100 Movies to see before you die… (PT3)

Here we go with film numbers #94 – #90 as we countdown 100 movies you should see before your time is up!

#94 – The Wizard of Oz

This timely classic deservedly finds a place on my list, who can forget the shift from black & white to Technicolor and the adventure of Dorothy Gale and her lovable sidekicks The Scarecrow, The Tin Man and The Cowardly Lion each with their own desires.

You know the story by now, you know about the yellow brick road and those red shoes! Referenced countless times through the years, this is still one film which will never disappear from the all time greats.

Although it was not commercially successful initially, it was critically acclaimed and has now found a cult following thanks to network showings over the holiday periods.

Year Released: 1939
Directed By: Victor Fleming
Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley

#93 – The Insider

Russell Crowe gives a fine performance as the whistleblower out for justice against the industry he once worked for.

Based on an article by Marie Brenner, ‘The man who knew too much,’ The Insider tells the story of whistle-blower Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) and his struggle to clear his name after daring to speak out against malpractices in the tobacco industry on a CBS 60 minutes episode.

The biggest compliment I can give is even with a run time of 155 minutes, this film never gets boring. Al Pacino is superb as the CBS producer pushing for the show to be aired and Crowe delivers another stellar performance we are so used too.

A totally engrossing film which also poses some social questions for us to think about, Christopher Plummer is also fantastic as reporter Mike Wallace in a film full of top acting and wonderful filmmaking by Michael Mann.

Year Released: 1999
Directed By: Michael Mann
Starring: Russell Crowe, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer,

92 – The Green Mile

Tom Hanks discovers his new inmate has a special gift.

A Stephen King adaption by Frank Darabont (who also did King’s Shawshank Redemption to great success) which tells us the story of Paul Edgecomb (ever dependable Tom Hanks) who is a guard on Death Row in the 1930’s. When new inmate John Coffey arrives suspected of rape and murder, they discover he has an extraordinary gift and learn there is more to Coffey than meets the eye.

Michael Clarke Duncan brings emotion to his character and Doug Hutchinson is fantastic and believable as mean guard Percy. Every single character is played to perfection which is credit to the director and crew who worked on this film.

This touching drama will have you reaching for the tissues and fans of the book will not be disappointed.

Year Released: 1999
Directed By: Frank Darabont
Starring: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Sam Rockwell

91 – Lethal Weapon

Riggs and Murtaugh have to work together to take down a drug dealing gang.

LA cops Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) couldn’t be more different, Riggs is a loose cannon mourning the death of his wife and Murtaugh is a family man who just wants to stay alive. When they are partnered together they have to learn to work together and trust each other to take down drug dealer ‘The General’ (Mitchell Ryan).

This first instalment in the series really shows how unpredictable Riggs is, the chemistry between the two cops is credit too Gibson and Glover who work well together. This buddy cop movie is one of the best around and the mix of comedy is just enough to keep the tone light but not so much to ruin the story.

Year Released: 1987
Directed By: Richard Donner
Starring: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Mitchell Ryan

90 – The Bourne Ultimatum

Jason Bourne has a race against time to find out his real identity in this thrilling conclusion to the popular trilogy.

The final part of the hugely popular trilogy based on the novels by Robert Ludlam. Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne out to solve the mystery of his past and being hunted by the very people who trained him.

Paul Greengass directed Supremacy and Ultimatum and it could be argued he has helped change the way action movies are now made. His real to life, gritty action and use of the handheld camera (‘shakycam’) to create intense fight and chase sequences have been brought into the new Bond films and across a host of other action flicks.

Critics and audiences loved it and it is definitely a trilogy worth watching, this final part is hugely entertaining and a real game changer in its genre. Damon is perfect as Bourne in arguably his best role to date.

Year Released: 2007
Directed By: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn

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