My Video Resume

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZd-25BA-kU

The Godfather Part II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xae6OzYcoE

The film is both a sequel and a prequel to The Godfather, chronicling the story of the Corleone family following the events of the first film while also depicting the rise to power of the young Vito Corleone before the events of the first film. Robert De Niro stars in this film as the young Vito Corleone (Michael’s father).

The Godfather Part II was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro, and has been selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry.

This film focused heavily on the earlier life of Vito Corleone, including the suffering in his childhood in Sicily and his struggle in America. In the film, the interlude between the past and present definitely gives more “flavor” to it. This technique of film shooting was considered a whole new way of film making during the mid 70s; the results were very successful.

Near the end of this movie, Al Neri shoots Fredo in the head (from the back) while they are fishing on Lake Tahoe, as Fredo (Michael’s little brother) is saying a Hail Mary to help catch a fish. Michael watches from his den. I think this is an icon that signifies Michael Corleone has fully turned into a cold hearted mafia boss.

There is some very interesting that I found out about the Godfather and the Godfather Part II. Many scenes that were shot have been cut from the films. There has not been a single release that contains all of this footage together in one collection. 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather_Part_II

The Godfather

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAfWMr26KQk

This film is a 1972 American gangster-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo.  The movie was directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and Robert Towne.
Many of the best of the best American actors and actresses are in this movie, such as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton, and features John Cazale, Talia Shire, Al Martino, and Abe Vigoda. 

The Godfather, what can I say, this film is a truly American Classic. It is ranked third, behind Citizen Kane and Casablanca, on the AFI's (American Film Institute) Top 100 Movies list. It was moved up to second place when the list was published again in 2008.

The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the fictional Italian American Corleone crime family. There are two sequels followed: The Godfather Part II in 1974, and The Godfather Part III in 1990.
The Godfather received Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, and has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

This film is Al Pacino's third film in his acting career. I personally believe that this film is the one that "made" him, along with his acting career. Although he had many films, such as Scar Face, The Scent of a Woman, Glengarry Glen Ross, and so on, but I think that the Godfather film series are his best movies. 

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Godfather

Red Dragon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtcZEPEblUQ

The film was directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Tally, who also wrote the screenplay for The Silence of the Lambs. Edward Norton plays a FBI agent Will Graham in this movie. Anthony Hopkins plays the same old character - Hannibal Lecter - a role he played twice before in The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Ralph Fiennes plays the Francis Dolarhyde character in the movie, also know as the "Tooth Fairy".

This film is the second film of "the Silence of the Lambs" movie series. It starts with the arrest of Hannibal Lector by Will Graham. Years later, when the FBI begins to solve the "Tooth Fairy" case, Will Graham turns to seek help from Hannibal Lector, who has been in a maximum security prison for a long time. 

I think this movie is more of a case-solving thriller; it is a bit different from other films of "the Silence of the Lambs" series. Yes, there is lots of blood; yes there is Hannibal Lector; and yes, it is pretty scary. But the whole movie is more on Will Graham'a speculative thinking of solving the case. 

Ralph Fiennes is such an outstanding actor; he is definitely on the my Top-10 most skillful actor list. The thing about him is that he seldom plays the main character of movies, well, besides the English Patient. I just wish to see him more often in more movies as the main character.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dragon_%28film%29

Hannibal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHQSViS4uBs

Hannibal is a 2001 psychological thriller directed by Ridley Scott. This film belongs to the Silence of the Lambs series; it is the sequel of this film series. Actor Anthony Hopkins still plays the same role as the man-eater Hannibal Lecter. Julianne Moore co-stars, taking over for Jodie Foster in the role of FBI Agent Clarice Starling.

Set ten years after The Silence of the Lambs, the premise is that Dr. Lecter's only surviving victim, the extremely wealthy Mason Verger (portrayed by Gary Oldman), is determined to capture, torture, and kill him. The film's locations alternate between Italy and the U.S.

To me, this is an another great horror-thriller movie. I think that Hannibal Lecter is probably the most difficult role to play for any actor in the movie history. Anthony Hopkins is such a brilliant, talented and outstanding actor. His acting skills are insanely good that makes people believe that he actually is insane, not really just an actor. I just truly love Anthony Hopkins acting! 

P.S.: The ending of this movie is directly related to cutting people's head open and eating the brain, so if anyone who is sensitive to blood or flesh, be aware!!!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal_%28film%29

The Silence of the Lambs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMVqIISyp60

In my opinion, this movie, "The Silence of the Lambs" is definitely the Top-Five Crime-Thriller film of all time. It is also on the list of my 10 favorite movies. It was directed by Jonathan Demme and stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, and Ted Levine. This film won the top five Academy Awards, which are Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
In this film, Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a young FBI trainee, seeks the advice of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a genius imprisoned people-eating criminal, for help in apprehending a serial killer known only as "Buffalo Bill." All the victims of this "Buffalo Bill" were found skinned and dumped in the river.

Here are some personal advices:

1. If you are under age of 18, Do NOT watch this movie, because it might give you nightmares;

2. If you are Crime-Thriller or Mystery film lover, you MUST watch this movie;

3. If you are seeking best acting in the history of film making, you MUST watch this movie.

There are actually four films in the "The Silence of the Lambs" movie series. The other three are: "Hannibal", "Red Dragon", and "Hannibal Rising". I will be talking more about these three films later.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_%28film%29

The Pursuit of Happyness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQlzz6jGCfI

In 1981, in San Francisco, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) invests his family's savings in Osteo National bone-density scanners. The investment proves to be a white elephant which financially breaks the family and as a result, his wife Linda (Thandie Newton) leaves him and their son Christopher (Jaden Smith). 

One day in downtown he meets a manager for Dean Witter and impresses him by solving a Rubiks Cube. This new relationship earns him the chance to become a stockbroker. 

Chris is setback when his bank account is garnished by the IRS for back taxes. As a result of unpaid taxes he becomes homeless. 

After fighting with countless difficulties, his struggle has paid off and he is offered the position. Fighting back tears he rushes to his son's daycare, hugging him.  The epilogue reveals that Chris went on to form his own multi-million dollar brokerage firm.

This movie could be a classic example of "Anything is Possible" or "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration".

When I see homeless people standing at the entrance of a super market, or the front door of a gas station asking for changes, I always wonder why wouldn't these people get a job? I personally believe that it really isn't too difficult to have a decent life in America. First of all, American public education is totally free, you don't even have to pay for text books. Second, there are public libraries everywhere in America; if you can't afford to go to college, you can still learn tons of knowledge just by reading in a public library. 

I just simply think that if there are more people like Chris Gardner in the world, our society and environment would be much better.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pursuit_of_Happyness