Movie Scans Backlog: Score 10/10

Figured I ought to start posting brief reactions to the films I've seen, since in depth reviews of the good ones may be a long time coming. 10/10, each one of these films is an absolute gem. YMMV.


* About a Boy (2002) 10/10
Wonderful film. Hugh Grant plays himself, which he does best. Great actor that played the kid and great friendship chemistry between them. Funny and poignant film. Plan to buy.

* Airplane! (1980) 10/10
The spoof upon which all other spoofs are based. Necessary to watch for the references and if you are a fan of spoofs. Plan to buy.

*Amadeus (1984) 10/10
The life and music of Mozart. Tom Hulce does a fantastic job. I own it.

*American Beauty (1999) 10/10
About finding beauty in the most unlikely of places. I own it.

*America's Sweethearts (2001) 10/10
A modern take on Singing In The Rain. Fast paced. Everybeat of the film is perfect. I own it.

*Angels in America (2003) 10/10
Long and rambling but compelling and fascinating. Powerful cast. Haven’t seen the play on stage but it seems like a fine adaptation. Plan to buy.

*Annie Hall (1977) 10/10
Woody Allen quintessential film. Ins and outs of relationships. Plan to buy.

*Antz (1998) 10/10
“The workers control the means of production!” ROFL. Funny, beautiful animation, with sharp social commentary. Powerful voicecast. Plan to buy.

* Apocalypse Now (1979) 10/10
One man’s descent into madness. Plan to buy.

*Assignment: Venezuela and Other Shorts (2000) 10/10
MST3K skits. Nuff said.

*Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 10/10
Mike Meyers. Brilliant spoof on Bond films and the spy genre in general. Plan to buy.

*The Aviator (2004) 10/10
Brilliant comeback by Leonardo DiCaprio. Brilliant depiction of OCD. Plan to buy.

*Bicentennial Man (1999) 10/10
Brilliant realization of Asimovian theme of what it means to be human. Wonderful Robin Williams. Sadly mismarketed. Sniff. I own it.

*Braveheart (1995) 10/10
Medieval Scottish war epic. Lyrical, visually stunning, brutal in the detail. Plan to buy.

*The Breakfast Club (1985) 10/10
Quintessential film about the angst of high school and adolescence. Plan to buy.

*Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) 10/10
Funny funny film. Brilliant Renee Zellweger. Hot Colin Firth. Smary Hugh Grant. Plan to buy.

*Casablanca (1942) 10/10
Must see classic film. Necessary to see because of all the references. Plan to buy.

*Catch Me If You Can (2002) 10/10
Fascinating biopic. Great job by Leonardo DiCaprio. Plan to buy.

*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) 10/10
This is the one with Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp! Tim Burton. Faithful adaptation of the book. Colorful and cold and heartwarming and disturbing. Plan to buy.

*Chicago (2002) 10/10
Stunning musical, despite being start and stop. Smokin’ hot. Haven’t seen the stage version yet, but the decision to move all the musical numbers to fantasy sequences was inspired. Plus, the cast did all its own singing and dancing. Huzzah! Plan to buy.

*Chicken Run (2000) 10/10
Nick Park claymation. Great visually. Funny, funny story, plus a myriad of pop culture references. Plan to buy.

*Chocolat (2000) 10/10
About finding joy in life. Johnny Depp. Wonderful fairy tale film. Plan to buy.

*Cidade de Deus (2002) 10/10
AKA City Of God. Stunning film, but I’m not sure if I absorbed everything to fully understand it. Watch again, not buy yet.

*Clueless (1995) 10/10
Fantastic adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. Funny, funny film. Imminently quotable. Plan to buy.

*The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) 10/10
Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce. Beautiful film about redemption and vengeance. Plan to buy.

*The Crow (1994) 10/10
The late Brandon Lee. Sniff. Beautifully romantic vengeance film. Plus, see Brandon Lee effortlessly lift himself up onto a table with only one hand. Plan to buy.

*Dances with Wolves (1990) 10/10
Beautiful lyrical powerful yet imperialist nostalgia film. Plan to buy.

*Dark City (1998) 10/10
Rufus Sewell. Fantastic mind blowing sci-fi film. I own it.

*Dead Poets Society (1989) 10/10
A film about life and hopes and dreams. Plan to buy.

* Dogma (1999) 10/10
An irreverent, yet affirming, take of Catholism. Kevin Smith’s best work so far. Wonderful cast. I own it.

*Donnie Brasco (1997) 10/10
As Ebert says, it’s about the platonic love that can develop between two men. Brilliant work by Johnny Depp. Refreshing to see Al Pacino on the other end of the crime family. Plan to buy.

*Donnie Darko (2001) 10/10
Brilliant genre defying film though I don’t entirely understand it. Plan to buy.

*Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) 10/10
Brilliant satire. Wonderful job by Peter Sellers in three roles. Imminently quotable. Nihilism yay. Plan to buy.

*Dune (2000) 10/10
This is the Sci-Fi channel mini-series. My favorite movie of all time. Everything about it is perfection: the story (which follows the spirit though not the letter of the book), the acting, the cinematography, the lighting, the dream sequences, the hats. Will doubtless gush about this in the future. I own it.

*Ed Wood (1994) 10/10
Johnny Depp does a fantastic job. Film does a fantastic job in making Ed Wood more popularly known that he probably should be. Plan to buy.

*The English Patient (1996) 10/10
Beautiful wandering film that all ties together in the end. Ralph Fiennes. The rest of the cast is wonderful. Plan to buy.

*Eyes Wide Shut (1999) 10/10
Spectacular film with the most terrifying soundtrack I’ve ever heard. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Plan to buy.

*Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Le (2001) 10/10
Audrey Tautou has the best facial expressions. Beautiful Ally McBeal-esque whimsical film, with fantastic sound editing. Hot, hot, hot love scene at the end. Plan to buy.

* Fight Club (1999) 10/10
Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Fantastically mind fucking. Plan to buy.

*Finding Neverland (2004) 10/10
Johnny Depp. Wonderful Biopic about JM Barrie and the making of Peter Pan. Plan to buy.

*The Firm (1993) 10/10
Tom Cruise. Fast paced, smart crime thriller. Plan to buy.

*For the Birds (2000) 10/10
Pixar animated short. With the birds on the telephone wire. Plan to buy.

*Frida (2002) 10/10
Beautiful biopic and film about art making. Plan to buy.

*Geri's Game (1997) 10/10
Pixar animated short. The one where the old man is playing chess with himself. Plan to buy.

*Gladiator (2000) 10/10
Wonderful Ancient Roman period film. Joaquin Pheonix is terrifying as the Ceasar. Russell Crowe is wonderful. Beautiful soundtrack. Plan to buy.

*The Godfather (1972) 10/10
Must see film. References galore. Plan to buy.

*The Godfather: Part II (1974) 10/10
Must see film. References galore. Plan to buy.

*Good Will Hunting (1997) 10/10
Wonderful film. Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck with potential. Plan to buy.

*Gosford Park (2001) 10/10
Wonderfully complex film about social class and relationships in the golden 30s. Plan to buy.

*Gulliver's Travels (1996) 10/10
This is the one with Ted Danson. Wonderfully inspired decision to intersperse the adventures with his experience upon returning to England. Also, this includes all four lands whereas most adaptations include at most only the first two. About being civilized and being human. I own it.

*Hamlet (1996) 10/10
This is the Kenneth Brannagh version. Uses the full uncut version so 4 hours long but well worth it. The set is this fantastic fun house castle with bookcases that turn into doors and one way mirrors. The “To be or not to be” scene is done in front of such a mirror. Wow. Just wow. Powerful cast, even in the minor roles. Kenneth Brannagh is fantastic. Plan to buy.

*Harold and Maude (1971) 10/10
Wonderful counterculture movie with a Cat Stevens soundtrack. Plan to buy.

*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 10/10
Brilliant Harry Potter. Plan to buy.

* Himmel über Berlin, Der (1987) 10/10
AKA Wings of Desire. Angel falls in love a human. Wonderful cinematography and voice overs. Plan to buy.

* The Hours (2002) 10/10
Wonderful concept with the blending of the three different stories from three different times. Sad and inspiring. Plan to buy.

*Indochine (1992) 10/10
Beautiful film about French colonial Indochine right before the beginning of the Vietnam War. Plan to buy.

*Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) 10/10
From Anne Rice, “It’s not about vampires, it’s about us.” Beautiful film. Young Kiersten Dunst. Pretty, pretty men: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, and Christian Slater. Plan to buy.

* Jenseits der Stille (1996) 10/10
AKA Beyond Silence. Beautiful film about a hearing girl raised by deaf parents and the conflict between her love for them and her love for music. Plan to buy.

*The Joy Luck Club (1993) 10/10
Hope and expectations, joy and luck. Family gatherings and family origins. Beautifully rich film. I own it.

* Lady and the Tramp (1955) 10/10
Lovely animation and soundtrack that is carefully in sync. Must see classic. Plan to buy.

*The Last of the Mohicans (1992) 10/10
Daniel Day Lewis. American colonial wilderness period piece. Beautiful film. Beautiful soundtrack. Plan to buy.

*Lawrence of Arabia (1962) 10/10
Must see classic film. Interesting film about the middle east during the end of WWI. Said to be best seen on the large screen. Plan to buy.

*Life as a House (2001) 10/10
Beautiful and awe inspiring. Kevin Kline. Hayden Christiansen. Great performances. Wonderful quotable dialogue. Wonderful characters and intricate relationships. Plan to buy.

*The Little Mermaid (1989) 10/10
My favorite Disney animation and one of the last that was entirely hand drawn. Wonderful soundtrack. Must see if just for the songs sequences. Plan to buy.

*Little Women (1994) 10/10
This is the one with Winona Ryder, Susan Serandon, Christian Bale, etc. Wonderfully captures the spirit of the book and adds the historical context that the book assumes the audience already knows. Plan to buy.

*Lola rennt (1998) 10/
A.K.A. Run Lola Run. Fast paced clever heart pumping film. With lots and lots of running. Plan to buy.

*The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 10/10
Lord of the Rings. Nuff said. Plan to buy.

*The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 10/10
Lord of the Rings. Nuff said. Plan to buy.

*The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 10/10
Lord of the Rings. Nuff said. Plan to buy.

*Magnolia (1999) 10/10
About the intricate connections between us all and things that do happen. I own it.

* Mary Poppins (1964) 10/10
Beautiful, funny, and magical film despite being a start-and-stop musical. Julie Andrews. The calm of pre WWI England before the storm. Plan to buy.

*Memento (2000) 10/10
Guy Pearce. Inspired structure of the film: black and white, backwards and forwards. Really allows you to identify with the main characters short term memory loss POV. Plan to buy.

*The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) 10/10
Beautifully weird and crazy film by collaboration between famous German director Wim Wenders and Bono of U2. Plan to buy.

* Mission: Impossible (1996) 10/10
Tom Cruise. Fast paced, smart, action adventure thriller. Plan to buy.

*Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 10/10
Best Monty Python film. Imminently quotable and rofl funny. Plan to buy.

*The Mothman Prophecies (2002) 10/10
Never has a ringing telephone been so scary. Neat low key supernatural film. Plan to buy.

*The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) 10/10
Tim Burton. This movie was totally not was I thought it was. Great animation. And funny. Plan to buy.

*Noises Off... (1992) 10/10
See dysfunctional cast and crew do a dress rehearsal of play from the audience POV. See dysfunctional cast perform said play from the backstage POV. See dysfunctional cast perform said play when they aren’t even trying any more from the audience POV And it gets funnier every time. Said to be better as a stage play, but the film version is damn good. Plan to buy.

*O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) 9 7.8 change vote to 10/10
Cohen brothers. Depression era deep south. George Clooney at all. Great “adaptation” of The Oddessey. Great dialogue, great use of contemporary music. Plan to buy.

*Of Mice and Men (1992) 10/10
This is the one with Gary Sinese and John Malkovich. Beautifully sad adaptation. Plan to buy.

*Office Space (1999) 10/10
Funny, funny must see film if you have ever worked in the corporate environment. Imminently quotable. Plan to buy.

*Ordinary People (1980) 10/10
One of Robert Redford’s redeeming features. Family deals with the aftermath of the death of one son and the attempted suicide of the other. Plan to buy.

*Osama (2003) 10/10
First film ever filmed in Afghanistan. On location and with local non-actors cast in the roles. Beautiful film but also horrifyingly true to life under the Taliban regime. Plan to buy.

*The Others (2001) 10/10
A ghost story, as seen from the other side. Just as terrifying. Plan to buy.

*Pane e tulipani (2000) 10/10
AKA Bread and Tulips. Sweet little Italian film. Bored housewife finds a new life in Venice. Plan to buy.

*The Passion of the Christ (2004) 10/10
Brilliantly made and excruciatingly painful to watch. Plan to buy.

*The Pianist (2002) 10/10
Holocaust story of survival through luck and music. Plan to buy.

*Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 10/10
Johnny Depp. Brilliant silly action adventure movie. Plan to buy.

*Pleasantville (1998) 10/10
Color and Black and White. Idyllic TV version of life in the 50s and harsh reality. Brilliant and beautiful. Plan to buy.

*The Prince of Egypt (1998) 10/10
Brilliant animation and songs. Powerful voicecast. Really does the story justice. Plan to buy.

*Psycho (1960) 10/10
Must see film. Necessary to watch to understand all the references. Watch again, not buy yet.

*The Quiet American (2002) 10/10
Love triangle between a Vietnamese girl, an American guy, and British guy during the Vietnam war. Watch again, not buy yet.

*Rashômon (1950) 10/10
Must see film. Kurosawa. Necessary to see to recognize all the films which are based upon this archtype. Plan to buy.

*Red Dragon (2002) 10/10
Ralph Fiennes as a psychotic serial murderer. Brilliantly chilling. Plan to buy.

*Rent (2005) 10/10
Different from the stage version, does the story justice. Plan to buy.

*Rivière du hibou, La (1962) 10/10
AKA Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge. This is the story of the guy who has the whole escape fantasy after his death by hanging. Plan to buy.

*Roman Holiday (1953) 10/10
Beautiful fairy tale. Young Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Ad-libbed scene at the Mouth of Truth is truly inspired. Plan to buy.

*Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) 10/10
Haven’t seen this on stage but the film version is plenty good. Wonderful play as mind fucking as the original Hamlet. Plan to buy.

* Schindler's List (1993) 10/10
Quintessential film about the holocaust. Chillingly beautiful. Ralph Fiennes blows me away as the sadistic commandant. Plan to buy.

*Serenity (2005) 10/10
Firefly. Nuff said. Plan to buy.

*Seven Years in Tibet (1997) 10/10
Brad Pitt. Wonderful story about a man whose life was irrevocably touched by the Dali Lama. Plan to buy.

*The Shawshank Redemption (1994) 10/10
One of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work. Pacing and narration by Morgan Freeman is perfect. Beautifully uplifting film. I own it.

* Signs (2002) 10/10
M Night Shamalan. Joaquin Pheonix. Wonderful to have a film with aliens in it that’s not really about the aliens. Plan to buy.

*Sleeping Beauty (1959) 10/10
Disney animation. Set to music from the ballet by Tchaikovsky. Beautiful artwork besides. And great characters in the three fairies. Plan to buy.

*South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999) 10/10
Hi-larious and yet also manages to have serious social commentary. Plan to buy.

*Stand by Me (1986) 10/10
Great coming of age film and road movie. River Pheonix and Wil Wheaton. Plan to buy.

*The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) 10/10
Matt Damon. Jude Law. Chilling crime thriller and portrait of a seriously twisted character. Plan to buy.

*Tarzan (1999) 10/10
Disney animated version. Great animation. Funny and tender. Great use of music. Plan to buy.

*Titanic (1997) 10/10
Wonderful epic. Depicting not just the sinking of the Titanic but a Golden Age that was soon to be turned upside down. Beautiful costumes and sets. Beautiful score. Kate Winslet. Plan to buy.

*Trick (1999) 10/10
Cute romantic couple about a gay couple trying to make a night of it in NYC. Plan to buy.

*The Truman Show (1998) 10/10
A harsh critique on reality TV, well before its advent. Stunning performance by Jim Carrey, showing that he’s capable of more than just straight comedy. Music by Phillip Glass. Plan to buy.

*Twelve Monkeys (1995) 10/10
Mind bending time travel movie. Post and Pre apocalyptic. Plan to buy.

*U2: Rattle and Hum (1988) 10/10
Film of U2’s Rattle and Hum tour in the US. I own it.

*Violon rouge, Le (1998) 10/10
AKA The Red Violin. Depicts the history of a specially crafted violin throughout the ages and around the world. Who has the biggest claim to it? Plan to buy.

*Vita è bella, La (1997) 10/10
AKA Life Is Beautiful. If one were to talk about making a comedy about the holocaust, I’d say it couldn’t be done. Yet here it is. Genuinely funny while retaining the gravity required considering the subject matter. Beautiful with a great cast. Bittersweet film. I own it.

*Waking Life (2001) 10/10
Film by Linklater. Live action given the animation treatment. Depiction of a dreamscape. Surreal viewing experience. Plan to buy.

*Wayne's World (1992) 10/10
Mike Meyers. Hi-larious must see film. Plan to buy.

* Whale Rider (2002) 10/10
Beautiful film about the Maori people in modern day New Zealand and their search to preserve their culture. Simply beautiful. Plan to buy.

* What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) 10/10
Johnny Depp. Leonardo DiCaprio. Dysfunctional family in a dead end town in the Midwest. Funny and tender. Plan to buy.

*Wo de fu qin mu qin (1999) 10/10
AKA The Road Home. A simple lyrical film about a couple that falls in love. Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon among others). It’s all about meaning in the little things. Plan to buy.

*Wo hu cang long (2000) 10/10
AKA Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Beautiful sweeping martial arts epic. Plan to buy.


Current mood: enthralled