A Nod to Ridley Scott

I'll have to admit. . .I felt bad about giving Ridley Scott's latest film, Body of Lies, a bad review. Scott is one of my favorite directors and it just doesn't seem right to leave it hanging like that. So here are my top 5 Ridley Scott films. . .They are all available on DVD and are all worth your time. These are Scott at his best. . .(in order of release date). . .

Alien (1979)
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You can have your Jasons, your Freddys and your Michaels. This is easily one of the scariest and most suspenseful movies ever made. Put it in the DVD player. Cut out all the lights -- make sure it is pitch black. Then turn on this terrific movie. One of the best movie taglines: "In Space No One Can Hear You Scream." Quick trivia: The other cast members did not know about the chest-bursting scene.


Blade Runner (1982)
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Considered by many to be the best science fiction film ever made. There is not a whole lot I can add here other than to encourage those of you who have not seen it to please do so -- right now. Harrison Ford. Sean Young. Rutger Hauer. Darryl Hannah. Quick Note: Watch the Director's Cut. It has the ending that Scott wanted and it comes closer to answering the question: "Was he or wasn't he?"

Gladiator (2000)
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Put the DVD in the player. Then, right before you press play, you say: "At my signal, unleash hell." This is a great movie. Terrific performances by Russell Crowe, Djimon Honsou and Joaquin Phoenix. It's vengeance. It's death. It's blood spray. It's dying with honor. You gotta love it.

Black Hawk Down (2001)
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This movie is all about what it means to not leave your buddy behind. Yes, Josh Hartnett is the weakest link in this otherwise stellar cast but you watch this movie for the performances by Eric Bana, Sam Shepard and Tom Sizemore. Once the shooting starts, it is intense until the smoke clears. As you may know, this is based on a true story. The documentary, which is also available on DVD, is even more harrowing.

American Gangster (2007)
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I know. . .I know. This movie didn't exactly blow up the critics' skirts but if you haven't seen it, you should and then you can judge for yourself. Denzel Washington is at the top of his game here and he's surrounded by a terrific supporting cast. Balancing out Denzel on the other side of the law is a terrific Russell Crowe. One of my favorite performances is turned in by Josh Brolin.

There you go. . .my top 5 favorite Ridley Scott films. Check them out. You will not be disappointed.

QMR: Body of Lies, 17 Again

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Body of Lies (2008)

Bottomline: Confusing and disappointing

Pros: Directed by Ridley Scott. Good performance by Leo DiCaprio. Terrific performance by Mark Strong as Hani Salaam.

Cons: More confusing than Syriana (2005).

QMR Opinion: Ridley Scott is one of my favorite directors but he swings and misses here. The basic concept is fascinating -- the idea (reality?) of someone a half a world away controlling what happens, who lives, who dies on the other side of the world. That's Russell Crowe. Leo is the CIA agent on the ground in the Middle East. They are out to stop an Osama Bin Ladin-type character, but they keep falling all over each other's agendas. The good news is that Scott doesn't treat us like idiots (little to no sub-titles, no supers letting us know which country the action is taking place, etc.), but, in the end, is a confusing mess.


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17 Again (2009)


Bottomline: Same old story, slightly different variation.

Pros: Thomas Lennon is fantastic as Uncle Ned. His performance alone is worth the rental when it comes out on DVD.

Cons: It stars Zac Efron. There are sexual undertones from beginning to end in this PG-13 movie (some uncomfortable, some creepy).

QMR Opinion: This movie got the big thumbs up from my youngest daughter and her friend who are both 11. If you are thinking about taking the kids. . .be forewarned. There is a sexual undertone to this movie that can make for some fairly uncomfortable moments. The basic story is the same old same old -- older guy (Matthew Perry) thinks his life stinks and wishes he was back in high school. Poof. Brian Doyle Murray shows up and now Perry is Zac Efron. For those of us over the age of 15, the best part of the movie is Thomas Lennon as Ned, Zac's best friend, who is a millionaire because he invented software. Let's face it, at the end of the day, you go to this movie because your tweens want to go. It's not horrible but if you can avoid it. . .just wait and get the DVD for your kids.

Quick Movie Reviews (April 17, 2008)

Charlton Heston - R.I.P.
A moment of silence please for the recent passing of Charlton Heston. There are few actors today who could carry off the monster epics that he did.

Horton Hears a Who (2008)
My youngest daughter (10) and I went to see this. I was pleasantly surprised. It was cute, funny and not too long.

King of Kong (2007)
If you haven't heard about this documentary, you have now. Please rent this and watch it. It is absolutely spell-binding. It's the story of one man's obsession to be the highest scorer on Donkey Kong. Those of us who cut our teeth in the arcades of the '80s will totally appreciate this. If you get a chance, be sure to catch the DVD extras.

American Gangster (2007)
On our recent Spring Break trip to New York, I took with me the three-disk special edition of this terrific movie and watched the extended version then the theatrical version with commentary. I have to tell you. . .the more I watch it, the more I am convinced it should have been nominated for Best Picture instead of Atonement. It's a better story. It's better acted. It has better cinematography. It's just an all around better movie.

Blade Runner (1982)
And while we're on the subject of Ridley Scott. . .be sure to watch the final, final ultimate edition director's cut of Blade Runner. I didn't go all out and buy the super-expensive version that comes in a steel briefcase, but I did pick up the five-disk version and enjoyed every minute of it. another reference to the '80s. . .for us nerds of the '80s, Blade Runner was just one of those ultimate sci-fi pictures that you went to see over and over and talked about with your friends. It's great for a junkie like me to get my hands on these types of DVDs that go into such depth about these great films. Plus, Ridley Scott is one of those directors who really goes the extra mile in the commentary and gets in-depth into his thought processes.