7 to 4:30? What happened to 9 to 5?

Well, it's official. I have now lived through three whole weeks of high school. I will start off this post with some math in honor of this momentous occasion.

How much time school took each day (Including commute, excluding homework):
Last year: 6.5 hours
This year: 9.5 hours

Aaah! Stupid mass transport! Stupid waking up at 6:00 am. Good grief. Last year I watched a shit-load of movies, approximately. This year I simply don't have time on weekdays, which is why weekends are now designated showtime.

Sigh...

Here's a list of movies I've seen since school started:

+Blood Diamond This was amazing
+Philadelphia
+Cry Baby This was hilarious. I love John Waters, I think I should have a campy-movie party.
+Baran
+Mean Girls High school isn't like this at all, but whatever. I will confess I got a little attached to all the characters
+West Bank Story Hysterical parody of West Side Story. It's The Kosher King vs The Hummus Hut
+Christmas in July
+Das Leben der Anderen
+Malcolm X I was skeptical about it being 3.3 hours long, but I wasn't bored once. Plus I love bio-pics.

And next I'm watching Sweet Land!

Deutsche Filme sind ausgezeichnet

I watched Pan's Labyrinth last night. That solidified two things in my mind: 1. Movie violence bothers me a million times more than movie sex, and 2. Spanish films are a million times better than German. That makes me sort of sad, because I love German, and I think listening to people speak it is a good way to learn. Recently I decided I also want to learn Spanish, (for no other reason than to watch Live Flesh without subtitles on) but I'm not going to because I'm already signed up for German, and I still think German words are way cooler than Spanish. (Any Spanish words as great as Staatsangehoerigkeit? Schlafgelegenheit?)

So, in honor of German cinema, I have assembled a list of:

Toll Deutsch Filme (Great German Movies)

Goodbye, Lenin!

Before the Fall

Beyond Silence

Europa Europa

Sommersturm

Maenner Wie Wir

2nd movie report

Three months have passed since my last fascinating list of movies I've seen.
Enjoy.

APRIL
F**k
Volver
Rounders
Desperately Seeking Susan
The Last Temptation of Christ
Die Hard
Les Meserables
All About My Mother
Art School Confidential
Romeo And Juliet
The World's Fastest Indian
Notes On a Scandal
An Unfinished Life
Gandhi
Sophie Scholl

MAY
Taxi Driver
Europa Europa
Mean Streets
The Namesake
Transamerica
Spiderman 3
Little Children
Goodfellas
Brick
Broken Flowers
Children of Heaven
Raging Bull
POTC At Worlds End
Maenner Wie Wir
Dog Day Afternoon

JUNE
Little Shop of Horrors
Bonnie And Clyde
Catch and Release
Freedom Writers
Stripes
Charlie's Angels 2
Wild Hogs
Music and Lyrics
Kiss Me Guido
For Your Consideration
Waitress
Flashdance
Dirty Dancing
The Science of Sleep
The First Amendment Project
The Big Lebowski
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Hairspray
Live Flesh
A Fish Called Wanda

Highly important Quarterly Report

The last day of March was yesterday, which means it is time for Leslie's Quarterly Movie Report! So, feast your eyes on this delightfully tasteful list of movies I have seen so far this year.

JANUARY(18)
On a Clear Day
Lucky Number Slevin
Little Miss Sunshine
Kinsey
American Beauty
Mambo Italiano
Great Expectations
Thank You For Smoking
Dreamgirls
Leaving Las Vegas
Boogie Nights
Prize Winner Of Defiance Ohio
Owning Mahoney
Hotel Rwanda
The Illusionist
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
The Queen
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
FEBRUARY(12)
Drugstore Cowboy
The Departed
Amores Perros
The Incredables
Babel
Half Nelson
Finding Nemo
Running With Scissors
Koyla
Little Miss Sunshine
Star Wars VI
Beyond Silence
MARCH(22)
Star Wars IV
Erin Brockovich
Sweet Home Alabama
Happenstance
The Good Girl
The Cider House Rules
In the Name of the Father
The Dinner Game
The Big Tease
Mysterious Skin
Summer Storm
Saving Grace
Do the Right Thing
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Bad Education
The Opposite of Sex
Monster
Fight Club
Happy Feet
The Man in the Iron Mask
Othello
Frida

*sniff* It's beautiful, I know. Not too many klunkers, either. *quietly pretends The Man in the Iron Mask and Happy Feet don't exist*

Don't ya just love long boring posts?

Last year I made a list of all the movies I saw, and I think it would be wise to back it up on a little thing called The Internet. Easy access from any location! You can't comprehend the joy I have from looking at this list, so it's really worth taking up three pages.


2006 Movies

JAN/FEB (incomplete)
Walk the Line * * * *
Pride and Prejudice * * * *
Good Night, and Good Luck * * *
Crash * * * * *
Hitch * * *
Pushing Tin * * * *
Lords of Dogtown * * *
Four Feathers *
Adaptation * * * * *
All the President's Men * * * *
Sideways * * * * *
The Brothers Grimm * * *
Proof * * *
LOTR1. * * * * *
Capote * * * *
Brokeback Mountain * * * * *
Hoodwinked * *
MARCH (15)
Danny Deckchair * * * * *
Good Will Hunting* * *
In Her Shoes* * *
Garden State* * * *
Hustle and Flow* * * * *
Keeping The Faith* * * *
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon* * * *
Wonder Boys* * * * *
Thumbsucker * *
Legend of Zorro* * *
Amelie * * * * *
Capote * * * *
High Fidelity* * * *
King Kong * * * *
Finding Forester * * *
APRIL (15)
Smoke Signals * * * *
Ten Things I Hate About You * * 1/2
Everything Is Illumenated * * * *
March Of The Penguins * * * *
The Squid and the Whale * * * *
Walk The Line * * * *
Better Off Dead * * * *
Wonder Boys* * * * *
To Kill a Mocking Bird* * * *
Moonstruck* * * * 1/2
Akeelah and the Bee * * * *
Being John Malkovich * * * *
Coffee and Cigarettes * * *
The Graduate * * * *
Intermission * * *
MAY (16)
Dear Frankie * * * *
Reality Bites * * * *
American Dreamz * * *
Mission Impossible Three * * *
Howl's Moving Castle * * * * 1/2
Chronicles of Narnia * * * *
Breakfast on Pluto * * * *
Something New * * * *
Casanova * * 1/2
Brokeback Mountain * * * * *
Crash * * * * *
The Wedding Banquet * * * *
Lost in Translation * * *
The Da Vinci Code * * *
Over the Hedge * * * *
Wallace and Gromit * * * *
JUNE (16)
Jerry Maguire * * * * *
Stripes * *
Munich * * * *
Shall We Dance? * * *
Alex and Emma * * *
American Beauty * * * *
Prairie Home Companion * * * *
Lovely and Amazing * * * 1/2
Under The Tuscan Sun * * *
An Inconvenient Truth * * * 1/2
Return To Me * * *
Cars * * * *
The Producers * * *
Dave Chappelle's Block Party * * * 1/2
Rumor Has It * * *
Million Dollar Baby * * *
JULY (22)
The Devil Wears Prada * * *
Dirty Dancing Havana Nights * * 1/2
The Haunting * * *
Adaptation * * * * *
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest * * * 1/2
28 Days Later * * *
Dogma * * * *
The Matador * * * * *
A Beautiful Mind * * * *
Bringing Up Baby * * 1/2
The Ice Storm * *
Pirates Of The Caribbean; Curse of the Black Pearl * * * *
The Motorcycle Diaries * * * *
Risky Business * * *
Men In Black * * * 1/2
Raising Arizona * * * *
The English Patient * * * *
O Brother, Where Are Thou? * * * *
Scoop * * * * 1/2
Fargo * * *
Monster House * * * 1/2
Casablanca * * *
AUGUST (12)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang * * * *
Footloose * * * * 1/2
The Godfather * * *
The Ice Harvest * *
Schindler's List * * * * *
Cimmeron * * 1/2
Happy Texas * * * *
Midnight Cowboy * * * * *
Little Miss Sunshine* * * *
The Talented Mr. Ripley * * * *
Strictly Ballroom * * * *
Kramer VS Kramer * * *
SEPTEMBER (16)
Rain Man * * *
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest * * *
Misery * *
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire * * 1/2
The Mouse That Roared * * * *
Cold Mountain * * * 1/2
I Heart Huckabee's * * *
Magnolia * * * 1/2
Witness * * * 1/2
Almost Famous * * *
The Pianist * * * *
Friends With Money * * * 1/2
Guys and Balls * * *
In Country * * *
Goodbye Lenin * * * *
Das Boot
OCTOBER (11)
Schindler
Nowhere in Africa
Gods and Monsters
Austin Powers, Goldmember
Memento
The Full Monty
The Edukators
The Hours
Mrs Henderson Presents
Happy Accidents
Rocky Horror Picture Show
NOVEMBER(15)
The Constant Gardener
Mostly Martha
Bridget Jones Diary
The Larimie Project
Brokeback Mountain
The Usual Suspects
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Stranger Than Fiction
V for Vendetta
Before the Fall
A Good Woman
Casino Royal
The Bourne Identity
Talented Mr. Ripley
Kinsey
DECEMBER(17)
Love Actually
Transamerica
Noel
Pulp Fiction
You Can Count On Me
Monster's Ball
Boys Don't Cry
Jouex Noel
Love Actually
Home Alone
Bad Santa
Pride and Prejudice
The Fellowship of the Ring
It's a Wonderful Life
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
Kinky Boots


Woot.

This year I am thankful for Matt Damon...

Wow. Four months since my last post? Not that I'm surprised, a little thing called "school" happened to me. *Gags self with spoon* Fourtunatly another little thing called Thankesgiving break happened too, and I can once again update! A lot happens in a 1/3 of a year, I now fancy myself to be somewhat of an expert on German cinema, and Anthony Minghella. (Die! Jude Law, die!)

Okay, I can't help it, I have to list all the movies I have seen since my last post.

Risky Business This was crap
Men In Black
Raising Arizona I love the Coen Brothers!
The English Patient *yawn* NO movie should be three hours long
O Brother, Where Are Thou?
Scoop Why did everybody give Woody Allen crap for this? I thought it was cute!
Fargo
Monster House
Casablanca *coughhackoverratedcough*
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Footloose
The Godfather I didn't have a problem with it, I just don't understand what's so great about it
The Ice Harvest
Schindler's List Best. Movie. Ever.
Cimmeron Oldest. Movie. Ever.
Happy Texas This was the last movie I saw before school started *reminiscent sigh*
Midnight Cowboy
Little Miss Sunshine
The Talented Mr. Ripley I loved this movie so much I thought I would like thrillers. That is apparently not the case.
Strictly Ballroom
Kramer VS Kramer
Rain Man If no one else is going to stand up for Tom Cruise, let it be me.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Misery
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire This was sooo much better in the theater. I cringed sooo much at home
The Mouse That Roared
Cold Mountain I have never seen violence and smarm mingle like that

Oh my God I'm getting bored. That's about half my list, it ends mid September. I'll have to update again later.


Now on to my big news!*drumroll*
I LOVE the Talented Mr. Ripley! It is the best movie ever! It has Rome, music, and a psychopath! Philip Seymour Hoffman is endlessly quotable, and even Jude Law didn't annoy me as much as he could have. A true gem. I first decided to watch it because I saw Roeper and Kevin Smith BOTH agree it was awesome. I immediately looked out the window to watch pigs fly into the sunset.
So, if you haven't seen it yet jog- no, sprint! to your local movie rental facility and prepare to be amazed.

So much for originality....

I haven't updated for a long time! One would think that would mean I have a lot more to say, but that's not the case. I have some serious movie blurb writers block.
I'm still trying to shift my brain over to this year's Oscar race instead of last year's. But it's hard to do during the summer blockbuster months. I have assembled my 2005 Top Ten list in hopes of some closure.
My list is NOT in order of importance. It's actually in reverse alphabetical order (I'm such a crazy fool), because I'm stumped on what my favorite movie was.

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit
Walk the Line
Pride and Prejudice
Junebug
Hustle and Flow
Howl's Moving Castle
Crash
The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Capote
Brokeback Mountain


Oh no. I just realized all these movies were nominated for Oscars. I can think for myself you know! I swear! At least my list only slightly resembles Ebert's. In my defense, I have seen very few lists that include Hustle and Flow, or Howl's Moving Castle.

"I don't want you passing out or going to the dark side. No going to the dark side!"

After much rearranging and pulling out of hair, I finally assembled my 2004 Top Ten List.

1. Sideways
2. Danny Deckchair
3. Supersize Me
4. Garden State
5. Secret Window
6. Finding Neverland
7. The Incredibles
8. The Terminal
9. Phantom of the Opera
10. In Good Company

No, I didn't see Million Dollar Baby, and frankly I don't see how it could be better then Sideways or Finding Neverland, but I guess I could give it the benefit of doubt.
At least Sideways won Best Adapted Screenplay, which is JUST- if not more, prestigious as Best Picture. (Yes, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Just who do I think I'm kidding?

I was just reading my list of movies I thought should have won Best Picture. They're all really good movies, with one glaring exception. Where is The Lord Of The Rings? Did I really say American Splendor was better then The Return Of The King? I did, and I still sort of do. I'm not really in love with any of the 2003 movies. The Return Of The King felt really rushed, and I'm not too keen on all the battle scenes. The Two Towers was really good, but I also really liked Adaptation. Fortunately I thought of a solution that should keep everybody happy. I'm starting a list of Top Movies Of The Decade. Impressive, no?
So far it's:

1. The Lord Of The Rings
2. Napoleon Dymanite
3. Pirates Of The Caribbean
4. Harry Potter
5. Star Wars

Let's not kid ourselves. What will you think of when you think of this decade? It's not going to be Seabiscuit, it'll be Fahrenheit 9/11, or if you're of my generation, Napoleon Dynamite. (Or you could think of the sheer awfulness of The Master Of Disguise.) If you want to talk about memorability, look at the MTV movie awards.

So, with that said, I give you my 2002 Top Ten List

1. Adaptation
2. The Two Towers
3. Spirited Away
4. Bowling for Columbine
5. About a Boy
6. Far From Heaven
7. Catch Me If You Can
8. Spiderman
9. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
10. Ice Age

Give us a kiss, love

It has become painfully clear to me that the Academy doesn't know squat about Best Pictures. (Gladiator?! Chicago!?!)
Here's who would win if I got to choose.

2000: WONDER BOYS
How could I pick anything else? It has my favorite quote, and it's about writers! Runners up would be Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Chocolat, Saving Grace, and Small Time Crooks. *sigh* It was a good year.

2001: AMELIE
I didn't see as many good movies this year, but that's not to say Amelie doesn't deserve it! I also liked Zoolander and Bridget Jones Diary. They might not be very serious, but they're damn funny! (Plus, I don't look so snobbish!)

2002: ADAPTATION
Voice over! Screenwriting twins! Orchid dealers! How could you not love this movie? Honorary mentions to The Two Towers, Spirited Away, and About a Boy.

2003: AMERICAN SPLENDOR
Why don't more movies have voice over? I can't get enough. I had a hard time choosing between this and The Station Agent, Bend it like Beckham, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

2004: SIDEWAYS
See a pattern emerging? Yes, I do like movies about writers. What's not to like about wine, golf, and horny friends? This is my current best-movie-in-the-history-of-the-universe. Of course, let's not forget Garden State, and Secret Window!

2005: HUSTLE AND FLOW
Notice complete absence of Crash or Brokeback Mountain. The votes in my brain split, and I've decided my loyalty lies with the pimps and hookers. (I think we all know what my second choices are.)

Looking at my list I establish the following: I watch too many indies. I watch too many R rated movies. I watch too many movies about writers.

I also ask the following questions: Where the hell is Paul Giamatti's Oscar? What exactly was so great about Million Dollar Baby? Has the Academy ever heard of this thing called a "comedy"?

Sheesh

Yes, yes, hold your applause please

Har har, April Fools!
I'm sure I fooled EVERYONE with my super clever little prank. I know, I know, I'm hilarious.
But seriously, back to work!

Movies I've seen recently: (Rated out of 5 stars)
Smoke Signals * * * *
Garden State * * * *
Hustle and Flow * * * * *
Good Will Hunting * * *
Danny Deckchair * * * * *
Thumbsucker * *
King Kong * * * *

Ugg. I should be running a Sundance.

In movie news, Ice Age 2. is current #1. at the box office, followed by Inside Man.
New/coming soon on DVD: Memoirs of a Geisha, King Kong (hey, didn't I just see that in the movie theater?), Chronicles of Narnia, Brokeback Mountain, Crash directors cut, Bee Season....read more at IMDB

YOU ARE NOT A MOVIE GEEK UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN TO MOVIECITYNEWS.COM
It's insane. They update two or three times a day, supplying a link to every movie related thing on the internet. There are dedicated writers who have new columns every few days, awards coverage, countless blogs, crazy crazy crazy.

"But why is the rum gone?"-Captain Jack Sparrow

TOP FIVE ACTION/ADVENTURE

1. The Lord of the Rings
2. Star Wars (not the new ones)
3. The Matrix
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
5. Spiderman


Do I have SUPER ORIGINAL picks, or what? I'm going to be very vague about which LOTR movie, and which Star Wars movie. (Basically any one except the three new ones.) As for The Matrix and Spiderman, I DEFINITELY do not include the sequels. *gags* The thing about action adventure movies is they ALWAYS HAVE SEQUELS. Some are good, (The Two Towers) some are better than the originals, (Harry Potter and GOF) and some suck eggs (Matrix Reloaded). Where will Pirates of the Carribean 2 fall? Only time will tell.

The hills are alive, with the sound of music...

When you're a jet you're a jet all the way, from your first cigarette to your last dying day


TOP FIVE MUSICALS

1. West Side Story
2. Fiddler on the Roof
3. White Christmas
4. The Sound of Music
5. Singing in the Rain

"It's better to help people than garden gnomes" -Amelie Poulain

I've officially caught the indie bug! I ONLY want to watch independent movies! It all started right before I put Crash in the DVD player. Right then I knew I was in for something special. (Ironically, Crash doesn't make it on to my top five list, but still, it got me started!) *sigh* Good times...

TOP FIVE INDEPENDENT

1. Sideways
2. Adaptation
3. Amelie
4. Far From Heaven
5. Junebug

"What do you mean he don't eat no meat?!" -Aunt Voula

Continuing with my Top Five lists, here are my:

TOP FIVE ROMANTIC COMEDIES

1. Bridget Jones Diary
2. Keeping the Faith
3. My Big Fat Greek Wedding
4. You've Got Mail
5. Say Anything

Grrrrrr!!!! I have seen too many good romantic comedies! I can think of at least ten more, but I want to keep this short,

"You're mad because I shot your girlfriends dog" -James Leer

I've been trying to make a list of my top ten favorite movies, but there are too many to choose from! So I'm just going to have a bunch of top five lists organized be genre. They are subject to change at any moment, these are just the ones I thought up off the top of my head.

TOP FIVE COMEDIES

1. My Cousin Vinny
2. Wonder Boys
3. The Full Monty
4. Saving Grace
5. Small Time Crooks

More to come!

triumphant return from movie pillage

Last week I saw four really good movies!

Good Night, and Good Luck. Me and my dad went to see this during the super bowl, there were about a dozen people in the audience. I liked it okay, but I felt a little stupid when everyone except me would laugh at a joke. *face palm* It was a REALLY good thing I looked up Edward Murrow, because otherwise I don't think I would have gotten a lot of it. It had a good soundtrack, and very good cinematography.

The Lords of Dogtown. A skateboarding drama. Ah yes, my favorite kind of movie. (hahahaha no.) I didn't really think I would like it, but I actually did! If you rent this movie on DVD, you have to watch the special features. The director said "gnarly" in everyday conversation, and had the complete look of a "California surfer chick". Heath Ledger's performance was reminiscent of Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. (Another good movie I didn't think I'd like but did.) Don't worry Heath, nobody thinks you're a pretty boy anymore!

Adaptation. It starts out with a man who is having trouble adapting a book in to a screenplay. He wants the movie to be like "real life", no extra guns, drugs or excitement. In the end of the movie he's in a swamp with his twin brother hiding from a high writer, an alligator, and an eccentric orchid dealer. This movie was weird beyond belief, but still really enjoyable.

Capote. I finally saw it! I really liked it. Philip Seymour Hoffman was really, really good. He almost upstaged the whole movie. I think that Clifton Collins Jr. should have gotten a nomination for best supporting actor, for playing Perry Smith. I almost had In Cold Blood finished when I saw Capote, but I still have 40 more pages to go! I think reading the book makes you a little more sympathetic to Perry, as it has more of his background in it. Now I have to read the book the movie was based on!