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American History X (1998)
Beautiful and tragic
This is one of my all-time favourite movies. Edward Norton does an amazing job, playing basically two very different characters throughout the movie. Edward Furlong also does a great job. The story is everything you can hope for. It has deep characters that go through tragedy and failure, with a glimpse of hope at the end, that is even more tragically shattered immediately. The story is about ideology, how ideology works and spreads, hate, the root of hate and change. All of this is brought to the screen in an absolutely stunning way. Not only great black & white footage, but also breathtaking closeups and slow- motion make for a beautiful movie. The music is just beautiful as well. This movie stuck with me for quite a while (maybe it had a little more impact for me than others because I'm German, who knows), and I still think about it a lot. I definitely recommend this movie. Everyone should see it, because it gives an amazing view on a touchy subject that is hard to understand as an outsider.
Lucy (2014)
Tried to be clever and deep, but failed
I was a little annoyed by the non-existing scientific "basis" this movie builds upon. It tried to be clever and scientific, but was really shallow. But hey, movies are there to break the boundaries of reality, right? So I tried to look past it and take a "what if?" approach. But even then, nothing was ever really explained or brought into context. So the movie lost me because of it's premise and story-telling. I'm not sure about the performances. I am personally not a fan of Scarlett Johannsson. I don't see the appeal in her, and I think her performance in this movie was especially sloppy. I am a big Morgan Freeman fan, but his role in this movie was so insignificant that it's hard to judge. A few plot holes and the fact that her powers are unspecific and kind of change all the time (e.g. in one scene she takes out an entire hallway of people at once and in the next scene she kind of just floats them away one by one) doesn't better my view on the movie. I think the movie tried to be very clever (especially the ending and things like the animal comparisons) but kind of failed. I really didn't enjoy this movie, but it is all in all watchable.
The Woman in Black (2012)
Cheap horror but OK to watch
"The Woman In Black" is an alright horror movie. I watched it, and I have to say that it got to me, but only through cheap jump scares. The jump scares worked, but let's be honest, the jump scare is the lowest form of horror. There was no real horror or any tension building. The movie tried to do that, but it relied a lot on horror movie clischeès. The story is also a little overused. It's basically the classic ghost story: a ghost seeking revenge for the loss of a person close to them. Daniel Radcliff's performance was nothing special, but he didn't do a bad job. All on all a watchable horror movie, although the classic, sometimes even uncreative jump scares (for example the keyhole-scene) don't manage to cover the mediocre movie.
The Mist (2007)
Mediocre at best.
I am a HUGE Frank Darabont fan. "Shawshank Redemtion" and "The Green Mile" are two of my all-time favourite movies. But I was terribly disappointed in this movie. I'll begin with what most people will remember and/or praise: the ending. I think it was VERY predictable (I swear I knew what was going to happen as soon as I counted the rounds) and it really didn't have any Impact on me at all. The whole deus ex machina ending was lazy and really kind of stupid. Now why didn't the ending have any impact? Because I couldn't have cared less about the characters. I think they were all shallow and I didn't care with them or care for them. The performances were mediocre at best. I don't think that bad cgi means a worse watching experience but I wanted to note that the special effects were rather bad and heartless. The whole movie was alright to watch, but I didn't have any connection to it and labeling it as "horror" or even a "thriller", is quite the exaggeration. The hand-held camera (which I see praised a lot) is nothing special and kind of sloppy, although one could argue it fits the surroundings. All in all I don't understand this movie's rating at all. Not really worth watching.
The Last Airbender (2010)
Incredibly Disappointing.
I never really was an anime person. I never really had a connection to it. But basically the only anime I was ever really involved in was Avatar: The last airbender. I loved it, and everything about it. So I was nervous when I heard they were making a live action movie of it. And rightfully so. Let's be honest, M. Night Shyamalan is known for mediocre movies. But this movie is probably the worst live action adaptation there is. It managed to take an amazing source material and ruin it completely. The characters are warped into unrecognizability. But not only is it bad as an adaptation, it is also a terrible movie in itself. The acting is heartless and awkward at times and the overall feel of the movie is sloppiness. Thank god they didn't finish the trilogy. Maybe it was the fact that I was expecting a lot and the film didn't manage to bring the magic of the series on screen, but I consider this to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen...
The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Surprisingly Heartfelt
I went into this movie expecting a stupid teenager-drama. I haven't read the book and I'm not really a love story type of guy. And although many people may see it as just that, a stupid teenage love story, I was very positively surprised. It was actually cute and funny, and I really enjoyed it. It might still have a few klischeè teenage movie things, and it might try to be all inspirational, but It felt real and heartfelt. I was also positively surprised by the performances, which were nicely and lovingly done. It was sad but at the same time gave you a warm, chummy feeling. So if you like a good love story that has a little humour to it, but manages to crush you a little as well, I highly recommend this movie.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Great continuation to a great movie!
I loved Kill Bill Vol.1 and everything I said about that movie I can say about this one as well. As a huge Tarantino fan I love all the Tarantino-isms in this movie. It continues the cool story from the first one and brings it to a great end, bringing a lot more emotion into the story. What I loved about Kill Bill in general (this one and the first one) is that it manages to not take itself too serious, but manages to be serious as hell if necessary. Just like every Tarantino it has a really cool soundtrack. You have to see the first one to really enjoy this one, but watching them back to back is no problem at all and makes them the perfect movie-night evening filler. Great fun to watch.If you've seen and enjoyed the first one, definitely watch this movie!
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Best war movie?
This movie is (in my opinion) Spielberg's best, and when it comes to war movies, a strong contender for the best war movie ever. The storyline makes you question the mission and the sacrifice of lives in war throughout the whole movie. The story is touching and made me angry at the same time. The great cinematography and equally great special effects emerge you in the story. The cast is great, and works great as an ensemble. Typical for a Spielberg movie, John Williams made the music, and didn't disappoint. It brings war and all its terrors to screen in a more emerging way than any other movie (e.g. the opening D- Day scene). An absolute must see movie, especially for war movie fans.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Absolutely Love it!
I absolutely love Tarantino's movies, so I like his style and this movie is so full of Tarantino-isms you can't even count them. This movie manages to not take itself seriously and be totally ridiculous in one scene, and then get incredibly deep and serious in the next. One of my favourite scenes is the sudden anime-part, which is absolutely beautifully done. It is incredibly fun to watch and one is still intrigued by the story, which is brought to the screen with a great cast. For me this is the perfect "movie-night with friends" movie, because it's also great fun to watch. All in all a must see movie, especially for any Taranino fan.
Interstellar (2014)
Masterpiece!
I went into this movie not knowing what to expect. I have only heard about it being kind of confusing and I'm not really a sci-fi fan. But I loved it. It is without a doubt Nolan's best movie (The Dark Knight is a great performance, the movie {as a movie} is not as good as this one). The stunning Cinematography reminds me of 2001: A Space Odyssey (I know it's a sin to compare anything with a Kubrick), and Hans Zimmer's music is absolutely beautiful. Matthew McConaughey plays his probably best role (and that means something). The story is fascinating, heartbreaking, clever and keeps you interested throughout the entire 169 minutes of this masterpiece. And I myself didn't think it was confusing at all. If you know your physics a little it shouldn't be a problem at all. All in all one of my favourite movies and a must- see.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
As good as Gangster movies get!
I'm a great fan of Leone's work, and this is probably my favourite movies of his. It is a very modern Sergio Leone, without losing his style.It might be long, but worth every minute without ever dragging. There are hardly any movies that handle non-linear story telling better than this one. The beautiful cinematography and always fitting music emerges you in almost every decade of the first half of the 20th century. The great story is brought to life with a great cast, especially with an alway great Robert DeNiro. It has every aspect of a good Gangster movie. So take an evening and watch this movie. A must see for any movie fan.
The Godfather (1972)
Masterpiece
No one can deny this movie being one of the (if not THE) greatest movies ever made. It is brilliant. Great performances by an amazing cast (that was controversial among the studio), beautiful music, brilliant directing of course, cinematography to die for and a storyline that fascinated me from the very first to the very last minute. The movie goes deep into the family and lets you be part of a dramatic journey. I would definitely recommend this movie to ANYONE. It is one of my all time favourite movies and I can watch it over and over again, finding more and more beauty in it every time. It is sad that many friends my age have never seen this movie.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
My all-time favourite movie
This is my all time favourite movie! I love every second of it. First of all: Amazing characters played by a brilliant cast. Every single one of the characters is strong. There is no weak link in the cast. Second of all: The story/s is/are cool and cleverly brought to screen in a non linear way that makes you think a little, without confusing you. The director: Tarantino is one of my favourite directors and I think this is his best movie. He shows all his skill in writing and directing in this movie. The cinematography is great (see the heroin and the dancing scene for example). And it has one of the coolest music in any movie ever. If you haven't seen it: Shame on you, do it now, you won't regret it.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Brilliant Movie!
I just rewatched this brilliant movie thinking seeing it a second time it would lose its impact. I was wrong. I was just as touched and amazed by this movie. This movie has everything a great film needs. From great story with a beautiful ending and fascinating characters, to great performances by every actor, to beautiful music and stunning cinematography. I could go on for ages why this movie is amazing. It doesn't have a single weak link in my opinion. Does it deserve to be #1? Maybe not. But it is one of my all-time favourite movies, and I enjoyed every single second of it. I would definitely recommend this movie.