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10 Must See Films
Ten movies that have made an impact on me and come highly recommended.
Ok, this isn’t a list of the best movies of all time, just movies that I really enjoyed and think they deserve lots of recognition ^_^ Ok, here they are:
Tropic Thunder
For me, this was one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. Jack Black cracks me up whatever he’s doing and I have such a crush on Robert Downey jr so for the cast alone made it a must-see. RD jr was the stand out for me – he plays an acclaimed actor who underwent surgery to make himself black for a role. So the basic plot is that a group of spoilt actors are dropped into the middle of the jungle to toughen them up for “the greatest war movie ever made”. But things go awry when real militants target the group, who are under the impression that everything is special effects. Hilarious movie, mostly because of the endless allusions to Platoon (the 1986 movie).
WALL-E
Ok, I’m just going to put this out there: WALL-E made me cry. It’s such a sweet, naïve, touching story of a world gone wrong and the tiny glimmer of hope that could save it. I know a lot of people who didn’t like the movie because of the lack of dialogue, but to me, it just emphasises how spectacular the people at Pixar are at conveying emotion in their animated characters. Gorgeous feel good movie.
The Fifth Element
This one’s an oldie but a goodie – back when Bruce Willis still had hair and nobody knew who Milla Jovovich were, they star in this intergalactic action movie. It’s quirky, some of the characters are downright strange, but for me it’s got everything: action, drama, romance, comedy, great (for the time) special effects and Gary Oldman in a bald cap. What more could you ask for?
Pan’s Labyrinth
Guillermo del Toro really outdid himself on this one. The effects are ridiculously beautiful, the characters are as authentic as can be and some of them are downright terrifying. When Ophelia’s mother marries a general in Franco’s army, the little girl is thrust into the cruel militant life of Fascist Spain, until she escapes into a surreal world of quests and mythical creatures, but all is not as it seems. I can almost guarantee some of the villains in this movie will give you nightmares.
Kung Fu Panda
I love this movie more and more every time I see it. As a martial artist, this movie tickles me in the just the right way – it’s well researched, terrifically animated and most of all, side splittingly hilarious. The panda Po dreams of learning Kung fu but cannot leave his life working for his father in a noodle store. But destiny intervenes and Po is forced to become The Dragon Warrior in order to face a terrifying threat. Featuring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan. “There is no charge for awesomeness. Or attractiveness.” Just hilarious.
Spirited Away
Chihiro stumbles into a surreal magical world ruled by spirits and is forced to find a job in a bathhouse to survive. The plot may sound a little strange but the movie is sweet and inspiring, just like all of Studio Ghibli’s work. One for the whole family ^_^
The Dark Knight
What else do I need to say about this? This movie encapsulated decades of Batman mythos into 2 hours and gave us one of the best acting performances ever. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Clown prince of Gotham is just…well it’s phenomenal. There’s absolutely nothing not to love about this movie.
Watchmen
My favourite book of all time. I was so scared when they decided to make it into a movie, but trust Zack Snyder to deliver everything expected and more. In its simplest terms, this movie is about a group of vigilante superheroes who have been outlawed by the government but must band together to fight an emerging menace. That’s all I’m saying, my clumsy description wouldn’t do it any sort of justice. The actors were chosen incredibly well and the soundtrack is just terrific – Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan…very haunting and atmospheric.
Fight Club
Definitely a must – with such a densely layered plot and social commentary, it’s really a masterpiece. The main character (Edward Norton) is drowning in a pool of apathy and insomnia until he meets Tyler Durdan (Brad Pitt). Tyler snaps him out of his misery by creating Fight club, an underground boxing ring where men can beat the hell out of each other to feel alive in the midst of their unfulfilling lives. When Fight club evolves into a paramilitary group bent on anarchy, things take a deadly turn for the worst. The first time you see it, the twist at the end will be like a kick in the stomach, and the second time round it’ll all be so obvious. One of the best ending scenes ever, set to Where is my mind, by Placebo.
The Matrix
What really needs to be said? It’s a huge, wonderfully directed movie, which depicts a dystopian future extrapolated from current trends. Keanu Reeves in fantastic (for once) and the supporting cast of Lawrence Fishburne, Carrie Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving… they’re just great. The plot is impossible to explain so I’ll just let you see it for yourself. I can’t emphasise MUST-SEE any more.
