Boys' Night Out
1962 - Michael Gordon

The Station Agent
2003 - Thomas McCarthy

Misery
1990 - Rob Reiner

Touching the Void
2003 - Kevin Macdonald

The Gangs of New York
2003 - Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese has been one of my very favorite directors for the last 30+ years. In my mind, he ranks among the very best filmmakers of our generation, however with The Gangs of New York, he falls short of the standard that he has set for himself over the decades. With epic production design and a keen eye for accurate detail, Gangs attempts to show with brutal honesty a chronicle of 19th-century New York and the violent nature of the street gangs during the reign of Tammany Hall. The film is pleasant to watch and Daniel Day-Lewis delivers a searing performance (which is perhaps the only real reason to watch this film), but Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz really need to be kept from starring in historical dramas…forever…and Scorsese should know as much. The tensions between characters feel manufactured, the relationships feel forced, and the Irish accents are inconsistent at best. I bought this DVD because I am such a fan of Martin Scorsese, but after watching The Gangs of New York one time, I put it up on eBay the very next day.

Lost in Translation
2003 - Sophia Coppola

La Mentale
2002 - Manuel Boursinhac
A stylish, fast-paced crime thriller which concerns the unspoken code of the underworld; keep your mouth shut, protect your family and don't be a traitor. After four years in prison, Dris (Brotherhood of the Wolf) returns to a quiet life with his devoted fiancee. When his childhood friend lures him into one last heist, Dris cannot refuse. Back in the violent world of organized crime, Dris discovers that the code of the streets is strict and the penalty for betrayal is far worse than prison. Torn between his loyalties, Dris must decide whether adhering to the code is worth risking his life. The violence is graphic and a bit excessive at times, but this is an intellegent and taut film with good tension, great style, and an absolutely gorgeous sense of tone and color.

The African Queen
1951 - Johh Huston

Five Easy Pieces
1970 - Bob Rafelson

The Cooler
2003 -Wayne Kramer

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah:
Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
2001 - Shusuke Kaneko

The Thin Man
1934 - W.S. Van Dyke

The Seven Year Itch
1955 - Billy Wilder

A Thousand Clowns
1965 - Fred Coe
This was one of my very favorite movies as a kid and this was the first time I've had the opportunity to see it again in over 25 years...so I was a little wary as I didn't want to watch it as an adult and feel disappointed by memories that could not live up to the filters I have developed as an adult. Happily I can announce that the film left me with the same feeling that I got from reading A Confederacy of Dunces for the First Time...not that there's any silimarity, but both manage to paint a picture of the world around us rejecting the propriety of tradition, instead showing the sheer absurdity of what we consider as 'normal.' A Thousand Clowns is clearly an adaptation of a stageplay, and is impeccibly done. Murray (Jason Robards) is a Madison Avenue dropout who is the guardian of his immensely intellegent 12 year old nephew, Nick (Barry Gordon who is amazing), and refuses to accept the need to become gainfully employed as a measure to keep the child welfare authorities from taking Nick away. It is a classic struggle of conformity vs. the desire to live a life unfettered by the chains of societal expectations. The screenplay and dialogue are first rate. The movie is bittersweet and sometimes painful, but underneath, there is a persistant sense of hope and wonder...and it leaves you with a curious feeling that this might be a great day to quit your job!

All or Nothing
2002 - Mike Leigh

Angels With Dirty Faces
1938 - Michael Curtiz

The Thin Blue Line
1988 - Errol Morris

Schizopolis
1996 - Steven Soderbergh
Schizopoliz has always been one of my favorite Soderbergh films, so when Criterion finally put this little gem back into release, I was absolutely delighted. One of the harder films to try to describe, it is an irreverant careening delight of a movie, which also has the rare distinction of starring Soderbergh in the dual rolls of Fletcher Munson and Dr. Jeffrey Korchek, a dentist. Schizopolis is an unpredicatable, and at time confusing poke in the eye at Scientology, normalcy, romance, and the traditions of film-making in general. Many I've shown it to have walked away scratching their head. As the film states in it's opening, “If you don’t understand this film, it’s your fault and not ours.” Indeed.

The Cat Burglar
1961 - William Witney

Starsky & Hutch
2004 - Todd Phillips

A Mighty Wind
2003 - Christopher Guest
I've been a fan of most everything that Christopher Guest has done prior to this, but for the first time, he's managed to create a film that, while entertaining, does not and will not stand the test of time that his earlier works (Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman) do so gloriously. With A Mighty Wind, Guests familiar cast of favorites (including Fred Willard, Parker Posey, and Bob Balaban) fill the same "mockumentary" shoes as in his previous films, and follows a bunch of characters through their foibles in pulling together a 60's folk revival. While funny in places, the overall effect is flat and overwrought, but the music is fun and it is a film worthy of watching at least one time. I think it may be time to for a new approach, as it seems that Christopher Guest may be running out of fresh ideas.

Lilo and Stitch
2002 - Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders

American Splendor
2003 - Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini

Spellbound
2002 - Jeffrey Blitz

Brother Orchid
1940 - Lloyd Bacon

About Schmidt
2003 - Alexander Payne
One of the more disappointing films on the heels of all the Oscar hype, About Schmidt is a drab lifeless film, a depressing look at a man (played by Jack Nicholson) who is floating adrift in life after his wife of over 40 years dies. His life is empty, he has no real friends, and no activities to keep him occupied. Where the films fails however, is first with the realization that his life was equally as empty when his wife was alive, and it appears that his relationship with her was just as empty as in her absence. I could deal with that if only Nicholson played a character with just a scrap of pathos (the film fails in this regard as well), but all we get is a dreary character study of a character for whom we feel nothing…this is one of those films that makes me wonder why it ever really needed to be made. Why tell a story about someone for whom we just don't care?

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
1970 - Russ Meyer
Considering that Roger Ebert wrote the screeplay for this gem of a movie, I'll just let his account act as a review: "...Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" seems more and more like a movie that got made by accident when the lunatics took over the asylum. At the time Russ Meyer and I were working on BVD I didn't really understand how unusual the project was. But in hindsight I can recognize that the conditions of its making were almost miraculous. An independent X-rated filmmaker and an inexperienced screenwriter were brought into a major studio and given carte blanche to turn out a satire of one of the studio's own hits..."Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is an original--a satire of Hollywood conventions, genres, situations, dialogue, characters and success formulas, heavily overlaid with such shocking violence that some critics didn't know whether the movie "knew" it was a comedy...the scenes beginning with Z-Man's psychedelic orgy and ending with his death are, I must say on Meyer's behalf, as exciting, terrifying and dynamic as any such sequence I can remember. That stretch of BVD is pure cinema, combining shameless melodrama, highly charged images of violence, sledgehammer editing and musical overkill. It works..."

Punch Drunk Love
2002 - Paul Thomas Anderson

Full Frontal
2002 - Steven Soderbergh

Barbershop
2002 - Tim Story

The Human Vapor
1960 - Ishirô Honda
From the same director that brought us Godzilla, Mothra, and Attack All Monsters, comes another cheeseball b-movie in which a librarian becomes subject to a botched scientific experiment which transforms him into 'The Human Vapor'. He uses his new ability to rob banks to finance a gifted dancer for whom he harbors an almost obsessive love. Many are killed who try to stop him, but regardless the dancer soon falls in love with him too. It's campy at best, and the special effects are low budget, but cool nonetheless. In a strange way though, that's part of what adds to the silly charm of The Human Vapor.

Man on the Train
2002 - Patrice Leconte

Kill Bill Vol. I
2003 - Quentin Tarantino

Brother's Keeper
1992 - Joe Berlinger

Chinatown
1974 - Roman Polanski
One of my all-time favorite films ever, Chinatown is perhaps among the top ten films to emerge from the 70's. A film noir in the most classic tradition, Chinatown fits perfectly within the written style of the classes from Hammett and Chandler, and is arguably the high point in the careers of both Jack Nicholson and director Roman Polanski (Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion, Knife In The Water). Jake Gittes (Nicholson) is hired to look into some suspected adultery by the wife of the L.A. water department chief engineer, Hollis Mulwray. When Mulwray turns up dead, an extensive conspiracy plot begins to unravel, and Gitts finds himself in a convoluted web of deceit and betrayal. The story is complex, and the plot twists and turns in ways that require the full attention of the viewer. Chinatown is a rich, well-written story full of fantastic dialog and remarkable camerawork. The movie gives the audience credit for intelligence - a quality not often seen in movies today. It is a beacon of quality, and should be studies by all emerging filmmakers today.

Capturing The Friedmans
2003 - Andrew Jarecki

Hopscotch
1980 - Ronald Neame

Pieces of April
2003 - Peter Hedges

Big Fish
2003 - Tim Burton
I tend to like TIm Burton...most of the time, but lately, I cannot help but wonder what the hell has happened to his sense of wonder and fascination that propelled so many of his films in the past. Plain and simply, Big Fish is a stinker. As with all of Burtons films, it is visually appealing movie, but beyond that EVERYTHING falls short. It is a sentimental (and sappy) film about a young man (Billy Crudup) trying to resolve his life-long emotional disconnect with his father (Albert Finney) as he lies dying on his deathbed. The problem is that the film failed to give any sense of sentimentality, the characters (with the exception of Finney) are flat, uninteresting, and invite no sense of sympathy from the viewer whatsoever. The story trudges along painfully, and I found myself feeling duped by this obvious set of screenplay devices clumsily designed to pull on my heart-strings. Doesn't work when you fail completely to interject any sense of pathos into any of the characters.

The Triplets of Belleville
2003 - Sylvain Chomet
An absolute delight of a movie worth every bit of the hype, The Triplets of Belleville is done with almost no dialogue. It is an homage to the classic days of animation, the 30's,and the great music from that period that has time and time again proven an inspiration to Woody Allen. With Equal parts Betty Boop, Jacques Tati and Josephine Baker, the Triplets tells the story of a woman whose grandson has been kidnapped by the French mafia during the Tour de France. Along with her oversized (and immensely entertaining) dog, she sets out to find and rescue him...along with the help of the Triplets of Belleville.

In America
2002 - Jim Sheridan

101 Reykjavik
2000 - Baltasar Kormákur

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
2003 - Jonathan Mostow

Elephant
2003 - Gus Van Sant

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart:
A Film About Wilco
2002 - Sam Jones

The Kid
1921 - Charles Chaplin

Our America
2002 - Ernest R. Dickerson

The Magnificent Ambersons
1942 - Orsen Wells

Steamboat Bill, Jr.
1928 - Charles Reisner

Laurel Canyon
2002 - Lisa Cholodenko
I can only imagine that Lisa Cholodenko must have grown up with some similar circumstances as me. This story, which explores the uncomfortable relationship between a recent graduate (the rigidly inflexible Sam) and his mother (played wonderfully by Frances McDormand), a successful rock music producer, is painful as much as it is cathartic. Sam and his new wife (played by the yummy Kate Beckinsale who actually shows that she is a decent actor), move into his mom's studio house where she is finishing an album for a British Radiohead like band. He is unable to accept the constant partying and chaos of his mother's lifestyle, and through the course of this film has to come to grips with the childhood/ mother issues he's carried with him into his adulthood, as well as the ways that those experiences have impacted the ways that he relates to the women in his life.

Sorry, Wrong Number
1948 - Anatole Litvak

Monster
2003 - Patty Jenkins

Solaris
2002 - Steven Soderbergh

A Night at the Opera
1935 - Sam Wood

Rififi
1955 - Jules Dassin

Berkeley in the Sixties
1990 - Mark Kitchell

After the Thin Man
1936 - W.S. Van Dyke

Spartan
2004 - David Mamet

Farenheit 9/11
2004 - Michael Moore
It would be near impossible for me to write anything short of a glowing review considering that this is a movie, which - in my case - is a perfect case of preaching to the converted. I consider Michael Moore a modern day hero, and completely agree with a great majority of his politics. At times I questions a few of his tactics, as much as I find them quite hilarious. President Bush Jr. (perhaps the most bumbling and embarrassing president in history) and his unprovoked attack of Iraq are the primary targets of Fahrenheit 9/11, which explores the deep ties between the Bush family, the Saudi royal family, and the Bin Ladins. This is a predictably cynical look at the fear mongering and deceitful way that this administration has mislead it's own citizens. It's not as impactful as his previous (and ultimately more effective) Bowling for Columbine, but is a revealing and frightening film, one that gives an alternative perspective and shows us a great deal of footage not typically seen on regular network TV.

The Weather Underground
2002 - Bill Siegel

Saving Silverman
2001 - Dennis Dugan

City of God
2002 - Katia Lund

Serpico
1973 - Sidney Lumet

Biggie and Tupac
2002 - Nick Broomfield

The Naked City
1948 - Jules Dassin

Shampoo
1975 - Hal Ashby

Ruby in Paradise
1993 - Victor Nunez

The Dreamers
2004 - Bernardo Bertolucci

Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
2004 - Danny Leiner
I went to this movie a little apprehensive, as I was less than impressed with Dude, Where's My Car, which was dumb for dumbs sake, but not very successful in my opinion. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, on the other hand is a total dumb for the sake of dumb stoner flick, but one that is uproariously hilarious. The story is almost non-existent. After getting baked beyond comprehension, two roommates spend an evening driving all over New Jersey in search of a White Castle burger, but neither seem to be able to remember where the illusive stand is. Through the course of the film, the two find themselves in a series of bizarre circumstances, most of which are completely implausible, but are nonetheless great comedic fodder for a movie that kept me laughing hard for the better part of two hours.

Intolerable Cruelty
2003 - The Coen Bros.

Tupac: Resurrection
2003 - Lauren Lazin

The Barbarian Invasions
2003 - Denys Arcand

Kill Bill: Vol. 2
2004 - Quentin Tarantino

Edgeplay
2004 - Victory Tischler-Blue

The Panic in Needle Park
1971 - Jerry Schatzberg

Welcome to the Dollhouse
1995 - Todd Solondz

Cool Hand Luke
1967 - Stuart Rosenberg

The Bourne Identity
2002 - Doug Liman

Seabiscuit
2003 - Gary Ross

From Dusk Till Dawn
1996 - Robert Rodriguez

Whale Rider
2002 - Niki Caro

Underworld
2003 - Len Wiseman

Criss Cross
1949 - Robert Siodmak

Wattstax
1973 - Mel Stuart

Grateful Dawg
2000 - Gillian Grisman

Detour
1945 - Edgar G. Ulmer

Bedazzled
1967 - Stanley Donen

He Walked By Night
1996 - Robert Rodriguez

Minority Report
2003 - Steven Spielberg

Dancer In The Dark
2000 - Lars Von Trier

The Cameraman
1928 - Edward Sedgwick

The Hours
2002 - Stephen Daldry

Boys Don't Cry
1999 - Kimberly Peirce

Spite Marriage
1929 - Edward Sedgwick

Supersize Me
2004 - Morgan Spurlock

The Wolf Man
1941 - George Waggner

When We Were Kings
1996 - Leon Gast

Election
1999 - Alexander Payne

Rivers and Tides
2003 - Thomas Riedelsheimer

Rabbit Proof Fence
2002 - Phillip Noyce

Thirteen
2003 - Catherine Hardwicke

Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
2003 - Nick Broomfield & Joan Churchill

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2004 - Michel Gondry

Wonderland
2003 - James Cox

Doughboys
1930 - Edward Sedgwick

Gothika
2003 - Mathieu Kassovitz

Elf
2003 - Jon Favreau

The Mayor of Sunset Strip
2003 - George Hickenlooper

Catch Me If You Can
2002 - Steven Spielberg

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
1986 - John Hughes

Control Room
2004 - Jehane Noujaim

Matchstick Men
2003 - Ridley Scott

Strange Cargo
1940 - Frank Borzage

Oldboy
2003 - Chan-wook Park

Hellboy
2004 - Guillermo del Toro

California Split
1974 - Robert Altman
California Split is a rarely seen film from one of my favorite directors, Robert Altman (MASH, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville). Made during his peak as a film director, California Split is a noteworthy character study. The film follows two gamblers (George Seagal and the wildly impetuous Elliot Gould) on a roller coaster ride through the obsessive drive of their gambling addiction. It is an unromantic look at the excitement and pitfalls of a lifestyle that can destroy lives in a second, and is classic Altman all the way. It's great to finally have this movie available on DVD.

Saved
2004 - Brian Dannelly

Maria Full of Grace
2004 - Joshua Marston
One of the most hyped foreign film of the year, Maria Full Of Grace tells the story of a young Columbian Woman who becomes a drug mule as a way to escape the generations-old poverty that she and her family has had to endure. That's the first story, and is interesting primarily in understanding the dynamics and risks of how cocaine drug trafficking works. Once in New York City, the movie shifts into its second story line when things go terribly wrong. Granted, this is probably fairly accurate in terms of what the reality of this kind of life is like, but for the sake of watching a film, it is discordant and does not give a good sense of continuity. I did like the film - quite a lot - however it is not one that I need to watch a second time. Perhaps I would have been more blown away had I not heard so much hype. Very few films can actually live up to the buildup that Maria Full Of Grace had received.

Bartleby
2001 - Jonathan Parker

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
2004 - Rawson Marshall Thurber

Hero
2004 - Brian Dannelly

Roger Dodger
2002 - Dylan Kidd

The Bourne Supremacy
2004 - Paul Greengrass

Spiderman 2
2001 - Sam Raimi

Collateral
2004 - Michael Mann

They Made Me a Criminal
1939 - Busby Berkeley

Love Actually
2003 - Richard Curtis

College
1927 - James W. Horne

Smothered
2002 - Maureen Muldaur
Subtitled The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Smothered takes a look into the 1967-69 run that the Smothers Brothers had entrenched in battle with the CBS censors. What started as a fairly innocuous comedy/variety show, ended as a political hotbed, and one of the few outlets for political dissent through mainstream media channels. Ongoing protest against the war in Vietnam acted as the catalyst that finally culminated in the CBS executives cancelling the show at the peak of it's popularity. Years later CBS had them back for a reunion series, and it was clear that the Brothers were still as popular as they had been two decades before.

The Freshman
1925 - Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor

Man On Fire
2004 - Tony Scott
While Man on Fire is a stunning visual film, the overall story falls a little short in terms of plausibility. Denzel Washington plays an alcoholic ex-CIA assassin, John Creasy, who is down on his luck. He takes a job as a bodyguard to a nine-year-old girl (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of a wealthy industrialist in Mexico. Everything you expect in the film happens with remarkable predictability: The two of them form a special and "unexpected" bond; the girl gets kidnapped; Creasy seeks vengeance, killing every person who had any involvement with the kidnapping, and the girl gets saved in the end. The cinematography and editing is a delight to behold, but the film is nothing more than a pat Hollywood action/vengeance script, perfectly suited for your average American film-goer. Not that it's bad,it's just not that great.