All Time Great Movies: Training Day

In most cases, movies are judged by the uniqueness of the plot. There are plenty of action-adventure movies, especially movies involving cops, bank robberies...etc. Training Day is a movie that features these common concepts but yet it still ranks among the best movies of all time. What is it that separates this movie from the rest...
The Cast:
Denzel Washington is without a doubt one of the best actors of our generation. He has done some great films, Remember the Titans for example. That being said, this might have been one of his best performances in his acting career. Coupled with Ethan Hawke, the two create a partnership that is amazing to watch. This movie also features actor Scott Glenn and small apperances by Snoop Dog and Eva Mendez.
The Plot:
Ethan Hawke, who plays a rookie cop, has just been called up to the force to join parnters with Denzel Washington. Denzel has been around for awhile and has created a strong reputation around the community. He believes that he can do anything he wants because he is a cop. Constantly stealing and violating other people, Ethan Hawke suddenly finds himself in a place that he is very unfamiliar. He must decide whether to stay with Denzel or go back to his former days of a traffic officer.
The Unexpected:
The unexpected is what separates this movie from all other action crime thrillers. Throughout the movie, Ethan Hawke grows very resistant to Denzel and it is clear that he despises the actions of Denzel. You have a feeling that he wants to leave but your never sure that he actually has the guts to pull something off. I really do not want to give it away so I am simply going to say you need to watch the movie.
Closing:
This movie went on to win an Oscar and was nominated 13 other times with an astonishing 12 other wins. It is not a fluke that this movie took home that many awards and there is no need to advocate any more: watch this movie.

Photo Credit: Cliff1066

All Time Great Movies: Wedding Crashers

Wedding Crashers might not be one of the greatest movies of all time, but it certainly is one of the all time funniest movies. Movies of comedy are judged by different standards than other categories of movies. However, as always, a great movie has to start with a great cast
The Cast:
Arguably the three funniest actors of our generation headline this all-star cast: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Christopher Walken. All three actors are hilarious, yet all have different styles of humor which are complementary throughout the movie. This movie also features Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher who play as mother and daugter in this film. Because of the success of this movie, it sky-rocketed the career of Bradley Cooper who went on to star in another hilarious movie: The Hangover.
The Plot:
Again what makes the plot so intriguing is the fact that this film is so unique and no other movie has come close to this concept. It is something that people talk about, actually experience during their weddings, yet there has not been a movie on the matter until now. Owen and Vince are co-workers together at a company and for fun, they crash weddings. Free food, single woman and free drinks are what these two partners go after. These two go by a strict set of rules that allows them to keep crashing weddings and never get caught.
Comedy:
The comedy expectations for a movie cast and plot like this were extremely high, and this movie delivered. There are two main factors as to how the comedy was so good in this movie. First, the styles of humor that each character expressed complemented one another throughout the plot of the story. Second, the plot was not all about crashing weddings. There is only so much comedy that can be provided if the movie was just about crashing weddings. Instead, most of the comedy came as a result of crashing weddings, for example, at the mansion of Christopher Walken.

Photo Credit: Richard Cartwright

All Time Great Movies: Ocean's Eleven

There is no doubt in denying that Ocean's Eleven is at least in the top ten of everyone's movie choices. The real question is what factors in this movie make it one of the best films of all time...
The Cast:
Names such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Bernie Mac and Julia Roberts are just a few of many names that create one of best movie casts of all time. We are all used to seeing these perinneal actors and actresses in major movie roles. Seeing all these actors and actresees in one big movie is not only exciting, but also creates a different environment.
The Scenery:
Las Vegas is a place that undeniable actracts all audiences: men, women and children. Ocean's Eleven takes place on the strip and in one of the most profound hotels in the city. Its the one place, arguably in the world, where anything can happen. Ocean's Eleven challenges this principle.
The Plot:
Normally, movies go under one specific category for genre. For example, the movie could be either a comedy, action-adventure or scary. It is nearly impossible to put Ocean's Eleven into one category because it falls into comedy, action-adventure, thriller etc. This movie attempts to define the impossible: robbing a vault in one of the most highly protected casinos in the world.
End Note:
The success of this movie is based off of these factors but also because no one else had made a movie even remotely close to this one. It was unique. This movie was such a success that it was capable of producing two sequels.

All Time Great Movies: Fight Club

If you ever thought you knew exactly what was going on in this movie, your just lying through your teeth.  Fight Club is one of those movies where once it is finished, you stare at your screen for a few moments and ask yourself how did I not notice that earlier?  Perhaps what makes this film so appealing is the combination of familiarity, yet at the same time, the ability of not knowing.  The familiar aspects of this movie include the moment of getting into a fight, meeting a complete stranger and striking up a conversation about business and experiencing insomnia.  We all think we know what these situations are like based on prior experiences, but what Fight Club does is it takes these familiar situations and adds on another twist.  For example, the familiarity of experiencing a fight is no comparison to an actual fight club league.  Meeting a complete stranger on a plane and then having to end up calling him for a place to stay because your house just got blown up.  However, the backbone of this film is the power of control.  More specifically, the power of being controlled and the power to control.  The combination of Edward Norton and Brad Pitt perfectly illustrates this concept.  Brad Pitt clearly has the control over Edward Norton since the beginning of their first encounter.  Edward Norton struggles with a lack of control not only because of his new friend but also because of his insomnia.  It is not until the very end when he is able to collect himself and fully understand how to cope with the situation around him.

In my opinion, the end of Fight Club is one of the best endings there is of all time.  From what I can remember, it the one movie where I was completely dumbfounded at the end.  This movie forced me to go back and reassemble the pieces.  For those who read this, comment on what you think makes this movie one of the best films of all time.