Seems like everybody is making their lists of “Bests”. So even I thought of putting in a list of the best “crap” I’ve watched in the last few years on the silver screen and my experiences with them. I have tried to put them chronologically. So here it is.
1. Gone With The Wind
You might remember this movie best for its poster, Rhett holding Scarlett. Probably the longest movie I’ve watched apart from The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, I think. The movie rambles on for 4 VCDs. At the end of the movie you are like “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”. Thankfully the hero of the movie says it for you. Just Kiddin'!!!
The movie is based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell. The movie is about a rebellious woman Scarlett and her relations with her friends, family and her lovers set during the American Civil War. The movie is best to watch if you have the patience and the tenacity to hold up till the end. I personally feel such classics mean more when you watch them in one go. The above line is like the most memorable one ever said on the silver screen.
2. Citizen Kane
I watched this movie on my brother’s advice. I hunted for this movie in Video libraries, before I bought it. I was told that this one is like the “greatest movie ever made” in the history of Hollywood. Trust me when you are done watching it, you might just agree with them. I know, I did.
This movie is allegedly based on the life of newspaper magnate William Hearst. The protagonist (Kane) of the movie is a megalomaniac, who truly loves nothing, but power. Because of which he dies as a lonely recluse. This movie swept the Oscars and made Orson Welles a force to reckon.
3. Psycho
Watch this movie and you will fretter the next you step into the shower. That’s the genius of Alfred Hitchcock. This movie is based on a novel by Robert Bloch. But the kind of impact the movie has is incredible. Psycho is often seen as a path-breaking movie with an amazing storytelling and an even more amazing photography. The scene on the stairs is still fresh in my memories. The way the camera is moved in this scene is totally innovative for those times.
The movie is about a mentally disturbed hotel proprietor, Norman Bates and a secretary whom he kills in his motel. Psycho like any other Hitchcock Classic is timeless.
4. The Godfather
This is an adaptation of a novel by Mario Puzo of the same name. Just as the book revolutionized the literary world, the movie doesn’t fall short of its impact on the world of motion pictures. I can’t think of a movie, which has been made as good as the novel itself. This coupled with Marlon Brando’s acting, just leaves you in awe.
As a kid I remember my father and brother watching this and I had fallen asleep. Well, I was 10 then. Mafia didn’t mean more to me than a word of 5 letters! The movie is about a fictitious mafia family in New York. People say that its sequel is the best sequel ever. But I have my doubts with all due respect to Al Pacino’s acting. Quite naturally Brando won an Oscar for his acting that year.
The musical score sums up the “coldness” in the movie.
5. One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest
This movie is again an adaptation of an eponymous novel by Ken Kesey. This is easily Jack “Genius” Nicholson’s best performance on screen. His acting leaves you as insane as himself.
Randle McMurphy is a pretty criminal who declares himself insane to get into a mental institution to spend the rest of his life in comfort (comparatively). Apart from Jack’s insane act, the best I remember of the movie is a character that he calls “Chief”. A must watch for all J.Nicholson’s fans. This movie swept the Oscars winning in all 5 major categories.
6. Forrest Gump
This movie again like any other movie mentioned above is an adaptation of a novel. The movie was a brilliant commercial success. Tom Hanks delivers a very memorable performance. He surely is one of the best actors of our times. I watched this movie on TV, a couple of years after its release, and was totally blown away by the direction and acting.
The film tells the story of a simple man's epic journey through life, meeting historical figures and experiencing first-hand historic events while largely unaware of their significance, due to his low IQ of 75. The visual effects of Forrest meeting the historical figures is amazing.
7. The Shawshank Redemption
I have already written enough about this movie in my previos posts.
8. Braveheart
This is one of the movies which really inspired me as a kid. I didn’t like it when I watched it the first time(again with my brother), since it was a period movie. But when I watched it a few years later, I really admired it.
Braveheart is loosely based on the life of William Wallace, a freedom fighter of Scotland. The movie opens with the line “I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes." Mel Gibson’s acting is simple comendable but he won an Oscar for his directing skills. The last scene is the most memorable one for me from this movie. He would be brought to a public square fro execution. Refusing the taunts of the executioner to accept subjectivity to the king, he yells his last word, "Freedom!”.
9. The Matrix
Put all sci-fi movies on one side and put Matrix on the other. This can be easily called the most influential path breaking action movie of our times. So much so that it got Malashri doing a Trinity in a Kannada movie !! I still remember watching the promo of The Matrix on US Top 10. I saw Neo dodging the bullets. I just looked at my brother in disbelief.
The film describes a future world in which the Matrix is an artificial reality created by sentient machines in order to pacify, subdue and make use of the human population as an energy source by growing them and connecting them to the Matrix with cybernetic implants. A must watch for all the geeks and to all those who “felt” there was something wrong with this world.
10. Gladiator
Never thought a movie in which a hero is wearing a skirt would become an all-time favorite to me!
Russel Crowe’s acting is nothing short of breathtaking. The director Ridley Scott’s effort of recreating the images of Rome and the amphitheatre is plaudable. This is one of those movies which you would like instantaneously. The dialogue delivery of Crowe is amazing. The scene in which he walks down to reveal his identity to Commodus is the high-point of the movie. A must watch to all Russel Crowe’s fans and to all those who aren’t his fans yet!!
When I was making this list there were many movies, I felt bad to have left out. But I guess this is what happens to any movie buff who goes to make a list of his “Bests”.
1. Gone With The Wind
You might remember this movie best for its poster, Rhett holding Scarlett. Probably the longest movie I’ve watched apart from The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, I think. The movie rambles on for 4 VCDs. At the end of the movie you are like “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”. Thankfully the hero of the movie says it for you. Just Kiddin'!!!
The movie is based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell. The movie is about a rebellious woman Scarlett and her relations with her friends, family and her lovers set during the American Civil War. The movie is best to watch if you have the patience and the tenacity to hold up till the end. I personally feel such classics mean more when you watch them in one go. The above line is like the most memorable one ever said on the silver screen.
2. Citizen Kane
I watched this movie on my brother’s advice. I hunted for this movie in Video libraries, before I bought it. I was told that this one is like the “greatest movie ever made” in the history of Hollywood. Trust me when you are done watching it, you might just agree with them. I know, I did.
This movie is allegedly based on the life of newspaper magnate William Hearst. The protagonist (Kane) of the movie is a megalomaniac, who truly loves nothing, but power. Because of which he dies as a lonely recluse. This movie swept the Oscars and made Orson Welles a force to reckon.
3. Psycho
Watch this movie and you will fretter the next you step into the shower. That’s the genius of Alfred Hitchcock. This movie is based on a novel by Robert Bloch. But the kind of impact the movie has is incredible. Psycho is often seen as a path-breaking movie with an amazing storytelling and an even more amazing photography. The scene on the stairs is still fresh in my memories. The way the camera is moved in this scene is totally innovative for those times.
The movie is about a mentally disturbed hotel proprietor, Norman Bates and a secretary whom he kills in his motel. Psycho like any other Hitchcock Classic is timeless.
4. The Godfather
This is an adaptation of a novel by Mario Puzo of the same name. Just as the book revolutionized the literary world, the movie doesn’t fall short of its impact on the world of motion pictures. I can’t think of a movie, which has been made as good as the novel itself. This coupled with Marlon Brando’s acting, just leaves you in awe.
As a kid I remember my father and brother watching this and I had fallen asleep. Well, I was 10 then. Mafia didn’t mean more to me than a word of 5 letters! The movie is about a fictitious mafia family in New York. People say that its sequel is the best sequel ever. But I have my doubts with all due respect to Al Pacino’s acting. Quite naturally Brando won an Oscar for his acting that year.
The musical score sums up the “coldness” in the movie.
5. One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest
This movie is again an adaptation of an eponymous novel by Ken Kesey. This is easily Jack “Genius” Nicholson’s best performance on screen. His acting leaves you as insane as himself.
Randle McMurphy is a pretty criminal who declares himself insane to get into a mental institution to spend the rest of his life in comfort (comparatively). Apart from Jack’s insane act, the best I remember of the movie is a character that he calls “Chief”. A must watch for all J.Nicholson’s fans. This movie swept the Oscars winning in all 5 major categories.
6. Forrest Gump
This movie again like any other movie mentioned above is an adaptation of a novel. The movie was a brilliant commercial success. Tom Hanks delivers a very memorable performance. He surely is one of the best actors of our times. I watched this movie on TV, a couple of years after its release, and was totally blown away by the direction and acting.
The film tells the story of a simple man's epic journey through life, meeting historical figures and experiencing first-hand historic events while largely unaware of their significance, due to his low IQ of 75. The visual effects of Forrest meeting the historical figures is amazing.
7. The Shawshank Redemption
I have already written enough about this movie in my previos posts.
8. Braveheart
This is one of the movies which really inspired me as a kid. I didn’t like it when I watched it the first time(again with my brother), since it was a period movie. But when I watched it a few years later, I really admired it.
Braveheart is loosely based on the life of William Wallace, a freedom fighter of Scotland. The movie opens with the line “I shall tell you of William Wallace. Historians from England will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes." Mel Gibson’s acting is simple comendable but he won an Oscar for his directing skills. The last scene is the most memorable one for me from this movie. He would be brought to a public square fro execution. Refusing the taunts of the executioner to accept subjectivity to the king, he yells his last word, "Freedom!”.
9. The Matrix
Put all sci-fi movies on one side and put Matrix on the other. This can be easily called the most influential path breaking action movie of our times. So much so that it got Malashri doing a Trinity in a Kannada movie !! I still remember watching the promo of The Matrix on US Top 10. I saw Neo dodging the bullets. I just looked at my brother in disbelief.
The film describes a future world in which the Matrix is an artificial reality created by sentient machines in order to pacify, subdue and make use of the human population as an energy source by growing them and connecting them to the Matrix with cybernetic implants. A must watch for all the geeks and to all those who “felt” there was something wrong with this world.
10. Gladiator
Never thought a movie in which a hero is wearing a skirt would become an all-time favorite to me!
Russel Crowe’s acting is nothing short of breathtaking. The director Ridley Scott’s effort of recreating the images of Rome and the amphitheatre is plaudable. This is one of those movies which you would like instantaneously. The dialogue delivery of Crowe is amazing. The scene in which he walks down to reveal his identity to Commodus is the high-point of the movie. A must watch to all Russel Crowe’s fans and to all those who aren’t his fans yet!!
When I was making this list there were many movies, I felt bad to have left out. But I guess this is what happens to any movie buff who goes to make a list of his “Bests”.
4 comments:
I'm burnt out on 4, 5, 6, and 7 but I love the rest. I bet you'd like Paper Moon too, its one of my faves.
Tnx for the comments..Paper Moon eh.? I'll try catchin' it..
Havnt seen d best of em (accordin 2 u)....do u have dem ;)
Well pretty much all of them..
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