# 161 Scarface (1983)

Scarface is an update of a 1932 film about a Cuban gangster Tony Montana who immigrates to the United States, builds his criminal empire in Miami, but as his power and wealth grow, so does his paranoia. It shows the downside of the American dream in a very raw way.

As I've mentioned in one of my earlier reviews, I like movies that I can learn from. Before watching this movie I didn't know anything about the Mariel boatlift. I found it so interesting that later on I looked it up in Wikipedia. In reality, only 2% of the refugees were classified as serious or violent criminals under U.S. law and denied citizenship on that basis. But anyway, I thank the creators of this film by giving me a history lesson.

It was also interesting to find out that the movie has received mixed reaction. It's hard for me to judge because this whole watching IMDb Top 250 thing has changed me so much that I've become a crime-drama lover. But I agree that this movie is a little bit over the top. I don't know if I would call it a flaw, but I can understand why some people didn't like it for that reason. The only thing I didn't like that much is the ending. Did you see how many times Tony Montana got shot? Still he kept walking around like a Terminator. And I think if he had stayed alive after everything that had happened, it would have made the movie a lot more tragic.

Talking about the acting, I think F. Murray Abraham did a really good job as Omar Suárez. Al Pacino... well you either hate him or love him, but I couldn't think of a better actor for the role. Most of all I liked how the movie showed the change of Montana's attitude towards his woman and his best friend. After all, if money hasn't changed you, you haven't made enough.

Interesting fact: The word "yeyo" is used by Tony Montana (Al Pacino) as a slang word for cocaine. This word was not in the script, and was ad-libbed by Pacino during the first drug deal scene (chainsaw scene), and Brian De Palma liked it enough to keep using it throughout the film. Pacino learned the word while learning the Cuban accent.

Favorite quote: "Every day above ground is a good day".

# 160 Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day is a story of a pretty arrogant weatherman who goes to a small town to cover a story about a weather forecasting groundhog, and has to relive the same day over and over again. He goes through highs and lows, realizing that no matter what he does, even if it's a crime or suicide, the next morning he will wake up in the same bed in a hotel room. So basically he can do whatever he want, but the only change that will ever be possible must happen within himself.

First of all I would like to say a couple of words about the actors. Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell were great as lead actors here, but the most charismatic was Chris Elliott who played Larry. Andie MacDowell is a beautiful woman, and it first it was hard for me to believe that Murray could fit into the role of a womanizer, but he played very convincingly. And Larry was funny as hell.

I liked how this movie showed relationships between men and women. I like how it shows us that even the most unapproachable women are attracted to popular men. As I've mentioned many times before, I'm not a fan of romantic comedies, but there was absolutely nothing in this film that I found annoying. Early drafts of the script explained that Phil's disaffected ex-lover called Stephanie cast a spell on him to teach him a lesson. I'm glad it was cut from the film because it could have turned the movie into a disaster.

The film has quite a few good jokes, the type of jokes that never go out of style, but it's not a pure comedy. Every time the main character wakes up in the morning, you hear the same music, see all the same things, and realize that there's no way out of this. It's so depressing. Groundhog Day is the most interesting mixture of funny and sad I've seen in my life.

Interesting fact: The idea comes from 'The Gay Science', a famous book by Friedrich Nietzsche. In his book, Nietzsche gives a description of a man who is living the same day over and over again. After its release, several writers emerged, claiming that the story was stolen from their idea.

Favorite quote: "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get *that* day over, and over, and over?"

# 159 Toy Story (1995)

Toy Story, as well as its sequels, is an animated movie about toys that come alive when people are nowhere around. Technically it's the first fully computer-generated feature film. I saw it after I saw Toy Story 3 in a movie theater, which I did earlier this year, and I still haven't seen Toy Story 2, so my perception of the movie may be a little distorted because of this.

Of course the graphics here are not as good as in Toy Story 3, and it would be surprising if they were. I'm not saying it as a bad thing, but it did make it a little hard for me to appreciate this film as much as most people did back in 1995. I'll try to stay away from comparing these two movies in my review because they came out in unequal conditions, so it makes just as much sense as comparing Billy Wilder with Christopher Nolan works.

The idea of toys coming alive when nobody is around probably has crossed every child's mind at least once. It crossed my mind many times. I wouldn't call it a children's movie because it's just too creepy. And that little boy that tortures toys just for fun, Sid, has turned this film into a thriller. May be I'm just a very impressionable type of person. Rated G? I don't think so... I can still see that spider-baby thing every time I close my eyes.

I believe this movie should be aimed at teens and preteens because it talks about things like envy and jealousy, it shows how cruel life can be, and the plot is pretty complicated too. I would never show a cartoon like this to little kids though. It's a very high quality work that basically started Pixar Animation Studios a production company that still raises the bar every time they release something new.

Interesting fact: Woody and Buzz Lightyear are inspired by director John Lasseter's own childhood toys. He based Woody on his own pull-string Casper doll, and once he grew out of Casper he moved on to a G.I Joe, a flashy toy at the time of his childhood. Sid Phillips is said to be inspired by a former Pixar employee of the same last name who was known to disassemble toys and use the parts to build bizarre creations.

Favorite quote: "What if Andy gets another dinosaur? A mean one? I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!"