June 18th, 2011
Chavez's Movie Recommendations
Please note that the descriptions will grow/change over time and that movies may be added later on.
I recently got into a conversation with someone that believed anime is superior to western movies. Though I do feel that a certain anime (this one, duh) is superior to all anime and western movies when it comes to depth, philosophy and overall entertainment to viewers that enjoy political and/or militaristic series, I do believe that some western movies have a lot to offer. Now I'm not a Hollywood nut like that store keeper from Family Guy, so I will start off by stating that this list is highly personal, and you should only consider these recommendations when my taste overlaps yours for a big part. That, and I will also write a small introductory paragraph for each movie.
Here we go:
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Personal rating: ★★★☆☆
[No Trailer]
This World War II classic is from '65 and can be considered quite enjoyable. You won't find much depth in this movie, and the American characters are cliche, but that's something you'll have to live with because that's how classics work. The material used in this movie isn't accurate, but still, a must watch if you haven't seen it before. Note that this movie also has the famous Panzerlied scene.
Enemy at the gates (2001)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
A World War II movie taking place in Russia. It's clear that this movie is more recent, but in terms of originality, this movie scores bonus points for me. The characters are somewhat(...) realistic(?) and in overall, the events in this movie are accurate. I enjoyed this movie a lot, but sometimes it's dramatized a lot. Nonetheless, the fact that these events actually happened give this movie an additional authentic feel.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
A World War II movie taking place in Japan with a Japanese soldier as main character. This movie does not only show the horrors of WWII on both sides, it also shows how indoctrinated and harsh the Japanese were back in the days of the emperor. Clint Eastwood did a great job making this movie, and it is absolutely a must-see if you are into WWII movies. If not, then I can still recommend it as a Gineiden fan. Well worth the five stars.
American History X (1998)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
This movie was original to some extend, and even somewhat educative. It follows the story of a neonazi that, by a sudden turn of events, starts realizing he's not living his life to full extend. Lots of flashbacks showing how he came to his senses, and a sad ending that makes this movie actually a bit realistic.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Personal rating: ★★★☆☆
[Trailer]
A laid back movie about an unfortunate guy landing in an even more unfortunate position. In the end, things may not seem what they appear to be. A fun movie that was a tad too long in my opinion. Nonetheless, it has some nice humor and awkward moments.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
This British crime movie was awesome, and I can easily rate it five stars. In this movie, a group of amateur gangsters think they can cash in using the great poker skills of one of the gang members. Instead, they end up owing a great debt to the town's biggest gangster. However, an unsuspected turn of events place them in a position that is quite favorable to them. Great casting, acting is nice, characters are nicely done. In overall, I find this movie very successfull and a definite must-see.
Swordfish (2001)
Personal rating: ★★☆☆☆
[Trailer]
This hacker/crime classic is nice in overall, but has some things I dislike. For one, Hale Berry isn't very convincing, but John Travolta and Jackman kind of make up for that. For the rest, there's some generic action and memorable quotes. A must see, but only once, really. Two points for it's special effects.
Kill the Irishman (2011)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
A true story about a worker turning into a gangster. Though aware he would not be able to live this kind of life for a long time, he kept cool and decided to take down the mob with him. Great casting, great characters, but lacks the spectacular ending most viewers are waiting for. Nonetheless, it's a great movie with a sad ending. Note that it also includes footage of Danny Greene, the actual 'Irishman'. If you can't find this movie, it's also released as "Bulletproof Gangster".
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
This crime thriller is dirty, gritty, and includes some plot twists. Bruce Willis and Josh Harnett do a great job at playing their roles. It might confuse the viewer at first, but in the end, all pieces fall in their place. Josh Harnett finds himself in a very unfortunate position by working for two mobsters that are rivals. Not doing anything will cost his life, and working for either of the two isn't quite safe either. Then again, maybe Slevin was lucky all along? A must-see.
The Bourne Trilogy (Identity - 2002, Supremacy - 2004, Ultimatum - 2007)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
I have a soft spot for spy thrillers so I enjoyed this trilogy a lot. The reason I put these three movies together in one entry is that seeing one of the three movies individually won't make any sense. It's a single storyline, rather than sequals built on each other. Though I disliked Matt Damon, he did a good job playing Jason, and the action scenes are very enjoyable. The storyline is not very deep, but still more than you'd expect from 'regular' western movies. A splendid spy thriller. If you like, say, Splinter Cell, then you would probably enjoy this movie too.
The Matrix Trilogy (1999)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
The Matrix is a definite classic that deserves all the positive references and mentions it can get. Though the second and third movie weren't as great as the first one, it's a well known fact that successors are generally in the shadows of their predecessors. If you haven't seen these movies yet, you should watch them at this very moment. Yes. Now.
I recently got into a conversation with someone that believed anime is superior to western movies. Though I do feel that a certain anime (this one, duh) is superior to all anime and western movies when it comes to depth, philosophy and overall entertainment to viewers that enjoy political and/or militaristic series, I do believe that some western movies have a lot to offer. Now I'm not a Hollywood nut like that store keeper from Family Guy, so I will start off by stating that this list is highly personal, and you should only consider these recommendations when my taste overlaps yours for a big part. That, and I will also write a small introductory paragraph for each movie.
Here we go:
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Personal rating: ★★★☆☆
[No Trailer]
This World War II classic is from '65 and can be considered quite enjoyable. You won't find much depth in this movie, and the American characters are cliche, but that's something you'll have to live with because that's how classics work. The material used in this movie isn't accurate, but still, a must watch if you haven't seen it before. Note that this movie also has the famous Panzerlied scene.
Enemy at the gates (2001)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
A World War II movie taking place in Russia. It's clear that this movie is more recent, but in terms of originality, this movie scores bonus points for me. The characters are somewhat(...) realistic(?) and in overall, the events in this movie are accurate. I enjoyed this movie a lot, but sometimes it's dramatized a lot. Nonetheless, the fact that these events actually happened give this movie an additional authentic feel.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
A World War II movie taking place in Japan with a Japanese soldier as main character. This movie does not only show the horrors of WWII on both sides, it also shows how indoctrinated and harsh the Japanese were back in the days of the emperor. Clint Eastwood did a great job making this movie, and it is absolutely a must-see if you are into WWII movies. If not, then I can still recommend it as a Gineiden fan. Well worth the five stars.
American History X (1998)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
This movie was original to some extend, and even somewhat educative. It follows the story of a neonazi that, by a sudden turn of events, starts realizing he's not living his life to full extend. Lots of flashbacks showing how he came to his senses, and a sad ending that makes this movie actually a bit realistic.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Personal rating: ★★★☆☆
[Trailer]
A laid back movie about an unfortunate guy landing in an even more unfortunate position. In the end, things may not seem what they appear to be. A fun movie that was a tad too long in my opinion. Nonetheless, it has some nice humor and awkward moments.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
This British crime movie was awesome, and I can easily rate it five stars. In this movie, a group of amateur gangsters think they can cash in using the great poker skills of one of the gang members. Instead, they end up owing a great debt to the town's biggest gangster. However, an unsuspected turn of events place them in a position that is quite favorable to them. Great casting, acting is nice, characters are nicely done. In overall, I find this movie very successfull and a definite must-see.
Swordfish (2001)
Personal rating: ★★☆☆☆
[Trailer]
This hacker/crime classic is nice in overall, but has some things I dislike. For one, Hale Berry isn't very convincing, but John Travolta and Jackman kind of make up for that. For the rest, there's some generic action and memorable quotes. A must see, but only once, really. Two points for it's special effects.
Kill the Irishman (2011)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
A true story about a worker turning into a gangster. Though aware he would not be able to live this kind of life for a long time, he kept cool and decided to take down the mob with him. Great casting, great characters, but lacks the spectacular ending most viewers are waiting for. Nonetheless, it's a great movie with a sad ending. Note that it also includes footage of Danny Greene, the actual 'Irishman'. If you can't find this movie, it's also released as "Bulletproof Gangster".
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
Personal rating: ★★★★☆
[Trailer]
This crime thriller is dirty, gritty, and includes some plot twists. Bruce Willis and Josh Harnett do a great job at playing their roles. It might confuse the viewer at first, but in the end, all pieces fall in their place. Josh Harnett finds himself in a very unfortunate position by working for two mobsters that are rivals. Not doing anything will cost his life, and working for either of the two isn't quite safe either. Then again, maybe Slevin was lucky all along? A must-see.
The Bourne Trilogy (Identity - 2002, Supremacy - 2004, Ultimatum - 2007)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
I have a soft spot for spy thrillers so I enjoyed this trilogy a lot. The reason I put these three movies together in one entry is that seeing one of the three movies individually won't make any sense. It's a single storyline, rather than sequals built on each other. Though I disliked Matt Damon, he did a good job playing Jason, and the action scenes are very enjoyable. The storyline is not very deep, but still more than you'd expect from 'regular' western movies. A splendid spy thriller. If you like, say, Splinter Cell, then you would probably enjoy this movie too.
The Matrix Trilogy (1999)
Personal rating: ★★★★★
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
[Trailer]
The Matrix is a definite classic that deserves all the positive references and mentions it can get. Though the second and third movie weren't as great as the first one, it's a well known fact that successors are generally in the shadows of their predecessors. If you haven't seen these movies yet, you should watch them at this very moment. Yes. Now.
Posted by Chavez | Jun 18, 2011 6:57 AM | 3 comments
August 3rd, 2008
Anime resources comparison
A topic in the general discussion area has persuaded me to start comparing anime. Sadly, a lot of streaming websites were unable to even find a movie that everyone should at least heard of: '5 centimeters per second'.
So, I'll make it short:
YouTube anime
Veoh anime
Downloaded anime (MKV)
Conclusion: I rather wait a week with downloading than watch everything in a day with shit quality. It kills the anime. Be patient and only then you can experience the anime to it's fullest.
So, I'll make it short:
YouTube anime
Veoh anime
Downloaded anime (MKV)
Conclusion: I rather wait a week with downloading than watch everything in a day with shit quality. It kills the anime. Be patient and only then you can experience the anime to it's fullest.
Posted by Chavez | Aug 3, 2008 12:53 PM | 12 comments