Jose Aire's Top Twenty
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- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsJohn TravoltaUma ThurmanSamuel L. JacksonThe lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.Known as the film that redefined cinema, Pulp Fiction is a story of many disparate characters whose lives intersect in strange and mysterious ways. Shot in L.A., the characters revolve around gangster kingpin Ving Rhames as they do his bidding with drug deals, throwing fights, rape and robbery. Tarantino brings out excellent performances from Willis, Thurman, Jackson, and Travolta who earned his return to cinema with Pulp Fiction.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJeff BridgesJohn GoodmanJulianne MooreJeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.After reading about Jeff Bridges in Cigar Aficionado magazine I decided to screen as many of his movies as I could find locally...starting with The Last Picture Show and Texasville. Bridges many bad movies 'til later in his career. However, his claim to fame is The Big Lebowski. He values it so much he named his band the Abiders...a reference made at the end of Lebowski.
The Big Lebowski is a bowling movie that starts with Bridges "the dude" being mistaken for some other Lebowski who's young wife Tara Reid needs money and fakes her to get it from her old man husband. The dude is engaged to deliver the ransom money. His bowling buddy Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) gets involved and the simple task spins out of control. Add great performances from Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Peter Stormare and others make this a true cult movie. It's hard to turn on the tube without seeing The Big Lebowski listed for a showing on one of the movie channels. Enjoy. - DirectorOliver StoneStarsSean PennJennifer LopezNick NolteA man heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him is forced to stop in an Arizona town where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.Small time hood Bobby Cooper (Penn) has car trouble in the Arizona desert on his way to L.A. to pay off a gambling debt. Here he runs into some far out characters in the tiny old mining town of Superior, AZ beginning with garage mechanic Darrell (Thornton) who exaggerates a cooling system hose repair into a major engine overhaul. Bad luck finds Bobby in a convenience store when it is robbed and he loses his the wad of cash he’s taking to L.A. to pay off his debt. Realizing his vulnerability town mayor Jake McKenna (Nolte) tries to hire him to kill his wife (Lopez). TNT Toby N. Tucker (Phoenix) accuses Bobby of making a pass as his girl (Danes). Blind, old, derelict Indian Voight attempts to pass on some of his wisdom to Bobby. Darrell takes Bobby’s car hostage because he has no money to pay for repairs. Bobby’s not a killer, but eventually teams up with Jenny (Lopez) to kill McKenna and run off together. Lots of pain and suffering delivered with humor.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsJohn CusackCameron DiazCatherine KeenerA puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.One of the most creative movies ever written. Cusack (Craig Schwartz) can’t make it as an esoteric puppeteer culminated by a punch in the face by the father of a young girl exposed to a pornographic puppet show on a sidewalk in New York City. Cusack resigns himself to taking a job with Lester Company – a file storage company located on the seven and one half floor of the Merten Flemmer Building. This floor is half the height of most floors. Unable to stand up straight, Cusack discovers a portal behind a bank of filing cabinets. When entering the crawlspace inside the portal, he discovers himself in John Malkovich’s head – seeing what John Malkovich sees for fifteen minutes until he is discharged on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.
Cameron Diaz plays Cusack’s wife who is made up so she’s hard to recognize. She works in a pet shop and brings all the problem pets home for rehab. Keener (Maxine) and Diaz concoct a scheme to have sex while Diaz (Lottie) occupies John Malkovich’s mind and body. During one of the “encounters,” Malkovich detects what’s going on and cuts the line of folks waiting for their 15 minutes of Malkovich to embed himself in himself.
Here he finds himself in Malkovich land where everyone is Malkovich and every word they utter is Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich.
Turns out old Mr. Lester has reserved the Malkovich portal for himself and many of his old friends. They make this transition every 40 years and Malkovich is just one is a series of souls they occupy. this kinda reminds me of the theory that when a person dies his soul goes into a mass of energy made up of other souls, and reforms into a new being. People are made up of a mix of old and new souls and have wisdom and memories from all their previous lives. - DirectorAlan ParkerStarsMickey RourkeRobert De NiroLisa BonetA private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.In 1955, small time detective Harry Angel (Rourke) is hired by mysterious Louis Cyphre (DeNiro) to find a musician named Johnny Favorite. The task is out of Rourke’s league but he can’t turn down the money. Besides Cyphre is determined to engage Harry and only Harry. The investigation leads Harry Angel to New Orleans and up to his neck in voodoo – one after another of his leads are found dead after Harry’s encounter. Harry thinks he’s losing his mind and he may well be as Cyphre appears in disguise everywhere the gumshoe goes.
- DirectorDagur KáriStarsPaul DanoBrian CoxBill BuellA cantankerous but ailing bartender takes a kindly young homeless man in under his wing.Jacques, the old bar owner (Cox), has heart disease and recruits Lucas, a young homeless man (Dano) to help him around the bar. Jacques attempts to train him but objects to Lucas' compassion – Jacques wants him to be a hard ass like he is: treat the regulars like *beep* and the walk-ins worse. Along the way Dano takes in and cares for a recently fired stewardess (Le Besco) and a Christmas goose that comes and goes from a cage in the bar. The young couple’s (Dano and Le Besco) ideas to spruce up and expand the old bar – and be nice to customers -- goes against Jacques' grain. Eventually this odd couple (Cox and Dano) adjust to each other and solve Jacques' heart problem in a very surprising way.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsDaniel CraigRooney MaraChristopher PlummerJournalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.A disenfranchised magazine journalist (Craig), after being found guilty of libel by the subject of one of his articles, is engaged by the patriarch (Plummer) of a huge Swedish conglomerate to determine who killed a young female family member decades ago. In exchange for a healthy retainer and the promise of incriminating information on the industrialist that sued him, the journalist (Craig) moves into a cottage on the estate owned by the patriarch with several other retired family members. He realizes he needs computer research support and engages the services of “the girl with the dragon tattoo” (Mara) who looked into his history on behalf of the conglomerate before they hired him. She’s a computer hacker, ward of the state which means her finances are controlled by a court appointed agent. She eventually strikes up a sexual relationship with Craig, digs deep into the Swedish family history and discovers a pair of sadistic murders in its midst. Along the way Mara is raped by her agent and gets even in a most dramatic way. Craig is wounded while on a walk in the compound and his adopted stray cat is killed, dismembered and displayed on his door step. Eventually Craig gets too close to the killer, is kidnapped, and about to be vivisected when Mara saves his bacon. By pooling their thoughts they realize the suspected victim is not dead -- they reunite this granddaughter with the patriarch. Just when Mara thinks she’s finally got a man friend after years of relationship difficulties Craig returns to his original love – the female publisher of the magazine for which he originally worked.
- DirectorJohn McTiernanStarsPierce BrosnanRene RussoDenis LearyA very rich and successful playboy amuses himself by stealing artwork, but may have met his match in a seductive detective.A remake of the original starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunnaway. This is a slick, exotic chase movie where art theft investigator Catherine Banning (Renee Russo) pursues Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan), a high rolling, millionare investment banker who collects and steals artworks for fun. Along the way the two of them appear to fall for each other but Brosnan must test her loyalty to be sure. He introduces her to his fabulous secret lifestyle and she appears to respond. To test him, she insists he return one of his thefts to the Metropolitan Museum of Art which he does to the tune of Nina Simone's Sinnerman -- a great, very creative scene. Dennis Leary offers comic relief as the New York City police detective responsible to work with Banning to catch the thief.
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsGeena DavisJeff GoldblumJim CarreyA Southern California girl befriends three furry aliens after their spaceship lands in her swimming pool.Three furry aliens (Goldblum, Carry, and Wayans) crash land their space ship in Valerie’s (Davis) back yard swimming pool. The water disables the space ship so Geena hires Woody to drain the pool while she takes the guys to the Curl up an Dye beauty parlor for conversion to a human look. The fur is removed and the aliens look like hot California guys. Geena’s philandering fiancé – Dr. Love (Charles Rocket) -- arrives home to make up and finds his fish have become snacks for the aliens. With the fiance away, Mac (Goldbloom) uses his love touch on Geena and converts her to an alien lover. Hilarious goings on happen in the Valley including a visit to a dance club, the beach, a market, and hospital. With the pool drained, the guys get their space ship fired up. They head back to their planet with an extra passenger.
- DirectorRobert RodriguezStarsDavid ArquetteJohn HawkesSalma HayekCynical look at a 50's rebellious Rocker who has to confront his future, thugs with knives, and the crooked town sheriff.A throwback to the 60s David Arquette (Dude Delaney) and Selma Hayek (Donna) -- Dude's girlfriend -- fight the establishment led by small town police chief William Sadler (Sarge) and his son Jason Wiles (Teddy Leather). Selma plays a young girl of Mexican descent who is discriminated against by the boys and girls her age. Dude doesn't care what others think -- spending most of the movie being himself driving around in his 50s flat gray Chevy convertible. I love the scene where Sarge and his partner are sitting in their police car enjoying pigs in blankets made especially by Sarge's mother when Dude speeds by disrupting their peace. I've made my own pigs in blankets many times since. Then at the roller rink Dude puts as much hair grease on his head as will fit before slicking down the skate floor to cause mayhem for Teddy Leather, his girlfriend and friends.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsIsabella RosselliniKyle MacLachlanDennis HopperThe discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.
- DirectorJonathan GlazerStarsRay WinstoneBen KingsleyIan McShaneBrutal gangster Don Logan recruits "retired" safecracker Gal for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.Don Logan (Kingsley) disrupts the retirement of Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) his wife Jackie (Julianne White) and another couple who left England years ago to retire to the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Gal and Jackie live in a beautiful hillside home with swimming pool. Kingsley's mob boss Teddy (Ian McShane) wants Gal back for one last bank heist orchestrated by bank manager Harry (James Fox). Kingsley terrorizes the couples insisting Gal return. Gal resists until a fateful night when Kingsley's threats escalate and Jackie murders Kingsley. Rather than live with the threat of repercussion hanging over them all, Gal returns to London to do the job -- reporting that as far as he knows Kingsley returned from his trip to Spain earlier than he and he has no idea where Kingsley is. Mob boss Teddy is suspicious of this claim, but the bank heist is more important to him than Kingsley so they proceed while Teddy continues to probe Gal for the truth which never comes.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsMads MikkelsenMaarten StevensonAlexander MortonForced for some time to be a fighting slave, a pagan warrior escapes his captors with a boy and joins a group of Crusaders on their quest to the Holy Land.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsBrad PittDiane KrugerEli RothIn Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
- DirectorTommy Lee JonesStarsTommy Lee JonesBarry PepperDwight YoakamRanch foreman Pete Perkins looks to fulfill the promise to his recently deceased best friend by burying him in his hometown in Mexico.Near the U.S. Mexican border cowboy Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cedillo) befriends and works for rancher Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) -- in one series of scenes, Perkins fixes Mel up with a date and they even go courting together.
Melquiades is accidentally shot and killed by border patrol agent Mike Norton (Barry Pepper) out in the desert. The local police and the border patrol attempt to cover up this killing but Pete discovers who is the guilty party (Norton) and together they unearth, burry and unearth again Mel's body in order to fulfill a promise made by Pete to Mel that if he dies he wants to be buried near his home in Mexico. I love these border tales and this is a good one. - DirectorAlex HoldridgeStarsScoot McNairySara SimmondsBrian McGuireBroke and alone on New Year's Eve, Wilson just wants to spend the rest of a very bad year in bed. But, when his best friend convinces him to post a personal ad, he meets a woman bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight.A relatively simple story of a man (Wilson, played by Scoot McNairy) and Vivian (Sara Simmonds) who days ago fled a challenging relationship with her boyfriend. Wilson is awkward with women when he encounters Vivian via a personals ad -- on new years eve. Watching the two of them on screen is like watching two fighters feel each other out until they come to blows. The secrets they share with each other are hilarious and make this a "top 20" for me.
- DirectorRichard ShepardStarsPierce BrosnanGreg KinnearHope DavisA globetrotting hitman and a crestfallen businessman meet in a hotel bar in Mexico City in an encounter that draws them together in a way neither expected.Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan), a homeless, globe trotting, career hit man loner encounters businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) in the bar of the Camino Real Hotel, Mexico City. Julian flabbergasts Danny with tales of his work and frustrations. He is losing his edge.
Back home Julian's tales becomes Danny's best dinner party story ever -- Danny even grows a mustache in admiration of Julian. One cold Christmas eve years later Julian shows up on Danny's doorstep, meets his wife Carolyn "Bean" Wright (Hope Davis) asking for help. Reluctantly Danny agrees and they undertake an assassination together. Obviously I like Brosnan as evidenced by the other films listed here and really liked him in this role. The first time I saw this film I thought Kinnear was miscast -- but his performance grew on me.
I also have an attraction to the Mexico City Camino Real Hotel where I've stayed on occasion. Beautiful place! - DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsTommy Lee JonesJavier BardemJosh BrolinViolence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.Another Coen Brothers' Masterpiece. Deer hunger Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) accidentally discovers a drug deal gone bad and picks up a bag of two million dollars from a desert scene of death and destruction. The criminals whose money it is don't want to lose it so they hire tracker/hit man Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) to retrieve it. Anton goes rogue, kills the intermediaries that hired him, and begins his chase of Llewelyn and the two million. Lawman Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) enters the fray in an attempt to protect Llewelyn and is shocked and what Anton leaves behind -- hence the theme of the movie.
- DirectorClark GreggStarsSam RockwellAnjelica HustonKelly MacdonaldA sex-addicted con-man pays for his mother's hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death.This movie is hilarious. Victor Mancini (Sam Rockwell) is a caring son, a sex addict, a reinactor and a man who cons others in order to pay for his mothers medical care. He works in a renaissance village and can't keep his hands off his female co-workers. He attend sex addict therapy sessions and can't keep his hands of his fellow patients. He visits and cares for his mother Ida J. Mancini (Anjelica Huston) and can't keep his hands of the female doctor. the movie gets is name based on his deception. in restaurants he finds a target, clogs food in his throat, begins a gagging sequence, and counts on his target to come to his aid and care for him. Watch the movie and you'll see an instance of how this backfires. Sam Rockwell is excellent.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsPeter FondaDennis HopperJack NicholsonTwo bikers head from L.A. to New Orleans through the open country and desert lands, and along the way they meet a man who bridges a counter-culture gap of which they had been unaware.The penultimate 60s movie. Two hippies experience a windfall from a drug deal, climb aboard their motorcycles and trek from L.A. to New Orleans. Along the way this movie gets a boost from a performance by Jack Nicholson playing small town lawyer George Hanson. His presence is cut short when the three travelers are attacked asleep in their campsite by rednecks -- Hanson is murdered. After a stop at a commune Billy (Dennis Hopper) and Captain America (Peter Fonda) make it to New Orleans and enjoy Mari grais girls and a stoned romp in the Louis Armstrong cemetery. Unfortunately, the movie ends bad for these denizens of the 60s but will remain a classic of that time.
- DirectorRobert RossenStarsPaul NewmanJackie GleasonPiper LaurieAn up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.One of the best pool movies ever made. Paul Newman plays the role of a young pool shark, "Fast" Eddie Felson who thinks he's good enough to take on Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). Much coaching and many shots were the work of the best pool player ever; Willis Moscone. This movie captures the essence of pocket billiards with Fast Eddie learning the hard way he's not up to the challenge. George C. Scott plays the role of Bert Gordon, Fast Eddie's backer.
- DirectorEthan ManiquisRobert RodriguezStarsDanny TrejoMichelle RodriguezRobert De NiroAfter being set-up and betrayed by the man who hired him to assassinate a Texas Senator, an ex-Federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against his former boss.If you don't get a kick out of beheadings, this is not a movie for you.
- DirectorUrszula AntoniakStarsLotte VerbeekStephen ReaTom CharlfaAlone in her empty flat, from her window Anne observes the people passing by who nervously snatch up the personal belongings and pieces of furniture she has put out on the pavement. Her final gesture of taking a ring off her finger signals she is leaving her previous life in Holland behind. She goes to Ireland, where she chooses to lead a solitary, wandering existence, striding through the austere landscapes of Connemara. During her travels, she discovers a house that is home to a hermit, Martin.This movie is rather dark and bleak. Its about a young woman Lotte Verbeek who is called simply "You" in the movie. It opens with her moving out of her Amsterdam apartment and hitting the road with backpack in hand. We don't know why. She hitches rides in Ireland until she sets up camp on his property and runs into recluse Martin (Stephen Rea) who lives alone along the coast. The two of them develop a "nothing personal" relationship that evolves into something very meaningful as we learn at the close of the movie.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsTom CruiseJack NicholsonDemi MooreMilitary lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.Good vs. evil. Young JAG lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), known for settling cases quickly out of court, is assigned the defense of two enlisted Marines who killed a fellow soldier on Guantanimo Bay. Stickler Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) known for prolonging simple cases for months is passed over for the lead defense job, but is assigned to oversee Kaffee. Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollock) provides legal support. Cruise soon learns defendants Lance Corporal Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) and Pfc Louden Downey (James Marshall) refuse to accept a plea. The defense learns -- but without hard evidence -- that Dawson and Downey were ordered to deliver a "code red" harassment to the man who died, Pfc William T. Santiago (Michael Lorenzo). At the top of the Chain of Command at Gitmo is Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) who is being considered for a promotion and deemed untouchable by JAG. Cruise negotiates a settlement so good he's suspicious with prosecutor Cpt. Jack Ross(Kevin Bacon) then reluctantly takes on the challenge of assigning guilt to Dawson and Downey's superiors at Gitmo including Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland) and Nicholson. In one of the most tense courtroom scenes in cinema, Nicholson is goaded by Cruise into declaring he ordered the code red which resulted in the death of Santiago. This declaration -- featuring some of Nicholson's best movie dialog -- brings down the Gitmo command including Kendrick, Lt. Colonel Matthew Andrew Markinson (J.T. Walsh) and Nicholson.
- DirectorMichael RadfordStarsCharlotte AyannaDaryl HannahKristin BauerA non-glamorous portrayal of the lives of people who make their living at a strip club.You might experience some discomfort viewing some of the scenes in this movie -- they all aren't funny. But there are a few that are outrageous -- particularly the one where Angel (Daryl Hannah) decides to pose in front of a Blue Iguana billboard where she is pictured. The encounter with the policeman is comic.
The movie has a few story lines. One is the stripers' lives at the strip joint. Jasmine (Sandra Oh) is an aspiring poet but her hopes of recognition and success are dashed because of her day job. Jo (Jennifer Tilly) gets pregnant and must deal with the travails of this condition while maintaining her day job. Angel develops a secret admirer who turns out to be a Russian assassin -- and is thrilled. Angel also makes an attempt to adopt a child for the strangest reasons. This movie has quite a bit of acting talent. You have to see it.