APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)

CURRENT RANK: #36



Note: This is a review of the original theatrical version released in 1979, not the extended Redux version released in 2001.

I was originally putting this one off because of my general dislike for war in general, as well as war movies. However, this is one of those movies where so many parts of it are ingrained in popular culture, you end up knowing some of the more famous quotes - even when watching it for the first time.

I must say I'm glad I finally watched Apocalypse Now. Coppola really created a wartime epic with this one. The cast is excellent, and the story is told flawlessly, all the while slowly building suspense until the climactic ending. Martin Sheen was superb throughout: a cold, worn out Vietnam soldier looking for a last hurrah (although I gotta be honest, he looks too much like Charlie for my liking, and sound like him too... That kind of put me off sometimes. Nothing serious, but I found myself chuckling at some of his narration in parts when I really shouldn't have been).

Robert Duvall as Kilgore could probably fill a small book with his quotes. Although the best ones are very, very well-known ("I love the smell of napalm in the morning", etc...)

I thought Brando played his role pretty well, considering the fact that he was supposed to be pretty insane. He has received some criticism for this role in the past, but I didn't see too much wrong with it. Plus, come on, it's Brando. All he has to do is sit there and give cold stares and talk in his raspy voice, and his role is pretty much fulfilled... he's the master at that. Plus, his acting and Coppola's directing are always a great match, and that shines through.

The killer in my opinion though was the musical score. Dark, suspenseful, epic. Perfect for the story this movie was trying to tell. That's what really did it for me.

All in all, I think I enjoyed this one because really, although it is a "war movie", I think one would be missing the real point of it if they focused on that aspect. This is a harrowing story about what war does to an individual, humanity in general, one's mental state, and our Earth as a whole. 

 

 

12 ANGRY MEN (1957)

CURRENT RANK: #6



Being a lawyer, I thought that I should begin my review with this movie, since it is about the judicial system (among many other things). I had never seen it before, yet it was ranked so high on the IMDB list, so that made me want to see it even more. 

Where to start? The superb acting performances by all the jurors is awe-inspiring. What's more, all 12 of them seem to really click and feed off each other. Though credit must also be given to the fantastic directing.
I find that one key thing to keep in mind when watching an older movie is the time in which it was made. This movie was made in 1957, before the Civil Rights movement, and truthfully, in an America where life was just much different among different races than it is now. The social issues "12 Angry Men" deals with for its time are nothing short of inspiring.

Each juror has a memorable and unique personality, so that by the end of the movie, you could probably describe each of them in at least 1 sentence. Keep in mind this movie isn't unusually long either. It's about a regular length film (1:30 or so), so the fact that so many different personalities are able to capture one's imagination and leaving a lasting impression is awesome.

You feel the scenes of the movie really mesh into one smooth ride... it manages to keep you on the edge of your seat as the movie progresses. You won't for a second feel like you are watching a movie made in 1957 due to the timelessness of human nature and our societal issues. This is one of the main reasons this movie ages so well.

Finally, and this has been mentioned by many others, the fact it is in black and white strangely makes it that much more real. It emphasizes the beauty of this movie: its story, dialogue, acting, and directing. Not the crazy production we have nowadays. This is a movie about the basics of film making, and how to execute them perfectly.

Movies I've seen so far

This was the list of movies I have currently seen as of today.

Click here to see my list.

I'm currently at 95 movies. When I started this little quest I was on about 58 movies out of the 250 (back in May). So I will be doing a bit of backtracking to review films I've seen since then.

By the way, this is a cool site... it allows you to track what movies you've seen. Try it for yourself.

Introduction

I've always thought I could watch almost any movie and somehow get some pleasure out of the experience. That's why it came as a surprise to me a couple of months back, while browsing IMDB.com's Top 250 Movies List, that I had not seen the vast majority of movies on that list.

While no "greatest movie" list can ever be agreed to by everyone, after scouring the internet for alternative lists, I decided that the IMDB list was a great guide to classic movies that I hadn't seen yet (and not necessarily in its specific order).

So, naturally, I then decided to watch as much of the list that I could in my free time. And start this blog, where I will update the list of movies I've seen and write mini-reviews about movies as I see them. I also included movies that I have seen before, but for one reason or another, I feel like I need to see again before I review properly. I must note that I am not necessarily doing this in order, instead relying on my interest in a movie before watching it.

This little endeavor actually excites me, as I am just a dork like that. I'm pretty normal when it comes to most things in life, but I do embrace my dorkiness when it kicks in... i.e. when it comes to movies, video games, and music.

The history of films has produced some real gems that, sadly, many people nowadays tend to overlook or that many people haven't even heard of. I felt like going through this list would be a convenient way to see such gems that I haven't seen yet. I encourage anyone with an interest in movies to do the same.

Well, enough talking. Enjoy.