The Seven Best Films of the 80's

7: Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Starring: Robert De Niro, James Woods and Joe Pesci

In Seven (or more) Words: An interminable and insuperable gangster film of the 80's. Once Upon a Time in America consumes not only your time, but your conscious, as the viewer is swathed in Leone's depiction of four gangsters in New York and the loyalty, or lack of, in criminality. The extended version of this film, due out in September of this year, runs at 256 minutes...  

6: Back to the Future (1985)
Starring: Michael J Fox, Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd
In Seven (or more) Words: 'The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?'... Doc Brown quotes ostensibly what everyone is thinking about the film itself; flashy, fun and fucking loud! Back to the Future is uproariously entertaining, with Michael J Fox slipping into the shoes of Marty McFly with such aplomb. Sorry Eric Stoltz, but this was the greatest recasting of all time.

5: Stand By Me (1986)
Starring: Will Wheaton, River Phoenix and Kiefer Sutherland
In Seven (or more) Words: Like with most motion pictures, Stephen King can be thanked for the story, adapted from his novella 'The Body'. Above all else, Stand By Me is about friendship, something that we can all relate to. King describes it as 'the best adaptation of any of his books to date'. He might be right.

4: Ran (1985)
Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao and Jinpachi Nezu
In Seven (or more) Words: King Lear retold. Visually magnificent, the set-up of static cameras a key factor to this, Ran is a medieval masterpiece. 

3: Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck and Mia Sara
In Seven (or more) Words: Marvellously entertaining, Ferris takes a day off school. With his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, they have a riot (at times), whilst trying to evade being sighted by the principal, Ed Rooney. A film to live by. 

2: Raging Bull (1980)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci
In Seven (or more) Words: A cyclone of poweful punches and performances.

1: Die Hard (1988)
Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman and Bonnie Bedelia
In Seven (or more) Words: Die Hard is blown up entertainment. At its crux, that's what it is. It is the finest action movie ever made, the finest Christmas movie ever made and once more, it is the finest movie the 80's offers. Everyone loves Die Hard!

Just Missed The Cut: The Shining.. Cinema Paradiso.. Blade Runner.. The Temple of Doom.. E.T... Do the Right Thing.

The Next Article Will Be.... The Seven Best David Lynch Films

The Seven Best Terrible Al Pacino Films

7: Dick Tracy (1990)
Starring: Warren Beatty, Madonna and Al Pacino
In Seven (or more) Words: In other words the Seven Worst Al Pacino Films? Pretty much. We begin with Dick Tracy, where Pacino chews scenery and spits out a grotesque creation worthy of the films comic-book composition. Marmite.

6: Gigli (2003)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Al Pacino
In Seven (or more) Words: Don't mistake me, if Pacino had a greater role, this film would rival for the number one spot. As it is, Al cameos as a mob boss, which in all fairness is what he does best. Still, Gigli is much maligned and possibly a contender for the worst film of the 21st century.

5: Jack and Jill (2011)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino
In Seven (or more) Words: I don't know why I watched this. Al Pacino plays himself for a few minutes, before realising that, for all the money in the world, appearing in an Adam Sandler vehicle just isn't worth it. Again, this would be topping the list if Pacino had more extensive screen time.

4: 88 Minutes (2007)
Starring: Al Pacino, Alicia Witt and Deborah Kara Unger
In Seven (or more) Words: Before I ramble on, I must clarify Al Pacino is one of my favourite actors, and has submitted some of the most unique and celebrated performances in cinematic history; The Godfather, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Scent of a Woman to name a few. Having said that, 88 Minutes is fucking diabolical. I doused my eyes with drops post film, but this did not liberate the mind from the '106 minutes' of footage I had just witnessed. And to think, Mr Pacino made three inferior movies.


3: Righteous Kill (2008)
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Curtis Jackson
In Seven (or more) Words: With Michael Mann's Heat, where a profusion of action was hurled at excited audience members, one understated scene stood out. It occured in a late night cafe and had two of the greatest screen actors conversing over a coffee. This was the first time we observed them on screen together. Thirteen years later, Jon Avnet, the man behind 88 Minutes, rekindled these two giants of cinema as two New York City Detectives. The Director hasn't made anything since. This film is probably the reason why.

2: Revolution (1985) 
Starring: Al Pacino, Donald Sutherland and Nastassja Kinski
In Seven (or more) Words: It took me a long time to get hold of this. With a cacophony of muddled accents and a convoluted narrative, Revolution was a misfire. The predatory attack of Pacino's performance from critics was unjust, due to it being a rarity at the time for him to act in such a misjudged movie. A flop yes. But the blame cannot be bequeathed solely to its star.

1: Stand Up Guys (2012)
Starring: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin
In Seven (or more) Words: Generic. Just like my reviews I guess. Stand Up Guys cannons into first. Why? Watch it. It is abhorrently bad. It hurts to say that, due to my adoration for its three legendary stalwarts. Nonetheless, this is the worst Pacino has ever done. And the ending... dire.

My Next Article Will Be.... The Seven Best Films of the 80's

The Seven Best David Lean Films

7: Ryan's Daughter (1970)

Starring: Robert Mitchum, Trevor Howard and John Mills

In Seven (or more) Words: The thing about David Lean is, that he could unite excessive grandeur with depth in character. Roger Ebert noted that in this film, the acting capsized due to the perpetual scale employed on screen. Although Ryan's Daughter is massive in scope, I believe the likes of Robert Mitchum and Trevor Howard commensurate with the sublime scenery, constituting a finely balanced picture. 

6: Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Starring: Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Geraldine Chaplin

In Seven (or more) Words: Lean's biggest foray into romance, in terms of the size of the picture, Doctor Zhivago dispatched Omar Sharif as more than a secondary character, combining chemistry and charisma opposite a stunning Julie Christie. Preferable to Boris Pasternak's original novel.

5: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Starring: William Holden, Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa

In Seven (or more) Words: Runs a double narrative with William Holden and Alec Guinness positioned at both ends, although the denouement shunts them together in one of the most action heavy endings of 50's cinema. Palpable tension fixates the viewer, though the highlight is Alec Guinness, who received an Academy Award for Actor in a Leading Role, in realising outstanding bravery and conveying profound intentions as Colonel Nicholson. Lean was right to trust him.

4: Oliver Twist (1948)

Starring: Robert Newton, Alec Guinness and Kay Walsh

In Seven (or more) Words: Lean delved in Dickens twice, directing two incomparable book-to-screen adaptations. With Oliver Twist, Lean utilised Alex Guinness superbly, as the most dimensional Fagin to have appeared in a feature. The tangible Gothic aesthetic, previously seen in Great Expectations, is arguably the most constant of captivating visuals ever committed to cinema. Seek it out!    

3: Great Expectations (1946)

Starring: John Mills, Valerie Hobson and Alec Guinness

In Seven (or more) Words: I can only echo what I said about Oliver Twist. Except Great Expectations is ever so slightly superior. The emergence of Magwitch, and his dialogue with the boy Pip, is the greatest scene Lean ever filmed. In my opinion.

2: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Starring: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness and Anthony Quinn

In Seven (or more) Words: Off a smorgasbord of prodigious pictures, this is Lean at his biggest and boldest. Taking a punt on O'Toole as a relative newcomer was risky, but ranks as an extraordinary casting decision. At 3 hours and 38 minutes, the film is flawless. 

1: Brief Encounter (1945)

Starring: Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard

In Seven (or more) Words: Lean with his most beautiful achievement. It is a lovely film about love. Simple and graceful, the antipode of Showgirls, this is wonderful to watch. Superlatives aside, if you ever feel indecisive in love, seek this film out. Heavenly. 

My Next Article Will Be.... The Seven Best Terrible Al Pacino Films

The Seven Best Police Academy Films

7: Police Academy 3: Back In Training
Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith and David Graf
In Seven (or more) Words: It is a crowning achievement to be considered the least favourable Police Academy film. Many say the standard plunged when Steve Guttenberg jumped ship. I say otherwise. Police Academy 3 is alarmingly atrocious.

6: Police Academy 6: City Under Seige

Starring: Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow and George Gaynes

In Seven (or more) Words: When Police Academy burrowed into 'whodunnit' territory, the plot is outstandingly ridiculous, with even the saving grace of the series, Cmdt. Lassard, becoming tiresome. This is akin to a six year old penning an Agatha Christie novel.

5: Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol

Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Sharon Stone and David Spade

In Seven (or more) Words: Notable for an early screen presence of Sharon Stone, the original Police Academy grads reach grounds of maturity in instructing the 'citizens on patrol'. David Graf, as the gun obsessed Tackleberry, just about carries this particular venture out of the realms of completely awful. Still bad though.

4: Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow

Starring: Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook and Christopher Lee

In Seven (or more) Words: After a five year hiatus, breaking tradition with the annual promulgation of Police Academy movies, the seventh adventure is a watchable affair. The academy immigrates their ineptitude to Russia, with Christopher Lee, Claire Forlani and antagonist Ron Perlman awaiting them. 

3: Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment

Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Bobcat Goldthwait and George Gaynes

In Seven (or more) Words: The deranged incarnation of Zed McGlunk salvages some humour through his ticks and manic facial expressions. 

2: Police Academy

Starring: Steve Guttenberg, Kim Cattrall and G.W. Bailey

In Seven (or more) Words: The most critically revered, as it should be being the original slice of pie, Police Academy doesn't make the top spot due to my reluctant adoration for a later flick. The script is laden with racist remarks, that one could never get away with now in a comical sense, though this opener still sounds out the rest of the series, with its introduction to the maddest mob of characters 80's cinema produced.

1: Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach

Starring: Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow and George Gaynes

In Seven (or more) Words: Hightower slays an alligator. The (sometimes) gentle giant and most beloved body of the series bequeaths the starring screen credit. For me, the charm overrides the crass, which is why the fuzz's trip to Miami ranks as my favourite.

The Next Article Will Be.... The Seven Best David Lean Films

The Seven Best Film Directors of All Time

7: Francis Ford Coppola
In Seven (or more) Words: Coppola's films are analogous to works of art, each one encompassing a unique style, authenticated in every strain of performance. With his celebrated and definitive war movie Apocalypse Now, he stated that it wasn't 'a film about Vietnam, it is Vietnam'. He was able to craft reality through the lens.
The Best: To elect Apocalypse Now or The Godfather Part One or Two? The Conversation is worthy of a mention, though perhaps not big enough to be considered his very best. The Godfather Part One wins the votes.

6: John Ford
In Seven (or more) Words: The man responsible for John Wayne's titanic screen presence and the master of the Western genre, John Ford forged unsurpassed cinema.
The Best: This is difficult, with The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley and Stagecoach all adept enough for consideration. However, The Searchers edges it, with some of the best cinematography ever filmed.

5: Akira Kurosawa
In Seven (or more) Words: The clear-cut ambassador for Japanese cinema, Kurosawa started off as a painter, moving into the film industry in 1936. Fifty years later he was the most respected director in world cinema, influencing such auteurs as George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. This means he's kind of a big deal.
The Best: Kurosawa indulged in Shakespeare and samurai warriors, with some of his notable films being Yojimbo, Throne of Blood and Ikiru. His two monumental movies are ingrained in Japanese culture; Seven Samurai is perhaps slightly inferior to Ran, his final masterpiece.

4: Orson Welles
In Seven (or more) Words: At his very worst he was woeful, at his very best he was incomparable. Known for directing the "greatest film ever made".
The Best: Citizen Kane. Although A Touch of Evil has to be seen by all film connoisseurs.

3: Alfred Hitchcock
In Seven (or more) Words: 'Hitchcock loves to be misunderstood, because he has based his whole life around misunderstandings'. A thought of Francis Truffaut about the 'Master of Suspense' that captures the Zeitgeist of Hitchcock's films. It thematically links with the "wrong man", the "ice blonde" and the purposefully placed "MacGuffin', all signatures of an Alfred Hitchcock picture. 'Misunderstanding' is why Hitchcock is beloved by all cinema aficionados.
The Best: This is to be found out in my first ever list entitled: The Seven Best Alfred Hitchcock Films.

2: Martin Scorsese
In Seven (or more) Words: Scorsese, influenced and influential, a short man with a perennial capacity to frequently deliver a range of classics. The scope includes; Goodfellas, The Departed, After Hours, Mean Streets, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull. The greatest living film director.
The Best: Goodfellas.

1: Stanley Kubrick
In Seven (or more) Words: A man who dipped his fingers in all the pies, so to speak. Every genre was trespassed, examined and packaged into some of the most important movies of the last sixty years. Lauded by Spielberg as a cinematic giant, Kubrick was a perfectionist. And for good reason. His films need to be viewed on the largest screen one can find.
The Best: Many would say 2001: A Space Odyssey or Spartacus, though for me The Shining, a grandiose and haunting picture, ranks as his absolute achievement.

The Directors Who Nearly Made It:
Billy Wilder, David Lean, Steven Spielberg, DW Griffith, Satyajit Ray and Frank Capra.

My Next Article Will Be.... The Seven Best Police Academy Films

The Seven Best De Niro/Scorsese Collaborations

7: Cape Fear (1991)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte and Jessica Lange
In Seven (or more) Words: Cape Fear and New York, New York are Scorsese and De Niro's weakest collaborations, though the former sneaks in to the top seven, with its uncomfortable camera framing and anxiety in characterisation, chilling more than Max Cady himself.

6: Casino (1995)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci
In Seven (or more) Words: A two way narrative from Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro, which intrudes the audience perception, foiling any sense of awareness through antithetical points of view. We don't know what's going to happen, even though we are 'shown' the climax at the beginning. Three hours of deceit, glamour and violence maintains our entertainment.

5: Mean Streets (1973)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and David Proval
In Seven (or more) Words: Although not the central protagonist, Johnny Boy marks De Niro's cinematic admission, with Scorsese's directorial rawness and flair abundantly strutting the streets of Little Italy.

4: Taxi Driver (1976)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster and Cybill Shepherd
In Seven (or more) Words: Taxi Driver is a stimulating, yet psychedelic ride into the contorting cognition of a mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran. 'You talkin' to me' nails the atmosphere of the film, and the relationship between actor and director; they're willing to try anything.

3: The King of Comedy (1982)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis and Diahnne Abbott
In Seven (or more) Words: Many see this as a mishap. I see it as a masterpiece. The casting of Jerry Lewis against a sinister, desperate, though eminently watchable De Niro proves to be of genius conduct. The film involves both actor and director abducting what should be a surreal offbeat comedy, and injecting it with social realism, inducing empathy from the viewer. An underrated gem.

2: Raging Bull (1980)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Cathy Moriarty
In Seven (or more) Words: The greatest film direction ever? Probably. The greatest screen performance ever? Difficult to pick just one. This comes second through my own teenage nostalgia towards a very different classic. A marvel of a movie, with the lacquer of black and white cinematography allowing for one to be immersed by every expression Jake La Motta pulls. Beautiful brutality, brutal beauty. Outstanding.

1: Goodfellas (1990)
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci
In Seven (or more) Words: Next time I watch Goodfellas, I want to be sitting in a leather clad chair with a whisky in my right hand. Or left hand. It doesn't matter which. Scorsese doesn't glorify being a gangster, the genre does that itself. It is easy to see them as anti-heroes, to comprehend their state of mind, to view them as coolness personified. De Niro, Liotta and Pesci achieve this. Worthy mention to another keynote collaborator in the form of Thelma Schoonmaker for the blistering editing. Scorsese and his shy pal never did better.  

My Next Article Will Be... The Seven Best Film Directors Of All Time

The Seven Best Matthew McConaughey Performances

7: Killer Joe (2011)
Matthew McConaughey is: Killer Joe Cooper
In Seven (or more) Words: Friedkin, the helmer of two of the finest films that represent 1970's cinema (The French Connection and The Exorcist), directs our resident Texan in a subtle yet potent display of simmering rage, reminiscent of Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. Even contract killers have charisma.

6: A Time to Kill (1996)
Matthew McConaughey is: Jake Tyler Brigance
In Seven (or more) Words: McConaughey attempts to replicate Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch in less screen time. With a searing monologue that acts as a continuation of one of the all time great courtroom speeches (To Kill a Mockingbird of course), 'Now imagine she's white' should tear open the mind of any sceptic and turn it into a perpetual conscious engraved with the simple methodology of equal rights. It's not just the dialogue, it's the way he delivers that dialogue.

5: Dazed and Confused (1993)
Matthew McConaughey is: David Wooderson
In Seven (or more) Words: Alright, Alright, Alrigghhhht. The greatest hang out film along with Rio Bravo, according to Tarantino, McConaughey enters the screen with such nonchalance, such swagger. He's fucking cool. And he knows it.

4: Magic Mike (2012)
Matthew McConaughey is: Dallas
In Seven (or more) Words: I avoided this film for a while. I finally accustomed myself to the idea of watching a movie with a main plot focus centred around male stripping (vodka helped) and was thoroughly entertained. Dallas steals the show, and McConaughey really should have bequeathed his first Oscar nomination.

3: Mud (2012)
Matthew McConaughey is: Mud
In Seven (or more) Words: I met Jeff Nichols last year at Sundance London, and he said that McConaughey knew the character better than he, the writer (also the director), did. It is a testament to the depth of research McConaughey plunges himself into. This is his most immediately identifiable creation since Dazed and Confused, and marks an honest, masculine performance, blighted by his unrequited love for Reese Witherspoon's Juniper. We can all relate.

2: Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Matthew McConaughey is: Ron Woodroof
In Seven (or more) Words: An Academy Award. At last. The candour of aids, a thought provoking true story, with two diverse, meaningful performances. By losing three stone in weight he 'became smarter' (Matthew McConaughey, 2013). I guess that means as an actor too, because this is his smartest film performance to date. Riding a transition from detestable to determined, whilst being likeable throughout.

1: True Detective (2014)
Matthew McConaughey is: Rust Cohle
In Seven (or more) Words: The greatest television character since Tony Soprano. An ark promulgated across eight episodes; McConaughey has a lengthier period to propagate his wings. Considering this is predominantly a film blog, I am cheating, but I don't care. Phenomenal acting appears regularly on HBO, whether that be stand alone or ensemble. This here confirms McConaughey can stand alone, as once an industry joke, he is now a power house of a performer, one of the actors of his generation capable of quality control and consistency. He always had it in him.

Special Mention: The Wolf of Wall Street (2014)
Matthew McConaughey is: Mark Hanna
In Seven (or more) Words: Alec Baldwin in Glengary Glen Ross is the best scene stealing cameo ever. McConaughey is a close second.

My Next Article is... The Seven Best Robert De Niro/Martin Scorsese Collaborations