Films that left an impact on my life

Ever since I was in the fifth grade, films have been a big part of my life. My hobby and passion started at a young age due to the fact that my family always moved, and out of my loneliness and transition of making new friends all over again, i resorted to movies. I would go to the public library on my spare time and read out of this gigantic Academy Awards book. This book was like my guide for the first years of my hobby. The first films that I watched that really impacted my life in some way were Forrest Gump, and Schindlers List. These two films although very different were both very influential in my life at the time. As I grew older I became skeptical of the Academy Awards and all the mistakes they were making with the nominations (and still do) that I branched out and began finding other sources to enhance my film knowledge. Today some films that stand out for me and have not only been memorable for me but also the entire film industry would be,

- A Clockwork Orange
- Taxi Driver
- Apocalypse Now
- Citizane Kane
- The Godfather Part 1 and 2
- Pulp Fiction
- Bicycle Thieves
- M
- Memento
- Magnolia
- Goodfellas
- Raging Bull
- There Will Be Blood
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Psycho
- The Shawshank Redemption
- Barton Fink
- The Seventh Seal
- Fanny and Alexander
- 8 1/2

The List could go on. There are so many amazing films out there from all over the world, not just the United States. I hope my passion for films is evident through my blogs, and I want people who read this to know that I highly recommend the films above, there movies that need to be scene at least once before you die. At least if your in love with films like I am.

Charlie Kaufman is out of this World

When I think of pure originality and pure complexity in cinema I think of Charlie Kaufman. His screenwriting abilities are no secret with almost any film that he writes for becomes an instant classic and a thought provoking piece of art. Four films in particular stand out above the rest. Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind, and Synecdoche, New York. These four films are so complex and so full of philosophical ideas that it almost hurts my brain thinking about it. Each film is different, although every one of them deals with loneliness and wanting to be loved. The way he goes about telling each story is pure magic. Of the four I would say Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would be his masterpiece. I don't want to give anything away, but I recommend sitting in a room by yourself with no distractions, and just open your mind up to the wonders of the world Charlie Kaufman has created in his films.

Greatest Actor Alive

The performances in films could make or break the overall impact and credibility of the film. Being a great actor is not easy and it takes dedication to their craft to succeed and make a name for themselves. In my personal opinion Daniel Day Lewis is the greatest actor alive and currently working. Daniel Day Lewis will go down in cinema history as one of the most dedicated and ferocious actors to grace the screens. He is what you call a method actor through and through. When he finds a role he stays in character no matter what. Even when everyone calls it a night Daniel Day Lewis stays in character. I read stories from his last film There Will Be Blood, that some of the crew on set where getting frustrated and a little frightened by Daniel Day because he was still Daniel Plainview the character he was playing in the film. Its this type of dedication that truly amazes me. In the film My Left Foot Daniel Day Lewis was portraying Christy Brown, a painter who was born with severe cerebral palsy. He learned to paint and write with only his left foot. The film is truly powerful and shows Daniel Day Lewis at the pinnacle of his craft. During the making of this film Daniel Day Lewis broke his ribs due to the fact he would not get out of his wheel chair and chose to stay in character even when there was no shooting going on. To portray a man with cerebral palsy and to continue to act it out even to the point when he broke his ribs is true dedication. To some it may be a little extreme and a bit crazy, but its what makes Daniel Day Lewis Stand out over other actors. The List below is some of his films which show his true power and passion for acting.

- My Left Foot

- In the Name of the Father

- Gangs of New York

- There Will Be Blood

He is a two time academy award winner for Best Actor for his performance in My Left Foot (1989) and There Will Be Blood (2007) which in my opinion is one of the greatest performances in cinema history.

Top Ten List of the past 4 years

As a part of my film hobby, for the past four years I've made my own top ten best films list of the year. The films range for foreign films, to indie films, to some big money making films. I tend to see anywhere from 60 to 90 films in a year that I use to judge my top ten list, which usually is finalized after the Academy Awards. I usually add after the top ten list 1 to 3 honorable mentions that could not quit make the top ten list. So here they are starting back to 2007.

2007/08
- There Will Be Blood
- No Country For Old Men
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
- Before the Devil Knows Your Dead
- Zodiac
- The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford
- Into the Wild
- Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber from Fleet Street
- 4 months 3 weeks and 2 days
- Eastern Promises
Honorable Mention: Atonement, Persepolis

2008/09
- Syncdoceh, New York
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- The Wrestler
- Doubt
- Che
- Let the Right one In
- Revolutionary Road
- The Dark Night
- Slumdog Millionaire
- Milk
Honorable Mention: Frost Nixon

2009/10
- A Serious Man
- Inglourious Basterds
- The Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Antichrist
- White Ribbon
- Gomorrah
- The Road
- District 9
- The Hurt Locker
- Precious
Honorable Mention: Up in the Air, Crazy Heart, Where the Wild things Are

2010/11
- Black Swan
- Biutiful
- Never Let Me Go
- Inception
- Blue Valentine
- Un Prophet
- Dogtooth
- Winters Bone
- Monsters
- The Kings Speech
Honorable Mention: Mother, True Grit, The Social Network

That wraps up my top ten lists. I look forward to another year of watching many, many films, and coming up with top ten list number five.

Cannes Film Festival 2011

The time has come for Cannes 2011. In my opinion and in many other passionate film lovers opinions, Cannes is the most prestigious and respectable film awards competition out there. To me its a bigger deal than the Academy Awards. The Academy Awards have become so political and have made so many poor decisions that its taken away the enjoyment and excitment I once had for the Academy Awards. This years line up is full of amazing, interesting and controversial films that will no doubt bring out mixed emossions from the audience, and critics in attendence. There are 19 films competing for the highest award the Palm D'Or. The ones I am most looking forward too are the following.

- The Tree of Life: Dir-Terrence Malick, Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn

- Sleeping Beauty: Dir- Julia Leigh, Starring: Emily Browning

- Melancholia: Dir- Lars Von Trier, Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Keifer Sutherland.

- The Skin that I live in: Dir- Pedro Almodovar, Starring: Antonia Banderas

There are some movies showing at the festival that are out of competition meaning they are just there for show, and not for an award. The new Pirates of the Carabian film will be showing as well as Jodie Foster's new film The Beaver starring Mel Gibson. So many films in such a short amount of time. The festival begins May 11-22, 2011. Should be a great year full of powerful and memorable films.

The One the Only Stanley Kubrick

If i had to pick the greatest director in film history it would have to be Stanley Kubrick. The impact he has had on the film industry as well as the influence he has had on many of the great directors of today is truly amazing. Great directors such as Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joel & Ethan Coen, and Christopher Nolan have been heavily influenced by the work of Stanley Kubrick. Since the beginning Kubrick had a knack for pushing the boundaries, he was not afraid of being controversial. One of his first and most critically acclaimed films of his, Dr. Strangelove: or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb pushed the boundaries. The films focus was on a nuclear apocalypse that would end the world. It was in 1964 as well, so this topic and the way he made the film was very new and very bold for the time. His later films 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, and Full Metal Jacket would keep his streak going for powerful and original films that pushed the boundaries and made viewers think, actually think when they were watching a movie. Shocking I know, people actually have to use there brains when watching his films, which makes the whole experience more rewarding and memorable. Stanley Kubrick has been dead for many years now, but the mark he left on Cinema will never be forgotten and will be carried on through the talented and young directors of this generation and the next.

PTA can he do no wrong

If there is one director out there that captures my attention its Paul Thomas Anderson. He has only directed five films (Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood) and every one have been amazing in their own way. He has a certain style to his films, the cinematography, the lighting, the transitions in shots that make his work so unique and his own. You know your watching a Paul Thomas Anderson film is what I'm trying to say. Every one of his films have been completely different in the overall plot, but every one of his films have had the same recurring themes throughout. The themes that stands out the most would be loneliness, redemption, and forgiveness. The way he can capture someone at their lowest point is very moving and powerful. Magnolia in my opinion is the most powerful and beautiful film he has directed. The film is very complex, and intertwines many different stories in the film. The theme that stands out is utter loneliness. Its so sad but so powerful to watch the story unfold before you. Its real life, not everything is easy going and full of happiness. He tends to use the same cast for some of his films. Philip Seymour Hoffman who in my opinion is one of the top two greatest actors alive and currently working, is used in almost every one of his films. Philip Seymour Hoffman has a knack for playing characters who are depressive and lonely. Its just brilliant when these two artists come together to make a film. Paul Thomas Anderson's next project is starring Philip Seymour Hoffman again. The hype is building up around this film, and again PTA is taking on a totally different plot and storyline. I will be their to watch it opening day, and to see another work of art by the director Paul Thomas Anderson.