Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

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1. Reyes Munoz 10.10.11 / 6pm

   First things first, very interesting list and I agree with your number one pick, The Godfather. There are many good reasons why Citizen Kane is the king of all films but The Godfather’s story and performances trump over the technical advances that Citizen Kane brought to the art form of filmmaking. Both of The Godfather’s story and script are so powerful, and the acting very well executed, that it is no wonder why this film is in the top five of all major films lists. The cinematography and musical score also go well together in setting the mood and tone of the film. In terms of the overall list, I am glad to see films such as Fight club, Pulp Fiction, Almost Famous, and Lost Highway, which are absent in many lists largely in part because they are considered cult-classics rather than critically acclaimed or groundbreaking.
2. Herschel Weintraub 07.07.12 / 5pm

   Wow! What a list, as I read through it all that went through my mind was “amazing, good, and I need to see that film”. However, there were several important films that were not included on the list that need recognition. First, the list missed Blood Diamond, by Edward Zxick. The movie is a constant thrill till the very end. I have seen it multiple times and every time I see it, I enjoy it more. The list also missed Saving Private Ryan, by Steven Spielberg. Saving Private Ryan is a war film, in which a group of men set out to retrieve Ryan, due to his brother’s deaths. I promise that whoever sees these films won’t regret it, they are both amazing and powerful films.
3. shuyu Ning 07.19.14 / 4pm

   I like the The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967): USA very much. Mike Nichols is a great director.I only know his “The Graduate,” it is said that the funniest American comedy of 1967 year, is inspired by the free spirit which the young British directors have brought into their movies. It is also very popular in China. We know this is one of American culture. We learn the culture from that time and the movie. I think It is so funny, not because of sight gags and punch lines and other tired rubbish, but because it has a point of view. That is to say, it is against something. it is totally different from ours.
4. Rachael Ramirez 06.09.18 / 9pm

   I personally think Shawshank Redemption is one of the top 50 films I have ever seen. Our initial thought of Shawshank is that we think it is about a man who is wrongfully accused of committing a crime he did not do and then escaping from prison. However Shawshank Redemption, with emphasis on redemption, has a much deeper meaning to it. This film is all about redemption and learning from your mistakes whether that actually be what you are in prison for, or whether that be something else. In one of the scenes Red is talking to Andy and says that we can either let our anger, fear, and/or imprisonment define us or we can strive for better and to find a balance, and strive to achieve our hopes and dreams. Explicitly the film is all about redemption, the idea that if you want to you can change your life from how it used to be. That you have the power to do so. The characters in this movie have an amazing amount as depth to them, almost as if each character represents an aspect in our life. Whether that be a a challenge, something happy, our deepest secrets, or an apathetic time that you had in your life. The characters all seem to play an important role that I personally can apply to my life.
5. Michael Green 06.08.19 / 10pm

   This list is very interesting. When i first saw the list I could not agree with him more about how the order went. I really like how he chose to put the god father first, it was such a great movie. I couldn’t believe it that I started watching some of these movies so I can just compare the order myself. One thing I didn’t believe was right that The Matrix should have been top 50 or even top 25.
6. Zongyue Zhang 06.09.19 / 7am

   I think “The Shawshank Redemption” should get 2nd place or 3rd place. It is really a good movie that I ever see. I think Godfather is a great movie, although it is not in class movie list. “The Shawshank Redemption” is describe a perfect story and make people feel real. The most important thing is freedom for Andy. It also the most important thing for us. The story also make people think it has suprise when people saw Andy perpared to run out in 19 years and he never give up. Perseverance is also important for everyone.
7. Nathan Davis 10.15.20 / 10am

   This is a great list, so many of my top movies are already on here. To start it off with the GodFather is ok, personally I think the star wars saga would out play that movie, however, i can see where the club made the decisions. This movies is soooo long but has so much good detail entailing the mafia etc. I saw that the Dark Knight was up there on the list, i thought that was kind of funny, because one it’s a really good movie but I don’t think it would be on my list of top movies. especially since there are just so many superhero movies already. Lastly this list is missing saving private ryan probably my favorite war movie and then I saw that Shawshank Redemption wasn’t even Top 5 which I definitely should be. other than I can agree most of these movies are on my top 50 list too.
8. Charlie Figueroa 10.16.20 / 7pm

   I thought this was a great list ranking the top 50 movies. Many of my favorite movies are on here, so I can already tell this is an accurate list. Starting off with the GodFather was a very accurate choice with the first spot, but I haven’t seen Citizen Kane yet so I would definately have to put Star Wars at number two spot because of how iconic this saga is. The Star Wars franchise is still continuing on very strong and I don’t see them slowing down anytime soon. Some other notible movies on this list are Shawshank Redemption, Dark Knight, Good Fellas, and Alien. For most of these films on this list you can rewatch them and feel as if you were watching them for the first time again. This list holds some very good movies and some that I have never seen before, but I can still agree with these picks.
9. Cole Hernandez 10.16.20 / 7pm

   This is a great list. i would just like to see more fast and furious and remeber the titans and i still believe but overall youre list is pretty good. i liked how you picked the dark knight a great movie.really like the confidned you had in this list.
10. Catalina Perez 01.25.21 / 11am

    I chose to look at this review because it has to do with films SBCC students have watched and I am pleased to read this list and can agree with many of the movies in the top 50. I have seen many of these movies but I like how you put “The Godfather” as #1. I recently watched Sunset Boulevard which I am happy is on the list, but I understand why it’s not towards the top of the list. Movies like “Vertigo”, “The Wizard of Oz”, and “The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly” are all really good movies too. Some of my other favorites are “Remember the Titans” and “Forrest Gump”. Thanks for sharing!
11. Riva Lewis 10.12.21 / 10am

    I was very happy to find this list, I found it very comprehensive and I agree with many of your top choices. The Graduate, one of my all time favorite movies uses a unique composition style to portray Ben’s story throughout the plot. I found this movie unique because while the plot takes place over a relatively short period of time, the story and Ben’s background, history and relationship with the Robinson family is crucial to the context of the movie. The first movie that I have seen to appear on the list is the Star Wars series. Star Wars used incredibly revolutionary sci-fi mise-en-scene that gave verisimilitude to the abstract world of Star Wars. One movie I thought earned is place on this list but was not represented was the movie Whiplash. Whiplash has incredible actors who portray a truly intriguing story. Overall, I am very excited to work my way through this list, thank you!
12. Sturgis Krichmaier 10.15.21 / 9pm

    I like seeing these kinds of lists because it gives me an idea of what movies I should prioritize watching and I can see a general consensus of what movie other people consider the best. I’ve seen a few of the movies on the list but not enough in my opinion. I personally wouldn’t have put Star Wars as high as it is on this list. There’s no question that Star Wars is a staple of the film industry and definitely deserves to have a film on the list, but number 3 seems a little high. I think I just have different criteria for the list but that’s not a big deal. I think the list is overall good and I’ll have to refer to it another time if I don’t know what movie to watch.
13. Dani Patterson 03.11.22 / 10pm

    I really enjoyed what Zongyue Zhang said about how Shawshank redemption should be in the top 2 or 3 of the ranking list. They also said that Shawshank redemption has a great storyline and it almost makes it feel real. I agree with this because the acting that was shown throughout This film was great as well as the plot of the story.

    I also agree with Sturgis Krichmaier’s review because they wrote about star wars and how it is a staple film. I completely agree with this as I have seen all of the films and most people know of these movies. They also wrote about how it has different criteria compared to the other films on the list. I think it does too because it has several other different things going on throughout the film.
14. Daniella Patterson 03.11.22 / 10pm

    I really enjoyed what Zongyue Zhang said about how Shawshank redemption should be in the top 2 or 3 of the ranking list. They also said that Shawshank redemption has a great storyline and it almost makes it feel real. I agree with this because the acting that was shown throughout This film was great as well as the plot of the story.

    I also agree with Sturgis Krichmaier’s review because they wrote about star wars and how it is a staple film. I completely agree with this as I have seen all of the films and most people know of these movies. They also wrote about how it has different criteria compared to the other films on the list. I think it does too because it has several other different things going on throughout the film.
15. Wangyang Zhang 06.10.22 / 6pm

    This is a very good list, it shows a lot of very good movies. My favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption. I feel helpless about the hero’s misfortune. But this is the reality, which exists in our life. Due to the protagonist’s poor words, there was a conflict with his wife, who said that he was like a closed book, which would never be understood. And they chose to cheat. Just when they were intimate with their lover, they met a man who was unhappy with them, so they shot and killed them, but the charge was borne by her husband. When the protagonist goes to prison, he also vows the normal “mental retardation” of government personnel. When he goes to prison, like everyone, he first feels pain from “hate” and his maladjustment. Then there is “habit”, getting used to everything here, learning and adapting to the rules here. Until the end, “can not do without”, that is, the film said to be “institutionalized”.
16. Arturo Balderrama 09.16.22 / 1am

    I found this review list extremely well done. The quick reviews made next to each movie / it’s placement on the list were quick, concise, and fair. I think that it was fair for the reviewers to place Citizen Kane high on the list. The placement of this film under the title of one of the best movies of all time threw me off at first. I had to rewatch it a few times to notice more specific and nuanced details and through that, I can truly say that the movie has grown on me. The acting and mise-en-scene give the film an immense sense of verisimilitude within this film. It truly felt like we rewatched the rise and fall of a man who had nothing else but what living situation he was thrown into as a young man. I truly appreciated this film and the role it played in changing the industry as a whole.
17. Junior Leon Charco 10.20.22 / 9am

    Very Interesting List, All these 50 movies are really good and really fun to watch. I was looking at the top three and I agree with The Godfather for #1. The Godfather’s role. There are numerous reasons why Citizen Kane is the king of all films, yet The Godfather’s plot and performances triumph over Citizen Kane’s technological achievements in film making. The Godfather’s narrative and story line are both extremely compelling, and the acting is superb. Star Wars on the other hand I personally would not put it for top three. I strongly think ” The Shawsank”, should be top three.
18. Junior Leon Charco 10.20.22 / 9am

    Very Interesting List, All these 50 movies are really good and really fun to watch. I was looking at the top three and I agree with The Godfather for #1. The Godfather’s role. There are numerous reasons why Citizen Kane is the king of all films, yet The Godfather’s plot and performances triumph over Citizen Kane’s technological achievements in film making. The Godfather’s narrative and story line are both extremely compelling, and the acting is superb. Star Wars on the other hand I personally would not put it for top three. I strongly think ” The Shawsank”, should be in the top three.
19. Jordan Rosenthal 03.14.23 / 5pm

    I would say that the list presented here does an exceptional job at highlighting major films that made massive impacts on the industry. The one film that I can speak on the most would be The Shawshank Redemption, and it was the 8th best on this list. I saw amazing examples of lighting techniques, film/camera techniques, and of course beautiful acting in this film. I can only imagine what has been put into the movies above The Shawshank Redemption. My favorite use of the camera in this film was when Andy left the prison, having the frame pointing away from the correction center. This shows a deeper meaning of him being able to move on from that part of his life, while other characters weren’t so lucky and had the camera pointing towards the correction center while leaving. This is too good of a movie to spoil for anyone so that’s all I’ll say.
20. Carson Wall 06.22.23 / 5pm

    I would have to agree with the list for the most part. Definitely A lot of iconic films on that list that impact the industry. The one that I would like to shine a light on is the one and only; “The Shawshank Redemption”. This movie ranked 8th best on this list. While watching this film I have seen many prime examples of concepts we have talked about in this class such as Lighting techniques, Film and camera techniques, and the amazing acting. I can’t even imagine the create this interesting story that results in such an emotional touch for the viewers. The themes in the Film are also extremely valuable; Friendship, perseverance, and cruelty.

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