October movies

Palindromes – we had not seen this yet and I think I could have lived without this one. Welcome to the Dollhouse was so brilliant, but his subsequent films have just been too depressing and odd.

North by Northwest – one of my favorite Hitchcocks

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – a lot of potential here, but missed the mark. Robert Downey Jr plays a thief who blunders into auditions for a movie and is swept into Hollywood. He is drawn into a mystery involving an old friend and tries to solve the case. Val Kilmer plays a PI who works as a consultant for the movies and he serves as the sidekick, helping Downey with the case.

The Notorious Bettie Page – interesting biopic, but was left feeling that we could have known more, had more context for her life

Friends with Money – recent Nicole Holofcener, not as good as Lovely and Amazing, for example. An ensemble cast portrays four friends from school, now in their late 30s, all in various states of crisis

Akeelah and the Bee – wonderful movie about a young girl from South Central who is drawn into competing in spelling bees. A bit melodramatic at moments, but overall a fun film.

The Departed – Recent work from Scorsese, excellent as usual, strong performance from DiCaprio, lots of violence and Scorsese touches

The Matrix – always enjoy this one

The Royal Tenenbaums – my favorite Wes Anderson

Pitch Black – excellent sci-fi with Vin Diesel and Radha Mitchell

Chronicles of Riddick – Diesel reprises his role and has more adventures, very different in style than the first

Mr and Mrs Smith - just as much fun as when we saw it in the theatre

House of Mirth – well acted but so depressing!

The Hurricane - had never seen this, thought it was quite good, although I was disappointed when I did some research into the story afterwards and learned that there was some evidence against him and that there was no single police officer out to get him

Mortelle Randonee - the French film on which Eye of the Beholder was based. Watching did not help with figuring out what Eye of the Beholder was really trying to accomplish...

Art School Confidential - recent film based on Daniel Clowes' work, directed by same guy who did Ghost World. This was OK, not great, not as engaging as I had imagined it would be

Thank You for Smoking - excellent film about a tobacco lobbyist with a messy personal life

Flags of our Fathers - really well done film, a poignant story and some really brutal battle scenes

The White Countess - Merchant & Ivory film with Ralph Fiennes as a blind diplomat who becomes involved with a Russian emigree in 1937 China, slow paced but well done

On a Clear Day - charming story of a man who is downsized and decides to swim the English Channel

The Company - held up well, Altman film about a ballet company

Sex and Lucia -- Julio Medem film about a writer and the woman who loves him, circular narrative, no certainty of what is real or what is a dream or what is the guy's novel.

Marie Antoinette - Roeper and AO Scott split thumbs on this one. I did not find it as indulgent as Roeper felt. It was lacking somehow, but was worth seeing


Guess Who - funny remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner with Ashton Kutcher as the white boyfriend and Bernie Mac as the outraged father. Better than I expected, definitely worth a Netflix

Therese - stark portrait of the life of a young woman who becomes a Carmelite nun

Bottle Rocket - early Wes Anderson, Owen and Luke look so young! Held up better than I expected, hadn't seen it in years.

Days of Being Wild - 1991 Wong Kar-Wai film, set in 1960, tells of a young man and his troubled relationships with his mother and girlfriends

September movies

Dazed and Confused – couldn't remember if we'd seen it, after sitting through it were dazed by the inanity and confused about why we didn't turn it off

A Few Good Men – always worth watching, excellent screenplay

The Illusionist – very interesting story, twisty plot, nicely done period details. Norton is an interesting actor and does this role effectively.

Game 6 – slow paced but interesting story of a playwright facing various crises in his life. The whole movie takes place on the day of game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Yes, that game 6.

Wedding Crashers – Owen and Vince are just hilarious. The commentary track on this one is worth listening to.
Serenity – sigh. Why did the show get cancelled? Why does Joss kill off who he does in this one? Why can't there be another movie right now?

Up and Down – Czech film – a dark comedy about a woman who desperately wants to have a baby.

Rumor Has It – pretty average. The plot hook was potentially interesting, but not well executed.

Hollywoodland – Very well done. Brody's character was interesting, but Affleck really showed some depth here in his portrayal of George Reeves.

Little Fish – very depressing but engrossing tale of a recovered heroin addict who constantly deals with the trappings of the old life. Cate Blanchett is an excellent actor and makes this worth a view.

The Devil Wears Prada – just OK. I'm not into fashion enough to care about the satire. If it really was a satire.

L'Enfant – recent film from the Dardenne brothers, a heartbreaking tale of a young couple and their baby

Primal Fear – an oldie but goodie

Mrs Henderson Presents – interesting story but this drug on a bit

Wordplay – excellent documentary about Will Shortz and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament

Children of the Century – deadly dull film about George Sand

Inside Man – one of my favorite bank robbery movies of all time

5 x 2 – recent Ozon film, uses the reverse narrative technique. Film opens with a couple signing the divorce papers, and then moves backward in time.

Tsotsi – well done film about a young man who goes down a path of violence and crime

Total Recall – another oldie but goodie

The Black Dahlia – this didn't work for me.

Russian Dolls – a sequel to L'Auberge Espanol, not great, but entertaining enough

Sous le sable – an Ozon from a few years back, haunting tale of a woman who cannot accept her husband's suicide

My Mother, My Father, My Sister, My Brother – comedy about a woman (Victoria Abril) with three children who all have different fathers and what happens when she, the kids, and the three men are all on vacation at the same resort

Bon Voyage – set during WWII, this is an odd blend of campy and sad.

Melinda and Melinda – a rerun of course - I like this one but the framing device seems a bit forced for me. One of Woody's best recent ones, though.