The other day I caught up on Blood Diamond for the very first time that too on a rerun on HBO and immensely enjoyed it. Afterwards I was reminiscing about Leonardo DiCaprio and all his recent work and it struck me that the body of work done by this young fine actor is exceptional to say the very least. Coming within a decade of 1997s mega successful Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio has only gone from strength to strength and entertained us in memorable roles. I thought I will do a write up on Leonardo DiCaprio’s movies that I have seen right from my childhood and trace his growth and evolution as an actor par excellence and leading Hollywood Heavyweight. I will be doing this write up in chronological order and that too of movies that I have seen and recommend heartily to everyone to catch up on, so don’t wonder if some movies are missing since this is only my list.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) – While this is a Johnny Depp movie through and through, I remember Leonardo DiCaprio’s first outing in this movie as a young mentally ill boy who is always getting into trouble. The scene in the bathtub with Johnny Depp coming to rescue his young brother Leonardo DiCaprio is still etched in my memory. This movie is a must watch just to catch a young Leonardo DiCaprio, but even otherwise you will immensely enjoy it for other stars like Johnny Depp and Juliette Lewis.
Romeo + Juliet (1996) – This was Baz Luhrmann before he became the Baz Luhrmann and it is an unusual take on the traditional Romeo and Juliet set in modern times and set to elaborate sets and costumes with young stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes and John Leguizamo. Leonardo DiCaprio’s star turn as the star crossed lover Romeo is great and gave him one of his first breaks as a leading man in Hollywood and you will come away marveling at the wonderful job done by the young crop of actors, a must watch for both Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes and even a young John Leguizamo deserves mention.
Titanic (1997) – There is really nothing much to write about Titanic. Everyone has seen it I am sure and also probably for Kate Winslet, but Leonardo DiCaprio’s role of a young man from the wrong side of the tracks caught in love with a young Kate Winslet from high society made this the biggest blockbuster of all time and catapulted Leonardo DiCaprio to superstardom. It is a visually stunning treat this monster of a movie and what’s amazing is the way James Cameron pulled it off by keeping audiences all over engrossed and watching something they knew had already happened i.e. the sinking of the unsinkable Titanic. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet keep it from turning into a soppy, youthful, and mushy romance and because of this and for the special effects alone Titanic is a must watch.
The Man In The Iron Mask (1998) – Big screen adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ masterpiece, not really a great movie, but still entertaining and worth a watch to see Leonardo DiCaprio as the bad King Louis XIV and also his twin The Man In The Iron Mask who is kept in prison from his childhood. There are other Hollywood heavyweights like Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne joining in for the ride.
The Beach (2000) – Nothing much to write about here. Only good thing worth watching are the beautiful beach locales that will take your breath away and Leonardo DiCaprio’s handsome face.
Gangs Of New York (2002) – A Martin Scorsese movie and excellent performances all around by Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. The fight sequences are excellent to say the least and Daniel Day-Lewis is excellent as the butcher, but Leonardo DiCaprio does manage to hold his own here and Cameron Diaz is a revelation, all of it making it a great movie and not to be missed.
Catch Me If You Can (2002) – Based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr. who while still in his teens had defrauded people worth millions of dollars impersonating many varied characters like an airline pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, etc. and Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr. is brilliant to say the least. Tom Hanks joins in for the ride and with Steven Spielberg helming the project what more can one ask for.
The Aviator (2004) – A biopic by Martin Scorsese based on the life of Howard Hughes, the movie only deals with his early life and his turn as a Hollywood producer and director and aviator (hence the title) who set many records while flying in the air and his slow degeneration into OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) turning him into a social recluse. Leonardo DiCaprio is brilliant as Howard Hughes and does an exceptional job with Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, and Gwen Stefani lending able support make this an exceptional movie and truly a memorable one.
The Departed (2006) – Based on the Honk Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, The Departed more than lives up to the original and the acting all around is exceptional with superstars and heavyweights like Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen. Leonardo DiCaprio plays an undercover cop who infiltrates the mob and Matt Damon plays a cop who is in reality a snitch/informer of the mob and each is out to get the other before their cover gets blown off. Once again great movie making by Martin Scorsese and great performances by everybody involved make this a not to be missed movie at any cost movie.
Blood Diamond (2006) – I have just posted on this movie so you can check out my thoughts on it here. Needless to say Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn as a Zimbabwean diamond smuggler is brilliant and the movie on the whole shows us an Africa none of us has ever seen. A brilliant movie with superior performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly make this a must watch.
Rajeev,
Your new theme is good. I feel, that you can cut down on the number of posts displayed at home (to something like 8-10). Also, too many tower ads of different width makes it a bit difficult to scan through. Probably you can separate 120×600 and 160×600 into the two sidebars that you have.
Try posting a blog review query at http://forums.digitalpoint.com/forumdisplay.php… . You will get a lot of inputs and suggestions.
Cheers,
Ajith
Thanks for your input Ajith. You are really a good pal. I have put so much stuff only to check out some data. Will be pulling down what's not working and going with what's working for my blog. Shall check out the forum you have mentioned. Thanks once again.
What about basketball diaries – one of the best Leonardo movies ever????
I missed that one. Need to rent the DVD I guess.