3 Great Movies:

The Godfather Pt. 1- What can I say about the Godfather? I could talk about the astounding cast and performances, including the sublime young Al Pacino. I could rave about the plot that manages to present us with the complex fall and rise of the Corleones without dumbing anything down and without any confusing loose ends. I could gush about the baptism/assassination scene (one of my all time favourites). Instead I'll just say that this is a great movie.

The Princess Bride- I think only one movie I've seen has better dialogue than The Princess Bride, but it doesn't equal Rob Reiner's masterpiece. The Princess Bride is hilarious. It's charming. It can be watched over and over again without losing any of its magic; in fact, the more I watch this movie, the more I love it. Inigo Montoya's catchphrase is immortal, as is Vizzini's recurring exclamation (in fact, I can no longer say "inconceivable" without a slight lisp). Westley and Buttercup have great fairy-tale chemistry, Rugen and Humperdinck are chillingly villainous, Andre the Giant is surprisingly great, the list goes on and on...This has been a favourite of mine for years.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon- Ang Lee's masterpiece is a favourite of mine on two levels. First of all, the regular stuff: the plot is interesting, the acting is surprisingly good (especially considering that Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun Fat are primarily action stars), and Zhang Ziyi is excellent in her stunning debut. The cinematography and visuals are stunning, especially in the desert subplot. But the second level might be more important to me, being a fan of Kung Fu movies: the action, expertly choreographed by Yuen Woo Ping, is exhilratingly paced and gracefully presented. The first fight between Yeoh and the thief is different from most but inferior to none, except perhaps their later fight in Yeoh's home base. These two levels are fit together seamlessly to create a cinema dream-come-true: a top notch big-budget Kung Fu movie with plot, acting, and depth.