Goodfellas

Goodfellas was the most entertaining film to watch out of the three. There is never a dull moment in this film, and I love it. The film follows the lives of real-life American gangster Henry Hill. From Hill’s early life in the mob. From his high-flying fast life at the top of the mob to his eventual downfall and end of his life as a gangster. The 1990 film is made by director Martin Scorsese and is one of if the not the best film in his filmography. The film features a star-studded cast, with Ray Liotta (Henry Hill), Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci, who was my favorite actor in the film.

The film is beautiful and is excellent in every aspect. The acting is a 10/10, with every actor’s performance being outstanding. The cinematography is also a high note of the film, capturing both the glamour and death of the life of an American gangster. I especially like the scene where the three main characters are burying a body, and the red light is shining on their face. The music is also very good and gives a 1970s-1980s vibe. The story is perfect, runs very streamlined, and flows well in the film.

The only thing I did not like about the film was the opening credits sequences with that awkward title animation. I wouldn’t say I liked it, but it’s a minor detail. Overall, Goodfellas is a great film and highly entertaining to watch.

My Rating: 9/10

Barry Lyndon

Barry Lyndon is often known as the known as Stanley Kubrick forgotten masterpiece. It is not too well known or not seen as much as other Kubrick films, but it is, in all respects, a masterpiece. Barry Lyndon is a 1975 film by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and would be his 10th film. The film took around two years to make, with eight and half months just for shooting the film, which was all filmed on location. The basic plot of Barry Lyndon follows the rise of Barry Lyndon from an idealistic young man to a moral wealthy aristocrat who got there through pure luck and his eventual downfall and lost all of it.

Barry Lyndon is a beautiful movie. It has arguably Stanley Kubrick’s best cinematography out of any of his films, and it is the most cinematically beautiful film of the 70s. Every frame in this film is gorgeous and feels more like a work of art than a film. Pair it with an exceptional score that complements the movie’s images, and you get an absolute masterpiece. The acting is excellent, and I like Ryan O’Neal as Barry Lyndon. The story I found was fascinating and had a lot of essential metaphors and philosophies about our life.

Despite all the praise I give the film, it is not without problems. The biggest thing is that it feels too long. The film is 3 hours and 23 minutes long, longer than Avengers Endgame. It is a slow-burning film, but some scenes were too long and could get boring sometimes. But these cons do not compare to the pros, and it is worth the time and watch.

My Rating: 9/10

All Quiet on the Western Front

To sum up this movie in one word, it has to be “frustrating.” It’s not that it’s a bad film. It was pretty good. But the whole story behind the movie just frustrated me and a bit mad, which was probably the film’s entire point. The 2022 film adapts the 1929 book of the same name by author Erich Maria Remarque. The film is directed by Edward Berger and features a cast of German actors, such as Felix Kammerer and Daniel Brühl. The film follows Paul Bäumer’s life in the final days of WW1, up to the last seconds before it ends, as try to survive with his friends on the harsh battlefields of WW1.

The cinematography is fantastic. Many trench scenes remind me of the same cinematography of 1917, with many long tracking shots in the trenches. But it has to be the film score that takes the cake. The film’s score has this theatrical and almost machine-like sound. It emphasizes the whole war machine theme of WW1. The acting was good all around, although I can’t say any of them popped off at me.

Now when it comes to the negatives of this film, the most significant thing was the only side plot of the German diplomats trying to end the war with the French generals. It was pointless to have in the film, and I felt detached from the main story. We did not need another account to tell us that the war would end, and it could not be done very effectively with less time and not using only other stories. Also, for the whole last battle sequence, it just felt a bit repetitive and somewhat dumb to have. But overall, it is still a great film and worth a watch.

My rating: 8/10

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