Restrepo

A feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soliders in Afghanisatn'ss Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, Restrepo, named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the US military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the valley: there are no interviews with the generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you. This movie puts you in the middle of it all. I give this a 10, it makes you think "What the Hell was that". A  must see for everybody. My Movie of the Year.

Big (1988) DVD 2001

One of the films that propelled Tom Hanks to superstar status, Big is also one of the funniest and most family-friendly films ever to hit the big screen. Harboring its own unique charm, the movie wraps a compelling storyline around a cast of likeable characters to create a film audiences will never forget. And, to top it off, Director Penny Marshall became the first woman to direct a film grossing over one-hundred million dollars whenBig was first released in 1988 (that’s an actual Trivial Pursuit question I ran across that might come in handy someday).

When a young suburban boy named Josh (David Moscow) attends a local carnival with his family, his young life is turned upside down when the girl he has a crush on is allowed on a rollercoaster while he learns that he is still too young. Distraught, the boy makes a wish on an antique arcade machine. He wishes to be big, and the machine spits out its answer on a small piece of cardboard, “Wish granted.” Josh thinks nothing of the reply until he wakes up the next morning as an adult version of himself (Tom Hanks).

Run out of the house by his own mother, Josh turns to his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton) for help. But after convincing his friend, who’s only ten-years-old himself, Billy can’t provide much help except a small bit of cash and advice on getting a job. When Josh rents an apartment in New York City, Billy comes to visit him periodically. While playing guns in the toy store FAO Schwartz, the two run into MacMillan (Robert Loggia) founder of a toy manufacturer. MacMillan hits it off with Josh (the two step dance a Chopin tune on a giant foot-operated piano in an extremely memorable and famous scene), and the toy titan immediately hires Josh to work for his company in the area of toy-related research.

Climbing the corporate totem pole at MacMillan due to his vast insight into the toy preferences of kids, Josh befriends Susan (Elizabeth Perkins), a top-level executive hoping to learn what makes Josh such a master of the boardroom. But Susan’s pursuit of Josh is not looked upon favorably by her colleague Paul (John Heard) who’s spent his entire career kissing up to MacMillan only to have the inexperienced Josh appear out of nowhere and become the boss’s favorite. This conflict, coupled with the breakdown of Josh and Billy’s relationship, causes the adult kid to wish he could be his young self once again.

One of the best scenes in the film is when Susan reveals to Josh that she can’t believe she’s considering sleeping over at his place. Josh replies by saying he does it all the time and gives her the option of the top or the bottom bunk! Hanks really comes off as a kid trapped in an adult’s body, and that’s why Big works so well. So well, in fact, that it became an instant comedy classic.

Prior to Sleepless In Seattle, Forrest Gump, and Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks took Hollywood by storm with his charming performance in this larger than life movie. Big is a feel-good comedy without any foul language, gratuitous violence, or endless explosions. It simply retells the timeless tale of a young boy who wishes to be big and doing grown up things, only in this instance, the kid gets his wish. As one of the biggest blockbusters of the 1980s, Big is a classic of its era. Don’t hesitate to see it.

Leap of Faith 1992, 2003 DVD

Steve Martin has one of his best roles in Leap Of Faith as Jonas Nightengale, a high-tech faith healer and revival preacher who takes pride in the money he squeezes out of people, convincing himself that he can't deliver hope, but "I give my people a good show." As the film begins, Nightengale's truck caravan breaks down and his troupe finds itself stranded in the backwater town of Rustwater, Kansas. Nightengale figures that as long as he's there, he might as well set up the rubes and put on a performance. With the aid of his assistant Jane (Debra Winger) (who talks to Nightengale through an earpiece, informing him of the physical problems of certain members of his audience), Nightengale puts on a glorious show and rakes in the money. But the local sheriff Will (Liam Neeson) wants to shut down the show because times are bad in Rustwater and he doesn't think folks should waste their money on a charlatan. Nightengale sends Jane to seduce Will, but the sheriff succeeds in getting Jane to fall in love with him. Nightengale also meets someone, Marva (Lolita Davidovich), a local waitress with a crippled brother. The boy thinks Nightengale can heal him. Nightengale tries to make the child understand that he can't help him, but it turns out that Nightengale knows very little about his own faith powers.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Would we still be celebrating Steven Spielberg and George Lucas' breathtaking tribute to the cliffhanging serials of the 30s had first choice Tom Selleck nabbed the role of Indiana Jones? Probably not.The stunts are incredible and the effects astonishing, but it's Harrison Ford's effortlessly charming performance as the original tomb raider that makes his globetrotting quest for the Ark of the Covenant so appealing.

After an action-packed prelude in an Incan temple that introduces all the key ingredients (booby-trapped tombs, hair's breadth escapes, nasty creepy crawlies), the race to find the Ark before the Nazis do begins in earnest. Cue fiery bar brawls in Nepal, truck chases in the desert, and a terrifying descent into an underground vault that forces Indy to face his worst fears. ("Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?")

Few heroes have proved as enduring as Ford's whip-wielding, fedora-wearing adventurer, and a whole generation grew up thinking Karen Allen really was the sexiest thing on legs.

Throw in Paul Freeman's suavely persuasive villain Rene Belloq, a masterly John Williams score, and one of the best throwaway gags ever caught on celluloid - Jones dispatching a sword-waving thug with a single derisory bullet - and you have a timeless classic that will go on captivating youngsters long after Indy's priceless artefacts have crumbled into dust.

By the way, Indiana's surname was originally not Jones but Smith. One can only assume that Spielberg and co. were having an off-day when they decided to change it.

Day One

I have counted over 500 movies I have watched in the last 8 years and probably another 500 in the previous 10 years, with a total of 1500 movies in the last 33 years on tape and dvd's. I am going to start with the most recent viewings by commenting and throwing in my 2 cents. Agree or disagree, this is the place to let your thoughts be viewed in a community of film buffs like myself. So join in as I begin my journey back in time and forward as they come to have discussion on films of yesterday and tomorrow. I hope you enjoy reading or discussing films of the ages, of every type.