100 Incredible Films (Vol. 1 ~ 100-91)

Romeo Is Bleeding ~ 1993

Gary Oldman plays Jack, a crooked cop who informs to the mob about the hiding places of valuable wtnesses. He has a beautiful wife (Annabella Sciorra) and a lovely mistress (Juliette Lewis) but his heart is drifting toward the dangerous Russian hitwoman Mona Demarkov who is played brilliantly by (Lena Olin). This movie never lets you down at any point and the big surprise here is that the mob boss is played by JAWS star Roy Scheider!

You will be blown away! All I ask is that afterwards, just please come back and tell me how right I was and how much you loved it.

Victory ~ 1981

Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, Max von Sydow and soccer great Pelé all star in this awesome War / Sports film from 1981. The plot is this: As allied POWs prepare for a soccer game against the German National Team to be played in Nazi-occupied Paris, the French Resistance and British officers are making plans for the team's escape. You can't not LOVE IT!

It is in some countries known as "ESCAPE TO VICTORY", btw.

Michael Bay should be shot in the head for stealing the title of this excellent film for his brainless crapfest starring Will Smith & Martin Lawrence. The REAL Bad Boys, the ones that actually do BAD things are dispayed in this cult classic prison movie. Sean Penn is, as usual, spellbinding and the extraordinary but often under-rated actor Esai Morales (of La Bamba fame) is too. Other prison films of late to check out but aren't as good are..

1. The Green Mile ~ 1999 (Tom Hanks & Sam Rockwell)
2. The Last Castle ~ 2001 (Robert Redford & James Gandolfini)

Bad Boys ~ 1983

Chicago crime kid Mick O'Brien has been sent to a juvenile prison for vehicular manslaughter. Unfortunately, the person he kills is the kid brother of his long-time nemesis Paco Moreno, who vows revenge by raping Mick's girlfriend. Paco is caught and sent to the same prison where he re-works his revenge plan, and Mick has no choice but to defend himself.

1993 was a great year for movies especially independent cinema. Searching for Bobby Fischer is among the best of that year's crop. What a cast! Joan Allen is fantastic as the wife and mother. She remains one of the finest actresses the world has ever known. Look it up! Plus we get Ben Kingsley & Laurence Fishburne! Cameos feature David Paymer, William H. Macy, Dan Hedaya & the always great Laura Linney the teacher.

Searching for Bobby Fischer ~ 1993

The Plot: A prepubescent chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer. The toll this takes on his family as well his many chess mentors are thoroughly examined.

This is the debut film by master of horror Wes Craven. It is also his scariest! I don't recommend this film to ANYONE who can't handle it. It is shot in a very documentary style and that only adds to the terror we endure.

The Last House on the Left (1972)

The story goes like this. Two teenage girls are on their way to see their favorite rock group and decide to score some weed on the way. Problem is that the weed connection they think they have made is not what it appears to be. The girls are now the hostages of a ruthless gang of rapists/murderers. They take them into the woods and make them strip all their clothes and from that point on you can barely watch. SICK SICK movie!

I couldn't find a clip on youtube that I could actually show on hubpages so you'll have to trust me on this one here.

Citizen Ruth ~ 1996

Laura Dern plays Ruth Stoops, a paint-huffing drug addict with no redeeming qualities until she becomes pregnant. Then she becomes the most unlikely of heroes as she's pulled apart, back and forth between the two sides of the abortion issue. The Pro-Lifers vs. the Pro-Choicers are going at it in this hilarious send-up of American socio-politics.

This Boy's Life ~ 1993

If you like great acting and like it so much that you're willing to endure this boy's life then you will love This Boy's Life. Made in (surprise! 1993) just before his memorable turn in What's Eating Gilbert Grape of that same year, Leonardo DiCaprio is electric. Robert De Niro will scare the hell out of you as a very disturbed and abusive step-father to Ellen Barkin's kids.

WARNING: not for the faint of heart!

Watch the clip first and then decide if you can take it.

After George Clooney ditched the Batman thing he started making good movies. David O. Russell of "Spanking the Monkey" fame stunned filmgoers everywhere with this all new kind of war movie. Most war movies happen years and years after the fact and they tend to accentuate a certain philosophy about the war it's covering. Not here.

Three Kings ~ 1999

In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, 4 soldiers set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait, but they discover people who desperately need their help instead. This film is so awesome that I still get goosebumps thinking about it. The unlikely supporting cast of Spike Jonze (the director of Being John Malkovich), Nora Dunn & Jamie Kennedy are all perfect too. All three kings, George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg & Ice Cube are phenomenal in it.

From director Steven Soderbergh comes this twisted take on sex, lies and their affect on a young married couple (Peter Gallagher & Andie MacDowell). There are so many great things about this movie but they are hard to list because they're often abstract or seemingly existential.

sex, lies, and videotape ~ 1989

A sexually repressed housewife finds out her husband is sleeping with her sister (Laura San Giacomo) but finds solace in the company of one of his old friends that comes into town. (James Spader) Graham is his name and he makes videotapes. Not just any tapes either. Each tape has a woman's name on it, but they aren't sextapes. Not in the sense you might think anyway. No one but James Spader could have played this part so perfectly.

Kalifornia ~ 1993 (of course)

Brian (David Duchovny) is writing a book on serial killers and plans a cross-country trip to visit the murder sites. When he and his wife (Michelle Forbes) seek partnership on this trip to share expenses, they only receive one reply. From another couple (Brad Pitt & Juliette Lewis) who look a little troubled. That is putting it lightly. What happens when the writer comes face-to-face with a REAL killer? You'll have to watch it if you wanna find out 'cause I ain't gonna spoil it here!