Top 5 - Favorite Movies IYO - Reasons

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChaffy

Made you watch it? You were given a gift, sir! When I took an intro to film class (well after I had started to take film seriously, but you had to take it to take other classes), the first day of class, we watched Citizen Kane. I had already seen it, but I was still excited. Everyone was bitching because we didn't get to leave early on the first day. I just sat there with a big smile on my face.

I watched Citizen Kane in a freshman film class as well.

It and Harold and Maude ended up being pretty much the only films worth anything (IMO). We also took in Ed Wood (beating), some fourway documentary about Lion Tamers, a gardner, hairless moles and something else, Flash Gordon (the one from the 30's), and Lone Star.

Oh, and we had to write a 20 page paper on one scene from Chinatown...

And of course the incredible beating that is Rocky Horror Picture Show......

Man I hated that class!

Sorry for the hijack.

[Nash13]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChaffy

Made you watch it? You were given a gift, sir! When I took an intro to film class (well after I had started to take film seriously, but you had to take it to take other classes), the first day of class, we watched Citizen Kane. I had already seen it, but I was still excited. Everyone was bitching because we didn't get to leave early on the first day. I just sat there with a big smile on my face.

Before i saw it, i never saw one of those real old movies before besides to Kill a Mockingbird, so i thought it was going to be boring, but it was good and i'm glad we watched it. Then we watched Casablanca (also good), Tootsie (decent), and Rain Man (pretty good). I didn't necessarily have to take that class (although it is in the cirriculum under my new major), but i enjoyed it.

[FreshJive]

Too many movies to pick 5, but these were good choices:

1, City of God- This is probably the best film in the thread.
2. Transformers- my cat is named Autobot
3. Waking Life- on my DVR until I moved.
4. Dazed and Confused- "you got to do what Randall Pink Floyd wants to do, man." I use this pep talk in my mind sometimes.
5. Smith movies- that "night with kevin smith" dvd (or whatever it's called) is a pretty entertaining watch

[untitled]

I know I'm forgetting something, but these are all favorites of mine:

The Pianist - I don't know why exactly, since there are so many good ones, but this, of all the Holocaust movies, REALLY moved me. The cinematography, the music, and the story are all superb. Acting wasn't too shabby either.

Shawshank Redemption - For reasons stated above. It's probably the most powerful movie I've ever seen.

Rushmore - My favorite (by a VERY slim margin) Wes Anderson flick. Schwartzman and Murray's performances in this movie are priceless! Great soundtrack, as usual with Anderson movies, and slightly darker, edgier humor than in Tenenbaums or Bottle Rocket. "So you were in Vietnam?" "Yeah" "Were you in the shit?" "Yeah, I was in the shit"

Big Lebowski - This is probably my favorite comedy of all-time right now. I'd say it's one of the most quotable movies I've ever seen because the dialogue is such a riot from beginning to end. Great intertwining storyline is typical Coen brothers, diverse and unique characters, great acting, and a kick-ass soundtrack. "Fortunately, I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug, uh, regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh, limber."

Kill Bill 1&2 - If you've seen it, then you already know what I like about it. Awesome storyline, and no holding back on the violence whatsoever. An extreme version of a great action flick, with good acting, good storytelling, and a good soundtrack to boot. Plus, hot women (that can act) always helps.

[orangedays]

untitled, I was just about to make a post about The Pianist. I watched it for the first time this past summer and I had to watch it again and again and again. I loved Schindler's List, but I thought that The Pianist was a masterpiece. Brody's acting was superb. I am ashamed of myself that I left it out of my top 5 (and, in deference to my good friend jthig, 'The Pianist' shall easily displace 'Not Another Teen Movie').

[D-Ball]

Hoosiers - the premiere sports movie of all-time. The outcome is so obvious, and yet it remains a compelling story.

Office Space - If you've ever hated your job or struggled with what you wanted to do with your life, this movie will be hilarious.

Clerks - Although it sucks there is a sequel coming out , it's a truly unique and side-splitting film.

Sixth Sense - The ending stunned me. I'm not easily scared, and this movie creeped me out.

Saving Private Ryan - That movie made me cry. "Earn This." "Tell me I'm a good man." Damn. Great movie. Spielberg at his finest.

[alexamenos]

top 10 and honorable mention....more than you asked for but what the heck....

Outlaw Josey Wales [best scene of a tough guy swallowing a mouthful of tobacco because he's a tad afraid of the little old lady, and too many good lines to repeat...]

Patton [kicking ass all over Africa and Europe, and "I don't buy the same piece of real estate twice," or something to that effect]

The Exorcist [best of the genre...]

Raising Arizona [funniest movie in 25 years indeed]

Braveheart [freedom fighters in kilts...epic struggles]

The Passion of the Christ [the greatest story ever told, hands down]

Apocalypse Now [coolest soundtrack for a movie that explores the heart of darkness, so to speak]

Full Metal Jacket [Kubrick was good, no?]

Fight Club [a clever cautionary tale for anarchist sympathizers]

Hoosiers [the daydream of every short, slow, spectacularly untalented white gym rat]

Some heretofore unmentioned honorable mentions......

Texas Chainsaw Massacre [a dark twist on southern hospitality--the dinner scene has got to be the all time creepiest movie scene ever]

The Life of Brian [better than Holy Grail, IMO]

Papillion [I actually know the guy who has the big blue butterfly from the movie]

The Austin Powers Trilogy ['nuff said]

[SaltwaterChaffy]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

Fight Club [a clever cautionary tale for anarchist sympathizers]

I'm not sure you understand the movie.

[bernardos70]

Originally Posted by D-Ball

Clerks - Although it sucks there is a sequel coming out , it's a truly unique and side-splitting film.

How could I forget........ "Try not to suck any **** on your way to your car!"

[D-Ball]

Originally Posted by bernardos70

How could I forget........ "Try not to suck any **** on your way to your car!"

"I'm 37"

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChaffy

I'm not sure you understand the movie.

Yeah, I found that a really odd way to describe Fight Club.....

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChaffy

I'm not sure you understand the movie.

I'm not sure that I care whether you're sure that I understand the movie.

Cheers

[Nemesis]

I know that she knows that I know your sure.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by Blab's Nemesis

I know that she knows that I know your sure.

I'm not sure that you know whether I know whether she knows whether I'm sure.

[irontoad]

Originally Posted by D-Ball

"I'm 37"

So many great quotes from that movie...

'I never tried it... f'ing pervert'

'I don't appreciate your ruse, ma'am'

'hells yeah, whatever that means'

'no time for love, dr. jones'

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Yeah, I found that a really odd way to describe Fight Club.....

I know there were a number of different themes running through Fight Club, but my take is my take after all.

I'd simply note that Tyler Durden is very much the person that *Jack* longs to be, at least in the beginning. Tyler is a proto-typical anarchist/primitivist -- no rules, no authorities, wearing one set of leather clothes, etc., etc...

But.....by the end of the movie, *Jack* has a gaping bullet hole in his jaw, he's figuratively killed Tyler Durden, he's questioning the wisdom of blowing up 11 buildings in order to obliterate the debt record (anarchy!), and he's thinking maybe he needs to chill out and hang with his crazy girlfriend....

That sure as heck looked to me like a cautionary tale for anarchist sympathizers, and that's the big reason it makes my top ten...

.... Additonally -- a) I'm a bit of an anarchist sympathizer; and b) Chuck Palahniuk is a bit of an anarchist sympathizer....perhaps it takes one anarchist sympathizer one to know one?

Cheers

[Nemesis]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

I'm not sure that you know whether I know whether she knows whether I'm sure.

I think that is signature worthy. I got lost in it. Not saying much but that is the truth.

[Dr.Destroy]

Top 10 in no particular order....

Braveheart
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Usual Suspects
The Boondock Saints
Scarface
The Godfather
Requiem for a Dream
Scent of a Woman
Schnidler's List
Blow

[bernardos70]

Alexamenos....... that's pretty much the idea I got from the commentary track as well.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by bernardos70

Alexamenos....... that's pretty much the idea I got from the commentary track as well.

I'll have to check out the commentary track one day....

I really think the movie is a satire that plays on two levels. On the surface, it's poking a little fun at consumer-society, with a bunch of philosophical mumbo-jumbo thrown in for good measure. On another level, it's making fun of people who make fun of consumer society yet who have nothing better to offer, and I think this is the central point of the movie...

Tyler Durden, for instance....here's a guy that says of a Calvin Klein ad "is that what a man's supposed to look like" and also "self-improvement is masturbation." That'd be Tyler Durden as played by perfect face, perfect body, perfect teeth, Calvin Klein model proto-type Brad Pitt saying these things....

...somehow I suspect that we're not supposed to take Durden too seriously, but instead with a grain of salt.

Cheers

[SaltwaterChaffy]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

I really think the movie is a satire that plays on two levels. On the surface, it's poking a little fun at consumer-society, with a bunch of philosophical mumbo-jumbo thrown in for good measure. On another level, it's making fun of people who make fun of consumer society yet who have nothing better to offer, and I think this is the central point of the movie...

This is much closer to accurate than your first description.

[sike]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChaffy

Alright, here's my list. I tried to make this a combination of movies that satisfy both my filmie sense and my emotional sense. I could probably write for excessive lengths about this, but I don't really have the inclination to do it at this moment, and I don't think others want to read page long descriptions, so I'll limit them somewhat. This list will surely change for me in as short a time as 6 months, though the top 2 have remained static for a while. First, some honorable mentions that didn't make the list.

(In no particular order)
The Seventh Seal
Waking Life
2001: A Space Odyssey
Naked
Magnolia
Seven Samurai
Memento
many others....

And, my (current) top 5...

5. Citizen Kane - This is obviously one of (if not the) most critically acclaimed film of all time. Most of its detractors usually don't like older films, or feel it hasn't aged well. I feel that it is still as relevant today as it was when it was released. This film is a masterpiece of directing, lighting, cinematography, sound, and acting. It is often considered revolutionary for some of the above elements. The advances that it made in those formal film elements had been done before, but this was (to my knowledge) the first movie that combined the most recent advances in all of the categories. The use of perspective and deep-focus is amazing, and the character of Charles Foster Kane is one of the best ever put to film. It also features one of the most famous "Macguffins" of all time. Amazing picture, and I am not one to argue its repeated placement on top of "Greatest Films" lists.

4. Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2 - Quentin Tarantino is often accused of being a plagiarist. Some film scholars consider this to be his most plagiaristic work, combining elements of several different genres, stealing shots, etc. I'm not quite at the level of those scholars, so I can't speak to all of those things, but I will say this. If he does steal film elements, he has stolen some of the best and put them together into a breathtaking set of films. These two don't exactly excite me on the formal level, but they are so exhilirating that I get chills while watching them. Volume 1 is excessively (though cartoony) violent, but it also contains some beautiful shots. The snow fight near the end of the picture leaves me in awe. Volume 2 has the "Tarantino" dialogue that many felt was missing from Volume 1. I think Carradine is fantastic as Bill, and Uma Thurman was the perfect "Bride."

3. The Royal Tenenbaums - I don't know what it is about Wes Anderson, but every single film he does gets me. Maybe it's the great soundtracks, the beautiful cinematography, or the outstanding acting, or all of the above. I think that he might be the best filmmaker working today. The Royal Tenenbaums has a very somber story, but it is presented in an often hilarious way. I love every character in this film, because they all seem so real. They are all flawed characters who are doing their best to seek contentment in their lives. This may have been Gene Hackman's finest performance.

2. The Third Man - Wow. I love this picture. Joseph Cotten plays a low-grade novella writer, who travels to Switzerland to meet with his college friend, Harry Lime. Once he gets there, he gets caught in trying to solve his friend's murder, becoming like the detectives in his own stories. The off-balance camera work is great, the zither score is chilling, and it features two of my favorite scenes of all time. The ferris wheel scene is classic dialogue. The other scene is simply the greatest entrance by a character into a film in cinema history. If you love detective stories, if you love noir, if you love movies, this is a must-see.

1. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Wow again. I have to go with this as my favorite film of all time. Sergio Leone is a master at filming landscapes, and at several times throughout this movie, you feel like you are staring at a painting. The dialogue is sparse, but that's because it has to be. Blondie (Clint Eastwood) is a man of actions, not of words. Tuco (Eli Wallach) talks constantly whenever on screen, the Yin to Blondie's Yang. They make a fantastic pairing. Angel Eyes is an effective villain. The final shootout could not be filmed in a more perfect way. The tension is unreal. This film achieves on both a formal level and an emotional level for me. The cinematography is perfect, the story is great, the acting is great, and it's just so damn fun to watch.


Well, that's it. Hopefully I didn't bore you guys too much.

are these your fav flicks or the "best" flicks?

because some of those selections shock me coming from you chaff.

[sike]

ok...without a lot of talk here are my FAVORITE five films off the top of my head...I unlike, Chaff...do not have lists worked out

#1. Kane: I have the blessing of having this film as my favorite all time film before AFI named it their #1. This film has the most spectacular and inovative camera work of its time and paved the way for good cinematography. Also has my favorite line ever delivered in a film. Simply the most beautiful and strangly real film I have ever seen of the emptiness of life without love.

#2. Holy Grail: How high should I rank the movies that never cease to make me laugh/smile/giggle? Well, since it is rather hard to make me laugh...I say, the movies that make me laugh the most should be near the top. Is there a funnier movie? I know that structurallyit is a total mess...but man, it makes me laugh.

#3. Shawshank: one of the best acted films I have ever seen. Simple, yet powerfully done in every way. Plus it's my wife's favorite.

#4. Hero: the most beautiful film ever shot on film. not to mention the story is timeless and perfect.

#5. Dumb and Dumber: "Nice set of hooters you got there."

I'm sure that in 20 minutes or so...I'll edit this...but there ya go for now

[SaltwaterChaffy]

Those are more or less my "favorite" films, sike.

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterChaffy

This is much closer to accurate than your first description.

I'm just saying the same thing, but in different ways. The movie was a clever cautionary tale for anarchist sympathizers....

I'm really not sure you understand the movie.

cheers

[sike]

Originally Posted by Evilmav2

1. Transformers the Movie - This film features arguably the most distinguished voice cast in the history of American animated films (Leonard Nimoy, Robert Stack, Orson Welles in his last performance, Eric Idle, Casey Casem, Judd Nelson, and Peter 'Optimus Prime' Cullen), and going back to my early youth, I've probably watched the thing something like 800 times. Now I grew up as a huge transformers fan, and I still remember being shocked to my core the first time I watched this movie, because it was the first and only American transformers cartoon that featured the robots routinely blasting each other to pieces and actually killing each other (killing permanently!), so thusly this movie will always hold a special place in my heart...

I love you. will you get a sex change and marry me?

[sike]

Evil, don't forget the G.I. Joe movie...not nearly as special as the Transformers Movie...but still pretty dang cool.

I remember being a kid and seeing those films...man there was just something so cool about seeing your fav cartoons coming to the big screen!

Cobra La La La La La La!

[Nemesis]

Stormshadow is my favorite to this day.

[Nemesis]

Bump.

[spreedom]

Here are some of my favorites:

1.) Open Range - I'm probably in a pretty small group that considers Kevin Costner to be one of the 10 best actors of all time, but I think this movie is a pretty good piece of evidence I could use to validate my opinion. Probably my pick for the best Western of all-time, and yes, I have seen just about all of them.

2.) High Fidelity - This movie reminds me a lot of my days in middle school when I was starting to appreciate the music I currently have a passion for. Two of my favorites, Dylan and Costello, made the soundtrack, and my all-time favorite, Bruce Springsteen, has a badass cameo about halfway through the movie. I love John Cusack in just about everything (and also feel he's a top 10 talent) and this is without a doubt my favorite movie of his.

3.) Space Jam - There's no awesome reason. It's widely regarded as a mediocre movie, but Michael Jordan was my favorite player when I started getting into basketball, and this movie never gets old for me.

4.) The Rundown - This is definitely the most entertaining action movie ever made, in my book. It's a great throwback to the early Schwarzenegger movies, and The Rock is a very capable actor in action movies. This is probably my favorite "kill 2 hours on a summer afternoon" movie.

5.) Mars Attacks! - This is, in some odd ways, one of Jack Nicholson's best roles. Who in the world would make a better (onscreen) President than Jack? (Well, certainly not GW, but that's a conversation for a different time) And come on, how funny is it not only to see nearly a dozen A-list (at the time, anyway) actors not only mindlessly die, but to die because all of their flesh is disintegrated? Awesome stuff.

6.) Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Say what you want to/have to about Lucas being a poor director, or some performances being a little wooden, but the fight scenes in this movie are incredible. And Samuel L. really phones in his performance as Windu, but it's badass when he says "You are under arrest, my lord." I can't get enough of that part.

7.) Masked & Anonymous - This is a 2003 indie flick starring (about?) Bob Dylan, with probably the most ridiculously loaded cast ever (up there with, coincidently, Mars Attacks!) and a lot of thought-provoking stuff. I don't have the attention span to watch this more than once or twice a year, but when I sit down and am able to focus on it, it's really an experience.

Other honorable mentions: Terminator 3, The Ice Harvest (I feel it was the best movie of 2005), Sleepy Hollow.

[Thespiralgoeson]

No particular order.

The Big Lebowski- Funniest movie of all time, hands down, IMO. The movie is just genius and so hilarious on many, many levels. Every single part of this movie makes me laugh out loud. Every scene, every subtle joke, everytime Walter tells Donnie to shut the f*ck up.... There's pretty much nothing about this movie that I don't love.

Heat- Michael Mann's masterpiece. Three hours of drama, and f*cking intense action. Not to mention it stars three of my favorites; Pacino, DeNiro, and IMO the much underrated Val Kilmer.

Natural Born Killers- Oliver Stone's wildest, craziest experiment. Absolutely brilliant, and not for the faint of heart.

Platoon- Another Stone flick, and probably his best. Impecible cast and script. The whole movie is just so real.

Batman, Batman Returns, and Batman Begins- What can I say? I'm a fan. I know I'm kinda cheating by naming all three, but I love them all, and to pick only one would be a disservice to the other two.

Other favs-Insomnia, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Aviator, Jackie Brown (Tarantino's best), Alien, Hellraiser, The Godfather Part II, The Matrix Reloaded, Any Given Sunday, Bram Stoker's Dracula... and many many others.

[fluid.forty.one]

Ice Age 2

and

Are we there yet? Ice Cube deserved an Oscar for that wonderful film.

[SaltwaterChaffy]

Originally Posted by spreedom

Here are some of my favorites:

1.) Open Range - I'm probably in a pretty small group that considers Kevin Costner to be one of the 10 best actors of all time, but I think this movie is a pretty good piece of evidence I could use to validate my opinion. Probably my pick for the best Western of all-time, and yes, I have seen just about all of them.

2.) High Fidelity - This movie reminds me a lot of my days in middle school when I was starting to appreciate the music I currently have a passion for. Two of my favorites, Dylan and Costello, made the soundtrack, and my all-time favorite, Bruce Springsteen, has a badass cameo about halfway through the movie. I love John Cusack in just about everything (and also feel he's a top 10 talent) and this is without a doubt my favorite movie of his.

3.) Space Jam - There's no awesome reason. It's widely regarded as a mediocre movie, but Michael Jordan was my favorite player when I started getting into basketball, and this movie never gets old for me.

4.) The Rundown - This is definitely the most entertaining action movie ever made, in my book. It's a great throwback to the early Schwarzenegger movies, and The Rock is a very capable actor in action movies. This is probably my favorite "kill 2 hours on a summer afternoon" movie.

5.) Mars Attacks! - This is, in some odd ways, one of Jack Nicholson's best roles. Who in the world would make a better (onscreen) President than Jack? (Well, certainly not GW, but that's a conversation for a different time) And come on, how funny is it not only to see nearly a dozen A-list (at the time, anyway) actors not only mindlessly die, but to die because all of their flesh is disintegrated? Awesome stuff.

6.) Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Say what you want to/have to about Lucas being a poor director, or some performances being a little wooden, but the fight scenes in this movie are incredible. And Samuel L. really phones in his performance as Windu, but it's badass when he says "You are under arrest, my lord." I can't get enough of that part.

7.) Masked & Anonymous - This is a 2003 indie flick starring (about?) Bob Dylan, with probably the most ridiculously loaded cast ever (up there with, coincidently, Mars Attacks!) and a lot of thought-provoking stuff. I don't have the attention span to watch this more than once or twice a year, but when I sit down and am able to focus on it, it's really an experience.

Other honorable mentions: Terminator 3, The Ice Harvest (I feel it was the best movie of 2005), Sleepy Hollow.

High Fidelity is a great flick.

I'm in complete agreement with you on The Rundown. This is probably the most "guilty pleasure" movie I have. Even though I feel like I shouldn't be, I'm always entertained like crazy when I watch it.

Great call on Mars Attacks! I think it's criminally underrated.

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by Thespiralgoeson

No particular order.

The Big Lebowski- Funniest movie of all time, hands down, IMO. The movie is just genius and so hilarious on many, many levels. Every single part of this movie makes me laugh out loud. Every scene, every subtle joke, everytime Walter tells Donnie to shut the f*ck up.... There's pretty much nothing about this movie that I don't love.

Heat- Michael Mann's masterpiece. Three hours of drama, and f*cking intense action. Not to mention it stars three of my favorites; Pacino, DeNiro, and IMO the much underrated Val Kilmer.

Natural Born Killers- Oliver Stone's wildest, craziest experiment. Absolutely brilliant, and not for the faint of heart.

Platoon- Another Stone flick, and probably his best. Impecible cast and script. The whole movie is just so real.

Batman, Batman Returns, and Batman Begins- What can I say? I'm a fan. I know I'm kinda cheating by naming all three, but I love them all, and to pick only one would be a disservice to the other two.

Other favs-Insomnia, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Aviator, Jackie Brown (Tarantino's best), Alien, Hellraiser, The Godfather Part II, The Matrix Reloaded, Any Given Sunday, Bram Stoker's Dracula... and many many others.

Love the Big Lebowski. Great comedy.

Let me ask you though. You like the second Matrix more then the other two? That has to make you a part of a very small group of people.

[mqywaaah]

(Not numbered from greatest to least)
1. Nacho Libre
2. Cheech and Chong
3. LOTR
4. Blow
5. Trainspotting
6. Any movie from the Frat Pack ( Vince Vaughn, the Owens, Ben Stiller and Co.)
7. Any movie from Happy Madison ( Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider and Co.)

[sike]

Originally Posted by mqywaaah

1. Nacho Libre

didn't see it. heard it was only ok

[untitled]

Originally Posted by jthig32

Love the Big Lebowski. Great comedy.

Let me ask you though. You like the second Matrix more then the other two? That has to make you a part of a very small group of people.

Count me in that small group as well then. I think the reason I loved the second one so much was because it had so much plot to get through as well as a lot of great philisophical dialogue.

I've noticed this in other trilogies as well - Lord of the Rings, the old Star Wars flicks, etc. - the middle movie is always my favorite because, after setting up the trilogy with the first flick, the story begins to really flow with the second and you really begin to get a feel for the movies. Then, after the second film ends they leave you hanging until the third, which just ties up all the loose ends and rolls out the happy ending (which is a little predictable, hence less enjoyable).

[Flacolaco]

Originally Posted by sike

didn't see it. heard it was only ok

I was specifically told by someone who enjoys insanely stupid movies even, to not watch it, even if it were free. (Nacho Libre)

Is it really that bad?

[jthig32]

Originally Posted by untitled

Count me in that small group as well then. I think the reason I loved the second one so much was because it had so much plot to get through as well as a lot of great philisophical dialogue.

I've noticed this in other trilogies as well - Lord of the Rings, the old Star Wars flicks, etc. - the middle movie is always my favorite because, after setting up the trilogy with the first flick, the story begins to really flow with the second and you really begin to get a feel for the movies. Then, after the second film ends they leave you hanging until the third, which just ties up all the loose ends and rolls out the happy ending (which is a little predictable, hence less enjoyable).

Man, this shocks me. To me, the original Matrix is an actual great movie, complete with great action and a plot this is fairly simple, not contrived. I LOVED the original Matrix.

The next two....were ok, and really, traded upon what the first one did. Had they stood alone, on their own, they would have been very below average movies, IMO.

I just couldn't stand all the heavy handed rhetoric in the second one especially. They tried to play it off as philosophical, but I certainly wasn't buying.

[sike]

The Matrix is an amazing movie. both sequels were merely action flicks.