Long film, short review

Schindler’s List (1993)

Adam’s rating: ★★★★  (out of 5)

Director: Steven Spielberg

Rated: R. 195 min.

No. 9 on AFI 100

No. 8 on AFI 100 reissue

No. 6 on IMDB Top 250

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley,
Ralph Fiennes

"Schindler's List": No. 9 on AFI 100;
No. 8 on AFI 100 (2007); No. 6 on IMDB Top 250

Eighteen years later and a movie that pretty much everyone has seen, there’s not much I can say about this film. It’s my opinion that this is one of Steven Spielberg’s two masterpieces in filmmaking and a very important landmark culturally and historically as the film serves as a graphic and best portrayal of the atrocities the Nazis committed in World War II.

It’s a very somber and serious film that is extremely moving and stirs up several emotions in me when I watch it. The film can be very emotionally draining and is one that should not be taken lightly. And for that I applaud the film.

However, the only criticism I can come up with for this film is asking the question(s): Is this film held in such high regard because of its subject matter and the seriousness of the film? Is this film truly deserving of such praise and a high ranking on “the lists”? Because critically speaking, I feel that aspects of this film are overlooked because everyone has seen it; everyone has liked it; and it is held in such high regard because of its serious subject matter – and because it’s quite possibly the greatest depiction of genocide, which thankfully the vast majority of us have never been exposed to first-hand. 

While I believe this film is offered a free pass, to some extents, because of the subject matter it deals with and the seriousness of it all, I also feel strongly that this is one of the best, and most powerful films, I have ever seen. 

And, it’s one of the more important films made in American cinema and for that reason, it is a must see for everyone.

Best "B" movie of all time!

Stagecoach (1939)

Adam’s rating: ★★★★  (out of 5)

Director: John Ford

Rated: none. 96 min.

No. 63 on AFI 100

None on AFI 100 reissue

None on IMDB Top 250

Starring: Claire Trevor, John Wayne,
John Carradine

"Stagecoach": No. 63 on AFI 100

There’s not a whole lot to say about this film other than it’s the one that made it possible for John Ford to make more movies and I absolutely love it.

The story is exciting: Indians are raiding forts and a group of people are moving from town to town via stagecoach without the security of the cavalry. The film is predominantly shot inside a stagecoach and to make matters worse, one of the women passengers is pregnant and about to give birth at a moment’s notice.

While John Wayne doesn’t get top billing in this film and his acting is still suspect as he was often times typecast in his career, I really enjoy watching this movie and it makes it even better now that I own the Criterion remaster of the movie.

It’s just simple and to the point and driven by story and minimal action. One of the first major Westerns and an important landmark in its genre.