Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino
Directed by: Fernando Meirelles
Plot: Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer.
But is it any good?
I watched this movie (called City of God in English) a few years ago at an Auckland film festival, in […]
Starring: Henry Fonda + 11 Angry Men
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Plot: 12 jurors sit in a hot room and argue about whether someone is guilty or not guilty. It starts raining.
But is it any good?
I knew nothing about this film and then made the mistake of consulting my weighty ‘History of Cinema’ book. It bloody well […]
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Plot: A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.
But is it any good?
Memento is: Daring, original, smart.
Memento isn’t: An easy viewing experience. It’s not a date movie. You’ll be scratching your head for days to […]
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Plot: Henry Hill and his friends work their way up through the mob hierarchy.
But is it any good?
I watched Goodfellas last night for the first time, reluctant as always to watch a mafia movie. Maybe it’s a girl thing, but I just don’t like them. […]
Starring: Gloria Swanson, William Holden
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Plot: A hack screenwriter writes a screenplay for a former silent-film star who has faded into Hollywood obscurity.
But is it any good?
Another unexpected gem on this list. In Sunset Blvd., a cynical screenwriter named Joe Gillis is down on his luck when he chances across a seemingly abandoned […]
Starring: James Stewart
Directed by: Frank Capra
Plot An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.
But is it any good?
Only the most hard-hearted, cynical bastard could fail to be touched by Wonderful Life. While its senitmentality may be challenging in this day and age, […]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Plot: Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter’s attractive friend.
But is it any good?
I’ve always thought the similarly-themed Ice Storm was better than American Beauty, but this is still a very […]
Starring: Jim Carry, Kate Winslet
Directed by: Michael Gondry
Plot: Outlining the plot ruins the surprise, in my opinion.
But is it any good?
I was surprised and charmed when I discovered Being John Malcovich (which I walked into randomly in Paris one winter), and I love Charlie Kaufmann scripts (including Adaptation) so I had high hopes for Eternal […]
Starring: Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham-Carter
Directed by: David Fincher
Plot: An office employee and a soap salesman build a global organization to help vent male aggression.
But is it any good?
Oh, how I love David Fincher movies, and how I loved Fight Club in the late ’90s. The timing was perfect. There was no 9/11 to […]
Starring: Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Orson Welles
Directed by: Carol Reed
Plot Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident.
But is it any good?
Oh my god, yes! Shame on me for not having seen it earlier, considering I’m such an ardent fan of Citizen […]
