MYST #6: Drive

Ryan Gosling has been playing a number of different roles lately and I would argue that his character in Drive is his best. Drive is not your average Hollywood film. The film has many of the characteristics of a Hollywood film, while maintaing that independent film feeling. Just one reason why Drive is an awesome film. 

The story starts as an unnamed driver, played by Ryan Gosling, prepares to be the driver of a robbery. After a couple misfortunes, Gosling and the two robbers he’s driving are found in the middle of a police chase, but thanks to Gosling’s expert driving and creativity, the car gets lost in a flood of fans leaving the Clippers game. The creativity of Goslings’s character proves key to many scenes throughout this film. Later,  he meets his new neighbor Irene, played by Carey Mulligan. Gosling’s character has an attachment to Irene’s young son, whose father, named Standard, is in prison. Once he gets released from prison, Standard finds himself indebted to people who protected him in prison. After seeing Standard get beat up in a parking lot, Gosling’s character gets himself involved in the conflict. To pay the debt off, Standard must rob a pawn shop in the valley. The robbery ends up going terribly wrong and the driver finds himself alone with one million dollars in cash. Throughout the rest of the film the driver tries to get rid of the money and ensure Irene and her son’s health. The driver ends up coming face to face with the main antagonist, named Bernie. There they come to agreement that the driver will hand over the money and Irene will be safe, but in the parking lot they end up getting in a fight. The driver comes out victorious leaving Bernie and one million in cash on the ground of a parking lot.

The cinematography in this film was outstanding. After research I found out that this movie was filmed digitally, attributing the overall brightness and color to this film. Some of the chase scenes in this film left me mesmerized and wondering how they got some of the shots. Newton Thomas Sigel took full advantage of the setting in Los Angeles to capture shots of the city that I thought were cool. For a relatively low budget film, I was impressed that they got some of the shots that they did. I guess that is a positive of independent film, the attention to detail in every scene.

Overall, I thought this film was outstanding. The plot was very entertaining, cinematography great, and had many great acting performances. I give Drive 4 out of 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone.  

MYST #5: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

After watching The Tree of Life, I was interested what other work Brad Pitt had out there. Having already seen Fight Club and the Ocean’s Eleven movies, I decided to check out The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 

The main plot for this film is about a man named Benjamin Button(Brad Pitt) that ages backwards. Abandoned by his family, he is raised by a servant named Queenie. After learning how to walk and hanging out with all the old people that live in the same nursery home, he moves out at the age of 17 and becomes a part of a tugboat crew. After experiencing many ‘firsts,’ including having his first drink and going to his first brothel, Mike, the captain of his boat, volunteers the boat for the Navy following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Following a battle that resulted in both the tugboat and an enemy submarine to sink, Benjamin is rescued and released from the war. When he gets home, he meets his biological father whom he is angry at. His father reveals his is sick and is going to give Benjamin everything in his will. A number of years go by and Benjamin links up with his childhood friend, Daisy(Cate Blanchett), and they fall in love. They return to New Orleans and have a child, but are faced with the dilemma of what they should do when Benjamin is too young to be a father. Benjamin decides to leave and the rest of the film are scene of Daisy and Benjamin seeing each other every 10 or so years. Benjamin ends up dying in Daisy’s arms and Daisy dies two years later. The film is narrated by the child the two have as she reads the story of Benjamin. 

The visuals in this film were very impressive. Without the visuals of this film, it would be very hard to believe. The early scenes especially when Benjamin was ‘young’ were masterfully crafted to make the film credible. The time periods were also captured very interestingly that it made you feel like you were in that time period. The film ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Visuals in 2009.

Another thing about this film that stood out to be was the incredible similarity to the 1994 film Forrest Gump. For example, both are fatherless, have difficulty walking at a young age, go to war, get rich very fast, travel the world, and end up having a child with a childhood friend. Both screenplays are actually written by Eric Roth, so i’m sure that’s why. I thought that was interesting.

Overall, I thought this film was average. Director David Fincher and Brad Pitt have a solid chemistry between each other, but I feel the film is just too long. Running at 2 and a half hours, scenes just seem to drag on. This film had an interesting concept, but just was missing something. I give the film 2 and a half stars out of four.

1975 Film Post: Sent to Hell

             Sent to Hell is a war film set during the Vietnam War about three brothers who go off to war together. Billy, Joe, and Frankie Jones were coal miners who were born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia until the day their lives changed forever, the day they got drafted to the army. In Vietnam, the youngest brother, Joe, gets kidnapped and sets the stage for the rest of the film with his two other brothers searching for him. While searching for Joe, Frankie and Billy are faced with grim reality of war and are forced to question the cause they are fighting for. Behind enemy lines, both Frankie and Billy learn a lot about themselves and each other in their search for their younger brother. Playing the brothers we have Christopher Walken, Harrison Ford, and Kurt Russel. We believe that having these young actors and somewhat unknown actors would give the film a realism to it that would be hard to achieve with big time movie stars. We also think they are three great actors. Set to direct we have Steven Spielberg. We believe he has the vision to make a great war and he knows how to make a high budget film. In addition, we think this film can build off the hype of his other 1975 film, Jaws. Paramount Pictures will be our studio for this production because they have a very good history in this decade and they will give us the financial freedom needed to make a good war film. This film will be focusing on cinematography. There is no better man to help us to do this than Gordon Willis. Much like The Godfather, we want a darker, grittier tone to this film to help capture the intensity and pain of war. With Gordon Willis, we think we can achieve this. The characteristics of a 1970s film in this film are the difference between good and evil, the darker tone of the film, and the plot that is very relatable to the everyday American. We believe that Sent to Hell has what it takes to become both a commercial and critical success. Go see Sent to Hell!

MYST #4: The Aviator

At this point in film studies, I have come to the realization that Martin Scorsese is a incredible film maker. The most recent film I watched by him was the 2004 biographical drama The Aviator. The is the true story of Howard Hughes, aviation pioneer and film maker, and his struggle with mental illness. This film received eleven Academy Award nominations and won five. 

The film starts out with a young Howard Hughes getting washed by his mother who warms him of disease and tell him he is not safe. The viewer later finds out what an impact this moment had of his life. That scene cuts to a grown up Howard Hughes(Leonardo DiCaprio) filming his war epic Hell’s Angels. Hughes love for aviation and free spending ways is first introduced in this scene and are commonplace throughout the rest of the film. Funded with Hughes’ own money, Hell’s Angels is the most expensive film ever made at that point in time and becomes a huge hit. Hughes’ new found fame brings him attention that he does not like at all. With his fame Hughes develops a playboy lifestyle. In 1935, Hughes decides to purchase a majority stake in Transcontinental & Western Air. Hughes then designs planes and tries to make TWA the biggest airline in the country. He starts designing planes for the air force during world war II and fails very badly. While testing XF-11 recon plane, he crashes into Beverly Hills and receives major injuries. After failing to make the planes for the air force, the FBI starts searching his house and spying on him. Hughes has a major breakdown and locks himself in a screening room for months. After his girlfriend comes and sees him, Hughes goes and battles his charges of war profiteering in Washington. After successes in Washington and flying the biggest plane ever made, Hughes has another OCD fit and flashes back to the first scene of the film and repeats the phrase the way of the future and the screen cuts to black. 

One thing that I noticed in this film was the color. For most the film, especially the Hell’s Angels part,  the color is very vibrant. Everything form DiCaprio’s eyes to the massive planes have very bright color to them. After researching it, Scorsese did it to mimic the look of early bipack color movies and multicolor. I also thought the cinematography in the film was impressive, especially the plane scenes. Scorsese used full sized planes in the filming to create a very ‘real’ feel to the film. 

Overall, I would give The Aviator, a solid 3 out of 4 stars. This film had a very intriguing storyline and very good special effects, it just was a little too long at nearly 3 hours. 

MYST #3 Casablanca

 Over the past weekend, I got the chance to watch one of the greatest films ever, Casablanca. Widely considered to be one of the greatest films ever, certainly lived up to the hype for me. Led by an all star cast including Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid, this film all around has good performances from the actors and actresses. This film won three Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director in Michael Curtiz. The screenplay for this film is also considered to be the best ever by many critics. It’s one of the most memorable films in history. 

The film starts out with news reels explaining that because of the Germans occupation of France, many refugees have flooded into Casablanca looking for a way to get to Portugal to get to the US. Many refugees are stuck in Casablanca with little hope of getting out. We first meet Rick, played by Bogart, when a thief who stole two letters of transits from two German couriers, brags about how he has them. Rick ends up obtaining possession of these letters after the thief is arrested at the saloon. Shortly after renown resistance leader Victor Laszlo and wife Ilsa Lund show up at the saloon. Rick knows Ilsa from his time in Paris prior to the occupation. The rest of the film revolves around the letters and Rick’s relationship with Ilsa. The plot is very interesting and I did not see the ending coming. 

The part that stood out to me most was the screenplay. I though that the screenplay was great. The story was incredible creative and the character were so well developed. I was impressed by the fact that this film was released in 1942, right in the middle of the war. I can see why the screenplay won an Academy Award and is considered to be one of the best ever.

I really enjoyed the film Casablanca. It is defiantly by favorite older film because of its great acting and plot. Overall, great film. I give this film four out of four stars. 

MYST #2 A Few Good Men

Over the past weekend, I got the chance to watch the 1992 courtroom drama A Few Good Men. This film stars multiple big name actors and actresses including Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon, and Demi Moore. The film is directed by Rob Reiner and adapted 

by for the screen by Aaron Sorkin. This film was nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixing.

The plot of A Few Good Men revolves around the trial of two Marines who have been charged with the murder of a fellow Marine. Tom Cruise plays the role of a pretty boy Navy lawyer fresh out of Harvard. Throughout the film he has to prove his worth not only to his colleagues but also to himself because his father was one of the greatest courtroom lawyers ever. As the film progresses, we meet Colonel Nathan Jessep played by Jack Nicholson. Colonel Jessep is the most interesting character film in this film because of a standout performance by Nicholson. Colonel Jessep is an old school military officer that can’t get a grasp of the new the new ways and he ultimately payed for it. My only complaint of this film’s plot was that it is fairly predictable. 

Aaron Sorkin

Being an intensely dialogue driven film, this film needed a good screenplay. I think this film’s screenplay was great. This was the film debut for the now reputable Aaron Sorkin, and certainly set the stage for the rest of his projects. Having seen other films that he has been apart of including The Social Network, Moneyball, and The Rock, I can definitely see similarities between the films. One is the faster paced dialogue which can be seen prevalently in A Few Good Men and The Social Network. I Think that the screenplay for this film was excellent. 

Overall, I would recommend this film to almost anyone. With many big name actors, this film appeals to a lot of different film viewers and has a very good plot. I give this film 3 out of 4 stars.

Chasing Scarface (1935 Movie)

Chasing Scarface is Gangster/Crime movie made by the film studio Warner Bros. The plot is based on the well known tale of gangster Al Capone set in Chicago. We have Edward G. Robinson starring as Capone, and James Cagney as federal agent Eliot Ness. Both actors have had great success within the Warner Bros studio. We also have Glenda Farrell playing a part as Capone's girlfriend and undercover agent. This side story will provide that early 1930s sex appeal without breaking the Hay's Code. Due to the Hays Code, we had to change the focus of the movie from the glamour of the gangster lifestyle, to a pro law enforcement story of the fall of Capone and exlude any vilonce or sex in the film. The story will start in the 1920s prohibition era, continue through infamous events such as the St. Valentine's day massacre in 1929, and finish at his arrest in 1931. To direct the film we chose Mervyn LeRoy because of his history in the gangster genre and he launched the career of Edward G. Robinson in the 1931 film Little Caesar. The main focus of our film is going to be the cinematography. To make sure we had the true gangster feel, we chose Tony Gaudio to film the movie. He has a good history with Mervyn LeRoy and the gangster genre. Lastly, we chose Warner Bros. studios to produce our film because they had a great history of producing successful gangster films. I believe that this film would do well in 1935 because it has many elements in the film such as the gangster lifestyle, the love story between  Edward G. Robinson and Glenda Farrell, as well story of the good guy in James Cagney. This film has a lot of star power and a great director paired with a very good cinematographer that should be able to mesh very well together. That's Chasing Scarface.

Formal Film Study: Martin Scorsese

Before taking film studies, i’ve never seen a Scorsese film. I always heard about him and his very successful films, so I decided to make him the focus of my formal film study. I viewed a total of four films: Taxi Driver (1976), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), and The Departed(2006).

Taxi Driver is considered to be Scorsese’s darkest film and definitely the most different of the four films I watched. In this film, Robert De Niro plays the role of an honorably discharged Marine named Travis Bickle set in New York City. We Travis’ mental state deteriorate throughout the film and ultimately leads him to try to assassinate presidential candidate Senator Palatine. However, in a crazy plot twist, Scorsese creates one of the best endings to a film I have seen. Stylistically, I felt this film was very different from the other films I viewed. Scorsese used many interesting shots throughout the movie that were different from the rest of his works. These shots make the city feel alive. I liked Taxi Driver and can see why it is widely regarded as one of the best films of the seventies. 

Goodfellas is considered my many, including myself, to be one of the greatest gangster films of all time. The film is about the rise and fall of the Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends from 1955 to 1980. This film stars Ray Liotta as Henry Hil, Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway, and Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito. In this film, the cast really stands out. Scorsese did a great job of casting characters that felt real and brought the movie to life. Scorsese comes from Sicilian descent so he really knows how to cast mobsters. Scorsese’s use of the camera in this film was absolutely great especially the long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub, which is probably the best long tracking shot in film history. Sound was nothing really special in this film. The one complaint I have for this film is probably how fast paced the first half was compared to the second half. Other than that, this film was fantastic. 

Casino is another organized crime movie that brings back Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci from Goodfellas. De Niro stars as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a top bookie who is called upon by the mob to oversee day to day operations at the Tangiers casino in Las Vegas. Joe Pesci plays the role of plays Nicky Santoro, a role very similar to the one he had in Goodfellas. In Casino, Scorsese tells the story of the rise and fall of “Ace,” as well as the mob. I felt that I already heard this story once in Goodfellas. This film is very similar to Goodfellas, but it should not take away from Casino, which is a good film. Set in Vegas, camera work was very important in telling the story and making Vegas come to life. I think Scorsese did a good job of that in this film. Although this film was not on the level that Taxi Driver or Goodfellas, I believe that Casino is a good film. 

The Departed is yet another organized crime movie set in Boston. The basic plot is basically both the Irish mob and Massachusetts State Police plant informants in each others ‘crews.’ Both sides realize the situation and try to uncover each other’s identity before their own is blown. This film is led by a star studded cast of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, and of course Jack Nicholson as the antagonist. I thought the casting in this movie was very good and very believable. The sound and visuals in this film were fantastic and brought a very nice realism to the film.  This film felt very fast paced compared to Casino and Goodfellas. I enjoyed The Departed very much. 

One director I would compare Scorsese to is Steven Spielberg. I wouldn’t say they are stylistically similar, but they both have been relevant for the past 30 years and are almost always up for awards every year. They are both very great directors and will go down in film history as legends. 

There are a few things in Scorsese’s films that reoccur. One being his use of the same actors in many of his films. For instance, Robert De Niro was in many of Scorsese’s earlier films and played a variety of different roles. Another example would be Leonardo DiCaprio who has starred in many of Scorsese’s newer films. The theme of violence also reoccurs in Scorsese’s films often. In each of the films I viewed,  violence played a large role and an important way of telling the story. One last thing is his classic use of long shots in his films. 

After researching and viewing his films, I can say with little doubt that Martin Scorsese is probably my favorite director. His films have an authentic feel that make the films timeless. No director has done a better job of staying relevant because of this. I’m excited to see what else he has in store for us. 

Citizen Kane Response

I think the title "The American" comments on the idea of the American Dream. Kane went from an orphanage to being on the richest people in America and having all the material goods he wanted. Many would say that this is the American dream. However, throughout the film we find out that these 'goods' do not make Kane very happy at all and he longs to go back to the peacefulness of the orphanage. I think that the film opposes the American Dream and calls it false by telling the story of somebody who had it all and wished he had nothing.

MIYST: Argo

The Movie Was Fake. The Mission Was Real. Argo is a 2012 film directed and produced by actor Ben Affleck, based on the true story of Tony Mendez, a CIA operative, who led a rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Iran during the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. The screenplay for the film was based on Joshuah Bearman's 2007 article in The Wire, “How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran.” The film has been widely critically acclaimed, which drew me to watching it. Argo has received seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor in a supporting role. Argo is among the top films of 2012 for many major critics. 

Argo starts out with different shots of both the US embassy and a large group of very angry Iranians. The camera switches back and forth between the embassy and the Iranians, adding a dramatic tension as the Americans try to destroy documents knowing that the Iranians will be storming the embassy.  Visuals of American flags burning and Iranian chants add a lot to this scene as well. The effects of the scene were great. Just as the Iranians storm the embassy, six Americans decide to make an escape and avoid capture. This scene sets the tone for the rest of the film. Following the opening scene, the CIA starts planning ways they could extract the six out of Iran, this is where Mendez (Affleck) comes in. With no ideas coming up, Mendez comes up with idea watching Planet of the Apes with his son. The idea is that the escapees are Canadian film makers scouting locations for a new film entitled “Argo.” Mendez and his supervisor Jack O'Donnell (Bryan Cranston) contact John Chambers (John Goodman), a Hollywood make-up artist. I feel like these two characters cold have developed more throughout the film. They then link up with film producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin), to try to come up with details that could trick the Iranians into believing the story that they are film makers. Acting as a producer for the new film, Mendez enters Iran and meets up with the escapees. After a few days of learning identities and hesitation, the Americans finally go to the airport posing as Canadians. After learning that the mission is off, Mendez forces O’Donnell to go through with the mission anyway. The last scene is filled with tense moments of the Iranians approving identities at the last moment. Great visual effects added to tension that made this film stand out. The film ends with the Americans barely escaping and clips of actual news reels of President Jimmy Carter giving the Canadians all the credit for helping the Americans escape.

Ben Affleck

I thought this film was very good and very different from what has came out lately. This film is very dependent of plot rather than visuals, which is a breath of fresh air for me at least. The visuals of Iran were great and added a very nice realism to the film. As far as acting goes Affleck was great, as well as Arkin as the film producer. Affleck played a very different role in this film than he did another one of his films Good Will Hunting. It was nice to see Affleck play a more serious role in Argo compared to his jokester role in Good Will Hunting. My only complaint of the film was how we got introduced to so many characters but never rally got to know any  of them. All in all, I thought Argo was a good film with a great plot. Definitely one of the better films of the past few years. I give 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Review of the Reviews

        I have decided that I will use the film Goodfellas for my review of reviews. Goodfellas is a classic 1990 gangster film directed by Martin Scorsese. The film is set in New York City over the span of 25 years based on the true story of the rise and fall of Lucchese crime family associates Henry Hill and his friends, Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito. Henry Hill is played by Ray Liotta, Jimmy Conway is played by Robert De Niro, and Tommy DeVito is played by Joe Pesci. The film was critically acclaimed, receiving six Academy Award nominations, including best picture and best director. However, the film only won one, that being Joe Pesci for Best Supporting Actor. I really enjoyed this film, so I am interested in what these reviews have to say about the film.

Positive Review: Roger Ebert - 4 stars out of 4 http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19900902/REVIEWS/9020301

Roger Ebert starts this review about how the mood of the film lingered within him refusing to leave. He describes the mood of “guilt and regret, of quick stupid decisions leading to wasted lifetimes,” which could be themes of the film. Ebert later goes on to say that “no finer film has ever been made about organized crime - not even The Godfather,” which is his thesis statement and a very large claim. He backs up this claim by saying that most movies ‘evaporate like mist’ one you return to the real world, but not this one. This review is in paragraph form and I would consider it long. I feel excitement from Ebert in this review because you can tell he really enjoyed this film. Ebert focuses mostly on the phenomenal acting, the terrific performance by director Martin Scorsese, as well as the plot. He writes, “Scorsese is the right director - the only director - for this material.” Throughout the review Ebert raves about the plot and realism. He compares this film to other classic Scorsese films such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, as well as The Godfather. Ebert says Scorsese has never done a more compelling job than he did with Goodfellas. The Godfather was obviously compared because both films are consider two of the top crime movies of all time. Ebert absolutely loves the film and ranks it as one of the best ever. 

Negative Review: Joseph McBride- Variety  http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117789056/?categoryid=31&cs=1 

“Simultaneously fascinating and repellent, "Goodfellas" is Martin Scorsese's colorful but dramatically unsatisfying inside look at Mafia life in 1955 - 80 New York City,” this is how McBride describes this film Goodfellas. Let’s see how he came to this conclusion. This review is shorter and set in a small paragraph form. McBride says the first half of this film is ‘wonderful’ “introing Ray Liotta and viewer to the Mafia milieu.” He applauds Scorsese’s “perfectly cast friezes of grotesque hoodlum types are caricatures in the best sense of the word.” However, he says the second half of the film is very undramatic. McBride explains the plot about how Liotta becomes a flashy gangster and then eventually builds up to a change of heart by Liotta which he says is unspectacular. McBride also compares this film to The Godfather, but with more negativity saying that Goodfellas “ doesn't share the "Godfather" films' examination of the Mafia’s evolution in reaction to social injustice.” Another major complaint of McBride was not necessarily the acting but how the actors were used. He felt De Niro was not given enough screen time to fully explore his character. He does compliment the tech contributions and the setting. McBride was expecting far more from Goodfellas and his review shows it. 

Having seen the film, here are two points that I agree with from both reviews. “Most films, even great ones, evaporate like mist once you've returned to the real world; they leave memories behind, but their reality fades fairly quickly. Not this film, which shows America's finest filmmaker at the peak of his form(Ebert).” I completely agree with this statement. The following day after viewing the film, I constantly thought about the themes of regret and wasted lifetimes. No other movie has made me think into the next day. The next quote I chose was “Scorsese's perfectly cast friezes of grotesque hoodlum types are caricatures in the best sense of the word(McBride).” The film felt so real to me and a big part of this was because of Scorsese, he did a great job of casting this film. 

Had I never seen this movie, I would probably have found Ebert’s review more convincing. One and perhaps the biggest reason is Ebert’s reputation as a film critic. He is among the best in the world and his reviews seem to be trusted throughout the film industry. I also like how he describes the plot and the realism the film brings to the viewer. Ebert’s ‘passion’ for this movie is also very intriguing for the reader because you can tell that he truly enjoyed this film. Ebert’s reputation would probably be my main reason for trusting this review.

If I had to write a one page film review I would have to make sure I include a few key components to this film. First off, I would have to say what a great job Scorsese did with this film. He made this film feel so real with great casting and good scene locations. I would also have to write about the great acting performances by Liotta, De Niro, and Pesci. Those three alone had great performances in the film and are well deserving of the awards they won. Lastly, I would make sure that I wrote about the plot and how well written it was. Goodfellas was an exceptional film and I would make sure I would let the reader know.

Film Intro Survey

1. What is the first movie that really made a strong impression on you?
The first Toy Story movie was the first I remember enjoying and actually payed attention to.

2. What are 3-4 of your favorite genres?
Gangster/Crime, Classics, Comedy, Drama

3. What are 3-4 of your least favorite genres?
Silent, Musical, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

4. What are your five favorite films?
Training Day, Boyz in the Hood, Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather Part II

5. List three characteristics of what you would consider to be a good movie.
Well written, visually pleasing, good soundtrack

6. What are 3-5 of your least favorite movies?
 Year One, The Love Guru, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

7. List three characteristics of what you consider to be a bad movie.
Not funny when trying to be, terrible plot twists, terrible acting

8. List 3-5 of your favorite directors.
Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino

9.List 3-5 of your favorite actors.
Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Harrison Ford

10. List 3 films you consider important films to see.
Boyz in the Hood, The Shawshank Redemption, Good Will Hunting

11.Whats your favorite old movie?
Rear Window

12. Best Movie you've seen in the last 2 years.
Moneyball

13. What are five movies in your queue?
Django Unchained, Skyfall, Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York, Rain Man