griggs's - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die List

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From acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, a stunning valentine to femininity in all its disguises, motherhood in all its glory and to classic Hollywood melodramas and their diva actresses.

A birthday treat turns into heart-rending tragedy for single mother Manuela (Cecilia Roth) when her teenage son is killed in a car accident after a performance of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' starring his favourite actress Huma Roja (Marisa Paredes). Determined to exorcise her overwhelming guilt, Manuela goes to Barcelona to finally tell his father about the son he never knew he had. There, the reason why she has kept the identity of her forbidden lover a secret for so long is revealed. He is a transvestite named Lola who is dying from an AIDS related illness. However in confronting her own past, Manuela forges a new future with Lola's transsexual best friend Agrado (Antonia San Juan), church social worker Sister Rosa (Penelope Cruz) and Huma, when her play comes to town But even as the women from different fringes of society form a bond, further heartbreak, misfortune and ultimate joy lies in store for each. Considered by critics world wide to be the finest movie Almodovar has directed in his entire glittering career, and featuring glorious acting from the cream of Spanish cinema, All About My Mother combines warmth, love, tears and humour as it builds to an unforgettable emotional crescendo.

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Hollywood superstar Bruce brings a powerful presence to an edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller that critics have called one of the best films in recent times. Dr.

Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a distinguished child psychologist haunted by the painful memory of a disturbed young patient he was unable to help. So when he meets Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osmen)... a frightened, confused eight-year-old with a similar condition... Dr. Crowe seeks to redeem himself by doing everything he can. Nonetheless, Malcolm is unprepared to learn the truth of what haunts Cole: terrifying, unwanted visits from the restless inhabitants of the spirit world. With a riveting intensity you'll find thoroughly chilling and utterly unforgettable, the discovery of Cole's incredible 6th sense leads them both to mysterious and unforeseeable consequences.

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Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is a struggling street puppeteer. In order to make some money, Craig takes a job as a filing clerk. One day he accidentally discovers a door...

a portal into the brain of John Malkovich (played by John Malkovich)! For 15 minutes, he experiences the ultimate head trip – He is being John Malkovich! Then he's dumped onto the New Jersey turnpike! With has beautiful office mate Maxine (Catherine Keener) and his pet-obsessed wife (Cameron Diaz), they hatch a plan to let others into John's brain for just $200 a trip.

Amid the azure waters and sunbaked desert landscapes of Djibouti, a French Foreign Legion sergeant (Denis Lavant) sows the seeds of his own ruin as his obsession with a striking young recruit (Gregoire Colin) plays out to the thunderous, operatic strains of Benjamin Britten.

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Brad Pitt and Edward Norton deliver knockout performances in this stunningly original, darkly comic film from David Fincher, the director of Seven. Norton stars as Jack, a chronic insomniac desperate to escape his excruciatingly boring life.

That's when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charismatic soap salesman with a twisted philosophy. Tyler believes self-improvement is for the weak - it's self-destruction that really makes life worth living. Before long, Jack and Tyler are beating each other to a pulp in a bar parking lot, a cathartic slugfest that delivers the ultimate high. To introduce other men to the simple joys of physical violence, Jack and Tyler form a secret Fight Club that becomes wildly successful. But there's a shocking surprise waiting for Jack that will change everything...

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Recent widower Shigeharu Aoyama is advised by his son to find a new wife, so he seeks the advice of a colleague having been out of the dating scene for many years. They take advantage of their position in a film company by staging an audition to find the perfect woman.

Interviewing a series of women, Shigeharu becomes enchanted by Asami, a quiet, 24-year-old woman, who is immediately responsive to his charms. But soon things take a very dark and twisted turn as we find that Asami isn't what she seems to be...

Forced into slavery by the corrupt, incestuous heir to be throne, Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe) becomes a gladiator. His prowess in the arena will eventually lead him to Rome, the Colosseum and a vengeful showdown with the new emperor.

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Darren Aronofsky follows up his acclaimed debut 'Pi' with this gritty, emotionally charged film set amidst the abandoned beaches and faded glory of Coney Island, Brooklyn. Based upon the novel by celebrated author Hubert Selby Jr.

, the story intricately links the lives of a lonely widowed mother (Ellen Burstyn), her son Harry (Jared Leto), his beautiful girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). Requiem for a Dream is a hypnotic tale of four human beings each pursuing their vision of happiness. Even as everything begins to fall apart, they refuse to let go, plummeting with their dreams into a nightmarish, gut-wrenching freefall.

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In 2000 Agnes Varda travelled the France countryside and the markets of Paris to the study the lives of a collection of foragers and scavengers called The Gleaners. This remarkable collection of people insist of making use of materials that the public have so easily discarded.

Varda admits to being a gleaner of sorts herself, which gives this honest and intriguing documentary a very special connection.

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Set in 19th century China, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon follows two martial-arts masters Li Mu Bai (Chow Yon Fat) and Vu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) as they battle against evil forces to regain the stolen Green Destiny sword and defeat long-time foe Jade Fox.

To succeed they must overcome an unknown warrior, the supremely skilled Jen (Zhang Ziyi), who is fighting against an arranged marriage. In the process Li is torn between his deep and long-denied feelings for Shu, and his wish to tame and teach Jen.

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Hong Kong, 1962. Chow (Tony Leung) is a junior newspaper editor with an elusive wife. His new neighbour Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung) is a secretary whose husband seems to spend all his time on business trips. They become friends, making the lonely evenings more bearable.

As their relationship develops they make a discovery that changes their lives forever...

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From director Christopher Nolan, a unique and intriguing thriller that begins with the ultimate act of revenge and backtracks through time to reveal the shocking and provocative reasons behind it.

Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) remembers everything up to the night his wife was brutally raped and murdered. But since that tragedy, he has suffered from short-term memory loss and cannot recall any event, the places he has just visited or anyone he has met just minutes before. Determined to find out why his wife was killed, the only way he can store evidence is on scraps of paper, by taking Polaroid photos and tattooing vital clues on his body. Throughout his investigation, he appears to have the help of both bartender Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), who may have her own secret agenda and police officer Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) whose friendship is always suspect. As Shelby's fractured memory tries to piece together a chilling jigsaw of deceit and betrayal in reverse, breathtaking twists and surprising turns rapidly occur in the most challenging, original and critically acclaimed thriller in years.

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Chihiro, a headstrong 10-year-old girl, is unhappy that her family are moving house and that she will have to make new friends. As they make their way to the new home, Chihiro's father takes a detour to explore a mysterious tunnel in the woods.

On the other side is what seems to be a deserted theme park but is in fact a ghostly town. Unwittingly, they have strayed into the Land of the Spirits, a world of dreamlike scenery inhabited by ancient gods and magical beings, ruled over by the sorceress, Yubaba. With her parents held captive and Yubaba set on enslaving them forever, Chihiro must use all her energy to survive in this strange new place. With the help of Haku, a brave young spirit, she is forced to overcome her Pears and join an epic battle for her family's freedom.

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With the help of a courageous fellowship of friends and allies, Frodo (Elijah Wood) embarks on a perilous mission to destroy the legendary One Ring. Hunting Frodo are servants of the Dark Lord, Sauron (Sala Baker), the Ring's evil creator. If Sauron reclaims the Ring, Middle-earth is doomed.

Winner of four Academy Awards, this epic tale of good versus evil, friendship and sacrifice will transport you to a world beyond imagination.

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With his trademark charm and biting wit, Michael Moore's documentary sets off on a rollicking journey to the heart of America, hoping to discover why the American pursuit of happiness is so riddled with mass violence.

Moore boldly asks a question that post September 11, no other American dare ask: "Are we a nation of gun nuts - or are we just nuts?" For Americans, it is a damningly funny indictment of a culture of feat that is armed to the teeth and running amuck. For everyone else, it is a humourous warning about what could happen to any country that chooses the American Way of creating a massive permanent underclass that must be fought off with a constitutionally protected Uzi.