Lost's Loose Ends

Find a fairly comprehensive list here: http://tv.ign.com/articles/745/745595p1.html

Cancun for Spring Break 2007

Yep, that's about it. Staying at the Oasis Cancun, with a good girl friend from Ivey. Group of at least 10 Ivey people will be going.

$1500 all inclusive (coming from my europe money). Last spring break ever! Excited.

Update on the status of the Buffy comic

http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1562057_3_0_,00.html

The people at EW have always been very kind of Buffy, championing it throughout, and well past, its run.

There are a couple of minor spoilers, namely the whereabouts of Buffy which is learned in a Season 5 episode of Angel, as well as a very brief mention of the nature of the Angel series finale.

Heroes ep 9 review (spoilers)

Save the blah blah blah...

I was a little disappointed, but still thoroughly involved in this episode.

What I liked:
- How Peter headed out to save Claire's life even though it was likely that he would die. No hesitation.
- The absence of Hiro - it made me miss him, and made us depend more on Peter.
- Peter and Claire's chemistry: let's go slightly pedophiliac love!
- Eden's power of suggestion (which never really seemed that important) getting the job done.
- Death of bitchy cheerleader, who died because she pretended to be Claire .. ha!

What I didn't:
- Sylar was decidedly less than scary, not seeming to put much effort into things
- Peter was decidedly less than scary, leading to a very blase conflict between these two snore-fests that consisted of 2 seconds of wrasling, followed by a short fall and quick thud. Oh come on, couldn't they have come up with something better than this? At least a little more of the wrasling.
- Too much Mohinder.
- Micha is starting to annoy me. I kinda like DL, but overall that family is pretty dull.
- Adam from 24 as Sylar. I prefer the rumor (that didn't pan out) of Sean Bean.

What I'm interested in:
- How they expect to hold Sylar in the paper factory which happens to also be holding the ticking time bomb without disastrous consequences!
- How Hiro will save the waitress and somehow not be back in the present when she "dies"
- Sylar's backstory
- The season finale, which I suspect might resolve this tie between Peter and Sylar. If they can gather all the little heroes together in New York and srategically place them near Peter, he basically becomes god, and an easy defeater of Sylar.

Reviews in 5 words or less

Borat: social commentary parts are best
Hannah & Her Sisters: no manhattan, but classic allen
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: if no expectations, great fun
The Ice Storm: good dialogue, interesting, albeit depressing
Fast Food Nation: discussions, not easy answers

Gandy Pearhol

Freaky: http://movies.aol.com/movie/factory-girl/25513/trailer

To Netflix or not to Netflix?

Don't know the impetus for this latest choice - perhaps conversations with Matt and Mom about DVD rentals. So I did some research today and found out that you cannot get Netflix in Canada (I physically could not sign up without a zip code). So I looked on Epinions.com and they recommended either Zip or Starflix. Zip has a much better selection, and their website looked more professional.

Pros:

1) make a list of movies you are interested in and they'll automatically ship them to you when you return your outstanding ones. This is more convenient than having to be all proactive about going to blockbuster.
2) could catch up on all my classics watching (I've somehow never seen the Godfather!)
3) lots of different plan pricing schemes (not just the $28.95 a month that most people seem to have)
4) month-by-month committment, not locked in - can cancel at any time. Means I could give it a try for one month to see if it's actually worthwhile.
5) fairly extensive selection. Zip claims to have 51,000 dvds as compared to 65,000 at Netflix (who say they have nearly every movie that's available on dvd). As an example, I searched for the 7 up dvd series. Netflix had all of them, and Zip had 42up and 49up. Starflix (and all the others I looked at) had none.
6) Zip has the feature similar to Netflix about being "on the honor system" that Matt mentioned one time.
7) speaking of the parental units, they could probably benefit from this too! i forsee dvd bonding.
8) good tv selection as well

Cons:

1) costs money, duh :)
2) not entirely sure how much I would use it, especially with my busy schedule. I would definitely get one of the cheaper, more limited use packages.
3) you can't prioritize your list (of 20 movies) - they'll just send you whatever they have. You can pay a $2.50 "gotta have it" fee and they'll ship it within 24 hrs.
4) if you go over your shipments/month limit, it's a $2.50 fee (but at least it's not impossible to get more).

So ultimately I'll think about whether or not I would use it and probably at least give it a try for 1 month if it will fit into my budget!

Editor's Note: I lied, Zip DOES have the 7 up series! (It's just boxed together as "The Up Series", so when I searched for "7 Up", no results.)

Lost: Post- Fall Finale Post

Thoughts:

1) the fish biscuits are laced the fish biscuits are laced! pregnancy scare in the flashback is classic foreshadowing. however, i don't necessarily think she'll have the baby - perhaps a miscarriage mishap? intentional, forced, or otherwise. speaking of that, good job with the sex scenes. and the post-love was ridiculously cute.
2) i knew jack would come through for kate and sawyer despite the rage over now being the third wheel. he still wouldn't/won't let ben die. why didn't she tell him they're on a different island? i bet she will as one of the first few lines in episode 7
3) no eye patch :( not much of anything in the way of developments to the mythology or big unknowns
4) alex is sooooo a set-up!!! didn't everything about her scene in tonight's episode reek of fakeness? and apparently she's also ben's daughter/protege, which helps explain the set-up. I mean really, if she was taken from Rousseau as a baby, she grew up with these people. Her loyalty is to them, no question. crazy french lady will be mighty disappointed.
5) i still think ben will do a switchy swappy but not for a long time probably. end of this season at the earliest?
6) oh jack will get off the island he's on at the moment! tricky!!
7) "sheppard wasn't even on jacob's list" .... ah .... did I hear that right? so jacob is....?
8) NO MORE FLASHBACKS please. LIMITED USE only, not every episode. Not that I particularly disliked this one, but in general I'm so over them. I'd rather watch Hurley and Charlie gather fruit or Desmond skip his rocks for half an hour than sit through another Charlie/Jin/Sun/Hurley/Sayid flashback. The others are acceptable.
9) have i mentioned that I would give anything to have jin & sun dead and boone & shannon/eko back?
10) juliet needs to be dead by the end of this season. she's walking a very thin line with me. she makes a better villain than heroine. and she should stay the heck away from jack! he doesn't want any of that!! there's no one for him right now, and that's fine. he can use some alone time.
11) 16 episodes in a row will be mighty good. 13 weeks off, not so much fun. but we'll get used to it. i think i like this arrangement.
12) "look north" ... don't mind if I do, dead eko!
13) lame ending. oh well.

Lost: Pre-'Fall Finale' Post

I'm awfully excited for this, probably because it keeps being referred to as a finale. And it rather is: 13 weeks without Lost will follow!

So in honor of this memorable occasion, here are some pre-epsiode speculations/predictions/ramblings:

(some are/could be spoilerish)

1) Kate and Sawyer will do it - because they elude to that in the previews. The fish biscuits have fertility drugs in them to make Kate pregnant.
2) Jack will operate on Ben, and save his life. He took the hippocratic oath, after all.
3) We'll get another glimpse of Eye Patch.
4) Alex is a setup.
5) Ben MAY switch over to the "good" side.

The one where Tammy sees movies by herself and gets her photo taken

- This is an interesting article from EW.com about Heroes and the comic book world. Complete with bonus references to Alan Moore, Buffy, and Babylon 5! Actually I only read the first page because that's all I thought to cache before class.

- Had my grad photos taken today, with robe, fake diploma, hat, fake flowers, and everything! One exciting technological development that has occurred since the last time I had these things taken (high school grad) is the green screen. Now instead of having to choose a background before the shoot, you can go online and play around with all the different ones to see what you like best. 2 of my 12 proofs turned out great, so I'm happy with that.

- Killing time until my 5:20 tax class. A very large boo to night classes. No more of those next term. Speaking of which I will tell you my 2nd term schedule right now:

Mon & Tues:
11:20-12:40 --- Advanced Corporate Financial Reporting
2:10-3:30 --- Value Investing
3:40-5:00 --- Business Law

Wed & Thurs:
9:40 - 11:00 --- Global Strategy

I've gotten most of my accounting courses out of the way this semester, so it should be a fairly light 4 months.

- I saw Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest all by my little old self last night. I actually really enjoy seeing movies alone so that wasn't a big deal. It was playing at Rainbow which is exactly 1 block from my apartment (and only until Thursday), I had been meaning to see it since the summer, and on top of that it was only $3.00!! Hard to turn down.

In the end, I really enjoyed it. Sure it was ridiculously long, did not adhere to any of the laws of physics, and ended with a complete cliffhanger... but darn it, it was good! I had low expectations because nearly everyone has been disappointed with it so far, and I knew to be prepared for the unresolved conclusion. But I thought in general the villain(s) were well constructed, the action scenes were near the top of any I've seen in the last couple of years, and I was thoroughly entertained for the entire 2.5 hours.

- Speaking of Rainbow, they're going to begin showing first-run movies starting this weekend. Of course, prices are going up but they'll still be the cheapest in London: $6.50 for evenings and something weird like $4.24 for matinees and Tuesdays. So if anyone wants to see The Departed with me next Tuesday ... I'll pay!! I'll probably see Borat too. One of the advantages of being a student is that it's really easy to get errands done/see matinees during the week.

EA Games helps keep me unsatisfied

Say what you will about my generation and our tendencies towards instant gratification and selfishness, but consider that this behavior is really just a construction of the changes in our society as a whole. I do not think it is theoretically possible for billions of people of the same age to willingly change their attitudes all at the same time. So, really it's not our fault it's yours (not you, specifically) for encouraging the shifts in values that have in turn changed the structures that influence our behavior.

Anyways, that little social-psych babble is really just a prelude to my real beef which is with The Sims. I recently purchased an expansion pack which allows your Sims to play with little kitties and doggies (and budgies and hamsters and fishies). Upon excitedly tearing open the packaging, I noticed a small one-page flyer drop out. For a change, it was advertising something actually related to the game I had just purchased, and not Metal Men 3 or some other nonsense.

However, it was an advertisement for the NEXT Sims expansion pack. Not the current one, not one that I can go out and buy in-stores already, but one that doesn't even have a name or a set release date. But the colorful advertisements promises dozens of new key features that guess what - I want now! My satisfaction of the game, even with my new Pets expansion pack, has been greatly diminished by my new ability to imagine in precise detail what these new features will be like. Argh.

Peace the spork out, Eko

Hopefully you've watched it already, cause clearly I'm assuming you have.

I'd heard beforehand that someone was going to bite the dust in last night's eppy, and had actually pegged pre-show that it would be Eko. My logic: the last 3 deaths have been female, Eko was in a vulnerable position, and after the hatch incident it felt like he didn't have much to do on the island anymore. I wasn't by any means sure.

And by jove, he expired around 9:59pm last night (well, 2004). I'm thrilled it was at the hands of the smoke monster; very fitting after how he stared it down last season. It seems to me this implies that the monster has been the cause for everyone's hallucinations throughout the first two seasons (Jack's dad, Kate's horse, DAVE) and that maybe it judges you and if you repent your supposed sins, you live - otherwise you die. I'm trying to think about how this applies to the other hallucinations but I'm too tired.

In other more exciting news, Benji has a tumor and Jack is gonna save him (oh he so is, you know it). Benji will find out about Juliet's plot, and possibly defect to the Losties, or at least shake up the island dynamics. Hopefully Juliet will die as a result... she deserves it. Or maybe it's all just a big set-up to see if Jack is worthy... of something.

Halloween

Here are some pictures of a couple memorable nights recently. On the top are my Deloitte friends that visited me when I went to Toronto this past weekend. In case you care, which I don't know why you would, we have: Alex, Adam, Chris, Aviel, Liz, Sapna, Me, Steve, and Mona (yes the infamous Mona!).

On the bottom is a picture from last night's Halloween events. The three girls are dressed up as fire fighters, and the boy looks like he's not wearing a costume but he actually has brown paper bag sayings taped to him with stuff like "My ex girlfriend broke my heart" and "My brother always got better grades than me". Any guesses as to what he was?? Emotional Baggage! Lol. Anyways they are called: Serena, Ksenia, Lauren, and Matt. Ivey peeps.

Reviews in 5 words or less

The Prestige: glossy fun but too easy
Marie Antoinette: great, though yawn-inducing for many
The Queen: a fair portrayal, nothing big

ps. yawn-inducing counts as one word!

2005

1. Syriana




Syriana is definitely one of the best films of the year because it is intelligent and entertaining, yet doesn’t necessarily take the path you are expecting. Basically the plot looks at the Middle Eastern-U.S. oil conflicts from the points of view of half a dozen of the involved parties (laid-off workers, Texan business tycoons, royalty, CIA, economic advisors, etc.). None of the characters are necessarily right or wrong, good or evil (the best choice I think the director could have made), and each is flawed in their own actions or self-righteous outlook. All of the different threads in this movie have their own twists and impact, and they do come together and overlap like most films of this nature do, but they don’t reach an “end game” or big solution. The fight for oil is one of the most complex and potentially disabling problems that our generation will ever face, and Syriana presents that quite honestly. The already infamous speech about corruption explains quite well what the entire film is about: look around and we’ll see that nothing is going well in the game for oil and it never will.

I feel a warning is necessary, however: George Clooney is not at all hot in this picture. You won’t be turned off him forever, but expect to be slightly disgruntled with the hairy, fat Clooney. So just close your eyes and listen to his words (and the occasional scream or violent grarrl) – he did win the Oscar after all. In closing, Syriana is obviously my choice for the best movie of 2005. Until next year my movie-loving internet friends!


2. Good Night, and Good Luck

Oh George Clooney, you are so hot for an old man, and, as you proved with Good Night, and Good Luck, a very talented and conscientious director too. For those of you that have seen this film, you will probably agree that it nearly put you to sleep. Not necessarily a good trait for a second best movie to have, but nevertheless a result of the black-and-white coloring choice and the rather subdued plot. This is certainly not a film that comes out with all barrels ablaze, scene after scene of knock-you-off-your-feet action or drama. But, it has a beautiful subtlety and self-respect for its characters (Murrow, of course, but also the other network employees, like Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson) that was unique among 2005 movies. It harkens back to old, great movies like All the President’s Men or The Manchurian Candidate. The direction is superb, of course, but what is really great is the writing. At 93 minutes it is a short, tight script with nary a wasted scene – something that I wish happened more often in this age of 3 hour, multi-ending films. Good Night, and Good Luck is quite the old-world treat.


3. Sin City

Apparently this movie is almost a word-for-word adaptation of the graphic novel by Frank Miller. So maybe this praise is more for that than the movie itself. Well both certainly have the same style, which I’d say is the most valuable element, beyond plot or characters. This is simply a style of cinematography that we have never seen before – very comic-like, of course - an interesting mixture of gritty and cartoonish. Each act is related but not wholly overlapping as directors often find necessary but really is not (parallel stories with similar or contrasting themes can work without having its characters interact, no?). These elements ultimately operate to explain the environment; really this is a movie about its setting, not plot. But that’s just my take on it. Nearly everyone who sees it gleans something different and that’s certainly part of its appeal.


4. Tsotsi

Quite a worthwhile film, and unlike many of the other political movies this year, it succeeds without hitting you over the head with its message. Is the message in the banner? I would think so, but you can decide for yourself. (Clearly you should see the movie if only to understand what the hell I’m talking about). Tsotsi won Best Foreign Film at this year’s Oscars and I definitely agree with that choice. This is a movie about a thug (that's what the word tsotsi means) in a very ghetto area of South Africa who kills and steals without much conscience to get by. But as the movie progresses so does Tsotsi; he is a bad man who gets better. That kind of redemption story is all too absent from movies these days, and frankly better it be an African film where there are real causes for the bad behavior in the first place.


5. Munich

I was not expecting to like this movie. I thought it was just another one that I had to see in order to make a credible list (look how much trouble I go to just for you people!) but ultimately would not enjoy. I also believed with absolute certainty that Billy Bob Thorton played a lead role (he's not even in it), but that’s beside the point. Don’t be deterred by thinking that this is all about the events that took place at the Olympics. Knowing the outcome of that event does not matter (it didn’t in Titanic either), but moreover this film is really about the after-math and how Jewish people took their revenge. By the way, favorite part: Naomi Watts’ death, least favorite part: final sex scene… weird! In my mind, Munich is one part Shindler’s List, one part Grapes of Wrath (I have no idea why), and one part James Bond. The James Bond part is why I love this movie because it’s so unexpected and fun! More movies should incorporate 007 into their angsty, political plots. Can you imagine Brokeback, Crash, or Constant Gardener with a little spy action thrown in? Amazing!


6. Batman Begins

The second best superhero movie ever made! After Spider-Man 2, of course, which was #7 on last year’s list. I looked that up just for you. Batman has always been close to my heart, ever since that wonderful 60s sitcom (POW, ZAP, SHWAP! Indeed!), so I was very excited for a feature adaptation that promised to take a shrewd look at the roots of this great bat. Well, it did not disappoint. There was certainly a pile of interesting, gritty back-story of how the bat came to be, coupled with a central plot that delved deep into the mythology of Gotham villains (so that’s why there are so many crazy people in NYC!). Christian Bale was surprisingly great in the lead role, and really the only downfall was Katie Holmes because she’s just awful. ZOP! BANG!


7. The Constant Gardener

Oh what a lovely movie! The more time that passes since I last saw it, the more I feel good about it. I don’t know what that’s suppose to mean. Anyways, the performances are great and the writing is very strong. The thing I liked the best was how you understand and appreciate Rachel Weisz’s character more and more as the film progresses - something most critics pointed out. This is true elegance in cinema, and personally I think what Crash could have been. That is, a movie that has a lot to say about on an important subject, but that does it with pure delicacy and grace.


8. Crash

I really did not think I would like Crash at all when it first came to theaters. It looked kind of stupid (people crash into each other just to feel … Um…) and ridiculously preachy. And it was both, especially the latter, but it was also kind of magical. My favorite scene was when the little girl… did her thing. That sentence sounds dirty because I’m attempting to avoid spoilers. Paul Haggis (writer of Million Dollar Baby – my second favorite movie of 2004) is certainly an intelligent man and he has a lot to say about racism that, perhaps, has not been said before. Overall it was pretty tight, but I think Haggis needs to learn the meaning of the word subtlety and thus it is lower on the list than it otherwise might be.


9. Serenity

Even if this had been a strange carbon copy of War of the Worlds, I have extreme solidarity with Joss Whedon and would gleefully have compromised my journalistic (?) integrity and added to the list anyways. But, fortunately, this is just a really great film. Lots of fun in its bizarre Western-Fi way, full of great action moments, a fairly solid plot, and original characters. Not to mention a pretty great death scene (rival even to some of the better ones on Buffy).


10. Cache

If you have been paying attention, you may remember that Cache was also one of my worst films of the year (note: when I originally wrote this I assumed there would be more time between the two posts). I obviously haven’t been able to resolve the conflicting emotions that it left me with. I estimate roughly 10% of the audience loved it, and 10% somehow managed to find some peace of mind in the ending as thus found it "OK-to-Good", and the rest definitely hated it. Overall, it was a very intelligent, thoughtful film on the nuisance of a man’s conscience. The ending was… different, but definitely appropriate and in-keeping with the director’s motives. It’s just tough to ascertain (while watching) that the film’s purpose goes far beyond that of a regular suspense movie. So, fine, I will allow it, and even offer some praise for it, but I stand firm in regard to its dual positioning on my lists. In fact, I think it’s rather appropriate given the movie.

There's nothing like a packed house

My simultaneous favorite and least favorite thing to see when entering a theater is a huge hoard of people. This can make finding a good seat annoyingly difficult, and of course (as Matt would be quick to mention), greatly increases the chances of cell phones going off, people talking, babies crying, etc.

However, an audience has a life of its own. I find it so gratifying to be laughing along to the same jokes with a large crowd, hearing girls scream (again, often along with) at the scary parts, gasp at the twists, and in rare cases even clap or boo at the end. The best case for this was probably Return of the King which Matt and I saw at Silver City on, I think, opening day a few years ago. It made the experience that much more enjoyable because everyone was so into it.

The theater was also completely packed when I recently saw The Departed. This was mostly a good thing except for when the silly blonde Western girls (who else could it have been?) laughed at the dramatic climax. I can only assume this was because they clearly just did not understand what was going on. But at any rate, this is a huge part of why I love going to the movies.

Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying

• How do you know if you're doing the right thing with the rest of your life? Such big decisions are effectively made in high school, but with consequences that extend far beyond. And if you are a different person now than then, which is more than likely, how can you be sure you're still on the right path? We're talking about the rest of my life here. But opting for a change of course now is risky and potentially remarkably stupid.
• Is it wrong to like Van Morrison's cover of 'Comfortably Numb' more than the original Pink Floyd? Cause wow is it amazing.
• Delayed musing from last week's Lost: what a great final shot of Desmond skipping his rocks. I love it when shows aim for something more in the visual department, without going over the top.
• New Heroes tonight! How could Claire die?

2004

1. Before Sunset














Before Sunset is one of the best films of my life and our generation. Though by technical merits not the tops of 2004 (but how can you beat a perfect film like Million Dollar Baby?), it is emotionally and intellectually the best. The story picks up 10 or so years after its interesting but unremarkable predecessor, Before Sunrise. Our favourite deep thinkers are reunited for a brief time while he is on a book signing tour in the city where she lives. They only have the opportunity to spend a few short hours together, but they make the most of this time by exploring the streets of Paris, and, among other things, how their lives have turned out and what would have happened had things been different. At the start, they both smile and explain how happy they are, but this facade falls victim to the truth which, for reasons of fate or providence, they cannot hide from each other.

It is this development, the way they reveal more and more as the sun drops, that drives the story and prevents it from ever becoming boring like the first may have. In Before Sunrise you knew they were going to hook up, but here the end is a bit more questionable. Even more importantly, the characters have both grown up.

Before Sunrise suffered from typical twenty-something bullshit, but Before Sunset takes a much more grounded look at the world. These people are messed up, too. They have problems and can be borderline unlikeable sometimes, which ironically, makes me like them even more. The film is frank and real, and the characters certainly not idealized.

When the sun is very low in the sky, the film of course ends. And - I'm going to say it - this is one of the best endings ever. I was very sad, not necessarily because the ending was sad (I'll let you find that out for yourself), but because I so desperately wanted more. I would have watched them walk around Europe for another 24 hours. If that doesn't make it the best film of 2004, I don't know what does.


2. Million Dollar Baby

This is not only the best movie of 2004, but it is a completely perfect one at that. Confused as to why it sits at only #2 on my list? Yeah, me too. Let's put it up to "reviewer's tilt." Anyways, I challenge you to criticize it because I think it's just not possible. If I had complete editing ability I would not change a single line, sound, or action. The characters are likeable and real and viewed through a lense of complete truth and clarity. This helps create so much emotional content that it could easily have been overwhelming. Eastwood's direction ensures that it avoids reaching mediocre sentimentality. Don't be put-off by the fact that it's a boxing movie, because that's not really what it's about at all.


3. Sideways

Sideways is simple and sweet, probably like some kind of Pinot, but definitely like a kind of great movie that doesn't come along very often. There is not really a message or remarkable character growth (Jack, at least, is certainly not a reformed man by the end)... I think if there were Sideways would be worse off for it. There is a wonderful, subtle script that is matched with equally endearing acting (not exactly expected casting) and perfect dialogue shown best by the wine discussion scene between Miles and Mia. Miles is incredibly flawed for a main character, but by the end is so likeable that he reaches hero status when he saves Jack's wallet in another great scene. This is just a really great example of what movie making should be about.


4. Kill Bill: Vol 2

Very few movie-lovers would deny the talent of Quentin Tarantino. These few, more often than not, are quite full of themselves. But everyone is entitled to their opinion, so I digress.

The Kill Bill series is classic Tarantino, and Volume 2 is its heart and soul.
It is much more than just a continuance of the bloody mayhem begun in Volume 1; it contains the major story arcs and plot drivers. Characters are fleshed out, background is filled in, and the Bride’s vengeance goes forward.

The movie is divided into phases that each exist and flourish in their own world while still contributing to the overall story --- somewhat like TV episodes making up a greater season. From Pai Mei, to Elle Driver and Budd we have quite the cast of characters. One of the greatest things about Kill Bill is that it is all so fantasy driven yet manages to never feel like it. The final meeting of the Bride and Bill himself is perhaps the best single scene in any 2004 film.

One way to recognize Volume 2’s distinction is to think back upon Volume 1. Does it not only make a hell of a lot more sense, but somehow seem infinitely more important? If yes, then you and I would agree that Volume 2 and the Kill Bill series is quite the masterpiece.


5. Bad Education

Pedro Aldomovar is one of the best foreign film makers in recent memory. All About My Mother and Talk to Her were both amazing. Bad Education isn’t quite up to those standards. It’s more complicated and less meaningful, but still contains the essential Aldomovar traits: exists entirely in its own world, explores the darker side of life and sex with a humorous flair, and is chock full of melodrama. It works because the individual moments work (even if the audience does not understand their connections until the end, or perhaps not even then). There’s lots of gay and straight sex in this movie, not to mention the transvestites and other various sexual perversions – and who doesn’t love that, let’s be honest.


6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

I spent much of 2004 tearing this movie apart; criticizing everything I thought was even slightly amiss. Everyone else was so gung-ho about it, and I just wanted to emphasize that it was not a perfect movie. But it is a unique experiment, like all of Kaufman’s so far, and it is far more rewarding because this time you care about the characters. Sure the girl can be a jerk sometimes, but she’s still really lovely in all her insecurity. Jim Carey is for once bearable as an actor (and I suspect he never will be again). The script is great – full of nuances and twists, character depth, insight into relationships and life, etc. It definitely feels like a bit of a whirlwind sometimes, and gets lost a bit in the middle, but never loses focus of its essence – the reality of love – until the pitch-perfect ending (almost as good as the finish of my #1 film of the year). So Eternal Sunshine is definitely not perfect…. maybe that’s the point?


7. Spider-Man 2

Sequels are usually bad. (Although, they have been making somewhat of a comeback. For every 5 bad ones, there’s 1 good one!), and superhero movies are worse, but this is just a great film. It has lots of action and adventure, a great villain who isn’t completely evil, and some pretty good romance. However, what Spidey-2 has that not many other action films do is insight. The plot doesn’t have much to do with Dr. Octopus --- it’s really about the trials and tribulations of being a hero. Peter Parker has to cope with every day life, and the burdens of his responsibility. This movie is great because it focuses on the people – not the super powers, not the special effects, and not the pending world apocalypse. That’s something it has in common with Buffy (the greatest TV show ever made), and any movie with similarities to Buffy is good enough to make this list! Just kidding – Spider-Man 2 is hands down the best superhero movie ever made, and that’s why it’s here at #7.


8. Closer

If you have a good memory, you may remember that I have reviewed this movie already. It was early January, and I gave it a respectable 3 stars (out of 4). But wait, 75% isn’t good enough for a top 10 list you might say! To be honest, I really had no intentions of putting Closer on this list after seeing it. I was highly annoyed at its unrealistic and pretentious tone, and was very happy when it ended. But a curious thing happened. Without realizing it, I’ve spent the last 2 months thinking about this movie. I’m not sure if it was the experimental nature of the project, the lucidity of the characters, or simply the haunting final shot of Natalie Portman walking down the streets of New York, but any movie that can force its way into my subconscious to that extent is certainly well-deserving of a spot on this list.


9. Moolaade

Moolaade is an ancient African right to protection. It’s like invoking double jeopardy, or putting someone under citizen’s arrest. It’s just a word, but it has a lot of power. An Africa woman named Colle must invoke moolaade to protect the girls in her home. Why must she do that? Because the girls have fled their purification ritual that aimed to cut off parts of their genitals so they would be numb and “pure” for sex. Being that Moolaade is about female circumcision, it’s obviously a heavy movie. The subject matter is handled delicately, but also with the intensity that it deserves. The acting is great, and the direction from the 81-year-old “father of African cinema,” is also superb; this is a visually beautiful film. However, the best part is that despite the harsh subject matter, the movie is not dour or even depressing – it’s remarkably full of life.


10. Garden State

I saw this movie for the second time recently and it dropped a few notches on my list. It seemed a bit less important, not because I knew what was going to happen – it just lost a bit of its magic. However, I can still recall how impressed and even moved I was the first time I saw it in theaters. I love movies that “transcend reality.” That is, the characters and plot are not contrived (they seem entirely true to human motivations), but they bring a certain intelligence and depth that is sometimes hard to come by in real-life. Certain moments in Garden State are a bit over-done (Andrew Largeman living in a white room, taking all the drugs), and there is too much focus on the romance, which, although lovely, takes the focus away from Andrew’s transformation and revelations. But considering how much glossy teenage fare is produced per year, Garden State was a welcomed relief.

2003

The year that just may have given me my favorite movie of all time.


1. Lost in Translation



2. Love Actually
3. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
4. American Splendor
5. Kill Bill: Vol 1
6. Nowhere in Africa
7. Mystic River
8. In America
9. Capturing the Friedmans
10. The House of Sand and Fog

2002

That of the amazing foreign films.


1. Spirited Away



2. Talk to Her
3. Y Tu Mama Tambien
4. City of God
5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
6. Gangs of New York
7. The Hours
8. Adaptation
9. Far From Heaven
10. Igby Goes Down