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All tagged crime fiction
This week, we find ourselves in October. And you know what that means? Scary films! Week three brings us back to the director who gave us Seven and Gone Girl (both on the top 250). More of a thriller/crime procedural, this film nonetheless has at least one of the scariest scenes ever put to film. Zodiac (2007), directed by David Fincher.
This week, we watch the classic that changed the film industry forever. Indie attempts to copy the formula defined most of the rest of the 90s, but nothing came close to what this film achieves. This films iconic status has not diminished over the years, and it remains one of the funniest films of all time. Pulp Fiction (1994), directed by Quentin Tarantino.
This week, we watch the highest rated Scorsese movie on the list, as well as arguably the most influential gangster movie of all time. This film could define “good movies about bad people”, which is the acclaimed directors bread and butter. Goodfellas (1990), directed by the Martin Scorsese.
This week, we watch a film that has what might be considered the best plot twist in movie history. Kevin Spacey leads an ensemble cast where everyone seems to be trying to chew up the scenery harder than the others. The Usual Suspects (1995), directed by Brian Singer.
This week, we watch Natalie Portman’s first film, where she plays the daughter of a slaughtered family who is taken in by a professional hitman who lives next door. This film elevates its B-movie potential with iconic performances by all of the leads. Leon: The Professional (1994), directed by Luc Besson.
This week, we watch the quintessential Boston film. Based on a combination of the infamous gangster Whitey Bulger and the Chinese crime drama Infernal Affairs, Scorsese finally wins his best picture/director award with this movie that is soaked in unmatched violence and terrible Boston accents. The Departed (2006), directed by Martin Scorsese.
Part 2
This week, we watch the legendary Italian film makers final film. Clocking in at nearly 4 hours long (originally meant to be 6 hours), this film contains some of the most graphic content we’ve seen so far on the list. While we would find it hard to recommend to most people, its impossible to not be impressed by the cinematography, sets, and epic period piece details. Once Upon A Time In America (1984), directed by Sergio Leone.
This week, we watch the murder mystery that took the writer/director/cinematographer team from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, added in a fantastic cast, and became for the most fun film of 2019. If you live and breath, you will enjoy this one. Knives Out (2019), directed by Rian Johnson.
This week, we continue discussing the controversial masterpiece by Stanley Kubrick. This film has been banned in many places since its release, and wasn’t able to be purchased in England until the year of Kubrick’s death. To this day, it hasn’t lost an ounce of its impact. Lock the living room door so the kids don’t accidentally wander in. A Clockwork Orange (1971), directed by Stanley Kubrick.
This week, we start a new format - every other week, we’ll be watching a more recent addition to the top 250 movies of all time list, and we’ll try to make them as easily stream-able for everyone as possible (stuck inside, together!). This week’s movie is currently 185 on the top 250 list, and is streaming on Netflix. If you’re looking for something fun to watch in this new world we live in, strongly consider this comedy/mystery film from India. Andhadhun (2018), directed Sriram Raghavan.
This week, we watch the classic noir that has a “bad guy” as the protagonist for the first time in Hollywood film history. A man finds himself in the positions of both the investigator and the person being investigated in an insurance fraud scheme. Even though the film tells you who is the murderer is within the first five minutes, it manages to keep you guessing until the end. Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder.
This week, we watch the best picture winning film about two Con-Artists going in together to pull off a huge grift. Those two men happen to be Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The Duo’s on-screen charisma shines yet again, and while it might not be setting out to do anything but entertain, it does so in spades, and amounts to a ride worth taking. The Sting (1973), directed by George Roy Hill.
This week, we watch the story of Tony Montana, a cuban refugee who builds an empire from blood and cocaine. Al Pacino’s performance is memorable, lastingly quotable, and somewhat off the rails. He also sacrificed his nostrils health by snorting large amounts of powdered milk. Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma.
This week, we watch the film that launched Jack Nicholson into stardom while creating perhaps the best film noir of all time, decades after the genre left the mainstream. With a chaotic shoot, and uncertainty about the quality of the film until its 11 Academy Award nominations, it remains fascinating to watch the mystery of the films story unravel with Mr. Gittes. Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski.
This week, we watch the 2010 best foreign picture Oscar winner. One part love story, one part crime drama, this film jumps back and fourth in time as the plot is pieced together, while a historical take of Argentina’s troubled past serve as a backdrop. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009), directed by Juan Jose Campanella.
This week, we watch the classic Alfred Hitchcock adaptation of the stage play about organizing and attempting the murder of a cheating wife. Great acting and fun plot twists keep this film entertaining throughout, which is a feat, given that the film takes place almost entirely in just one room. And we hope you like dialogue. Dial M For Murder, directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
This week, we watch the classic Noir that made Humphrey Bogart a star, as well as lay the groundwork for what Crime Drama would be for decades afterwards. Fast talking, cigarette smoking, guns, lies, cheating, murder - all for the rarest of statues. And Bogart gets punched in the neck. The Maltese Falcon (1941), directed by John Huston.
This week, we watch the the movie that captured a slot in Quentin Tarantino's list of the 20 best films since 1992 - a murder mystery that combines horror and comedy in a way that that leaves you not only guessing at who the killer is, but what tone the movie will take with the next scene. Also, the best jump-kicks in movie history. Memories of Murder (2003), directed by Bong Joon Ho.
