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Star Wars (1977)
The Start of the Biggest Franchise
Star Wars is big and grand not just to scale but to it's three-dimensional characters, interesting story, and it's impact to culture on a whole. Everyone knows about Star Wars and it's memorable cast of characters, like the young Luke Skywalker(Mark Hamill), the tough Princess Leia(Carrie Fisher), the scoundrel Han Solo(Harrison Ford), the wise old man Obi-Wan Kenobi(Alec Guinness), the hairy wookie Chewbacca(Peter Mayhew), the two droids C-3PO(Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2(Kenny Baker), and lastly, the best of them all, Darth Vader(David Prowse). With such a large cast, they are they hit or miss? They, obviously, are a hit and every one of them gives such a performance people will remember them decades later. This movie was so great, that it's seventh cannon film, The Force Awakens(2015), had quite a few elements from the original which translated well now as it did then. Though, there are some inconsistencies I've notice particularly with the acting. One example is with Princess Leia where one moment she'd have a British accent, then it changes to another accent. Also sometimes Luke can have laughably awkward acting moments, that can almost be considered on the level on what George Lucas did later on with Anakin in the prequels. And, from time to time their are some lines that you might not remember, or stick to you; they can be presented not that great. But for a majority of it, there are several quotable and memorable lines in this film, though even more is found in it's superior sequel: The Empire Strikes Back(1980). Overall, this film is timeless and will always be remembered and watched by it's incredibly strong fan base. I give this movie a: 9.2/10=9/10 overall
Toy Story (1995)
To Infinity and Beyond!
This is the film that started one of the best animation companies, Pixar, in 1995. Toy Story is one of those revolutionary movies! It's the first full-length computer animated film ever! Toy Story inspired companies to make animated movies in it's style, even Disney, whom was struggling after it's Renaissance in the 90's, was attempting in Pixar's technique. Now Pixar could've just created a mediocre movie, and still get some points for it's technological achievements. But Pixar didn't do that, in fact, they made one of the best animated films ever made. Even though Toy Story isn't a 100% original idea, they made an excellent variation of it and it had it's identity. All of the acting is perfect! Tom Hanks as Sheriff Woody is a perfect casting choice, along with Tim Allen as Buzz, and every single other character. I loved Tom Hanks performance in movies such as Forrest Gump(1996) and The Green Mile(1999) but honestly him as Woody is his most memorable performance, even though he's perfect in those movies also. This film also had some emotional moments, helping Pixar get an identity of having those kind of moments in their movies. The emotional moments are nothing compared to the sequels of Toy Story, but they are definitely good. My only issue is the animation, for it didn't all age too well...especially the humans. This may be the reason why the main characters in the older Pixar movies in particular are animals, creatures, or inanimate objects(referring to toys). Even with it's aged animation, it could surprisingly be better than some animated movies later on...specifically direct to DVD movies like Norm of the North(2016) or Foodfight(2012), which had a budget of 65 million dollars...all of that money was wasted. Despite it's few flaws, Toy Story is a magnificent movie that pretty much everyone has at least seen once! I give this movie: 9.7/10=10/10 overall
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo (1966)
The Good, the Bad and the One-Liners
This movie is excellent! It's funny, it's got action, great characters, great shots, and an amazing score. Now, from the time I'm reviewing this film, I've only seen a few westerns including the Magnificent Seven reboot(2016) and the Searchers(1956). The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is my favorite out of all of them. Now this film has by far some of the best one-liners; they are just so good and after they say the line the theme plays! It's just done really well! This film is also very intimidating. There are a lot of scenes were your just waiting for something to happen, and it isn't too predictable about it either. I love the characters! The good, Joe, is a mysterious character and does care about his partner, whom they both team up to get money in a very hilarious way. The ugly, Tuco, is the most expressive and fun character here. Joe doesn't trust him yet at the end they are both partners and have entertaining chemistry throughout the movie. The villain, the bad, is threatening even if he doesn't get too much screen time, which I'm fine with because there are other stuff that make this movie for me. Ultimately, this is one of my favorites and one of the most recognizable classics ever made. I give this movie a: 10/10
Forrest Gump (1994)
Deserving as a Best Picture Winner?
Is this movie worthy of being the best film of 1996? Well, I have not seen The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction yet, though I definitely plan to see them eventually. I, myself love history and the fact that Forrest Gump is scene throughout history can be pretty funny. I love that he is but into real footage of real events or is watching even just simply watching them happen. One of my favorite scenes is when he is making a speech after the Vietnam War happened. Forrest Gump is very innocent and doesn't know what the rally was for. That's what makes Tom Hanks' character so great; he's just super likable! The score is worth noting as really good too. When Jenny comes through that water calling Forrest's name is just a nice moment...then she has to leave again...and again. Not that that's an issue, because that in fact helps the film keep moving. My one problem here is surprisingly the symbolism...a lot of people may disagree with me here. I like the symbolism, but when Forrest narrates what the symbolism is it feels very blatant and doesn't let us think much. A lot of stuff would've been much better without words, and I think would've risen my score a lot. The cinematography is, of course, outstanding. The U.S. as some great shots like the speech shot and his running shots but the most interesting one to me was Vietnam. It had such diverse colors that made the war scenes better than they already are. Lastly, it had a great story and plot, making it a story that would make you wanting to come back for more. I give this movie a: 9.3/10=9/10 overall
La vita è bella (1997)
One of the Most Beautiful Films!
Wow this film surprised me. Just so you know, this is my review of it subbed, not dubbed. The first have of this movie was full of great laughs. It's so hilarious, that it could get up there with some of the best comedies of history like Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb(1964) and Some Like it Hot(1959). The first have had it's somewhat sad moments, but not too many which was just fine. The first half had a great relationship between a Jewish man(played by Roberto Benigni) and a German girl(played by Nicoletta Braschi). Guido does several funny things to get her attention which amazes her and at the end(of the first half), when Dora had the decision to either be judged by others or not, she chose to be with Guido, which all seems to be a perfect first half of the film. That, on it's own, could've been a full film but this film takes risks, and BIG RISKS not to say the least. Who knew a Holocaust comedy could exist without being offensive in some way! This was amazing! This film combined humor and sadness into one; I believe it's called tragic humor. I wouldn't call it shock humor, though those who didn't see the movie may assume that's the type of comedy. Just the comedic timing is perfect every single time and it never fails without tears or a laugh! Oh, then there's the ending. I'd say it has the most sad ending of all time! I highly recommend this film to really anyone and this to me is the best foreign film ever made, and is in my top ten. I give this movie a: 10/10
On the Waterfront (1954)
A Great Classic!
This movie is excellent all the way through: with the cinematography to the acting. This film won best picture in 1954, which isn't surprising when you have Marlon Brando as the main star; he's best known decades later in The Godfather(1972). My only nitpicks with this film is that occasionally the music can be overly obnoxious and could be a struggle to hear what the people are saying. But, in a lot of cases the use of overly dramatic sounds can be in the movie's favor. This could be in the scene where Terry runs to see Edie; it's revealing something in the priest's point of view and you could hardly hear what they say at parts. That may be one of my favorite parts! Also, the end is well done and perfectly shot. Plus it has a lot of quotable lines like: "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it." When this personally isn't one of my all time favorite classics, it still is a masterpiece. I give this movie a: 9.6/10=10/10 overall