So I haven't updated this in a couple of months, but instead of letting it fall by the wayside (like last year) I've decided to just post up a list of everything I've watched since then. I will start back with reviews tonight, when I will be seeing Todd Phillips' The Hangover.
April
96. No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)
97. Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)
98. Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2001)
99. Unfaithfully Yours (Preston Sturges, 1948)
100. Thieves Like Us (Robert Altman, 1974)
101. Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967)
102. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972)
103. Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster, 2008)
104. Stroszek (Werner Herzog, 1977)
105. Adventureland (Greg Mottola, 2009)
106. Le Million (Rene Clair, 1930)
107. Brand Upon the Brain! (Guy Maddin, 2006)
108. Land of Silence and Darkness (Werner Herzog, 1971)
109. Cléo from 5 to 7 (Agnes Varda, 1962)
110. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)
111. God's Country (Louis Malle, 1985)
112. ...and the Pursuit of Happiness (Louis Malle, 1986)
113. Dead Man's Shoes (Shane Meadows, 2004)
114. This Is England (Shane Meadows, 2006)
115. Manhattan Murder Mystery (Woody Allen, 1993)
116. Bananas (Woody Allen, 1971)
117. Shadows and Fog (Woody Allen, 1992)
118. Celebrity (Woody Allen, 1998)
119. 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963)
120. Juliet of the Spirits (Federico Fellini, 1965)
121. Adventureland (Greg Mottola, 2009)
122. I Vitelloni (Federico Fellini, 1956)
123. Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, 2006)
124. Chop Shop (Ramin Bahrani, 2007)
125. Stardust Memories (Woody Allen, 1980)
126. Cashback (Sean Ellis, 2006)
127. The Edge of Heaven (Faith Akin, 2008)
128. The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
129. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar, 2002)
130. The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940)
131. Adam's Rib (George Cukor, 1949)
132. Distant (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2002)
133. Hatchet (Adam Green, 2007)
134. The Decline of the American Empire (Denys Arcand, 1986)
135. Crank: High Voltage (Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, 2009)
136. Topper (Norman Z. McLeod, 1937)
137. Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1954)
138. Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1955)
139. Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (Hiroshi Inagaki, 1956)
140. The Hunt for Red October (John McTiernan, 1990)
141. My Neighbor Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)
142. Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders, 1987)
143. Slaughter (Stewart Hopewell, 2009)
144. Stranded: I've Come from a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains (Gonzalo Arijon, 2008)
145. The Broadway Melody (Harry Beaumont, 1929)
146. Cimarron (Wesley Ruggles, 1931)
147. Grand Hotel (Edmund Goulding, 1932)
May
148. The Girlfriend Experience (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
149. Fanboys (Kyle Newman, 2009)
150. Two Lovers (James Grey, 2009)
151. Anvil! The Story of Anvil (Sacha Gervasi, 2009)
152. State of Play (Kevin Macdonald, 2009)
153. 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967)
154. Killshot (John Madden, 2008)
155. Choke (Clark Gregg, 2008)
156. Chuck & Buck (Miguel Artera, 2000)
157. Metropolitan (Whit Stillman, 1990)
158. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Shawn Levy, 2009)
159. Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
160. Raising Victor Vargas (Peter Sollett, 2002)
161. The Pope of Greenwich Village (Stuart Rosenberg, 1984)
162. Blue State (Marshall Lewy, 2007)
163. Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009)
164. The Cake Eaters (Mary Stuart Masterson, 2007)
165. Up (Pete Docter, 2009)
166. Out of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
June
167. Che Part One: The Argentine (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
168. Che Part Two: Guerrilla (Steven Soderbergh, 2009)
169. Body Heat (Lawrence Kasdan, 1981)
170. Three Days of the Condor (Sydney Pollack, 1975)
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
(83) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Directed by Chris ColumbusRated PG
2002
161 minutes
*** 1/2
Friday, April 3, 2009
(74) Synecdoche, New York
Directed by Charlie KaufmanRated R
2008
124 minutes
*****
I'm not really going to say anything about the film in this review, because I know most people who watch this movie will absolutely HATE it. It's NOT for everyone. However, any movie that can make me cry my first two viewings without being able to pinpoint exactly WHY I am must be nothing short of brilliant. And after four viewings, I'm pretty confident calling it that.
(73) Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon
Directed by Eric RohmerRated R
2007
109 minutes
*** 1/2
Rohmer claims this is his last film. And while it certainly doesn't hold a candle to his earlier masterpieces, i.e. My Night at Maud's or Claire's Knee, it is still an extremely enjoyable, extremely talky (but Rohmer-talky) two hours. And from a director just celebrating his 89th birthday, it's a testament to his love of filmmaking and a great sendoff for the master of dialogue-driven cinema.
(72) Üç Maymun
Directed by Nuri Bilge CeylanRated R
2008
109 minutes
****
Not quite as beautiful or heartwrenchingly simplistic and natural as his previous film, Climates, Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Three Monkeys still stands as a fascinating merging of two seemingly radically different genres, creating what can only be called a neo-realistic film-noir. Truly original.
(71) Reprise
Directed by Joachim TrierRated R
2006
105 minutes
****
About two friends both trying to becoming authors. One of them does but can't handle the fame and has a breakdown. Then his friend gets published. Strikingly original in its direction and style (if not in its story), this establishes Trier as a definite director to look out for in the future.
(70) Gardens of Stone
Directed by Francis Ford CoppolaRated R
1987
112 minutes
**
I seriously don't know what happened to Francis Ford Coppola between Apocalypse Now and this film, but if I hadn't known he had directed this, I would never have guessed it. A war film about soldiers NOT on active duty during a war could've been really interesting in the hands of another director, but Coppola just bumbles it completely. Add to that extremely wooden performances from Anjelica Huston and D.B. Sweeney and some of the worst, out-of-place music I've ever heard and you have yet another film whose only watchable component is James Earl Jones.
(69) Role Models
Directed by David WainRated R
2008
100 minutes
*** 1/2
Another very funny movie from David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer), but the big surprise is where the majority of the laughs come from; Superbad's Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse and American Pie's Seann "Stifler" William Scott. Paul Rudd actually didn't do it for me here, one of the rare times (actually, probably the only) I can say that. It all leads up to one of the most brilliant "final battle" scenes you will see in any movie PERIOD, let alone a comedy.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
(67) MASH
Directed by Robert AltmanRated R
1970
116 minutes
****
Might get slammed a bit for this, but I didn't really get it. Yes it was funny. Actually, VERY funny. But compared to some of Altman's other films, like Nashville, The Player, Short Cuts or Gosford Park, I thought this wasn't even close. I don't know. Maybe I need to check it out more in-depth.
(66) Nashville
Directed by Robert AltmanRated R
1975
159 minutes
*****
Robert Altman's 1975 masterpiece about a large group of people in the title city for a political rally is just about one of the best uses of a large cast I've ever seen. Every character (easily over 25) is fleshed out completely, and it makes for a brilliant portrait of life in about five different tax brackets while still injecting itself with great music and performances at the same time.
(64) Bikur Ha-Tizmoret
Directed by Eran KolirinRated PG-13
2007
87 minutes
****
An Egyptian police band, in Israel to play a small concert, end up in the wrong town. A quietly funny night ensues. Probably one of the driest comedies I've ever seen, so much so that it almost borders on drama, is one that really pays off in its small moments.
(61) Surveillance
Directed by Jennifer LynchRated R
2008
97 minutes
* 1/2
When I didn't have the opportunity to see this film at last year's Chicago Film Festival, I was extremely disappointed. A huge David Lynch fan, I was extremely excited to see what his offspring could do. Unfortunately, in her second film (and first in 15 years), Lynch the younger doesn't seem to have any more talent than Eastwood the younger. A laughable plot (with a twist you better figure out in the first fifteen minutes) and ridiculously over-the-top performances round out this (at times) excruciatingly bad entry into the already weak modern horror/thriller arena.
(60) In America
Directed by Jim SheridanRated PG-13
2002
105 minutes
**** 1/2
How a film whose plot centers around a family that moves from Ireland to a rundown apartment complex in New York after the death of their son manages to be one of the most uplifting films I've ever seen is something I will never understand. Fantastic performances from the whole cast (particularly Djimon Hounsou's Oscar-nominated part) in a film that recalls the simple joys in growing up.
(59) Millions
Directed by Danny BoyleRated PG
2004
98 minutes
*** 1/2
Danny Boyle's 2004 film about a boy with a large imagination who finds a bag filled with money and attempts (against all odds) to do good with it was never the hit it deserved to be. It's nothing especially great, but appeals to both adults and kids alike.
(58) A Life Less Ordinary
Directed by Danny BoyleRated R
1997
103 minutes
** 1/2
If you consider yourself a big fan of Danny Boyle's great films, like Trainspotting, Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire, etc., I must advise you to stay away from this one. It was clearly his big attempt to break into the mainstream after Trainspotting, with a big cast and budget, but almost completely fails. Has its moments, and Delroy Lindo and Holly Hunter are great in their roles, but mostly a big disappointment.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
(57) Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
Directed by Kurt KuenneRated R
2008
95 minutes
****
I don't really want to say anything about this film other than it is the most affecting, devastating, HEARTBREAKING film I have seen in my life. Technically, it's not perfect, but that can be forgiven because of the message. I won't say anymore because I don't want to ruin it, but just see it. It NEEDS to be seen.
(56) Trainspotting
Directed by Danny BoyleRated R
1996
94 minutes
****
Before Danny Boyle became one of the biggest directors in the world with Slumdog Millionaire, he was one of the kings of the cult film world. 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Shallow Grave all have large cult followings. But the biggest of them all (and the one that jumpstarted his career) is Trainspotting. Very well may be a little "too British" for some (I had subtitles on half the time) it is nonetheless one of the most affecting drug films I have ever seen. Oh yeah, it's also hilarious.
Friday, February 20, 2009
(55) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Directed by Peter SolettRated PG-13
2008
90 minutes
*** 1/2
One of the most underrated films of 2008, this is a cute teen romantic comedy that will likely appeal more to people closer to the age group. That means if you're over 30, you'll probably be bored to tears. Everyone else, enjoy.
(52) Last Chance Harvey
Directed by Joel HopkinsRated PG-13
2008
92 minutes
****
Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson have endless amounts of chemistry together in probably the most charming romantic comedy I saw last year. Every once in awhile, we need a movie where a smile never really leaves your face.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
(51) Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Directed by Steve CarrRated PG
2009
87 minutes
** 1/2
Kevin James shows that he is likely to be the next hit kids/teen comic actor with his turn in Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The story itself isn't anything new (call it Home Alone in a mall, or Die Hard with a fat guy) but James is funny enough to carry it.
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