Kiwi Film Review: Top 10 Tearjerkers

So, this is obviously not a Sunday, so I'm a few days late this week, but its been a busy week. I'm a girl so I really do enjoy a good tearjerker. However, most of these are not chick-flicks so I think its important that that is clear so that males will not be afraid to also look at this. All of these are fantastic movies, but I'm not raking them by how good the films are themselves, but by how the number of tears they managed to wrangle out of me. All but 2 of these films one Oscars, so I can assure you they really are all fantastic films. Here is this weeks (late) Top 10 list: Top 10 Tearjerkers.

10.) Finding Neverland
This is a film about the family who inspired J.M. Barrie to write the famous story of Peter Pan. A very sweet story with a lot of drama and tragedy surrounding it. The film is directed by the ever talented Marc Foster, and has a very impressive cast including Johnny Depp as JM Barrie, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman, and Freddie Highmore. I think that their casting was really perfect, and the acting was really fantastic, which can really come as no surprise from the names I just listed. A really interesting way to come up with the infamous story of children not wanting and choosing not to grow up. Sylvia Davies(Winslet) and her four young children change something inside of the playwright who at the time of meeting them has just had another one of his plays flop and is desperately searching for something new, and thats exactly what he finds. It was nominated 7 Oscars and won for best score. 

9.) Atonement
Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, Atonement is a film about forbidden love from the point of view of Briony Tallis(Saoirse Ronan), a 13 year old girl from a well-off family who's older sister, Cecilia(Keira Knightly) falls in love with a friend, Robbie Turner(James McAvoy) from a lower class who they've grown up with all of their lives. The films takes place during World War I and things become complicated and spiral downwards for the pair after Briony accuses Robbie(McAvoy) of something he did not do. She spends the rest of her life trying to make up for the mistake. The story takes a surprising turn of events which ends with Briony making another surprising confession. Absolutely fantastic acting all around, Saoirse Ronan was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress, and the film was nominated for 6 other Oscars as well, winning Best Original Score in the end. 

8.) I Am Sam
Despite the fact that I only watched this film sometime last year, if  you haven't heard about this film, or somehow don't know what this film is about, you should probably crawl out from whatever rock you've been living under. I Am Sam is the heartbreaking story of a man who has some type of mental illness who is fighting to keep custody of his 7 year old daughter. Sam Dawson is played by Sean Penn in a truly mind-blowing performance on his part, his daughter is played by the talented Dakota Fanning. The story is also focused around Rita Williams(Michelle Pfeiffer) who plays a cold-hearted lawyer, who's life is changed by this custody case. Sean Penn was nominated for an Oscar for his performance, but somehow this film wasn't nominated for anything? Definite fail by the Academy. Great film all around, and pretty much the whole film is filled with tears. Enjoy. 

7.) Ghost
This movie was always sad but since Patrick Swayze (aka the love of my life) is actually dead in real life now, it adds about 50 extra pounds of sadness to it. Again, if for some reason you've been living somewhere without  electricity for the last 23 years, Ghost is a story about a couple, Sam Wheat(Patrick Swayze) and Molly Jensen(Demi Moore) who are living life happily together with their best friend Carl(Tony Goldwyn) when Sam(Swayze) is suddenly murdered. Sam discovers that his ghost is stuck in our world and soon finds that Molly might be in trouble. He recruits the help of Oda Mae Brown(Whoopie Goldberg), a medium to help warn her. Fantastic movie, it was nominated  for 5 Oscars and won 2, Best Supporting Actress for Whoopi Goldberg, and best writing. The last scene is absolutely heartbreaking. I cannot listen to the song Unchained Melody without bawling. "Its amazing Molly, the love inside, you take it with you." 

6.) Forrest Gump
I really think that Forrest Gump is one of the greatest films of all time. Its such an epic film that covers so much time. Its a comedy, a drama, and a tragedy and every moment of it is filled with memorable moments.  This is a film about a man named Forrest Gump(Tom Hanks) starting in childhood and going all the way into adulthood. Somehow he has the most interesting man on earth and despite his mental challenges, he manages to accomplish 10 times more then any other person on earth. Ping-Pong champion, war hero, shrimp king, etc. There are few things in life that Forrest Gump is not capable of, but the thing that really keeps him going throughout his entire life is his love for his childhood friend Jenny(Robin Wright). The films was nominated for a mind-blowing 13 Oscars of which it won 6 including Best Picture, Best Actor for Tom Hanks and Best Director. Other cast members include Sally Field, and Gary Sinise. This film had so many epic quotes including "Run Forrest Run!", "I love you Jennay", "Hello Mr. GUMP", and, of course, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."

5.) Terms of Endearment
This is actually the movie that made me want to make this list, I watched it last week and adored it. I really like how it not only showed such a time frame, but showed so much of the time in between. They never really spent more then 5 minutes in a specific place in time and normally there were a year or so between them. Debra Winger really did a great job playing Emma Horton not only as a fully grown women, wife, and mother, but also as a young teen, and was believable as both, very impressive. I loved Shirley MacLaine, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, Danny DeVito and John Lithgow as well, so weird to see them all so young, but I think we can all agree that it was Huckleberry Fox who stole the show as Teddy Horton. I don't want to give anything away, but lets just say that I was totally fine with everything that was happening until little Teddy gave the most heart-wrenching performance from a child, or possibly anyone in the history of cinema. He absolutely destroyed me and in just those few moments in that devastating scene I fell in love with this movie. It was nominated for 11 Oscars and won 5 of those including Best Picture, Best Director for James L. Brooks, Best Writing, Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson, and Best Supporting Actress for Shirley MacLaine.

4.) Seven Pounds
There really isn't much I can say about this film. I can't explain to you why its so good, or why Will Smith is so amazing in this film. I can't tell you why the performances by amazing actors such as Rosario Dawson and Woody Harleson were just so fantastic. I really can't tell you anything else about this film without the fear of giving something away, so I will show you the IMDB description because I think that its safe. "An aerospace engineer with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers." 
I really wish I could tell you more, but I think its really important that if you do see this film, that you go into it knowing as little about it as you can. I will say that its an amazing story about trying to redeem yourself, and the struggles that come with that. Please watch and enjoy this film. 



3.)Dear Zachary
I probably could have put this film at #1 and been okay with it, but I think #3 is a worthy position. I watched this documentary the first time because I saw that part of it took place here in St. John's, but I really could never know how fantastic of a movie it really was. Its basically story about a really great guy and medical student, Andrew Bagby, who is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend, Shirley Turner. His life story is then told through the eyes of all of his friends and family spread out all over the globe from across America, to Newfoundland  where he went to Medical School, to the UK where his mother is originally from. His family soon finds out that his ex-girlfriend and suspected murderer is pregnant with his child and is now living back to Newfoundland where she has escaped to. Andrews parents Kathleen and David, find new reason to live and spend their days fighting to spend time with their new grandson while having to face their sons ex-girlfriend who they strongly suspect is their sons murderer. Absolutely fantastic film, but there are a few turns in the movie that are just too much for most people to handle without hardcore sobbing. I urge you to bring a full box of kleenex with you while watching this film. Even men will have a difficult time keeping it in while watching this one. Its very clear how much Andrew Bagby was loved by his friends, family and colleagues  and how painful it is to have to go on without him. I hope that when I die I leave a quarter of the impact on my friends and family's lives as this man clearly had. I really urge everyone out there to watch this film. Its on Netflix, even the Canadian one! Don't hesitate!

2.) Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Somehow its probably not super surprising that the top two films are about the holocaust. However, I feel like most people near my age have definitely not seen my #1, and for some reason many people have not seen this film either. The best part of this movie is how much a different perspective this is when it comes to Holocaust movies/books. This is definitely the first I've heard of from a child of a high ranking Nazi commander. There are definitely a few from a child of the holocaust's point of view, but not from the other side. Asa Butterfield plays Bruno, an eight year old boy who doesn't understand why he is forbidden from playing with the people next door in the funny looking, striped pajamas. Its really quite difficult to see him slowly try and put together whats happening, and the fact that his father is really the bad-guy in this scenario  and not the hero soldier he once believed in. I'd like to say this film has a happy ending, but its clearly a holocaust movie so its pretty much impossible but this film left me in puddles of tears by the end. Great movie that really shows that putting yourself in someone else's shoes just might make you change your mind, hopefully before its too late.

1.) Sophie's Choice
I watched this film for the first time last month, and oh my god I wish I had been warned. The film is pretty heart breaking even from the beginning, but its not until the end that the true tearjerkerness is revealed. The main premise of the film is that Meryl Streep plays a survivor of the Holocaust and is currently living in New York City with her boyfriend played by Kevin Kline. The two have a pretty tumultuous relationship which is documented from the point of view of Stingo(Peter MacNicol), a country boy in the big city. Meryl Streep's performance is absolutely breathtaking, and the academy recognized this by giving her an Oscar for Best Actress, the film was also nominated in 4 other categories. The performances from Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol were also fantastic. This is an amazing movie that everyone should see at least once in their lives, I'm sorry I waited as long as I did. Although Sophie's(Streep) devastating life story brought tears for me throughout the movie, its not until the very end that you realize how truly horrifying her life really has been, and the awful choices she's had to make, hence the title. Bring a box of tissues, don't say I didn't warn you.


Honourable Mentions:  Million Dollar Baby, The Notebook,  Philadelphia, Pay It Forward, Bicentennial Man, Schindler's List, Perks of being a w A.I: Artificial Intelligence  Steel Magnolias, Brokeback Mountain, Titanic, Ordinary People, Dead Poets Society, The Green Mile, Nights in Rodanthe, Saving Private Ryan, PS I Love You, The Last Song, Step Mom. Bonus: Old Yeller (for Joshy Josh)

Kiwi Film Review: Top 10 Documentaries

This weeks top 10 list is Top 10 Documentaries of All Time.I watch an absurd number of Documentaries, so many that I often forget them, so trying to remember specific ones for this list was actually rather difficult. There are hundreds of fantastic documentaries, but I wanted to make this list about ones that I thought were the most important, most informative, and left the biggest impact on me, because I think thats really the point of documentaries. So here it goes:

10.) Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room

Very intriguing and mind-blowing documentary about this giant company and its enormous corruption which led to the company's ultimate demise. Its unbelievable the level that they went to to make money. These were some seriously bad people, they were incredibly greedy people who went to any length to get money. I urge pretty much everyone to watch this movie to understand just how the world really works and why Capitalism isn't always the answer. Its a great system in theory, but when you account for the human error of greed, its a system that just can't work. You can't let men have that much power without assuming that they will gain a god complex.

IMDB: 7.7/10

9.) Deliver Us From Evil

Really great documentary about the aftermath of the child abuse problem within the Catholic church. It clearly shows just how bad the cover-ups are and how high they go. This documentary is full of first-hand accounts of abuse from abuse victims of the same man, Father Oliver O'Grady, who abused dozens of children, boys and girls, in the 1970s when he was relocated numerous times throughout the state of California as an attempted coverup by the Catholic Church. The documentary even has interviews with Father Oliver O'Grady himself. Very eyeopening and disheartening film for sure. Another extremely important documentary that I think will paint a clear picture of where the Catholic Church actually stands on this controversy. 

IMDB: 8.0/10

8.) The Invisible War

This new documentary is currently up for an Academy Award, and I think its definitely a front-runner for sure. Very powerful documentary that shows the horrifying effects of the incredible problem of rape in the military. Most of the stories are about women being raped but there is one about a man. It shows not just the traumatic emotional effects, but in some occasions, also the physical effects. It also shows the clear cover-up that the American Military has become part of. Its not exactly what I would call surprising. I think the film "A Few Good Men" with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, is the perfect example of the intense loyalty that people in the military feel. This documentary has a similar message because most of the rape cases in the documentary never actually went to trial despite the fact that all of them had been reported to their superiors. Really horrifying but important stuff. 
IMDB: 7.3/10

7.) Dear Zachary: A Letter to A Son About His Father
I almost forgot about this one somehow. Probably the most heartbreaking film I've ever seen, simply because its a true story. I decided to watch this film because of its ties to Newfoundland, but that had very little to do with what I loved about it. It starts off with the filmmaker interviewing family, friends and colleagues of Andrew Bagby, a newly graduated doctor who has just been murdered. The film takes place all over the world to cover his ties to all of the places that were important to him. It follows the murder but we soon find out that his probable murderer is pregnant with his child, and has also fled back to Newfoundland. This film shows the clear failure of the Newfoundland and Canadian justice system when they fail to extradite Shirley Turner before its too late. Unbelievably heartbreaking story. Its so clear how much Andrew meant to everyone in his life. I can only hope that I leave a legacy like his when I am gone. Do yourself a favor and watch this. Also, there is no shame in crying at this movie, even if you are a fully grown man. IMDB: 8.5/10 

6.) Fahrenheit  9/11

A lot of people feel like Michael Moore is extremely biased and that his films are propaganda. There's no doubt that Moore is biased, but 90% of documentaries are, because they are trying to get across their own message, so I'm not really sure why everyone hates on him so much more then others. This documentary raises a lot of questions, and puts a spotlight on some of the many horrors of war, and the many mistakes the American military made during the early years. I think that the most important thing that this documentary exposes is the fact that most Americans don't actually know why they attacked Iraq. They think that the war was because thats where they would find the terrorists who attacked them on 9/11, when that wasn't the reason at all. Even if you don't believe the oil reasoning that Moore relays in this film, that wasn't the reason behind attacking Iraq. I remember hearing about this film when it was first released so I knew there had been controversy, but I didn't see it until about 4 years later. Great movie that I think should be seen whether you agree or not. IMDB: 7.5/10

5.) The Cove

Few documentaries leave me sobbing at the end, but my god this one did. The premis of this film is basically that the man behind the TV show Flipper(Rick O'Barry) has a sudden change of heart when he believes that his dolphin, the one who actually plays Flipper in the show, kills herself in his arms. Thus begun his life-long mission to undo the fascination that his own show created with dolphins around the world. Since then he has been arrested dozens of times for rescuing and releasing dolphins form captivity. This film is an incredibly exciting, nerve-wracking story of a group of activists desperately trying capture on film, the annual dolphin slaughter in Taijii, Japan. They use cameras hidden in fake rocks, underwater microphones, and tons of other impressive devices to help on their quest. There are tons of twists in this story, and it isn't dull for a moment. The final images are shocking and horrifying, but also incredibly effective. This film has changed laws all over the world, and I hope it will continue on its mission. It won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary, and it definitely deserves it. It changed my view on many things, including Sea World, which I will never, ever visit again. IMDB: 8.4/10

4.) Inside Job

This Oscar winning documentary is a shocking and upsetting film that takes a closer look at the 2008 stock market crash. The film makers interview top financial and political experts to get to the bottom of what caused the crash. It is made pretty clear that the cause of the crash was extremely greedy people who had an incredible amount of power within their companies and banks, but also within the political system. The most horrifying part of seeing this documentary is the knowledge that no one has been sent to jail for destroying the entire American financial system, causing many Americans to be left with practically nothing, while they got to keep billions of dollars for themselves. This films shows the sex and cocaine fueled lifestyle of these Wall-Street bankers. Few documentaries have angered me more. There's a reason that this film won its 2011 Oscar. (PS. Matt Damon narrates the entire film)

IMDB: 8.2/10

3.) An Inconvenient Truth

This was the first documentary that truly made me enjoy them. I really believe that this film changed my life. A lot of people are sceptical that this film is purely propaganda especially because of the seemingly random stories told by Al Gore about his life throughout the film. I personally cannot understand in the least how someone can think that Climate Change isn't happening, but apparently there are people who are that naive. My cousin has a doctorate in environmental  sciences, and she told me that 90% of this film is correct (leaving out the parts about his life because that has nothing to do with the actual point of the film.) That personally was enough for me because she clearly knows what she's talking about. Its pretty crazy to see the change in the last few years, I remember when this was first released, it was everywhere, and then Al Gore had that huge concert on 07/07/07, and now the only time you hear about climate change is when the right-wing nuts are making fun of the "theory." I think we need to get back to talking about climate change before its too late. Like I said, the film changed my life, and more importantly my lifestyle. This film won the 2007 Oscar for best Documentary. IMDB: 7.6/10

2.) Food, Inc.

I think is by far the most important documentary about the food industry, mostly because most documentaries on this topic are either solely focused on turning us all into vegans, or leaving us without any other options. This film does a fantastic job at showing the horrors that these animals are forced to endure, and that there are no laws to protect them. I realize it seems kind of silly to have laws for animals that are raised for the sole purpose of consumption, but its not just for them, if they spend their whole lives living in their own excrements, the chances that said excrements will contaminate the meat that we will eventually be consuming. This also shows how the farmers are being put into a headlock by the owners of these cattle and poultry farms by putting them in crippling debt because of the constant changes they are forced to make. At the end they show that farming how it used to be done is still possible, but we have to tell the politicians that we need to see change. 
IMDB: 7.8/10

1.) Bowling For Columbine

This was my first introduction to Michael Moore, and man is it good. Again, those complaints about him being biased are brought up, but the facts in this film are just un-debatable for me. Right now the topic of guns is huge in America, like it should be, but the fact that it is still such a huge problem is mind-boggling to me. The numbers and statistics in this documentary are mind-numbing and truly horrifying. It has now been more then 10 years since this film was released, and we now have a school shooting that is even worse then the horrors at Columbine High School. This year alone there have been dozens of mass shootings in America. I'm so lucky that I live in Canada, but America is a little too close to me to feel truly safe. This film is also about the culture of fear-mongering that the media and government has become part of, which is clearly true. What I really love about this film is that they managed to get an interview with Marilyn Manson who proves how intellectual he is and that he isn't the cause for these horrible crimes. If for some reason you haven't seen this year, go watch it immediately. This film won the 2002 Oscar for Best Documentary. Michael Moore proved just how defiant he was when he used his acceptance speech to voice his opposition to the then new war on Iraq where he was then booed off the stage. Funny how things change. IMDB: 8.0/10

I'd like to stress again how hard it was for me to make this list, all of my honourable mentions are also very important in their own ways, with very important messages to offer so definitely look them all up as well!

Honourably Mentions: Waiting For Superman, Gas Land, How to Survive A Plague, Who Killed The Electric Car?, The Tillman Story, Paradise Lost 3, Super Size Me, For The Bible Tells Me So, Catfish, Religulous,  Sicko, Capitalism: A Love Story, The Times of Harvey Milk, Jesus Camp, Capturing the Friedmans, No Impact Man, Exit Through the Giftshop, Craiglist Joe, Shut Up and Sing.