Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #71

On By Luke FlorenceIn Blood Diamond, Favorite Films, Lists, Movies1 Comment

#71: Blood Diamond (2006)

Blood Diamond
Director: Edward Zwick
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly
Academy Awards: Nominated five times. Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor, Djimon Hounsou for Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.
Plot: “A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #55

“Sometimes I wonder … will God ever forgive us for what we’ve done to each other? Then I look around and I realize … God left this place a long time ago.”

Leonardo DiCaprio is the actor of my generation. He’s had an amazing career showcasing an incredible range. It continues to annoy the hell out of me that he’s only been nominated for four Oscars and – more importantly – hasn’t won one.

The third of his four nominations took place when he was up for his portrayal of Danny Archer in Blood Diamond. Not taking anything away from Forrest Whitaker who won the Oscar that year, but Leo was just as good.

DiCaprio sums up this movie in an interview better than I ever could, “I’ve never been a part of a movie that has a social message like this on such a grand scale … it tells us something about the world we live in.”

He’s exactly right. Blood Diamond’s social message concerns our pursuit of the rarest diamonds, and the bloodbath that takes part in their recovery. It certainly opened my eyes and if you haven’t seen it, I’m sure it will do the same.

Not only is Leo outstanding in this movie, but so is his partner-in-crime, Djimon Hounsou. Their partnership turns into a friendship and you feel lucky to witness that slow transformation.

If I had to sum up this film in one word it would be this … captivating.

UPDATE

Without question, my love affair for Leonardo Dicaprio has a lot to do with Blood Diamond showing up here. And you know what, I’m completely okay with that. It’s important to have favorites, and Leo certainly fits that bill. Replace Leo with a Brad Pitt or a Johnny Depp and this movie doesn’t come close to cracking this list.

As Chris Connelly so eloquently put it, “Leo makes your dreams come true.”

Fun Fact: When Danny Archer arrives in South Africa, there are two women standing in front of the airport and he walks by them. These women are Leonardo DiCaprio’s mother and grandmother.

Hint for #70: Combine #75 (The Fighter) and #85 (The Pursuit of Happyness) and you get this film.

Peace Be The Journey.

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.