Movies that were better than I had expected
In no particular order
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- DirectorJames WanStarsCary ElwesLeigh WhannellDanny GloverTwo strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer.Before I saw the Saw films I just thought it was about the gore. I wasn't really interested then. But then I got the chance to see it for free and thought "what the hell". It turned out to be a pretty good movie about appriciating life (even though in a very dark way) and it had a good twist at the end. i like the whole series, not because of the gore, but because of the twists at the end. 8/10
- DirectorUmberto LenziStarsGiovanni Lombardo RadiceLorraine De SelleDanilo MatteiThree friends set out to disprove cannibalism on a trip to the Amazonian jungle, where they meet two men trying to escape a vicious cannibal tribe.Sure it has flaws, but I found this movie very entertaining none the less. 7/10
- DirectorMark NeveldineBrian TaylorStarsJason StathamAmy SmartCarlos SanzProfessional assassin Chev Chelios learns his rival has injected him with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops.I thought this movie was going to be a bit boring half way trough watching, but I was wrong. It was entertaining all the way through. 7/10
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsFranka PotenteMatt DamonChris CooperA man is picked up by a fishing boat, bullet-riddled and suffering from amnesia, before racing to elude assassins and attempting to regain his memory.The only reason I actually saw this movie was because my friend had bought me The Bourne Supremacy for Christmas, and I heard that it was better to watch the first one before watching the second one. I thought it was going to be a classic boring Hollywood actionflick with lots of explotions. Sure it had some explotions, but it was not the least bit boring. In fact I was hooked all the way through. I didn't like Supremacy and Ultimatum as much because of the shaky camera. 8/10
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsGuy PearceCarrie-Anne MossJoe PantolianoA man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.I had actually no idea what I was in for when I decided to watch this one. I found it in the book 1001 movies you must see before you die. I thought it was going to be a very artistic film, and sure it was, but also a very good one. The ending blew me away. My favorite by Christopher Nolan, and on 5th place in my top 10 personal list. 10/10
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsAl PacinoJack WardenJohn ForsytheA lawyer is forced to defend a judge, while defending other clients, and trying to find punishment for the guilty and provide justice for the innocent.I got this in an Al Pacino box with Serpico and Glengarry Glen Ross. It was the only one that wasn't in the book 1001 movies you must see before you die, and I didn't have high hopes for it. But I ended up liking this movie the most of all the three in the box. The acting is just fantastic. The ending was pretty weak, but I loved the courtroom scene near the ending. Personally, I think it's Pacino's best acting work. 8/10
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowDianne WiestMichael CaineBetween two Thanksgivings two years apart, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.I've never been much of a Woody Allen fan but this one I liked. I was in a bad place personally around the time I watched it and the ending made me feel better. 8/10
- DirectorFranklin J. SchaffnerStarsCharlton HestonRoddy McDowallKim HunterAn astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet where highly intelligent non-human ape species are dominant and humans are enslaved.I expected a very cheesy 60's movie out of this one. Sure, Heston's acting is a bit cheesy as always, but the movie is still great. I knew the ending years before I actually saw the movie so it wasn't a big surprise, but I liked the movie still. 8/10
- DirectorGaspar NoéStarsMonica BellucciVincent CasselAlbert DupontelEvents over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.This movie is truly disturbing, it contains a scene where a man gets his face smashed in by a fire extinguisher and a rape scene that lasts for 13 minutes. Like Memento, which is also here on my list, this movie's scenes also go backwards. That also makes the movie more horrible, when the violent scenes come at the beginning and then we see how happy they were before and had no idea what was going to happen to them. It made an impact on me for sure. 8/10
- DirectorJohn WooStarsChow Yun-FatDanny LeeSally YehA disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded.This and Terminator 2 are my favorite action movies of all time. I like this one slightly more because it's more emotional. It has great action sequences but also a heartbreaking lovestory. Deffinitely reccomend this to anyone who likes action scens that makes your heart pound and dramatic love movies that makes your heart brake. 8/10
- DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'AngeloLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.I've heard that a lot of people don't like this movie 'cause it's too much Hollywood. This is to me, however, on the 6th place on my top 10 personal list. I've always had an interest in fascism and neonazism (I'm not saying I support their believes, I'm just interested in how they think, even though I don't tolerate racism). I'd seen the movie in a store several times and thought about buying it but never did. Then, one day, my sister's boyfriend had downloaded it and I thought I just would take a sneek peek, like maybe 10 minutes. I couldn't stop watching. The movies just pulled me in and kept me on my place the entire time. Amazing acting, and I'm very mad Edward Norton didn't get the Oscar and that the movie wasn't nominated for Best Picture. 10/10
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsAl PacinoSean PennPenelope Ann MillerA Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.I had for a long time something against this film before I watched it without very much reason. I didn't like the gangster films I thought I would've liked such as Godfather (not a bad movie, but not my cup of tea. I like the second one though) and Scarface (I do like it now after I rewatched it). Then, because I wanted to rewatch Scarface, and I could get this movie and Raising Cain for the same price as just Scarface, I bought them all 3. I liked it more than Scarface, it had more feeling in it. 9/10
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsBruce WillisMadeleine StoweBrad PittIn a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.I didn't have any idea what I was going to watch when I put in 12 Monkeys in my DVD player. I was really surprised of how good it was. Bruce Willis' acting in this is great (yes, apparently he CAN act...). My favorite movie by Terry Gilliam and nr 8 on my top 10 personal list. 10/10
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeff GoldblumGeena DavisJohn GetzA brilliant but eccentric scientist begins to transform into a giant man/fly hybrid after one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.I expected this to be a very disgusting film. It was. But what I didn't expect was that it was in fact also, beneath the story of a man turning into a 185-pound fly, a tragic love story. I almost cried at the end. 8/10 (it was 10/10 at first but then I watched it too many times...)
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsChristopher WalkenBrooke AdamsTom SkerrittA man awakens from a coma to discover he has a psychic ability to foresee future events.Still wondering wheter this or The Fly is my favorite movie by Cronenberg. I think this is Christopher Walken's best film (though he was amazing in The Deer Hunter as well), it's really well directed. The ending is also great in this one, although sad, like in The Fly. 8/10
- DirectorAdam GreenStarsKane HodderJoel David MooreDeon RichmondWhen a group of tourists in a New Orleans haunted swamp tour find themselves stranded in the wilderness, their evening of fun and spooks turns into a horrific nightmare.This movie was a lot of fun to watch. I laughed out loud so many times. And it was also scary, and not just incredibly violent (and i DO mean INCREDIBLY violent!). Weak ending, but otherwise a very fun ride. 7/10
- DirectorMichael DavisStarsClive OwenMonica BellucciPaul GiamattiA man named Mr. Smith delivers a woman's baby during a shootout, and is then called upon to protect the newborn from the army of gunmen.Like with Crank, I expected this to become voring half-way through. But again, I was wrong. It's very funny and has great action scenes in it as well. It's really a satire of all action movies ever made (but very aware of it) 7/10
- DirectorLexi AlexanderStarsElijah WoodCharlie HunnamClaire ForlaniA wrongfully expelled Harvard undergrad moves to London, where he is introduced to the violent underworld of football hooliganism.I got interested in this movie because it seemed really raw. It was indeed. I don't really know anything about football hooligans (or football or soccer for that matter either) and I don't like soccer, but I still liked this movie. It's pretty unrealistic but I still enjoyed it. Good ending. 8/10
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioEmily MortimerMark RuffaloTeddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.I only saw this movie because all my friends wanted me to. I wasn't expecting anything special, but special was something I got. I didn't think much of it at first, and I THOUGHT I already had predicted the ending, but then at the last minute, it turned all around and that's what I like about it. My personal favorite among Scorsese's films (Taxi Driver is on 2nd place) and nr 9 on my top 10 personal list. 10/10
- DirectorMartin McDonaghStarsColin FarrellBrendan GleesonCiarán HindsAfter a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be.I was in for the movie for the comedy, which is all what the trailer showed, but it turned out to actually be a very deep and touching film. Colin Farrell is a truly amazing actor and this is the movie that made me realise that Ralph Fiennes also is a good actor (even though I'd seen him in a lot of movies before this one, like Schindler's List, Spider and The English Patient). 10/10