griggs's - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die List
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City of God (2002)Cidade de Deus
Welcome to the world's most notorious slum: Rio de Janeiro's 'City of God'. A place where combat photographers fear to tread, where police rarely go, and residents are lucky if they live to the age of 20. This is the true story of a young man who grew up on these streets and whose ambition as a photographer is our window in and ultimately may be his only way out. - Director:
- Fernando Meirelles
- Cast:
- Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele
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Russian Ark (2002)Russkiy kovcheg
A groundbreaking feat of filmmaking, Alexander Sokurov's amazing journey through 300 years of Russian art and history is the first ever feature to be shot in a single, unedited take - the ultimate director's cut. Magically transported to St Petersburg's Hermitage museum in the early 1700s, a contemporary filmmaker and a cynical 19th Century French diplomat become accomplices in an extraordinary voyage through Russia's turbulent past to the present day. As they explore the splendid corridors and salons of the Palace, the two men witness prominent historical figures enacting startling scenes from the Tsarist Empire. Digitally shot with a state-orf-the-art high definition steadicam and featuring a masterfully orchestrated cast of 2,000, 'Russian Ark' is destined to stand as a defining moment in cinema history. - Director:
- Aleksandr Sokurov
- Cast:
- Sergey Dreyden, Aleksandr Sokurov, Mariya Kuznetsova
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Goodbye Lenin! (2003)Good Bye Lenin!
The year is 1989 and East and West Germany are still divided. Alex (Daniel Brhl) and his sister Ariane (Maria Simon) live in East Germany with their single mother, Christiane (Katrin Sass) who is a staunch Socialist. When Alex's mother witnesses his arrest on a protest march, she suffers a heart attack and falls into a coma for eight months, just enough time for the Berlin wall to come tumbling down along with all of East Germany's ideals. Eight months later, Christiane wakes up and things have changed. The doctors warn Alex that any shock could bring on a fatal heart attack. He then realises he must convince his mother that her beloved Communism has not been overthrown but is in fact triumphing over Capitalism. Alex then sets out to recreate every detail of the old East inside the four walls of their tiny council flat... what begins as a little white lie, soon turns into a major deception! - Director:
- Wolfgang Becker
- Cast:
- Daniel Brühl, Andreas Thieck, Katrin Sass
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Elephant (2003)Elefante
It's a beautiful fall day, and golden leaves skitter ahead of the wind across green lawns. Walking through the park on his way to class, Eli persuades a punk-rock couple to pose for some photographs. Nate finishes football practice and goes to meet his girlfriend Carrie for lunch. John leaves his dad's car keys in the school office for his brother to pick up. In the cafeteria, Brittany, Jordan and Nicole gossip and complain about their mothers' snooping. Michelle dashes to the library, while Eli snaps some photos of John in the hallway. John walks out onto the lawn, crossing paths with Alex and Eric. It's an ordinary high school day. But all that is about to change. Inspired by the tragic events of the Columbine High School shootings. - Director:
- Gus Van Sant
- Cast:
- William S. Burroughs, Elias McConnell, Alex Frost
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Osama (2003)少女奧薩瑪
The Taliban have just seized power and a widow reluctantly decides to disguise her 12-year-old daughter as a boy - the Osama (Marina Golbahari) of the title - so that at least one family member can earn a living. But the 'boy' is soon dragged off for religious instruction and military training and resultantly the disguise is uncovered, triggering a sharp slide into tragedy. - Director:
- Siddiq Barmak
- Cast:
- Malik Akhlaqi, Marina Golbahari, Zubaida Sahar
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Aileen (2003)Life and Death of a Serial Killer / The Selling of a Serial Killer
In 1991, Nick Broomfield made "Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer". Aileen's lawyer, her born again Christian mother and the Florida state police had all been involved in trying to sell her story, that of America's first female serial killer, to the highest bidder. Aileen herself, who was convicted of murdering seven men, ironically emerged as the most honest person. Aileen and Nick kept in touch, writing occasionally until 2002 when he was served with a subpoena to appear at her final state appeal before execution. It was at this point that Broomfield and longtime collaborator Joan Churchill, then still working on Biggie and Tupac,decided to make a second film about Aileen. "Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer" looks at Aileen's violent, tortured childhood in Troy, Michigan and her subsequent years on the road as a hitch-hiking prostitute which culminated in the murders. In her last interview, conducted by Broomfield at Aileen's request, she said she believed her mind was being controlled by radio waves. On October 9th 2002 she was executed in Florida. Shot entirely by Broomfield and Churchill, longtime collaborators who worked together on the acclaimed Kurt and Courtney, the film provides a disturbing and humane insight into the mind of a deeply paranoid yet sympathetic person. Together for the first time on video, these two films form a powerful statement against the k death penalty, raising serious questions about the US legal system and the political impetus behind Aileen's execution. Both films were used by Charlize Theron as the basis of her Oscar-winning performance as Aileen in Monster. The packed disc also features the trailer for Monster, and an exclusive interview with Broomfield about his experiences when making these two extraordinary films. - Director:
- Nick Broomfield
- Cast:
- Aileen Wuornos, Nick Broomfield, Terry Humphreys-Slay
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Oldboy (2003)Oldeuboi
Based on the Japanese manga of the same name, the film tells the horrific tale of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a businessman who is inexplicably kidnapped and imprisoned in a grim hotel room-like cell for 15 years, without knowing his captor or the reason for his incarceration. Eventually released, he learns of his wife's murder and embarks on a quest for revenge whilst also striking up a romance with a young, attractive sushi chef, Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung). He eventually finds his tormentor, but their final encounter will yield yet more unimaginable horrors... - Director:
- Chan-wook Park
- Cast:
- Min-sik Choi, Joe Cappelletti, Mari Devon
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Head-On (2004)Gegen Die Wand
Cahit, bedraggled and in a neck brace after driving his car into a wall, is more than a little surprised when beautiful, scarred Sibel proposes marriage - especially considering they met through their mutual desire to commit suicide. Cahit's Turkish blood is enough to satisfy Sibel's overbearing family and the two begin an unlikely marriage of convenience that has the even more unlikely consequence of making them want to live. Raw and uncompromising, director Fatih Akin's unparalleled energy and treatment of second generation Turkish families in Germany are reflected in the electrifying performances of the two leads: Birol Unel who celebrates poetic self-destruction like Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison and Sibel Kekilli who was discovered in a shopping centre. Together they create a compelling chemistry that will grip you from the first frame to the last. - Director:
- Fatih Akin
- Cast:
- Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli, Güven Kiraç
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Moolaadé (2004)Moolaade
In a small village in Burkina Faso, four young girls have fled the ritual of 'purification' and seek protection - moolaade - with Colle (Fatoumata Coulibaly), a circumcised woman who helped her own daughter escape excision seven years earlier. In defiance of the traditionalists within the village, Colle grants the girls sanctuary and the scene is set for a tense confrontation between opposing sets of values. - Director:
- Ousmane Sembene
- Cast:
- Fatoumata Coulibaly, Maimouna Hélène Diarra, Salimata Traoré
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Downfall (2004)Der Untergang
Set in Berlin, 1945, this powerful and provocative war drama retells the final days of the Second World War as recorded in the diaries of Adolf Hitler's private secretary, Traudl Junge, while barricaded with Hitler and his closest confidants in the Fuhrer's secret bunker. Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel with an astonishing performance by Bruno Ganz as history's most notorious figure, this unprecedented and controversial insider's perspective is a gripping insight into the madness and desperation of Hitler in the final hours of the war as the Russian Army closes a ring around Berlin. - Director:
- Oliver Hirschbiegel
- Cast:
- Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Ulrich Matthes
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Brokeback Mountain (2005)Secreto en la montaña
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ang Lee comes an epic American love story, 'Brokeback Mountain'. Set against the sweeping vistas of Wyoming and Texas, the film tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys, and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. - Director:
- Ang Lee
- Cast:
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams
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The Lives of Others (2006)Das Leben Der Anderen
In this outstanding psychological and political thriller, we get a fascinating insight into the lengths and depths that the East European government went to in order to keep tabs on the lives of its population in 80's. When cold and brutal official Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe) is given the task of spying on acclaimed playwright Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress girlfriend, he relishes the task, knowing that if he uncovers subversive behaviour he will gain favor with his boss. But the longer he listens in on the couple, their friendships, passions and ideas, the more he realises that his own life and the harsh political regime are lacking in color and joy in many respects. Slowly he begins to doubt morality of is job and politics. As the lines between orders and compassion become blurred, Wiesler becomes more involved with his subject, walking a dangerous path between his duty and his new found reality. - Director:
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
- Cast:
- Ulrich Mühe, Klaus Münster, Martina Gedeck
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Pan's Labyrinth (2006)El laberinto del fauno
Visionary director Guillermo del Toro creates a unique, richly imagined epic with Pan's Labyrinth, a gothic fairy tale set against the postwar era of Fanco's Spain. Pan's Labyrinth unfolds throught the eyes of Ofelia, a young girl uprooted to a remote military outpost commanded by her new stepfather. Powerless and lonely in a place of great danger, Ofelia lives out her own dark fable as she confronts monsters both otherworldly and human after she discovers a neglected labyrith behind the family home. There she meets Pan, a fantastical creature who challenges her with three tasts which he claims will reveal her true identity. - Director:
- Guillermo Del Toro
- Cast:
- Ivana Baquero, Pablo Adán, Ariadna Gil
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This is the story of Katie and Micah, a carefree couple who become haunted by an unseen presence in their house. They decide to investigate the increasingly bizarre and escalating intrusions by setting up a video camera to capture evidence of the demonic presence in their house, only to find much more that they ever imagined. - Director:
- Oren Peli
- Cast:
- Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat, Mark Fredrichs
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Daniel Plainview and son are independent oil men, looking for prospects in California at the turn of the 20th century. They are challenged by a young preacher, Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), whose own ambition is matched by Plainview's. Their battle forms the centre of a scary, darkly-comic historical journey into an abyss of madness. - Director:
- Paul Thomas Anderson
- Cast:
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds
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