Movie Loner

What is the best science fiction film ever made? Time’s up, I need an answer. If you answered Blade Runner, you are correct. A visual masterpiece that still looks as gorgeous today as it did twenty-five years ago, Ridley Scott’s dystopian noir classic about a 2019 Los Angeles cop assigned to eliminate rogue androids called replicants is as powerful as any movie I’ve seen. It deals with basic questions that have perplexed humanity for centuries: How long do we have? How do we get more time? Life, in all its fleeting preciousness, is often taken for granted. Blade Runner shows us long life is not a guarantee, and despite all our technological genius, the one thing we can’t manufacture is more time.

In the following scene, Deckard breaks the bad news to Rachel that she is a replicant. The painful realization that her existence is nothing more than a series of borrowed memories is both frightening and poignant. I give you a stirring scene from the remarkable Blade Runner:

No Comments »

For my money, there is no greater movie about war than Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. It captures the massive violence, senseless death, and psychological toll of war better than any film in the genre. Adapted from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, it details the mission of Captain Willard, a burnt out Special Forces Op pegged to venture into Cambodia to assassinate the renegade Colonel Kurtz, who has gone completely insane. The further down river Willard travels, the more uncivilized he and his surroundings become. Madness seeps in, and the hell of war seizes control.

In this scene, Willard and his crew reach Do Long Bridge, where a never-ending battle wages without any presence of organized leadership. A subdued chaos strangles the night air as Willard futilely searches for the commanding officer. Here is an eerie and potent scene from Apocalypse Now:

No Comments »

Normally, sweeping romantic epics make me ill. I find them to be overly melodramatic and too much in love with the idea of being a sweeping romantic epic. One exception is the late Anthony Minghella’s masterful adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s beautiful novel about a Hungarian mapmaker who falls in love with a married British woman during the final days before the start of World War II. Tragic to be sure, The English Patient is also a poetic parable about the dangers of crossing boundaries be they literal or figurative.

The following scene is set during a violent sandstorm. Taking refuge inside a truck, Count de Almasy tells Katherine Clifton a tale about winds. A slight touch of her hair reveals more than words, as at this moment two people forbidden to love one another fall in love. I offer a lasting scene from The English Patient:

No Comments »

I’ve written more than enough praise about Fight Club so I’ll spare you an extended treatise detailing my love for this film. Safe to say it’s a smart examination of male alienation and the decline of masculinity in modern day society. Director David Fincher employs his particular moody style effectively in telling the story of a man who abandons his mundane life at the behest of his newfound “friend” Tyler Durden, an anti-establishment soap-maker with a grand plan.

In this scene, Tyler explains to his protege that someday he will die and until he realizes this simple fact he is a useless waste of humanity. Kick back and experience the pain of chemical burn. This is a scene from Fight Club:

No Comments »

Amidst all the Dark Knight hoopla and fanfare another comic book classic entered the spotlight Thursday night. Of course I’m talking about the trailer for Watchmen that screened prior to Dark Knight. The highly anticipated adaptation of Alan Moore’s seminal graphic novel is poised to be one of 2009’s biggest movies. Personally, I can’t wait, especially if the film looks as good as the trailer. I’m not a huge comic book guy, but Watchmen is on my short list of favorite books. Looks like Director Zack Snyder got this one right. Here’s the trailer:

No Comments »

I’ve seen every James Bond movie multiple times. Yes, that includes the laughable Never Say Never Again and the utterly ridiculous License to Kill. What is the best Bond movie? In my mind, there is no doubt. The winner is 2006’s Casino Royale. Like most fans of the series, I was skeptical when Daniel Craig was handed the reigns to one of cinema’s greatest heroes. Craig, a solid actor in films like Road to Perdition and Munich, captures the rugged essence of 007 better than even the untouchable Sean Connery. Charming, artful, tenacious and vulnerable, Daniel Craig is James Bond. What transformed Bond into an unfeeling killing machine? Casino Royale tells the tale of Bond’s first mission as a 007 agent.

In the following scene, Bond has just finished dispatching two nasty thugs. Upon returning to his hotel room, he discovers the engaging Vesper Lynd in a state of shock after witnessing Bond’s brutal confrontation. I present a touching and revealing scene from Casino Royale:

No Comments »

Of all Martin Scorsese’s films the one that amazes me the most is The Last Temptation of Christ. Sure Raging Bull is a cinematographic wonder, Goodfellas a gritty mob classic, and Taxi Driver a mesmerizing descent into madness, but it’s the story of Christ as adapted from Nikos Kazantzakis’ controversial novel that maintains a powerful grip on my filmic psyche. Ethereal and sumptuous from start to finish, The Last Temptation of Christ is Scorsese’s overlooked masterpiece worthy of thorough examination.

In this scene, Jesus, superbly portrayed by Willem Dafoe, chastises those who claim to be devoid of sin and delivers a warning that there is a God, and HE is watching. This is just one of many extraordinary scenes in The Last Temptation of Christ:

No Comments »

It’s not often that a scene can make my heart beat faster. I can probably count on one hand the number of times this has occurred. The phenomenal car chase finale to The Road Warrior and Indiana Jones daring escape from the tomb of the Golden Idol in Raiders of the Lost Ark are two that come to mind. Writer/Director Michael Mann’s Heat contains a slew of memorable scenes from the dynamic opening armored car heist to the first-ever dialogue exchange between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. It is a truly exceptional crime drama.

The following scene marks a significant plot shift as Pacino’s band of perplexed cops finally confront De Niro’s elusive gang of robbers. I give you the heart pounding, ear-splitting shootout from Heat:

No Comments »