An Introduction

In trying to elevate this above simply a blog of my favourite movies i thought why they are my favourite. Not only are they beautifully shot but they also have the common theme of having incredible characters and compelling stories that draw you in. This thought conjures up images of a film i saw years ago called 'The Fall', an incredible film visually but it doesn't stay with me the way the films i've listed in this blog have because the characters are two dimensional and flat and the story is un-engaging. 

Substance over style vs style over substance, i pick both.

In the Name of the Father

The true story of Gerry Conlon and his father who were falsely accused and convicted of an IRA bombing in England and the 15 years they spent in jail together. An extremely powerful story revolving around the relationship of Gerry and his father, the acting is top notch which has come to be expected these days from Daniel Day-Lewis. 

The People vs. Larry Flynt Poster

In this blog I've just about covered every major work of director Milos Forman, for me he epitomizes the perfect harmony between style and substance, his movies are rich in both style and the stories they tell.

The People Vs. Larry Flynt tells the tale of the rise of pornographic publisher Larry Flynt and his US Supreme Court battle, arguing that freedom of speech must apply to unpopular speech. The imagery in this is as accomplished as always, Milos Forman uses colours well and a washed out visual style to compliment the movie brilliantly.

Amadeus

Milos Forman's Amadeus is a visual splendour with incredible set pieces and costumes convincingly taking you back to the 1800's. The lighting, colours and framing leaves you with no wonder how this swept the Academy Awards taking home 8 Oscars including Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design and Best Director.

Easily one of the greatest movies to ever be made, words cannot describe the brilliance and beauty of this film, it must be seen and heard to be done justice.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

 

Perhaps the film for which Milos Forman is best recognised , a classic of American cinema based of an equally classic book. The story involves a petty criminal who is sent to a mental institution for evaluation and the battle of wills that occurs between him and the head nurse on the ward. Despite being set almost entirely inside a mental institution the settings never feel stale but in fact quite the opposite with the ward being brought to life, almost as a character itself.

Man on the Moon

 

This biography about Andy Kaufman is simply fascinating covering his never boring life perfectly. Jim Carrey is larger than like as Andy Kaufman, putting on the performance of a career and showing once and for all that he is more than a simple slapstick comedian actor and a force to be reckoned with. In this film as well as the others of Milos Forma that I've discussed, he really proves himself as a master story teller, tackling such a heavy range of subject matter without falter.

Taxi Driver

Martin Scorsese's classic about a disturbed Vietnam War Vet. This film is not easy to watch showing the main character Travis Bickles descent into madness, how he turns his frustrations against petty criminals and his obsession with saving a young prostitute. This is a very complex movie with a lot left to the viewers interpretation, Scorsese creates a gritty aesthetic in this film with a desaturated color pallete and a lot of low lit and night time shots which help to immerse the viewer and create an aesthetic to accompany Bickle's descent.