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One of the best screen biographies ever made, with George C. Scott extremely memorable as the energetic (and slightly mad) General George S. Patton. The story follows him through his triumphs in North Africa, Italy and the Ardennes, as well as relate his rivalry with British Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery (Michael Bates).Filmed with amazing grandeur, this motion picture captures both the glory and insanity of war. Some of the best scenes include Scott's sermon at the beginning, where he states bluntly and with his usual force to his troops what horrors they are going to have to face in the ensuing battles. Karl Malden is equally fine as Omar N. Bradley, possibly Patton's only friend. But Scott is the one to truly watch for, as he merges with the role and becomes Patton. This is one of the few films that sheds a positive and negative light on the armed forces, all in the same movie.
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Based on Ken Kesey's classic novel, this feature looks at life in a mental institution from the viewpoint of the great anti-hero, Randale Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson). As Nicholson attempts to liven things up around his gloomy surroundings, he's always stopped dead in his tracks by the tyrannical Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher).Filmed with eloquent ease by Milos Forman, this is an extremely good adaptation of Kesey's book, with a cast of mostly unknowns (with two superb lead performances by Nicholson and Fletcher). Forman captures the anarchic spirit of the novel, as well as show us the workings of a truly destructive system. Nicholson and Forman earned their Academy awards, as did Fletcher (who never again got a role as good as the hateful Nurse).
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An unlikely hit film, that manages to draw you into the action of the story. It is an intimate portrait of two young runners, Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), who compete in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. The biography also looks at the sport of running in general and what the two young men must go through to reach their goals. Cross in particular has the hardest time. Rejected by many of his peers because of his Jewish faith, he is taught how to toughen himself up for the upcoming games by his determined Italian coach, Mussabini (Ian Holm).A real crowd-pleaser, with impressive slow-motion photography, accomplished performances by all involved and the lovely, elegant score by Greek composer Vangelis. It is neither cloying in its dramatics, nor does it miss a single detail in its recreation of the 1924 Paris Olympics. This is an inspiring story, if ever there was such a thing, and will please everyone. Especially ones who are interested in running!
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A sweeping epic biography, detailing the life of the Mahatma Gandhi (Ben Kingsley) as he sets out to free his native country, India, by using non-violent methods of passive resistance (which would later influence such leaders as Martin Luther King). He would become a symbol of peace and understanding throughout the world that will never be forgotten. Some of the most memorable moments in his life are lovingly recreated by Director Richard Attenborough.Filmed in the style of a David Lean epic, this features unforgettable performances by Kingsley as the Mahatma, Roshan Seth as Nehru and Candice Bergen as photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White. The movie, like most good epics, flows beautifully and elegantly, with a great production and awesome visuals making a perfect addition to the overall picture. Not even the classic biographies of the past have surpassed this one, when it comes to great storytelling.
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Milos Forman (The People vs. Larry Flynt) earned a well-deserved second Oscar for this stunning adaptation of Peter Shaffer's stage play. Tom Hulce stars as Mozart, whose continued success in the Emperor Joseph's (Jeffrey Jones) court is thwarted by the jealous court composer, Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). Throughout the film, Mozart composes such classic works as The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro. In the meantime, Salieri (who shows a certain respect for Mozart's work, even though he dislikes the man personally) becomes the force that will eventually lead to the great composer's self destruction.Lavishly filmed on location in Vienna, with realistic 18th-century settings, the film focuses most of its attention on the sardonically humorous performances of Hulce and Abraham. As two rivals who hold their grudge throughout the years, while at the same time gain respect for each other's work, the two leads were perfectly cast. Full of Mozart's great music, even if you don't like classical music, you will still enjoy this vibrant film.
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This is Oliver Stone's stunning semi-autobiographical Vietnam war story, which follows one group of soldiers through a year in the jungle. Seen from the viewpoint of young soldier Chris (Charlie Sheen, using remarkable parallels to his father Martin Sheen's performance in Apocalypse Now), the soldiers spend most of their time trying not to die in the savage firefights that pop up every so often. When they aren't fighting, they talk about life back home, drink, listen to rock and roll, smoke grass and discuss what their real purpose is for being in Vietnam.Full of strong performances by Sheen, Tom Berenger as the destructive Sgt. Barnes and Willem Dafoe as the more humane Sgt. Elias, Stone paints a horrifying picture about what living, dying and fighting in Vietnam was like for him and his friends. Unlike a lot of war pictures, the battle scenes don't seem choreographed and are relentlessly realistic. You get the feeling that Stone himself wasn't in control of the proceedings, during the filming of the scenes. Also, thanks to the perfectly developed characterizations by the actors, it's hard to tell during the fight scenes who's on one side and who's on the other side. Stone has been known to overdo it on his productions, making it seem like he is never really in control of his own films. That doesn't always work for him and sometimes works against him. But here it works for him quite well, and you can see how it helped with his extremely bloody war scenes.
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This is one of the few westerns that devotes its time to looking at the plight of the American Indians (particularly the Sioux), who were thought by some as even more subhuman than blacks during the 1800's (and even during parts of the 1900's). Kevin Costner directs and stars as Lt. John Dunbar, a civil war vet attempting to get away from the bloodshed of the conflict. He is sent to a remote outpost in the Dakotas, where he befriends a group of Sioux. He befriends three particular members of the tribe: Kicking Bird (Graham Greene), the tribal holy man; Stands with a Fist (Mary McDonnell), a white woman raised by the tribe; Wind in his Hair (Rodney A. Grant), a young Indian warrior. It is through these three individuals that Costner's fears and prejudices of the Indians are expelled. He helps the Indians out in their buffalo hunts, battles with an enemy tribe and Federal troops, and he eventually learns the language and tribal customs and is accepted as one of the tribal family.An amazing story, with great performances, splendid cinematography by Dean Semler and impressive stunt work (much of which Costner did himself). It doesn't preach too much about the pains the Indians suffered at the hands of the white man. Like Schindler's List and Rosewood, this simply depicts the tragedy through visuals, instead of words. Costner hasn't directed since, but I doubt he could ever surpass what he did with Dances With Wolves.
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