I’ve always been a huge movie buff, especially if it’s black and white and stars the like of Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart.With new films constantly smashing records in box offices today, I decided to offer my opinion on five movies.I’ll honor five of them as the best Hollywood’s seen this week and shame the others as the worst next week.

Best –

1. The Manchurian Candidate

What can I say about this film other than calling it a masterpiece? It stars Frank Sinatra in a career-saving role, Angela Lansbury in an Academy Award-nominated performance, and Laurence Harvey in a chilling anti-hero-like showing.It’s neo-noir, dark, but has romantic and comedic tendencies at times with Janet Leigh.I loved this movie so much that I did a research paper on it, because it’s one heck of a film.It’s easily the best film I’ve ever seen.

2. Star Wars (A New Hope)

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you can’t exempt the film that started it all, and, arguably launched George Lucas into stardom (others add American Graffiti into the mix, but I disagree).It’s the first example of the “Stormtrooper effect,” it’s a space opera, which you rarely see done well any more, and nobody can really knock the Alec Guinness-Mark Hamill dynamic.It may not be the first example of the Force being with our generation, but boy, is it good.

3. Casino Royale (2006)

Some folks roll their eyes at James Bond and get confused over the fact that there are many Bonds.I hold the bold view that Daniel Craig is the best Bond, and this is his first movie.When you can stop a plane from exploding but still have time to make out with a married woman, win hundreds of millions of dollars with a straight flush in a poker game, and save your life after being poisoned, you know you’re in for a wild ride.Eva Green portrays a sultry, but tough Vesper Lynd with class.Regardless of how you feel about Craig and the series as a whole, this film easily makes my list.

4. Inception

Oh, Inception.The film everyone hates, loves, or just plain scratches their head over. I’ve seen the film a lot and I still find stuff I didn’t see the previous time.Few films have that cool factor when it comes to me.I dislike few Leonardo DiCaprio films, but I’d have to say this one narrowly edges out Catch Me If You Can for his best.It’s an incredibly difficult film to understand, and the ending itself is controversial.That’s the point of a film, though.You should be able to debate it or argue something out.It’s just not that outstanding if that doesn’t happen.

5. Casablanca

A Humphrey Bogart film has to make my list.Many critics have considered this film (along with Citizen Kane interchangeably) as the greatest film of all time.This film’s biggest problem is length.While it’s only 102 minutes long, the plot kind of drags on.That doesn’t mean discount it in any way.It just makes it stay lower on the list, because the plot is still amazing.Bogart and Ingrid Bergman give awesome performances as the threat of Nazism tries to destroy everything, even their love.Don’t even get me started on the epic-factor the ending has.

Bonus Film –

6. Pulp Fiction

Here’s another film people love to hate or hold in very high regard.The film’s probably one of the hardest to understand that I’ve ever seen.It’s not very believable, especially the scene with the adrenaline shot to the chest, but again, that’s not the point of seeing a film.You see a film to be entertained and forget life for a little while.This film does that and more.With Samuel L. Jackson performing his famous speech (look it up if you haven’t seen it), Bruce Willis in a non-explosion-ridden role, and John Travolta when he was cool.What more do you need?