The Human IMDB

When people look back to the golden years of movies, the 1970's, certain directors will pop up instantly.  Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Steven Speilberg to name a few.  But one director who never has received nearly as much credit as those guys is Sidney Lumet.  Lumet just passed away recently, and I was reminded of the awesome movies he made in the 70's particularly with Al Pacino.  He also directed 12 Angry Men, one of the few movies that takes place in practically one location and still blows you away.   Here are his other classics-

Serpico-In between The Godfather 1 and 2, Al Pacino played Frank Serpico in a classic true story about police corruption.  Serpico doesn't stand the test of time like his other movies, but the combination of Lumet and Pacino is enough to make it watchable.

Dog Day Afternoon-"ATTICA! ATTICA!" Forget The Godfather trilogy, forget Scarface, forget every other role Pacino has ever had, he is easily the best he's ever been in Dog Day Afternoon.  Him and John Cazale (Fredo Corleone in The Godfather), rob a bank in order to get money for Pacino's sex operation.  It's a bizarre, true story, and it's another movie where Pacino's acting, and Lumet's intense direction fuel a movie that otherwise would've been average in less capable hands.  Great, great movie.

Network-"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore"-The line spoken by Peter Finch, during the scene that probably won ihm the Oscar, is one of the most memorable lines in movie history.  It's also another great Lumet film, that relies on great acting and writing.  It's a great behind the scenes look at television, and has other great actors like Robert Duvall, and Faye Dunaway.

Sidney Lumet deserves legendary status, and the fact that he never won an Oscar is just another blow to that pompous, ass-kissing ceremony's credibility.  I'm gonna go watch Dog Day Afternoon, R.I.P Sidney Lumet.

Recently, I was talking with a friend about Leaving Las Vegas with Nicholas Cage.  Cage plays an alcoholic to ends all alcoholics.  He plans to literally drink himself to death.  It is a horribly depressing, disturbing movie, but Nicholas Cage is so great in it that it's shocking.  One of the most realistic portrayals of alcoholism i've ever seen.  I cant say ive always been a big fan of the guy.  For every great role he has(Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation), he follows it up with crap, (The Wicker Man, Season of the Witch).  He's worked with the best, (David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma,) then he does shit like National Treasure. But he has the ability to blow you away in a fashion you just don't expect.  Now, his name is met with a groan.  His movies spark little to no interest.  His roles are downright laughable.  (Drive Angry??) The rumor i've heard is that he's actually in debt.  Believe it or not, multi millionaire celebrities have financial problems too.  It's actually embarassing watching him take role after role, presumably for a huge paycheck, and just slug his way through it.  Sad but true, most great actors sell out at a certain point.  But to anyone who reads this, seek out Leaving Las Vegas, and it will totally change your most likely negative opinion of Nicholas Cage.

If only i had the pill that Bradley Cooper takes in Limitless.  That's what me and probably everyone else was thinking in the theater.  If i took it, maybe i'd find a way to clean my fucking room.  Or make it to class on time.  Or help me come up with incredibly witty remarks that "get me girls". It turns Bradley Cooper from a greasy, lonely, loser into a winner who makes millions and has sex with a lot of girls.  Of course, all of these pills have bad side effects, and that's when the movie turns into a dumb thriller.  Like the scene where Cooper is attacked in a subway by what seems like an army of homeless men, because that happens everyday, but because he's on the pill, his brain is working 100 percent so his memory of watching kung fu movies triggers and he suddenly knows how to kick ass.  And there's a pretty bloody scene near the end that is absolutely ridiculous.  Before that, it's pretty entertaining  I'm recommending this movie just for the fact that it is a really cool concept, plus Cooper isn't bad and it's good to see De Niro do a straight role besides Little Fuckers, even though he's hardly on screen. 

This guy has had one strange career.  It can be argued that he caused the independent film world to explode after his classic Sex Lies and Videotape.  He got nominated for Best Director twice in one year, (Traffic, Erin Brokovich), and won for Traffic.  He has blockbusters(Ocean's Eleven) and offbeat, unique movies(Out of Sight, The Informant).  Yet, the guy has done way too many things to result in his sad fall from grace.  He made a 2 part, 4 hour epic on Che Guevara (Why??), that nobody saw.  Literally.  He made two sequels to Ocean's Eleven that redefined the word sucking.  And his last few artsy, low-budget films failed to catch on with any type of audience.  It's been recently annoucned that he's retiring from filmmaking at the young age of 48, and one can only wonder if it's because he's completely lost his touch, or has become so discouraged at how obsure his once A-list status has become.  Either way, let's remember that Traffic was an epic, he made Julia Roberts look like a great actress in Erin Brokovich, and made robbing casinos look like the coolest shit in the world in Ocean's Eleven.  There is also not one film ever made that is anything close to what he did in Sex Lies and Videotape.  So goodbye Mr Soderbergh, I hope you return, but next time, please refrain from the boring and pretentious art-house flicks, because nobody is going to see them.

This is a movie everyone should check out, whether you like Marky Mark or not.  Awesome boxing scenes, great soundtrack(Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Chili Peppers,) an incredible, deserving Oscar winning performance from Christian Bale, and a hot Amy Adams.  Wahlberg aint too bad either.

Christian Bale is fucking fantastic in this movie.  During the credits there's a clip of the real guy that he played and it's scary how well Bale nailed it.  Underrated actor, even after American Psycho and The Prestige.  Not anymore.

Got nominated for best picture, but still feels like it went underappreciated.  Any lover of good, solidly made movies will love this one, and NO it is not Rocky, which may be the best thing going for it.

Let's face it, there's nothing quite like seeing Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci beating the shit out of a guy.  You have De Niro, the cool-headed tough guy, and Pesci, the psychotic midget.  The most thrilling parts of Goodfellas and Casino had these 2 doing their dirty work.  They're sort of American cinema's favorite ass-kicking duo, and they spew out the word fuck like its poetry, especially Pesci.  Martin Scorsese always got the best out of them, and for as long as I've been following movies, I couldn't imagine why Al Pacino has never been in one of his movies.  Pacino is like a mixture of De Niro and Pesci on cocaine.  Well now, the world will get the chance when The Irishman comes out next year.  Why am I not ecstatic? De Niro, Pesci, Pacino, in a Mafia movie directed by Martin Scorsese.  The problem is-theyre all too fucking old!  Remember when De Niro and Pesci owned Billy Batts in Goodfellas? All I can picture is the three of them struggling just to get the guy on the floor.  This is a cheap way for them to reclaim the glory from the old days.  This movie will be purely nostalgic in the worst way.  It will make us long for the days when these actors were younger and vital, and may be shaping up to be the laughing stock of careers, which have been nothing but shitty for the last decade or so.

From around 1972, to 1996, De Niro and Pacino were considered the best of the best.  Not traditional looking leading men, the two of them commanded the screen like no other, and consistently blew you away.  While De Niro has made 8 movies with Scorsese, Pacino has made none, and one can only dream about a young Pacino being guided by Scorsese.  Imagine Dog Day Afternoon times 3.  Now, Pacino, 70, still capable of giving a screaming monologue, will be on his own, legendary territory, being directed by the gangster movie master, with the other 2 masters as his partners in crime.  I want these guys to succeed more than anyone, but it just feels forced and lame at this point.  I'd rather see them do a romantic comedy, at least it'll be different.  I can only hope they prove me dead wrong.

Everyone makes these lists, so i'll try not to sound redundant, but some movies just have to be on there.  Not necessarily my favorites, but the ones that last in your memory.

1.Goodfellas
2.Fight Club
3.Apocalypse Now
4.The Godfather and Part 2
5.On the Waterfront
6.Taxi Driver
7.Do the Right Thing
8.The Good the Bad and the Ugly
9.Heat
10.A Clockwork Orange