Films of Modern Genius (13 titles)

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Any Given Sunday

Its pacy, post-modern editing accompanied by the constantly changing soundtrack make this like an MTV video! On-field shots remind me of Stone's war-films ... with Pacino as the general trying to motivate his troops. Fans of American Football will appreciate the cameos ... fans of films will love EVERYTHING. It's so quick you can watch this over and over and still miss bits; I get something new out of it every time I watch!!

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• Any Given Sunday on DVD (1999)
  Starring: Al Pacino,  Jamie Foxx,  Matthew Modine
  Director: Oliver Stone
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Unavailable
  Directed by Oliver Stone ('Wall Street', 'JFK'), this tense drama sets out to lift the lid on the world of American pro football. The story focuses on the Miami Sharks, currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak which has brought team president Christina Pagniacci (Cameron Diaz) into ..read more »
  
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Fargo

Beautiful - like a fairytale (And, when you think about it, most fairytales have a plot as twisted as this). William H.Macy and Frances McDormand give amazing performances ... Frances' ability making this perhaps the best female performance I have ever seen (even better than Julie Christie in her youthful prime!) Photography is exceptional, as in all Coen brother's films ... a truly remarkable, beautiful thriller.

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• Fargo on DVD (1996)
  Starring: William H. Macy,  Steve Buscemi,  Peter Stormare
  Director: Joel Coen
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Unavailable
  A pregnant police chief is investigating a series of homicides across the frozen tundra. Against a sprawling Minnesota landscape, a car salesman hires two criminals to kidnap his wife. But when the scheme goes sour, and wood chippers get involved, the haphazard kidnapping plot turns deadly serious.
  
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La Haine

So moving, so funny. Every time I watch this film, I think the decision of black and white photography is going to be a gimmick, but it isn't - it is perfect. I suppose the idea was to help reflect the racial undertones, as well as show how bleak, yet beautiful everything is ... or something like that. At the end of the day, a day in the life of some urban french misfits at the time of the riots runs from mischief to tragedy. Watch out for the Eiffel shot ... it was the first time I saw this technique, and it has been done to perfection. Imagine photography that has come to life ... truly breathtaking!

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• La Haine on DVD (1995)
  Starring: Vincent Lindon,  Hubert Kounde,  Benoit Magimel
  Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Unavailable
  An award-winning account of one crucial day in the life of three ethnically diverse teenagers on a housing estate in Paris. It documents the fierce loathing that exists between the estate's residents and the police, that explodes when the police beat a youngster into a coma. The three young men ..read more »
  
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Casino

Scorsese takes some old heads, DeNiro, Pesci, Woods, Stone ... and crafts something magnificent. It looks good, sounds good, and has that shocking gangster feel that epitomises the great modern gangster classics. Stylish. Sexy. The pace of the film is perfect ... and it ends like the classic gangster films of old (a little tribute to the Hays Code, I suppose)

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• Casino on DVD (1995)
  Starring: Jayne Meadows,  Jerry Vale,  Steve Allen
  Director: Martin Scorsese
  Certificate:
  The inner-workings of a corrupt Las Vegas casino are exposed in Martin Scorsese's story of crime and punishment. The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to ..read more »
  
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The Man Who Wasn't There

Once again, a slick Coen brothers movie with a great many twists and turns, and a fantastic film where Billy Bob Thornton gets to show what he really has! Remarkable!

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• The Man Who Wasn't There on DVD (2001)
  Starring: Scarlett Johansson,  Tony Shalhoub,  Michael Badalucco
  Director: Joel Coen
  Certificate:
  Billy Bob Thornton plays mild-mannered barber Ed Crane in this take on the 1940s film noir from the Coen brothers. Ed suspects that his wife Doris (Frances McDormand) is having an affair with her boss, department store manager Dave Nirdlinger (James Gandolfini). So when he's offered the chance to ..read more »
  
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The Weather Man

I don't like Nick Cage, I think he is a weak actor (which is why I'm not surprised he continually ends-up as an 'action hero' in poorly structured movies that would not have even made the B-List, in their day!) ... however ... this very understated, unmentioned, somewhat darker comedy has very much won me over. Proving you don't need violence to be in my collection, The Weather Man looks great, goes at a nice pace, and although quite depressing ... it is also very sweet in its own way. The trailer does NOT do it justice - don't watch it - it put me off too!!!

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• The Weather Man on DVD (2005)
  Starring: Gil Bellows,  Nicolas Cage,  Michael Caine
  Director: Gore Verbinski,  Phedon Papamichael
  Certificate:
  Nicolas Cage stars in this off-beat comedy as Chicago TV weather forecaster Dave Spritz, who has a love-hate relationship with his public, and with his eccentric family. When he is given the opportunity to move to New York and hit the big time in his career, Dave makes one last effort to reunite ..read more »
  
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Get Carter

Michael Caine ... want to see what all the fuss is about? It's easy to catch his crap period and dismiss him, but watching either Get Carter or Alfie quickly drums home that this man is a genius ... not just a British legend, a clear-cut hollywood legend!

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• Get Carter on DVD (1971)
  Starring: Ian Hendry,  Michael Caine,  John Osborne
  Director: Mike Hodges
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Unavailable
  Acclaimed 1970s British thriller starring Michael Caine as a hardened gangster returning to his hometown in search of the truth behind his brother's death. Though originally from Newcastle, Jack Carter (Caine) has made his name in London as a tough enforcer for the crime boss, Gerald Fletcher (..read more »
  
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Fight Club

Ultra violent, yes ... and I know a good many people who wouldn't watch it due to its core revolving around bare-knuckle pit fighting... but that is just a small part of the oevrall statement. It is definitely a man's film - it is soaked in debates about masculinity ... as well as being a damn good yarn that many tales since have replicated ... or tried to, at least.

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• Fight Club on DVD (1999)
  Starring: Meat Loaf,  Jared Leto,  Richmond Arquette
  Director: David Fincher
  Certificate:
  Adapted from Chuck Palahniuk's novel, David Fincher's controversial drama explores themes of masculinity and violence in contemporary society. Edward Norton stars as Jack, a bored insomniac, determined to inject some excitement into his life. He meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charismatic soap ..read more »
  
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Donnie Darko

Flopped in the cinema, then became a hit on DVD. At first, if you'd discovered it yourself, you thought WOW ... and only wanted to share it with your closest friends. Now everyone has seen it, it has taken the edge off somewhat. Classic lines of dialogue and a unique sci-fi plot make this a worthy choice of anyone wanting to break-away. No, I still wouldn't call it SCI-FI myself ... it's non-generic!

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• Donnie Darko on DVD (2001)
  Starring: Noah Wyle,  Holmes Osborne,  Jena Malone
  Director: Richard Kelly
  Certificate:
  Watch now: Unavailable
  The directorial debut of Richard Kelly is a comic mixture of 80s sci-fi, horror and teen movie genres. October 1988 and small-town USA is about to witness the end of the world. Well, that's according to Frank, a giant, talking rabbit that only Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal), a brilliant but ..read more »
  
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American Psycho

'Do you like Phil Collins'? Then you'll love this!! Christian Bale ... method actor and genius. I was glad he was picked as the latest Batman, but something inside me saw him as an excellent Bond ... still ... you can't have both franchises, I suppose. Amazing. Witty. Dark. Pretty.

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• American Psycho on DVD (2000)
  Starring: Guinevere Turner,  Chloe Sevigny,  Josh Lucas
  Director: Mary Harron
  Certificate:
  Bret Easton Ellis' disturbing novel is brought to the screen by Mary Harron. In 1987, twentysomething Wall Street broker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) seems to have it all: he is handsome, successful and engaged to the beautiful Evelyn (Reese Witherspoon). However, Patrick is also engaged in an ..read more »
  
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