Mike Goes To Movies

1. The Godfather (1972) At long last, my number one favourite film of all-time - Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 true masterpiece, The Godfather . Some of you might think that this is not a very inspired choice and that much of what I am going to say here can be read on countless other lists about the majesty of this film, but hot-damn! I don't care - THIS FILM IS PERFECT. Based on Mario Puzo's novel of the same name, The Godfather is the sprawling tale of the Corleone Italian crime family operating in post-WWII New York. It is an intimate family drama about the transition of power and leadership within the family as the adult children must come to terms with the family's patriarch and don, Vito Corleone, being forced to step down from his role as head of the family and business. The film is equally a thrilling time-piece about the violent and tense operations and power struggles among and within the Italian mafia families in mid-20th century New York. You know a ...

2. Jurassic Park (1993) This may be the one film that I will never grow tired of. No matter how many hundreds of times I've seen it, Jurassic Park is the film that I can't turn away from whenever it comes on. To me, everything about it is perfect. Within the timeline of cinematic innovations, the film was a total breakthrough. Originally, Steven Spielberg had intended to make the film using life-size puppets for the dinosaurs (i.e. classic King Kong). However, upon encountering a few computer graphic-wizards and witnessing the recent strides that had come in VFX, Spielberg was immediately sold on using computer imagery for the film. To creature the dinosaurs he composited the VFX into a perfect blend with massive practical effects to create the creatures on-screen. For a film that is already over twenty-five years old, it amazes me every time to see how well Jurassic Park's effects still hold up. The realness of the famous T-Rex scene, when she escapes her pen ...