#94 - The Matrix

I don't know how to describe "The Matrix".

It is not just a movie, not just one of the best films of the late 90's, it is an experience. Though it is a blockbuster type film, it is unlike most blockbuster-type movies I've ever seen. It geeks out in explaining "the tech" that the characters are using, which satisfies the sci-fi geeks (like me) and has plenty of great action and special effects to satisfy the mainstream movie-going masses.

This picture is combines with style awesome dialogue filled with mythologies and technology which the characters discuss at great length and stunning, breath-taking action sequences that have most likely influenced any sci-fi/action film that has been made since. Unlike other thoughtless blockbusters, "The Matrix" requires you to pay attention and frankly I don't know how you won't sit their engaged every minute of the movie.

What truly makes "The Matrix" enjoyable is that everything is fits including the fantastic techno-rock soundtrack that accompanies most scenes in the movie and in my opinion the cool "Alice in Wonderland" references that are made, which in my mind could elevate any film.

I'm not going to give away any plot and really any description of what happens would not do the film justice. Experience this sci-fi treat for yourself and then you'll know what I'm talking about.

#93 - The Big Chill

I realized as I watched "The Big Chill" this movie wasn't made for me or anyone of my generation. Joanna Berry said it best in her write-up about the film in "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die"

"Kasdan and Barbara Benedek's observant script captures all the idealistic feelings and disappointments of a 60's generation stuck in a far more materialistic 80's."



However, despite not being the target audience for this film, I found it to be enjoyable and felt the movie was successful in three ways.

The film starts out with seven friends reuniting for the weekend to attend the funeral for their friend Alex who committed suicide. After the funeral, they spend the weekend reminiscing about Alex and the past.

One way this film succeeds is that it's cast is very likable and engaging. Sarah (Glenn Close) and Harold (Kevin Kline) are quite believable as a married couple, who during the weekend put up their friends Sam (Tom Berenger), Michael (Jeff Goldblum), Nick (William Hurt), Karen (JoBeth Williams), and Meg (Mary Kay Place) who all do a very good job in this movie as well. It was especially fun seeing Mary Kay Place in a completely different role than the one she plays on the show Big Love as Roman's first wife.

Secondly, this movie seems like it was successful in giving adults a movie to see during the 80's about them. During the 80's John Hughes was capturing quite successfully the trials and tribulations of the teenage years. This film does the exact opposite with equal success in capturing the trials and tribulations of adulthood.

Lastly, this picture has a great soundtrack. Throughout the film, music is used quite well, particularly in two different scenes. First, at the end of the funeral, one of the friends gets up to play one of Alex's favorite songs on the organ, which happens to be "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones. As they drive to the burial plot the song plays and it fits perfectly with the dialogue and mood of the scene.

Secondly, Their is a scene toward the end of the film where they show everyone coming in and out of the kitchen on Sunday morning and the song "The Weight" by The Band is playing and it is just the perfect song for this particular scene.

Overall, I did find this movie enjoyable and worth watching. However, in my opinion, someone in their thirties would probably relate to and enjoy this movie more than I did.

#92 - The English Patient

Again, I must preface an entry with some information about my taste in films. Typically, I am not a fan of romantic movies (comedies, dramas, etc.) However, one of the exceptions to this would be “The English Patient.”

There are several reasons why this film is an example of a well-done dramatic, romantic, epic movie. First, the story is an intriguing one. As summarized by Angle Errigo:


“A severely burned and disfigured pilot (Ralph Fiennes) is found in the wreckage of his biplane in North Africa near the end of World War II. Apparently amnesiac, unidentified but presumed to be English, he is dying and in the care of French-Canadian nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche). Taking refuge in a devastated Italian monastry, they are joined by Willem Dafoe’s vengeful Canadian torture victim and two bomb disposal experts.” (pg. 864).

This is not only an interesting story, but is told in a very interesting way. As we watch the disfigured man being treated, follow what Hana, David Carraviggo (William Dafoe), and the bomb disposal experets are doing in the present, we also get to know this dying, unidentified man through a series of flashbacks that are interspersed with the present-day happenings.

As the disfigured man remembers his past we learn that he is Count Laszlo Almasy and that he is in fact Hungarian, not English. The memory that we witness is that of his time spent in Tuscany, Cairo, and the Sahara Desert in the late 1930s and 1945. the main focus of these memories amongst other events is the epic love affair he has with the married Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) that was both passionate and tragic.

The second reason this movie works is the casting of Ralph Fiennes as Count Laszlo Almasy and Kristin Scott Thomas as Katherine Clifton. In order for the affair between Laszlo and Katherine to work you need attractive people who can act. Ralph Fiennes is well-cast as Count Laszlo Almasy because he is both an excellent actor and good-looking. While, Fiennes is easy on the eyes, he also has the acting chops to handle the complex emotions that his character has at different points in the movie. Personally, I tend to find older or mature men attractive so; in this picture Ralph Fiennes is perfect.

In addition, Kristin Scott Thomas gives an first-rate peformance as Katherine Clifton. The role requires an actress who is beautiful, but who can play a strong and some-what complex women. Like, Fiennes, Scott Thomas fits the bill perfectly as she is both appealing to look at and capable of providing the right output of emotion to the various scenes.

However, perhaps what makes the torrid love affair work is the chemistry that Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas on screen. We believe that these two are in love throughout the flashbacks of their affair, and it becomes clear to the viewer in a scene with these two in a cave, during a sandstorm that an attraction to each other is developing.

Overall, the rest of the cast does a serviceable job in their roles. Besides Fiennes and Scott Thomas, the personal highlight for me in this movie is Naveen Andrews as one of the bomb disposal experts.


I am a huge fan of the tv show Lost and so it was a delight to see him in an earlier role.

One other thing about The English Patient worth noting is the gorgeous cinematography of John Seale. We are treated to majestic shots of planes flying over deserts filled with sparkling sand, as well as intimate scenes such as the previously mentioned cave scene. At times it’s quite breathtaking.

The English Patient is a film that definitely is elevated above most romantic-epics because it has an intriguing story, superb performances from Fiennes and Scott Thomas, and breathtaking cinematography.

#91 - Glory

Let me preface this entry by saying that the Civil War is not really a war that I find to be all that interesting. For whatever reason, Civil War is not really a war that I find to be all that interesting. unlike movies about WWII or aspects of that era in history, which I find to be fascinating. Nevertheless, Glory is a solid movie about the Union Army’s first all –black volunteer company and overall is a good “war film.”

This movie is compelling and interesting not only because of the subject matter, but the performance given by the cast in their portrayal of these soldiers. While there are many strong performances given by the cast in their portrayal of these soldiers. While there are many strong performances in this movie, in my opinion the real standout performances come from Denzel Washington (Private Trip), Andre Braugher (Cpl. Thomas Searles), and Morgan Freeman (Sgt. Major John Rawlins). All three actors give excellent performances in this film. One other notable performance is that of the multi-talented actor Cary Elwes. Elwes who I've seen in several other movies including The Princess Bride, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Ella Enchanted does a fine job here in portraying Major Cabot Forbes.

The overall look and feel of the picture is superb. The battle sequences were executed masterfully with the right look and feel. In some war movies the battle sequences become "special effects extravaganzas" and while they might be impressive, those extravaganzas forget to include the reactions and the personal experiences of the soldiers. The battles in Glory give a great account of the "soldier experience", providing the viewer with close-ups of soldier reactions to the events occurring in the various battles.

The only weakness in this film is perhaps the casting of Matthew Broderick in the role of Colonel Robert Shaw. Though, I've liked Matthew Broderick in movies such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off he didn't really seem fitted for this particular part. Every time he was on screen I kept seeing Matthew Broderick, instead of seeing Colonel Shaw. Broderick does a serviceable job and I can't off the top of my head think of any other actor who would have been better suited. I just know that he wasn't quite the right man for this role.

Hollywood doesn't always hit the mark when it comes to war movies (ex. Pearl Harbor). However, when they get it right, the result is often a great tribute to those who served our country in the quest for freedom and justice for all. The movie Glory is one of the times Hollywood did hit the mark and the result is a glorious, stirring, and compelling piece of war cinema.