"anndd....why so serious?"
27. The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
With it's brilliant high concept and barrel scraping scraping budget, Terminator had 'classic B movie' written all over it. It's a fascinating tech noir that dares to comment on societies fear towards the advancement of technology. This was officially the start of Cameron's recurring theme of man and machine. Not that it's commentary gets in the way of the pacing and action. Oh no. It just serves to compliment it. And it gives the feeling that we're spectating a film that's as intelligent as it is action packed.
Speakin' of which, Cameron handles these action set pieces terrifically and revels in the relentlessness of the violence that gave such films as Mad Max and Assault On Precint 13 their cult status.
I love this film because of the sense of urgency in virtually all the scenes. It generates full excitement from the very first frame, and features one of my favourite endings to a film ever. "You're terminated ****er!"
The final sequences are both heart breaking and scary. When my boy Kyle Reese is killed, we fear for Sarah Conner even more than we did in the beginning because up until the latter scene, she had appeared very hesitant, unbelieving and helpless. So when she's left to fend for herself, we really feel for her. The hell she is put through coupled with her inner tenacity is what makes Sarah Conner as big an icon as the T-800 model.
The Sarah Conner character is an early indication that Jimbo Cameron is as much interested in female characters as he is with male macho types. More so in fact. He has done a lot for females in cinema, and has always shown them to be be strong, capable human beings. And since this is the last James Cameron film to appear on my list, I would like to talk about him for a bit.
Just like Kanye West, James Cameron was a college drop out. It wasn't until the tenacious Canadian enrolled at Roger Corman's New World company that he honed his figted technical skills. After graduation, the tough as Irish leather Canadian ended up helming Piranha 2: Flying Killers - a film that won't exactly go down alongside Unforgiven as one of the greatest films of all time.
When Cameron pitched The Terminator to studio bosses, he realised he was a mother ****er trying to ice skate up hill . The 80s studio bosses were hardly the most compromising bunch, so he got original choice, Lance Henriksen, to play the indestructible cybernetic organism in a meeting with said bosses. Needless to say, they were all convinced that this near perfect premise could be realised. And realised it was.
And what of The Governator? Well, this is arguably Arnie's strongest performance in a motion picture. Cameron smartly uses his lack of acting experience to deliver a performance devoid of emotion. Arnie's powerful looking jawline suggests a cold, abstract and steely internal existence. And it is. James Cameron's greatest film ever.
26. LA Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997)
A critically acclaimed film that more than lives up to it's merits, LA Confidential 's reputation has grown to the point where it is now considered one of the most vital films of the 90's. In that sense, it's journey to worldwide mass acclaim parallels Frank Darabont's Shawshank Redemption growing respect. Both were box office failures and both had to wait until they debuted on the VHS format to find their true audience.
Kudos then to Mr. Hanson (mmmbop) for delivering a masterful work of art despite James ****in' Ellroy's complex novel. It's a powerhouse achievement in cinema, and until 2000, was the best neo-noir in years.
In my opinion, and i'm fully prepared for the flaming, it's a LOT better than Chinatown as a 50's set noir mystery thriller. I know that Chinatown is beloved 99.9% of MoFo, but I feel that it lacks the emotional punch it seemingly set out to have. The reveal lacks weight and I honestly don't like the photography. At all. However, Hanson's crime art is full of some surprisingly emotional scenes and encompasses everything sleazy about the crime world: Gangland violence, authroitarian brutality, and institutionalised racism. It's the ugly side of life and it's delivered in narrative that's as slick 'n' stylish as anything Scorsese or DePalma has ever done.
Adding to the brilliant screenplay, the protagonists are all very distinctive in their personalities. Kevin Spacey's cynical show-off Jack Vincennes; Guy Pearce's (stand out) uber straight and snitchy Ed Exley' And of course, Russell Crowe's brawny, tough and anti-domestic violent Bud White. Hanson does an extroadanairy job in contrasting these lawmen's approaches to police procedure, justice and the opposite sex. It's not until the film's reveal that the character's have a moment of introspection and take a stand against the corruption that they've ignored around them.
Pearce's performance towards the end is quite astonishing and one can tell from this performance why Christopher Nolan picked him to star in Memento. His performance is nothing short of subtle, shocking, compelling and immensely assured. But then, those are the exact words that encapsulate what Confidential is all about.
Like the tagline explicitly states, this is a world where nothing is what it seems. Just when you think that Bud White is the defender of all woman, WHAM, he goes and commits the opposite of his noble beliefs. Just when you think that Ed Exley is a snivelling weasal, he displays an uncharacteristic capacity for violence. It's these character swerves that really define Confidential for me. It's what makes it one of the most exciting noirs in cinema history. It's one of the few thrillers that never undermine the value of human cost, and is brutally honest about police corruption.
Speaking of which, the central mystery is, in classic noir fashion, an obstacle of intentionally misleading ruses. One that always keeps the audience guessing. However, the plot never feels contrived and the characterisation is never tuucked away in favour of violence. And that's another reason why this film is number 26, theres no excess in any filmmaking aspect. It's all in proportion, like a gymnastics olympian. Everything just flows, and maybe this should be even higher.
25. A Room For Romeo Brass (Shane Meadows, 1999)
And here we are with the first Shane Meadows film to appear on my list - and at a VERY high ranking too. Just so you all know, this is not a mistake because this film is so risky, so complex that i'm surprised Meadows got the financing for it. It's probably not very popular amongst those outside of Britain so here is a quick synopsis:
Two school buddies, Romeo and Gain, are befriended by a weird yet endearingly funny individual called Morell (an OUTSTANDING Paddy Considine) after he saves them from a battering from a gang of school bullies. But it soon emerges that nothing is what it seems..
The first thing you'll notice about Romeo Brass is it's authentic depiction of British working class life and the unpretentiousness of it's narrative. It's got no allegories and pertains to a naturalistic, textbook camera style. In that sense, it is reminiscent of a Mike Leigh picture only without the boring and mundane dire-logue. This is another reason why this excellent film stands so high; the dialogue is (most of which is improvised) is sharp, witty banter that doesn't go out of it's way to sound like sharp and witty banter, unlike Diablo Cody's Juno screenplay. It feels real and flows perfectly,
But the best thing about this awesome coming-of-age drama is it's radical shift in tone. If you thought that Robert Rodriguez' From Dusk Till Dawn was the best exercise in sudden shifts of tone in the same film, then prepare to be amazed with Romeo Brass. I will not reveal too muchin the hope that you all purchase this little seen gem, but I will say that when you do finally watch it, make sure you enjoy as much of the film's beginning as possible. Enjoy Meadows' light hearted study of adolescent friendship while you can, because it does turn into a shocking drama. But yeah, I won't say anymore on the narrative and stop right here.
Actually, I won't stop there. Don't worry I won't spoil the story, but I really want to take a chance to mention Paddy Considine's performance.
His performance is too good for words. It's so hard to believe that this was his first ever role in a feature film because he seems to completely lose himself in the Morell character. He is at all times eccentric, beguiling, sad, halirious, scary and unhinged.
In fact, I kind of see similarities between Morell and Heath Ledger's The Joker. Just the way that they both use theatricality to express themselves.I mean, both have this ****ed-up indescribable accent and both literally come out of nowhere in their respective narratives. Like The Joker, Morell is presented as absolute and you're never quite sure if the things he says are true. All in all, it's an iconic performance from Considine and I wouldn't be surprised if Heath saw this film and got a little bit of inspiration from the Morell character..
24. Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996)
It wasn't until around 2004 wheen I first watched Danny Boyle's revolutionary British film. I was doing a module where Trainspotting was a featured topic, so I went and watched it on DVD and was immediately entranced by Boyle's visionary direction and flair for creating exciting, colourful characters.
From it's inspired opening sequence, Trainspotting lets you know what you're in for and never lets up with it's impeccable pacing and stylish and disturbing imagery.
A lot of detractors of this film have critised it for 'glorifying drugs'. I don't think it does. If Trainspotting glorifies anything it's youthfulness. It can be argued that it glorifies the freedoms that we have while we're young and basically takes a distorted look into youth's answers to problem solving. It's funny because I have found that depending on if you watch it with friends or not, Trainspotting commands a very different response. When I watched it by myself, I found most of it really disturbing and tragic, whereas when I watched it with some mates, it was the most halirious thing I ever watched! I'm not sure why that is
I would like to think that Boyle intended me to react the way I did the first time round, which would eradicate any notion that Trainspotting glorifies drugs and druggies. That is not to say that the Trainspotting experience is purely a lecture about the pitfulls of heroin - no way. It's more of an examination of the realities of inner city life, yet it's done in such an entertaining manner that you really would have to sit down properly to fully understand the themes. It's got a crime caper thing going on to ensure maximum entertainment, but it never loses sight of what it's doing.
Along with the iconic portrayal of Rention by the ever likeable Ewan McGregor, Trainspotting features some flamboyant characters that are unrivalled when it comes to character quirks. Guys called Spud, Sick Boy, Begbie?!
All are fellow heroin users and all loveable rogues. 'Specially Robert Carlyle's Begbie, a psychotic moustache twirling madman with a talent for pool sticks.
Yeah, but as I said earlier, this is iconic British cinema and celebrates youthfullness by amplifying the profanity, catastrophic seual encounters and random bursts of violence. Do yourself a favour - choose life, choose TRAINSPOTTING.
