FIFENA1. [Past] Narrative Feature Films: 2002
Submitted by dgeiser13 on Wed, 01/23/2002 - 11:34
Tags:
- Ranked and Rated
- ======== 10 Stars ========
- ========= 9 Stars ========
- ========= 8 Stars ========
- Cidade de Deus (2002) (aka City of God) [08/10]
- Ying Xiong (2002) (aka Hero) [08/10]
- The Pianist (2002) [08/10]
- In America (2002) [08/10]
- ========= 7 Stars ========
- Dirty Pretty Things (2002) [07/10]
- Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) [07/10]
- Hable Con Ella (2002) (aka Talk to Her) [07/10]
- Narc (2002) [07/10]
- The Hours (2002) [07/10]
- Minority Report (2002) [07/10]
- Signs (2002) [07/10] ~ As with his previous films, The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, Signs is the ultimate one-man show, written, produced and directed by its creator, M. Night Shyamalan. It's a great, creep-fest of a film and easily the best film of 2002 (that I've seen) to date. Shyamalan proves himself again with an incredibly taut script and innovative direction. Focusing on a very small group of people, the family unit, while still retaining some diversity of characters is inspired. The slow and deliberate pacing makes you feel like we're never out of touch with the characters, except for a few minutes here or there, during the few days we spend with them. He allows bits and piece of characterization to reveal themselves as the plot plays out and to relieve the tension, which is ratcheted higher, in this movie, then most thrillers ever dream of reaching, he uses copious amounts of well-timed humor. Probably more than anything I came away from the film thinking how funny it was. I'll also give him extra kudos for having the presence of mind to cast himself as an (ultimately?) unlikeable character in a movie filled with real, likeable and honest people. Choices like that are real gutsy ones and, when you pair them with the zeal that he shows for innovative filmmaking, you can see why his continued success seems boundless. I think it's safe to say that Hollywood needs a few more filmmakers like him.
- Chicago (2002) [07/10]
- About a Boy (2002) [07/10]
- Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä (2002) (aka The Man Without a Past) [07/10]
- Far from Heaven (2002) [07/10]
- Adaptation. (2002) [07/10]
- About Schmidt (2002) [07/10]
- Roger Dodger (2002) [07/10]
- 25th Hour (2002) [07/10]
- 24 Hour Party People (2002) [07/10]
- Whale Rider (2002) [07/10]
- 28 Days Later... (2002) [07/10]
- Phone Booth (2002) [07/10]
- Spider-Man (2002) [07/10]
- The Bourne Identity (2002) [07/10] ~ The Bourne Identity is a loose remake of Robert Ludlum's 1980 novel of the same name, which had previously been given the real-people-running-around-acting-out-snippets-of-the-book treatment in the 1988 made-for-TV movie with Richard Chamberlain playing Jason Bourne, the title character. Thankfully the producers have done the sensible thing and replaced Chamberlain (then 53, now 67) with Matt Damon (now 32, then 18) in what amounts to his first starring role, or at least a role in which the whole film and it's consequent believability rests squarely on his shoulders. In Jason Bourne, Matt Damon creates a quite believe super-spy cum hitman who relies entirely on his smarts in assessing the situation at hand, trying to get out of said situation non-violently, if possible, and letting some good old fashioned tactical or hand-to-hand combat training bail him out as a last resort. You, the viewer, don't know where this font of knowledge is coming from (at first) but you've got to give it up to him; the boy (both Bourne and Damon) has got skills. Once you and your lead have been properly introduced director Doug Liman (Swingers, Go) decides to take you on a mini-tour of Europe to help Mssr. Bourne find out who he is and why he's got such mad skills. Of course everyone else in the movie except Franka Potente already knows who he is but they just think he's an agent gone rogue when he's actually suffering from a bad case of amnesia. You know that's gonna mean trouble.
- ========= 6 Stars ========
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- Unfaithful (2002)
- The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
- My Little Eye (2002)
- Insomnia (2002) [06/10] ~ Insomnia is an English-language remake of a Norwegian film, Erik Skjoldbjærg's Insomnia (1997). Obviously there's something to the movie, most likely its novel concept, as it got the Hollywood treatment, the movie itself was released on DVD as a Criterion Collection, and Skjoldbjærg's notices got him the gig directing the as-yet-unreleased film version of Elizabeth Wurtzel's book, Prozac Nation (2001). I've seen the original and although it didn't have a lot to "thrill" me, as it is a "thriller", it had some originality and was worth a watch. Unfortunately Christopher Nolan's (Memento) remake doesn't do a lot to distance itself from the original so if you've seen the original the remake might not do it for you.
- The basic premise is this: two police officers, Will Dormer (Al Pacino) and Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan) flee Los Angeles, and an Internal Affairs investigation, to lend a hand to an old cop buddy of Dormer's played by Paul Dooley. Dooley's character is the Chief of police in an Alaskan town called Nightmute and they've just uncovered a young, high-school girl's body in the local dump, most likely murdered, a rare occurence in them thar parts. The Nightmutants need some professional help; enter Dormer and Eckhart.
- The investigation begins, another murder occurs, and...I think that's enough for now. As a mystery the movie's pretty good. You actually care about what's going to happen next. The scenery is great, the performances are all good (although Maura Tierney is wasted in her role) and the ending is somewhat satisfying. There's some good camerawork and imagery especially involving Dormer's sleep deprivation from the "insomnia" he gets in making the adjustment from Los Angeles' solar cycles, where they actually have a nighttime, to Nightmute's "midnight sun." When you finally meet the killer there's a real sympathetic quality to him and he's almost able to convince you that what has happened is not his fault. Almost.
- I don't think Insomnia can hold a candle to Memento, which is a rare true-original, but it's fairly solid, worth a watch (if you haven't seen the original), and a good film for Nolan to practice the basics (like exercises assigned by a piano teacher) until he can find his way back to greatness.
- Real Women Have Curves (2002)
- 8 Femmes (2002) (aka 8 Women)
- Changing Lanes (2002)
- 8 Mile (2002)
- Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
- Catch Me If You Can (2002)
- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
- Igby Goes Down (2002) [06/10]
- Secretary (2002)
- Red Dragon (2002)
- The Ring (2002)
- 2LDK (2002)
- Moonlight Mile (2002)
- The Salton Sea (2002)
- Lilo & Stitch (2002) [06/10]
- Equilibrium (2002)
- May (2002) [06/10]
- Irréversible (2002)
- ========= 5 Stars ========
- Gangs of New York (2002)
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
- Satin Rouge (2002) [05/10]
- Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
- We Were Soldiers (2002)
- The Rules of Attraction (2002) [06/10]
- Road to Perdition (2002) ~ Road to Perdition is based on the graphic novel by Max Allan Collins (Words) and Richard Piers Rayner (Pictures). It's the sophomore effort of Sam Mendes whose last film, American Beaty, took the Oscar for best picture and brough Sam an Oscar for best director. The notable faces in the movie belong to Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci and Dylan Baker. Considering this level of acting and directing talent involved in this film you might think that it would be fantastic, but it really isn't. It's a paint-by-the-numbers affair with the events that unfold in the film generating almost no interest in seeing them resolved.
- Jennifer Jason Leigh is incredibly under used. I'm assuming some of her best work ended up on the cutting room floor. Paul Newman's character seems to go through the motions of being a gangster just because he's a gangster and this is the way gangsters are supposed to act. I sense that Jude Law's slightly creepy photographer/hitman is supposed to be really creepy but for some reason they took the edge off him. Dylan Baker, who played the pedophile Dad in Todd Solondz' Happiness, doesn't get to do much of anything and Stanley Tucci's portrayal of mob lieutenant Frank Nitti is passable enough but his acting talent far outceeds the paces that they put him through.
- If this was a bad movie I might have even more to say. But as it is it's almost a non-movie, no reason to see it, no reason for it to have been made, especially in this manner. Except for the cinematography, I really, really hope that this film doesn't get nominated for any Academy Awards but I fear that it might. Just goes to show how poor the selection is this year._
- Blade II (2002) [05/10] ~ With X-Men and the upcoming Spider-Man (by the looks of the trailer) it seems Hollywood is finally figuring out how to do right by comic book superheroes. Blade II is no exception. There are tons of cool, hyper-real action scenes in this movie. I thought Guillermo Del Toro's direction was great. The script itself was a little weak but passable. Wesley Snipes is a great actor and he's completely underused in these Blade movies. I know he has what they're looking for physically but Blade's dialogue is so pithy and pointless that the man behind the dark sunglasses never makes a real impression on you. Ultimately the subject matter itself turned my tomach a bit and I wasn't able to get into it as much as I'd have liked. Gore doesn't set well with me anymore. I would recommend seeing this only if the bulk of the components (action, comic books, gore, horror, martial arts, snipes, superheroes, vampires) interest you greatly.
- Ice Age (2002)
- Panic Room (2002)
- Drumline (2002)
- Femme Fatale (2002) [05/10] ~ The whole was less than the sum of its parts. The film had some pretty nice touches and I actually guessed the major twist then forgot about it (probably because I watched it over 2 nights). I might like it better with a rewatch but unfortunately I'll probably give my time to other truly good films that I've yet to see. The most amazing thing (to me) about the whole project, was that the first French trailer that I saw (not the International trailer on this page, although it's similiar) took the whole film from the opening frames to the end and compressed it (by speeding it up) into the allotted length for the trailer. It made the whole movie look very intriguing. Not to say that parts didn't end up being intriguing when I finally watched the film. I just think that sometimes DePalma is not as clever as he thinks he is. I don't necessarily know that you wouldn't enjoy the film. It just didn't grab me in the way that I know DePalma can grab. I think of all of his previous films, I was most reminded of Sisters (1973). If you watch it, I'd be interested in knowing if you agree.
- XXX (2002)
- Dog Soldiers (2002)
- Scooby-Doo (2002)
- Reign of Fire (2002)
- Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
- Undercover Brother (2002)
- Impostor (2002) [05/10] ~ I enjoyed this movie a lot more than my 5/10 rating belies, although I am glad I didn't pay big money to see it in the theater. This level of filmmaking is perfect for rental. Given that this had such a hard time getting a release, probably being delayed by as much as a year, I thought the special effects would be horrible. They weren't. I thought the script would be awful. It wasn't. I think they really did try to do something a little different than normal with this movie. It's not "thrilling" movie making, by any means, but it's pretty good fun. Recommended if you like Science Fiction without too much science, the crumpy ideas of Philip K. Dick, and occasional, hammy overacting.
- The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
- Barbershop (2002)
- Below (2002)
- Blue Crush [05/10]
- Run Ronnie Run! (2002) [05/10]
- Welcome to Collinwood (2002) [05/10]
- The Truth About Charlie (2002)
- Men with Brooms (2002)
- Murder by Numbers (2002)
- The Transporter (2002)
- Chik Yeung Tin Sai (2002) (aka So Close)
- ========= 4 Stars ========
- Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Cabin Fever (2002) [04/10]
- The Sum of All Fears (2002)
- Die Another Day (2002)
- Resident Evil (2002)
- Ghost Ship (2002)
- Windtalkers (2002)
- Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)
- Comic Book Villains (2002)
- Collateral Damage (2002) Collateral Damage is the sort of humorless, plotless, pointless film that I should know better than to watch. I know the movie going options are slim right now but I chose this over Monster's Ball (despite the Academy nods) thinking that Monster's might be too grim of a tale. I can't say that I made the correct choice as this film was pretty grim in it's own right. I still don't know why these types of movies get made or the mental machinations going on in the people who like them. It's only saving grace is the very strong supporting cast, some of whom blend almost too much into the background (Harry Lennix, anyone?), in particular Cliff Curtis and Francesca Neri, I think I could look at Francesca all day, and the fact that after writing these notes and updating my lists I now have the correct spelling of 'collateral' fixed in my mind. I'm all for a good action movie but this, my friends, is not it. Oh, and Arnold needs to get a new agent...about 7 movies ago.
- ========= 3 Stars ========
- Men in Black II (2002)
- The Time Machine (2002)
- Mr. Deeds (2002)
- Orange County (2002)
- ========= 2 Stars ========
- Rollerball (2002)
- ========= 1 Stars ========
- ==========================
- To See?
- Definitely: Bloody Sunday (2002), Bubba Ho-tep (2002), Frida (2002)
- Probably: Alive (2002), All or Nothing (2002), L'Auberge Espagnole (2002), Auto Focus (2002), Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), La Caja 507 (2002) , Charlotte Sometimes (2002), Cherish (2002), Chihwaseon (2002), Cremaster 3 (2002), Dahmer (2002), The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002), Daughter From Danang (2002), Dead or Alive: Final (2002), Deathwatch (2002), Doctor Sleep (2002), Door to Door (2002), Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002), El Crimen del Padre Amaro (2002) (aka The Crime of Father Amaro), Demonlover (2002), Elsker Dig For Evigt (2002) (aka Open Hearts), The Emperor's Club (2002), En la ciudad sin límites (2002), EvenHand (2002), Fellini: Je suis un grand menteur (2002), Le Fils (2002) (aka The Son), The Four Feathers (2002), Gomgashtei dar Aragh (2002), The Good Girl (2002), The Guru (2002) , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Heaven (2002), Home Room (2002), L'Homme du Train (2002) (aka Man on the Train), The Hot Chick (2002), Hysterical Blindness (2002), I Spy (2002), L'Imbalsamatore (2002), Interstate 60 (2002), Jian Gui (2002) (aka The Eye), Jibeuro (2002) (aka The Way Home), Julie Walking Home (2002), Knafayim Shvurot (2002), Kukushka (2002) (aka The Cuckoo), Lilja 4-ever (2002), Love Liza (2002), Los Lunes al sol (2002), The Magdalene Sisters (2002), Miranda (2002), Morvern Callar (2002), The Mothman Prophecies (2002), Nicholas Nickleby (2002), Oligarkh (2002) (aka Tycoon), One Hour Photo (2002), El Otro Lado de la Cama (2002), Pipe Dream (2002), Poolhall Junkies (2002), Pumpkin (2002), The Quiet American (2002), Raising Victor Vargas (2002), Returner (2002), Ripley's Game (2002), Russkij Kovcheg (2002) (aka Russian Ark), The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002), Solaris (2002), Spider (2002), Spun (2002), Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002), Standard Time (2002), Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), Stone Reader (2002), Sweet Sixteen (2002), Teknolust (2002), Ten (2002), Tipping the Velvet (2002), Treasure Planet (2002), Valentín (2002), White Oleander (2002), Wu jian dao (2002) (aka Infernal Affairs)
- Possibly: 13 Moons (2002), 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), À La Folie... Pas Du Tout (2002) (aka He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not), Abandon (2002), The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002), Ali G Indahouse (2002), All About the Benjamins (2002), Amen. (2002), American Gun (2002), Analyze That (2002), The Anarchist Cookbook (2002), And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen (2002), Antwone Fisher (2002), Ararat (2002), Ash Wednesday (2002), Assassination Tango (2002), Bad Boy (2002), Bad Company (2002), Bang, Bang, You're Dead (2002), The Banger Sisters (2002), Bark (2002), Between Strangers (2002), Big Trouble (2002), Blood Work (2002), Blue Car (2002), Britney, Baby, One More Time (2002), Brown Sugar (2002), Buddha Heads (2002), The Business of Fancydancing (2002), La Chatte à deux têtes (2002), Chek Law Dak Gung (2002) (aka Naked Weapon), City by the Sea (2002), City of Ghosts (2002), Civil Brand (2002), Clockstoppers (2002), Crazy as Hell (2002), The Dancer Upstairs (2002) , Dark Blue (2002), Death to Smoochy (2002), Deathwatch (2002), Décalage Horaire (2002) (aka Jet Lag), Deuces Wild (2002), Devdas (2002), Dirty Deeds (2002), Disappearance (2002), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), Dom Durakov (2002) (aka House of Fools), Dragonfly (2002), Dummy (2002), Eight Crazy Nights (2002), Eight Legged Freaks (2002), Empire (2002), Être et avoir (2002) (aka To Be And To Have), Evelyn (2002), The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest (2002), Food of Love (2002), Frank McKlusky, C.I (2002), Friday After Next (2002), Fubar (2002), Full Frontal (2002), Garage Days (2002), Gerry (2002), Glosniej od bomb (2002), The Good Thief (2002), The Guys (2002), Hafið (2002), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), The Hard Word (2002), Hart's War (2002), He Ni Zai Yi Qi (2002), The Heart of Me (2002), High Crimes (2002), Highway (2002) , Hollywood Ending (2002), The House on Turk Street (2002), Hypercube: Cube 2 (2002), I'm with Lucy (2002), The Intended (2002), Interview with the Assassin (2002), Jigsaw (2002), Jisatsu Circle (2002), John Q (2002), Just a Kiss (2002), K-19: The Widowmaker (2002), Kaante (2002), Kedma (2002), Killing Me Softly (2002), Koroshiya 1: The Animation Episode 0 (2002), Kukushka (2002), Laam yan sei sap (2002), Laissez-Passer (2002) (aka Safe Conduct), The Laramie Project (2002), Last Call (2002), Laurel Canyon (2002), Leo (2002), Liberty Stands Still (2002), Life or Something Like It (2002), Looking Through Lillian (2002), Love In the Time of Money (2002), Madame Satã (2002), Maid in Manhattan (2002), The Master of Disguise (2002), Max (2002), Night at the Golden Eagle (2002), Nightstalker (2002), Obsessed (2002), On_Line (2002), Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002), Our America (2002), Le Papillon (2002), Passionada (2002), People I Know (2002), Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (2002), The Piano Player (2002), Pinocchio (2002), Possession (2002), The Powerpuff Girls (2002), Queen of the Damned (2002), Ren Xiao Yao (2002) (aka Unknown Pleasures), Respiro (2002), Return to Never Land (2002), Revengers Tragedy (2002), The Rookie (2002), S1m0ne (2002), Scorched (2002), The Scorpion King (2002), The Scoundrel's Wife (2002), Serving Sara (2002), Showtime (2002), Shuang Tong (2002) (aka Double Vision), Skins (2002), The Slaughter Rule (2002), Sonny (2002), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), Stealing Harvard (2002), Stolen Summer (2002), Stuart Little 2 (2002), Sunshine State (2002), Super Sucker (2002), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), The Sweetest Thing (2002), Swimfan (2002), Taboo (2002), Tadpole (2002), Ted Bundy (2002), Teddy Bears' Picnic (2002), Trapped (2002), Try Seventeen (2002), The Tuxedo (2002), Two Weeks Notice (2002), Unconditional Love (2002), Underground Zero (2002), Undisputed (2002), Une Femme de Ménage (2002) (A Housekeeper), Van Wilder (2002), Vendredi Soir (2002) (aka Friday Night), La Vie promise (2002), Walking on Water (2002), We Were the Mulvaneys (2002), Wisegirls (2002), Wo Zuo Yan Jian Dao Gui (2002) (aka My Left Eye Sees Ghosts), WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 (2002), Xiao cheng zhi chun (2002) (aka Springtime in a Small Town), XX/XY (2002), Yee Do Hung Gaan (2002) (aka Inner Senses), Yossi & Jagger (2002), Zigzag (2002)
- Unlikely: 29 Palms (2002), American Psycho 2 (2002), Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002), Big Fat Liar (2002), Boat Trip (2002), Children On Their Birthdays (2002), The Country Bears (2002), The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002), Crossroads (2002), D-Tox (2002), Enough (2002), Extreme Ops (2002), FearDotCom (2002), Federal Protection (2002), Half Past Dead (2002), Hey Arnold! The Movie (2002), Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002), Juwanna Mann (2002), Like Mike (2002), New Best Friend (2002), The New Guy (2002), The Next Big Thing (2002), Outta Time (2002), Paid in Full (2002), Pokémon the 4th Movie (2002), Repli-Kate (2002), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), Slackers (2002), Snow Dogs (2002), Sorority Boys (2002), State Property (2002), They (2002), Tuck Everlasting (2002), Waking Up in Reno (2002), A Walk to Remember (2002), The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002)
Author Comments:
My ratings system is explained here. Recent additions to this list are highlighted in yellow.
I thought of a "definitely" entry for you: LotR: The Two Towers.
Yes, that's definitely a 2002 movie I plan on seeing. :-) But I don't put films on this list until they're released into a theater in my area. Geez, I wish it was out. That would be fantastic! :-)
Many of my movie lists are intertwined. The first place a movie should show up is on my Upcoming Films Of Note list. Once it gets released in my area theatrically I place it on the appropriate Films: To See list, e.g. 2002, and rate it according to interest based on my impression of it from overall reviews. If it doesn't get released theatrically in my area of the world, I'll take if off of the Upcoming Films Of Note list when it is released on DVD and put it on the appropriate Films: To See list. Then of course it gets logged on Films: Watched in [year] where [year] is the current year and placed on the appropriate Ratings list and then the Top 15 if it's that good.
Once I've gone through and filled in all of old Films: Watched In lists, which I've been working on slowly and surely, and made note of all of the movies that seemed to have good buzz for that year, which you can see in the comments of the Top 15 of 2001 for example, then I'll have a complete overview of every film I've ever seen and how they I feel they relate to each other.
At that point I'll be able to generate a list of my Top 100 (or so) movies of all time. And once I saw all of the films worth seeing for a specific year then I'll do my awards for that year, too. I've been pushing really hard to get through everything worth seeing for 2001 but it's been slow going.
I figure I'll wrap up the back log of My Ratings: [Year] and My Top 15: [Year] lists sometime in 2003, Which will allow me to generate my Top 100 list. Then I'll probably be able to complete a full year's worth of films worth seeing maybe two years or so after that year ends. Which means I would expect to finish 2001 sometime near the end of 2003 and then I can generate my awards. I think I'll probably have all of the awards done sometime in the year, 2032. :-)
Feel free to call the nice young men in their clean white suits with the butterfly nets now.
LOL! I'd never have them haul you off for taking your lists seriously. I think it's a great system you've got going here.
dgeiser13 wrote: "I figure I'll wrap up the back log of My Ratings: [Year] and My Top 15: [Year] lists sometime in 2003, Which will allow me to generate my Top 100 list."
I wrote: "Ooh, a top 100 movies list, responded AJ about a year later [now well over a year later]. Can we expect that soon, or has your schedule been delayed?"
I'd love to read your thoughts on Bourne.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I'd be glad to write something up. Are you considering seeing it or have you seen it already?
I'm considering it. I've been very busy in the evenings lately, and summer months always bring on a bit of a budget crunch for us (my wife teaches at the university, and her summer class doesn't start for a bit still), so I've been wondering whether I should catch it now, wait for the discount theater, or simply rent it later. Everybody's talking about Minority, but I've heard very little about Bourne. You are a good critic, so your opinion, comments, and impressions would help.
Thanks! I always love your lists.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Well, I don't think it's a first-run must see by a long shot. I think it would fall somwhere between discount theater and home viewing. But I'll write something up anyway.
Thanks. I await your thoughts and appreciate the effort. The director interested me in the film, but from the trailer, I can't even quite figure out exactly what *kind* of film it really is. Doug didn't go and make a complete blockbuster action flick, did he? I just don't know and hope your comments will help me here.
Again, thanks.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
I'd highly recommend "The Count of Monte Cristo."
"Bad Company" is a typical dumb summer action-comedy. You could see it, but don't expect much.
"Big Trouble" was good, but the book was better. I'd recommend both though.
I haven't seen "The Importance of Being Earnest", but I was wondering if you had seen the original 1952 version, which I loved.
"40 Days and 40 Nights" was raunchy but enjoyable. However, I'd suggest that you leave about 10 minutes before the ending and make up your own ending. It has my vote for worst movie ending ever.
"Punch Drunk Love" on the level of "Jackass: the Movie"? I'd be interested in reading your reaction to both movies, especially the former. I am pleased to see you enjoyed "8 Mile" so much. Again, awaiting your comments.
Given my ratings system I'm comfortable with both movies receiving the same rating. Although both of the films had their moments neither of them quite did it for me.
still. equal parts good and bad? which were which? keep in mind this is coming from a man with no systematic way of evaluating movies, so I expect you have good reasons for your opinion on both films. pay me no mind.
My suggestions:
Move "Pluto Nash" and especially "Master of Disguise" down to Unlikely. Both very stupid movies, definitely not worth your time.
Move "The Good Girl" and "Gangs of New York" up to Definitely. Both excellent movies, definitely worth your time.
As for "Chamber of Secrets", I really liked it, but it really depends on what you think of Harry Potter. If you didn't like the first movie or the book(s), "Chamber" isn't going to change your mind. If, however, you enjoyed "Sorceror's Stone" and / or the book(s), you will also have fun at "Chamber."
Good to see love for Chicago and 24 Hour Party People.
You absolutely positively definitely MUST remove Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever from your "possibly" list. Truly awful. It's bad, and yet so unremarkable I don't know if I can work up the energy to pan it properly. Let me just say there's a reason it scored a whopping zero percent at Rotten Tomatoes.
Thanks for the Femme write-up!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Is my computer going insane, or is the comments section on this list really screwed up? All the comments seem to be out of place for what they're responding to. Also, why is there a "discussion" link at both the beginning of the comments and the end of the comments?
Wow, whatever happened to the ordering on this discussion, I hope it never happens again. I had to fix it by hand. I did change some transaction code that might have allowed two simultaneous posts to mess something up, but it's hard to imagine that causing this. Weird. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed.
As for the "discussion" links at the end, those have always been there for discussions longer than five posts long. The idea is that when you get to the bottom you don't have to scroll all the way back to the top to start a new discussion.
Oh, by the way, I did delete one comment of yours because I had no idea what it was in reply to. It hadn't gotten a reply. Perhaps you could repost it where it belongs and it will catch the attention of its intended recipient. You wrote:
"Ooh, a top 100 movies list, responded AJ about a year later. Can we expect that soon, or has your schedule been delayed?"
Anyway, thanks for pointing out the mess!
Ah. I never noticed the bottom discussion link before.
And I placed my comment appropriately.
I'm really glad to see Signs up in the 7 stars category. So many people bashed that film and I thought it was great. A lot said that it wasn't scary, so they didn't like it. It did make me jump in the theaters, but if you're basing your movies on how much they scare you, Airplane! must really suck.