The Dresser (1983) - ★★★★

Director: Peter Yates
Writers: Ronald Harwood (Screenplay)
Stars: Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Edward Fox, Eileen Atkins, Michael Gough

The Dresser is a film most memorable for its stunning performances. Each character has something interesting about them, whether they be a 'bugger' Dresser, a senile Shakespearian actor or a woman who has been in a one-sided love with the same man for 20 years. Yates could not have picked a better cast for this movie, which made it soar into an unforgettable film.

Skyfall (2012) - ★★★★

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Stars: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw

Skyfall lived up to its hype and ended up being one of the best Bond films of all time. It has a similar storyline, action sequences and characters to most Bond films, but somehow one-ups them by making them even more interesting and thrilling to see. This can be attributed to Javier Bardem's masterful performance as the latest Bond villain and Judi Dench being thrown into the thick of the action. If you are a Bond fan, this film shouldn't disappoint. 

This installment of the franchise sees Bond (Daniel Craig) travel to Bangkok, Macau and The Moors in England. His latest mission is to hunt down a man called Silva (Bardem), a former 'Double-0' and master computer hacker. He seeks revenge on M (Judi Dench) and intends to destroy her and her world for reasons I will not say. Many heartstopping action scenes later, they find themselves in a showdown at The Moors which sees Kincade (Albert Finney), an old friend of Bond, join the fight in saving M and killing Silva.

One of the greatest things about this film is that it brings back the character Q, the inventor from many of the old Bond films. This Q is played by young Ben Whishaw, who I see great potential in. The origin of Miss. Moneypenny (secretary to M) is also given in this film, which I found to be the cherry on the cake.

I will say that this film lacked a little when it came to the Bond girls. The two they had in the film were really good, but none of them had much of a spark or excitement that the previous Bond women had. Another letdown for me was that the excitement was not constant throughout, with some parts being quite tedious and slow.

With that being said, I still found this film highly entertaining. Judi Dench and Javier Bardem were outstanding in this film, and for me were the best part. Daniel Craig maintained his tough guy Bond persona which I liked. The story was interesting, the music was amazing, the cinematography was fantastic and overall this is a great film.

Murder on the Orient Express (1974) - ★★★½

Director: Sidney Lumet
Writers: Paul Dehn (Screenplay), Agatha Christie (Novel)
Stars: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Ingrid Bergman, Martin Balsam, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York

This is arguably the greatest ensemble cast in the history of film. So many legends, so many talents, such good acting all in one film! Not to mention, this is my favorite Agatha Christie novel. Murder on the Orient Express is a very entertaining, beautiful film that I enjoyed every minute of.

Famous detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) is returning to England aboard the Orient Express, which is a train unusually crowded for the time of year. Shortly after the train's departure, a wealthy American businessman, Rachett (Richard Widmark), tries to secure Poirot's services for $15,000 since he has received many death threats, which Poirot turns down. The next morning Ratchett is found stabbed to death in his cabin. Poirot enlists the help from his friend Bianchi (Martin Balsam) and Dr. Constantine (George Coulouris) to solve the mystery of who killed Ratchett. Poirot soon discovers that Ratchett was not who he claimed to be. His secret past indicates a clear motive for murder, even justification, but who was the killer?

The story is filled with many twists and turns and clues for the viewer to solve. There is beautiful cinematography and music throughout the film which enhanced the joy of watching the mystery unfurl. At first I wasn't sure if I liked Albert Finney's Poirot, but after a while I grew to like how he portrayed the character. I personally think that the best portayal of Poirot is by David Suchet.

The supporting cast were magnificent. For me the clear standouts were Bacall, Bergman and Gielgud, who were all entertaining and clearly the masters of acting in the film. Anthony Perkins was great to watch too, especially when he talked about his mother in the film (which I had a laugh about, remembering Psycho). It's not often you see Sean Connery and Vanessa Redgrave outshined in a film, but this was one of them. They're both great actors, who had to compete with legendary actors, making this film full of great acting!

Not only is this one of the greatest murder mysteries there is, but it's also my favorite. The acting is so good that no matter what I say about it, it would not do the film or the actors justice. I love this film, however, not as much as the David Suchet version. I recommend it to anyone that loves a good mystery.