Foreign

The foreign category is an underrated, and often overlooked category for many movies. This category is usually simplified as non-american directed, written, and produced. It is not even limited to the actors, although most often they are non-american as well. That both leaves room open for the type of movie to be included, and limits movies that do not have exclusively non-american talent to be non-foreign.

To introduce my intent of the Foreign thread, I recommend Zatôichi. This movie is directed by and screenplay written by Takeshi Kitano, but is based off the 'Blind Swordsman' novels by Kan Shimozawa.

This movie is wonderfully done, portraying the blind swordsman himself as a sloppy drunkard who only manages to succeed by chance. But as the movie progresses, you find that this is a ruse, in most part, and is actually how Zatôichi behaves normally on a day to day basis. The way he defeats some of his foes also contains an almost slap-stick comedy and action. But the real gem is the drama and action within this movie. The fighting scenes are brilliant, the women sexy and powerful, and the dialogue very witty and hilarious. The directing and acting are excellent. The scene showing the play that Zatôichi watches is hilarious.

I give this movie an 8 or 10, and a must see. Foreign seems to be not for everyone, but if you have the patience to enjoy a movie that needs sub-titles, I strongly recommend this movie, and recommend you to keep it too.

Drama

The Drama category has existed for a long, long time. This category was designed to list movies that have intense emotionally or mentally stimulating plots, story-lines, and characters. It is usually puntuated with tradgedy, love, and pain.

To intruduce this thread, I recommend Crash. This movie brings pain and suffering to a brutally honest forefront that is impossible to ignore, forcing you to feel. This movie takes what most people would take as normal day to day existance, and paints a picture of what really happens, when people open up and show their true colors.

This movie stars Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Ludacris, Ryan Phillippe, Terrence Howard, Larenz Tate, Michael Pena, Ashlyn Sanchez, Shaun Toub, and Marina Sirtis. These actors pull off a slow rollercoaster of plots and emotion that pick up speed and start colliding and pushing everyone's threshhold of tolerance of truth. It is written and directed by Paul Haggis, who has written many relationships and social settings materials, such as Thirtysomething, and wrote many ironic and comedic tv series such as Facts of Life and Different Strokes. These latter series did not touch on the depth as this movie, but did introduce America to lifes difficulties regarding sexism and racism, and social transgressions such as betrayal and forgiveness. True these series completely veneered it over with a sugar-coating of the day, but it did not ignore these issues as many tv series did. Thirtysomething was an attempt to address the Americana of the day, pointing out what it means to come from a generation that saw so much change, and watching it stagnate in a late 80's early 90's society of middle-class pretense of happiness. It drew out the truth of relationships and emotional vulnerability while showing some of the absudities of what Americans hold dear and try to achieve. These were well done premonitions of what was to come with Crash.

Loss, hate, pain, grief, love, hope, and faith are all touched on. But the real eloquence of this film, is to show that no-one is a victim, and no-one is without blame. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone feels pain and gives pain. Everyone can feel hope, and can forgive. It is a journey of self-discovery for most characters, but is definitely a journey for the viewer.

I will tell no more, but the quotes from Lara i think are some of the most powerful scenes in the movie, and I was very moved by them. I think so many scenes in this movie are so moving and powerful, that it is impossible to ignore the ones that even don't seem to relate to the individual viewer.

I rate this movie with an additional word of caution. This movie will inspire you to talk, but unfortunately it will also anger you. It will not allow a viewer to watch and be unmoved. It will shake some's foundation and beliefs, it will anger others to actions, and will remind many of pains they have experienced, and hopefully open the eyes of the inflictors. Be prepared, as this movie will leave its mark on you, and hopefully remind you of the world we live in, but hope for a world yet to come, and to help spur your actions toward that hope.

I rate this movie as a 10 of 10, and a must see, must own, must watch every so often, and must, must discuss. This movie will bring home its purpose by opening discussions, and debates. If you do not do this, you are shorting yourself the experience, and slighting the movie and its purpose. Few movies have moved me so much as this one, and few movies have tried to show things as this one did.

Family

The Family thread is based loosely on the existing category. Currently, America and Hollywood seem to have a strange idea what a 'Family' movie is, and what is appropriate for most of American children and families. I created this thread to show ideally not only what is actually a family movie, but also a quality and powerful family movie.

To start this thread, I recommend Labrynth. This movie is an excellent fantasy world Muppet adventure, showing how dreams can come true, but if they are squandered, the truth becomes meaningless. It is a fun filled, entertaining, quotable movie, good for all ages. It contains all kinds of comedies, and brings to children what it means to grow up without having to sacrifice what it means to be a kid at heart.

This movie stars Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, David Bowie as Jareth, the Goblin King, and many animatronic and hand puppets thanks to the late Jim Henson. The movie starts with a troubled young teen trying to get over the loss of her mother, and adjust to her new life with her new step-mother and half-brother. She then wishes for it to change, and low and behold, it happens. Then Sarah must come to grips with what it means to be mature, have self-control, and be respectful to the world around her through many adventures and misadventures, making friends along the way.

This movie is one of the most fun movies I have ever seen, and has tons of fun and silly quotes. I recommend this as a family movie, not just for kids. The other really nice thing about this movie is that it come with the making of Labaryth included in the original version, and the DVD as well. It makes the family fun of showing children how Jim Henson's Studios works their magic. It also helps children to see that movies aren't real, and shows them how the Hollywood industry can work the magic for animatronics and puppetry.

I give this movie a 9 of 10, and a must see, must own, and must watch every-so-often. I recommend playing it for any your relatives who come to visit and want to watch something, and have fun pointing out the silly characters and fun moments.

Sci-Fi

The Sci-Fi thread is one of the most popular categories for cult-classics and followings. This category has been full of various plot types and character scenarios. It has covered more ground that most categories, and can be demanding of the directors and actors due to an unrealistic environment or story.

I will open this thread with a powerhouse classic. It has spanned two generations, sparked a multitude of changes in the business world of movies, has stereotyped what the sci-fi movie industry should offer, and drawn melodramatic criticism of what is realistic, what is fantasy, and what is Sci-Fi. That movie would be Star Wars, directed by George Lucas.

George Lucas did bring us this story in a simple and pulp-fiction style. Sparking the memories of every comic and pulp-fiction reader with an action packed and fantastic story of a boy becoming a man, and of a man becoming a Jedi. It is a phenomenal story, one that harkens back to most coming of age stories. Stories of growing up, accepting the things you cannot change, and standing up to do the things you must. It is a motivational movie when it is dissected, meant to show what it means to become an adult in a dangerous and tumultuous time, and about making sacrifices and mistakes in the pursuit of doing the right thing, and ultimately helping others. It is the story every boy wishes he could make come true.

This movie is low-budget, dependant on a bit of blind faith to believe some of the scenes, but is fairly well acted and directed. There are small scenes where the acting is lapsing, and where the directing could use more time on different scenes, and less on others. But after nearly 30 years to review, if that is all that can be said for constructive criticism, it only goes to show what a phenomenal movie it really is.

This movie is every bit the blockbuster, the scenes between Leah and Han are classic, even today speaking of the tension that arises in crisis between to people that find each other irresistible. The scenes between Ben and Luke are the most influential for explaining the reason for Luke’s journey, and were well done and emotional at times. Even the scenes with the pilots getting picked off were fairly decent, especially when Luke realized it was up to him to complete the mission, for all of humanity.

I must give the movie two ratings, one for the movie itself, and the other for Sci-Fi lovers and Star Wars fans. For the movie itself, I give it a 7 of 10, and a must see. For Sci-Fi lovers and Star Wars fans, I give it a 9 of 10, a must see, a must own it, and must watch it at least 10 times! (If you have not seen it, and you’re a fan, there is something wrong with you)

Comedy

The Comedy thread is a major and basic staple. There have been comedies in movies since their inception, and most likely always will be. These movies help us forget our woes and make us feel good despite whatever else is going on in our lives.

To launch this thread, I submit Liar Liar. This movie is an example of Jim Carrey at the top of his game, in a plot that is simple, but pulls no punches.

This movie is set where a wayward father who has become so career oriented, he has shelved his whole family in pursuit of the corner office. He lies, cheats, and weasels his way through each day as he tries to achieve his goals. Then, on the birthday party for his son that he missed due to sleeping with his boss, his son makes a wish that miraculously comes true. He wished his father would stop lying.

This begins the misadventures, as he tries to figure out what happened that a sleazy lawyer cant lie, and why. Through his day we encounter him trying not to say the things that we all are thinking, showing how funny it is that we do not say them, and what would happen if we said them with bold honesty.

This movie is hilarious, true, and well done. There are many quotable scenes, hilarious happenstances, and is full of high entertainment. Even people who are not Jim Carrey fans will love this. I rate this as a 9 out of 10, and a must see.

Dramedy

The Dramedy thread is standard that is new to the movie catagories. It is about movies that tend to be funny while the plot is of a more serious or tragic nature. These movies are ones that cover lots of ground, but while complex, do not stay on either funny or serious for very long. And some times they challenge you to figure them out.

Speaking of challenging the audience, I challenge you with Punch Drunk Love. It is written, directed, and co-produced by independent film maker Paul Thomas Anderson. He also wrote and directed Boogie Nights and Magnolia.

I recommend this one based on seeing Adam Sandler in something besides playing a character just like himself. It also challenges you to wait to see where it's going, not providing a linear plot or portrayal of characters. It is not easy to tell in the first few minutes, but it is entertaining, funny, and true about what people think but never do. In this movie Adam Sandler does what people only think to themselves of saying or doing. It makes you wonder what people are really like on the inside.

Punch Drunk Love is the story of a person who is so whithdrawn, he is on the verge of suicide or homicide at any moment. Then just when it seems he is at his breaking point, he meeds someone who brings him out of himself. Thus begins this journey where he has to find himself again, now that he is no longer trapped within his own twisted psyche.

All in all, this movie covers alot of ground without even letting you know. It impressed me by using an almost Andy Kaufman style humor, with situation comedy and slap stick in very unusually ways, both ironic and straight forward. These scenes seemed to be trying to be taken seriously but are so sudden and extreme that they pitch you over the edge of seriousness to irony and comedy.

It is brilliant from an artistic perspective, the followthrough of the characters and interlacing of emotions is stunning, almost shocking in it's quick and convoluted changes. I found myself being totally entertained watching someone who appeared incapable of functioning, running his own business, handling relatives of a huge family, and trying to balance his love life. All the while, watching this character lose himself on a journey of self discovery.

I give this movie a special rating. If it is just a dramedy your looking for, I give it a 7 of 10 and a good movie. If it is a indipendent film or artistic film you are looking for, I give it a 9 of 10 and a must see.

Horror

The Horror category has been a tradition in movie industry since its beginning. This category has sparked peoples interests, started cult-classics, and become a platform for various plot twists and directorial stytles.

To introduce this thread, I recommend In the Mouth of Madness. This film brought by cult-classic horror film director John Carpenter, and written by Michael De Luca who wrote cult-classics such as Lawnmower Man.

This movie takes unpredictably scary, and twists it to the point the viewer feels like they are sinking into the movie. Bit by bit, the plot unravels, and reality bends. Bit by bit, the character cannot tell what is real, and neither can you.

There is a small amount of gore, but not the classic volume known of Carpenter, but the movie will have you saying "Over already, I want more!"

There is a small element of classic Carpenter horror that is a little unbelievable, but as a director, he keeps you right there with author John Trent, played by Sam Neill.

The who movie is a roller coaster or mystery, horror, and madness. It is a definite must see and I give it a 8 out of 10 and a must see and keep for you library. It is great for introducing someone to a John Carpenter film!

Psycho

The thread Psycho is to cover a stalker theme that occurs within many horror, thriller, and even some action categories, but I thought it needs to be separate. To introduce Psycho, I recommend May. It is a recent release, but is well done and is Lucky McKee's theatric directorial debut as well as his writing debut.

This movie takes the idea of what loneliness is, and what strangeness is and twists it to the point of madness. The movie is about a quirky, dark girl who is just in seek of not being alone. Her journey brings home how lonely we all are and how comfortable we seem to be with it. It almost makes May seem to be the one who is normal and the world is full of people who are not normal or real and they just do not know it.

As she spirals down, she becomes more and more demented, and the movie ends on a split second of film questioning whether or not she is wrong as her doll strokes her hair. All in all, I have to say this film is brilliant, and hands you a real and yet twisted view of reality. The question is which is more twisted, ours or May's?

I would say this movie is a must see, and is very creepy. I give it a 9 out of 10.

Ironic

Comedies need to have an array of threads, in my opinion, due to the different flavors. The importance of the dark comedy is to bring out irony and introspective comedies. For my first recommendation on this thread I put forth The Last Supper.

This comedy brings to light why you should be careful what you wish for, and what you wish for is to get people to agree with your point of view.

The Last Supper brings out the idealistic side of us, and shows us how silly it really is. The premise is on a group of characters who are very left-wing liberals who like to get together regularly to eat a fabulous dinner and , over wine, discuss their political views and how they could fix the world if only their views would be taken seriously.

This group of idealists are then dropped an opportunity in their lap to test their beliefs, not just to prove to themselves that they believe it, but to prove that their ideas work. That’s where the irony begins. By the time the end of the movie is looming, the true nature of the film is revealed, and so are the characters true reasons for believing what they do.

The result is an comedic introspective jaunt through what right and wrong is and what that means to each person. It also extrapolates on the meaning of believing in something, and why we believe we know better than the next person as to what we all need, not seeing what we need for ourselves.

The flow of the movie is such that it is hilarious how the characters stumble through the sudden turn of events. It is especially funny and painfully ironic how the characters are given opportunities to do the right thing and end up turning down these opportunities so they can 'do the right thing'. The movie ends with you laughing but wondering, is there something I do with the same pointless ending, destroying what I want by trying to get it?

I would recommend this to anyone who likes dark comedies or ironic movies. This one is a 9 out of 10, and is definitely a must see.

Western

Westerns aren't that big anymore, but I feel they can be just as important. To start this thread, I recommend Tombstone.

This movie starts out with a real effort to take you to the western frontier, but not just the place, but in time. The little details like visible stitching, references to clubs and groups that would make a Politically Correct Advocate cringe, and dirt, dust, and smoke everywhere. You can almost smell the place, for better or worse.

Then there is the plot and characters. The plot, based on historical content, is rich and fairly accurate. The character's history, the play-out of how the characters enter Tombstone, what happens there, and how all the action scenes commence are nearly perfect.

The characters were well played and portrayed fairly accurate. Kurt Russel did make a good Wyatt, not in appearance in my opinion, but in acting. I think the award for perfect rendition of historical character and happenstances belongs to Val Kilmer's Doc Holiday. His character was boldly arrogant, cunning, and deadly, all played brilliantly. His character also provides some of the most entertaining quotes, such as 'Katie, you're not wearin' a bustle! How lewd', and 'I'm your huckleberry'.

There were also the interactions and undertones to the movie as well. The love stories between Doc and Kate is blunt and fiery, full of western stoicism, and between Wyatt and Josephine is slow and deliberate, defying the wild and deadly world around them. The legendary scene where Wyatt dares the gunfire to bring Curly Bill to justice was powerful and impressive. One of The more powerful scenes was seeing the heart of the wicked for what it was, as Johhny Ringo quoted latin script from the bible and the gleam in his eye as the priest died. Seeing all of this combined, the gritty dirty realism with the light, the witty comedy, the excellent acting, and the directing, created this outstanding western movie.

Lastly, Tombstone helps take a legend, one that never took a single bullet I might add, and make it real, not just three dimensional. Creating Wyatt the man, not Wyatt the legend. By seeing Wyatt as a normal guy, we can see maybe just a little Wyatt in all of us.

I have to give this western a hands-down, flat-out, full-tilt, 10 out of 10. It was a must see, must see every so often, must own the dvd to view the extras, and must quote movie.

Animation

Animation is an a wide reaching thread, covering various styles of animated movies. To start this thread, my choice of a recommended movie is Light Years, also known as Gandahar.

This movie brings in a fascinating picture of the future of humanity in a post-apocalypse, utopian scenario, far flung from here and now. It points out that the human nature and how it is that we are human, no matter what we look like and no matter what fortune befalls us. It pulls no punches in showing the pains of segregation, and the spiraling delusions of megalomania.

It has a quote that has stuck with me a long time, and i find amusing: ‘In a thousand years, Ganhadar will be destroyed. A thousand years ago, Ganhadar will be saved and what can't be avoided will be.’ Its an interesting self-fulfilling prophecy.

The thing I loved the most about this, was the unusual fantasy style, and the intricacies of the plot. It reminds me of a game I grew to love from Squaresoft/Squre Enix, 'Chrono Trigger'.

This is not a great movie, but thanks to creativity, plot, and style, I would still be happy to give this a 7 out of 10 and still a must see.

Suspense

To start this thread, I am using an impressive movie that, after it's release for all intents disappeared off the movie publicity radar. My Mystery thread recommends The Game, starring Michael Douglas.

Now this movie was made using an inescapable, unknown Big Brother entity in a 'Prisoneresque' feel, utilizing something commonplace like the personalized service for meeting people, like match.com. The character is drawn down into a spiraling maelstrom of occurrences, people, and items that all point him in the direction he thinks is the truth only to have the next turn disprove the last. The spiral goes on and on through what would be believable things based on what happened last, until finally in a big finale, the answer.

It is fast paced, does not pull off anything completely unbelievable, and gets you right there with the character trying to determine what could be real. It never quits, never slows down, and when you finally think you know where the plot is going to turn next, it turns right on queue but in an unexpected direction.

It was one of the best mystery movies to see in the theatre, and is only a pale comparison on tape/dvd. If you have a big screen hdtv and surround sound it might work, but you'll have to scoot forward in your seat and hang on! I would give this mystery an 8 out of 10. It would be higher if you didn't need to be in a theatre to get the full effect.

Action

For the first posting in the Action Thread, I would like to bring to light a fairly unnoticed, somewhat recent release, Equilibrium.

Equilibrium, written by an impressive up and coming director Kurt Wimmer, is a post-apocalyptic futuristic action movie, where the main character is run through an all too familiar plot where happenstances and unrealistic action triumph over the adversarial characters, the failure of the application of utopia, and eventually himself.

But it does it in a realistic pace, where the personal journey is introspective and painful to watch. It draws out the fallacy within the premise and how an imposed utopian society, no matter how helpful, can so easily fall, like the drop of a pill over the sink.

Then there is the action. It was as revolutionary as the action choreography of Matrix, with Cleric's Gun Martial Training, it was amazing. A fight scene like non-other. The only thing I wish, was that it lasted longer.

If I had to rate this, I would give it an 8 out of 10. It is simply a must see!

Dark

Dark Movies will be my first post. This is a posting designed to allow you Dark Movie lovers to post what you think a great Dark Movie was and why.

For my first recommendation I have chosen one for first-time Dark Movie watchers. I recommend to watch an oldie, but a goodie. It is called Charly.

This movie is based off of a book called 'Flowers for Algernon'. This movie is good and straight to the point. It offers the viewer an insight into what technology and medicine might offer in the future, but points out that people are still people and will have to remember that hope and our sense of self is a fleeting thing. It is gentle with the message and at the same time, makes the message powerfully unmistakable.

I saw this for the first time in my social studies class in high school. The cast and acting are a bit out of synch with today's culture to an amusing level, but I think that helps unveil the deeper aspects of the plot and the main character's struggle with his hope for the future.

If I had to rate this, I would rate it as a 7 out of 10, and a must see, if only once.