Spartacus (1960)

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My tastes include both oysters and snail.
So basically: Spartacus is a rebellious slave in Libya who gets bought by an Italian Gladiatorial ring owner. He is brought to Italy and trained as a Gladiator. When Crassus and co. come for a visit, they insist on the Gladiators fighting to the death. Spartacus is matched with an Ethiopian fighter and loses, but the Ethiopian refuses to kill Spartacus and tries to escape, leading to his own death. Crassus then purchases the slave-girl that Spartacus is in love with; thinking that she is gone, Spartacus goes on a murder rampage and escapes. He then gathers up an army of slaves and marches on to Rome!

I'm an oyster girl myself. The first Kubrick film on the list, yey! Pity it's not very good. At least, in my opinion. For one thing, it's wayyyy too long; and I know Kubrick is known for his long films, but this one seems like it drags on. I didn't like it at all the first time I watched it, but this time I tried to watch it with unbiased eyes. I was interested until they lost and the famous 'I am Spartacus' scene. After that, it seems a tad unnecessary. Although, I did like the ending, because he died instead of winning his revolt.

Does this deserve the "prestige?" I love Stanley Kubrick films to death, but frankly this isn't one of his masterpieces. And I kno it's all famous and everything and considered a classic, but I can't say that it's one of the best 250 movies of all time (waits for backlash)

Ziggi seal of disapproval!

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

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What a dump!
So basically: Martha and George have a couple over after a party one night. They begin to drink and tell stories, playing games that blend the line between truth and lies, reality and fantasy.

I didn't think I'd enjoy this movie from the blurb that IMDb had about it. So when I went in, I wasn't expecting anything amazing. How wrong I was! I was instantly hooked to their dialogue, trying to anticipate what would happen next. The four characters, the older couple Martha and George, and the younger couple, Honey and Nick, play beautifully off each other. I'm not exactly sure what were lies and what was reality, but I don't think that's the point. I've read that some people think the younger couple didn't exist, that they are just another game between George and Martha. After the second watching, it does seem plausible, but I'm still not sure whether or not I want to believe it. It's definitely something to keep in mind while on the second - or third - viewing.

This movie defs deserves to be on the list. Not everyone will like it, I don't think, but it's one of those movies, y'know?

Ziggi seal of approval!

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

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Mike Wazowski!!
So basically: On the other side of your closet is a world full of monsters. Their world is powered by children's screams gathered up by Monsters, Inc. Monsters Inc. is a large factory where "scarers" scare the children and their screams are collected in yellow containers to use as energy. One such scarer is James P "Sulley" Sullivan, a large blue and purple monster. One night, as he's running an errand for a friend, he notices that a door was left behind on the work-floor. He enters, looking for a late scarer inside, and comes across a little girl instead. Children are poisonous to all monsters - at least, that's what they've been told. Sulley tries to put her back, but Randall (his rival) shows up before he manages and puts the door away. Now Sulley and Mike must get the little girl safely home with the CDA - Child Detection Agency - running around the whole factory looking for her. Everything seems hopeless when Randall comes up with a plan - an untrustworthy plan - and Sulley and Mike must figure out how to save the day before it's too late.

I love this movie. The voice acting is awesome - there's Mr Potato Head! (The Snowman, if you didn't get that). And Yoda! Yoda!! Who wouldn't want to watch a movie with Yoda in it? (He's the red monster helping Randall, sadly). Just rewatching it now and thinking what I'm going to write, I noticed that it parallels our own world: we have almost used up all of our energy resources and must now look for something better, much like in the monster world, as children are harder to scare. That was weird. Go kids movies! Anyway, watch this movie. It's filled with laughs and cuteness and people from any age can enjoy it!

Does it deserve the "prestige?" Yes. It combines lovable characters, a creative plot, a dash of commentary for the adults, and the fear of closets all into one movie. It's a movie that anyone, and everyone, can watch and love.

Ziggi seal of approval!

Shaun of the Dead (2004)

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Captain Wow!
So basically: Shaun, played flawlessly by Simon Pegg, is a "dead"-beat living with his best friend, Ed. He also has a girlfriend, Liz, who he has yet to introduce to his mother. When his girlfriend finally gets fed up and dumps him, Shaun must try and win her back by getting his life sorted out. However, things get turned upside-down when he wakes up the next morning to find the whole town has been turned into real zombies. Shaun and Ed must now go rescue Shaun's mother from his step-dad, who has been bitten by a zombie, and find out if his ex-girlfriend is alright. They gather up not only those two, but Liz's two best friends - who are not so thrilled with the idea of following Shaun. Their destination? The Winchester pub.

I love this movie! It's absolutely hilarious and anyone who says differently is off their rocker. It's a beautiful tale of bromance as Shaun continues to play Playstation with his zombified best friend. I totes have a boy-crush on Simon Pegg - he's especially sexy with a dart in his head.

Well, duh this should be on the list. Who wouldn't want to watch a rom-com with the added bonus of zombies?! Please.

Ziggi seal of approval!

Ikiru (1952)

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Let's not talk about this movie.
So basically: There's this guy, Kanji, and he's just been going through life all empty and with no ambition or anything to show for anything. Then, he goes to see the doctor and finds out he's dying from stomach cancer. This starts off a chain of events where Kanji is searching for a meaning to his life, a purpose. It's a classic tale of Carpe Diem. He spends a night with an author out in the city and then meets up with a coworker the next day. These two hit it off, but he doesn't want to get involved because of his illness. Eventually he sees that in order to have meaning in his life he must get a park built. This is the same park the government, who he works for, is trying to prevent from being built. Before he makes much progress and with forty-odd minutes left of the film, Kanji passes away. The rest of the film takes place at his funeral with his colleges talking about him and how he had changed the last few months of his life. The movie ends with his colleagues completing his legacy and building the park.

This was painful to watch. First off, it was incredibly difficult to get my hands on a copy and when I finally did, the audio and the subs were both WAY off! This might put me at a bit of a bias, but it should be countered by my love of other Kurosawa films. This one, however, fell short of expectations. The plot itself didn't interest me, but I thought since it was a Kurosawa film, it HAS to be good. I was wrong. It wasn't that great. It might, in part, have to do with the times I live in. Maybe back in the fifties the plot of someone walking through life as a zombie until an incident happens where the main character tries to find meaning or change his ways was something of a new thing, but now it's a predictable plot. Personally I didn't find it that interesting.

This film fails to live up to the reputation Kurosawa has earned and does not deserve to have the "prestige" of a top movie.

Ziggi seal of disapproval!

Tonari no Totoro (1988)

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If Raichu and Snorlax had a baby ...
So basically: These two girls move into an old house in the country with their father while their mother is suffering from an unknown illness in the hospital. The older girl, Satsuki, goes to school while the younger one, Mei, stays home with her father. One afternoon, Mei is playing outside and comes across a little Totoro. She follows this little creature into the forest and to a big tree, where King Totoro is sleeping. Mei climbs on top of him and falls asleep on his stomach. Satsuki comes home from school and notices her sister is missing. Her and her father finally find Mei sleeping alone in the forest and insisting that she saw a Totoro. The movie progresses as Satsuki and Mei are waiting at the bus stop to give their father an umbrella after work and King Totoro comes and waits with them, making his first appearance in front of Satsuki. The Cat-Bus comes along and picks up King Totoro before their father arrives and they go home. One afternoon, they get word to contact the hospital and both girls are worried, but their mother is fine. Little to Mei's knowledge, however, because she has run off to deliver corn to her mother. The whole neighborhood is out looking for Mei and Satsuki enlists the help of King Totoro to find her. Satsuki climbs aboard the Cat-Bus who takes her to her little sister and then to the hospital to check on their mother. Neither of them are sure if their adventure with the Totoros is a dream or reality - as adults cannot see the magical creatures. Mei insists that is real, while Satsuki (the older of the two sisters) is doubtful.

Cutest movie EVAR! that is all

P.S. King Totoro is NOT a death god. Geez. Freaks.

This movie totally deserves the "prestige" of the top 250 movies. Studio Ghibli is amazing and they produce stunning films. Check them out, you won't be disappointed. Pretty much all of them deserve to be on the list (I can't say all of them as I haven't seen them all, but all the ones I've seen do) and defs much higher than in the bottom ten!

Ziggi seal of approval!

Glory (1989)

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Lord! Lord! Lord!
So basically: The movie chronicles the life of Robert Gould Shaw as he led the 54th Mass Regiment from Massachusetts to Ft Wagner during the Civil War. The 54h Mass Regiment was the first - or most famous, not sure which - black regiment in U.S. history. We are introduced to a handful of Privates who are eager to fight for their freedom. However, the higher-ups in the Union army are not willing to just let this happen. Col. Shaw must fight for his Regiment's right to fight for themselves along with the essentials of every military man - including fare wages (as they have cut the 54th's wage from 13 dollars a month to 10). In a stunning portrayal of bravery, Shaw grants his Regiment the "glory" of leading the attack on Ft Wagner in the climax of the film where we are shown just how brave these men really are as they fight till their last breath.

I'm a Civil War junkie AND war movie buff, so I was really looking forward to watching this movie, but I have to admit, I didn't like this film the first time I saw it. I thought it was too clean. To be fair, I'm used to Vietnam war films which are really gritty. One of my history teachers was praising this movie and saying how good it was, so I wanted to watch it a second time, to see if I could understand the hype. It was better the second time. But the title explains why I don't like the film as much as I should; Glory, specifically glory in war. War is dirty and terrible, there is nothing glorifying about it. The illusion of glory in war is never broken in this film as the men of the 54th Mass Regiment fight for honour and glory. The rest of the film, besides the climax, is brilliantly shot, but the climatic battle fails to impress me.

Despite all I've said, it does deserve the "prestige." It is a very good film other than the last battle as Shaw struggles to gain equality for his equally able Regiment.

Ziggi seal of approval!

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

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My she was yar!
So basically: Katharine Hepburn is stunning in her performance of Philadelphia socialite Tracy S Lord. Two years divorced from her alcoholic husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (played brilliantly by Cary Grant), she is getting remarried to man from a lower social standing then herself, but with a gaining reputation and fame. Dexter enters the picture a day before the wedding with a columnist and photographer from the local tabloid magazine to stir things up for Red - as he likes to call her. With the added stress, Tracy must prepare for her wedding and deal with her cheating father, a more-than-necessarily truthful ex-husband, and a new found fondness for champagne. The men in her life help her to realize her faults as a "goddess" type woman, something she struggles to overcome with the help of a struggling writer and columnist Macaulay Conner - Jimmy Stewart's only Oscar winning character. Every one of the characters grows into a version better than themselves as the day (and night!) progresses to the wedding.

Oh! I love this picture. Another brilliant movie for Cary Grant. Also, my first one with him and with the extra bonus of Jimmy Stewart - who I had never heard of before watching this (I've since corrected myself). And with Katharine Hepburn playing the lead female, who wouldn't want to watch this? Can I also mention the outrageously hilarious character of Dinah who takes a backseat to the development of the characters but always jumps in for a little comedy? This film was adapted from a stage play, which is pretty noticeable from the way the characters interact with each other and the way they come in and out of scenes very rapidly. It makes the movie flow very nicely and adds an air of hecticness to it. Some might think that Tracy should have ended up with Macaulay, but I don't think so. Of course, their chemistry was undeniable, but they both ended up with the right people for them; the people that they could continue to grow with. Besides, their love was only an illusion caused by the champagne, and they quickly realized that once the night was over with.

This movie deserves to be on the list, and if anything, it deserves to be higher. It was at one point, but alas, the list must continue to grow with the times. The reason it deserves a higher place is the excellent casting and the way the characters interact with each other using such brilliant dialogue. It's really what the story is about.

Ziggi seal of approval!

Rain Man (1988)

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Tom Cruise is a wiener.
So basically: this douche-bot of an L.A. car dealer, played by Tom Cruise - who else - gets a call that his estranged father has passed. Him and his girlfriend travel to Cincinnati to attend the funeral and sort out the will. Charlie Babbit (Tom Cruise) is told that all he gets is the car that caused their fall-out and some prize rose bushes, while a trustee receives the 3 million dollar estate and assets. Charlie goes to investigate who this trustee is and discovers that he has an autistic brother, a brother that no one bothered to tell him about. In order to get "his" half the money (he thinks he's entitled to it), he kidnaps his brother from the home he is in. Because Raymond refuses to fly and Charlie needs to get back to his failing business in L.A. they take road trip across the country. At first, Charlie is only using his brother to obtain his part of the inheritance, but along the way he learns to love and accept his brother.

It looks like the 80's threw up this film. Seriously. The 80's are brilliant, tho; filled with terrible hair and outrageous outfits. What could be better? Not Tom Cruise. Not Charlie Babbit. The way he treats Susanna is disgusting. And she goes back to him! What the hell is wrong with her?? And Charlie Babbit? I mean, I get that they wanted to make him as douchey as possible in the beginning and then make him learn to love his brother and forget about the money in the end, but it's not that believable in the time frame. Road trips are a magical thing, but it was only SIX DAYS! and he was a total douche! He can't have changed that much. Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of Raymond Babbit was charming and beautifully acted. Thank god for him or this picture would not be worth watching.

This was probably a breakthrough when it came out, and I get that it's a classic, but I do not think it deserves to be on the list (at least, the prestige the list seems to carry, which I don't believe it should have, either. It's just a list!). It wasn't that great and I had little emotion towards this picture, which I felt I should have had.

Ziggi seal of disapproval!

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

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CHARGE!
So basically: Cary Grant plays famous bachelor Mortimer Brewster who contradicts himself and gets married! He returns to his old home, the home of his two aunts and one of his brothers. This is the start of an epically hilarious ride into one of Brooklyn's finest homes. Mortimer finds a dead body in the window seat. Turns out his aunts have taken it upon themselves as one of their charities to dispose of lost and lonely older gentlemen and give them a proper Christian burial. Well, Mortimer is certainly not going to stand for that. To make matters worse, Mortimer's brother, Johnathan, comes back home looking like none other than Boris Karloff. With him is an impostor German plastic surgeon who changes Jonathan's face to hide from the police - as killing people runs in the family. Throw in a couple of cops, a sanatorium, and you've got yourself a fine piece of a picture. The funniest part? The most sane of the characters is Mortimer's brother, Teddy, who thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and the stairs are San Juan Hill!

This is defs one of my favourite films. Cary Grant is - of course - my favourite actor and he does not disappoint as Mortimer Brewster. This film is full of hilarity and dramatic irony - fav thing evs, btdubs. I recommend this to everyone. Even if you don't like black and white movies, you'll soon forget that it doesn't have any colour. Down points? really? nah.

If you haven't guessed my opinion on whether or not it deserves the "prestige" title of being a top 250 movie: the answer is defs yes! Frank Capra delivers yet another brilliant picture.

Ziggi seal of approval!