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The Kid (1921)

9/10

Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Written by: Charles Chaplin
Produced by: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Edna Purviance, Tom Wilson, Raymond Lee, Charles Reisner, May White, Henry Bergman

Charlie Chaplin's most personal feature, The Kid is a wonderfully directed comedy that is a must-see for anyone of any age who wants to check out Chaplin for the first time. After a poor mother gives birth to an un-wanted baby, she puts him in a car. Soon, the car is stolen by two criminals who later see the baby and leave him on ground. The Tramp later appears and finds the baby. At first, he wants to get rid of him, but then changes his mind and decides to raise him as his own. Five Years later, the boy's mother has now become a successful opera singer, but still can't keep her lost child out of her mind. Meanwhile, the Kid has now become a partner-in-crime with the Tramp. However, when the boy goes sick, the authorities take him away. This later leads to a very sad and beautiful ending which we all know Chaplin is famous for. Charlie may get top billing, but it's Jackie Coogan's brilliant work as the Kid that should be watched. Coogan gives the best performance ever by an child actor.

Click here to read the review of the DVD.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)

8/10

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Written by: Quentin Tarantino
Produced by: Lawrence Bender
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Julie Dreyfus, Vivica A. Fox, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Chiaki Kuriyama, Sonny Chiba, Gordon Liu

Quentin Tarantino takes on the kung-fu genre with this wonderfully entertaining gore fest that fans of his will love. After a wedding is attacked by a terrorist group named the DIVAs, the one surviving attendie is put into a coma. After she wakes up, The Bride (who she is now known by) decides to take revenge on the people who killed her unborn baby. She starts with O-Ren Ishi, a Japanese mafia boss and then goes back to the United States to confront the now with a family Vernita Green. Of course, that is just the beginning, because her main goal is to kill Bill. Quentin Tarantino doesn't come close to matching the brilliance of Pulp Fiction, but he still gives us a fun a romp with Uma Thurman also doing a really good job playing the Bride. It is open to debate as to whether Tarantino should have split the film in two, but Kill Bill Vol. 1 is so fun, that we just ignore it. The soundtrack is also magnificient and the soundtrack will one day appear on my CD rack. While not for people with weak stomachs, this will be enjoyed by most people.

Golden Globe nomination: Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Drama (Uma Thurman)

A King in New York (1957)

9/10

Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Written by: Charles Chaplin
Produced by: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin, Oliver Johnston, Michael Chaplin, Dawn Addams, Sid James, Joan Ingram, Jerry Desmonde, Maxine Audley

Charlie Chaplin's first film since being exiled from the United States is very funny and extremely underrated. King Shadov is the leader of European country who runs off to New York after an angry mob invades his castle. After he becomes poor while attempting to sell his atomic bomb plans. He soon meets a young boy with many communistic beliefs. Meanwhile, Shadov has trouble with the many American technoligies like widescreen films and plastic surgery. This wonderful comedy received much criticism when released because of it's anti-American nature. It's because of this that it has not gotten the respect it deserves. While watching it, I recommend that you keep politics out of your mind.

Click here to read the review of the DVD.

King Kong (1933)

10/10

Directed by: Merian C. Cooper, and Ernest B. Schoedsack
Written by: James Ashmore Creelman, and Ruth Rose
Produced by: Merian C. Cooper, and Ernest B. Schoedsack
Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Frank Reicher, Sam Hardy, Noble Johnson, James Flavin, Steve Clemente

This is the monster movie to start all monster movies. The only film to ever surpass it's monster brilliance is Steven Spielberg's Jaws. When a Hollywood producer decides to the Eighth Wonder of the World for his next big blockbuster. He then hires complete unknown, Ann Darrow to star in it. When they arrive there, King Kong falls for her, and is soon captured by the producer, and his legions. They take him to New York, which soon leads to the most famous ending in film history. Fay Wray gives the performance of her career in a magnificent monster feature.

National Film Registry Award Winner

Knighty Knight Bugs (1958)

10/10

Directed by: Frez Freleng
Written by: Warren Foster
Produced by: John W. Burton
Voice of: Mel Blanc

Bugs Bunny won his first Academy Award (which he should have gotten for his first appearance in A Wild Hare) for this animated short film that brings him back in time to the time of King Arthur and his Round Tables. The short also re-teams him with one of his closest rivals, Yosemite Sam. The story involves a court jester (played here by Bugs Bunny) who goes in pursuit of the legendary singing sword. However, once the sword is removed from it's trunk, it starts to sing and wakes up Sir Yosemite Sam and his sneezing dragon. After a chase sequence, the jester takes control of the castle, and Sam attempts to get it back from him. The results are very funny, and this is a real treat for Bugs Bunny fans to enjoy and laugh at.

Oscar: Best Animated Short Film

Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)

10/10

Directed by: Robert Benton
Written by: Robert Benton
Based on the book by: Avery Corman
Produced by: Stanley R. Jaffe
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, Jane Alexander, Howard Duff, George Coe, JoBeth Williams, Howland Chamberlain

Ted and Joanna Kramer aren't a very happy couple. Joanna goes leaving her workaholic husband to take of their son, Billy. Now Ted has to cope with his ton of work, and taking care of his son. There is one famous scene where Billy disobeys his father by having ice cream for dinner. Ted then decides to go to court against his ex-wife, hence the title of the film. Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Justin Henry play the Kramers with excellent finesse, along with a gripping screenplay. Hoffman and Streep have great chemistry, even though they are playing a divorced couple. Justin Henry, meanwhile, is the best child actor since Jackie Coogan.

Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman), Best Supporting Actress (Meryl Streep), Best Director (Robert Benton), Best Adapted Screenplay
Other Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Justin Henry), Best Supporting Actress (Jane Alexander), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

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