Top 20 Directors

Starting tomorrow I will start putting out a list of 5 directors in reverse order each day for the next 4 days of my top 20 directors. 

Wednesday: Directors 20-16

Thursday: Directors 15-11

Friday: Directors 10-6

Saturday: Directors 5-1

Today I will give you a list of some great directors who did not make my list. I hope everybody enjoys the blog, and the Top 20 Directors list. Check back every day to see what directors make the cut!

Who missed the Cut?


Michael Mann: Directed Heat, Public Enemies, Collateral, and Last of the Mohicans
Michael Mann was left off of the list because I don't like Heat or Miami Vice, and I have yet to see Last of the Mohicans. With only Public Enemies and Collateral left to defend him... that just isn't enough.
James Cameron: Directed Avatar, Titanic, and Aliens
Cameron was left off of the list for many reasons:
1. Cameron has been directing since 1978 and has made 2 (Maybe 3 - I haven't seen Aliens) movies I like.
2. Cameron relies on bloated budgets and directs Blockbusters, he hasn't shown me that he can direct movies on limited budgets.
3. Cameron's story telling skills are sub-par. I love Titanic and I respected his work on Avatar though I find the film itself to be overrated, but aren't these films basically the same. New World: Titanic - The ship, Avatar - Pandora, Forbidden Love Interest: Titanic - Rich girl, Avatar - Alien girl, Longing for a New Life: Titanic - America, Avatar - No More Wheelchair, Climax: Titanic - Destruction of the ship, Avatar - Destruction of Pandora... then you just throw in some CGI and call it a day.
4. Cameron has an inflated ego and has become completely disconnected from reality. He decided to re-release Avatar in the theaters about 8 months after the original release (Avatar was still being shown in many theaters at this time). He complained that Alice in Wonderland had stolen 3D theaters from Avatar and many people did not get the chance to see his film. He compared this to the fact that he had not yet seen Inception while it had been in theaters for 2 months, because he had been traveling. I guess he doesn't understand that the economy has been in shambles and the average American doesn't travel for 8 months at a time. The people who wanted to see his movie saw it. In fact, Avatar is the single highest grossing film of all time, and already had been before the re-release.
Ben Affleck: Directed Gone Baby Gone and The Town
Affleck has some time before he can be considered a great director. He has gotten off to a great start, though.
David Lynch: Directed Eraserhead, Elephant Man, Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., Blue Velvet
Lynch is an excellent director responsible for some extremely puzzling films, and one gut wrenching film that had the ability to make me cry (Elephant Man). I need to see a little more diversity from him to add him to the list, though.
Woody Allen: Directed Annie Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
I've only seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona, I really liked it, but I need to see his other films before I add him to the list.

Other notable absences:
-Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator) 

-Milos Forman (Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest)

-Alejandro Inarritu (Babel, 21 Grams)

-Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile)

-Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Assassination of Jesse James...)

-Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Thank You for Smoking)

-Kevin Smith (Dogma, Clerks.)

-Mel Gibson (Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto)

-Robert Rodrigues (El Mariachi, Machete)

-Brad Anderson (The Machinist, Trainssiberian)

-Marc Forster (Stranger Than Fiction, The Kite Runner)

-Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond)

-Gus Van Sant (MILK, Good Will Hunting)

-Ron Howard (American Graffiti, A Beautiful Mind)

-Steven Soderbergh (The Good German, The Informant!)

-George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead, Diary of the Dead)

-Roman Polanski (Chinatown, The Pianist)

-Rob Reiner (The Princess Bride, Misery)

-Wolfgang Petersen (Troy, The Perfect Storm)

-Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes, Snatch.)

-Robert Zemeckis (Cast Away, Forrest Gump)

-Rob Zombie (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects)

The Social Network: Review

The Social Network Trailer

The Social Network is the greatly, and rightfully hyped new film from acclaimed director David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en). My only gripe with this film is that my mind had to sprint to keep up with the dialogue, which isn't a problem for me, because that helps it stay true to the characters... other people may not like that, though. I went in to the theater with very high expectations and this film delivered.

The film is an over-dramatized version of the birth of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland, Adventureland) skillfully plays the role Mark Zuckerberg in his development of the multibillion dollar company, to the point that you believe Eisenberg is Zuckerberg. I had never seen an Eisenberg movie before so I did not know what to expect from him, but I did not leave the theater disappointed. Eisenberg carefully studied Zuckerberg's mannerisms, speech, and dress everyday to prepare for filming. Eisenberg plays the Facebook creator as a sociallt awkward, introverted, genius, who creates Facemash, The Facebook and eventually Facebook as a means of coping with a breakup as well as coping with not being invited in to any of Harvard's prestigious final clubs. The performance is delivered perfectly. I will be looking for more Eisenberg roles in the future.

The dialogue in the film might be a bit much for many Americans. It is very wordy. Keep in mind, the people depicted in the film are Harvard students with Harvard vocabulary. The script was very well written by the talented Aaron Sorkin who is known for writing "The West Wing". The combination of Sorkin and Fincher on the same project was bound to produce a successful film.

This film surprised me a lot regarding its direction. I had read a lot about the stories conflicts, such as Harvard graduates saying everything from Zuckerberg to Harvard parties to important conversations were misrepresented in the film. What I had not read about was the actual plot of the film. The Social Network did a great job of telling the story from multiple perspectives, as in the various court cases, there were multiple perspectives. Because of this, I don't see why people are complaining. A movie is a movie. This movie is based on a true story but never does it claim to be completely factual.

Eisenberg was not the only impressive performer in this film, in fact, the entire cast did a terrific job. Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog) was convincing as the sly, jerk, Sean Parker, who founded Napster. Andrew Garfield (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) did a great job as Zuckerberg's former best friend, Eduardo Saverin. He also did a good job of masking his heavy English accent. Fincher would keep the cast up until midnight to perform the same take upwards of 100 times (Sometimes with the cameras off) in order to "get the acting out of the actors". This definitely paid off as each actor felt like a real life person rather than a replica of a real life person.

 The Social Network is definitely a must see if you belong to Generation Y, have a Facebook, or simply enjoy David Fincher films, or if you enjoy any films for that matter. It is an excellent, original film. Dry humor is sprinkled throughout but if you don't keep up with the dialogue you'll miss it. This film is worth the money, and is my second favorite movie so far in 2010, coming in just behind Christopher Nolan's Inception.

Future Movie Rumors II

The Low Dweller (2011)

Director: Rupert Sanders

Starring: Remo Vinzens

With an unknown director and a fairly unknown one person cast at the moment it is easy to overlook this film. What is interesting about this film is that two big Hollywood names have signed on to produce it: Ridley Scott (Gladiator), and Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator). This film centers around an ex-con who attempts to blend in to his new surroundings in an Indiana town.

Area 51 (2010)

Director: Oren Peli

The mastermind behind Paranormal Activity, Oren Peli, returns with a new feature film in which a group of teenagers stumble upon Area 51. This is certainly an interesting premise, my only question is… How do you “stumble upon” Area 51? I hope that somebody just misunderstood what they had heard and reported the wrong plot line. A movie about Area 51 definitely could have potential.

The Lost City of Z (2012)

Starring: Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds)

This film is a lot of speculation at this point. The Lost City of Z is a town, similar to Atlantis in prestige, which is located at the top of the Amazon basin. The original book, which is based on a true story, was written by David Grann in 2009, it was first published as an article in “The New Yorker” in 2005. The story takes us on a journey with Percy Fawcett (Pitt?). Fawcett is an eccentric British explorer in 1925 who goes into Brazil to look for the lost city. It has been speculated that when Brad Pitt has had that crazy facial hair in the past couple of years it was for the purpose of filming this movie.

Child’s Play (2011)

Director: Don Mancini (Seed of Chucky)

Brad Dourif: Voice of Chucky

Danny Trejo: Paulie

The first of many horror movie remakes that will be mentioned in this blog post… lucky for me, I really don’t have to write anything. We all know the story. Some remakes end up being good, most remakes crash and burn, we’ll see what happens.

The Birds (2011-2013)

Director: Martin Campbell (Casino Royale)

Starring(?): George Clooney (Up In the Air), Naomi Watts (21 Grams)

If you are going to remake a classic like The Birds, the one thing you must not do is butcher it. I think having a proven cast and a proven director is the best way to go about reviving this Hitchcock classic. 

The Creature from the Black Lagoon (2011)

I am truly excited for this remake. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is a great story. I had to watch the original for a class project in 5^th grade where we were to work in groups and perform our view of what happened in an old horror flick. My group performed our version of this story. Watching the original, even at that time, I knew a remake was in the future. The original is a good story, but it isn’t very good. The zipper on creature’s suit is visible, as are the telephone poles and wires from the studio when the story was supposed to be taking place in the jungle. A remake could be the best thing for this classic.

Vivaldi (2011 & 2012)

We have a funny situation here. There are two films being released in back-to-back years featuring the life of Antonio Vivaldi, whose music can be heard (here). This is similar to 2005 & 2006 when we saw the release of Capote and Infamous respectively, two renditions of the same story. One of these films has to be good. Amadeus, the Mozart biopic, is one of my favorite films. Now they just need to do biopics for Bach, Tchaikovsky, and Debussy.

Smurfs (2011)

Voice Actors: Sofia Vergara, Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, Anton Yelchin, Fred Armisen, Alan Cumming, Hank Azaria, B.J. Novak, Paul Reubens, George Lopez, Kenan Thompson, & Tim Gunn

Good idea? Probably not. Smurfs are cool, and a new Smurf movie is a good idea, but in this version the Smurfs are chased out of their world and into ours. The cast seems great, the plot does not.

The Hangover 2 (2011)

Director: Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Due Date)

Starring: They’re all back!

‘The best three friends that anybody could have’ make their return to the big screen next year… this is a highly anticipated movie.

Avatar 2 (2014)

Director: James Cameron

I enjoyed Avatar for the scenery. The film was compelling but the plot was not. It was the same story we’ve heard 100 times retold with really good CGI, and the masses fell for the trick. Cameron returns with a sequel in 2014. I’ve read many articles about his future plans and ideas and I really don’t like the guy. He is smug and disconnected from the reality of the average American. He really bothers me, but I can admit he makes good movies, especially Titanic. This could be another one of his good movies (Maybe he can formulate a decent plot), or it could be another failed sequel.

*More to come later including: Sherlock Holmes Sequel, Alien Prequel, The Raven, Moneyball, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, and much more!*

*For any more information on any of these movies, or any movies in future posts, please ask in the form of a comment, or type the title in to the Google Search Bar I have placed at the top of my blog!*

Future Movie Rumors

These are movies that are expected to be released within the next few years. Some of these movies are strictly rumors while others are in filming, casting, writing, or other planning stages.

Hoover (2012)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Writer: Dustin Lance Black

J. Edgar Hoover: Leonardo DiCaprio

This will be a biopic on the life of the original FBI head, J. Edgar Hoover. Dustin Lance Black is relevant as the writer because he won an Oscar for writing the Best Original Screenplay for MILK in 2008.

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Notable Stars: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), Orlando Bloom (Pirates of the Caribbean), & Milla Jovovich (Dazed and Confused)

Dream House (2011)

Director: Jim Sheridan (Brothers)

Starring: Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Rachel Weisz (The Fountain), Naomi Watts (Funny Games)

This film features a family who moves into what they think is the perfect home only to find out after the fact that a series of brutal murders had taken place at the same location. It is considered a drama rather than a Ammityville Horror / Haunting in Connecticut copycat, so it seems fairly intriguing.

The Tempest (2010)

Director: Julie Taymor (Across the Universe)

Starring: Russel Brand (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond)

After seeing Across the Universe I am definitely a Julie Taymor fan. Her eccentric style was perfect for a Beatles musical and I can't wait to see what she does with this classic Shakespeare play about the magical arts of alchemy.

The Tree of Life (2010)

Director: Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line)

Starring: Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Sean Penn (MILK)

This story centers around a family of three boys in the 1950s. The oldest son witnesses the loss of innocence. This film is expected to get a lot of award hype later in the year.

Silence (2013)

Director: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will be Blood), Benicio Del Toro (The Usual Suspects)

I am very anxious for this film to begin filming so I know that it will happen. It has been back and forth in production stages because of fiscal issues. The film centers around two 17th Century Jesuit priests on a mission in Japan to mentor and teach Christianity. If anybody sees Daniel Day-Lewis walking around in 17th Century Christian priest-hood garb let me know, because he's likely getting ready for the role. This film sounds very promising if it happens.

Sinatra (2011)

Director: Martin Scorsese (The Aviator)

Depending on how long this takes to film, I have a feeling this release date will be pushed back. The film will be a biopic of Frank Sinatra's life. Some people who have been mentioned to possibly star in the film include Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Pacino.

Kill Bill vol. 3 (2014)

Director: Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill vol. 1 & 2)

Starring: Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction)

My favorite director, Quentin Tarantino, has made a lot of promises lately regarding films he would like to do. It would be amazing if he could release all of the movies that he plans on releasing and do so by his set release dates, although also unlikely.

Sin City 2 (2012)

Directors: Frank Miller (Sin City), Robert Rodriguez (Machete)

This film would be the second installment of this directing duo's adaptation of Miller's graphic novel... this time the pairing will set out to film the second book, "A Dame to Kill For".

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

This film hasn't given away a lot overall, but they are beginning to hype it up as it already has a fully interactive website (The Cabin in the Woods). The film will be in 3D and will be a "twisted take on the cabin in the woods formula".

*More to come later including: The Three Stooges, Area 51, The Birds, The Lost City of Z, Child's Play, Vivaldi, and more sequels, prequels, and remakes.*

Upcoming Films:

Hereafter Trailer
Hereafter is the tale of three people - a blue collar American, a French journalist, and a London schoolboy - who are touched by death in different ways. The film is Clint Eastwood's directorial follow up to his Golden Globe nominated 2008 film, Gran Torino. It looks like it will be a fantasy thriller with an overlapping storyline ala Crash, Babel, or 21 Grams.

The Fighter Trailer
The Fighter is the tale of the Irish, Bostonian boxer Mickey Ward. The film stars Mark Wahlberg (Four Brothers, Basketball Diaries) as Mickey and Christian Bale (American Psycho, The Dark Knight) as Mickey's brother, Dickie Eklund. The film also stars Amy Adams (Doubt).

Biutiful Trailer
Biutiful is the upcoming film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 21 Grams, Amores Perros). The film stars Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) as a man in free fall. He is trying to redeem himself for the wrongs of his past but darkness lights his path.

127 Hours Trailer
Danny Boyle makes great movies, this is no secret. With films like Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting, and 28 Days Later under his belt, Boyle sets out to tell the true story of a mountain climber who becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering in Utah in the film 127 Hours. The film's main character Aron Ralston, played by James Franco (Milk, Pineapple Express), must resort to desperate measures in order to survive.

Black Swan Trailer
Words cannot explain how excited I am for Black Swan. I read the screenplay back in March and found it extremely intriguing. Darren Aronofsky's follow up to his Academy Award nominated 2008 film The Wrestler stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Winona Ryder, & Vincent Cassel. It is a psychological thriller that hones in to the rivalry of 1 or 2 or 3 ballet dancers. Aronofsky has directed some of my favorite films including Requiem For a Dream, The Fountain,  and Pi. The score was orchestrated by Clint Mansell who is famous in Hollywood as one of the best score musicians money can buy. The storyline will parallel Swan Lake with fantasy elements. It has received positive attention at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals.

True Grit Trailer
I am very excited for True Grit, the next feature film from the Coen brothers (No Country For Old Men, Fargo, The Big Lebowski). Not a remake, but rather a re-adaptation of the 1969 John Wayne adaptation of the 1968 Charles Portis novel, this film portrays Mattie Ross as a girl who tags along with a tough US Marshal to track down her father's murderer. The film stars Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Jeff Bridges.

The Town: Review

 The Town Trailer

The Town is Ben Affleck's  sophomore directing effort (Gone Baby Gone). It is a heist movie set in the rough streets of "Movie Boston" (I say "Movie Boston" because anybody who lives in Massachusetts knows that the Boston that is portrayed in Hollywood films is nothing like the Boston we know). The Town follows a series of very tough, violent movies that have been set in Boston in recent years including The Departed, The Boondock Saints, Mystic River, & Gone Baby Gone.

The Town stars Affleck (Good Will Hunting) as the unexpected hero, Doug MacRay; Rebecca Hall (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) as the victim/love interest, Claire Keesey; Jon Hamm (Mad Men) as FBI agent Frawley, Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) as James Couglin, and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) as Krista Coughlin.

The Town begins with a harsh bank robbery in which heavily armed men wearing Skeletor masks and hoods hold up a bank that is run by Keesey. The events that happen throughout the film are extraordinary and at sometimes unbelievable, which is why half a star has been deducted. 

The cast as a whole gave an excellent performance, the acting was great and the Boston accents weren't too dreadful. There is a lot of violence, some romance, a lot of language, and very brief nudity. The action throughout the movie is incredible and there is some comic relief that has been weaved into the story that will literally make you laugh out loud.

Ben Affleck is truly on his way to becoming a great director in the modern era. As an actor he has his limits (Although they are not apparent in The Town), but it seems that he has found his niche behind the scenes. He is a storyteller at heart, and a very good one at that. His directing style reminds me of Michael Mann's work which is a good name to be referenced with having only directed two movies so far.

If you go to the theater to see The Town you will not feel guilty about paying roughly $10. It is worthy of your money, there is a lot of entertainment value that it brings to the table, and it may find itself being nominated for a couple of awards this year.

Movies I Own

Movies I Own (301)

Movie                                                              Director                                  Year                Stars

8 Mile                                                              Curtis Hanson                            2002                  3.0

12 Angry Men                                                  Sidney Lumet                            1957                  4.0

21 Grams                                                         Alejandro Inarritu                       2003                3.5

25^th Hour                                                         Spike Lee                                  2002                3.0

28 Days Later…                                               Danny Boyle                              2002                3.0

The 40 Year Old Virgin                                     Judd Apatow                             2005                3.0

(500) Days of Summer                                      Marc Webb                                2009                4.0

2001: A Space Odyssey                                   Stanley Kubrick                         1968                4.0

Across The Universe                                        Julie Taymor                                2007                4.0

Airplane!                                                          Jim Abrahams                             1980                3.0

Alien                                                                Ridley Scott                                1979                3.5 Aliens                                                              James Cameron                           1986                    

Almost Famous                                               Cameron Crowe                      2000                3.5

Alpha Dog                                                      Nick Cassavetes                      2006                3.0

Amadeus                                                         Milos Forman                          1984                4.0

American Beauty                                             Sam Mendes                            1999                4.0

American History X                                        Tony Kaye                               1998                4.0

American Psycho                                            Mary Harron                           2000                3.5

Anchorman                                                     Adam McKay                         2004                3.0

Animal House                                                 John Landis                             1978                3.5

Apocalypto                                                     Mel Gibson                             2006                3.5

As Good As It Gets                                        James L. Brooks                      1997                3.0

The Assassination of Jesse James…               Andrew Dominik                    2007                4.0

Atonement                                                       Joe Wright                               2007                4.0

Austin Powers in Goldmember                       Jay Roach                                2002                3.0

Austin Powers International Man…               Jay Roach                                1997                3.5

Austin Powers the Spy Who Shagged…        Jay Roach                                1999                3.0

Australia                                                          Baz Luhrmann                         2008                3.0

Avatar                                                             James Cameron                       2009                3.5

The Aviator                                                     Martin Scorsese                       2004                4.0

Away We Go                                                  Sam Mendes                           2009                3.0

Babel                                                               Alejandro Inarritu                   2006                3.0

Basic Instinct                                                  Paul Verhoeven                       1992                3.0

The Basketball Diaries                                    Scott Kalvert                           1995                3.0

Batman Begins                                                Christopher Nolan                   2005                3.5

A Beautiful Mind                                              Ron Howard                           2001                3.5

Ben-Hur                                                          William Wyler                        1959                4.0

Big Fish                                                           Tim Burton                              2003                3.5

The Big Lebowski                                           Joel & Ethan Coen                  1998                3.0

The Blair Witch Project                                  Daniel Myrick                         1999                3.5

Blood Diamond                                              Edward Zwick                        2006                4.0

Blow                                                               Ted Demme                            2001                4.0

Boogie Nights                                                 Paul Thomas Anderson           1997                3.0

The Boondock Saints                                      Troy Duffy                              1999                3.0

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day        Troy Duffy                                  2009                2.5

Borat                                                               Larry Charles                          2006                3.5

Boyz N the Hood                                             John Singleton                      1991                4.0

The Breakfast Club                                         John Hughes                           1985                3.0

Brokeback Mountain                                      Ang Lee                                  2005                3.0

Brothers                                                          Jim Sheridan                           2009                3.0

Burn After Reading                                        Joel & Ethan Coen                  2008                3.5

The Butterfly Effect                                       Eric Bress                                2004                3.5

Cape Fear                                                        Martin Scorsese                     1991                3.5

Capote                                                             Bennett Miller                        2005                3.0      

Carrie                                                              Brian De Palma                      1976                3.0

Casablanca                                                     Michael Curtiz                     1942                4.0

Casino                                                             Martin Scorsese                     1995                3.0

Catch Me if You Can                                     Steven Spielberg                     2002                4.0

Children of Men                                             Alfonso Cuaron                      2006                3.5

Chinatown                                                      Roman Polanski                      1974                3.5

A Christmas Story                                          Bob Clark                                1983                4.0

City of God                                                    Fernando Meirelles                  2002                3.5

A Clockwork Orange                                      Stanley Kubrick                     1971                4.0

Clerks.                                                             Kevin Smith                            1994                3.0      

Collateral                                                         Michael Mann                         2004                3.0

The Cove                                                         Louie Psihoyos                        2009                4.0

Crash                                                               Paul Haggis                             2004                4.0

Crazy Heart                                                     Scott Cooper                           2009                3.0

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon                   Ang Lee                                   2000                4.0

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button           David Fincher                            2008                3.0

The Dark Knight                                             Christopher Nolan                   2008                3.0

Deathproof                                                      Quentin Tarantino                   2007                3.0

The Deer Hunter                                             Michael Cimino                       1978                3.0

Deliverance                                                     John Boorman                         1972                3.0

The Departed                                                  Martin Scorsese                    2006                4.0

Desperado                                                       Robert Rodriguez                   1995                3.5

The Devil’s Advocate                                     Taylor Hackford                     1997                3.0

The Devil’s Rejects                                         Rob Zombie                            2005                3.5

Diary of the Dead                                           George A. Romero                  2007                2.5

Dirty Harry                                                     Don Siegel                              1971                4.0

District 9                                                         Neill Blomkamp                      2009                3.0      

Disturbia                                                         D.J. Caruso                             2007                3.0

Donnie Darko                                                 Richard Kelly                        2001                4.0

Do the Right Thing                                         Spike Lee                                1989                4.0

Doubt                                                              John Patrick Shanley            2008                4.0

Dr. Strangelove…                                           Stanley Kubrick                      1964                3.5

Eastern Promises                                             David Cronenberg                  2007                3.0

Easy Rider                                                      Dennis Hopper                        1969                3.5

Edward Scissorhands                                     Tim Burton                              1990                3.0

Elf                                                                   Jon Favreau                             2003                3.0

El Mariachi                                                      Robert Rodriguez                   1992                3.0

The English Patient                                         Anthony Minghella                    1996                3.5

Eyes Wide Shut                                                Stanley Kubrick                    1999                4.0

Fahrenheit 9/11                                               Michael Moore                        2004                3.0

Fargo                                                               Joel & Ethan Coen                  1996                3.5

Fast Times at Ridgemont High                         Amy Heckerling                       1982                3.0

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off                                 John Hughes                              1986                3.5      

Fight Club                                                       David Fincher                       1999                4.0

Finding Nemo                                                 Andrew Stanton                     2003                4.0

A Fistful of Dollars                                         Sergio Leone                            1964                3.0

For a Few Dollars More                                  Sergio Leone                           1965                3.0

Forgetting Sarah Marshall                               Nicholas Stoller                         2008                3.5

Forrest Gump                                                 Robert Zemeckis                     1994                4.0

The Fountain                                                   Darren Aronofsky                     2006                3.5

Frailty                                                              Bill Paxton                              2001                3.0

Frost/Nixon                                                     Ron Howard                           2008                3.5

Full Metal Jacket                                             Stanley Kubrick                      1987                3.5

Funny Farm                                                     George Roy Hill                      1988                3.0

Funny Games                                                  Michael Haneke                      2007                3.0

Funny People                                                  Judd Apatow                          2009                3.5

The Game                                                        David Fincher                         1997                4.0

Gangs of New York                                       Martin Scorsese                       2002                3.5

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo                   Niels Arden Oplev                     2009                3.5

Gladiator                                                         Ridley Scott                            2000                4.0

The Godfather                                                Francis Ford Coppola             1972                4.0

The Godfather: Part II                                    Francis Ford Coppola             1974                3.5      

The Godfather: Part III                                  Francis Ford Coppola             1990                3.0

Gone Baby Gone                                            Ben Affleck                            2007                3.5

Gone With the Wind                                        Victor Fleming                    1939                4.0

The Good the Bad and the Ugly                     Sergio Leone                       1966                4.0

Goodfellas                                                       Martin Scorsese                  1990                4.0

Good Will Hunting                                          Gus Van Sant                      1997                4.0

The Goonies                                                    Richard Donner                      1985                3.0

The Graduate                                                  Mike Nichols                           1967                3.0      

Gran Torino                                                     Clint Eastwood                       2008                3.5

The Green Mile                                               Frank Darabont                       1999                4.0

Halloween                                                       John Carpenter                        1978                4.0

The Hangover                                                 Todd Phillips                           2009                3.5

He Got Game                                                  Spike Lee                                1998                3.0

Hotel Rwanda                                                 Terry George                           2004                3.0

House of 1000 Corpses                                   Rob Zombie                            2003                3.0

The Hurt Locker                                             Kathryn Bigelow                      2009                3.5

I Love You, Man                                            John Hamburg                         2009                3.0

In Bruges                                                         Martin McDonagh                2008                4.0

Inglourious Basterds                                       Quentin Tarantino                 2009                4.0

Inside Man                                                      Spike Lee                                2006                3.0

In The Valley of Elah                                     Paul Haggis                                2007                3.5

Into The Wild                                                   Sean Penn                             2007                4.0

It’s A Wonderful Life                                       Frank Capra                         1946                4.0

Jackass: the Movie                                          Jeff Tremaine                            2002                3.0      

Jackass Number Two                                      Jeff Tremaine                           2006                3.0

The Jacket                                                       John Maybury                         2005                3.0

Jackie Brown                                                  Quentin Tarantino                    1997                3.5

Jaws                                                                Steven Spielberg                     1975                3.5

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back                      Kevin Smith                               2001                2.5

Kids                                                                Larry Clark                              1995                3.5

Kill Bill Vol. 1                                                Quentin Tarantino                       2003                4.0

Kill Bill Vol. 2                                                Quentin Tarantino                       2004                4.0

The Kite Runner                                             Marc Forster                             2007                3.5

A Knight’s Tale                                              Brian Helgeland                         2001                3.5

Knocked Up                                                   Judd Apatow                           2007                3.0

The Last Castle                                               Rod Lurie                                 2001                3.0

The Last House on the Left                            Dennis Iliadis                              2009                2.5

The Last Samurai                                            Edward Zwick                          2003                4.0

Lawrence of Arabia                                        David Lean                               1962                3.0

Let the Right One In                                      Tomas Alfredson                        2008                3.5

Little Miss Sunshine                                       Jonathan Dayton                        2006                3.5

The Lookout                                                   Scott Frank                              2007                3.5

Lost Highway                                                 David Lynch                             1997                3.0

Lost in Translation                                          Sofia Coppola                           2003                3.0

The Machinist                                                 Brad Anderson                         2004                3.0

Magnolia                                                         Paul Thomas Anderson             1999                3.5

Malcolm X                                                      Spike Lee                                1992                3.5

Man on Fire                                                     Tony Scott                              2004                3.0

Memento                                                         Christopher Nolan                   2000                4.0

Menace II Society                                           Albert & Allen Hughes            1993                3.0

Midnight Cowboy                                          John Schlesinger                       1969                3.5

Milk                                                                 Gus Van Sant                         2008                3.5

Minority Report                                              Steven Spielberg                      2002                3.0

Miracle at St. Anna                                         Spike Lee                                2008                3.0

Monty Python and the Holy Grail                  Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones       1975                4.0

Moon                                                               Duncan Jones                         2009                4.0

Munich                                                            Steven Spielberg                     2005                3.0

Mystic River                                                   Clint Eastwood                        2003                3.5

Natural Born Killers                                        Oliver Stone                            1994                3.0

The NeverEnding Story                                  Wolfgang Peterson                   1984                3.0

A Night at the Roxbury                                  John Fortenberry                      1998                2.5

No Country for Old Men                                Joel & Ethan Coen                  2007                4.0

North by Northwest                                        Alfred Hitchcock                    1959                4.0

The Notebook                                                 Nick Cassavetes                      2004                3.0

Notorious                                                        Alfred Hitchcock                    1946                3.5

Notorious                                                        George Tillman Jr.                   2009                3.0

The Number 23                                               Joel Schumacher                     2007                3.0

“O”                                                                  Tim Blake Nelson                   2001                3.0

O Brother, Where Art Thou?                          Joel & Ethan Coen                  2000                3.0

Office Space                                                   Mike Judge                             1999                3.0

Old School                                                      Todd Phillips                           2003                3.0

Once Upon a Time in Mexico                         Robert Rodriguez                    2003                3.0

Once Upon a Time in the West                       Sergio Leone                           1968                     

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest                 Milos Forman                          1975                4.0

The Outsiders                                                  Francis Ford Coppola             1983                3.0

The Painted Veil                                             John Curran                             2006                3.0

Panic Room                                                     David Fincher                         2002                3.0

Pan’s Labyrinth                                               Guillermo del Toro                  2006                3.5

Paradise Now                                                  Hany Abu-Assad                    2005                3.0      

Paranormal Activity                                        Oren Peli                                 2009                3.5

The Passion of the Christ                                Mel Gibson                             2004                4.0

The Perfect Storm                                           Wolfgang Peterson                 2000                3.0

Phone Booth                                                   Joel Schumacher                     2002                3.0      

Pi                                                                     Darren Aronofsky                  1998                3.0

The Pianist                                                      Roman Polanski                      2002                4.0

Planet Terror                                                   Robert Rodriguez                   2007                3.0

Porky’s                                                            Bob Clark                             1982                3.0

Precious                                                           Lee Daniels                            2009                4.0

The Prestige                                                    Christopher Nolan                   2006                3.5

The Princess Bride                                          Rob Reiner                              1987                3.5

The Professional                                              Luc Besson                             1994                4.0

Public Enemies                                                Michael Mann                         2009                3.0

Pulp Fiction                                                    Quentin Tarantino                1994                4.0

Punch-Drunk Love                                         Paul Thomas Anderson            2002                3.0

The Pursuit of Happyness                               Gabriele Muccino                    2006                3.0

Raging Bull                                                     Martin Scorsese                      1980                4.0

The Reader                                                      Stephen Daldry                      2008                3.0

Rear Window                                                  Alfred Hitchcock                  1954                4.0

Rebel Without a Cause                                   Nicholas Ray                          1955                3.5

Requiem for a Dream                                     Darren Aronofsky                 2000                4.0

Reservation Road                                           Terry George                           2007                3.0

Reservoir Dogs                                               Quentin Tarantino                   1992                3.5

Revolutionary Road                                        Sam Mendes                           2008                3.5

The Road                                                        John Hillcoat                           2009               3.5

Road to Perdition                                           Sam Mendes                           2002                3.5

Rocky                                                              John G. Avildsen                    1976                3.0

The Sandlot                                                     David M. Evans                      1993                3.0

The Savages                                                    Tamara Jenkins                        2007                3.0      

Saving Private Ryan                                       Steven Spielberg                      1998                4.0

Saw                                                                 James Wan                              2004                3.5

Saw II                                                             Darren Lynn Bousman            2005                3.0

Saw III                                                            Darren Lynn Bousman            2006                3.0

Saw IV                                                            Darren Lynn Bousman            2007                2.5

Saw V                                                             David Hackl                            2008                2.5

Saw VI                                                            Kevin Greutert                        2009                3.0

Scarface                                                          Brian De Palma                       1983                4.0

Schindler’s List                                             Steven Spielberg                      1993                4.0

Secret Window                                               David Koepp                          2004                3.0

A Serious Man                                                Joel & Ethan Coen                  2009                3.0

Session 9                                                         Brad Anderson                       2001                3.0

Se7en                                                              David Fincher                         1995                4.0

Seven Pounds                                                 Gabriele Muccino                    2008                3.5

Shakespeare in Love                                       John Madden                          1998                3.5

The Shawshank Redemption                         Frank Darabont                      1994                4.0

Sherlock Holmes                                             Guy Ritchie                             2009                3.0

The Shining                                                   Stanley Kubrick                       1980                4.0

Shrink                                                              Jonas Pate                               2009                3.0

Shutter Island                                                 Martin Scorsese                       2010                3.5

The Silence of the Lambs                              Jonathan Demme                    1991                4.0

Sin City                                                         Frank Miller                            2005                4.0

A Single Man                                                  Tom Ford                                2009                3.0

The Sixth Sense                                              M. Night Shyamalan               1999                4.0

Sleepers                                                         Barry Levinson                       1996                3.0

Slumdog Millionaire                                       Danny Boyle                           2008                4.0

Smokin’ Aces                                               Joe Carnahan                           2006                3.0

Snatch.                                                           Guy Ritchie                             2000                3.0      

The Sound of Music                                       Robert Wise                            1965                3.5

Stand By Me                                                  Rob Reiner                              1986                3.0

State of Play                                                    Kevin Macdonald                   2009                3.0

Stay                                                               Marc Forster                            2005                3.0

Stranger than Fiction                                      Marc Forster                            2006                3.5

A Streetcar Named Desire                              Elia Kazan                               1951                3.0

Superbad                                                         Greg Mottola                          2007                4.0

Taxi Driver                                                  Martin Scorsese                       1976                4.0

The Terminal                                                   Steven Spielberg                     2004                3.0

Texas Chainsaw Massacre                              Marcus Nispel                         2003                3.0

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Beginning              Jonathan Liebesman                2006                2.5

Thank You for Smoking                                  Jason Reitman                         2005                2.5

There’s Something About Mary                       Bobby and Peter Farrelly        1998                4.0

There Will be Blood                                     Paul Thomas Anderson           2007                4.0

Titanic                                                             James Cameron                       1997                4.0

Tommy Boy                                                    Peter Segal                              1995                3.0

Toy Story                                                        John Lasseter                          1995                3.5

Toy Story 2                                                     John Lasseter                          1999                3.0

Traffic                                                             Steven Soderbergh                  2000                3.5

Trainspotting                                                   Danny Boyle                           1996                3.0

Transsiberian                                                   Brad Anderson                       2008                3.0

Trick ‘r Treat                                                   Michael Dougherty                 2008                3.0

Troy                                                                 Wolfgang Petersen                  2004                3.0

True Romance                                                 Tony Scott                              1993                3.5

The Truman Show                                           Peter Weir                               1998                3.0

Unforgiven                                                      Clint Eastwood                       1992                4.0

Up                                                                   Pete Docter                             2009                3.0

Up In the Air                                                  Jason Reitman                         2009                3.0

The Usual Suspects                                         Bryan Singer                           1995                4.0

Vacancy                                                          Nimrod Antal                          2007                3.0

Vicky Cristina Barcelona                                Woody Allen                          2008                3.0

Waiting…                                                       Rob McKittrick                       2005                2.5

Walk the Line                                                 James Mangold                       2005                4.0

Wall Street                                                      Oliver Stone                            1987                4.0

War of the Worlds                                          Steven Spielberg                     2005                3.0

Wayne’s World                                               Penelope Spheeris                   1992                2.5

Wedding Crashers                                          David Dobkin                         2005                3.5

We Own the Night                                         James Gray                              2007                3.0

When Harry Met Sally                                    Rob Reiner                              1989                3.0

White Men Can’t Jump                                   Ron Shelton                            1992                3.0

The White Ribbon                                           Michael Haneke                      2009                     

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory            Mel Stuart                               1971                3.0

The Wizard of Oz                                            Victor Fleming                        1939                4.0

Woodstock                                                      Michael Wadleigh                   1970                4.0

The Wrestler                                                    Darren Aronofsky                   2008                3.0

Zodiac                                                             David Fincher                         2007                3.5

Zoolander                                                        Ben Stiller                               2001                3.0

                                                                                                            Italics Denote Perfect Movies

*As I am completely HTML illiterate, I will actually not be editing this every time I purchase a movie. Rather I will keep an updated list on the right column with the last 5 or 10 movies I purchase.*