Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Update 10

I decided to rewatch my 100 favorite movies of all-time. What those are, you can check HERE. I watch them in random order, there is no rhyme or reason there, just watching those movies I love so much.
 

33/ 100: The Sixth Sense (1999)
The young Cole Sear sees dead people, so he gets the help of child psychologist Malcolm Crowe. The dead don’t realize they are dead. It’s a film about loss, grief, broken relationships. Haley Joel Osment plays the key character and he does this extremely convincing. And I loved Bruce Willis in a more serious, dramatic role. A movie that shocks you the first time and you will watch differently the second time around. And this is a movie you should watch more then once. Still M. Night Shyamalan’s best movie. Read my full review HERE.
 

34/ 100: Shooting Dogs (2005)
April 1994. The Hutu president f Burundi is assassinated. According to the Hutus in neighboring Rwanda, the signal for a genocide of the Tutsis they despise. The images are familiar. In “Shooting Dogs” the drama is seen through the eyes of two Westerners: the old, jaded priest Christopher and the young idealistic teacher Joe. They see the failure of the heavily undermanned UN in the torn country. It’s a confronting and raw film, with a story deserved to be told. HERE is my full review.
 

35/ 100: Jurassic Park (1993)
In 1993, the special effects with which director Steven Spielberg conjured up his dinosaurs on the screen were awe-inspiring. And still, these images amaze me every time I watch it. I don’t need to tell you the story, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, what the hell are you doing here. “Jurassic Park” was the movie that made me fall in love with movies in the first place, it literally changed my life. Check out the full review HERE.
 

36/ 100: Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s second film elevated the director to the superhero status of independent cinema and marked the comeback of former teen idol John Travolta. Tarantino hopscotch tells several stories in criminal circles, which are nevertheless related. A common thread is hard to pinpoint. The film has amazing dialogue, which became one of Tarantino’s trademarks, and he made one of the best films of the 1990s with “Pulp Fiction”. You can read my full review HERE.
 
Still to watch: 64

90s Movie Review - Pulp Fiction

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Crime/ Drama
Runtime: 154 minutes
Year: 1994
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, Amanda Plummer, Rosanna Arquette, Ving Rhames, Eric Stoltz

Description: The lives of two mob hitman (Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta), a boxer (Bruce Willis), a gangster (Ving Rhames) and his wife (Uma Thurman), and a pair of diner bandits (Amanda Plummer, Tim Roth) intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Review: It is difficult to summarize Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” I a few words. The story consist of several synchronous narratives that intersect and influence each other in bizarre ways. Looking at each of the storylines, it is safe to say that each of them is not exceptional. But the genius of this film lies not so much in the storylines, the strength lies in the dialogues that the characters have among themselves giving these characters a wonderful depth. Because of this, “Pulp Fiction” is an exceptional film that continues to captivate time and time again. Most say it’s Tarantino’s best film to date.
I think it is safe to sage that “Pulp Fiction” is in fact one of the best films of the 1990s. It was director Tarantino’s second film, after the phenomenal directorial debut “Reservoir Dogs” (which is my Tarantino favorite). With that he proves he wasn’t a one-hit wonder. The film is packed with pop-culture references, great acting and dialogues. It’s a movie like a lot of good music, the more times you undergo is, the better it gets.
Now, the dialogues are one of Tarantino’s characteristics. They are often about daily things, things that have nothing to do with the scene. But they always amaze you.
“Pulp Fiction” got an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, which was well-deserved. It is one of the best film ever made, not just by Tarantino, in general.

Rating: 5 / 5

What's in a Movie Year - 1994

Taking a look at the year 1994, picking my 10 favorite movies from that year in random order.

The Shawshank Redemption

Andy Dufresne was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1947 for the murder of his wife and her lover. Prison life is horrible and violent, but Andy befriends the influential fellow prisoner Red and cleverly gets into the flattery of the cruel custodians. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, who each give an incredible performance also give each other excellent opposites. This and the clever script and tight direction ensured that the film has been on top of the IMDb best movies list. Fun fact is that the movie wasn’t that successful at the start and didn’t win any Academy Awards. For me, it has been my all-time favorite movie for a while.

Forrest Gump

This film directed by Robert Zemeckis is a beautiful and uplifting allegory about a charming nobody who served in Vietnam, met presidents and has more influence on the course of history than he himself could ever have imagined. Tom Hanks is fantastic as Forrest Gump. It was nominated for thirteen Oscars and one six of them, for instance for best movie. The movie that beat “The Shawshank Redemption”, but also happens to be my second favorite movie of all-time.

Pulp Fiction

Director Quentin Tarantino’s second film turned him into a superhero of independent cinema and marked a comeback for former teen idol John Travolta. Tarantino tells three different stories in criminal circles, which are connected to each other. They all seem like separate stories at first, since the film is also told in a non-chronologic way. But eventually everything comes together. This is one of Tarantino’s first lessons in great filmmaking.  

The Lion King

The young lion prince Simba grows up in the paradise kingdom of father Mufasa, dreaming of the day when he will rule the savannah himself. But Mufasa’s jealous brother Scar together with a gang of hyenas, forges a plan to get rid of him. It’s a classic, hand-drawn Disney musical that actually has everything you could wish for: from adventure to humor, romance, cheerful songs and heartbreaking drama. I still remember seeing this for the first time when it came out, on the big screen, during a birthday party of a classmate. I was in awe!

Speed

Passenger Annie has to get behind the wheel of her commuter bus, as she;s not allowed to drop the speed below 50 miles per hour, otherwise a bomb will explode, placed by bad guy Howard Payne. Luckily she get help from policeman Jack. It’s a very strong directorial debut of cameraman Jan de Bont. An action movie in which the pace doesn’t drop a second.

Interview with the Vampire

The two hundred year old vampire Louis has had enough of eternal life and drinking blood of innocent people. He pours his heart out to journalist Mallow and tells him about the unscrupulous Lestat, the man who once turned him into a vampire. Intelligent horror film, which focuses on the psychology of undead existence. Nice acting performances by Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and a very young Kirsten Dunst.

True Lies

Everything is exaggerated in “True Lies”: the action scenes, the one-liners, the characters. But that’s why this film is so much fun. Because you shouldn’t take it too seriously. Arnold Schwarzegger plays a secret agent, who tells his wife that he is a programmer. She thinks her life is boring, until she finds out what Harry really does.

Wolf

One evening publisher Will Randall is bitten by a wolf, on his way home. It seems like just an incident, but soon Will starts to change: his senses have developed to the insane and hair grows in unexpected places. Will has become a werewolf. Jack Nicholson visibly enjoys playing the role of Randall, in which he transforms from a worn out older man into an energetic, lusty wolf man. And Michelle Pfeiffer is at her most beautiful in this film.

The Crow

Dark fairy tale about a rock star who returns to earth as a ghost to take revenge a year after he was murdered. He is assisted by a mysterious crow. Brandon Lee, son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, dies under mysterious circumstances on the set, when he was shot with a gun that was loaded with real bullets instead of blanks. I think this is an underrated movie.

Léon

Léon lives next door to young Mathilda. He reluctantly takes her in after her family has been murdered by policeman Stansfield, a corrupt, mad psychopath. Mathilda discovers that Léon is an assassin and wants to join forces with him to avenge her family. She cannot pay him, but has a proposition: when he teaches her how to kill Stansfield, she teaches him how to read. A great action crime drama, directed by Luc Besson and starring Jean Reno and a young Natalie Portman.

20 Best Quentin Tarantino Characters

With "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" still in theaters, I decided it would be fun to take a look at all those great character director Quentin Tarantino created over the years.

20. Hugo Stiglitz (Til Schweiger) in “Inglourious Basterds”
Til Schweiger truly puts the ‘glorious’ in his Baserd as a defected German sergeant with a penchant for murdering Nazis in the sickest ways possible.

19. Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) in “Pulp Fiction”
Boxer Butch Coolidge ain’t nobody’s bitch. Fleeing from the scene after accidentally killing his opponent in the ring, Coolidge is still the closest thing “Pulp Fiction” has to a good guy. Butch later embraces his bloodlust by slicing and dicing his would-be rapist, who couldn’t have picked a worse guy to screw with.

18. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) in “Inglourious Basterds”
Aldo Raine is the leader of the Basterds and and Apache descendant, who loved killing and scalping Nazis. Not the brightest star in the universe, but he does everything to get to his goal.

17. Vincent Vega (John Travolta) in “Pulp Fiction”
John Travolta pulled a dramatic career U-turn as Vincent Vega, the icy calm at the center of “Pulp Fiction” manic universe. He always remains the picture of coolness. Even when he has to show his moves on the dancefloor with Mia Wallace or when he accidentally shoots a guy in the head.

16. O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) in “Kill Bill”
One of the Deadly Vipers on The bride’s to-do list. O-Ren gets the most fleshed out backstories of all the Kill Bill villains: orphaned by the Yakuza, eventually getting her much needed and deserved revenge. She becomes a master assassin and heads a Tokyo crime syndicate complete with her own Crazy 88 army.

15. Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) in “Death Proof”
“Death Proof” is the only Tarantino film that I didn’t like, but Stuntman Mike is its only redeeming feature. A psychopath hard-wired on murdering innocent female passengers by crashing his ‘death proof’ stunt car.

14. Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) in “Django Unchained”
Schultz is a bounty hunter, but also a righteous campaigner for racial equality. He teams up with ex-slave Django to free his wife from Calvin Candie. A man of tall tales, Schultz is a sharp-shooter but a sharper dresser. King is a man of principle, even when it costs him the ultimate price.

13. Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) in “Pulp Fiction”
With a wit only as sharp as her bob, Mia Wallace is a very modern gangster’s moll: a thrillseeker whose actions are even more irresponsible than her husband’s. if you ignore the overdose, she’s a delightful dinner companion, able to fill any awkward silence and capable of tearing up the dance floor.

12. Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) in “Django Unchained”
Calvin Candy is the obvious villain in “Django Unchained”, but there’s something even more insidious about his house slave Stephen: a man who seemingly turned his back on his entire race. Stephen is either a desperate victim forced into the unthinkable by circumstance, or the most insidiously evil character in the movie. I think the latter.

11. Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) in “Reservoir Dogs”
He can’t make a clean getaway. He shows some mercy to his fatally wounded companion Mr. Orange after their diamond heist went wrong. Stoic and composed, Mr. White displays chinks of humanity that the rest of the Reservoir Dogs fill with greed.

10. Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Rick Dalton is a TV actor who’s on his way back and is only playing villains in TV pilots. Dalton would rather self-destruct than acknowledge he doesn’t truly matter anymore. He is so magnetic because he’s also wildly funny. Played by an actor that is not known for his funny roles, Leonardo DiCaprio is completely loveable, ludicrously demanding and he has a child-like sense of wonder.

9. Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) in “Jackie Brown”
The heroine of “Jackie Brown” is a blaxploitation legend of her own right. The stewardess/ smuggler checks in that baggage to her advantage, expertly playing off the cops and criminals, Jacki is one of the baddest asses in the Tarantino universe.

8. Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) in “Pulp Fiction”
It’s tough to define cool, particularly in a Tarantino movie that’s super cool. But then there is Jules Winnfield, the coolest of them all. A burger eating and verbally strong hitman, who has some of the most quotable lines in movie history.

7. Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah) in “Kill Bill”
Elle Driver is definitely the coolest of Bill’s hit squad, with a rad accessory: a patch covering the gaping socket from where Pai Mei pulled her eye. Elle is a direct rival of The Bride, mainly for the affections of their master Bill. And the trailer cat-fight is without a doubt a highlight of the film.

6. Shosanna Dreyfuss (Mélanie Laurent) in “Inglourious Basterds”
Revenge is a dish best served cold, or if you’re war survivor Shoshanna, a dish best served roasted and dripping in Nazi blood. Narrowly avoiding being killed, she sets her sight high with the help of the Basterds, brings down Hitler and his Third Reich with a fiery massacre in her own movie theater.

5. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) in “Reservoir Dogs”
Mr. Pink is a nitpicker. He’s not happy with his codename Mr. Pink, he doesn’t tip. He is, however, an utmost professional, and is the only man smart enough to escape with his life. It’s easy to see why Tarantino loved this character so much, he initially wanted to play the role himself.

4. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) in “Reservoir Dogs”
Mr. Blonde is the darkest soul of all of the Reservoir Dogs gang. A man for whom torture is an activity to be set to music. Michael Madsen nails the quesy tone, adding style and swagger to his sadistic deeds. He is Tarantino’s most vicious villain.

3. Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Could stuntman Cliff Booth be Brad Pitt’s greatest achievement. He’s certainly on the list. The kind of character that only Pitt could have played in this stage of his life and definitely the best part of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.

2. Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) in “Inglourious Basterds”
This is the role that introduced Hollywood to Christoph Waltz (and the Oscars). Hans Landa is a once-in-a-lifetime part: a comic book bad guy with a silver tongue. Is he Tarantino’s most detestable character? Certainly up on the list, but he is definitely one of the smartest. Landa is both charming and terrifying at the same part.

1. Beatrix Kiddo aka The Bride (Uma Thurman) in “Kill Bill”
We first meet Beatrix Kiddo at her most vulnerable: pregnant, beaten, shivering and at the mercy of her former lover, she’s staring down the barrel of a gun that’s about to go off. Thus begins the epic journey of The Bride, who never made it down the aisle. Left for dead, but miraculously survived. And she has a hitlist, taking down all the sons of bitches that caused a bloodbath at her wedding (which was actually a rehearsal). With no mercy whatsoever.



Honorable mentions: Louis Gara (Robert De Niro) – Jackie Brown, Ray Nicolette (Michael Keaton) – Jackie Brown, Pai Mei (Gordon Liu) – Kill Bill Vol. 2, Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) – Inglourious Basterds, Marsellus Wallace (Ving Rhames) – Pulp Fiction, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) - Django Unchained, Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson) – Jackie Brown, Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) – Reservoir Dogs, Captain Koons (Christopher Walken) – Pulp Fiction

All Quentin Tarantino Movies Ranked

With "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" now in theaters, I decided to evaluate my all-time favorite director: Quentin Tarantino. Known for his powerful dialogues, structure in narrative and storyline and memorable characters. I ranked all of his movies, from least favorite to most favorite. I counted the "Kill Bill" movies as two seperated movies, because they are different from each other. What's yor favorite Quentin Tarantino movie?

10. Death Proof (2007)
“Death Proof” is erratic and oversaturated, even by Tarantino standards. An extended opening introduces us to Kurt Russell’s Stuntman Mike and a handful of coeds who spit one-liners as they inch towards inevitable death. Russell was the best part of the film and “Death Proof” is, to the day, the only Quentin Tarantino movie I didn’t like. “Death Proof” is too busy to adhering to the “Grindhouse” blueprint that the final product feels like a black sheep in the Tarantino mold.

9. Jackie Brown (1997)
Tarantino already had his career in the bag by the time he got to “Jackie Brown”. With anticipation comes pressure and “Jackie Brown” stood every chance of repeating formulas. But thankfully that didn’t happen. Based on Elmore Leonard’s novel “Rum Punch”, “Jackie Brown” follows a flight attendant whose secondary source of income is strictly under the table: smuggling money between Mexico and the US. “Jackie Brown” doesn’t only take its time with its characters, it replaces all the colorful bells and whistles that tend to show up in Tarantino movies and trims all excess. This film is tight, clever and brutal. And it’s from its grounded lack of showiness that “Jackie Brown” ends up leaving such a resounding impression.

8. The Hateful Eight (2015)
Tarantino’s take on a Western meets whodunnit. “The Hateful Eight” follows eight strangers who get stranded in a stagecoach stop during a blizzard. With its nearly three hour runtime, it can at times be a drag. But some truly tense moments, it being set in one location and a soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, make this a solid movie in general terms.

7. Django Unchained (2012)
Tarantino has no problem rewriting the past. In fact, he’s happy to create a character whose sole purpose is to directly influence some of the darkest moments in history. In “Django Unchained” his target is African-American slavery in the United States. The film revolves around the titular Django, who embarks on a life bounty hunt with the lively Dr. King Shultz, in order to find and rescue his wife Broomhilda. The revenge tale is as satisfying as it is deserved. Movies are often an arena where justice is served at the end of a bullet, and while many offer cathartic satisfaction, “Django Unchained” unites rage with heroism. Tarantino didn’t just craft a simple revenge fantasy, but a quest.

6. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
“Kill Bill: Vol.1” marked a new era for Tarantino. With the biggest budget of his career, he had the money and freedom to make the action film he’d always wanted to see. Every frame is overloaded with references and the heart of a man who just loves movies. That joy of film making and obsession with pop culture is the heart of “Kill Bil:l Vol. 1”. It remains one of the greatest action movies of all time.

5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
What began as a bloodbath, finishes in the sequel “Kill Bill: Vol. 2” as more restrained and beautiful. This film adds emotional depth to its characters while gracefully expanding the story and universe of Tarantino, built in “Kill Bill: Vol. 1”.

4. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
It’s impossible to ignore that “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is Tarantino’s most emotionally honest, his most beautiful looking and his funniest film. Brad Pitt (especially) and Leonardo DiCaprio are an absolute delight. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” shows again the love Tarantino has for movies and even though it’s long, it never suffers from that.

3. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
It might not be as cohesive as other Tarantino films, “Inglourious Basterds” is probably the most entertaining of the bunch. With scenes of high-tension, verbal sparring and scalp-smashing mayhem. The film is also notable for introducing us to Christoph Waltz as silver-tongued sociopath Hans Landa, one of the most compelling film villains in forever. And the movie’s opening scene, which is a 15 minute long verbal chess match, is one of the best opening scenes I have ever seen.

2. Pulp Fiction (1994)
My love for this movie is big and goes way back. It rewrote the formula for movie making and redefined the structure, language and rhythm of film making. Tarantino single-handedly redirected the future of independent cinema while creating a new standard of “cool” in movies. And “Pulp Fiction” has inspired multiple generations of film makers.

1. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Tarantino’s full-length debut remains a masterclass example of a film maker who arrived in this world fully formed as both a writer and director. He immediately defined himself as a masterful writer, able to craft mind-bending scripts that play with time and traditional narrative structure. Tense writing, smart scenes filled to the brim with fast-paced dialogue covered in wit. That Steve Buscemi monologue is a great exampled of how Tarantino can make even the most mundane of conversations completely unforgettable.

Video of the Week (25)

Another great LEGO video. This guys really has some extra time. He decided to create famous movie scenes with lego. It amazes me how great it looks and how detailed. I would love to do this myself, I am patienced, but not this patienced! And he has more of these!

 

 

Video of the Week (13)

Watchmojo.com does what I love to do. Create lists. They mostly make top tens about movies or TV, but also music and videogames. I watch their channel on youtube all the time, because I just LOVE lists. I decided to share an interesting one with you. Theories that movie fans have about their favorite films. Some really weird ones, but loads of fun to know about.

 

 

DVD Collection Update (14)

A very big DVD update this time! Eight new ones in my collection. So lets get started!

I also own the first film, which I prefer a bit over this one, but "Thor: The Dark World" is also a great movie experience. And off course Chris Hemsworth.... just perfect.

I waited a long time to get this, but I finally bought it. Season 3 of "The Walking Dead". It's one of my favorite shows of the moment and it's just awesome. In this season they find the prison.

I got this on the day it was released. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" is just a must have. Like the first DVD, it's a special edition with a lot of extras and five cool postcards. I think this movie is better then the first, and I already loved that one!

Okay, I can already see you roling your eyes. "Jaws" is awesome, directed by Steven Spielberg and the best shark movie ever made. Any other shark movie is just crap. Just watch this video from Cinemassacre.com: Top 40 Shitty Shark Movies. That's true, but I just felt like watching "Jaws 2" so I thought I would look nice on my shelve next to "Jaws". I know it's not that great, but it's still entertaining.

Back to more serious stuff. Nelson Mandela is a man I have idolized for as long as I know him. I just had to see this. It wasn't perfect, but it shows how great of a man he was, so "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" is worth your time.

There are many films about time travelling, but this is just such a heart-warming tale. "About Time" was just great, I immediately wanted to rewatch it. I just love this movie, to me it was perfect. The subtle humor and the great acting by Rachel McAdams, Domhnall Gleeson and especially Bill Nighy.

I just realized I bought a lot of sequels. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is another sequel. Again this was better then the first. I especially loved the moment where Bilbo first meets Smaug, who was perfectly voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. I like Hobbits, there are adorable! Martin Freeman is adorable!

Finding "Pulp Fiction" for only 3 euro's was just damn luck. I always wanted this in my collection and I just bumped into it. I didn't even plan to buy a DVD that day. I don't have many lucky moments, but I treasure it when I do! For a movie nerd like me, this is a happy moment!