My top 10 good movies that I don’t love



My top 10 good movies that I don’t love

Intro: Now these are movies that I can see why they are well received but I'm not crazy about them. They are films that I don't consider my favorite and I'm not excited to see some of them again. Despite how good these movies are it doesn't outweigh the problems I have with them that kept me from putting them in high regard. With that said most of them deserve the recognition they got over the years, others don't get enough of it.  

No 10. Boyz in the hood: Like I said this is the only film so far that has an all-black cast that I can think of that is good, besides the films based on true people and events. This movie is basically an underdog story as far as not becoming a product of your environment. I feel Tre’s father’s pain as far as him trying to keep his son on the right path. I feel sorry for one character in this movie because of how his mother treats him differently from his brother. How Black Americans are portrayed in this movie doesn't bother me because it works in the context of the film. 

This movie is also about hope not just for Black Americans but for anyone who lives in a bad environment. I wish there was another character that wasn’t affected by their surroundings besides Tre’s father. I feel almost a shame that this is not one of my favorite movies, because this movie deals with legacy, protecting what’s yours and overcoming your obstacles. It's also a shame that this movie didn't win the best picture award. 

No 9. Up: Darn it! I know I forgot one when I did my overrated movies list. This is an example of being good at what you do that you get carried away. This movie feels like it’s mostly for adults because of how depressing the movie is and it’s centered on an old man. I know this is a family film, but kids are not going to relate to an old man who thought that was a good idea? The film does have moments of humor but it’s not enough to detract us from how sad this movie is. 

The boy in this movie feels tacked on because we only know two things about him. They are he’s trying to get a boy scout badge by helping Carl (the old man) and he’s from a broken home. What’s the point of letting us know that about Russel (the boy) if the writers are not going to do anything with that? I know this movie is about letting go of the past and moving on but besides the floating house metaphor, this movie didn’t break any new ground in telling that story for me. Plus, we didn’t need a villain to make that point. I’m not saying this is one of Pixar’s weakest films however it misses the mark on being fun.

No 8. Metropolis: This is one of the most influential films of all time! I can see how other sci-fi films took inspiration from this movie. What I like about this movie is that it's not Black and White about the subject matter. For example, what makes this movie different from the other class division films is both sides are not innocent. Heck, they use the same strategy to find common ground with each other. The working class didn't enable their situation, but they are not making things better. The movie also exploders the ups and downs of innovation. The visuals are impressive for its time. Because this is a silent film that's my gripe with it. I mean there are scenes where dialogue can help give them emotional weight. Despite how this movie was made and who made it, this movie deserves to be preserved.        

No 7. Good Will Hunting: Out of all the Oscar films I've seen so far, I enjoy this one the most. Part of the reason why is because of the interaction between Dr. Shaw and Will makes the film entertaining. This helps the movie feel less depressing to be fair it wasn't depressing which was a plus. I like that the dynamic between Dr. Shaw and Will is not one-sided, both men helped each other. Robin Williams did an excellent job playing a therapist, I wouldn't mind seeing him play Dr. Hugo Strange. However, he did things that make me question can therapist do that? 

You can argue that this movie is advocating for people to get help because it deals with how we let trauma get the best of us. This is an ongoing problem we have today, I mean we let our fears rob us of our happiness and opportunities in life. My favorite scene in the movie is where Will's best friend threatens to beat him up if he doesn't stop wasting his potential being around him. Directors of drama films should take notes from this movie, not every drama film has to be sad.   

No 6 Total Recall: Before The Matrix and Inception we had this movie. The movie deals with the concept of dreams vs reality in a way that it feels like a mystery. Plus, providing action and comedy. The film does it in a way that doesn't explain much to you. It gave us subtle hits to make us wonder was the whole movie a dream or not? I appreciate the movie doing that instead of having us go back and forth with this question because doing that can make us not care. The visual and practical effects hold up well. I like that this movie has mutants and A.I. to give the film world-building. 

What kept this movie from being better is that I find it hard to believe that anyone would agree to have implanted memories that's asking for trouble. Now if the machine helps make your imagination feel real that would have been better. Things go wrong when his conscious and subconscious mind conflict with each other. With that said this is one of the best sci-fi films despite not being crazy about the over-the-top gory violence. Also, shame on Hollywood for remaking this film. 

No 5. Million Dollar Baby: Man, this movie took me by surprise. It starts off being similar to Rocky then it turns into something else. I will give the director and writer credit for playing with our expectations. Actually, this movie is better than Rocky because Maggie (the main character.) wasn't given an opportunity to fight the champion she had to earn it. We are invested in Maggie because she has to fight against the stigma of being a woman, being labeled as trash and not having a supporting mother. All of this makes you really feel for her in the end. 

We also learn about Frankie (the trainer.) I mean he has problems of his own. The movie also provides inside into Boxing as far as how it works and its culture. It's time to address the elephant in the room and that is the ending people didn't like it. I find this disingenuous because the ending works for Maggie's character and the theme of this movie, that theme is regret. Also, if you don't think what happened to Maggie is not the worst thing in the world then you should have no problem living like her. Plus, the ending reinforces how unfair and short life is. This movie may not be good enough to be considered my favorite, but it deserves the best picture award.    

No 4. Back to the future: It’s hard to consider this a time travel movie, because that's secondary to all the other elements in the film like adventure, comedy and romance. Plus, the movie doesn't deal with fixing the past or worrying about the future. With that said I like how time travel works and the consequences for doing it. Watching Marty and Doc Brown react to each other's timelines is fun. Watching Marty have influence over his father creates an interesting parallel considering they have the same issue. The problem I have with this movie is that I didn’t buy that the two main characters can be friends considering the differences between the two in age and I.Q. This movie has a scene that kids shouldn't be exposed to really, I'm surprised that the movie got away with putting it in the film. I may not consider this movie a part of the sci-fi genre but it's a welcome addition to it.   

No 3. V for Vendetta: This movie is a cautionary tale of the government's abuse of power and the people forgetting their own. What makes this movie different from the other films like it is V (the main character) needs a year in order to dethrone the government. I also like that characters from both sides are conflicted with what V is doing. It’s also interesting to see this fascist government operate like the human body, I mean the monitors are the eyes the news in the mouth, the police are the hands and feet etc. 

This movie has a fundamental problem that is it’s hard to root for V. He may be charismatic, but he doesn’t have the moral high ground by committing terrorist attacks to achieve his goal. He seems to be more interested in revenge than dethroning the government. Plus, he’s short-sighted about his goal I mean he doesn’t have a plan to fill that void or concern with how many people will die. To be fair he’s more of an idea than a person. It's hard to see a fascist government as a bad thing when the people are living fine. You have to suspend your disbelief in order to buy that he can pull this plan off. Everyone didn’t do much to help the story until toward the end of the movie. This movie could have been better if it adapted more for the comic, but this is a fine movie overall.

No 2. West side Story: This is a good example of telling the same story but in a different way. The movie is similar to Romeo and Juliet, what this movie offer that Romeo and Juliet don’t is that it's a musical. This movie did what good musicals should do that is use the songs to push the story and tell us about the characters. The movie also deals with racism, police brutality and the privileged class. besides the acting, this is a well-made film from the directing, dancing, songs, visuals, setting etc, etc. I was also surprised at how this movie ended. Because this movie is a musical it's hard to take the conflict between the two gangs seriously. Also, I wish there was more to the romance between the two leads than love at first site thing. What that said this is one of the best musicals of all time! That's saying a lot coming from me. 

  

No 1. Shawshank Redemption: This movie is a social commentary on the prison system. The first thirty or forty minutes was hard for me to watch, because it shows us how bad prison is. I didn't need a visual reminder of how that. With that said, I give this movie credit for not shying away from that. The theme of this movie is freedom vs fear. That theme is used to help humanist the inmates. Just because they do things that most people frown upon that doesn't mean that they should be dehumanized especially if they're wrongly convicted. 

That's what bothers me about this movie is that it gave a mixed message about prison, I mean the director can’t show that prison is an awful place to be and then show the inmate being happy. (You can argue that they are custom to being in prison.) Also, what's the point of this movie making you question the prison system, if nothing has changed? Whenever I watch a crime show or movie that the people in this show or movie joke about how awful prison is. I’m not saying that prison should be like Disneyland however the inmate should at least feel safe. Kids feel safe when they go to detention or come home after their parents ground them, kind of. There is a scene with Ellis that makes me sick. All in all, this is one of the best films of all time! I'm surprised to find out that someone in real life did the same thing that Andy did towards the end of the film.