INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and Alison Doody
When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, eminent archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father's footsteps and stop the Nazis.
WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100
When it comes to adventure, you can't go wrong with Indiana Jones (except you can if you venture into the 4th film, but lets pretend that never happened). The Last Crusade is a fun, action packed adventure that saw Indiana Jones quest for the holy grail with his father. The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is stellar and the father/son dynamic is spot on. A brilliant ending to a brilliant trilogy...or at least it would have been.
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SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley
In Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100
A powerful movie that shows the plight of the Jews told with such realism, making it impossible to ignore once you sit down to see it. When casting American actors as German Nazis (or any foreign historical group or individuals) you risk trivializing the subject matter, but Spielberg and all actors involved manages to transcend this and make you believe they are people of history. Truly a great piece of tragic art.
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DOWNFAll (DER UNTERGANG) (2004)
Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara and Ulrich Matthes
Traudl Junge, the final secretary for Adolf Hitler, tells of the Nazi dictator's final days in his Berlin bunker at the end of WWII.
WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100
Der Untergang is a powerful and jarring movie about Hitler's final days. What the movie does well is humanizing Hitler (to much debate) in a way that we do not see him as just the monster of history we are all familiar with, but as a human being. Bruno Ganz does a phenomenal job in portraying the dictator. Even though the movie goes to great lengths to humanize Hitler, Ganz easily turns it all around and shows you the dark and evil side as well.
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AMERICAN BEAUTY (1999)
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening and Thora Birch
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter's attractive friend.
WHY IT MADE MY TOP 100
American Beauty is a film about people trapped in their own lives and doing everything they can to get out of it. Be it in search of success or just trying to find happiness. The movie is masterly told by director Sam Mendes and the casting is absolutely perfect. It is the story of the American dream and how ugly it can turn out by those who live it and those who strive to perfect it.
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