The Must-Sees: 100 Great Films For My 100th Post

……After four months of endless movie reviews, top five lists, monthly previews, and film opinion pieces, it appears I have reached a pretty cool milestone: 100 posts! In honor of the number, I decided to craft a list of 100 films that, in my opinion, are essential must-sees. Now, before anyone reads this list and starts to complain  – “How could you possibly leave ________ off???!!” – let me clarify: these aren’t the 100 best films ever made nor are they my 100 favorite films ever, they are merely 100 movies that must be seen for all different kinds of  reasons – some are genuine classics (Gone With The Wind), some are personal favorites (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), some are only on here because of great performances (We Need To Talk About Kevin’s Tilda Swinton), some are visionary wonders (2001: A Space Odyssey), and some are films that I personally don’t love to death but have redefined cinema in a very important way (Rashomon). All in all, these are 100 films that are essential pieces of filmmaking in that they prove what cinema is all about: escapism through drama, comedy, horror, adventure, fantasy, and even reality itself.

Without further ado, here are my 100 must-see films in alphabetical order:

Memorial Day: 5 Great War Films That Aren’t “Saving Private Ryan”

……Of the many film trends that exist, one occurrence I simply can’t stand is when a movie becomes the staple of its genre; for instance, it seems that The Notebook has become the definitive romance while The Dark Knight has become the epic of all superhero films. The problem with this trend isn’t that the films that do become the staples of their genres are bad (TDK is in no way bad!), but it’s that staple films often divert attention away from other movies in the same genre that are equally as great or even better. With Memorial Day upon us, I naturally began thinking about war and the movies, and for my generation, at least, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan has become the staple war film. Thinking about, it’s no wonder why – Ryan is impeccably shot with typical Spielberg shots that pull you into the invasions and battles – but with so many other exceptional war films out there, it gets annoying when time after time all anyone talks about is how Saving Private Ryan is the absolute best. While you could certainly watch Ryan in honor of today’s holiday, here are 5 alternative war films that are also astounding and appropriate for the day:

Will Smith: The Best Films Of The Box Office Champion

……When it comes to bankable movie stars, there’s no one quite like Will Smith is there? After breaking out in the mid 90’s with the one-two punch of Bad Boys and Independence Day, Smith went on to star in profitable hit after profitable hit, and from 2002-2008, he starred in 8 consecutive films that all grossed over $100 million. Cha-ching Cha-ching! So, what is it about Will Smith that people love so much? While he may not be an actor as astute and incredible as George Clooney or Daniel Day Lewis, Smith’s broad appeal comes from that fact that he is one of Hollywood’s most versatile players; from comedies to romances to action blockbusters, Smith has the rare charismatic ability to be a comedic goofball at times and a dramatic powerhouse at others and always be convincing. After a four-year absence, Smith is back in theatres this weekend with Men in Black 3, but which roles out of his 19 films are his absolute best? Without further ado, then, here are my 5 favorite Will Smith performances:

“Battleship” vs. The 2012 Moviegoer: Are We Finally Over CGI?

……Around the time when Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was ruling the 2009 summer box office, my faith in movie-going audiences was severely dwindling; what about this CGI-stuffed mess was so appealing that is was breaking records left and right and grossing more than $400 million? With no relatable characters or story elements, the only attractive part of Revenge of the Fallen was its flashy special effects, but was the chance to see incredible CGI a big enough reason to buy a $12+ ticket? At the time in 2009, yes, but after Peter Berg’s “Michael Bay-knockoff” Battleship underwhelmed with an opening gross of $25 million this weekend (it cost over $200 million to make), it’s clear that audiences are getting smarter and pickier when it comes to blockbusters -and thank god for that!

“The Dictator” (2012): A Restrained Cohen Still Brings The Funny ★★★

……When Borat was released in the fall of 2006, star Sacha Baron Cohen went from cult favorite comedian (thanks to his HBO series, Da Ali G Show) to worldwide comedic superstar over night. Opposite a minimal $18 million budget, the mockumentary film grossed an astounding $261 million internationally and proved that an audience very well existed for an extremely vulgar, racist, and condescending R-rated comedy. Oddly enough, Borat appealed to the masses by greatly offending the masses, but when Cohen tried to recreate his shock humor success with Bruno (2009), audiences weren’t that enthused with the “more-of-the-same” follow-up. This weekend, Cohen returns in The Dictator, a similarly offensive yet more conventional film than its predecessors (this time there’s a script and a traditional plot that includes a love interest and an assassination attempt), but is the third time the charm? Since shock humor has become a norm in Hollywood (partly thanks to the success of Borat), The Dictator doesn’t offer anything new or original in terms of jokes or storytelling, but Cohen’s oddball character and over-the-top punch lines are enough to make The Dictator a consistently funny, and occasionally laugh-out-loud, comedy.

“Dark Shadows” (2012): Is This The End Of Tim Burton? ★★

……While it never stood a chance at the box office against the mighty beast that is The Avengers, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s eighth collaboration, a retelling of the 60’s cult soap opera Dark Shadows, disappointed on its opening weekend with a gross just below $30 million dollars. For a film update of an obscure soap opera, that number may seem fine and dandy, but given the directorial talent and star power at hand (Depp and Burton have opened many a blockbuster), the opening weekend total for Dark Shadows was extremely underwhelming (especially since their last collaboration, Alice and Wonderland, opened north of $100 million) and it’s really no surprise why: the film is all style over substance. After such inventive and imaginative pictures like Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and even Big Fish, Tim Burton is slowly declining in terms of directorial power and reliability; though I have a long been a fan of Burton’s work, Dark Shadows unfortunately joins the list of his recent films (i.e. Alice and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) that offer nothing more than the gothic/quirky-Burton look.

Mother’s Day: My 5 Favorite Movie Moms

……When J.D. Salinger wrote, “Mothers are all slightly insane,” he wasn’t being rude or insulting in any way; instead, he was giving a huge compliment to the world’s hardest job: being a mother. Between working day in and day out, caring for 4 men and 2 male dogs, cleaning up the house, and a hell of a lot more, my own mom has every right to be slightly insane, and yet, more times than none, she somehow keeps it all together. While “balance” between work and play has always been a staple of my mom’s guidance, she most importantly has taught me the importance of family, and be it Sunday morning breakfasts (her eggs are the best, what can I say?) or family gatherings during the Jewish holidays (her matzah ball soup is the best, what can I say?), or mandatory family dinners on the weeknights (her meatballs are the best, what can I say?), my mom has always kept the family close, stable, and united.

Depp/Burton: The Gothic-Loving Duo’s Best Films

This weekend, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton reunite for the whopping eighth time on the big screen for the retelling of the cult classic 60’s soap opera, Dark Shadows. Between vampires, ghosts, and a main character at odds with society, it’s easy to see why Depp and Burton joined forces once again on Shadows, for it seemingly has many of the components that have made up some of their most successful work during their 22 year working history. But will Dark Shadows be a successful addition to the Depp-Burton roster? While the answer to that question remains to be seen (reviews thus far have been mixed and its opening against box office titan, The Avengers), the gothic loving duo still have seven successful collaborations to show for, and here they are ranked according to my personal preference:

“The Avengers” vs. “The Dark Knight”: Film’s Most Pointless Competition

                     

……If demolishing Harry Potter’s opening weekend record with a gross of $207 million wasn’t enough, Marvel’s The Avengers also crossed the $700 million mark internationally after just 13 days in release. Wow! In less than two weeks, The Avengers has taken the world by storm and its box office rampage doesn’t seem to be slowing down as it races towards its inevitable worldwide gross of over $1 billion. What’s even more inevitable has been the makeshift competition that has started between Joss Whedon’s superhero team and the last superhero film to make such a strong critical and box office impact, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. If you’ve been on any entertainment website or movie blog, the question as to which superhero epic is the better film has been everywhere, especially as the next Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises, gears up for its July release. So, which one is actually better, The Avengers or The Dark Knight?

“The Avengers” (2012): The Perfect Summer Romp ★★★½

…..After 5 films over the course of four years (Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America) and months upon months of fervent anticipation, Disney and Marvel’s superhero experiment The Avengers was finally released this weekend, uniting each titular hero and a handful of other familiar faces for an orgy of comic book splendor. Unsurprisingly, the film opened to Hulk-sized proportions, and not only has it amassed an incredible global haul of $642 million in 12 days (it was released internationally a week ago and will certainly cross the $1 billion mark), but it also grossed an astounding $200 million this weekend domestically, easily dethroning Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 for the film with the highest grossing opening weekend of all time. After seeing the film in a jam-packed, sold-out theatre last night, it’s easy to see why the world is assembling in the masses to watch it, for not only is The Avengers the perfect comic book film, but it’s also the perfect summer movie: an awesome blend of typical Joss Whedon snappy humor and stunning action sequences that’s nothing short of adrenaline fueled fun.