Apocalypse Now (1979), directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): Based on Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness, this is a controversial addition to the multitude of Vietnam war movies in existence. Set in 1969 Vietnam, we follow U.S. Special Forces Captain Willard on his mission up a river into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret who has set himself up as a God among a local tribe.

My opinion: My favorite Vietnam War movie. Excellent acting and direction.

21 Grams (2003), directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Starring Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): This is the story of three gentle persons: Paul Rivers (Penn) an ailing mathematician lovelessly married to an English emigré (Gainsbourg), Christina Peck, an upper-middle-class suburban housewife, happily married and mother of two little girls, and Jack Jordan (Del Toro), an ex-convict who has found in his Christian faith the strength to raise a family. They will be brought together by a terrible accident that will change their lives. By the final frame, none of them will be the same as they will learn harsh truths about love, faith, courage, desire and guilt, and how chance can change our worlds irretrievably, forever.

My opinion: An extraordinary story of love, hope, and revenge, served well by Inarritu's inimitable style. Some magnificent acting by the three main characters (Penn, Del Toro, and Watts) make it quite impossible not to be absorbed by this movie.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962), directed by David Lean

Starring Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): An inordinately complex man who has been labeled everything from hero, to charlatan, to sadist, Thomas Edward Lawrence blazed his way to glory in the Arabian desert, then sought anonymity as a common soldier under an assumed name. The story opens with the death of Lawrence in a motorcycle accident in London at the age of 47, then flashbacks to recount his adventures: as a young intelligence officer in Cairo in 1916, he is given leave to investigate the progress of the Arab revolt against the Turks in World War I. In the desert, he organizes a guerrilla army and--for two years--leads the Arabs in harassing the Turks with desert raids, train-wrecking and camel attacks. Eventually, he leads his army northward and helps a British General destroy the power of the Ottoman Empire.

My opinion: A masterpiece of epic proportions. Anyone with even a remote interest in cinema should see it a least once.

Crash (2004), directed by Paul Haggis

Starring Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a police detective with a drugged out mother and a thieving younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the white district attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a racist white veteran cop (caring for a sick father at home) who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist cop, a Persian-immigrant father who buys a gun to protect his shop, a Hispanic locksmith and his young daughter who is afraid of bullets, and more. 

My opinion: Crash is a magnificent assembly of many stories taking place in LA and involving seemingly unrelated people that will eventually come to clash with each other. A sound reminder that American movies can be more than pleasant surprises from time to time.

Syriana (2005), directed by Stephen Gaghan

Starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): Syriana is a thriller of corruption and power related to the oil industry that tells four parallel stories: the CIA agent Bob Barnes (George Clooney) with great experience in Middle East that falls in disgrace after an unsuccessful mission dealing missiles in Lebanon; the investigation of the attorney Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) related to the merge of two American oil companies, Connex and Killen; the traumatic association of the energy analyst Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) with the son of a powerful emir of Emirate; and the social drama of the Pakistani immigrant worker Wasim Khan (Mazhar Munir) who is fired by the oil company.

My opinion: A complex story about oil, terrorism, and power. In my opinion the best movie of 2005.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), directed by Ang Lee

Starring Chow Yun Fat, Michele Yeoh, Chang Chen, Zhang Ziyi, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a timeless story that takes place in QING China when miracles were credible and spirits and gods were present in man's world. It is not unbelievable that zen warriors float through the air, skim the water and battle in trees and on rooftops. Pain, revenge and duty are the stuff that bind us in this world and are the main plot line of the movie, but in the afterlife love and faith linger on.

My opinion: A great movie with respect to many dimensions; martial arts as they should be: artistic, phenomenal acting, great direction, and magnificent Chinese landscapes. All the ingredients of a memorable masterpiece are assembled here.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991), directed by Jonathan Demme

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Scott Glenn, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): Young FBI agent Clarice Starling is assigned to help find a missing woman to save her from a psychopathic serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight into the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lecter, who used to be a respected psychiatrist. FBI agent Jack Crawford believes that Lecter who is also a very powerful and clever mind manipulator have the answers to their questions to help locate the killer. Clarice must first try and gain Lecter's confidence before he is to give away any information.

My opinion: The quintessential thriller/horror movie. It is now 16 years old, still no other movie even came close.

 

Pulp Fiction (1994), directed by Quantin Tarantino

Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega are two hitmen who are out to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss Marsellus Wallace. Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia out a few days later when Wallace himself will be out of town. Butch Coolidge is an aging boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his next fight. The lives of these seemingly unrelated people are woven together comprising of a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled-for incidents.

My opinion: Tarantino's best movie. Memorable performances by Travolta and Jackson.

Saving Private Ryan (1998), directed by Steven Spielberg

Starring Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com):  Opening with the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Cpt. Miller fight ashore to secure a beachhead. Amidst the fighting, two brothers are killed in action. Earlier in New Guinea, a third brother is KIA. Their mother, Mrs. Ryan, is to receive all three of the grave telegrams on the same day. The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, is given an opportunity to alleviate some of her grief when he learns of a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and decides to send out 8 men (Cpt. Miller and select members from 2nd Rangers) to find him and bring him back home to his mother...

My opinion: Another war movie masterpiece, but the master Spielberg.

The Last Emperor (1987), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci

Starring John Loan, Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

My opinion: A pure masterpiece. One of the most accomplished achievements in the history of cinema, along with Lawrence of Arabia, Ghandi, and Gone with the Wings.

Das Boot (1981), directed by Wolfgang Petersen

Starring Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Gronemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): It is 1942 and the German submarine fleet is heavily engaged in the so called "Battle of the Atlantic" to harass and destroy English shipping. With better escorts of the Destroyer Class, however, German U-Boats have begun to take heavy losses. "Das Boot" is the story of one such U-Boat crew, with the film examining how these submariners maintained their professionalism as soldiers, attempted to accomplish impossible missions, while all the time attempting to understand and obey the ideology of the government under which they served.

My opinion: Another memorable WWII movie. Extraordinary acting and flawless direction all along.

Chariots of Fire (1986), directed by Hugh Hudson

Starring Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers, Ian Charleson, Ben Cross, etc.

Plot Outline (from imbd.com): The story, told in flashback, of two young British sprinters competing for fame in the 1924 Olympics. Eric, a devout Scottish missionary runs because he knows it must please God. Harold, the son of a newly rich Jew runs to prove his place in Cambridge society. In a warm-up 100 meter race, Eric defeats Harold, who hires a pro trainer to prepare him. Eric, whose qualifying heat is scheduled for a Sunday, refuses to run despite pressure from the Olympic committee. A compromise is reached when a nobleman allows Eric to compete in his 400 meter slot. Eric and Harold win their respective races and go on to achieve fame as missionary and businessman/athletic advocate, respectively.

My opinion: Chariots of Fire is in my humble opinion the best movie about sport, with an unforgettable sound track by Vangelis.