The Man, The Mile, The Friends, The Knight, The Redemption and More (Top 10 Films in general)

Member Name: DixieChick101

Product:	Top 10 Films in general
Date:	09/02/09 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some amazing films

Disadvantages: It's Me Again

After the success of my Top Ten Songs on my IPod review, I was watching my Number 1 film last night when I decided to give this ago. The top ten films, as a lot of you know, that even though I write hundreds of music reviews it is Movies that are my passion and it is movies that I want to work in when I get out of education. I am very passionate about movies so hopefully this review goes good.

Please enjoy and rate :D xxx

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10. Lethal Weapon (1987, 1989, 1992, 1998)
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Tagline: "I'm Too Old For This S**t"
Main Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover
Director: Richard Donner

This may be a weird choice for someone like me, who is a young girl, I should be writing about chick flicks here but ever since I saw the third film years and years ago, I fell in love with the Riggs/Murtaugh pairing, it was so obvious from the first film that when they cast Mel Gibson and Danny Glover that something special was there and because of those two brilliant actors, four films were made and I love every single second of them. Yes I have slightly cheated on this section, I have included four films within one section, but it is the Lethal Weapon films as a whole that I love, it is however one film that stands out for me, that is of course Lethal Weapon 3 which is just my favourite and I can still to this day watch it over and over again.

The Plot
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Lethal Weapon follows two cops, Roger Murtaugh is an aging cop and is looking forward to his retirement when he is paired with Martin Riggs a suicidal cop after the death of his wife. Murtaugh thinks now that he's been paired with Riggs, it'll be the end of him, however underneath this suicidal cop (despite that nice looking ass) is someone who is broken and his friendship with Murtaugh and his family brings him back to normalcy again. The four films follow the men over a great period of their life, it follows the cases they have to solve and more importantly their friendship.

My Opinion
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Well I'm sure you can tell already, I love these films. I was recently brought the boxset of all films and it's been very helpful in the past couple of days when making snow men has become quite boring, these films have been great to watch over again. I could watch Mel Gibson for days, come on ladies we all know this is the reason why we all watch this film, especially number 1 when you see the ass :D, this is a great film and if you haven't seen it yet I would recommend checking it out.

Brilliant/Memorable Quotes

Richard Murtaugh "I'm too old for this sh*t"

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9. Blood Diamond (2007)
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Tagline: "It will cost you everything"
Main Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Dijimon Honsou
Director: Edward Zwick

Strangely whilst writing this review, this film is on, completely coincidental, I haven't seen this film on many reviews or polls like this, and I really am shocked, it was Catch Me If You Can that changed my opinion of Leonardo DiCaprio but it was this film that made me go wow, he actually can act and is not just that poncy boy in Titanic. The film took a while for me to get into and I have heard people giving up after about thirty minutes but you mustn't, it is one of the best films I have ever seen for many reasons.

The Plot
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The film follows two men, Danny Archer (DiCaprio) and Solomon Vandy (Hounson) in the Sierra Leone civil war, when Vandy's son Dia is taken and is trained to become a 'child soldier' and Vandy is taken as a slave to find diamonds, their lives change especially when Vandy finds a pink diamond, he hides it but is still caught and put in prison where he meets Archer. Archer overhearing that Vandy has found a pink diamond, promises that if Vandy finds the diamond he'll help him get his son back.

My Opinion
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For me this is one of the best films I have seen, I have seen a lot of films like this film, which are set in Africa and show the different wars that have happened, most of them are okay but too violent for my liking or two boring, however this film kept me entertained all the way through I thought it was powerful and brilliantly written.

I did say in my review of this I wouldn't watch it again, but since I've seen it a few times and each time I get something new from the film, it is truly magnificent and for me it was the performances by DiCaprio and Dijimon Hounsou that made this film shine, they really were amazing performances.

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8. Beaches (1988)
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Tagline: The Friendship You'll Always Remember... In the Film You'll Never Forget
Main Cast: Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey
Director: Gary Marshall

I have yet to post my review of this on this site, however I will do soon, have any of you got a film that you watched when you were little, maybe you shouldn't have really been watching it because of the rating, well Beaches is that film for me. The tagline for this film is right, it is one of the best films about friendship and it is one film that stays with your forever. This film is not going to be put in a poll of the top 100 films or something but in my eyes it is probably my top 'Chick Flick', it never fails to have me weeping and I still smile every time I watch the film.

The Plot
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The film follows two young girls CC Bloom and Hilary Whitney, they are both from very different backgrounds, Hilary has everything she wants, and CC is an out of work actress who has to work for her next meal. When the girls meet they become instantaneous friends and as they grow older their friendship blossoms even though they never meet again, everything is done through letters. The film follows these letters up until the girls are all grown up and when they meet again. The film is truly about friendship and how strong it can be.

My Opinion
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This film never fails to get me crying like a baby, it is one of the best chick flicks ever made and I can watch it time and time again and not be bored. Please do not be put off by the plot if you have not seen it, if you have you'll agree with me when I say it's hard to explain WHY this film is so good, it just is truly brilliant.

I think the characters of CC and Whitney are so intriguing and go much fun that it really keeps you enthralled through the entire film. It was the acting that made this film for me, Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey were just brilliant as the friends, and they give you so many laughs and they also make you sob like a baby. Just a amazing film, one to see.

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7. The Dark Knight (2008)
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Tagline: Why So Serious?
Main Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman
Director: Christopher Nolan

For me the only reason I went and watched this film was because of Heath Ledger, not because of his death, but because I adored him and I think that any role he played I would love, I was devastated with his death, but I knew that this was going to be the film that would have changed his career for the better, Brokeback Mountain was great for him, but this would have been THE film. Back onto the film, I hated the predecessor of this film, Batman Begins, I thought Bale was boring and Katie Holmes, well please don't get me started on her.

The Plot
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Bruce Wayne aka Batman is back, this time facing a new villain, The Joker. Unlike most villains who are in for the money and the power, the Joker is different, he just likes to see people suffer, the Batman and his fellow heroes try and stop the Joker before the whole of Gotham City are dead.

My Opinion
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I love this film, I think it was 100x better than it's predecessor Batman Begins which just bored me to tears, this film was very different, I think because Bale's acting had become tremendous and the main reason for me watching this film at the cinema, Heath Ledger's performance was just out of this world, truly magnificent. I knew it would be, but it out did my expectations.

The reason this film is not at Number 2 like you would expect is mainly because I have only seen the film once, I have yet to see it on DVD and it may not even deserve a place in this top ten films, but from the one time that I watched it, it really was one of the best films I have ever seen, I thought everything just worked, I came out of the cinema just buzzing.

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6. Cinderella Man (2005)
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Tagline: When America Was On Its Knees, He Brought Us to Our Feet
Main Cast: Russell Crowe, Renee Zellweger
Director: Ron Howard

It was a tossup between this Howard/Crowe film or their other film A Beautiful Mind. I do find that however, this film is a lot more watchable that A Beautiful Mind is, I have probably only been able to watch A Beautiful Mind once every two years or something like that but this film I always enjoy watching it. It is one of those special kind of films that only gets made every now and then

The Plot
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The film follows James J. Braddock who goes from being a powerful boxer in New Jersey, however during the Great Depression everything hits rock bottom, he is dropped from his manager after loosing too many fights and as well as that he has to deal with feeding his family in one of the worst periods in history. His luck seems to get better when he's offered one last fight at Madison Square Gardens, could this be the break he's looking for?

My Opinion
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This is the second film from the pairing of Ron Howard and actor Russell Crowe and in my opinion they outdid themselves, this film was something that I was told to watch by my History teacher as we were doing about the Great Depression at the time of it's release and I have to say it is one of the best films. First and foremost, I hate boxing films, they don't interest me in the slightest, but this film is not about boxing, it's about providing for your family when everything around you is falling apart.

The pairing of Renee Zellweger and Russell Crowe was just magical, they are two fantastic actors and they give performances of their lives in my opinion. They really just gelled together and this film never fails to get me welled up. The film is quite long I have to say, just under 3 hours, but it is worth it, the time just flies by.

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5. Face/Off (1997)
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Tagline: In Order To Catch Him, He Must Become Him
Main Cast: Nicholas Cage, John Travolta
Director: John Woo

It has been a long time since I last saw this film, I am a big hater of Nicholas Cage, I think he can't act to save his life and usually in films he bores me to tears, literally. The reason I even go into watch a Cage film is because of this film which was probably the first film I saw Cage in and the last film I watched with him in that I enjoyed immesly. This film has something very special about it, it is a very unique story, and something that required two brilliant actors to play the parts of Sean Archer and Castor Troy and amazingly, both Cage and John Travolta delivered roles of their lives in my opinion.

The Plot
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Castor Troy is a terrorist who is wanted by the FBI, especially by Sean Archer whose son was murdered by Troy. When Troy gets knocked into a coma, people come up with a way to get the information that they need from Troy, however it involves Archer swapping Identities with Castor Troy, literally swapping identities, he gets his face taking off and swapped with Troy's face. However Troy wakes up early and finds out what Archer has done and uses it to the best of his advantage with some great acting.

My Opinion
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I am not a fan of Nicholas Cage but his acting in this film is just amazing, he starts off as the bad guy Castor Troy but with the face transplant he becomes the good guy. The same happens for John Travolta. Cage was good in this film but no where near as good as John Travolta whose performance makes you laugh, cry and just look on in awe, he delivers something amazing here.

I think this is one of the best films ever, despite the fact it's very unbelievable, it really is acted brilliantly and it really is just one of the best films I have ever seen.

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4. The Prestige (2006)
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Tagline: A friendship that became a rivalry. A rivalry that turned deadly
Main Cast: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Micheal Caine, Piper Perabo, Scarlett Johansson
Director: Christopher Nolan

Another Christian Bale, Michael Cane and Christopher Nolan film, the three of them have worked together before in Batman Begins and then later on after this film in The Dark Knight, and this film actually shocked me I have to say. The film is something that I remember describing to my mate who hates anything to do with magic and I remember persuading her to watch it and she adored it, because it is not just about magic, it's about revenge and how it comes back to bite you on the ass.

The Plot
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The film follows two starting magicians, Robert Angier and Borden, when the death of Angier's wife happens, the blame falls upon Border, which ends the friendship between the two men. The film follows the two as they grow older and bolder with their magic tricks and the two spend most of their time trying to work out each other's secrets and ruin their tricks. When Borden works out a trick, which shocks the world, Angier stops at nothing to work out how he did this trick.

My Opinion
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I have to say this was shocking that I put this as fourth in my Top 10 favourite films, when writing out this review, I came up with 20 films which were worthy and rated them and this came just behind the next one I'm about to review. It is one of the best films I have seen, but I was shocked that I believed it was so high up. The film is full of twists and turns and it'll leave you shocked and confused throughout. When you think you've worked out the ending, something else will happen and it'll change your mind.

The script is one of the best scripts I have ever heard, it is one of the best 'thrillers' I have watched in a long time, the film is quite dark and it's rating is right, it is quite a complicate film as well, so you have to pay attention. It is one of the most clever and innovative films I have watched in a long time, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

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3. Green Mile (2000)
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Tagline: Walk A Mile You'll Never Forget
Main Cast: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan
Director: Frank Darabont

We're nearly at my top 2 now, I wonder what that could be, I'm sure people who know me can guess but back to number 3. The Green Mile is one of the best films I have

The Plot
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The films follows Paul Edgecomb, a prison guard on death row, whose life is changed when an overly large man called John Coffey is convicted of killing two young girls is brought into death row. It is Edgecomb's job to keep the prisoners calm before their death and as he begins to get to know Coffey he realises that not all is what it seems.

My Opinion
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Michael Clarke Duncan is a amazing as the simple man accused of killing two young girls. He is put on death row and he is found to be a miracle worker. Even thought at the time, Tom Hanks was the 'known' name in the film, Duncan stole the film from him and created one of the best performances I've seen. The film could be considered to be overally farfetched, but the way that Darabont took it and made it believable just makes it even more brilliant.

The film is a long film though so you must have enough time to spare when watching it, it is worth it though, it really does shine and I think the actors are just amazing.

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2. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
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Tagline: How Do I Loathe Thee... Let Me Count The Ways
Main Cast: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Larisa Oleynik
Director: Gil Junger

Okay, random to put a romantic comedy at the number 2 spot, but this isn't a review on people's top 10 films, but mine and 10 Things I Hate About You is one of the best films I have seen in a long time, I got the DVD when I was about 10, so nearly 8 years ago now, and I've had to buy a new one recently because I've used the DVD so much. For me the film is so simple and is just brilliant.

The Plot
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Cameron is a new student at Padua high and falls in love with a girl called Bianca. However she doesn't notice him and she is liked by all of the school, specifically jock Joey. Bianca's older sister Kat is the opposite of her, she is a tom boy and doesn't care if she isn't liked or not. When finding out he can't date Bianca till Kat dates, he gets Joey to hire out a bloke to 'date' Kat, whilst he attempts to get with Bianca.

My Opinion
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I can watch this film over and over, I think my record was watching it 10 times in the space of like two weeks when I was sick, mainly because I couldn't be bothered to get up and change the DVD over but I can watch it without fail. The actors in this film are great, it was Heath Ledger's first BIG film and it was what made me fall in love with the actor, he is brilliant in the film as are the rest of the cast.

The script is loosely based on the Shakespeare play The Taming Of The Shrew, you can see some similarities, but of course the film is 100x better. It is a chick flick so if you are into action films only, don't expect to like this film.

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1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
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Tagline: Fear Can Hold You Prisoner, Hope Can Set You Free
Main Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Director: Frank Darabont

Number 1, this is number 1 on a lot of people's list I think, it is a film that is now 15 years old and it is a film that new people discover all the time. I don't think I've shown it to someone and them not get the premise of the film or the brilliance of the film. We watched it last night and it was the reason behind me writing this review, we showed it to my younger sister, and I don't think she got the same thing from it that I got when I was younger, but she enjoyed it immesly which she didn't think she would.

The Plot
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The film is a lot like my Number 3 choice, it's by the same author and the same director and the story is alike in the way it's about a man who has to deal with the hardship of prison. The film follows Andy Dufrene a well educated man who is charged with the murder of his wife and her lover. He gets put in jail for two life sentences (a bit different from the UK, here he would have got 5 years and only serve 18 months lol). When he gets to Shawshank State Prison, he befriends a man called 'Red'. The film follows their friendship and everything that happens to the inmates in prison.

My Opinion
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This film was beaten by Forest Gump to win an award, I did not enjoy Forest Gump, I was little but it is no where near the brilliance of this film. I am not the first to say this and I'm not the last, the film is the best film ever made for many reasons. For me it is the message it conveys, eternal hope.

Tim Robbins is brilliant as the character of Andy he really manages to put on a icy exterior but you can see so much acting and so much emotion within him. Morgan Freeman is brilliant as the narrator of the film and the best friend of Andy, called Red. He really is the king of voice over and in this film he just delivers just a stunning performance.

For me the reason why this film is so much better than most is because it has no special effects, no real music to indicate if it's going to be a scary scene, no extras, it is brilliant just because, the script and the acting and of course the directing is just stunning. It is the best motion picture ever made and if you have yet to see it, please check it out.

Overall Opinion
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This was a very hard review to write, mainly because my laptop keeps having a laugh and shutting down after I've written for a while and not saved. Not funny laptop. The reason why it was hard was coming up with the list, the top 10 films, I think I had 21 written on the computer and the I had to narrow it down to just 10 movies which was impossible. There were films like A Beautiful Mind and Hotel Rwanda which were just amazing and deserved to be on the list and films like Coyote Ugly which I just adore but I couldn't fit them on.

Quotes
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"Red: [narrating] I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream. It was like some beautiful bird flapped into our drab little cage and made those walls dissolve away, and for the briefest of moments, every last man in Shawshank felt free."

Getting closer to my 200th review, keep coming with the questions and please comment on this review. They make me smile.

(C) Kirsty 2009

Summary: xxx