Some more movies i have watched recently...

Requiem for a Dream

THE MOST REALISTIC FILM EVER TO DO WITH DRUGS. Not that i would know, but the way this film, instead of partly glamourising drugs, like films like Trainspotting, shows the grim affects of the reliance of drugs, through a series of connected characters. Great performances, resulting in an Oscar nomination for Ellen Burstyn, and equally good performances from Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans and Jennifer Connelly make the film scarier than any horror film i've ever seen. Should be mandatory viewing in schools. Aronofsky has made a film better than Pi. That must be applauded.

Glengarry Glen Ross

The best acting, and possibly the best acting ensemble that i have ever seen in one film. Called, by the actors, "Death of a F*****G Salesman", which is pretty accurate, this film, which oddly reminds me a little of Reservoir Dogs without the violence, is all about the trials and tribulations of salesmen who work for a very aggresive and competitive company. Jack Lemmon gives possibly his best performance, Pacino and Kevin Spacey REALLY stand-out, Ed Harris, Jonathan Pryce and Alan Arkin are terrific in support but Alec Baldwin, and his one marvelous scene are what make this movie what it is. ABC - ALWAYS BE CLOSING. Love it.

Good Will Hunting

Good film for what it is, considering it was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and some very good acting, by both of them and Robin Williams, and the almost always good Stellan Skarsgard, but the ending seems a little tacked on and nice. Good premise, and funny moments, but it seems to tail off towards the end, and i could not watch the "It's not your fault" scene without squirming. It just seems to emotional compared to the rest of the film, but sickly emotional. Decent is all i can say.

Dazed and Confused

This on the other hand, unlike Good Will Hunting, was not given awards and critical praise on its release, and is basically a teen film, about underage drinking, smoking pot, and teen romance, but this film has more meaningful characters and relatable situations than 96.98% of films you'll see in your life. AND BEN AFFLECK IS EXCELLENT IN IT! Most of the performances are great, with some really really funny moments, and you really believe this could be a normal bunch of kids who aren't acting. Quentin Tarantino names it as one of his favourites, and so should you.

Adaptation

One of the best films i have ever seen.

I would consider Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich to be up their too, and is it any coincidence that they were all written by the same man? I think not.

Charlie Kaufman writes a semi-autobiographical and fully fictional story about the characters Charlie Kaufman (played by Nicholas Cage) and Donald Kaufman (played by Nicholas Cage), who are twin brothers, and who both write film screenplays, although to varying degrees of success. Supposedly filmed around the time of the filming of Being John Malkovich, this film looks at 2 stories. The first one is Charlie Kaufman, and his problems about writing a screenplay about a book about a man who steals/collects Orchids. And the second is the story about the man who steals orchids, and his relationship with the journalist who wrote the original book.

Not wanting to ruin the ending i don't want to explain anything any further, but this is a FANTASTIC film. With great performances all around. Think about the film when you finish. It might seem like a weird/shocking ending, but it makes perfect sense.

The United States of Leland

Similar kind of film to Half-Nelson, and not only because Ryan Gosling is in the lead role, but also similar to Todd Solondz films, with suburban families and a great ensemble of actors. Ryan Gosling's character, like Half-Nelson, is smart, likeable, makes you think, and is hopelessly destroying his life, but unlike in Half-Nelson, where the lead character is a drug addict, here he murders an autistic boy for an unknown reason at the very beginning of the film. The film is basically about the question "WHY?". Each character has a "WHY?" about them and the film, though maybe resulting in ambiguous answers, explains things. Don Cheadle, Kevin Spacey and about 6 other lesser known actors all give good performances, and you feel sorry and resent each and every one of them in equal amounts.