Dead Poets' Society (1989)

Instead of using the official trailer of the film, I chose to show you a (yes, rather long but definitely brings the point across) video clip from the film itself.  The official trailer is seriously doing a disservice to the movie!  The movie is more inspirational and serious than comical like it was portrayed in the trailer.

Carpe diem, seize the day!  This movie stars Robin Williams as Professor John Keating, a teacher with unconventional teaching methods who joins a traditional boarding school well-known to produce excellent students. Of course, for a school so deeply entrenched in traditional values that students are expected to conform to, Professor Keating brings a new and refreshing perspective to his students, giving them motivation to follow their heart.  His style of teaching is being frowned upon by other professors who have been with the school for a long time and whose mindset is aligned with that of the school, believing in conformity to a set of values that "guarantees" success in life.

Professor Keating's beliefs and style of teaching swayed some of the students in his class to start thinking more for themselves, and pursue their interests, making life way more interesting and joyful.  However, in a society where people are generally old-fashioned in their thinking, such a deviant does not fit in well and his actions lead to consequences that gives the viewer an opportunity to decide for himself whether the protagonist's actions were morally acceptable.  Enjoy the movie!

Jerry Maguire (1996)

SHOW ME THE MONEY!! It's gonna be a weekly-updated blog eventually but I thought I'd post more frequently now to kickstart the blog. =D Yes, if you're all second-guessing already, I'm a Tom Cruise fan. I can't exactly put my finger on it (good plot, good character development, good directing, a bit of everything, I dunno..), but I really enjoyed most of his films and many of them will be reviewed here on Dusty and Nice (I promise my next review won't be a Tom Cruise film though, in case I bore you to death =P).

Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is the typical sports agent, whose objective in life was to have as many clients as possible, and working to get them the best contracts (earning himself a healthy commission as well). However, one fateful night, as though his inner senses were awakened, he did not feel that his objectives in life was morally right. Having this new-found belief, he shared it with his colleagues. However, in the business world where profit-making is the number one priority for any firm, his new-found belief was contradictory to that and he ends up getting fired. Having to start anew on his own, he tries to garner support from his colleagues, but ends up only getting Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger) , an accountant, to leave the agency and join him. Among the many clients that he has under the agency, he only ends up with Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr), his least important client with a very strong ego.

And so, Jerry embarks on his journey to revive his career with Rod as his only client. Initially disheartened that he is left with his least important client to work with, Jerry decides to stay true to his new-found beliefs and in this process, makes new friends, and finds true love.

This show definitely illustrates a very good point that colleagues and friends are two separate groups (friends can be colleagues but colleagues can never be friends). Navigating your way through a morally gray world while sticking firmly to your own beliefs is tough and sacrifices will need to be made but at the end of the day, the results can be satisfying and makes all of it seem worthwhile.

On top of great performances by Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger and Cuba Downing Jr, this award-winning film by Cameron Crowe is full of ups and downs, littered with moments of great laughter as well as touching moments that will make you cry. 5/5!

A Few Good Men (1992)

In this very first post on Dusty and Nice, I will recommend you my favourite film which in my opinion is the best movie of all time, A Few Good Men (1992) starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore.

Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is an inexperienced Navy lawyer who has never seen a courtroom and was tasked to defend two Marines, Pfc. Louden Downey and Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson, who were charged with the murder of their fellow Marine, Pfc. William Santiago down at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Initially planning to plea-bargain for this case, he was convinced to investigate further by Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) who suspected a cover-up given the hushed-up nature of this case.

This film follows the investigation conducted by Lt. Kaffee that uncovers the harsh reality that soldiers down at the border face, and how while Col. Nathan Jessep's (Jack Nicholson) order to perform an illegal disciplinary action termed "Code Red" against Pfc. Santiago is unethical, his actions weren't totally wrong given his responsibilities.

The film was very intriguing and really kept me on my toes all the way. Col. Jessep was one tough nut to crack and the only way Lt. Kaffee could do it was to put his career on the line, accusing Col. Jessep in court, and then using Col. Jessep's low tolerance for disrespect against him. The film title, "A Few Good Men" sums things up pretty nicely. Everyone in the courtroom was a "good man" performing his duties to the best of his abilities. Col. Jessep definitely embodied the type of "necessary evil" that although unethical, gets things done. This is one show I would never ever forget. 5/5!