American Psycho

Written by:
Bret Easton Ellis (novel)
Mary Harron (screenplay)

Directed by:
Mary Harron

Made in:
USA & Canada in 2000

Actors:
Christian Bale .... Patrick Bateman
Justin Theroux .... Timothy Bryce
Josh Lucas .... Craig McDermott
Bill Sage .... David Van Patten
Chloë Sevigny .... Jean
Reese Witherspoon .... Evelyn Williams
Samantha Mathis .... Courtney Rawlinson
Matt Ross .... Luis Carruthers
Jared Leto .... Paul Allen
Willem Dafoe .... Det. Donald Kimball
Cara Seymour .... Christie
Guinevere Turner .... Elizabeth

Plot:
Patrick Bateman is a homicidal maniac working on the New York stock exchange. His reasons for killing are debatable, such as extreme envy of fellow co-workers, material obsession, pure hatred or simply no other reason than complete insanity. His lunacy escalates throughout the film, killing at least 20 people in the process, including models, homeless people, co-workers, friends, and anyone else who stands in his way, be it rage, jealousy, or something else. The only person who he seems to sympathise with is his secretary, Jean, who eventually he can't help but have a desire to murder her. Many times, Patrick can't tell whether these events are real, or simply part of a psychotic delusion brought on by his problems. IMDB

Review:
A fantastic movie! No one else could have played Patrick Bateman besides Christian Bale! The movie isn't as good as the book, but it is very close.

I recommend seeing the movie first and then to definately read the book. Then when you read it you will realize how perfect Christian Bale was for the role.

But in the book it is much easier to see how he is going crazy because of the drugs. The drug use isn't shown as much in the movie - which takes away the reasoning for his delusional murders and insanity.

Bateman's obsessions are such a treat, as well as his egotism and music ramblings. The rest of the cast is also exceptionally great, including Reese Witherspoon.

I definately recommend both the movie and the book. One of my most favorite movies (and books) of all time.

Cape Fear (remake)

Written by:
John D. MacDonald (novel)
James R. Webb (earlier screenplay)

Directed by:
Martin Scorsese

Made in:
USA in 1991

Actors:
Robert De Niro .... Max Cady
Nick Nolte .... Sam Bowden
Jessica Lange .... Leigh Bowden
Juliette Lewis .... Danielle Bowden
Joe Don Baker .... Claude Kersek
Robert Mitchum .... Lieutenant Elgart
Gregory Peck .... Lee Heller
Martin Balsam .... Judge
Illeana Douglas .... Lori Davis
Fred Dalton Thompson .... Tom Broadbent
Zully Montero .... Graciella

Plot:
Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney/"Leave It to Beaver"-esque family-man. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? Fourteen years, ago Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey, bibliophile Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss. IMDB

Review:
A very decent movie. I've not seen the original, so I can't compare the two. But I do like this movie in its own way. And I like most of the cast, well everyone besides Juliette Lewis..... *shiver*

Robert De Niro does a great job, I do recommend it!

Coming to America

AKA:
Prince in New York (Europe: English title) (video title)

Written by:
Eddie Murphy (story)
David Sheffield (screenplay)

Directed by:
John Landis

Made in:
USA in 1988

Actors:
Eddie Murphy .... Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul
Arsenio Hall .... Semmi/Extremly Ugly Girl/Morris/Reverend Brown
James Earl Jones .... King Jaffe Joffer
John Amos .... Cleo McDowell
Madge Sinclair .... Queen Aoleon
Shari Headley .... Lisa McDowell
Paul Bates .... Oha
Eriq La Salle .... Darryl Jenks

Plot:
It is the 21st birthday of Prince Akeem of Zamunda and he is to marry a woman he never saw before. Now the prince breaks with tradition and travels to America to look for the love of his life. IMDB

Review:
A great comedy!

Eddie Murphy at his best. And if you like Trading Places, there is a little surprise for you in the movie. :)

Perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

A Perfect Murder

AKA:
Dial M for Murder (USA) (working title)

Written by:
Frederick Knott (play)
Patrick Smith Kelly (screenplay)

Directed by:
Andrew Davis

Made in:
USA in 1998

Actors:
Michael Douglas .... Steven Taylor
Gwyneth Paltrow .... Emily Bradford Taylor
Viggo Mortensen .... David Shaw

Plot:
Millionaire industrialist Steven Taylor is a man who has everything but what he craves most: the love and fidelity of his wife. A hugely successful player in the New York financial world, he considers her to be his most treasured acquisition. But she needs more than simply the role of dazzling accessory. Brilliant in her own right, she works at the U.N. and is involved with a struggling artist who fulfills her emotional needs. When her husband discovers her indiscretion, he sets out to commit the perfect murder and inherit her considerable trust fund in the bargain. IMDB

Review:
A wonderful remake of Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder. There aren't many remakes that I enjoy, but this is definately one of them! The story (plot) is redone in a way that works with the time period. And a great cast doesn't hurt, too!

Definately a must-see without any disappointments!

Jaws

Written by:
Peter Benchley (novel)
Peter Benchley (screenplay)

Directed by:
Steven Spielberg

Made in:
USA in 1975

Actors:
Roy Scheider .... Police Chief Martin Brody
Robert Shaw .... Quint
Richard Dreyfuss .... Matt Hooper
Lorraine Gary .... Ellen Brody
Murray Hamilton .... Mayor Larry Vaughn
Carl Gottlieb .... Ben Meadows
Jeffrey Kramer .... Deputy Leonard 'Lenny' Hendricks (as Jeffrey C. Kramer)
Susan Backlinie .... Christine 'Chrissie' Watkins
Jonathan Filley .... Tom Cassidy
Chris Rebello .... Michael 'Mike' Brody
Jay Mello .... Sean Brody

Plot:
Martin Brody is the new police chief of Amity, an island resort town somewhere in New England.... IMDB

Review:
Classic!

Fantastic movie from start to finish, with a great cast.

The People Under the Stairs

Written by:
Wes Craven

Directed by:
Wes Craven

Made in:
USA in 1991

Actors:
Brandon Quintin Adams .... Fool (as Brandon Adams)
Everett McGill .... Man; Dad
Wendy Robie .... Woman; Mom
A.J. Langer .... Alice
Ving Rhames .... Leroy
Sean Whalen .... Roach
Bill Cobbs .... Grandpa Booker
Kelly Jo Minter .... Ruby
Jeremy Roberts .... Spenser
Conni Marie Brazelton .... Mary

Plot:
The People Under the Stairs is the story of a young boy (Fool) from the ghetto and takes place on his 13th birthday. In an attempted burglary (along with two others) of the home of his family's evil landlords, he becomes trapped inside their large suburban house and discovers the secret of the "children" that the insane brother and sister have been "rearing" under the stairs. IMDB

Review:
A very strange movie! I used to really like this movie when I was younger.. and I'm not sure exactly why. :/ :) It isn't a bad movie, but it is nothing spectacular. There are some funny moments, though. I do recommend the movie, but don't have any high expectations.

Banned in Norway until 2003. :D

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

AKA:
O' Brother (France)
To the White Sea (USA) (working title)

Written by:
Homer (epic poem The Odyssey)
Ethan Coen (written by)

Directed by:
Joel Coen

Made in:
UK, France, & USA in 2000

Actors:
George Clooney .... Ulysses Everett McGill
John Turturro .... Pete
Tim Blake Nelson .... Delmar O'Donnell
John Goodman .... Big Dan Teague
Holly Hunter .... Penny

Plot:
Loosely based on Homer's 'Odyssey' the movie deals with the grotesque adventures of Everett Ulysses McGill and his companions Delmar and Pete in 1930s Mississipi. Sprung from a chain gang and trying to reach Everetts home to recover the buried loot of a bank heist they are confronted by a series of strange characters. Among them sirens, a cyclops, bankrobber George 'Babyface' Nelson (very annoyed by that nickname), a campaigning Governor, his opponent, a KKK lynch mob, and a blind prophet, who warns the trio that "the treasure you seek shall not be the treasure you find." IMDB

Review:
What a fun-loving movie! The plot is so simple yet so devine. I'm not a George Clooney fan - but he played this role so well!

Nothing less than:

Young Frankenstein

Written by:
Mary Shelley (novel)
Gene Wilder (screen story)

Directed by:
Mel Brooks

Made in:
USA in 1974

Actors:
Gene Wilder .... Dr. Frederick Frankenstein
Peter Boyle .... The Monster
Marty Feldman .... Igor
Madeline Kahn .... Elizabeth
Cloris Leachman .... Frau Blücher
Teri Garr .... Inga

Plot:
A young neurosurgeon (Gene Wilder) inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback called Igor, a pretty lab assistant named Inga and the old housekeeper, frau Blucher -iiiiihhh!-. Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather is only crap, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind... IMDB

Review:
Another Gene Wilder classic.
You'll have some great laughs with this movie from start to finish!

Battle Royale

Original title:
Batoru rowaiaru

Written by:
Kenta Fukasaku
Koushun Takami (novel)

Directed by:
Kinji Fukasaku

Made in:
Japan in 2000

Actors:
Tatsuya Fujiwara .... Shuya Nanahara - Boys #15
Aki Maeda .... Noriko Nakagawa - Girls #15
Taro Yamamoto .... Shougo Kawada - Boys #5
Masanobu Ando .... Kazuo Kiriyama - Boys #6
Kou Shibasaki .... Mitsuko Souma - Girls #11
Chiaki Kuriyama .... Takako Chigusa - Girls #13

Plot:
At the dawn of the new millennium, Japan is ina a state of near-collapse. Unemployment is at an all-time high, and violence amongst the nations youth is spiralling out of control. With school children boycotting their lessons and physically abusing their teachers, a beleaguered and near-defeated government decides to introduce a radical new measure: the Battle Royale Act Overseen by their former teacher, Kitano ('Beat' Takeshi) and requiring that a randomly chosen school class be taken to a deserted island and forced to fight each other to the death, the Act dictates that only one pupil be allowed to survive the punishment. He or she will return, not as the victor, but as the ultimate proof of the lengths to which the government are prepared to go to curb the tide of juvenile disobedience. IMDB

Review:
Absolutely fantastic movie! The plot is so refreshing. This is a completely different type of movie. The plot, the characters, the acting, everything is perfect.

I definately recommend this movie!

Language is in Japanese. Available with subs and probably dubbing, too.