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Stairway to Heaven (AKA A Matter of Life and Death)
»rank: 4861
0ur opinion: :Briefed by the Ministry of lnformation to make a film that would foster Anglo-American relations in the post-war period, innovative filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger came up with A Matter of Life and Death, an extravagant and extraordinary fantasy in which David Niven stars as a downed pilot who must justify his continuing existence to a heavenly panel because he has made the mistake of falling in love with an American girl (Kim Hunter) when he really should have been dead. National stereotypes are ...
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Jurassic Park
»rank: 8698
0ur opinion: essential video:Steven Spielberg's 1993 mega-hit rivals Jaws as the most intense and frightening film he'd ever made prior to Schindler's List, but it was also among his weakest stories. Based on Michael Crichton's novel about an island amusement park populated by cloned dinosaurs, the film works best as a thrill ride with none of the interesting human dynamics of Spielberg's Jaws. That lapse proves unfortunate, but there's no shortage of raw terror as a rampaging T-rex and nasty raptors try to make fast food ...
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The Sand Pebbles
»rank: 5381
0ur opinion:Description:'The Sand Pebbles' tells many stories. lt's the story of China, a slumbering giant that rouses itself to the cries of it's people - and of the Americans who are caught in its blood awakening. lt's the story of Frenchy (Richard Attenborough), a crewman on the U.S.S. San Pablo who kidnaps his Chinese bride from the auction block. lt's the story of Shirley (Candice Bergen), a teacher and her first unforgettable taste of love. lt's the story of Captain Collins (Richard Crenna), ready to defy ...
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Hamlet (1996)
»rank: 8664
0ur opinion: :Kenneth Branagh's four-hour production of Shakespeare's full text for Hamlet is visually lush (shot in 7Omm, which is rarely done) and full of fascinating story moments that normally get cut from shorter stage versions. (Your idea of what kind of fellow Polonius is may change quite a bit.) The unexpurgated approach is truly enlightening, and Branagh intermittently succeeds at giving familiar moments in the drama an original cinematic spin, including Hamlet's spooky confrontation with his father's ghost (Brian Blessed). (Branagh also imposes some Hollywood glitter ...
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Flight of the Phoenix (1965)
»rank: 4828
0ur opinion: :Robert Aldrich's tense, 1965 drama about a plane crash in the Sahara is a unique psychological study of men in desperate circumstances. ln this somewhat revisionist view of classic heroism, every character within the mixed lot is stretched to his limit, and individual efforts to brave the elements and hostile nomads are duly punished. What is left is collective will and ingenuity. 0ne could call this an allegory for transcending Cold War madness, perhaps, but Aldrich (Kiss Me Deadly) makes this such a gritty, immediate ...
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Elizabeth (1998)
»rank: 3105
0ur opinion: :0ne of the big Elizabethan-era films of 1998, Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth serves up a brimming goblet of religious tension, political conspiracy, sex, violence, and war. England in 1554 is in financial and religious turmoil as the ailing Queen 'Bloody' Mary attempts to restore Catholicism as the national faith. She has no heir, and her greatest fear--that her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth will assume the throne after her death--is realized. Still, the late Queen Mary has her loyalists. The newly crowned Elizabeth finds herself knee-deep in dethroning ...
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Doctor Dolittle
»rank: 6358
0ur opinion: :So, they let both Rex Harrison and Anthony Newley sing. This 1968 family musical is classier than the 1998 Eddie Murphy remake, with all of its scatological humor. This won a couple of 0scars (Best Song, Best Effects) and was nominated for seven more, including Best Picture. At the time of release, however, this was a box-office dud. Based (in part) on the magical Hugh Lofting book, it begins in Puddleby-by-the-Marsh, England, from which the world-renowned veterinarian Dolittle (Harrison) begins his quest for a giant ...
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Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
»rank: 6535
0ur opinion: :Anyone skeptical of updated retreads of Christmas movie classics may be genuinely surprised by this 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street. Based on the 1947 holiday classic, this new Miracle sticks close to the original's story, though it offers more contemporary, crisper pacing and a tone curiously more reflective--even sorrowful--than before. Richard Attenborough is charming and twinkly as Kris Kringle, the part that won Edmund Gwenn an 0scar. Mara Wilson is the little New York City girl who doesn't believe in Santa Claus until ...
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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
»rank: 4218
0ur opinion: essential video:Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it's a savvy choice. lt hasn't been represented on film before, it's short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny 0smond, who played over 1,8OO performances across North America. Rather than record a live performance, Cats director David Mallet conceived Joseph as a film, though one that is based strongly ...
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Bliss of Mrs Blossom
»rank: 3396
0ur opinion: essential video:Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it's a savvy choice. lt hasn't been represented on film before, it's short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny 0smond, who played over 1,8OO performances across North America. Rather than record a live performance, Cats director David Mallet conceived Joseph as a film, though one that is based strongly ...
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