Big D's Top 5 Favorite Flicks In The Past 5 Years

Tetro

Tetro is the story of two estranged brothers. The younger brother goes in search of his older brother to find out why he dropped off the face of the Earth. After their reunion the family's secrets are gradually exposed and Tetro's private world, the older brother played by Vincent Gallo, spins in an uncomfortable and dramatic direction. With the exception of flashback scenes, the film was shot entirely in black and white. Though it was written and directed by established legend Francis Coppola, it still has a very artsy and independent movie vibe, but its not pretentious and its engaging. Its a simple but touching story that's beautifully shot with an equally beautiful score. 

There Will Be Blood

I personally thought 'Blood' was/is an Oscar-worthy and entertaining movie. But some of my friends and family who've seen it disagree. The common phrase is "I don't get it.". Personally I don't feel like there's anything to necessarily "get" after watching 'Blood'. To my interpretation there's no profound underlying message. For those who haven't seen it its a period film that takes place at the end of the nineteenth century in California and its a look into the world of oilmen through the perspective of the wealthy and very cold prospector Daniel Plainview played by the master himself Daniel Day-Lewis. If you're looking for clear heroes and villains in this movie, there aren't any except for maybe Plainview's loyal son. I suppose what makes the picture so appealing for me are a bunch of little things. The story for one is good. Its sinister with a soundtrack to match. Its unique in that its an American story that's not often told, which I tend to enjoy for that reason alone, but at its heart it is about the clash between two very selfish individuals driven by greed and power through different devices. 

Star Trek (2009)

I've been a die hard and loyal Star Wars fan since I was seven or eight. None of the Star Trek shows or movies with the exception of one or two ever really interested me growing up, not to mention the school stigma that goes along with being a Trekkie. And then I saw this movie and I have to say I was very impressed with damn near everything about it and I now wish the last Star Wars trilogy had been made using Abrams and his team, who is a big Star Wars fan himself. I love sci-fi and this film was top-notch in my book. Can't wait for next year's sequel. 

Inception

I believe I was told by Mr. Shane or Brent Vanoy once that I looked like Leo and that's honestly one of the best compliments I've ever received. Dicaprio impresses me more and more and Inception is my favorite film of his yet. As far as sci-fi or any genre goes really, its one of the most original movies I've ever seen and I love the ones that get very cerebral and make you use your head. Just talking about it makes me want to pop it in and watch it again. Was he dreaming the whole time? Who knows. I usually get annoyed at open-ended stories with no plans of a sequel but I don't think they could have ended Inception in a better way.

The Dark Knight

As much as I loved 'Rises' I decided to go with The Dark Knight because 'Rises' is a little too new right now and because I believe Ledger's performance will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time, at least as far as twenty first century Hollywood is concerned. I've been a Batman fan, perhaps a more casual than deeply knowledgeable one, for most of my life too. This Nolan trilogy has easily been the best take on Batman thus far and its hard to beat the Joker vs. Batman dynamic so that's probably a big reason why the second act was so well received and remains unsurpassed by 'Rises' in box office profits.