Hollywood Calling. Review on Ten Best English Movies

I grew up on a diet of Hollywood movies. Starting off with blockbusters like?The Guns of Navaronne?, ?Mackenna?s Gold? and the Bond movies, I have since then graduated to more cerebral stuff. But I do love the big budget action movies, problem is most of them don?t even have a proper plot. So how do I rate a movie as good one, well these are some of the factors I look for

· Story- Should be a good one with an interesting plot.

· Characterization- Movies like Independence Day fail to move me for all their special effects. Strong characterization is what I look for.

· Performances- Good performances

So based on this criteria here are 10 of my fav movies. I love these movies and must have seen them umpteen times and never tire of seeing them again and again.

1) Ben Hur

This epic deals with the story of Judah Ben Hur(Charlton Heston) a Jew who is betrayed by his friend, the Roman General Messala(Stephen Boyd). His slavery, his release from bondage, his revenge against Messala, and how he reunites with his family is what the movie is about. Though the chariot race and the sea battle are the outstanding scenes, there are number of other great scenes like Messala?s confrontation with Ben Hur, Ben Hur?s search for his mother and sister and the final scene of redemption. Superb performances, brilliant cinematography and excellent direction make this an all time classic for me.

2) Saving Private Ryan

One of the most awesome war movies of all times. 9 men led by Capt John Miller(Tom Hanks) go in search of Private Ryan(Matt Damon) who is lost somewhere in the battlefields of Europe, during the closing stages of WW2. The irony is that Ryan when he is finally found doesn?t want to be saved at all, and all but one of the 9 men die while fighting a battle against the Germans. Superb performances by Hanks and Damon. The opening 20 minutes are just too good. The savagery and futility of war is brilliantly depicted by Spielberg. And of course the superb background music.

3) Forrest Gump

A real heartwarming movie. A feel good movie that doesn?t insult the intelligence of the viewer. To make a movie like this needs guts and vision. Only makers like Robert Zemeckis can do it. Watch this movie through the eyes of Forrest Gump(Tom Hanks) and your idea of life would never be the same again. Its difficult not to get charmed by the tale of a guy with a below average I.Q. who becomes a success in life. And the dialogues are just too great. I could write an article on those dialogues itself. And of course Tom Hanks is just brilliant in this movie.

4) **Raiders of the Lost Ark

*Brilliant paisa vasool entertainer by Spielberg. Right from the opening sequence where Indiana Jones( Harrison Ford) runs from a huge boulder to the climax, the movie grips you and never lets you go. The story is about the archaelogist Indiana Jones trying to get the Lost Ark, and the Nazis also want the ark to dominate the world. Gripping action scenes follow one after another. You scarcely get time to recover from one heart stopper, when another follows immediately. And yes this has a great plot with a lot of twists and turns thrown in.

*5) E.T

*This sci fi movie by Spielberg is brilliant and heart warming. In fact its much better than the over rated Jurassic Park( which for all its special effects left me cold). It deals with the story of Eliot, who befriends an alien, and how he manages to send him back to outer space. And yes it has the gorgeous Drew Barrymore playing Eliot?s kid sister in this movie. I still get a lump in the final scene, when the alien bids goodbye to Eliot. And of course the great background music score.

*6) The Sound of Music

Magic, that?s the only way I can describe this musical. I saw it for the first time as a kid and just loved all those songs. I had the video cassette with me and must have seen this movie dozens of times. Great songs and great music. The movie deals with the story of Maria(Julie Andrews) an orphan who becomes the governess to a bunch of unruly kids of a captain Von Trapp(Christopher Plummer). How she wins over the kids, the captain?s heart and their escape from the Nazis is what the story is about. I have a request for all the Chopras and Johars, please watch this movie if you want to make a real good entertainer.

7) Romancing the Stone

*This is one of the best comedies I have ever seen. The movie stars Kathleen Turner as a writer who sets out to Colombia to look for her sister and meets a fortune hunter(Michael Douglas). The rest of the movie deals with their misadventures. Great action scenes and superb jokes abound in this movie. However the show stealer is the diminutive Danny De Vito, who gives a knock out performance. Turner and Douglas make a great pair and complement each other with their brilliant timing. Must see movie.

*8) The Silence of the Lambs

*This movie really sent the shivers down my spine. Its about an FBI agent Clarice Starling( Jodie Foster) who needs to capture a serial killer Buffalo Bill, and she takes the help of a convict Hannibal(Anthony Hopkins) who is a known cannibal. This movie really keeps you on the edge of your seats. Brilliant performances by Hopkins and Foster makes this one of the best thrillers of all time.

*9) The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

*This is my favorite western movie. Basically deals with three characters the good guy with no name(Clint Eastwood), the bad and vicious one( Lee Van Cleef) and of course the ugly malicious crooked Tuco(Eli Wallach). The movie deals with the search for the dollars hidden in a graveyard. The interaction between the characters, the sweeping shots of the desert landscape and of course the scenes between Wallach and Eastwood make it a memorable experience. And the haunting background music score by Enrico Morricone make it one of my all time favorites. Eastwood is dashing as the good guy, Van Cleef makes a suitably menacing bad guy but the show is stolen by Eli Wallach as the loathsome Tuco, who puts in a brilliant performance.

*10) The Godfather

*This is a touchstone for all gangster movies. A classic in its own right. Every scene, every dialogue, every part of this movie blend together so perfectly. Each scene in the movie stands out. And of course the performances by Marlon Brando, James Caan and Al Pacino make this a memorable movie of all time.