verbal-15

"The Usual Suspects" has perhaps the greatest, and most unexpected, ending ever filmed. If you haven't seen it then I won't ruin it for you, but I must have seen the film ten times and it still has shock value. The plot is somewhat hard to follow, so I recommend watching it at least twice. It's worth it. And oh yeah, the rest of the movie's pretty good, too.

Braindead (or as you'll find it at the video store, Dead Alive) is probably the goriest movie in history, or at least close to it. It's more of a black comedy than a horror film, and die-hard horror fans may be turned off by the slapstick-y nature of the film. But any movie with zombie molestation at a dinner table and a kickboxing priest fighting the undead is okay by me. And if you thought Karl from "Sling Blade" made good use of a lawnmower blade, wait till you see this!

Pulp Fiction, despite borrowing from just about every movie ever made, is the most invigorating cinema experience a filmgoer can ever hope for. Its hodgepodge of violence, mayhem, and generally deviant behavior is an assault on the senses, not to mention political correctness. However, despite all the film's cleverness and style, it hinges on the performance put forth by Samuel L. Jackson as Jules. The fact that he was denied an Oscar is a downright shame. Martin Landau, the best supporting actor winner that year, was terrific and funny in Ed Wood, but Jackson was perhaps the most commanding screen presence in film history as the bible-quoting, godfearing hitman. The last scene in the coffee shop with Tim Roth still sends chills down my spine, no matter how many times I've seen it. Rumors of a prequel involving Jules and Vincent (John Travolta) have been floating around lately. If Quentin Tarantino wishes to regain the fans he lost with the dissapointing (but still pretty good) Jackie Brown, he should get to work right away. I'll be the first in line to see the finished product.