Christmas Is All Around Us

One year ago I was introduced to the world of Netflix. I was skeptical at first, and out of curiosity one day got on the site just to see if they would have anything worthwhile. Within minutes I was signed up with my own account, already clicking “Add to Queue” repeatedly and anticipating my first arrivals. I was just too impatient to wait, and started devouring some films that were available for viewing online. Pure joy.

Since then Netflix has gotten $224.55 from me. And since then I have seen 114 films on my account. At less than $2 per movie, I’d say that, if nothing else, Netflix is a deal. But, for someone like me, who loves movies and film, it amounts to a great deal more. It’s instant access to some pretty darn obscure films. It’s exposure to actors and directors and genres that I never knew existed. It’s Christmas, several times a week, delivered right into your mailbox and waiting to be unwrapped when you get home from a long day. It is, in two words, Pure Awesomeness. And, to indulge myself in honor of my one-year anniversary with one of the latest loves of my life (that would be you, Netflix), I have compiled a list of short reviews of every Netflix movie I have seen on my OWN account since the day I handed over my debit card number. I don’t expect anyone to read through all of these, but hopefully I will be able to share some small part of the wonderful and frequent cinematic discoveries that I have made in these past twelve months. Enjoy, as I did!

My Netflix Queue, in Roughly Chronological Order, Starting September of 2008.

Alice—7.5 stars—It’s not for everyone, but I have a soft spot for creepy ass short-stop animation. This one certainly fits the bill, and almost a year later I can still recall some pretty vivid images from this film. I could see myself watching it again and bumping it up a star or two.

Confessions of a Superhero—9 stars—This is a funny, sad, and intriguing documentary about people who dress up as superheroes and pose with tourists for money. Superman takes the cake in this one. It’s a hilarious film, but sobering in many aspects. It is unique and excellent as far as documentary is concerned.

Hell House—6.5 stars—This documentary focuses on a “haunted house” that is orchestrated each year by a Christian church who acts out scenes of sins that are sure to send a person to hell. You can just imagine. It’s entertaining, and you will enjoy it more if you like to be disgusted by religious fundamentalists. However, there is something about the quality of the documentary that keeps me from giving it more stars…maybe it is the exploitative aspect of the film, or the simple fact that I can’t really remember whether I liked it that well or not.

Dan In Real Life—1 star—I hated this movie so much that I became violent. If you don’t believe me ask my ex. J Maybe I’m too much of a prude to appreciate it, but it wasn’t funny, it was just creepy and pathetic. And no verisimilitude whatsoever.

I’m Not There—9.5 stars—I knew virtually nothing about Dylan before I saw this movie. Maybe that’s why I loved it so much. This movie won’t give you much in the way of bibliographical facts, but it will give you a fantastic insight into the many aspects of this man’s personality.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill—9 stars—Clearly my taste in films is biased…anything having to do with animals will inevitably gain more stars. This one is a bit slow, but it’s cute and quaint, and was delightful and entertaining to watch (for me anyway). There are some parts of it that are not quite fully fleshed out, though I don’t mind being allowed to formulate my own opinion about a couple of the people in this doc. Also, anthropomorphism always irritates me, but here it’s just so dang cute that it can’t be avoided.

King of Kong—9 stars—I’ve seen this a few times, and it’s a win every time! You will definitely get sucked into the story of the protagonist, whether you are aware of the gaming world or not. It’s funny, it’s real (oh so real), and the villain is just too good. If you want a thoroughly entertaining documentary to waste two hours of your time, this is it.

Stone Reader—9 stars—It seems that I am biased toward documentaries as well. But this one is about BOOKS. Not only that, it’s about literature. It’s about people who love literature and words and language. It’s discussions of a literary nature, with a background story of investigation and finding a skilled author who seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. And it has lots of books in it.

No Country For Old Men—9.5 stars—my first encounter with Javier Bardem, who has since become one of my favorite actors. I couldn’t believe that someone who seemed so innately creepy had actually played roles in other more normal movies. This movie comes together in all the right ways for me. One of the rare instances when the movie is superior to the book.

There Will Be Blood—7 stars—I remember being a bit bored throughout this movie, which never quite managed to engross me. If it were shorter, and less wandering in parts, it would have been more interesting. Not anything I care to watch a second time.

Goya’s Ghosts—4.5 stars—According to my mom, I must have really missed some key part of this movie, to have felt as apathetic toward it as I did. Historical fiction is a tricky genre and this one just wasn’t convincing. The print-making scenes are pretty cool though.

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash—6 stars—I honestly don’t remember much about this documentary. I remember being briefly fired up about the oil crisis, and dreaming about a simpler world where people lived without their dependency on petroleum. I don’t know if that had anything to do with this documentary being good or not. I gave it 6 stars at the time, so that’s what I’m sticking with now.

The World’s Fastest Indian—2 stars—Bleehhhh. 10 stars on the Cheese Scale. I gave this about 20 minutes and just couldn’t take the feely good Hallmark storyline any longer. I give it two stars because it might be useful to entertain very young or very old people. Not that I ever do either of those things, but you never know…

Red Without Blue—8.5 stars—Netflix has a great selection of LGBT movies, of which I have made some good use. Questions of gender always fascinate me, and this documentary follows the story of a set of twins, one of whom decides to change his gender. As a result, everyone in the family has to readjust their lives and their ways of thinking. It’s thoughtful and intimate, and one I wouldn’t mind watching again.

The End of Suburbia—8.5 stars—A very interesting look at petroleum and how life as we know it is completely dependent upon this quickly diminishing resource. This movie left me feeling gung-ho, but otherwise rather helpless. Yes I believe, but I don’t plan on switching to using a wooden toothbrush any time soon.

Eyes Wide Shut—9 stars—I somehow missed all the hype about this movie ten years ago. I hadn’t really heard much about it, except that there was something about a scandalous blow job scene(?). So, I went into this with a clean slate, not knowing at all what to expect, and I ended up really liking it. I thought the imagery, the acting, and the long takes were fantastic.

The Piano—3 stars—Ew. This movie is creepy in a BAD way. And kinda dumb. Enough said.

An American Crime—8 stars—Creepy ass movie. A drama about a horrid crime that happened on the east side of Indy back in the 60s. If you like true stories that shock, then check it out.

Sweeney Todd—6 stars—Interesting story, yes, and the filming/costumes/etc were all fantastic…still I ended up fast-forwarding most of the songs and just never got sucked in.

The Lives of Others—10 stars—Well done, sir. I just love this movie. It gets a little over-the-top toward the end, but most of the movie is so subtle and moving that it just doesn’t matter. This is one of those movies that I’d like to buy a dozen copies and give to my favorite dozen people.

Vitus—8 stars—A cute movie, but one that doesn’t seem to have stuck with me through time. I can’t remember much of it except that it had some incredible (classical piano) music and some moving scenes that I vaguely remember.

The Rape of Europa—5 stars—I really don’t remember this much at all. I remember being a bit bored, which is surprising considering that it is about art. But, as I obviously wasn’t much impressed at the time, I can’t very well recommend it now.

Escape From Suburbia—6 stars—Another of those oil crisis documentaries that I seem that have been so fond of watching last fall.

Wristcutters: A Love Story—9 stars—I saw this twice within a week or so and would watch it again. Quirky, offbeat, and sweet. The perfect indie comdramedy.

Fur—5 stars—I’m not really sure what this movie is. It’s based loosely on the life of Diane Arbus, but is more a wild fantasy of a speculation on where she might have gleaned the inspiration for her incredible photography. The story is pretty unique, I must say, but I really wish they hadn’t even gone near the attempt to pass this off as anything having remotely to do with one of my favorite photographers.

Lynch—7 stars—I don’t think anyone who isn’t simply intrigued by Lynch would care for this movie. I enjoyed it, but then again Eraserhead is one of my all-time favorite movies. I wish that this documentary had focused more on his early works, which I much prefer over his new ones. Still, a good one to watch if you want to try to get into Lynch’s head.

The Motorcycle Diaries—8.5 stars—Simply a good movie. It didn’t change my life, but I remember it as time well spent. If nothing else, you get to look at Gael Garcia Bernal for 126 minutes.

Ran—6 stars—I had to look this one up just to remember what it was…Samurai King Lear. I don’t remember enjoying this, per se; but I feel obligated to appreciate it, much like Shakespeare. There are some interesting themes with clouds and fire. Overall, I felt like this film was just strange and required more cerebral effort than I cared to put into it at the time. So slap me silly and call me stupid.

Killer of Sheep—7.5 stars—Now here is a movie that will stick to your gut. I remember it being rather slow and kind of hard to get into, but the emotions evoked by this truly haunting (yes, haunting!) film are difficult to ignore. I don’t think I could sit through it again, but might like to revisit parts of it some day.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly—9.5 stars—I loved this movie. It sucked me in. It kept me there. I am uneasy about loving it after seeing a rip-off House episode where they tried to do the same thing—fail. But I am loyal to my first impression and I demand to continue loving this movie long after House tried to ruin it for me.

Protagonist—8.5 stars—This documentary is supposed to follow some connecting theme among the lives of these four men, but I don’t think I ever quite got the gist of exactly what the filmmaker was trying to say. Even still, I really enjoy hearing about random people and their daily lives and struggles, and that’s pretty much exactly what this is. Comparing their lives to Greek tragedy is just an added cerebral bonus.

Being John Malkovich—7.5—Meh. I wasn’t as impressed with this as I thought I would be. People seem to love it, but I just didn’t get any warm fuzzies from it. A unique story, but didn’t really change the way I think or see anything. To me this movie feels like that person you know that everyone seems to like but for some unknown reason just annoys the crap out of you.

Pi: Faith in Chaos—7.5 stars—Certainly a strange one. Gives an interestingly and painfully real view of someone experiencing mental meltdown. I don’t think I quite got it the first time around. I would have to watch it again and maybe bump it up a star or so.

Midnight Clear—2 stars—This movie sucks. I give it two stars because I feel sorry for Stephen Baldwin. The moral of the story is…if you go to church, everything will be OK.

Day Night Day Night—9.5 stars—I can’t really list this as a “favorite” movie. I don’t feel the need to watch it more than once…at least not any time soon. But man, does it deserve all those stars. This movie is a mere 48 hours packed into two hours of film, following the almost entirely silent journey of a young girl who is preparing for a suicide bombing mission in Times Square. It is literally breathtaking.

Stranger Than Paradise—8 stars—I’m not sure what to say about this one. It’s strange, and kinda funny. It also made me uneasy. Someone compared it to black licorice. I like that and it’s perfect so I’m stealing it for my own review. Black licorice.

Street Fight—8 stars—Another good documentary. This one about the mayoral race in Newark in 2002. Sounds kinda boring, I know, but even I enjoyed it, and I have little interest in politics.

2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films—6 stars—You’d think that Academy Award Nominated would equate with Good. But I was generally unimpressed with this collection of shorts. Tanghi Argentini was very good though and I give it 9 stars on it’s own scale.

C.R.A.Z.Y.—8.5 stars—I found this coming-of-age-gay story to be quite interesting and moving. A little heavy on the cheese factor, perhaps, but overall I found it to be redeemably entertaining.

Wholphin:Issue 2—9 stars—I LOVE Wholphin. My discovery of Wholphin has been worth every penny that has been sucked out of my bank account by Netflix in the past 12 months. I am eternally grateful.

That being said, Wholphin is a film magazine of sorts…basically just a DVD collection of carefully selected short films that is sent out periodically to subscribers. My first encounter with Wholphin just blew me away. Not all Wholphin selections are amazing, but there are always one or two on each DVD that will make you say WOWwowwowowow. In Issue 2 there is footage of a giant squid giving birth to thousands of tiny squid babies. Seriously, it is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I will never ever forget it.

The Visitor—3 stars—Booo. Too cheesy. Too dumb and unlikely. Cancelled.

Happiness—8.5 stars—amusingly awkward and uneasy. A friend recommended this movie to me, with the disclaimer of it being “kinda icky”. I couldn’t describe it better myself.

Art 21: Season 4—9.5 stars—This is just a wonderful series that never fails to inspire me. I don’t remember any particulars about season 4 as opposed to any of the other seasons, but I do know that I love them all and would recommend any of them in a heartbeat. If you like art and you haven’t seen them yet–well, you must.

Love in the Time of Cholera—8 stars—I was expecting to dislike this movie, simply because Love in the Time of Cholera was an amazing book. I didn’t think there was any possible way to translate Garcia Marquez’s stunning prose into film. Luckily, this film didn’t really try. It’s simply a re-telling of the unique story of Florentino Ariza and his many, many lovers. Surprisingly, the movie enhanced my appreciation of the book with its skillful casting of the many and diverse women characters. I thought it was well done overall.

Wholphin: Issue 6—7 stars—I gave this compilation of Wholphin shorts a mere 3 out of 5 stars when I saw it back in December. I’m bumping it up a notch because it’s Wholphin and I can’t imagine it being merely mediochre, but clearly this is one of the few times when Wholphin didn’t quite wow me.

Glass Lips—7 stars—I had completely and utterly forgotten about this movie, until Scott recalled an email that I had written to him about it back before we had even met. Apparently it had impressed me at the time, and I do remember some stunning visuals now that it has been refreshed in my mind. I wouldn’t mind revisiting it to see if it impresses upon me more the second time around.

Requiem for a Dream—8 stars—A strange and unforgettable movie. It is very moving, and also somewhat terrifying. Best of all Jennifer Connelly doesn’t ruin it.

The Collected Shorts of Jan Svankmajer—5 stars—okay I do love stop animation, but watching these shorts for entertainment only was more(or less?) than even I could handle. I just got bored. Doesn’t mean it’s not a good piece to study or appreciate.

Brother’s Keeper—7 stars—This documentary was fairly fascinating, but shamelessly exploitative (as documentaries can have a tendency to be). Witnessing the hidden world of these backward old hillbilly men was amusing but also painful. Sill, it got me wanting to use the phrase “pert near” in everyday conversation.

Faust—6.5 stars—Another in the series of my obsession with stop animation. This full-length movie from Svankmajer was considerably more interesting, however, for its storyline and amusingly quaint devil puppets.

Young @ Heart—6 stars—I had been wanting to see this documentary about old people singing rock songs for a long time. But I found it a bit underwhelming as far as documentaries go. I think some of the characters could have been fleshed out a lot more. Still, it’s an amusing flick, especially if you like old people, rock music, and heartwarming stories.

Julien Donkey-Boy—7 stars—What a disturbing film. Everyone in this movie is deeply disturbed, and that is conveyed with more clarity than makes me comfortable. I loved the way it was shot: grainy, with simple camera tricks that seem entirely appropriate. Just don’t watch it if you are feeling particularly moody or unbalanced.

Maya Deren: Experimental Films—9.5 stars—I love love LOVE Maya Deren. Some of these experimental films are way better than others (Meshes of the Afternoon must be experienced by everyone), but they are all beautiful in Maya Deren’s own particular style. If you don’t like mysterious, complicated, extremely artsy films then stay far, far away.

Elgar/Debussy Film/ Always on Sunday—5 stars–Not a waste of time, but not particularly memorable or engaging either. Basically I learned that the guy who composed Pomp and Circumstance was pretty dang interesting, and Debussy is way more of an asshole than I had ever imagined.

Trainspotting–8 stars—Difficult to view objectively, since this is one movie whose hype has been surrounding me since it first emerged back in my teen years. I finally broke down and watched it, and found it reasonably enjoyable, appropriately overdone, and somewhat meaningful though not life-changing.  I’m not a big fan of drug movies, but it was amusing and horrifying in all the appropriate places.

The Last Sin Eater—1 star—Fooled again. A seemingly interesting plot is rife with Christian undercurrents that emerge toward the end to make some all-encompassing religious statement. Need I say more?

Shorts:Volume 4—7 stars—I like this film because it is the first that I watched with Scott. Objectively speaking, however, it is somewhat mediocre as far as shorts are concerned. Some of the animations were delightful. Many of the shorts focused on infidelity, and this repetition of this unlikely theme puzzled me. How many different ways can you bring up the topic of cheating on your lover? Well, rent this dvd and you can find out!

Monster—9.5 stars—Damn. That’s all I really have to say.

You Can Count On Me—7 stars—A surprisingly redeeming performance by Mark Ruffalo. I was a little distracted during this movie– whether or not that reflects on the movie itself I’m not sure. It is a tad slow, but I enjoyed it.

In the Bedroom—8 stars—Yeah, I liked it. Kinda girly drama type of movie, but it was good. No really.

Coming Apart—8.5 stars—Interesting movie about a guy with a studio apartment. Most of the movie is shot from a single angle in his apartment as he interacts with various women who come to visit him there. I didn’t even know Rip Torn was the name of a person til I saw this. It gets rather over the top as the movie progresses, but it’s captivating in a voyeuristic, invasion-of-privacy sort of way.

Saint Ralph—8.5 stars—Now, I thought this movie was going to be all Christian-y, but it turned out to be really good. A kid barters with God to win a race so his mom will survive her illness. It’s an amusing, feely-good movie that I could recommend to my mom. In fact, I think I will.

Tideland—6 stars—You’d think “disturbing” would mean “interesting”, but this movie is just kind of graphic and slooooow. I had high hopes, but was grateful when this movie was finally over. Maybe I missed some deep meaning, but I probably won’t ever watch it again to find out. 6 stars for absolutely gorgeous cinematography.

13 Conversations About One Thing—7.5 stars—This is one of those intersecting lives character study movies. You know, several different people who don’t know each other, but whose lives are somehow inexplicably intertwined. I enjoyed this movie, but none of it really stuck with me. I may watch it again someday.

I Heart Huckabees—8 stars—How can I not like a movie that involves existential detectives? This movie pretends to be deep, but we all know it’s really not so much. It is, however, funny and quirky and worth a watch.

Lolita—8.5 stars—This movie totally exceeded my expectations. I found it engrossing. Way to go, Stanley Kubrick.

Joseph Campbell:Mythos 1—4 stars—blech. 4 stars because I worship Joseph Campbell, but this was actually not the series I was searching for. This one is just basically video-taped lectures given by Joseph Campbell at a college or something. Boooring! I didn’t stick around to see if anything interesting was said.

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth—10 stars!!!—This series of dvds will change. your. life. Seriously. I love it. First saw it in photo class (many thanks, Adele), and thought to try to find it years later when I joined Netflix. It discusses religion, life, love, marriage, myth, adventure, art…all with illustrations and clips to keep it more visually interesting. Everyone should have to see this. Amazing. Just amazing.

Man on Wire—8.5 stars—A tightrope walker spans the distance between the twin towers in NYC, and this is the story of how he did it. How could this not be fascinating?? It was, and they did a good job of dramatizing the action so it feels like you are really there experiencing the intrigue.

The Life of Emile Zola—8 stars—An oldie but a goodie. Interesting, and educational!

Terms of Endearment—7.5 stars—Not bad for a weepy girly drama J

The Cool School—7 stars—an informative documentary about abstract expressionism taking hold is major US cities. Not too exciting though.

Dark Days—9 stars—Now this was a cool documentary. A guy takes a camera and goes to live down in the subway tunnels of NYC, in order to document the lives and social structure of the people who live there. It’s kinda gut-wrenching, but fascinating.

Religulous—5.5 stars—Something about this mockumentary really bugged me. I’m no big fan of organized religion, but it just doesn’t amuse me to see anyone being made to look stupid. I kinda just wanted to punch Bill Maher in the face. It had its moments though, and I know a few people who I’m sure would really enjoy it without my hang-ups.

Mulholland Drive—8 stars—Weird, just like you would expect from Lynch. Not one of my favorites of his though.

Mark Twain—9 stars—An exhaustive PBS documentary about the life and works of Mark Twain. I’d like to have seen more about Twain’s possible darker side, and less about setting him up on that pedestal he is already on.

The Flaming Lips: The Fearless Freaks—3 stars—I couldn’t finish this one. In fact I didn’t get very far at all. A documentary about one of my favorite bands should be able to suck me in right away. But I saw less about the creativity and ingenuity that pulls me in to their music and performances, and more about the usual drug/alcohol/addiction/craziness/yadda yadda yadda that goes along with being a rock star. Or something like that. Maybe I should’ve given it more of a chance, but I didn’t, so there you go.

Secretary—9 stars—Whew! Yes this movie is over-the-top and rather ridiculous in ways, but then again it should be. Sado-masochism never looked so amusing and domestic as it does in this charming little flick.

Wholphin: Issue 4—9 stars—another good Wholphin. 9-year old punk rockers, kids with New Zealand accents, and two of my faves in one short (I love you, Peter and Maggie).

Rear Window—8 stars—This one surprised me by being so entertaining. It did seem to drag a bit when the action left the one room(oddly enough), but overall it was enjoyable.

Grizzly Man—9.5 stars—Love this documentary. Maybe it’s because I can relate to it. I hope that someday if I am working in the field I do not lose my perspective as completely and hopelessly as the Grizzly Man did. I love how I started out liking the dude, then became increasing more amazed by the depths of his insanity. Well done indeed.

Barcelona—3 stars—I had actually seen this movie not too long before and had completely forgotten that I had seen it and not particularly cared for it. I didn’t bother trying to watch it a second time. The story, the humor, and the characters just didn’t appeal to me.

Synecdoche, New York—9 stars—I initially gave this 5 out of 5 stars, then scaled it back to 4 out of 5. Here with my superior starring system I will compromise and give it 9 out of 10. I really liked the quirkiness of this movie. All this magical realism, allegorical themes, ambitious story-telling and cinematography….all this got through to me in a good way. I felt smart to notice things like time skipping ahead by days and months and seasons in just the first few minutes of the movie that are made to look like one ordinary morning. I have yet to decide if I like it as well as Kaufman’s other films, but I think it’s certainly worth a look if you enjoy offbeat existentialist cinema.

The Secret Life of Words—6.5 stars—This movie started out with so much promise, such an intriguing story! But, slowly it just became more and more predictable, more sappy drama drivel that seems like it came out of last week’s most popular novel. The title is so cool though.

Goodnight, Mister Tom—6 stars—Nowhere near the scope of the book I loved as a kid. Still, it happens to be a cute story, and I was glad to revisit it in its severely abridged cinematic version. Not TOO bad.

The Chorus—7 stars—Your typical story of a fresh new teacher transforming a group of renegade students. But this one was rather charming I thought. And pleasingly unpredictable in parts.

Tying the Knot—9 stars—A good documentary about why same-sex marriage should be legal. If you are not sure where to stand on the issue, or simply want a new perspective, this is a good one to watch.

I’ve Loved You So Long—7 stars—This is a beautiful and emotional movie that takes a long time to tell you exactly what it says in 20 words or less on the cover. It turns out to be an unlikely scenario in the first place, but it’s nicely acted and still made me cry.

Gods and Monsters—2 stars—LGBT film FAIL. No, I don’t think Brendan Fraser did a good job of acting in this one. I watched it til the end but I’m kinda sorry I wasted my time. Nobody realistically changed or came to any better realization of themselves(unless trying to seduce an old gay man then deciding to settle down and having a child constitutes coming to a realistic realization of yourself). It was just kinda goofy.

Boys Don’t Cry—9 stars—Now this, by contrast, is LGBT film WIN. To start it’s a true story, brilliantly acted (Hillary Swank really is convincing as a boy!), and full of human nuance that makes it meaningful in many ways. Parts of the film are frustratingly confusing, but then again so was the experience of the characters.

The Apostle—5 stars—This movie is about as entertaining as actually going to church.

In the Realms of the Unreal—9 stars—Okay, disregard the fact that whoever made this documentary took a dead person’s art and animated it for the purpose of the film. It’s an incredible story that will stick with you for a long time. A secretive, reclusive janitor dies, and in his Chicago apartment is found a vast collection of art and literature, all created by this completely untrained artist. Nobody had a clue! It’s beautiful and haunting. I really wanted to see the museum which houses his work when I went to Chicago, but unfortunately did not get a chance. Next time, though, I will make a beeline to see it.

Run Lola Run—8 stars—I liked it. The parallel timeline theme is always interesting, though I found its execution to be a bit tedious in this film. Sorry.

Short Cuts—3 stars—Yuck. This is supposed to be a classic, or something, but I just didn’t like it. It’s like taking all the most pathetic lives you can imagine and tying them together with one timid, bogus theme. The first five minutes were pretty intriguing, what with the whole quarantine idea, but after that it just gets more and more annoying. And the ending? Well, I won’t even go there.

Before Night Falls—8.5 stars—Good movie! A bit long, but I felt enriched for the time spent watching it. And it has Johnny Depp in it.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch—8 stars—this off-beat musical had more potential than what ultimately played out on the screen. Overall, though, it’s delightful and funny. Would love to see it in real life sometime.

Grace is Gone—9 stars—I was teary-eyed before this movie even began. I’m pretty sure I was sobbing at some point within the next two hours. It can be tedious and annoying at times, but that’s all part of the story. The two girls were just splendid, and Cusack’s performance was quite effective.

The Cider House Rules—8.5 stars—I went in to this fully prepared to experience nothing close to the awesomeness of the book. However this movie, in its own rite, is quite good. It occupies its own space completely separate from the book, and thus remains enjoyable as a film-adaptation. And Tobey Maguire is just plain cute.

Definitely, Maybe—1 star—Ten minutes is all I gave this movie. Even that much of it was simply awful. If I need to explain why then you probably wouldn’t understand my explanation anyway. Rom Com fail (as most do).

The Rocky Horror Picture Show—6.5 stars—I felt obligated to like this. And yeah, it’s somewhat entertaining, but Hedwig is a far superior transvestite musical, imho. I could totally see how this would be a more amazing experience at a midnight showing, complete with costumes and sing-alongs. But as a stand-alone I can’t really give it a whole lot of credit.

Wholphin: Issue 7—8 stars—A good collection overall, but you guys already know how I feel about Wholphin.

The Soloist—8 stars—about an ill genius and a journalist and how they transformed each others’ lives. Cheesy? Yes please. Worth a look though, if you love music and uplifting drama.

Melinda and Melinda—2 stars—I don’t know how this got on my queue, but it pretty much sucked in every way. I regret watching the entire thing in the hopes that the ending might redeem some part of that time spent. Nope.

Baraka—9.5 stars—Awesome. If you liked the Planet Earth series, you will likely enjoy this as well. It’s earlier than Planet Earth, so not as glamorous and high-tech, but it definitely holds its own. This film focuses more on humanity than it does the purely natural world. Go into this movie thinking of it as an artistic installation rather than a documentary or anything that is going to be informative. I believe a huge part of the viewing experience is not knowing where the shots are taken or what these fantastic images even are. I hope Theresa doesn’t read this review because I plan on buying this for her for her birthday J

Broken Flowers—8 stars—A darker, more serious Bill Murray, but still quirky. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Personally, I really liked the way it ended.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston—7.5 stars—interesting, but overall kind of disappointing. To be honest I don’t really think Daniel Johnston is all that great, and his story of mental illness is not all that compelling. What was intriguing to me was the overshadowed story of Johnston’s agent, who clearly was and still is completely obsessed with this man. Now THAT is the story that I want to hear more about.

Titus—2 stars—in Titus’ defense, cinematic Shakespeare is extremely difficult to pull off. This is a perfect example of completely fucking it up. Couldn’t stomach more than 30 minutes or so of this travesty.

December Boys—7 stars—cute, amusing, cheesy, heartfelt. Not much else to it though.

Wholphin: Issue 1—7.5 stars—pretty standard Wholphin fare, though not the best I’ve seen them produce. I hesitate to give it ten stars simply because it features a good fifteen seconds of Miranda July, who happens to be my favorite contemporary artist (LOVE HER). The Spike Jonz documentary of Al Gore is worth the watch, as well as a couple of other rather amusing shorts by Prendergast and some guy singing Stairway to Heaven backwards.

Rabbit-Proof Fence—7 stars—it’s a cute story, but smacks of Disney family movies. By fat the best part was just before the credits when they do a short clip of the two old ladies who were the basis of two of the young girls in the story. I’d rather have seen two hours of the real women talking about their grueling experience, rather than the often-cheesy dramatization. Still, my mom would like this I think.

Gandhi—9.25 stars—of course this movie is swell. If you haven’t seen it yet you should. It’s a fine example of pure Hollywood drama at its best. No edginess, no controversy, just a straightforward narrative about one hell of an amazing man.

Sideways—8 stars—This movie makes me want to drink fine wine. It also kind of makes me want to stick a pencil in my eye. The main character is annoying, but he ends up growing on you, and by the end you are actually rooting for him. A bit slow, but I was mildly entertained, and the progression and ending of the story made it a worthwhile experience.

Zoo—2 stars—quite possibly one of the worst documentaries I have ever seen. This is supposed to be an in-depth look at a particularly deadly case of zoophilia that happened outside of Seattle not too long ago. The subject matter holds a great deal of potential for an objective view of things, but this documentary fails in every aspect. The filmmakers obviously had way too much money and not enough talent or vision to know what to do with it. I didn’t get more than halfway through.

Annie Hall—8.5 stars—I drifted in and out of this movie, as there were some scenes that just didn’t catch my attention at all. But as usual, Woody Allen’s pessimistic banter helps to lift the spirits. This is the perfect movie I needed on this particular night—feeling discouraged about the difficulties of life and especially relationships, I ended up relating very much with Woody’s final words on love. I think that I could watch this again sometime and give it a higher rating.