____List Of tHe mOdern times HoLlywoOd cLassics____
HoLLywoOd DiL sE.......
(25 Hall Of fame)
(1) Escape from Alcatraz
Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American thriller film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood that dramatizes the one possibly successful escape from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island.
The film co-stars Fred Ward, and also features Patrick McGoohan as the suspicious, vindictive warden, and features the film debut of Danny Glover.
The film is based on the non-fiction book Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce.
It chronicles the story of Frank Morris (Eastwood) and brothers John (Ward) and Clarence Anglin (Jack Thibeau), who have the distinction of being possibly the only people to ever escape from the Alcatraz prison.
A cold, atmospheric thriller, the film captures many of the difficulties of prison life and the conditions of Alcatraz prison before it was closed down permanently, shortly after the escape.
There is some hint at the end of the film that the escape was successful, but in fact it remains a mystery as to whether the escapees succeeded or not.
(2) An American Affair
Set in 1963, in the swirl of glamour and intrigue that turned President John F. Kennedy's Washington into Camelot, a young teenager, Adam Stafford (Cameron Bright) has an inside view of JFK’s torrid affair with his neighbor Catherine (Gretchen Mol) and secret CIA assassination plans.
(3) LittLe Miss SunshinE
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama-adventure film, and the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Michael Arndt. It stars Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin, and was produced by Big Beach Films on a budget of US$8 million.
The film is a road movie about a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant, with a large portion focusing on events related to the family vehicle, a Volkswagen T2 Microbus. Filming began on June 6, 2005 and took place over 30 days in Arizona and Southern California.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2006, and its distribution rights were bought by Fox Searchlight Pictures for one of the biggest deals made in the history of the festival. The film had its limited release in the United States on July 26, 2006 and later expanded to a wider release starting on August 18, 2006.
Little Miss Sunshine received critical acclaim, and had an international box office gross of $100.3 million. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two: Best Original Screenplay for Michael Arndt and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin. It also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature, and received multiple other awards and nominations.
(4) 17 Again
At 17 Mike O'Donell was on top of the world; he was the star of his high school basketball team, and was a shoo in for a college scholarship and is dating his soul mate, Scarlett.
But on what's suppose to be his big game wherein college scouts are checking him out, Scarlett reveals that she's pregnant. Mike decides to leave the game and asks Scarlett to marry him which she does. During their marriage, Mike could only whine about the life he lost because he married her. So she throws him out. And when he loses his job, he returns to the only place he's happy at - his old high school. And while looking at his high school photo, a janitor asks him if he wishes he could be 17 again and he says yes. One night while driving he sees the janitor on a bridge and apparently jumps in and he goes after him. When he returns to his friend, Ned's house, where he has been staying, he sees that he is 17 again. He decides to take this opportunity to get the life he lost.
(5) The skeleton key
The Skeleton Key is a 2005 American supernatural thriller film starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Bryant.
The film focuses on a young hospice nurse who acquires a job at a spooky New Orleans plantation home, and becomes entangled in a mystery involving the house, its former inhabitants, and the hoodoo (folk magic) rituals and magic that took place there. It was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2005, and in the U.S. on August 12, 2005.
(6) The Ghost aNd tHe darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness is a 1996 thriller film about the Tsavo maneaters, two lions who attacked the builders of the Uganda-Mombasa Railway in 1898, killing about 35 of them, and the subsequent hunt to kill them. The attacks, which took place in Tsavo, Kenya, were recounted by Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson in his book The Man-Eaters of Tsavo. Research undertaken in 2009 says that the lions likely ate about 35 people, although 135 deaths are claimed by Patterson.
The film, although based loosely on Patterson's account, romanticises his story and fictionalises important elements of the plot. William Goldman's script introduces Michael Douglas as the American big game hunter Charles Remington, a character based on Anglo-Indian big game hunter Charles Ryall. In the original script, Remington was an enigmatic figure named Redbeard, but when Douglas chose to both produce the movie and play the role of the hunter, the character was expanded; Goldman's book Which Lie Did I Tell? argues that this decision on Douglas's part ruins the mystery of the character.
The film was shot mainly on location at Songimvelo Game Reserve in South Africa, rather than Kenya, due to tax laws. Many Maasai characters in the film were actually portrayed by South African actors, although the Maasai depicted during the hunt were portrayed by real Maasai warriors who were hired for the movie.While the real man-eaters were, like all lions from the Tsavo region, a more aggressive, maneless variety, those used for filming were actually the least aggressive available, for both safety and aesthetic reasons. The film's lions were two male lions with manes. They were brothers named "Caesar" and "Bongo" (deceased), who were residents of the Bowmanville Zoo in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, both of whom were also featured in George of the Jungle. The film also featured three other lions: two from France and one from the USA. The original lions are currently on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
(7) tHe pUrsuIt Of HappYnesS
The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical drama film, directed by Gabriele Muccino and based on the true story of Chris Gardner. The film stars Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker.
The screenplay by Steven Conrad is based on the eponymous best-selling memoir written by Gardner with Quincy Troupe. The film was released on December 15, 2006, by Columbia Pictures. For his performance, Smith received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a Golden Globe nomination.
(8) AmerIcaN BeaUty
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged office worker who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. Annette Bening co-stars as Lester's materialistic wife, Carolyn, and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter, Jane; Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper and Allison Janney also feature. The film has been described by academics as a satire of American middle class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction; analysis has focused on the film's explorations of romantic and paternal love, sexuality, beauty, materialism, self-liberation and redemption.
Ball began writing American Beauty as a play in the early 1990s, partly inspired by the media circus around the Amy Fisher trial in 1992. He shelved the play after realizing the story would not work on the stage. After several years as a television screenwriter, Ball revived the idea in 1997 when attempting to break into the film industry. The modified script had a cynical outlook that was influenced by Ball's frustrating tenures writing for several sitcoms. Producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen took American Beauty to DreamWorks; the fledgling film studio bought Ball's script for $250,000, outbidding several other production bodies. DreamWorks financed the $15million production and served as the North American distributor. American Beauty marked acclaimed theater director Mendes' film debut; courted after his successful productions of the musicals Oliver! and Cabaret, Mendes was nevertheless only given the job after twenty others were considered and several "A-list" directors turned down the opportunity.
Spacey was Mendes' first choice for the role of Lester, even though DreamWorks had urged the director to consider better-known actors; similarly, the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn until Mendes offered the part to Bening without DreamWorks' knowledge. Principal photography took place between December 1998and February 1999 on soundstages at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California and on location in Los Angeles. Mendes' dominant style was deliberate and composed; he made extensive use of static shots and slow pans and zooms to generate tension. Cinematographer Conrad Hall complemented Mendes' style with peaceful shot compositions to contrast with the turbulent on-screen events. During editing, Mendes made several changes that gave the film a less cynical tone.
Released in North America on September 15, 1999, American Beauty was positively received by critics and audiences alike; it was the best-reviewed American film of the year and grossed over $350 million worldwide. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on Mendes, Spacey and Ball; criticism tended to focus on the familiarity of the characters and setting. DreamWorks launched a major campaign to increase American Beauty's chances of Academy Award success; at the 2000 ceremony, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. The film was nominated for and won many other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing and acting.
(9) million dollar baby
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman.
It is the story of an under-appreciated boxing trainer, his elusive past, and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur female boxer (the film's title character) achieve her dream of becoming a professional. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The screenplay was written by Paul Haggis, based on short stories by F.X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and "cutman" Jerry Boyd. Originally published under the title Rope Burns, the stories have since been republished under the film's title.
(10) Troy
Troy is a 2004 epic/action film concerning the Trojan War. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad, besides material from Virgil's Aeneid and other sources of the Epic Cycle, but it frequently diverges from myth, with the primary distinction that most, if not all, supernatural elements are removed in favor of a story that seems more realistic to a modern audience.
The film has the following cast of actors prominent at the time of its release: Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando Bloom as Paris, Diane Kruger as Helen, Brian Cox as Agamemnon, Sean Bean as Odysseus, Rose Byrne as Briseis, Garrett Hedlund as Patroclus, Peter O'Toole as Priam, Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus, and Tyler Mane as Ajax.
Troy was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff. It received an Oscar nomination for its costume design.
(11) The Last SamuRai
The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan.
The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward. Ward became executive producer on the film – working in development on it for nearly four years and after approaching several directors (Coppola, Weir), he interested Edward Zwick. The film went ahead with Zwick and was shot in Ward’s native New Zealand.
The film stars Tom Cruise (who also co-produced) in the role of American soldier Nathan Algren whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in the Empire of Japan in 1876 and 1877. Other actors include Ken Watanabe, Shin Koyamada, Hiroyuki Sanada, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly and Tony Goldwyn.
The film's plot is loosely inspired by the 1876 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori, and also on the story of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War. The historical roles of the British Empire, the Netherlands and France in Japanese westernization are largely attributed to the United States in the film. These details, characters in the film and the real story are simplified for plot purposes; the film does not seek to duplicate history.
The Last Samurai was well received upon release, with a worldwide box office of $456 million. In addition it was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and the National Board of Review.
(12) tHe HuRt LocKeR
The Hurt Locker is a war film about a United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team during the Iraq War. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and the screenplay was written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded as a journalist in 2004 with a US bomb squad in Iraq. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty as members of the EOD unit and follows their tour of duty as they contend with defusing bombs, the threat of insurgency, and the tension that develops among them.
The film was shot in Jordan within miles of the Iraqi border because Bigelow wanted to bring greater authenticity to the film. This benefited filming by supplying many Iraq refugees for extras and the unmistakable heat of the Middle East. The location also put a strain on the actors and crew, creating a "palpable tension". The set had few of the amenities of a traditional Hollywood set and the crew had to deal with being shot at multiple times.
The Hurt Locker earned numerous awards and honors from critics' organizations, festivals and groups. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six including Best Picture (making The Hurt Locker the lowest-grossing film to win the award) and Best Director for Bigelow (the first woman to win this award). The film also won six BAFTA Awards for Best Film, Direction, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.
(13) basic instinct
Basic Instinct (1992) is an American erotic thriller/neo-noir film.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, starring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas.
The film centers around police detective Nick Curran (Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy former rock star. Beautiful, seductive and wealthy crime writer Catherine Tramell (Stone) could be involved; over the course of the investigation, Detective Curran becomes involved in a torrid and intense relationship with the mysterious woman — who turns out to be very dangerous.
Even before its release, the film generated controversy due to its overt sexuality and graphic depiction of violence. It was also strongly opposed by gay rights activists, who criticized the film's depiction of homosexual relationships and the depiction of a bisexual woman as a psychopathic serial killer.
Basic Instinct was one of the most successful box office performers of 1992, collecting nearly $353 million worldwide and becoming an icon of the 1990s. It was also critically commended, receiving two Academy Award and two Golden Globe nominations.
Jerry Goldsmith, the composer, was nominated for both awards for his original score, while Frank Urioste was nominated for an Academy Award for his editing and Sharon Stone was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress. In 2006, a sequel was released, which was critically panned and a commercial flop. Multiple versions of the film have been released including a director's cut, the most recent release being in 2006.
(14) The pInk panther
The Pink Panther is a family comedy feature film released in 2006. It is a reboot of the The Pink Panther film series. In this film, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) is assigned to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and the theft of the famous Pink Panther diamond. The film also stars Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer and Beyoncé Knowles. It was panned by critics and holds a 23% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film was the number 1 film in America and the highest grossing film of the Pink Panther film series; as of May 10, 2009. It was released on Blu-ray disc on January 20, 2009.
(15) In tHe LanD Of WomEn
Most of the movie’s scattered chortles are generated by remarks from this scowling, death-obsessed termagant whose grouchy shtick becomes a running joke that is quickly milked dry. Phyllis is waiting around to die and wants everyone within earshot to know.
Carter is a much less interesting character than his creator, Jonathan Kasdan (son of Lawrence Kasdan, the director of “The Big Chill”), seems to imagine. And as the movie ambles along in fits and starts, Mr. Kasdan, who is making his directorial debut, appears to dote on this reasonably likable but nebulous young man played with an earnest low-key likability by Mr. Brody (“The O.C.”).
Like “Garden State,” “In the Land of Women” has strong ties to “The Graduate,” the prototype for every modern portrait of a suburban lost boy with yet-to-be-realized career promise. As Carter flaps around morosely trying to find himself, he is considerably less compelling than Mr. Braff’s Andrew or Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin.
As in “The Graduate,” Carter finds himself involved with a mother and daughter who live next door. The mother, Sarah Hardwicke (Meg Ryan taking her first cautious baby steps in a maternal, older-woman mode and maintaining her footing), has just been told she has breast cancer. Adding to her woes is her knowledge that her husband, Nelson (Clark Gregg), is having an affair and her estrangement from Lucy (Kristen Stewart), the older of her two daughters.
Carter and Sarah meet by chance and begin taking long morning walks. During one she confides in Carter about her illness, and he impulsively instigates a steamy kiss. Earlier Sarah had urged Lucy to ask Carter for a date. She does, and Carter becomes her confidant, unofficial life coach in dating etiquette and surrogate older brother. After he squires her to a high school party where trouble breaks out, Lucy kisses him, and he finds himself in a sticky situation. If the movie is good at putting the petty melodramas of high school life in perspective, its treatment of grown-up relationships is so spineless that its predominant mood is one of mild depression.
Coy to a fault, “In the Land of Women” refuses to connect dots that need to be joined. Although Nelson’s extramarital affair is stated as fact, the guilty party acts like a devoted, caring husband, and no whys or wherefores are provided. We are given no clues as to whether either kiss leads to more, although the answer is probably not. Which leaves “In the Land of Women” in a void of indecision and hesitancy.
(16) Ben Hur
The film's prologue depicts the traditional story of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Ben-Hur (or Benhur) is a 1959 epic film directed by William Wyler, the third film version of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. It premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. The film went on to win a record of eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
(17) The REadeR
The Reader is a 2008 drama film based on the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. The film was written by David Hare and directed by Stephen Daldry. Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet star along with the young actor David Kross. It was the last film for producers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, both of whom died before it was released. Production began in Germany in September 2007, and the film opened in limited release on 10 December 2008.
It tells the story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a teenager in the late 1950s had an affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp in the later years of World War II. Michael realizes that Hanna is keeping a personal secret she believes is worse than her Nazi past — a secret which, if revealed, could help her at the trial.
Winslet and David Kross, who played the young Michael, received much praise for their performances. Winslet received praise and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA Award for Best Actress, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress and the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 81st Academy Awards for her role in the film. The film was also nominated for several other major awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture.
(18) Milk
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, and one of the first three in the United States as a whole, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black, the film stars Sean Penn as Milk and Josh Brolin as Dan White. The film was released to much acclaim and earned numerous accolades from film critics and guilds. Ultimately, it received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning two for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Penn and Best Original Screenplay for Black.
Attempts to put Milk's life to film followed a 1984 Oscar-winning documentary of his life and the aftermath of his assassination, titled The Times of Harvey Milk, which was loosely based upon Randy Shilts's biography, The Mayor of Castro Street. Various scripts were considered in the early 1990s, but projects fell through for different reasons, until 2007. Much of Milk was filmed on Castro Street and other locations in San Francisco, including Milk's former storefront, Castro Camera.
Milk begins on Harvey Milk's 40th birthday, when he was living in New York City and had not yet settled in San Francisco. It chronicles his foray into city politics, and the various battles he waged in the Castro neighborhood as well as throughout the city, and political campaigns to limit the rights of gay people in 1977 and 1978 run by Anita Bryant and John Briggs. His romantic and political relationships are also addressed, as is his tenuous affiliation with troubled Supervisor Dan White; the film ends with White's double murder of Milk and Mayor George Moscone. The film's release was tied to the 2008 California voter referendum on gay marriage, Proposition 8, when it made its premiere at the Castro Theatre two weeks before election day.
(19) ShuttEr
Ben (Joshua Jackson) and Jane (Rachael Taylor) are young and attractive newlyweds who live in Japan. Ben’s a photographer, and Jane’s, well, Jane’s got an awful lot of time on her hands to ascertain what Ben’s been up to before they got hitched. Thanks to a series of strange photographs that have a spectral image in them, Jane begins to wonder just exactly what little tidbits from his past Ben’s been hiding. As Jane probes into the mystery surrounding the fate of a young girl (Megumi Okina) with ties to Ben’s past, it puts what might euphemistically be called “a strain” on their marriage--but that strain is nothing compared to the strain on the viewer’s patience. Scary? Please.
Having struck international success with Infection, Masayuki Ochiai sells out-- and strikes out. Shutter may earn some opening-weekend coin on the basis of it, being a horror film and all, but a few more efforts as lame as this, and the genre might not be as hot as it once was. Shutter is such a lazy, contemptible film that it’s an insult, not only to horror fans, but to the horror genre itself. It commits arguably the worst sin a horror film can commit; it’s boring. Shiver.
(20) SaW [I tO VI]
pArt I:
Saw is a 2004 horror film directed by James Wan and starring Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, and Danny Glover. The plot of the film was conceived of by James Wan, while Whannell wrote the screenplay.
It is the first installment of the Saw film series. The film's story revolves around two men who awaken kidnapped and chained in a dilapidated industrial bathroom. They are given instructions via a microcassette recorder on how to escape by following the "rules" of their "game". Meanwhile, police detectives investigate and attempt to apprehend the criminal responsible - "Jigsaw".
The film was first screened January 19, 2004 at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. It was then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 18, 2004, with theatrical releases on October 29, 2004 in the United States and December 2, 2004 in Australia.
The film was originally rated NC-17 for strong, graphic violence, though after being slightly re-edited, it was released with a R rating.
Critical responses varied. Some critics denounced the whole movie as nothing more than a "sadist gore fest" and a "low quality" and "cheap snuff film", while others commended its stylish visual tricks designed to camouflage cheap effects and called it a true "chilling" and "terrifying" horror film. Despite mixed reviews, Saw was a financial success at the box office.
pArt II:
Saw II is a 2005 horror film and sequel to Saw. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by himself and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell, and stars Tobin Bell, Donnie Wahlberg, and Shawnee Smith. Saw II was released in North America on October 28, 2005. Tobin Bell was nominated for "Best Villain" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his role as Jigsaw in the film.
The film features the Jigsaw Killer being apprehended by the police, but trapping the arresting officer in one of his own games while showing another "game" of eight people—including the officer's son in progress on TV monitors at another location. It also explores some of the Jigsaw's back story, providing a partial explanation for why he chose to become "Jigsaw".
Upon release, Saw II received mostly negative reviews from film critics. Some dismissed the film as being a "Se7en knockoff", "lacking style and plot" and some revolting over the "explicit gore and torture scenes", while others praised it as being a "worthy follow-up" and "providing plenty of what fans of the first expected". Despite negative reviews Saw II was a financial success grossing $31,725,652 its opening weekend, recouping its $4 million budget. The film currently is the highest grossing (domestically) Saw film to date.
pArt III:
Saw III is a 2006 American horror film written by the first film's writers/directors, James Wan and Leigh Whannell and directed by Saw II's writer/director, Darren Lynn Bousman and was released on October 27, 2006.
The film ends the first trilogy of the series that focuses on a bed-ridden John Kramer, and his new apprentice Amanda final tests before he dies. The film contains additional back-story about the two antagonists. The film was dedicated to Gregg Hoffman, producer of the first two films. Hoffman died on December 4, 2005, shortly after the official Lions Gate Entertainment announcement of Saw III.
pArt IV:
Saw IV is a 2007 horror film and midquel to the 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007. The film's North American release date followed the series' tradition that the films be released the Friday before or on Halloween of each year.
The film continues the story of the Jigsaw Killer and his obsession with teaching people the "value of their own lives". Despite Jigsaw being killed in the last installment, the film still focuses on his ability to manipulate people into continuing his work of trapping people into his "games".
pArt V:
Saw V is a 2008 horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson.
The film, the fifth installment in the Saw franchise, was released on October 23, 2008 in Australia and October 24 in North America.
David Hackl, who served as the production designer of Saw II, III, and IV, and second-unit director for Saw III and IV made his directorial debut with 'Saw V. Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the writers of the previous film, returned to write the film. Charlie Clouser, who provided the score for all previous Saw films, also returned to compose the score for the film.
pArt VI:
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film and sequel to Saw V. It was directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules.
It is the sixth installment of the Saw film series. It stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge and Shawnee Smith. Greutert, who served as the editor for all the previous Saw, made his directorial debut with Saw VI. Melton and Dunstan, the writers for both Saw IV and V, returned to write the screenplay. Charlie Clouser, who provided the score for all previous Saw films, also returned to compose the score for the film.
Saw VI concludes the second trilogy of the series that focused on the posthumous effects of the Jigsaw Killer and the progression of his successor, Mark Hoffman. In the film, Hoffman sets up a new trap for an insurance executive, William Easton while the FBI trails the last living Jigsaw accomplice suspect, Peter Strahm. The film's plot has a heavy emphasis on the 2009 economic struggle of the U.S. government attempting to regulate healthcare.
Saw VI was the first film to receive a Película X rating in Spain for violence (this rating is usually reserved for pornographic films), restricting screenings to eight select theaters in that country. The film was released on October 23, 2009, in North America, which followed the tradition of being released the Friday before Halloween; it also followed tradition of being released in New Zealand and Australia a day earlier.
(21) IngLourIoUs BaSterDs
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers. StarrinG Mélanie Laurent , Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger.
It is popularly said “You haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino(Director)”.
(22) SchIndLer's List
Schindler's List is an epic 1993 American war-drama film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Polish Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.
The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally.
It stars Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as Schutzstaffel (SS) officer Amon Göth, and Ben Kingsley as Schindler's Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern.
(23) the Bourne [I, II aNd III]
pArt I: The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity is a 2002 spy film based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name, and the first of three films in the Bourne Series.
It stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a psychogenic amnesiac former Special Activities Division operative attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). They want to track him down and arrest or kill him (as per orders of the U.S. Secretary of State) for inexplicably failing to carry out an officially unsanctioned assassination and then failing to report back in afterwards. Along the way he teams up with Marie, played by Franka Potente, who assists him on the initial part of his journey to learn about his past and regain his memories. The film also stars Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, and Brian Cox.
The film was directed by Doug Liman and adapted for the screen by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron from the novel of the same name written by Robert Ludlum, who also produced the film alongside Frank Marshall (though Ludlum died in 2001). Universal Pictures released the film to theaters in the United States on June 14, 2002 and it received a positive critical and public reaction.
pArt II: The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 spy mystery thriller film. The title comes from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, but the film's plot is completely different from that of the book.
The title was used because it is a sequel to The Bourne Identity . The film was directed by Paul Greengrass, written by Tony Gilroy and Brian Helgeland and produced by Doug Liman and Frank Marshall. Universal Pictures released the film to theaters in the United States on 23 July 2004 and it received a positive critical and public reaction similar to its predecessor. The Bourne Supremacy continues the story of Jason Bourne, a former CIA assassin from their Special Activities Division suffering from psychogenic amnesia. Bourne is portrayed by Matt Damon.
The film focuses on his attempt to learn more of his shadowy past as he is once more enveloped in a conspiracy surrounding the CIA and Operation Treadstone. The film also stars Franka Potente as Marie Helena Kreutz, Brian Cox as Ward Abbott, Joan Allen as Pamela Landy and Julia Stiles as Nicolette Parsons.
pArt III: The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 spy film. Matt Damon reprises his role as Ludlum's signature character, former CIA assassin and psychogenic amnesiac Jason Bourne. The film continues the saga of Jason Bourne as he escapes from authorities in Moscow and travels to Paris, London, Madrid, Tangier and New York City to uncover his real identity, while the CIA continues to send assassins after him. The film co-starred Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, and Joan Allen. The script was written by Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, George Nolfi and an uncredited Tom Stoppard.[3] The producers were Patrick Crowley, Frank Marshall, Paul L. Sandberg, and Doug Liman, who directed the first Bourne movie, The Bourne Identity.
The Bourne Ultimatum was produced by Universal Pictures and was released on August 3, 2007, in North America, where it grossed $69.3 million in ticket sales in its first weekend of release, making it the highest August opening in the U.S. and Matt Damon's highest grossing film with him as the lead role. Although all three films have been commercially successful and critically acclaimed, The Bourne Ultimatum is the only film in the trilogy to have been nominated for any Academy Awards, winning all three of its nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing at the 80th Academy Awards.
(24) Little Manhattan
Little Manhattan is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed and written by husband and wife Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett. Though Levin is credited as the director and Flackett as the writer, in the film's DVD commentary the two reveal that they collaborated on both tasks.
Little Manhattan depicts the story of eleven-year-old Gabe's realization that girls can be pretty and pretty nice to be with. The story takes place, and was filmed on location, in Manhattan, mostly in the Upper West Side. The film stars Josh Hutcherson and Charlie Ray in the leading roles of the two children. It was Ray's first film role having never previously attended an audition. The character of Rosemary at the kindergarten stage, seen in a flashback, was played by the director's daughter.
(25) tHe DaMneD UnIteD
The Damned United is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling novel The Damned Utd, a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of Brian Clough's tenure as manager of Leeds United.
It was produced by BBC Films and Left Bank Pictures, with additional funding from Screen Yorkshire and Columbia Pictures. Sony Pictures Entertainment distributed the film. The film was originally proposed by Stephen Frears, but he pulled out of the project in November 2007. Tom Hooper took his place and film was shot from May to July 2008. It was released in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2009.
(25 Hall Of fame)
(1) Escape from Alcatraz
Escape from Alcatraz is a 1979 American thriller film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood that dramatizes the one possibly successful escape from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island.
The film co-stars Fred Ward, and also features Patrick McGoohan as the suspicious, vindictive warden, and features the film debut of Danny Glover.
The film is based on the non-fiction book Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce.
It chronicles the story of Frank Morris (Eastwood) and brothers John (Ward) and Clarence Anglin (Jack Thibeau), who have the distinction of being possibly the only people to ever escape from the Alcatraz prison.
A cold, atmospheric thriller, the film captures many of the difficulties of prison life and the conditions of Alcatraz prison before it was closed down permanently, shortly after the escape.
There is some hint at the end of the film that the escape was successful, but in fact it remains a mystery as to whether the escapees succeeded or not.
(2) An American Affair
Set in 1963, in the swirl of glamour and intrigue that turned President John F. Kennedy's Washington into Camelot, a young teenager, Adam Stafford (Cameron Bright) has an inside view of JFK’s torrid affair with his neighbor Catherine (Gretchen Mol) and secret CIA assassination plans.
(3) LittLe Miss SunshinE
Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American comedy-drama-adventure film, and the directorial film debut of the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. The screenplay was written by first-time writer Michael Arndt. It stars Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin, and was produced by Big Beach Films on a budget of US$8 million.
The film is a road movie about a family's trip to a children's beauty pageant, with a large portion focusing on events related to the family vehicle, a Volkswagen T2 Microbus. Filming began on June 6, 2005 and took place over 30 days in Arizona and Southern California.
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2006, and its distribution rights were bought by Fox Searchlight Pictures for one of the biggest deals made in the history of the festival. The film had its limited release in the United States on July 26, 2006 and later expanded to a wider release starting on August 18, 2006.
Little Miss Sunshine received critical acclaim, and had an international box office gross of $100.3 million. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two: Best Original Screenplay for Michael Arndt and Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin. It also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature, and received multiple other awards and nominations.
(4) 17 Again
At 17 Mike O'Donell was on top of the world; he was the star of his high school basketball team, and was a shoo in for a college scholarship and is dating his soul mate, Scarlett.
But on what's suppose to be his big game wherein college scouts are checking him out, Scarlett reveals that she's pregnant. Mike decides to leave the game and asks Scarlett to marry him which she does. During their marriage, Mike could only whine about the life he lost because he married her. So she throws him out. And when he loses his job, he returns to the only place he's happy at - his old high school. And while looking at his high school photo, a janitor asks him if he wishes he could be 17 again and he says yes. One night while driving he sees the janitor on a bridge and apparently jumps in and he goes after him. When he returns to his friend, Ned's house, where he has been staying, he sees that he is 17 again. He decides to take this opportunity to get the life he lost.
(5) The skeleton key
The Skeleton Key is a 2005 American supernatural thriller film starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Bryant.
The film focuses on a young hospice nurse who acquires a job at a spooky New Orleans plantation home, and becomes entangled in a mystery involving the house, its former inhabitants, and the hoodoo (folk magic) rituals and magic that took place there. It was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2005, and in the U.S. on August 12, 2005.
(6) The Ghost aNd tHe darkness
The Ghost and the Darkness is a 1996 thriller film about the Tsavo maneaters, two lions who attacked the builders of the Uganda-Mombasa Railway in 1898, killing about 35 of them, and the subsequent hunt to kill them. The attacks, which took place in Tsavo, Kenya, were recounted by Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson in his book The Man-Eaters of Tsavo. Research undertaken in 2009 says that the lions likely ate about 35 people, although 135 deaths are claimed by Patterson.
The film, although based loosely on Patterson's account, romanticises his story and fictionalises important elements of the plot. William Goldman's script introduces Michael Douglas as the American big game hunter Charles Remington, a character based on Anglo-Indian big game hunter Charles Ryall. In the original script, Remington was an enigmatic figure named Redbeard, but when Douglas chose to both produce the movie and play the role of the hunter, the character was expanded; Goldman's book Which Lie Did I Tell? argues that this decision on Douglas's part ruins the mystery of the character.
The film was shot mainly on location at Songimvelo Game Reserve in South Africa, rather than Kenya, due to tax laws. Many Maasai characters in the film were actually portrayed by South African actors, although the Maasai depicted during the hunt were portrayed by real Maasai warriors who were hired for the movie.While the real man-eaters were, like all lions from the Tsavo region, a more aggressive, maneless variety, those used for filming were actually the least aggressive available, for both safety and aesthetic reasons. The film's lions were two male lions with manes. They were brothers named "Caesar" and "Bongo" (deceased), who were residents of the Bowmanville Zoo in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, both of whom were also featured in George of the Jungle. The film also featured three other lions: two from France and one from the USA. The original lions are currently on display at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
(7) tHe pUrsuIt Of HappYnesS
The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American biographical drama film, directed by Gabriele Muccino and based on the true story of Chris Gardner. The film stars Will Smith as Gardner, an on-and-off-homeless salesman-turned stockbroker.
The screenplay by Steven Conrad is based on the eponymous best-selling memoir written by Gardner with Quincy Troupe. The film was released on December 15, 2006, by Columbia Pictures. For his performance, Smith received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a Golden Globe nomination.
(8) AmerIcaN BeaUty
American Beauty is a 1999 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes and written by Alan Ball. Kevin Spacey stars as Lester Burnham, a middle-aged office worker who has a midlife crisis when he becomes infatuated with his teenage daughter's best friend. Annette Bening co-stars as Lester's materialistic wife, Carolyn, and Thora Birch plays their insecure daughter, Jane; Mena Suvari, Wes Bentley, Chris Cooper and Allison Janney also feature. The film has been described by academics as a satire of American middle class notions of beauty and personal satisfaction; analysis has focused on the film's explorations of romantic and paternal love, sexuality, beauty, materialism, self-liberation and redemption.
Ball began writing American Beauty as a play in the early 1990s, partly inspired by the media circus around the Amy Fisher trial in 1992. He shelved the play after realizing the story would not work on the stage. After several years as a television screenwriter, Ball revived the idea in 1997 when attempting to break into the film industry. The modified script had a cynical outlook that was influenced by Ball's frustrating tenures writing for several sitcoms. Producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen took American Beauty to DreamWorks; the fledgling film studio bought Ball's script for $250,000, outbidding several other production bodies. DreamWorks financed the $15million production and served as the North American distributor. American Beauty marked acclaimed theater director Mendes' film debut; courted after his successful productions of the musicals Oliver! and Cabaret, Mendes was nevertheless only given the job after twenty others were considered and several "A-list" directors turned down the opportunity.
Spacey was Mendes' first choice for the role of Lester, even though DreamWorks had urged the director to consider better-known actors; similarly, the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn until Mendes offered the part to Bening without DreamWorks' knowledge. Principal photography took place between December 1998and February 1999 on soundstages at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, California and on location in Los Angeles. Mendes' dominant style was deliberate and composed; he made extensive use of static shots and slow pans and zooms to generate tension. Cinematographer Conrad Hall complemented Mendes' style with peaceful shot compositions to contrast with the turbulent on-screen events. During editing, Mendes made several changes that gave the film a less cynical tone.
Released in North America on September 15, 1999, American Beauty was positively received by critics and audiences alike; it was the best-reviewed American film of the year and grossed over $350 million worldwide. Reviewers praised most aspects of the production, with particular emphasis on Mendes, Spacey and Ball; criticism tended to focus on the familiarity of the characters and setting. DreamWorks launched a major campaign to increase American Beauty's chances of Academy Award success; at the 2000 ceremony, the film won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Spacey), Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. The film was nominated for and won many other awards and honors, mainly for the direction, writing and acting.
(9) million dollar baby
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman.
It is the story of an under-appreciated boxing trainer, his elusive past, and his quest for atonement by helping an underdog amateur female boxer (the film's title character) achieve her dream of becoming a professional. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The screenplay was written by Paul Haggis, based on short stories by F.X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and "cutman" Jerry Boyd. Originally published under the title Rope Burns, the stories have since been republished under the film's title.
(10) Troy
Troy is a 2004 epic/action film concerning the Trojan War. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad, besides material from Virgil's Aeneid and other sources of the Epic Cycle, but it frequently diverges from myth, with the primary distinction that most, if not all, supernatural elements are removed in favor of a story that seems more realistic to a modern audience.
The film has the following cast of actors prominent at the time of its release: Brad Pitt as Achilles, Eric Bana as Hector, Orlando Bloom as Paris, Diane Kruger as Helen, Brian Cox as Agamemnon, Sean Bean as Odysseus, Rose Byrne as Briseis, Garrett Hedlund as Patroclus, Peter O'Toole as Priam, Brendan Gleeson as Menelaus, and Tyler Mane as Ajax.
Troy was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff. It received an Oscar nomination for its costume design.
(11) The Last SamuRai
The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan.
The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward. Ward became executive producer on the film – working in development on it for nearly four years and after approaching several directors (Coppola, Weir), he interested Edward Zwick. The film went ahead with Zwick and was shot in Ward’s native New Zealand.
The film stars Tom Cruise (who also co-produced) in the role of American soldier Nathan Algren whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in the Empire of Japan in 1876 and 1877. Other actors include Ken Watanabe, Shin Koyamada, Hiroyuki Sanada, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly and Tony Goldwyn.
The film's plot is loosely inspired by the 1876 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori, and also on the story of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War. The historical roles of the British Empire, the Netherlands and France in Japanese westernization are largely attributed to the United States in the film. These details, characters in the film and the real story are simplified for plot purposes; the film does not seek to duplicate history.
The Last Samurai was well received upon release, with a worldwide box office of $456 million. In addition it was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and the National Board of Review.
(12) tHe HuRt LocKeR
The Hurt Locker is a war film about a United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team during the Iraq War. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and the screenplay was written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded as a journalist in 2004 with a US bomb squad in Iraq. It stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty as members of the EOD unit and follows their tour of duty as they contend with defusing bombs, the threat of insurgency, and the tension that develops among them.
The film was shot in Jordan within miles of the Iraqi border because Bigelow wanted to bring greater authenticity to the film. This benefited filming by supplying many Iraq refugees for extras and the unmistakable heat of the Middle East. The location also put a strain on the actors and crew, creating a "palpable tension". The set had few of the amenities of a traditional Hollywood set and the crew had to deal with being shot at multiple times.
The Hurt Locker earned numerous awards and honors from critics' organizations, festivals and groups. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won six including Best Picture (making The Hurt Locker the lowest-grossing film to win the award) and Best Director for Bigelow (the first woman to win this award). The film also won six BAFTA Awards for Best Film, Direction, Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.
(13) basic instinct
Basic Instinct (1992) is an American erotic thriller/neo-noir film.
Directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, starring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas.
The film centers around police detective Nick Curran (Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy former rock star. Beautiful, seductive and wealthy crime writer Catherine Tramell (Stone) could be involved; over the course of the investigation, Detective Curran becomes involved in a torrid and intense relationship with the mysterious woman — who turns out to be very dangerous.
Even before its release, the film generated controversy due to its overt sexuality and graphic depiction of violence. It was also strongly opposed by gay rights activists, who criticized the film's depiction of homosexual relationships and the depiction of a bisexual woman as a psychopathic serial killer.
Basic Instinct was one of the most successful box office performers of 1992, collecting nearly $353 million worldwide and becoming an icon of the 1990s. It was also critically commended, receiving two Academy Award and two Golden Globe nominations.
Jerry Goldsmith, the composer, was nominated for both awards for his original score, while Frank Urioste was nominated for an Academy Award for his editing and Sharon Stone was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress. In 2006, a sequel was released, which was critically panned and a commercial flop. Multiple versions of the film have been released including a director's cut, the most recent release being in 2006.
(14) The pInk panther
The Pink Panther is a family comedy feature film released in 2006. It is a reboot of the The Pink Panther film series. In this film, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) is assigned to solve the murder of a famous soccer coach and the theft of the famous Pink Panther diamond. The film also stars Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer and Beyoncé Knowles. It was panned by critics and holds a 23% score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film was the number 1 film in America and the highest grossing film of the Pink Panther film series; as of May 10, 2009. It was released on Blu-ray disc on January 20, 2009.
(15) In tHe LanD Of WomEn
Most of the movie’s scattered chortles are generated by remarks from this scowling, death-obsessed termagant whose grouchy shtick becomes a running joke that is quickly milked dry. Phyllis is waiting around to die and wants everyone within earshot to know.
Carter is a much less interesting character than his creator, Jonathan Kasdan (son of Lawrence Kasdan, the director of “The Big Chill”), seems to imagine. And as the movie ambles along in fits and starts, Mr. Kasdan, who is making his directorial debut, appears to dote on this reasonably likable but nebulous young man played with an earnest low-key likability by Mr. Brody (“The O.C.”).
Like “Garden State,” “In the Land of Women” has strong ties to “The Graduate,” the prototype for every modern portrait of a suburban lost boy with yet-to-be-realized career promise. As Carter flaps around morosely trying to find himself, he is considerably less compelling than Mr. Braff’s Andrew or Dustin Hoffman’s Benjamin.
As in “The Graduate,” Carter finds himself involved with a mother and daughter who live next door. The mother, Sarah Hardwicke (Meg Ryan taking her first cautious baby steps in a maternal, older-woman mode and maintaining her footing), has just been told she has breast cancer. Adding to her woes is her knowledge that her husband, Nelson (Clark Gregg), is having an affair and her estrangement from Lucy (Kristen Stewart), the older of her two daughters.
Carter and Sarah meet by chance and begin taking long morning walks. During one she confides in Carter about her illness, and he impulsively instigates a steamy kiss. Earlier Sarah had urged Lucy to ask Carter for a date. She does, and Carter becomes her confidant, unofficial life coach in dating etiquette and surrogate older brother. After he squires her to a high school party where trouble breaks out, Lucy kisses him, and he finds himself in a sticky situation. If the movie is good at putting the petty melodramas of high school life in perspective, its treatment of grown-up relationships is so spineless that its predominant mood is one of mild depression.
Coy to a fault, “In the Land of Women” refuses to connect dots that need to be joined. Although Nelson’s extramarital affair is stated as fact, the guilty party acts like a devoted, caring husband, and no whys or wherefores are provided. We are given no clues as to whether either kiss leads to more, although the answer is probably not. Which leaves “In the Land of Women” in a void of indecision and hesitancy.
(16) Ben Hur
The film's prologue depicts the traditional story of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Ben-Hur (or Benhur) is a 1959 epic film directed by William Wyler, the third film version of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. It premiered at Loew's State Theatre in New York City on November 18, 1959. The film went on to win a record of eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
(17) The REadeR
The Reader is a 2008 drama film based on the 1995 German novel of the same name by Bernhard Schlink. The film was written by David Hare and directed by Stephen Daldry. Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet star along with the young actor David Kross. It was the last film for producers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, both of whom died before it was released. Production began in Germany in September 2007, and the film opened in limited release on 10 December 2008.
It tells the story of Michael Berg, a German lawyer who as a teenager in the late 1950s had an affair with an older woman, Hanna Schmitz, who then disappeared only to resurface years later as one of the defendants in a war crimes trial stemming from her actions as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp in the later years of World War II. Michael realizes that Hanna is keeping a personal secret she believes is worse than her Nazi past — a secret which, if revealed, could help her at the trial.
Winslet and David Kross, who played the young Michael, received much praise for their performances. Winslet received praise and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA Award for Best Actress, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress and the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 81st Academy Awards for her role in the film. The film was also nominated for several other major awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture.
(18) Milk
Milk is a 2008 American biographical film on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, and one of the first three in the United States as a whole, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black, the film stars Sean Penn as Milk and Josh Brolin as Dan White. The film was released to much acclaim and earned numerous accolades from film critics and guilds. Ultimately, it received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning two for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Penn and Best Original Screenplay for Black.
Attempts to put Milk's life to film followed a 1984 Oscar-winning documentary of his life and the aftermath of his assassination, titled The Times of Harvey Milk, which was loosely based upon Randy Shilts's biography, The Mayor of Castro Street. Various scripts were considered in the early 1990s, but projects fell through for different reasons, until 2007. Much of Milk was filmed on Castro Street and other locations in San Francisco, including Milk's former storefront, Castro Camera.
Milk begins on Harvey Milk's 40th birthday, when he was living in New York City and had not yet settled in San Francisco. It chronicles his foray into city politics, and the various battles he waged in the Castro neighborhood as well as throughout the city, and political campaigns to limit the rights of gay people in 1977 and 1978 run by Anita Bryant and John Briggs. His romantic and political relationships are also addressed, as is his tenuous affiliation with troubled Supervisor Dan White; the film ends with White's double murder of Milk and Mayor George Moscone. The film's release was tied to the 2008 California voter referendum on gay marriage, Proposition 8, when it made its premiere at the Castro Theatre two weeks before election day.
(19) ShuttEr
Ben (Joshua Jackson) and Jane (Rachael Taylor) are young and attractive newlyweds who live in Japan. Ben’s a photographer, and Jane’s, well, Jane’s got an awful lot of time on her hands to ascertain what Ben’s been up to before they got hitched. Thanks to a series of strange photographs that have a spectral image in them, Jane begins to wonder just exactly what little tidbits from his past Ben’s been hiding. As Jane probes into the mystery surrounding the fate of a young girl (Megumi Okina) with ties to Ben’s past, it puts what might euphemistically be called “a strain” on their marriage--but that strain is nothing compared to the strain on the viewer’s patience. Scary? Please.
Having struck international success with Infection, Masayuki Ochiai sells out-- and strikes out. Shutter may earn some opening-weekend coin on the basis of it, being a horror film and all, but a few more efforts as lame as this, and the genre might not be as hot as it once was. Shutter is such a lazy, contemptible film that it’s an insult, not only to horror fans, but to the horror genre itself. It commits arguably the worst sin a horror film can commit; it’s boring. Shiver.
(20) SaW [I tO VI]
pArt I:
Saw is a 2004 horror film directed by James Wan and starring Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, and Danny Glover. The plot of the film was conceived of by James Wan, while Whannell wrote the screenplay.
It is the first installment of the Saw film series. The film's story revolves around two men who awaken kidnapped and chained in a dilapidated industrial bathroom. They are given instructions via a microcassette recorder on how to escape by following the "rules" of their "game". Meanwhile, police detectives investigate and attempt to apprehend the criminal responsible - "Jigsaw".
The film was first screened January 19, 2004 at the Sundance Film Festival to positive reviews. It was then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 18, 2004, with theatrical releases on October 29, 2004 in the United States and December 2, 2004 in Australia.
The film was originally rated NC-17 for strong, graphic violence, though after being slightly re-edited, it was released with a R rating.
Critical responses varied. Some critics denounced the whole movie as nothing more than a "sadist gore fest" and a "low quality" and "cheap snuff film", while others commended its stylish visual tricks designed to camouflage cheap effects and called it a true "chilling" and "terrifying" horror film. Despite mixed reviews, Saw was a financial success at the box office.
pArt II:
Saw II is a 2005 horror film and sequel to Saw. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by himself and the first film's co-writer Leigh Whannell, and stars Tobin Bell, Donnie Wahlberg, and Shawnee Smith. Saw II was released in North America on October 28, 2005. Tobin Bell was nominated for "Best Villain" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards for his role as Jigsaw in the film.
The film features the Jigsaw Killer being apprehended by the police, but trapping the arresting officer in one of his own games while showing another "game" of eight people—including the officer's son in progress on TV monitors at another location. It also explores some of the Jigsaw's back story, providing a partial explanation for why he chose to become "Jigsaw".
Upon release, Saw II received mostly negative reviews from film critics. Some dismissed the film as being a "Se7en knockoff", "lacking style and plot" and some revolting over the "explicit gore and torture scenes", while others praised it as being a "worthy follow-up" and "providing plenty of what fans of the first expected". Despite negative reviews Saw II was a financial success grossing $31,725,652 its opening weekend, recouping its $4 million budget. The film currently is the highest grossing (domestically) Saw film to date.
pArt III:
Saw III is a 2006 American horror film written by the first film's writers/directors, James Wan and Leigh Whannell and directed by Saw II's writer/director, Darren Lynn Bousman and was released on October 27, 2006.
The film ends the first trilogy of the series that focuses on a bed-ridden John Kramer, and his new apprentice Amanda final tests before he dies. The film contains additional back-story about the two antagonists. The film was dedicated to Gregg Hoffman, producer of the first two films. Hoffman died on December 4, 2005, shortly after the official Lions Gate Entertainment announcement of Saw III.
pArt IV:
Saw IV is a 2007 horror film and midquel to the 2006's Saw III. It was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by newcomers Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan and Thomas Fenton. The film was released in North America on October 26, 2007. The film's North American release date followed the series' tradition that the films be released the Friday before or on Halloween of each year.
The film continues the story of the Jigsaw Killer and his obsession with teaching people the "value of their own lives". Despite Jigsaw being killed in the last installment, the film still focuses on his ability to manipulate people into continuing his work of trapping people into his "games".
pArt V:
Saw V is a 2008 horror film directed by David Hackl and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan and stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor and Scott Patterson.
The film, the fifth installment in the Saw franchise, was released on October 23, 2008 in Australia and October 24 in North America.
David Hackl, who served as the production designer of Saw II, III, and IV, and second-unit director for Saw III and IV made his directorial debut with 'Saw V. Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, the writers of the previous film, returned to write the film. Charlie Clouser, who provided the score for all previous Saw films, also returned to compose the score for the film.
pArt VI:
Saw VI is a 2009 horror film and sequel to Saw V. It was directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and produced by Mark Burg and Oren Koules.
It is the sixth installment of the Saw film series. It stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolston, Peter Outerbridge and Shawnee Smith. Greutert, who served as the editor for all the previous Saw, made his directorial debut with Saw VI. Melton and Dunstan, the writers for both Saw IV and V, returned to write the screenplay. Charlie Clouser, who provided the score for all previous Saw films, also returned to compose the score for the film.
Saw VI concludes the second trilogy of the series that focused on the posthumous effects of the Jigsaw Killer and the progression of his successor, Mark Hoffman. In the film, Hoffman sets up a new trap for an insurance executive, William Easton while the FBI trails the last living Jigsaw accomplice suspect, Peter Strahm. The film's plot has a heavy emphasis on the 2009 economic struggle of the U.S. government attempting to regulate healthcare.
Saw VI was the first film to receive a Película X rating in Spain for violence (this rating is usually reserved for pornographic films), restricting screenings to eight select theaters in that country. The film was released on October 23, 2009, in North America, which followed the tradition of being released the Friday before Halloween; it also followed tradition of being released in New Zealand and Australia a day earlier.
(21) IngLourIoUs BaSterDs
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish teenage girl who runs a movie theater in Paris which is targeted by the soldiers. StarrinG Mélanie Laurent , Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger.
It is popularly said “You haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino(Director)”.
(22) SchIndLer's List
Schindler's List is an epic 1993 American war-drama film about Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Polish Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.
The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally.
It stars Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as Schutzstaffel (SS) officer Amon Göth, and Ben Kingsley as Schindler's Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern.
(23) the Bourne [I, II aNd III]
pArt I: The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity is a 2002 spy film based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name, and the first of three films in the Bourne Series.
It stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, a psychogenic amnesiac former Special Activities Division operative attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). They want to track him down and arrest or kill him (as per orders of the U.S. Secretary of State) for inexplicably failing to carry out an officially unsanctioned assassination and then failing to report back in afterwards. Along the way he teams up with Marie, played by Franka Potente, who assists him on the initial part of his journey to learn about his past and regain his memories. The film also stars Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, and Brian Cox.
The film was directed by Doug Liman and adapted for the screen by Tony Gilroy and William Blake Herron from the novel of the same name written by Robert Ludlum, who also produced the film alongside Frank Marshall (though Ludlum died in 2001). Universal Pictures released the film to theaters in the United States on June 14, 2002 and it received a positive critical and public reaction.
pArt II: The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Supremacy is a 2004 spy mystery thriller film. The title comes from the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, but the film's plot is completely different from that of the book.
The title was used because it is a sequel to The Bourne Identity . The film was directed by Paul Greengrass, written by Tony Gilroy and Brian Helgeland and produced by Doug Liman and Frank Marshall. Universal Pictures released the film to theaters in the United States on 23 July 2004 and it received a positive critical and public reaction similar to its predecessor. The Bourne Supremacy continues the story of Jason Bourne, a former CIA assassin from their Special Activities Division suffering from psychogenic amnesia. Bourne is portrayed by Matt Damon.
The film focuses on his attempt to learn more of his shadowy past as he is once more enveloped in a conspiracy surrounding the CIA and Operation Treadstone. The film also stars Franka Potente as Marie Helena Kreutz, Brian Cox as Ward Abbott, Joan Allen as Pamela Landy and Julia Stiles as Nicolette Parsons.
pArt III: The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 spy film. Matt Damon reprises his role as Ludlum's signature character, former CIA assassin and psychogenic amnesiac Jason Bourne. The film continues the saga of Jason Bourne as he escapes from authorities in Moscow and travels to Paris, London, Madrid, Tangier and New York City to uncover his real identity, while the CIA continues to send assassins after him. The film co-starred Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, and Joan Allen. The script was written by Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, George Nolfi and an uncredited Tom Stoppard.[3] The producers were Patrick Crowley, Frank Marshall, Paul L. Sandberg, and Doug Liman, who directed the first Bourne movie, The Bourne Identity.
The Bourne Ultimatum was produced by Universal Pictures and was released on August 3, 2007, in North America, where it grossed $69.3 million in ticket sales in its first weekend of release, making it the highest August opening in the U.S. and Matt Damon's highest grossing film with him as the lead role. Although all three films have been commercially successful and critically acclaimed, The Bourne Ultimatum is the only film in the trilogy to have been nominated for any Academy Awards, winning all three of its nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing at the 80th Academy Awards.
(24) Little Manhattan
Little Manhattan is a 2005 romantic comedy film directed and written by husband and wife Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett. Though Levin is credited as the director and Flackett as the writer, in the film's DVD commentary the two reveal that they collaborated on both tasks.
Little Manhattan depicts the story of eleven-year-old Gabe's realization that girls can be pretty and pretty nice to be with. The story takes place, and was filmed on location, in Manhattan, mostly in the Upper West Side. The film stars Josh Hutcherson and Charlie Ray in the leading roles of the two children. It was Ray's first film role having never previously attended an audition. The character of Rosemary at the kindergarten stage, seen in a flashback, was played by the director's daughter.
(25) tHe DaMneD UnIteD
The Damned United is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling novel The Damned Utd, a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of Brian Clough's tenure as manager of Leeds United.
It was produced by BBC Films and Left Bank Pictures, with additional funding from Screen Yorkshire and Columbia Pictures. Sony Pictures Entertainment distributed the film. The film was originally proposed by Stephen Frears, but he pulled out of the project in November 2007. Tom Hooper took his place and film was shot from May to July 2008. It was released in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2009.
nyc list..all r awsm...dude..
ReplyDelete