Sense and Sensibility review

 Number 580 on the top 1000 films of all time is Ang Lee's 1995 period drama 'Sense and Sensibility.'

Based on Jane Austen's book of the same name, Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters: Elinor (Emma Thompson) and Marianne (Kate Winslet) after their father (Tom Wilkinson) dies leaving them penniless. To guarantee their financial security, they must marry. Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) and Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) are their respective suitors.

In completing this challenge, I naturally watch a lot of films and genres that I would have no interest in otherwise. But I aim to watch these with an open mind. Unfortunately, I have never been a fan of period dramas or Jane Austen. I know...I know, I'm a culturally ignorant philistine, but they're so boring. And Sense and Sensibility was no exception. The characters are so far removed from me that I would never relate to them. And the dialogue was as verbose and stuffy as I would expect any adaptation from an nineteenth century book. Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and she went onto the win the Oscar. Good for her; in some ways she was a trailblazer for women, like Jane Austen before her. I'm just never going to care about a bunch of rich white people having rich white people problems.

The drama and the stakes were so unbelievably low that there was never any dramatic tension. Nothing exciting happens. Nothing happens. I couldn't have cared less about the Dashwood sisters, so I wasn't particularly bothered whether they went destitute or not. Elinor was slightly less annoying than Marianne who spends most of the film being carried around by the male leads. One point she falls and twists her ankle, but you would think that she's just witnessed a murder. At the end of the film, she runs off into the torrential rain and catches pneumonia causing a big trouble to the rest of the characters. But I guess that's what Marianne is supposed to be like whereas Elinor is more sensible and headstrong.

For me, the one saving grace of this film was Hugh Laurie who had a small but scene-stealing role of Mr Palmer. He and Imelda Staunton, who plays Mrs Palmer, provide a bit of light relief with funny, sarcastic jabs to one another. I say light relief, the film doesn't really need it. It's hardly a dramatic thriller, now, is it? 

I remember when my sisters dragged me to see the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in the cinema. I was so disinterested that I actively slept through the whole film. I should have the done same with Sense and Sensibility. I wouldn't have missed anything.

Awakenings Review

 Number 575 on the top 1000 films of all time is Penny Marshall's 1990 drama 'Awakenings.'

Dr Malcolm Sayer (Robin Williams) is a researcher at a hospital in the Bronx. He has a whole contingent of catatonic patients including Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro.) Dr Sayer begins treating Leonard and the others with an experimental drug. While the results are initially promising, things start to quickly go wrong.

I've seen Robert De Niro in a number of roles from taxi driver to gangster to boxer to cross-dressing pirate, but Leonard has to be his best role. Leonard is a character who has been catatonic for the last thirty years. Upon his awakening, he has to relearn how to walk, speak and function as everybody else does. He even becomes a Randle McMurphy character when he tries to gain more rights and freedoms for he and his fellow patients. In some sense, he almost acts as their Messiah.

Leonard is an empowering character and, despite his many disabilities, is never one to be pitied. And all of this is down to De Niro's excellent portrayal. He brought humanity and vulnerability to a role that could have been little more than a gross caricature. But he was also brave enough to show the severity of Leonard's Parkinson's. Rather than shy away, he embraced the role. And he forced the audience to realise how badly people like Leonard suffer. 

It took courage to play a character like Leonard. Penny Marshall was equally courageous to direct such a film. I work with the mentally ill and I know how terrifying they can seem for some people. They function as an uncomfortable reminder of our own mortality. It is all too tempting to lock these people away. Out of sight. Out of mind.

Speaking of courage, we have to talk about Robin Williams as the brave Dr Sayer who never gave up on his patients. For a comedic actor, he does drama damn well. He deserves just as much praise as De Niro. In fact, I was surprised that only De Niro received an Oscar nod. They surely both deserved Oscar nominations.

Nevertheless, this was a triumphant film that tells a very brave story. Just because somebody has a mental illness doesn't mean they should be treated as any less of a person.

Black Hawk Down review

 Number 571 on the top 1000 films of all time is Ridley Scott's 2001 war film 'Black Hawk Down.'

Based on true events, Black Hawk Down is set during the Somalian civil war. A group of American soldiers are sent to extract the top lieutenants of the Somalian dictator Mohamed Farrah Aidad from the capital Mogadishu. But the extraction goes wrong and the soldiers are left fighting for their lives. The massive ensemble cast includes Josh Hartnett, Ewan Macgregor, Ewen Bremner, Eric Bana, Ioan Gruffard, Orlando Bloom and Tom Hardy.

The problem with war films is that the characters always look the same. It is so difficult to tell them apart. Obviously, that comes with the territory, but other films and directors have done a much better job in distinguishing them than Ridley Scott does. True, he did choose to write the character's names on their helmets, but it was still difficult to tell who was who. Part of that was down to the sprawling cast, but also a lack of a clear protagonist.

Josh Hartnett received star billing, so I guess he was the main character, but there were so many other characters with so many storylines that they were all overshadowed by one another. They were all fighting to be noticed, but they all failed dreadfully. And that led to an overlong, bloated film which lost narrative direction. At times, it seemed like Ridley completely forgot about some of his characters and plot points.

Orlando Bloom plays raw recruit Todd Blackburn who is desperate to start fighting. He is due to drop into the city, but when his helicopter has to dodge an RPG, he tumbles to the ground below. A massive effort is made to rescue him, but what happens after isn't focussed on at all. Another soldier Michael Durant (Ron Eldard) is captured by the Somalians. Yet we only find out through a line of exposition at the film's end that he was released after ten days. Hell, the whole point of the mission was to capture Aidad's lieutenants and bring them out safely. But even this central plot point was left by the wayside. Ridley Scott set up so many storylines, but he forgot to finish them satisfactorily.

Instead any storyline takes a backseat to the action. Due to the army's mantra of leaving no man behind, the soldiers aim to rescue every single one of their fallen comrades (except for Durant who was mostly forgotten about) this includes the troopers inside the Black Hawk helicopters which are downed by RPGs. Yet the rescue effort goes awry as the soldiers quickly find themselves overnumbered. Cue endless gunfights and explosions. The action is fast, frenetic and chaotic. It doesn't let you catch your breath, so you're left blankly watching the screen asking 'what the hell is going on?' Ridley Scott was obsessed in creating a spectacle, he forgot to include any story.

Black Hawk Down was also criticised for its portrayal of the Somalian population. I would echo this criticism. The Somalians were generic, two-dimensional villains with no depth or clear motivations. I'm sure if Ridley wasn't so concerned with the gunfights he could have created a memorable villain, but he didn't.

*Spoilers* the film ends with a group of a soldiers running to safety from the crash site to a safe zone - something that has retrospectively been called the Mogadishu mile. They all make it safely. I know this was based on real life, but I found it hard to believe that the Somalians allowed them to do this in peace.

It's hard to believe this is the same man who created Alien - a masterpiece of horror and science-fiction. But Black Hawk Down was certainly no masterpiece. It was an overlong, monotonous affair with too many characters and paper-thin villains.

Gone Baby Gone review

 Number 561 on the top 1000 films of all time is the crime thriller 'Gone Baby Gone.' It was directed by Ben Affleck in his directorial debut.

Based on a Dennis Lehane novel, Gone Baby Gone follows two private investigators in Boston, Massachussetts Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) are investigating the case of the missing four-year-old Amanda, but they soon uncover a much bigger mystery. Amy Ryan co-stars as Amanda's mother Helene Macready. Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman also star playing police officers DS Remy Bressant and Captain Jack Doyle respectively.

For a directorial debut, Ben Affleck did a very good job. Arguably better than some of his other films *cough cough* Argo. Gone baby Gone is a taut and tense thriller that keeps its audience on its toes. When Amanda goes missing, it's clear that she had a less than a happy homelife - her mother is a toxic, neglectful junkie. Enter Amy Ryan. The average viewer might not recognise that name, but she starred on NBC's sitcom 'the Office.' She does comedy well, but she did drama even better. I thought she was brilliant in this role. Well-deserving of her Oscar nomination. Helene is presented as an awful mother - only caring about her daughter once she goes missing, but she is a very sympathetic character.

Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan were very convincing as the two leads. Patrick Kenzie is dark, broody and doesn't play by the rules, yet he always has the calmer Gennaro to help him see straight. The two worked well together. And eight years later, Casey Affleck went onto win the Oscar for Manchester-by-the-Sea where he played another dark and broody character. And he does dark and broodiness very well. As a private investigator, he often finds himself torn between what is leally right and what is ethically right. And this is what leads to the conclusion that raises all types of interesting questions.

*Spoiler alert* Patrick and Angie discover that Amanda was actually at the heart of a massive conspiracy. Her uncle Lionel (Titus Welliver) and Ed Harris abducted her together to save her from her neglectful mother. They deliver her to Captain Doyle, who had previously lost a child, who will endeavour to give her the best possible life - a life far better than her mother who once forgot her for two hours in a boiling car.

Patrick wrestles over what is the right thing to do. Should he return her to her mother or leave her with Captain Doyle? Doyle would give her a loving home. Patrick picks the former leading to the disintegration of his personal and professional relationship with Angie. yet upon returning, Amanda home Patrick wonders whether he has made the right choice. Helene is nonchalantly going off on a date and leaves Patrick babysitting. She gives her daughter her favourite doll - Mirabelle. But Amanda later says the doll is actually called Annabelle. Her own mother didn't know the name of her daughter's favourite doll.

It's certainly no happily ever after, but it is an effective ending. it raises a number of different issues and questions. And this is what separates Gone Baby gone from other thrillers. Definitely worth a watch.

Donnie Brasco review

 Number 517 on the top 1000 films of all time is Mike Newell's 1997 crime-drama 'Donnie Brasco.'

Based on the true story, Donnie Brasco follows FBI agent Joseph Pistone (Johnny Depp) as he infiltrates the New York mob. He assumes the alias of Donnie Brasco and befriends Mafia hitman Benjamin "Lefty" Ruggerio (Al Pacino.) However, as Brasco grows closer with Lefty and the mob, he soon finds his professional and personal lives starting to blur.

Johnny Depp is now so well-known for playing whacky, off-the-wall characters, it's difficult to imagine him as anything else. Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, the Mad Hatter, Captain Jack Sparrow...need I go on? But the eighties and nineties proved what a versatile actor he can be. Donnie Brasco is a character rule by conflict. Deeply unsatisfied with his home life, he throws himself into his undercover work, putting a strain on his already tenuous marriage. And to remain convincing to Lefty and the rest of the mobsters, Brasco has to participate in plenty of criminal activities. This creates its own array of personal dilemmas and Depp plays the conflict well.

Although, I would argue that his relationship with his wife Maggie (Anne Heche) was quite contrived. Their marriage becomes rocky as Brasco's work begins to take over. One second they are fighting and the next they were making up. This seemed forced and unnatural. It was almost like it was what writer Paul Attanasio wanted to happen instead of what should happen. But I did enjoy the little girls who played Brasco's daughters. They only had small parts, but they were played well. They become progressively more quiet, distant and withdrawn, emphasising the impact that Brasco's absent behaviour is having on them.

As for Al Pacino, I've seen him play so many grizzled, old gangsters that this was just another role for him. Don't get me wrong, he does them well, but the role of Lefty wasn't anything special. I was more impressed by Michael Madsen who played the fearsome mob boss Sonny Black. He had such an imposing presence that he was scary in every scene he was in.

Donnie Brasco was certainly an enjoyable film. And it proved that Johnny Depp can play more than the whacky, off-beat characters he's so well-known for.

High Noon review

 Number 195 on the top 1000 films of all time is Fred Zinnemann's 1952 Western 'High Noon.'

Marshall Will Cane (Gary Cooper) is ready to hang up his hat following his marriage to Amy Fowler (Grace Kelly.) However, he learns that Frank Miller (Ian Mcdonald,) an outlaw he put away, has been released and is coming for revenge. Will Cane must choose between running away with his new bride or standing and fighting.

I've never been keen on cowboy films. Westerns have never been something I've found engaging, so it's difficult for me to review this fairly, but I shall try. Honestly, I just found this film to be boring and generic. There was never any drama or tension. It was obvious that Marshall Will Cane would stay and defend his town. And that he would fight the outlaws alone after trying and failing to raise a posse.

This causes a problem with his Quaker and pacifist wife who threatens to leave without him, but jumps off the departing train at the last minute. All rather predictable. Grace Kelly did the best with what she had, but Amy Fowler was just a product of the female characters of her time - little more than inconvenience for the male protagonist rather than a character in her own right. Although I will admit that I did enjoy seeing her pick up a gun and shooting one of the outlaws. That was a nice touch of agency.

Gary Cooper won the Best Actor Oscar for this role. But I am at a loss to why. He has a reputation for being the strong, silent type, which I think is code for a big, block of wood. And that's exactly what he was, but, then again, I don't think the role of Will Cane afforded him a lot of opportunity to be anything else.

While some people might love Western and Cowboy films, they've never been for me. 

As Good as it Gets review

 Number 539 on the top 1000 films of all time is James L. Brook's comedy drama 'As Good as it Gets.'

Melvin Udell (Jack Nicholson) is a bigoted, grumpy, mean-spirited writer with OCD living in New York City. His neighbour Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear) is a gay, depressed artist. And Melvin's favourite waitress at his local cafe is Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt) is an over-worked, over-protective single mother. The three form an unlikely friendship when life throws them all together.

Every so often, I see a film that reminds me of why I have enjoyed working through this list so much. As Good as it Gets surely deserves being higher than number 539. It has a great tone, equally hilarious and heartbreaking. Much of the humour comes from James L. Brook's witty script. Considering he also produced the Simpsons, it's no surprise that it was so funny.

You could certainly argue that the characters and plot were nothing original - a bitter old man finds a new lease of life upon meeting an attractive younger woman. Yet in the hands of Nicholson and Hunt, the characters felt fresh and dynamic. Both of them won best acting Oscars and understandably so. Udell having OCD was a refreshing touch and Nicholson played the ticks well. I think you could argue that it would take more than the love of a good woman to make him better, but I can suspend my disbelief.

And Greg Kinnear's character of Simon Bishop was a great addition. He was effectively a plot device to help orchestrate Melvin and Carol's relationship, yet he always felt like a real character. While he is sketching a portrait, he is brutally beaten and loses his muse. But through Carol's help, he rediscovers his love for painting. His tempestuous relationship with Melvin Udell even improves and and the two become friends at the end. This was a great film. It deserves all the praise I can give it.