Picture It: Miami, 1985

One of the biggest mysteries in American television history is how a sitcom about four post-menopausal women living the single life in Miami, Florida, could be as universally-appealing as it is. Logically speaking, The Golden Girls should not have been the massive success it was and still is. My own personal theory is that the characters are so well-defined and the writing is so sharp and sidesplittingly funny that a viewer of any age can enjoy the show.

With such lovable characters like the sarcastic Dorothy (Bea Arthur), promiscuous Blanche (Rue McClanahan), dimwitted Rose (Betty White) and wisecracking Sophia (Estelle Getty), The Golden Girls became a series about three women who began their lif again after divorce and widowhood. With Sophia as the mother hen, the series was about a makeshift family--well, Dorothy really was Sophia's daughter.

The feminist undertones of The Golden Girls are clear and strong. This was the first sitcom to give voice to a demographic that had thus been represented by the media as grannies with interests in knitting and grandchildren only. The Golden Girls were active, sexual, intelligent, funny and professional. They lived lives as busy as anyone half their age. The core of the show was this super strong friendship. It's a friendship anyone would hope to have, man or woman, young or old.

The Golden Girls was also a pioneer sitcom for the insult-based intimacy that is so popular in the modern sitcom. For example, Entourage owes a lot more to The Golden Girls than most people think. In both shows, friendship means you can throw vicious insults at each other, with the comfort of knowing that nobody ever really means it (and if they do...boy, are you in trouble!). In The Golden Girls, everyone's tiny flaws are fair game and they can take what they dish out. The dialogue on this show is just killer--zinger after creative zinger flies by during their many midnight conversations over cheesecake.

If you were to ask me who my favorite of the golden girls is, well, the answer is both simple and complex. Blanche Devereaux is probably my favorite. She's Scarlett O'Hara transported into a Tennessee Williams play. I just love Blanche; I find her outlandish and colorful sex life charming and her unapologetic narcissism lovable. Whenever she goes off on one of her lusty but sidesplitting tales, I just laugh my head off (especially if she ends it by fanning herself and panting) and her sultry but over-the-top Southern accent is just the frosting on the cake. What I adore most about Blanche is that she likes the company of men and is not sorry about it. And why she should be? Blanche is awesome.

So that's the simple answer. But the complex answer is--I don't have a favorite! I mean, all four of these characters are sharply written and expertly performed by Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, Betty White and Estelle Getty (this remains one of the few sitcoms where every cast member won an Emmy award). Each of the four characters complement each other quite beautifully. Dorothy's fast and highly sarcastic responses are glorious. Rose's naivete and nonsensical St. Olaf stories are adorable. And Sophia's tough love and bizarre Siciliy stories perfectly round out the cast of characters. And even when the show has a guest star, they never take the focus away from the core cast. This is the kind of chemistry that shows like Friends, Sex and the City, Entourage, Seinfeld and Cougar Town strive for (and achieve of course).

The show did have its problems. The costumes are just bizarre and mortifying. Series continuity was almost nonexistent. Some episodes focused too much on a serious subject and not enough on laughs (this was a trend of the era, actually). Or, on the opposite end, some episodes were just downright silly. But it's easy to forgive a show its flaws if it's as sparkling and wonderful as The Golden Girls.

The Golden Girls was a landmark sitcom and it is still enjoyed today by fans young and old. Trust me, the humor is as fresh as ever. It remains one of the most memorable comedies to ever hit television. If you already haven't seen it, I encourage you to check it out--you won't regret it.

Paris When It Sizzles

Woody Allen's 42nd film, Midnight in Paris, begins with a montage of Parisian sights, beginning with delightful dawn and ending with magical midnight. This opening is like a love letter to the city; it's sort of a French cousin to the opening scene of Allen's 1979 romance Manhattan. Like Manhattan and Vicky Cristina Barcelona before it, Midnight in Paris serves as a romantic homage to its titular city. In fact, I would even call the three films a trilogy of Urban Romance (though I wonder if the Woodster himself would like that name).

Midnight in Paris stars Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody and Michael Sheen.

Gil (Wilson) is vacationing with his fiancee Inez (McAdams) in Paris with her parents Wendy (Mimi Kennedy) and John (Kurt Fuller). A romantic at heart, Gil is a Hollywood screenwriter who longs to write a great novel. His fiancee and in-laws have little patience for experiencing Paris the way he does--he's in love with it. One night, while taking a late night stroll, Gil is picked up in a 1920s car and is magically transported back to the glamorous roaring 20s and rubs elbows with Gertrude Stein (Bates), Salvador Dali (Brody), Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleton, Allison Pill) and Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll). Gil also meets the beautiful Adrianna (Cotillard), who shares many of his passions. Gil is then torn between the magical past and the disappointing present.

If Midnight in Paris were to be Woody Allen's final film, then that would be just fine. (Luckily, it's not.) The movie encapsulates many of Woody's favorite themes and tropes. You have:

*a tirade against the pseudo-intellectual (Annie Hall)

*an element of romantic science fiction (The Purple Rose of Cairo)

*a sweet and tidy happy ending (Hannah and Her Sisters)

*a romanticizing of the past (Radio Days)

*a man falling for an unattainable woman (Crimes and Misdemeanors)

I mean, that is grossly understating things but Midnight in Paris is a melting pot of all things Allen. It's sort of like his North by Northwest. Midnight in Paris is also one of Woody Allen's funniest films in a long time. While most of his films are witty and humorous, the comedy in this movie is just on a different level than the comedies of his recent past.

Many actors have tried and failed to take on the Woody persona (like Will Ferrell in Melinda and Melinda and Jason Biggs in Anything Else). But Owen Wilson joins the elite group who are successful in their attempts (Rebecca Hall in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Mia Farrow in Alice, Jeff Daniels in Purple Rose). Wilson even adds his own sunshine charm to the character and the results are appealing and effective. I can see a Golden Globe nomination (and maybe a win!) in his future.

Of the women, I think Rachel McAdams as the shrewish fiancee has the funniest character. It's refreshing to see her play such a mean-spirited character in a humorous way. Marion Cotillard is perfect as the alluring and nostalgic Adrianna, though I wish her role was a little livelier.

Michael Sheen as a pretentious self-proclaimed "expert" who knows next to nothing is an absolute riot Both he and Corey Stoll (Law and Order: LA) bring the house down. This is definitely a breakout movie for Stoll. The rest of the supporting cast is exquisite.

For me, one of the best details of the movie is that Gil's time travel remains unexplained. Just as movie character Tom Baxter leaps out of the screen in The Purple Rose of Cairo, Gil just slides through time with a magical car. It would be too expository for Allen to give some sort of explanation. Plus, the magic and the romance of it would be lost.

Midnight in Paris is a romantic, wistful film brimming with nostalgia and humor. It is perhaps Woody Allen's best film in a long time (this coming from someone who worships Vicky Cristina Barcelona). I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Paris, the past and Woody Allen.

Midnight in Paris: A

Exploring Ingmar Bergman's Trilogy of Faith

Starting in 1961, prolific Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman made a trilogy of sorts through which he delves into his own personal crisis of faith. Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Winter Light (1963) and The Silence (1963) all deal with the presence and/or absence of God.

The three films are not a trilogy in that they tell one continuous story with the same characters. However, they are all intrinsically connected to each other via their small number of characters (a who's who of Bergman's favorite actors and actresses), sparse sets, stark cinematography and poetic language. Thematically, each film builds on Bergman's exploration into the question of God's influence on human life (or lack thereof).

The films do stand alone quite well. They are all essential for any art-house/foreign film fan. As a trilogy, however, the three films work together to form a complete journey to find what may not even be there.

Through a Glass Darkly (Sasom i en spegel)

The first in the trilogy is perhaps the most accessible. It is a family drama about father David (Gunnar Bjornstrand), daughter Karin (Harriet Andersson), son Minus (Lars Passgard) and son-in-law Martin (Max Von Sydow). David is an author, struggling to find critical acceptance despite popular success. Karin suffers from mental illness, essentially the real world and a fantasy world playing tug-of-war with her mind. Her husband seems resigned to accept the incurability of her disease. Minus is also a writer, who is desperate for his father's attention and affection. The film takes place on the bleak island of Faro (the setting for many of Bergman's films as well as his future home).

TAGD is probably the weakest in the trilogy (not to say it's a bad movie--far from it!). The film is about conquering certainty (according to Bergman himself) and the general idea behind the film is that certainty can be as crushing as uncertainty. Karin's condition spirals out of control when she finds out there is no cure. David tries to fight his own professional dissatisfaction by using his daughter as a subject for his next book. But what is he really gaining and losing? Minus, being the youngest, seems to be the one most able to eventually break free from his familial prison. This is a family that just needs to reach out to each other--and yet they are ironically unable to do just that.

Bergman's first color film wouldn't be until 1964's All These Women but TAGD is one of his best uses of black-and-white cinematography. The film looks bleak and crushing; the island of Faro is no paradise with its rocky beaches, cloudy skies and troubled waters. It's almost useless to talk about performances in a Bergman film (he is an actor's director, after all) but Harriet Andersson as Karin is a powerhouse performance. Even if you find the rest of the movie boring, her "episodes" are riveting, almost horrifying, to watch. Bjornstrand and Von Sydow are also amazing while Passgard is interesting but a little lacking. Overall, the movie is an excellent drama that whets the appetite for the next two films in the trilogy.

Winter Light (Nattvardsgasterna, which translates to The Communicants)

Winter Light is such a cold and distant film yet it surprisingly human. Pastor Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Bjornstrand) finishes his noon service to en empty church save for about 7 people. Afterwards, a fisherman Jonas (Max Von Sydow) and his wife Karin (Gunnel Lindbloom) come to see him for advice. Jonas has become depressed after hearing that China is developing a nuclear bomb. Unfortunately, Tomas is going through his own crisis: he is tortured by his own growing doubt about God. His mistress Marta (the spectacular Ingrid Thulin) tries to comfort him but, alas, Tomas seems hopeless.

The film is shot in claustrophobic close-ups for the most part. We really get to look at these characters during their difficult times. Yes, this is a movie about despair and longing, it's about an empty search for answers. The story is set in Winter, which is a nice metaphor for the coldness between the characters as well as the coldness they feel from God. This movie is about the frustration people feel when God does not answer them. Just as Tomas reaches out for God, both jonas and Marta reach out to Tomas and he is as silent and unhelpful as ever.

In fact, the film sets up a brilliant metaphor with the Marta-Tomas story. Tomas is to Marta what God is to Tomas: a cold, unforgiving, unloving brick wall. Gunnar Bjornstrand may play the protaognist but this is really Ingrid Thulin's movie. Ingmar Bergman writes such beautiful dialogue for her and the film is a testament to her incredible talent (especially in the much-praised letter scene--watch it here!). many of the film's sequences are full of brutal honesty and

scrutinizing cinematography. Winter Light, one of Bergman's favorites of his films, is a tough but ultimately rewarding watch.

The Silence (Tystnaden)

And, finally, we have the third installment in the trilogy and my favorite. Sisters Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna (Gunnel Lindbloom) are traveling with Anna's son Johann (Jorgen Lindstrom) in a foreign land. Ester is suffering from an unnamed, incurable disease so they have to stop and stay in a hotel in a city that's preparing for a war. They don't speak the language, which isolates them in the strange town. Ester drinks and falls victim to her disease several times; Anna goes out and has empty sexual experiences with a stranger (Birger Malmstem). Johann explores the hotel with a childish curiosity.

With a title like The Silence, it is easy to assume that this movie is about God's silence but that was Winter Light's theme. The Silence is about the complete absence of any higher authority. Without any direction, Ester and Anna are left to act out their vices and jealousies. They are sisters but they represent two opposite sides of humanity. The sensual Anna represents the body, the pursuit of carnal pleasures. Ester is the intellectual, analytical side of the human race. Johann represents innocence and he is stuck between the two women. Ester's disease grimly foreshadows the fate of humanity--are we to abandon any sense of rationality? One could even interpret this movie as a horror film (much like Through a Glass Darkly); its silences drive the viewer mad and the images are haunting. The movie isn't "scary" on a visceral level like The Shining or Nightmare on Elm Street. It's an intellectualized horror film, meaning that its statements about culture and humanity are unsettling.

Bergman allows for little detail about the sisters' back-story and therein lies his masterstroke. In a film that is mainly about miscommunication/lack of communication, even we the audience are denied any communication from our director. Ingrid Thulin is a fantastic actress and I think she is my favorite of Bergman's leading ladies. Gunnel Lindbloom is also remarkable in her role. I don't know if Jorgen Lindstrom ever made it as an adult but he is good here. The Silence is one of Bergman's most puzzling films but one that is wonderfully open to interpretation.

I highly recommend Ingmar Bergman's Trilogy of Faith. They're a tough group of films to watch but, in the end, they are rather rewarding or, at least, fascinating. Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light and The Silence are beautifully made, with expert performances and some interesting insights about God and humanity.

Hitchcock's Great Flawed Films

Alfred Hitchcock is a Cinema God, that is a fact that cannot (or, at least, should not) be disputed. And even though he made about 15-17 masterpieces, he also made some films that were inherently flawed. But, curiously enough, his flawed films are very fascinating to watch and are often cited by little pockets of the film community to be "unsung classics." None of the films featured here could be considered his worst. In my opinion, however, there are several issues which stop each of these 5 films from becoming true cinematic classics.

Under Capricorn (1949)

*Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten and Michael Wilding

Under Capricorn is one of Hitchcock's most unknown films. The Master of Suspense making a costume drama? Capricorn is very Hitchcockian, however; it features a psychologically torturous housekeeper, a murder of passion, the unfulfilled desire to confess and an innocent individual entering a large house full of wild secrets. The film is shot beautifully, with several long takes that go from outside to inside, downstairs to upstairs. But it doesn't seem to have any focus; it switches from one plot to the next. Nor does it explore either of them enough to satisfy. And Ingrid Bergman seems to be the only one in the cast who is able to rise above such problems.

Marnie (1964)

*'Tippi' Hedren, Sean Connery and Diane Baker

If there is a film more polarizing than Marnie, I don't know what it is. Some people call it Hitchcock's worst film ever, some his very best. While it has moments of brilliance, I cannot bring myself to love it. Part of the fault lies with 'Tippi' Hedren who just isn't experienced enough to perform the melodramatic part with the nuance it requires. (To be fair, she gives it her all but it just doesn't pay off). Sean Connery too struggles with finding the right tone for his performance. Other than that, the production design is amateurish, the background music is intrusive and the movie feels about three hours long. The story, however, is interesting and Diane Baker's character (about whom I wrote my final paper in my Hitchcock class) is quite fascinating.

The Wrong Man (1956)

*Henry Ford and Vera Miles

One of Hitchcock's favorite themes is the innocent man accused of a crime. That is basically the entire story of The Wrong Man. Based on a true story, Fonda plays a man who gets picked up by the police for a crime we know he didn't commit (well, the film asks you to just accept his innocence). Because all the evidence and witnesses inexplicably point to him, he is convicted and the rest of the film focuses on the effects of that conviction. The movie is too rushed for its own good; there are some fascinating ideas that I wish had been explored further. On the bright side, Henry Fonda's everyman appeal makes this film quite frightening and Vera Miles gives an astounding performance as an underwritten character.

I Confess (1953)

*Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter and Karl Malden

When Anne Baxter descends the staircase and falls into a kiss with Montgomery Clift, it is truly a beautiful cinematic moment. The film is full of such sequences, like when the detective (played by Malden) tells the killer (wonderfully named Keller) not to be afraid while he suspiciously looks at Father Logan (Clift). But Anne Baxter is made to look like a foolish idiot and the climax seems rushed and dragged out at the same time. I Confess is a very enjoyable religious drama nonetheless.

Spellbound (1945)

*Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck

Ingrid Bergman as a brainy and love-starved psychiatrist? I am so there, it's insane. Watching her romance Gregory Peck (who, I'm not ashamed to say, is a very handsome man) is our reward for all the psychological nonsense the screenplay puts us through during various parts of the film. All the psychiatric blah-blah-blah really distracts from the tender romance between these two gorgeous and talented individuals as well as from Hitchcock's visual style which leaves us, well, spellbound. Despite this flaw, Spellbound is an ultimately compelling film, one that I will probably grow to love the more I see it.

This is my opinion on some of Hitchcock's flawed but still watchable films. All of his movies are worth seeing, despite their flaws. And that is because his directorial expertise is always present even when the other components fail him.

The 15 Greatest Films of All Time (part 3)

And now the final part of my series...

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977; George Lucas)

*Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi--you're my only hope..." These words have been parodied quite often in pop culture (even by Carrie Fisher herself in a memorable 30 Rock episode). But, when you hear them in the context of this space opera, they're still quite powerful. And that's the beauty of "Episode IV". No matter how many times you see it, every time is like the first time. Every classic scene is just as awesome as it ever was and the themes are just resonant as ever.

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980; Irvin Kirshner)

*Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher

Few sequels are as good as their predecessor. "Episode V" is one of the exceptions. The sci-fi classic is chock full of classic moments like the life-or-death battle between father Vader and son Luke and the "I love you"/"I know" scene between Han and Leia. There had never been a movie like this one and there never will be. The "Star Wars" space saga combines so many different genres that there's literally something for everyone.

Vertigo (1958; Alfred Hitchcock)

*James Stewart, Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes

Alfred Hitchcock's Golden Period started in 1935 (with The 39 Steps) and ended in 1963 (with The Birds). In those 28 years, he made about fifteen or so masterpieces. The crowning achievement is Vertigo, a film so complete that its themes and motifs can be found in any scene, shot or line. For example, the shot in the picture basically tells you the entire story. Vertigo is such a hypnotic film that you are just compelled to return to its dreamlike world full of obsession, madness, ghosts and tragic love.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008; Woody Allen)

*Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz

The beauty of this film is that each character has his or her own unsolvable character problem: Cristina has her chronic dissatisfaction; Vicky her debilitating doubt; Juan Antonio his obsession with beautiful women. I think that is so realistic--how many people actually change who they are? The film, which won the Golden Globe for Best Picture-Musical/Comedy, has a gorgeous screenplay that is matched by a lovely execution. And the whole cast is spectacular especially Penelope Cruz.

When Harry Met Sally (1989; Rob Reiner)

*Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan and Carrie Fisher

Few romantic-comedies are as respected by film critics as WHMS but this one deserves every ounce of praise it gets. Not only is it deeply heartfelt and sharply insightful, it is raucously funny. The jokes are fresh as they were the first time; indeed, the entire film is timeless despite Meg Ryan's very 80s hair and outfits. She delivers her career-best performance (though she curiously wasn't nominated for an Oscar) as does Billy Crystal who somehow is perfect as a romantic lead. Supporting cast is brilliant and New York City never looked so appealing and inviting and romantic.

So these are the 15 best films ever in my opinion. Feel free to comment if you agree or disagree!

The 15 Greatest Films of All Time (part 2)

And now here's Part 2...

Inglourious Basterds (2009; Quentin Tarantino)

*Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Melanie Laurent

That Inglourious Basterds did not win Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars is the 2nd biggest crime in Oscar history. What makes this screenplay far superior than the other nominees is that each character speaks in a distinctly colorful way: Pitt is a jokester, Waltz is eloquently twisted, Laurent is quietly ferocious and (my favorite performance) Diane Kruger is deceptively flirtatious. IB is a winning neo-classic that unfortunately did not get its due.

Jackie Brown (1997; Quentin Tarantino)

*Pam Grier, Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson

After the bang-bang-bangitty-bang of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, one would expect Tarantino to deliver another exercise in bloodbath-chic. But Jackie Brown is an elaborate character study of several unique yet uniformly frustrated characters that is masquerading as a heist drama. It is also a love letter from Tarantino to Pam Grier as she is lovingly photographed and given an extraordinary part. The film contains many sequences that are pure Tarantino--like how he goes back in time to show what a different set of characters are doing in the same time frame. Jackie Brown is probably Tarantino's most mature crime saga.

The King & I (1956; Walter Lang)

*Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner and Rita Moreno

Even if the Introduction of Royal Children takes about 10 hours to get through, it is a minor flaw when you consider the whole of this glorious musical. The film very gracefully walks the tightrope between lavish production and human drama. Unlike other musicals from this era, The King & I doesn't exchange character development and real character honesty for extravagant dance sequences and gaudy costumes. And from the heartbreaking "We Kiss in a Shadow" to the affectionate "Hello, Young Lovers" to the self-reflective "A Puzzlement," every song is a hit.

Pride & Prejudice (2005; Joe Wright)

*Keira Knightley, Matthew McFayden and Rosamund Pike

Kissed by the camera, Keira Knightley does the impossible: she successfully delivers a modern take on a classic literary heroine. In fact, the entire adaptation is accessible to a modern audience. That is in no small part due to Wright's innovative camerawork; it is more fluid than other Jane Austen films which tend to be rather stiff and stuffy. The supporting cast is impeccable especially the golden-haired and expressive Rosamund Pike in a sadly overlooked performance as Jane Bennett.

Rear Window (1954; Alfred Hitchcock)

*James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter

The biggest crime in Oscar history is that Alfred Hitchcock never personally won an Oscar. Oh, sure, he was nominated five times (for Rear Window, Rebecca (1940), Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945) and Psycho (1960)) but he's never won. If I had to pick the film out of all those that would have won him an Oscar it would be Rear Window. The way he stages the story is nothing short of revolutionary: all of the action is seen from one location which gives the film a claustrophobic and helpless feel. And he extracts career-best performances from the entire cast--Grace Kelly has never been so beautiful, so charming, so witty, so empathetic.

Look out for Part 3!

The 15 Greatest Films of All Time (part 1)

I've decided to list what I think are the greatest films of all time. Mind you, I haven't seen every film ever made. And all of these are English-language films. And the list is governed by my own personal tastes. But I think I've chosen films generally thought of by the public and the critics to be culturally significant and hugely entertaining. The list is in alphabetical order because I think ranking them would be rather pointless considering they're all pretty different.

American Psycho (2000; Mary Harron)

*Christian Bale, Chloe Sevigny and Reese Witherspoon

Seriously, what other film could be equally disturbing and hilarious? I think that's what gives this movie its rich texture--it's not a bland serial killer thriller nor is it a relentless satire of 80s America. The movie really allows us to get inside the sick minds of the characters by having such a mixed tone. We identify with them as much as we're repulsed by them. Plus the performances from the entire cast are nothing short of extraordinary.

Casablanca (1942; Michael Curtiz)

*Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid

Every "classic" film runs the risk of being deemed "overrated" (God, I hate that word) by today's audience. But I really think that Casablanca has aged well in the last 68 years. The romance is just as passionate, the screenplay is just as clever and the themes are just as resonant as they ever were. While Bogart may have the flashy lines, Bergman really steals the show with a subtle, tender performance. And about every line has become iconic. In fact, an entire episode of Frasier was built around the "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" line.

Gone with the Wind (1939; Victor Fleming)

*Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable and Leslie Howard

When I first saw this film three years ago, I wondered how the Rhett-Scarlett love story could be considered one of the greatest screen romances ever, considering Scarlett chases after the wimpy and very "un-Clark-Gable" Ashley almost the entire film. But then, as I got older, it clicked. And I saw this film for the enormous screen achievement it was (and still is today). Though it runs at about 4 hours, it's an absolutely riveting look at post-Civil War America--a desperate, confused, bitter and proud America. The love/hate relationship between Rhett and Scarlett can't be explained--it just is a very passionate, complicated romance.

Goodfellas (1990; Martin Scorsese)

*Ray Liotta, Lorraine Bracco and Joe Pesci

I'm as surprised as the next guy that I love this gangster flick as much as I do. I mean--it's a gangster flick! But I think what makes Goodfellas so different from your American Gangster and your The Departed is that Scorsese allows for the Bracco character to not just be a suffering wife stereotype. She's just as twisted as the rest of them. The intelligent screenplay, revolutionary direction, perfect soundtrack and amazing cast don't hurt things either. Scorsese allows the film the breathe and he neither glorifies nor judges the violence--he just lets it happen.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004; Alfonso Cuaron)

*Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson

A lot of people like to whine about how the third "Harry Potter" movie leaves a lot of information from the book out of the film. My response is: who cares?! The film is a visual treat; Curaon's introduces some very beautiful and dark imagery into the world of Harry Potter. The film is a remarkable cinematic achievement because unlike Goblet of Fire (which is rather bland) and Sorcerer's Stone (which is too childish), it retains the spirit of the novel without being empty of any directorial flourish.

Look out for "The 15 Greatest Films of All Time parts 2 & 3!!"