with a little bit of re-jigging, the movie would have worked if it had been played forwards in sequence. The story is interesting enough to captivate you either way, as the story of Leonard’s quest, and the discipline he shows as he tries desperately to keep track of his investigation compel you to continue watching. It helps that, despite the fact that Leonard is a vengeful, violent character, Guy Pearce’s charm and sympathetic portrayal makes him a likeable lead character. That is the brilliance of the backwards chronology – you’re pulling for Leonard all the way until the end (or beginning), when you find out exactly who he is, and what he has done.

Having watched Memento several times, the gimmicks don’t hold up quite so well on repeat viewing. Each scene overlaps, showing part of the same scene in the next so you can see how it links up. a useful tool, but it starts to feel very repetitive upon subsequent views. The same problem also exists as with any film that relies on a twist. Though the subtle humour and intricacies of the plot shine through when watched again, by knowing how it all ends, what the big finish involves, a big part of the pull of the movie is taken away. On first watch, Memento is, for me, one of the best films i have seen. It is just a shame that it suffers so much the second, third or fourth time. The curse of not being unable to unsee a movie. A curse, i guess, that Leonard never has to fear…

Come back next Monday for update 38. You can follow our progress at  www.twitter.com/baz_mann and  www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 35th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – No. 24 8.6

A rookie FBI agent is assigned to try and bargain information out of notorious cannibal Hannibal Lecter, who is kept in a maximum security prison. Lecter, once a respected psychiatrist, is asked to give insight into an ongoing case following a serial killer at large, a man who is skinning his victims.

Lecterplays cat and mouse with young agent Starling, getting into her head and earning her trust. In the end, he provides Starling with some of the information she needs to bring down ‘Buffalo Bill’, but it comes at a price. Whilst Lecter has gained too much respect for Starling to set his sights on the inexperienced agent, he seizes the chance to gain revenge against those that have incarcerated him for so long.

A bit of a strange one this for me. I’ve seen Silence of the Lambs on numerous occasions now, and always find myself bored by it. There’s no question of the brilliance of Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. A very well written, fascinatingcharacter brought to life by an outstanding acting performance. Thanks to the mythology built up around him, and Hopkins perfect delivery, this diminutive figure trapped behind a wall of glass comes across as terrifying, and it is this element i believe that is the reason for the movies inclusion on the list.

Jodie Foster does a decent job as rookie FBI agent Starling, but it is only really her exchanges with Lecter that provide the best moments of the film. The rest of the story, revolving around the serial killer Buffalo Bill, and the puzzles Starling follows to track him down, is actually pretty tedious. The movies tense finale is gripping, and allows the tale to end on a high note, but the details of the case are the stuff of an ordinary CSI episode but for Lecter’s involvement.

Silence of the Lambs is only on the list, in my opinion, for the brilliance of Hopkins as Lecter. Whilst you could argue this is what the movie is about, the problem comes when he is not on screen. I haveto give props, though, to any movie that manages to get you rooting for a serial killer. In those final moments, you can’t help but cheer inside when you realise what Mr Lecter is going to do to his former jailer…

Vertigo (1958) – No 41 8.5

A former detective, retired due to his developing Vertigo,  is hired by an old friend to investigate his wife Madeleine’s increasingly odd behavior. She believes she is the reincarnation of a woman who died many years ago. The detective  follows her and rescues her from an apparent suicide attempt. He gets to know her and falls in love with her. Whilst exploring her claims together, she tragically falls to her death from a steeple.

Several months later, the detective  meets  a woman who is the spitting image of Madeleine.  He tries to re-make her into Madeleine’s image by getting her to dye her hair and wear the same type of clothes. He soon begins to realize however that everything is not as it seems.

I haven’t really got on that well with Hitchcock during this project, and for much of Vertigo the same pattern was emerging. The relationship between Stewart’s detective Ferguson and the mysterious Madeleine was frankly a little too poorly sketched for me. That is, until the pivotal moment when he sees her fall to her death.

It is his subsequent obsession with her doppelganger, and his attempts to make her look  like Madeleine that make the brilliance here in my opinion. The genuinely creepy way in which Stewart pushes her to change her appearance is brilliantly played out, and fascinating to watch. The subsequent climax is maybe a bit of a letdown, but overall a fantastic final third just about make up for an almost meandering first hour.

Hitchcock is considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history, and my inability to appreciate his work throughout the project concerns me a little bit. I can’t help but think the rapid nature in which i have been watching films is colouring my ability to truly enjoy some great movies, and it is Hitchcock’s work that i will revisit the most once the project is over.

Forrest Gump (1994) – No. 39 8.5

Village idiot Forrest Gump stumbles through life with low intellect, but his big heart and his knack for being in the right place at the right time see him making huge achievements, figuring in some of the biggest events of American history. All these great periods of his life, however, are meaningless to him, as he spends his time thinking of the love of his life, childhood sweetheart Jenny.

I had forgotten in recent years how much i like Tom Hanks. Whether it be the dull as dishwater Dan Brown adaptations he has appeared in, or the fact that he hasn’t really done much else, i can’t be sure. It wasn’t until the last few months that my appreciation for his work came flooding back.

Hanks does a brilliant job of portraying the running fool that is Forrest Gump. At no point was i seeing Hanks, which meant i genuinely accepted the character of Forrest Gump for the moron that he was. My problem with Forrest Gump is not in the performances. Robin Wright is good as the self destructive Jenny, and Gary Sinise is brilliant as the grumpy Lieutenant Dan.

For me, the problem with Forrest Gump is that it provokes in me no emotional response whatsoever. The story is just a patchwork quilt of several peoples different lives woven together as one mans. The jumping from sketch to sketch destroy any hope of believability, but it took me the whole movie’s duration to realise exactly what it was that was leaving me cold. It was in the final moments, when i actually felt some sympathy for the characters, that i understood the problem. Forrest Gump is so stupid, so unable to grasp the gravity of events in his life, that he cannot be attributed any responsibility for any of his actions. This means that despite the great things he does, the moments of great kindness, or achievement, he cannot be praised for them. Whilst he may be inherently good, his acts are not of bravery or compassion, but an ingrained sense of right and wrong that his poor Mother instilled in him. Almost like a computer programme written to provide the correct responses.

That is why it is only at the very end, when Gump meets his son, that any emotional connection came. He seems to grasp the situation, realises he cannot be a functioning father, but still wants to meet and get to know his son. This is an uncharacteristic response that provides the only real poignant moment of the movie. I can see what the people involved were trying to achieve, and i don’t think its failure is necessarily an indication of their inability. I just think that the experiment didn’t work, and the only response is to shrug and move on. Top 250 films? I seriously just do not get it.

The Grapes of Wrath (1940) – No. 169 8.1

Tom Joad returns home from jail to find his family and others kicked out of their farms, due to unprofitable conditions and subsequent foreclosures. He catches up with them on his Uncles farm, and together they must make a huge decision. With Oklahoma now little more than a dustbowl, they must travel to California, a land of promise.

The journey, however, is treacherous. When they do finally arrive at their destination, they find not a land of dreams at all, but an environment of hostility and exploitation.

As a look at the struggles of mankind struggling to adapt to change, of personal sacrifice, and great bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, The Grapes of Wrath is brilliant. From the opening scenes in which a young man discovers his whole life as he knew it has been destroyed, to the cruelty that is shown by those with towards those without, it is a beautiful and heart wrenching film. Every moment of interaction between the members of the desperate family has an emotional weight to it. The scenes showing the togetherness of the transient families as they try and help and support each other are genuinely affecting, and the constant roadblocks put in the way of a group of people fighting to survive genuinely infuriated me.

Perfectly understated performances, measured pacing and a touching, bitter sweet ending combine to make The Grapes of Wrath, for me, one of the best films i’ve watched for the IMDb250project.

Se7en (1995) – No. 28 8.6

When a man is tied up and found fed to death, it is intially put down to a crazy revenge/dispute killing. But as more murders mount up, it becomes clear to detectives Mills and Somerset that it is the work of a serial killer with a message to deliver. As the pieces of the puzzle are put together, the weary Somerset realises it is a murder ‘project’ meant to cover the seven deadly sins.

The detectives come close to catching the mysterious ‘John Doe’, but he manages to stay a step ahead. It is only at the climax that they realise that their involvement is no coincidence, and that they must play a part in the final part of Does murderous puzzle.

Whilst Seven will probably be best remembered for the big twist at the end, the film is much more than just that. Brilliant performances by Morgan Freeman by the world weary Somerset, and Brad Pitt as the ambitious young detective Mills bring the script alive, and they play off of each other very well.

The movie is well paced, and the unpredictable plot brings about many surprises along the way. The ‘puzzle’ is well constructed, with each horrendous death bringing new depths of horror. Long before the gripping finale, you’ve been put through the mental wringer, but even that isn’t enough to prepare you for the horrifying brilliance of the closing scenes.

Possibly the best crime/serial killer movie ever made, Seven keeps you guessing, on the edge of your seat, for every minute of its running time. A true modern classic of film.

Come back next Monday for update 36. You can follow our progress at www.twitter.com/baz_mann and www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 34th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

No. 171 – Twelve Monkeys (1995) – Rating 8.1

Terry Gilliam’s unconventional film about time travel is a masterful and wonderful film that again shows the director as one of the greatest there has ever been.

In 1996, a deadly plague kills 99% of the human population forcing the other one percent to take refuge underground. We open the film in 2035 where convict James Cole (Bruce Willis) becomes a hesitant volunteer for an experiment to travel back in time to gather information about the origins of the lethal virus and a group known as “The Army of the 12 Monkeys” that were believed to be responsible for its release.

Initially arriving at the wrong time, Cole is imprisoned and institutionalized due to appearing insane with his ideas and behaviour. Cole meets Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and fellow inmate Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt) sharing his stories about their future eventually convincing Railly of his quest. In a race against time, he and Kathryn try to stop the plague from occurring whilst Cole deals with his own sanity.

Twelve Monkeys is a wonderful film with short glimpses into Gilliam’s mind of visual creation with the bleak future shown with the typical Gilliam industrial run down look that always appeals to my tastes. The acting from Willis is strong and he leads the film well from scene to scene; it’s one of his finest roles and most memorable. Brad Pitt puts in a performance that earned him an Oscar nod which came shortly after his turn in Seven that made him one of the best actors of 1995, his crazed performance as Jefferey Goines inhabit some of the standout scenes in Twelve Monkeys, despite being relatively low on screen time, he aids the story by dangling a huge red herring for us throughout.

Madeleine Stowe was ok as the Doctor dragged into Cole’s journey but seemed to lack a substantial role worth caring about and was more of a needed level headedness to Cole’s decreasing sanity but it does all work very well to provide a typical magic Gilliam masterpiece that’s well worth a place on the list.

No. 194 – King Kong (1933) – Rating 8.0

King Kong is one of those films that just inspires and that’s mainly down to Willis O’Brien’s contribution of stop motion animation. It brings an incredible look and feel to the classic 1933 movie.

The story is so well known and King Kong is one of the most loved movies of all time and deserves to be higher in the list in my opinion. The film follows Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) who agrees to star in a film directed by Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) and they sail to a mysterious island where along the way Ann falls in love with Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot).

The natives of the island capture Ann and offer her in a sacrifice to Kong and Driscoll, Denham and the crew head off to rescue Ann but with an ulterior motive to also capture the beast and return with him to New York.

When Kong is revealed to the New York audience he escapes, captures Ann again and scales the Empire State building where he memorably fights for his life before falling to his death. Its movie magic at its best.

The film is so well made for its time with some incredible character design and stop motion that although is now dated, has enough charm and quality to hold up to make it one of the greatest movies ever made. The fights of Kong and the T-Rex’s are some of the best moments in the film and heart wrenching finale on top of the tower is stunningly played out and easily one of the most well known scenes in movie history. The cast really perform well together and it’s incredible trying to appreciate how difficult it must have been filming a movie like this, a film that had never been attempted in the huge scale of King Kong with such ambitious special effects and storyline, it’s remarkable.

The rumour of the notorious spiderpit sequence cut from the film still hangs over King Kong which hopefully will surface someday soon, the thought of giant spiders, crabs and other bugs devouring the crew is something I’m dying to see, the fact it was cut due to being too scary is part of wonderful film lore and that it’s apparently lying somewhere waiting to be found makes it more exciting. Peter Jackson revived the idea in his remake which worked really well but nothing beats wanting to see the original scene.

No. 226 – The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) – Rating 8.0

Errol Flynn stars in one of the greatest, most colorful, bold costume adventure films in film history, this is Technicolor on drugs.

The film is the classic Robin Hood tale with Errol Flynn as the legend in tights who steals from the rich to give to the poor and it has everything you could want from a Robin Hood story.

Check list: the pivitol shooting of the King’s deer, Robin’s first meetings with Little John (Alan Hale) and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette), the classic archery contest trap with a cunningly disguised Robin winning by splitting his opponent’s arrow, Maid Marian romancing and the return of King Richard (Ian Hunter) from the Crusades and it is quite possibly still the best telling of the Robin Hood story.

Errol Flynn is just wonderful as the swashbuckling hero and it’s easily my favourite incarnation of the legend. He leaps, climbs, fights, charms, swings, pounces and flips to deliver everything you could want from an action hero with such great enthusiasm that makes the film more enjoyable at times that it probably should be. The look is outrageous in design thanks to the use of the three-strip Technicolor process that added a bold and bright colour to the costumes and scenery that is way over the top but another charm to the film.

The supporting cast are all equally enjoyable with Basil Rathbone as the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne standing out and being someone I really enjoyed watching and of course the comedy from Little John and Friar Tuck adding some welcome laughs to even out the action and romance. It’s a classic film, it fully deserves its place on the list and will always hold a place in my favourite films.

No. 157 – Gone With the Wind (1939) – Rating 8.1

I’ve never been a fan of Gone with the Wind and after seeing it from start to finish for only the second time in my life I’m now more of a fan than I was before but I still struggle to enjoy the film for its story, however I am completely in awe of its production.

The film’s story is basically about Scarlett O’Hara’s love and life in the Old South around the time of the civil war. She works her way through men, gets married a few times, gets land, loses land, gets caught up in civil war and gets told where to go by one of the most charming actors of all time. all in a long four hour period with a musical intermission half way through.

The problem I have with the film is despite its long running time I take little from it that sticks with me apart from a few scenes and moments, mainly the wonderful pullback shot that reveals the devastation of the war which fills the screen which is just sublime, the ears of build up to the “Frankly my dear i don’t give a damn” scene is classic and any scene with Clark Gable is noteworthy.

Apart from that I hold little love for the film’s story or performances or even the often dull dialogue that fills it from start to finish from mostly forgettable performances in a truly remarkably designed and produced film, it’s a shame as I always expect so much more from it.

Maybe I’m missing something but for me a four hour film needs a lot more to hold my attention and to be honest I find it a strain to watch. Deserving of its place on the IMDb list? absolutely, but not for the film itself but for how much of an impact it had and how staggering its production is.

No. 248 – Blood Diamond (2006) – Rating 7.9

I could watch Leonardo DiCaprio films all day, for me he is the greatest actor of his generation and I can’t name a film I haven’t enjoyed him in. Whether it’s his early films of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? or Quick and the Dead to recent hits such as Inception or The Departed, he’s the main draw to these films for me and Blood Diamond is no different, but overall I’m not sure it deserves a place on this list.

DiCaprio stars as South African Danny Archer, a diamond smuggler from Zimbabwe who’s on the trail of a rock that’s worth a fortune. On the other side of the story is the diamond’s discoverer, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), whose family has been seized in the brutal 1990s Sierra Leone civil war and sent to a refugee camp. The story teams the unlikely pair and plays out a simple plot of locating the diamond with Danny promising to help free his family.

Two sub-plots develop from this story of Archer’s relationship, with the moral compass of the movie, investigative reporter Maddy (Jennifer Connelly) who is desperate for a contact to expose diamond companies from the West for having blood on their hands by exporting the blood diamonds.

The second sub plot is more emotional and hard hitting as it that tells of Solomon’s son being taken, trained and brainwashed by rebels as he is turned into a child soldier. The film loses its balls towards the end as it goes for a Hollywood ending when going for the jugular at the start with a powerful politcal message about the need for diamonds which fades away to just a diamond hunt action movie which is a shame, but still it offers a fine movie that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The performances were on the whole good, Jennifer Connelly was pretty unconvincing as the reporter and was my least favourite character of the film but Hounsou played is conflicted character brilliantly and his on screen chemistry with DiCaprio is the heart of film and very engaging. The standout though is DiCaprio, he puts in a really outstanding performance with a decent and convincing accent and providing an interesting character I gave a damn about, fully deserving of his Oscar nomination.

Not bad but not one of the best 250 films of all time.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mannand http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 32nd update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

No. 162 – Scarface (1983) – Rating 8.1

Al Pacino stars in arguably his most well known film and the film most people will answer if asked “Name an Al Pacino movie”. You barely remember anyone else from the film, this is Pacino’s movie from start to finish.

The movie charts the life of Tony Montana from when he steps off the refugee boat from Cuba in Miami, his rise in the drug world working for other mobsters before taking it upon himself to take over the whole enterprise.

Brian De Palma directs from an Oliver Stone script that produces a great drug lord gangster film that’s almost up there with the best of them and despite it’s long run time of almost 3 hours it feels well paced and allows the growth of Tony Montana enough for you to almost route for him even though he’s an evil paranoid psychotic killer. The character of Montana is at times ridiculously overplayed by Pacino and is almost laughable and I feel it’s this that lets it down, but of course this is what makes Scarface so memorable as a movie icon.

The supporting cast, although heavily underwritten compared to Tony Montana, are vital in making the film work with Montana’s best friend Manny, played excellently by Steven Bauer, being a long term friend to Montana and also a key character in the turning point in his paranoia and judgement which leads to a devastating climax to their friendship. Michelle Pfeiffer has little to do but look pretty and be a reason for Montana to get angry. I really enjoyed the performance of Robert Loggia as drug boss Frank Lopez who was excellent and was the perfect stepping stone for Montana to get from errand boy to drug boss and probably the strongest sequence in the film.

Scarface is such an iconic machine, it has inspired so much in today’s market with T-Shirts, jackets, video games, referenced in music, films, TV and so on, it is has captured the minds of many who have seen it but for me it’s just a good gangster movie that just barely deserves its place on the IMDb list and if it wasn’t for Pacino it would have been very average and forgettable.

No. 133 – The Deer Hunter (1978) – Rating 8.2

Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken star in the first film I watched that really tore my heart out when I saw it many years ago and that has stuck with me ever since.

The story is about a group of friends from a small town in America of which three have enlisted to fight the war in Vietnam, the film follows Michael (Robert De Niro), Steven (John Savage), and Nick (Christopher Walken) and the effects the war has on them which is played out in three parts.

The first part follows the events leading up to their departure to Vietnam with the wedding of Steven and his bride which is followed by the group of friends going on a hunting trip for the last time. The second act jumps straight in to the heart of the war seemingly months into their tour. A changed Michael is in the special forces fighting and is joined by chance by Steven and Nick who all eventually get caught and held at a camp where they are used in a sick and disturbing game of Russian roulette. They manage to escape but are split up not knowing th outcome of each others lives, A mentally disturbed Nick stays in Saigon and takes part in playing games of Russian Roulette for money, Michael returns home a hero believing both his friends are dead and little is known of Steven. The final act follows the effects of Michael’s return home struggling with his mental state after his experiences, he finds Steven whose lost both legs and has been receiving money from Saigon who Michael believes is Nick and he returns to Saigon to bring Nick home which leads one of the most tragic movie endings.

The Deer Hunter is a long film and feels very long but at no point was I bored watching it. There is something completely engrossing about the characters, especially Nick and Michael whose friendship you completely invest in along with their other small town buddies. The Deer Hunting trips build character, the Vietnam war and the completely shocking Russian Roulette scenes are incredibly depressing and disturbing and the aftermath of how the events have changed all three previously happy and content characters is miserable, depressing and it leads to one of the saddest endings I’ve experienced.

The acting is stunning with Christopher Walken excelling and deserving his Best Supporting actor award for one of the most memorable performances from the IMDb list so far and Robert De Niro was unlucky to miss out on his Best Actor Oscar. Meryl Streep also stars as Linda the love interest to Michael and Nick and she had her own interesting part of the story but I didn’t feel it warranted an Oscar nod but was no less important to our characters state of mind.

Overall one of the most emotionally charged, unforgettable and upsetting films I’ve ever seen. It’s what movies are all about, making you feel something after watching them.

No. 154 – The Graduate (1967) – Rating 8.1

“Mrs Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me, aren’t you?”

The Graduate is one of my all time favourite movies. It has a brilliant story, a fantastic cast and one of the best soundtracks by Simon & Garfunkel that I never fail to enjoy whenever I see it.

The story of Benjamin Braddock returning home after a successful graduation and being seduced by Mrs. Robinson then later falling for her daughter is pure movie magic. It’s a story that flows with laughter throughout with Benjamin’s nervous behaviour in the hotel with their first affair date being one of the highlights as he’s paranoid and trys to act cool to avoid the suspicions of the hotel clerk. Benjamin’s forced dating of Mrs. Robinson’s daughter Elaine, where he takes her to a strip club to put her off him, is brilliant and it turns into the catalyst for their own love blossoming but setting into motion the truth being revealed to all which finally leads to the famous church scene where he breaks up the marriage of Elaine and her fiancee. This moment of madness, which has them escaping on a bus, leaves us with one of my favourite ever movie endings as the realisation of what they have done hits home with the laughter and joy slowly turning into false smiles and nervous wonder for what the future holds for them. The perfect un-romanticized ending.

I love every moment of the Graduate, Dustin Hoffman is perfect as the nervous inexperienced young man trying to deal with the situation and Anne Bancroft, although being made to look twice the age of Benjamin (The real age gap between Hoffman and Bancroft was only 6 years) is perfectly cast and superbly plays the intimidating and bitter Mrs. Robinson and its hard to picture anyone else in the role as she gives te perfect performance.

Without doubt one of the highlights from the IMDb list and for me it cements its place as one of my personal favourite films.

No. 131 – Sixth Sense (1999) – Rating 8.2

The Sixth Sense is a strange film, I need at least a gap of 3-5 years before I can sit and watch it again to remotely enjoy the film as it severely lacks something after seeing it for the first and second times.

M Night Shyamalan created one of the most talked about films of 1999 with Sixth Sense, hardly anyone saw the twist coming which is why it worked so well. The story of a disturbed young boy who can see dead people and a child psychologist trying to help him was a simple one, it delved into the supernatural and family drama never seen before and offered something very original at the time.

The fact that (SPOILER) the psychologist Dr Malcolm Crowe (Willis) was actually dead the whole time was one of the greatest movie twists that had people desperate to see it again and had them telling everyone of their friends to go see it. It also lead to an almost universal respect code of silence regarding the ending that didn’t leak any spoilers which helped keep the twist safe for new viewers.

Alas, this is all the good that can be said about the film after multiple viewings of seeing the Sixth Sense. Watching it again for the 4th maybe 5th time you begin to notice the exposition that was left out to conveniently keep the truth from the viewer that makes scenes ridiculous. Remember, Dr Crowe doesn’t think he is dead, he presumably goes from A-B at will and can’t just appear in places as that would be strange to himself, but yet he is sitting in a chair directly opposite Cole’s mother in their house saying nothing, she of course can’t see him let alone talk to him, so how did he get into their house? and he would not sit there in silence with the mother of the child he is analysing would he? scenes like this are to trick the mind in thinking ‘there is nothing wrong here’ which allows the twist to hit hard at the end and multiple viewings allow you to see through this more clearly which is a shame.

The rest of the film is actually still pretty strong with Hayley Joel Osment putting in an exceptional performance as the troubled boy, his scenes are the strongest of the movie and also some of scariest and his relationship with his mother is also very touching. The story of a boy helping dead people get to where they going is great and the twist is just the topping on the cake which still works as long as you forget how ridiculous convenient the build up to it is.

No. 212 – Rocky (1976) – Rating 8.0

Sylvester Stallone proves what an absolute genius in character creation he is and Rocky is easily one of his most loved. The Italian Stallion Rocky Balboa fighting his way from obscurity to almost winning the world champion is the stuff of legends and one of my favourite films from the project, I’ve not really watched it that often and this was maybe my 2nd time and it really is a great film.

Rocky Balboa is a true underdog story about an amateur boxer who gets a surprise chance at a title fight. The film is dated but with the presence of Stallone it still works a charm. Rocky’s rise from a slacker boxer with no hope to a contender with the aide of of his trainer Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith) is a story that despite being very predictable is incredibly enjoyable and entertaining.

Stallone is no doubt the star of the film, it’s his finest role and it’s a role that gave birth to numerous, almost equally enjoyable sequels that has developed one of the most loved movie characters in history of film. It’s an inspiring and well paced film, his love life with Adrian adding a much needed soul to the film and Rocky’s memorable relationship with trainer Mickey is another excellently formed bond that adds so much to the success of the film. You really route for Rocky throughout the film and the training he endures with the Eye of the Tiger song is one of those magic movie moments that everyone can recognise and you can’t help get emotionally involved as he reaches the top of the stairs punching the air.

Then comes the fight against Apollo Creed, who is played fantastically by Carl Weathers, the fight is pretty corny with punches connecting more times than you can count and neither boxer shows any real boxing techniques but who cares, it’s one of the most enjoyable and iconic scenes in film and you just can’t help lapping it up.

Rocky is a joy to watch, It will always put a smile on my face and it will always be one of the most loved sports films of all time.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mannand http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 31st update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

So far, i’ve summarised the films i’ve written about for the project, but i’m not going to for the Star Wars trilogy. I appreciate there are those that haven’t seen them, but i imagine they’re in the minority. To be honest, so much has been written about the Star Wars movies i’d rather not cover them at all, but they’re on the list, so here are my thoughts on rewatching each film.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) – 8.8 No. 12

The idea of Star Wars, and the mythology contained within, are undoubtedly awesome. Say what you want about George Lucas, but the concept of the force, what it is and how it works is a brilliant idea. It instantly adds a feeling of depth and spirituality to what otherwise would be a fairly straight forward space film. Luke, the young farm boy destined for greatness is not on its own an original idea, but transplanted to the star Wars galaxy, where he truly can effectively save the world adds a whole new level to the cliche. The introduction of Han Solo allows humour, as well as presenting a wild card story-wise. Solo is often likened to a cowboy type character, but is far more selfish and self-serving than those from tales of the old west, and you are kept guessing until the very end just what his motivations really are.

The death halfway through of Obi Wan, up to this point an integral character in the movie, is a shock and an unusually brave movie for a fantasy movie aimed at kids. It is pretty dark, and though i don’t remember the first time around, it must have been a blow to the system. Darth Vader and the Death Star are also fantastic works of George Lucas’ imagination, and are the real reasons Star Wars was so iconic. The pace is brilliant, with no wasted motion throughout. The race to destroy the Death Star is brilliantly constructed, and timed to perfection. There is a lot great about the first Star Wars, and to this day i can still understand why it has built up such a following.

OK, the dialogue can be pretty bad at times, but it is difficult to build exposition and background into such a fast paced story. Remember, it is a whole different world we are introduced to, and on that basis i think Lucas did a decent job. The droids ARE annoying. I can see why we loved them as kids, and i understand their function. I can see why Lucas became so enamoured by the idea of seeing such epic story from the point of view of the lowest class of beings, but i can’t help but be irritated when they go about their misadventures. It is the only time the movie slows down, and though i can’t imagine how the overall plot would work without them, i’d like to see a cut that diminishes their role as much as possible to see if the film actually loses anything.

Top 250? Of course. Special Edition? Not actually too distracting in this case, but ultimately pointless.

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) – 8.8 No.10

The ice planet of Hoth looks phenomenal, and the idea of the rebels hiding on an uninhabited, and almost uninhabitable, planet is really cool. The attack by the Imperials, and the AT-AT’s in particular, is probably the best sequence of the Star Wars trilogy, and to be honest, for me the movie suffers considerably from the subsequent slowdown of the pace. The cat and mouse game between the Millennium Falcon and Imperial forces is not particularly thrilling, though the development of the Han-Leia relationship adds a bit of emotional depth to the story. Luke’s visit to Dagobah, though amusing at times, is actually pretty tedious.

Events pick up with the visit to Cloud City. Billy Dee Williams adds some much needed flair to proceedings, and is probably the most charismatic character of the series. Over the course of the movie he shows depth,and presence, and his ambiguity adds some real interest. The big story is obviously the face off between Luke and Vader, with some awesome revelations that you really don’t see coming. The second lightsaber battle of the trilogy is exciting when it gets going, but does not involve quite enough action to provide a climatic finale to the movie.

The dialogue is, once again, pretty poor, and actually more obvious because the pace of the movie is so much slower than the previous one. People call Empire dark, but no major characters die, with Solo effecctively only being kidnapped. The open-ended climax, whilst providing some surprises, doesn’t really feel like a proper ending because it is so heavily aimed towards leading into the final part.

Best of the trilogy? Difficult to choose between A New Hope and Empire. Empire is probably the most well made, with the more in depth story, but as a stand-alone film it has no beginning or end, leading off of the first film and setting up the last. A New Hope is the only film set out as a beginning to end movie that can be watched in isolation, so on that basis it probably works better as a film.

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) – 8.3 No. 104

The problem child that nobody loves. The liberation of Han Solo is a bizarre set-piece really. Because of the time that has clearly elapsed but we haven’t seen, we’re met with a Luke that has powers we didn’t see him develop. The battle over Sarlacc’s Pit is exciting, with again some interesting new creatures and the cool sail barge, but feels a little rushed, and dare i say it easy? Jabba is a great character, but is killed off pretty quickly in the film,then we are immediately rushed off to the continuing battle with the Empire, leaving the whole exercise as a really odd feeling segue.

The second Death Star is a lazy idea. The presence of the Emperor at the vital time even more so. The whole battle to destroy it, and the impossible odds beaten in the process wrap up a well imagined story far too easily. The Rebels should have been annihilated, and the idea that such a small fleet of ships could survive dozens of Star Destroyers and an operational Death Star is ridiculous based on what we’ve seen over the course of the trilogy.

That a gang of teddy bears are the ones that facilitate it makes it all the more unforgivable. I don’t have the hatred for the Ewoks that some have, in principal at least. The idea that these primitive creatures can overcome the technology of the Imperial troops on Endor, and the almost slapstick way they go about it, is what really burns. James Cameron clearly bought that idea though…

It’s easy to deride Jedi,and some would say lazy. But it is two distinct stories glued together with more Dagobah tedium in the middle. The culmination of the Han-Leia lovestory is satisfying, and the revelation of Luke and Leia’s relationship is actually pretty cool, but on balance, Jedi is a complete misstep. A real shame, but i think the Star Wars series started going downhill a long time before The Phantom Menace hit our screens.

Saving Private Ryan (1998) – 8.5 No. 47

When it is discovered that a certain Mrs Ryan has lost three of her sons to World War II, the decision is made to send a team to try and bring her fourth and last remaining son back home from the front. Having survived the overwhelming odds of the Normandy beach landings, school teacher Captain John H Miller (Tom Hanks) is charged with leading that team through war-torn France.

Losing several team members along the way, Miller’s men search for the proverbial needle, experiencing the many horrors of war in the process. When they finally find the lost paratrooper, the soldiers are forced into a backs to the wall stand-off with a German patrol in a bid to keep Private Ryan alive long enough to escape to safety.

Steven Spielberg is accused of making movies that are too saccharine, often with a soppy happy ending. There is nothing sickly sweet about Saving Private Ryan. War is laid bare, with the effect it has both physically and emotionally fully explored, with very little respite. From the opening attack on Omaha beach, it is clear this is no fun romp. Spielberg leaves you in no doubt that the attack on the beaches of France was a suicide mission, with the Allied forces breaking through by sheer strength of numbers and blind commitment to the cause. There is no attempt to disguise the horrific casualties sustained, and the massacre is shot in a shockingly visceral style.

We’re given the chance to get to know Miller and his team as they journey across country, making the losses they enduring all the more affecting, and the savage behaviour they exhibit to their German captives all the more shocking.

I have seen Private Ryan before, and remembered the unflinching style of the opening scenes very clearly. I had somehow forgot how bleak and realistic the rest of the story had been. It was a brave movie for Spielberg to make, and a brave part for Hanks to take, as both are famous for sweet family movies with happy endings, and kudos to them both for using their profiles and drawing power bring the casual multiplex audience in and show them the true horrors of war. There are many war movies equally as effective as Saving Private Ryan at giving a flavour of what was endured by the brave soldiers that fought for our freedom, but Saving Private Ryan has probably reached the most diverse audience. For me, a pretty flawless film, and a must watch.

Strangers on a Train (1951) – 8.2 No. 121

Whilst on a train journey, tennis star Guy Haines meets a strange man by the name of Bruno Anthony. Anthony is both overfriendly and a little too interested in Haines’ personal life. He is aware that Haines wants to divorce his wife in order to build a life with his girlfriend, Senator’s daughter Anne Morton. Anthony reveals a plan he has concocted whereby he will kill Haines estranged wife, and Haines will murder Anthony’s father. Haines makes his excuses and leaves, somewhat bemused by the conversation, but Anthony mistakenly believes a deal has been struck.

Anthony carries through on his end of the bargain, but Haines is understandably shocked and scared when he is confronted with what has happened. Haines tries desperately to distance himself from Anthony, but the stranger begins to infiltrate Haines’ life, throwing threats and blackmail at Haines. Will Haines go to prison, or can he put together a plan to expose the deluded murderer and clear his own name?

The idea behind Strangers on a Train is pretty intense. It combines stalking as an art form, not such a common occurrence at the time, with a cold-blooded murder story. Anthony is deliciously unhinged, living in a complete fantasy land. You can’t help but feel for Haines. What would you do? It’s a hopeless situation to be thrust into, and you can genuinely feel his helplessness.

The reason the story is so disconcerting is the performance of Robert Walker as Anthony. His madness is portrayed perfectly, with a wonderful mix of mania and innocence. You can’t help but almost feel sorry for him for alot of the film. He is clearly unhinged,and that is conveyed brilliantly by Walker. This performance makes that of Farley Granger as Haines look pretty bland in contrast. His desperation is palpable, but Granger just isn’t the most charismatic of leads.

For me, Strangers on a Train has a very different feel to the other Hitchcock movies i’ve watched for the project. Whereas his other works have worked by either letting the tension build to boiling point, or using intelligently constructed plots to confound the viewer, Strangers on a Train affects you in a much different way. The situation is off-putting because it is both completely off-kilter, and theoretically plausible. Any one of us could meet the titular stranger on any train one night, and find our lives falling apart around us. A very compelling story to watch unfold.

Come back next Monday for update 32. You can follow our progress at www.twitter.com/baz_mann and www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 30th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

This week I watched five absolutely brilliant films for the project, all very different but all highly entertaining in their own way. Chaplin provides some silent movie laughs, Bruce Willis puts on one of the greatest every action movie performances, A shark terrorises a small beach town, the Python’s put on one of the funniest films and Johnny Depp goes for an Oscar as a rum drinking Pirate. I could barely find a fault with any of them.

No.170 – The Gold Rush (1925) – Rating 8.1

Another Chaplin movie from the list and again Chaplin offers everything you could want from a comedy film with heart.

The story of Gold Rush has the iconic character Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) travelling to Alaska to take part in the Klondike Gold Rush. Bad weather strands him in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with fellow prospector Big Jim Mckay (Mack Swain) who has found a large gold deposit. An escaped fugitive called Black Larsen (Tom Murray) joins them and after reaching a point of starvation they part ways with the Big Jim and the Larsen fighting over the claim ending with Big Jim getting a blow to the head causing amnesia and Larsen falling off a cliff to his death.

The Tramp eventually returns to town where he gives up prospecting, falls in love with a girl Georgina (Georgia Hale) and lives in a run down cabin planning to spend his life with Georgina but when Big Jim arrives and recognises the Tramp he also remembers the claim and so recruits the Tramp to help him find his claim by leading to the place they shared for a split of his gold.

The story is typical Chaplin with equal measures of comedy brilliance and touching moments. The stand out scenes are Chaplin doing the iconic bread roll dance to impress Georgina that will always put a smile on my face, the shear simplicity of the scene just adds to the magic of Chaplin and his natural comic ability. Another scene where Chaplin and Big Al struggle to find food so they cook up and attentively eat a stewed shoe or where the cabin hangs over the edge of a cliff and Chaplin does his fantastic physical comedy to add laughs to a dangerous situation. All add so many memories for me from the film and add fuel to the fact that Chaplin is easily one of the greatest ever comedy directors/actors there will ever be.

If you haven’t seen a Chaplin film before the Gold Rush is a fine place to start. The story is a joy to watch and Chaplin’s performance is as ever perfect. Another film that will no doubt be placed in the IMDb 250 list for a long time to come.

No. 114 – Die Hard (1988) – Rating 8.2

Die hard, the greatest action movie ever made? in a lot of peoples eyes absolutely, for me it’s definitely up there with the best.

The story is classic action movie popcorn. Police officer John McClane arrives from New York to attend his wife’s office party in a huge office tower at the same time as some terrorist robbers arrive who proceed to hold the party hostage. McClane avoids capture and for the rest of the film torments head terrorist Hans Gruber and his goons by killing them off one by one until it’s just him and Hans who takes the express elevator to his death.

Die Hard has everything you could possibly want from an Action Movie. The plot is wonderfully creative and the characters are just perfection with our hero John McClane full of charisma who carries the film so well, his partner over the walkie talkie, Sgt Al Powel (Reginald VelJohnson), gives McClane someone to bounce banter with and is his voice to the outside world and the villain of the film, Hans Gruber played majestically with intelligence and brains by Alan Rickman in his first film role is equally as strong and memorable as Bruce Willis is as John McClane. Top this all off with some excellent cliched bad guys then you have everything in place for a great film.

The entire cast provide us with a film that’s so full of wonderful scenes, whether it’s the roof top explosion scene as McClane escapes gun fire and explosions or when McClane dispatches a number of baddies with humour and agility like the Ho Ho Ho now I’ve got a machine gun part. It’s eternally memorable, it’s completely cool and it’s just pure energetic action movie perfection from start to finish.

I can’t fault it as an action movie and as always I had such a blast watching it, despite being roughly the twentieth time of watching it, I can never get bored of watching John McClane kicking arse.

Another bunny recreation below.

No. 106 – Jaws (1975) – Rating 8.3

One of the greatest films of all time, but only placed at 106. Come on.

I remember seeing Jaws for the first time as a kid and the music just completely scared me, the scene was set and after watching the film I never wanted to enter the sea again. That’s an impact you never forget.

From the opening John Williams score you know the film is going to be something special as the camera speeds through the sea with the Tuba blasting the unforgettable theme. The kill of the girl straight afterwards is just suspenseful genius, you know whats coming, you know she’s going to die and when she does it’s just horrible to watch as you can feel the bites pulling her under the water from the unseen killer.

The film goes on to follow Chief Brody and the town of Amity island dealing with a collection of deaths from what seems like a shark attack. Through bad judgement from the mayor of the town due to it being the peak season, they keep the beaches open for the tourists but another death sparks further panic and so Brody recruits marine biologist and shark specialist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) and boat owning shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw) to capture the great white shark. One thing’s for sure, they will need a bigger boat.

The story is so well paced with plenty of character development to make the film less of a horror/monster movie than you would expect and throughout the tension is built to create a genuine fear of the water. You barely see the shark throughout the movie as its fin breaking the water or the floating yellow barrels that have been harpooned to the shark that are trailing after Brody’s boat is enough to create panic and fear. But when you do finally come face to face with the shark it’s an incredible moment that reminds me of The Third Man and Orson Welles appearance, it’s what you have been waiting for the whole film and when it comes it’s a wonderful unforgettable movie sequence.

Spielberg has made one of the finest films of the 70′s and of all time and what really sets it apart from the average creature movie are the strong characters, the faultless acting and excellent dialogue delivered from every single person in the film. There are also some really memorable scenes littered throughout, like the really charming moment where Brody and his son are sitting at the table and he mimics everything his dad does or when Quint introduces himself to the panic stricken town folk with nails down the chalk board and especially the scene when Quint, Brody and Hooper compare stories, scares and booze on the boat and eventually singing us out with “Im Tired and I want to go home”, I can’t help but love the film and every time I watch Jaws I fall in love with it again, there is no better movie of its type and I doubt there ever will be.

No. 67 – Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) – Rating 8.4

I believe that The Holy Grail was my first introduction into the world of Monty Python when I was a young chap, I never really got the jokes first time round and as I grew older my love of The Holy Grail grew too as I understood the genius of the comedy. It’s a film I really really enjoy with a passion.

The story of the film is a Monty Python retelling of the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table seeking the Holy Grail. It is of course typically hilarious, bonkers, surreal and highly entertaining.

We follow King Arthur (Graham Chapman) as he trots (trusted aide clapping two coconut halves together) across England trying to recruit Knights for his Round Table. Arthur enlists the Knights Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin), Sir Lancelot the Brave (John Cleese) and Sir Robin the not quite so brave as Sir Launcelot (Eric Idle) as they take on different sub quests and venture to find the Holy Grail.

There is not much else to say on the plot as the film takes on the form of short sketches involving the Knights and their misadventures to find the Grail, they come across killer rabbits, horny nuns, insulting French Knights, animated multi-eyed monsters, Tim the Enchanter, a psychotic Black Knight, The Knights that say ‘Ni’, Shrubbery’s,  three headed Knight, the Police and many more. There are just so many funny laugh out loud scenes to pick from as they start coming right from the beginning of the film with probably the funniest ever opening credits ever made and each little sketch is full of quotable lines and really original comical situations.

It’s so good to see a collection of comedic actors in such fine form performing in such a natural and enjoyable way and with Terry Gilliam co-directing with Terry Jones it has a real feel of pure Monty Python madness. Michael Palin always stands out when I watch it and his multiple performances always have me laughing the most but Cleese comes very close with a truly memorable turn as Lancelot, especially his raid on the castle, and as Tim the Enchanter. It’s a very consistent comedy and lacks the realy surreal moments which I know puts a lot of people off Python comedy and the story, despite being crazy, it’s so enjoyable you can return to it time and time again and almost quote every scene with a big smile on your face.
I recently had a chat at work about the film and we both ended up laughing out loud a lot when recalling our favourite moments, you cant beat that effect a film has on you.

Regarded as being better than The Life of Brian by 81 places, The Holy Grail is definitely a more accessible comedy film, but better? I don’t think so. It has spawned a very successful musical production and is definitely one of the most loved comedy films ever made, if I ever need cheering up I would probably stick it on for an instant pick me up.

My favourite scene below.

No. 221 – Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) – Rating 8.0

Pirates of the Caribbean is a surprise inclusion in the IMDb250 list, it won’t be there for much longer as it will no doubt drop out of the list by the end of the year, but what it is is one of the finest swashbuckling action adventure movies to have come out in many many years and a film that created one of the most loved movie characters in Captain Jack Sparrow played effortlessly and with perfection by Johnny Depp.

The plot is of Jack Sparrow sailing the seas in a small dilapidated boat and arriving in Port Royal to steal a better ship. He mistakenly saves a drowning woman called Elizabeth (it would have been a better film if she drowned) who is the governor’s daughter and because he’s a pirate he’s put in jail and condemned to hang. An evil pirate called Barbossa attacks Port Royal and searches for a gold coin, held by Elizabeth, that’s needed to end an ancient Aztec curse that’s been cast on himself and his crew of the Black Pearl. Barbossa kidnaps Elizabeth believing she’s the child of old shipmate Bootstrap Bill and her blood is whats needed to lift the curse.

A blacksmith called Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who loves Elizabeth, enlists Jack’s help to rescue her. Jack agrees and the pair hijack a British naval ship, recruit a motley crew of scabs, and chase the Black Pearl to the Isla de la Muerta for Jack to reclaim his ship ‘The Black Pearl’ and for Turner to rescue Elizabeth. Yo Ho Ho.

There is something truly enjoyable about Pirates of the Caribbean, It has a perfect combination of Johnny Depp stealing the film with his memorable Oscar nominated role as Jack Sparrow, a plot that’s from the books of Pirate mythical lore with walking the planks, parrot’s, caves, buried treasure etc, a wonderful musical score from the legend of Hans Zimmer and the resurrection of a genre not seen for many years so it felt really fresh and original. Add to this some awesome action set pieces with a fair dose of comedy then you have one of the most enjoyable summer blockbuster of 2003.

Unfortunately the film had to build on its success and it produced two pointless sequels with a forth film with a new story in the work. It’s become a rather disappointing franchise, although I am quite hopeful about the forth film as it doesn’t star the minimal acting ranges of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom who just annoy the hell out of me.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mannand http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 29th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

Alien (1979) – 8.5 No. 46

The Nostromo is a commercial ship returning from a mining operation when its crew are unexpectedly woken from a stasis sleep. The ship is receiving a beacon from a small planet-like installation, and is obligated to offer assistance despite the protestations of several members of the clue. The crew investigate, but discover too late the signal is a warning rather than a plea for help. With their ship damaged, the inhabitants of the Nostromo discover a nest of sorts, and one of the crew are attacked by an alien being which attaches itself to him.

Eventually, the ship is repaired, and the alien detaches itself, and all seems well. However, following an explosive debut, an alien stowaway dispatches the members of the crew one by one. As the crew count diminishes, the fight for survival becomes increasingly desperate, eventually leaving on sole survivor.

Released two years after Episode IV: A New Hope, Alien is in many ways the anti-Star Wars. Where George Lucas’ space opera was a fantasy story filled with colourful characters, Alien was much more of a straight edge sci-fi film, and a great one at that. The pace is slow and deliberate, with the arrival of the Nostromo, and the encounter with an alien face hugger played out in a serious, dramatic way, with a genuine air of intrigue. Meanwhile, the story behind the Nostromo, its crew and their orders offer a comment on corporate America.

When the action comes, it is used sparingly, building up the suspense and never showing too much. The movie keeps you on edge all the way through, and as the crew members disappear one by one, all of them name actors to boot, it keeps you on the back foot the whole time. It is impossible to tell who, if anyone, will survive. A horror film set in space, Alien is one of the most effective examples of both genres it has a foot in.

A classic horror, as well as one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time, Alien is a definite inclusion in my all time list, and well deserving of its place in the IMDb250.

Aliens (1986) – 8.4 No. 54

Fifty-seven years after the events of Alien, Ellen Ripley is awakened from stasis after her ship is discovered drifting through space. At a tribunal she is questioned by the corporation that she worked for, but her stories of alien creatures are brushed off, and she loses her license to fly spaceships. However, when a group of terraformers on the planet where Ripley first encountered the alien go radio silent, a team of marines are sent to investigate, with Ripley aboard as an advisor.

The marines arrive to find no sign of life, except for one young girl who has obviously been traumatised by recent events on the colony. They discover the alien nest, and hole up in a sealed part of the complex in a bid to defend themselves from the alien attack. To make matters worse, it seems the processing station beneath them has become unstable, and will soon reach critical mass. The aliens finally make it through the makeshift defenses, and the marines are killed off one by one. An escape plan is put into action, culminating in one more face-off between Ripley and a seemingly invincible alien foe.

Aliens carries on from Alien with an interesting twist to the underlying political story, but arrives with much more of a sense of fun. The theme here is more. More marines, more weapons, and a whole lot more aliens. What at first seems like a more fair fight turns into a bloodbath, and whilst there is a lot more action this time around, it is the moments of anticipation and fear as the team await the alien attack that are the most effective. There is humorous banter between the marines, and the outcome could be considered far more camp than the first film, but there are scenes of sheer terror that more than make up for it.

Far more popcorn than Alien, Aliens is nonetheless another great film, and that rare example of a sequel that does justice to its predecessor. A great entry in the list, and an absolute pleasure to watch.

The Usual Suspects (1995) – 8.7 No. 21

Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint sits in a police station, one of only two survivors of an apparent massacre on a boat in the docks of San Pedro. He is questioned by detectives, and tells the story of a police line-up. Unlike most line-ups, all five members are infamous cons. They decide to team up to pull a job, and after meeting with success, take on another job offer, which sadly goes awry. This leads them to a lawyer named Kobayashi, who claims to work for Keyser Soze.

Meanwhile, the other survivor of the events of the previous night, a Hungarian with severe burns, reveals to the police that the infamous Keyser Soze was responsible for the deaths of many men on the boat. Soze is a myth, a super-criminal who is said to be sadistic and evil, casting fear in the hearts of criminals everywhere. Soze’s lawyer Kobayashi blackmailed the criminals into raiding the boat, and destroying its cargo. They discover, however, that there is no Cocaine on the boat, and that the real target is a man who can identify Keyser Soze. The whole exercise was an attempt to silence the only man that Soze had cause to fear. Did Soze die on the boat? Or was Kint a patsy, used by a man he thought was his friend to help a master criminal escape from prosecution?

The Usual Suspects weaves an intricate, and in some places difficult to follow story. Kevin Spacey is brilliant as ‘verbal’, meaning that Kint’s storytelling is hugely compelling. As details of the night before, and the events that lead up to it, are revealed, the plot becomes almost fascinating. Some guess the twist, others don’t, but no-one can argue that it isn’t brilliantly crafted. With a great cast to complement the story, on first watch The Usual Suspects is brilliant.

On second watch, once you know how the magic trick is performed, it sadly doesn’t hold up nearly so well. The backstory is a little slow, and needlessly confusing, and without the hit of the big twist, the flaws become a little too obvious. Parts of the film can be tedious, and there is far less reason to stick it out to the end.

The Usual Suspects is one of those films that suffers greatly upon rewatch. On the basis of first watch, it easily deserves its place on the list, so should definitely be present. It is easy to forget however that as its brilliance is predicated on a big final reveal, without it, it is a pretty plain piece of filmmaking.

Reservoir Dogs (1992) – 8.4 No. 64

Opening with 8 men around a coffee shop table having a chat, we are shown the story of a robbery gone terribly wrong. Scenes around the aftermath of the heist are interspersed with those of the present moments, as the participants arrive one by one at a safehouse. Mr Orange and Mr White have arrived together, with the former bleeding profusely from the stomach. Mr Pink arrives next, revealing that he has hidden a bag of swag. White and Pink discuss the possibility that there was a mole in the operation.

Mr Blonde turns up next, and having been the one who instigated the bloodbath, is verbally attacked by White. He reveals a hostage, and the men attempt to get information about the double cross. Eventually, White and Pink leave to retrieve the bag of swag, leading to the reveal that Mr Orange is in fact a cop. When the rest return to the warehouse, and stand-off occurs, with White unwittingly standing in defense of the undercover cop he thought was his friend.

Quentin Tarantino’s first feature, Reservoir Dogs in filmed mostly in one location. This was obviously due to financial constraints, but the effect it has is to givethe film the appearance of a stage play adaptation. This is no bad thing, and the fixed locale, with characters entering and exiting, is a very effective storytelling device. The slow unraveling of the story of the robbery is perfectly paced, and unlike The Usual Suspects, the twist reveal of the identity of the rat isn’t built up and used as a big bang at the end, but revealed much more organically.

The power of Reservoir Dogs isn’t in this detail, but in some fine acting performances, and a genuinely interesting story. The non-linear storytelling allows the pace of the movie to be much more even, and the cinematography is very interesting, with very few close-ups, until the very end. Whilst the script isn’t brilliant, and Madsen’s performance is well below par, Reservoir Dogs is a very well made film, and one of the most important independent films ever made. It is an obvious inclusion in the list, but one that i feel deserves its place.

Batman Begins (2005) – 8.3 No. 103

Following a night out at the theatre, the Wayne family meets great tragedy when young Bruce’s parents are killed in the street by a petty criminal. With no family left, and a jaded view of the city he calls home, Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham to travel the world. Compelled to fight crime wherever he goes, Wayne comes to the attention of the League of Shadows, and becomes their student. When it is revealed to him that the League has been responsible for the fall of many corrupt states throughout time, and that Gotham is their next target, Wayne destroys the League and returns to his hometown.

Once there, he becomes a masked vigilante, using his own personal fears as a shroud, he targets the criminal elements of Gotham City, in a bid to make it once more the metropolis his father dreamed of. When the League of Shadows turn up to bring the city crashing down, Bruce Wayne and his Batman alter-ego finds he is in the fight of his life to stop the city tearing itself apart, and to end the reign of the evil League once and for all.

Batman Begins was hailed as a dark film, and a reinvention of the superhero genre. Its use of real world technology and application make it far more realistic than most superhero films, but to be fair, the Batman character has always been rooted in realism far more than most other comic book characters. The previous series of Batman movies had become increasingly outlandish, so by that token it is more realistic, and maybe more adult, but to call it darker is inaccurate. The basic plot elements of Batman’s origin are the same as they have ever been, and that is about as dark as Batman Begins gets.

It is far different in tone to other superhero movies, and it works well fort it. Bale is very good as the (reluctant) playboy by evening, masked vigilante at night, and there are several other fine actors present. This was Christopher Nolan’s first action film, and that is evidenced by some poorly shot action sequences, leaving parts of the film looking awfully untidy. The ‘ancient society’ of the League of Shadows makes for a very interesting plot strand, and the early scenes of Wayne training amongst them, and on the glaciers are the best part of the film. The conclusion of the film possibly doesn’t pack enough punch, with the runaway train scenario at the finale feeling a little too generic. However, the execution of Batman’s set-up and gadgets is very good, and a great foundation is set in place for a successful film series.

Batman Begins is a flawed masterpiece in many ways. The tone and origin execution are great, and make for a truly unique comic book adaptation, but the director’s inexperience with the genre is exposed in several places. Definitely one of the best superhero movies ever made, and a very enjoyable watch, despite its flaws Batman Begins is one of my favourite films, and I’m glad it has such a high place in the IMDb250 list.

Come back next Monday for update 30. You can follow our progress at www.twitter.com/baz_mann and www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 28th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

This week gave me the chance to revisit some great great movies with the highlights being the revisit to the classics Pulp Fiction and Brazil, a wonderful first time watch of Night of the Hunter where Robert Mitchum produced one of the creepiest performances ever, I got another watch of the brilliant animated film in Princess Mononoke and an average probably undeserving placed film in our list for James Bond return in Casino Royale.

On a side note it is interesting to see that Christopher Nolan’s Inception has jumped into 3rd place in the IMDb250 best films with a score of 9.1, will it hold its place? I reckon it could and for a longer time than many people would expect, but who knows if a film like Brazil can drop out of the 250!

No. 120 – Princess Mononoke (1997) – Rating 8.2

Another masterpiece of animation from Studio Ghibli and one of the greatest animators of all time in Hayao Miyazaki, No.120 on our list is Princess Mononoke.

I think Princess Mononoke was my launch pad into the world of Ghibli and it was where my personal collection started to grow of Miyazaki’s classic movies as it offers so much entertainment from stunning animation, excellent story and a wondrous imagination of worlds and characters that just can’t be missed.

The story of Princess Mononoke or to give its native name “Mononoke-hime” is about the conflict of man and nature that takes place in ancient Japan at the dawn of the Age of Iron. A Cursed God in the form of a boar covered in worm like creatures attacks a small village destroying everything in its path in a visually stunning opening sequence that just blows my mind every time I see it. Ashitaka (Billy Crudup) rides head on to face it to protect his village and he succeeds in killing the creature but his arm comes in contact with the beast and he gets a curse that will eventually kill him. Ashitaka is told that his only hope for survival is to travel West and find the Forest Spirit who may approve to cure him so Ashitaka heads off with his faithful Elk Yakul in an adventure full of danger and destiny.

Ashitaka eventually comes to Irontown after battles with samurai that he fights off with his new found power due to his cursed arm, Iron Town is a remote place built into a hill that has destroyed the surrounding forest for their production of Iron, it’s populated by outcasts and ruled by the Lady Eboshi (horribly voiced by Minnie Driver). Iron town is under siege from samurai and is also waging a war with the Boar Gods and other Gods of the Mountains including Wolf God, Moro (Gillian Anderson) her two sons and her human daughter San (aka “Princess Mononoke”, voiced by Claire Danes) due to the damage to the forest. San attacks the town alone to kill Lady Eboshi where Ashitaka saves her life but gets shot in the process, San brings him to the Forest Spirit that heals his wound but does not remove the curse.

The story then follows Ashitaka and San caught between warring humans and forest creatures and a hunt for the elusive Forest spirit by a monk and his men to get its head for their own selfish reasons, ever the peacemaker Ashitaka tries to prevent all sides from unleashing a war that will destroy everyone but with the Gods and lady Eboshi intent on winning at all costs, however the murder of the Forest Spirit decides the outcome of the war for all.

The story is original with interesting characters that are all well designed with imagination and depth, the tale of industry destroying nature is all to common and familiar and equally hard hitting in its message. Miyazaki knows how to tell a story and by adding some striking animation that at times is breathtaking whether it’s the action battle scenes or subtle background details or beautiful realised scenery, all make it your typical Studio Ghibli sky high level of quality that just doesn’t come with your regular animated movies and just have to be seen to be believed. Princess Mononoke’s only let down is if you watch the Americanised vocal talent dubbing, which I did unfortunately as my copy was in storage, some of the voices don’t fit like Minnie Driver’s English accent which was clearly too flat and boring to fit a powerful female character of Lady Eboshi but that is a minor gripe resolved by only watching the original language version which I would do given the choice.

Princess Mononoke is a wonderful example of Studio Ghibli running at full steam and if you haven’t yet entered the realms from the mind of Hayao Miyazaki then Mononoke is an excellent place to start.

No. 244 – Casino Royale (2006) – Rating 7.9

There is no surprise that since we started the IMDb project, Casino Royale has dropped out of the IMDb top 250 films and I doubt it will find its way back into it. Although it is one of the best Bond films ever made it’s by no means one of the finest 250 films ever made by a long shot.

The rebirth of James Bond, played excellently by Daniel Craig, is quite literally a new beginning for the franchise, showing how 007 got his double 0 Licence to Kill and adding a very different take on the Bond mythology with very few gadgets and more well choreographed action and story but James Bond is pretty much just an endless stream of remakes so you know what your going to get.

The film opens up showing Bond brutally killing a few bad guys to earn his 007 ranking and then going rogue after one of the best James Bond action sequences ever as he chases a parkour trained villain (He must be bad as he has scars all over his face) up, down, over and through a building site finishing at a foreign embassy where he breaks all kinds of foreign policies by trespassing and blowing most of it up to get some vital information that leads him to Le Chiffre, a banker to the world’s terrorist organizations.

MI6 reveals that Le Chiffre is planning to raise money using his clients collateral, in a high-stakes poker game at Le Casino Royale in Montenegro so James Bond is assigned to play against him to win and destroy the Organization. Bond works alongside Vespa Lynd (Eva Green) the MI6 treasury accountant who tries to keep him on a leash but as the card game reaches its climax with bluffs, attempted murder and bond eventually winning millions, Le Chiffre kidnaps Vespa then captures Bond, trying to force the code for the winnings out of him in the most eye watering way, and then some strange rushed further plot development is added of Vespa double crossing Bond for the money because her boyfriend was kidnapped and held for ransom, Vespa dies and Bond hunts down the man behind it ending with the start of Quantum of Solace.

There is definitely a lot to like from James Bond part 22 with Daniel Craig impressing as the tux wearing agent despite the negativity surrounding his appointment, he has a fantastic mean streak and presence on the screen that works perfectly and matched with a very good storyline, especially the Poker tournament and events that surround, it makes it one of the most enjoyable Bond movies of all time and as I said the opening action sequence was one hell of a way to introduce Bond back after the Pierce Brosnan era.

The film hit a low when the funniest line I think I’ve ever heard was delivered, which makes me cringe every time I hear it, as Eva Green says to a testicle battered Bond “James, I want you to know that if all that was left of you was your smile and your little finger, you’d still be more of a man than any I’ve known”, I remember laughing out loud with a number of people in the cinema, it is so ridiculous. Apart from the dramatic change of story at the end and that it runs for far too long it’s a pretty fine film and with the way things are going with the franchise at the moment we may have witnessed Daniel Craig’s best performance as James Bond in 1 out of 2 films.

No. 245 – Brazil (1985) – Rating 7.9

Brazil is just one of the greatest movies ever made, and seeing that it has also dropped out of the IMDb250 list since we started the project is a travesty it is more surprising that it doesn’t hold a higher position in it.

Brazil is Terry Gilliam at his best, both visually and creatively and there is nothing else like it in the IMDb250 list as it has some of the most incredible visual settings, idea’s, characters and scenes of all time. Some are so striking that I remember images from it when I caught glimpses of it as a child on TV when I was at an age that I had no real interest in anything on the box unless it had the Muppet’s performing but the shot of a man wearing a baby face mask in some strange vast room (See attached image) stuck with me and triggers my infant memory when I re-watch it, It’s one of my favourite ever movie moments.

The story of Brazil is set in one of the most fascinating worlds ever created where our hero Sam Lowry (Jonathan Pryce) is a statistician working in the Ministry of Information who daydreams of being a superhero with wings trying to save a girl. A sequence of events is set off when a bug in the computer system causes a glitch altering the arrest record for a terrorist named Tuttle (Robert De Niro) to read Buttle which leads him to be killed during interrogation. Lowry is charged with investigating the mishap and comes to visit the Buttle family and meets neighbour Jill Layton (Kim Greist) who is the same woman as in his dreams but is also now considered a terrorist due to her complaints. Lowry also happens to come across the real Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro), a renegade expert air conditioning maintenance worker who once worked for the government but left due to the amount of paperwork, Robert De Niro puts in such a great performance.

Sam Lowry realises the only way to learn about Jill is to transfer to the Information Retrieval department where he would have access to her records and learn more about her and so after a quick promotion due to his plastic surgery obsessed mother having friends in high places Sam ends up in Information Retrieval. He locates Jill before she is arrested and the pair fall in love but Sam is arrested for misusing his position and is taking for interrogation by his once good friend Jack Lint played by the always excellent Michael Palin, a wonderful sequence then takes place with Sam being rescued by Tuttle and after escaping events start to go strange with Tuttle being engulfed in rubbish paper and disappearing, Sam appears in his dream world reliving all his horrors but finally ends up with Jill travelling into the sunset….or does he. Depending on which version you watch I hope you never see the Happy Ending!

The story of Brazil is very hard to summarise which is what I had real trouble doing above, but those that know and love the film know it’s so much more than just a few paragraphs of description. It’s just a mind blowing experience from the moment we see Sam taking flight to the computer screen magnifiers or the pipe filled homes of the cities residents, it’s a look just so incredible and creative in a way that only Gilliam can display. The characters we meet along the way are also brilliantly crafted and realised like Jim Broadbent’s excellent plastic surgeon Dr.Jaffe or the superb Ian Holm as Lowry’s boss Mr Kurtzmann and especially De Niro’s portrayal of Tuttle, all make Brazil a truly awe inspiring movie that even on a cheap budget does more than most CGI movies can realising a dystopian future.

Terry Gilliam is a genius and to see how his films have been received is clearly down to a matter of taste, i can fully understand why some people don’t like his work but for me it’s all so much more than just a film it’s a pure work of art displaying in front of your eyes from the mind of a creative legend, not many directors have that talent and none come anywhere near as close to him.

Check out the ‘What is Brazil’ Documentary below if you find time, it’s a stunning watch.

No. 5 – Pulp Fiction (1994) – Rating 8.9

Pulp Fiction is another glorious film that fully deserves its place in the top 10 of the IMDb250 best films, at the time in 1994 there was nothing like it from the posters that filled bus stop shelters and billboards displaying the iconic characters to the music that was being played everywhere from the soundtrack, there was a buzz I’ve never experienced from a movie before and after watching it everyone came out thinking the same thing “That film was bloody incredible!, and it is definitely a film I wish I could experience again for the first time.

Told in what is now typical non-linear Tarantino fashion Pulp Fiction tells the it’s story in three intertwining tales starting and finishing with a middle part of the now iconic “I love you Pumpkin, I Love you Honey Bunny” scene with Ringo (Tim Roth) and Yolanda (Amanda Plummer) being minor minor characters but some of the best loved. The film branches off into following two hit men Jules Winnfield (Samuel L Jackson) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta) as they casually chat about Amsterdam, foot massages on their way to interrogate and execute some guys that have come into possession of a briefcase belonging to Marsellus Wallace containing something that flashes a golden light, it’s another classic quotable scene “Say What AGAIN” and that’s four unforgettable moments in the opening 10-15 minutes that’s topped off with the career defining Jules Winnfield’s preach “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men…” glorious.

We follow Fox Force Five’s Mrs Mia Wallace go on a date with Vincent Vega where they drink, dine, dance and she ODs on drugs followed by her being brought back with a shot of adrenaline through the breast plate with some help from Eric Stoltz and Rosanna Arquette to leave Vincent safe from retribution from Marsellus.

The comes the story of boxer Butch Coolidge who goes on the run from Marsellus Wallace after not taking a dive in a fight, we learn of his prized watch that’s been stuck up a few arse’s and we witness how Butch gets let off his debt by helping Marsellus from some hillbilly rapists by using his weapon of choice and leaving the soon to be dead Zed with Wallace for his own revenge. We then go back a bit and see the aftermath of the briefcase scene at the start of the film and get Marvin’s brain covering a car where Jules and Vincent get the help of Harvey ‘The Wolf ‘ Keitel to clean up and they end up back at where we started with Ringo and Yolanda in the diner to conclude one of the most entertaining movies of the 90′s, arguably the best.

Everyone whose seen Pulp Fiction can list of their favourite scenes, quote their favourite lines, identify music from the soundtrack or list the film references that are the inspiration for Tarantino’s creation, it’s a unique movie that was more than just a cool movie that’s high in style, it’s got a brilliant sense of humour, unexpected great acting from a surprising cast, pure energy that never lets go from start to finish and a story that you just want to run and run. I adore every second of Pulp Fiction and every time I watch it I notice something new and never tire of its perfection, it’s an absolute classic and a film that will surely hold its place in the IMDb250 top 10 for years to come.

No. 172 – The Night of the Hunter (1955) – Rating 8.1

This is Robert Mitchum’s film from his first appearance to the last and it’s easily one of the creepiest from the IMDb list, whether it’s his story of Love and Hate or his spine tingling song he sings nothing is more menacing and it makes it one of the most distinctive and unforgettable movies I’ve seen.

The film has a simple plot about a father called Ben Harper (Peter Graves) who is arrested after robbing a bank and killing two people but as he is about to be taken by the police he hides the money in his little girl’s doll and tells both his daughter and his older son to not tell anyone where it’s hidden.

The kids manage to keep their mouths shut but their father does not keep all his secrets safe and the person he tells of the money is his cell mate Harry Powell (Mitchum), a man of god who wears his suit with class and whose deep voice reflects a decent and good guy but with tattoo’s of LOVE and HATE on his knuckles and the dead look in his eyes as he preaches it tells a different story. Powell learns from Harper about the money, the place he lived but not its location so when Powell completes his time in prison he heads towards the money and ends up marrying the Harper’s wife (Shelley Winters) to get closer to the kids as he learns they know the money’s location.

Powell progresses his boogie-man statue by murdering his new wife leaving nothing between him and the kids who flee in a boat down a river in a truly visual nightmarish scene with Powell pursuing on foot casually singing his theme tune hymn that freaks me out. The kids eventually end up taking refuge in a home for abandoned children and looked after by scripture-quoting Rachel Cooper (Lillian Gish) where the battle of the good and evil between Harry Powell and Rachel Cooper is the essence of the film’s final third and the climax to Powell’s stalking of the children.

The Night of the Hunter is a great film and for such a simple story its incredibly unique and beautiful at the perfect moments especially when it’s at its most terrifying. Robert Mitchum gives one of my favorite performances from the project so far and even comes close to being one of my favourite screen villains of all time too. The cinematography is utter class with shots of shadows lurking from darkness producing some of the films greatest shots that have been copied to death in endless horror films since. The Night of the Hunter is a truly wonderful experience that really surprised me, I never expected a film like it or expected such a career defining performance from Mitchum and it’s one of those times that I’m so glad i’m doing IMDb250 project so that i get to see films I may never got round to seeing.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mannand http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 27th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

The Wrestler (2008) – 8.2 No. 126

Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler began as a docu-style film exploring the tragic world of the independent wrestling scene, and some of the washed up stars that end up there. What it became was Mickey Rourke’s triumphant return to the Hollywood spotlight, and a genuine Oscar contender.

Rourke is Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, a former headlining professional wrestling star whose day is far past. Once huge in the eighties, Randy is making pennies on the independent wrestling scene. He is behind on his rent, has lost contact with his estranged daughter, and in the lead-up to a big anniversary match with his former nemesis, suffers a heart attack following a particularly brutal match.

Robinson attempts to live a life away from the ring for the sake of his health. Trying to build relationships with both stripper ‘Cassidy’ and daughter Stephanie. When his new jobs, and his attempts at building human relationships fail, he risks it all to get back in the ring.

It is easy to see why The Wrestler was in contention at the Academy Awards. Rourke cuts a tragic figure as ‘The Ram’, almost the perfect mirror of his own fallen star. He brings an air of authenticity to the part, and the documentary style cinematography makes the story seem so real. It works because it IS real. Whilst the story of Robinson is fictional, anyone who has seen the brilliant Beyond the Mat documentary knows that everything put up on screen here is a mirror of real life events.

This, perhaps, is the biggest flaw. Having seen Beyond the Mat, The Wrestler comes across very much as a dramatized version of the events within the doc, cut together with the same character in each segment. There is a bit too much happening to the same guy, making it seem just a little too extreme. A fantastic film nonetheless, and a brave one to make and try to sell. A brilliant performance by Rourke, great direction from Aranofsky, and an all around very good film.

Snatch (2000) – 8.1 No. 138

After the well received and surprisingly successful Lock, Stock… Guy Ritchie followed-up with another mockneycrime caper. Witha bigger budget, and some American acting support, Ritchie hoped to build on the success of Lock, Stock… on both sides of the pond.

Boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham) manages to cross infamous gang boss Brick Top when his fighter, Gorgeous George, comes a cropper on a shopping trip to the local Pikeycampsite. With the imminent threat of pain looming over him, he must somehow convince Gipsy Mickey (Brad Pitt) to not only fight for him, but throw the match in the process.

Meanwhile, Frankie Four Fingers (Benicio Del Toro) has a diamond to sell following a successful heist in Antwerp, but his boss convinces London based Boris the Blade to steal the diamond before it can reach proposed buyer Doug the Head. Boris employs jewellers Sol and Vinnie to get the stone, not knowing that American Avi has entered the country, and enlisted the services of Bullet Tooth Tony (Vinnie Jones) to try and locate his missing stone.

There is a lot going on in Snatch, making it a difficult film to summarise. This is one of its strengths however, as the rapid nature of the twisting storyline keeps the pace flowing, and in turn holds the interest of the viewer. There is action, humour and some clever plot twists on show, making Snatch a very watchable film.

However, the two-dimensional characters and complete lack of emotional complexity make it a very shallow watch, and whilst the first time round this wasn’t really a big problem, on second watch it is left woefully obvious. There is added glamour thanks to the presence of Brad Pitt, but the reappearance of a large section of the Lock, Stock… cast leave Snatch feeling like a lazy sub-sequel, and for me, to call it one of the best 250 movies ever made is almost a joke too far.

The Great Escape (1963) – 8.3 No. 101

The Great Escape has become almost a yuletide joke. Along with The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music, it is commonly thought of as ‘that film they show at Christmas’. As a result, it is easy to forget how good a movie it really is in parts.

The location, time and characters have been condensed, but The Great Escape is the story of WWII POWs who havebeen secured in a ‘super prison’, a compound built and guarded especially because of the sheer volume of recorded escape attempts of its inhabitants. The group is very organised, with a forger (Donald Pleasance), a scrounger (James Garner), the tunnel king (Charles Bronson) and big X himself (Richard Attenborough) amongst others.

We follow the life of the prisoners, including newcomer Hilts (Steve McQueen) as they live a seemingly peaceful existence in the camp, whilst secretly working on three tunnels, in preparation for a mass escape attempt. The plan is to try and pull as many German soldiers as possible into searching for escapees, whilst the Allied Forces attempt to turn the tide with the Normandy beach landings.

The Great Escape has snappy dialogue, classy acting performances, and in the end some genuinely thrilling action. An important story is told about the contribution, and sacrifice, of POW’s towards D-Day, and the events that lead to Allied victory in Europe. The storyline is a serious one, and whilst there is much humour, it is always tactful and tastefully done. What could have come across as a boy’s own adventure tale (there are no female characters) actually works as an at times genuinely touching drama, of men making the best of a bad situation.

Entertaining, compelling, and perfectly constructed, The Great Escape never fails to surprise me, as with each watch i find myself just as entertained as the last. Probably one of the most well put together war films ever made, i’m glad it has found itself on the IMDb5250 list.

Sin City (2005) – 8.3 No. 93

Based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name, Sin City is a film noir that follows several of the town’s hard-boiled inhabitants. Directed by Miller himself alongside Robert Rodriguez, it had an at the time unique look, and unusual structure.

Over the hill cop Hartigan(Bruce Willis) saves a young girl from a serial child killer. Despite his success, he finds himself framed and incarcerated, as the child killer was the son of powerful Senator Rourke. Marv (Mickey Rourke) also finds he has been framed, this time for the death of a prostitute he awakes to find murdered in his bed. In an attempt to clear his name, Marv follows the trail to the Roarkfamily farm. After teaming up with the dead prostitute’s sister, Marv kills the real murderer Kevin, and his accomplice Senator Roark. He is then sentenced to death for these acts.

Dwight (CliveOwen) defends his girlfriend from her abusiveex Jackie Boy, pursuing him through Old Town. Whilst there, he becomes mixed up withthe town’s prostitute sorority when they kill Jackie Boy, only to discover he is a Sin City Detective. Dwight helps them escape mercenaries out to uncover their mistake. We rejoin Hartigan in prison. The young girl he saved has now grown up, and is a target for a mysterious yellow man. Can Hartigan save her once again?

Whether you like the movie or not, Robert Rodriguez’ Sin City is certainly a slick picture with a distinctive style. Based on Frank Miller’s cult graphic novel, the comic book visuals of the film were at the time unique. The whole thing was shot with the action in front of green screen, with backgrounds edited in later in post-production.

The movie was also shot with high definition cameras, making it an entirely digital movie. Willis’ hardboiled Hartiganis a real throwback to pulp detective stories, and his thread in the film is done the way that the videogame adaptation of Max Payne should have been done. The film-noirstyle narration by Willis seems like an easy thing to do, but listen to Clive Owen’s attempt in his thread, and you can hear the difference in quality.

Willis role as Hartigan does two things. It gently pokes fun at Willis’ action movie persona, and as the cop with the bum ticker in the twilight of his career, it’s his way of holding his hands up and accepting that age has caught him up. Willis now (mostly) takes on roles as the grizzled veteran, the old-school policeman in his retirement year. Sin City can also be credited for the beginning of Micky Rourke’s triumphant return to Hollywood, 3 years in advance of The Wrestler. His role as Marv is as perfect a portrayal of the graphic novel’s character as you could hope for, with extensive prosthetics used to achieve the perfect look.

A beautiful looking movie, with some unique ideas. Definitely worth a watch, but upon repeated viewing you may well find yourself yearning for something more, something a bit deeper.

Brief Encounter (1945) – 8.0 No. 204

Brief Encounter is the romantic tale of a housewife who falls for a handsome stranger, based on Noel Coward’s 1936 play Still Life, from a screenplay written by Coward himself.

Housewife Laura (Celia Johnson) leads an unexciting, suburban existence with husband Fred, and feels completely unappreciated. One afternoon, after a day in town, she meets dashing Doctor Alec (Trevor Howard), and the spark is immediately obvious. They run into each other again in town on another occasion, and arrange to to meet again.

After spending several days together, the initially innocent relationship inevitably becomes something more. As Laura’s feelings deepen, so do her lies to her husband, as she tries to keep her actions secret, and her feelings under control. With both parties married with children, it is a potentially explosive affair, and after several near misses, the guilt becomes too much. They finally say farewell to each other forever, both devastated by what might have been, but only too aware of what they stand to lose.

The developing relationship between the two protagonists is well written, perfectly paced, and is totally convincing. You can see how the affair started off innocently, but the whole situation has an air of inevitability about it from the beginning. The story attempts to paint both people in a sympathetic light, but it is difficult. Their actions are pretty unforgivable, and whilst you can understand how the situation could arise, and their dissatisfaction with their current relationships, the layers of deceit start to strip away your understanding.

The two lead performances are perfectly well measured, with a very natural air. The recurring theme of the train station, and the rush to make the last train keeps the tension level up, and the near misses they experience with those that know them are just coincidence enough, without resorting to extremes. That is what makes the story work, the gentle, true feel of the blossoming relationship. What Brief Encounter doesn’t succeed at is winning the characters your sympathy, which makes it hard to connect with the film.

Very well made, and brilliantly written, Brief Encounter is a successful portrait of an all too common extra-marital affair. Because of the time in which it was made, it avoids being too graphic, and its only real failing is its inability to connect you to the two protagonists, as both are guilty of reprehensible behaviour. If we were given more backstory, and a better insight into their respective relationships before the fateful day they met, it may have been easier to feel sympathetic. As it is, a very good film, with very few flaws.

Come back next Monday for update 28. You can follow our progress at www.twitter.com/baz_mann and www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

This week I watched five Animated films of differing styles and topics that were My Neighbour Totoro, The Incredibles, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Lion King and Grave of the Fireflies.

Now we are around the half way mark at week 26 I’m starting to consider the films which are not on the list and wonder how the voting for certain films was done. For example the Pixar and Miyazaki films are all stunning, brilliant movies and deserve to be in the top 250 movies or there about in terms of animated films but are they really the best animation has to offer? Wall-E was the clear favorite animated movie at the placing of 43 on our list (Now placed at 47 on the current IMDb list) and at the time of writing this post Toy Story 3 has actually got to No. 6 which is incredible.

I’m staggered that films like the stunning French masterpiece ‘Les Triplettes de Belleville’ by Sylvain Chomet is not on the list or anywhere near it at a rating of 7.6 as it is seriously one of the most incredible animated films I’ve ever seen or the film Akira which is one of the greatest and well loved Anime films of all time with a current rating of 7.9 is very close to being on the top 250 but surely deserving higher considering the impact it had, my Disney movie of choice Robin Hood sadly doesn’t feature in the list, then there is the outstanding Iron Giant which is just a work of brilliance and grossly under-appreciated or a personal favorite of mine Wings of Honneamise that has some of the most outstanding animation and intelligent storylines and then finally the greatest animated movie of all time Transformers: The Movie, one of the few films that makes me cry, all these films firmly deserve a place in the top 250 films if something like Lion King can make it, surely!.

I’ve already reviewed some animated movies from the list, Miyazaki and Pixar are the clear favorites and animated movies of choice and in terms of quality fully deserve it but surely there is a place for a wider selection of artists work to make it on there or even for classic Disney films to make more of an impression on it like Snow White, Fantasia or Pinocchio. I’ve never seen Perspolis, Paprika or Waltz with Bashir which I’ve heard are incredible but it seems they never get the credit they deserve due to the overwhelming love of Pixar and Miyazaki and I doubt that will change unless Pixar have a really bad run of films which I highly doubt will happen. What is interesting is that almost all of the none Pixar CG movies, like Kung Fu Panda (Good Fun), Ice Age (never seen), Shrek (which I despise), Over the Hedge (Ok) are not on the list even though they are very popular but they come nowhere near the quality in story and animation as Pixar manage to squeeze into their films. How to Train Your Dragon is the only one that has made it on the IMDb list since we started the project coming in at 175 which is pretty darn good and I’m yet to see it but I doubt it will hold its position in the list as long as the favorite Pixar movies have.

Then you have the classic stop motion animated films that have again started to become a popular choice for film makers with the recent arrival of Wes Anderson’s ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ and future Tim Burton project Frankenweenie, there are also classics like Corraline, Wind in the Willows and Wallace and Gromit to get our teeth into. Stop motion animation was also used to glorious effect in a wonderful and rather unknown film called The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb that was made using a combination of stop-motion animation and pixilation (live actors shot frame-by-frame)that often had live actors and puppets sharing the frame at the same time which was just an incredible viewing experience.

Most fondly remembered though is the contribution made by the incredible Ray Harryhausen who created some of the greatest animated characters of all time in films like Sinbad, Jason and the Argonaults and my favourite The original Clash of the Titans (which should have been on the List) without his creative patience these films would never have worked.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this and please tell us your favorite animated films of all time.

No. 247 – (Tonari no Totoro) My Neighbor Totoro (1988) – Rating 7.9

My Neighbor Totoro has been voted one of the best animated movies of all time in almost every poll made, sometimes making the best ever and it’s clear to see why. I’ve never enjoyed watching a classically drawn animated film as much as this with incredible characters and a heart warming story that you can’t fail to be touched by or fail to enjoy.

My Neighbor Totoro tells a wonderfully simple story of two young girls named Satsuki and Mei who move into a new home with their father, their mother is sick and in the hospital so the sisters help their dad move into the new house. As they move in, they discover some soot spirits in the house and other magical spirits wandering round nearby and as the story progresses Mei, the younger sister, wanders into the woods chasing a little creature and discovers the ginormous Totoro, a creature that’s a cross between a bunny and a huge cuddly bear that has become one of the most iconic characters in animation.

Totoro and his little buddies can only be seen by the eyes of children and he soon makes friends with Mei and Satsuki and together they enjoy the forest and nature taking flight over the trees and countryside with Totoro and also take a trippy journey on Catbus which really shows off Miyazaki’s imagination and creativity to the full. One day Mei disappears trying to look for her mother, and Satsuki asks the forest spirits to help find her and conclude a deeply touching and unforgettable film.

The magic of My Neighbour Totoro is the simplicity of it, the completely against the grain plot of two girl leads and a sick/possibly dying mother which is not how western animation does things at all and to see the instantly lovable Totoro in action is so magical you wish he existed and you could take a ride with him, The animation is dated but none the less beautifully crafted from Miyazaki and studio Ghibli and altogether it made me feel happy after watching it and not many films have such a wonderful effect.

No. 176 – The Incredibles (2004) – Rating 8.1

At the time this was Pixar’s most daring movie as it was the first time they used solely human characters and a more adult storyline this time involving a less marketable toy range superheroes but hell did it succeed in every aspect.

The animation legend Brad Bird created a superhero film that can easily stand up against any superhero film ever made and introduced some excellent characters that are attributed from the superhero archives to give gthe story an instantly recognizable feel allowing no origin story and to let us accept that this is a world of humans of which some have powers. It’s when an incident of numerous injuries occur to innocent bystanders, after Mr Incredible saves the day, that lawsuits fly in and an order enforced that implies superheroes are a menace and are outlawed leaving all superheroes to go into hiding and live normal lives.

Some years later Mr Incredible is married with three kids all desperately trying to live their lives as normal humans hiding their powers from but when Mr Incredible gets the lure to come out of retirement to use his powers again by a mysterious company after former superhero colleagues go missing and only the Family Incredible can save the day. Of course there is a lot more to the storyline that and I could go on all day talking about every magical aspect of the film from Fro-Zone, the uber-cool Samuel L Jackson voiced Iceman superhero to the wonderful Island HQ of Syndrome (Buddy Pine) the villain of the film where some of the great action scenes take place or the wonderful explanations of why Superheroes shouldn’t where cloaks to the Family Incredible using their powers together to beat the bad guy, it’s all pretty much faultless.

The film has so much humor and charm thrown in with the thrilling action that it’s maybe Pixar’s most adult friendly movie to date with kids lives being threatened, tons of violence, a quite complex plot and sharp dialogue coming at us as fast as Dash can run, it’s a true pleasure to watch Pixar showing its muscles and again proving how it dominates the world of CG Animated movies with what looks like relative ease but of course it’s not, it takes a perfect team to bring a great story, incredible animation, stunning visuals, flawless sound and vocal work that is never equaled by any other animated film of its kind. Another fully deserving film on the list.

No. 229 – Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – Rating 8.0

I’m pretty shocked this film was made back in 1993, I always seem to think it came out near the same time as The Corpse’s Bride back in 2005 and never seventeen years ago, i completely missed it and I was equally amazed by how good it was, not only in its utter perfection in stop motion animation but in its quality of storyline and character creation, it’s just utter genius.

With its unforgettable wonderfully weird opening musical number that introduces us to the inhabitants of Halloweentown, we meet the manic community which are devoted to annually creating frightening ways of scaring the hell out of people. However the hero of our film Jack Skellington or the Pumpkin King as he’s known to his friends gets tired of the old routine and whilst walking through the forest he comes upon a tree with a door to Christmastown where he finds the joys of Santa’s workers in preparation for Christmas and Jack wants a part of it.

Jack concocts a plan to kidnap Santa Claus and become the king of Christmas and attempts to get the rest of Halloweentown to join in with terrible consequences after they make horrific present creations of shrunken heads or devouring snakes but Jack unaware of the meaning of these presents sets off dressed in white beard and red outfit into the night sky drawn by his three reindeer skeletons and proceeds to distribute presents that terrify their recipients. Understanding his errors after ruining Christmas and with Santa being due to be eaten by Halloweentown’s evil Oogie Boogie man, Jack has a change of heart and has to race to save Santa and restore the worlds to their normal glory.

The stop motion animation is jaw dropping and sublime and the style has an obvious Tim Burton influence from start to finish with a look that is unique, gorgeous and so well designed which is all topped off with some excellent voiced characters to suit the excellent storyline. A Nightmare Before Christmas is a pure visual treat and a film that will stick with me for a long time to come and fully deserves its place in the top 250 list.

No. 150 – The Lion King (1994) – Rating 8.1

I’ve never been a huge fan of the classic Disney Animated movies, I’m not sure why but maybe it has something to do with the musical numbers that litter them as I kind of remember having a huge issue with the likes of Beauty and the Beast and its songs that never sat right with my tastes and what I wanted from my animated movies.

Disney’s 32^nd Animated feature is a coming of age story for Simba (Matthew Broderick) a young lion cub who runs away after believing that he is responsible for his father’s death after his evil Uncle Scar (Jeremy Irons) sets Simba up which enables him to become leader. Scar takes over the lion kingdom and forms an alliance with the hyenas who go on to abuse their role in the new regime creating a miserable and barren place to live for the rest of the lions. Meanwhile Simba befriends Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella), a wart hog, and Timon (Nathan Lane), a meerkat, and learns all about Hakuna Matata growing up in the process to be a free living happy Lion

Eventually the time comes for Simba to confront his past when he comes across a starving Nala (his childhood friend) trying to eat his friends and protects them, After he meets Rafiki the baboon priest and also receives a message from the ghost of Mufassa, his father telling him the time has come to return back to his kingdom and confront Scar to save his family and take his rightful place as king.

The story is amazingly dark at times and emotional, the characters are strong but the songs from Elton John grind to the point of bleeding ears despite the Oscars it got and that it overshadowed Hans Zimmer’s score (also Oscar winning), but of course some songs are classics and instantly recognizable and help elevate it to the classic Disney film its regarded as but like I said something doesn’t sit right with me on the film despite some great vocal casting and incredible animation set pieces despite being computer generated (See below), it’s too soppy and at times nauscious, the pacing drags at times and lacks the fun factor that Robin Hood has or any Pixar film contains by the bucket full and I really can’t agree it deserves its place on the IMDb250 list when the likes of Snow White, Pinocchio or Dumbo don’t get near.

For me The Lion King is an average film and one that really doesn’t get me excited, it does have its moments and there is no doubt it was one of the last great animated movies from Disney for many years after its release in 1994 but with John Lasseter getting behind Disney’s push for hand drawn animation again and his involvement on Princess and the Frog it has finally brought Disney back on track.

No. 184 – Grave of the Fireflies (1988) – Rating 8.0

Grave of the Fireflies tells the emotionally draining story of a pair of orphans struggling to survive after the events of firebombing of Kobe at the end of World War II and it’s an incredible example of how animated movies can be more than just a “Cartoon” and be a truly haunting and dramatic work of art.

The film opens with the reveal that this is the day that our young male protagonist Seita died and the film looks back at how we come to this horrible ending of a teenage boy lying dead in a station.

The young brother and sister, Seita and Setsuko, find out that their mother didn’t survive a firebomb attack on their home town and leave for their aunt’s home to live but due to the rationing of food and their Aunts horrible perspectiveve of her lodgers the pair leave with what they can and take up refuge in an abandoned bomb shelter where a majority of the film takes place as they set up home and struggle with hunger, personal pride and prejudice in their own personal battle for survival.

I don’t think i’ve ever watched an animated film like Grave of the Fireflies that can equally amaze you with its stunning animated depiction of war then smack you in the face with its harsh reality of it too that will bring a tear to any viewer. The bond between the siblings is wonderful to watch and 100% believable which makes it even harder to watch as things deteriorate, it’s one of the most incredible anti war films ever made in any form heartbreaking drama doesn’t come better than this.

The animation is subtle but beautifully detailed in an effortlessly realistic style by Studio Ghibli director Isao Takahata and that equalled with one of the most memorable story lines makes Grave of the Fireflies one of the greatest animated films ever made and when you see Lion King sitting 34 places above you have to wonder how this isn’t sitting higher.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mann and http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 25th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

Spartacus (1960) – 7.9 No. 232

First off this time around, i watched Spartacus. No, i watched Spartacus. No, I watched Spartacus…

Kirk Douglas is Spartacus, who is sold into slavery to fight as a Gladiator, but refuses to fight. As the slaves around him train hard, and concentrate on the trials ahead, Spartacus dreams of freedom. When time comes for his first fight, he is defeated by Draba, a giant of a man. Draba refuses to kill him, and tries to attack the Roman spectators instead, getting killed by ambitious Senator Crassus in the process. Crassus (Laurence Olivier) purchases a slave woman, and is preparing to leave. Spartacus has fallen in love with the woman Varinia however, and convinces the slaves to rise up against their oppressors.

The newly formed army march across Italy, freeing slaves as they go, aiming to escape by sea from the port of Brundisium. As the army grows, the Roman armies sent to stop them are defeated in turn. Eventually, the slave army is trapped when they arrive at the coast, their plans to escape on pirate ships scuppered by Crassus, who has bribed their proposed saviours. Spartacus’ army, hopelessly outnumbered, is defeated. The end is nigh for the hero, but in his last moments he is allowed to find solace in the knowledge that his son may live free.

The story of Spartacus is fascinating, but save for a few moments, the first two thirds of the movie seem a bit plodding. One of the greater early moments, when Spartacus and Draba await their fight to the death, is brilliantly filmed. Instead of viewing the preceding battle between two of their fellow gladiators, we watch the two men sitting across from each other, contemplating what is about to happen, with the barest glimpse of the fight going on outside. It’s a shame such powerful moments are somewhat dampened by the sheer length of the movie.

When things do get going, and Spartacus discovers his army are marching into a trap, the plot elements come together, and the film becomes much more interesting. The defeat is handled well, Spartacus’ final confrontation with his friend Antoninus, played by Tony Curtis in one of his finest roles, is one of the most emotionally affecting moments of the film. Finally, Spartacus discovering the fate of his son as he dies slowly on the cross, despite feeling somewhat contrived, is also greatly touching.

The brilliance of Director Stanley Kubrick is definitely on display here. Some fantastic moments, great cinematography, and the cold and realistic ending are clear signs of his presence. That a director like Kubrick was handed the reigns of what is, on the surface, a popcorn action epic is incredible really. I hold it akin to Oliver Stone making Transformers , or Terry Gilliam being handed the reigns to Pirates of the Carribean. But it really works well in places, elevating what would otherwise be a pretty straightforward entertainment piece.

A film of brilliance, that unfortunatley just seems a little too stretched out for what is contained within. I find myself wondering if there was studio interference, however, as there are sections that don’t seem to bear Kubrick’s stamp. Definitely worth multiple viewings, however, as i’m sure there are some great moments that i’ve missed.

Gandhi (1982) – 8.1 No. 166

Ben Kingsley is a very well respected British actor. More recently, he has become known for poorly written, over the top villain roles, but at his height, he was one of the best. It was the role of Mahatma Gandhi that started it all off for him.

The film begins with Gandhi in 1893. A young lawyer travelling across South Africa by train, Gandhi is thrown off of for travelling in first class, despite having a ticket. Gandhi is outraged to discover this prejudice exists in the country, and his life is changed for ever. He begins a campaign for equal rights for Indians in South Africa. It is a peaceful campaign, and after enduring much hostility and threats of violence, he is eventually victorious.

Returning to India, Gandhi then takes up the fight for India’s independence from Britain. His once again peaceful campaign is treated with violence, hatred, and several spells behind bars. The events of World War II lead to Britain turning India over, but there then begins a battle between Hindu and Muslim people instead. Gandhi begins a hunger campaign, vowing to starve unless the fighting ends. Eventually, his plan works, and part of India becomes the new country of Pakistan. This is not what Gandhi wanted, and he spends his last days trying to end the continuing conflict between the two religions.

David Attenborough’s filmmaking is very accomplished, but to me, lacks a certain flair. Gandhi’s story is well told, and the important elements are present, with the right amount of condensing done to avoid any wasted screen-time.

It does feel, however, that the director, and or/the writer have busied themselves too much with following the history of the characters actions, and spent precious little time exploring the motivations of the character himself. Gandhi was clearly a very complex man. He had wonderful, selfless ideals, and these are certainly on display here, but there needs to be more exploration of how the events of history affected him emotionally, and there is scant depiction of the doubts he must surely have suffered at times.

Ben Kingsley’s transformation into the character is very convincing, and the film is full of fine performances. Unfortunately, i don’t feel that it works as a compelling movie, does not do enough to truly represent the spirit of the man himself. The story is told, and it is an important one, but i just don’t get the emotional connection with the character that his great actions deserve.

American History X (1998) – 8.5 No. 38

Edward Norton has forged a reputation as one of the best respected actors of a generation whilst, on the whole, making films that are accessible to the Vue multiplex crowd. American History X fits into that category, just, but does it suffer as a consequence of that accessibility?

Norton plays Derek, a white supremacist, whose beliefs and behaviours are causing unrest within his family unit. After a particularly violent encounter with some local black youths, he finds himself incarcerated, leaving his family to cope on their own.

Derek’s younger brother, Daniel, has followed in his brothers footsteps, resulting in clashes with black classmates, and disciplinary problems at school. His principal tasks him with writing an essay about his brothers experience, coinciding with Derek’s release. He is somewhat dismayed to find his older brother trying to shake off his previous life, which results in great conflict with the former supremacist’s past associates.

The story is told initially through the eyes of Derek’s younger brother, but (probably due to Norton’s reported interference) this seems to be discarded quite quickly. In the beginning, a serious and well drawn out story seems to be developing, but once Norton’s character is released, and we are treated to his backstory, a more straightforward, simple minded exploration of the issues occurs.

The issues at hand are serious ones, and definitely deserving of exploration. Unfortunately, American History X boils this down to a very two-dimensional, simplistic view. There are some hard hitting moments, and violent altercations that are almost difficult to watch. Unfortunately, the story and characters are underwritten. The obvious beats are there, but with no real attempt to tie them into a compelling, satisfying narrative.

A shame, because the performances are strong, particularly from Norton. His look and behaviour in full neo-nazi form is spot on, and it is only really his whiny sounding voice that, for whatever reason, doesn’t seem to fit the part. Edward Furlong as his brother Daniel is also very good, and it is a shame the narrative is seemingly taken away from his character, as it would be interesting to be allowed a greater insight into his inner conflict when he is met with his brother’s change of view.

A nice attempt, but far too shallow to do justice to a very serious, and continuing problem not just in America, but around the world. Like several films i have looked at, probably in the list more for the sentiment than the actual execution.

Star Trek (2009) – 8.1 No. 144

JJ Abrams’ 2009 movie was a highly anticipated reboot of the phenomenally popular original Star Trek series. There was much conjecture, and then debate over the casting of the iconic characters from the series. When the movie was finally released, it came with an avalanche of publicity, and met with hyperbolic reviews. Looking back now, over a year later, it is difficult to see why it received such unanimous praise.

Chris Pine is young James T Kirk. His father was a Star Fleet captain for less than 20 minutes, dying when Kirk was just entering the world. Some 20 years later, Kirk is a waster. Drinking, fighting, and grand theft auto are all he knows. When a friend of his fathers offers him a chance to make something of himself he eventually, reluctantly, agrees.

Kirk cheats at an infamous battle simulation exercise, and following clashes with the simulation’s programmer Mr Spock, he is on the verge of being flunked out of the Academy when all Hell breaks loose. A Romulan ship is causing havoc, and with a lack of expertly manned federation ships in the vicinity, it is up to the young cadets to stop them. Kirk stows aboard, is ejected, and then after an encounter with a new old friend, takes charge of the USS Enterprise and saves the day.

The re-casting of the popular sci-fi series is mostly successful, with Karl Urban as Bones and Heroes’ Zachary Quinto as Spock particularly impressive. Simon Pegg looks a bit out of place as Scotty, but this is as much a product of the way his character is written as it is with his bewildered look, and dodgy Scottish accent. His character is symbolic of my biggest problem with JJ Abram’s Star Trek. There is far too much silly. The circumstances around the elder Spock’s interjection is preposterous enough, but the slapstick style of much of the humour is just too much.

The action is, at times, thrilling, and there are some fun nods to the original sixties series and characters. The re-imagined settings and designs are fantastic, and that persistent lens flare is only slightly annoying. Overall, i was seriously underwhelmed though. If and when there is a sequel, i will give it a go in hopes of improvement, but as it stands, for me, Star Trek really has no place in the IMDb250 list.

The Hustler (1961) – 8.0 No. 189

Paul Newman has made many iconic roles his own over his long career, and 1961′s The Hustler, based on the novel of the same name, is one of the most enduring.

Newman is ‘Fast Eddie’ Felson, a small time pool hustler desperate to be known as the best. Eddie travels across country with his partner in a quest to take on Minnesota Fats, one of the greatest pool players in the country, and prove himself as number one. Unfortunately, despite playing well and winning a great deal of Minnesota’s money, alcohol and arrogance prove to be Felson’s downfall.

Defeat hits the hustler hard, and when he meets beautiful author Sarah, he starts up a relationship, leaving the pool game behind. Felson’s partner turns up, urging him to get back in the game. Felson turns him down, but his obsession with the game, and his strained relationship with Sarah lead him to going back on the road with her in tow.

When Felson starts to put the game before his relationship with Sarah, she realises he isn’t in love with her. Having left her home behind, she now has nothing left to live for, feeling alone and miserable. When this fragile state leads to her tragic parting with Felsom, he gambles every last penny on one more doomed crack at Minnesota Fats. Having lost the only person who ever loved him, and realising his personal demons will prevent him ever becoming a real success, Felson ends up a broken man.

Paul Newman has played a series of roguish, and often tragic characters throughout his career. These characters usually come with a certain charm, and like-ability. That isn’t allowed by the character of Felson here. A compulsive, self destructive personality, with a huge ego to boot, Felson has no real redeeming features. In the end, he barely even wins your pity. The tragic character here is really Sarah, brilliantly played by Piper Laurie. Her story arc is the most complete, and the most emotionally satisfying of the movie. You genuinely pity her, and share her sadness. Whilst pool is the name of the game, it is her journey, and the misery caused by the destructive relationship shared between her and Felson that is at the heart of the story.

A very dark tale, which whilst remembered as Newman’s film, belongs to Laurie’s tragic Sarah. The Hustler is well written, and in parts genuinely affecting. The tragic story, and downbeat ending are a surprise considering how the movie begins, which only serves to make it all the more affecting. One of the top 250 films ever made? Possibly, just don’t go in expecting a lot of laughs.

Come back next Monday for update 25. You can follow our progress at www.twitter.com/baz_mann and www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest Internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 24th update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find all our previous week’s updates here.

No. 122 – For a Few Dollars More (1965) – Rating 8.2

Filmed in 1965, For A Few Dollars More reunites Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood and Ennio Morricone to make the middle part of the Dollars Trilogy which is a rare trilogy that improves with each film.

The second spaghetti western in Leone’s trilogy that includes A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, it features two rival bounty hunters Monco (Eastwood) and Lt. Douglas Mortimer (Van Cleef) competing for the scalp of vicious bandit El Indio (Gian Maria Volonte) before striking an uneasy alliance to catch their man and hatch a plan where Monco infiltrates El Indio’s gang to help get the odds on their side.

After a bank raid for a hell of a lot of money by Indio and a plan gone a bit wrong by the bounty hunting team they end up being caught by Indio and his gang but end up in a further twist when Indio plans to kill his own men to keep the money for himself which eventually leaves us with just Monco, Mortimer and Indio and also reveals the flashback story of the reasons behind Douglas Mortimer’s passion to kill Indio. Monco steps aside ensuring Indio plays a fair game in a final draw to the death with Mortimer, it’s Classic Sergio Leone.

For a Few Dollars more is a huge improvement from the very enjoyable Fist full of Dollars and a clear sign of things to come with the almost perfect Good, Bad and the Ugly which shows Leone as having a wonderful eye for story and characters. Lee Van Cleef is amazing as Mortimer and Volonte is one of my favourite movie villains as he just rules the screen with evilness and a horrible level of calm. Morricone’s score is again instantly recognizable and magical fitting the film perfectly. Then there is Eastwood who again just fantastically nails the role of his iconic cowboy with an heavy coating of coolness doing everything left-handed so his right hand is always remaining on his gun underneath his trademark poncho and uttering some wonderful lines and when everything comes together under the directing of Sergio Leone magic just happens on screen, the close-ups, the wide shots and the attention to detail is just sublime. I knew little of Leone’s movies before the project and now two of his films are in my all time favourite movies.

No. 97 – The Great Dictator (1940) – Rating 8.3

The Great Dictator is the 5^th Chaplin film from the project and placed 2^nd out of the Chaplin films on the list, I would have to agree with it being the 2^nd best Chaplin film from the bunch. The Great Dictator was Chaplin’s first talkie movie having continued to make silent movies for about 12 years into the age of sound movies, It was his greatest commercial success but also it’s regarded as his last great movie and it was the last time we saw the iconic Tramp character again.

The story evolves around a barber played by Chaplin who is a World War 1 soldier stricken with amnesia after an aircraft accident. After twenty years in a hospital he returns to his Jewish town in Tomania where he opens his forgotten shop blissfully unaware of how the world has changed. The country is run by Adenoid Hynkel who bares an uncanny likeness to the barber and of course Hitler and we follow the Barbers struggles against the regime with the local residents trying to fight back against the storm troopers and plot to assassinate Hynkel who constantly restrict their lives.

We also follow Hynkel as he plots to kill off all the Jews (then the brunettes) with the help of his loyal generals Field Marshal Herring (Hermann Goring) and Propaganda Minister Garbitsch (Joseph Goebbels) and with the visit of the dictator Benzoni Napoloni (played superbly by Jack Oakie) of the neighbouring country of Bacteria that things descend into chaos as they both try to get the upper hand of each other and argue about almost everything whilst edging war with Tomania ever closer. It’s only towards the end the inevitable confusion of identity between Hynkel and the barber allows The Barber to mistakenly take the role of Hynkel and make a speech to the world to end the war which just stops the films narrative dead and the film stops being a parody with what feels like Chaplin stepping out of character to make it himself to the world and over time it feels ever more appropriate.

The Great Dictator is anexcellent film, Chaplin plays the crazed dictator Hynkel with such vigour in his savage and unconcealed parody of Hitler that it gives the film it’s immortality in movie history and provides one of the most memorable character parodies of all time. Chaplin actually studied hours of footage to capture Hitler’s mannerisms and the pay off is not only hilarious but surreally comparable as he spouts of gobbledygook German with English words thrown in (check out the clip below).

The Great Dictator has some of the funniest scenes especially when giving the speech as Hynkel which had me laughing so hard. There are also some classic comedy moments like when he shaves a customer in time to classical music or when the two Dictators of Hynkel and Napoloni are sitting in barber chairs both trying to make theirs higher than the other, it’s charming, it’s funny, it’s brutally honest and it goes for the jugular in its attack on Hitler and war. Chaplin is a true legend of cinema and his contribution will never be forgotten.

No. 115 – A Touch of Evil (1958) – Rating 8.2

A knew very little about A Touch of Evil before watching it and after three minutes I was hooked. Orson Welles directs and stars alongside Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh in a brilliant film noir that is quite simply breathtaking.

The film opens up with a 3 minute 20 second continuous tracking shot where we witness a bomb being placed in the rear of a car and we follow it through the dilapidated city streets of Los Robles which borders Mexico. As the car cruises round, we see local town folk going about their business, clubs pumping out music, seedy hotels and we’re introduced to newlywed cop Mike Vargas (Heston) and his wife Susan (Janet Leigh) who are in town on their honeymoon walking the streets to the border. The camera follows the scene going to great heights to get wide angled shots then swooping down low to catch the players of the film all in one take and it’s glorious and it ends with the car exploding for the films story to begin.

The final take was apparently done on the nights last attempt after multiple tries due to one minor character constantly fluffing his lines and Orson told him just mumble anything and we’ll dub it in after, when you watch it you’ll see the sun just rising in distance.

The arrival on the crime scene of unethical, overweight, corrupt junkie Hank Quinlan brings and instant and exciting conflict between him and Vargas that quickly proceeds into ever increasing rivalry, Quinlan accuses a Mexican of the crime and Vargas is sure of coverup and gets too close to the truth so Quinlan joins forces with local crime boss to impugn his character which puts his wife in danger and heads the film into a breakneck paced finale.

The plot is stunningly original with some of the most interesting characters in any movie i’ve seen in the IMDb250 so far, Welles is intimidating as screen filling Quinlan and dominates the movie with his vile character and personality and Heston is brilliant as the “Mexican” Vargas adding a stunning performance to display the anxiety of his characters situation but it’s an ensemble performance that makes it work so well with even the minor roles filled with interesting and memorable characters including an incredibly creepy performance from motel manager Dennis Weaver, a nice cameo from Marlene Dietrich and especially the Gang members that terrorise Susie Vargas which still haunt me.

The look and pace of the film is wonderful and full of Welles stylistic visual shots with wonderful angles and gloriously staged black and white lighted scenes throughout which showcase his talent as one of the best directors of all time and the stories I’ve read about the post production of this film is stunning as Orson Welles was sacked and it was re-edited and partially re-shot by Director Harry Keller and Welles wrote a 58 page memo asking for changes to be made which were ignored. in 1998 Walter Murch and Universal released as close to the Welles version as they could using his 58 page memo and original material so we get a film we were suppose to see, it’s as close to a Directors cut you could want.

Wonderful film and something very special from Orson Welles. Check out the incredible opening shot below.

No. 89 – All About Eve (1950) – Rating 8.3

Bette Davis puts in arguably the finest female performance of the IMDb250 films so far in All About Eve and it is easily one of the most wonderful dialogue filled movies too.

No. 249 – Infernal Affairs (2002) – Rating 7.9

The film Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Departed’ is a remake of and one of the most successful Hong Kong films of all time, it’s one of those films I’m glad I saw shortly after its release but one that I’m gutted I saw as it ruined the shock value of the Departed end scene which had friends jaws dropping in abundance. Infernal Affairs, or its native title Mou Gaan Dou, sits 198 places below its remade counterpart The Departed which is at 51 on our list and is the only film to have both the original and remake on the same list which says something about the films quality in story that has people voting so highly for it.

Infernal affairs follows the story of two moles, Chen Wing Yan (Tony Leung) who is a cop working undercover in the Triads for 10 years and Inspector Lau Kin Ming (Andy Lau) who is a member of the Triads is rising star in the police force and the film covers the cat and mouse chase of finding out who is the Cop and who is the mole. The story works so well as only one member of the police force, Wong Chi Shing (Anthony Wong), knows the undercover cops identity and the mole ensures the gang is always one step in front of the police as he knows there next move.

The crisis in identity for the undercover cop is handled really well by the brilliant Tony Leung who plays a similar role to his undercover cop in John Woo’s Hard Boiled and is equally as enjoyable. The film’s focus is not on violence or brutality of the Triads business but focuses on the gripping and enthralling way of outsmarting your enemy and the paranoia of not knowing who your enemy is and then how far do you go without compromising your identity to the people you work with, it really is some of the most exciting edge of your seat thriller/action/drama films you will ever see.

For me Infernal affairs carries off some of the scenes far better than The Departed like the Police Commander being thrown off the roof is a complete surprise as he hits the roof of a car in front of Chen where as in the Departed we see Martin Sheen falling before he hits the ground which removes the shock factor of a major turning point in the plot as he is the only person who knows his identity, However seeing Leonardo Di Caprio’s head explode when shot as the lift doors open is handled better in the Departed and seeing such a major character and star taken out like that is a truly remarkable and brave moment to have in a film, It’s such a brilliant way to end the film.

I’ve seen the two following films in the series with part two being a prequel showing the young versions of Chen Wing Yan and Lau Kin Ming growing up which is pretty good and the third film that is a sequel and prequel to events of the first film brings the film full circle but seems a bit unnecessary but overall a real achievement in story telling.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mann and http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

]]> http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/07/05/heyuguys-imdb250-project-week-24/feed/ 0 http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/28/heyuguys-imdb250-project-%e2%80%93-week-23/ http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2010/06/28/heyuguys-imdb250-project-%e2%80%93-week-23/#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:20:56 +0000 Barry Steele http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/?p=27711

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 23rd update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) – 8.0 No. 197

I’m really not a fan of Clint Eastwood’s work, despite the fact he is a darling of the academy, and has several films in this list. I enjoyed Unforgiven, the only Eastwood movie i’ve watched for the project so far, but only to a point. Letters was another of his Oscar contenders, but is it any better than his other work?

Letters follows several soldiers of different rank, including Ken Watanabe as General Kuribayashi, and Kazunari Ninomiya as Private Saigo, as they prepare for the inevitable Allied attack on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Conditions are poor, and the lower ranked soldiers are treated cruelly, until General Kuribayashi turns up, and tries to reorganise the sad looking army.

We all know what happened at Iwo Jima, but we certainly don’t know the fashion in which it occurred. We think of Japan as the enemy, and they were. That doesn’t make their soldiers evil however, and this is Eastwood’s attempt to show that.

And it works. You can’t help but feel for the Japanese soldiers, forced to leave their families to defend the indefensible, in the face of impossible odds. The outpost on the island of Iwo Jima was hung out to dry, despite being a valuable base of operation. Japan really should have done their utmost to defend the island, to stop the allied forces from being able to use it as a launching point. It was a huge tactical mistake.

It was also an inexcusable sacrifice of life. The soldiers charged with defending the island are left hungry, ill, and with no chance for victory. Eastwood’s film does a fantastic job of displaying this, with a genuinely sympathetic look at the final days of the Japanese soldiers. Where his flip-side movie Flags of our Fathers was saccharine and tedious, Letters from Iwo Jimo is touching and subtle. With beautiful cinematography, and measured acting performances, it is, for me, his best movie.

I have been surprised by how many of Eastwood’s movies are in the IMDb250, but for once i have been surprised in a good way. Letters From Iwo Jima is possibly his only movie that belongs in this list, and it was an absolute pleasure to watch. I hope to see more of Eastwood’s work constructed in such a compelling and stylish way.

Sunset Boulevard (1950) – 8.6 No. 32

The first of two movies in this update that deal with women who aren’t quite living in the real world, Sunset Boulevard is written and directed by Billy Wilder.

William Holden is Joe Gillis, a Hollywood writer in crisis. Once successful, with numerous credits to his name, he has become a hack. Knocking out screenplays in a desperate attempt to make some money, he is failing miserably. He is broke, and his car is about to be repossessed. It is whilst attempting to escape the repo men that he stumbles upon a big house. It is the home of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). She was once a big star in the silent movie era, but now talkies have come along, and her star has fallen. She has written a screenplay, her attempt at resurrecting her own career. She presses Gillis into redrafting it for her, working with her in her home. With no other options on the horizon, he reluctantly agrees to it, but finds he is forced deeper and deeper into compromise, until he finds himself a kept man press-ganged into a romantic relationship with the aging starlet.

As he learns more about her past, and her fragile emotional state, he looks for a way out, and sets to work on another script secretly. As he falls for another woman, he finds he has no option but to bring his shambolic new life into the open, in order to escape his misery. This pushes the fragile Desmond over the edge however, and the doomed partnership ends in tragedy.

Sunset Boulevard is a fascinating insight into forties Hollywood, the studio system, and what happens to stars when their careers come to a standstill. After so many years in the limelight, beloved by millions, Desmond finds it impossible to let go. Enabled by her faithful servant Max, she has been allowed to retain delusions of superstar status, and uses her money and Holden’s desperation to try to cling on to a Hollywood dream.

Though the story is told from the point of view of Holden’s Gillis, this is Swanson’s movie. She is brilliant as the increasingly deranged Desmond, losing her dignity in the act of trying to retain it. Holden does a good job as the reluctant writer gradually dragged in to an unhealthy relationship, and his confusion over the choice between being Desmond’s plaything, or a returning to his struggles is well played out. He is shown to be somewhat of a coward in the end, only really taking steps to end the situation when he finds their are prospects for him after all, both romantically and in his career.

Sunset Boulevard is fantastic. Great characters, with frighteningly real traits and flaws, watching Desmond’s descent is like watching a car wreck. You don’t know whether to be repulsed by her, or feel sorry for her. With an absolutely chilling final scene, Sunset Boulevard is easily one of the best movies based around the industry, and thanks to some great writing and a wonderful performance by Swanson, it is deserving of its position in the list, and its reputation in general.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) – 8.0 No. 203

Another movie about a woman with a fragile emotional state, A Streetcar Named Desire stars Viven Leigh as ex-prostitute Blanche DuBois, Kim Hunter as her sister Stella, and Marlon Brando as her cruel brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski.

Blanche timidly enters a New Orleans bowling alley, and the life of her sister and her husband. Blanche acts like a southern lady, with airs and graces and a trunk of fine furs. Her personality and fraudulent aura of elegance clash immediately with the brutish Stanley, who resents her presence in his home from day one.

As Blanche’s time at her sister’s home lengthens, the cracks begin to appear in her facade. With a mysterious past, an obsession with her appearance, over-reliance on alcohol and desperation to find a man, her behaviour starts to grate on the nerves of her brother-in-law, and inevitably this causes problems between himself and wife Stella.

Eventually Blanche’s chequered past comes to light, and her emotional state starts to deteriorate quickly. With her chances at marriage dashed, and the relentless taunts from her brother-in-law turning into physical abuse driving her over the edge, Blanche eventually has to be carted off, resulting in the end of Stella and Stanley’s damaged relationship.

A Streetcar Named Desire is very atmospheric. Despite only taking place in a couple of different locations, the hot, grimy feel of New Orleans is palpable, as is the simmering temper and hatred of Stanley towards Blanche. Leigh is believably batty, as her grandiose act even in the beginning only weakly papers over her obvious emotional problems. The more she attempts to put on airs, the more desperate she looks. Brando is also brilliant, and you genuinely believe his malicious intent as he tries to drive the nail into the heart of his sister in law.

You can’t help but feel for Blanche, and worry for her emotional state, as every tic and character flaw is fully out on display. She is a genuinely troubled character, and Leigh portrays it brilliantly. At times difficult to watch, but brilliantly constructed, A Streetcar Named Desire can be accused of a plodding pace at times. It is however a very well written and acted picture, and though it will never be a personal favourite, i can appreciate why it is present in the list.

Sleuth (1972) – 8.0 No. 208

Yet another film based on a play this week, along with A Steetcar Named Desire. Starring two fantastic British actors in Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, it is a wonder that i only really heard about Sleuth this year. I saw it on the list when we began the project, and in the last few months a couple of people have recommended it, so i was looking forward to watching it for the first time.

Olivier is well off crime writer Andrew Wyke, who invites the younger Milo Tindle, an Anglo-Italian hair dresser played by Caine to his country home. It seems that Tindle has been seeing Wyke’s wife Marguerite, and he has been summoned to hear a proposition. If he steals some of Wyke’s valuables, he can sell them and keep the profits, and Wyke’s wife, whilst he collects the insurance money.

Tindle is made to disguise himself and stage the burglary, but it turns out to be a trick, so that Wyke can take revenge on him. Wyke shoots Tindle, and disposes of the body. Two days later, a policeman arrives to question Wyke. Tindle is missing, and the trail leads here. After several attempts at cover up, Wyke finally relents, and admits Tindle was there. He claims, however, that it was a fake murder, and that Tindleis in fact alive. The evidence suggests otherwise however, and what started out as a cruel game starts to look like it may have some dire consequences.

Sleuth is all set in one location, performed by just two actors. Why, then, is it so brilliant? The storyline is deceptively simple. A deadly game of one-upmanship, the tricks employed, and the resulting twists aren’t necessarily groundbreaking. Really, it is the performances from two great actors that make Sleuth such a fantastically enjoyable watch. Both characters start off seemingly in fairly jovial moods, but as the tricks escalate so do tensions. Caine goes from being a fairly naive, timid man to a volcano of emotion by the end of the film. Olivier in turn is initially a larger than life, theatrical being. Slowly, as he is worn down and sees his ingenious plan come back to bite him, he grows more panicked, and thrown out of his bravado, until finally his spirit is crushed.

A fascinating look at mind games, and how cruel jokes can turn incredibly sour, Sleuth is a very watchable, and at times very compelling story. Whether it is one of the greatest movies of al time is open to debate, but i certainly would watch Sleuth again over many of the movies i have seen so far on the list.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) – 8.0 No. 191

I have seen one silent movie so far for the project, that being the brilliant Metropolis. A high bar set then, and one that Sunrise would struggle to leap.

A man, his wife and their young son live in a small village. Their life is far from idyllic however. a glamorous woman from the city is vacationing there, and has begun a tumultuous affair with the man. Whenever his wife’s attention is diverted, he takes the opportunity to slip away and spend time with his lover. His wife is understandably miserable, but worse is yet to come. The lover convinces the man that they could move to the city together, but that he must dispose of his wife first, by drowning her.

The man is unable to bring himself to do it, however, but she senses his intentions. In a state of shock, she tries to run away, and as he pursues her they end up in the city together themselves. With their relationship at rock bottom, woman miserable, man beside himself with remorse, they have the opportunity to start their life together again, and to fall in love for the second time.

Sunrise is a masterful example of silent film. The actions of the characters, the simplicity of the story, and the brilliant camera work and editing combine to tell a tale that leaves mere words redundant. In fact, the captions that are used are completely unnecessary, though they are admittedly few and far between. The lover looks suitably dangerous and seductive. The man suitably sullen and sheepish, and his wife genuinely looks miserable, at her wits end.

By use of good editing, flashbacks and imagined sequences, we can tell exactly what is happening, and what each character is feeling at any given moment. Though the man’s actions are reprehensible, your full sympathy is with his wife, and you can’t help but pull for them throughout. The events of the day depicted match perfectly the way their life has unfolded, and in both cases a terrible end is threatened. Sunrise is a fantastic example of both beautiful storytelling, and brilliant technical filmmaking. A worthy match for Metropolis, and a true pleasure to watch.

Come back next Monday for update 24. You can follow our progress at www.twitter.com/baz_mann and www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year, find it here. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 22nd update and my next five films watched for the project. I had a few double bills this week starting with Magnolia that I watched directly after Boogie Nights (which unfortunately doesn’t feature on our IMDb List) which got me in the mood for Paul Thomas Anderson’s brilliant movie, I then did the Kill Bill fims back to back which was the most amount of fun and finished off with a Woody Allen Double bill that was enjoyable but a very similar experience when watching them so closely after one another, but that didn’t ruin the enjoyment of such well crafted comedy movies.

No. 211 – Magnolia (1999) – Rating 8.0

Epic Genius from Paul Thomas Anderson, from it’s wonderful start with the tales of coincidences and happenings, then the superb one take tracking shot introducing us to a bunch of characters to its bonkers conclusion with raining frogs, Magnolia is a jaw dropping and wonderful film.

In a nut shell:- Magnolia spans a day in the life of a group of residents in San Fernando Valley in California with lonely policeman Jim Kurring (John C. Reilly) who falls for a drug user Claudia (Melora Walters), who in turn has issues with her father and quiz-show host Jimmy Gator(Philip Baker Hall) whose show ‘What Do Kids Know?’ has genius child star Stanley (Jeremy Blackman) going for a record number of wins whilst former star of the show ‘Quiz Kid’ Donnie Smith (W.H. Macy) craves love, money and braces as nurse Phil (Philip Seymour Hoffman) tends to a dying television tycoon and founder of the ‘What Do Kids Know’ show Earl Partridge (Jason Robards) whose young wife Linda (Julianne Moore) agonizes over their relationship and his condition as Nurse Phil, on Earl’s request, tries to find his exiled son Frank T.J. Mackey (Tom Cruise) who teaches ‘‘Seduce and Destroy’’ classes to men.

The plot expands on these characters and their situations to build a fascinating intertwining story and the performances are, without exception, superb with Tom Cruise delivering an outstanding performance as T.J. Mackey and fully deserving of his Oscar nomination for his role. But overall the film’s genius lies in Paul Thomas Anderson’s brilliant directing forging a truly addictive movie which weaves the stories together so easily letting us bond with each character enough so they aren’t one dimensional and all offer something solid to the brilliant to Magnolia, Anderson also uses Aimee Mann’s songs to wonderful effect particularly when each character sings a line from her amazing song ‘Save Me’ that builds up to the Froggy finale.

An incredible film and one of my favourite all time movies and in my opinion not as watchable as Boogie Nights but very dam close. Check out the brilliant opening to get you in the mood.

No. 134 – Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) – Rating 8.2

Tarantino returned after a six year hiatus since the release of Jackie Brown to make the superb Kill Bill and dam was it a wondrous return to movie making from one of the greatest directors of all time.

Kill Bill is Tarantino’s tribute to so many genre’s like the Shaw Brothers martial art movies, Japanese Samurai, westerns, Kung Fu and Manga comics that was considered too long by Miramax so it was cut into two parts and whether that is right or wrong is a personal choice, I could easily have watched the four hour film at the cinema but I can understand as they equally make two fine movies as the pacing is so different from Volume 1 and Volume 2.
Kill Bill stars Uma Thurman as the Bride who after being kicked about and shot in the head by Bill and her former colleagues/assassins (the Deadly Viper Assassin Squad) awakens from her coma to find a metal plate in her head and a baby no longer in her belly so she starts to plan a revenge that will take her to each of her former friends and kill them one by one finishing with Bill. Simple.

The story is fantastic and stylistically told in the typical Tarantino Non-Linear way with Volume one dealing with The Brides recuperation from her coma and her fights with No.2 on he Death List Five, Vernita Green ‘Copper Head’ (Vivica A Fox) and No.1 on the list, O-Ren-Ishii ‘Cottonmouth’ (Lucy Lui) with their fight at the House of Blue leaves turning into one of the finest and goriest fights seen in years and one that delivers enjoyment, excitement and wonderment in abundance but what else would you expect from the mind of Tarantino and the choreography of Yeun Woo-Ping. What’s great is we never see Bill throughout the first Volume and only hear his voice and it adds a wonderful menace and anticipation to seeing the second part.

The sub plot of The Bride getting a samurai sword from Hattori Hanzo played by the legend Sonny Chiba is a wonderful moment as to is the inclusion of Gordon Lui who played Johnny Mo the leader of O-Ren-Ishii’s army of body guards who get slaughtered in the House of Blue Leaves in the movies most memorable scene which all kicks off with the Brides fight with the excellent sadistic Gogo Yubari played by Chiaki Kuriyama from Battle Royal fame completes a wonderful cast.

The dialogue is not at your typical quotable Tarantino level but Kill Bill hints at a fun side and complete personal enjoyment to Tarantino’s directing which blossoms further in his later films of Death Proof and Inglorious Basterds which makes Quentin Tarantino easily one of the most satisfying directors of this generation to watch. Kill Bill gave me one of the most enjoyable films on the list so far, it’s just pure fun, incredibly cool especially if you get the references to his previous films or to the genre’s that he is showing so much love for and of course a fabulous soundtrack that always accompanies his films that show off each scene to its full potential. Mixed in with the amazing film is an incredibly well animated back story to O-Ren-Ishii and how her parents were murdered and she became a ruthless killer, It’s so good I wanted to see 2 hours of it and that it was made by the legendary Production I.G company of Ghost in Shell, Patlabor and specifically Blood: Last Vampire that The Kill Bill sequence takes its style from, its just a wonderful moment of the film.

Kill Bill is all kinds of awesome and will always be a favorite of mine that will always catch my eye when scrolling through the TV guide or browsing by DVD collection, love it, will always love it and if you haven’t seen it you will love it too.

Check out the Full Uncut and in colour House of Blue Leaves fight below: BEWARE contains a whole lot of BLOOD

No. 205 – Kill Bill 2 (2004) – Rating 8.0

Kill Bill Volume 2 split opinions, maybe because people wanted more of the same from Volume 1 but people do forget that Kill Bill was intended to be one film and so repeating the action beautifully shown previously would have been a mistake in a one movie film which is why we have a more story and character driven second part which for me adds so much to the Kill Bill story.

So what we get in Volume 2 is a back story of The Brides training with Pei Mei, the events that led to the wedding day massacre, her encounters with two more on her Death List Five being Budd and Elle, her hunt and final showdown with Bill and the reveal of the Brides name is Beatrix Kiddo. All parts of Volume 2 offer something uniquely Tarantino and again show his fondness and appreciation for classic martial art movies, especially with the Brides Training with Pei Mei as the character is a reoccurring legend in a few classic old kung fu movies and brought to life wonderfully by Gordon Lui (Johnny Mo in Vol 1) who Bill takes Beatrix to for training but we come across that story line later after she hunts down the next name on her list, Budd ‘Sidewinder’(Michael Madsen) who gets the better of her, sticks her in a coffin and buries her which is where we come back to her training with Pei Mei who we find teaches her how to punch through wood at short distances (How many people at least tried it when they got home!?) it’s very cool and we also learn why Elle Driver wears an eye patch due to betraying Pei Mei.

Before I describe the whole film as I love it so much, Elle kills Budd for Beatrix’s Hanzo Sword and then Beatrix has an awesome fight with Elle which ends in a way that must be setting up a reference to Zatoichi with Elle becoming a blind Samurai in a sequel, Lets hope so as long as they bring in Beat Takeshi in some role! The wonderful ending comes all too soon where Beatrix comes face to face with Bill played by the legend David Carradine and her daughter she presumed dead and with a phenomenally cool face off with Bill including a brilliant Superhero speech about superman concluding with the outrageous ‘Five point palm exploding heart technique’ from Beatrix.

Apologies for the randomness of the review, I had such a blast remembering all the fun parts, acting and cool little moments in Kill Bill I just rambled on, So conclude….Again another superbly made from Tarantino, supremely acted by everyone and incredibly entertaining from start to finish, Kill Bill should be classed as one film but both definitely deserve to be here as individual movies too.

No. 132 – Annie Hall (1977) – Rating 8.2

Annie Hall is the first of my Woody Allen double feature and one of the first films I ever saw of his many years ago and is easily one of his funniest and accessible films he’s made. Woody Allen pretty much always play the same character and like Charlie Chaplin’s ‘the Tramp’ it’s hard to get bored of him as he is likable, funny entertaining and in Annie Hall it doesn’t come much funnier.

Annie Hall was the film that denied Star Wars from getting the Oscar it deserved back in 1978 and after watching it again my head understands why but my heart never will. Looking back at his failed relationship with Annie Hall (Diane Keaton), Alvy Singer (Allen) looks back at his relationship with her and also reflecting at his life, relationships and his attempt to get Annie Hall back.

Allen really is at his best in this film, breaking the forth wall to speak to the audience about things that annoy him like pretentious people talking in queues or asking questions about relationships and doing random questioning with couples walking down the street asking what they see in each other which adds an original comedic look at how relationships work and most ring true. There are some hilarious moments like when Alvy and Annie first met where Annie takes him back to her apartment in a death defying car journey and when they get there they talk for hours and in one moment their real thoughts are shown as subtitles as they chat intellectually which is a real joy.

The two characters bond and fall in love but their careers and their maturity differ as time passes with Annie becoming a successful singer and with LA calling her they eventually split as Alvy refuses to leave for the city of LA from the city he loves, Alvy soon realizes that he still loves Annie and heads to LA to convince her to return with him to New York but fails so he returns home to write a play about their relationship where he eventually wins her back.

Annie Hall is a brilliant comedy full of clever takes and anecdotes on relationships full of real characters and some great lines that keep coming throughout the entire film. There is one brilliant cameo by Christopher Walken who plays Annie’s brother Duane who confesses with complete straight sincerity to Alvy his desire whilst driving to turn into oncoming traffic and witness the destruction and sound of it all after which Duane is asked to drive Alvy and Annie to the airport, it’s one of the funniest moments of the film watching Alvy sit nervously in the car watching Duane. The film overall is clearly a semi autobiographical film and one of Allen’s finest movies, it’s clever, funny, well directed, intelligent, honest and entirely entertaining which is something very hard to come across these days as gross out humour, intelligent comedy and predicable story lines seem to dominate the comedy genre so if you fancy something unique and different try Annie Hall a true masterpiece of “Rom-Com” that offers so much with what seems so little effort.

Check out the brilliant opening below.

No. 216 – Manhattan (1979) – Rating 8.0

There will be arguments lasting a lifetime as to what film is Woody Allen’s best, with the brilliant Annie Hall and Manhattan the only films from Allen on the IMDb250 list it’s very likely these two will be most peoples pick, personally I’ve always had a soft spot for Sleeper but out of Manhattan and Annie Hall I think Manhattan just scrapes it as it’s Woody Allen’s finest achievement as a director although a little too similar to Annie Hall for my liking.

Allen plays comedy TV show Writer Isaac whose having a relationship with a 17-year-old girl (Mariel Hemingway) after his latest marriage fell apart when his wife left him for another woman. His ex wife (Meryl Streep) is writing a tell-all book which causes great anxiety that his personal life will be exposed including the accidental running over of his wife’s lesbian lover. His best friend and a married man Yale is a married man having an affair with Mary (Diane Keaton) who decides to break off the affair and stick to his wife pushing Mary on Isaac instead who is having doubts of his high school girl relationship claiming “I’m older than her father, can you believe that? I’m dating a girl, wherein, I can beat up her father”.

Isaac is then involved with two different relationships, one with an almost mid life crisis choice of an adoring teenager and one with a mature intellectual more suited to his own personality and so Isaac has to choose the one who can offer him the love he so desires in the city that he loves.
Having watched the film directly after Annie Hall and writing these reviews about a month after seeing them I’m finding it hard to distinguish between the two as their topics of relationships and the lead character being the quick talking funny little guy with glasses being very similar and I’m sure a few identical jokes appeared in both films and if it wasn’t for the different filming styles then maybe I wouldn’t have been so positive of Manhattan.

Manhattan is however a great film, its story and characters are unique, interesting and entertaining and when seeing the beauty of Manhattan never looking so gorgeous when shot in its wonderful black and white style from the flawless cinematography Gordon Willis (The Godfather, Annie Hall) and the opening sound of Gershwin blaring out then it makes Manhattan one of the most visually stunning films from the IMDb250 list.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mann and http://twitter.com/Gary_Phillips

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest internet movie site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of the Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case we is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list. We’ve frozen the list as of January 1st of this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, we are watching them all in one year, 125 each.

This is our 21st update, my next five films watched for the project. You can find last week’s update here.

 Gladiator (2000) - 8.3 No. 105

In my last update, i looked at the film that brought a young Russell Crowe to Hollywood’s attention. Fitting then that this time around, particularly with the release of Robin Hood a few weeks ago, i look at the movie that made him a household name, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.

Crowe is Maximus Decimus Meridius, a supreme General in the Roman army, and close friend to the Emperor. So close, in fact, that the Emperor reveals to his son Commodus that he plans to name Merdius instead of him as his successor. His ambitious progeny however does not take this news well, and following the death of his father, he arranges for Meridius to be accused of the Emperor’s murder, and for him and his family to be executed.

As the young Commodus begins his reign, the former General finds himself badly wounded, and sold into life as a Gladiator, a warrior forced to fight to the death for entertainment. His battle prowess and experience prove invaluable as he battles his way through arenas and back into Rome. Once there, he obtains power to rival that of the young ruler by winning the support of the baying crowd. Simultaneously winning support within the Senate, a plan is afoot to usurp the young Emperor. Commodus becomes suspicious however, and puts into action a plan to silence the fearsome warrior once and for all.

Opening with a dramatic battle scene, and mixing personal and political drama with excellent cinematography and well chorographed fight sequences, it is easy to see why Gladiator made such a big splash upon its release, winning several Oscars. Crowe is excellent in the part, handling both the physical and emotional elements of the role well, giving probably a much more well rounded performance than he managed in LA Confidential.

Gladiator has that truly epic feel, but at times, the swelling music, the grandiosity, and the slimy performance of Joaquin Phoenix veer frighteningly close to cheesiness. It is a hard balance to maintain, and it does work, but with repeated viewing the great doesn’t work so well, and you notice more of the not so great. The political story is shoehorned in, and you can’t help but feel it slows the plot down a little too much.

I can see why Gladiator is in the top 250 list, and it is a thrilling and occasionally affecting film. But i think one watch a decade is enough for me, having not seen it since its release, and i think it may be some time before i feel compelled to watch it again.

The African Queen (1951) - 8.0 No. 210

This is one of the few Humphrey Bogart films i had seen before the project started, having watched it for a previous top movies project. I didn’t enjoy it all that much the first time, but the problem with watching movies in this way is that you are apt to feel somewhat rushed, not always watching a movie under the right circumstances.

Based on the novel of the same name, The African Queen is directed by John Huston. Bogart plays Charlie Allnut, the Captain of The African Queen, a mail boat delivering along the Congo river. Whilst stopping at a particular outpost, he discusses the current war going on in Europe with a British lady and gentleman, who are brother and sister missionaries. Living in such a remote location, they haven’t heard about the events of World War I, but the realities are brought home to them when the German army show up and burn down the village. The gentleman is killed, and Bogart aides the lady, Rose Sayer, using his boat to attempt to take her to safety.

The rough and ready boat captain, and his regal and ladylike passenger are chalk and cheese at first, but when she draws up a plan to use the small boat to destroy the German’s warship, fear and mutual respect bring the two comrades closer together.

As they struggle to survive their journey along the river, facing rapids and alligators, and the boat becomes more damaged and unreliable from the difficulties they face, they are forced to work together to keep the boat running, and reach safety in one piece. When it appears they may finally be safe, they come within sight of the German gunship. Can they escape? Or is their blossoming relationship doomed to a sticky end?

Having only seen Bogart playing suave and confident private detectives, to see him as the dishevelled postman is refreshing. It is refreshing not because it plays more to his general appearance, but because it actually gives him a chance to act. The part requires range, and a much more natural of humanity than in his earlier films. He really delivers, showing a surprising amount of acting ability, winning an Academy Award in the process. Katherine Hepburn as the English lady is equally wonderful, and the blossoming relationship between them works beautifully. It does not feel overly contrived, and the manner in which it is built, upon mutual respect as well as extraordinary circumstances, give it a truly authentic feel.

The plot is well constructed, the pace is calm, though never drags. Ultimately, The African Queen is a touching story of opposites attracting, and ordinary people prevailing in the most extreme of circumstances. The end is perhaps a little silly, but aside from that, a worthy entry in my opinion.

Psycho (1960) - 8.7 No. 22

The first of a Hitchcock double bill in this update, Psycho is the title probably most synonymous with the master of suspense. But is it deserving of its infamy?

A young secretary’s greed is triggered when her boss asks her to deposit a large amount of a customer’s money into the bank. Marion Crane takes the chance to steal it, and buying a new car, goes off on the run. Checking in to a small, run down motel, she doesn’t realise the fate that is about to befall her. She talks to the young man running the motel for a while, then retires to her room to show. The young man, Norman Bates, is clearly attracted by the young lady. This upsets his domineering mother, however, who reacts angrily and violently.

A private detective turns up looking for the lady, on the search for the stolen cash. He asks a few too many questions, however, and promptly disappears too. The young lady’s sister and boyfriend team up to search for her, but are unprepared for what they will find at the remote Bates Motel.

The popular story around Psycho is that its biggest star, Janet Leigh, is only in it for a short period of time, which came as a big surprise to audiences. The opening of the film, where she steals the money and goes on the run, is a fantastic Macguffin, and the sudden shift from heist to horror throws you off balance for the rest of the movie. All bets are off, and it’s very effective.

The sort sharp shock of the violence, quite graphic for the time, are a jarring interruption to the slow, measured pace of the suspenseful moments. You are led to believe that Bates is a pervert, spying on his guests, but the truth is so much more complex. The big reveal at the end is stunning, but the reallly compelling scene is the final one. As Bates sits in his jail cell, his thoughts not his own, you get a glimpse of a genuinely disturbed mind, and can’t help but feel that you want to see more. A film that delves deep into this diseased psyche seems even more interesting than the inventive horror movie you’ve just experienced, and leaves you the way it should, wanting more.

Psycho is a true classic, in my opinion the best of Hitchcock’s work that i have seen so far, and despite its deceptively simple nature, it holds the most complex of ideas. A must watch, and easily a top 100 film.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - 7.9 No. 243

A film i have never heard of, let alone seen, Anatomy of a Murder stars James Stewart and Lee Remick, and is directed by Otto Preminger.

Stewart plays Paul Biegler, a small town lawyer called upon to defend a soldier accused of murder. His guilt isn’t in question, the case for his defence instead rests upon proving him unaccountable for his actions. The man who stands accused, Frederick Manion was in a fit of rage when he shot a bar owner, Barney Quill, at a holiday camp, having been told by his wife of a rape ordeal at the barman’s hands.

The case is made difficult by the appearance and demeanor of his wife Laura, who is presumed to be promiscuous based on her flirty behaviour and revealing outfits. Biegler advises her to refine her appearance and behaviour for the duration of the trial, after finding her out having too much fun.

The court case then proceeds. There are lots of swings during the trial, with sympathy and suspicion for the defendant alternating in equal measure. Several plot devices are used, as new evidence and witnesses are produced, and the momentum in the case is exchanged several times.

The pace of Anatomy of a Murder starts off leisurely, and continues that way into the courtroom scenes. Despite the slow unravelling, however, every moment is somehow thrilling. The performance by Stewart is masterful, and the evidence and testimony are well constructed, leading to a beautifully written trial. This stands to reason, as it was adapted from a novel, written by a Supreme Court Justice, and based on a real case. You are fully aware that what the defendant did was wrong, but Stewart’s charm and courtroom theatrics almost convince you otherwise.

The final verdict is somehow both inevitable and unpredictable. Without being lightning fast or extremely intense, the trial is brilliant and compelling. One of the best courtroom films i’ve seen, Anatomy of a Murder unexpectedly manages to enthrall you as a viewer, and quietly justifies its inclusion in the top 250 list.

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - 8.0 No. 199

The second Hitchcock film of this update, and the 6th i have seen overall. It has been a somewhat mixed bag of Hitchcock’s work so far for me, but Shadow of a Doubt brings his work back to the style i enjoyed in week one’s Rebecca.

We meet an ‘ordianry’ family, as they are quietly living their lives, until Uncle Charlie comes to stay. He has been travelling around for many years, and they haven’t seen him for quite some time. He has apparently been very successful, and says he is looking to maybe settle down, and build a domestic life somewhere. Uncle Carlie is rather mysterious, however, and it soon becomes apparent to the viewer, and then his teenage niece Charlotte that he is trying to hide something.

At first his motivations just appear to be rather mysterious, but soon become rather sinister. As Charlotte pieces the clues together, and gets closer to the truth, he becomes ever more evasive, and then threatening. Charlotte dare not raise her suspicions to the rest of her family, and begs her Uncle just to leave. Once she learns the full truth, however, she becomes terrified, both for her family and her own well being.

The brilliance of Shadow of a Doubt is the slow burn nature of the storyline. It is apparent fairly quickly that something isn’t right with the secretive visitor. Sweetness and light on the outside, it is obvious he is hiding something, but you have no idea just what. As the movie progresses, the horrifying thought of someone close to you, living in your own house, with malicious intent becomes ever more frightening. You genuinely worry for the young girl, and what might happen to your family. Joseph Coteen as the Uncle is incredibly impressive. His charm and charisma are clear on screen, but when he lets his facade drop in front of his niece it is truly chilling.

It was always going to be difficult to end this type of story effectively, as it was in Rebecca. The quick shock of the unexpected conclusion, and your uncertainty in the lead up, just about manage to pay off what has come before. A very well paced thriller, it is one of the best of the Hitchcock films i have seen to date.

Come back next Monday for update 22. You can follow our progress at www.twitter.com/baz_mann and www.twitter.com/gary_phillips_

Bazmann

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films as ranked by the users of the biggest movie Internet site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of The Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case, we, is myself and Barry) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list! We’ve frozen the list as of 1st January this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, as we’ll be watching them in one year, 125 each.

Week 20, 100 films down 150 to go. One of my favorite weeks of film viewing was week 20 as I finally got round to watching the whole of Sergio Leone’s ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ which has been a film that I’ve always started but never got past the opening 10 minutes for one reason or another and now finally I did and I really cant choose which is better this or the equally incredible ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ which I watched before it and both are such incredible pieces of film making and story telling that it’s impossible to say. I also watched the glorious ‘The Princess Bride’ followed by the surprise hit ‘In Bruges’ which was such a good film and so under appreciated on its release, alas I also watched the ‘Battle of Algiers’ which I did not enjoy so much due to subject material but I will talk more of that later.

No.4 – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) – Rating 8.9

Sergio Leone’s greatest ever film according to almost everyone voting on these films and at the incredible heights of Number Four in the IMDb 250 it’s apparently one of the greatest films of all time.

TGTBTU is one of those magical films that has the perfect casting, story, look and authenticity as we follow three gunslingers crossing and double-crossing at every opportunity each after a Confederate stash of gold hidden in a soldier’s grave. The three wonderful lead characters are the world weary “Good” Blondie (Clint Eastwood), the cruel and self serving “Bad” Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) and the sorry but comical “Ugly” Tuco (Eli Wallach).

Blondie and Tuco have a scam going where Blondie brings Tuco in for his bounty and as he is about to hang Blondie shoots the noose rope and sets him free, the two meet up, share the earnings and set off to the next town. Together, after much double crossing against each other, they come across a defeated and almost dead Civil war troop and find a solider called Bill Carson who tells Tuco the location of the cemetery where the hidden gold is buried, Blondie however distracts Tuco and is told the name of the grave before Carson dies creating a bond they can no longer break if they want to find the gold. The pair eventually get captured by the Union soldiers where they meet Angel Eyes who too knows of the rumored buried gold and has been seeking Bill Carson to find the location and so beats the location out of Tuco (pretending to be Carson) however Angel Eyes knows Blondie wont give up the grave and so strikes a deal with him to share the gold.

Everything builds towards a dramatic three-way Mexican standoff climax with all three characters facing each other in a large ring looking at each other not knowing who will draw first and who will shoot who, the quick cuts and close ups heighten the tension which is in turn heightened by Ennio Morricone’s magnificent score to make one of the best movie sequences of all time. The film overall is phenomenal, the acting is enjoyable, the story flows from scene to scene building allegiances and suspicion with the main characters which is the films strength. Clint Eastwood is at his best as Blondie and is the epitome of cool and Lee Van Cleef is the perfect villain for the film but it’s Eli Wallach who is the star of the film as he puts in one of the most enjoyable roles you will see in almost any of the 250 films on the list, he’s funny, ruthless and completely believable as Tuco the Ugly.

The only grudge I can possibly think of with the film is the dubbing/lip syncing which has always been an issue with Leone’s movies as actors spoke in their native tongue (which was predominantly Italian) which was then dubbed into English, Leone also use to shout directions to actors while Morricone’s score blasted out then getting actors to re-record their dialogue adding it into the final edit creating the lip syncing issues, however this is a minor grudge and an issue which actually adds a likable uniqueness about Leone’s films which I wouldn’t change for the world.

I’m surprised TGTBTU is placed No.4 in the list as I never thought it would be a film that would have been so widely appreciated but I fully understand why it’s there. Sergio Leone is a god of film making and has now made the Western genre my favorite genre to watch.

No.23 – Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – Rating 8.7

Henry Fonda as a bad guy in a Sergio Leone western film, what a bloody great idea. Apparently Fonda turned down the role of Frank before Leone flew to New York and sold it to him by saying “Picture this: the camera shows a gunman from the waist down pulling his gun and shooting a running child. The camera tilts up to the gunman’s face and…it’s Henry Fonda.” That is so dam cool, I love that sort of trivia about casting.

Sergio Leone’s follow up to ‘The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’ is an epic Western film that has no match in size or style, it’s Leone’s masterpiece of the period and has some of the most incredible characters and scenes that are paired off perfectly again by the wonderful score from Ennio Morricone which makes the film one of the most memorable movies I’ve seen from the IMDb250 list so far.

The film opens with one of the greatest opening scenes of all time, I won’t go to much into it but it is just Leone at his best, Set at a wonderfully authentic designed train station on a platform made from wooden planks and lasting about 7 minutes it sets the scene perfectly with three unknown cowboys passing the time in the hot sun, it’s a treat both visually and audibly and I can’t think of a better opening scene ever made and it introduces us to one of our main characters known as ‘Harmonica’ (the brilliant Charles Bronson) who has his own agenda with Frank but gets caught up in plot of a corrupt railroad company which has hired Frank (Fonda) to frighten a newly widowed Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale) off her valuable land, add to this Jason Robard’s awesome no good outlaw Cheyenne whose gang get framed for killing the McBain family and seeks retribution then you have the basis of an incredible story that boils up to another stunning Sergio Leone conclusion.

I love that Sergio Leone got help from Dario Argento Bernardo and Bertoluccito help him create the film, They apparently spent about a year watching a whole host of classic Westerns such as High Noon, The Searchers, and specifically Johnny Guitar at Leone’s house and created the story made up of nods to Leone’s favourite genre and his ultimate ever film.

There is just so much eye candy to take in from the glorious opening scene at the train station to the wide shoots of the wild west being slowly changed forever with the arrival of civilization from the building of the rail road which marks the end to the mythical Cowboy period that filled Sergio Leone’s movies for seven glorious years. I consider Once Upon a Time in the West as the greatest western film ever made, it’s a stunning piece of work that will forever sit in my favorite movies of all time.

No.175 – The Princess Bride (1987) – Rating

Inconceivable!

I remember first watching Rob Reiner’s 1987 adaptation of William Goldman’s novel and being blown away by it in the late 80′s and as a Fantasy Movie fanatic at the time with Labyrinth, Willow, Legend, Krull, Conan, Beastmaster and Hawk the Slayer all featuring highly in my film collection, The Princess Bride was clearly one of the best.

The plot is of a farm boy turned pirate Westley (Cary Elwes) who has to fight his way past giants, an elite vengeful spanish sword fighter, a genius, Cliffs of Insanity, the Pit of Despair and rodents of unusual size in order to be reunited with the love of his life princess Buttercup (Robin Wright). Unfortunately, she is due to be married to Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon) who will stop at nothing to get Princess Buttercup to marry him and to kill the Dread Pirate Roberts (Westley) who has fled with Buttercup.

Princess Bride is brilliantly scripted and is an incredibly funny ride which is filled with some incredible fun cameos from the likes of Peter Cook as a clergyman with a speech impediment, Mel Smith as an albino torture assistant, and the wonderful Billy Crystal playing a Jewish faith healer. Andre the Giant plays the highly likable Giant Fezzik that teams up with Westley and provides a slightly inaudible performance, but it’s Mandy Patinkin who steals the film as the Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya intent on avenging the death of his murdered father by a six fingered man named Count Rugen played by the genius that is Christopher Guest.

It all comes together perfectly to provide a wonderful take of the fairytale genre coming close to mocking it but showing plenty of heart, humour and excitement. The characters are marvellously realised, wonderfully quotable (Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, You killed my father, prepare to die) and all are forever memorable which is why The Princess Bride deserves its place in the Top 250 Films.

No.185 – In Bruges (2008) – Rating

This is a film that never caught my attention when it was released in 2008 but I wish it did, In Bruges is a quality film with superb dialogue, great characters, loads of dark humor and the “shithole” that is Bruges.

Collin Farrell stars as Ray who along with his mentor Ken, played by the great Brendan Gleeson, flee from London to the medieval town of Bruges after Ray’s debut job as a hitman ends in failure. The two were instructed to go sight seeing but Ray spends most of his time whining about the town and mocking Ken’s attempts to take in the culture. But when Ray meets a local called Chloe (Clémence Poésy) who works on the set of a bizarre Dutch film he starts to take an interest in Bruges forgetting about the reason he is there and unaware of his bosses intended plan for him.

The dynamic relationship between Farrell and Gleeson grows more and more fascinating as we learn more about what their exploits that got them to Bruges in the first place and their attempts at sightseeing is at times hilarious especially regarding the climb to the top of a tower and Ray’s insistence and consequence for telling a rather portly American shouldn’t bother is dam funny and the laughs keep coming, mainly from Farrell who is in his best role for me to date and dishes out some of the best lines I’ve heard which is part of the reason why the film is rated so highly.

The film has some wonderful scenes throughout, some bizarre some hilarious and some pretty brutal and with the arrival of Ralph Fiennes as the film stealing Harry, their boss, it takes an unexpected turn. Fiennes delivers a fantastic performance putting on accent and a philosophy far from what he is known for, very reminiscent of Ben Kingsley Don Logan from Sexy Beast, and adds a very intimidating danger to Ray and Ken’s sightseeing in Bruges.

An excellent and incredibly surprising film that was 100 times better than I ever thought it was going to be, I’m no fan of Farrell but after watching In Bruges I’m a bigger fan of his now. It’s funny, it’s really funny, it’s shocking, highly entertaining and although I doubt it will hold it’s position in the top 200 films I’m sure it will remain in the top 250 films for a long time to come.

No.236 – Battle of Algiers (1966) – Rating 7.9

Battle of Algiers is the first film that I’ve seen from the IMDb250 List that is there purely on the message it is trying to send and the power of it. That doesn’t make it a great film however, The characters were not that interesting and there was no main character of such to follow or connect with which I feel is very important to make a film work, it seemed to just show a string of events that occurred during the French occupation of Algiers and the horrible Algerian war which took place but I was pretty much bored throughout and didn’t enjoy it at all.

The Battle of Algiers follows the events of the revolution that took place in th 60′s but it doesn’t give you much of a story as to why it happened and so prior knowledge of the event is required from the viewer to fully understand everything that is occurring. I knew practically nothing about Algiers or the events which is probably a main reason as to why I failed to connect with the film and enjoy it, that and I watched it on my iPhone which maybe took some of the impact away.

Battle of Algiers is a acquired taste of a film, I’m still not sure of the message it was trying to get across as it felt like I was suppose to feel sympathy for terrorists murdering police and killing innocent people by bombing bars and clubs regardless of why they are in Algiers, it’s a horrible and cowardly way to protest and something I didn’t enjoy watching. In all fairness it equally showed the French were no saints in the film as the depiction of the torture they handed out to captured Algerians was outrageously brutal and the colonizing of another country is obviously wrong but when the only French person that had any substance in the film was Col Mathieu who led the hunt for the four leaders of the FLN (National Liberation Front) it’s hard to be able to say the film was portrayed even handily to both sides.

None of the cast stands out individually, but the ensemble comes together perfectly and the acting is extremely realistic, so much so that what is being depicted could easily be taken as documentary footage and at times it’s hard to believe it’s not real footage as the volume of people involved in rioting scenes and protests is huge and the reactions of people due to bombing events is incredibly realistic and so I fully respect the movie for it’s technical achievement and the fact that it offers an attempted unbiased account of an important event in history but for me it missed something for me to be able to enjoy it and appreciate what everyone else seems to rate so highly.

You can find Barry’s next update next week, catch you in two.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mann andhttp://twitter.com/gary_phillips_.

The IMDb250. A list of the top 250 films, as ranked by the users of the biggest movie Internet site on the web. It is based upon the ratings provided by the users of The Internet Movie Database, which number into the millions. As such, it’s a perfect representation of the opinions of the movie masses, and arguably the most comprehensive ranking system on the Internet.

It’s because of this that we at HeyUGuys (and in this case, we, is myself and Gary) have decided to set ourselves a project. To watch and review all 250 movies on the list! We’ve frozen the list as of 1st January this year. It’s not as simple as it sounds, as we’ll be watching them in one year, 125 each.

This is our nineteenth update, a rundown of my next five movies watched for the project.

(You can find last week’s update here)

Notorious (1946) – 8.2 No. 130

Another IMDb250 update, another Alfred Hitchcock film. It’s testament to his great storytelling, and the reputation he still holds, that there are so many of his movies on the list. I haven’t thus far been overwhelmed by the entries i’ve appraised so far however, so will Notorious convince me of the man’s true genius?

Ingrid Bergman is Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a traitor to the US. Following his conviction and subsequent death, she goes off the rails, turning to alcohol and the comfort of men. This makes her the ideal target for government agent T R Devlin, played by Cary Grant. He offers her the chance to redeem herself by going undercover in a sting operation against her father’s former Nazi associates. Her mission is to get close to a German businessman, Alexander Sebastian.

Alicia and Devlin have become very close, so when Sebastian proposes to her, she is torn between her feelings and her duty. Alicia and Devlin allow the marriage to go ahead, despite their mutual affection. This drives a wedge between them, and as Alicia gets close to uncovering Sebastian’s operations, and Devlin tries to help her through the ordeal safely, her German husband’s suspicions are aroused. Can Devlin help her see the mission out safely?

If the plot sounds familiar, you’ve seen Mission: Impossible 2. Clearly M:I2 screenwriter Robert Towne did too, as the broad plotline was cribbed quite closely for the John Woo-directed sequel. The story of a woman forced to play out a relationship with a man she despises has potential, but i don’t think it is worked through particularly well here. In fact, and i’ll take a lot of flak for this, but i think M:I2 actually plays it better, amongst so much else it fails at. The sense of jeopardy and threat just isn’t present enough here, until the final tense scene. The performances by Grant and Bergman are good, and their relationship is certainly layered. The cinematography is, as always, excellent. But there just isn’t enough suspense, and with a poor basic storyline and the weakest of Macguffins to carry, the suspense is what the movie should be built on.

So far i have been entertained by most of Hitchcock’s films on the list, but no more than that. Clearly, the rapid rate at which i’m watching films for the project isn’t allowing me to fully appreciate them, and the list of films i’ll need to revisit after the project is finished is growing at an alarming rate.

The Big Sleep (1946) – 8.1 No. 136

A few weeks ago i watched The Maltese Falcon, the first Humphrey Bogart vehicle i’ve watched in many years, and aside from a couple of the most famous ones, i haven’t really experienced much of his filmography at all. This is my second Bogart film of the project, so will The Big Sleep match up to the little man’s big reputation?

Bogart is Philip Marlowe, an LA private detective. When he is hired by a wealthy gentleman to help out his daughter Carmen with some creditors, he is pulled deep into much bigger mystery. The gentleman’s oldest daughter, Vivian, believes her father has ulterior motives, involving a missing associate.

The trail leads Marlowe to a murder, and a blackmail plot against his client’s younger daughter. The plot then becomes almost ridiculously complicated, with cross, double cross, bluff and double bluff. Much like in The Maltese Falcon, Bogart manages to stay one step ahead of the conspirators trying to stop him, and takes the final twist in his stride as he wraps up another case.

I won’t spoil the plot. It rattles on at an impressive pace, the story doesn’t sit still, and the rapid fire dialogue, particularly between Bogart and Lauren Bacall as Vivian, is wonderful. The twists are interesting, and the storyline as a whole is very entertaining. The romantic strand is a little dubious, a perennial problem with many movies from this period. But Bogart is infinitely watchable, and whilst he doesn’t really have classic movie star looks, his screen presence makes his allure believable.

After just two movies, i can see why Bogart was so popular. And it is refreshing to see an actor who doesn’t have a conventional, handsome look being given parts as a ladies’ man. I’m looking forward to seeing what Bogie has to offer next.

Oldboy (2003) – 8.2 No. 116

I have to be honest, and admit that my Korean movie skills are poor. It’s a large corner of the film market that i have cruelly neglected, so would my first experience sell me on pursuing the market further? Or is Oldboy just too mental a proposition?

Park Chan-wook directs, and Choi Min-sik stars as Oh Dae-su, a drunken businessman, husband and father. Following a particularly raucous night out, Dae-su disappears, and awakens imprisoned in a run-down hotel room. For 15 years he is held there, with no indication of why, and when he learns that his wife has been murdered, his daughter has been fostered, and he himself has been framed, he vows revenge, and spends the duration of his incarceration preparing for escape, and vengeance.

After being unexpectedly released, Dae-su strikes up a relationship with a female sushi chef, who aides him in his investigation. As he comes closer to the truth, his combat skills are put to heavy test, and the few people he still cares about are made to suffer by the people behind his ordeal. Dae-su discovers that a childhood friend, and an incest scandal hold the key to his punishment.

Excellent cinematography, well choreographed action, and a genuinely thought provoking storyline make Oldboy a fascinating movie to watch. It is also completely mental, which only adds to its appeal. What could have been made as a straightforward revenge film is subtlyintrospective, and beneath the over the top violence and extreme plot is a story that delves deep into the human psyche. The exploration of what 15 years of isolation does to the human mind is just the tip of the iceberg, and Oldboy really has to be seen several times to be truly appreciated.

The storyline has some almost unbelievable elements, and a brilliant ending is required to justify the extremity of what has come before. It does, however, pay off perfectly, and validates the madness, tying up all elements of the twisted plot.

A great introduction for me to Korean cinema, and i will be seeking out more movies, beginning with more of Chan-wook’s work, probably the first of his Vengeance Trilogy, Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance. Oldboy is definitely a must watch.

Good Will Hunting (1197) – 8.0 No. 196

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were young actors, trying to break into the Hollywood big time. Frustrated by the lack of great offers, and big opportunities, they decided to write their own movie. With a bit of hustle and borrowed muscle, they managed to push it through development, and bagged an Oscar between them for Best Original Screenplay.

Damon plays the titular Will Hunting, and Affleck his childhood friend Chuckie Sullivan. Together with their other friends, they work manual labour jobs by day and tear it up at night. Working as a janitor at MIT, Will’s genius mind is revealed to one of the professors there when he easily solves a complicated equation. There’s a problem however. Will is arrested for assault, badly timed it so happens as he has just met Skylar, a beautiful and intelligent student played by Minnie Driver.

The professor manages to strike a deal, which involves Will being released into his custody, to work in the mathematics department alongside him. The catch is that Will must see a therapist. The brilliant young man proves a match for the minds brought in to help him work through his emotional problems, linked to childhood abuse. That is until Sean Maguire is brought in, a gifted psychologist played by Robin Williams. Maguire attempts to force Will to face his fears, and overcome the emotional blocks that stop him from making the most of his gift.

Good Will Hunting is a strange one. The storyline has some very good elements, and parts of it are genuinely affecting. There are also some contrived, poorly written moments alongside them. The battle of wits between Will and his parade of head doctors, and the allusions to his psychologically damaging childhood are well written and acted. Will’s romance with Skylar, and his relationship with his friends are very poorly written, with some terrible dialogue and poor acting.

What is really interesting is that two men who have forged careers as actors have seen their biggest success as writers. Affleck’s performance here is pretty bad, but Damon show the promise that has lead to a continued career in the spotlight. It helps that he shares scenes with the brilliant Robin Williams, who has never been better as the unassuming, highly talented therapist, who brings out Will’s true emotions, whils\t learning a lot about himself in the process.

This was the first time i’d seen Good Will Hunting, and i wasn’t all that excited to watch it. It does have some brilliance, but there is also a very amateur air about some of the storyline. I can see why it is in the list, but it is doubtful it would be in my own, and but for the presence of Robin Williams, i’d probably never choose to watch it again.

LA Confidential (1997) – 8.4 No. 63

There were a few movies in the nineties whose brilliance was predicated on a cleverly plotted twist. Seven and The Usual Supects both utilised this, both featured Kevin Spacey and both are featured in the IMDb250 list. There is a third movie that also meets these criteria, but somehow seems to be the forgotten cousin.

LA Confidential is director Curtis Hanson’s fifties crime noir, adapted alongside screenwriter Brian Helgeland from the James Ellroy novel. Guy Pearce plays Edmund Exley, a young, idealistic and highly ambitious cop. He rises through the ranks quickly, due in no small part to a police scandal involving among others fellow cops Bud White, played by Russell Crowe, and Spacey’s Jack Vincennes.

White is an ox of a man, with a quick temper and a fondness for helping out abused women. Vincennes is a veteran who has lost his way, enjoying the celebrity of his connection to the Badge of Honour TV show, letting his morals lapse in the process. The differing activities of all three men lead them to the same conspiracy, and they find their lives at risk not just from the scum on the streets, but by the trusted men that they call colleagues.

LA Confidential is drawn together by a big twist, but unlike Seven and The Usual Suspects it isn’t this that lends it its greatness. A fantastically written story, amazing acting performances and a perfect blend of suspense and action make LA Confidential not just one of the great films of the nineties, but one of the best ever committed to celluloid. It’s a long film, but races by, with no wasted motion whatsoever.

The turns by Pearce and Crowe, both young and unknown at the time, made their careers. Their performances are great, there is no doubt, but they are somewhat saddled with two-dimensional characters. That is why it is Spacey who shines, despite being reduced to a supporting role, as the seasoned detectiveforced to re-evaluate the way he has conducted his career. He is more reactive than proactive, but his brilliant scene with the force behind the corruption in the LA police force, which features the mention of a name that conjures just as much power as John Doe and Keiser Soze, is the stand out of an amazing movie.

If you’ve never seen it, watch it, if you’ve forgotten it, rediscover it, because LA Confidential doesn’t just deserve to be in the list, it should be in the top ten. Easily the best film i have watched for the project so far, it is going to take some beating to be surpassed in my end of the year evaluation of the project.

You can find Gary’s next update next Monday, and i’ll see you here in two weeks time.

Don’t forget, you can follow our progress on Twitter at http://twitter.com/baz_mann and http://twitter.com/gary_phillips_.

Bazmann