My Top 25 Films of All Time (May Contain Spoilers)
When I rebranded my blog as The Wolf of High Street, I wanted to incorporate a lifestyle side to my blog as well not solely fashion. Therefore this will make this the first lifestyle post since the change a couple of months ago. I love watching films, who doesn't? It's getting late at night, lights are off, the rooms pitch black, you're drinking warm drinks, maybe ordered some food, hanging with friends or family and for the next few hours you're completely engaged in a piece of movie history. Hopefully. So I thought I'd share my top 25 of all time. I hope you enjoy and be sure to let me know of your favourite movies.
Number 25: Jurassic Park
One of the greatest children's blockbusters of the 1990's. I'm pretty much basing this off the first film of the three-part franchise, because like in most cases the sequels are never quite up-to-scratch as the first instalment. The CGI and visual effects used throughout this film were quite spectacular, given that it was made a whopping twenty-two years ago. Wow I'm twenty this year and this makes me feel old, anyone else? I don't know whether this is just me, but as I hear a theme song from a movie I love it gets to me a little, as well as making me excited. Is that just me being emotionally weird? Anyway Jurassic Park will always remain a classic and will take some going to knock this out of my top 25. Finally, I look forward to Jurassic World which gets released 12th June 2015.
Number 24: Saw
Again when I talk about Saw, in this instance I'm only referring to the ones I thought were worthy of being included in my list. So the first four in the seven-part franchise, I don't even think I can recall what happened in the final three, but to still make four good movies is enough to be included. I love a good horror movie, and I find one of the most difficult genres to produce without it becoming too cliché and Saw isn't like that it's quite unique in that sense. John Kramer or "Jigsaw" doesn't kill his victims straight up, no he's much too smart for that, instead he captures them and forces them into playing psychological 'games' or 'tests' to inch their way closer to freedom. Although whilst on this journey to freedom, they're usually involved with some kind of torture, be that physically or emotionally. The films both intrigue and frighten you at the same time, perfect combination for a horror. In the end all the pieces will fit together.
Number 23: Fight Club
Fight Club is exactly what the title says. It is a relatively secret club formed by Edward Norton's Character who doesn't have a name, he is referred to as "The Narrator" and Brad Pitt's character Tyler Durden. Them along with other guys who want to fight recreationally. The film also features Helena Bonham Carter and a young Jared Leto who without trying to spoil anything is involved in an extremely brutal fight with Ed Norton's character. Fight Club was released in 1999, and has become one of the greatest films out there with a serious cult following. If you haven't already seen it, I definitely recommend seeing it soon.
Number 22: Finding Nemo
The first truly kids film and animated film, in my top 25 list and Spoiler Alert not the last haha! Finding Nemo includes numerous accounts of laughter and tears throughout and it's reasons like these that make the film what it is. Finding Nemo explores the idea of a normal, quite vanilla, very over-protective Clownfish father loosing his only child amongst The Great Barrier Reef and the epic journey he embarks on, finding his son and bringing him back home to safety. All a while with his new-found friend Dory voiced by Ellen Degeneres (Both Pictured). We see both father and son quickly grow in order for them to survive and step-up to the challenge of the possibility of facing life alone. Even though the film is animated and set in the underwater world, it deeply touches and embraces the fact of what it would be like to loose one of your own children. And because of that, it was a movie that went way beyond yet another masterpiece by the legends involved with Disney Pixar.
Number 21: The Wolf of Wall Street
I couldn't not include the movie that single-handedly inspired the title of my blog. Perhaps the most recent movie in my top twenty-five (Released December 25th 2013) but it still deserves it's place amongst the other twenty-four films listed. The Wolf of Wall Street is based on a true adaptation of Jordan Belfort's (Leonardo DiCaprio) lifestyle and his rise to becoming one of the wealthiest and coolest brokers on Wall Street. Of course with his hilarious but goofy looking right-hand man Danny Azoff (Jonah Hill) and stunning new wife (Margot Robbie). Forgetting the fact he ripped tons of people off, avoided paying taxes and being a total fraudster, Jordan Belfort lived one hell of a lifestyle; mansions, fast cars, beautiful women, yachts, helicopters and endless amounts of hardcore drugs...you name it he had it or snorted it! The single fact his lifestyle was so incredible cool, the fantastic portrayals from all the actors and actresses, especially the extremely short appearance from Matthew McConaughey and not forgetting Martin Scorsese's directing always being so on point, made me and many others love The Wolf of Wall Street.
Number 20: Shrek
DreamWorks' Shrek is hands down one of the greatest children's movie franchises in all of history. It is also one of few movie franchises that I loved every film involved. The first movie explores the cold and lonely life of green ogre, Shrek (Mike Myers) who's life in his swamp is totally interrupted by dozens of unwanted fairytale characters who have been exiled there by a certain Lord Farquaad. He sets off with his new annoying but loveable Donkey friend (Eddie Murphy) on a quest to confront Lord Farquaad. In an impressive attempt to rescue not only his own land, but also that of the other dismissed fairytale characters, Shrek must go toe-to-toe with a fierce fire-beathing dragon in order to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona, who Lord Farquaad plans on marrying. Although, there is something else in store when Shrek and Donkey discover a deep, dark secret kept hidden by the princess. Like I said, not only did I love the first Shrek, I also enjoyed the three sequels in particularly the second, which you may have already guessed. A truly great franchise.
Number 19: Schindler's List
One of a tremendeously long list of great films that has depicted the tragedies involved with World War ll. However, like limited war films, Schindler's List gives you an insight from a German perspective. Liam Neeson, in perhaps his greatest ever movie role, takes on life as German businessman Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's true story. A time when Oskar Schindler (In Poland) sees a opportunity to make money from the Nazis sudden rise to power, and doing so starts up a company making cookware and utensils, using flattery and bribes to win military contracts and brings in accountant and financier Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley) to help with the recently erected factory. By this time the work floor has been completely staffed by Jews, who have been herded into Krakow's ghettos. Being employed by Schindler of course would mean survival for both Stern and the rest of the Jews. There are some truly horrible, tearjerking scenes in this black and white film, it goes without saying. But with twelve Oscar nominations and seven wins, a film that quickly became one of the greatest American movies remembering the Holocaust, it just cannot be ignored.
Number 18: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
I may have only seen One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest once but that was more than enough for it to make it into my top 25. This was the second film in history to win all five major Oscar awards, up there with Jack Nicholson's best ever performances. The idea of the film was for Jack Nicholson's character to act completely crazy in order to avoid prison work. Inside he befriends a group of fellow mental patients and clashes with the frosty, evil Nurse Ratched and her minions. As you may have guessed, it isn't long before they realise they are each others worse enemies. Nurse Ratched is emotionless and to say she was strict would be an understatement, whereas Randal P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is a free spirit doing everything he can to make him and the other patients happy. He is the only one who could dismantle the system and overthrow Ratched simply by living day to day as he very well pleases. His "live free or die" attitude is what I feel is one of the many reasons why people fell in love with this rebellious character with good causes. An iconic scene would go on to help change psychiatric therapy for the better, with Dr. Frank Pittman stating it "had enormous effect" on his field and that "it gave voice, gave life, to a basic destruct of the way in which psychiatry was being used for society's purposes, rather than the people who had mental illness."
Number 17: The Lion King
For all you 90's kids out there - If you never watched the children's masterpiece that is The Lion King, your childhood was never fulfilled. Without trying to spoil anything, this could be the most emotional Disney picture ever made, and I'm not even kidding when I say that. In the opening scene we witness the birth of King Mufasa's son, Simba. It's a truly joyful opening to the film. From there we are presented with the story of a Lion cub's journey to adulthood and coming to terms with the acceptance of his Royal destiny. A particular scene transforms that joyful rich opening into what could be Disney's darkest moment, in which Mufasa's evil brother Scar commits a dreadful, horrifying sin and then frightens a young Prince Simba out of his kingdom. Simba away from home, becomes close friends with a warthog named Pumbaa and meerkat named Timon in the jungle where the exile lion now calls home. A grown-up Simba must then return home in order to claim the thrown that is rightfully his. Lion King does honestly get to you in more ways than just one, it is a magical story throughout as are all Disney projects, however this one has stood the test of time for that go-to-family-movie-night-in. It's similarities to real life, being a scared, timid child into becoming a courageous adult, with the help of your parents is why I feel this film was so critically appraised. Finally, this is also a movie in which the rhythmic soundtracks are spectacular "The Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John in particular and also movie soundtrack legend Hans Zimmer.
Number 16: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
BUUUEEELLLLEEEERRRRRRR? I adore Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and not just for the simple fact we share the same name. No, because Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is the cool kid everyone wanted to be growing up. Getting away with absolutely everything he does, from both teachers and parents, I think we were all envious of Ferris at some point or another in the movie. It's not long before Ferris Bueller becomes a legend in his own right, but ours as well, skipping classes and hacking into the schools' attendance records ensuring his remains 100% perfect. Well after dragging a presumably ill Cameron (Alan Ruck) out of bed and "borrowing" his father's beloved 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, picking up his girlfriend, Simone (Mia Sara) from school, the three spend the day together in Downtown, Chicago. Avoiding both Principal Ed Rooney and Ferris' father they attend a Chicago Cubs game, visit Sears Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago (Picture above) the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Ferris crashes the annual Von Steuben Day Parade, lip-synching to Wayne Newton's "Danke Schoen" and my favourite part The Beatles "Twist and Shout" on a float, to a very enthusiastic crowd dancing along and cheering him on. It's a fun-filled cult classic but will Ferris get away with it once again?
Number 15: The Green Mile
Yet another magical film that has made it in my list. The Green Mile refers to the name given to the where cell mates on death row walk down, essentially to their awaiting death. The film opens with an elderly Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) in a Louisiana nursing home and he breaks down and cries with his friend Elaine sitting next to him, begins to show concern with his feeling and he begins to explain about his youth from when he was a prison officer in charge of death row. And so the story expands into witnessing various criminals face life on death row. We see a close insight into these people's lives, some criminally insane and stand by all what they done and some who regret everything they've ever done. And then there's John Coffee (Michael Clarke Duncan) who is the sweetest, most caring man on the planet, who has the mindset of an innocent child. Although he was convicted of raping and killing two young white girls, and a giant african-american convicted with blood on his hands doesn't look good. Later we learn that John Coffee possesses magical healing powers and a few of the guards begin to doubt whether or not he is who he has been sentenced to death as. Anyway I don't want to spoil too much because this is truly a classic movie that has to be watched at some point in a lifetime.
Number 14: Toy Story
The second Tom Hanks movie that has made it into my top 25 list, however this one should count as three because let's face it, the Toy Story trilogy is simply amazing. In the first movie, Woody (Tom Hanks) is Andy's favourite little cowboy, that is until his 6th birthday? (I think) comes along and he receives a brand new toy, none other than space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) who has rapidly become the coolest toy on the market. The film then deploys into the two fighting for the attention of Andy, whilst being left on the outside world and ending up in the next-door neighbour Sid's house who has a tendency for torturing the toys he owns. There's 25 films I will have wrote about in this blog post, so I don't want to bore you anymore than I have to, so I'll just say the sequels are equally as good as the first. Three masterpieces from Disney Pixar yet again and I suppose I'm looking forward to the fourth instalment (2017 though) of the Toy enforced franchise.
Number 13: American Psycho
Who would have thought there would be two people in my list who both work on Wall Street? Meeeeeeee! Because I'm obsessed with Wall Street and their lifestyle and these are two incredible movies, I'm surprised Wall Street with Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas didn't make the list because I did also enjoy that film. Anyway before I go too off track...American Psycho depicts fictional character Patrick Bateman who by day is a wealthy, well educated, slightly arrogant investment banker who it's safe to say is obsessed with himself (in a cool way) but by night he turns into the axe-swinging, chainsaw wielding, raving lunatic with a obvious jealous side to his friends having something better than him. That business card scene, Paul Allen's (Jared Leto) apartment being bigger, better view and more expensive than his. But it's his vanity and materialistic lifestyle what makes me love Bateman as much as I do, and one of the reasons why American Psycho is voted number 13 in my list. But it's just so much more than his life that draws me in, it's like I said, his dark side which leads him to killing numerous associates who kind of don't even get in his way, it's just him and I love that. Although the ending has still left me kind of confused, but I don't want to ruin anything so if you do watch it, let me know in the comment what you think?
Number 12: Harry Potter
To make eight successful films is the first obvious reason why Harry Potter was ranked where it was in my top twenty-five list. Another series of films that have a soundtrack everybody knows and loves. The feature film series is not only physically magical, there are parts that do get to you a little, with friendships evolving and epic heroic scenes, these are what give Harry Potter that critical acclaim it received. As the franchise evolved over a ten-year span, it was a joy seeing each young 11 year old character (Harry, Ron and Hermione) grow into the brave heroes that they were in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 when they come tot-to-toe with Lord Voldemort's army of the most evil wizards. Another little thing I particularly enjoyed was that each movie as far as I can remember, was set over a school year. Anyway, Harry Potter just might be the most adventurous series of films in my top twenty-five...Or is it? You'll have to continue reading on to see.
Number 11: Reservoir Dogs
It's all go for Mr. White, Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blonde and that is why this Quentin Tarantino masterpiece was ranked so highly in my list. Choosing my top ten was a real challenge, and unfortunately this just didn't make the cut, but nevertheless it's still a fantastic 1hr. 38 minutes. The many twists and turns this movie has is incredible, but first let me explain the plot. The colour-coded criminals along with their boss Joe Cabot and his son Nice Guy Eddie (Cabot) are having breakfast in a diner right before a robbery heist they have set up. And by the way, the not-tipping scene with Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is one of my greatest movie scenes in history. It then cuts to a screaming Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) pouring with blood in a the back seat of a car being driven by Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) as it appears the heist didn't go to plan. They eventually get to a warehouse (meeting point) and no-one is there, but it's not long until Mr. Pink arrives and has a theory that there is a rat in the group and they were set up "One minute they're not there, the next minute they are...When an alarm goes off, you got an average of four minutes response time". This then makes everybody paranoid, especially as they're sitting ducks in the warehouse. And we learn Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) went maniac during the heist, shooting at everybody and then he's so cool when he enters the warehouse...with a cop to torture of course. It then goes from there, as we witness events pre and post the heist. The first watch isn't the easiest to follow I must admit, but after that first watch it falls gracefully into one the greatest films ever made.
Number 10: The Usual Suspects
Now it get's really exciting and intense, as we slide into the top ten films of my original twenty-five. Starting with The Usual Suspects, potentially Kevin Spacey's best ever acting role which featured one of the best quotes I have ever heard "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist" said by Roger "Verbal" Kint. A massive explosion rips through a ship in San Pedro, CA, leaving 27 men dead and a critically burned lone survivor with 91 million dollars-worth of cocaine missing. "Verbal" (non-stop talking) is soon brought in for questioning as he is a key suspect and the only key witness. As he recounts the events leading up to the disaster. Five days before a truckload of gun parts were hijacked in Queens, NY five me were brought in as suspects (line-up) and someone suggests they pull a job together. Kint hatches a plan for them to pull a jewel heist. When that goes wrong, they are visited by Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite) who represents a criminal mastermind Keyser Soze, who's violent reputation is so infamous because he's said to have responded to a threat to murder his family by killing them himself. Just to prove he feared no-one. So if that doesn't make you what to drop everything and watch The Usual Suspects straight away, I don't know what will.
Number 9: The Godfather
A lot of you people reading this may think I put what is thought to be the greatest gangster movie too low in my list, well the list was incredibly hard to choose and the third film let the series down dramatically, so that is my reason. I'm not saying I hate the Godfather, because the first two were up there with America's greatest masterpieces, but 9 I felt was right. Anyway, The Godfather follows the life of organised crime, the Corleone family in the late 1940's New York. The first film begins with World War ll marine, Michael (Al Pacino) showing up at his sister, Connie's wedding a returned a captain and war hero. A few months later, around Christmas time, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) barely survives an attack in which he was shot (Over drug trafficking) Michael then saves his father from a second assassination attempt while in the hospital recovering. After that, he convinces his older brother Sonny that he should be the one who get's revenge for what happened. Michael is then forced to go hide out in Sicily to let his heat cool down a little bit before returning. Michael returns home and Vito makes peace with his enemies and Michael is made the new Don. He leads the Corleone family into a new era and once again proposes murderous revenge on the same enemies.
Number 8: American History X
American History X is kind of a controversial film, but by God is it a brilliant film. American History X explores the racial hatred in United States of America. In a shocking of an opening scene, Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) races to tell his neo-nazi older brother Derek (Edward Norton) about young black people breaking into his car, at the front of his house and Derek shooting them in their tracks. Derek is then sent away to prison for three years. Whilst doing time, Derek has a new outlook on life as he contrasts white power-prisoners to that of his black laundry co-worker Lamont (Guy Torry). On the outside world, Danny is following in the exact foot steps that Derek left behind, shaved head and rebellious attitude. But after writing what is described a good, Hitler's Mein Kampf his black high school principal (Sweeney) puts Danny in his "American History X" class and asks him to write papers regarding his older brother, Derek (who was a former student of Sweeney's). I love how the flashbacks of Derek's life were filmed in black and white, it creates an amazing wrong-doing effect and dark atmosphere. American History X is a must see, hands down.
Number 7: The Lord of The Rings
If you haven't already guessed, The Lord of The Rings was the second magical adventure story in my top twenty-five film list. What get's to me with The Lord of The Rings, is that the four friends (technically two cousins of Frodo) out of the Shire; Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), Sam (Sean Astin), Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) set out as four pretty scares boys and return heroes. But not just that, The Lord of The Rings trilogy is nothing short of epic, right from the beginning of the LOTR: Fellowship of The Ring to the "My friends, you bow to no-one" scene of the LOTR: The Return of The King. The Lord of The Rings revolutionised fantasy, it single handedly brought fantasy back onto our screens. And also with the success of the prequels, The Hobbit franchise. The franchise features some of the greatest ever battles you'll ever see in a movie, like I said before there's nothing else to describe them other than epic and they're certainly gripping. The special effects are also some of the best you'll ever see on the big screen, Peter Jackson done himself proud with The Lord of The Rings, also scooping up a total of seventeen Oscar wins and a whopping thirty (yes thirty) nominations over the three feature length films. The Return of The King actually won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for, which is just surreal.
Number 6: Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan was my absolute favourite film since first seeing it as a young child, aged Seven maybe? And rightfully deserves it's place at number six today. Steven Spielberg's depiction of World War ll. changed how thousands of people saw this war, the opening scene is a twenty-four minute; gripping, heart-wrenching, difficult to watch but oh so true blood filled, lives lost, unforgettable sequence in how on June 6th 1944 American troops stormed Omaha Beach in the face of awaiting Germans, ready to gun down anyway in sight. This mass-slaughter saw thousands of American troops loose their lives for not only their country, but also the rest of the world. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and what's left of his unit move forward and are shielded by a concrete pillbox. After discovering that a mother has lost three of her four sons in the past week alone, they are set the mission to find her fourth son, Pvt. James Ryan (Matt Damon) and bring him back home. As the film moves on, as they advance on the mission they were set and unfortunately through more Nazi territory they lose more lives on the way, in a bombed-out village and fields filled with Nazi mounted MG42's. The squad question their beliefs on whether them risking their lives and loosing a few friends in the process is worth it for one particular soldier? To a final battle in Ramelle. I think we can all agree that Saving Private Ryan was so critically acclaimed, winning five Oscars due to how true the film was to itself, and it paid great remembrance to the Second World War.
Number 5: The Silence of the Lambs
As we advance on into my top 5, this is when it gets really serious now. Standing in at number 5, is Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. This multi-Oscar winning movie explores the case of serial killer names Buffalo Bill, who kidnaps and kills young women who are a size 14 and skins their bodies. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) assigns Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) a top student at the FBI's training academy, because of her shrewd analysis of serial killers lands her a special assignment. Crawford then wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also however a cannibalistic psychopath, serving life behind bars (or glass). Crawford does the smart thing of sending her in with no brief, because he knew Mr. Lector would soon sense it and toy around with her mind. They believe he may have some insight on Buffalo Bill. But again, Hannibal isn't stupid, he knows stuff about Buffalo Bill but will only exchange his information to be housed in a more comfortable facility. He is also reluctant in knowing about Clarice's past, and his advanced knowledge of understanding people allows him to unravel her psyche when she is at her weakest, making her vulnerable when she cannot afford to be. The Silence of the Lambs has what I think is one of the cleverest and most gripping scenes in movie history, This part I really don't want to spoil, let's just say it involves Hannibal, the FBI, a group of cops, paramedics and an elevator...
Number 4: Scarface
Tony Montana (Al Pacino) an exiled criminal and ex-soldier from Cuba has arrived in Miami during 1980, and along with his close friend Manny Ribera (Steven Bauer) and their associates Angel and Chi-Chi. They have their first assignment handed to them by Frank Lopez and his assistant Omar Suarez, to go do a drug deal with Hector "The Toad" and his fellow Columbians. Tony and Manny doing so well, leads them to being hired by Frank. Tony and Omar are then sent to Bolivia to meet with cocaine-kingpin Alejandro Sosa, to discuss a deal and Tony goes ahead without Frank's approval. It's not long before Tony grows an empire of his own, as a blimp flies across the sky bearing the words "The World is Yours", declaring this. He then marries Franks' ex-wife Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) and of course purchases himself a tiger. Eventually this lifestyle Tony leads, always catches up with you, and Tony is landed with tax evasion and money-laundering. After a delayed trial, Tony is sent to New York City, with his associates and one of Sosa's henchmen, Alberto "The Shadow" to detonate a car-bomb and blow up a journalist, even though he is with his wife and kids, Tony disagrees and shoots Alberto in the face. Furious with Tony's failure to finish his mission, Sosa ends all their partnerships and threatens Tony for his betrayal. Will Tony continue living his ruthless lifestyle? Watch and see. Overall, Scarface will certainly go down in gangster-movie history.
Number 3: The Dark Knight Trilogy
In my honest opinion, the best superhero films ever made. Christopher Nolan took what was seen as quite a gimmick and transformed Batman into the dark, scary and corrupt world that is Gotham City. We all know the background to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), a wealthy kid who's philanthropist parents are shot dead by a mugger. Both parents were known for their commitment in cutting down the crime-rate dramatically in and around Gotham. Their millions are left in their will, to their son Bruce, who as The Dark Knight, life philosophy is to remove all crime from Gotham. In Batman Begins, his life as the "Caped Crusader" starts by being taught martial arts by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) member of the League of Shadows. After a seven-year hiatus, he returns to Gotham determined to bring peace to the city and with the help of his butler, Alfred (Michael Caine) and weapons expert/scientist Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) he is able to do so, and begins his alter-ego as the crime-fighting Batman. The villain in the first film, is none of than The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy). The Dark Knight continues and Batman come face-to-face with his most famous nemesis, the legendary Joker (Heath Ledger) portrayed in a legendary way. It begins with a pretty normal bank robbery by Gotham's standards, only it's led by a group of clowns. The Joker kills all of his associates and drives away in a school bus, and doing so joins a long chain of other exact school buses on their everyday route. Throughout the whole of the movie, the sadistic, ghoulish clown causes complete chaos for those wanting to make Gotham a safe place. Out of the three films, The Dark Knight was my favourite and Heath's portrayal will never be forgotten and will have the biggest clown-size shoes to fill. By the time The Dark Knight Rises hits our screens, it's been eight years since Gotham had last seen Batman. The villain this time around is mercenary terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy) who is a lot more realistic version than in past Batman comics and films. And it's Bane plan to "Fulfil Ra's al Ghul's destiny" and destroy Gotham. In Batman's first meeting with Bane, leads to Batman being physically overpowered and "Broken". He is then taken to imprisonment with virtually no escape. Meanwhile, back in Gotham, Bane lures a team of cops into the underground and blocks the exits when planted bombs dotted around the city explode. Also what causes an American Football field to collapse during a game. Bane then forces an abducted Dr. Leonid Pavel to convert the reactor core into a nuclear bomb, before snapping his neck. After releasing convicts from Blackgate Penitentiary, Bane causes a revolution. So, can Batman save the day once again?
Number 2: Goodfellas
Martin Scorsese's wiseguy-gangster flick Goodfellas was one of the first films that kickstarted what would turn out to be the greatest decade for films, the 1990's. In the beginning, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) admits "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster", referring back to his childhood idolisation of the Lucchese crime family and growing up in an Italian-American neighbourhood in East New York, Brooklyn. Henry quits going to school and prefers to run errands for his local mobsters. There he learns life's two most important lessons "Never rat on your friends, and always keep your mouth shut". Henry is taking under the wing of Mob boss Paulie Cicero and his associates James "Jimmy the Gent" Conway (Robert De Niro), who loves hi-jacking trucks and the short-fuse, aggressive Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). In late 1967, they commit, the Air France Robbery. As they enjoy the perks of being criminals, they spend most nights at the Copacabana, where Henry meets his future wife, Karen who was soon seduced by his cool, ruthless but glamorous lifestyle. On June 11th, 1970 in a bar, Tommy (With the help of Jimmy) brutally beats to death Billy Batts, a member of the Gambino family for the constant insults made about Tommy when he used to shine his shoes for him. They bury the body in the woods, only to discover that six months later the burial site is going to be developed, forcing them to move the decomposing body. Later on in the film, Henry and Jimmy are sent down to Florida to confront an indebted gambler, and after threatening him with being thrown and fed to the lions, they succeed that is until they discover his sister is a typist for the FBI and are sentenced to prison. Inside, Henry sells drugs in order to support his family on the outside. And sells drugs once he's out and get's Jimmy and Tommy involved, against what Paulie said to them. The three commit the Lufthansa heist at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in a result of stealing $6 million. But when their associates buy expensive things, when Jimmy told them not to (to not alarm the police) he has them killed. So can Henry, Jimmy and Tommy keep up with what they're doing and remain getting away with it?
Number 1: Pulp Fiction
Well here it is, what you've hopefully all been waiting for, my number 1 movie of all-time. And it is Quentin Tarantino's outrageously violent but comical Pulp Fiction. Widely considered by many, including myself as the most influential American movie of the 1990's. Quentin Tarantino has took what was meant to be just a classic gangster movie, and mixed it up wacky violence of cartoons, video games and Japanese animations; and the fragmented story-telling structure, split up into seven stories. I don't want to bore you by talking about each story, so I'll narrow it down to my favourites. "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife" As Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) drives, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) talks about his recent ventures to Europe, particularly the hashish bars in Amsterdam, the French McDonald's and it's "Royale with Cheese". The two of them both wearing dress-suits on their way to collect a briefcase from Brett, who has transgressed with their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Vincent was asked by Marsellus to escort his wife, Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) whilst he is out of town. They arrive at Brett's place, where they confront him and two other goons over the briefcase. Vincent finds the briefcase that Brett has apparently stolen from Marsellus, and Brett attempts to talk his way out the situation. Jules shoots one of Brett's associates then "retorts" asking Brett does "Marsellus Wallace look like a bitch?" with Brett repeatedly replying "What?" as Jules' anger grows saying nobody can "fuck" Marsellus Wallace except his wife. He then delivers a passage from the Bible before executing Brett with Vincent. In a virtually empty cocktail lounge, ageing champion boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) accepts a large sum of money from Marsellus to take-a-dive in his next fight. Vincent and Jules (now dressed in t-shirts and shorts) arrive and deliver the briefcase to Marsellus. The next day, Vincent visits Lance and Jody's house to purchase some high-grade heroin. He shoots up before driving over to meet Mia. They go out to Jack Rabbit Slim's, a 1950' themed restaurant, staffed by lookalikes of the decades pop icons. They compete in a twist contest and presumably win, as they come home to the Wallace household with a trophy. With Vincent in the bathroom, Mia snorts what she thinks is cocaine but is actually heroin and she overdoses. Vincent rushes her over to Lance's house, where they have to inject her heart with adrenaline. "The Bonnie Situation" The story returns back to Brett's place, where another an bursts out of the bathroom and fires at them with a "hand-cannon" and misses every shot, as Vincent and Jules hilariously look themselves up and down, they shoot him together in-sync. They drive off with the only survivor Marvin, and when Vincent questions him, he accidentally shoots him in the face and blood covers the entire interior. They are forced to go and see Jules' friend Jimmie (Quentin Tarantino) and anxious his wife will be back from working as a nurse in an hour, that she'll encounter what has happened and divorce him. So he calls his cleaner Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) who takes charge of the situation. He very specifically tells Vincent and Jules to clean the car, strip down so Jimmie can hose them down and don't do anything until he's done it first. One of the coolest scenes in movie history is the "Epilogue-The Diner" scene. Vincent and Jules are having breakfast at the diner, where "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) and "Honey-bunny" (Amanda Plummer) are going to hold-up the diner as a robbery. With Vincent in the bathroom (once again) the hold-up takes place. When questioned about Jules' case, he surprises "Pumpkin" as he drags his arm down and holds the gun to his face. Jules then calms "Honey-bunny" down as she is tense that her boyfriend might get shot, and at this point Vincent is out the bathroom pointing his gun at her (Mexican standoff). Jules reprises a Biblical passage, "Ezekiel 25:17" and offers "Pumpkin" $1500 of his own cash and for them to leave. Which they do and Jules and Vincent can get the briefcase back to their boss, Marsellus Wallace.
Well there you have it, my top twenty-five films. Believe me it wasn't easy to choose and it took a lot longer than I imagined to write and post to my blog. So I can only apologise for that, hopefully you'll forgive me? Anyway, join me again this Friday for another blog post.
The Wolf of High Street
xxx
Number 18: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
I may have only seen One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest once but that was more than enough for it to make it into my top 25. This was the second film in history to win all five major Oscar awards, up there with Jack Nicholson's best ever performances. The idea of the film was for Jack Nicholson's character to act completely crazy in order to avoid prison work. Inside he befriends a group of fellow mental patients and clashes with the frosty, evil Nurse Ratched and her minions. As you may have guessed, it isn't long before they realise they are each others worse enemies. Nurse Ratched is emotionless and to say she was strict would be an understatement, whereas Randal P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is a free spirit doing everything he can to make him and the other patients happy. He is the only one who could dismantle the system and overthrow Ratched simply by living day to day as he very well pleases. His "live free or die" attitude is what I feel is one of the many reasons why people fell in love with this rebellious character with good causes. An iconic scene would go on to help change psychiatric therapy for the better, with Dr. Frank Pittman stating it "had enormous effect" on his field and that "it gave voice, gave life, to a basic destruct of the way in which psychiatry was being used for society's purposes, rather than the people who had mental illness."
Number 17: The Lion King
For all you 90's kids out there - If you never watched the children's masterpiece that is The Lion King, your childhood was never fulfilled. Without trying to spoil anything, this could be the most emotional Disney picture ever made, and I'm not even kidding when I say that. In the opening scene we witness the birth of King Mufasa's son, Simba. It's a truly joyful opening to the film. From there we are presented with the story of a Lion cub's journey to adulthood and coming to terms with the acceptance of his Royal destiny. A particular scene transforms that joyful rich opening into what could be Disney's darkest moment, in which Mufasa's evil brother Scar commits a dreadful, horrifying sin and then frightens a young Prince Simba out of his kingdom. Simba away from home, becomes close friends with a warthog named Pumbaa and meerkat named Timon in the jungle where the exile lion now calls home. A grown-up Simba must then return home in order to claim the thrown that is rightfully his. Lion King does honestly get to you in more ways than just one, it is a magical story throughout as are all Disney projects, however this one has stood the test of time for that go-to-family-movie-night-in. It's similarities to real life, being a scared, timid child into becoming a courageous adult, with the help of your parents is why I feel this film was so critically appraised. Finally, this is also a movie in which the rhythmic soundtracks are spectacular "The Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John in particular and also movie soundtrack legend Hans Zimmer.
Number 16: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
BUUUEEELLLLEEEERRRRRRR? I adore Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and not just for the simple fact we share the same name. No, because Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is the cool kid everyone wanted to be growing up. Getting away with absolutely everything he does, from both teachers and parents, I think we were all envious of Ferris at some point or another in the movie. It's not long before Ferris Bueller becomes a legend in his own right, but ours as well, skipping classes and hacking into the schools' attendance records ensuring his remains 100% perfect. Well after dragging a presumably ill Cameron (Alan Ruck) out of bed and "borrowing" his father's beloved 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, picking up his girlfriend, Simone (Mia Sara) from school, the three spend the day together in Downtown, Chicago. Avoiding both Principal Ed Rooney and Ferris' father they attend a Chicago Cubs game, visit Sears Tower, The Art Institute of Chicago (Picture above) the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Ferris crashes the annual Von Steuben Day Parade, lip-synching to Wayne Newton's "Danke Schoen" and my favourite part The Beatles "Twist and Shout" on a float, to a very enthusiastic crowd dancing along and cheering him on. It's a fun-filled cult classic but will Ferris get away with it once again?
Number 15: The Green Mile
Yet another magical film that has made it in my list. The Green Mile refers to the name given to the where cell mates on death row walk down, essentially to their awaiting death. The film opens with an elderly Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) in a Louisiana nursing home and he breaks down and cries with his friend Elaine sitting next to him, begins to show concern with his feeling and he begins to explain about his youth from when he was a prison officer in charge of death row. And so the story expands into witnessing various criminals face life on death row. We see a close insight into these people's lives, some criminally insane and stand by all what they done and some who regret everything they've ever done. And then there's John Coffee (Michael Clarke Duncan) who is the sweetest, most caring man on the planet, who has the mindset of an innocent child. Although he was convicted of raping and killing two young white girls, and a giant african-american convicted with blood on his hands doesn't look good. Later we learn that John Coffee possesses magical healing powers and a few of the guards begin to doubt whether or not he is who he has been sentenced to death as. Anyway I don't want to spoil too much because this is truly a classic movie that has to be watched at some point in a lifetime.
Number 14: Toy Story
The second Tom Hanks movie that has made it into my top 25 list, however this one should count as three because let's face it, the Toy Story trilogy is simply amazing. In the first movie, Woody (Tom Hanks) is Andy's favourite little cowboy, that is until his 6th birthday? (I think) comes along and he receives a brand new toy, none other than space ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) who has rapidly become the coolest toy on the market. The film then deploys into the two fighting for the attention of Andy, whilst being left on the outside world and ending up in the next-door neighbour Sid's house who has a tendency for torturing the toys he owns. There's 25 films I will have wrote about in this blog post, so I don't want to bore you anymore than I have to, so I'll just say the sequels are equally as good as the first. Three masterpieces from Disney Pixar yet again and I suppose I'm looking forward to the fourth instalment (2017 though) of the Toy enforced franchise.
Number 13: American Psycho
Who would have thought there would be two people in my list who both work on Wall Street? Meeeeeeee! Because I'm obsessed with Wall Street and their lifestyle and these are two incredible movies, I'm surprised Wall Street with Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas didn't make the list because I did also enjoy that film. Anyway before I go too off track...American Psycho depicts fictional character Patrick Bateman who by day is a wealthy, well educated, slightly arrogant investment banker who it's safe to say is obsessed with himself (in a cool way) but by night he turns into the axe-swinging, chainsaw wielding, raving lunatic with a obvious jealous side to his friends having something better than him. That business card scene, Paul Allen's (Jared Leto) apartment being bigger, better view and more expensive than his. But it's his vanity and materialistic lifestyle what makes me love Bateman as much as I do, and one of the reasons why American Psycho is voted number 13 in my list. But it's just so much more than his life that draws me in, it's like I said, his dark side which leads him to killing numerous associates who kind of don't even get in his way, it's just him and I love that. Although the ending has still left me kind of confused, but I don't want to ruin anything so if you do watch it, let me know in the comment what you think?
Number 12: Harry Potter
To make eight successful films is the first obvious reason why Harry Potter was ranked where it was in my top twenty-five list. Another series of films that have a soundtrack everybody knows and loves. The feature film series is not only physically magical, there are parts that do get to you a little, with friendships evolving and epic heroic scenes, these are what give Harry Potter that critical acclaim it received. As the franchise evolved over a ten-year span, it was a joy seeing each young 11 year old character (Harry, Ron and Hermione) grow into the brave heroes that they were in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 when they come tot-to-toe with Lord Voldemort's army of the most evil wizards. Another little thing I particularly enjoyed was that each movie as far as I can remember, was set over a school year. Anyway, Harry Potter just might be the most adventurous series of films in my top twenty-five...Or is it? You'll have to continue reading on to see.
Number 11: Reservoir Dogs
It's all go for Mr. White, Mr. Blue, Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange, Mr. Brown and Mr. Blonde and that is why this Quentin Tarantino masterpiece was ranked so highly in my list. Choosing my top ten was a real challenge, and unfortunately this just didn't make the cut, but nevertheless it's still a fantastic 1hr. 38 minutes. The many twists and turns this movie has is incredible, but first let me explain the plot. The colour-coded criminals along with their boss Joe Cabot and his son Nice Guy Eddie (Cabot) are having breakfast in a diner right before a robbery heist they have set up. And by the way, the not-tipping scene with Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is one of my greatest movie scenes in history. It then cuts to a screaming Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) pouring with blood in a the back seat of a car being driven by Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) as it appears the heist didn't go to plan. They eventually get to a warehouse (meeting point) and no-one is there, but it's not long until Mr. Pink arrives and has a theory that there is a rat in the group and they were set up "One minute they're not there, the next minute they are...When an alarm goes off, you got an average of four minutes response time". This then makes everybody paranoid, especially as they're sitting ducks in the warehouse. And we learn Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) went maniac during the heist, shooting at everybody and then he's so cool when he enters the warehouse...with a cop to torture of course. It then goes from there, as we witness events pre and post the heist. The first watch isn't the easiest to follow I must admit, but after that first watch it falls gracefully into one the greatest films ever made.
Number 10: The Usual Suspects
Now it get's really exciting and intense, as we slide into the top ten films of my original twenty-five. Starting with The Usual Suspects, potentially Kevin Spacey's best ever acting role which featured one of the best quotes I have ever heard "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist" said by Roger "Verbal" Kint. A massive explosion rips through a ship in San Pedro, CA, leaving 27 men dead and a critically burned lone survivor with 91 million dollars-worth of cocaine missing. "Verbal" (non-stop talking) is soon brought in for questioning as he is a key suspect and the only key witness. As he recounts the events leading up to the disaster. Five days before a truckload of gun parts were hijacked in Queens, NY five me were brought in as suspects (line-up) and someone suggests they pull a job together. Kint hatches a plan for them to pull a jewel heist. When that goes wrong, they are visited by Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite) who represents a criminal mastermind Keyser Soze, who's violent reputation is so infamous because he's said to have responded to a threat to murder his family by killing them himself. Just to prove he feared no-one. So if that doesn't make you what to drop everything and watch The Usual Suspects straight away, I don't know what will.
Number 9: The Godfather
A lot of you people reading this may think I put what is thought to be the greatest gangster movie too low in my list, well the list was incredibly hard to choose and the third film let the series down dramatically, so that is my reason. I'm not saying I hate the Godfather, because the first two were up there with America's greatest masterpieces, but 9 I felt was right. Anyway, The Godfather follows the life of organised crime, the Corleone family in the late 1940's New York. The first film begins with World War ll marine, Michael (Al Pacino) showing up at his sister, Connie's wedding a returned a captain and war hero. A few months later, around Christmas time, Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) barely survives an attack in which he was shot (Over drug trafficking) Michael then saves his father from a second assassination attempt while in the hospital recovering. After that, he convinces his older brother Sonny that he should be the one who get's revenge for what happened. Michael is then forced to go hide out in Sicily to let his heat cool down a little bit before returning. Michael returns home and Vito makes peace with his enemies and Michael is made the new Don. He leads the Corleone family into a new era and once again proposes murderous revenge on the same enemies.
Number 8: American History X
American History X is kind of a controversial film, but by God is it a brilliant film. American History X explores the racial hatred in United States of America. In a shocking of an opening scene, Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) races to tell his neo-nazi older brother Derek (Edward Norton) about young black people breaking into his car, at the front of his house and Derek shooting them in their tracks. Derek is then sent away to prison for three years. Whilst doing time, Derek has a new outlook on life as he contrasts white power-prisoners to that of his black laundry co-worker Lamont (Guy Torry). On the outside world, Danny is following in the exact foot steps that Derek left behind, shaved head and rebellious attitude. But after writing what is described a good, Hitler's Mein Kampf his black high school principal (Sweeney) puts Danny in his "American History X" class and asks him to write papers regarding his older brother, Derek (who was a former student of Sweeney's). I love how the flashbacks of Derek's life were filmed in black and white, it creates an amazing wrong-doing effect and dark atmosphere. American History X is a must see, hands down.
Number 7: The Lord of The Rings
If you haven't already guessed, The Lord of The Rings was the second magical adventure story in my top twenty-five film list. What get's to me with The Lord of The Rings, is that the four friends (technically two cousins of Frodo) out of the Shire; Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), Sam (Sean Astin), Pippin (Billy Boyd) and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) set out as four pretty scares boys and return heroes. But not just that, The Lord of The Rings trilogy is nothing short of epic, right from the beginning of the LOTR: Fellowship of The Ring to the "My friends, you bow to no-one" scene of the LOTR: The Return of The King. The Lord of The Rings revolutionised fantasy, it single handedly brought fantasy back onto our screens. And also with the success of the prequels, The Hobbit franchise. The franchise features some of the greatest ever battles you'll ever see in a movie, like I said before there's nothing else to describe them other than epic and they're certainly gripping. The special effects are also some of the best you'll ever see on the big screen, Peter Jackson done himself proud with The Lord of The Rings, also scooping up a total of seventeen Oscar wins and a whopping thirty (yes thirty) nominations over the three feature length films. The Return of The King actually won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for, which is just surreal.
Number 6: Saving Private Ryan
Saving Private Ryan was my absolute favourite film since first seeing it as a young child, aged Seven maybe? And rightfully deserves it's place at number six today. Steven Spielberg's depiction of World War ll. changed how thousands of people saw this war, the opening scene is a twenty-four minute; gripping, heart-wrenching, difficult to watch but oh so true blood filled, lives lost, unforgettable sequence in how on June 6th 1944 American troops stormed Omaha Beach in the face of awaiting Germans, ready to gun down anyway in sight. This mass-slaughter saw thousands of American troops loose their lives for not only their country, but also the rest of the world. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and what's left of his unit move forward and are shielded by a concrete pillbox. After discovering that a mother has lost three of her four sons in the past week alone, they are set the mission to find her fourth son, Pvt. James Ryan (Matt Damon) and bring him back home. As the film moves on, as they advance on the mission they were set and unfortunately through more Nazi territory they lose more lives on the way, in a bombed-out village and fields filled with Nazi mounted MG42's. The squad question their beliefs on whether them risking their lives and loosing a few friends in the process is worth it for one particular soldier? To a final battle in Ramelle. I think we can all agree that Saving Private Ryan was so critically acclaimed, winning five Oscars due to how true the film was to itself, and it paid great remembrance to the Second World War.
Number 5: The Silence of the Lambs
As we advance on into my top 5, this is when it gets really serious now. Standing in at number 5, is Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. This multi-Oscar winning movie explores the case of serial killer names Buffalo Bill, who kidnaps and kills young women who are a size 14 and skins their bodies. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) assigns Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) a top student at the FBI's training academy, because of her shrewd analysis of serial killers lands her a special assignment. Crawford then wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also however a cannibalistic psychopath, serving life behind bars (or glass). Crawford does the smart thing of sending her in with no brief, because he knew Mr. Lector would soon sense it and toy around with her mind. They believe he may have some insight on Buffalo Bill. But again, Hannibal isn't stupid, he knows stuff about Buffalo Bill but will only exchange his information to be housed in a more comfortable facility. He is also reluctant in knowing about Clarice's past, and his advanced knowledge of understanding people allows him to unravel her psyche when she is at her weakest, making her vulnerable when she cannot afford to be. The Silence of the Lambs has what I think is one of the cleverest and most gripping scenes in movie history, This part I really don't want to spoil, let's just say it involves Hannibal, the FBI, a group of cops, paramedics and an elevator...
Number 4: Scarface
Tony Montana (Al Pacino) an exiled criminal and ex-soldier from Cuba has arrived in Miami during 1980, and along with his close friend Manny Ribera (Steven Bauer) and their associates Angel and Chi-Chi. They have their first assignment handed to them by Frank Lopez and his assistant Omar Suarez, to go do a drug deal with Hector "The Toad" and his fellow Columbians. Tony and Manny doing so well, leads them to being hired by Frank. Tony and Omar are then sent to Bolivia to meet with cocaine-kingpin Alejandro Sosa, to discuss a deal and Tony goes ahead without Frank's approval. It's not long before Tony grows an empire of his own, as a blimp flies across the sky bearing the words "The World is Yours", declaring this. He then marries Franks' ex-wife Elvira (Michelle Pfeiffer) and of course purchases himself a tiger. Eventually this lifestyle Tony leads, always catches up with you, and Tony is landed with tax evasion and money-laundering. After a delayed trial, Tony is sent to New York City, with his associates and one of Sosa's henchmen, Alberto "The Shadow" to detonate a car-bomb and blow up a journalist, even though he is with his wife and kids, Tony disagrees and shoots Alberto in the face. Furious with Tony's failure to finish his mission, Sosa ends all their partnerships and threatens Tony for his betrayal. Will Tony continue living his ruthless lifestyle? Watch and see. Overall, Scarface will certainly go down in gangster-movie history.
Number 3: The Dark Knight Trilogy
In my honest opinion, the best superhero films ever made. Christopher Nolan took what was seen as quite a gimmick and transformed Batman into the dark, scary and corrupt world that is Gotham City. We all know the background to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), a wealthy kid who's philanthropist parents are shot dead by a mugger. Both parents were known for their commitment in cutting down the crime-rate dramatically in and around Gotham. Their millions are left in their will, to their son Bruce, who as The Dark Knight, life philosophy is to remove all crime from Gotham. In Batman Begins, his life as the "Caped Crusader" starts by being taught martial arts by Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) member of the League of Shadows. After a seven-year hiatus, he returns to Gotham determined to bring peace to the city and with the help of his butler, Alfred (Michael Caine) and weapons expert/scientist Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) he is able to do so, and begins his alter-ego as the crime-fighting Batman. The villain in the first film, is none of than The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy). The Dark Knight continues and Batman come face-to-face with his most famous nemesis, the legendary Joker (Heath Ledger) portrayed in a legendary way. It begins with a pretty normal bank robbery by Gotham's standards, only it's led by a group of clowns. The Joker kills all of his associates and drives away in a school bus, and doing so joins a long chain of other exact school buses on their everyday route. Throughout the whole of the movie, the sadistic, ghoulish clown causes complete chaos for those wanting to make Gotham a safe place. Out of the three films, The Dark Knight was my favourite and Heath's portrayal will never be forgotten and will have the biggest clown-size shoes to fill. By the time The Dark Knight Rises hits our screens, it's been eight years since Gotham had last seen Batman. The villain this time around is mercenary terrorist Bane (Tom Hardy) who is a lot more realistic version than in past Batman comics and films. And it's Bane plan to "Fulfil Ra's al Ghul's destiny" and destroy Gotham. In Batman's first meeting with Bane, leads to Batman being physically overpowered and "Broken". He is then taken to imprisonment with virtually no escape. Meanwhile, back in Gotham, Bane lures a team of cops into the underground and blocks the exits when planted bombs dotted around the city explode. Also what causes an American Football field to collapse during a game. Bane then forces an abducted Dr. Leonid Pavel to convert the reactor core into a nuclear bomb, before snapping his neck. After releasing convicts from Blackgate Penitentiary, Bane causes a revolution. So, can Batman save the day once again?
Number 2: Goodfellas
Number 1: Pulp Fiction
Well here it is, what you've hopefully all been waiting for, my number 1 movie of all-time. And it is Quentin Tarantino's outrageously violent but comical Pulp Fiction. Widely considered by many, including myself as the most influential American movie of the 1990's. Quentin Tarantino has took what was meant to be just a classic gangster movie, and mixed it up wacky violence of cartoons, video games and Japanese animations; and the fragmented story-telling structure, split up into seven stories. I don't want to bore you by talking about each story, so I'll narrow it down to my favourites. "Vincent Vega and Marsellus Wallace's Wife" As Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) drives, Vincent Vega (John Travolta) talks about his recent ventures to Europe, particularly the hashish bars in Amsterdam, the French McDonald's and it's "Royale with Cheese". The two of them both wearing dress-suits on their way to collect a briefcase from Brett, who has transgressed with their boss, gangster Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames). Vincent was asked by Marsellus to escort his wife, Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) whilst he is out of town. They arrive at Brett's place, where they confront him and two other goons over the briefcase. Vincent finds the briefcase that Brett has apparently stolen from Marsellus, and Brett attempts to talk his way out the situation. Jules shoots one of Brett's associates then "retorts" asking Brett does "Marsellus Wallace look like a bitch?" with Brett repeatedly replying "What?" as Jules' anger grows saying nobody can "fuck" Marsellus Wallace except his wife. He then delivers a passage from the Bible before executing Brett with Vincent. In a virtually empty cocktail lounge, ageing champion boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) accepts a large sum of money from Marsellus to take-a-dive in his next fight. Vincent and Jules (now dressed in t-shirts and shorts) arrive and deliver the briefcase to Marsellus. The next day, Vincent visits Lance and Jody's house to purchase some high-grade heroin. He shoots up before driving over to meet Mia. They go out to Jack Rabbit Slim's, a 1950' themed restaurant, staffed by lookalikes of the decades pop icons. They compete in a twist contest and presumably win, as they come home to the Wallace household with a trophy. With Vincent in the bathroom, Mia snorts what she thinks is cocaine but is actually heroin and she overdoses. Vincent rushes her over to Lance's house, where they have to inject her heart with adrenaline. "The Bonnie Situation" The story returns back to Brett's place, where another an bursts out of the bathroom and fires at them with a "hand-cannon" and misses every shot, as Vincent and Jules hilariously look themselves up and down, they shoot him together in-sync. They drive off with the only survivor Marvin, and when Vincent questions him, he accidentally shoots him in the face and blood covers the entire interior. They are forced to go and see Jules' friend Jimmie (Quentin Tarantino) and anxious his wife will be back from working as a nurse in an hour, that she'll encounter what has happened and divorce him. So he calls his cleaner Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe (Harvey Keitel) who takes charge of the situation. He very specifically tells Vincent and Jules to clean the car, strip down so Jimmie can hose them down and don't do anything until he's done it first. One of the coolest scenes in movie history is the "Epilogue-The Diner" scene. Vincent and Jules are having breakfast at the diner, where "Pumpkin" (Tim Roth) and "Honey-bunny" (Amanda Plummer) are going to hold-up the diner as a robbery. With Vincent in the bathroom (once again) the hold-up takes place. When questioned about Jules' case, he surprises "Pumpkin" as he drags his arm down and holds the gun to his face. Jules then calms "Honey-bunny" down as she is tense that her boyfriend might get shot, and at this point Vincent is out the bathroom pointing his gun at her (Mexican standoff). Jules reprises a Biblical passage, "Ezekiel 25:17" and offers "Pumpkin" $1500 of his own cash and for them to leave. Which they do and Jules and Vincent can get the briefcase back to their boss, Marsellus Wallace.
Well there you have it, my top twenty-five films. Believe me it wasn't easy to choose and it took a lot longer than I imagined to write and post to my blog. So I can only apologise for that, hopefully you'll forgive me? Anyway, join me again this Friday for another blog post.
The Wolf of High Street
xxx
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