Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

This film was always going to be close to my heart, as a part time civil liberties activist the story of Harvey Milk is one that's constantly inspirational and to see it on the big screen was a sheer delight. Sean Penn is excellent throughout this film, he plays Harvey to a tee, and there is a real star turn by Emilio Hersch in this movie he encapsulates his character so perfectly. However the real heart of this movie is the story, a struggle for acceptance, for rights that have been denied, and ultimately a fight against the evil and folly of men. What really makes the movie great is the way it balances moods, at times the story is incredibly dark and a brutal unflinching tragedy, but through Penn's performance and some brilliant writing the film has a jubilant mood. You can't feel sad watching this film, you'll have a lump in your throat from the sheer power of the ideals and the scope of the drama but ultimately this is a film to make you smile, it feels like a triumph from the first moment to the last. My favourite scene, and without doubt the movies most powerful is the "Gay Freedom Day" speech. It's not the grandstanding speech, or the emotive power of Harvey's rhetoric that make the scene so powerful, it's on little touch before hand. Before Harvey walks on stage he's handed a note, it says the first bullet goes in his head the second he steps on that stage, Harvey pauses and reflects for just a second before taking to the stage. The way that scene is shot is just perfect and it captures the whole essence of the Man and the movement to perfection. It shows that important step that has to be taken to achieve true change, Harvey is willing to put his ideals and his message before his own life. It encapsulates the bravery needed to lead these movements so perfectly, a selfless quality that so very few of us possess. All in all Milk is a remarkably well acted, incredibly powerful motion picture and undoubtedly one of the most affecting I've ever watched.

I am going to absolutely kick myself for not putting this as my number one, I've been changing the top two slots around all day in my mind but I've decided to settle for this arrangement, and sadly Man On Wire comes second. For those of you that don't know Man On Wire is a documentary made by the BBC about Phillipe Petit a man with a simple dream, he wanted to walk across a tight rope between the two towers and do tricks. Phillipe Petit, is a truly remarkable man and his suspenseful story is truly mind blowing, but it's the way the director allows Phillipe to be himself, and convey every dimension of personality that makes this film brilliant. His enthusiasm and lust of life is insatiable and complete infectious, you totally fall in love with his character and his approach to life. What is really truly emotional affecting about this film is it's message. It takes the simply notion that if you have a dream and you whole heartedly believe in yourself it can come true, no matter how impossible, no matter how bizarre. Phillipe Petit works outside of conventional social structures, this film teaches us that we don't have to settle for the status quo, that we don't have to follow convention, that we are not defined by our role or place within society, that we can be anything, and we can do anything that our heart desires. This film is truly uplifting and the most inspirational film that I've ever seen, if you watch this film and don't feel inspired you must be dead inside. So if your sitting at home looking for a job or stuck a work being killed by the 9 to 5, this film is the ultimate ray of light, your life is defined by nothing other than you own imagination and your own internal drive.

1. Vicky Cristina Barcelona

So yes my favourite film of all time is effectively a romantic comedy, who would have figured? Well of course Vicky Cristina Barcelona is so much more than that. At it's heart is a perfect ensemble cast, everyone plays their role to perfection, and Scarlett Johanson continues to prove she's the greatest most effortless actress on the face of the earth, Penelope Cruz delivers a star turn as a demented crazy free spirited artist (she's so much better when she's not speaking English) and Javier Bardum, well as always he's too cool for school. However what struck me about this film is not the brilliant acting, gorgeous music or the incredibly beautiful cinematography it was instead the films exploration of romance and social convention. The traditional western idea of the story book marriage is torn to shreds and the deep inner cynicism of the "perfect couple" is revealed. But also we are given a glimpse into the artist world, as these three free spirits are thrown together and find themselves utterly dependent on one another. The way it test traditional moral values is perfect, the idea that some times three parts that fit together perfectly are better than two. The way the conventional mind is tested against the artistic is brilliant. The story never sits still the characters and emotions are always in flux intertwining with one another and every possible emotional and physical relationship is tested. But what makes this film truly brilliant and my all time favourite is it's conclusion, Scarlett is a free spirit she just saunters off, and Vicky doesn't turn her true love into a relationship and returns home to her "real life". The film has no overriding message, it isn't preachy, it examines, it explores, it asks the right questions, but it doesn't tell you what to think. You may sympathize with certain characters but there is no hard and fast conclusion to be drawn. And that ultimately is the best conclusion, it leaves love and life completely undefined, the way it should be. With brilliant acting performances and a sublime Woody Allen script Vicky Cristina Barcelona offers one of the greatest insights into love and life in film history, and despite drawing no conclusion, it's says absolutely everything it needs to say. This film is truly beautiful, and that's the only word that could possibly describe it.

I have to admit that I've seen very few of Hitchcock's movies, I've never seen Vertigo or Psycho it's so hard to watch a film that everyone else has seen to death, but even with my limited background in Hitchcock films I know my favourite is North By Northwest. It's just a perfect film, it's gorgeous, thrilling, stylistic, dark, creepy and wonderfully tongue in cheek. Your never quite sure if you should be terrified, absorbed or just laughing at the insanity of it all. While the direction is subtle and toes the line between the sublime and the ridiculous perfectly, and the cinematography is beyond iconic, there is only one star of this show and it's Cary Grant. From the moment he walks on screen he's just magnetic, you're drawn to him, he toes this beautiful line between the confused victim and the ultra smooth hero with great ease. He's both sympathetic and insanely cool and that's not easy to pull off. What really makes North By Northwest brilliant is it's lack of pretence, it's very knowingly ironic, and Cary Grant captures this feeling perfectly, he seems like the one human character lost in a world of whirlwind romances and crazy plot twists. Ultimately it's all things to all people, it's a great love story, it's a twist laden mystery verging on Film Noire and of course it's a balls to the wall action film. It's Hitchcock's take on the ultimate lads film, it's stylish and intelligent but at it's heart are big set pieces, insane twists and lots of sexy seduction, what more could we ask for?

Okay so now it's really looking like I have a man crush on Bruce Willis, I mean seriously I've given him two films in my top twenty and Russell Crowe gets nada. Well regardless, this film isn't really carried by Willis, he's his likable, relateable, everyman self but it's the direction, storytelling and overall grittiness that make Twelve Monkeys and unflinching triumph. It's Terry Gilliam of Brazil fame so we were all expecting mind bending visuals and great direction but this exceeded all expectations. The vision of the future is horrifying, it's so ugly, confusing and claustrophobic. In fact this entire film is grotesque, the future is hideous, warped and insane, and the present is dark, gritty and uncaring. The film is full of horrific visuals and a genuinely terrifying atmosphere. We're thrown from a bizarre future to an unsympathetic past that has Willis committed to a nut house. Twelve Monkeys is tremendously well acted but it's Brad Pitt who truly stands out with his mad, paranoid, self obsessed character who you feel remarkably attached to. It's hard to talk about Twelve Monkeys without blowing all the twists, and the plot is a bizarre jumble, some will consider it incoherent, but they are truly missing the point. The whole film is meant to have this cobbled together element, it's small pieces of a puzzle all swirling around, you never quite get a grip on reality, the viewer is put into the position of Bruce Willis' lead character, everything is as distressing to us as it is to him. The result a brutal, gritty, disorientating thrill ride.

I've always felt sorry for Babel it's truly unappreciated for one pathetic reason; Crash a vastly inferior film won the Best Picture Oscar the previous year Babel was overlooked as it was too similar in theme. Babel is often characterised as cold, dark, miserable and overly pretentious, and with the exception of the "overly-pretentious" comment, they are correct. Babel is as bleak as it gets, it revels in misery, and has a real art house feel but that's why it's so brilliant. Crash was all warm and fuzzy round the edges it stank of silver scream sentimentality, Babel feels real, depressingly and tragically real. Oddly it's not Brad Pitt and the tragically overrated Cate Blanchett that steal the show, it's the other members of the ensemble cast. Rinko Kikuchi really shines in her role as the the death Japanese teenager recovering from family tragedy. Her performance coupled with some astounding cinematography and a gorgeous soundtrack create some truly beautiful and unique cinematic moments. The scenes in the night club simply have to be seen to be believed, you really are taken into her world, and it can be both wondrous and terrifying, often at the same time, this film plunges you from joy to despair so quickly. It's grimy, tragic and unflinching cold in it's message but Babel always feels real and is remarkably affecting. The final note on this film has to be about the soundtrack, it's simply gorgeous, especially the Spanish guitar that plays throughout, and the way they capture the different cultures perfectly and bring them together through music is truly a work of art. Babel therefore maybe too cold and bleak for some but it is first and foremost work of art, and a engaging narrative second.

Ed Wood can be encapsulated in one world: charm. Everything about this movie makes you smile, it's made with such love and attention. You just feel that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were having a riot honouring one of their heroes Ed Wood. It seems an odd topic for a motion picture, a film about the life of the man widely regarded as the worst director of all time, it seems more like a Hollywood in joke than the premise for an Oscar nominated hit. Well what makes Ed Wood so brilliant is it's message. It's a simply moral lesson, that if you work hard and believe in yourself you can make your dreams come true. No matter how wacky, bizarre or just plain untalented you are, if you believe in yourself and have true desire you can make it. Your destiny is determined by no one or nothing but yourself. Now while Ed Wood has an unmistakably loving feel and a positive message, there is a deep dark undercurrent to all this uplifting sentiment. Depp's Wood is utterly ruthless in his ambition, he hurts those who he loves, he exploits his friends, he bankrupts studios and he prays on charities and swindles them with fast talk and lies. Ed Wood is utterly ruthless, but he's so darn lovable you can't help but root for the guy. The casting is brilliant Depp is superb, as is Marin Landau as horror legend Bella Lugosi. The film creates heroes out of nobodies and never opts for easy laughs over serious contemplation. I've always found this film deeply inspiring and thought provoking. Ed Wood teaches us that we can accomplish anything that our heart desires but if we're not careful it can consume us and cause untold damage to those whom we love. Now try to watch this film without smiling, I dare you.

There is simply too much I love about this movie, I just don't know where to start. Actually I do, it has to start with Japan. I could not think of a more perfect setting for this motion picture than Tokyo. As we see these two confused and lost souls cut a drift in a foreign land weaving their own unique relationship, I just couldn't imagine this film working in any other city. Japan provides such contrasts, at times it appears bright vibrant and futuristic like a neon paradise and at other times it feel intense, claustrophobic and alien. With the use of some great cinematography and some top notch acting this film switches moods effortlessly. At the heart of this story are two actors Bill Murray who is a great serious actor, much better as a disenfranchised depressed old man that he ever was as a funny man; and of course Scarlett Johanson. Scarlett is without doubt the best actress of her generations, miles better than Blanchett and as good as any male actor you could name. Every scene in this movie feels effortless and real, Scarlett acts so perfectly, she feels like a real human being, no scene ever feels scripted, it's organic, every look, gaze and frown, it's incredibly. That after all is Lost In Translation's great strength, it's utterly believable, these two perfectly written and acted characters coming together in such a natural organic way in the most bizarre and alien of back drops. It's a beautifully acted film and one of the 21st Centuries greatest works.

Just incase you were wondering this is Geroge A. Romero's 1978 classic version, not the recent remake. Actually the remake is a good place to start, because it was an enjoyable fun pop corn flick with a completely nonsensical ending. All in all it was alot of stylish fun, but that was it, there was nothing more, no depth, no subtly, no brilliance. Romero's original was the exact opposite, it's gritty and dark, the action is slower, it doesn't try to make you jump every two seconds, or blow your mind with gore. The genius of the original, is that rather than making you jump, it makes you nervous, you genuinely care about the lead characters and their fate. Because the Zombies are so slow and ponderous, the film's main protagonists even make fun of the zombies frequently throughout the film, the terror is complete different. This movie is psychological, it's a slow inevitable death, a sense of real impending doom is built, a slow hopelessness. There's the obvious commentary on consumerism, but that's not what makes the film great. It's all about figuring out how the zombies will get them. Without giving to much away, the films conclusion is one of the greatest in film history, it's cleverly planned, the film has a great balance between careful logic and impending doom, and it's one moment of sheer unpredictable chaos that unravels everything. In many ways it feels like a defence of realism and an attack on consumerism at the same time, but really, it's just a bloody good zombie film. The zombies maybe brainless but this film is anything but.

I only stumbled across this film a year ago and I have to say it is without doubt my favourite De Niro film and my personal choice for his best ever performance. It's a simple but brilliant concept. De Niro is an up and coming comedian, he's convinced that he's the next big thing and when he gets his chance to impress his idol stand up comedian and talk show host Jerry Lewis, he's rebuffed again, and again, and again, until he's driven into insanity. De Niro captures the role brilliantly, as his drive and unrelenting belief in his own ability send him spiralling into madness and kidnapping. There's something terrifying about how cool and maniacally calm De Niro is when he gives his final performance he's so laid back and smultzy given the circumstances, he comes across as an uncaring, obsessed, unrepentant madman. It's hard to take your eyes off him, his performance is so captivating, Scorsese's direction is superb and this film feels more relevant than ever. It warns of the dangers of celebrity fixation and it shows that while it maybe all good and well to have a dream, you can't be completely ruthless in your desire to full fill it. Ultimately this film is creepy as fuck, a true study in obsession, one of De Niro's most haunting and unlikeable characters but one whose decent into madness is utterly captivating. Hmmn....makes me think maybe I should spend less time checking on a certain female singers twitter...ah who am I kidding (checks twitter).

Now it's an absolute cinematic tragedy that this film isn't better regarded. Now don't get me wrong I know why it isn't, it's a B-Movie but that was the point, and yes the girl's dialogue is completely unrealistic but again I feel that's the point. Death Proof is a tribute to the great B-Movies, the music is divine, the action is dark, gritty and realistic and the girls and guys are all uber cool. The girls talk how boys want them to talk in their imagination and that's part of the fun. I was sold on this movie almost instantly, the minute I saw Kurt Russell playing a sleazy creepy psycho-killer I knew I was gonna love it, and then the minute I heard the Down In Mexico by The Coasters I new I was in love, this film is just too cool for school. Oh yes and of course you can't have a great song like Down In Mexico without having the beautiful Vanessa Ferlito lap dancing to it, right? Well whatever, oh and best of all it has one of, if not the best ever, car chase scene in movie history! And do you know what makes it so awesome? The fact that they did every last inch of it, everything was 100% real and it looked amazing. In a decade where lazy CGI has destroyed action scenes, were gimmicky robots battle and crappy Computer generated convertibles crash into one another it was so great to see real cars flying and around and being smashed up. And yes that was Zoe Bell flying around on the bonnet of that car, now that's how you build tension, I was genuinely scared for her life, because she was genuinely risking her life. Brilliant cast + great direction +mind blowing action = Cult Classic.

Now thankfully my friends have recently come around to their senses and actually watched The Cube, so I've been able to refresh my memory on one of my all time favourite horror films. The Cube is the perfect B-horror movie, it strikes the right balance between tension, shocks, gore and an intellectual argument. The concept is great, whack a group of random people from different back grounds, with different skills into a a living breathing rubix cube where some rooms have uber cool traps ready to end their lives, others are safe and they've got to find their way out. It works on so many levels, theres the social tension as this group of complete strangers are forced to co-existed and work together under the most horrific of circumstances. It's a mystery and a social experiment wrapped into one. All the different characters have a purpose and a differing perspective. What I truly love about The Cube is that the cube's origin is never explained, it's all left up to you and the characters to draw the conclusion. The characters come to a superbly telling and true conclusion; after exchanging conspiracy theories about evil corporations they come to a scarily realistic conclusion. The Cube is a bureaucratic nightmare, whoever originally designed is long gone, either retired or voted out, and the project has just continued to go along, for no other purpose than to justify it's own existence. Why put people into it? Because if you didn't you'd have to admit it was worthless and a waste of money, so the system keeps on churning remorselessly. It's such a subtle and true conclusion, it remained me of arms factories in America where they build outdated unused bombers. The factories are too important to the local economy to close, so the government subsidizes them, and the army are shipped outdated bombers that serve no purpose whatsoever, it's a cycle of mindless bureaucracy that cannot be broken. The Cube is far more subtle than it's given credit for, chilling, brutal and intellectually deft.

Quiz Show always feels like a lost classic, in a similar way to The King Of Comedy or even Amadeus, it's played on TV fairly regularly, but it's never quite had the hype to get the wide spread attention it deserves, especially in this country. Quiz Show is a remarkable believable, incredibly well acted historical drama based around the quiz show scandals of 1959, I have to say when I originally saw this film I had no idea that this was based on true history. To be honest it doesn't make a jot of difference the drama plays out perfectly and it works as a stand alone. Now the brilliance of the film is in it's honesty and it's morality. First off it exposes the truth about the television industry, that what is presented as reality is anything but, anything can be faked, everything can be scripted. John Turturro plays a nerdy unlikeable know it all who is the reigning quiz show champion, but the TV executives decide it's time to change things up and they opt for the not nearly so knowledge Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes is of course charming, witty and made for TV. The movie tests the morality of all the lead characters, it feels like an inquisition even though Fiennes is acting dishonestly and cheating you feel for him, you want him to succeed, for just the reasons the "evil" executives anointed him champion. Quiz Show is testing the morality of you the viewer as much as it is the characters. The writing, acting and direction are remarkably well textured and the film is incredible deft delving into the great socialital questions as well as the internal neurosis of the human mind. But most of all it's a brilliantly acted, incredible tense drama.

This is just a film that you can't help but fall in love with. I loved the beauty and ambition of this picture. They changed the formula dramatically, it wasn't the standard who's who of big name actors playing goofy comedy rolls, it wasn't a series of references to contemporary culture and the movies of the last 30 years. Wall-e's references points were far less cool. Wall-e was a throw back to silent cinema, it was all about gorgeous cinematography, physical gags, a wonderfully score and bare emotion. The opening of the movie is completely without dialogue, it's spooky and haunting and tremendously well shot. The use of music and the overtl quirkiness of the picture is sublime. At it's heart however Wall-e is a love story, it's about hope. It has big broad classic sci fi themes about the human condition, the evils of big business and the apathy of the human race towards our planet and even our fellow man but they all play second fiddle to the romance between Wall-e and Eve. The movie is summed up to perfection in one scene. When Wall-e and Eve float in space, dancing around one another, there's no dialogue, just a combination of great comedy, beautiful imagery, gorgeous sound and overwhelming emotion. Wall-e is a brave movie, huge in scope and ambition but based around the most basic of emotive building blocks. The fact that it was a huge run away success shows that their just might be some hope left for humanity afterall.

When I think of my favourite three major actors the trio that come to mind are Russell Crowe, Leonardo Di Caprio & Bruce Willis. Remarkably not a single Crowe or Di Caprio film made my top twenty list despite their brilliant work, but we'll be seeing Bruce Willis a fair few times. It's hard to sum up Bruce's appeal he's a good actor, he's a great action hero, he's incredibly likeable, but he's no great looker, he's not oozing charm and let's face it he's not Humphrey Bogart but he is absolute Teflon at the box office. Well The Fifth Element is much more than a just a show piece for Willis. The Fifth Element was glorious silly, ridiculously over the top, and a total parody of itself from the word go, yet some how it was absolutely essential and irresistible. It felt like an art house film with it's sublime direction and creative camera work. Luc Besson direction is superb he creates this utterly daffy, completely nonsensical but gloriously colourful vision of the future. The film jumps around, one minute it showing the gritty depressing life of Willis' future cab driver and then contrasts it with the colourful comedy of...well everything else. The star of the show is without Mila Jolavich whose portrayal of The Fifth Element is simply superb, easily her best ever role. Ultimately The Fifth Element is a charming film, it's designed to plaster a smile across your face, it's full of great OTT performances and incredibly memorable scenes. An artistic triumph.

18. Reservoir Dogs

There's so much to love about Reservoir Dogs the soundtrack is of course sublime, it's Tarantino after all and the ensemble cast is excellent. Sean Penn is of course brilliant, seriously it's Sean Penn what else did you expect, he's both funny and incredible hateable you're just begging for this annoying prick to get iced. Steve Buscemi is superb and in my opinion it's still remains his best performance as the the quirky and paranoid Mr. Pink, the other true star turn comes from Micheal Madsen, who is too cool for school in this film, and I don't even need to describe the Stuck In The Middle With You scene. What makes Reservoir Dogs superb is that for a gangster movie, it's so minimalist, it's not loaded with action, it's all acting and character development. It's all about story telling and unique narratives. The majority of the movie takes place in a warehouse, and it feels like a tradition stage play, all the characters playing off against one another, the tensions run high, as each character questions each others background and motives, until the unforgettable finale. It feels like a great Miller or even Shakespearean stage play, every inch of this film is judged to perfection. Tarantino remarkably managed to seem cool, edgy and revolutionary while actually delivering a classic theatrical melodrama, now that's a hell of an achievement.

It's the first entry in the top twenty from my favourite director of all time. Stanley Kubrick truly was a genius, and what made him so special was not a destinctive style or approach but the fact that he could turn his hand to anything. He revolutionized movie making in so many different fields, it seems mind boggling that the same man who directed 2001 also direct Eyes Wide Shut, A Clock Work Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Dr. Strangelove and Path's Of Glory to name just a few. However of all his revolutionary movies none has had the influence of 2001... that sounds like a bold statement but really it isn't. Every movie and tv show involving space is in some way influenced by this film. Our very imagining of outer space is purely based around this one motion picture. The brilliance of 2001 is that it captures the emptiness of space, and it's utterly terrifying. Many people dislike this film, because it is so sparse, so empty and so cold, but that is why it is so perfect. The use of classical music, and these gorgeous empty scenes that just hang endlessly on screen is truly terrifying. For all the great exploration of the human condition, artificial intelligence, and the meaning of life, it will always be the beauty and emptiness of this film that makes it so remarkable. Nobody before or since has captured the sheer inhuman emptiness of outer space so well or in such a terrifying fashion. This truly is film as an artistic medium not a story telling devise, 2001 is a beautiful as it is chilling, a true masterpiece.

So after one of Kubrick's undisputed classics and one of the most revolutionary movies in film history I've opted for Kubrick's final work and arguably his least loved. Now many people found this film a let down, and I can understand why, in many ways it's similar to 2001 it's empty, it's cold, it takes a loving relationship and strips all the emotions away, it's contrasts love with raw primal emotionless sex. The whole later half of the film feels so dark, uncaring and almost horrifying. Kubrick conjures this wonderful mood, the secret club which Tom Cruise stumbles upon is so unwelcoming, so creepy and too bloody tense for words. Eyes Wide Shut really delves into the human psyche contrasting these great themes of love, romance, sex, fantasy, exploration and contrasting it with this constant threat of death, you fear for Cruise character in nearly ever scene, the film is so bleak, and intense. The brilliance of the film is it's open-endness it feels incredibly deep and yet utterly hollow at the same time. You can explore themes of trust and fantasy or you can sit back and enjoy the gorgeous vibrancy of the cinematography and wonder if there is anything to this film at all. Similar to 2001 it feels like the movie doesn't care whether you love it or hate it, it doesn't cater to the viewer, it feels absorbed with itself, there is little warmth, it's cold, harsh and strange yet remarkably it's beautiful and irresistibly captivating, you won't be able take your eyes of it, even for a second.