Sorted by Title | Top Picks

***** -- Masterpiece
****½ -- Near Perfect
***** -- Outstanding
***½* -- Way Above Average
***** -- Above Average
**½** -- Blah
***** -- Groan
*½*** -- Awful
***** -- Godawful
½**** -- Should've Shut It Off
***** -- Shut It Off

Patton (1970)
**½**
Running Time: 172 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

Preferred it when George C. Scott played that other lunatic general, Buck Turgidson.

The Third Man (1949)
**½**
Running Time: 104 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

Yeah, I know this is on everyone's top-whatever movie list, but I fell asleep all three times I tried to watch it, which is remarkable since that damn zither music was driving me nuts. Probably would have been great if I saw it in 1949.

Born Yesterday (1950)
**½**
Running Time: 103 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

A promising beginning but then it turned into this heavy-handed, weirdly patriotic morality tale.

The Seven Year Itch (1955)
**½**
Running Time: 110 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

Bill Chambers' review. (Marilyn Monroe does not give me hot pants.)

W.C. Fields -- Classic Shorts (1930s)
*****
Running Time: 120 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

A collection of shorts from the 1930s. You'll like it if you find W.C. Fields's shtick funny (I understand why many don't).

It Happened One Night (1934)
***½*
Running Time: 105 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

I don't know why I liked this one so much -- maybe the language. I was charmed when Clark Gable would say things like, "I had you pegged right from the jump."

Take the Money and Run (1969)
***½*
Running Time: 85 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

Woody Allen's directorial debut. Hilarious.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
**½**
Running Time: 119 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

Kind of a neat story, definitely ahead of its time. Must have seemed like it was from outer space back in 1962. What the hell was Janet Leigh doing in the movie? Why was she there?

Singin' In The Rain (1952)
**½**
Running Time: 119 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

You'll like it if you like musicals, but I wasn't too thrilled with it. (But if I were gay I would've loved it.)

The General (1927)
*****
Running Time: 77 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

Buster Keaton did his own stunts (the nut).

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
****½
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

Probably the greatest dark comedy ever made.

Bowling for Columbine (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 125 minutes
Watched October 2004 on DVD

I'm not a big Michael Moore fan. Although he's often funny, his own take on things is simplistic and polemical. As Rex Reed says in his excellent review, "Mr. Moore aims at so many targets and tilts at so many windmills that his arguments lose persuasion." He's also a manipulative fat bastard. ;-)

City of God (2003)
*****
Running Time: 130 minutes (in Portuguese with English subtitles)
Watched September 2004 on DVD

I had nightmares of being surrounded and beaten by a pack of street urchins after watching this one, so it ruined a night of sleep at least. Watch it if you're interested in gang life in the slums of Rio De Janeiro; skip it if you can't take two hours plus of senseless violence. Stephen Hunter's review.

Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
*****
Running Time: 131 minutes
Watched September 2004 on DVD

A story that's told so damn stylishly that you tend to forget how dumb it really is. J. Hoberman's review: ("... the nefarious Bill... proves to be a master of long-winded bullshit and the bamboo flute." -- I love Hoberman.)

Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
*½***
Running Time: 101 minutes
Watched September 2004 on DVD

Slick production, but basically it's a hundred minute recruiting commercial for the military... the kind of myth-making crap that simpletons love. I'm surprised Gene Hackman was a part of it. The real story of Scott O'Grady's rescue from Bosnia would have been a lot more interesting. Rob Blackwelder's spot-on review.

Lantana (2001)
***½*
Running Time: 120 minutes
Watched September 2004 on DVD

Interesting mystery / mid-life crisis movie from Australia. A lot of excellent performances from the ensemble cast. It could have been shortened or tightened up a bit, but I still recommend you see it. (I haven't seen director Ray Lawrence's "Bliss," but I plan to now.) Mick LaSalle's review

Natural City (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 114 minutes
Watched September 2004 on DVD

A sci-fi flick out of South Korea... the production design was surprisingly good, but the story wasn't. Kind of a mish-mash of Blade Runner, Matrix, and the choreographed gore of John Woo.

Vanity Fair (2004)
**½**
Running Time: 137 minutes
Watched September 2004 in movie theater (Southside Mall, Oneonta)

Reese Witherspoon is good and proves remarkably resistant to aging. Stephen Hunter's review.

Runaway Jury (2004)
**½**
Running Time: 127 minutes
Watched September 2004 on airplane

Slick production can't mask an idiotic story, and its political message is laughably lame. Rex Reed's spot-on review.

No Good Deed (2003)
*****
Running Time: 94 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Terrible. Is Samuel L. Jackson so hard up that he has to do things like this? You know you're in trouble when Milla Jovovich is the most talented actor in the movie (besides Jackson, who spends most of the time bound to a chair).

Red Dragon (2002)
*****
Running Time: 125 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Greedy, shameless Hollywood tries to cash in again on Hannibal Lecter. The fey Edward Norton lisps and squeaks his way through, unfortunately surviving multiple attempts on his life. The terrible score is by Danny "Heavy-Handed" Elfman. Ralph Fiennes plays a pretty good psycho, despite the embarrassing bits where he dashes around naked showing off his magnificent magic marker tattoo... good thing Norton's wife got that round of pistol practice in, eh? Edward Guthmann's review.

About a Boy (2002)
*****
Running Time: 102 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Feel-good crap with that charming, bumbling cad, Hugh Grant. Jessica Winter's review.

L.A. Confidential (1997)
*****
Running Time: 138 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

The movie is OK (critically over-praised), but the music is great. I'm not a big fan of James Ellroy. Well cast except for Danny DeVito. And that tacked-on "happy ending" (Bud survived and got the girl!) was unforgivable.

Monster (2003)
*****
Running Time: 108 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Not easy to watch, but I liked it. John Anderson's review.

The Magnificent Seven (1960)
**½**
Running Time: 135 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Outlaws on the way out... fun to watch Yul Brynner strut around and hear his bizarre accent, which is not nearly as bizarre as some of the accents of the "Mexican" villagers. Eli Wallach plays one of the best Jewish banditos around.

The Getaway (1972)
**½**
Running Time: 123 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Ali MacGraw can't act but she looks great. The same could be said for Steve McQueen I suppose. Peckinpah's sexism and love of violence are on full display in this one.

Nurse Betty (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 112 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Kind of promisingly weird in the beginning but turns out to be not very good in the end. J. Hoberman's review.

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
*****
Running Time: 115 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Pretty bad, this was at least 30 minutes too long. Elisabeth Shue was very good (great calves!) and Nick Cage's sunglasses were cool (they should have won the Oscar, not him). Got a chuckle out of Julian Sands' on-again off-again Russian accent. John O'Brien committed suicide two weeks after learning that his book would be made into a movie; at least he didn't have to suffer through the awful Sting-centered soundtrack like the rest of us. Mick LaSalle's favorable review.

Dersu Uzala (1975)
*****
Running Time: 140 minutes (in Russian with English subtitles)
Watched August 2004 at National Gallery (Sainsbury Wing Theatre)

Some great moments in this one; we liked it. Stephen Hunter's review.

Cold Creek Manor (2003)
*****
Running Time: 119 minutes
Watched August 2004 on DVD

Terrible. Amazed to see how much worse it could have been after watching the deleted scenes and alternate ending on the DVD. Not scary, not thrilling, not interesting. Best part was seeing Juliette Lewis cast as the local white-trash skank (suprise!). Edward Guthmann's review.

The Red and the White (1968)
*½***
Running Time: 92 minutes (in Russian with English subtitles)
Watched July 2004 at National Gallery (Sainsbury Wing Theatre)

Nice tension and cinematography, but the pointless and random brutality of the civil war (White Russians versus the Bolsheviks) got old pretty quickly. Could have achieved the same effect in half the time. Amused that the women had sexy 60's beehive hairdos; they were obviously way ahead of their time.

Goldmember (2002)
**½***
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched July 2004 on DVD

The teenage male demographic probably ate it up. There are some hilarious scenes -- the prison rap skit with Mini Me was great, as was the "English English" skit with Michael Caine -- but they're interspersed with a lot of semi-funny gross-out bits; it's not consistently good by a long shot.

The Limey (1999)
****
Running Time: 89 minutes
Watched July 2004 on DVD

This movie didn't work for some reason, it didn't interest me or hold me. Most of the reviewers liked it, but they're cowards: no one dares to criticize Soderbergh... only Lael Loewenstein's review got it right.

Enter the Dragon (1973)
**½**
Running Time: 99 minutes
Watched July 2004 on DVD

The first major Hollywood kung fu movie has a lot of camp value. The footage of Hongkong circa 1973 is interesting as are the shots of Bruce Lee's amazing physique, but the movie is silly cheese.

Cold Mountain (2003)
*****
Running Time: 155 minutes
Watched July 2004 on DVD

It's not bad, a bit long. Renee Zellwegger is ridiculous as Rubey... she needs to develop at least one other facial expression besides her patented pursed-lip look. An interesting program is included on the bonus material DVD where the hyper-articulate director, Anthony Minghella, talks about the movie at length.

The Tenant (1976)
*****
Running Time: 120 minutes
Watched July 2004 on DVD

Horrible movie directed by Roman Polanski, starring Roman Polanski. Film snobs love it but I think it's crap. Zero stars!

Sexy Beast (2000)
***½*
Running Time: 84 minutes
Watched June 2004 on DVD

Very tempted to give this one 4 stars because it was so good. I think Ray Winstone's Gal Dove drew a lot of inspiration from James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano; Ben Kingsley's performance is breathtaking (not least for the language!). It's not every day that you hear Kingsley call someone a "Dr. White honkin' jam-rag fuckin' spunk-bubble." He also uses the delicious term: "insinuendoes."

Le Château de Ma mère (1990)
*****
Running Time: 94 minutes
Watched June 2004 on DVD (in French, with English subtitles)

Oh-so-precious like many French films... had to watch it at 2x fast forward to bear it.

Rushmore (1998)
*****
Running Time: 93 minutes
Watched June 2004 on DVD

Very cute and smart, in many ways it's nearly perfect.

The French Connection (1971)
*****
Running Time: 99 minutes
Watched June 2004 on DVD

Gene Hackman as tough New York cop? I don't think so. The truth is Eddie Egan should have played the part of Eddie Egan. This movie makes a lot of "Top 100" lists but not mine (though its car-chases-train sequence definitely ranks).

4 Dogs Playing Poker (2001)
*****
Running Time: 98 minutes
Watched June 2004 on DVD

Could be a bad made-for-TV movie if it had slightly better production values. Idiotic story, weak acting, terrible dialogue... the only thing that saved it from a half-star rating was hearing Dinah Washington singing in the background during one scene.

Troy (2004)
**½**
Running Time: 162 minutes
Watched May 2004 at Odeon West End

Big budget spectacle with some spectacularly mediocre performances. Loved the chicks but I'm sick of seeing Orlando Bloom (he must have the best agent in the universe), and Brad Pitt looks like he blew out his face taking steroids.

Good Bye, Lenin! (2004)
**½**
Running Time: 116 minutes (in German, with English subtitles)
Watched May 2004 on DVD

A little too long and overly ambitious, but it had a lot of cute (though repetitive) touches that I enjoyed. J. Hoberman's review.

The Black Angel (1997)
*½***
Running Time: 95 minutes (in Japanese, with English subtitles)
Watched May 2004 on DVD

Had to watch it at 2x fast forward after the first 20 minutes. A little bit amateurish and very violent. Made by Takashi Ishii (the same guy who did Freezer), he likes to push the envelope, especially with sexual violence... you'll probably never find this in America. There are funny bits, but you have the feeling that there's a seriously sick puppy behind it.

Love Actually (2003)
*****
Running Time: 135 minutes
Watched May 2004 on DVD

Breathtakingly conventional. In 2 hours and 15 minutes it didn't offer one surprising moment. Possibly a good movie for a date since women tend to love this kind of crap. Rex Reed called it "a labored and cliché-riddled British piffle." Reed's spot-on review.

The Way Home (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 85 minutes (in Korean, with English subtitles)
Watched May 2004 on DVD

A little heavy-handed, and hold those musical cues! The little boy was too much of a monster to make me buy into his transformation. A.O. Scott's review.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
*****
Running Time: 111 minutes
Watched May 2004 on DVD

Stylish stuff, as one critic put it, "the allusions are the text rather than the subtext." J. Hoberman's review.

The Italian Job (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 110 minutes
Watched May 2004 on DVD

Competent big-budget action movie that has none of the charm of the original. Ed Norton is terrible and Marky Mark should've stuck to making underwear ads: the lad just can't act. Astonishingly, Charlize Theron is taller than every male cast member. Nicholas Schager's review.

The Italian Job (1969)
*****
Running Time: 99 minutes
Watched May 2004 on DVD

Interesting now as a period piece, it's a silly, charming movie starring a young Michael Caine and the original Mini Cooper.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (2002)
*½***
Running Time: 110 minutes (in Chinese, with English subtitles)
Watched May 2004 on DVD

Merde. Pretty awful, had to watch it on 2x fast forward to bear it. I should've known it was going to be trouble when I saw that the French were involved. Pretentious schmaltz.

21 Grams (2003)
*****
Running Time: 125 minutes
Watched May 2004 on airplane

At first I was annoyed by the choppy cutting back and forth through time, but then it caught me and I ended up liking it. Naomi Watts did her patented "breakdown" thing (which freaked me out in Mulholland Drive) -- she's good. Benicio Del Toro is always great, and I was stunned and pleased to see Sean Penn restrain himself for once.

It was a tad too long though -- as one critic said, it could stand to lose about 21 minutes. Stephen Hunter liked it; Desson Thomson didn't.

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 125 minutes
Watched April 2004 on airplane

Glossy, formulaic production. I loved Julia Stiles' squashed cute face, ridiculously precise enunciation, and low low voice. Kirsten Dunst I've liked since Spiderman; she flashes her sharp fangs here. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a pretty good slut too. Desson Thomson's review

Mystic River (2003)
*****
Running Time: 138 minutes
Watched April 2004 on airplane

Too long and kind of dumb. Sean Penn won the Oscar for overacting in this one. Phil Hall's scathing review.

Dreamcatcher (2003)
*****
Running Time: 136 minutes
Watched April 2004 on DVD

A pretty bad mess. The same guy who liked Cabin Fever recommended this one -- he has now been placed in the penalty box permanently. A.O. Scott's review.

The Singing Detective (1986)
***½*
Running Time: 65 minutes x 6 episodes
Watched April 2004 on DVD

The BBC mini-series written by Dennis Potter, starring the brilliant Michael Gambon. It's deep... a detective story about discovery -- self-discovery -- or how you created yourself, remembering the traumas that shaped you. (Sadly, I think Potter saw himself as a "dirty little creep.") The music is outstanding. Tom Block's review.

Young Adam (2004)
*****
Running Time: 93 minutes
Watched April 2004 on DVD

I liked it. It's very low key and quite dark. It also features Ewan McGregor in all his uncircumcised glory. A.O. Scott's review.

In America (2003)
*****
Running Time: 103 minutes
Watched April 2004 on DVD

Tearjerker. The sisters Bolger are beautiful and talented, and have that lovely Irish accent. Fine acting all around. Stephen Hunter's review.

Annie Hall (1977)
***½*
Running Time: 93 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

A classic, but not on my Top 100 Films list.

High Fidelity (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 113 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

Jack Black is hilarious, Cusack is cute, and Catherine Zeta-Jones is oolala as always. Edward Guthmann's review.

Hurlyburly (1998)
*****
Running Time: 126 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

Yet another zero star movie; I shut it off after 10 minutes. Edward Guthmann called it a misbegotten mess.

Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
*****
Running Time: 100 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

I rented this one to ogle Catherine Zeta-Jones. The movie was bad, but Zeta-Jones looked fantastic. Dustin Putnam's review. Jeffrey Anderson's review.

Cabin Fever (2003)
*****
Running Time: 92 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

Another zero star movie. (I "watched" it on 8x fast forward after I decided it was unwatchable, which was within the first 15 minutes.) Stephen Hunter's review.

Dirty Pretty Things (2003)
*****
Running Time: 107 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

Kind of predictable with a pat, easy ending; no idea why the critics were so thrilled with this one. Nice to see London as the setting and nice to see the pretty Amelie girl again.

Legally Blonde 2 (2003)
*****
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for this, but I shut it off after 5 minutes which means it gets zero stars.

Matchstick Men (2003)
*****
Running Time: 111 minutes
Watched March 2004 on DVD

A overly long "long con" that fails.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002)
*****
Running Time: 99 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

A weak BBC production of the classic story by Arthur Conan Doyle. Miss it. (After seeing Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke play Holmes and Watson, I can't bear to watch anyone else in those roles.)

Spellbound (2002)
***½*
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

I really enjoyed this documentary about eight National Spelling Bee finalists. (I was rooting for either Harry Altman or April DiGideo to win.) A.O. Scott's review.

Adaptation (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 115 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

Too clever for its own good. As Josh Bell wrote: "You can get the joke and still realize there's nothing behind it." Mick LaSalle's review.

The Good Girl (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 89 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

"You ever feel like that? Like you gotta escape?" Heavy-handed and depressing story about dimwits. Interesting to see Jennifer Aniston play something other than a spoiled J.A.P. Stephen Hunter's review.

X2: X-Men United (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 128 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

It's way too long, so long we got bored with it. And remember, there are going to be movies in this series all the way up to X-Men 130. Stephen Hunter's scathing (and brilliant) review.

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
**½**
Running Time: 123 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

Cute in parts, weird overall. Super-nerd Wes Anderson is just too much of a geek: he revels in his nerdiness.

Man Bites Dog (1993)
**½**
Running Time: 92 minutes (in French, with English subtitles)
Watched February 2004 on DVD

Black comedy, not for the squeamish or easily shocked. Some appallingly graphic scenes combined with some very funny bits. It's supposed to provoke the audience (how can we laugh at this?), but it also comes across as a grisly sick joke. Desson Howe's review.

Tokyo Story (1953)
*****
Running Time: 139 minutes (in Japanese, with English subtitles)
Watched February 2004 in movie theater (The OTHER Cinema, Soho)

LLP gave it four stars. It's sad, subtle, and profound.

Veronica Guerin (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 98 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

Not sure how accurate this movie is; thought it might have indulged in some exaggeration, or "Hollywood beatification" as one critic put it. Was Guerin really that optimistic, naive, and selfless? Ian Waldron-Mantgani's review.

Johnny English (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 88 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

Silly fun, I liked it; it helps that we saw it while we're living in England. Rowan Atkinson rubs some people the wrong way, but I find him funny. This is a good one for kids. Edward Guthmann's kind review.

Swimfan (2002)
*****
Running Time: 85 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

The critics hated it, but I thought it was an above average teen flick; technically, it was first-rate. I also thought it starred Freddie Prinze, Jr., so what do I know?

Fatty Erika Christensen is a pretty good villain. Teens in Monclair, New Jersey apparently don't do beer runs when partying, they do video runs. They also never swear or get naked, and are generally well-scrubbed and polite, except for when they're murdering people.

Identity (2003)
*****
Running Time: 90 minutes
Watched February 2004 on DVD

Lame. It's so predictable that a six-year old boy could figure it out in the first five minutes.

The Office: The Complete Second Series (2003)
*****
Running Time: 6 episodes x 30 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

A very funny BBC TV series about office life, which also happens to be monumentally depressing.

Blow Out (1981)
*****
Running Time: 108 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

Way too long. Travolta is cute, but I have no idea why this is a cult classic.

Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2001)
*****
Running Time: 119 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

An intelligent movie about strippers. The critics mostly hated it, but I really liked it. A little bit too long, but there were quite a few powerful scenes (and I'm not talking about the stripping). I especially liked Darryl Hannah's airhead, and Charlotte Ayanna is someone to keep an eye out for. (It was also nice to see Sandra Oh, whom I haven't seen since 'Double Happiness.')

Silence of the Lambs (1991)
*****
Running Time: 118 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

A great, smart, scary movie with a creepy Freudian subtext to boot. Superb acting by both Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster.

Code Unknown (2001)
*****
Running Time: 112 minutes (in French, with English subtitles)
Watched January 2004 on DVD

Tedious, pretentious crap. (It's from France, surprise!)

Pirates of the Caribbean (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 137 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

Way too long, but I liked the special effects of the 'undead' pirates. Nice to see the girl from Bend it like Beckham get a part in a big-money production like this one. Mick LaSalle correctly called this movie "a monotonous, repetitive spectacle."

Phone Booth (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 77 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

Impressive that Colin Farrell was able to keep me interested for over an hour just by standing in a phone booth.

Jeepers Creepers (2001)
**½**
Running Time: 87 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

Not bad for a low-budget horror flick with no-name actors; the beginning was promising, but then it deteriorated fairly fast. I liked the original ending better (you can see it on the DVD) -- it's less of a gross-out and more clever than what they ended up using.

Lost in Translation (2003)
*****
Running Time: 105 minutes
Watched January 2004 in movie theater (The Screen on the Green, Islington)

Don't believe the hype. It's funny in parts but doesn't deserve the wide praise that it has received.

Touching the Void (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 106 minutes
Watched January 2004 in movie theater (The OTHER Cinema, Soho)

A documentary I got bored with about halfway through, and I was almost completely unsympathetic to the struggles of these young mountain climbers, for some reason. Maybe it's because I thought they had a death wish to begin with.

Late Night Shopping (2001)
**½**
Running Time: 87 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD (in English, with English subtitles (I needed them))

Kind of wanted to give this one 2 stars but it was a low-budget British production with a young cast of unknowns, so I gave them a break. A movie about four bored, British slackers who work the night shift at dead-end jobs. As one critic said, it would have made a great 20-minute short, but as a full-length film its pointlessness becomes obvious and annoying.

The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
*****
Running Time: 135 minutes
Watched January 2004 on DVD

Would have gotten 1.5 stars if it weren't for the freeway chase scene. And why did they transport the set of Soul Train to Zion? A line from Stephen Hunter's review: "This is cybercombat at its most abstractly meaningless."

The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King (2003)
*****
Running Time: 201 minutes
Watched December 2003 in movie theater (Warner Village Islington)

Thought it was the weakest in the trilogy. Felt longish which wasn't the case with the other two. Also tough for those us who read the book to watch because they changed the ending quite a bit. Some outstanding special effects, make-up and costumes though.

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
*****
Running Time: 135 minutes
Watched December 2003 on VHS

"Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy." Clint Eastwood directed this one... not bad, a bit long.

The Big Sleep (1946)
*****
Running Time: 114 minutes
Watched December 2003 on VHS

"I'd say you don't like to be rated. You like to get out in front, open up a lead, take a little breather in the backstretch, and then come home free." Outstanding. The story is convoluted -- you'll need to watch it twice to get it -- but the script is great (Faulkner was one of the writers) and the performances are great... even Bogart is good. Lauren Bacall at age 20, yow... and her voice, it melts me.

Rio Bravo (1959)
*****
Running Time: 141 minutes
Watched December 2003 on VHS

I don't know much about Westerns but this was kind of fun. Here's a good review by Charles Taylor.

Nell (1994)
**½**
Running Time: 113 minutes
Watched December 2003 on VHS

Tearjerker. Liam Neeson is a very manly man... if I were a woman, I'd fall for him.

Freezer (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 103 minutes
Watched December 2003 on DVD (in Japanese, with English subtitles)

Disturbing and graphically violent movie from Japan dealing with cruelty, shame, rape and revenge. The Japanese are capable of combining shocking horror and comedy and thoughtful social commentary (see Battle Royale) all in one package. Avoid this one if you are sensitive.

Changing Lanes (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 99 minutes
Watched December 2003 on DVD

The story was interesting at the beginning, but I was later struck by the implausibility of it all. Maybe if it were cast differently it would have worked better, specifically by dumping Pretty Boy Affleck for an actor with a little more depth. And killing the trite ending would have helped too. Elvis Mitchell's review is spot on.

Insomnia (1997)
***½*
Running Time: 97 minutes
Watched December 2003 on DVD (in Norwegian, with English subtitles)

This is so much better than the re-make with Al Pacino and Robin Williams. It's more subtle and at the same time more unsettling... great stuff.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
*****
Running Time: 103 minutes
Watched December 2003 on DVD

Great action, very funny, a good score, and a solid cast. I thought Kristanna Loken was especially good as TX -- her movements, her subtle facial expressions, her voice. I liked this movie better than T2 -- Linda Hamilton was a major drag in that one.

Shaft (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched December 2003 on DVD

"This is Egyptian cotton -- 220 thread, motherfucker. Costs about half your shitty-ass paycheck." Violent and a little silly, but I loved Samuel L. Jackson's goatee and Jeffrey Wright is brilliant as "Peoples." I was disturbed by how much the evil rich kid, played by Christian Bale, looked like a young George W. Bush. I'm interested now to see the original movie from 1971.

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
***½*
Running Time: 92 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

I really liked this one... it's funny and smart.

Miss Congeniality (2000)
*½***
Running Time: 106 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Oh god, this was a lame movie. A.O. Scott was being kind when he wrote that it "seems happily, deliberately second-rate, as if its ideal audience consisted of weary airline passengers."

Vertical Limit (2000)
*****
Running Time: 119 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Terrible acting, dreadful script; idiotic, predictable, absurd, and nearly two hours long; some nice shots of the Himalayas saved it from getting 1.5 stars. One critic accurately called it "the Showgirls of mountain-climbing movies."

The Red Squirrel (1992)
*****
Running Time: 109 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD (in Spanish, with English subtitles)

Emma Suarez is cute and has a nice body, but she is about the only good thing in this movie. The is she or isn't she amnesiac schtick, the mind games, the lies, the exploration of identity... that's all OK, but the movie is incoherent, weird, and ultimately ludicrous (like a lot of other Spanish movies I've seen).

The Contender (2000)
*****
Running Time: 127 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Yuck. Overly long and preachy... a movie made for inane Boomers by inane Boomers.

American Pie (1999)
**½**
Running Time: 91 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Where were all the teen movies filled with masturbation jokes when I was a teen? This movie would have been painfully conventional without them though. Mena Suvari is cute, haven't seen her before... oh yeah, I saw her in American Beauty but that was on a 4" airplane screen, so it doesn't count.

Bring It On (2000)
*****
Running Time: 94 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

"Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded." Kirsten Dunst is wonderful, as is Eliza Dushku. I liked this one a lot.

Welcome to Collinwood (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 82 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

I only started to really like this one about five minutes before it ended.

Men in Black II (2002)
***½**
Running Time: 84 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

A rare case where the sequel is better than the original. This was a lot of fun and Frank the Pug kicked it up to three and a half stars worth of entertainment. Frank and the Ballchinnian. Danny Elfman scores only work in comedy, so he's not a complete hack.

A Short Film About Killing (1988)
*****
Running Time: 81 minutes (in Polish, with English subtitles)
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Grim. You can't watch this one if you're squeamish. Nice camera work using filters and masking effects to make 1980's Poland look just as brutally awful as it was in reality then. Outstandingly depressing, but also complex and thoughtful, so it gets three stars. (Do not take a date to this movie.)

Ringu (1998)
*****
Running Time: 91 minutes (in Japanese, with English subtitles)
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Japanese horror flick. It wasn't scary... there were some nice, creepy touches (the crawling out of the TV screen bit was good) but on the whole I wasn't that impressed. No idea why it has such a great rep.

AntiTrust (2001)
*****
Running Time: 104 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

I have to admit I watched this to admire Claire Forlani's bones (I fell in love with her during Meet Joe Black, a terrible movie), and Rachael Leigh Cook's mop haircut (I fell in love with her during She's All That, a so-so teen movie). Both of these girls are serious hotties.

This is a silly Gen-Y flick. It's bad but in a comical way, so it gets 2 stars. As one critic put it: "entertaining in ways its creators never intended." Another critic was right to say it's "filled with juvenile distortions of real issues."

Reindeer Games (2000)
*****
Running Time: 99 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Hurray, my first one star movie this year. One star means it was so bad that I watched it on fast forward (but didn't turn it off -- turn-offs get zero stars) so I didn't have to listen to the dialogue or the godawful music.

Hart's War (2002)
*****
Running Time: 117 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Bruce Willis scowls nicely but this one just didn't make any sense. And once again, a movie that's 30 minutes too long.

The Family Man (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 120 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Overly-long, clichéd chick-flick. It suffered from a score by the awful Danny Elfman, but Nick Coppola, er Cage, did a pretty good job and I think Tea Leoni is always wonderful.

K-PAX (2001)
***½*
Running Time: 115 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

I really liked this one, though it's marred by a sometimes sappy soundtrack. The critics generally hated it, but they're wrong. Spacey and Bridges are both great.

The Deep End (2001)
*****
Running Time: 96 minutes
Watched November 2003 on DVD

Not bad considering it was a low-budget effort with second-line actors. There are too many "common sense loopholes," inconsistencies, and implausibilities in the movie, but it also doesn't deserve to be lumped in with the 2.5 star bunch.

Unfaithful (2002)
*****
Running Time: 118 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

Too long, this sucker dragged. Stephen Hunter was right to say: "No one is remotely sympathetic ... or makes hard choices." Made by a horny, creepy Frenchman. It's bad, skip it.

40 Days and 40 Nights (2002)
*****
Running Time: 91 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

A very funny and cute movie about man's vain quest to refrain from masturbating, even for a short period of time.

Blue Crush (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 100 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

Kind of a Bend it like Beckham for surfer chicks. Kick it like Kennelly, perhaps? Useful if you are inspired by long shots of young, tan, hard-bodied girls (and what red-blooded boy isn't?).

The 6th Day (2000)
*****
Running Time: 118 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

Silly, but lots of fun; I love it when Arnie pokes fun at himself. And it's more clever than the critics are willing to admit.

Heist (2001)
*****
Running Time: 105 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

Lots of terrible acting in this one... the story was sloppy and choppy too. Did this one go straight to video? If it didn't, it should have.

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
*****
Running Time: 89 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD (in Spanish, with English subtitles)

Early Almodovar... kind of silly and weak... pointless fluff.

The Shipping News (2001)
*****
Running Time: 107 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

More forced charm from Miramax, but I love Julianne Moore so it gets three stars.

Tokyo Drifter (1966)
**½**
Running Time: 82 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD (in Japanese, with English subtitles)

"If I die, I'll die like a man. For me loyalty comes before love. I'm a Tokyo Drifter." This one was bizarre. Hyper-stylized with garishly colored sets and costumes, weird camera angles, and a recurring spaghetti western theme song. Suzuki probably dabbled in psychedelic drugs, which addled his brain when it came to the storyline. No matter, it's fascinating in a campy, '60s art film way.

Intacto (2002)
*****
Running Time: 104 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD (in Spanish, with English subtitles)

Shyamalan explored the idea of luck being something more than luck in 'Unbreakable,' but this movie takes the clever angle that luck is a commodity. Had some interesting moments, but in the end I'd have to agree with V.A. Musetto who said the movie was "convoluted, pointless, far-fetched ... [a] pretentious mess."

Dogtown and the Z-Boys (2002)
*****
Running Time: 91 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

Interesting documentary on the glorious early days of skateboarding... indulges in a bit of mythmaking. First-rate soundtrack!

Barry Lyndon (1975)
**½*
Running Time: 178 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

Nearly three hours long... I didn't get bored but felt at the end that I should have.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
*****
Running Time: 179 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

Loved the Orcs and the Urak-Hai.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)
**½**
Running Time: 100 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

I'm not a big Bogart fan and I find it astonishing that Lauren Bacall married the guy. I think Hammett is overrated... so is this movie.

Following (1998)
*****
Running Time: 70 minutes
Watched October 2003 on DVD

The first movie made by Christopher Nolan (the guy who made Memento)... a no-budget suspense flick. You can see Nolan's interest in jumbling the story's timeline, a trick which he also used (with greater effect) in Memento.

Le Divorce (2003)
*****
Running Time: 119 minutes
Watched October 2003 in movie theater (Zefferelli's, Ambleside)

Dumb, bad, pointless, clichéd. A.O. Scott was right when he said it's "a thin and unsatisfying concoction ... The story is hectic and stuffed with odd characters... but the film never achieves the rhythm or velocity of farce. It plods from one thing to the next, systematically missing every opportunity for effervescence or surprise."

Leon (The Professional) (1994)
**½**
Running Time: 106 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD

I haven't seen the 24 minutes of this movie that were cut out by American censors, but I think even in the 106 minute version, Leon and Mathilda's relationship is a little sick and weird. The director's pedophilic treatment of 12-year old Natalie Portman's budding sexuality (certain camera shots, her outfits, her poses, her dog collar, etc.) troubled me. Sexualizing children is a big no-no in my book.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
*****
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD

Affectionate and warm-hearted or ridden with hideous, pandering clichés? This WASP from a dry toast family wasn't especially entertained by the forced jocularity of this movie.

xXx (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 119 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD

Over-the-top action flick. Silly stuff, but I liked Vin Diesel's deadpan delivery (one unkind critic referred to Diesel as "the village idiot"). Another critic called this movie "unrelentingly stupid," but c'mon, whaddya expect? The heavy metal bits of the score *did* make me chuckle. Desson Howe may have summed it up best: "Essentially a dumb guy's day in Heaven."

Bend It Like Beckham (2003)
***½*
Running Time: 108 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD (in English, with (much needed) subtitles)

"Anyone can cook aloo gobi, but who can bend a ball like Beckham?" A cute movie in which Jess (Parminder Nagra) has to juggle her love between Beckham and Babaji (and everything that they represent).

The Pianist (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 143 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD

Ya seen one Holocaust movie, ya seen 'em all.

My Life as a Dog (1985)
***½*
Running Time: 97 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD (in Swedish, with English subtitles)

"It's not easy to be left behind." Kind of a sweet and wonderful film about a 12-year old boy in 1950s Sweden trying to make sense of life and death, love and loss... and the importance of maintaining one's perspective.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 115 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD

They threw a lot of money into making some heavy-duty digitized special effects, but the story feels kind of lame. Stephanie Zacharek got it right when she wrote that it was "competent, well-oiled and yet still stultifyingly dull... It's starved for the one moviemaking resource that doesn't cost a lot of money: imagination."

Serpico (1973)
***½*
Running Time: 125 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD

A very young Al Pacino (33 then) plays Frank Serpico, an incorruptible New York cop. Good stuff, maybe a tad too long, but it was nice to see Elliott Gould (who still looks the same), and Emmet Walsh (albeit briefly).

Erin Brockovich (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 126 minutes
Watched September 2003 on DVD

I don't find Julia Roberts attractive and she swears too much in this movie, making her that much less attractive. Albert Finney is excellent though. We figured out that with a $333 million dollar settlement, not much actually got to the hundreds of people involved after the lawyers took their cut.

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
**½**
Running Time: 116 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

Chick flick. I've always liked Renee Zellwegger, but I was astonished that an American was cast as Bridget Jones.

All the President's Men (1976)
*****
Running Time: 133 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"Just... follow the money" Not bad. LLP thought it should have run a couple more hours to tell the whole story.

Memento (2001)
*****
Running Time: 109 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"I can't make new memories. Everything just fades." This one is a mind bender. Probably one of the best movies of 2001.

Donnie Brasco (1997)
*****
Running Time: 120 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

Not bad, a little too long. Pacino is great, as always... I liked Anne Heche despite her on-again off-again New Yawk accent, but Johnny Depp's feminine good looks make me distrust whatever character he's playing. The music in this was bad, they didn't spend much money on the score. Has a great scene where the FBI agents puzzle over the various meanings of "fuggedaboutit."

The 400 Blows (1959)
*****
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD (in French, with English subtitles)

Maybe this film was something special in 1959, "the dividing point between classic and modern cinema," but I found it deadly boring.

The Swimmer (1968)
**½**
Running Time: 91 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

A film adaptation of the classic story by John Cheever... read the story instead. Burt Lancaster plays Neddy, the bronzed god, the All-American golden boy on a journey through the suburban dream (or nightmare), discovering the truth about his gift for concealing painful facts.

Blood Simple (1984)
****½
Running Time: 95 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

The Coen brothers' debut movie is near perfect. J. Hoberman said: "From the initial storyboard to the final sound design, Blood Simple is a supremely calculated intellectual exercise," which is true, but that's what makes it so good... there's not a piece (or a joke) out of place.

Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
**½**
Running Time: 61 minutes
Watched August 2003 at IMAX Cinema (The Science Museum)

Exploring the Titanic wreckage in 3D. A Disney production, so it's crippled by a cheesey soundtrack. It's kind of eerie, almost creepy, how they superimposed scenes from Titanic the movie onto the rusty remains of the ship. See it if you like impressive digital effects.

Donnie Darko (2001)
*****
Running Time: 113 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

Awful. So many gullible kids think this is a masterpiece; what are they smoking? Nev Pierce got it right when she said: "...what's initially involving becomes self-involved. Interest languishes and meaning disappears as the plot disappears up its own tortuous tubes." This is the worst movie I've suffered through in 2003.

Edge of Darkness (1985)
*****
Running Time: 6 episodes x 52 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

Supposedly a thriller, but I thought it was lame and dated. Could have been a decent 90-minute movie. The only good thing about it was seeing Joe Don Baker in a BBC production, and no, he didn't fake an English accent. A totally awful score by Eric Clapton gives one more reason to avoid this series.

The Blue Angel (1930)
*****
Running Time: 104 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD (in German, with sporadic English subtitles)

"All this because of a woman." Emil Jannings is brilliant as the fallen Herr Professor Doktor Rath. Watching his descent from rigidly respectable teacher to publicly humiliated clown is devastating. It's especially painful to watch since it eerily foreshadows the tragic fate of the German intellectual class under the Nazis.

Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß
auf Liebe eingestellt,
denn das ist meine Welt
und sonst gar nichts.
Das ist, was soll ich machen,
meine Natur;
ich kann halt lieben nur
und sonst gar nichts.

Männer umschwirr'n mich
wie Motten um das Licht,
und wenn sie verbrennen,
ja, dafür kann ich nicht.

After reading the lyrics, you can't say she didn't warn you.

Bullitt (1968)
*****
Running Time: 109 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"You work your side of the street, I'll work mine." Kind of interesting as a period piece, but way way way too long. They could have easily cut 20 minutes out of this picture, maybe more. Steve McQueen proves adept at mumbling his lines. The highly praised car chase? Mainly lame, reverse angles of the same shots... but the Mustang engine rumble *is* great.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 108 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"Everybody's lookin' for answers." The Coen Brothers described it as The Three Stooges meet Homer's Odyssey. It is epic in scope... lots of big, broad, loose ideas... but it's a bit of a mess. Clooney didn't seem very comfortable either.

Roger Ebert got it right when he said: "I had the sense of invention set adrift; of a series of bright ideas wondering why they had all been invited to the same film."

And Desson Howe is also right: "...the movie's a collection of great bits and pieces rather than a complete work. All of the episodes are individually enjoyable, as far as they go. But there's no cumulative power; they come and go without building the drama."

The Best of Monty Python's Flying Circus, Vol. 1 (2003)
*****
Running Time: 96 minutes (Sketches from episodes in 1969-1970)
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"And now for something completely different." About 30 off-the-wall sketches on this disc, including several of Terry Gilliam's LSD-inspired animations. I got a good chuckle from John Cleese playing the Vocational Guidance Councillor: "Our experts describe you as an appallingly dull fellow, unimaginative, timid, lacking in initiative, spineless, easily dominated, no sense of humour, tedious company, and irrepressibly drab and awful. And whereas in most professions these would be considerable drawbacks, in chartered accountancy they are a positive boon."

The Closet (2001)
***½*
Running Time: 85 minutes (in French, with English subtitles)
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"What'll change is how they perceive you." A cute movie about a straight guy who pretends to be gay in order to save his job. This is light, predictable entertainment, nicely paced. It was fun, not forced... I enjoyed it.

Pi (1997)
**½**
Running Time: 80 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"It's just a number." Another weird combination: a mathematical thriller / horror story. Explores obsession, madness, paranoia, and the mysteries of the universe. This is a homemade movie, very crude... it reminded me of Eraserhead. I was intrigued with it at first, but also found it very hard to watch, and ultimately was disappointed with it.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
**½**
Running Time: 100 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

"Who's gonna steal a subway train?" Odd combination: thriller / comedy from the dark days of 1974. Delights in portraying profane, wise-cracking New Yawkahs: "Ah, shaddap already!" Ugly cars, ugly clothes, ugly people, awful music... man, what a crappy time the early 1970s were. A sense of humor was definitely required to live through that era without going mad.

Ghost World (2001)
**½**
Running Time: 107 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

A bright teenage girl's quest for authenticity in a homogenized world. It's the antithesis of the average Hollywood teen flick. Sensitive nerds unite! Director Terry Zwigoff made the documentary Crumb, which I loved, but I wasn't that thrilled with Ghost World.

Time Out (2002)
*****
Running Time: 129 minutes (in French, with English subtitles)
Watched August 2003 on DVD

A bit slow and overly long, but not bad. Suffers from a tacked-on "happy ending" scene, or was that just a dream?

Ten (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 92 minutes (in Farsi, with English subtitles)
Watched August 2003 on DVD

A film from Iran, shot entirely from a dashboard-mounted camera recording the driver's conversations with her various passengers. It gave an interesting glimpse into contemporary life in Tehran, which is a place I know nothing about. But this is art house stuff, a mainstream audience would lose patience within minutes.

X-Men (2000)
*****
Running Time: 120 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

Well done. Entertaining.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
**½**
Running Time: 130 minutes
Watched August 2003 on DVD

John Nash isn't autistic but you'd think that after watching Russell Crowe's performance. The Rain Man influence strikes again. This was Ron Howard-style Hollywood bullshit. I almost threw up when the wheelchair-bound faculty member rolled up to congratulate Nash right after the black guy paid his respects. Hey Ron, where's the albino lesbian professor if you're being politically correct?

Traffik (1989)
***½*
Running Time: 6 episodes x 53 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

A very good BBC TV series that gave the subject of international drug smuggling the kind of complex treatment it deserves. The movie Traffic was based on this program; I liked that stylish movie, but the original BBC series is much richer and more thought provoking.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Running Time: 140 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

What the hell was this movie about? Rex Reed called it a "bizarro atrocity," "incomprehensible," "loathsome," "lurid gibberish," "interminable swill," and a "load of moronic and incoherent garbage." I guess he didn't like it. ;-) I'd add that it's "gratuitously weird." Art-school poseurs and other pretentious people will be thrilled with this picture. (Naomi Watts is very good it should be said.)

OK, I've thought about it some more, watched it again, and decided that I don't know what to think. It might be brilliant, but I'm just not sure. You have to think hard about this one -- it's not conventional entertainment.

The Birds (1963)
*****
Running Time: 115 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

Rod Taylor and Tippi Hedren. It would have been great if it were a bit shorter; it started to drag towards the end.

Marnie (1964)
*****
Running Time: 125 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

Sean Connery and Tippi Hedren.

Out of Sight (1998)
***½*
Running Time: 118 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

I liked it a lot. It was funny and not as desperate-to-be-hip as some Elmore Leonard adaptations have been. George Clooney is a gorgeous goofball. Jennifer Lopez is hot hot hot and a surprisingly talented actress.

Funny Face (1956)
***½*
Running Time: 99 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

A musical I really enjoyed (surprise!), but of course I love Gershwin tunes. Audrey Hepburn can't sing but she's still wonderful, and Fred Astaire can only kind of sing but he's still marvelous. They both can dance.

Talk to Her (2002)
*****
Running Time: 108 minutes (in Spanish, with English subtitles)
Watched July 2003 on DVD

Love, death, loyalty, obsession, loneliness... is it a love story or a horror story?

"Talk to her. Tell her that. You have to pay attention to women, talk to them, be thoughtful occasionally. Caress them. Remember they exist and and they matter to us." -- Benigno

Goldfinger (1964)
***½*
Running Time: 105 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

Classic James Bond flick from the early 60's. Odd Job, Pussy Galore, pajama-wearing worker drones jabbering in Cantonese, the Aston Martin DB5 with ejector seat, and a bespectacled Chinese named "Ling" (wearing a Mao suit no less) providing the dirty bomb to irradiate the US gold supply at Fort Knox. If only Jack Lord were back as Felix Lighter! It's great silly fun... Sean Connery looks gorgeous and delivers those droll one-liners perfectly.

Battle Royale (2000)
**½**
Running Time: 109 minutes (in Japanese, with English subtitles)
Watched July 2003 on DVD

Weird and ultraviolent. It's sick and twisted in a way that only the Japanese are capable of pulling off, but also very funny and insightful in parts. Knowing a little bit about the sadistic history of the Japanese military will make it harder to watch with a light heart.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979)
**½**
Running Time: 7 episodes x 45 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

I wouldn't call it "turgid, obscure, pretentious" as one critic did. But it was slow and complicated, which some people confuse with the elements of brilliant drama.

It's true that the series does a nice job showing that "...the corrupt nature of the British intelligence service serves as a microcosm of contemporary England: secretive, manipulative, class-ridden, materialistic and emotionally sterile."

The Night of the Hunter (1955)
*****
Running Time: 89 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

Heavy-handed musical cues back then... bad enough to have camp value. I think Robert Mitchum had fun making this terrible movie.

Six Feet Under -- Season 1 (2001)
*****
Running Time: 13 episodes x 60 minutes
Watched July 2003 on DVD

Intelligent writing, fine acting. Non-WASPs may have a hard time "getting it."

Chicago (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 113 minutes
Watched July 2003 on airplane

I'm not big on musicals, but several of the dance numbers I really enjoyed.

About Schmidt (2002)
*****
Running Time: 125 minutes
Watched June 2003 on airplane

Had some brilliant moments, but fell flat for me in the end.

Chicken Run (2000)
*****
Running Time: 84 minutes
Watched June 2003 on DVD

I liked Wallace & Gromit better, but this was cute.

Springtime in a Small Town (2002)
**½**
Running Time: 116 minutes (in Chinese, with English subtitles)
Watched June 2003 in movie theater (Renoir)

Heavy-handed symbolism. Actors seemed a bit young and inexperienced to me.

The Sopranos -- Season 4
*****
Running Time: 13 episodes x 60 minutes
Watched June 2003 on laptop

The Sopranos -- Season 3
***** Running Time: 13 episodes x 60 minutes
Watched June 2003 on laptop

The Sopranos -- Season 2
***** Running Time: 13 episodes x 60 minutes
Watched May 2003 on laptop

Episode 4, "Commendatori," is an outstandingly bad episode.

The Sopranos -- Season 1 (1999)
***** Running Time: 13 episodes x 60 minutes
Watched May 2003 on laptop

Far from Heaven (2002)
***** Running Time: 107 minutes
Watched April 2003 in movie theater (Odeon Camden Town)

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