All Time Great Movies: Avatar

The hype around this movie when it was first released in theaters was insane. Theaters were selling out left and right as millions of people poured in thinking they were about to experience a new type of movie experience. And they did. Directed by the most prestigious director of our time, James Cameron forever changed the way we judge movies.
Cast:
Unlike anyother movie featured in my blog, Avatar is the one movie that uses animational cast members instead of actual actors. Using animational characters for a movie takes ten times as much as work, time and effort to get the same effect as you would using human characters. There werent even notable actors and actresses doing the voice over for these characters. That being said, Avatar still was able to produce a solid animational cast because they focused on the stories of two main characters throughout the movie.
Plot:
Overall the plot is both typical and unique at the same time. Unique in the sense that there are unknown worlds and animational characters but also typical in the sense that everyone has seen a movie where a character has to pick between two different sides (which occurs when an army officer, James, has to choose between the humans and the aliens).
Future:
The future of movie films was forever changed when James Cameron produced this movie. First and foremost, the graphics of this movie were spectacular. However, graphics alone does not create an enjoyable picture. The variety of camera angles, sound effects and animational dialogue all contriubted to the maximum effect of this movie.

Image: Picnik

All Time Great Movies: The Departed

The Departed, produced in 2006, is an American crime movie that features one of the greatest casts ever assembled and directed by the most profound directors of our era. Led by Martin Scorsese, director, this movie was able to bring home 4 academy awards including best picture.

Cast:

Think of every big time actor in our generation and he was probably one way or another involved in this production. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Brad Pitt were all major contributors.

Plot:

Jack Nicholson plays a infamous Irish mob boss who makes his money off of selling narcotics and other illegal items. He is one of those guys who everyone knows what kind of things he does, but yet there is no proof for his actions. Part of the reason why he has not been caught yet is because he has an informant with the Mass. State Police, Matt Damon. However, as Matt Damon is the informant for Jack Nicholson, the Mass. State Police place their informant inside the Irish mob family to work for Jack, Leonardo DiCaprio. It does not take long for each side to figure out what is happening and is only a matter of time before one side finds the "rat."

One reason why I enjoy this movie so much is because it allows the viewer to see both sides of the story. More specifically, the viewer can see the perspective of the Mass. State Police and also the perspective of Jack Nicholson and his tactics on avoiding arrest. Not to mention this movie takes place in Boston so all the landmarks and areas that are featured in this movie offer a direct connection to the viewer.

Image: Ernst

All Time Great Movies: Saving Private Ryan

When thinking about some of the greatest movies ever made, the common categories that these movies are placed in tend to be either action, drama, comedy...etc. It is extremely rare to find a war movie that can be found atop the movie spectrum. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Saving Private Ryan is certainly one of the best movies ever produced. As always, here are the factors that make this movie so intriguing...

Cast:

Saving Private Ryan contains every crucial piece necessary to form a great cast: star power, good supporting actors, and an all-star director. Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, followed by the guidance of academy award winning director Steven Spielberg, take on the star power roles. Edward Burns, Vin Diesel and Barry Pepper act as solid supporting actors who play a crucial role in this story. Although not mentioned on paper, the team chemistry that is present throughout this film definitely needs to be recognized.

Plot:

Saving Private Ryan retells the moments of D-Day and what is what like to be on the beaches of June 6, 1944. Tom Hanks leads his group of men on to the shores of Normandy where he and his crew play a vital role in taking the beaches. They believe that their next mission will be driving into the heartland of the country, but instead headquarters has another objective. They assign Tom Hanks to find one particular soldier, Private Ryan, so that he can be transported back home. Private Ryan is not hurt or injured in any way; however, he has lost three brothers in the war which he unaware of.

The X-Factor:

The cast and plot of this movie is solid but without this X-factor, this movie would not be considered one of the greatest of all time. The story of Saving Private Ryan, although hard to believe, is a true story. The fact that this story is true adds a completely new dimension to this movie that truly pushes it over the top. To think that a crew actually went through what Tom Hanks and his crew experienced is truly remarkable.

Image: Jamessellers

All Time Great Movies: The Hangover

The minute the previews came out for The Hangover, one could just tell that it was going to be a hilarious film. What people did not expect is that The Hangover would be one of the greatest movies of all time. I admit that this is a bold prediction and that not many people may agree with this statement. However, when once considers how hilarious this film was and how much income this movie produced, it is impossible to ignore the fact that The Hangover is one of the all time greatest movies.

The Cast:

Normally a great movie consists of a great cast. Many people argue that although this movie was hilarious, there were not any big time cast members. The counter argument is that even though big actors were not present, the chemistry among the actors was untouchable. Bradley Cooper headlines this mediocre cast consisting of his buddies Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Zach Galifianakis. All in all, this group worked incredibly well together.

The Plot:

The title more or less explains the premiss of the movie. Four guys head out to Las Vegas for a Bachelor party and you can probably guess what happens after. The first night there, one of the guys decides to put a little extra something in their drinks which causes them to remember absolutely nothing the next morning. When they finally wake up, there missing one of their friends, theres thousands of dollars worth of damage in the suite and there is a tiger in the bathroom. Their new mission is to discover what exactly happened that night.

The Twist:

Going into the movie, I figured that events would take place chronologically and that all the comedy would be found throughout the course of the night. Heres the twist. All of the comedy is based on the aftermath of the hangover. The other three guys must find doug, who is the one getting married, by finding out clues and trying to piece together the pieces of the puzzle. It sounds a little weird but it worked incredibly well.

Image: Hiiaxi

All Time Great Movies: The Godfather

Throughout numerous blogs posted on the internet, almost all credible and respected movie blogs list the Godfather as one of the best movies of all time. Having seen this movie personally, I believe that everyone should make the opportunity in order to watch this movie. As always, here are the factors that contribute to this movie's uniqueness and make the Godfather one of the best movies of all time...

The Cast:

Without a doubt, simply one of the best casts that have ever been assembled. The Godfather features a young Al Pacino in the early stages of his career. In fact, it was this movie that skyrocketed his career and helped him become one of the best actors that our generation has ever seen. Joining Pacino is Marlon Brando, James Caan, Robert Duvall, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton. Not to mention that this movie was produced by legendary director Francis Ford Coppola.

The Plot:

The Godfather takes place in 1945, during the height of American gangster and crime activity. Marlon Brado is the head of the American gangster family the Corleones, who are one of five major mob families that run New York City. The five major families hold a unanimous peace agreement until the Sollozzo family assassinates the head of the Corleone family for not agreeing to invest in the narcotics business. As the leadership position in the Corleone family is shaken up, Michael, the youngest son, takes charge of the family. His aggressive yet swift approach leads the Corleone family back on top of the crime world.

The Principles:

The principles of family, trust, and power are what make this movie so unique and so attractive to the public. The Godfather stresses the fact that nothing else is more important in life than family. Family will always be there for you and family is the only group of people that you should trust. Besides these main concepts, this movie incorporates a little bit of everything. For example, this movie adds a little humor to situations, sadness, stress, wrath, etc. This movie will forever go down as one of the best movies of all time.

Picture: Shaun Wong

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