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vahab
7.5 years old or 9 depending on what scale you use[in cat years]
Actors and actresses I like, Alphabetical, under construction a lot more will be added and rated.
Humphrey Bogart
Marlon Brando
Charles Chaplin
Montgomery Clift
Bette Davis
Alain Delon
Robert De Niro
Marlene Dietrich
Jean Gabin
Clark Gable
Leslie Howard
Buster Keaton
Burt Lancaster
Vivian Leigh
James Mason
Al Pacino
George Raft
James Stewart
ELizabeth Taylor
Natalie Wood
Directors I like
Robert Aldrich ****
Robert Altman ****
Charles Chaplin ****
Henri-Georges Clouzot
Francis Ford Coppola ****
Vittorio De Sica ***
Rainer Werner Fassbinder *****
John Ford *****
D.W. Griffith *****
Howard Hawks ***
Alfred Hitchcock *****
John Huston ***
Buster Keaton *****
Stanley Kubrick ****
Fritz Lang ****
David Lean ****
David Lynch ***
Jean-Pierre Melville **
Sam Peckinpah ***
Otto Preminger ****
Jean Renoir *****
Martin Scorsese ****
Josef von Sternberg ****
Fran�ois Truffaut *****
Lucino Visconti ****
Orson Welles *****
Billy Wilder ****
William Wyler ****
Four most beautiful actresses
Marlene Dietrich
Vivian Leigh
Elizabeth Taylor
Natalie Wood
Reviews
La frusta e il corpo (1963)
Watch for free, but do not buy it.
I saw the film, and read the comments on the booklet that came with the DVD. The film is crap, but the colors are pretty good and impressive. As if the person who wrote the booklet expected criticism, he/she tried to explain that the zoom shots of faces were vital and needed. I borrowed the film from a library, do not waste your money in renting it.
Gigli (2003)
Not a bad film, some spoliers
I did not find the film awful. In fact I enjoyed it more than the couple of recent films in Star wars series. I cannot even remember the name of the last of I saw. It was much better than the first Harry Potter film. The film would have been more fast paced if some scenes were cut, for example, the lesbian friend of J. Lo showing up is waste of time and slow the film. Some dialogues could have been cut short, but I found many funny and witty. In the scene with Walken, Lopez can be seen as really worried. On the other hand in the scene with Pacino, she is little too scared or surprised for a contract killer. The main problem is that Lopez as a mob enforcer is not believable.
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Good action Movie
I found the film a good action movie. Like the character in the film I recovered from amnesia. Mine was why I stopped reading the book. There were too many action fights in the book. Although they are good in a film, it made the book too boring for me. Also the implausibility of remembering everything except your name. I am sure many Enron and Worldcom former executives will have or have the problem now. Matt Damon and all the bad guys were very good in the film.
The Painted Veil (1934)
Good adaptation of Maugham
This film is a good adaptation of Maugham novel. I liked it because of Garbo and Herbert Marshall. If you are a fan of the writer you will like the film. I know there is a lot missing in the film, but there is so much can be put in 85 minutes. I highly recommend it for Garbo fans because in this film she does not play the role of a glamours person. She is a very normal but attractive housewife. I think this is one of her most believable acting.
The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)
Not a bad film
I just saw The day they robbed the Bank of England. It is not a bad film. I think it was very low budget. I have no idea whether the story is true, but at times it was very suspenseful. Peter O'Toole gives a splendid and convincing performance. He was more at ease in this film than any other film that I have seen him. Aldo Ray, who is the main character, at times looks wooden and does not look like someone who cares for Ireland or a woman or anything. I recommend it if it is on TV and for 1 1/2 of relaxation.
About a Boy (2002)
Funny and sometimes sad, Spoiler in the review
I found the film very funny and at times sad. Overall great performance by Hugh Grant and the young man who played the boy. I do not recommend it for young kids because the story is serious. After all trying to commit suicide is not funny and the issue of depression is something that most young viewers do not understand. But in comparison to what is available, [silly action movies, although I liked the Spider man] is worth seeing.
Ride the High Country (1962)
One of the best Westerns
This is my favorite Western. I voted 10 for this because it has action character development and a good and credible story. Every time I see the scene where Randolph Scott decides to go back and help his friend is one that almost brings tears to my eyes. I think there are universal themes that one sees in all great works of art. The well depicted theme in that scene is what choice to make, abandon a friend who is fighting a losing battle or stick with him and lose whatever you may gain or already have. I think that scene redeems all of movies flaws. There are some flaws that others have mentioned.
The Sum of All Fears (2002)
Major Spoilers ahead, do not read if you mind
The basic premise of the plot is a lot like many James Bond movies. The bad guys try to provoke a war between the US and Russia, so what is new. Apart from the major holes that have been mentioned in this site i.e. your cell phone and email machine will not work after an atomic blast and the picnic in White house lawn after a nuclear blast less than 40 miles away is not very pleasant, technically the film is not bad. U understand in the book the terrorists are Arabs and change was done for Political correctness. I do not find this very objectionable. If there are neo-fascists around, I presume they are capable of such actions. One can imagine European McVeighs with a lot of money are a lot less detectable than a bunch of Arabs trying to buy or sell nuclear arms.
Street Smarts (2000)
Very Funny
I find the show very funny and the host Nick comments and talk sometimes very amusing, for instance when he sang parts of Abba song Money Money. What I find interesting is that people have to judge the book by the cover. I mean the contestants have to judge whether the person knows the answer by knowing very few things about him or her. And some contestants even admit that certain person does not look like he knows anything. And the funny part, at least for me, is when the person in the street knows the answer. For me picking the person who knows or does not know the answer reveal a lot about the character of the chooser. I try to guess who the contestant will pick by noticing his or her previous choices.
From Russia with Love (1963)
Best of the Bond films
I still consider this film as the best of Bond movies. I have read the book and Fleming states some of the material in the book is true. I think Fleming had Kim Philby in mind who was sent the Turkey to bring a
defector to England. It was a disaster for the British intelligence, but Fleming made a good book out of it.
Spider-Man (2002)
Enjoyable film even for an adult
I found the film very enjoyable for an adult audience, even though I went to an early show with a lot of kids in the theater. When the French director Trauffaut was criticized for praising Hitchcoks's Rear Window and told the reason he liked the film so much is that he had not lived in New York City and Greenwich Village. He replied that the film is not about the village but about the cinema. If I may rephrase this great quote and say that Spiderman is not about a comic character but about loneliness and not being understood. Having said, for parents who think this is a great action movie for kids, I must find the ending is rather grim. Do not expect too much excitement from your son or daughter. In fact, if they think the film is not much fun, it may mean they are very intelligent. I should add, I am not the only adult that thinks this way.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Never thought a film about a math. prof can be interesting
I never thought a film about a math. prof can be interesting. But here it is. This film is one a few films that I have seen recently that had characters that seemed important and I (and the audience in general) cared about. Partly because it is about a real person, unlike Harry Potter, and partly because of Crowe's acting. He bring to life a man that anyone who has taken economics knows his name, but unlike other famous experts that one sees on TV or reads his columns, I am thinking of Samuelson's columns in Newsweek, we hardly know anything about Nash. I learned a lot about him from the film, and I sure hope he is fully recovered. I just wish we had more films like this than Harry Potter or Star Wars.
Gosford Park (2001)
Is Altman getting senile
I really liked Altmans' previous movies, but the last two or three are really boring. This one looks like he sat with a copy of a British murder mystery that he bought for a dollar and tried to twist things and produce a satire. What happened to the Altman that made Mash or Mac Cabe and Mrs. Miller. Save your money and rent an earlier film by Altman and forget about Gosford Park.
The Score (2001)
Good Film
II agree with most people who liked the movie and I highly recommend it. Among the silly films like Jurassic Park or Rush Hour this film looks like a jewel. De Niro and Brando are, of course top notch and there is almost unanimous agreement and their part were well played. However, I disagree with some of the people on this site about the acting and character of Ed Norton. I think most people, with a little practice, can imitate a person with Parkinson or whatever disability the character had. So in that area it did not require much talent. And, this it not the fault of Norton, his character was weak. Why do you
want De Niro to hang from the rails in the basement of the customs house before he has done his job? You want him to do the job and then humiliate
Of Human Bondage (1934)
One of the best adaptation of a difficult novel
I saw this film again and noticed how close it is to the novel if we ignore the part about Cary's [Leslie Howard] childhood. Considering that
at the time not much can be shown on the screen, [not that there is much in the novel] the obsession of the character with Mildred [Bette Davis] is very well conveyed to the audience. I recommend this film to anyone who ever fell for another person and the other side tried to take advantage of him or her. I have read that Maugham was asked to make a recording of the novel for sale, but when he started to in the studio he began crying and could not finish more than a few lines and whole project was chucked. One can tell the novel is written from the heart and the film is a good
adaptation of a part of it at least.