Barton Fink (1991) - ★★★½

Director: Joel Coen
Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Stars: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner, John Mahoney, Tony Shalhoub, Steve Buscemi

"I'll show you the life of the mind!" The last half hour of Barton Fink was pretty darn amazing. Whenever John Goodman was on screen, I found myself enthralled with the film. Barton Fink has a huge cult following... some people call it the greatest movie of all time. While I'm not one of those people, I can see how someone can get swept up in the craziness of it all. I found the film to be really slow and pretty uninteresting whenever John Goodman wasn't present. Not much happens in the first hour alone, and I didn't really laugh during that time either. It's a movie I'll have to see over and over to truly appreciate, but as it stands I found it to be an above-average surreal experience.

Beauty and the Beast (1991) - ★★★★★

Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Writers: (Huge collaberation)
Voice Actors: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, David Ogden Stiers

Here it is! I'm gonna call it now! Beauty and the Beast is the greatest Disney movie ever made. I'm barely a quarter way through my Disney Blogathon, yet I can't see anything else beating this. There are a few contenders I suspect will challenge this film (The Lion King, Cinderella), but deep down I feel that Beauty and the Beast is even better than all others. The music is perfect, the animation is unmatched, the story is beautiful, the characters are hilarious! No matter what I say, I feel I can't do this movie justice. I'll just go right ahead and point out what makes this my pick for "Greatest Disney Movie Ever Made."

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) - ★★★★★

Director: Yimou Zhang
Writers: Ni Zhen (screenplay), Su Tong (novel, "Wives and Concubines")
Stars: Li Gong, Saife He, Cuifen Cao, Lin Kong

Based on the novel "Wives and Concubines" by Su Tong, Raise the Red Lantern is an absolutely riveting film that delves into the world of four women married to the same man. This movie had me hooked from the very first scene and didn't let go. If you didn't know anything about the lives of concubines years ago in China, then this film will most likely clear up most questions. It displays the competitive, betraying, and luxurious world of four very interesting women.

When the fourth mistress (Li Gong) arrives, the lives of these women are changed forever. There is an immediate spark of competitiveness between herself and the third mistress (Saife He); a deceiving friendship with the second mistress (Cuifin Cao); and mutual disinterest with the first mistress. All of the scheming eventually leads to the true personalities of these characters being revealed, which turns out to be both shocking and fascinating.

I have to say that after seeing this film, Li Gong would have to be one of the greatest actresses I've ever seen, and my absolute favorite from Asia. Film after film she gives stunning performances with an array of different characters; her role as 'The Fourth Mistress' is no exception. Her monologue in the very first scene is such a masterpiece of acting and cinema. Throughout the film we see her fall, grow, evolve and descend. She is such a thrill to watch on screen.

The supporting actresses were terrific also, with Cuifin Cao playing a brilliantly intelligent 'Second Mistress.' Her character intrigued me greatly, for her motives, past, and cleverness was something I wished to explore further. The same goes with Saife He's 'Third Mistress,' who was a charismatic, attention seeking opera singer. One other performance I feel should not go unsung is Lin Kong's brilliant performance as the uneducated yet scheming servant to the Fourth Mistress. If anything, I felt most for her, which is an achievement that the other actresses did not evoke out of me as much.

It is important to note that the cinematography in this is breathtaking at points, then tedious in others. I can't stress enough how beautiful each shot of the mansion was, and how incredible the set and costume design was. However, there were so many establishing shots of the mansion, and the mistresses, where nothing happened. I think at least 15 minutes of the film must have been camera shots of the scenery, which to me felt unnecessary. It did manage to suck me into their world, where what happens outside of the walls is a mystery to the women and us all.

With that being said, Raise the Red Lantern is a masterpiece by Yimou Zhang. This movie invests you into the lives of these women, and provokes you to think of their motives, their past, their thoughts and their feelings. Every scene is a work of art in its way, and there is a great use of symbolism in many scenes. This film may bore some people, but for me, it was so interesting that I saw it twice in a row.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) - ★★★★

Director: James Cameron
Writers: James Cameron, William Wisher Jr.
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick

This movie is awesome in every sense of the word. Ever since I was a child I've loved this film. Of all the action films I've ever seen, Terminator 2 would have to be my favorite. It was practically perfect in every way and deserves to be recognized as one of the greats. It won four Oscars at the Academy Awards and should have been nominated for Best Picture and Best Director in my opinion.

The first Terminator (1984) was absolutely brilliant and really set a high standard for the sequel. Nearly 10 years passed since Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) was targeted for termination by a cyborg from the future. Now her son, John (Edward Furlong), the future leader of the resistance, is the target for a newer, more deadly terminator (Robert Patrick). The resistance from the future managed to send a protector (Arnold Schwarzenegger) back to attempt to save John and Sarah. This cyborg sent to terminate them is practically immortal, as is the cyborg sent to protect them, making this film absolutely packed with intricate and thrilling fight scenes.

Schwarzenegger plays the most badass villain in The Terminator, and somehow manages to pull off an even more badass hero in this film. For a cyborg that can't feel or understand emotions, he is unbelievably easy to like and warm up to. As he learns more about the human race and their emotions, you see he starts to pick up small actions and traits from them. It's really quite clever the way director James Cameron shows the subtle difference between the character at the start of the film and at the end.

This is one of those rare films that is even better than the original. I believe it's because there is something to please everyone. There's action, comedy, drama, nudity and even more action. Cameron did a great job with writing a sequel that actually fits well with the original story. Hamilton was incredible as Sarah. She toned up for the role and became one of the strongest and most inspiring female characters I've seen in film. For me, she is second only to Ripley from Ridley Scott's, 'Alien.' I was rooting for her the whole way, mainly because of how she had evolved as a character from the first film. In the first film she was just a young waitress looking to make ends meat, but in this film she wanted to save the human race from enslavement by the cyborgs.

Edward Furlong was the standout in this film. This would have to be the greatest child acting role I've seen, (Yes, even better than Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone). He really captured the nineties with his rebellious attitude and gone but not forgotten catchphrases. He also acted the part of a child caught up in this crazy world of cyborgs brilliantly. His acting really was spectacular, and in my opinion this film would not be anywhere near as legendary without him.

The same goes with Schwarzenegger, who was perfect as the father-figure of John, not to mention a cyborg. He truly played a believable cyborg. With his emotionless face, expressionless voice, and strong appearance, you didn't have to warm up to the idea of him playing a cyborg, he simply was one. I might also add that the beginning credits of the film is one of the greatest I've seen in a movie. There is a playground burning whilst beautifully epic music plays until the film begins. Its haunting images and sound really set the mood perfectly.

The most surprising thing about this film was that it evoked so many emotions in me that typical action films could not. I laughed my ass off when Schwarzenegger tried to comprehend human catchphrases and emotions. I cringed at many action sequences while I was on the edge of my seat. I was eager to see where the story would lead them. Most importantly, it almost moved me to tears when it was all over.

I think I've said it all. This is a perfect action film, and deserves to be on my Movies You Must See list as much as many other classic films.