Happy Birthday, Ewan McGregor!

Today, we're celebrating the 41st birthday of actor Ewan McGregor. His acting career began in the early 1990s with a series of television performances, but it wasn't until 1994 that he made his feature film debut in Shallow Grave. He garnered acclaim for his performance in 1996's Trainspotting, but McGregor burst onto the worldwide movie scene in 1999 when he first portrayed the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first of the Star Wars prequels, The Phantom Menace; he would go on to reprise the role in both of the film's subsequent sequels. Ewan has continued to have consistent work throughout the 2000s, appearing in such big-time films as 2001's Moulin Rouge and Black Hawk Down, 2003's Big Fish and 2010's The Ghost Writer. Most recently, McGregor appeared in the 2012 film Haywire, and he will next appear in the 2012 film The Impossible opposite Naomi Watts. And so, to celebrate his birthday, I've listed my five favorite of McGregor's performances and have found videos offering clips from those films. Once again, happy birthday, Ewan!

5. Grimes
Black Hawk Down (2001)


*****

4. Oliver Fields
Beginners (2011)


*****

3. Camerlengo Patrick McKenna
Angels & Demons (2009)


*****

2. Ed Bloom
Big Fish (2003)


*****

1. Christian
Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Top 10 Films of 2001

The year is 2001, and a lot has happened in the movie world. To help take you back in time, here's a look back at some of the film-related events that took place:

Two major film franchises (Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings) release their first installments.

Hollywood power couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman get divorced.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone becomes the highest-grossing film of the year, earning over $974 million at the worldwide box office.

A Beautiful Mind nabs four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The world loses the likes of Jack Lemmon, Aaliyah and George Harrison.

I've been able to see 50 films released in 2001, and from those, I've compiled my own top ten list. As one can imagine, some great films had to be left off the final list. Here's a look at some of the movies (listed alphabetically) that just missed the cut:

Blow
K-PAX
Monsters, Inc.
The Royal Tenenbaums
Training Day

But enough about the runners-up; here's the list you've been waiting to see! Counting down from number ten to number one, I've listed each film and have given the principal cast list as well as if and how fared at the Academy Awards. Also, I've listed the film's rank on my "Best Films of All-Time" list, if applicable. So without any further delay, here's my top ten movies of 2001!

*****

10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Rated: PG-13
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Christopher Lee, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan
Academy Awards: 13 nominations, 4 wins
***
The first installment in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy proved to be the best of the bunch, in my opinion. Because no one really knew exactly what to expect from the franchise, we were all pleasantly surprised to see that Jackson was able to capture the spirit of the novels and create an entirely new world for audiences to enter and enjoy.

*****

9. A Beautiful Mind
Rated: PG-13
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany
Academy Awards: 8 nominations, 4 wins
***
Although I don't necessarily share the sentiments of the Academy in naming this film as the best of 2001, I still have to applaud Ron Howard and company for making a solid film that managed to portray a serious type of mental illness in a beautiful way. The acting is top-notch, and although there are a few moments that are going to leave you scratching your head, it's ultimately a very good movie that's worthy of your enjoyment.

*****

8. Gosford Park
Rated: R
Directed by: Robert Altman
Starring: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Camilla Rutherford, Charles Dance, Geraldine Somerville, Tom Hollander, Ryan Phillippe, Clive Owen, Kelly Macdonald
Academy Awards: 7 nominations, 1 win
***
A Best Picture nominee at the Academy Awards, I actually hadn't heard of the film upon its initial release, and it wasn't until years later that I had the opportunity to give it a view. It's a cleverly-crafted whodunit that's going to keep you guessing until the very end of the film, just as any good mystery should do. The fact that it's chalk full of fantastic actors doesn't hurt, either.

*****

7. Donnie Darko
Rated: R
Directed by: Richard Kelly
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze
***
One of the first films that I ever recall calling "trippy," Donnie Darko still proves to be one of the oddest films I've ever had the chance to see. Mixing drama and romance with a bit of science fiction, we're getting an offbeat story that's complemented exceptionally well by a fantastic performance by Jake Gyllenhaal in our leading role. Aided by a number of big-time actors in supporting roles, this movie has easily earned the title of "cult classic."

*****

6. Amélie (Le fabeleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)
Rated: R
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz
Academy Awards: 5 nominations
All-Time Ranking: 141
***
One of the first foreign films I had the opportunity to watch and fully understand, Amélie is a film that's going to hook you from the moment it starts and not release its grip until long after the final credits have rolled. It's a quirky romantic comedy that takes you through the streets of Montmarte in Paris, and Audrey Tautou is so incredibly charming that you'll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with her character as well.

*****

5. Black Hawk Down
Rated: R
Directed by: Ridley Scott Starring: Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Ewen Bremner, Sam Shepard, Gabriel Casseus, Kim Coates, Hugh Dancy, Ron Eldard, Orlando Bloom, Ioan Gruffudd
Academy Awards: 4 nominations, 2 wins
All-Time Ranking: 118
***
This is another film that it took me quite a while to see, but I'd heard enough to know that I was going to be in for quite an experience. This is about as gritty and realistic as war movies come, and the all-star cast and pitch-perfect acting only accentuates the film's realism. I'd only say be wary if you're not ready for an all-out, wartime experience. This one's not for the faint of heart.

*****

4. Shrek
Rated: PG
Directed by: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson
Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, John Lithgow
Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win
All-Time Ranking: 102
***
The first-ever winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Shrek offers quite the story of fairy tales gone awry. It takes the fairy tale idea and turns it on its ear, offering laugh after laugh. A spectacular voice cast brings the characters to life, and it's no wonder that this film managed to spawn four sequels as well as a number of short films, none of which come close to matching the brilliance of this original.

*****

3. Amores perros
Rated: R
Directed by: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo
Academy Awards: 1 nomination
All-Time Ranking: 69
***
I had heard quite a few things about this film around the time of its release, and it's nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards only heightened my interest. Although it's gritty and downright brutal at times, it still offers a rather brilliant tale of three lives that intersect after a fatal car accident. As I said, it's brutal, but it's incredibly moving as well.

*****

2. The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
Rated: PG
Directed by: Larry Blamire
Starring: Larry Blamire, Fay Masterson, Andrew Parks, Susan McConnell, Brian Howe, Jennifer Blaire, Dan Conroy
All-Time Ranking: 68
***
A low-budget film of which most people will have never heard, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is one of the funniest films I've ever had the chance to see. The filmmakers created a perfect spoof of 1950s sci-fi B-movies, and it's so wonderfully crafted that you almost forget that all of their jokes are intentional. This film is, from top to bottom, one of the most complete efforts in filmmaking that I've ever seen.

*****

1. Moulin Rouge!
Rated: PG-13
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh
Academy Awards: 8 nominations, 2 wins
All-Time Ranking: 10
***
I've always been a bit of a sucker for romances, so when you create a film that centers around the unlikely romance between a struggling writer and a high-class escort, you can be sure I'll be interested in seeing it. Add a soundtrack that riffs and remixes high-profile songs from popular culture, as well as a screenplay that's going to make you laugh and cry, then you've got the makings of something truly profound.

Happy Birthday, Ridley Scott!

Today, we're celebrating the 74th birthday of Academy Award-nominated director, Ridley Scott. He got his directing start in the mid-1960s working on short films and television programming but made his feature film debut with 1977's The Duellists. Two years later, he garnered universal acclaim for his sci-fi horror film, Alien. He followed that smash-hit with the thoughtful and thought-provoking 1982 film Blade Runner, and from there, a masterful career was created. He received his first Academy Award nomination for his direction of 1991's Thelma & Louise, and he nabbed two more nominations in the same category for 2000's Gladiator and 2001's Black Hawk Down. Audiences most recently saw his work in 2010's Robin Hood, which marked the fifth collaboration between he and Russell Crowe. You'll next be able to see a Ridley Scott film in 2012 when he releases Prometheus. So, for this birthday, I've created a list of my five favorite Ridley Scott films, and I've supplied videos for each pick. Once again, happy birthday, Ridley!

5. Blade Runner
1982


*****

4. American Gangster
2007


*****

3. Gladiator
2000


*****

2. Black Hawk Down
2001


*****

1. Alien
1979

Movie Review: BLACK HAWK DOWN

BLACK HAWK DOWN

2001
R

I'd like to consider myself a bit of a movie buff. Most of my friends come to me for advice when picking what flick they should watch over the weekend. I can uncannily tell you the year that quite a few movies were released in a heartbeat. I'm not saying I'm the biggest movie fan, but I do have a bit of an obsession. Despite this, there are obviously quite a few movies that I have yet to see. I mean, I'm only twenty-two, and in the course of cinematic history, I find it difficult to think that anyone could have possibly seen every movie ever made. However, I had one friend who wouldn't take my critiques seriously until I saw The Godfather (which now rests at #18 all time for me), and I still get a lot of "How have you not seen that movie?" for any number of films. Black Hawk Down was one such movie, and I know I'm going to take a lot of flack for waiting this long to give it a gander, but worry no more, for I have finally seen it.

Black Hawk Down is a Ridley Scott film that tells the true story of the Battle of Mogadishu, which was a raid aimed at capturing two high-ranking officials serving warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid in Somalia. The film follows the ensemble cast that comprises a group of Army Rangers as well as Delta Force operatives who attempt to make the capture but are pinned inside the city when one of their Black Hawk choppers is shot down. The rest of the movie shows the frantic efforts of the soldiers and the higher-ranking officers to get all of their men out of the hostile area of the city.

The filmmakers placed some lofty expectations on this film by having the opening title card read the following quote from the Greek philosopher Plato: "Only the dead have seen the end of war." That's a rather deep and thought-provoking quote to start a war movie, don't you think? I think it sets the stage for the hope that Black Hawk Down will be a war movie with something more. It was a gutsy call, essentially making the audience say, "Alright, now you better back it up and give us something good." And boy, do they ever back it up.

The first thing you're going to notice about the movie, especially if you're watching it now in 2011, is the huge amount of familiar faces. When the film was released in 2001, a lot of these guys hadn't yet made a name for themselves, but now, we've got some heavy-hitters and A-listers giving fine performances all the way around. To give you an idea of how deep of a cast we've got, let me list the men you should recognize most easily (and why you'll recognize them):

Eric Bana (from Hulk and Troy)
Ewan McGregor (as Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars prequels)
Ioan Gruffudd (as Mr. Incredible from the Fantastic Four films)
Jason Isaacs (as Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter franchise)
Jeremy Piven (as Ari Gold from "Entourage")
Josh Hartnett (from Pearl Harbor and 40 Days and 40 Nights)
Orlando Bloom (from The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean)
Tom Sizemore (from Heat and Saving Private Ryan)
William Fichtner (from Armageddon and The Longest Yard)

Now, I recognized quite a few more people, but they're probably not actors you'd recognize instantly like the ones listed above. Normally, I'd be against having so many recognizable actors in a movie (although that wasn't the problem ten years ago, it left open the possibility for Black Hawk Down to age poorly with too many big-names shoved into one flick), but somehow, it works this time around. We never get a huge, get-to-know-you stage for any one of the characters although some get a little more than others. In a way, the film's screenplay keeps the audience at arm's length from the action, the carnage and the pain, which you can either take or leave. However, the fact that it was written that way helps to counter the fact that we've got a big, big cast and doesn't let the individual stars take over the ensemble piece. That's a huge plus.

The pacing of Black Hawk Down is fantastic as well. For the first hour of the battle, we're nearly going along in real-time with the soldiers while they fight their way to the downed chopper. After that, we have to take jumps in time - otherwise we'd be watching a fifteen-hour movie. Ridley Scott does a great job with directing, never taking his foot off the gas once he's slammed it to the floor. The end result is a high-speed, ultra-realistic war movie that leaves you utterly breathless.

It's difficult to make a war movie that's more than just a glorified action flick. A lot of times, we end up with movies that start out well but simply fall into the same rote shoot-em-ups. Black Hawk Down, however, carries an aura of something more, and I think, going in, the filmmakers knew exactly what they had. Perhaps that Plato quote wasn't as gutsy a call as we would have thought in the beginning.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: A-
Current All-Time Rank: Best - #121
2 Thumbs Up