American Beauty (1999)

American Beauty (1999)

[5]

SPOILER REVIEW

I really liked American Beauty when it was first released. Maybe I was wooed by its quirky introspection and aesthetic achievments. Or maybe it was screenwriter Alan Ball’s fresh new way of blending the real with the surreal. Or even the meditative lilt of Thomas Newman’s trend-setting score. But whatever the reason(s), watching the film ten years later, I realize — American Beauty ain’t all that. It’s kinda whack.

Battleground (1949)

Battleground (1949)

[7] Van Johnson and Ricardo Montalban are among the men holed up under snow and fog in William Wellman's (Wings) depiction of the Battle of the Bulge. Unlike most other war films of the time, Battleground is more of a…
Spartacus (1960)

Spartacus (1960)

[8]

Fans of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator might be surprised how much they will also enjoy (perhaps even prefer) its progenitor. Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus is a briskly-paced epic, and uncharacteristically emotional compared to his other work. Kirk Douglas is iconic in the lead role, playing a slave forced to fight in the gladiatorial arena for the enjoyment of the aristocracy. Of course he falls in love with a fellow slave girl, of course he escapes, and of course he leads a mammoth army of slaves in revolt against Rome… but when these broad strokes are painted so earnestly, I don’t care. The bleak, bold final act of the film is what really sells the story for me.

The Towering Inferno (1974)

The Towering Inferno (1974)

[7] Steve McQueen and Paul Newman help rescue people trapped in a flaming highrise in Irwin Allen's disaster opus, The Towering Inferno. It is what it is -- we all at one time or another want to watch disaster unfold…
Inception (2010)

Inception (2010)

[8] Dreams are a notoriously difficult thing on which to base a movie. In dreams there are no rules, no parameters -- and in movies about dreams, writers and filmmakers are often all too eager to take advantage of our…
There Will Be Blood (2007)

There Will Be Blood (2007)

[10] Director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) serves up a masterful study of two ambitious men -- a turn-of-the-century oil prospector driven by capitalism and a young preacher eager to grow his flock. The two men come to conflict…
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

[9] Guillermo del Toro's fantasy masterpiece is a volatile blend of whimsy and horror that dares to explore the depths of human evil through the eyes of an innocent child. The film is brutal, heartbreaking, and gorgeous. Del Toro's unique…
The Aviator (2004)

The Aviator (2004)

[9] Martin Scorsese directs Leonardo DiCaprio in this biopic of Howard Hughes, the billionaire aviator, filmmaker, and playboy whose considerable ambition was tragically counterbalanced by his mental illness. The Aviator opens with Hughes' mammoth, three-year-long production of the aerial battle…
The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003)

The Lord of the Rings (2001, 2002, 2003)

[10] Peter Jackson (Dead Alive, The Frighteners) embraces the Herculean task of bringing Tolkien's supreme fantasy to the silver screen, and hits a home run. The Fellowship of the Ring gets the trilogy off to a strong start, as Frodo…
Titanic (1997)

Titanic (1997)

[9] By anchoring his screenplay in one of the most inherently compelling tragedies of the twentieth century and placing the the weight of the story on Kate Winslet's able shoulders, James Cameron concocts a recipe for the biggest money-making movie…