At this time of the year, when the Oscar award ceremony is approaching everyone’s mind, I thought it would be a good idea to make a small review of what I think are the 5 best movies ever.
I’m going to try and not tell you about how great they are or how much impact they had in the film industry but rather to give a fair opinion on why these five deserve their place among the greatest films ever made.
Let’s start with number five:
Star Wars Episode
Written and directed by Irvin Kershner Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse. Cinematography Peter Suschitzky with Gilbert Taylor second unit Photography Editor Paul Hirsch ACE Sound Recording Bill Varney ACE Film Editing Peter Zinner and Norman Savage Visual Effects Supervised by Brian Johnson and Richard Edlund Music John Williams
George Lucas’s epic space opera Star Wars tells the story of a group of freedom fighters, led by Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, as they attempt to restore the Galactic Republic and rescue Princess Leia’s home planet from the clutches of the evil Empire.
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay, with George Lucas writing the film’s story and serving as executive producer. The second release in the Star Wars franchise, it was produced by Gary Kurtz for Lucasfilm Ltd.
Godzilla
Directed by Ishiro Honda, Terry O. Morse and Tomoyuki Tanaka Written by Takeshi Kimura & Shigeru Kayama Starring Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura Music by Akira Ifukube Cinematography Hajime Koizumi Editing by Kazuji Taira Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka
In 1954 a monster awakened from the depths of the sea and attacked Tokyo with his burning breath destroying everything in his path. The Japanese government develops a weapon called the oxygen destroyer which disintegrates oxygen atoms within a 180 foot radius killing everything in its path. Japan attempts to halt Godzilla’s destructive rampage but nothing can stop him as he continues on to search for food. A Japanese fishing boat is caught by a landslide in a lake and attacked by a terrorist whose team was killed while attempting to detonate a bomb within a volcano. The boat is destroyed and the only survivor is Hiroshi Okumura who returns to his father, Professor Okumura, a leader in the field of robotics. Hiroshi demands that his father help him to create a giant robot powerful enough to defeat Godzilla.
Gone with the Wind
Written by Sidney Howard Starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel Cinematography Ernest Haller & Ray Rennahan Music Max Steiner Editing Hal C. Kern & James E. Newcom Producer David O. Selznick
The American Civil War is nearing its end and the tide has turned in favor of the North under General William Tecumseh Sherman’s relentless assault. Meanwhile back at home poverty-stricken young Scarlett O’Hara is trying to deal with the day-to-day running of her family’s plantation Tara amid the absence of her ambitious husband Charles whom she married for security. At a barbeque down at Tara Scarlett meets Rhett Butler, a charming blockade runner who flirts with her. After returning home to find that Sherman’s men have taken everything except Tara she returns to the barbeque where Rhett proposes marriage to her for convenience and they leave together, taking her father with them as he was injured by soldiers.
Black And Blue
Directed by Jacques Audiard Written by Jacques Audiard Starring Niels Arestrup, Tahar Rahim Music Bruno Coulais Cinematography Tetsuo Nagata Editing Agnès Le Roux Producer Philippe Carcassonne
In the early 1980s, Abdallah is a young boy from the outskirts of Paris who belongs to a group of Arab boys living in a crime-ridden area. They call themselves “les émeutiers”, which translates as either rioters or troublemakers. Living with his mother and her new boyfriend Karim while awaiting release from prison after serving time for assault, Abdallah’s father Boubker returns home after ten years away. His only interest in being there is to take advantage of an impending inheritance from his recently deceased brother. Abdallah knows nothing of this, but is anxious to gain his father’s approval even if it means participating in petty crime.
If you haven’t seen this movie yet then you should watch this movie black and blue tonight.
Titanic
Directed by James Cameron Written by James Cameron Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates Music James Horner Cinematography Russell Carpenter Editing Conrad Buff IV & James Cameron Producer Jon Landau
In 1912 the RMS Titanic is crossing the Atlantic on her maiden voyage. In third class a young Irish immigrant meets and falls in love with a poor Jewish man from Eastern Europe. As they attempt to build a life together in America they are repeatedly thwarted by hostile city life and the social constraints of their incompatible backgrounds. Finally they settle on a home near the Brooklyn Bridge but an argument leads to both of them falling into more poverty than before highlighted when Rose’s fiancé abandons her at the altar leading Jack back to the Titanic to get a ticket home.
