[81] When Harry Met Sally...

Director:  Rob Reiner

Cast: Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby

Thoughts:

I loved it.  Absolutely loved it, and probably because I think I really needed to see a great romantic comedy.  I especially loved that it was made within the 80s, as I believe the 80s was a great time for films.  

The plotline is great, it's more realistic.  It's one of those romantic comedies that don't get the guy and the girl together after two weeks.  No, it takes much longer, and we see much struggle to get to that point, various things happen etc etc.  

I loved Billy Crystal as Harry.  He has so many fantastic lines, most of them I'd heard before, but as I'd never seen the movie, I didn't know where they'd come from. 

Apart from this, I don't really have anything to say.  I imagine a lot of people have seen this already, and if not, and you're in the mood for a Romantic Comedy, then this is your film. 

Rating: 8.5/10 

[80] Braveheart

I watched this movie, and I should really do a proper review, but truthfully, I don't think it needs one.  This film is on the list for a reason.  I agree that you should see it, and it deserves its spot.  

It's quite a fine piece of film from Mel Gibson.  I believe the acting is quite well done, the action is supurb and the scenery is great.  

All in all this is a rubbish review, for a great film that everyone should watch.  I give it a 9/10 for great action, and an allround great film.  

Also, this is a poor review for my 80th movie, which is quite an achievement, because it means another percent has been covered for.  Moving into the 8th percent, I will be viewing some potentially exciting films, and reviewing them in a proper fashion.  I would review this properly, but it's so hot at the moment, and I just got home from work.  I viewed this film last night. 

Anywho, that's really all I have to say on Braveheart, go watch it if you haven't, although I imagine you have by now.  

[79] Into The Wild

Director: Sean Penn

Cast: Emile Hirsch, Jena Malone, Vince Vaughn, William Hurt, Kristen Stewart, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden, Hal Holbrook

Thoughts: 

Now this is my kind of drama film.  It has everything to do with living, giving it a go, living the dream etc etc.  Christpher McCandless ran away, after graduating college.  He roamed America, on his feet, meeting eccentric, yet kind, people along the way.  The story of Christopher a.k.a Alexander Supertramp, is an amazing, inspirational one.  In the two years that he roamed America, he lived more than some people live in their lifetimes.  

Emile Hirsch plays the role of Christopher McCandless perfectly.  He's an amazing actor of whom I hope great things come to in the future.  You may also know him from such films as Speed Racer, Milk, Lords of Dogtown and several others.  At the moment, I would regard this role as his most notable though. Well, at least until Milk takes off.  It has a January release here, in Australia, so I won't be able to see it until then.  

Into the Wild was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Editing, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for Hal Holbrook, who plays Ron, an old man who becomes inspired to live, by Christopher. 

The film also won 11 awards, and had a further 34 nominations, making it a noteworthy film, across the awards circuit.  

This is one of the most recent additions to the list, and I hope it stays on updated editions of the list. All in all a great film, and well worth a spin in the DVD player.  Not a free download though, because they are not legal, and I do not condone such practises.  

Score: 9/10 

[78] The Royal Tenenbaums

Director: Wes Anderson 

Cast: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover

Thoughts:

The Royal Tenenbaum's wasn't exactly what I was expecting.  Had I of actually realised this was directed by Wes Anderson, I would have expected something different.  This has a similar type of humour to The Darjeeling Limited (2007), or, The Darjeeling Limited had similar humour to it.  Either way, I love the way that Anderson styles his comedy movies.

I completely understand why this was on the list.  For one, it is a heartwarming story of a completely and utterly dysfunctional family who don't really get along very well, hide secrets from one another, etc etc.  The parents in the family, played by Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston, separated when the children were quite young.  There are three children in the family.  Margot Tenenbaum, who was adopted, and the father always made a point of this.  She became a playwright.  Chas Tenenbaum, who was an entrepreneurial genius.  The last one is Richie Tenenbaum, a master tennis player who later retires.  

As they grow up, Margot is played bye Gwyneth Paltrow, Chas by Ben Stiller, and Richie by Luke Wilson.  An interesting thing about this film is that Owen Wilson, brother of Luke Wilson, plays his good friend, Eli Cash.

A lot happens in this film, and the pace is quite quick.  Despite this, it's fun, entertaining yet still manages to be heartwarming.  All in all, a great movie, and great performances from all the actors and actresses who take part.  

Score: 8.5/10 

[77] Ikiru

Ikiru is the tale of one man who has spend almost thirty years working hard, never taking a day off, and as the movie puts 'passing time but not living'.  Kanji Watanabe is his name, and early on in the film, we learn that he has stomach cancer.  He knows that this is going to kill him, and for a short time he reflects on the time he has wasted.  He then goes on a journey, learning to enjoy himself and do something right for the world before he departs it.  

Watanabe looks incredibly creepy in this movie, especially when he is just sitting still.  He looks a bit like the living dead.  I'm not sure whether it was because the film is in black and white, or it was just the way the actor, Takashi Shimura, looks, but there was definitely something haunting about him.  I do get the feeling that that was the way he was meant to appear though.  

The lesson that this film seems to teach is that one should live their life to the full, everyday of their life, so as not to regret it when they are old, and now incapable of truly living.  It's a great message, and one that is wonderfully portrayed through this film.  

I give this film an 8/10.  Yes, in case you were wondering, it is spoken in Japanese, minus two songs, one of them being Happy Birthday.  

That's all I really have to say on this film, go watch it if it sounds like something that would interest you.  Lets not let the films of the past be left behind, in the wake of 21st Century special effects.    

[76] Gigi

Ok, so I just watched this movie, and I'm incredibly tired at the moment, so I'm probably going to go to bed soon.  I'm just going to say that I gave it a 7/10 on imdb, after watching it.  It was good, but it wasn't great.  Despite me saying that, it won Best Picture in 1958, at the Academy Awards.  Oh, and it won eight other oscars.  None of those went to aciting, though. 

Anywho, not the best musical I've seen.  The songs were a bit repetitive, and the first one just concerned me a little.  

Interesting fact, Gigi was originally a novella, by Collete, before being turned into a musical film.  Incase it wasn't obvious, it is the tale of a french girl teenager.  Various things happen, so that various outcomes occur.  Much like every movie. 

I know this is quite a fail review, but I am quite tired.  Here is a trailer for the film: 

Enjoy. 

Now I flee, because bed sounds like a marvellous idea right now. 

[75] La Vie En Rose

This is a movie about French singer, Edith Piaf, and her life.  The movie takes us through the different stages of her life, flashing backwards and forwards as we see her childhood, then her later years, and back to other parts of her childhood, and so on.  As a child she lived a life of poverty, until she was discovered singing on the street for money.  

The movie is in French, with English subtitles.  Unless you are French, then you clearly don't need the subtitles.  I enjoy listening to movies in other languages, because sometimes it fits more than hearing English.  French is a nice language to listen to.  I have not watched many foreign films before, but I know there are a fair few on this list, so it will be interesting to hear various languages spoken.

On another note, the acting in this is supurb.  Marion Cotillard, who plays Edith Piaf through her later years, won Best Actress at the 2008 Academy Awards for her role.  She took the role and made it her own, well executing it throughout the whole film.  The children who play Edith in her younger years are also to be commended for their work.  Excellent acting on their part, as well.  

I don't think I can really do justice to describing the life that Edith Piaf led, so you should probably go check that out by either watching the film, or searching the internet for something that could better tell you.  

One of my favourite parts of the film was the songs, so beautifully sung, of course by Edith Piaf.  There were a couple of other songs, but of course she was behind most of them.  

Many of her songs have featured in such films as Wall-E, Saving Private Ryan, The Bucket List and fifty or so others.  Mostly the song 'La Vie En Rose' features in these. 

I give this film an 8/10, and if you're interested in Biopic type films, then you should definitely check this out if you haven't. 

Edit: I forgot to add this amazing quote from the film, one that will stick with me for a long time. 

American Journalist: If you were to give advice to a woman, what would it be? 

Edith Piaf: Love. 

American Journalist: To a young girl? 
Edith Piaf: Love. 
American Journalist: To a child? 
Edith Piaf: Love. 

That is all.