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

00s Movie Review - Shooting Dogs

Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2005
Starring: John Hurt, Hugh Dancy, Dominique Horwitz, Claire-Hope Ashitey, David Gyasi, Susan Nalwoga, Steve Toussaint, Nicola Walker

Description: In April 1994, after the airplane of the Hutu President of Rwanda is shot down, the Hutu militias slaughter the Tutsi population. In the Ecole Technique Officielle, the Catholic priest Christopher (John Hurt) and the idealistic English teacher Joe Connor (Hugh Dancy) lodge two thousand and five hundred Rwandans refugees, under the protection of the Belgian UN force and under siege by Hutu militia. When the Tutsi refugees are abandoned by the UN, they are murdered by the extremist militia.

Review: “Shooting Dogs”. You wouldn’t say, but this is one of the most politically charged movie titles of the past years. Because shooting dogs was the only thing the soldiers were allowed to do in Rwanda, where the war between the Hutu’s and Tutsi’s is getting out of hand. One thing is sure: director Michael Caton-Jones has balls. He filmed on location and had some local people on his crew. His movie is extremely touching, gripping and confronting. No nuances, just as it is.
The movie is set at the ‘Ecole Technique’, a school where local kids are thought by Joe Connor and is led by priest Christopher. Both roles are very well cast. Hugh Dancy shows that he is worth more than the little roles he usually gets. The beauty of his role is that he shows us the dilemma’s he has as an European in Africa and the naivety he has as a young, unexperienced teacher. John Hurt doesn’t have to proof himself anymore, but his fatherly qualities grab you.
When desperation hits and thousands of Tutsi’s hide at the school, where Belgian UN soldiers keep peace, “Shooting Dogs” gets more tempo and adds tension. Bloody confrontations are shown and director Caton-Jones has great eye for detail. Besides the country in war, he also shows the personal struggles. Like Joe who can’t look away from a brutal murder and later he is confronted with a good friend who joined the gangs.
More and more Hutu’s gather and are armed with machetes, surrounding the school knowing there are Tutsi’s hiding there. The little room where Christopher holds mass, is the only place of peace and serenity. The camera shoots this wonderfully.
Joe ends up with a dilemma: run to safe his own life or stay and show solidarity and wait for his death on the campus. Christopher doesn’t have to make a choice, his heart lies with the school.
This movie is an eye opener. The movie is overlooked, I don’t think many people know this film. Most people would prefer “Hotel Rwanda”, with a similar theme, but I think this is the movie to watch. “Shooting Dogs” is confronting and it hits every nerve in your body.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Battle: Hotel Rwanda Vs. Shooting Dogs

The movies who will go head to head are both set in Rwanda and deal with the genocide. They’re both favorites of mine, but who will I choose as the winner.

CAST

Hotel Rwanda: Don Cheadle plays the leading character and he is the only memorable actor in this movie. His performance is so realistic and heartbreaking. Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix are also part of the cast, they’re just solid.

Shooting Dogs: John Hurt plays the role of Christopher, a man of faith who’s life is dedicated to the school and church he has set up in Rwanda. Hugh Dancy is the likeable Joe, a teacher who tries to make a difference. Both actor are very realistic and strong.

STORY

Hotel Rwanda: Paul Rusesabagina is a hotel manager who housed a thousand tutsi refugees and it’s an amazing true story. It got a lot of attention at the Academy Awards.

Shooting Dogs: This movie has been based on actual events, the characters are fictional, but it's a bit more confronting then “Hotel Rwanda”. It’s really heart wrenching to see that the United Nations left all those people there and only the ‘white people’ could be evacuated. I think this movie was a bit overlooked.

EFFECTS

Hotel Rwanda: Nicely filmed, don’t really have any negative points here.

Shooting Dogs: It all looks very realistic. I’ve been to Uganda, the neighbour country and parts of it look similar to Rwanda. The color scheme that was used to film “Shooting Dogs” is perfect.

WINNER

A close call, but I will go with “Shooting Dogs”. Most people would choose the other one, but I think “Shooting Dogs” is just a little bit more confronting and touched me slightly more then “Hotel Rwanda”.

DVD Collection Update (6)

There are six new additions to my DVD collection.

The first is "The Fantastic Mr. Fox". I'm so in love with this story and the movie. You can totally see the love and energy that was put in to this project. And the color scheme is just beautiful. Love stop-motion.

The newest movie I bought. I wanted to see this in the theater, but as usual nobody wanted to go with me. But that makes it always extra excited to finally get it on DVD, because you have an complete new movie experience. I know that "Oz the Great and Powerful" was criticized, but I liked it a lot. It was very entertaining and I liked the witches and the flying monkey.

What a beautiful movie "Blue Valentine" is. For some reason people think it's a romantic film to watch with your partner. Well, the title suggests it, but it's not a love story. Far from that. What great performances by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling.

A lot of people compare it to "Hotel Rwanda". I can see why, it's about he genocide in Rwanda. Both "Hotel Rwanda" and this one are fantastic films. I slightly prefer "Shooting Dogs", it's even more confronting an rally opens your eyes. I can't believe the UN just left them there. Loved John Hurt and Hugh Dancy.

One of my favorite Pixar film, can't believe I didn't own it yet. But aren't Disney movies expensive, always! They hardly ever go on sale. I love this, such a heartwarming movie and it's set in Paris!

I had no intention of buying it, but it was on sale, the only one on the shelve an it's a steelbook! It was screaming for my attention. "Léon" is brilliant, haven't seen it in a while so it's about time.