Films That I Liked, Part II

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly (1966) Possibly the greatest western (and movie) EVER MADE! This is the third film in The Man With No Name Trilogy and is the most ambitious of the three. Its hard to do justice to this film in a few sentence, therefore I will have to write a review of the film some time in the future. Either way it is a must see.

M(1931) Fritz Lang's masterpiece about a child murderer (Peter Lorre) that is not only being pursued by the police, but organized criminals as well. What is surprising is how the killer isn't treated as villain, rather as a flawed human being. Lorre is memorable, especially in the final sequence that takes place in a kangaroo court.

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) This films main contribution to film history is that it was basically ripped off by the Japanese as Godzilla, King of the Monsters. Its by no means great, but the special effects by Ray Harryhausen still hold up, especially the scene in which The Beast terrorizes New York City.

The Seven Samurai (1954) The cinematography is breath taking, the fight scenes exciting, it is with out a doubt Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece. Despite a three and a half hour running time, the film always maintains one's interest.

Better Off Dead (1985) Dave Faber referenced this film in his review for Must Love Dogs, but he didn't do it any justice. What makes Better Off Dead such a good film is its inventive gags (a psychotic paper boys wanting "two dollar.") and over the top sense of humor (A claymation sequence that involves a hamburger playing electric guitar). The film rings out many laughs before settling down to a (kind of) conventional ending.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) positively with out a doubt the best screen version of Robin Hood. I can't find a single flaw in the movie, except maybe Will Scarlet's stupid facial gesture when he starts playing his instrument. Other than that, everything about this film is wonderful. Not to mention Basil Rathbone kicks ass as Sir Guy of Gisbourne.

The Scarlet Claw (1944) Speaking of Basil Rathbone, he was not only a great villain, but the screens best Sherlock Holmes. The Scarlet Claw is arguably the best film in the Sherlock Holmes series. Holmes goes to Canada to investigate murders that seem to be the work of a ghost. Watching Rathbone is always a pleasure, but this entry also features top notch work from the supporting cast, good special effects, and a wonderfully eerie atmosphere.

About A Boy (2002) The odd thing concerning About A Boy is that it's usually the type of film I hate with a passion. After all, there have been many life affirming films made in which a complete loser turns his life around thanks the presence of a lovable child. What makes About A Boy enjoyable is that the child in question is hardly an innocent and the film is quite funny, despite sentimental moments that threaten to get in the way.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) I include this film in my list because I didn't like the first two Harry Potter films, yet I found this one completely entertaining. Maybe its because this one had a darker side to it; maybe Gary Oldman rules despite his limited screen time, or possibly it could be that it's the shortest of the three. I don't know, but for some unknown reason I liked it so much that I bought it on DVD (it was on sale).

Ed Wood (1994) This was made back in the days before Tim Burton turned into a complete hack. Ed Wood is affectionate look at the worst director of all time with out so much a hint of condescension on Burton's part. Johnny Depp is likeable as the oddball director and Landau deservedly won an Oscar for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi. It's amazing how a transvestite who made bad movies became the subject for a good movie.