Viewed in July

Lady Jane - Helena Bonham Carter - looking like a 12 year old - in the story of one of Henry VIII's daughters

Ghost World - I think I liked this better this time; an interesting tale of a pair (or trio) of misfits trying to find their way

War of the Worlds - don't enjoy Tom Cruise (even before the Katie thing, even before the Mimi thing!), but this was entertaining enough. The tripods were pretty scary!

Max - story of the German Jewish art dealer who befriends Hitler; John Cusack in a different role

Sideways - I love this movie so much. I think it held up quite well on second viewing.

Only You - one of my favorite romantic comedies. Marisa Tomei is so funny in this.

The Aviator - I think I may have liked this even more on second viewing. Million Dollar Baby and Eastwood still deserved both Oscars, though.

The Village - when is this guy going to have a new movie? This one was scary even though I knew what was happening.

Antonia’s Line - excellent film about several generations of women

Cold Mountain - enjoyed this on re-viewing

Final Analysis - a cheesy classic

Killing Zoe - one of Eric Stoltz' odd ones. Very violent, not much plot, and one of the creepiest sex scenes ever (he and Julie Delpy are going at it with the TV on, which is playing Nosferatu)

Barton Fink - have seen this one many times, but still enjoyable. The Coen Brothers are something.

Respiro - very beautiful film visually, a tale of a woman who doesn't quite fit in with her village

Belle Epoque - amuses me every time I see it

March of the Penguins - what a great film! Penguins are so cool. It's hard to believe what they go through.

Les destinees sentimentales - Olivier Assayas epic about a man who gives up his ministry to take the helm of his family's ceramics company in Limoges; good but went on too long, and rushed through too many scenes. Of course, it ran three hours as is, but still...

Quills - rerun, seemed more poignant this time

Miss Congeniality 2 - cheesy fun, Bullock can be very funny

She Hate Me- why is Spike Lee so underappreciated?

Constantine - I love Keanu, I like graphic novels, I was intrigued by the plot, but I fell asleep.

Viewed in June

A Love Song for Bobby Long - I liked this a lot. Travolta is such a good actor, and Scarlett Johanssen shows some emotion here. A tragically sad story of finding your family.

Venus Beauty Institute - a not very good French film about a woman who works in a cosmetic store

The Merchant of Venice - hoo hah! Pacino chases this down trying to kill it; an interesting version of what is usually played as a comedy

Viva Maria - what a hoot! Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau as show girls/ bandits in the Mexican frontier; quite humorous

Gladiator - well, we'd never seen it. I could have lived without having done. Joaquin Phoenix played the evil character well, but the cgi violence was beyond disgusting and gratituitous

Dogfight - hadn't seen this one in a long while. Lili Taylor looked so young, and River, ah, man, what a waste.

Unforgiven - don't usually care for westerns, but this one is so good. Eastwood tells such a damned good story.

After seeing the Revenge of the Sith - ugh! The dialogue! Ugh! The same old light sabers! - we decided we wanted to watch the originals. Luckily friends of ours have the box set from the mid-90s, so we watched all three. In a
row! Star Wars; The Empire Strikes Back; Return of the Jedi

Titanic - hated the hype at the time, but this is actually a pretty good movie

Roger Dodger - Campbell Scott as a rude pig whose young nephew unexpectedly shows up for a visit

The Bride Wore Black - Jeanne Moreau has some business to attend to!

Mr and Mrs Smith - what a treat! This was a lot of fun.

Cinderella Man - too sappy, and they made Max Baer into an evil dude. Shame on you, Ron Howard!

Batman Begins - ah, I loved it. And I hope he really does keep going and redoes the Joker movie.

National Treasure - enjoyable caper with Nic Cage

The Day the Earth Stood Still - great 50s B movie!

Close Encounters of the Third Kind - hadn't seen this in years! I remember not really liking it when it came out (in my defense, I was nine years old) but really enjoyed it this time.

Viewed in May

Confidentially Yours - an old favorite and always enjoyable

Ladder 49 - better than I thought, some melodrama, but some humor and good characters

Down by Law - hadn't seen this in a long time, even the early Jarmusch are good

Bad Education - finally got to see it and was slightly disappointed. But when you compare everything he does to, say, All About My Mother, it's hard to surpass that every time.

Stage Beauty - OK but nothing to get too excited about

Don't Move - went to Seattle for a work related meeting and took some extra time - this was Penelope Cruz' most amazing role yet, as a skanky troubled woman who has an affair with a creepy guy. Not the feel good hit of the summer by any means.

Look at Me - latest Agnes Jaoui, a wonderful movie about a young woman and her relationship with her father and step-mother, and about her musical ambitions

Indiscreet - an oldie but goodie

In Good Company - Whenever I see Ashton Kutchner in anything, I always think Kelso! Not so with Topher Grace. I think he'll be something. This is the one where Grace is Dennis Quaid's new boss, athough 25 years his junior, and falls in love with Quaid's daughter.

Cosi - not as good as the premise,which is patients at an institution (all the quirky kinds of mental illness) put on a production of Cosi Fan Tutti

Die Mommie Die! - oh, everyone should see this! A campy send up of soap opera type movies, this one features possible murder, hateful children, a creep who seduces mom, daughter *and* son, intrigue, hidden identity, etc. Just a hilarious piece of camp. Mom is played by a man in drag, which just adds to the fun.

Coffee and Cigarettes - The Blanchett & Blanchett scene is just heartbreaking.

Coupling Vol 1 - hadn't seen this, friends loaned us the DVDs. The first few minutes of the first one were a little slow, but then we were laughing so hard.

House of Flying Daggers - enjoyable even as a re-run

Crash - wow. Don Cheadle gets another Oscar nomination or I eat my shoe. I am always enamored of the interlinking stories approach, and this one did not disappoint. The opening scene is amazing, and it doesn't stop.

Head in the Clouds - Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz as friends during World War II. Avoided melodrama, was quite good.

Motorcycle Diaries - didn't hold my attention, although I do like Gael Garcia Bernal.

All the Real Girls - a low budget indie that we really tried to like but just couldn't get into

Un air de famille - an earlier Agnes Jaoui about a downtrodden man and one long evening with his brother and sister-in-law, sister, and mother. You think your family is bad? Watch this and you'll probably feel better.

Amores perros - another rerun that holds up; it's that interlinking stories thing again

Nenette et Boni - another rerun, how many times have we watched this?

Viewed in April

Desk Set– always a fun one, especially for a librarian like me

Sin City – ultra violent, but well done, really captured Frank Miller’s work

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – re-run but enjoyed it again – love the final scene with the camera

King Arthur – hadn’t seen this one in the theatre, not too awful, an interesting take on Arthur’s identity, and well, you know, Clive Owen

2046 – Wow. Recent Wong-Kar Wai, picks up after In the Mood for Love, one of my all time favorites. This one is denser and more difficult to follow, with some circularity or repetition of time and motifs.

Raging Bull – missed the beginning, so still have never seen it all the way through. Fascinating piece of work, though.

Strayed – hmmm, didn’t finish

Melinda & Melinda – see post below

Eros – see post below

Seventh Heaven – see post below

Code 46 – a science fiction/dystopia piece of dreary with Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton, could have been so interesting, was so lacking

Being Julia – didn’t know quite what to expect, was quite good. Annette Bening was really good in this. The revenge scene at the end is priceless.

Kansas City – one of Altman’s better works, although quite dark, not a happy ending to be sure

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – only the second time we’ve seen this, unusual given how much we loved it. The second time was different – it will never quite be like the first time, when you don’t know what’s going on yet. Knowing the deal, though, allowed me to pick up more of the nuances – was able to pay more attention because I wasn’t speculating wildly about the plot

The Incredibles – not as incredible as I’d been led to believe, but enjoyable.

Vera Drake – dreary, dreary, and lacking something important that just never materializes.

Strange Days – wow, how 90s. Didn’t remember it being so bad. As Shawn said, well, it’s an artifact. Of what, I’m not sure. Our copy is for sale – cheap! bargain! - at half.com if you’re curious or masochistic…

A Very Long Engagement – aaaah. What a treat to finally see this wonderful film. An engaging story with good characters, Audrey Tautou is just so good, and Jeanot gives us a very sensitive yet brutal portrayal of what has always struck me as one of the stupidest, most wasteful wars ever (World War I).

Spanglish – I really liked this, even with all its flaws and even with Adam Sandler once again playing the downtrodden guy. At least it’s an adult, responsible downtrodden version this time out. There’s that moment where he confronts Tea Leoni about the affair and she’s prevaricating like mad and he just insists that she answer the question with a simple yes or no. Finally, she blurts out yes, and he looks truly stunned. “Really?” he asks in the most plaintive voice. That scene seemed so real. Among others that were not all that realistic, that one stood out.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – what a fun one. Ebert & Roeper trashed it (yes, the same Roeper who recently gave thumbs up to House of Wax, for god’s sake, said this was just too British. What a snob.) but it’s great fun.

Key Largo – a golden oldie, with Bacall looking so young and Bogie so dapper

Betty Blue – a disturbing tale of a couple who vie for the I’m the Most Screwed Up Person in This Relationship Award

Love and Death – vintage Woody, quite hilarious, a good way to end the month (wheat, wheat, wheat, and so very appropriate as the Palouse begins its season of wheat)