Category: 4/4
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Sunset Blvd. [1950] ★★★★
The opening scene in “Sunset Blvd.” became one of the most iconic sequences in cinema history. We meet Joe Gillis, an unemployed screenwriter, in a very unusual way. He’s floating dead in a swimming pool, recounting his doomed personal and professional involvment with megalomaniac silent movie star Norma Desmond (a wonderful Gloria Swanson). Norma lives…
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The Thief Of Bagdad [1940] ★★★★
To begin with a story: I remember watching “The Thief Of Bagdad” when I was very young with my grandfather (who taught me everything there is to know about films). It was probably the first movie I had ever seen, and I was fascinated by it. A couple of years ago, I learned that Criterion was releasing…
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Vertigo [1958] ★★★★
One of the most interesting things about this movie is the fact that it was a flop at the time of its release. Hitchcock instantly blamed James Stewart, saying he was “too old to attract audiences anymore”. The two never worked together again, eventhough Stewart was the original choice for the role of Roger Thornhill in…
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Howl’s Moving Castle [2004] ★★★★
One of the best animated movies ever made from master filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”, “Ponyo”) about a teenage girl who finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is turned into a 90 year old woman by an evil witch. Embarking on a journey to lift the curse, she finds refuge in a magical castle, where…
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12 Angry Men [1957] ★★★★
Completely absorbing movie starring Henry Fonda as a juror who is convinced that a boy who is accused of murdering his father is completely innocent. But how will he convince the rest of the jury, when they have no doubt in mind that the defendant is guilty of all charges? Rarely a movie manages to keep you…
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It’s A Wonderful Life [1946] ★★★★
Frank Capra’s classic movie has won the hearts of millions of viewers around the world. It’s certainly an ageless film that seems to get better and better with each passing year. James Stewart is perfectly cast as man who has worked all his life to make good in a small town. Thinking he has failed, the frustrated…
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The Departed [2006] ★★★★
Martin Scorsesse has been terrific over the years. With movies like “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “Gangs Of New York”, and even the underrated “King Of Comedy” on his résumé, the man can be proud. “The Departed” won him his first oscar as a director, and let me just say: it was about time. With a cast that includes…
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Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [1980] ★★★★
Also known as the best sequel of all time, this chapter has more excitement and more dazzling special effects than any other “Star Wars” movie. The rebels are still pursued by Darth Vader, but the story focuses more on Luke Skywalker, who receives a posthumous command from Obi Wan Kenobi, ordering him to travel to the…
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Rear Window [1954] ★★★★
Stylish Hitchcock movie about a wheelchair bound photographer (James Stewart) who spends his time spying on his neighbors from his window appartment. One day he becomes convinced that one of his neighbors has killed and buried his wife. With the help of his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) and his nurse, they decide to lead their own private…
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The Third Man [1949] ★★★★
“In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love – they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock”. Terrific movie about a man (cottens) who arrives in…
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North By Northwest [1959] ★★★★
“I didn’t realize you were an art collector.I thought you just collected corpses”. Many consider “North By Northwest” as the best Hitchcock movie ever made. It might not be my favorite (mine would be “Rear Window”), but it’s certainly one of his finest. Hitchcock had worked on a similar plot so many times before (the…
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly [1966] ★★★★
“You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig”. Sergio Leone’s spaghetti trilogy comes to an end with style. Clint Eastwood leads the hunt for a buried treasure in this superior western movie about greed and…well gun battles. But it all comes…
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Moon [2009]
I guess I’ll never quite understand why I loved this movie so much, but I really did. It’s one of my favorite films of the year and it makes me sad that it didn’t get the attention it deserves. It’s a superior science fiction movie that ranks among the best of its genre. Sam Rockwell…
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