I apologize for writting this review under the caption of ’’Ten Best English Movies’’. In this review, I am trying to highlight some of the great movies which went surprisingly unnoticed. (or unaccepted, or both)
1. Dark City (1998): My personal favourite. Led by a Briton, Rufus Sewell. If you’ve seen a Historic action-comedy ’’A Knight’s Tale’’, you would remember this guy who played ’Adhemar’...Anyway, ’Dark City’ starts with the story of a man, John Murdoch (Rufus), who wakes up strangely in a bath-tub, in unknown apartment.
He tries to trace his identity by using his clothes, wallet, then with the help of his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and a wierd but intelligent scientist (Kiefer Sutherland). John is continuously being chased by some mysterious white people (called Strangers. To John’s surprise, everything happens in the dark light. As though No Daylight exists in that place.
He now starts vaguely remembering about his childhood house, at ’Shell Beach’, everyone knows ’Shell Beach’, but can’t remember where exactly its located. To the stroke of every ’12:00’, people sleep, just like that, for 2 minutes. And wake up. without knowing it. The mystery behind all this happenings has to be unvieled and John, unvoluntarily gets involved in solving it.
Who are these strangers? Why is it always dark? Who is John Murdoch? Whats up with this scientist guy?? The mystery tells you all answers, and you are dumbfound. Most original screenplay I have watched. Special effects are very good. Performaces are great.
Special Note: The Matrix (1999), most popular and celebrated Sci-Fi movie has pretty similar theme, I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody told me Wachowasky brothers loved this film way too much.
2. Groundhog Day (1993) : The plot of Groundhog Day is the funniest and scariest. In the frame of this most humorous film (ever), its creator asks us to behave. Moral of the story is nothing but keep cool. Phil (Bill Murray) is weather-man and he hates going to a small town called Trans-sylvenia every year to report the Groundhog Day ceremony live on the Television. This year is his fourth consecutive time, and he is irritated.
His collegue Rita (Andie McDowell) and Larry accompany him. The day begins normally. After getting ready and after having morning coffee, they go to the place where celebration is about to begin. Mayer asks Groundhog about the weather, and Groundhog says ’’It’s going to be more winter’’....People clap, aploud, make merry and go home. The show has been telecast and spending rest of day there, Phil goes to sleep. Next (??) morning 6:00 o’clock, radio announces ’’It’s a Groundhog Day!!’’
.... Phil laughs, he looks out to the window, nobody, just snow....He gets ready, greets the room-boys, waitress...Everyone asks him ’’Hows the weather gonna be?’’....’’It’s a Groundhog day’’... He is puzzled. But to his shock, its really a Groundhog Day. Unfortunately no one seems to care, as they think it is indeed the day. And here start the hilarious sequences. He experinces same moments as he had on the previous day. And hes the only one who notices. For everyone else, its the normal day.
And, this happens everyday!!!! He has to live same groundhog day, everyday!!
Of course there is an end. A good end. But whats to be watched is his dying effort to get out of this thing. He tries desparately to convince Rita what situation hes going through. She wouldn’t understand nothing but laugh (and upset). But Phil now finds a motivation to live, a single day of his life, everyday. And, hell yes, he lives his day. Funny way to look at the it.
Wondering what would you do, eh? Give it a though, its refreshing.
3. Vanilla Sky (2001) : Imagine you are living a very exciting and wonderful life. And people envy you for that. You go through mysterious twists, tortures, accidents, financial setbacks, family disputes. And yet you repossess all of your gone fortune and fame. You can see your struggle, you also see the results, you show it public....but you can’t taste the fruit you’ve grown. You just can’t enjoy being YOU and Your success.
You don’t know why, untill one day a joyous agent of LIFE EXTENSION-LE company comes to you and tells you, the life you’ve been living isn’t REAL anymore. Anymore?? Yes, You have been DEAD for 120 years and You do not simply EXIST. But you are given a chance again, as you have been a sincere customer to LE, they ask you whether you would like to continue with your ’Contract Life’ or to cancel the ’Contract’......You would do what???
Plot
David (Tom Cruise) is casanova. Filthy son of a Mega-tycoon. Flirts Julie (Cameron Diaz). Has this author friend Brian (Jason Lee). One day he meets Brian’s girlfriend Sofia (Penelope Cruz), and falls in love at first sight. Julie objects, goes crazy, meets car accident, David being with her in Car.
David has extremely damaged face. Sofia doesn’t accept at first.....Then she does, the next morning. Dav regains his face, makes love with Sofia more tenderly than ever. But this isn’t as straight as it seems. David lives his life in two parallel worlds. And he enjoys the one which isn’t real. He starts seeing Julie in Sofia. He starts waking up screaming in the middle of the night....He starts trying to kill Sofia.
The film is epitome of fantasy, excitement, tenderness, tragedies, parallel world, death, love, faith, hate, trust. The movie is driven by the notion of Happiness in Imagination. A Virtual Life is fake, indeed, but It has those moments where you can laugh, love and befriend.
There are lot more movies that really have extremely intriguing plots, such as, May, Lost Highway, Arlington Road etc. In the coming time, I will, sure, be writting more about those.