The trailer for this movie isn't very good. Seriously, the production quality is garbage. The film however, is quite interesting. It takes place in northern England, where a man returns from the military to find out his younger retarded brother has been taken advantage of by a local gang. He takes the law into his own hands. Sounds like a generic story, and it is, but there's a reason why this film found its way to No. 40. It's not just violence and revenge....it's 'Taken' with an actual storyline and where you actually care and feel for the main character.
There really isn't enough Film Noir in this world, and this gritty Australian mystery shows why. If you like the Coen Brothers, then you definitely need to check this out. It's a simple movie but it is extremely well written and it's one of those stories that just really comes together and is wrapped up very well. This isn't a Hollywood-type movie, I loved how it ended, and it keeps you at the edge of your seat the entire time.
A young homeless man finds a way to survive by breaking into houses of people who are on vacation. He 'pays' for his stay by cleaning the house, doing the laundry, and so on. In one house, a resident has stayed behind, and without exchanging words he stays. Then it gets weird, they fall in love, her husband returns, he gets thrown in jail. There is almost no dialogue in the entire movie, but it is still a very beautiful love story. It is unique and I'm sure a lot of people will hate it. I loved it.
I feel bad being surprised that the midget in the lead role gave such a good performance, but he is really is a good actor. This film gives you great perspective into living that life, but in the end this isn't a film about what it's like to be a midget. This film is about friendship. Three lonely soles with not much in common coming together just to hang out. I suppose it's also about learning to understand people who are different than you, people who have different interests and are coming from different places in life.
Cillian Murphy has gained notice as an actor in recent Christopher Nolan films, but this film is by far his greatest performance to date. In 1950s America, Murphy's character likes to dress up as his own wife. This is fine until the town finally meets the wife that no one thought he had. It gets a little creepier in the way that his wife tells him what to do, makes him breakfast, does his laundry, and how he hides things from her. Needless to say, it gets strange.
Giant alien monsters have crash-landed on Earth. This movie isn't about the fight, or about space, or even about the aliens, which is why you've most likely never heard of it. This has a feel somewhere between 'Cloverfield' and 'District 9'. There is no fighting in it, giant aliens are on Earth and everyone seems to have accepted that. The area is contained and all a reporter wants to do is get the daughter of his powerful boss home, and that means cutting right through the containment zone. It's a very simple, low-budget movie that you shouldn't watch if you want a sci-fi action adventure. It's this type of real world sci-fi that makes me really love the genre.
When I first heard that Steve McQueen had directed a movie, I thought of the 60s movie star. Apparently this is a different guy, and yet with his first film he shows me that by the end of his career he could be just as well known. This is a movie with three distinct parts. One about prison life, one about a conversation, and one about a hunger strike. All three are shot with incredible imagery, the mood is captured in such an extraordinary way that words are pointless and unneeded (there is quite a bit of dialogue though, just in case you were wondering).
This two-part movie chronicles the life of legendary french gangster Jacques Mesrine. Before watching this, I never even knew who that was. Afterwards, I wondered how could I not. He lived an extraordinary life of prison breaks and robberies. He went from suave frenchmen to fat-hippie idealist. Robin Hood or John Dillinger? Either way, these films are great and are a must-watch for anyone not familiar with Jacques Mesrine. One of the best gangster movies I've ever seen.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, the champion of bad action movies. He can barely find work now and he surely can't act, right? He found a role that he can play though, the role of Jean-Claude Van Damme, a washed up action hero. He's pressed for cash and times are tough, so is he really holding up a bank? This movie is a very personal reflection by JCVD on his life and career. After seeing this film, I instantly gained a ton of respect for the man. He put it all out there and even gave an amazing performance. If that's not enough for you, then go on YouTube and look up the opening scene. One of my favourite movie openings.
A disgraced cop gets sent to a remote village where the residents are weird and take the law into their own hands. Yes, this is the same joke set-up that Hot Fuzz made fun of. However, this is actually a good movie. Better than good.....great. Why? Because it's weird, quirky, real, and the direction is amazing. The plot is almost exactly what you'd think it is, but it's everything along the way that makes this a great movie. The dialogue and some of the shots remind me of Kubrick, just a little bit.
#50-41 ... #30-21 #20-11 #10-1
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