Films

back home

2003
#-C - D-G - H-L - M-O - P-R - S-T - U-Z

#

8 1/2 (d. Federico Fellini, 1963):
28 Days Later (d. Danny Boyle, 2002): 9/10
400 Blows, The (d. Francois Truffaut, 1959): 10/10

A

Adaptation (d. Spike Jonze, 2002): 9/10
About Baghdad (d. Sinan Altoon et al, 2004):
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, The (d. Stephen Elliott, 1994): 8/10
Amateur (d. Hal Hartley, 1994): 8.5/10
 American Beauty (d. Sam Mendes, 1999): 9/10
 American History X (d. Tony Kayne, 1998): 8.5/10
Andalusian Dog (d. Luis Bunuel, 1929): 10/10

B

Babbette's Feast (d. Gabriel Axel, 1987): 8.5/10
Bad Education (d. Pedro Almadovar, 2004): 9/10
 Bartleby (d. Jonathan Parker, 2001): 8/10

Baseketball (d. David Zucker, 1998): 6.5/10
It's a guy movie and itis crude, but it is nonetheless sometimes very clever and, if not, at least funny. Like any immature comedy, it is not a film so much as a flick, but it can be perfect if one is in the right mood for it. I have a weakness for these kinds of movies and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Batman Begins (d. Christopher Nolan, 2005):
Beach, The (d. Danny Boyle, 2000): 8.5/10
Beetlejuice (d. Tim Burton, 1988): 9/10

Being John Malkovich (d. Spike Jonze, 1999): 9.5/10
 Craig Schwartz lives with Lotti his wife and a few dozen animals. He decides to get a job and snags one filing on the 7 1/2 floor of his new building where he meets Maxine. He discovers a portal into John Malkovich's head and found out that you could see what he sees for about 15 minutes, then you get dropped by the New Jersey turnpike.

Believer, The (d. Henry Bean, 2001): 9/10
Based on a true story of a KKK member who was a Jew, this Sundance Film Festival Award winner starring Ryan Gosling is quite something. It seemed to me that it was grittier than American History X but it's all a question of opinion, that could have been because it was an independent film and was almost too realistic. Ryan Gosling is a Jewish neo-Nazi but when his gang trashes a synogogue, his childhood memories drive him to beg the others not to touch the Torah scroll, which the guy does and also spits on it and rips it. He steals the scroll as well as other ritual religious paraphenalia, which he hides from the guys. He continues in a "downward spiral" 'til he cracks.

Best in Show (d. Christopher Guest, 2000): 9/10
Big Lebowski, The (d. Joel Cohen, 1998): 9/10
Bottlerocket (d. Wes Anderson, 1996): 8.5/10
Boys Don't Cry (d. Kimberly Percil, 1999): 9/10

Brazil (d. Terry Gilliam, 1985): 10/10
Even with its postmodern hopelessness, this is a masterpiece of a film with few equals. Its scale is matched only by its content, creating a horrifying view of a future police state that is uncomfortably like the past. The screenplay, written by Terry Gilliam and the brilliant Tom Stoppard, is acerbic and razor sharp in its dramatization of Weber's 'iron cage' of rationality that comes from bureacratization.

Bread and Roses (d. Ken Loach, 2000): 9/10
Breathless (d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1960): 9.5/10
Brother From Another Planet, The (d. John Sayles, 1984): 8/10
Business of Fancy Dancing, The (d. Sherman Alexie, 2002): 8.5/10
 But I'm a Cheerleader (d. Jamie Babbit, 1999): 8.5/10

C

Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The (d. Robert Wiene, 1920): 10/10

Cannibal: The Musical (d. Trey Parker, 1996): 8.5/10
The ingenius pre-South Park, Parker & Stone effort, which documents the story of Alfred Packer, a man charged with cannibalism. The fact that is was obviously done on a very small budget just adds to the charm of it, and it includes Parker, Stone and Dian Bachar, who have appeared on South Park and in Baseketball, and it's a musical too. Fun for all ages.

Cherish (d. Finn Taylor, 2002): 8/10
Chuck and Buck (d. Miguel Arteta, 2000): 8.5/10
Claire's Knee (d. Eric Rohmer, 1970): 9/10

Corporation, The (d. Jennifer Abbott, Mark Achbar, 2003): 9/10
Crash (d. David Cronenberg, 1996): 8/10
Cries and Whispers (d. Ingmar Bergman, 1972): 8.5/10

D

Daytrippers, The (Greg Mottola, 1996): 8/10
 Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The (d. Peter Care, 2002): 8/10
Dead Poets Society (d. Peter Weir, 1989): 9/10

Dead Man on Campus (d. Alan Cohn, 1998): 7/10
How can a black comedy featuring Mr. Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell with a screenplay written by Mike White possibly be bad? Exactly, it's not.

Death to Smoochy (d. Danny DiVito, 2002): 8/10
Disco Pigs (d. Kirsten Sheridan, 2001): 9/10
Divorce Italian-Style (d. Pretro Germi, 1961): 9/10
Do the Right Thing (d. Spike Lee, 1989): 9/10

E

Ed Wood (d. Tim Burton, 1994): 8.5/10
Edward Scissorhands (d. Tim Burton, 1990): 9/10
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (d. Michel Godry, 2004): 10/10

F

Fanny and Alexander (d. Ingmar Bergman, 1982): 9/10
Fargo (d. Joel Cohen, 1996): 9/10

Fight Club (d. David Fincher, 1999): 9.5/10
Edward Norton and Brad Pitt star in this very, very disturbing realistic fiction movie about the rise of a group of anarchists. To judge this movie, one cannot compare it to every other movie. Although it had a big budget and a fantastic cast, it's not like most hollywood movies. The entire thing is about a man meeting a woman who makes him question everything about himself. He goes through a weird time in his life but finally takes control.

Fisher King, The (d. Terry Gilliam, 1991): 9/10
Based on a fairy tale and using a self-absorbed Howard Stern character as its drive, this film combines Gilliam's gorgeous direction with a story about influence, guilt, redemption and tranformation. This is also one of those movies that has a perfect Robin Williams character in it and he plays him as only he could. Williams plays a former professor turned bum due to a crazed fan desperate act of mass violence. His poetic view of the world and obsession with a girl leads the radio host to try to absolve his guilt by helping him put his life back together.

Flirting (d. John Duigan, 1991): 8.5/10
Following (d. Christopher Nolan, 1998): 8/10

G

Garden State (d. Zack Braff, 2004): 9/10
Gattaca (d. Andrew Niccol, 1997): 8/10
Ghost World (d. Terry Zwigoff, 2001): 9.5/10
Girl with a Pearl Earring (d. Peter Webler, 2003): 8.5/10
Good Girl, The (d. Miguel Arteta, 2002): 9/10

Governess, The (d. Sandra Goldbacher, 1998): 8.5/10
Its atmosphere is similar to other historical fiction-like films. Minnie Driver, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Tom Wilkinson star. Tom Wilkinson is very sexy in this, while he is totally creepy in Girl with a Pearl Earring, which impresses me. It's about a Jewess that poses as a Christian, who falls in love with her employer and is lusted after by his son.

H

Harold & Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971): 10/10

Hedwig & the Angry Inch (d. John Cameron Mitchell, 2001): 10/10
Seeing as it took nearly 7 years from the inception of the characters and off Broadway success to the screen version of the film, it is no wonder it is practically flawless. The monologues ooze with ironic perfection and the characters are effortlessly tragic and painstakingly beautiful. Based around the fall of the Berlin Wall and betrayal, this film tells the story of Hansel who got a sex-change operation in order to marry a military man and get out of East Berlin. After some time, when Hansel is Hedwig and has written some songs, a fan approaches her and comes into her life and all too quickly leaves with her material. She follows Tommy Gnosis on his huge tour to get the fame that belonged to her.

Herr Schmidt und Herr Friedrich (d. Ulrike Franke, Michael Loeben, 2001): 8/10
Hidden Fortress, The (d. Akira Kurosawa, 1958): 9/10
High Cost of Low Price, The (d. Robert Greenwald, 2005): 9/10

High Fidelity (d. Stephen Frears, 2000): 9/10
Based on a book by Nick Hornsby, this movie is set in America, as opposed to England but stays along the same lines of the book. It stars John Cusack as Rob Gordon who's a frustrated 35 year old, who is in the process of losing his girlfriend of the last few years and owns a record shop. The style is very interesting because he talks to the camera and goes between present and past very often. The movie begins with him going through his "what does it all mean phase" where he recalls all his past break-ups and tries to learn why he keeps getting dumped.

Hi-Life (Roger Hedden, 1998): 8/10

Human Remains (d. Jay Rosenblatt, 1998): 10/10
 This bizaar short film shows footage of Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and Mao in rather dull situations with narration of diaries and personal statements from the dictators on their habits. Hitler was a vegetarian who never drank and Mao never bathed, was frequently constipated, had sex with young girls and thereby "washed" himself in their bodies. One of the most brilliant ideas I've ever seen played out so well in a short film.

I

Igby Goes Down (d. Burr Steers, 2002): 8.5/10
Intacto (d. Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ,2001): 9/10
Intermission (d. John Crowley, 2003): 9/10

J

Jules and Jim (d. Francois Truffaut, 1962): 9.5/10
Juliet of the Spirits (d. Federico Fellini, 1965): 9/10

K

Knife in the Water (d. Roman Polanski, 1962): 9/10
Kicking and Screaming (d. Noah Baumbach, 1995): 8.5/10
Kinsey (d. Bill Condon, 2004): 9/10

L

Lady from Shanghai, The (d. Orson Welles, 1947): 10/10
 Last Metro, The (d. Francois Truffaut, 1980): 9/10
L'Avventura (d. Michelangelo Antioni, 1965): 9/10
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The (d. Wes Anderson, 2004): 10/10

M

Machinist, The (d. Brad Anderson, 2004): 5/10
 This film overall is not very good, but in honor of the basic premise of a machinist, a working man, who is 120 pounds and has a "relationship" with a hooker and the fact that Christian Bale is totally out of his mind, I put this film on here. It's really some not so wonderful combination of Memento and Fight Club, but the fact that Christian Bale felt so strongly about that film that he'd starve himself is worth mentioning.

Manic (d. Jordan Melamed, 2001): 8/10
 Man on the Moon (d. Milos Forman, 1999): 8/10
Man with a Movie Camera, The (d. Dziga Vertov, 1929): 10/10
Mars Attacks! (d. Tim Burton, 1996): 8.5/10
Masculine, Feminine: In 15 Acts (d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1966): 10/10
Matewan (d. John Sayles, 1987): 9/10
Memento (d. Christopher Nolan, 2000): 9/10
Mr. Jealousy (d. Noah Baumbach, 1997): 8.5/10
Mumford (d. Lawrence Kasdan, 1999): 7.5/10
 Muriel's Wedding (d. P.J. Hogan, 1994): 8/10
My Boyfriend's Back (d. Bob Balaban, 1993): 7/10
My First Mister (Christine Lahti, 2001): 7.5/10
 My Life to Live (d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1962): 9/10
My Night With Maud (d. Eric Rohmer, 1969): 9/10
My Own Private Idaho (d. Gus Van Sant, 1991): 9/10

N

Naked (d. Mike Leigh, 1993): 10/10
 David Thewlis plays Johnny, a character we meet as he steals a car to flee from Manchester having just violently raped a woman against a brick wall. He goes to London where he visits his ex-girlfriend and wanders around aimlessly drinking up his fellow dregs of Thatcher-era London's poverty and misery. The film hinges on Johnny's unique ability to charm and revolt at the same time and all of the characters embody postmodern desperation and loneliness at any income level or apperance of content.

Naked Lunch (d. David Cronenberg, 1993): 9/10
Niagara, Niagara (d. Bob Gosse, 1997): 8/10
Nightmare Before Christmas, The (d. Henry Selick, 1993): 9/10
Night on Earth (d. Jim Jarmusch, 1991): 9/10
Ninth Gate, The (d. Roman Polanski, 1999): 9/10
Nora (d. Pat Murphy, 2000): 8/10
 Notorious (d. Alfred Hitchcock, 1965): 9.5/10

O

Open Your Eyes (d. Alejandro Amenábar, 1997): 8/10
 Opposite of Sex, The (d. Don Roos, 1998): 7.5/10

Orgazmo (d. Trey Parker, 1997): 8/10
In this Trey Parker (writer, director, star) movie, Joe Young, a Mormon doing missionary work in Hollywood, gets lured into the porno business. He does it for the promise of money that could pay for a big church wedding in Utah that his fiancee longs for. It's not hard to believe that Trey could achieve such a level of satirical genius, as he does it weekly. If you think he's cute, check this out because he's thin.

Osama (d. Siddiq Barmak, 2004): 9/10

P

Particles of Truth (d. Jennifer Elster, 2003): 9/10
Persona (d. Ingmar Bergman, 1966): 9/10
Pi (d. Darren Aronofsky, 1998): 8.5/10
 Pianist, The (d. Roman Polanski, 2002): 9/10
 Picnic at Hanging Rock (d. Peter Weir, 1975): 9.5/10
Pills Profits Protest (d. Ann T. Rossetti, 2003): 8/10
Pleasantville (d. Gary Ross, 1998): 8.5/10

Q

Quills (d. Philip Kaufman, 2000): 8.5/10
 Though visually extremely compelling, the message of the film is a bit off if only because it makes Marquis de Sade into a shock jock instead of a philosopher, which is what he was besides a pervert. Based on Doug Wright's beautifully written play, it is simplistic but nonetheless naughty and entertaining.

R

Raising Arizona (d. Joel Cohen, 1987): 9/10
 Rashomon (d. Akira Kurosawa, 1950): 9.5/10
Requium for a Dream (d. Darren Aronofsky, 2000): 9/10

Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (d. Jim Sharman, 1975): 8.5/10
A 70's science-fiction musical about indivuality and the freedom it can bring. The plot line is not that impressive but everything else is. We got Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick and Susan Surandon, incredibly distict characters, an awesome soundtrack and a good message. Could you really ask for more?

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (d. David Mirkin, 1997): 7.5/10
 Rounders (d. John Dahl, 1998): 8/10
 Royal Tenanbaums, The (d. Wes Anderson, 2001): 9/10
 Running with the Bulls (d. Adam Goldberg, 2003): 8.5/10
Rushmore (d. Wes Anderson, 1998): 9/10

S

Sade (d. Benoit Jacquot, 2000): 7.5/10
 This French film, that came out the same year as Quills, is a much more accurate, tasteful and filmic portrayal of Marquis de Sade shortly before the French Revolution. Sade is played by Daniel Auteuil who subtley seduces a young girl who may very soon lose her life, but ends up deciding that he should not be the one to defile her. He shows her sensual pleasure, in effect, and befriends her. Though it presents him as a man of wisdom, up until the real Sade was about 80 he ritualistically recorded his sexual exploits with a young nurse, so it's sweet, but most likely too flattering. His philosophy comes out but mostly the film is very subtle electricity running through Sade's interactions.
Salt of the Earth (d. Herbert J. Biberman, 1954): 9/10
Secret Lives of Dentists, The (Alan Rudolph, 2002): 8.5/10

Secretary (Stephen Shainberg, 2002): 9/10
 With James Spader in it, it's obvious from the outset that it will include kinky sex and it does not disappoint. The story of two unhappy people who end up working in an office together, the film is totally dependent on looks, feelings, perceptions, misperceptions and the intensity of unspoken desires that James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal convey. Essentially, it is in old fashioned love story that is instead constructed around dominance and submission. Though it is somewhat predictable, it is acted beautifully by the entire cast and accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack.

Seven Samurai, The (d. Akira Kurosawa, 1954): 10/10
Seventh Seal, The (d. Ingmar Bergman, 1957): 10/10
 Sex, Lies and Videotape (d. Steven Soderbergh, 1989): 9/10
Shame (d. Ingmar Bergman, 1968): 9/10
Shaun of the Dead (d. Edgar Wright, 2004): 8.5/10

Skins (d. Chris Eyre, 2002): 8.5/10
A painfully poetic film about reservation life centered around a cop whose brother is an alcoholic and his other side of being a vigilante in defense of his people. Rudy Yellow Lodge is both a traitor by punishing his fellow Indians and a hero in his conflicted life of hunting down crime and injustice against them. Rudy shows his true spirit when he pours red paint on Mt. Washington which is a tourist attraction representing America and situated in one of the poorest communities in the country.

Sleepy Hollow (d. Tim Burton, 1998): 8/10
 Slums of Beverly Hills, The (d. Tamara Jenkins, 1998): 8/10
Smoke Signals (d. Chris Eyre, 1998): 9/10
So I Married an Axe Murderer (d. Thomas Schlamme, 1993): 8.5/10

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (d. Trey Parker, 1998): 8.5/10
This is the story of Satan & his lover Saddam Hussein having an oppurtunity to rule over earth when Terrance & Phillip's innocent blood touches American soil. T & P are Canadian comedians with a bad influence over the youth, so Kyle's mother makes a union for mother's agains T & P and it all ends up in a war between Canada and the U.S. It's definitely worth watching if you like laughing, that is.

Station Agent, The (d. Thomas McCarthy, 2003): 9/10
Summer of Sam (d. Spike Lee, 1999): 9.5/10
Super Size Me (d. Morgan Spurlock, 2004): 8/10

T

Tesseract, The (d. Oxide Pang Chun, 2003): 8/10
 This is Spinal Tap (d. Rob Reiner, 1984): 10/10

Total Eclipse (d. Agnieszka Holland, 1995): 9/10
The story of Paul Verlaine & Arthur Rimbaud, two gay poets living in 19th century France. Rimbaud is a 16 year old poetic genius and Verlaine is a 40 something veteran, who takes Rimbaud under his wing to encourage his writing. Verlaine, an abusive drunk, indulges in sex with both his 18 year old wife (whom he doens't love) and his new found prodigy. He has to go to jail for sodomy and abandonment but is then disregarded by Rimaud for whom he gives up everything.

Trainspotting (d. Danny Boyle, 1996): 9.5/10
Truman Show, The (d. Peter Weir, 1998): 8/10
Trust (Hal Hartley, 1990): 8.5/10
 Twin Falls Idaho (d. Michael Polish, 1999): 8/10

V

Velvet Goldmine (d. Todd Haynes, 1998): 9/10
 Vertigo (d. Alfred Hitchcock, 1958): 10/10

W

Week End (d. Jean-Luc Godard, 1967): 9/10
Welcome to the Dollhouse (d. Todd Solondz, 1995): 10/10
Wet Hot American Summer (d. David Wain, 2001): 7.5/10
Willard (d. Glen Morgan, 2003): 8/10

Y

You and Me and Everyone We Know (d. Miranda July, 2005): 9/10

Z

Zoolander (d. Ben Stiller, 2001): 8.5/10

(d. , ):

back home SLC Punk! An attack on anarchy is made as this movie follows around two punks in Salt Lake City in 1985, Stevo (Matthew Lillard) and Heroin Bob (Michael Goorjian). Stevo is the narrator who's very bright and political and was destined to be a lawyer like his father, but decided to be a jobless punkster. Herion Bob (named as such because of his unreasonable fear of needles and drugs) the quiet counterpart to Stevo, was a chemistry major and gave Stevo lectures on acid and is just a psycho, period. There's not much I can reveal about the plot because the movie relies on it's excellent situations and character development. So, I Married An Ax Murderer A movie I will never get sick of. Don't worry, this is a comedy, starring Mike Myers as a man who seems to find something wrong with every one of his girlfriends and gets the perfect one but suspects her of being "Mrs. X", a woman who's rumored to kill her husbands and then assume a new identity everytime. A fun movie with an interesting premise and great dialogue. Despite the fact that all this movies could be cult favorites, this was this least successful. Natural Born Killers The movie that inspired Columbine (not because it was hoping to do so but because the kids were total idiots) and is even harder to digest than American History X. The message isn't clear to everyone but trust me, it's about the glorification of violence in the media. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis star as a couple of serial killers who get away with everything while they grow famous and drive across the country on a crime spree. Office Space A very funny movie about a guy in a dead end job, who does the least amount of work he possibly can to keep his job, who gets hypnotized to be absolutely relaxed and worry free and never snaps out of it (literally, the hypnotist keels over). What happens is funny, liberating and exciting. I don't want to give the ending away but - (Ron Livingston) finds what he wants. Get Real A touching, enchanting tale about a realized gay 16 year old writer and his attraction to the popular jock who is ashamed of being gay. They befriend each other and have some awkward moments before they throw caution to the wind and dive in. They keep it a secret but it all falls apart as the jock tries his hardest to keep his reputation intact. This is like any romance but minus a chick and plus a very important social stigma that need not exist. Clueless The story of Cher & co., a bunch of over-privaleged, shallow, popular, high school girls and how Cher (Alicia Silverstone) falls in love and befriends a new outcast. This movie bore the phrases "Whatever" and "As If" but it's not bad, it studies the strained relationships in the teenage years beautifully by following around the "in" crowd. Crow, The A dark, magnificant, heart-wrenching movie of a murdered rock star coming back to life and taking revenge on those who raped and killed the love of his life. The more interesting part of the movie is the untimely demise of its star, Brandon Lee, while shooting. In a freak accident, he shot himself. This man was so dedicated that he insisted upon doing his own stunts and making it as real as possible which led to one of those unforgettable celebrity deaths. Dancer in the Dark It's realistically shot (some may say it was cheap) and so perfect in it's composition that you think you know Selma (Bjork) and want to hold her hand and tell her it will be okay. It's just so real, it was painful to watch; very emotional and gripping; a must see.