The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

By Jonathan Goodsell

Whenever anyone hears the word Phantom of the Opera, they immediately think of the daunting organ theme from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical. However, long before Weber wrote the classic adaptation, The Phantom of the Opera was a famous old, silent, black and white film. Made in 1925, The Phantom of the Opera starred the famous Lon Chaney as the Phantom himself. For those that have seen the musical, this film had a very similar plot. For those that don’t know the classic story, the Phantom lives in the cellars of the Paris opera house and haunts it. He takes on a young singer as his student and, in his attempt to bring her to stardom, raises chaos like never before at the opera house.

            Now it may be hard to imagine The Phantom of the Opera without any music, because that’s how everyone knows it. But it almost surprisingly made a stunning film to watch without hearing the infamous organ music. The thing that made this film enjoyable was all the body language. Since there was no speaking, the actors had to be able to portray what they were saying without saying it. It was kind of like watching a bunch of professional charade players. Granted at times it would get a little cheesy due to some over expressiveness, but it was all still really enjoyable and easily understandable.

            Though the film was black and white; they did an excellent job with the lighting. I know, that’s probably sounds a little weird, but here’s what I mean. This movie used a lot of shadows throughout the film instead of always showing the characters. For the first half of the film, you only saw the Phantom’s shadow. But even that had a way of making it that much more creepy. I must say that the thing I loved the most of this film was the makeup work though. The job Lon Chaney did to the Phantom was spectacular. He made the Phantom extremely creepy. I can imagine whole theaters in 1925 jumping in fear from his face. 

            For those that have never seen a silent black and white film, this would be great one to start with. It is extremely enjoyable and it’s a story anyone can fall in love with. Even if you’ve seen the musical, this is still a great new look at the beloved story of The Phantom of the Opera.

Gone With The Wind

By Jonathan Goodsell

Through one of the darkest periods in American history comes the most frustratingly beautiful romance story in Hollywood history. Gone with the Wind is the Academy Award winning Civil War chick-flick that won the hearts of a nation and still holds the overall box office record, if adjusted for inflation of course. Starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, Gone with the Wind tells the emotional and romantic life of Scarlett O’Hara (Leigh) and her love affair with Rhett Butler (Gable) as they live through the Civil War and fight for what they believe in and for what they love. As Scarlett O’Hara famously says, “As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again”.

This film had a very unique and almost charismatic screen play. It’s riddled with humorous phrases and remarks that keep the story flowing. My personal favorites are Scarlett’s use of phrases like “fiddle-dee-dee” and “great balls of fire”. The lighting and use of silhouettes was rather well done. The final shot with Scarlett standing silhouetted against the tree at Terra was, in my opinion, the perfect way to end the film has it set this conclusive mood that everything was complete. 

The charismatic Rhett Butler was rather enjoyable to watch. His carefree look upon life even during the war was what made me really love him. But the thing that really drove the movie was the chemistry between Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. Their romantic tension was perfect. Granted you wanted to slap Scarlett for all her blunders and immature actions, it all worked out. The only problem I had was that when the movie ended, it seemed like something was missing. The story appeared to be going one direction and ended going another, and which direction I’ll leave unsaid so as not to spoil it. But I guess that’s how the story goes and that’s how the director chose to do the film, so I can respect it.

            Overall, this was a very enjoyable film. Filled with humor, drama, romance, and even some action, it’s a film anyone can enjoy. It’s a film that, even though the life and time portrayed has gone with the wind, the story will last for generations to come.

Super 8

Super 8- PG-13

By Jonathan Goodsell
This movie was pretty epic. The trailer was nothing like what the movie ended up being. Starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, and Kyle Chandler, this movie was a mix of many things. It's about a group of kids that like making movies and one night while filming they witness a massive train crash. This train was carrying top secret government equipment and the air force quickly moves in to recover the stuff before the local enforcement can get it. The rest of the show is... well... I can't really say without spoiling it. The show is a little horror, like the trailer hinted, but is also a drama, comedy, and slightly romance. It was really good.
I was a skeptic going into it, I'll admit it. The trailer made it look like a cheesy alien film, but it being a Spielberg film, and J. J. Abrams for that matter, I was willing to give it a try. I ended up loving it. It was hilarious. All the main actors were kids, and they all did rather stunning jobs. I was impressed; it was reminiscent of The Goonies in both acting and humor. The directing was also really well done. The film was full with the perfect mix of emotionally connecting characters and intense sequences. However the originality of the film... well I won't go there.
The only problem I had with the film was, just like The Goonies, it swore, a lot. In fact, i'm not sure it missed a single foul word. That was really the only grudge I held against it. There is a little bit of sci-fi violence, but very minimal blood if any. Parts of the movie were rather intense and almost a little frightening. This is NOT a movie for your little ones. But frankly, if you could take out the language, anyone would absolutely love this movie.
So yeah, I pretty much loved it. I found this film very entertaining and rather enjoyable. It was a good mix for a good movie. Spielberg just knows how to make a good film. If your looking for a good film to watch, I'd recommend this one. So in my reviewer opinion, Super 8 earns a frighteningly good 8/10

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises- PG-13

By Jonathan Goodsell

Wow. What an amazing movie. Christopher Nolan pulls off yet another terrific film. The Dark Knight Rises was the epic ending to the Batman trilogy. When Bane, a new terrorist leader, moves into Gotham City, Bruce Wayne must push past his fears and resurrect the Batman in order to save his city.
I've heard many different opinions about this movie. Most of which debate between whether or not this was better or not then The Dark Knight. I personally think that it was better. The Dark Knight was amazing, but this was so much better. It wasn't all just explosions and fighting, the story line and plot were a much bigger part of the film. Another thing I loved was that there was so much more character development as Batman finally found his spot in the world and came to peace with his past. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. As always, the acting was just excellent. The directing was marvelous. The movie was just great. There was one thing I really loved and one thing I really hated about this film. First, the thing I loved. I loved the ending. Sure, it was kind of cliche and slightly unrealistic, but how Nolan set it up was just marvelous. There were two ways the movie could have ended, Nolan took the best of both worlds and created the perfect ending. He provided a suspenseful and exciting ending but also provided the opportunity for some else to easily pick up the series in a couple of ears. The thing I hated was the plot twist Nolan threw in near the end. It was completely unnecessary and would have been better without it. However, it's something that won't bother most people; it just bugged me a little.
The movie was actually pretty clean. The language was mild like the other films. The violence actually wasn't that bad. There are a couple fist fights with Batman and different terrorists from Bane's forces, and there are two intense fights between Bane and Batman. But over all the violence wasn't to bad. Much less than The Dark Knight, more reminiscent of Batman Begins. Though for all the violence, there is really no blood at all.  Catwoman wears a rather tight outfit, and Bruce Wayne has a lovely evening with a lady friend (strongly implied, nothing seen). Overall the movie wasn't terrible. The last half hour or so of the show is pretty intense, but it's not extreme and very enjoyable to watch.
I loved the movie. I loved how much more time they spent on story telling and character development then in the others. It was, essentially, the perfect ending to a perfect trilogy. I'd recommend the movie to anyone. So in my reviewer opinion, The Dark Knight Rises earns a spectacular 9/10

Batman Begins

Batman Begins- PG-13

By Jonathan Goodsell
What an epic beginning to a great series. Batman Begins is, well, the beginning of Batman. It shows the troubled Bruce Wayne, played excellently by Christian Bale, as he tries to figure his life out and eventually becomes the Batman to fix his troubled hometown. With the help of Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson), he overcomes his fear and trains to be the hero he can be. Yet he eventually has to protect his city from the man that taught him everything and another new enemy, the psychotic Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy).
This movie is an excellent origins story; and for those that have seen the sequel, you know it only gets better. In fact, the highly anticipated final film in the trilogy comes out in a couple of days. Christopher Nolan couldn't have done a better job on this film. In fact, I don't believe anyone could have done better. Nolan is just so talented, it amazes me every time. He's been cheated out of it before, but if The Dark Knight Rises lives up to expectations, he better get an Oscar this year; he more than deserves it. Christian Bale did an  amazing job pulling off the Batman character. You can tell he gave it almost all he had. Seeing Michael Caine play Alfred the butler was also entertaining. The plot was surprisingly simple yet really well thought ought, exactly what you expect from Nolan. It was the perfect story and enemy for Batman's maiden voyage. The whole movie was just great. I enjoyed it from start to finish.
The whole movie wasn't actually that bad. Bruce gets a well earned kiss from Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) near the end. The language was very mild and spaced throughout. The violence wasn't terrible either. You see Bruce's parents get shot in the beginning. But other than that it's just fist fights between Batman and the bad guys, most of it off screen except for the final fight between Batman and Ra's Al Ghul. The whole idea of the film is that Scarecrow is releasing hallucinogenic drugs into the city. In the final scenes when the drugs are released, it get's really intense as you see through the eyes of the drugs and see the hallucinogens people are seeing. It would be a very frightening scene for little kids. In fact, I'd hesitate in letting little kids see the movie at all. Even though most of the violence is off screen, it does get pretty intense.
This movie was just great. Christopher Nolan put together another masterpiece. I've loved the whole series so far and am extremely excited to see the final chapter when it comes out. So in my reviewer opinion, Batman Begins gets a heroic 8.5/10

The King's Speech

The King's Speech- R

By Jonathan Goodsell

When Inception was beat by The King's Speech for best picture, I knew I was missing out on something good. After seeing it, I see why it won. The King's Speech is the true story King George the VI (Collin Firth) and his struggle to overcome his speech impediment as he is called to become the King of England during World War II. With the help of a very unorthodox speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) and his wife (Helena Bonham Carter), King George works through his fears in order to be able to speak to his country during the time of war.
I wish they made more movies like this. It's simple, thought provoking, and just fun to watch. The main reason I love movies like this is because of the talent that goes into it. The job done by Collin Firth to pull of a stuttering speech impediment was just phenomenal. It was reminiscent of Sean Penn in I Am Sam and Leonardo DiCaprio from What's Eating Gilbert Grape. It was no surprise to me how he won an Academy Award for his job. All the other acting though was fun to watch. It was entertaining to see Helena Bonham Carter play something that wasn't dark and creepy. Tom Hooper did an excellent job of filming the show. It was just amazingly well done and really enjoyable to watch. It flowed almost perfectly and it was mellow in an old fashioned sort of way. There was nothing sophisticated about this movie. There were no special effects to take away from the plot. It was just good, old fashioned, classic story telling. Better yet, it was a story you could fall in love with, and I think that's what made this movie an instant classic.
The thing that bothered me about this movie though was that it easily could have gotten a PG-13 rating, maybe even a PG rating. There isn't any violence, no blood, nor any risque behavior. The only reason it received the R rating is because there is a scene when George's therapist gets him angry and he loses his temper and lets off strings of f-bombs and other strong words for about a minute straight. If you know where this scene is and hit your "mute" button in time, the rest of the movie is perfectly harmless and really amazing to see. So honestly, I'd find someone who's seen it and watch it with them because this really is a movie all will enjoy and love.
I haven't said this yet in this review. I loved this movie. It was just fantastic. It told it's story beautifully and was even humerus at times to watch. I would recommend it to anyone, granted you know where to mute it. So in my reviewer opinion, The King's Speech gets a royal 9.5/10

Schindler's List

Schindler's List- R

By Jonathan Goodsell

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest movie ever made. Starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley; Schindler's List tells the story of Oskar Schindler and his attempt to protect the Jews from the cruelty of the German Nazis. Schindler's List was a work of art. Despite the R rating, this is still a movie that all should see at one point in their lives. 

I loved this movie. It's no surprise that it won seven Academy Awards including best picture. It is extremely emotionally draining though. After I watched it, I sat around for probably an hour in a stupor of thought. What makes the movie so horrifying is that it's a true story. All the terrible things that happen in it, really happened. I think that's why it's so hard to watch. It's kind of like Titanic in that way. The acting was just superb. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch Ralph Fiennes the same again, which means it's a good thing I've seen all the Harry Potter all ready. But this was Liam Neeson at his best. I'm not sure if I've ever seen an acting job as good as his. It didn't surprise me that this was a Steven Spielberg film. He seems to be behind all the major hits. But this, this was special. This is by far one of his bests. The whole film was just so amazing and really well laid out. It wasn't complex and hard to understand, it was simple yet so full of detail it was just stunning. It was, simply put, a masterpiece. As good as it was though, I won't be watching it again soon. It's just so emotionally straining to watch, It'll take a while to want to watch it again. But when I do, I know I'll love it as much as I did the first time.
This movie was rated R for a reason, and that's something you need to realize before you watch it. But, there was no way the film could have been filmed and not received an R rating. Leaving out parts to get the lighter rating I believe would have been like telling a lie, it would have been immoral. We can't just pretend it never happened. We tell the story or we don't. There are a lot of bloody and merciless killings of Jews by Nazi soldiers. If the movie wasn't black and white, the blood and gore would have been way to much to handle. You also see plenty of other disturbing hardships the Jews are put through in the camps.You see groups of Jews stripped of their clothing and put through physicals; if they pass they were sent to get their clothes back, if not they were sent to the gas chambers. As graphic and clear as these scenes are, it's not meant to be in an inappropriate way, it's just what happened. There was some strong language, the one factor of the movie I believe they could have toned down. It wasn't exactly necessary to tell the story. I see why it was there to set the mood and try to explain the feelings going around, but for this film I believe it was still a lot more than needed. Most importantly I think you just have to remember that this movie is about the holocaust; it's depressing and almost aggravating to watch. So watch with caution, it's definitely not for your younger generation. But as strong as it is, I personally believe it to be a movie that almost everyone should watch at some point in their life.
As hard as it is to watch, this movie is still amazing. The feeling and emotion put into along with all the talent in and behind it made this movie one to be remembered. It's personally one of my favorites.So in my reviewer opinion, Schindler's List gets a loving and very well deserved 9.5/10