Not Without My Daughter. I believe this film met some trouble due to the storyline that tackles a very sensitive racial and cultural subject. Thus preventing it from bein
g shown to a wider audience. I was lucky to have seen it even on a VHS (oh yeah, it was quite some time ago). Sally Fields starred in this 1991 film by Brian Gilbert as Betty Mahmoody who wrote the book of the same title based on her real-life experience. I wouldn’t delve into the story line but rather suggest that you find the film and watch it. Very, very interesting.
The Passion of The Christ. Mel Gibson, in this 2003 masterpiece, proved that he can still go one notch higher than the commercially successful and critically acclaimed Braveheart. Although Hollywood didn’t give it the thumbs-up like it did to Braveheart (which I see as playing safe, distancing itself from the movie which gathered a lot of criticism and controversy) no one can deny that this is one powerful, highly crafted film. I didn’t find it offensive. In fact it made me dig deep into my own faith and conviction and find what my heart truly believes.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This Ang Lee 2000 film, no matter how corny the concept of flying martial arts warriors are, still ranks as one of my best films ever. I still can’t get over the fight scenes, the beautiful cinematography, the touching love story and the wonderful characterizations breathed into life by Chow Yun-Fat, Zhang Ziyi and Michell Yeoh. It won Oscar’s Best Foreign Film that year. I think one of the reasons why it won is that it presented an authentically Chinese culture that has never been seen before in the
western world. How I wish we can do something so authentically Pinoy also and win over movie goers around the globe like what this beautiful film did.
Ben Hur. Ok, I can’t go as far back as 1939 for Gone with the Wind but at least Ben Hur is still Jurassic-era. I watched this 1959 mega-epic starring Charlton Heston in VCD with total viewing time of 3 hours and 43 minutes! Directed by William Wyler who must be the Spielberg of his time (he won Oscar Best Director 3 times – Mrs Miniver in 1942, The Best Days of Our Lives in 1946 and for this one), Ben Hur won Oscar Best Picture and a host of other awards – 11 in total – only equaled in 1997 by the soapy Titanic (ooopppss, sorry Titanic fans!) and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in 2003. It tells the story of Juddah Ben-Hur of Jerusalem in the First AD. What captured me is the grandness of this movie. Thousands and thousands of extra cast, elaborate sets and bloody battles that was successfully choreographed, directed and filmed without the help of CGI which was invented some thirty years later. No wonder it gobbled up a budget of $75 million! A huge fortune that can probably buy a small country that time!
I Am Sam – A 2001 film by Jessie Nelson that tells the story of an autistic father fighting for his right to keep his daughter. It was one utterly moving film where Sean Penn’s portrayal of Sam was faultless from start to finish I think he was robbed the Best Actor trophy in the Academy Awards that year. His superb acting was complemented by Dakota Fanning’s heartfelt portrayal of the little daughter. Together, these two great actors made the movie quite unforgettable.
g shown to a wider audience. I was lucky to have seen it even on a VHS (oh yeah, it was quite some time ago). Sally Fields starred in this 1991 film by Brian Gilbert as Betty Mahmoody who wrote the book of the same title based on her real-life experience. I wouldn’t delve into the story line but rather suggest that you find the film and watch it. Very, very interesting.The Passion of The Christ. Mel Gibson, in this 2003 masterpiece, proved that he can still go one notch higher than the commercially successful and critically acclaimed Braveheart. Although Hollywood didn’t give it the thumbs-up like it did to Braveheart (which I see as playing safe, distancing itself from the movie which gathered a lot of criticism and controversy) no one can deny that this is one powerful, highly crafted film. I didn’t find it offensive. In fact it made me dig deep into my own faith and conviction and find what my heart truly believes.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This Ang Lee 2000 film, no matter how corny the concept of flying martial arts warriors are, still ranks as one of my best films ever. I still can’t get over the fight scenes, the beautiful cinematography, the touching love story and the wonderful characterizations breathed into life by Chow Yun-Fat, Zhang Ziyi and Michell Yeoh. It won Oscar’s Best Foreign Film that year. I think one of the reasons why it won is that it presented an authentically Chinese culture that has never been seen before in the
western world. How I wish we can do something so authentically Pinoy also and win over movie goers around the globe like what this beautiful film did.Ben Hur. Ok, I can’t go as far back as 1939 for Gone with the Wind but at least Ben Hur is still Jurassic-era. I watched this 1959 mega-epic starring Charlton Heston in VCD with total viewing time of 3 hours and 43 minutes! Directed by William Wyler who must be the Spielberg of his time (he won Oscar Best Director 3 times – Mrs Miniver in 1942, The Best Days of Our Lives in 1946 and for this one), Ben Hur won Oscar Best Picture and a host of other awards – 11 in total – only equaled in 1997 by the soapy Titanic (ooopppss, sorry Titanic fans!) and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in 2003. It tells the story of Juddah Ben-Hur of Jerusalem in the First AD. What captured me is the grandness of this movie. Thousands and thousands of extra cast, elaborate sets and bloody battles that was successfully choreographed, directed and filmed without the help of CGI which was invented some thirty years later. No wonder it gobbled up a budget of $75 million! A huge fortune that can probably buy a small country that time!
I Am Sam – A 2001 film by Jessie Nelson that tells the story of an autistic father fighting for his right to keep his daughter. It was one utterly moving film where Sean Penn’s portrayal of Sam was faultless from start to finish I think he was robbed the Best Actor trophy in the Academy Awards that year. His superb acting was complemented by Dakota Fanning’s heartfelt portrayal of the little daughter. Together, these two great actors made the movie quite unforgettable.
There you go.
So these are the top ten of my favorite, best movies. However, there are quite a few more that came up while I was doing this list. And since I cannot fit them all in here, I will just come up with a different category. Just watch out and it'll be posted here soon.
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