The Unmissables Vol I

1-10 of the 100 movies you MUST see in your lifetime. According to me.

1.
Boondock Saints
Two brothers are determined to rid Boston of its worst criminals, but they must avoid the FBI agent hot on their trail. Funny, dramatic, and very, very badass.
Starring
Sean Patrick Flannery, Norman Reedus, and Willem DaFoe.


2.
V for Vendetta
The hero is a terrorist named V who fights for freedom in a Guy Fawkes mask. The heroine is a girl who finds out what the creature behind the mask really is. Man or monster? Excellent, exceedingly well-acted by Weaving, very political.
Starring
Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, and Stephen Rea


3.
Forrest Gump
Forrest tells the story of America through his eyes; from JFK to Elvis to Vietnam. All the while he is searching for his one true love, Jenny.
Starring
Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, and Gary Sinise


4.
The Notebook
The story of two young lovers, separated by time. The story is read to an old woman by an old man in a nursing home. Dramatic and romantic.
Starring
Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, and James Garner


5.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
El Mariachi, his two partners, a corrupt government, an errant CIA agent, and one too many lovers. Not to mention blackmail and betrayal. Love hurts. But revenge is sweet.
Starring
Johnny Depp, Antonia Banderas, and Salma Hayek


6.
Gladiator
A Roman general is betrayed by a emperor, his family brutally murdered. He returns as a gladiator to seek revenge, defying emperor and empire.
Starring
Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, and Connie Nielson


7.
Snatch
Everyone, including ruthless hitmen, bumbling burglers, bare-knuckle boxers, crooked collectors, and sly gypies, are racing to possess a diamond worth millions. The confusion makes for one of the most hilarious movies in the comedy genre.
Starring
Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, and Stephen Graham


8.
Armageddon
Time is running out as a Texas-sized meteor heads for earth. The world depends on a team of deep-core drillers who must nuke the meteor from the inside.
Starring
Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thorton, Liv Tyler, and Ben Affleck


9.
Orange County
When his dreams of going to Stanford are shattered, Shaun Brumder sets out to put those dreams back together with the help of his brother and girlfriend. Hilarity ensues.
Starring
Colin Hanks and Jack Black


10.
The Fifth Element
Far into the future, a corrupt bussinessman, Mr. Zorg, wants to destroy Earth. It's up to a former military man, a clueless priest, a warrior princess, and a clueless talk show host to save the day in the funniest action movie you'll ever see.
Starring
Bruce Willis, Mila Jovovich, Chris Tucker, and Gary Oldman


The movies above all deserve at least four out of five stars. Superb acting, real plots, excellent storylines, comedy, drama, romance, and action. Stay tuned for the next ten!

Special Recommendations: Boondock Saints, Snatch, and Forrest Gump (And the Notebook.)

Shooter

Wind speed, humidity, temperature, location, “even the rotation of the earth” are all important. No, this isn’t the weather channel, this is Shooter, an action film starring Mark Wahlburg, Michael Pena, and Danny Glover. Filled with eye-popping explosions, car chases, and gun fights, Shooter is a movie with a message: any problem you have, no matter how big or how small, can be solved with a really big gun.

Mark Wahlburg is Bob Lee Swagger, an ex-Special Operative who happens to be one of only a few snipers in the world who are capable of hitting a mark from over a mile away. When the government comes knocking on his door, asking him to foil a sniper’s plot to assassinate the president, Swagger is unknowingly framing himself. Realization hits and Swagger is off, running from the government he trusts, accused of a crime he tried to stop. The pressure mounts, a girl enters the picture, and so do lots of bad guys. Again and again Swagger proves the movie’s message right. Guns are the answer. Always.

Luckily, Shooter has a pretty good plot, excellent special effects, and superb acting to make it on the whole a good movie. When you think you have everything figured out, you’re probably wrong. Make a special trip to see this film because it’s definitely worth it.

Abracadabra

"The Prestige" will dazzle you. It will show you the impossible and you'll love it. It will impress you. It will flabbergast you. You will sit in the theater after having seen it and try to figure out what you just saw. You will want to run back to the ticket booth and buy another ticket to watch it again. You will want to watch it again, to catch it. One question will haunt you. Was it magic?

"Prestige" is certainly movie magic, there is no doubt about that. After having waited in anticipation for many months for "Prestige", I was pleased to have it exceed my expectations. Starring Christian Bale ("Batman"), Hugh Jackman (Wolverine from "X-Men"), Scarlett Johansson (The Island), Rebecca Hall, and Michael Caine (Secondhand Lions, Alfred from "Batman"), "Prestige" is certainly filled with prestigious people. The cast also include Piper Perabo, Andy Serkis (Gollum), and David Bowie.

Chris Bale and Jackman play two magicians who begin as friends, but the friendship turns to obsessive rivalry when tragedy strikes. Bale is obviously the better magician, but Jackman has flair. When Bale performs "the greatest magic trick he's ever seen", Jackman decides to get even and the make a name for himself at the same time. Their hatred for each other puts Bale's wife and child and Scarlett Johansson in the middle of it all. The danger increases and the intensity rises as the men make attempt after attempt to outwit the other.

Chris Bale and Michael Caine had the most impressive acting, and I loved every minute they were on camera. That's not to say that Johansson and Jackman aren't great too. Surprisingly, Bowie gives a pretty good performance, not at all reminiscient of "The Labyrinth", which is a relief.

According to Caine's character, "Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called "The Pledge"; The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn"; The magician makes his ordinary some thing do something extraordinary. Now if you're looking for the secret... you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, "The Prestige"; this is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before."

The magician of this movie is the director, and the actors who make his film come alive. When you see "The Prestige", you will see something shocking you've never seen before. You will look for the secret, but you won't find it. Because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. Interestingly enough, movies, just like illusions, consist of three acts. "The Prestige" converts a film into a magic trick. If you think you have it all figured out, think again. Because the only parts you've seen are the Pledge and the Turn. The Prestige is still to come.