Life is Beautiful
Roberto Benigni
There are some movies which just lift your spirits and make you realise the greatness of human values. This is such a movie. That such a tragic event as the Holocaust can be told in such a humorous way speaks volumes of the ability of the director. The scenes like the key falling from the sky and the ending scene where the little boy sees the tank rolling towards him leave you teary-eyed. A story with universal appeal and excellent acting, this is truly a masterpiece.
Godfather
Francis Ford Coppola
So much has been written by so many about this movie but still everything said feels short of the experience of watching it. This might be one of those rare cases where a movie based on a book has got the better of it. As they say there is a dark side to every human being, there could be a humane side to every criminal and this movie shows that. The audience is captivated by the brute power exercised through so much restraint that it leaves you in awe. It’s very difficult to even contemplate anybody else doing the role of the Godfather than Marlon Brando. Kudos to Coppola for crafting such a riveting movie. Coppola also deserves credit for sticking to his guns in selecting Al Pacino to play Michael Corleone in spite of enormous pressure from studio bosses to select other leading actors of that day.
Indecent Proposal
Adrian Lyne
In the genre of romance there is nothing to beat this movie. It takes such an unconventional story that of a rich man proposing to a married woman to spend a night for money into a romance which will make everyone shed a tear or two is a tribute to the art of storytelling. All the lead actors give excellent performances and elevate the movie to a higher degree.
The Usual Suspects
Bryan Singer
It starts of as a typical gangster movie rolling towards a violent climax. The climax is so stunning it makes you sit up. You will end up surprised at the ingenuity of the plot and the way Cripple (Kevin Spacey) fools you. This movie rests squarely on the shoulders of Kevin Spacey and he delivers it on a platter.
American Beauty
Sam Mendes
This movie depicts mid-life crisis and the dysfunction it brings. Sam Mendes deserves credit for bringing out issues like a lack of family values, homosexuality and wayward adolescents in such a humorous and thought-provoking way. This movie also has an impressive background score and stellar performances. The scene where Kevin Spacey realises his fallacy in luring his daughter’s friend and the realisation hits him is done so well. It’s a directors movie with excellent performances from all the cast.
Those that almost made it
Snatch: Guy Ritchie
Nayagan: Mani Ratnam
Rashomon: Akira Kurosawa
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest: Milos Forman
It’s A Wonderful Life: Frank Capra
Viswanath Kalpathy is a project manager in an IT firm. Watching movies is more than a hobby for him.
