Batoru rowaiaru (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000) aka Battle Royale

Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)
Rating: 8.7

I saw this film for the second time in my Contemporary Japanese Film class. I always thought of it as a really "fun film" (I mean it can't really get any more fun than 40 kids put on an island to kill each other off until only one remains alive), but after seeing it again I got a chance to analyze it more critically and realized there is a lot more to it than the underage children nihilistically slaughtering each other.

Kumonosu jô (Akira Kurosawa, 1957) aka Throne of Blood

Throne of Blood (Akira Kurosawa, 1957)
Rating: 9.9

The Lost Weekend (Billy Wilder, 1945)

The Lost Weekend (Billy Wilder, 1945)
Rating: 9.9

"It shrinks my liver, doesn't it, Nat? It pickles my kidneys, yeah. But what it does to the mind? It tosses the sandbags overboard so the balloon can soar. Suddenly I'm above the ordinary. I'm competent. I'm walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls. I'm one of the great ones. I'm Michaelangelo, molding the beard of Moses. I'm Van Gogh painting pure sunlight. I'm Horowitz, playing the Emperor Concerto. I'm John Barrymore before movies got him by the throat. I'm Jesse James and his two brothers, all three of them. I'm W. Shakespeare. And out there it's not Third Avenue any longer, it's the Nile. Nat, it's the Nile and down it moves the barge of Cleopatra."

Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)

Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)
Rating: 10
"My conscience wants vegetarianism to win over the world. And my subconscious is yearning for a piece of juicy meat. But what do I want?"

Pickpocket (Robert Bresson, 1959)

Pickpocket (Robert Bresson, 1959)
Rating: 9.7

Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen (Werner Herzog, 1970) aka Even Dwarfs Started Small

Even Dwarfs Started Small (Werner Herzog, 1970)
Rating: 9.0

Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)

Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
Rating: 9.0

I didn't have any real problems with the film. In fact I liked the whole concept and it had some very touching moments. It was well acted, and the cinematography and sound also worked well. I just felt that some of the dialogue was very poorly written. For example: They really tried to beat us over the head with lines about how close Clive and Julian's characters were twenty years ago. There are also some unprovoked backstory moments which always annoy me, and after it is discovered Kee is pregnant, Theo reiterates this fact not only once, but twice as if it weren't already apparent.

The Player (Robert Altman, 1992)

The Player (Robert Altman, 1992)
Rating: 9.0

The Unknown (Tod Browning, 1927)

The Unknown (Tod Browning, 1927)
Rating: 8.0

Offret (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986) aka The Sacrifice

Offret (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1986)
Rating: 9.5

A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006)

A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006)
Rating: 7.0

Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (Robert Bresson, 1956) aka A Man Escaped

A Man Escaped (Robert Bresson, 1956)
Rating: 10

Trois couleurs: Rouge (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)

Trois couleurs: Rouge (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)
Rating: 8.4

Andrey Rublyov (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969)

Andrey Rublyov (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969)
Rating: 10

Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966)

Au hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966)
Rating: 10

It made me cry my own tears.

It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)

It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)
Rating: 10

The darkest and greatest Christmas movie ever.

Trzy kolory: Bialy (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994) aka White

Trzy kolory: Bialy (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1994)
Rating: 8.1

Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog, 1982)

Fitzcarralod (Werner Herzog, 1982)
Rating: 10

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2000)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel and Ethan Cohen, 2000)
Rating: 9.8

This is an amazing adaptation of the Odyssey during one of the most fascinating times in American History. The overooked details and parralles to Homer's Odyssey make in even more interesting. Blending actual historical figures and events like bluesman Tommy Johnson and George "Babyface" Nelson with folklore, mythology, southern music, culture, and politics, this film is a joy to watch.

Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)

Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
Rating: 8.7

"Does Christmas smell like oranges to you?"

Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)

Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
Rating: 8.2

I enjoyed the open endedness of this heart warming Christmas classic as well as the music, but everything just seemed overdone from the acting (Nicole Kidman especially, Tom Cruise did just fine), the sexuality, the constant reminders that it's Christmas time and Tom Cruise's Character is a doctor.

Experimental Video:

Still from Buckner's film Hearts


Juste le Tempe (Robert Cahen, 1983) - 6.5
Hearts (Barbara Buckner, 1979) - 9.4
Antiqua 78 RPM (Neam Cathod, 1985) - 6.6
Bird in Flight (Franklin Miller, 1984) - 8.3
I Cannot Go To Africa Because I'm on Duty (Eder Santos, 1990) - 5.5
History and Memory (Rea Tajiri, 1985) - 7.9

Minimalist-Structuralist films:

Still from Lawder's Necrology (1969)


Necrology (Standish Lawder, 1969) -10
Print Generation (J.J. Murphy, 1974) - 6.4
Pasadena Freeway Stills (Gary Beydler, 1974 - 8.8
Streamline (Chris Welsby, 1976) - 8.3
Alpha Mandala (Joseph Anderson and Edward Small, 1972) - 7.8
Kiri (Sakumi Hagiwara, 1971) - 7.8

Expanded Cinema:

A still from James Whitney's film "Lapis," that explores abstract art's relationship to music.


Allures (Jordan Belson, 1961) - 7.2
Mandala (Jordan Belson, 1952) - 7.7
Lapis (James Whitney, 1966) - 7.3
OffOn (Scott Bartlett, 1972) - 8.0
Now That the Buffalo’s Gone (Gershfield, 1967) - 8.3

Zerkalo (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975) aka The Mirror

Zerkalo (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975) aka The Mirror
Rating: 10

Trois couleurs: Bleu (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1993)

Trois couleurs: Bleu (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1993)
Rating: 9.6

Friday Night Lights (Peter Berg, 2004)

Friday Night Lights (Peter Berg, 2004)
Rating: 7.0

With incredible performances by Derek Luke as Boobie Miles and Tim McGraw as the drunken father of a player, and hands down the best music accompaniment to a sports film to date, Friday Night Lights takes a giant step forward for sports movies in general. Rather than being entirely banal entertainment, this film is semi poetic and touching at times. The final scene where the players names are getting removed from the roster, as well as the scenes of Boobie's struggle to realize the seriousness of his injury and his emotional response to the threat of shattered hopes are heartbreaking. I must say "semi" poetic because the film is still flawed, and there are still clichés and mainstream conventions aplenty. I was especially annoyed by the the playoff montage and the insistance on playing cheesey 80s rock music rather than sticking to Explosions in the Sky. Perhaps this isn't a cinematic masterpiece, but in comparison with some of the trivial garbage within the genre, this movie stands above most.

Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)

Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)
Rating: 10

"We don't want to conquer space at all. We want to expand Earth endlessly. We don't want other worlds; we want a mirror. We seek contact and will never achieve it. We are in the foolish position of a man striving for a goal he fears and doesn't want. Man needs man!"

This is what Aronofsky's new film The Fountain was going for.

Meet John Doe (Frank Capra, 1941)

Meet John Doe (Frank Capra, 1941)
Rating: 9.0

"All right. You're walking along, not a nickel in your jeans, your free as the wind, nobody bothers ya. Hundreds of people pass you by in every line of buisness: shoes, hats, automobiles, radios, everything, and there all nice lovable people and they lets you alone, is that right? Then you get a hold of some dough and what happens, all those nice sweet lovable people become hee-lots, a lotta heels. They begin to creep up on ya, trying to sell ya something: they get long claws and they get a stranglehold on ya, and you squirm and you duck and you holler and you try to push them away but you haven't got the chance. They gots ya. First thing ya know you own things, a car for instance, now your whole life is messed up with alot more stuff: you get license fees and number plates and gas and oil and taxes and insurance and identification cards and letters and bills and flat tires and dents and traffic tickets and motorcycle cops and tickets and courtrooms and lawers and fines and... a million and one other things. What happens? You're not the free and happy guy you used to be. You need to have money to pay for all those things, so you go after what the other fellas got. There you are, you're a hee-lot yourself. "

Sanjuro (Akira Kurosawa, 1962)

Sanjuro (Akira Kurosawa, 1962)
Rating: 9.3

"Killing people is a bad habit."

Bobby (Emilio Estevez, 2006)

Bobby (Emilio Estevez, 2006)
Rating: 3.0

I was shocked to find this to be one of the worst films I've seen in a while. Despite having twenty two character's lives to choose from (at least 18 of which are well known actors) I couldn't find one thing compelling about any of them. The only redeeming quality was the actual footage and audio of Robert Kennedy himself.

Heartbeeps (Allan Arkush, 1981)

Heartbeeps (Allan Arkush, 1981)
Rating: 4.3

This could have been a cute family film, or even a decent satire, instead it is just a debacle. The casting was good, as Andy Kaufman, Bernadette Peters, and Randy Quaid were all perfect. Visually, the film had a nice look to it, and most notably the make-up work was great and was even nominated for an Oscar. Unfortunately, the writing was atrocious and the film has basically been forgotten. In some regards it may be considered a prototype for the more popular Short Circuit films in 1986 and 1988.

For Your Consideration (Christopher Guest, 2006)

For Your Consideration (Christopher Guest, 2006)
Rating: 4.8

The biggest disappointment of the year for me. :(

The Proposition (John Hillcoat, 2005)

The Proposition (John Hillcoat, 2005)
Rating: 7.1

Cars (John Lasseter, 2006)

Cars (John Lasseter, 2006)
Rating: 6.7

Babel (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2006)

Rating: 7.4

The Wolf Man (George Waggner, 1941)

The Wolf Man (George Waggner, 1941)
Rating: 6.8

Election (Alexander Payne, 1999 )

Election (Alexander Payne, 1999 )
Rating: 7.2

Werckmeister harmóniák (Béla Tarr, 2000)

Werckmeister harmóniák (Béla Tarr, 2000)
Rating: 9.5

Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)

Yojimbo (Akira Kurosawa, 1961)
Rating: 8.3

Shortbus (John Cameron Mitchell, 2006)

Shortbus (John Cameron Mitchell, 2006)
Rating: 6.9

"It's like the 60s, but with less hope."

Hiroshima mon amour (Alain Resnais, 1959)

Hiroshima mon amour (Alain Resnais, 1959)
Rating: 10

A beautiful glance at the horrors of forgetting fond memories and being forever tormented by the awful ones.

Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)

Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick, 1975)
Rating: 8.8

Contains some of the best cinematography, set and costume design I've seen as well as a myriad of gorgeous shots and compositions and a great score to match.

Stranger Than Fiction (Marc Forster, 2006)

Stranger Than Fiction (Marc Forster, 2006)
Rating: 3.2

Disappointing waste of a creative premise that just seemed to be a half-ass attempt at a Charlie Kaufmanesque story.

Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995)

Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1995)
Rating: 9.9

"Do you have any tobacco? "

Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, 2006)

Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, 2006)
Rating: 7.0

"We decided to not take airplane should the Jews repeat their attack of 9/11."

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Tommy Lee Jones, 2005)

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (Tommy Lee Jones, 2005)
Rating: 6.8

"You're good people. You need to go ahead and shoot me."

Bananas (Woody Allen, 1971)

Rating: 7.8

"I once stole a pornographic book that was printed in braille. I used to rub the dirty parts."

Allen's second film messily mixes amateurism with brilliance. Bananas, potentially could have been one of my all time favorites, but I just couldn't overlook the technical flaws and sloppy structure.

Dracula (Tod Browning, 1931)

Dracula (Tod Browning, 1931)
Rating: 8.9

Count Dracula: To die, to be "really" dead, that must be glorious!
Mina Seward: Why, Count Dracula!
Count Dracula: There are far worse things awaiting man than death.

The Puffy Chair (Jay Duplass, 2005)

The Puffy Chair (Jay Duplass, 2005)
Rating: 2.0

Another run of the mill indie film with excrutiatingly annoying characters. It felt like I was watching a student film.