My Top Ten Films of All Time

1. The Godfather Parts I and II (1972) (1974)

2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)


3. Casablanca (1942)

4. Saving Private Ryan (1994)

5. Schindler's List (1993)

6. Raging Bull (1980)

7. Gone with the Wind (1939)

8. Psycho (1960)

9. On the Waterfront (1954)

10. City of God (Cidade de Deus) (2002)

Drive (2011) Re-Review

5 out of 5

This is not only the best film of the year, but Ryan Gosling's best, and one of the best films in a while. The style is so artistic, the music is awesome, and pace of the film is perfect. Drive is about a driver who is hired for an escape from robberies. He is known for his skill and the fact that there is nothing he can't do in a car. He is very quiet throughout the film but in tense scenes he breaks out of his quietness in anger because of his love for a woman and her son who live in his apartment building. He watches over them until her husband is released from prison. From then on the film becomes a series of violence and revenge. It is so well done and my favorite  movie since Inception. It really did impress me and kept me so captivated. One of my favorite things about Ryan Gosling's character was the fact that he respected Irene (Carrie Mulligan) and her husband enough to not cause her to cheat on her husband. He just wanted to help a woman in need is the way I saw it. You must see this film if you have not yet.

Das Boot (1981)

5 out of 5

A thrilling, suspenseful, and claustrophobic film about the adventure of a Nazi submarine and its crew. The boat goes through an incredible journey filled with intense battles. Throughout the whole film you really start to connect with the crew and you start to cheer for them even though they are Nazi. You start to realize that not all Nazi soldiers agreed with Hitler and his views. One scene of the movie several crew members are talking after a very rough battle with an Allie destroyer and one sailor says "Screw Hitler...Screw this war", another sailor responds" It's not about the war or Hitler anymore, it's about each other." The film mainly revolves around the Captain played by Jurgen Prochnow who does an absolutely fantastic job. You really start to connect with him the most and I often tried to put myself in his position and imagine what I would do in several scenes of the movie. You as the viewer start to realize that he as a captain of a submarine with over 150 men on it, he has responsibility for all of their safety. I also loved how the whole movie I felt like I myself was trying to live in a submarine. I loved this movie, and the more I think about it, I love it more.

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

5 out of 5

One of my favorite suspense thrillers, it keeps you so intrigued and on the edge of your seat the whole film. Another success from Ben Affleck. Casey Affleck truly impressed me with his performance also. The movie is great and the story is so intense and thrilling.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

3.5 out of 5

Yes, it has its "unfortunate" moments that I wish that director, Nora Ephron did not decide to keep. But, the movie is fun, creative and almost a classic in the romantic comedy genre. I thought that Tom Hanks did a fairly good job and the movie really did keep me interested.

The Tree of Life (2011)

4.5 out of 5

The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s and a very beautiful and creative way to depict the creation of our world. I am still trying to figure out every sub plot and every message that was presented to me through the film. The Tree of Life is many things, The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (as an adult) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. The story during the 1950's is about a strict father trying to find the right ways to treat his three boys. Brad Pitt does an incredible job at a very hard role. The film shows the mental struggle the three sons go through because of their violent and strict father. Mr O'Brien tries to force love out of his family even though he scares them, and they celebrate when he goes away. You also see the struggles of the mother when she tries to be loving towards them, but is punished by her husband for doing so. You then see the effects of an unloving father when the boys start trying different things that they know are wrong. It seems like they do these things because they don't want to obey anything their father tells them. This film has a very cool style to it and I loved the creativity. For a large portion of the movie, we see many beautiful shots of our universe and a few different views on the creation  to show Jack's confusion of what to believe. Some would say it is boring but I would say that it was excellent and creative. Before you sit down and watch it, make sure you are ready for a very philosophical and deep film.

The Ides of March (2011)

4.5 out of 5

Excellently depicts the disgusting truths about politics.It is so sick to see  what sometimes goes on with out us voters knowing, and this movie portrays very well, a plot filled with greed, lies, lust, and extortion all caused because of the sinful desires of man and the race to become President. It really is a sad thing, and fortunately director George Clooney did not make the movie look like it supported all of these problems in any way. The sickest part of the film is the fact that, even after all the lies and extortion the bad guy can still come out on top. One scene of the film is a conversation between the campaign manager for the other candidate and Stephen Myers (Gosling) who is second in command for Mike Morris (Clooney) and his campaign. In this scene Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) is telling Stephen Myers the reasons why the democrats have such a hard time winning. He tells Stephen that the Republicans are crueler, tougher, meaner, and dirtier than the democrats. I found things like this very interesting throughout the film because the leader of our country should be a man of integrity and truth and the whole game plan for running for president seemed filled with everything but integrity. Throughout the film Governor Morris often talks in his soeeches about the importance of integrity and how he was fed up with all of the lies. The plot is filled with twists and interesting side plots that have you on the edge of your seat. Gosling gives an amazing performance once again. Unfortunately there were some problems with the screenplay such as over done cursing from almost every character, and some of the campaign speeches came across a little flawed and not very creative. All in all this film was fantastic and it had me very engrossed.

Midnight in Paris (2011)

4 out of 5

This beautiful Woody Allen film portrays and fun romance with an interesting idea. There were so many beautiful shots and views of paris, and the dialogue was fantastic. The ending of the film is someone interesting but also somewhat drawn out. One of the best this year.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

5 out of 5

Wow, I cannot believe that I had not seen this film until now. The romantic story is a classic one, and Audrey Hepburn is fantastic. The ending is not only emotional and romantic but perfect movie making. Throughout the film you become so close to Holly (Hepburn) and Paul (Peppard). Women audiences try to relate themselves to having Holly's emotions and feelings and the men relate to Paul's. This film really drawls the viewer in. It is a Classic.

30 Minuets or Less (2011)

3 out of 5

Yes, this movie was at times corny, and yes at parts the humor was dry, but there parts of this film that had me laughing hysterically. This film takes an interesting idea and has you laughing in all of the stupidness.

Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol (2011)

4 out of 5

Ghost Protocol not only impressed me with its stylized violence and action, but the level of acting in all of the intensity and the creative balance of humor did as well. The plot may have been plain and simple, but it was reinforced by several high paced scenes that were great on the big screen. Well done.

The Seventh Seal (1957)

1 out of 5

This was one of the more disappointing movie experiences I have ever had. I thought this was going to be excellent, but I found myself not being able to take it seriously. I would not suggest this film.

The Descendants (2011)

 4.5 out of 5

The Descendants was a great film starring George Clooney that had a huge focus on family. The film is about a father who has no control over his kids. His wife has just had a terrible jet skiing accident that puts her in a-coma that will lead to her death. This causes Matt (Clooney) to make a resolution to be a better father. He soon is told by his angry daughter that his wife was in love with another man and had been involved in an affair. This leads to several interesting parts in the plot. The over all theme of the film is not only Matt King working to bring his family together but he has to make a decision that would have consequences no matter which way he went. He was a descendant of the owners of thousands of acres of virgin hawaiian land and it was intrusted to him and his extended family. His family must decide whether to try and keep the rare land or sell it for almost a half million. He has the ultimate decision over all though. I loved the ending to this film. The last 30 minutes were almost perfect. I will not spoil anything but it shows the connection of family and the decision he makes.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

4 out of 5

There is no doubt that is is a fantastic and thrilling film backed up by all-star performances by both Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. David Fincher does a good job at making the film dark and engrossing but he fails to do something that has been really bothering me. As a big fan of the original swedish version of the film I didnt think the remake compared in several areas. It also failed to explain its plot almost as if Fincher expected the viewers of his film to have seen the swedish original. I viewed the film with several friends, many of which had not seen the original or read the book and were very confused throughout the movie. I gave this movie a 4 because of how well it was acted and I did love the intensity and the darkness Fincher fused into the film.

Moneyball (2011)

5 out of 5

Moneyball is one the best films to come out this year with no doubt about it. It gives us a view of the game that we never imagine as fans or even players.  My favorite thing about the film was the underlying theme about what life is truly about. Billy Beane had a love for the game and an even bigger love for family. The relationship between him and his daughter was not only sweet but it showed us as viewers that the love of family is and should be more important to us than the love of money. Beane (Brad Pitt) could have been paid 12.5 million dollars to be the GM for the Boston Redsox, but he turned this down because of his love for his daughter and his team.
Another very interesting fact that the movie puts forth is the fact that the Red Sox copied Billy Beans style of trading and building a baseball team and two years later, they won the world series.
This film is not only sweet and funny, but it is very interesting and educating in a well made style.