Quentin Terintino's 4th Film. Taking all of his influences from the old Kung Fu films and Spaghetti Westerns he used to watch when he was younger he came up with the ultimate revenge story: Kill Bill. Split into two volumes Terintino crafts a film about a nameless bride who must take out revenge upon the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and ultimately Bill their leader.
Pulp Fiction
Probably one of the greatest dialogue films ever written also the work of Quentin Terintino. Pulp Fiction is a film about a lot of characters and a lot of different situations yet all of them are extremely complex while at the same time very "in your face." Every Line in this film has a glint of depth even when it seems like it has nothing to do with the films story. The cast in this film is also amazing with Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Uma Thurman.
Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is one of the first independent films that I ever really started to really respect independent and creative film making. Donnie Darko is a very strange yet extremely intricate film about a teenager who after some very strange events starts to see some very strange things. To give much else away would ruin the impact of a lot of the events but trust me there's a lot more to it. Richard Kelly wrote and directed this film and shows a lot of his own philosophy throughout the writing. If you want to see some very good independent directing skill as well as some extremely good dialogue this is a movie that really shows those aspects off well.
Heat
Heat is probably the ultimate heist film. Starring Al Pacino and Robert Deniro the acting is excellent. Pacino plays a cop who is bent on stopping Deniro's character from robbing a bank while at the same time having to manage his deteriorating personal life. Probably the best portion of the whole movie is a shootout near the last portion of the movie in which bullets are flying in the streets that is caught perfectly on film as if you were right there.
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is sort of "the heist movie where the heist is the least important thing going on." Al Pacino plays a bank robber that for a lot of different reasons takes a robbery and sees it become very complicated very fast. The film uses a blend of somewhat intense drama and adds a little comedy to the dialogue to make the story seem quite original. Once you see it you will find it hard to believe its a true story but in fact it did actually happen. This is defiantly worth seeing for Pacino's performance alone.
The Austin Powers Movies
In my opinion second to the Naked Gun movies these are probably some of the funniest films ever made. Mike Myers created and wrote the scripts for these films about a secret agent from the 60s that comes to the future to stop his nemesis Dr. Evil. Probably the best thing about them is that Myer's performances are incredibly well done. He plays so many characters and does them so well that it almost seems like different people. The dialogue is intelligent while at the same time insanely funny and there's kind of a slapstick style that is defiantly inspired by the Naked Gun films.
The Naked Gun
This would probably have to be my favorite comedy of all time. Leslie Nealson plays a Frank Drebon in probably the strangest cop movie ever made. This and the other two films make some of the best use of slapstick comedy since back in the days when it was more commonplace. Probably the most brilliance that is shown in the films comes from Nealson's delivery as he says the most ridiculous lines but with a hardened cop tone. A majority calls these films "the stupid kind of comedy" but most people call it brilliant.
Psycho
Until I saw this film (and another he did called "Rear Widow") I was having trouble understanding the hype and the reputation of Alfred Hitchcock. This is Hitchock's thriller about a woman who needs to stay at a hotel for the night and what events take place when she decides to spend the night at the Bate's Motel. Without giving anything away let me just say that the directing and the composition of his shots in the film are some of the best shots I've ever seen.
North By Northwest
North by Northwest is my favorite of Hitchcock's many films. Its not a horror and suspense film as much as its just an old fashioned thriller. Cary Grant displays an amazing performance as a businessman who gets suddenly (in just the first couple of minutes into the film) pulled into a huge plot that has him going to many locations and is filled with plot twists a plenty. One of the best thrillers ever made.
The Indiana Jones Movies
The duel work of Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas, the Indiana Jones films are probably regarded as the best adventure/action films ever made. Harrison ford plays Jones who is based on the characters of the old 20s and 30s adventure comics. The films all were able to hold onto the spirit of the first film but at the same time add just enough to make them good sequels. The stunts are probably the most spectacular element of the films and these are must sees for anyone who hasn't seen them.
The Transporter
Directed by Corey Yuen who has made his fair share of marshal arts films, The Transporter is an unrated gem. Jason Stratham plays an expert driver in France who transports anything no questions asked as long as whoever needs his services follows his rules. Stratham shows that he is extremely talented in the marshal arts as the scenes in this film are excellently choreographed and the acting for this type of film is actually quite good. The special effects are also well done and this is defiantly an underrated action film.
Alien
Regarded by many as the greatest science fiction film ever made Alien is a horror movie that happens to take place in space. Director Riddley Scott makes great use of a story involving a claustrophobic space ship and aliens that get inside your chest and then burst out and kill everyone. This movie really has every element in place for it to be a great film. From the cinematography to the excellent acting. This is definitely one of the finest science fiction films that will ever be made.
The Matrix
The Matrix is a pretty unique film. It takes the whole cyber punk mentality and puts a good story around it. Most people accredit the Matrix's success to the fact that the action scenes and special effects are just so amazing (and they are) but really what makes this particular film so good is the writing and the ideas behind the film. The Matrix is extremely thought provoking while at the same time balancing all of that out with some very memorable fight scenes.