"C" All Films Watched 2000-2010 |
|
All
films are rated on a scale of **** (A+), *** 3/4 (A), *** 1/2 (A-), *** 1/4
(B+), *** (B), ** 3/4 (B-), ** 1/2 (C+), ** 1/4 ( C), ** (C-) , * 3/4 (D+), *
1/2 (D), * 1/4 (D-), * (F) |
|
Links
are to longer reviews on site. A film defined as 70 min.+ visual
event. |
The
year included with the film is the year I watched each film. |
(V)
= TV, Video or DVD ( +) = repeat viewing
(W/O)= walked out |
|
C.R.A.Z.Y.
(2005, d. Jean-Marc Vallée; Canada) *** 3/4 |
C.R.A.Z.Y.
(2006, d. Jean-Marc Vallée) V. 2nd time around this time on video. Why
is this masterpiece not getting released in the U.S.? *** 3/4 |
C.R.A.Z.Y.
(2007, d. Jean-Marc Vallée) V.+++ Still one of the best coming-of-age gay
films ever made. *** 3/4 |
CAB
FOR THREE, A (2001, d. Orlando Lübbert) ** |
CABALLERO
DON QUIXOTE, EL (2003, d. Manuel Gutierrez Aragon) Boring sequel to Don
Quixote. * 3/4 |
CA-BAU-KAN
(2003, d. Nia Dinata) Indonesia AFF. Historical drama about a beautiful
pleasure girl who marries a shady businessman. * 1/2 |
CABBIE,
THE (2001, d. Yiwen Chen and Huakun Zhang) ** 1/2 |
CADILLAC
RECORDS (2008, d. Darnell Martin) Interesting biopic of Chess recording
artists. Nice musical numbers, esp. Beyoncé's Etta James. ** 3/4 |
CAESAR
(2005, d. Uli Edel) V. ** 3/4 |
CAIRO TIME
(2010, d. Ruba Nadda) ** 1/2 |
CAJA
507, LA (2003, d. Enrique Urbizu) Thriller about a meek bank
director who gets involved in a huge Mafia inspired international
conspiracy. ** 3/4 |
CAKE
EATERS, THE (2009, d. Mary Stuart Masterson) Quirky, realistic
contemporary heart tugger with some really wonderful perfs & assured
direction. *** 1/4 |
CALENDAR
GIRLS (2004, d. Nigel Cole) Mediocre female version of The Full Monty.
** |
CALIFORNIA
DREAMIN' (ENDLESS) (2008, d. Cristian Nemescu) *** 1/4 |
CALL ME TROY
(2008, d. Scott Bloom) *** |
CAMARATE
(2001, d. Luis Filipe Rocha) *** 1/4 |
CAMILLE (2008, d.
Gregory Mackenzie) * 3/4 |
CAMP
HOLLYWOOD (2005, d. Steve Markle)V. Superb personal DV docu about a
nearby hotel & its denizens, many trying to make it in Hollywood.
*** 1/2 |
CAMP
(2003, d. Todd Graff) + Just hits me squarely in my wheelhouse. 2nd viewing
confirms its cleverness & skills of the cast despite inherent
clichés. *** |
CAMP
(2003, US d. Todd Graff) Aimiable, but predictable (we've seen it
before), musical comedy about a summer camp for budding entertainers.
** 1/2 |
CAMP
(2007, d. Todd Graff) V.++ Still more entertaining than American Idol!
Guilty pleasure; but very much a pleasure. *** |
CAMPFIRE
(2004, d. Joseph Cedar) Involving family drama about a woman with 2 daughters
coping with social and relational problems. Nicely acted. *** |
CAN GO THROUGH SKIN
(2009, d. Esther Rots) ** 1/2 |
CAN
MR. SMITH GET TO WASHINGTON ANY MORE? (2006, d. Frank Popper) V.
Absorbing docu of empassioned run for Congress. *** 1/2 |
CANONE
INVERSO ("Making Love") (2001, d. Ricky
Tognazzi) ** 1/4 |
CAPE
NO. 7 (2008, d. Te-Sheng Wei; Taiwan) ** |
CAPE
OF GOOD HOPE (2005, d. Mark Bamford) Harmless S.African
ecuminical romantic comedy, sort of predictable. ** 1/2 |
CAPITALISM:
A LOVE STORY (2009, d. Michael Moore) In your face docu, always
interesting even though Moore's opinions often rankle this time around.
** 3/4 |
CAPITOL
CRIMES (p. Bill Moyers) V. Surgical dissection of the Jack Abramoff/Tom de
Lay scandals. Great tv journalism. *** 1/4 |
CAPONE
(2004, d. Jean Marc Brandolo) Buddy road trip film...two lost souls taking a
race horse from Paris to Finland. Good film, but I dozed. ** 3/4 |
CAPOTE
(2005, d. Bennett Miller) *** 1/4 |
CAPTAIN
ABU RAED (2008, d. Amin Matalqa) *** |
CAPTAIN
AHAB (Captaine Achab) (2008, d. Philippe Ramos) ** 1/4 |
CAPTAIN'S
DAUGHTER, THE (2001, d. Alexander Proshkin) *** |
CAPTIVE
(2004, d. Gastón Biraben) Moving & beautifully acted film about an
Argentine teenage girl who discovers her parents are not her real
parents. *** 1/4 |
CAPTIVE
(2009, d. Aleksei Uchitel) ** 3/4 |
CAPTURE
OF THE GREEN RIVER KILLER, THE (2008, d. Norma Bailey) V. Zodiac lite.
Very well made & acted. *** |
CAPTURING
THE FRIEDMANS (2003, US doc. d. Andrew Jarecki) A great
documentary which peels the layers off of a family's secrets & justice
mislaid. **** |
CARAMEL
(2007, d. Nadine Labaki; Lebanon) ** 1/2 |
CARANCHO (2010, d.
Pablo Trapero; Argentina) ** 1/4 |
CARANDIRU
(2004, d. Hector Babenco) A Brazilian prison worse than Oz, from doctor's
pov. Involving, occasionally wrenching, well acted, nicely put
together. *** 1/4 |
CARD
PLAYER, THE (2004, d. Dario Argento) Ludicrous, but well directed
Italian policier about a maniac serial woman killer using the internet to
play games with police. * 1/2 |
CARGO (2010, d. Ivan
Engler) *** |
CARLOS (2010, d. Olivier
Assayas) V. 3-part miniseries, so complex, lucid & excitingly written
& directed. Ramirez also excellent. Very impressive achievement.
*** 3/4 |
CARMEN
IN KHAYELITSHA (2006, d. Mark Dornford-May) ** 1/2 |
CARMO
HIT THE ROAD (2009, d. Murillo Pasta) ** 1/4 |
CARNAGE
(2004, d. Delphine Gleize) V. Visually stunning film about, well, bull.
And how all is connected in the world. Or something. *** |
CARS
(2007, d. John Lassiter) Inventive animation, got better as it went along,
but just not up to its rep. ** 3/4 |
CASA
DE LOS BABYS (2003, d. John Sayles) Intermittently interesting Mexican
baby mill story, unexpectedly flawed by a poorly structured script. ** |
CASANEGRA
(2009, d. Nour Eddine Lakhmari; Morocco) ** 1/4 |
CASANOVA
(2005, d. Lasse Hallström) *** |
CASH
TRUCK (2004, d. Nicolas Boukhrief) Effective, beautifully shot film
noir, violent and unpredictable. *** |
CASHBACK
(2006, d. Sean Ellis) *** |
CASINO JACK AND THE UNTIED
STATES OF MONEY (2010, d. Alex Gibney) Fast paced, scattered &
unfocused docu about Jack Abramoff & govt. corruption. ** 1/4 |
CASINO JACK (2010, d.
George Hickenlooper) Spacey is convincing as out-of-control real-life
lobbyist; but fiction, even imaginatively structured doesn't match fact. **
3/4 |
CASINO
ROYALE (2006, d. Martin Campbell) Nice new Bond; nice physical action
stunts. But the film is as ridiculous as ever. ** 1/4 |
CASSANDRA'S
DREAM (2007, d. Woody Allen) Hitchcockian film with a little Purple
Noon thrown in. ** 3/4 |
CAST
AWAY (2000, d. Robert Zemeckis) ***
ri |
CATCH
A FIRE (2006, d. Phillip Noyce) Excellent "making of a
terrorist/freedom fighter" film from So. Africa. Derek Luke fine.
*** 1/4 |
CATCH
AND RELEASE (2007, d. Susannah Grant) Predictable but well acted chick
flick which involved me. ** 3/4 |
CATCH
ME IF YOU CAN (2002, d. Steven Spielberg)
*** |
CATFISH (2010, d. Schulman & Joost) Somewhat overhyped
docu. Interesting and sad human nature vs. internet account - but
nothing remarkable. *** |
CAUCASIA
(2008, d. Farid Gumbatov; Azerbaijan) * 1/4 |
CAVE
OF THE YELLOW DOG, THE (2006, d. Byambasuren Davaa; Mongolia) |
CAVEDWELLER
(2004, d. Lisa Cholodenko) Sometimes annoying but satisfying drama about
woman who ran away with a rock band returning home to Georgia. ** 3/4 |
CAYO
(2006, d. Vincente Juarbe; Puerto Rico) * 3/4 |
CECIL
B. DEMENTED (2000, d. John Waters) **
1/4 |
CECILIE
(2007, d. Hans Fabian Wullenweber) ** 3/4 |
CELESTE
IN THE CITY (2004, d. Larry Shaw) V. Queer Eye for Straight Girl makeover ABC
Family film abounding with simplistic stereotypes. Another great Ethan Embry
role. ** |
CELL 211
(2010, d. Daniel Monzón) *** 1/2 |
CELL,
THE (2000, d. Tarsem Singh) **
1/2 |
CELLULAR
(2004, d. David Ellis) More plot holes than Swiss cheese in this silly
variant on Phone Booth; but Chris Evans is going to be a star. * 3/4 |
CENTER
STAGE (2000, d. Nicholas Hytner) ** 3/4 |
CENTURION
(2010, d. Neil Marshall) ** 3/4 |
CÉZANNE
AFFAIR, THE (L'uomo nero) (2010, d. Sergio Rubini) ** 1/4 |
CHACUN
SA NUIT (2006, d. Jean-Marc Barr, Pascal Arnold) *** 1/4 |
CHAMELEON
(Kaméleon) (2009, d. Kristzina Goda; Hungary) *** 1/4 |
CHAMPAGNE
SPY, THE (2007, d. Nadav Schirman) *** |
CHANGE
OF ADDRESS (Changement d'adresse) (2007, d. Emmanuel Mouret) ** 1/2 |
CHANGE OF PLANS (2010,
d. Danièle Thompson) Uninvolving
French dinner party/relationship film about events a year apart. Talky script
not saved by good cast. ** 1/4 |
CHANGELING,
THE (2008, d. Clint Eastwood) Schocking true story resonates
emotionally. Jolie's over-the-top perf. is Oscar bait; but Eastwood's clear
vision holds. *** |
CHANGING
DESTINY (2005, d. Daniele Gaglianone) Jagged, cutty, edgy story of 3
teenage northern Italian boys who drop out and get into various kinds of
trouble. *** |
CHANGING
LANES (2002, d. Roger Michell) **
1/2 |
CHANGING
TIMES (Les Temps qui changent) (2006, d. André Téchiné) *** 1/4 |
CHAOS
AND DESIRE (2002, d. Manon Briand) ** 3/4 |
CHAOTIC
ANA (Caótica Ana) (2007, d. Julio Medem) *** 3/4
|
CHARITON'S
CHOIR (2007, d. Grigoris Karantinakis; Greece) * 3/4 |
CHARLEY
AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (2006, d. Tim Burton) V. Amusing with
impressive effects. *** |
CHARLIE
BARTLETT (2007, d. Jon Poll) Anton Yelchin great as a preppy Ferris
Bueller type undermining public school authority. *** |
CHARLIE ST. CLOUD
(2010, d. Burr Steers) Ludicrous plot, predictable & insulting;
but Zac can act and has film magnitism. Where is the Burr Steers of
Igby?! * 1/2 |
CHARLIE
WILSON'S WAR (2007, d. Mike Nichols) Simplistic demonizing of enemy
turned me off. ** 3/4 |
CHARLIE:
THE LIFE & ART OF CHARLES CHAPLIN (2004, d. Richard Schickel) V.
Fascinating, if facile doc about the great film artist. *** 1/4 |
CHARLIE'S
ANGELS FULL THROTTLE (2003, d. McG) Some inventive stuff, though
the CGI was cheesy; but ultimately tedius and familiar action thriller.
** 1/4 |
CHARLIE'S
ANGELS (2000, d. McG) * |
CHARLOTTE
GRAY (2001, d. Gillian Armstrong)
*** |
CHARLOTTE
SOMETIMES (2003, d. Eric Byler) 4 Asian-American characters and their
tangled relationships. Haunting, eliptical, subtle, well played.
*** 1/4 |
CHARLOTTE'S
WEB (2006, d. Gary Winick) Nice voice acting, good f/x and a moving
story make for a pleasant film. *** |
CHASER,
THE (2008, d. Na Hong-jin) *** 1/2 |
CHÂTEAU,
THE (2002, d. Jesse Peretz)
** |
CHE
Part 1 (2008, d. Steven Soderbergh) Light on exposition, too many
characters to keep straight, still interesting as docudrama. ** 3/4 |
CHE
Part 2 (2008, d. Steven Soderbergh) Same problesm; but it just works
better as futility and defeat is just more interesting than victory. *** |
CHEAPER
BY THE DOZEN (2004, d. Shawn Levy) I expected to hate it; but instead I
was enchanted by the story & actors. Funny and emotionally
satisfying. *** |
CHEF OF SOUTH POLAR,
THE (2010, d. Shuichi Okita) *** 1/4 |
CHEF'S
SPECIAL (2009, d. Nacho Velilla) ** 1/4 |
CHELSEA
WALLS (2002, d. Ethan Hawke)
** |
CHÉRI
(2009, d. Stephen Frears) Outstanding, lavish evocation of Belle
Epoque; Pfeiffer is radient, Rupert Friend fabulously epicene. Literate
script. *** 1/2 |
CHERISH (2002, d.
Finn Taylor) ** 1/2 |
CHERRY
BLOSSOMS - HANAMI (2008, d. Dorris Dorrie) *** 1/4 |
CHERRY (2010, d. Jeffrey
Fine) *** 1/2 |
CHIAVI
DI CASA, LE (2007, d. Gianni Amelio) V.+ Wonderful, moving film with
sublime performances by Rampling, Stuart & Rossi. *** 1/2 |
CHICAGO
hicago (2002, d. Rob Marshall) *** 3/4 |
CHICKEN
RUN (2000, d. Peter Lord & Nick Park) **
1/2 |
CHICKEN
UNDERGROUND (2001, d. Edet Belzberg) **
1/2 |
CHIHWASEON
(2002, d. Im Kwon-taek) *** 1/4 |
CHILD,
THE (L'enfant) (2005, d. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne) *** 1/4 |
CHILDHOOD
OF MAXIM GORKY (2005, d. Mark Donskoy) Classic Russian film from
the writer's memoire of his peasant Volga family. *** |
CHILDREN OF
DIYARBAKIR, THE (2010, d. Miraz Bezar) *** |
CHILDREN
OF HUANG SHI, THE (2008, d. Roger Spottswoode) ** 3/4 |
CHILDREN
OF MEN (2006, d. Alfonso Cuaron) Masterpiece of Gazaian dystopia,
Nativity allegory & Time of the Wolf rolled into one. *** 1/2 |
CHILDREN
OF THE CENTURY (2002, d. Diane Kurys) [1999]
*** |
CHILDREN
OF WAR (2007, d. Alexandre Fuchs) ** 1/4 |
CHILDREN
(2007, d. Ragnar Bragason; Iceland) *** 1/2 |
CHILDSTAR
(2005, d. Don McKellar) Funny, trenchant and occasionally silly satire about
a 12 yr. old movie star & his kooky mom. *** |
CHILL
OUT (2001, d. Andreas Struk) ** 1/2 |
CHIMP,
THE (2001, d. Aktan Abdykalykov) ** 1/4 |
CHINAMAN
(Kinamand) (2006, d. Henruk Ruben Genz) Wry Danish comedy. Plumber
divorced by wife marries younger Chinese woman. *** |
CHINESE
ODYSSEY: 2002 (2003, Hong Kong d. Jeff Lau) Funny and
assured satire of a martial arts, Chinese Emperor's court film. *** 1/4 |
CHLOE (2010, d. Atom
Egoyan) Julianne Moore better than ever in.remake of Nathalie with more
psychologically sound script. Lesbionics not my thing; but Max Thieriot is!
*** |
CHOCOLAT
(2000, d. Lasse Hallström) *** |
CHOK-DEE
(2005, d. Xavier Durrenger) The French Rocky, a French street criminal
becomes a world champ Thai boxer...written & acted by the guy himself. **
1/2 |
CHOKE (2008, d.
Clark Gregg) * 1/2 |
CHOP
SHOP (2007, d. Ramin Bahrani) *** |
CHOP
SUEY (2001, d. Bruce Weber) ** 3/4 |
CHOPPER
(2001, d. Andrew Dominik) *** |
CHORISTES,
LES (2004, d. Christophe Barratier) Franch AFF: moving drama of a
teacher who tames the boys in a reform school through music. *** 1/2 |
CHRIS
& DON: A LOVE STORY (2008, d. Guido Sante) *** 1/2 |
CHRISTMAS
TALE, A (Un conte de Noël) (2008, d. Arnaud Desplechin) *** 1/4 |
CHRISTMAS
TREE UPSIDE DOWN (2007, d. Ivan Cherkelov and Vassil Jivkov) *** |
CHRISTMAS
WITH THE KRANKS (2004, d. Joe Roth) Horrendous, embarrassing, utterly
offensive (to this Jewish observer), silly, unfunny. Did I love
it? 1/2* |
CHRONICAL
OF AN ESCAPE (2006, d. Israel Adrián Cactano) ** 3/4 |
CHRONICALLY
UNFEASIBLE (2001, d. Sergio Bianchi) W/O |
CHRONICALS
OF NARNIA (2005, d. Andrew Adamson) ** |
CHRONICALS
(2004, d. Sebastian Cordero) Equador's Acad. entry is a superb psychological
thriller about a child serial killer's manipulation of tv pop news. ***
1/4 |
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, THE:
VOYAGE (2010, d. Michael Apted) Often annoying, but better than similar Last
Airbender, which is damning with faint praise. ** 1/2 |
CHRYSALIS
(2007, d. Julien Leclercq) ** 1/2 |
CHRYSTAL
(2004, d. Ray McKinnon) Southern gothic story of the effects of an auto
accident on a couple after 20 years of the husband in prison. ** 3/4 |
CHUCK
AND BUCK (2000, d. Miguel Arteta)
*** |
CHUMSCRUBBER,
THE (2005, d. Arie Posin) Wonderful suburban satire cult-type film in
Donnie Darko mode. Jamie Bell: #1 actor of his generation. *** 1/2 |
CHUNHYANG
(2000, d. Im Kwon-taek) *** 1/2 |
CIAO
(2008, d. Yen Tan) Touching, arty (in a good way) American indie gay
film...Italian man meets friend on net. *** |
CINDERELLA
MAN (2005, d. Ron Howard) Moving story of James Braddock with a
searingly honest portrayal by Russell Crowe. *** 1/2 |
CINEMA,
ASPIRIN & VULTURES (Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus) (2006, d. Marcelo
Gomes) ** 1/4 |
CIRCLE
ROUGE, LE (2003, d. Jean-Pierre Melville) 1970 noir, typical Melville
which means lean and taut. Montand & Delon great. *** 1/4 |
CIRCLE,
THE (2001, d. Jafar Panahi) ***
1/2 |
CIRCUIT
(2002, d. Dirk Shafer) ** |
CIRCUIT
(2001, d. Dirk Shafer) * 1/2 |
CIRKUS COLUMBIA
(2010, d. Danis Tanovic; Bosnia) *** 1/2 |
CITIZEN
DUANE (2006, d. Michael Mabbott) ** 3/4 |
CITY
BY THE SEA (2002, d. Michael Caton-Jones) ***
1/2 |
CITY ISLAND (2010, d.
Raymond De Felitta) Family dramedy where everybody lies. Original idea, great
script, wonderful acting ensemble. *** 1/2 |
CITY
OF BORDERS (2009, d. Yun Suh) *** |
CITY
OF EMBER (2008, d. Gil Kenan) Superb dystopian heroic fantasy, a live
action Wall*E with the visual panache of Brazil. *** 1/2 |
CITY
OF GHOSTS (2003, d. Matt Dillon) Pseudo Graham Greene. Stifling
atmosphere well done, as were characterizations. Story falls down. Good
try. ** 1/4 |
CITY
OF GOD (2002, d. Fernando Meirelles) *** |
CITY
OF LIFE AND DEATH (2009, d.Lu Chuan) *** 1/4 |
CITY
OF MEN (2008, d. Paolo Morelli) Much better than City of God,
imho. Emotionally affecting, driving narrative. *** 1/4 |
CITY
OF NO LIMITS (2002, d. Antonio Hernandez) *** 1/4 |
CITY
OF THE SUN, THE (Slunecný Stát) (2006, d. Martin Sulík; Slovak
Republic) ** |
CITY OF YOUR FINAL
DESTINATION, THE (2010, d. James Ivory) Well made & acted, if old
fashioned romantic melodrama; but plot just meanders & doesn't
resolve. ** 3/4 |
CLAIM,
THE (2001, d. Michael Winterbottom) ***
1/2 |
CLAPHAM
JUNCTION (2008, d. Adrian Shergold) Terrific British TV movie about
contrasts in modern society (marriage & bashing). *** 1/2 |
CLASH OF THE TITANS (2010, d.
Louis Leterrier) Post-prod. 3D better than expected. Film even worse:
repetitive turgid battle scenes, wooden acting. Ugh. * 1/2 |
CLASS,
THE (Entre les murs) (2008, d. Laurent Cantet; France) *** 3/4 |
CLASS,
THE (2008, d. Ilmar Raag; Estonia) *** 1/2 |
CLASSE
TOUS RISQUE (2006, d. Claude Sautet) A terrific classic noir with a
star-making Belmondo perf (if Breathless hadn't hit first). *** 1/2 |
CLAY
BIRD, THE (2003, d. Tareque Masud) Bangladesh AFF. A family
uprooted by political upheaval in '68. ** 3/4 |
CLEAN
(2005, d. Olivier Assayas) Maggie Chung is superb as a junkie trying to go
clean to reclaim her son from her inlaws in this wonderful drama. ***
1/2 |
CLEARING,
THE (2004, d. Pieter Jan Brugge) Hi-gloss kidnap film, Redford victim,
Mirren the suffering wife. "Without a Trace" does it better.
** |
CLICK
(2006, d. Frank Coraci) Good F/X, lousy script, sort of an It Might Have Been
a Wonderful Life. Not Sandler's finest. * 3/4 |
CLIENT 9 - RISE & FALL OF
ELIOT SPITZER (2010, d. Alex Gibney) V. Informative docu about hubris, almost
a whitewash; but Spitzer's cooperation telling. *** |
CLOCKSTOPPERS
(2002, d. Jonathan Frakes) ** 3/4 |
CLOSER
(2004, d. Mike Nichols) Four loathsome characters well acted and beautifully
photographed (cf similar Carnal Knowledge!) Portman & Owen never
better. ** 3/4 |
CLOSET,
THE (2001, d. Le Placard) (2001, d. Francis
Veber) ** 1/2 |
CLOUD
9 (2009, d. Andreas Dresan) German septuagenarians screw like rabbits
in an attack on filmic taboo against showing wizened bods. VERY true to life,
though. ** 3/4 |
CLOUD,
THE (2007, d. Gregor Schnitzler) ** 3/4 |
COAL
COUNTRY (2009, d. Mari-Lynn Evans & Phylis Geller) V. Alarming and
reasonably even-handed docu about dangers & destruction of coal industry
In Appalachia. ** 3/4 |
COAST
GUARD, THE (2003, d. Kim Ki-duk) Overwrought drama about the soldiers
who guard the Korean coastline from spy incursions. Way over the
top. * 3/4 |
COAST
TO COAST (2004, d. Paul Mazursky) V. Judy Davis & Richard Dreyfuss
are excellent in this moving, adult drama about a couple devastated by their
son's death. *** 1/2 |
COCHOCHI
(2008, d. Israel Cárdenas & Laura Amelia Guzmán) *** 1/4 |
COCK
COLLEGE (short films) (2009, d. various) |
COCKETTES,
THE (2002, d. Bill Weber and David Weissman) ** 3/4 |
COCO
BEFORE CHANEL (2009, d. Anne Fontaine) Tatou has matured into a superb
actress. Great costumes & sets; but a tad overlong and just didn't
involve me. *** |
CODE
46 (2004, d. Michael Winterbottom) One, of the greatest examples
of cyberpunk ever put on film. Winterbottom's future imagery is
amazing. *** 3/4 |
CODE
UNKNOWN (2001, d. Michael Haneke) **
3/4 |
COFFEE
DATE (2006, d. Stewart Wade) Amusing comedy about sexual confusions,
really well written script. *** |
COLD
LIGHT (2004, d. Hilmar Oddsson) Iceland's AFF is a dour tragedy about a
40ish man finally facing a tragedy of his youth. *** |
COLD
MOUNTAIN (2003, d. Anthony Minghella) Fine production, good acting, but
the "well made" story was too predictable. Jude Law is a bonafide
star. *** |
COLD
SHOWERS (Douches froides) (2006, d. Antony Cordier) *** |
COLD
SOULS (2009, d. Sophie Barthes) ** 1/2 |
COLDEST
DAY, THE (2004, d. Xie Dong) A somewhat boring film about mutual
infidelity in a modern Chinese marriage. ** |
COLLATERAL
(2004, d. Michael Mann) L.A. is the star here; and Mann doesn't cheat the
geography. Mann's best film in a while. *** |
COLLECTOR,
THE (Komornik) (2005, d. Feliks Falk; Poland) ** 1/4 |
COLLISION (2010, d. Marc
Evans) V. Intriguing, fairly predictable Brit tv serial of a police
investigation into a multi-car hiway accident with twists & turns. ** 3/4 |
COLMA:
THE MUSICAL (2006, d. Richard Wong) Strictly amateurville musical, but
charming, simple story. ** 1/2 |
COLOR
OF FAME, THE (2008, d.Alesandro Bellame Palacios; Venezuela) *** |
COLOR
OF PARADISE, THE (2000, d. Majid Majidi) ***
1/4 |
COMANCHE
MOON (2008, d. Simon Wincer) V. Nicely played, if choppy,
miniseries. Val Kilmer? weird. ** 3/4 |
COMBAT
(2006, d. Patrick Carpentier) * |
COME
EARLY MORNING (2006, d. Joey Lauren Adams) *** |
COME
INTO THE LIGHT (Alla Luce Del Sol) (2005, d. Roberto Faenza) **
1/2 |
COME
UNDONE (Presque rien) (2001, d. Sébastien
Lifshitz) ** |
COME UNDONE
(2010, d. Silvio Soldini) *** |
COMEDY
OF POWER, A (2006, d. Claud Chabrol) ** 3/4 |
COMIC
EVANGELISTS (2006, d. Daniel Jones, Dann Sytsma) *** |
COMMITTED
(2000, d. Lisa Krueger) ** |
COMPANY MEN, THE (2010,
d. John Wells) Leave it to Wells to make the first truthful, if predictable,
film about Depression II. Superbly cast and timely. *** 1/4 |
COMPANY,
THE (2003, d. Robert Altman) Little narrative, lots of good dancing.
Neve impresses, and James Franco underplays to splendid effect. *** 1/4 |
COMPANY,
THE (2007, d. Mikael Salomon) V. *** 1/2 |
CONCERT, THE (2010, d. Radu
Mihaileanu) *** 1/2 |
CONDOR:
AXIS OF EVIL (2003, d. Rodrigo Vasquez) A doc linking the U.S. to South
American dictators and disappearances of the '70s. Too
unstructured. ** 1/4 |
CONFESSIONS (2010,
d. Tetsuya Nakashima; Japan) *** 1/2 |
CONFESSIONS
OF A DANGEROUS MIND (2002, d. George Clooney)
*** |
CONFESSIONS
OF PAIN (2007, d. Andrew Lau & Alan Mak) *** 1/4 |
CONFIDENCE
(2003, d. James Foley) Foley has style to burn. Too bad he didn't burn
this derivative script. Why I like Ed Burns is the question. ** 1/2 |
CONFUSION
DES GENRES, LA (2001, d. Ilan Duran Cohen) *** |
CONGORAMA
(2006, d. Philippe Falardeau) ** 3/4 |
CONNIE
AND CARLA (2004, d. Michael Lembeck) Silly, if intermittantly funny,
script. I liked the music; but the film is excessivly clichéd. * 3/4 |
CONSPIRACY
OF SILENCE (2003, d. John Deery) Ernest, polemic drama: celebacy and
the Catholic church. Nice production, but too on-point for good drama.
** |
CONSTANT
GARDNER, THE (2005, d. Fernando Meirelles) *** |
CONSTANTINE
(2006, d. Francis Lawrence) V. Looks good with graphic novel feel, nice f/x,
absurd plot. ** 1/4 |
CONTAINER
(2006, d. Lukas Moodysson) * 3/4 |
CONTENDER,
THE (2000, d. Rod Lurie)
*** |
CONTINENTAL,
A FILM WITHOUT GUNS (2008, d. Stéphane Lafleur) ** 1/2 |
CONTROL
ALT DELETE (2008, d. Cameron Labine) ** 3/4 |
CONTROL
ROOM (2004, d. Jehane Noujaim) Doc. about Al-Jezeera's coverage of the
current Iraq War. Good footage, though repetitive. ** 3/4 |
CONTROL (2007, d.
Anton Corbijn) *** |
CONVERSATIONS
WITH OTHER WOMEN (2006, d. Hans Canosa) *** 1/4 |
CONVICTION (2010, d.
Tony Goldwyn) Totally predictable (even more obviously than Secretariat),
earnest bleeding heart flick. Rockwell & Juliette Lewis esp. fine. ** 1/2 |
COOL
MONEY (2005, d. Gary Burns ) V. Modestly involving TV caper film about
some losers knocking off N.Y. hotels. ** 1/2 |
COOLER,
THE (2003, d. Wayne Kramer) The acting's pretty good, especially Alec
Baldwin; but the plot, direction & cinematography pretty well suck.
** |
COPYING
BEETHOVEN (2006, d. Agnieszka Holland) Overwrought, overacted. Sublime
music (though weirdly edited). ** |
CORALINE
(2009, d. Henry Selick) Incredible 3D animation. Fantasmagorical plot
not my cuppa; but the imagery is superb & expands the art of
cinema. *** 1/4 |
CORE,
THE (2003, d. Jon Amiel) F/x end-of-world flick fun enough to
overcome implausibilities. First hour great & then film degrades to
clichés. ** 3/4 |
CORONATION
(2000, d. Silvio Caiozzi) *** |
CORPORATION,
THE (2004, d. Achbar & Abbott) Overlong but fascinating Canadian
documentary about "corporations" as psychotic people. *** 1/2 |
CORRECTION
(Diorthosi) (2008, d. Thanos Anastopoulos, Greece) ** 1/4 |
CORTEX
(2008, d. Nicolas Boukhrief) *** |
COST
OF LIVING (2004, d. Phillippe Le Guay) Vivid, beautifully realized
multi-character story connected by the theme money for love. *** 1/4 |
COTE
D'AZURE (2005, d. Ducastel & Martineau) Entertaining French farce
about an family on vacation whose sexuality is mutable & evolving.
** 3/4 |
COUDY
WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (2009, d. Lord & Miller) Clever, fun 3-D
animated kids film with enough in-humor to amuse adults. *** |
COUNT
OF MONTE CRISTO, THE (2002, d. Kevin
Reynolds) *** |
COUNTDOWN TO
ZERO (2010, d. Lucy Walker) *** |
COUNTER
INVESTIGATION (Contre-enquête) (2007, d. Franck Mancusco) *** 1/2 |
COUNTERFEITERS,
THE (Die Falscher) (2007, d. Stefan Ruzowitzky; Austria) *** 1/2 |
COUNTRY
TEACHER, THE (2008, d. Bohdan Sláma) *** 3/4 |
COUNTRY
WEDDING (2009, d. Vladis Öskarsdóttir) *** |
COUPERET,
LE (2005, d. Costa-Gavras) More black comedy than the usual
Costa-Gavras, entertaining film which takes Time Out to a higher level.
*** |
COVE, THE (2009,
d. Louie Psihoyos) ** 3/4 |
COVERBOY
(2009, d. Carmine Amoroso) *** |
COWBOYS
AND ANGELS (2004, d. David Gleeson) Beautifully written & acted
Irish coming-of-age gay/straight romantic comedy. Michael Legge is
wonderful. *** 1/4 |
COWBOYS
AND ANGELS (2005, d. David Gleeson)V.+ *** |
COYOTE
UNLY (2000, d. David McNally) * 3/4 |
CQ (2002, d.
Roman Coppola) * |
CRAB TRAP (2010, d.
Oscar Ruiz Navia; Columbia) * 3/4 |
CRACKER:
A NEW TERROR (2006, d. Antonia Bird) V. Excellent tv film about a
killer British cop driven crazy in the "troubles". *** |
CRANE
WORLD (2005, d. Pablo Trapero) Slow, Argentine neo-realist B&W film
about a 49 yr. old construction worker ex-rock guitarist. ** 1/2 |
CRANFORD
(2008, d. Simon Curtis) V. Superb British early Victorian mini-series which
just got better & better. The final part blew me away. *** 1/2 |
CRASH
(2005, d. Paul Haggis) Superb Short Cuts type multi-character, roundabout
drama...modern day L.A. as racial dystopia. I need to leave L.A.! ***
1/2 |
CRAYFISH
(2010, d. Ivan Cherkelov) * 1/4 |
CRAZIES, THE (2010, d. Breck
Eisner) Convincing bio-eco-disaster flick with one wonderful perf by Joe
Anderson and some effectively directed horror tropes. *** |
CRAZY
HEART (2009, d. Scott Cooper) Almost makes me love country music.
Bridges is great, iconic. Nicely realized love story plus the music...winning
como. *** 1/4 |
CRAZY
LOVE (2007, d. Dan Klores & Fisher Stevens) *** 1/4 |
CRAZY
(2001, d. Hans-Christian Schmid) *** 1/4 |
crazy/beautiful
(2001, d. John Stockwell) *** 1/4 |
CREATION
(2009, d. Jon Amiel) Earnest, boring costumer biofilm...Bettany is good
as Darwin; but I never believed the film was true to the real
characters. ** 1/2 |
CREATIVE
NATURE (2008, d. John Andres) ** 1/4 |
CREW,
THE (2000, d. Michael Dinner) **
1/2 |
CRIME
+ PUNISHMENT IN SUBERBIA (2000, d. Rob Schmidt) **
1/2 |
CRIME
NOVEL (2006, d. Michele Placido) *** 1/4 |
CRIMEN
DEL PADRE AMARO, EL (2003, d. Carlos Carrera) Mexico AFF.
Anti-clerical satiric melodrama in small Mexican parish. *** 1/4 |
CRIMINAL
LOVERS (2000, d. Francois Ozon) ***
1/2 |
CRIMINAL
(2004, d. Gregory Jacobs) A faithful remake of Nine Queens, which means a
good, if familiar script. A sympathetic cast, still this one doesn't quite
jell. ** 1/2 |
CRIMSON
RIVERS (2001, d. Mathieu Kassowitz) *** |
CROOKED
E, THE (2003, d. Penelope Spheeris) V. CBS film docudrama about
fall of Enron. Predictable script, Christian Kane actor to watch.
** |
CROSSING
A SHADOW (2007, d. Augusto Tamayo; Peru) ** 1/2 |
CROSSING
BORDERS (2008, d. Arnd Wächter) Hopeful, moving docu feels like
"Real World Morocco", 4 American & 4 Moroccan students live
together for a week and keep it real. *** 1/4 |
CROSSING
HENNESSY (2010, d. Ivy Ho) ** 1/2 |
CROSSING
OVER (2009, d. Wayne Kramer) Like Crash, only better, this is an
involving ensemble drama about distressed immigrants in L.A. *** 1/4 |
CROSSING
THE BORDER (Un Franco 14 Pesetas) (2007, d. Carlos Iglesias) *** |
CROSSING
THE BRIDGE: THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL (2006, d. Fatih Aiken) V. Music docu,
sporadically good music, nice photog. ** 1/2 |
CROSSING
(2009, d. Kim Tae-kyun; Republic of Korea) ** 3/4 |
CROSSING,
THE (Bocu no ojison) (2000, d. Yoichi Higashi) ** |
CROUCHING
TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000, d. Ang Lee) *** 3/4
|
CROUPIER
(2000, d. Mike Hodges) *** 1/4 |
CRUDE
(2003, Turkey d. Paxton Winters) Road film about 2 young American
guys and their travels through Turkey looking for fame & fortune.
** 3/4 |
CRUEL
BUT NECESSARY (2005, d. Saul Rubinek) Innovative video about a woman
secretly recording her life for 2 years on a hidden camera. ** 3/4 |
CRUEL
JOYS (2003, d. Juraj Nvota) Slovakia AFF. Relationship drama in
pre-war small Slovak town. ** 3/4 |
CRUSH
(2002, d. John McKay) ** |
CRYING
LADIES (2005, d. Mark Meily) Three Philippine women hired as cryers for
a Chinese funeral. I was uninvolved; but the film wasn't that bad. W/O |
CSI:
GRAVE DANGER 1 & 2 (2005, d. Quentin Tarantino) V. ** 3/4 |
CUBA
LIBRA (2004, d. Juan Gerard) Nostalgic, but too pat, reminiscence of an
11 yr. old boy coming of age in '58 small town Cuba prior to
revolution. ** |
CUCKOO,
THE (2002, d. Alexander Rogozhkin) *** |
CUP,
THE (2000, d. Khyentse Norbu)
*** |
CURE
(2001, d. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) [1997]
*** |
CURIOUS
CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, THE (2009, d. David Fincher) + Even more
moving 2nd time around. Epic, emotional, great film. *** 3/4 |
CURIOUS
CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, THE (2008, d. David Fincher) Moving, epic
filmmaking which works at all levels. Nearly a masterpiece. *** 1/2 |
CURSE
OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2007, d. Zhang Yimou; China) *** |
CURSE
OF THE JADE SCORPION, THE (2001, d. Woody
Allen) ** |
CURSED
(2009, d. Wes Craven) V. Campy parody of werewolf stories with a great
cast (Jesse Eisenberg & Milo Ventimiglia are wonderful). Ridiculous; but
clever & fun. *** |
CUT
SLEEVE BOYS (2007, d. Ray Yeung) ** 3/4 |
CUTTING
EDGE 3, THE (2008, d. Stuart Gillard) V. Surprisingly not bad,
although predictable. Matt Lanter is good! ** 1/2 |
CUTTING
EDGE, THE (2008, d. Paul Michael Glaser) V. Moira Kelly & D.B.
Sweeney have good chemistry. Otherwise clichéd. ** 1/2 |
CYCLES
(2009, d. Cyril Gelblat) *** 1/2 |
CYRUS (2010, d. Jay Duplass &
Mark Duplass) ** 3/4 |
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