Top 10 Movies I Own But Never Watched

I have a couple DVD's and Blu-Rays on my shelf right now, but I usually don't get to watch them, for certain reasons. So today, I will count down the 10 Movies I Own But Never Watched. Don't worry, I'm still doing the Oscar marathon, in fact, a Gone with the Wind review is coming soon, but for now, here's my list:

10. The Goonies (1985)

Rotten Tomatoes: 63%

Director: Richard Donner

Why I Never Watched It: This looks like a very entertaining a fun film, but the thing is, even though I want to watch this film, there are films on Netflix or on TV I want to watch MORE. Who knows, I may watch it soon for fun, but for now, it's sitting in my shelf gathering dust.

9. Hero (2004)

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

Director: Yimou Zhang

Why I Never Watched It: This also looks like an excellent film to watch, but the thing is, I usually watch films with a lot of accolades and awards to it's name. Sure, this film is the top grossing film ever of China, but it needs more than that to really interest me. So, I hope to watch it, but for now, I think I have more Oscar movies to view.

8. Ghostbusters 2 (1989)

Rotten Tomatoes: 51%

Director: Ivan Reitman

Why I Never Watched It: I watched the first Ghostbusters, and it was a good film, it wasn't brilliant, but it was good. Now, people are saying this one sucks, and that worries me. I put this so high because if I do hate it, it'll make an interesting review.

7. Cold Mountain (2003)

Rotten Tomatoes: 71%

Director: Anthony Minghella 

Why I Never Watched It: It's long, I heard some bad things from it, and, again, I feel I can watch better films.

6. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Rotten Tomatoes: 54%

Director: Gore Verbenski 

Why I Never Watched It: I received this as a gift, but can't watch it because I NEVER SAW THE FIRST ONE.

5. A Few Good Men (1992)

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

Director: Rob Reiner

Why I Never Watched It: I only received it recently, so I couldn't plan time to watch it.

4. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Director: Steven Spielberg

Why I Never Watched It: It seems a little childish to me, which holds me back from watching it, but I will get to it eventually.

3. The Departed (2006)

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

Director: Martin Scorsese 

Why I Never Watched It: I also received this recently, and due to it's long length, it's hard to watch this movie with time to spare.

2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Director: Peter Jackson

Why I Never Watched It: Incredibly long, and the fall of quality from the first movie to the second makes me slightly nervous.

1. The Godfather: Part II and III

Rotten Tomatoes: 98%, 68%

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Why I Never Watched It: JUST. SO. LONG.

I hope you enjoyed my list. 

Apollo 13 Review

Welcome to the fourth movie of my Oscar Marathon, which will continue until February 27, 2012. The film I shall be reviewing today is Apollo 13, a film that many people say should have won Best Picture in 1995, but it had lost to "Braveheart". It's a true story starring Tom Hanks about, what else? The Apollo 13 mission. So, without any further ado, here's 1995's Best Picture nominee, Apollo 13:

Apollo 13 is the ultimate subtle film, a film that knows it's a space film, but it doesn't shove it in our faces. It's entertaining, well written, well acted, and just an awesome film in general. Ron Howard really shows us a great film, filled with everything we could ask for, with the side effect of a few minor flaws here and there. Ever since then, plenty of space films tried to copy it's formula, but none of them had the substance and charisma that this film has. It makes the film feel not as "Based on a True Story" but as if you're actually ON Apollo 13 with these characters, feeling the suspense all the way. It's just very memorable and very cool. The story is basically a recreation of the Apollo 13 moon mission, which ended up failing because of technical error. It really doesn't lead to any surprises or uncertainty, but those don't seem as necessarily as, for the most part, this is a calm film, no real action or scares, just some suspense. The characters were... pretty good. The main character, Jim Lovell, played by Tom Hanks, is a great character, and so is his wife, but the two other pilots, although likable, are not focused on much. It's not THAT big a problem, as it's intentions was to follow the main character, the other 2 characters, although also likable, aren't the main focus. However, it would be nice to know more about the other 2 characters, but we do learn a bit about their personalities during the actual mission. The acting was also good. Tom Hanks was not really disguising himself as anyone, he wasn't Forrest Gump or Woody, he was pretty much just being himself, and I actually respect him for that, as he did do a good job in this film. Also, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, and Kathleen Quinlan all did great. Now, usually I don't discuss this in great detail, but I feel I must talk about the special effects, and in my opinion, they were very well done. Sure, some parts, it was completely obvious the special effects were CGI, but for most of the movie, they looked really cool, almost like they were really there. They aren't the best special effects ever, but for the time, they must have looked OUTSTANDING. Now, for my favorite part of the review, "The Best and Worst of Apollo 13". The best part of this movie... Even though I'm tempted to say the cinematography, I'll have to say the atmosphere. Why you ask? Well, let me give an example: When the 3 characters are escaping the earths atmosphere and rocketing into space, you FEEL as if the characters are actually blasting into space, it makes the film seem more like an experience than just a film. The worst thing about this film is probably the other two main characters. Like I said, they're likable and all, but most of the focus seems to be on Hanks, which is OK, but in the end, you barely felt like you got to know the other two, so that got me a little angry, but to tell you the truth, the rest of the movie was pretty awesome. I really enjoyed it for the execution of the story, the effects, and of course, the experience itself. Also, in my opinion, this is one of the best disaster films of all time, even surpassing Titanic! So overall, this is an excellent film, well worthy of a watch.

5/5

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Review

Welcome to the third film of Pop Cultural Opinion's Oscar marathon, continuing until February 27, 2012. Today, I will be reviewing a Best Picture nominated film from 1939, said to be one of the best film years of all time. The film is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. This film, although directed by Frank Capra, and starring the brilliant James Stewart, it lost Best Picture to the more revolutionary color film "Gone with the Wind". Both films are considered classics by today's standards, and the one that's considered better is debatable, but I think this review shows my personal opinion. So, from 1939, here's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington:

 Some people say Wizard of Oz, others say Gone with the Wind, but in my opinion, the best of the amazing year of 1939 HAS to be Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Excellent direction, awesome acting, and some of the best editing I have ever seen in a film. It deserves every single accolade it received, and more. The story is actually quite complex and interesting. It's about Jefferson Smith, played by James Stewart, who get's nominated for senator after the death of Senator Samuel Foley. Smith was nominated because of his work as the leader of the state's Boy Rangers group. Mr. Smith is a little nervous when he starts out, but he starts to get the hang of it, and tries to introduce some of his ideas, most of them are turned down, so he has to stand up for what he believes in, and by stand up, I really do mean "STAND UP". The story is very well done, even if it seems slightly far-fetched at times. Also, some of the scenes following the story are extremely well done, especially the ending. The characters are very likable and anything but cliches, especially Mr. Smith himself. They feel like real life people, while still being interesting. The acting is outstanding. Every actor, no matter how long they're on screen, leave a big impact. I was even shocked a young African-American boy was in the movie, as this was a time where racism was more widespread. Even still, Gone with the Wind had an African-American woman in a bigger role, so it's not a huge deal, even though it was still a great move by Capra to break the Black/White barrier. Also, James Stewart does completely TREMENDOUS in this film. In my personal opinion, Stewart is the second best actor ever (Behind Chaplin), and this has got to be one of his best roles. He's so intense when he needs to be, but when the movie is calm, so is Stewart. He's actually quite quirky at those parts, but in the climax, he is just powerful with every word. Also, Jean Arthur get's completely lost in her character, and between her and Stewart, it's hard to decide who's better. Now, as every recent review I do does this eventually, it's time for "The Best and Worst of Mr. Smith Goes To Washington". The best, undoubtedly, has to be the last half an hour or so. This is where Mr. Smith talks non-stop, I'm not gonna say what he's talking about, and as time goes by, he get's more and more exhausted, and while he's doing this, his friends try to rally for him, but all attempts fail. The scene is actually depressing, with Mr. Smith talking for hours with no one listening, and his friends failing to rally for him. I won't tell you what happens in the end, but it's a big surprise. The worst of this film... The only huge flaw I can think of is how they portray the government. I know, I know, the government sucked back then like it does now, but it seems to portray the government representatives as snooty, hate-filled, etc, which can get on your nerves at times. Even with that flaw, this is still an awesome, timeless, wonderfully edited, amazingly acted, and tremendously written film, well worthy of a watch for all ages.

5/5