movie awards

I have watched dozens of great movies and I thought that it would be nice to compile a list of some of the best-greatest and most affective works of cinema
there is no such thing a comprehensive list and each category has limited spaces and so every list has its own biases so there are some great works (gone with the wind-a few good men-on waterfront-who is afraid of Virginia Woolf?-as good as it gets) and actors( Clark gable-Clint eastwood-katherine Hepburn-Barbara Streisand-Sydney potier-Heth Ledger-Denzel Washington-Michael Douglas-Gene Hackman-James Dean) that are not even nominated let alone winners. There are those movies that are nominated more than once that is cause they deserve it. and although there are a few old school movies I feel the list is “OK”
This is just a general list its not complete you are welcome to comment
Generally there is a the movie-the award recipient-country of the movie as well as year

Best Picture
The nominees
• Winters bone
• No country for old men
• Annie hall
• The departed
• Wild strawberries
• Kramer vs Kramer
• The godfather
• Reservoir dogs
• Network
• The silence of the lambs





And the winner is- The godfather-
Simply because it was the most innovative movie of its time and a bench mark in combining big budget and small budget film making-great cast-great directing and music its really great. He who has not seen it should be shoot.


Best actor
The nominees
• Jean Reano-the professional
• Jack Nicholson-the departed
• Robert Deniro-Taxi Driver
• Anthony Hopkins-The silence of the lambs
• Jude Law-sleuth
• Sean Penn-Mystic river
• Marlon Brando the godfather

And the winner is-(joint winners) Jean Reano- the professional (took a relatively unknown role and made it unbelievably dark and him very simple storyline but amazing performance) and Jack Nicholson-the departed (a typical crazy jack Nicholson role but when he plays it you never ever think about any other Jack Nicholson movie he keeps you there throughout the movie)

Best actress
The nominees
• Hillary swank-Boys don’t cry
• Charlize Theron-Monster
• Salma hayek-frida
• Helen Mirren-the queen
• Whoopi Goldberg-the color purple
• Meryl streep-Sophie’s choice
• Emily Watson-breaking the waves

And the winner is- Meryl streep-Sophie’s choice

(great accent probably the best of Meryl streep’s great career, a really great testament to showcase the plight of Jews in Nazi Germany)













Best original score
The nominees
• Star wars episode I
• Gladiator
• Lord of the rings
• Da vinci code
• The godfather part I

And the winner is- Star wars episode I


(I’m not a sci-fi fan or a Blockbuster fan but the music in this movie adds great value to the movie a great uplifting score really amazing)








Best short film
The nominees
• Le Jette
• Validation
• Signs
• Touch
• Nora

And the winner is- Touch

(not too much action just a beautiful dialogue short, really captures the core of human emotions with just a simple conversation)




Best supporting actor
The nominees
• Javier Bardem-No country for old men
• Joe Pesci-Goodfellas
• Al pacino-the godfather
• George Clooney-Goodnight and Good luck
• Morgan Freeman-Shawshank redemption
• Jamie Foxx-Collateral
• Daniel day Lewis-Gangs of New York

And the winner is- Al pacino-the godfather



(it would have been easy for a young Al Pacino to be drowned and be complacent in this role simply due to the star power of the cast around him (Diane Keaton-Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall) but a calm and consistent performance from one of the best of all time)


Best supporting actress
The nominees
• Meryl streep- Kramer vs Kramer
• Monique- Precious
• Natalie Portman-Closer
• Jane Fonda-On golden Pond
• Cate Blanchet-The Aviator
• Kate Winslet-Iris
• Judi Dench-Notes on a scandal

And the winner is- Judi Dench-Notes on a scandal

(it’s hard to play such a real life character but this intimate portrait of a deranged woman is perfectly executed by one of the grand old ladies if world cinema really beautiful intimate piece)





Best original screenplay
The nominees
• Memento
• Eastern promises
• Reservoir Dogs-Quentin Tarantino
• I’m not there
• American history X
• Shortcuts

And the winner is- Reservoir Dogs-Quentin Tarantino

(one of the most beautiful dialogue driven movies ever-from the “tipping scene”-“the meaning of like a virgin” and “how Mr White got his start” it’s really a well written piece.







Best Adapted screenplay
The nominees
• Winters bone-(based on the book by Daniel Woodrell)
• The departed-(based on the movie internal affairs)
• Pay it forward-(based on the book by Catherine Ryan Hyde)
• Mystic river-(based on the book by Dennis Lehane)
• No country for old men-(based on the book by Cormac McCarthy

And the winner is- No country for old men-(based on the book by Cormac McCarthy

(books that sell well but are from picky authors like Cormac McCarthy (I say picky because he has only been interviewed twice on television in 40 years) are really hard to adapt to the screen but the Coen brothers did great in setting it up, great dialogue and did the whole movie without a single piece of music its amazing)










Best movie scene
The nominees
• Unforgiven-“it’s a helluva thing killing a man” scene
• Heat-(6 minute conversation between Robert Deniro and Al pacino
• Lucky Number Slevin-meeting the boss scene
• The shinning-“here’s Johnny” scene
• American Gangster-shooting outside the restaurant
• Gangs of New York-closing scene “the hands that built America”
• Annie Hall-opening direct to camera Monologue

And the winner is- Heat-(6 minute conversation between Robert Deniro and Al pacino)


(they were both in part II of the godfather but were never on the screen together , this was the first time these two legends shared screen time and the result is electric-no scene hogging just two guys doing what they do best and feeding of each other)



Best Foreign language film
The nominees
• Three colors trilogy-red-(Poland-France)
• Waltz with bashIr-(Israel)
• City of God-(Brazil)
• Moloch trapical-(Haiti-france)
• La Strada-(Italy)

And the winner is- Moloch trapicana-(Haiti)

(tells the story of the last 24 hours of a crazy president it’s a really great portrait on power and human relationships very well acted as well)







Best Director
The nominees
• Martin Scorcese-The departed
• Woody Allen-Annie Hall
• Francis Ford Coppola-the godfather trilogy
• Roman Polanski-Chinatown
• D.W Griffith-Birth of a nation
• The Coen Brothers-Fargo
• Guy Richie-snatch

And the winner is- Martin Scorcese)

The departed (he had done great work before (Taxi driver-Alice doesn’t live here anymore-Goodfellas-Casino-New York New York-Raging bull-the aviator-gangs of New York) and was nominated for many directing Oscars but I think the departed was really well handled with an ensemble cast which includes Damon-Walberg-sheen-Nicholson-Baldwin-the old man of did a great work handling each scene.



Best independent film
The nominees
• Memento
• Requiem for a dream
• Reservoir dogs
• History of violence
• No country for old men
• 21 grams
• Shortcuts
• Boondock saints

And the winner is- History of violence

(a really great quiet film almost waiting to jump at you, very emotionally impactful, does a great job of showing the relevance of Karma and how to beat it)












Best cinematography
The nominees
• The godfather
• Winters bone
• Se7en
• Chinatown
• History of violence

And the winner is- Winters bone

(I saw this at the Durban Film fest its really new but the camera work and the lighting is dark and grim and really does well to add value to this “white trash story”




Best South African film
The nominees
• Life above all
• A small town called descent
• Faith’s corner
• Jerusalema
• Paradise stop
• The bet
• Surfing Soweto

And the winner is- A small town called descent

(also saw this at the Durban film fest-well casted film but extremely ambitious the use of archive footage as well as many political statements about South Africa right now its really worth watching)


Best documentary
The nominees
• cocaine cowboys
• Bowling for columbine
• Tyson
• Man on wire
• Woodstock
• Surfing Soweto

And the winner is- Bowling for columbine

(this was a close call between Surfing Soweto and Michael Moore but this is a more Universal story in the sense that it tries to frame the state of mind of teens and people in general but what really tips it over is the “History of America cartoon sequence as well as the what a wonderful world montage really amazing”











Best production design
The nominees
• Gladiator
• Chicago
• Schindler’s list
• Ben Hur
• Fight Club

And the winner is- Gladiator

(its really hard to imagine the Glory that was once Rome but the costume and set Design in this movie gives a great idea and was a great aid for Russell Crowe for









Best animated feature Waltz with Bashir

a really ambitious movie from a non entity country in filmmaking but greatly well executed even with live actors this could not be done better.











Best romantic movie-Annie Hall


form the opening monologue this movie says classic all over it and Allen uses a the first ever direct to camera speech method something that is well partnered with his bubblegum
THAT’S ALL FOLKS

Top 10 films # 10 Psycho

Psycho is a 1960 American film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The novel was based on the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.[1]

The film depicts the encounter between a secretary, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), who is in hiding at a motel after embezzling from her employer, and the motel's owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), and the aftermath of their encounter.[2]

Psycho initially received mixed reviews, but outstanding box office returns prompted a re-review which was overwhelmingly positive and led to four Academy Award nominations. Psycho is now considered one of Hitchcock's best films[3] and is highly praised as a work of cinematic art by international critics.[4] The film spawned two sequels, a prequel, a remake, and a television movie spin-off.

The film is often categorized by multiple sources as a drama, horror, mystery and thriller film.
In Phoenix, Arizona, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from her employer to marry her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin), and then flees to Sam's house with the money. Along the way, she trades in her car to evade authorities, and during a storm on the trip, she checks into the isolated Bates Motel. The proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), invites her to dinner at his family house on the hill overlooking the motel. When he leaves to prepare dinner, Marion hears him arguing with his mother, who tells him that she refuses to allow him "bringing in strange, young girls for supper".

Norman brings dinner to the motel to eat there instead. The two proceed to have a conversation over dinner, topics ranging from taxidermy to Norman's mother, who he says has been mentally ill since the death of her lover. When Marion suggests that his mother be institutionalized, he gets upset, saying he wants to do so but does not want to abandon her. He compares his life to being in a "trap," and observes that everyone is in a similar situation. Marion agrees with him, telling him that she "stepped into a private trap back in Phoenix." Afterward, Marion returns to her room, where she resolves to return the money. Norman, who has become intrigued with her, watches her undress through a hole in the wall, obscured by a painting. After Marion counts the money, she takes a shower. During the shower, an anonymous female assailant enters the bathroom and stabs her to death. Back at the house, Norman calls out to his mother: "Mother! Oh, God, mother! Blood! Blood!"

He runs to the motel, where he finds the corpse; he presumes his mother killed Marion, so he tries to erase all traces of the crime to protect her. He puts Marion's body and all her possessions, including money hidden in a newspaper, into the trunk of her car and sinks it in a nearby swamp.

Sam is contacted by Marion's sister Lila (Vera Miles) and private detective Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam), who was hired by Crane's employer to recover the money. Arbogast traces Marion to the motel and questions Norman, who unconvincingly lies that Marion only stayed for one night. Arbogast wants to question Norman's mother, but Norman refuses to give permission, saying that she is ill. Arbogast calls Lila to update her and tells her he will call again after he questions Norman's mother. Arbogast returns to the house, and proceeds up the staircase. The same assailant who killed Marion emerges from the adjacent room and stabs him to death.

Back at Sam's shop, Lila and Sam are puzzled that Arbogast has not returned for three hours, considering he said it would only be an hour. At the house, in an unseen conversation, Norman confronts his mother and urges her to hide in the fruit cellar, saying that more people will come looking for both Marion and Arbogast. She rejects the idea and orders him out of her room, but against her will Norman carries her down to the cellar.

Lila and Sam go visit Deputy Sheriff Al Chambers, who is perplexed to learn that Arbogast saw Norman's mother in the window; he informs them that, 10 years before, Norman's mother had poisoned her lover and then committed suicide. Shocked, Lila and Sam realize that the only way to find out the truth is to go to the motel themselves. Posing as a married couple, Sam and Lila check into the motel and search Marion's room, where they find a scrap of paper stuck in the toilet with "$40,000" written on it. While Sam distracts Norman, Lila sneaks into the house. Sam suggests to Norman that he killed Marion for the money so he could buy a new motel. Realizing Lila is not around, Norman knocks Sam unconscious and rushes to the house. Lila sees him approaching and hides in the cellar where she discovers a woman sitting in a rocking chair with her back to her. She calls to the old woman — and discovers that it is in fact a mummified corpse. Seconds later, Norman rushes in wearing his mother's clothes and a wig and brandishing a knife. He tries to attack Lila, but Sam subdues him just in time.

After Norman's arrest, a forensic psychiatrist tells Sam and Lila that Norman's dead mother is living in Norman's psyche as an alternate personality. After the death of Norman's father, the pair lived as if they were the only people in the world. When his mother found a lover, Norman went insane with jealousy and murdered them both. Consumed with guilt, Norman "erased the crime" by bringing his mother back to life in his own mind. He stole her corpse and preserved the body. When he was "Mother", he acted, talked and dressed as she would, and when Norman's own personality felt affection toward another person, such as Marion, the "Mother" side of his mind would become extremely jealous; he killed Marion (and two other women) as "Mother". The psychiatrist concludes that the "Mother" personality now has complete control of Norman's mind.

In the final scene, Norman sits in a cell, thinking in "Mother's" voice.

“ It's sad when a mother has to speak the words that condemn her own son, but I couldn't allow them to believe that I would commit murder. They'll put him away now, as I should have years ago. He was always bad, and in the end, he intended to tell them I killed those girls and that man, as if I could do anything except just sit and stare, like one of his stuffed birds. Well, they know I can't even move a finger, and I won't. I'll just sit here and be quiet, just in case they do suspect me. [pause] They're probably watching me. Well, let them. Let them see what kind of a person I am. I'm not even gonna swat that fly. I hope they are watching. They'll see. They'll see and they'll know, and they'll say, "Why, she wouldn't even harm a fly." ”

The final shot shows Marion's car being recovered from the swamp.

Top 10 films # 9 Gladiator

Gladiator is a 2000 historical epic directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Moeller, Oliver Reed, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, and Richard Harris. Crowe portrays the loyal General Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is betrayed when the Emperor's ambitious son, Commodus (Phoenix), murders his father and seizes the throne. Reduced to slavery, Maximus rises through the ranks of the gladiatorial arena to avenge the murder of his family and his Emperor.

Released in the United States on May 5, 2000, it was a box office success, receiving generally positive reviews, and was credited with briefly reviving the historical epic. The film was nominated for and won multiple awards; it won five Academy Awards in the 73rd Academy Awards including Best Picture. Although there have been talks of both a prequel and sequel, as of 2010, no production has begun.
Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius, a native of Hispania, leads the Roman army to victory against Germanic barbarians in the year A.D. 180, ending a prolonged war, and earning the esteem of elderly Emperor Marcus Aurelius. As the battle ends, the son and daughter of the Emperor, Commodus and Lucilla, arrive from Rome. As the surviving soldiers pay tribute to Maximus, Commodus arrives, attempting to curry favor with his father. Aurelius, however, favors Maximus over his son, which makes Commodus both envious and suspicious.

Knowing that his time is short, the dying Aurelius decides to appoint leadership to the morally-upstanding Maximus, with a desire to eventually return power to the Roman Senate, effectively reviving the Republic. Aurelius speaks to Maximus before telling Commodus of his decision. After expressing that his greatest desire is to return home to his family, Maximus reluctantly accepts the appointment as a duty to Rome and then returns to his tent to pray over small clay figures of his wife and son, asking the gods to watch over them in his absence. The Emperor later informs Commodus who, in a fit of rage, murders his father. Declaring himself the emperor, Commodus asks Maximus for his loyalty, which Maximus, realizing Commodus is responsible for the Emperor's death, refuses. On Commodus' instruction, Quintus, a fellow General, orders Maximus' execution and dispatches Praetorian Guards to kill his wife and son. Maximus narrowly escapes by killing his captors, but is injured in the process. Taking the horses of the now dead Praetorians, he races home only to discover his wife and son hanging amidst the smoldering ruins of his home. After burying his family, Maximus collapses from grief and exhaustion.

Slave traders find Maximus and take him to Zucchabar, a rugged Roman province in North Africa, where he is purchased by Antonius Proximo, the head of a gladiator school and a former gladiator himself. Maximus initially refuses to fight, but as he defends himself in the arena his formidable combat skills lead to a rise in popularity with the audience and respect among his fellow fighters. Known as "The Spaniard", he trains and fights further and befriends Juba, a Numidian hunter and Hagen, a Germanic warrior who, until Maximus' emergence, was Proximo's prized gladiator.

During quiet periods between fights, Maximus and Juba develop their friendship further, discussing their families and homelives before they became slaves. Juba tells Maximus that he does not expect to see his family again before he dies in combat and Maximus confesses to Juba that the wife and son of which he spoke are already dead. Both men draw courage with which to face the prospect of death, from their shared belief that they will meet their families again in the afterlife, "but not yet".

In Rome, Commodus reopens the gladiatorial games to pay tribute to his father and gain the favor of the people; Proximo's gladiators are hired to participate. Proximo informs Maximus who sees this as an opportunity to get close enough to Commodus to exact revenge. Later in Rome during a reenactment of the Battle of Zama from the Second Punic War, Maximus dons a helmet to hide his identity and then leads Proximo's gladiators, in the guise of Hannibal's forces, to a decisive victory against a more powerful force who are in the guise of Scipio Africanus' legions, in a battle they were historically slated to lose. Echoing the shock and amazement of the crowd, the Emperor descends into the arena accompanied by his nephew Lucius to meet this "Spaniard". He asks The Spaniard for his name and Maximus responds with a blatant act of defiance. Commodus angrily instructs him to remove his helmet and tell him his name. A seething Maximus reveals his identity and defiantly vows vengeance for the murder of his family. Unable to kill Maximus because of the crowd's approval for him, Commodus leaves the arena as the crowd roars and chants Maximus' name.

Lucilla, after seeing Maximus alive, secretly arranges to meet with him. Maximus angrily accuses her of taking part in her father's and his family's murders which she denied. Lucilla tells Maximus that she has powerful allies in the Senate who want to see Commodus overthrown and asks Maximus for his aid in helping to overthrow her brother to which he refuses.

As the games continue the next day, Commodus pits Maximus against Tigris of Gaul, Rome's only undefeated gladiator, in an arena surrounded by chained tigers. Despite being nearly mauled by the beasts, Maximus defeats the larger and more powerful Tigris but refuses to kill him, thereby deliberately insulting Commodus by directly defying his orders. The crowd cheers Maximus, bestowing him the title "Maximus The Merciful". Commodus becomes more frustrated at his inability to kill Maximus, let alone stop his soaring popularity.

Maximus is later found by his former servant, Cicero, who reveals that Maximus's army remains loyal to him. Maximus forms a plot with Lucilla and Senator Gracchus to rejoin his army to return to Rome and overthrow Commodus. Suspecting his sister's betrayal, Commodus indirectly threatens her young son, Lucius, and forces her to reveal the plot. Praetorian guards immediately arrest Gracchus and storm Proximo's gladiator barracks, battling the gladiators while Maximus escapes. Hagen and Proximo are killed in the siege while Juba and the survivors are imprisoned. Maximus escapes to the city walls only to witness Cicero's death and be captured by a legion of Praetorian guards.

The next day, Commodus challenges a bound and restrained Maximus to a duel to be fought in front of a full audience in the Colosseum. Acknowledging Maximus as the better fighter, Commodus stabs him in the back with a stiletto and has the wound concealed. In the arena, the weakened Maximus fights purely on instinct as the two exchange blows before Maximus rips the sword from Commodus' hands. As Commodus screams for another sword, Quintus orders the Praetorians not to assist him. A stricken Maximus drops his own sword. Commodus pulls the hidden stiletto and renews his attack but Maximus counters, pummeling him with hard punches. The two of them grapple for a few moments, until Maximus finally forces Commodus' hand backwards, plunging the stiletto in his throat. Commodus falls dead in the now-silent Colosseum while a dying Maximus begins seeing visions of the afterlife and his family. He is pulled back to reality by Quintus, who asks for instructions.

Maximus orders the release of Juba and the rest of Proximo's surviving gladiators and the reinstatement of Senator Gracchus, instructing him to return Rome to a republican government. Maximus quietly dies in Lucilla's arms as his soul wanders into the afterlife to his family. Lucilla reminds everyone that Maximus was a soldier of Rome and that his memory should be honored. Juba, Senator Gracchus, Quintus, and Proximo's gladiators gently carry his body out of the Colosseum, leaving Commodus behind unwept.

That night, Juba returns to an empty Colosseum and buries Maximus' figures of his wife and son in the blood stained sand where Maximus fell, vowing to see him again in the afterlife, "but not yet". Juba then departs for his homeland and his own family.

Top 10 films # 8 No country for old men

No Country for Old Men is a 2007 American crime thriller film adapted for the screen and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin. Adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name,[1][2] No Country for Old Men tells the story of an ordinary man to whom chance delivers a fortune that is not his, and the ensuing cat-and-mouse drama, as three men crisscross each other's paths in the desert landscape of 1980 West Texas. The film examines the themes of fate and circumstance the Coen brothers have previously explored in Blood Simple and Fargo.

No Country for Old Men has been highly praised by critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "as good a film as the Coen brothers...have ever made."[3] The Guardian journalist John Patterson said the film proved "that the Coens' technical abilities, and their feel for a landscape-based Western classicism reminiscent of Anthony Mann and Sam Peckinpah, are matched by few living directors."[4] The film was honored with numerous awards, garnering three British Academy of Film awards, two Golden Globes, and four Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director (Joel and Ethan Coen), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem).

West Texas in June 1980 is desolate, wide open country, and Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) laments the increasing violence in a region where he, like his father before him, has risen to the office of sheriff. Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), hunting pronghorn, comes across the aftermath of a drug deal gone awry: several dead men and dogs, a wounded Mexican begging for water, and two million dollars in a satchel that he takes to his trailer home. Late that night, he returns with water for the dying man, but is chased away by two men in a truck and loses his vehicle. When he gets back home he grabs the cash, sends his wife Carla Jean (Kelly Macdonald) to her mother's, and makes his way to a motel in the next county[5], where he hides the satchel in the air vent of his room.

Hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) has been hired to recover the money. He has already strangled a sheriff's deputy to escape custody and stolen a car by using a captive bolt pistol to kill the driver. Now he carries a receiver that traces the money via a transponder concealed inside the satchel to Moss's hideout. Bursting into the room at night, Chigurh surprises a group of Mexicans set to ambush Moss and murders them all. Moss, however, one step ahead, has rented the connecting room on the other side, so by the time Chigurh removes the vent cover with a dime to grab the cash, it is already back on the road with Moss.

Tracking the satchel to a border town hotel, Chigurh's pursuit climaxes in a firefight with Moss that spills onto the streets, leaving both men wounded. Moss flees across the border, collapsing from his injuries and waking up in a Mexican hospital. There Carson Wells (Woody Harrelson), another hired operative, offers protection in return for the money.

After Chigurh cleans and stitches his own wounds with stolen supplies, he gets the drop on Wells back at his hotel and kills him just as Moss calls the room. Picking up the call and carefully avoiding the blood on the floor, Chigurh promises Moss that Carla Jean can be saved only by returning the money. Moss remains defiant.

Moss arranges to rendezvous with his wife at a motel in El Paso to give her the money and send her out of harm's way. She reluctantly tells Bell to try to save her husband, but Bell arrives too late. He sees a pickup carrying several men speeding away from the motel and finds Moss lying dead in his room. That night, Bell returns to find the lock blown out in his suspect's familiar style. Chigurh hides behind the door of a motel room, observing the shifting light through an empty lock hole. His gun drawn, Bell enters Moss's room and notices that the vent cover has been removed with a dime and the vent is empty.

Bell visits his Uncle Ellis (Barry Corbin), an ex-lawman. Bell plans to retire because he feels "overmatched," but Ellis points out that the region has always been violent. For Ellis, thinking it is "all waiting on you, that's vanity."

Carla Jean returns from her mother's funeral to find Chigurh waiting. When she tells him she does not have the money, he recalls the pledge he made to her husband that could have spared her. The best he can offer is a coin toss for her life. She refuses to play, instead stating that the choice is his alone. Chigurh leaves the house alone and carefully checks the soles of his boots. As he drives away, he is injured in a car accident. He leaves before the police arrive.

Now retired, Bell shares two dreams with his wife (Tess Harper), both involving his deceased father. In the first dream he lost "some money" that his father had given him; in the second dream, he and his father were riding horses through a snowy mountain pass. His father, who was carrying fire in a horn, quietly passed by Bell with his head down and was "going on ahead, and fixin' to make a fire" in the surrounding dark and cold. When Bell got there, he knew his father would be waiting. Then he woke up.

Top 10 films # 7 The Departed

The Departed is a 2006 American crime film, a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese, written by William Monahan, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin. It won four Academy Awards at the 79th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and an Academy Award for Best Director win for Scorsese.

This film takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, where Irish Mob boss Francis "Frank" Costello (Nicholson) plants Colin Sullivan (Damon) as an informant within the Massachusetts State Police. Simultaneously, the police assign undercover cop Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew. When both sides realize the situation, each man attempts to discover the other's true identity before being found out.

At a young age, Colin Sullivan (Damon) is introduced to organized crime through Irish mobster Frank Costello (Nicholson) who grooms him along with other youths in the Irish neighborhood of Southie, a district in northern Boston. Turning into a father figure to Sullivan, Costello trains him to become his mole inside the Massachusetts State Police. Performing exceptionally while helping Costello remove his underworld enemies, Sullivan is accepted into the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), which focuses on organized crime. Before he graduates from the Police Academy, Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) is asked by Captain Queenan (Sheen) and the abusive Staff Sergeant Dignam (Wahlberg) to become an undercover agent, as his childhood spent wandering between two Boston neighborhoods and his family ties to organized crime make him a perfect infiltrator. He agrees to drop out of the academy and does time in prison on a fake assault charge to increase his credibility as a criminal.

As both men infiltrate their respective organizations, Sullivan begins a romance with psychiatrist Madolyn Madden (Farmiga). Costigan sees Madolyn as part of his probation and also develops a relationship with her. Later on Sullivan is unable to make love to Madolyn because of his impotence. Shortly after, Costigan makes love with Madolyn at her apartment before she moves in with Sullivan. After Costello barely escapes a sting operation, both moles become aware of the other's existence (though not his identity). Sullivan is assigned to find the "rat" in SIU and asks Costello for his crew's personal information to allow him to determine who is the informer within Costello's crew. Costigan follows Costello into a movie theater where Costello gives Sullivan an envelope with the details of his crew. Costigan then chases Sullivan through Boston's Chinatown, during which Sullivan stabs an innocent bystander. When it is all over, both men still do not know each other's true identity. Sullivan then has Queenan tailed as he meets Costigan in an abandoned building. Costello sends his men in and Queenan distracts them to let Costigan escape. He is thrown from the roof and dies at the feet of Costigan. When the mobsters escape, Costigan pretends he has come to rejoin them. The trailing state troopers open fire on Costello's crew, which causes casualties on both sides. Later, at one of Costello's safe houses, Delahunt (one of Costello's enforcers) reveals to Costigan that he is aware of his true identity just before he dies from his gunshot wounds.

His actions now under scrutiny, Sullivan is attacked by a suspicious Dignam because of Queenan's death. Dignam is subsequently placed on administrative leave. Using Queenan's bloodstained phone, Sullivan reaches Costigan, who refuses to abort his mission. Sullivan learns of Costello's role as an informant for the FBI from Queenan's diary, causing him to worry about his double identity being revealed. With Costigan's help, Costello is tracked to a cocaine drop-off, where he and his crew become trapped in a gunfight with police, resulting in most of the mobsters being killed. As the wounded Costello attempts an escape he is confronted by Sullivan. Costello admits he is an occasional FBI mole and tries to shoot Sullivan. Sullivan fires first, killing Costello. With Costello dead, Sullivan is applauded for his actions. In good faith, Costigan comes to him for restoration of his true identity. Costigan also notices the envelope containing the details of Costello's men on Sullivan's desk and flees from the building. Knowing he has been found out, Sullivan erases all records of Costigan as a trooper from the police agency's computer system.

Costigan leaves an envelope in the care of Madolyn. Some time later, Madolyn reveals to Sullivan that she is pregnant with his child, when it is in fact Costigan's. After telling Sullivan, Madolyn discovers a small package from Costigan in the mail. The package contains an audio CD and a phone number for Sullivan to contact him with. Madolyn listens to the CD and discovers that it contains audio recordings of Costello's conversations with Sullivan. Sullivan walks in on her and tries to assuage her suspicions, but she locks herself in a room and refuses to hear any more from him. Losing composure, Sullivan hastily contacts Costigan, who reveals that Costello recorded every conversation he had with Sullivan. Since Costigan was the only person Costello actually trusted, Costello's attorney left Costigan in possession of the recordings and therefore Costigan intends to implicate Sullivan at last. In order to reach a settlement, they agree to meet at the empty building where Queenan died.

On the roof of the building, Costigan catches Sullivan off-guard and hand-cuffs him at gunpoint with intent to arrest him. As Costigan had secretly arranged, Officer Brown appears on the roof as well. Shocked and disturbed by the scene, Brown draws his gun on Costigan. Costigan attempts to justify his actions by exposing Sullivan as the rat, but Brown does not fully believe him and continues to hold them at gunpoint. Costigan asks Brown why Dignam did not accompany him as per their agreement, but Brown does not give an answer. Using Sullivan as a shield, Costigan leads Sullivan into an elevator. As it reaches the ground floor and the door opens, Costigan is shot and killed by Barrigan, another police officer. Brown reaches the ground floor and is shot and killed as well. Barrigan reveals to Sullivan that Costello had more than one mole in the police department, and suggests that the two of them must go on the lam to avoid being traded to the FBI. Sullivan tricks Barrigan into handing him a gun and then shoots him in the back of the head, leaving Sullivan the only survivor of the meeting. At police headquarters, Sullivan blames all mole activity on Barrigan and has Costigan posthumously rewarded with the Medal of Merit.

At Costigan's funeral, Sullivan and Madolyn stand on opposite sides of Costigan's grave. Sullivan observes Madolyn throughout the service; she is clearly distraught at Costigan's death. Sullivan waits after the service to attempt reconcile with Madolyn and discuss the future of her child. She walks past him without a word. Some time later, Sullivan is about to enter his apartment with a bag of groceries. He opens the door to find Dignam waiting for him, wearing hospital footies over his shoes and surgical gloves to leave no trace of his presence. Aware of Sullivan's treachery and escape from punishment, Dignam aims a pistol at Sullivan's head. Sullivan only manages to splutter "Okay..." before Dignam shoots him in the head. As Sullivan collapses to the floor, Dignam calmly exits the apartment. The camera pans up from Sullivan's body to reveal a rat crawling along the railing of his apartment's balcony, with the view of the Massachusetts State House in the background.

Top 10 films #6 Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 crime film and the debut of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist, though not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast with Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and Lawrence Tierney. Tarantino has a minor role, as does criminal-turned-author Eddie Bunker. It incorporates many themes and aesthetics that have become Tarantino's hallmarks: violent crime, pop culture references, memorable dialogue, profuse profanity, and a nonlinear storyline.

The film has become a classic of independent film and a cult hit.^[2] It was named "Greatest Independent Film of all Time" by Empire. Reservoir Dogs was generally well received and the cast was praised by many critics. Although it was never given much promotion upon release, the film was a modest success by grossing $2,832,029, which made its budget back. However, it did become a major hit in the United Kingdom; grossing nearly £6.5 million, and it achieved higher popularity after the success of Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. It is often criticized for its high degree of violence and profanity, and audience members reportedly walked out during the film's now notorious torture scene.

A soundtrack titled Reservoir Dogs: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released featuring songs used in the film, mostly from the 1970s. In 2006, a video game was released to mediocre reviews. The video game—like the film—caused controversy for its violence.

The film opens to eight men eating breakfast at a diner. Six of them wear matching suits and are using aliases: Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen), Mr. Blue (Eddie Bunker), Mr. Brown (Quentin Tarantino), Mr. Orange (Tim Roth), Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi), and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel). Among them is Los Angeles gangster Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney), and his son, "Nice Guy" Eddie Cabot (Chris Penn). Mr. Brown discusses his comparative analysis on Madonna's "Like a Virgin", Joe's senior moments involving his address book rankle Mr. White, and Mr. Pink defends his anti-tipping policy until Joe forces him to leave a tip for the waitresses.

After the opening credits, the action cuts to the interior of a speeding car. Mr. White, driving with one hand, is trying to comfort Mr. Orange, who has been shot in the abdomen and is bleeding. They arrive at an abandoned warehouse, the robbers' rendezvous point. Mr. White leaves Mr. Orange on the floor when Mr. Pink appears, angrily suggesting that their robbery of a jeweler, orchestrated by Joe Cabot, was a police setup, and we see a flashback of Mr Pink escaping with the diamonds. Mr. White reveals that Mr. Brown has been shot and killed by the police, and the whereabouts of Mr. Blonde and Mr. Blue are unknown to both. A flashback is played, indicating Mr. White's long-time friendship with Joe Cabot.

Opening sequence of the film, an iconic slow-motion scene playing "Little Green Bag" by the George Baker Selection.

The two men discuss the actions of the psychopathic Mr. Blonde, who murdered several civilians after the alarm had triggered. Also, the police had arrived soon after the alarm. Mr. White is angered about Joe's decision to employ such a psychopath and agrees about the possibility of a setup, while Mr. Pink confesses to having hidden the diamonds in a secure location. However, they violently argue about whether or not to take the unconscious Mr. Orange to a hospital when Mr. White reveals that he had told the former his true first name. Mr. Blonde, who has been watching them from the shadows, steps forward and ends the dispute. He tells them not to leave the rendezvous as Nice Guy Eddie is on his way. Mr. Blonde walks to his car and opens the trunk to reveal a captured police officer named Marvin Nash (Kirk Baltz). A flashback reveals that Mr. Blonde became involved in the heist because of his friendship with Nice Guy Eddie.

The three men beat the policeman and demand that he tell them who the "rat" is. He protests that he doesn't know. This continues until a furious Eddie arrives at the warehouse. After berating the men over the carnage and incompetence displayed at the heist, he orders Mr. Pink and Mr. White to assist him in retrieving the stolen diamonds and disposing of the hijacked vehicles. He orders Mr. Blonde to stay with Marvin and the dying Mr. Orange. Nash states that he has been a police officer for eight months and is ignorant as to a possible setup. He then pleads with Mr. Blonde to release him without further incident. However, after the others leave, Mr. Blonde confesses to enjoying torture. He turns on the radio and dances to "Stuck in the Middle With You" by Stealers Wheel before severing Marvin's ear with a straight razor and dousing him in gasoline. Mr. Orange saves Marvin from being burned to death by shooting Mr. Blonde. At this point, the policeman and Mr Orange are alone in the warehouse. Mr. Orange reveals he is a police detective named Freddy Newandyke. Marvin says he knows (because he briefly met him a couple of months earlier) showing us that he had resisted the beating and torture to reveal Mr. Orange's true identity. Mr. Orange reassures Marvin that a massive police force is in position several blocks downtown but are waiting to move in when Joe arrives.

A series of character development flashback scenes detail Mr. Orange's involvement in an undercover police operation to capture Joe, and his developing friendship with Mr White. We are then shown that Mr. Brown was shot in the head while driving the getaway car and later dies; Mr. Orange was shot in the stomach by the female driver of the car he stole along with Mr. White. Mr. Orange shoots and kills the woman after she shoots him.

The remainder of the heist group returns to the warehouse to find Mr. Blonde dead. Mr. Orange claims that Mr. Blonde was going to kill Marvin, Mr. Orange and the rest of the gang so that he could take the diamonds for himself. Eddie does not believe the story and, furious with Mr. Orange, fatally shoots Marvin three times. Joe himself arrives and, after informing the group that Mr. Blue was killed, confidently accuses Mr. Orange of being an informant, forcing Mr. White to defend his friend. A Mexican standoff ensues, leaving Joe and Eddie dead, and Mr. White severely wounded, and Mr. Orange mortally wounded. Mr. Pink, who hid to avoid the shootout, takes the cache of diamonds and flees the warehouse.

As police sirens are heard outside, Mr. White cradles Mr. Orange in his arms and Mr. Orange reveals that he is in fact a detective. This piece of information devastates Mr. White, who begins sobbing in frustration and points his gun at Mr. Orange's head as Mr. Pink can be heard being apprehended by the police. At that moment, the police can be heard raiding the warehouse (with the camera in a close-up of Mr. White's face), demanding Mr. White drop his gun; he refuses and shoots Mr. Orange, resulting in the police opening fire on Mr. White just before the screen goes black.

Top 10 films #5 Wild strawberries

Wild Strawberries is a 1957 film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, about an old man recalling his past. The original Swedish title is Smultronstället, which literally means "the wild strawberry patch", but idiomatically means an underrated gem of a place (often with personal or sentimental value). The cast includes Victor Sjöström in his final screen performance, as well as Bergman regulars Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin and Gunnar Björnstrand. Max von Sydow also appears in a small role. Bergman wrote the screenplay while hospitalized.^[1] Because it tackles difficult questions about life, and thought-provoking themes such as self-discovery and humanity's existence, the film is often considered to be one of Bergman's most emotional, one of his most optimistic, and one of his best^. Eberhard Isak Borg (Victor Sjöström) is an elderly physician. His medical and scientific specialty was bacteriology according to the script. Before specializing he served as general practitioner in rural Sweden. He drives 400 miles, with his daughter-in-law Marianne (Ingrid Thulin) from Stockholm to Lund to receive the honorary degree Doctor Jubilaris 50 years after graduating from Lund University. During the trip, he is forced by nightmares, daydreams, his old age, and his impending death to reevaluate his life. He meets a variety of people on the road, from Sara, a female hitchhiker traveling with her fiancé and escort, to a quarreling married couple who remind Isak of his own life and unhappy marriage. He reminisces about his childhood in the seaside, his sweetheart Sara (played by Bibi Andersson, who also plays the other Sara). He is confronted by his loneliness and aloofness, recognizing these traits both in his ancient mother and in his middle age physician son, and gradually advances towards acceptance of himself, his past, his present, and his soon-to-occur death.