100 Incredible Films (Vol. 5 ~ 60-51)
#60 ~ New Jack City (1991)
Long-time supporters of the gangster film genre, the Hip-Hop community finally made one of their own. Who would have thought that Melvin Van Peebles was capable of this? Featuring memorable performances by Ice-T, Wesley Snipes, Allen Payne, Chris Rock, Bill Nunn, Judd Nelson and of course, Michael Michele & Vanessa Williams as the ladies of the CMB. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
# 59 ~ Memento (2000)
Meet Leonard. Not that he'll remember meeting you. Unless you have something really juicy to tell, in which case he'll just tattoo your words to his flesh so as not to forget it. For you see, Leonard has a condition. He has no ability to maintain short-term memories. it's a flawed premise I admit. I mean, how could he possibly know about his short-term memory condition if it happened after he acquired this defect? No matter though. The film which is told in a backwards narrative is quite good despite this plot-hole. With The Matrix stars Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano and in the lead role of Leonard we have the gifted Guy Pearce of L.A. Confidential and Priscilla - Queen of the Desert fame.
# 58 ~ Wall Street (1987)
The "Greed is Good" Speech
Gordon Gekko is one the all-time great fictional characters and is played to Oscar-winning perfection by Michael Douglas in this early film by influential filmmaker Oliver Stone. In fact, Charlie Sheen & John C. McGinley who were both in Platoon with Oliver the previous year in '86 are brought back from the jungles of Vietnam and are placed in the concrete one instead. A real must-see from the 80s that's still good today.
# 57 ~ The Wicker Man (1973)
The Incredible Ending! (Spoiler)
I came across this film after reading a list of the all-time scariest moments in film history. The ending of this film is shown in the video clip but don't watch it if you intend on seeing the film. There was an AWFUL re-make of this film starring Nicholas Cage which you should avoid like the plague but even if you have seen it, don't worry. It won't spoil the original which was completely different story-wise, filled with creepy costumes and nudity you won't soon forget. The lead character's religious convictions are put to the ultimate test.
# 56 ~ The Fifth Element (1997)
Visual Sci-Fi Masterpiece
This is one of those science fiction adventures where you can sit back and let the whole thing come to you. It is visually superior to most films in general and when you add the grit of Bruce Willis, the humor of Gary Oldman & Chris Tucker and the genuine beauty of Milla Jovovich, you've really got it all. This film also doesn't take itself too seriously like say....Blade Runner! I can watch this film over and over because it never stops offering something interesting.
# 55 ~ The Last Seduction (1994)
Linda Fiorentino stars in this classic film noir from the master John Dahl. Dahl's Red Rock West, Rounders & the great You Kill Me of 2007 with Ben Kingsley & Tea Leoni are all pretty good, but not as much fun as this twisted little flick. After Bridget steals all the loot and leaves NY to hide, she decides to hole-up in a small town upstate. Enter the gullible towney Mike who Bridget/Wendy has manipulated into a web of deceit and murder. Good fun til the end with a sensational jazz piano soundtrack that sizzles.
# 54 ~ Hotel Rwanda (2004)
The incredible true story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who did what he could to save lives during the Rwandan revolution. He managed to save over a thousand Tutsi refugees amid a bloody massacre by the Hutu militia. Powerful performances by both Don Cheadle & Sophie Okonedo and also featuring small parts by Nick Nolte & Joaquin Phoenix as well. If this movie doesn't resonate with you, then you are probably a heartless piece of shit!
# 53 ~ Das Experiment (2001)
You ain't never seen a prison movie like this before. When a bunch of men are asked to participate in sociological experiment involving total strangers who are divided as prisoners and prison guards, we know it's gonna be intense. Just how intense it gets is the reason why this film is on this list. Starring Moritz Bleibtreu of Run Lola Run fame, this movie is based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in 1971.
# 52 ~ One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Jack Nicholson has played a lot of memorable roles in his day. Col. Nathan R. Jessup of A Few Good Men, Jake from Chinatown and Jack Torrance from The Shining and Melvin Udall of As Good As It Gets to name a few. None however shall be remembered as often and as fondly as R.P. McMurphy. His battles with Nurse Ratchett over control of the TV set are so pitch-perfect that we can still feel that tension years later. This film is also filled with stars who weren't quite stars yet including, Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif & Vincent Schiavelli. The madness is directed to perfection by the legend Milos Forman.
# 51 ~ A Bronx Tale (1993)
True story is this. Robert De Niro saw Chazz Palminteri's one man show in the theater and approached him about a possible film version. Bobby D even offered to direct it. In the play Chazz plays Colagero, his father Lorenzo and the mob boss Sonny, but in the film he plays the gangster. We watch the tug-of-war that is C's life, be it between parental figures or between his friends and his girl. The door test may apply,