Cinema Aficionado

10 Most Disturbing Movies Ever

2012-03-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

1.ERASERHEAD : It took David Lynch, a former art student, five years to make Eraserhead, a curious blend of Kafkesque horror and Orwellian nightmare. Jack Nance portrays total loser Henry Spencer (a couple of years ago, I read that Nance was murdered during a fight at a donut shop). After viewing this film, you'll know who served as the inspiration for fight promoter Don King's unique hairstyle. Lynch once revealed in an interview that he had a chocolate shake at Bob's Big Boy at 2:30 PM every day for seven years: "Two-thirty is Bob's time . . . I can think there and draw on napkins and have my shake. Sometimes I have a cup of coffee and sometimes I have a small Coke. They both go great with shakes." Sample Dialogue: "In Heaven, everything is fine. In Heaven, everything is fine. You've got your good things. And I've got mine."

2.IRREVERSIBLE : "Time destroys everything . . ." Extremely disturbing French film directed by Gaspar Noé, Irreversible features a revenge plot told in reverse chronological order (similar to Memento) - punctuated by extreme violence and a brutally graphic rape scene that runs approximately nine minutes. Sample Dialogue: "Vengeance is a human right."

3.SALO OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM : Based on the infamous book, The 120 Days of Sodom by the Marquis de Sade, Salo contains its fair share of disturbing imagery and graphic violence. For this reason, it is still banned in some countries even to this day - good luck finding a copy! Director Pier Paolo Pasolini was brutally murdered shortly after the film's release. Sample Dialogue: "We fascists are the only true anarchists."

4.HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER : Based loosely on the life of convicted murderer Henry Lee Lucas, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer follows roaming serial killer, Henry, and his demented buddy Otis, as they go on a random killing spree. Not a good movie to rent on a first date! Sample Dialogue: "If you shoot someone in the head with a .45 every time you kill somebody, it becomes like your fingerprint, see? But if you strangle one, stab another, and one you cut up and one you don't, then the police don't know what to do."

5.THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT : The Last House on the Left would make a great double feature with I Spit on Your Grave for the truly depraved movie fan of the over-the-top, sadistic, revenge-fantasy flick. Believe it or not, the film was reportedly inspired by Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1961! The Last House on the Left was directed by Wes Craven, who would go on to direct The Hills Have Eyes and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Sample Dialogue: "We don't wanna off someone first night out. I mean, it'd be a shame to get this floor all messed up with blood."

6.A CLOCKWORK ORANGE : Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his "droogs" go out on the town to partake in a little of the old "ultra-violence." Director Stanley Kubrick brings Anthony Burgess' classic novel to life with this disturbing look at a future populated by teenage gangs. Look for McDowell's stirring rendition of "Singin' in the Rain." Here's what Kubrick said to counter the negative reaction voiced against the film's violence: "Sanitized violence in movies has been accepted for years. What seems to upset everybody now is the showing of the consequences of violence." Sample Dialogue: "What we were after now was the old surprise visit. That was a real kick and good for laughs and lashings of the old ultraviolence."

7.AUDITION : The friend of a lonely widower sets up a phony audition for a nonexistent film so the poor guy can find a new wife. He gets more than he bargained for - to say the least! Directed by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, the film starts out as a traditional romantic drama but gradually devolves into a disturbingly graphic horror flick - definitely not for all tastes! Sample Dialogue: "Words create lies. Pain can be trusted."

8.EL TOPO : Alejandro Jodorowsky's totally bizarre, surrealistic masterpiece follows a gunfighter, El Topo (The Mole), as he makes his way through the desert and encounters one absurd situation after another in his search of enlightenment. One of the only films I'm aware of that has an armless, legless dwarf in the cast. Apparently, El Topo was one of John Lennon's favorite films. David Lynch was also a big fan (see Eraserhead entry below). Jodorowsky once claimed, "I ask of cinema what most North Americans ask of psychedelic drugs." Sample Dialogue: "Too much perfection is a mistake."

9.I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE : I always thought Halloween or Friday the 13th started the trend of "slasher films" that polluted the box office throughout the late '70s and '80s—that is until I watched this extremely low-budget flick about a writer who travels to a cabin in the woods, gets brutally assaulted by a bunch of hillbillies and then exacts her revenge using a series of rather creative methods—including hanging and castration. Also known as Day of the Woman. Sample Dialogue: "You know, sometimes I look at these gorgeous-looking chicks, I mean the ones that look like real knockouts, sexy and all . . . and I wonder . . . I wonder if they gotta take a shit, too."The shower smiles in a politician.

10.FREAKS : "But for an accident of birth, you might be as they are." Director Tod Browning delves into the depraved world of sideshow circus freaks to reveal that they have more humanity than the average asshole walking the streets. Favorite freak: Prince Randian, "the living torso" (pictured above). Runner-up: Johnny Eck, "the half-boy." Freaks was based on the short story "Spurs" by Tod Robbins. Believe it or not, this masterpiece only runs for a total of 64 minutes! Also released as Forbidden Love, The Monster Show and Nature's Mistakes. Sample Dialogue: "We accept you, one of us! Gooble gobble! Gooble gobble!"

10 Most Romantic Movie Scenes

2012-03-24T06:31:00.001-07:00

1.Titanic : In this epic romance, Jack and Rose both make huge sacrifices for each other. Rose ditches her life boat to get Jack, and then Jack makes the ultimate sacrifice: he gives his life so Rose can survive.

2.Never Been Kissed : Grand gestures are not only committed by men. In Never Been Kissed, Josie Geller invites the object of her affection, Sam Coulson, to give her her a kiss during a school baseball game — her first. It's as sweet as the resulting smooch, set to "Don't Worry Baby" by the Beach Boys.

3.Once : Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová star as a musician and a flower girl whose friendship begins to hint at something more, as they bond over their love for music. He falls for her, but she resists because she's married. In the end, he leaves to board a plane for London, leaving her with a parting gift: a piano.

4.Shakespeare in Love : Even though William can't be with Viola, with whom he is deeply in love, he dedicates his next play to her. His words are better than mine: "For she will be my heroine for all time, and her name will be . . . Viola."

5.Pretty Woman : Edward Lewis decides he can't let Vivian go after their "business arrangement" ends and attempts to be the knight in shining armor she's fantasized about. Tackling his fear of heights by climbing her fire escape, he presents her with roses and asks what happens next. She tells him that she "rescues him right back."

6.A Walk to Remember : Landon knows Jamie is dying of leukemia, so he takes it upon himself to complete everything on her bucket list, including tattoos, crossing state lines, and getting married.

7.Sleepless in Seattle : Annie has a seemingly perfect man all ready for marriage, but she takes a risk and heads to the top of the Empire State Building instead for a chance to meet her soulmate, Sam. Even though Jonah plays a big role as matchmaker, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say many women would have gone the safe route with cute-but-boring Walter.

8.Say Anything : The definitive movie grand gesture just may be Lloyd Dobler hoisting a ghetto blaster over his head to play "In Your Eyes" for Diane Court. They're broken up, both in pain, and Peter Gabriel's song, the one they had first made love to, is looping for her benefit. It would be creepy if it wasn't so wonderful.

9.Juno : Even though they were never really together, Juno realizes she's in love with the father of her baby, Paulie Bleeker, while she's pregnant. Her gesture is personal, sweet, and colorful: she fills the Bleeker mailbox with orange Tic Tacs, his fave.

10.Ten Things I Hate About You : Heath Ledger's Patrick Verona breaks out of his assumed bad-boy persona to serenade Julia Stiles's character Kat with the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." I still can't hear that song without imagining a marching band playing the instrumental part or Heath dancing across the school's bleachers.

9 Interesting Movie Facts that you won't Believe

2012-03-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

1.John Carpenter was offered the job of directing ‘Top Gun’. He turned it down.

2.Arnold Schwarzenegger has won a Golden Globe for acting.

3.A Canadian has been nominated for the best actor Oscar just once in 60 years.

4.‘The Shining’ was nominated for two Razzies in 1980. Including worst director.

5.Steven Seagal once broke Sean Connery’s wrist.

6.After ‘Jaws’ and ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind’, Steven Spielberg desperately wanted to direct a James Bond film. He approached the producers. They said no.

7.The voice of E.T. was Debra Winger.

8.If you take into account inflation in ticket price, ‘Tootsie’ made more than ‘Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone’. ‘Blazing Saddles’ made double the amount of ‘Terminator 2′. And ‘American Graffiti’ made more than ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’.

9.NASA keeps ‘So I Married An Axe Murderer’ on the Space Station.

10 Al pacino facts that you Didn't know

2012-03-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

1.Was arrested, charged with carrying a concealed weapon (January 1961)

2.Originally asked for $7 million for The Godfather: Part III (1990), a figure that so enraged director Francis Ford Coppola that he threatened to write a new script that opened with Michael Corleone's funeral. Pacino settled for $5 million.

3.Francis Ford Coppola asked Pacino to play Captain Willard in his film Apocalypse Now (1979). Pacino politely turned down the offer, saying he'd "do anything" for Francis but he "woudn't go to war with him!"

4.Al was so much into character (playing a plain-clothes NYC cop) while filming Serpico (1973) he actually pulled over and threatened to arrest a truck driver for exhaust pollution.

5.Was voted the Number 1 greatest movie star of all time in a Channel 4 (UK) poll.

6.He was rejected repeatedly by studio heads while auditioning for the role of Michael in The Godfather (1972) but Francis Ford Coppola fought for him. This film was shot briskly because both the director and the leading actor were in constant fear of being fired. Ironically, it turned out to be a breakthrough for both.

7.His favorite actress is Julie Christie

8.Has suffered from chronic insomnia.

9.Won his first Oscar twenty-one years after his first nomination.

10.One of the few Hollywood stars who has never married.

The Best 5 Movies based on a Book.

2012-03-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Its a completely personal and unscientific list. Your suggestions are always welcome.

1.To Kill a Mocking Bird (1962): Its simply the best screen adaptation of a great novel ever. Peck is so overwhelmingly convincing in the role, it inspires the viewer to actually like a lawyer. The film captures all of the nuances of small town life in the South that are found in Ms. Lee’s book. There are many fine performances, including Robert Duvall’s memorable portrayal of Boo Radley.

2.The Godfather (1972): Despite loosing some of the book’s edge, Coppola socks a homerun in this story of the Corleone family. Amazing substance and texture found throughout, and one performance is better than the next. Nearly perfect casting and Nino Rota’s haunting score make this an unforgettable film experience.

3.Jaws (1975): Besides keeping a generation from going into the water, Spielberg’s film does more than justice to the book. The screenplay actually gets rid of silly plot lines (like the affair between Brody’s wife and Hooper) and focuses on the main event: man against shark. I still jump when that shark first comes out of the water and dwarfs Quint’s ship, and who doesn’t hear John Williams’s classic score every time he or she tiptoes into the surf?

4.A Christmas Carol (1951): One of Dickens’s personal favorites (said to make him laugh and cry anytime he read it), A Christmas Carol is something of a tradition at Christmastime, but certainly this story is rewarding all year round. If ever the were a perfect blend of actor and character, I’d say it is found in Alastair Sim’s portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge. A simply brilliant performance takes him from grumpy dark lost soul to enlightened lover of life after the visitation of spirits. Excellent casting, script, and brooding music to shiver your timbers by. The scene with the Ghost of Christmas Future still scares me

5.One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975): The book’s stream of consciousness format is enjoyable to read but would have been difficult to sufficiently honor on screen. Therefore, the screenwriters wisely center the story around Nicholson’s McMurphy. This performance is pure “Jack” at his very best, and that’s what makes it so compelling. The screenplay actually improves the story, and all of the main and minor characters seem perfectly cast. This story of human spirit that cannot be broken seems fresher than ever, and it was the first film in thirty or so years to take the top five Oscars. A winning film that is simply unforgettable.

Ten Pulp Fiction facts that you didn't Know .

2012-03-22T19:22:00.002-07:00

Jules’ character (Samuel L. Jackson) was originally written to have a gigantic afro, but a crewmember obtained a variety of gerry-curled wigs instead, apparently unaware of the difference. The production schedule did not permit correcting the mistake
Quentin Tarantino hesitated over the choice between the character he was going to play: Jimmie or Lance. He ended up choosing Jimmie’s role because he wanted to be behind the camera in Mia’s overdose scene.
Tarantino originally wrote the role of Jules specifically for Samuel L. Jackson, however it was almost given to Paul Calderon after a great audition. When Jackson heard this, he flew to LA and re-auditioned, getting back the part he was supposed to play. Calderon ended up with a cameo as Paul, the bartender.
Quentin Tarantino wrote two of the three stories before he wrote Reservoir Dogs and True Romance. After the success of those films, he decided to write a third story, intending to have each segment directed by a different person.
The Big Kahuna burger was also eaten in the movie From Dusk Till Dawn and first appeared in Reservoir Dogs.
The innocent bystander shot by Marsellus Wallace is the same actor pulled out of her car by Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs.
Fabienne says, “Any time of day is a good time for pie.” Alabama also says this in True Romance, also written by Quentin Tarantino.
John Travolta’s character, “Vince Vega”, is the brother of “Vic Vega”, aka “Mr. Blonde” from Reservoir Dogs
Pam Grier auditioned for the role of Lance’s wife Jody. Though she had a great audition, Quentin Tarantino decided not to cast her because he could not imagine Pam Grier getting pushed around the way the character does.
Samuel L. Jackson auditioned for the part of Mr. Orange in Reservoir Dogs, but it went to Tim Roth. Tarantino enjoyed Jackson’s work so much that he wrote the part of Jules specifically for him.

Top 5 Movies with the Greatest Impacts

2012-03-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

1. The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001-03)- New Line Cinema risked it all by entrusting low-profile New Zealander Peter Jackson with the audacious task of spinning Tolkien’s dense literary fantasy into cinema gold.The result: 17 Oscars, a box-office gross of $3 billion worldwide and the birth of two superstars — one virtual (Gollum) and one pointy-eared (Orlando Bloom).

2.Toy Story (1995) :Pixar pioneers Buzz and Woody took the feature-animation genre that Disney created with 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and blasted it into the digital future with a cutting-edge combo of heartfelt wit and computerized wonder.

3.Pulp Fiction(1994) : B-movie fanatic Quentin Tarantino crammed guns, drugs, molls and a killer John Travolta into a post-mod Molotov cocktail of a plot while slicing the action into shuffled fragments. And writers are still ripping off his narrative.

4.Do the Right Thing(1989) : Spike Lee earned the title of America’s most influential black filmmaker when he did the controversial thing, focusing on urban violence born of simmering racial tensions.The film was feared to be incendiary enough to ignite a real riot.

5.Titanic(1997) : It loomed as a titanic disaster, with delays and a budget that bloated to $200 million. Luckily, audiences were enraptured by the steamy romance between Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, whose presence led to repeat viewings by teens.

8 major differences between the Fight club Movie and the Book

2012-03-22T07:46:00.002-07:00

There are various other events that happened either only in the Movie or only in the Book.Those events are not included below.

In the book : The narrator meets Tyler Durden on the beach as he is falling asleep. Tyler is building a wooden structure that causes a large shadow of a hand to be cast on the beach.
In the movie : Tyler is sitting next to the narrator as he returns from a business trip. They realize they have the same briefcase.

In the book : The narrator reads a series of books with Joe's body parts.
In the movie : It is Jack's body parts.

In the book : Chloe tells the narrator about her desire for sex one last time in a one on one cry session.
In the movie : Chloe stands up in front of the whole group and begs pathetically for sex.

In the book : Tyler answers the phone when Marla calls about her suicide attempt. The narrator only learns of this later.
In the movie : The Narrator takes the original call, but does nothing and leaves the phone off the hook. Tyler then comes along and picks it up and listens.

In the book : Marla's mother sends fat from her liposuction procedures that Tyler uses to make soap.
In the movie : Tyler and the narrator sneak into a plastic surgeon's office and steal huge bags of fat for their soap production.

In the book : The narrator beats a man to a bloody pulp because he is envious of his good looks.
In the movie : Angel face is seen as taking the Narrator's place as Tyler's friend, so the narrator freaks out and beats his face to a pulp. He tells Tyler "I felt like destroying something beautiful."

In the book : The narrator shoots himself in the mouth in front of the support group and Marla.
In the movie : He does it in the building alone with Tyler. Marla shows up moments later.

In the book : The narrator ends up in a mental institution where members of Project mayhem indicate that they are still carrying out the wishes of Tyler Durden.
In the movie : The film ends prior to seeing the outcome. The last shot is of the buildings crashing down. And a giant penis.

Ten Johnny Depp facts that you DIDN't know !!

2012-03-21T05:05:00.002-07:00

1.Arrested for being in a fight with paparazzis in front of a restaurant in London. [January 1999]

2.Was the guitarist in a band called The Kids.

3.Currently plays in a band called P.

4.His long-time girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis, is a popular singer-songwriter in her native France, as well as an aspiring actress.

5.Is the only actor to be nominated for the Oscar in the Lead Actor category in a Disney film (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)).

6.Ranked #1 in the "Best Hollywood Signers 2006" list by "Autograph Collector" magazine (May 2006).

7.A rule he has towards fans requesting his autograph and picture is that no photography is allowed of his children.

8.Turned down the role of Jack Traven in action hit Speed (1994/I) whoch was originally played by Keanu Reeves.

9.Had a nightclub named after him in Tartu, Estonia. The nightclub was called "Who wouldn't like Johnny Depp?".

10.Nicolas Cage got him his first acting job.

Mark Wahlberg

2012-03-20T18:50:00.003-07:00

Heath Ledger

2012-03-20T09:41:00.003-07:00

George Clooney

2012-03-20T05:59:00.003-07:00

Samuel Jackson - The Man who showed us "The Path of the Righteous Man"

2012-03-11T19:05:00.005-07:00