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- Happiness (1998)
dir. Todd Solondz
Disturbing great film. If you're squeamish at all, recommend you don't see it. But it has great acting, direction and story albeit quite... yeesh.
- Far from Heaven (2002)
dir. Todd Haynes
Very good but I felt its length. Thought it dragged on a bit towards the end. The cinematography and art direction were excellent. Notice how you never see the sky in any of the exterior shots, confining, despite the beautiful hyper-accented colors of the flowers. Sad and beautiful just like the main character.
- Mumford (1999)
dir. Lawrence Kasdan
Nice little feel good movie. Cute. Recommend for a datenight flick.
- Pitch Black: Special Edition (2000)
dir. David Twohy, act. Vin Diesel
I enjoyed this movie. I'm lukewarm on Vin Diesel but the movie kept my attention throughout.
- American Splendor (2003)
dir. Shari Springer Berman, Bob Pulcini
Great movie, Paul Giamatti and the rest of the cast were wonderful. Loved how the movie split between dramatic film and documentary feel. Must see for any comic book enthusiast.
- The West Wing: Season 1
prod. Aaron Sorkin
Caught this show in the second season and slowly became addicted to it. Watching the first season was fun since I had missed so many episodes but it does get preachy at times.
- Spellbound (2002)
dir. Jeff Blitz
One of the most suspenseful films I've ever seen. Extremely well edited documentary about the US National Spelling Bee competition and how it offers a window into the lives of a motley array of contestants.
- Winged Migration (2001)
dir. Jacques Perrin
I wish I had caught this in an IMAX theatre. Still fun to watch but be warned it is slow.
- S.W.A.T. (2003)
dir. Clark Johnson
Absolute crap. I turned it off before it was even halfway over.
- Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
Drama, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
I'm a huge PTA fan so bear that in mind. I loved this movie: touching, romantic, quirky, funny. Adam Sandler was great, Emily Watson was even better and I can't get enough of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Lacking in the extras department.
- Tender Mercies (1983)
Drama, dir. Bruce Beresford, act. Robert Duvall
The screenwriting book "Story" by Robert McKay refers to this movie repeatedly. It's good. It's like a Sergio Leone western except without the cowboys and guns. The good, bad and the ugly gone country.
- The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Action Drama, dir. John McTiernan, act. Pierce Brosnan
This was pretty good but not great. I had high expectations from all that I had heard. Visually sharp and well paced but I wasn't into the romance at all. Always trust that McTiernan will deliver something entertaining.
- Treasure Planet (2002)
dir. Ron Clements
Another product of Disney animation of no great consequence. I thought it looked great but the storytelling was subpar. Worth renting if you're into animation.
- Legend of 1900 (1998)
dir. Giuseppe Tornatore, act. Tim Roth
I was looking forward to this movie from the director of Cinema Paradiso but it wasn't in theatres for very long. I really liked it. Heart-warming and fantastic. Recommended.
- Bend It Like Beckham
Foreign, Drama, dir. Gurinder Chadha
Enjoyed this movie. Could've used a trim here or there, but well told, avoided cliches and I could relate to the cultural conflicts.
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
DVD, Fantasy, dir. Chris Columbus
Good Lord where was the editor? This movie was over 2 and half hours long!! The never-ending bad movie.
- Cowboy Bebop DVD Set
DVD, Anime, dir. Shinichiro Watanabe
The best dose of anime I've been addicted to since Robotech. Cowboy plays more like a series of short films than a soap opera sitcom. The plays on genre with each episode make it all the more fun to watch. If you don't like anime, check out Cowboy Bebop, it's different. Not much in extras department.
- Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Film, Anime, dir. Shinichiro Watanabe
Not as great as I hoped it would be but not bad either. Definitely long. Glad I caught it in a theatre though.
- Kolya
DVD, Foreign, dir. Jan Sverak
Touching story which takes place in Prague in the late 1980's when the Soviet Union was still occupying the city. The feel of the film was so genuine I almost thought I was watching documentary. The acting, particularly of the boy who plays Kolya was superb. No extras that I remember.
- jackass: the movie
DVD, MTV, dir. Jeff Tremaine
The entire movie made me cringe more than the Saddam Hussein/Satan bed scene in Southpark: The Movie. Did not review extras, was too afraid.
- Bourne Identity
DVD, Action, dir. Doug Liman, act. Matt Damon
I read the book then saw this movie and neither was much to write home about, but entertaining enough. Gets the "eh" vote. Did not review extras.
- Y Tu Mama Tambien
DVD, Foreign, dir. Alfonso Cuaron
Good movie. Yes, there was a lot of sex(uality) in it, but the movie's about 2 adolescent boys, what do you expect? Heh. No extras.
- Six Feet Under
DVD, Drama, prod. Alan Ball
Great writing. Some episodes are better put together than others but I highly recommend this series; yet another slam dunk from HBO. Commentary for first and last episdodes were a lot of fun to listen to as well.
- Vanilla Sky
DVD, Drama, dir. Cameron Crowe
This was more interesting than I thought it was going to be, but far less interesting than the people who made it thought it was going to be. Eh. Didn't bother listening to commentary for fear of hearing director (whose past films I really like) go on about how cool he was.
- Sum of All Fears
DVD, Drama, dir. Phil Alden Robinson
Well, the look of the film was top notch, great cinematography, color, sound. Production value high. The rest of it sucked.
- Band of Brothers
DVD, War, prod. Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg
This comes in a close close second in Best DVD's Ever to Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. I'm not a war movie or World War II buff but this boxset was awe-inspiring. Extras are excellent. The packaging alone was worth the price (not really, but still cool). I highly recommend this film for everyone. NOTE: I don't consider this to be a political pro-war film, rather it makes a strong case against it.
- Chicago
Film, Musical, dir. Rob Marshall
I really liked this film, but was a little surprised it got the Oscar. Everything about it was great, but I thought it kind of felt like a glorified music video at times, with all the sharp cutting and movement. If this won, why didn't Moulin Rouge?
- The Ultimates
Trade Paperback, Superhero, aut. Mark Millar, art. Bryan Hitch
Mark Millar's version of the Avengers which is cool and hip, but not very deep. Bryan Hitch delivers the goods as usual.
- The Hulk: Return of the Monster
Trade Paperback, Superhero, aut. Bruce Jones, art. John Romita Jr.
A great way to tell a Hulk story, it works almost the entire way through, but the end of this storyline gets too unbelievable (yes, even for a superhero comic.) Romita's art kicks booty; he continues to outperform.
- How to Be an Artist
Graphic Novel, Non-fiction, aut./art. Eddie Campbell
Must read for anyone who's ever thought about becoming an artist.
- Age of Bronze
Graphic Novel, Trojan War, aut./art. Eric Shanower
I picked this up at APE (the Alternative Press Expo) from Shanower himself. I was an avid reader of Greek mythology and fairly familiar with the story of the Trojan War. This is an awesome retelling. The attention to detail is impressive and the draftmanship superb. Recommend.
- Epoxy Press
Graphic Novel, Trojan War, aut./art. John Pham
Another APE find, I find John Pham's artwork absolutely amazing. His stories are a quirky blend of slice of life and Godzilla scifi featurette. Highly recommend.
- Gordon Yamamoto and the Kind of the Geeks
Graphic Novel, Trojan War, aut./art. Eugene Yang
I follow Yang's "American Born Chinese" on moderntales.com so I eagerly picked this up at APE. I liked his one a lot as well. Definitely kept me guessing as to what the heck was going on and what was going to happen next.
- Shutterbug Follies
Graphic Novel, Trojan War, aut./art. Jason Little
I followed this story originally on his website beecomix.com but had to buy this at APE because the artwork is too good. Oh, and the story is great too.
- Runners #1
Comic Book, Scifi, aut./art. Sean Wang
Read a review on newsarama.com and paypal'ed Wang for a copy of #1. Fun read. Can't wait to see more.
- About a Boy
DVD, Drama, dir. Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
This one really surprised me. I thoroughly enjoyed the film. It was intelligent, funny, and well-made. Highly recommend.
- Road to Perdition
DVD, Drama, dir. Sam Mendes
Was very interested in this movie since I had bought the comic years before. Visually amazing to behold. The story was fair, a little thin for a 2 hour movie. I liked it but wouldn't recommend it highly.
- Queen and Country
Graphic Novel, Drama, aut. Greg Rucka
Great great great writing. And I love how each trade paperback is a different artist doing their own take on the cast of characters. I love this series.
- 100 Bullets
Graphic Novel, Pulp Fiction, aut. Brian Azzarello, art. Eduardo Risso
I love this series. Azzarello keeps me guessing and Risso is the best artist in the field today in my opinion. He makes every single character, main or minor, a distinct individual. Pretty dark and violent but always solid entertainment. Gets the smiley Fredland face.
- The Tipping Point
Book, Non-fiction, aut. Malcolm Gladwell
Fascinating study on the causes and conditions of an epidemic - sweeping change in a short amount of time. Highly recommend, a quick read.
- Adaptation
Film, Comedy, dir. Spike Jonze; aut. Charlie Kaufman; act. Nicolas Cage
From the same team that made Being John Malkovich comes this postmodernist, self-referential, multi-layered satire which I thought was absolutely brilliant. Afterwards, I kept thinking about particular scenes that still tickled. Great performances all around particularly Cage.
- About Schmidt
Film, Drama, dir. Alexander Payne; act. Jack Nicholson
I enjoyed this film though it had a deliberate pace. The people I saw it with thought it was too slow and tedious. Still I thought it was biting, raw and funny.
- Empire Falls
Novel, Fiction, aut. Richard Russo
Excellent. Couldn't put it down, had me rolling on the floor with laughter at some points. Great storytelling. Great characters.
- Amadeus - Director's Cut
DVD, dir. Milos Forman; act. F. Murray Abrams, Tom Hulce
One of my top three favorite films of all time. This version has more scenes of Mozart's wife, Constanze. While it was interesting to see it, I think the original cut was better. Nevertheless awesome, awesome film.
- Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers
Film, Fantasy, dir. Peter Jackson; act. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen
The fight scenes were as good as the hype, Smeagol was even better. But was it better than the first? I don't think so, but still a damn fine film.
- Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition
DVD, dir. Peter Jackson; act. Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen
Yes, it's the best DVD yet made. The five hours of extras - manna from heaven.
- Lilo and Stitch
DVD, Animation, dir. Dean Deblois, Chris Sanders
Eh, not bad, not great. Seemed like the story was being made up as the movie went along which hampered the enjoyment. Extras were lame.
- The Limey
DVD, Drama, dir. Steven Soderbergh; act. Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Luiz Guzman
Soderbergh experiments with some visual storytelling effects which work for the movie. A solid film with a good cast, Luiz never disappoints. Didn't review extras.
- Insomnia
Thriller/Suspense, dir. Christopher Nolan; act. Al Pacino, Robin Williams
Good film, nothing is rushed, beautifully shot. Didn't review extras.
- The People vs. Larry Flynt
Drama, dir. Milos Forman; act. Woody Harrelson
Had higher expectations for this film so was slightly disappointed. Harrelson is great and Courtney Love was impressive. Just thought it meandered a bit. Don't recall any extras.
- Dark City
DVD, Science Fiction, dir. Alex Proyas
Very interesting to see this movie post-Matrix. Has similar themes and plotlines as well as style. Not as good though. Extras were lame.
- Blade 2
DVD, Presentday Fantasy, dir. Guillermo del Toro; act. Wesley Snipes
Eh. Was interested in seeing this since del Toro is now directing Hellboy. The story was pretty lame, but as a mindless shoot-em-up film it was ok.
- No Man's Land
DVD, Drama, dir. Danis Tanovic
Good, Recommended; trailers pitched it as a comedy but definitely more of a drama without being overly preachy or sentimental. No extras.
- Elizabeth
DVD, Drama, dir. Shekhar Kapur, Cate Blanchett
OK; movie really plays up the european stereotypes in a not-so-favorable manner but the cast and acting were great. No extras.
- Paper Theatre
Graphic Novel, Fantasy, wrt./art. Ben Catmull
Beautiful drawn, dark vignettes. The art alone is reason enough to buy it.
- Snowcrash
Novel, Science Fiction, aut. Neal Stephenson
This was an often recommended book when I was working in web design since it intelligently dealt with virtual reality and cyberspace. The viral religion part to the story was a lot more interesting. Overall a satisfying read, but not outstanding.
- Sparks
Graphic Novel, Presentday Fantasy, wrt./art. Lawrence Marvit
Discovered the first five issues at the 2002 Alternative Press Expo and loved it, tried to get the rest but then found the trade paperback. One of the best discoveries this year.
- SuperTroopers
DVD, Screwball Comedy, dir. Jay Chandrasekhar, Broken Lizard
Absolutely hilarious, after it was over we watched the first 15 minutes again. Wacky film, highly recommend. No extras.
- The Diamond Age
Novel, Science Fiction, aut. Neal Stephenson
This was a really interesting concept in a captivating world. I really liked it, but as usual he doesn't end his novels well at all.
- A Brief History of Time
Book, Non-fiction, aut. Stephen Hawking
I was maintaining until about the middle of the book. Then my brain exploded.
- The Adventures of Barry Ween Boy Genius
Graphic Novel, Comedy, wrt./art. Judd Winick
Very funny stuff with touching moments. Winick is a very good storyteller who sets his characters up so well that the story flows smoothly.
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