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The Blues Brothers (1980)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
1980 | Action, Comedy

"The Blues Brothers was a big movie for me, because I was about 13 to 14 years old, and it was my first introduction to James Brown, my first introduction to Aretha Franklin. I knew about Murph and the Magic Tones, which was made up of Booker T and the MGs, essentially. Steve Cropper and “Duck” Dunn, the two guys in there, they were two members of Booker T and the MGs, and then the drummer, you know, he’s got one of my favorite lines in movie history; his name’s Willie Hall. There’s this great line where Willie Hall goes, “Jake, Elwood, you’re out of prison, things are lookin’ good for you. You got the money you owe us, mother f***er?” That’s Willie Hall. He actually plays at my kids’ birthday parties here in Memphis, Tennessee. But, it was a movie that just had the… I mean, my dad and I watched that, and the whole scene where the nun is just beating them up; I’ve never seen my dad laugh so hard. It’s an electrifying, fun movie, and Steven Spielberg makes a cameo at the end of it."

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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Schindler's List (1993) in Movies

Jan 18, 2021 (Updated Feb 25, 2021)  
Schindler's List (1993)
Schindler's List (1993)
1993 | Biography, Drama, History
The fourth in my series of films you would recommend to an alien to explain humanity dovetails nicely with my Hall of Fame inductee this week. It is Steven Spielberg’s seminal anti war epic Shindler’s List (1993).

This one speaks for itself in many ways. As an exploration of evil and the men behind the atrocities committed during the late 30s and early 40s by Nazi Germany it is indispensable. The role played by Ralph Fiennes is especially brave and resonant in reminding us of how ego and power can corrupt beyond the point of anything recognisably human. But it is in the moments of resilience, defiance and sacrifice by the survivors that we fully appreciate the depths of the human spirit. A career defining performance by both Liam Neeson and Sir Ben Kingsley makes this a breathtaking and heartbreaking spectacle in every brutally emotional scene.

I will never forget seeing this in the cinema on its initial release and experiencing the absolute silence as the credits rolled and everyone left the screen and into the night with their thoughts and reflections, simply stunned by its impact. It demonstrates the very best and the very worst of human action and inaction in one perfect movie. Never an easy watch under any circumstances, but one worth dissecting and appreciating for all its genius – the directing, acting, cinematography, music, editing, everything is as near perfect as a film can be.