Movies
About a Boy (2002) Abre los ojos (1997) So much better than its remake, Vanilla Sky, primarily thanks to its lack of Tom Cruise's star presence. Adventures of Robin Hood, The (1938) Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1973) Chronicles a 16th century expedition seeking El Dorado; disturbing portrayal of a man's quest for power. Aladdin (1992) Amarcord (1973) Beautiful, entertaining portrait of life in a small Italian town. Lots of lovely moments, but kinda long. American Beauty (1999) American Splendor (2003) Quirky and funny look at the life of the quintessential everyman and his shot at fame. Angel Heart (1987) Angst essen Seele auf (1974) Strong story exposing societal intolerance, and two people's ability to cope with it. Animal Crackers (1930) Apollo 13 (1995) Arlington Road (1999) Army of Darkness (1993) As Good As It Gets (1997) At the Circus (1939) Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) Auberge espagnole, L' (2002) Moderately funny, story about people of different nationalities rooming together in Spain; offbeat style adds spice to tired formulae. Avventura, L' (1960) Back to the Future Part II (1989) Back to the Future Part III (1990) Bank Dick, The (1940) Barton Fink (1991) Interesting Coen brothers effort set in wartime Hollywood...too many pretentious, indecipherable, pseudo-profound scenes though. Basic Instinct (1992) Arbitrary plotting and implausible characters aside, there is still a decently (forgive the pun) entertaining thriller to be found here. A good B-movie. Being John Malkovich (1999) Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Hilarious look at the life of British-Indian girls. Big Fish (2003) A Princess Bride-wannabe, surprisingly mild-mannered for a Tim Burton film. Always entertaining, with wild and fantastic episodes, but eventually unmemorable. Big Store, The (1941) Underrated Marx madness with the usual suspects. Blowup (1966) Social critique in a thriller's body. Rambles a little too much and is too abstruse for my liking, but has some brilliant set pieces. Bourne Supremacy, The (2004) Superior action movie with a touch of seriousness sorely lacking in its lousy predecessor. Braveheart (1995) Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) Disarmingly funny middle-brow British comedy. Marginally better than the sequel. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) Fairly inoffensive romantic comedy involving the improbable adventures of the cute-verging-on-tiresome Bridget Jones. Bullets Over Broadway (1994) Bulworth (1998) Cabaret (1972) Casablanca (1942) Catch Me If You Can (2002) Cold Mountain (2003) Civil war drama with an annoying made-for-Oscars tone. Renee Zellweger and the cinematography are the saving graces. Collateral (2004) Lesser Michael Mann, but good nonetheless; very competent, could have done with a less predictable ending. Color of Money, The (1986) Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) Confused, uneven, but immensely engaging and watchable. Crazy/Beautiful (2001) Cronos (1993) Neat little horror movie from Mexico, good doses of humor and atmosphere and entertaining throughout. Crossing Guard, The (1995) Sedate character study of an alcoholic father looking to avenge his daughter's death, and the repentant killer seeking to rediscover life. Dancer Upstairs, The (2002) Sedately paced and reflective, like a good novel. Excellently sketched characters and situations. Day at the Races, A (1937) Usual zany Marx brothers madness; fast-forward through the songs, and you've got an even better movie. Days of Heaven (1978) Langorous and poetic; more memorable for its beautiful images and haunting music, than for the relatively subdued storyline Dazed and Confused (1993) Dead Poets Society (1989) Death on the Nile (1978) Deep End, The (2001) Detour (1945) Devil's Advocate, The (1997) Dick Tracy (1990) Dirty Pretty Things (2002) Refreshingly different thriller involving immigrants in London; intelligent and character-driven. Only quibble is with the facile ending. Doors, The (1991) Down by Law (1986) Quirky comedy about three men brought together in a prison cell. Beautiful cinematography and subdued humor. Elephant Man, The (1980) Touching, brilliantly acted, great music, and has the David Lynch touch going for it. Pace flags every now and then though. Enfants du paradis, Les (1945) High-quality moviemaking that never shows its age, but not the kind of story that grabs me. Erin Brockovich (2000) Espinazo del diablo, El (2001) Creepy, elegant ghost story with loads of style and atmosphere; logical plot, no loose ends, and lots of symbolism too. Fabuleux destin d'Am�lie Poulain, Le (2001) Fahrenheit 451 (1966) Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) Very funny high-school romp. Fifth Element, The (1997) Finding Nemo (2003) Outstanding animation. Forrest Gump (1994) From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) Gandhi (1982) Great character, great acting, but not a great movie; main flaws are the artificial English dialogue, and narration through irrelevant Western characters Gangs of New York (2002) Garage Days (2002) Irrepressible energy and dazzling visual style save this unambitious story from oblivion. An enjoyable feel-good, popcorn movie. Get Carter (1971) Getaway, The (1972) Go (1999) An energetic, comic, pulp-fictionesque adventure. Go West (1940) Underrated Marx brothers comedy, with shades of Buster Keaton's "The General". The climactic train chase is hilarious. Grande illusion, La (1937) Grapes of Wrath, The (1940) Decent enough as classics go, but shows its age with the black-and-white storytelling and preachiness. Great Dictator, The (1940) Chaplin should have stuck to silent film. His sentimentality boils over in a terrible climactic speech, nearly drowning the film in pathos. Gun Crazy (1949) Classic film noir, if a little two-dimensional with its female characters. Tightly paced story is a pre-cursor to Bonnie and Clyde. Hable con ella (2002) Only Almodavar can make a watchable film about people in a coma. Half comedy, half soap opera, as usual. Hard Day's Night, A (1964) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) Finally, a real movie in the HP series! Just the right dash of grim atmosphere combined with a serviceable plot. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The (2005) A poor adaptation of Douglas Adams that manages to lose most of its literary comedy and coherence; that it is still watchable is testament to how much better it could have been. Home Alone (1990) Home Alone 3 (1997) Hotaru no haka (1988) Super-realistic anime, full of beautiful images, and deeply sad. Marked lack of a survival instinct in the protagonists annoyed me though. Hurricane, The (1999) My Comments I Heart Huckabees (2004) This isn't a movie; it's an experience. Many funny moments, many strange ones, one weird movie, but pretty fun all in all. Insomnia (1997) Intacto (2001) A thriller in the cloak of an art film; smart storytelling, stylish look and interesting premise make up for the overall shallowness of concept. Intolerable Cruelty (2003) Throwback screwball comedy, Coen brothers-style. Jurassic Park (1993) Kabinett des Doktor Caligari, Das (1920) Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) Interesting half-movie tribute to Hong Kong action films, with a Tarantino twist. Style doesn't compensate for the lack of substance though... Krieger und die Kaiserin, Der (2000) Offbeat romance set amidst a bank heist and a lunatic asylum. Beautiful images, but weighted down by pretentious sobriety. Lady Vanishes, The (1938) My Comments Ladykillers, The (1955) Classic British comedy involving bumbling criminals and nosy ladies. Cynical tone makes it distinctive, although it is predictable sometimes. Lavender Hill Mob, The (1951) Long Good Friday, The (1980) Gritty, distinctive, British gangster film; excellent performances; interesting ending; watch out for Pierce Brosnan in a cameo. Lost in Translation (2003) Sedate, realistic take on the evolving relationship between two people out of place in Tokyo. Suspect I'll appreciate it more as I get older... Love and Death (1975) Mari�e �tait en noir, La (1967) Midnight Cowboy (1969) Million Dollar Baby (2004) See review here. Monkey Business (1931) Mononoke-hime (1997) Classic adventure yarn, with beautiful animation. Too preachy and fantastic to captivate me completely. Monsters, Inc. (2001) More the Merrier, The (1943) Very funny comedy set in war-time Washington. Crisp dialogue, only occasionally let down by misguided scenes of romance. Motorcycle Diaries, The (2004) Depicts the adventures of a young Che Guevara; politically uninsightful, but an excellent travelogue with its share of funny moments Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) Surprisingly good Hollywood blockbuster that gets by on pure chemistry and charm. Murder by Death (1976) My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) My Darling Clementine (1946) Mystery Train (1989) Exotic Jarmusch fare, weaving together three stories around a hotel. All of them interesting, lots of style, but somewhat pointless overall. Mystic River (2003) Grim murder mystery with richly drawn characters; not exactly uplifting, but what do you expect from Eastwood? Natural Born Killers (1994) Night in Casablanca, A (1946) Not as good as the classic Marx brothers, but has some funny set-pieces nonetheless. Ninth Gate, The (1999) A guilty pleasure. B-movie storyline with A-movie dialogue and strong atmosphere. Ending sucks, but the journey's fun. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) Among the best silent films, with some beautiful images and atmospheric, non-cheesy take on Dracula. N�z w wodzie (1962) Polanski's debut feature, engrossing in its building of tension out of whole cloth. Eventually a little pointless though. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) One False Move (1992) Solid thriller with well-motivated characters. Realistic and well-thought out for the most part, but occasionally descends into clich�. Out of Sight (1998) Perfect Candidate, A (1996) Trenchant behind-the-scenes look into the politics of a Senate election; confirms our worst fears while being darkly funny. Pi (1998) Strange, dark film about the line between genius and madness; brilliantly shot in beautiful b&w, but somewhat incoherent and unpleasant to stomach. Pleasantville (1998) Prizzi's Honor (1985) Punch-Drunk Love (2002) Quills (2000) Ran (1985) Rebel Without a Cause (1955) Repo Man (1984) Totally weird fantasy involving alien beings, suburbia, codes of honor and car repossessors. Funny lunacy. Reversal of Fortune (1990) Interesting, darkly funny, real-life tale about a man accused of murdering his rich wife and his defense by Alan Dershowitz. Roma (1972) Romancing the Stone (1984) Rounders (1998) Royal Tenenbaums, The (2001) Salaam Bombay! (1988) Strong tale portraying life on the streets, excellent music. Salaire de la peur, Le (1953) Excellent thriller, would rate it much higher if not for that denouement that I hated, hated, hated. Saw (2004) Gruesome, convoluted thriller along the lines of Se7en, only less smart and more gory. Scotland, Pa. (2001) Amusing update of Macbeth to the modern era. The parallels are fairly interesting, but the lack of suspense is a problem... Seabiscuit (2003) Well-shot crowd-pleaser based on a true story; a little too innocent and sentimental for my liking. Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The (1947) Based on the James Thurber short story, full of funny set pieces. Secret Lives of Dentists, The (2002) Half-fantasy, half-realism make for a strange mix. I liked the realism better, with its nuanced dialogue and well-etched characters. Secretary (2002) Strictly for the non-prudes. Off-kilter, funny but somehow honest take on sado-masochism. Serpico (1973) Gritty realism pervades this tale of a NY cop trying to clean up the system. Engrossing up to a point, but Pacino's screaming eventually got to me... Set-Up, The (1949) Grim, realistic boxing noir. Tight storytelling and lean running time add to the atmosphere. Strictly for fans of the genre. Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) Shadow of the Vampire (2000) Shrek (2001) Shrek 2 (2004) About as good as the first part, some boring clich�d scenes mixed-in with inspired animation and funny lines; watch out for Antonio Banderas. Silence of the Lambs, The (1991) Silverado (1985) Six Degrees of Separation (1993) Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957) Sleeper (1973) Typical Woody Allen, with an extra dash of sci-fi madness and slapstick. Sleuth (1972) Sling Blade (1996) Creates one of the most intriguing characters seen on screen, the pacing is too leisurely for my liking though... Snake Eyes (1998) Worth seeing for that first scene alone... Snatch. (2000) So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) The best Mike Myers movie around... Spartan (2004) See review here. Spider (2002) Admirable, but hard-to-watch drama about a man released from a mental institution who regresses back into his memories and fantasies while suffering a mental breakdown. Spider-Man (2002) Good superhero movie with mediocre special effects; skipping to the sequel buys you a much better movie. Star War: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) Far better than the first two episodes, with a reasonably engaging and nuanced story; the dialogue is still terrible but what else do we expect from George Lucas? Star Wars (1977) Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) The best of the second Star Wars trilogy and worth watching for its satisfying conclusion, if one can put up with the atrocious-as-usual dialogue and acting. Straight Story, The (1999) Stranger, The (1946) Orson Welles. Need I say more? Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951) Sweet Hereafter, The (1997) A lovely film, but just way too depressing... Tailor of Panama, The (2001) John Boorman does it again... Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The (1974) Tense, taut action thriller set in the subway. Talented Mr. Ripley, The (1999) Moody Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) Terminator, The (1984) Titanic (1997) Tootsie (1982) Toy Story (1995) Toy Story 2 (1999) Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993) A little too slow and boring for my liking. Still worth watching for Kieslowski fans. Trouble in Paradise (1932) Fairly untaxing comedy from the 30s that sometimes shows its age. At least it's not dumb. Unfaithful (2002) Well-packaged drama/thriller about a suburban housewife tempted into infidelity. Decent plot, complemented by good performances. Vanity Fair (2004) Solid adaptation of Thackeray's novel; nothing much to criticize, nothing outstanding about it either. V�rit�s et mensonges (1976) Vintage Orson Welles, a self-referential semi-documentary about art forgery. Jumps around a lot, but gathers a lot of steam by the end. Wall Street (1987) Whale Rider (2002) Powerful, realistic and immensely watchable portrayal of a young Maori girl attempting to go where no Maori woman hadn't. Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001) Crime comedy which plays like Pulp Fiction crossed with The Usual Suspects. Well-plotted, and very funny if you dig movie references. Wild Bunch, The (1969) Wuthering Heights (1939) Y tu mam� tambi�n (2001) Ying xiong (2002) Zhang Yimou's martial-arts venture. Beautifully shot but pointlessly slow. The ending is poorly developed and feels like government propaganda.