Reviews by Happy Vader

Nosferatu is an unofficial silver-screen adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic, Dracula. Nosferatu also happens to be the No. 1 best horror film I've seen and all other horror films fail in comparison.

I've seen this film in both the black & white "ugly" version and the restored colour version with beautiful cyan and brown colours and the font style had also been changed. When I first saw it in the "ugly" version, It was enough to scare the living daylights out of anyone and this goes on to show how the 1922 horror is still better than all the movies we're getting today. When I saw it, I tried watching it from the 1922 audience's point of view and to modern eye, It might look cheesy and glitched but way back, when Dr. Caligari was the only decent horror movie around, Nosferatu must've had caused many heart attacks and sleepless nights.

Max Schreck as Nosferatu gave the most best performance of his decade and was miles ahead in terms of great acting. No performance has been this chilling, this horrifying. Only Bela Lugosi matches. After seeing the iconic shadow on the wall sequence, It opened up new levels of ideas for me and my imagination just ran wild after that, coming with new ideas here, new ideas there. It was chaos and is still the only horror movie to do that so.

It also made me crack my hands at very, very amateur filmmaking. The end result was the ill-fated "Mr. Rich". A short video, about 2-minutes, on how greediness can lead to disastrous results. So, you can say why I chose this film. It's so addictive and a legendary German Expressionism movie.

Horror at it's most finest, follows every page in the book and is a landmark classic movie!

Often cited as the greatest movie ever made, Citizen Kane has hit the headlines and has won hearts for all the right reasons. The opening may seem like an intro to a horror movie by Universal but, after the now immortal "Rosebud" line, you're now in the grasp of Charles Foster Kane and his life. It's like being a witness to a murder. You can't run away from it and it won't run away from you. Charles Foster Kane is the megalomaniacal, little eccentric, owner of The Inquirer and promises not to hide anything from the public. Orson Welles gives a very impressing performance that lives up to his baritone voice and his dominating appearance. I guess it used the same technic Goodbye, Mr. Chips used 2 years previous. Showing the life of the titular character from scratch to his death. I don't know but it had similarities. Nevertheless, we all know the end result and it's no wonder why everyone loves the film. If you're not one of those 99% who loved the film, then you must've been out of your medicines. Almost all the supporting cast gave a great performance, whether major or minor, but I would like to single out two: Everett Sloane as the respected and respectable Mr. Bernstein. Any scene sans-Welles, Mr. Sloane commanded attention from the viewer. The second is Dorothy Comingore as the delicate Susan Alexander, Kane's second wife. A great Oscar-worthy performance.

Oh, why couldn't I had been born back then? I would've had loved to say to my kids (who must've been 30 years by now) that "Son, I grew up at the time of Citizen Kane. Oh, you don't know Citizen Kane? It's the greatest film ever made, boy. Don't you ever forget that!" I guess I was born 50 years too late and now the conversation may go like this: "Daughter, I grew up in the time of High School Musical..." The horror, the horror!

In conclusion, I would like to compare Citizen Kane to Supper's Ready by Genesis. Both are charming in their mystery, their beautiness and are at the top of their chosen field. Mr. Kane, we tip our bowler hats to you!

With the opening words of Martin Sheen, we are plunged into the terror & the darkness which refuses to let us go and with the ending words of Marlon Brando, we can safely say that the terror has been killed and lifted and now we can feel the punch Apocalypse Now gave us at the starting!

Now, how can a film, released near the end of the 70's, put a shame to all the films that were released in the 70's! Apocalypse Now is a master of a film directed by the 'the one' director, Francis Ford Coppola. As in his previous two films, The Godfather & The Godfather Part II, Apocalypse Now had that unmistakable 'mustard layer' and the 'gritty atmosphere' which I think is his trademark. Anyways, How often do you see a movie in which Marlon Brando is overshadowed by someone else? Just when I was starting to think that no actor could ever do that, Martin Sheen stepped in and proved me wrong. I've always been a major fan of Martin Sheen and have seen many of his movies but this one is his most best! The opening monologue of "I'm still stuck in Saigon" is arguably the second greatest opening scene I've seen and the narration is great.

This film reminded me alot of Aguirre, The Wrath Of God and I wasn't surprised since Apocalypse Now had taken direct influences from Aguirre (the narrations, lenghty river scenes with jungles, arrows) and I'm surprised that how come a film, which has clearly taken influences, turned out to be better than the film It was influenced by. Maybe It was because of the cast? Or maybe the violent nature and disturbing scenes? Whatever the reason might be, this film is solely for those people who like long lenghty scenes (with or without dialogues) and those who like war movies not led by acting or dialogues, but rather led by amazing cinematography and the realism of it without trying too hard. Like I said before, this film is only for selected audiences only and If you don't think you can watch a movie like this, then pass this one off!

It's a pleasure to comment on a film like this in negative form: Not as good as Dr. No or The Spy Who Loved Me. It's better! Waaay better and probably the best Bond film I've seen so far!

The reasons are quite simple: It has Gert Frobe as Auric Goldfinger, the main villain and arguably the best Bond Villain ever. He is not your average, usual world-domination sort of a guy. He is smart, intelligent, brutally cunning and evilly convincing. He is also the only to almost make a pussy out of James Bond. Too bad, or is it good, that his greed overcomes him in the last moment and sets Bond free. Accompanying him is Oddjob, a butler everyone wants but no-one wants to be on the receiving end of. Mute and strong, Oddjob is single out the best henchman ever shown onscreen, related to Bond movies or not. Next we have Pussy Galore, the Bond Girl which can be considered as one of the best top 5 Bond Girls. A great performance by Honor Blackman and pretty much handles everything convincingly.

This - alongside From Russia With Love, Dr. No & A View To A Kill - is one of my dad's most favourite Bond films and he recommended it to me!

I really enjoyed this film and it surely was more fast-paced and occasionally funny than the 2 predecessors!

Robert Donat no doubt was the King of the 30's. He was one of the best talents to hit the screen with such delicate and precise acting that leaves you in wonder. A charming, graceful actor and a talent beyond it's time.

Robert Donat appears in this Hitchcock classic as Richard Hannay, a man wrongfully accused of murder and must prove his innocence in a sure-fire Oscar role. Accompanying him is the beautiful Madeleine Carroll as Pamela. Even for it's time The 39 Steps was a little salacious such as Pamela taking off her stockings and Hannay putting his hand on her thigh and such but that's Hitchcock and he can do anything!

Also, this is one of the many films of Hitchcock which has the theme of an innocent man on the run and is greatly told and is no wonder why It's one of the best British film. Also, according to me, this could very well be the forerunner to the James Bond films that arrived 30 years later. Secret organization, agents, sidekick girls with a hero, reluctant or not, in the lead... Oh, well!

In conclusion, one of Hitchcock's best films and if you're not aware of Robert Donat or want to know more, then start with this one!

Well, what can i say? I've always been a fan of Samuel L. Jackson and this film is one of his good moments! Actually, this is, in some ways, better than JAWS because it has a more violent shark! Anyways, it was a good-time off with this film but surely not of the greatest i've seen... It could've done better!

William Wyler's Epic Masterpiece BEN-HUR!

This Is The 3rd Big Screen Installment From Lew Wallace's Best-Seller, Ben-Hur (The First Was A Silent One-Reel Play In 1907, The Second Was In 1925 And The 3rd In 1959, Arugably The Best Installment So Far)!

Anyways, My Father Is A Big Fan Of Charlton Heston And Has Virtually Seen All Of His Movies! One Day, He Bought 3 Of Heston's Movies (Ben-Hur, Planet Of The Apes & The Ten Commandments) And Told Me To See These Movies As He Had Seen Them In His Lifetime! I Loved Planet Of The Apes & The Ten Commandments Straight Away But I Held Back On Ben-Hur, As The Time Limit Was Too Much (Its More Than 3 Hours)!

Now, For 2 Years, The Ben-Hur CD Was Kept In My Cupboard And Whenever I Would Take It Out, I Would Instantly Put It Back! I Know, Its Kinda Funny! Anyways, When EMPIRE Magazine's 500 Greatest Films Of All Time Was Released, I Was Quite Surprised To See All 3 Movies In That List, So I Decided To Give Ben-Hur A Try!

No Words Can Explain The Sonic-Boom That Came Upon Me When The Opening Theme Song Started! I Had Never Heard Such Beautiful Music All My Life! My Dad Also Joined Me And Pointed Out Who Was Who! Barely The Film Progressed 20 Minutes, I Was Starstruck! I Was HOOKED! And All That Time I Was Thinking That I Had Seen THE Movies! Geddit?

Anyways, This Is One Of The Only 3 Movies Which Each & Every Cast Impressed Me A-Lot (The Other 2 Are Singin' In The Rain & Schindler's List)! Heston Was Legendary As Ever, No Doubt About That!

The Best Supporting Are: Jack Hawkins As Quintus Arrius, Stephen Boyd As Messala And Hugh Griffith As Sheik Illdrim!

This Film Is Also Notable For Being The First To Win Both Best Actor & Best Supporting Actor Award (Charlton Heston & ugh Griffith, Respectively)... A Record That Was Held For 44 Years Until Clint Eastwood's Mystic River Came Out In 2004 (Sean Penn For Best Actor & Tim Robbins For Best Supporting Actor)

Anyways, The Chariot Race Has To Be One Of The Most Violent And Dangerous Scenes I Have Ever Seen! But My Most Favourite Scene Is The 'Galley Sequence'

Overall, I Would Give It 5/5, 10/10, 100/100 Stars For EVERYTHING! It Will Never Bore You, Nomadder How Many Times You Have Seen It! It Deserved All The 11 Awards That Were Bestowed On Them!!!

On An Aside Note: I Ranked The Chariot Race No. 5 In My List Of 100 Greatest / Memorable Movie Scenes Of All Time!

And I Also Ranked Ben-Hur No. 1 In My List Of 500 Greatest Films Of All Time (And Yes, The Godfather Is No. 2) No Gasping! Ben-Hur Is Miles Better Than The Godfather!

I Also Ranked Quintus Arrius's (Jack Hawkins) Quote, "You Have The Power To Fight Back, But A Good Sense To Control! Your Eyes Are Full Of Hate, 41! Thats Good, Hate Keeps A Man Alive! It Gives Him Strength!", No. 9 In My List Of 25 Greatest Movie Quotes Of All Time!

And The Last Words Spoken By Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), "I Felt His Voice Take The Sword Out Of My Hand", Was Ranked No. 4 In My List Of 50 Best Movie Exit-Lines!

A Truly Epic And Memorable Film That Will Not Fade In Any Time!

My First True Rock Album!

I'm Not Joking! When It Came Out In 2000, I Was Like 7 Years Old And Mostly Listened To Chamillionaire Or 50 Cent! To Tell You The Truth, The Sleeve Won Me Over. Yes, At That Time, To Me It Was The Coolest Sleeve Ever. So I Bought It And Turned Up The Volume And Was Very Disappointed To See That Its Not A Rap Album At All! I Quickly Pressed PAUSE And Hid The CD At The Back Of My Cupboard.... Many Months Later, When I Was Cleaning Out My Cupboard, This CD Came In My Hand And Since I Was Home Alone At That Time, I Decided To Play The CD One More Time!

The Track That Caught My Attention Was 'Crawling'... I Dont Know What Was I Expecting From That Title, But It Had Some Dystopic Aura To It! Anyways, Chester Bennington's Unique Vocals Vibrated Through The House And THAT WAS IT!

Like A Kid Recently Exposed To Porn, I Started Listening To Each & Every Song In That Album And I Went Like, 'Why Didnt I Hear Music Like This Before?'... So, From Various Sources, I Found Out The Great Bands From The 60's - 70's & 80's And Thus, Metal Became My Life!

I Wont Say That Linkin Park Changed My Life, But It Had A Good Impact On Me When I Was Little And So Far, Linkin Park Is The Only Band Which I Have Heard Every Album, Every Song... Yup, I Have All Their DVD'S Also!

So, In Conclusion I Would Like To Say Is That Any Starters Out There Should Listen To Linkin Park And Then Start Listening The Other Stuff But Remember NOT To Forget Linkin Park! They Are Great & Will Be!

Best Titles From The Album: Papercut, In The End (Arguably One Of Their Finest Songs), Crawling, Runaway, A Place For My Head & Forgotten!

THEY ARE THE REAL DEAL!

On An Aside Note: I Ranked 'In The End' 494 In My List Of 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time!!

The First Rule About Fight Club Is That You Dont Talk About Fight Club!

Sorry, Tyler, But I'm Gonna Talk About It! You Are Not Real! LOL!

Anyways, I Just Finished Watching This Movie Like 1 Hour Ago And It Was Mind-Boggling! Probably The Greatest Mnd-Fuck Movie I've Ever Seen In My Life!

I Have Always Been A Fan Of Brad Pitt And Had Seen Many Of His 2000's Movies But None Of His 90's! So When I Heard Of Se7en, I Decided To Watch It And It Was Amazing! Then I Thought That Maybe I Would Give His 90's Movies A Try, So I Did (Interview With The Vampire, Cool World, 12 Monkeys)! Then I Heard Of Fight Club And The Name Kinda Stuck! It Has This Amazing Tough Calling To It And I Downloaded It Straight Away! I Kid You Not, I Was Sitting So Edge Of My Seat, That Should There Have Been A Strong Gust Of Wind, I Would Have Fallen Down! It Also Has Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter And Meat Loaf! This Is The 4th Edward Norton Film I've Seen And The 3rd Helena Bonham Carter!

Anyways, Onto The Film! You Know, When You Get The Feeling That When You Are Either Downloading Or Buying The Movie, It May Not Be Worth It, Nomadder How Success And Popular The Movie Is?

YES! I Was Having That Feeling When I Was Downloading This Movie (Even Though Its FREE For Me, But Still)! When It Fully Downloaded, I Pressed PLAY And Sat Back And All My Doubts And Worries Were Cleared Within The First 10 Minutes Of The Movie!

Its Violent, Its Disgusting, Its Sexy And It Has A-Lot Of Blood, But Hey! Thats Hollywood... Or At Least The Action Part Of It, Anyways! I Have Never, Ever Gone 'WHAT THE FUCK?' In My Life While Watching A Film Apart From This One!

When Tyler Reveals That He Is Not Real And The Narrator Himself Is Tyler, I Was Like 'WHAT??'', Let Me See This Film All Over Again! OH MAN!

This Is A Higly Recommended Film For Movie-Goers Out There And Believe Me, This Will Not Be A Waste Of Time, Whether You Are The Sort Of Person Who Likes Dancing In A Field Of Dandelions Or To Whom Films Like SAW, Hostel Dont Give Any Chills!!! A Must-Watch!

Machine Head Is The 6th Album By Deep Purple And Was Released In 1971!

For All Deep Purple Fans (Like Me), This Album Is A Shrine! Even Though We Had Several Memorable Albums In 1971, I Consider This Album To Be One Of The Most Defining Albums Of The 70's And Rock As Whole!

When My Friend Gave Me This Album From His Gigantic Music Collection, I Just Ignored It Because I Thought That Deep Purple Would Be Another Heavy-Rock Band With No Aim (You Can Gasp All You Like, But This Was My First Reaction)!!!!

Anyways, When I Was Bored Listening To The Same Selected Songs Over & Over & Over Again, I Decided To Open Machine Head And Check The Contents... The Title That Caught My Attention Was 'Smoke On The Water' And I Opened It! Ahhh!!! No Words Can Describe The Feeling I Was Having During The Legendary 50 Second Intro! I Felt Like I Was In Music Heaven! I Instantly Fell In Love With DEEP PURPLE!

I Forgot My Metallica, Iron Maiden & Slayer And Just Kept On Listening To Deep Purple! Something That I Still Do To This Very Day (And I Do Listen To Metallica, Iron Maiden & Slayer And More....)

Anyways, No Other Band Had Such A Big-Impact On Me As Deep Purple Did! I Started Understanding Their Songs And How They View Things In Their Songs And Copied In My Lyrics (I Also Write Lyrics. Have Written Around 30 Or So)!

Anyways, Rock Fans & Non-Rock Fans Would Not Be Disappointed When They Hear This One-Hell-Of-A-Ride Album Which Will Change Your Live!

Other Notable Tracks Are: Highway Star, Lazy, When A Blind Man Cries & Space Truckin (Which Is My Fav.)!!!

On An Aside Note: I Have Listed Smoke On The Water & Highway Star In My List Of 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time (385 & 405, Respectively)..

I Have Also Listed Machine Head As One Of The 50 Best Albums I Have Heard In My Life!

I Have Also Listed Highway Star, When A Blind Man Cries, Lazy & Smoke On The Water In My List Of 100 Greatest Guitar Solos (8, 44, 55 & 73, Respectively)