Inception

Inception

Basic Plot: Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) cuts a deal with Saito (Ken Watanabe) and agrees to use his ability to enter people's dreams for a special assignment involving business titan Robert Fischer Jr. (Cillian Murphy). Along for the labyrinth-infused ride is Cobb's new mind "architect," Ariadne (Ellen Page). Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger and Dileep Rao also star in this sci-fi thriller from writer-director Christopher Nolan.

Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts: This is all time my favorite movie. Christopher Nolan did it again. The concept is truly fascinating, and Leonardo DiCaprio takes his assigned role and blows away all expectations with his performance. The movie left audiences across the world wondering: did the top stop spinning? Any psychological movie that causes the viewer to question his own existence is worth a look at, and Inception does just that.

11/8/10: The Departed

The Departed

Basic Plot: To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise in Martin Scorsese's multiple Oscar-winning crime thriller. While an undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) curries favor with the mob kingpin (Jack Nicholson), a career criminal (Matt Damon) rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts: Once again, any twist ending or ending that not only completes but concludes makes a movie. Leonardo DiCaprio can be put in ANY role and perform phenomenally. Matt Damon also plays an interesting character, but I like Leo's character better. The line between good and bad is very thin, and it's rather hard to tell who's good, who's bad, and who you ultimately want to win in the end. Martin Scorsese is also a GREAT director. Probably my third favorite behind Nolan and Tarantino.

11/1/10: DOUBLE FEATURE- Fight Club & Pulp Fiction

Fight Club

Basic Plot: An insomniac corporate drone (Edward Norton) meets roguish rebel Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), and together they form a cathartic but brutal underground society in which men fight each other freely in director David Fincher's sharp Oscar-nominated flick. But the line between reality and sleepless haze begins to blur when propagandist Durden transforms Fight Club from a group of non-conformists into a nihilistic cult. Helena Bonham Carter co-stars.

Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts: This is by far one of my favorite movies, behind Inception, of course. The acting was superb. The plot was scary good. Even the music was great. However, like I said in a previous post, the ending is everything, and Fight Clubnailed it. Any movie or story with a twist ending makes it into my "hall of fame." Edward Norton plays some interesting characters in his filmography, but this is my favorite character of his. He's borderline insane, but you, as the viewer, still grow attached to him. You fall in love with Brad Pitt as a character in the beginning, but as the unnamed protagonist starts to become alienated, so do you. It takes a powerful movie to do that to you.

Pulp Fiction

Basic Plot: A burger-loving hit man (John Travolta), his philosophical partner (Samuel L. Jackson), a drug-addled gangster's moll (Uma Thurman) and a washed-up boxer (Bruce Willis) converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper fueled by director and co-writer Quentin Tarantino's whip-smart dialogue. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time, resulting in one of the most audacious and imitated films of the 1990s.

Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts: This is also one of my favorite movies. My two favorite directors are Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino, so this is right up my alley. The witty remarks and the funny comments make the movie bearable between all the blood and violence. I even love the dark humor. No one can forget when John Travolta blows off a guy's head in a car, and yet, the viewers still laugh! All in all, one of my favorite movies.

10/25/10: Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Basic Plot: When Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) -- the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist -- is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime. Creative minds Steven Spielberg and George Lucas created a classic with this all-time favorite, which spawned a series of commercially successful sequels and a short-lived TV show.

Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts: I love the Indiana Jones movies. Well, I love all of them but The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Aliens and Indy do not mix well together. Back on subject, the overall movie is spectacular. There's the love interest (which is present in every Indy movie), and I love the resourcefulness in every situation. This movie puts good ol' Americans against the Nazis, which was the description of quite a few movies of the decade. The soundtrack is quite good as well. However, nothing beats seeing Indiana Jones whoop up on some baddies with his trusty whip. *crack!*

10/18/10: The Godfather

The Godfather

Basic Plot: When organized crime family patriarch Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge. Francis Ford Coppola brings Mario Puzo's multigenerational crime saga to life in this Oscar-winning epic that also spawned Best Actor honors for Brando, who refused the prize for political reasons.

Rating: 4.5/5

My Thoughts: I honestly do not have too much to say about this particular movie. I only watched about 3/4 of it, and I know I should have watched the whole thing if I was to write a review on it, but I figured "Why not?" Overall, I enjoyed it very much. It was gritty, dark, and violent, and that's my type of movie. However, I cannot give it a full 5/5 stars until I see the ending. A movie can be phenomenal, but if the ending is bad, there's no way I will like it very much.

10/4/10: Dr. Strangelove

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Basic Plot: When a fanatical U.S. general (Sterling Hayden) launches an air strike against the Soviets, they raise the stakes by threatening to unleash a "doomsday device," setting the stage for Armageddon in this classic black comedy that brilliantly skewers the nuclear age. The film's star-studded cast includes George C. Scott, Slim Pickens, James Earl Jones and Peter Sellers (who steals the show and copped an Oscar nod playing three roles).

Rating: 3.5/5

My Thoughts: While, overall, I love the film, in review, it does start off rather slow. The funny, witty comments keep you entertained, but if you don't pick up on quick one-liners, you're out of luck. There isn't much action, aside from the general shooting at Soviets while discussing the "precious fluid." Maybe I have just seen it so many times, but now, the movie just does not do it for me. However, I do and always will love Stanley Kubrick films.

9/27/10: Rear Window

Rear Window

Basic Plot: As his broken leg heals, wheelchair-bound L.B. Jefferies (James Stewart) becomes absorbed with the parade of life outside his window and soon fixates on a mysterious man whose behavior has Jefferies convinced a murder has taken place. Meanwhile, other windows reveal the daily lives of a dancer, a lonely woman, a composer, a dog and more. Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and Wendell Corey co-star in this Alfred Hitchcock-helmed classic.

Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts: This movie was peculiar. I loved twist ending. The acting was superb. There are definitely some similarities between this and Disturbia, though. It's almost the same movie plot. Still, though, I loved it. It starts off a little slow, but even then, the acting and the witty commentary keeps you interested. All in all, one of the best "older" movies I've seen.