Spartacus (1960)

A slave trained by Roman oppressors to fight to the death as a gladiator in their barbaric games takes his fate into his own hands. Spartacus, the slave in question, applies what he learned in the arena to a cause greater than himself. His words and deeds give voice to the feeling in all slaves' hearts.
It certainly deserves its many accolades, but I have reservations when it comes to scoring. Being wholly subjective, many of the relationships point toward something greater than they themselves deliver upon. It's almost as if the message overpowers some of the emotions, whereas in a perfect world they would've been equals. If the film didn't repeatedly push my thoughts in that direction, then I'd no doubt be awed by it completely, but something ingrained in either it or me keeps me from giving it the full 5 stars.

4 stand up guys out of 5

Insignificance (1985)

A fictional situation featuring four fictionalised characters from different walks of life, all of whom you'll likely recognise even though they're never actually named. There's a professor with wild hair, a 1950s Hollywood blond bombshell, her baseball playing husband, and a U.S. senator who may ask if you are now or have ever been…

It takes place mostly in one hotel room, keeping the best parts of its origins (it's adapted from a play by Terry Johnson) and mixing them with the best parts of cinema, including cutaways, flashbacks and even some flashes forward. To connect with it you'll need to have an appreciation for all of those things and be a fan of Nic Roeg's unique shooting style.

4 unified fields out of 5