88. Chasing Amy (1997)
Directed and Written by Kevin Smith
Starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee
I like Kevin Smith. I really do. What he did here was a very personal film that is both emotional and funny. That and it has a bit to do with the comic book industry which, if you know me, I am primarily a comic book geek but I digress. This movie works on multiple levels. It works as a character piece, studying human sexuality. It works as a comedy, with stuff that anyone could laugh at. It works as a human drama about two people falling in love. I don't know, there's just something about this movie that keeps me interested.
87. The Omen (1976)
Directed by Richard Donner
Written by David Seltzer
Starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, and Patrick Troughton
Oscars Nominated: 2 Oscars won: 1 (Best Score)
Here's the difference between horror movies then and horror movies now. Now, we get blood, gore, carnage candy. In the 70's on the other hand, it was all psychological. Evil was not just something attacking us from the outside, it's something that attack within at anything, including our children. That is why The Omen is such an effective horror movie. We get tons of hints that Damien is evil but he's also a little child so he seems innocent. He couldn't be. Another great part of the horror is that Damien never directly kills anyone. Everything is an accident. True evil doesn't leave evidence. In fact, in the series (there were two more movies in the franchise) Damien only directly murders about one or two people. Anyway, the movie is helped along by using great actors like Gregory Peck who turn in performances that really enhance the feeling of dread that the audience should be experiencing. The final image of the film is a killer.
86. Gosford Park (2001)
Directed by Robert Altman
Written by Julian Fellowes
Starring Way too many people. Check it's IMDB page. Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren rock in it though.
Oscar Nominations: 7 (Including Best Picture) Oscars Won: 1 (Best Original Screenplay)
I love Robert Altman. He's one of those director's that is truly an actor's Director. What he does here is epic. There are about 10 subplots going around an hunting weekend at a pre-WW2 British Manor when someone gets murdered. What makes this movie remarkable is that the movie is really about the servants. There is not a scene in the movie without any of the servants at least in the frame. This is a movie that demands to be watched with the subtitles on. You don't and you might miss a piece of dialogue here or there. The best part is you expect the movie to be snobby and intellectual but there is some terrific humor in it. Maggie Smith's character probably deals out enough one liners that I have troubles picking out one I like the most. The movie gets extra points because who did it isn't going to necessarily be evident upon watching it the first time but that's what makes it awesome because it all makes sense.
Next Time: "There's no fate but what we make for ourselves." We must blame them and cause a fuss/Before somebody thinks of blaming us!" "Trust me, James, when the family pet's been assassinated, the owner doesn't want to hear one of her students was the trigger man."
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