Category: Lists

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #72

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, Training Day1 Comment

#72: Training Day (2001)

Training Day
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Scott Glenn
Academy Awards (1): Denzel Washington for Best Actor. Nominated one more time. Ethan Hawke for Best Supporting Actor.
Plot: “On his first day on the job as a Los Angeles narcotics officer, a rookie cop goes on a 24-hour training course with a rogue detective who isn’t what he appears.”
Stock: Down
Previous Ranking: #30

“King Kong ain’t got shit on me!”

I hardly ever use Michael Jordan as a comparison because it’s damn near impossible to compare MJ to anything or anyone. But, I will use it here because it’s the ONLY thing I can think of when describing Denzel’s role of Alonzo Harris. If Training Day was Game 6 of the NBA Finals, then Denzel was vintage Michael Jordan.

There really isn’t any other way to describe how perfect Denzel is as Alonzo Harris. His charisma, his language, his laugh … they all play a part in crafting one of the most “perfect” characters I’ve ever had the privilege of watching. He steals every scene he’s in and wholeheartedly deserved the Oscar he took home.

I was a late addition to Training Day and didn’t get around to finally seeing it until a couple years ago. I knew Denzel was superb and I had seen bits-and-pieces of it but never watched it all the way through. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and take it in. It’s too good of a film for you not to see it.

UPDATE

While Denzel isn’t going anywhere in my personal pantheon of best acting performances, the movie does takes a bit of a drop. Truth be told, I’m not too sure how it fell this far. I can say that #30 was a bit high for it four years ago, and that #72 may be a bit low for it now. Maybe in four more years I’ll finally get it right.

Fun Fact: Bruce Willis was offered the role of Alonzo.

Hint for #71: I had to buy one of these recently, and all I could think about was Leo.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #73

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Mission Impossible, Movies1 Comment

#73: Mission: Impossible (1996)

Mission Impossible
Director: Brian De Palma
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight and Emmanuelle Béart
Plot: “An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.”
Stock: Up
Previous Ranking: #96

“Would you consider the cinema of the Caribbean? Aruba, perhaps?”

Mission: Impossible was one of the first movies that fell in the, “I need to watch that again, category.” A re-watch was necessary so I could pay closer attention to certain details and see what I had missed the first time around.

For an eleven-year-old kid, this is a pretty big deal. Up to this point in my life, movies were straight-forward by design. Their main purpose was to give my parents a break from parenting. Thanks to Mission: Impossible, my entire perspective changed as to what a film could be.

I didn’t enjoy all the other Mission: Impossible films nearly as much as I did the original, so don’t go expecting to see Ethan Hunt any more in my top 100. Instead of focusing on the twists of the story, I felt as if the first couple of sequels created action at the expense of plot.

What I appreciated the most from Mission: Impossible is that it had thrilling and tense sequences, it was cleverly written, and it had a strong and constant moving plot. Seems rather simple, but you’d be surprised how difficult it is to have all those parts play an equal role in any film’s equation.

UPDATE

I first watched this film at home with my Mom. When it was over I remember being excited for my Dad to view it and told him before he started, “now Dad, you have to pay very close attention the entire time.”

In other words I was trying to give my Dad a heads up that this movie wasn’t like the hundreds of others he took me to. He wasn’t allowed to doze off like he did during Matilda.

Mission: Impossible was a turning point for me with movies … and thankfully, for my parents as well.

Fun Fact: The only Mission: Impossible film that doesn’t feature any shootouts/gunfights.

Hint for #72: Apparently King Kong doesn’t have anything on this man.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #74

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, The Sandlot1 Comment

#74 The Sandlot (1993)

The Sandlot
Director: David M. Evans
Starring: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar and Patrick Renna
Plot: “A new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his team. Together, they get themselves into many adventures involving rival teams, lifeguards, and a vicious dog.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #75

“You’re killing me, Smalls!”

I had a great childhood … couldn’t have asked for a better one. The summers were filled with baseball, either around the neighborhood playing wiffle-ball or on an actual Little League diamond. What more could a kid ask for? Whenever The Sandlot comes on it takes me back a much simpler time and I always end up smiling.

Yes, The Sandlot has some solid one-liners and is an overall funny movie, but that’s not why it’s on this list. It’s here because it resonates so well with me. It makes me forget about the real world and brings me back to my youth. And any film that can consistently do that deserves recognition.

UPDATE

Despite the constant fluctuation of this list, it’s comforting to know that The Sandlot only moved one spot in the last four years. And to be honest, I can’t think of a better compliment to give, because it perfectly describes The Sandlot’s place in a lot of our lives, especially those in my generation.

We grow older, we grow larger, we marry, we divorce, we have kids, we have jobs and we have responsibilities. And even though our childhood has been forcefully removed, every once in a while we need to remember our younger days. And that feeling, will never change.

Fun Fact: The older and younger Benny are played by real-life brothers, Pablo Vitar and Mike Vitar.

Hint for #73: The fifth installment of this franchise was just released last July.

Peace Be The Journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #75

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Lists, Movies, The Fighter3 Comments

#75: The Fighter (2010)

The Fighter
Director: David O. Russell
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams
Academy Awards (2): Christian Bale for Best Supporting Actor and Melissa Leo for Best Supporting Actress. Nominated five more times. Best Picture, Amy Adams for Best Supporting Actress, David O. Russell for Best Director, Best Writing and Best Editing.
Plot: “A look at the early years of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother who helped train him before going pro in the mid 1980s.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #63

“I’m the one fighting, okay? Not you, not you, and not you.”

The Fighter earns this spot because of the acting performances, the story-line, and the fact that it is based on a true story.

Both Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg are tremendous in this movie. The chemistry they possess makes you feel that they are actually brothers. That chemistry is the life-blood for this film. Amy Adams and Melissa Leo are terrific as well in supporting roles. Great acting all around.

The story-line shifts often but never loses focus, which is a hard thing to do. Instead of focusing solely on Wahlberg’s character (Micky Ward), it bounces around to Bale’s character (Ward’s brother Dicky), to their estranged family, to Micky’s girlfriend. It’s a delicate tight-rope but well executed.

I had heard of Micky Ward prior to this film, but had no idea all the trials and tribulations he had to deal with. It’s an underdog story if there ever was one. He was fighting battles not only in the ring but out of it as well. A great film that will probably do some climbing in the near future.

UPDATE

Even if Christian Bale is a prick in real-life, it’s still worth watching his portrayal of Dicky Ward. He absolutely steals and owns every scene he is in. The main character is Micky, but Bale is so good as Dicky, he ends up being the center-piece.

The Fighter loses points for not having the most realistic boxing scenes, but the acting, led by Bale, is what has it inside the top eighty.

Fun Fact: Mark Wahlberg waived his own salary and took no upfront fee for this film. Christian Bale was paid only $250,000 for his role.

Hint for #74: This film will teach you how to correctly pronounce Babe Ruth.

Peace Be The Journey.