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50. Battle Royale
49. Amores Perros
48. The Circus
47. Central Station
46. Pan's Labyrinth
45. Raging Bull
44. Kung Fu Hustle
43. The Motorcycle Diaries
42. 25th Hour
41. Magnolia
40. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
39. Psycho
38. Festen
37. Mulholland Drive
36. La Strada
35. Trainspotting
34. The Big Lebowski
33. The General
32. Fargo
31. Ran
30. City Lights
29. Requiem for a Dream
28. Taxi Driver
27. American Beauty
26. Goodfellas
25. Princess Mononoke
24. A Clockwork Orange
23. Casablanca
22. North by Northwest
21. Rashomon
20. Memento
19. The Usual Suspects
18. Vertigo
17. My Sassy Girl
16. Grave of the Fireflies
15. Tokyo Story
14. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
13. It's a Wonderful Life
12. Otto e Mezzo
11. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
10. Ikiru
9. Citizen Kane
8. Rope
7. Pulp Fiction
6. Le Notti di Cabiria
5. The Return
4. Seven Samurai
3. City of God
2. Oldboy
1. Godfather 1+2
Reviews
Hotaru no haka (1988)
Could be my favorite of all time
It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but I just had to write this. I was just playing a little game by going through each genre on IMDb and picking my favorite movie from each genre. For animated movies there was no doubt for me: grave of the fireflies was number one. When I came to drama's I just thought about the movie that had touched me the most. Again I ended up picking GOTFF. Finally arriving at war movies, I also picked this movie.
The greatness of this movie is all in making the spectator realise what war does to people and for a moment you don't think of war casualties as just casualties, but you start to imagine what people have gone through before dying and how the acquaintances have to deal with the loss of a loved one. Takahata creates this pity very well. He gradually makes you fall in love with the main characters (especially Setsuko). It also shows that a war affects both parties. Even though Japan was one of the 'bad guys' in WWII, this movie helps you emphasize also with the people living over there.
To make a short story even shorter; this is definitely one of my personal all time favorites. It shows you (even though it's animated) more than any other movie does what the effect of war is on normal civilians like you and me. I know it might sound cruel but I'm a bit tired of all the soldier war movies. It even has gone to a point that I can't be bothered by war anymore if it's shown in the form of a military movie. This movie, however, has put me right back on the ground and made it all real again. Definitely a must see!
P.S. Too make it even sadder for you than it already is: the story is based on WWII experiences of the writer himself. He was Seita...
Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004)
Refreshing
Taegukgi to me was really refreshing. I'm used to (/tired of?) seeing war films about wars involving western countries, mainly the Vietnam war and WW II and this film made me like war films again, if only for a brief moment (I know western parties are involved in the Korean War as well, but the main characters here are Koreans).
Taegukgi shows the audience a great (Korean) insight in the Korean War and besides this delivers it in a great story as well. The story of two brothers growing apart during wartime may seem a bit typical (and it would have been), but the director really takes his time getting into the story what results in a great compassion created by the viewer. Before seeing the film I knew little about the Korean War and when I visited Korea, my Korean friend insisted I'd watch this one and I'm happy he did.
This film was a big blockbuster in Korea and I can understand why. It is a great film but above all the Koreans are really proud of their national history. Taegukgi does a great job putting a part of that history on screen for the world to see.
Besides this I would like to point out it's very interesting to see JSA and Welcome to Dongmakgol. Those two films (in addition to Taegukgi) give an even better insight in how the (South-) Koreans experience(d) the Korean war and the effect it had and in some way still has on the people of Korea.
I give it 8/10
Qing hong (2005)
Unique in its genre
Qing Hong gives a great historic insight in the Chinese life in the 70's. Unlike films like 'Das Leben der Anderen' and 'Hotel Rwanda' Wang achieves this with a good story. Even though the films mentioned above are realistic, Wang tells the story from the everyday live perspective and I feel it makes it easier for the audience to connect with it. I also think the film isn't made too dramatic like 'Hotel Rwanda' and 'Das Leben der Anderen' tend to be. Of course it is dramatic, but it isn't like you're watching pure fiction. This film had a thorough impact on me, considering the fact that I'm writing this comment a year after I've seen it. I just saw Beijing Bicycle, which is supposed to be better than Qing Hong (I read a review somewhere), and it made me think of Qing Hong, since they're both films directed by Wang. To make a long story short: great film with an interesting historic touch to it.
8/10
Shurayukihime: Urami renka (1974)
Better than the first part
Supposingly I missed out on something and in some way I hope I did. Unlike nearly all the comments made on this film I like this part best. I didn't really like the first part since it got a bit dull and it didn't meet my expectations in the sense of violence. The second part however was far better. The violence was far more spectacular (especially for the 70's), I liked the music a lot and even though the story was not as good as the first one I prefer the second part. I buy these kind of films because I want some sheer entertainment not because I want a perfect story. If I want to see a great vengeance story I'll watch Park Chan-Wook's trilogy or something. But like I said before; I hope I'm wrong, because now I'm going to watch the first part again and if I'm wrong I'll have another good evening.
Bin-jip (2004)
Not great, 'just' good
Kim Ki-Duk to me is a great visual artist, but a somewhat lacking writer. Bin-Jip for me is his most brilliant film camera-wise, even though Spring etc. etc. gets the most (international) credit. It's been almost a year since I was watching his films frequently (I watched about eight of them), but I recently found Bin-jip laying in my beloved DVD-store. I already bought 'Samaritan Girl' one year ago, since I thought it's his best film. Bin-jip however, is my favourite when it comes to cinematography. I especially love his shooting in the houses. Every shot is a piece of art. And of course Spring etc. etc. had some nice shots in it as well, but I felt it was a little bit too cheesy. And a lot of Kim's films seem to have that problem. He does a great job by interesting his audience, even though the main characters say almost nothing (For example: Spring etc., Bin-jip, Bad Guy, The Bow, The Isle etc.). But by doing that, he relies on his camera (and in a less important way the script) too much. With Bin-jip he gets away with it and I like 'Samaritan Girl' best since I feel it's the best script Kim has put on screen. With Spring etc. it's all too typical and he tries too hard to be a poet. I have the same feeling with his other films. He just tries too hard. Of course that isn't a bad thing, but it just keeps him away from being a great director. In my opinion he's 'just' good.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Unbelievable
It had taken me quite a while to see the last part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I must say I wish I'd never seen it at all. I started watching, thinking I would have myself a nice evening watching a good film. I had this feeling, because I had seen the first two parts several times each and both films had a good impact on me. The Return of the King however vanished those good thoughts of me regarding the first two films rapidly. I will now explain to you people why this film is the worst of the three and, in my opinion, the most overrated film in film history (it is assumed to be the #11 of all time).
First of all I would like to point out that it is not the story I dislike. I've read the three books two times and that's quite unique considering the fact I've read about 10 books the last 10 years. And I'm not going to bring up the fact that the film doesn't really match the story told in the books. That doesn't bother me at all. I prefer films over books and I believe there's nothing wrong with bending the storyline a little bit to cut it short or make it possible to get on camera.
Now let me get to the film. This has to be one of the most corny, fake and unnecessarily dramatic films ever. The acting was just too much and because of that not real. The music just made me laugh even harder. The way the film was brought to the viewer is another thing the makers shouldn't be too proud about. Almost every shot had that corny white glow over it, that made me just want to press STOP on my remote control. I didn't, because I liked the book so much and I wanted to see what Jackson did to the rest of the book. And last but not least the 'great' special effects and visual delight everybody seems to love. Really, put on some glasses, and if you already have them; buy better ones. Because your overwhelmed by the great story you're not paying attention to the crappy work with the blue screen. This especially comes forward when Frodo comes into play in the film (for example on mount doom).
There are however, although very little, some things that I can't complain about. The battles are well made and Ian McKellen put on a good performance (because he didn't have to put on some sentimental scene). That however, is it.
I don't think I'll ever watch the first two parts again, since I might be disappointed. And even though this film has a great story(/book) at its foundations, IMDb is a site for films and not books. And for a film, LOTR III did really bad...
Oldeuboi (2003)
If only we were all living in Asia....
To start off; This is the one and only film that kept me quiet for a whole 5 mins after seeing it. I literally couldn't close my mouth, and yet there wasn't any sound coming out of it. Oldboy had such an impact on me that words are too little to describe that impact. Therefore this film is definitely in my top 3 films ever made. It belongs there because it has a massive ingredient that a lot of films seem to miss out on; a divine plot. Even though the acting and screenplay are world class, the plot is really the cherry on the cake.
When it comes to screenplay Park Chan-Wook is unique (at least for western standards) in his way of filming. The colours are so vivid and it seems like he wanted every shot to be a piece of art. One tip: If you like the shooting in 'Oldboy', have a look at 'Sympathy for Lady Vengeance', the third part in Park's revenge-trilogy. It's even superior to the camera-work in 'Oldboy'. Don't, however, expect a story like Oldboy's, because you would be very disappointed.
When it comes to acting and the music, this film is also one of the better films ever made. The music sticks in your head and every time I put in my Oldboy-DVD and the theme-song comes up, I'm just flooded with good memories (even though the plot doesn't have a single reason to be happy about). The characters are also presented very well by the outstanding cast. Especially Choi Min-Sik and Yu Ji-Tae set a very convincing performance.
I really appreciate this film being respected as it should be, by having a place in the top 250. If, however, it was up to me it would be even higher in the ranking. I don't see why films like 'The Usual Suspects' or 'Memento', which are fantastic pieces of film-making and which without a doubt deserve a place in the top 250, are higher in the top 250 than 'Oldboy'. They serve the same cause; a fantastic plot. But those plots can't stand in the shadow or even come close to the plot of 'Oldboy'. The one and only reason is that those two films are better known and from a western production company. If we were all living in Asia, no doubt 'Oldboy' would be in the top 20 of all time.
My advice to people who haven't watched this film yet: Go see it! This is definitely a must- see. If you have a weak stomach, pull yourself together and still watch it. Don't be as shallow as a lot of people here tend to be. Look beyond the violence and see the things I mentioned before: world class acting, cinematography, music and last but certainly not least the plot. Once you've opened yourself up you'll find a whole new world of cinema. Enjoy!
Le notti di Cabiria (1957)
'Le Notti di Cabiria'; A grand cru when it comes to the history of film-making.
Like some others mentioned before: this film is like a good wine. It comes with age. Now I can't disagree with that, because in a certain way it does, but I most definitely can't agree with it. I would describe it differently, although the comparison with wine will still be relevant. The thing that makes this film great, in my opinion, is its 'aftertaste' . While I was watching the film, I was stunned by the acting of Masina, yet not in another way then with 'La Strada'. When the film ended I was very impressed, yet not as much as when I saw 'Otto e Mezzo'. The thing is, I'm finally realising how much I loved this film, while I'm writing this. Maybe the acting wasn't superior to 'La Strada's' acting. I actually liked the rest of the cast better in 'La Strada' (which included Quinn and Basehart besides Masina). Nor was the film as challenging and sophisticated as 'Otto e Mezzo'. But 'La Strada' didn't have a story like 'Le Notti di Cabiria' and a divine character like Cabiria. And 'Otto e Mezzo' didn't have Masina in it. That's what makes 'Le Notti di Cabiria' as memorable as it is. And because of that, this film can be called Fellini's true masterpiece and, by saying that, one of the best films ever made.
Das Leben der Anderen (2006)
typical
I saw this film yesterday, because I heared great things about it. After I've seen it, I don't really get what's so great about it. Sure, it's a good movie, but an 8.5 average is a bit exaggerated in my opinion.
To me, the plot wasn't very original and so predictable. The story of the strict stasi, who slowly turns over to the other side, because of the man he has to watch, to me is a bit corny. I could guess everything that was going to happen. Because of that, the movie didn't really have my full attention for one single moment. And even though the director gives the viewer a good insight in how it was back then, I feel like he could have brought it with a more original script.
Also other things don't really make the movie brilliant. Although the acting was outstanding, the music and most of all the camera-work weren't that great at all. I would call it average. But like i said the outstanding actors and the historic insight it gives, make up a lot. therefore i would rate it a 7.4 or something. 8.5 is way too much.