Moon (2009)

Interesting premise, stunning visuals and some twists I didn't see coming at all make this one of my favorites from the sci fi genre.

Arrested Development: Season 2

A truly smart and innovative comedy.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

Harry and his mates learned how to act but it isn't enough to make an engaging movie out of the uneventful first half of the book.

Persona (1966)

Bergman presents his study on identity, guilt and the emotional impact of relationships in a way that is both similar to his other work and distinct in its experimental methods.

La Commare Secca (1962)

This film bears a striking resemblance to Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950) with its multiple protagonist storytelling, class-struggle side theme and study of the nature of truth.

Spies Like Us (1985)

Awful movie, but Chevy Chase is SO COOL.

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

GOOD GOD can these guys act or WHAT!?!?!?!

The Last Emperor (1987)

An interesting life makes for an excellent epic tale.

Wild Strawberries (1957)

Bergman cranks out another beautiful life and death film, which is at once cerebral and warm.

Juno and the Paycock (1930)

Silly characters that are acted out beautifully make this one of my favorite early Hitchcock films.

The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1994)

Profile for a prophet.

Daria: Season 5

This season gets funnier and sweeter as you hurtle toward the series finale.

The Graduate (1967)

So funny, yet so smart.

True Romance (1993)

Though only written by him and not directed, it feels like Quentin Tarantino had his grubby hands in every aspect of this blood-splattered love flick.

Daria: Season 4

By this season our characters are so well developed that rather than be repulsed by some typical teenage drama, it actually draws you further into your Daria addiction.

Manon of the Spring (1986)

As beautifully shot as the first, the sequel to Jean de Florette is a tale of revenge and recompense for sins.

Jean De Florette (1986)

A sad tragedy about one man's struggle for a life of simplicity and another man's greedy efforts to ruin him.

Band of Outsiders (1964)

Upon my second viewing I realize how thoroughly I underestimated this beautiful New Wave staple.

My Best Friend (2006)

Seriously awesome source material for Wes Anderson to adapt next year.

Vampyr (1932)

I'll take Carl Theodor Dreyer's first sound film over Twilight any day.

Shadows (1959)

John Cassavetes' directoral debut feels as fresh today as it did when it revolutionized American cinema.

Bergman Island (2006)

Nearing the end of his life one of my favorite filmmakers describes his life in film and the life of solitude he withdrew into for his final years.

My 20 Favorite Movies (for now)

 I know some of my picks will be widely disagreed with, but screw you. This is my list and I like what I like.
(this is in alphabetical order because there's no way I could rank it)

1. 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963)
2. The Big Lebowski (Ethan and Joel Coen, 1998)
3. Breathless (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960)
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
6. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas (Terry Gilliam, 1998)
7. Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
8. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
9. Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971)
10. Mullholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
11. The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928)
12. Peirrot Le Fou (Jean-Luc Godard, 1965)
13. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
14. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001)
15. The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
16. A Serious Man (Ethan and Joel Coen, 2009)
17. Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder, 1950)
18. Superbad (Greg Mottola, 2007)
19. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008)
20. Where the Wild Things Are (Spike Jonze, 2009)

Director Review: BILLE AUGUST

I'm sad to say that I have not yet seen the two Bille August films that are most popular and celebrated. This is especially sad since the second time August won the Palm D'or it was for Best Intentions, a movie written by one of my favorite filmmakers, Ingmar Bergman. But I'll do what I can off the three films I HAVE seen.

First I watch one of his first films, TWIST AND SHOUT (1984), a coming of age story involving two teenage friends battling for different definitions of love. Bjorn falls in love with a girl named Anna, and through that relationship learns some of the dangers and frustrations of love. Erik's story revolves around his relationship with his mother and father. Despite his father's controling attitude and pleas against it, Erik develops a bond with her that helps her to overcome to some degree an illness she has. I like this film because it exlores so many different definitions of love. It does not although exlore any definitions of twisting and shouting, which was puzzling.

Second I watched SMILLA'S SENSE OF SNOW (1997). This film comes later in August's career and my only guess is that he had temporarily forgotten how to make movies. Or maybe it's just that all of the honesty and wisdom he displayed in the other two features I saw was impossible for him to translate into a thriller about an ice scientist investigating a child murder. The acting is bad. The story is unbeleivable. Skip this.

Lastly I watched the most depressing movie I've ever seen, A SONG FOR MARTIN (2001). In stark contrast to SMILLA, this film is almost too real. About a brilliant orchestral conductor who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease which slowly turns him into little more than a vegetable, and the love that his wife refuses to let go of all the way to his death. Everything about their relationship feels real which I attribute to the incredible skill of the two lead actors. It's rare to come across a film the beckons me to surrender to my sadness and just feel it, and even more rare that I have almost no choice but to do so. This is a masterfully presented film.

How do I make general statements about a director who made at least two unbeleivably good movies and at least one unbeleivably bad movie? I just won't.

Next Director: JEAN-JACQUES BEINEIX

Killers (2010)

How Katherine Heigl sleeps with herself after taking a role where she is constantly demeaned by an empty headed jerk is beyond me. 

The Seventh Seal (1957)

At my fourth viewing this timeless classic cements itself as my personal favorite from Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman.

Due Date (2010)

Tony Stark and Hangover Alan hit the road triggering a string of impossible but hilarious mishaps.

Due Date (2010)

Yeah, so WHAT if I saw it twice in one day.

The Two of Us (1967)

Sometimes you can teach an old dog new tricks, and it makes for one hell of a movie.

Diva (1981)

A black diva opera singer, a gripping moped chase and an almost Godardian approach to humor and Parisan life make this a thriller like no other.

Daria: Season 3 (1999)

With the exceptions of a fantastical episode inwhich different holiday spirits leave their island and impose themselves on Daria's life, and one that is a musical, every episode in this season is gold.

Cria Cuervos (1976)

In her second acting role, Ana Torrent can't help but be the cutest little girl in the world, even with her creepy fixation on death and attempted murders of both her father and aunt.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

In lieu of Halloween night I watched Johnny Depp's first and Wes Craven's first successful film, which ended up being much more innovative, frightening, symbolic and coherent than I had imagined.