Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner
Written by: Francis Ford Coppola, and Edmund H. North
Based on the books by: Ladislas Farago, and Omar N. Bradley
Produced by: Frank McCarthy
Starring: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong, Carey Loftin, Albert Dumortier, Frank Latimore

This incredibly done look at General Patton's life is brilliant in every aspect. George Scott gives a reviting performance as the famous World War II general, who brought his troops into battle with incredible speech. From the opening talk, this feature keeps you interested throughout the whole two-hour length, from the amazing screenplay by Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola, and Edmund North. For the history teachers who are reading and are teaching your students about the Second World War, this is definitely something to rent for them to watch.

Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor (George C. Scott), Best Director (Franklin J. Shaffner), Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing
Other Oscar nominations: Best Original Score, Best Special Visual Effects, Best Cinematography

Directed by: Steffen Schaffler
Written by: Steffen Schaffler, and Annette Schaffler
Based on the book by: Daniel Defoe
Produced by: Annette Shaffler
Voices of: Kenneth Branagh, Deran C. Evans, Alice Fairhall, Roger Law

This dark short done in the style of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas is very well done and extremely underrated. During the rat plaques in England, a periwig maker hides in his shop waiting for the disaster to finish. While making periwigs, he notices a girl escaping from quarantine and soon dies. During the fifteen minute running time, the main character writes in his diary provided by narration. In the end, our hero chops up the girl's bright red hair and wears it. Kenneth Branagh proves that he has a brilliant voice and should do more animated short work in the future. This is a very good short, and I think Tim Burton should do a remake of it in the future.

Oscar nomination: Best Animated Short Film

Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Written by: Ron Nyswaner
Produced by: Jonathan Demme, and Edward Saxon
Starring: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas, Roberta Maxwell, Mary Steenburgen, Joanne Woodward

In this moving courtroom drama from Jonathan Demme, Tom Hanks gives a great performance as Andrew Beckett, a gay AIDS victim who is fired from his law firm. Beckett then hires Joe Miller to take on his case against the firm. Miller, who has a fear of homosexuals, is at first not interested in taking the case. When he sees Beckett getting annoyed at the public library, Miller decides to take the case. This is soon the beginning of a high pressure war between Beckett and his former boss, Charles Wheeler, who is played wonderfully by Jason Robards. Demme gives a very well executed direction along with a greatly written screenplay. The entire cast is great especially Denzel Washington who gives his best performance. Tom Hanks is great too, but I would probably rank what he does here as his third best work just behind Cast Away and Forrest Gump. Overall, the courtroom scenes are a bore, but it is a brilliant picture nonetheless.

Oscars: Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Original Song ("Streets of Philadelphia")
Other Oscar nominations: Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup, Best Original Song ("Philadelphia")

Directed by: Roman Polanski
Written by: Ronald Harwood
Based on the book by: Wladyslaw Szpilman
Produced by: Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, and Alain Sarde
Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Julia Raynor

Wladyslaw Szpilman is Jewish piano player living in Warsaw, Poland. While playing a piece by Chopin on the radio, he is interupted by a bomb. The Nazis soon force him, his family, and the rest of the Jews in Warsaw to move to a ghetto. There they are given a time to go to sleep, and they are not given enough food. Szpilman is still playing the piano, though, in a cafe in the ghetto. Then an order arrives telling the Jews they have to work, including Szpilman. He is given the job to carry bricks, and peel potatoes and cut bread. Another order comes saying that all the Jews have to go to a concentration camp. When boarding the train leading to the camp, a Nazi captain pulls Szpilman out of crowd, and he gets separated from his family. And so his story for survival begins. Adrien Brody gives an amazing performance as Szpilman with Roman Polanski providing an incredible direction deserving of an Oscar. This is a brilliant depiction of World War II that's up there with Schindler's List.

Oscars: Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Director (Roman Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay
Other Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing

"Film Website" Award: Best Actor (Adrien Brody)
Other "Film Website" nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Roman Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Directed by: Michael Gordon
Written by: Maurice Richlin, and Stanley Shapiro
Produced by: Ross Hunter, and Martin Melcher
Starring: Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter, Nick Adams, Alex Gerry, Julia Meade, Allen Jenkins, Marcel Dalio

The most popular of the many pairings between Doris Day and Rock Hudson, Pillow Talk is a great comedy with funny performances and a wonderfully-written screenplay. Jan is an interior decorator who shares a phone line with a party-going, piano-playing womaniser named Brad and they both become instant enemies. When Brad sees Jan for the first time, he puts on a Southern accent and calls himself Rex. They soon start to go out together, but when Jan finds out his secret, things start to become really bad for Rex, I mean Brad. This is a very funny comedy with a witty script that won a very deserving Oscar. The sets are wonderful and an interesting start to what would become very popular in films during the 1960's.

Oscar: Best Original Screenplay
Other Oscar nominations: Best Actress (Doris Day), Best Supporting Actress (Thelma Ritter), Best Scoring for a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Color Art Direction

Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Written by: Ted Elliot, and Terry Rossio
Produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook

The Black Pearl is a ship that has horrible curse upon it's sailers. The only way to break the curse is to get the blood of the ancestor of the coin that made them cursed. They then find it in Elizabeth Swann, who took from a little boy she found afloat in the water, when she was young. The pirates kidnap her, and bring to their secret treasure trove. Her love ineterest and previous owner of the coin, Will Turner plans to find her. The only person who knows where she is is Captain Jack Sparrow, now imprisoned. He agrees to free him, and get a ship to save her. This film is very action-packed, but goes on far too long. The only thing that saves this picture is Johnny Depp as Sparrow. If it wasn't for Depp's amazing performance then I would not have enjoyed this film. If Depp didn't want to star, then this film should have stopped production. Enough said. Then again, this is an improvement on The Country Bears.

Oscar nominations: Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects

"Film Website" Award: Best Actor (Johnny Depp)
Other "Film Website" nominations: Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design

Directed by: Gary Ross
Written by: Gary Ross
Produced by: Gary Ross, Robert John Degus, John Kilik, and Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, Giuseppe Andrews, Don Knotts, Paul Walker

David is a fanatic of the 50's television series, "Pleasantville." A marathon starts at 6:30, which coincides with his sister, Jennifer's date. When the remote control breaks, a mysterious repairman appears at the door, and gives them a new one. David, and Jennifer then find themselves in the black-and-white, and picture-perfect world of Pleasantville. They are also the two main characters of on the show, and if they change even one thing in Pleasantville, the results would be horrible. When Jennifer can't take a sexless world, she makes love to a charming student, and soon the craze catches on. The town becomes more and more colourful each day. At first, David is upset, but then get used to it and joins in. That is until the mayor sees the mess. This is a beautifully-shot film with amazing sets, and special effects. The ensemble cast does a wonderful job in their respective roles, and director/writer Gary Ross has created an amazing world.

Oscar nominations: Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design

Directed by: Mel Brooks
Written by: Mel Brooks
Produced by: Sidney Glazier
Starring: Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars, Christopher Hewett, Andreas Voutsinas, Dick Shawn, Estelle Winwood, Lee Meredith

Never since Charlie Chaplin satirised the Nazi dictator, has someone taken on Hitler in a comedic way. Mel Brooks manages to do just that in his first feature film, with stands as one of the comedy greats. Zero Mostel gives the greatest comedic performance of all time as a money-hungry producer is known for creating the biggest flops in the history of theatre. When his accountant, Leo finds a error in his books, he finds out that he can make more money with a flop then with a hit. They then decide to produce the worst play ever written and what better play then "Springtime for Hitler." They soon a dress-wearing gay to direct, and a hippie to star in the lead role. Everything goes fine, until... I won't spoil the ending for you, but since this is a Mel Brooks film, you know what to expect and not expect. All the performances are top notch, especially Mostel, Gene Wilder (in the role that made him famous) as Leo, and Kenneth Mars as the play's Neo-Nazi writer. Mel Brooks crafts a brilliantly funny screenplay with many memeorable lines, and great songs like "Springtime for Hitler" and "Prisoners of Love."

Oscar: Best Original Screenplay
Other Oscar nomination: Best Supporting Actor (Gene Wilder)

Directed by: Susan Stroman
Written by: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Based on the play by: Mel Brooks
Produced by: Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger
Starring: Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Will Ferrell, Gary Beach, Roger Bart, Eileen Essell, Jon Lovitz, Kathy Fitzgerald

Funnyman Mel Brooks and first time director Susan Stroman successfully bring the hit Broadway musical, The Producers to the big screen with this fun and lively film adaptation. Broadway producer Max Bialystock has produced yet another flop and is down in the dumps and is up for anything that will get him some money. When his accountant, Leo tells him that's possible for a producer to make more money with a flop than with a hit, the two go on a search to find the worst play ever written. The result is "Springtime for Hitler", an homage to the ruthless dictator. Their journey to put on a surefire flop continues when they hire a musical-loving homosexual to direct and they get the writer to play the lead. Leo also falls in love with a very beautiful Swedish secretary. After making a lot of recent film flops in his career, Mel Brooks has returned with this very funny rendention of his his hit show. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick are fantastic in the lead roles they played on Broadway, while Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman show that it wasn't a bad idea getting a couple of stars into the production. Gary Beach and Roger Bart are also a delight playing the gays responsible for making the show the bad play it already is. If you love musicals and want to have a great laugh at the same time, watch The Producers.

Golden Globe nominations: Best Motion Picture-Comedy/Musical, Best Actor in a Motion Picture-Comedy/Musical (Nathan Lane), Best Supporting Actor (Will Ferrell), Best Original Song ("There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway")

"Film Website" Awards: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Matthew Broderick), Best Supporting Actress (Uma Thurman), Best Director (Susan Stroman), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song ("There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway"), Best Costume Design
Other "Film Website" nominations: Best Actor (Nathan Lane), Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Written by: Joseph Stefano
Based on the book by: Robert Bloch
Produced by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Vaugh Taylor

In what probably stands as the most over-rated film of all-time, Alfred Hitchcock tries to make a so-called "classic", but fails. Janet Leigh stays at a mysterious hotel, where she is soon killed in the shower. Soon, a bunch of detectives try to figure out who murdered her. There's the uninspired plot to this "classic." Alfred Hitchcocok presents a sloppy direction, and the script is cringy, bar-none. The infamous shower scene should be viewed in a film class, but stop right after the blood goes down the drain. The music was great, but I'm still taking showers. Janet's short performance brought this up to a 4 rating.

Oscar nominations: Best Supporting Actress (Janet Leigh), Best Director (Alfred Hitchcock), Best Black-and-White Art Direction, Best Black-and-White Cinematography

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Written by: Quentin Tarantino
Produced by: Lawrence Bender
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Christopher Walken

Quentin Tarantino's best and most well-known film is without a doubt Pulp Fiction. It took me a while to finally see this, but when I did, it blew me away. Vincent and Jules are two drug dealers who are asked by their boss to pick up a mysterious suitcase from three men. The contents of the suitcase are unknown, but what is inside is supposed to be very powerful. Another story involves Vincent having a date with the beautiful Mia Wallace, his boss's wife. The third story in Pulp Fiction involves a boxer who must repay a debt. 1994 is the best year for film with headlining pictures like The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump and Clerks. Pulp Fiction stands proudly in second place (Shawshank being first). Quentin Tarantino produces one of the best original screenplays of all-time and the cast is absolutely terrific, especially the leading supporting players: Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. If you want to see what all the fuss over Tarantino is, check out this film first.

Oscar: Best Original Screenplay
Other Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (John Travolta), Best Supporting Actor (Samuel L. Jackson), Best Supporting Actress (Uma Thurman), Best Director (Quentin Tarantino), Best Film Editing