Movie #32: Saving Private Ryan

Movie #: 32
Movie Title: Saving Private Ryan
Year Released: 1998

Director: Steven Spielberg
Notable Cast: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, Jeremy Davies, Paul Giamatti

Short Description: Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #71
IMDB.com: #38
Ranker.com: #16
Lifed.com: #48
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #17
FlickChart.com: #61



Date Watched: 10/29/2016

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)

Rationale: The Invasion of Normandy scene that kicks off James Ryan's flashback at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan is likely the most intense action sequence I've ever seen and anything less would have been a disappointment. I appreciate that Steven Spielberg doesn't hold back one iota and sets a strong tone for the subsequent two hours. All of the members of the ensemble cast, led by Tom Hanks, were magnificent and my only beef is that some of the interesting supporting character stories were only glanced upon rather than delved into. Saving Private Ryan is among the best war movies there is and isn't too shabby as far as movies in general go, regardless of genre.

Movie #33: Se7en

Movie #: 33
Movie Title: Se7en
Year Released: 1995

Director: David Fincher
Notable Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley, Kevin Spacey, R. Lee Ermey

Short Description: Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #23
Ranker.com: #37
Lifed.com: #38
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #22
FlickChart.com: #30

Note: This is the last movie on my list to appear on only five of the top 100 lists I used to compile the 251 movies I’m watching.



Date Watched: 10/28/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Adjusted Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: The plot of Se7en was great. Each of the murders, particularly Sloth, were well thought out and disturbingly detailed. One of my main issues with Se7en was the casting. I normally have no issue with Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and to a point with Gwyneth Paltrow, but it seemed to me that those three leads had little on screen chemistry and Pitt specifically was kind of wooden a times. I was also greatly disappointed by the decision to hide the identity of the murderer until near the end of the movie because, unless I missed it during the opening credits, I had no clue Kevin Spacey was in Se7en and I wish there had been more of him. Spacey outshone everyone else individually and he paired better with Brad Pitt than Morgan Freeman did.

Movie #34: Inception

Movie #: 34
Movie Title: Inception
Year Released: 2010

Director: Christopher Nolan
Notable Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine

Short Description: A thief, who steals corporate secrets through use of dream-sharing technology, is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a CEO. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #14
Ranker.com: #22
Lifed.com: #6
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #14
FlickChart.com: N/A

Note: This is the last movie on my list to appear on only four of the top 100 lists I used to compile the 251 movies I’m watching.



Date Watched: 10/26/2016

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)

Rationale: I've said it before and I'll say it again: in Christopher Nolan I trust. The imagination it takes to come up with such a deep and detailed story like Inception is mind-blowing and I hope everyone appreciates Nolan's ability like I do. Equally important to Inception is the stunning visual experience created by CGI, the use of slow motion, and the suspension of actors within moving rooms to make the rooms look static and trick the viewer into thinking the actors are falling up walls during freefall sequences. Leonardo DiCaprio is as good as always and the rest of Nolan's often used favorites, like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Marion Cotillard, are great too. Finally, frequent Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer created an exhilarating movie score, capped off by the gorgeous track "Time."

Movie #35: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Movie #: 35
Movie Title: Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Year Released: 1991

Director: James Cameron
Notable Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, Edward Furlong, Joe Morton, Earl Boen

Short Description: A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her young son, John Connor, from a more advanced cyborg, made out of liquid metal. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #36
Ranker.com: #33
Lifed.com: #88
Empire.com: #35
FilmCrave.com: #35
FlickChart.com: #48



Date Watched: 10/24/2016

Grade: 4.5 out of 5 (Outstanding)

Rationale: Though the first movie in a series is usually considered to be the "best", Terminator 2: Judgment Day is THE foremost example of a sequel besting the original. Right off the bat T2 is better because Arnold Schwarzenegger is the good Terminator this time and his character provides memorable movie quotes like "Hasta la vista, baby", "I'll be back", and "Come with me if you want to live." Replacing Arnold as the bad Terminator is the liquid metal T-1000, which drastically improves the range of what director James Cameron could do from a sci-fi aspect. I also vastly prefer T2's foul mouth young John Connor and hardened warrior Sarah Connor to the timid Sarah Connor and lame-by-comparison-to-Arnold human soldier/protector Kyle Reese from The Terminator. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is not flawless, but I consider it to be one of my favorite action movies and easily the best sequel ever.

Movie #36: Seven Samurai

Movie #: 36
Movie Title: Seven Samurai
Year Released: 1954

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Notable Cast: Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Isao Kimura, Daisuke Katō, Seiji Miyaguchi, Yoshio Inaba, Minoru Chiaki, Kamatari Fujiwara, Kokuten Kōdō, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Yukiko Shimazaki, Eijirō Tōno, Bokuzen Hidari

Short Description: A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: #17
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #7
Empire.com: #50
FilmCrave.com: #86
FlickChart.com: #20



Date Watched: 10/22/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
Adjusted Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)

Rationale: Any film that has an intermission is probably longer than it needs to be, but Akira Kurosawa uses every minute of Seven Samurai to craft an exquisitely detailed and thoughtful story. The cast features familiar faces from other Kurosawa films I've watched and both Takashi Shimura and Toshiro Mifune are at the top of their game as always. I particularly enjoyed Mifune as the goofball of the group of samurai because that was a side of him I don't recall seeing in other Kurosawa films and he excelled at it. The memorial scene in the very last minutes of the film is sad, but quite powerful.

Movie #37: A Clockwork Orange

Movie #: 37
Movie Title: A Clockwork Orange
Year Released: 1971

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Notable Cast: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin

Short Description: In future Britain, Alex DeLarge, a charismatic and psychopath delinquent, who likes to practice crimes and ultra-violence with his gang, is jailed and volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society's crime problem - but not all goes according to plan. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #70
IMDB.com: #62
Ranker.com: #40
Lifed.com: #52
Empire.com: #37
FilmCrave.com: #81
FlickChart.com: #46



Date Watched: 10/17/2016

Grade: 2 out of 5 (Fair)

Rationale: I firmly believe that my 2 out of 5 grade for A Clockwork Orange is extremely generous and, honestly, it could have easily been a 1.5 out of 5 instead like fellow Stanley Kubrick letdown 2001: A Space Odyssey. Everything after Alex DeLarge's incarceration is what saved the grade as it was at least watchable, though still bizarre. Up until that point watching was so uncomfortable that my wife left the room mere minutes into the movie. I don't understand how this movie is popular at all.

Movie #38: It's a Wonderful Life

Movie #: 38
Movie Title: It's a Wonderful Life
Year Released: 1946

Director: Frank Capra
Notable Cast: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Ward Bond, Frank Faylen, Gloria Grahame

Short Description: An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #20
IMDB.com: #30
Ranker.com: #44
Lifed.com: #29
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: #67
FlickChart.com: #99



Date Watched: 10/12/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: My first thought when It's a Wonderful Life was over is that I expected Lionel Barrymore's Mr. Potter to have an Ebenezer Scrooge-like transformation and go from a mean old man to one that cares and graciously gives the missing money back to James Stewart's George Bailey. So much for that. Even with his lack of transformation the movie still had a good message about kindness and generosity as George helped to save the financial lives of many people and in turn they helped him in his time of need. Other than the goofy bit about stars talking as if they're supposed to be angels I'm pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed It's a Wonderful Life.

Movie #39: Raging Bull

Movie #: 39
Movie Title: Raging Bull
Year Released: 1980

Director: Martin Scorsese
Notable Cast: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, Frank Vincent

Short Description: An emotionally self-destructive boxer's journey through life, as the violence and temper that leads him to the top in the ring destroys his life outside it. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #4
IMDB.com: #100
Ranker.com: #62
Lifed.com: #64
Empire.com: #11
FilmCrave.com: #73
FlickChart.com: #77



Date Watched: 10/8/2016

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: I know this will disappoint some people, but I thought Raging Bull was just ok. There are other boxing movies and other Robert De Niro movies that I like more and would rather watch again than a second viewing of Raging Bull. I love the chemistry that exists between De Niro and Joe Pesci, but even that's better in Casino. Nothing about Raging Bull was bad, but other than the De Niro and Pesci dynamic, nothing stands out in my opinion.

Movie #40: Die Hard

Movie #: 40
Movie Title: Die Hard
Year Released: 1988

Director: John McTiernan
Notable Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson

Short Description: John McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save his wife Holly Gennaro and several others that were taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #32
Lifed.com: #80
Empire.com: #29
FilmCrave.com: #26
FlickChart.com: #33



Date Watched: 10/8/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: The second best Christmas movie only to Jingle All the Way, Die Hard delivers excellent non-stop action and a hero that's hard to not root for. The dialogue is a little bad, but honestly, that's not why you watch this movie. I did enjoy the friendship that formed over the CB radio and walkie-talkie between Bruce Willis' John McClane and Reginald VelJohnson's Al Powell (didn't hurt that I affectionately remember VelJohnson from Family Matters) and I like Alan Rickman and didn't mind his performance as bad guy Hans Gruber, but he came off as more like a top henchman for a bad guy than the main bad guy himself.

Movie #41: Sunset Boulevard

Movie #: 41
Movie Title: Sunset Boulevard
Year Released: 1950

Director: Billy Wilder
Notable Cast: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark, Lloyd Gough

Short Description: A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #16
IMDB.com: #32
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #23
Empire.com: #63
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #80



Date Watched: 10/2/2016

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 (Satisfactory)

Rationale: Sometimes the act of showing the ending first and flashing back to reveal how you get to that point works and sometimes it doesn't. In the case of Sunset Boulevard I'm inclined to lean towards it doesn't. Most of the movie focuses on the crazy and obsessive Norma Desmond, played by a fantastic Gloria Swanson, and her attempts to make a Hollywood comeback with the help of the reluctantly captive screenwriter Joe Gillis, played by William Holden. Knowing Gillis' fate spoils any hope you as the view have for seeing him finally wise up and leave his pseudo-imprisonment after having failing to capitalize on multiple opportunities.

Movie #42: North by Northwest

Movie #: 42
Movie Title: North by Northwest
Year Released: 1959

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Notable Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, Jessie Royce Landis

Short Description: A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #55
IMDB.com: #42
Ranker.com: #86
Lifed.com: #31
Empire.com: #98
FilmCrave.com: #91
FlickChart.com: #18

Note: This is the first movie on my list to appear on all seven of the top 100 lists I used to compile the 251 movies I’m watching.



Date Watched: 9/30/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: While other parts of the movie are good, the auction house scene in which Cary Grant's character Roger Thornhill pretends to be drunk and disorderly so as to get a police escort out, thus avoiding a confrontation with bad men who are after him, was brilliant and stands out as the best scene in the movie. Not so good was an unbelievable chase down the heads of Mount Rushmore to avoid these same bad men later in the movie (Richie Rich did a better Mount Rushmore chase sequence) and that marginally tainted what could have been up to that point a reasonably believable mistaken identity spy movie. Still a very good watch though.

Movie #43: City Lights

Movie #: 43
Movie Title: City Lights
Year Released: 1931

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Notable Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers

Short Description: With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #11
IMDB.com: #41
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: #37
Empire.com: N/A
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: #34



Date Watched: 9/27/2016

Grade: 3 out of 5 (Good)

Rationale: City Lights is the fourth Charlie Chaplain movie I've watched for this movie project and, much like Modern Times, I felt it was only average. There never seemed to be a strong laugh out loud moment or scene like in The Gold Rush. Instead, you get a decent love story with an occasional mild chuckle that's ultimately a missed opportunity given that The Tramp is such an iconic and beloved character from the silent movie era. It's possible that I may be looking down a little on City Lights because The Gold Rush set the bar high for expectations, but it's only fair that I should expect more from a film that's generally considered to be Chaplain's greatest.

Movie #44: Jaws

Movie #: 44
Movie Title: Jaws
Year Released: 1975

Director: Steven Spielberg
Notable Cast: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton

Short Description: When a gigantic great white shark begins to menace the small island community of Amity, a police chief, a marine scientist and a grizzled fisherman set out to stop it. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: #56
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: #46
Lifed.com: #94
Empire.com: #5
FilmCrave.com: #68
FlickChart.com: #57



Date Watched: 9/26/2016

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)

Rationale: My lone previous Jaws viewing experience consisted solely of the second half of the movie, which is the hunt for the shark. Now that I have context for the hunt due to Steven Spielberg's excellent storytelling from the first half my feelings on Jaws go from its only ok to it's great. The characters were rich and for the most part full of depth with the actors, especially Richard Dreyfuss, doing an admirable job bringing them to life. Best off all, the theme from Jaws that John Williams created perfectly builds upon the suspense of each scene as the shark is getting ready to attack.