Dances with Wolves (1990)

Rating: 90%
Alright so finally we reach my 400th review: Dances with Wolves. I decided to go with this one for 400 because when I reach some in the hundreds, I want my review to be on a film that's either a big deal at that time or one that have a personal meaning to me. So like when I made Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Atlantis: The Lost Empire my 100th and 200th reviews respectively, I did that because they were among my favorite films of all time. And when I made The Dark Knight Rises my 300th review, it had just hit the theaters at the time and it was such a big highly anticipated film. This falls into a personal meaning because according to my parents, this actually is the first film I've ever seen in my life. Like their basic story was that they brought their three months old into the theater and the three month old got into watching it as it played. I know it sounds silly and it probably isn't much of a reason to count as the first film I ever saw, but all the same I find this a big enough deal to eventually be one of my bigger reviews. So here at long last is my 400th film review: Dances with Wolves.

Plot: First Lieutenant John Dunbar is transferred to the western frontier after helping the Union army of a battle against the confederates. When he gets to his post, Fort Sedgwick, he finds it abandoned and in disrepair, but he decides to repair it and enjoy a simple quite life manning the fort by himself. But then he encounters a village of Sioux Native Americans living near the fort and begins to become fascinated with their lifestyle and customs while trying to form a friendship with them.

Now for quite a while, I've heard people say that this film winning best picture was a big screw up for the Academy Awards because everyone felt that Goodfellas should've won without a doubt. Now I've only seen a little more then half of Goodfellas, but from what I've seen, sure, it look like a really good fun film. But does that make this film the worst film to win if not Goodfellas? No. I honestly find it to be a really well done film. It has a really nice story, likable characters, I liked how it was very slow-paced even if it might've dragged a tiny bit, Kevin Costner did a great job as John Dunbar/Dances with Wolves, I find it really impressive that he also directed this movie on top of acting in it, and it has a really good message about the life of the Native Americans at that time. In fact I can agree that despite being a good film, Dances with Wolves really won just because of its political statement. I wish that wasn't really true, but ultimately it is. But I think that even through that's the case it's still does a great job at displaying who these people are and about their language, culture, traditions and so on. And having not seen the other nominees from that year aside from The Godfather Part III (you know, that one movie that doesn't exist...) The only other real problem that comes to mind when I was watching this film is that some people might not like it since Avatar pretty much took its story. But if some people feel that way, I'll argue that what makes this film better is that it has more of a historical and educational value and that they use it very well with primarily their characters rather then the visual effects. So with that said, I'd like to think you can enjoy it anyway whether you basically know the story already because of Avatar or not.

And that's my review for Dances with Wolves. It may have wrongly won best picture because of its political statement, but I for one still think it's an enjoyable movie that has a good story, good characters that gives us some very well displayed historical value. It most likely shouldn't have won, but at least it was hardly the worst movie to win best picture. So now I have finally reached 400 reviews. I want to say thank you for reading my reviews and also thank you again that thanks to all of you, my blog has reached a total of more then 10,000 views. I plan to have the next 100 reviews to finish my little quest of watching and reviewing all the best picture winners along with a few franchises an things like that, that I haven't touched yet. Until then, yay that I have now reached 400 and here's to eventually one day reaching 500!    

My Fair Lady (1964)

Rating: 70%
only two more reviews until I reach 400. So why not make one of them probably the last musical best picture I wanted to see before Les Mis comes out? So here's my review for My Fair Lady.

Plot: The film starts out introducing Professor Henry Higgins who believes that a person's accent and tone is what determines a person's part in society. When he meets Eliza - a flower seller from the slums who as a strong Cockney accent - he decides to make a project out of her by proving that within 6 months, he can make her speak 'properly' worthy of her passing as a duchess. So Higgins gives Eliza speaking lessons with his new friend Colonel Pickering.

This was just a nice movie to me. It's not bad or anything, I mean it has a good story and some likable characters. And while I don't love the entire soundtrack, it does have some songs that are memorable like Wouldn't it be Lovely, With a Little Bit of Luck, and I Could Have Danced All Night, along with some I haven't heard before that I thought were good too such as Show Me, and Get Me to the Church on Time. The characters were also well acted, most notably Audrey Hepburn with how she displayed how much Eliza changes in this movie and Stanley Holloway with being the comedy relief as Alfred. But ultimately, I think the musical itself is just nice. It's not bad or spectacular, but it's more like musicals like White Christmas were they can be enjoyable, but not one of my favorites.

And that's my review for My Fair Lady. It's a nice film that was well done for the most part, but it is not a musical film that I consider to be particularly memorable
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Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Rating:100%
Only three more review to go and I'll reach 400. So how about I talk about a much more deep and serious best picture winner like Kramer Vs. Kramer?

Plot: Ted Kramer is a workaholic who is working on a big deal at his job when his wife Joanna decided to leave him along with their son Billy. So Ted has to take care of Billy while trying to do his job. Eventually, this leads them to become closer together, but then Joanna comes back a while later deciding to want to take custody of Billy.

I wasn't exactly kidding when I said this film was deep. I mean the whole concept of having to raise a child on your own after your spouse leaves you out of the blue is obviously a really big deal. But how they do it in this film is pretty powerful. The relationship between Ted and Billy went off great. It was very believable and both actors did spectacular jobs in their roles. Meryl Streep did a good job too...but I didn't feel too convinced that she deserved to win best supporting actress. I mean she had some really good moments, but...I don't know, I didn't feel like it was enough to win per say. But that's just my highly biased opinion about that. And in any case, it's still dramatic, sad, happy at some points, and really deep and powerful all around. What else is there to say, except that Kramer Vs. Kramer is a really good film to enjoy, little to no doubt about it.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Rating: 90%
Okay so I only have a couple of reviews left before reaching 400, so I decided to get closer to that with this review for The Bride on the River Kwai.

Plot: After surrendering during a battle in Singapore, a unit of British troops are sent to a Japanese prison camp where the camp commandant orders them to work on a railway bridge on the river Kwai regardless of their rank. Lt. Colonel Nicholson refuses to allow him or his officers to take part of the bridge even after the commandant's use of torture against him, but eventually agrees as a way of boosting his unit's morale. Meanwhile however, an American soldier who is also a prisoner at the camp named Shears escapes the camp and is eventually rescued and taken to a hospital. But then British Major Warden asks him to come with him and some other men to a commando mission to destroy the bridge.

Okay so what makes this movie memorable? The story for one is rather unique and it gives a very interesting second half. The action was well done and looked very realistic considering its time. But I think the most memorable parts are pretty much anything with Alec Guinness. Why? Because it's a fricking younger Obi-Wan Kenobi being another brave hero and a really good leader again and then some. We was being noble and always caring more about his soldiers no matter what the Japanese did to him and having no trouble expressing how he felt about being in the army. Everyone else did good too but I think even if you're not a film buff like me, I am you'll want to see it anyway just because it pretty much has one of everyone's favorite Jedi. I mean heck, that's mostly how I felt when I first saw this film years ago.

And that's my review for The Bridge on the River Kwai. It's a well done film with good story and action that has Alec Guinness because he's also the original actor for Obi-Wan Kenobi. But even if that's not the case for you somehow, it's still an enjoyable WWII film that give you little wonder why it won best picture during its year.  

Rebecca (1940)

Rating: 100%
Decided to see a best picture winner that I had no idea whatsoever what it was about...so I ended up watching Rebecca.

Plot: An unnamed woman who is 21 years old is currently working as a paid companion to a wealthy old woman when she meets a rich widower named Maximilian de Winter in Monte Carlo. Over a few weeks, they fall in love and decide to get married. Maximilian (but is named Maxim during the film) takes her to his country home where the servants accept her, under the exception of the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers who was very fond of Maxim's ex-wife, Rebecca. As Maxim's new wife settles in, Mrs. Danvers' talk about Rebecca and what some of the other servants felt about her makes the new wife feel unworthy to have married Maxim. 

Okay so like I said in the intro, I had little to no idea what to really expect. I mean my brother said it was good and as I watched it I learned that it was done my Alfred Hitchcock, but that barely meant anything. But after watching this film I have to say - regardless of if you think this film sounds good or bad from reading my plot paragraph, YOU SHOULD WATCH IT!!!! This film was interesting when it started but halfway in, it left me really caring for the leading characters and had an unexpected yet remarkable ending, it was that good. And the acting was also very well done. Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers gave us one heck of a character, George Sanders as Jack Favell was really interesting with how he sounded charming yet menacing during the end of the film, and the Second Wife I liked the most because they did such a good job at making you care for her and hope that things end happily for her. It had happiness, romance, suspense, and drama all mixed in this film really well.

And that's my review for Rebecca. It's a classic film that left me really entertained with the story, lead female character, excellent performances, and is just a really well done film, probably is easily now one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock films, that I recommend that you see if you haven't seen it already.   

Rocky (1976)

Rating: 65%
Rocky....nothing much to be said.

Plot: Rocky Balboa is a small-time boxer and collector for loan shark Anthony Gazzo. One day, undefeated heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed is planned to face another boxer on New Year Eve, but Green drops out due to an injury, so Creed decides to give a local underdog a shot at fighting him. And because he likes Rocky's is nickname "The Italian Stallion," he decides to select him for the fight. So Rocky has to train to fight Creed while the film also focuses on how he develops an interest in his friend, Paulie's shy sister, Adrian.

To me, this was a nice movie...but it was not great. The story was nice and the you are left caring for some of the characters - mostly Adrian with her relationship with Rocky and of coarse Rocky himself with how he doesn't give up and how deep down he does mean well and is a caring guy. And the fight was well done and did leave me wanting to know how it ends. But I honestly find most of the movie just...boring. I mean I'm all for a good amount of dialogue packed scenes to develop the characters and all, but I honestly think they over did it a lot. I think a lot of scenes were better off with little to no dialogue because it seemed like most of what anybody did was just talk.

And that's my review for Rocky. It's a little boring due to how they had a little too much dialogue scenes, but otherwise, it's a nice story with characters to care about and a finale that was fairly suspenseful that altogether makes this just an okay movie to me.

West Side Story (1961)

Rating: 90%
Well I don't have a lot of big musicals to review before Les Mis hits the theaters. So let's get over with in reviewing another musical film classic, West Side Story.

Plot: Based on the story of Romeo and Juliet, the film starts in Manhattan there are two gangs that are in rival with each other: the white American Jets and the Puerto Rican immigant Sharks. After a fight between the rival gangs that are eventually broken up by the police, the leader of the Jets named Riff asks his best friend tony - a co-founder of the Jets who has since left the gang - to take part in a challenge of territory against the Sharks at a dance. But once there, Tony find and falls in love with a girl named Maria who happens to be the sister of the leader of the Sharks, Bernardo. So the two are left meeting each other in secret while both gangs prepare to fight each other.

  
Well this is another one where I have to ask: "what can I say that hasn't already been said?" It's a really good musical film. It's big, happy, funny, tragic, it has well made color and choreography, classic choreography (even if some of it is done in unnecessary times...st least that's how I felt on one or two moments during the beginning) memorable moment, ( I mean come on, who has seen this film and doesn't remember the signature Jets snapping fingers thing?), and of coarse some music that many musical geeks know/love. After all, while some if them aren't the best songs you would find memorable - like for me I'm not big about Something Coming,  Maria, and Tonight - there are some song that are very fun and memorable that any musical geek (Rachel Hills) should know like America, Gee, Officer Krupke, Jet Song, I feel Pretty and Cool. In fact, according to my sister who's seen the actual show, the show is not quite as enjoyable since some of the songs are more in Spanish then an English which may throw things off for people who don't speak it. The characters were mostly easy to detect as far as who they were based on from Romeo and Juliet and were more developed and likable then in Romeo and Juliet...I mean sure that's a given, but still.

And that's my review for West Side Story. It's a well done film that has some classical choreography, songs, more developed characters then in Romeo and Juliet and is all around a well done film to enjoy and definitely a film to remember if you are into big musicals.