The Month in Movies - May 2006

[A.J. Hakari]

'Evening there, one and all. 'Tis time for the Month in Movies summary for May, and here be my viewing round-up, as always on a **** scale...

Number of First-Time Viewings (this month): 38
Number of First-Time Viewings (this year, so far): 201

THE BRILLIANT

United 93 - ****

THE GREAT

Munich - *** 1/2
Mission: Impossible III - *** 1/2
Akeelah and the Bee - *** 1/2
Delicatessen - *** 1/2
The 400 Blows - *** 1/2

THE PURTY GOOD

Steve Harvey: Don’t Trip…He Ain’t Through with Me Yet! - ***
X-Men: The Last Stand - ***
The Producers (2005) - ***
Over the Hedge - ***
The Da Vinci Code - ***
The Booth - ***
The New World - ***
Henry Rollins: Live at Luna Park - ***
Something New - ***
Bad Dreams - ***
The Heirloom - ***
Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys - ***
Winter Passing - ***
Eros - ***
Transamerica - ***
Who Gets to Call It Art? - ***

THE O.K.

Hoot - ** 1/2
Poseidon - ** 1/2
Nightbreed - ** 1/2
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - ** 1/2
The Sentinel (2006) - ** 1/2

THE SO-SO

Freedomland - **
Ritual - **
Tamara - **
Just My Luck - **

THE SUCKY

BloodRayne - * 1/2
Shadow: Dead Riot - * 1/2
Hollow Man 2 - * 1/2
London - * 1/2
One Missed Call 2 - * 1/2

THE REALLY SUCKY

Stick It - *

No rating:

Mystery Science Theater 3000: “Women of the Prehistoric Planet”

THE BEST:

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00005JOZG.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V56510816_.jpg

THE WORST:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005JOZA.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V54274417_.jpg

Best Actor: Eric Bana, MUNICH
Best Actress: Q’Orianka Kilcher, THE NEW WORLD
Best Supporting Actor: Ian McKellen, THE DA VINCI CODE and X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
Best Supporting Actress: Edie Falco, FREEDOMLAND
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, MUNICH
Best Original Screenplay: Doug Atchison, AKEELAH AND THE BEE
Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth and Tony Kushner, MUNICH
Biggest Surprise: STEVE HARVEY: DON’T TRIP…HE AIN’T THROUGH WITH ME YET!
Biggest Disappointment: FREEDOMLAND
Most Fucked-Up Movie: SHADOW: DEAD RIOT
“I’m Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This”: WHO GETS TO CALL IT ART?
Person/Character I Never Want to Meet: Syd (Chris Evans), LONDON
“Why Is He/She Still in Movies?”: Peter Facinelli, HOLLOW MAN 2
Ultimate WTF? Moment: Any of the kung-fu zombie fights, SHADOW: DEAD RIOT
Best Line: “Don’t fuck with the Jews.” - Steve (Daniel Craig), MUNICH
Best Scene: The passengers fight back / the ending, UNITED 93
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin’ See: THE 400 BLOWS
Coolest Title: NIGHTBREED

[Cronos]

Number of First-Time Viewings (this month): 47
Number of First-Time Viewings (this year, so far): 298

9/10
Silent Hill
Ivan Groznyy I
X-Men: The Last Stand
Proof
Rockfish

8/10
Return Of The Living Dead III
In My Skin
National Treasure
Dellamorte Dellamore
Rawhead Rex
Four Brothers
Kibakichi
Mr. & Mrs. Smith

7/10
Kibakichi 2
Opera
Scarecrows
White Noise
Be Cool
Forgotten, The
Ivan Groznyy II: Boyarsky Zagovor
Art Of The Devil
Samhain
Squid And The Whale, The
Ocean's Eleven

6/10
Love Letter, The
Tenebrae
Broadcast News
Inferno
Vampyros Lesbos
16 Blocks
Capote
Martial Law 9/11: Rise Of The Police State

5/10
In-Laws, The (03)

4/10
Brothers Grimm, The
Evil Dead Trap

3/10
Nekro
Amanda & The Alien
Proteus
Do You Like Hitchcock?
Churchill: The Hollywood Years
Video Dead, The

2/10
Coroner, The
Napoleon Dynamite
Johnson Family Vacation
Evil Dead Trap 2
Men Behind The Sun 2: Laboratory Of The Devil

1/10
Woman's Flesh

BEST

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005JOYA.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V56257098_.jpg

WORST

WOMAN'S FLESH


Best Actor: Ian McKellen, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
Best Actress: Radha Mitchell, SILENT HILL
Best Supporting Actor: Kelsey Grammer, X-MEN THE LAST STAND
Best Supporting Actress: Rebecca Romijn, X-MEN THE LAST STAND
Best Director: Sergei Eisenstein, IVAN GROZNYY 1
Best Original Screenplay: IVAN GROZNYY 1
Best Adapted Screenplay: X-MEN THE LAST STAND
Best Sountrack: KIBAKICHI
Biggest Surprise: X-MEN: THE LAST STAND
Biggest Disappointment: NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
Most Fucked-Up Movie: MEN BEHIND THE SUN 2
"I'm Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This": WOMAN'S FLESH
Person/Character I Never Want to Meet: the crazy bitch, ART OF THE DEVIL
"Why Is He/She Still in Movies?": James Marsden, X-MEN THE LAST STAND
Recurring Genre: HORROR
Ultimate WTF? Moment: water sports with the verger and Rawhead, RAWHEAD REX
Best Line: Get upstairs, fuckface! I cant keep god waiting!, RAWHEAD REX
Best Scene: Magneto moves the bridge, X-MEN THE LAST STAND / final confrontation, SILENT HILL
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin' See: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3
Coolest Title: SILENT HILL

[Tayzlor]

10/10
Scorpio Rising
A Movie
Cosmic Ray
Report
Murmur of the Heart
The Lady Eve*
Gates of Heaven
Au Revoir, Les Enfants

9/10
Valse Triste
Mongoloid
Shadows
Elevator to the Gallows
Distant
Young Mr. Lincoln
Mystery Train
Fists in the Pocket
Le Cercle Rouge
The Killers (1946)
Harlan County, U.S.A.

8/10
Vivian
Port of Shadows
The Virgin Suicides*
The 40-Year-Old Virgin*
The Lost Weekend
Hard Candy
Don't Look Back
The Tenant
Game 6
Big Deal on Madonna Street

7/10
Private Parts*
Young Frankenstein
Sweet Sixteen

6/10
Permian Strata
Sweet and Lowdown*

5/10
A Night at the Opera

3/10
Winter Passing
---------------------------------

Best Movie: Au Revoir, Les Enfants
Best Actor: Henry Fonda, Young Mr. Lincoln
Best Actress: Lea Massari, Murmur of the Heart
Best Supporting Actor: Griffin Dunne, Game 6
Best Supporting Actress: Nicoletta Braschi, Mystery Train`
Best Director: John Ford, Young Mr. Lincoln
Best Original Screenplay: Murmur of the Heart, Au Revoir Les Enfants
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Killers
Best Cinematography: Le Cercle Rouge
Best Music: Elevator to the Gallows, Harlan County USA
Biggest Surprise: Distant
Biggest Disappointment: A Night at the Opera
Most Fucked-Up Movie: Report
“I’m Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This”: Bruce Conner short movies
Ultimate WTF? Moment: the flashing screen in Report
Best Line: "Jiffy Squid? Man, turn that shit off." --- Mystery Train
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin’ See: Gates of Heaven
Coolest Title: Elevator to the Gallows

[Terror Australis]

My Month In Movies - May

5/5 - Excellent
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills
Mask (1985)
Fahrenheit 451
Baadasssss!

4.5/5 - Really Great
Good Night, And Good Luck
The King Of Comedy
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

4/5 - Great
A History Of Violence
Resurrection (1980)
Mission: Impossible: III
Three....Extremes
Better Luck Tomorrow

3.5/5 - Really Good
My Favorite Year
Mrs. Henderson Presents
The Family Stone
The Razor’s Edge (1984)
I Love Your Work
Wicker Park
Fun With Dick & Jane (2005)
Scary Movie 4


3/5 - Good
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
American Dreamz
The Producers (2005)
De-Lovely
The Singing Detective
The Illustrated Family Doctor
Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
Underworld: Evolution
One Missed Call
Trauma (2004)

2.5/5 - Okay
Rumor Has It….
The Final Conflict (a.k.a. Omen III: The Final Conflict)
Waiting….

2/5 - So-So
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
Plots With A View (a.k.a. Undertaking Betty)
Christmas With The Kranks
Sleepwalkers (1992)
Marci X

1.5/5 - Bad
Family Plot
Pret-A-Porter (a.k.a. Ready To Wear)
Fat Albert
Thunderbirds (2004)
Darkness (2002)

1/5 - Terrible
The Pacifier
Shanghai Surprise

THE BEST
http://www.posters.ws/images/940683/paradise_lost_child_murders_at_robin_hood_hills.jp g

THE WORST
http://www.animationstation.net/posterimages/S/Shanghai_Surprise_folded.jpg

Best Actor: Robert De Niro, THE KING OF COMEDY
Best Actress: Cher, MASK (1985)
Best Supporting Actor: Eric Stoltz, MASK (1985)
Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bello, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
Best Director: Francois Truffaut, FAHRENHEIT 451
Best Original Screenplay: George Clooney & Grant Heslov, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
Best Adapted Screenplay: Mario Van Peebles, BAADASSSSS!
Biggest Surprise: BETTER LUCK TOMORROW
Biggest Disappointment: McCABE & MRS. MILLER
Most Fucked-Up Movie: THREE....EXTREMES
"I’m Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This”: THE ILLUSTRATED FAMILY DOCTOR
Person/Character I Never Want to Meet: Damien Thorn (Sam Neill), THE FINAL CONFLICT
“Why Is He/She Still in Movies?: Jake Busey, CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS
Recurring Genre: Comedies.
Ultimate WTF? Moment: Any Of The Musical Interludes, THE SINGING DETECTIVE
Best Line: "We need British nippes!", MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
Best Scene: The Bridge Sequence, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin’ See: ASSUALT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976)
Coolest Title: THE RAZOR'S EDGE (1984)

[Kucha]

MAY 2006
Number of First-Time Viewings: [12]
Number of Rewatches: [6]
TOTAL Movies Viewed in May: [18]

BOLD = First-Time Viewings

10/10
Scream

9/10
Transamerica
RENT
Some Like It Hot


8/10
Sling Blade
Dick
The Wizard Of Oz

7/10
The Family Stone
Rumor Has It
Kramer vs. Kramer

6/10
The Hunley
Lost And Delirious
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
Before Sunset
Corrina, Corrina

5/10
Scary Movie
Harriet The Spy

3/10
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth


*The following from First-Time Viewings only*

THE BEST:
http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000FIHNAC.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V51451519_.jpg
SOME LIKE IT HOT
A very close Runner-Up of: TRANSAMERICA


[b]THE WORST:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000055WFZ.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth

Best Actor: Billy Bob Thorton, SLING BLADE
Best Actress: Felicity Huffman, TRANSAMERICA
Best Supporting Actor: Justin Henry, KRAMER VS. KRAMER
Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep, KRAMER VS. KRAMER
Best Director: Duncan Tucker, TRANSAMERICA
Best Original Screenplay: TRANSAMERICA
Best Adapted Screenplay: SLING BLADE
Biggest Surprise: TRANSAMERICA
Biggest Disappointment: LOST AND DELIRIOUS (It was okay, I thought it would be better though)
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin’ See: SOME LIKE IT HOT (Ive seen some of it but I wasn't able to finish it until now and Im so glad that I did :) )
Coolest Title: HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT

[Hannibal21]

First viewings only:

The Passenger - 10/10

Elevator to the Gallows - 9/10
Young Mr. Lincoln - 9/10
L'Enfant - 9/10
Mona Lisa - 9/10
Quai des Orfèvres - 9/10

Grizzly Man - 8.5/10

La Paura - 8/10
The Naked City - 8/10

The Family Stone - 7.5/10

The Hitcher - 7/10
A Love Song for Bobby Long - 7/10
The Thing Called Love - 7/10
Mission: Impossible III - 7/10

Poseidon - 4/10
Scary Movie 4 - 4/10

9 Songs - 3/10

BEST FILM:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000E33W0I.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V57030004_.jpg

Worst Film: 9 Songs
Best Director: Michelangelo Antonioni - The Passenger
Best Actor: Jack Nicholson - The Passenger
Best Actress: Jeanne Moreau - Elevator to the Gallows
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Caine - Mona Lisa
Best Supporting Actress: Alice Brady - Young Mr. Lincoln
Best Screenplay: Mona Lisa
Biggest Surprise: The Passenger (in the sense that I loved it even more than I thought I would)
Biggest Disappointment: Poseidon (in the sense that I hated it even more than I thought I would)
"I'm Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This": La Paura
Person/Character I Never Want to Meet: John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) - The Hitcher
"Why Is He/She Still in Movies?": The entire cast of Scary Movie 4
Best Scene: The final 10 minute long take - The Passenger
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin' See: The Passenger/Young Mr. Lincoln
Coolest Title: Elevator to the Gallows

[Katsumoto]

Masterpieces (10/10)
12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957)
The Best Of Youth (Marco Tullio Giordana, 2003) *

Excellent (8/10, 9/10)
A History Of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005) *
Along Came Polly (John Hamburg, 2004) *
The Bridge On The River Kwai (David Lean, 1957)
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Peter Greenaway, 1989)
He Got Game (Spike Lee, 1998) *
In Her Shoes (Curtis Hanson, 2005)
The Last Temptation Of Christ (Martin Scorsese, 1988)
Munich (Steven Spielberg, 2005)

Good (6/10, 7/10)
The Family Stone (Thomas Bezucha, 2005) *
Hard Candy (David Slade, 2005)
MI:III (J.J. Abrams, 2006)
Transamerica (Duncan Tucker, 2005)

Meh (5/10)
Art School Confidential (Terry Zwigoff, 2006)
Last Holiday (Wayne Wang, 2006)
The Ringer (Barry W. Blaustein, 2005)

Awful (4/10, 3/10, 2/10, 1/10, 0/10)
American Dreamz (Paul Weitz, 2006)
The Da Vinci Code (Ron Howard, 2006)
Grandma’s Boy (Nicholaus Goosen, 2006)
Rumor Has It (Rob Reiner, 2005)
X-Men: The Last Stand (Brett Ratner, 2006)

First Time Viewing: 17
Rewatches: 5
Total: 22

Awards (Only To First Time Viewings)
Best:
http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/8091/lasttemptationofchrist0ui.jpg
The Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese, 1988)

Worst:
http://img467.imageshack.us/img467/5282/200pxthedavincicode7rz.jpg
The Da Vinci Code (Ron Howard, 2006)

Best Actor:
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/warner_brothers/harry_potter_and_the_prisoner_of_azkaban/michael_gambon/londonhpazpre.jpg
Michael Gambon - The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

Best Actress:
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/twentieth_century_fox/x_men__the_last_stand/ellen_page/xmencannesl.jpg
Ellen Page - Hard Candy

Best Supporting Actor:
http://img309.imageshack.us/img309/2866/trleejcobb3wo.jpg
Lee J. Cobb - 12 Angry Men

Best Supporting Actress:
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/twentieth_century_fox/in_her_shoes/shirley_maclaine/shoespre.jpg
Shirley McLaine - In Her Shoes

[zeppelin]

**** (excellent)
1. Deconstructing Harry (1997)

*** 1/2 (very good)
2. You Can Count on Me (2000)
3. Planet of the Apes (1968)
4. The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
5. Blow Out (1981)
6. Wonder Boys (2000)
7. Cabaret (1972)
8. Rumble Fish (1983)
9. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
10. The Jerk (1979)
11. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
12. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

*** (good)
13. Atlantic City (1980)
14. Stop Making Sense (1984)
15. Sid and Nancy (1986)
16. Deliverance (1972)
17. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
18. A Mighty Wind (2003)
19. Bowfinger (1999)
20. Ninotchka (1939)
21. Luck, Trust and Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country (1993)
22. Closely Watched Trains (1966)

* 1/2 (bad)
23. Pickpocket (1959)
24. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

Best Director- Francis Ford Coppola, Rumble Fish
Best Actor- Gary Oldman, Sid and Nancy
Best Actress- Laura Linney, You Can Count on Me
Best Supporting Actor- Joel Grey, Cabaret
Best Supporting Actress- Angela Lansbury, The Manchurian Candidate
Best Screenplay- Deconstructing Harry
Best Cinematography- Rumble Fish
Biggest Surprise- The Incredible Shrinking Man
Biggest Disappointment- McCabe & Mrs. Miller

[The Other]

I didn’t hate anything last month and I saw a record high 40 films!


http://www.punkasspunk.com/videolog/5stars.gif = LOVED IT

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
The Street with No Name (1948)
The Big Heat (1953)
Battleground (1949)
Clerks (1994)
Oliver Twist (1948)
The General (1927)


http://www.punkasspunk.com/videolog/4stars.gif = REALLY LIKED IT

The Big Clock (1948)
Ransom (1956)
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Pursued (1947)
Harold and Maude (1971)
The Member of the Wedding (1952)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Pinky (1949)
Hamlet (1948)
Coming Home (1978)
Intruder in the Dust (1949)
An Unmarried Woman (1978)
La Terra Trema (1948)


http://www.punkasspunk.com/videolog/3stars.gif = LIKED IT

The Caine Mutiny (1954)
3:10 to Yuma (1957)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Joan of Arc (1948)
Possessed (1947)
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
I Remember Mama (1948)
Rio Grande (1950)
The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer (1947)
Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953)
Rope (1948)
The Paradine Case (1947)
The Sunshine Boys (1975)
Harvey (1950)


http://www.punkasspunk.com/videolog/2stars.gif = DIDN’T LIKE IT

Germany, Year Zero (1948)
Dead Reckoning (1947)
Cellular (2004)
Watch on the Rhine (1943)
An American in Paris (1951)
The Pirate (1948)
White Chicks (2004)


BEST MOVIE: Anatomy of a Murder

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B00004TJKI.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


WORST MOVIE: White Chicks

BEST DIRECTOR: Buster Keaton - The General
BEST ACTOR: River Phoenix - My Own Private Idaho
BEST ACTRESS: Jill Clayburgh - An Unmarried Woman
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Richard Widmark - The Street with No Name
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Gloria Grahame - The Big Heat
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Clerks - Kevin Smith
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Anatomy of a Murder - Wendell Mayes
BIGGEST SURPRISE: The Street with No Name & The Big Clock
BEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Germany, Year Zero
MOST FUCKED-UP MOVIE: White Chicks
“I’m Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This”: The Member of the Wedding
PERSON/CHARACTER I NEVER WANT TO MEET: Willy Clark (Walter Matthau) - The Sunshine Boys
BEST SCENE: The end of Sorry, Wrong Number!
MOVIE I FINALLY GOT TO SEE: The Big Heat
COOLEST TITLE: My Own Private Idaho or Sorry, Wrong Number

[Lazy Boy]

Black Narcissus - 9/10
The Cranes Are Flying - 9/10
Whisper of the Heart - 8/10
Alphaville - 8/10
Network - 8/10
Baby Doll - 7/10
Mon Oncle - 7/10
The Third Man - 7/10
X-Men: The Last Stand - 7/10
Friends With Money - 7/10
Poseidon - 7/10
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid - 6/10
An Unfinished Life - 6/10
Mission Impossible 3 - 5/10
Freedomland - 5/10
Over the Hedge - 5/10
Gilda - 5/10
Last Holiday - 5/10
The Greatest Game Ever Played - 5/10
The Dreamlife of Angels - 4/10
The Da Vinci Code - 3/10

Best:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3e/Black_Narcissus.jpg/200px-Black_Narcissus.jpg
Black Narcissus

Worst:
http://www.moviereporter.net/filme/da_vinci_code_the/da_vinci_code_the-poster.jpg
The Da Vinci Code

Best Director: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Black Narcissus
Best Actor: Karl Malden, Baby Doll
Best Actress: Deborah Kerr, Black Narcissus
Best Supporting Actor: Orson Welles, The Third Man
Best Supporting Actress: Edie Falco, Freedomland
Best Original Screenplay: Network
Best Adapted Screenplay: Black Narcissus
Biggest Surprise: Poseidon
Biggest Disappointment: Gilda
Most Fucked-Up Movie: Alphaville
Person/Character I Never Want to Meet: Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore), Freedomland
“Why Is He/She Still in Movies?”: Richard Dreyfuss, Poseidon
Best Line: "Don't you know who I am? I'm the Juggernaut, bitch!" - X-Men: The Last Stand
Best Scene: The chase through the Vienna sewers, The Third Man

[Fisting Ackbar]

Ranked from best to worst:


THE PROPOSITION (2005) 8/10

TRIUMPH OF THE WILL 7/10
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III 7/10
LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN 7/10
A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN 7/10
BUBBLE 7/10

THE DA VINCI CODE 6/10

LA DOLCE VITA 5/10
ONE NIGHT AT MCCOOL'S 5/10

9 SONGS 3/10


Best Actor: Ray Winstone - THE PROPOSITION (2005)
Best Actress: Lucy Liu - LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN
Best Supporting Actor: Phillip Seymour Hoffman - MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III
Best Supporting Actress: Emily Watson - THE PROPOSITION (2005)
Best Director: John Hillcoat - THE PROPOSITION (2005)
Best Original Screenplay: THE PROPOSITION (2005)
Biggest Surprise: THE PROPOSITION (2005)
Biggest Disappointment: LA DOLCE VITA
Most Fucked-Up Movie: 9 SONGS
"I'm Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This": A LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN
Person/Character I Never Want to Meet: Adolf Hitler - TRIUMPH OF THE WILL
Best Scene: The pre-credits opening - MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin' See: TRIUMPH OF THE WILL
Coolest Title: TRIUMPH OF THE WILL

[ilovemovies]

*** 1/2

1. Mission: Impossible III

***

2. United 93
3. Artschool Confidential
4. Truth and Consequences, N.M.
5. Take the Lead
6. An American Haunting
7. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. Lone Hero
9. RV
10. Rambo III
11. Poseidon
12. Keeping Up with the Steins
13. Just My Luck
14. The Benchwarmers

** 1/2

15. Over the Hedge
16. See No Evil

**

17. The DaVinci Code

*

18. An American Warewolf in Paris



Rewatches:

Child's Play ***
Mission: Impossible II ***
Red Eye ***
The Sentinel ***
Scream ***
Scream 3 ***
The River Wild ***
Chain Reaction ***
Remember the Titans ***
Toy Soldiers ***
Freaky Friday ***
X-Men ***
After Alice ***
Snake Eyes *** 1/2
We Were Soldiers *** 1/2
2 Fast 2 Furious ***
Shanghai Knights *** 1/2



Best New Film: Mission: Impossible III
Best Rewatch: We Were Soldiers
Worst Film: An American Warewolf in Paris
Best Director: JJ Abrams, Mission: Impossible III
Best Actor: Max Minghella, Artschool Confidential
Best Actress: Rachel Hurd-Wood, An American Haunting
Best Supporting Actor: John Malkovich, Artschool Confidential
Best Supporting Actress: Sophia Myles, Artschool Confidential
Best Screenplay: Artschool Confidential
Biggest Disappointment: The DaVinci Code
Most Pleasant Surprise: RV

[dman476]

I don't remember exactly everything I've seen but the best film I saw in May was definately Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans.
A Streetcar Named Desire and Viridiana were two great films also.
The best movie I've seen in theaters last month was Mission Impossible III.

[SAI]

Here's the list for this month

First viewings in red

1st
Lucky: 3/5
Happy Times Hotel: 4/5

2nd
2046: 4/5

4th
Heart of the Dragon: 3/5

5th
Confetti: 3/5
The Magician: 3/5

6th
The Road Home: 5/5

7th
China O'Brien: 1/5
Dragon Lord: 3/5
The Long Way Round: (TV Series) 4/5

8th
Dragons Forever (Rewatch): 4/5

10th
Iron Monkey: 4/5

11th
Grosse Pointe Blank: 4/5

12th
Sympathy For Lady Vengeance: (Rewatch) 4/5
Quo Vadis Baby: 4/5
Brick: 5/5

13th
Wag The Dog: 4/5

14th
Jungle Holocaust: 3/5
Rien Ne Va Plus: 4/5
Mission: Impossible III: 4/5

18th
Shaolin Vs Lama: 3/5

19th
The King: 2/5
16 Blocks: 2/5
Brick: 5/5 (Rewatch)

20th
Escape From Brothel: 3/5
New Killers in Town: 3/5
Red Shadow: 3/5

21st
The Ordeal: 2/5

24th
Thank You For Smoking: 4/5

25th
La Ceremonie: 3/5
Junebug: 4/5 (Rewatch)
Art of Fighting: 4/5

26th
Friends With Money: 2/5
Down In The Valley: 3/5
Love is a Crazy Thing: 2/5

28th
Maniac Cop: 2/5
Rogue Trader: 3/5
The Medallion: 1/5
The Sure Thing: 4/5
Small Soldiers: 3/5

29th
Space Camp: 2/5

31st
Lenny: 3/5

Only first viewings eligible for awards

Best Film (Cinema)
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/focus_features/brick/joseph_gordon_levitt/brick.jpg
Brick

Worst Film (Cinema)
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/thinkfilm/the_king/gael_garcia_bernal/theking3.jpg
The King

Best Film (Home)
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/sony_pictures_classics/the_road_home/zhang_ziyi/roadhome2.jpg
The Road Home

Worst Film (Home)
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/screen_gems/the_medallion/_group_photos/jackie_chan2.jpg
The Medallion

Best Actor: Joseph Gordon Levitt: BRICK
Best Actress: Zhang Ziyi: THE ROAD HOME
Best Supporting Actor: David Morse: DOWN IN THE VALLEY / Lukas Haas: BRICK
Best Supporting Actress: Zhang Ziyi: 2046
Best Director: Zhang Yimou: THE ROAD HOME
Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson: BRICK
Biggest Surprise: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III
Biggest Disappointment: THE KING / LENNY
Most Fucked-Up Movie: LOVE IS A CRAZY THING / LUCKY
“I’m Pretty Damn Sure No One Else Has Seen This”: ART OF FIGHTING / LOVE IS A CRAZY THING (UK Premieres)
“Why Is He/She Still in Movies?”: Lee Evans: THE MEDALLION
Ultimate WTF? Moment: Half the movie, why is everything blue: RED SHADOW
Best Line: Throw one at me if you want, hash head. I've got all five senses and I slept last night, that puts me six up on the lot of you. (Brendan, BRICK)
Best Scene: The ending: BRICK
Movie I Finally Got to Friggin’ See: IRON MONKEY
Coolest Title: BRICK / ART OF FIGHTING

[ThirdOuting]

10's
Mulholland Drive
Taxi Driver
Withnail and I
The Wicker Man
Eraserhead
Lost Highway

9's
Almost Famous
Lost in Translation
Vicent
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

8's
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

7's
Deliverance
Easy Rider

6's
Frankenweenie
Y tu mamá también

5's
Sisters

3's
The Da Vinci Code

[phelonious]

* = rewatch

4/10 Lady Vengeance (2005) / Chanwook
The lady in question spends 13 years in prison as an ideal prisoner--although totally innocent and then the moment she gets releases, she tells off the bible thumper waiting outside the prison gates for her to get stuffed. She tracks down her daughter--who was taken away from her who now lives in Australia, then after a brief reunion, lets her return to the foster parents. She finds the criminal responsible then lets others decide his fate. The heroine was way too passive for me. She let others decide and determine the direction of her fate.

5/10 Art School Confindental (2006) / Zwigoff
Portrait of a voyeur. Was expecting a comedy, what this is, is a bleak satire. The central idea is the art world doesn't actually differentiate between fame and infamy, so talent is not a really a requirement for success; which of course is a god send for everyone concerned. The muse who inspires our hero, is a little too much of cipher, I couldn't decide if she was bored out of her mind or just a dumb blonde. The most interesting character here is the undercover cop with his primitive paintings.

5/10 The Wind will carry us (1999) / Kiarostami
The first ten minutes. A jeep travels in a remote hilly countryside. 3 or 4 men. We listen to them talking, They think they're lost, looking any sign to indicate they are going in the right direction. Until they come upon a small boy waiting by the roadside . Their contact has thought to provide them with a guide to the village. Ironic. Or the story could be taken metaphorically, they are on life's journey, and the ultimate timepost and clarifier is of course, death. As soon as they pull inot the village, his jeep breaks down and he explains to the boy, like people, vehicules need to rest ever so often to recuperate. Which is exactly what he'll be doing for the next two weeks, waiting. He's there to secretly document an obscure funeral rite where the woman rend their faces in grief. When he asks the boy where is her house? He doesn't bring him to her house but to a vantage point on a level above, so the dying woman's house is always seen from above. Each time he gets a phone call (simply to nag him about the lack of progress of his assignment) he has to jump into his jeep and race uphill to get better reception. Comic relief--or is the village so remote, modern technology can penetrate it? his high ground above the village also doubles as it's cemetery. Higher ground. Is distance necessarily insight? Heavy use of metaphor and off screen characters; the dying doyenne; the hole digger; his 16 year old fiancé; the people he talks to on his phones; even his film crew, they arrive in the jeep with him, but are never seen, at first they spend the first couple of days sleeping in, then going for walks to find strawberries, after an uptick in the old woman's health, they simply give up and head back to Tehran without him. Basically, I thought this was a critique of women's place in Iranian society. They keep the village running through their constant labour. As an honored guest from the big city--he's called engineer, he's housed and fed at the expense of the village--particularily the village women.

6/10 * The Decalogue: Nine (1989) / Kieslowski
Thou shall not covet thy neighbour's wife. The time and budget restraints where working against this story. Some interesting things here though, a rough draft of character who would later become the polish Veronika appears, the "Van den Budenmeyer (a fictional Dutch composer) " running gag also makes it's first appearance here. The soundtrack.

6/10 The Promise (2005) / Chaige
Love Fable set back in time when Gods and humans roamed the earth together. The cartoonish CGI took little time getting used to. It might be wise to check out the original 128 minute version of the film rather than this North American release, 30 minutes are missing.

6/10 The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) / Richardson
Conformity versus individuality. Rebellion versus submission. A troubled youth is sent to juvenile prison for a theft and discovers an unexplored talent. I had a slight problem with all the flashbacks and the training sequences--there's a huge difference between running and jogging, (Damn those method actors!) although Tom Courtenay does a fairly decent final sprint with those flailing arms of his.

7/10 Central Station / Salles
A cynical curmudgeon--and scam artist, gets her faith in humanity restored, after she begins taking care for a recently orphaned boy.

7/10 The Da Vinci Code (2006) / Howard
A treasure hunt. Kind of a weak opening; an uninspired backwards car chase through the streets of paris; a spectacular lack of chemistry between Tautou and Hanks--but the arrival of Ian McCellan saves the film, giving the film a jolt of energy and intrigue.

7/10 Palm Beach Story (1942) / Sturges
Comedy. A married couple decides to divorce after they hit a rough patch. She leaves for Palm Beach. A couple of hours later, she's already partying with a group of millionaires in a pullman car and about a day later she's already landed her whale. Meanwhile, Hubby gets second thoughts about the whole thing and chases after her.

7/10 Tout pour Plaire (2005) / Telerman
Three best friends, from childhood, all thirty-five years old, professional, go through the relationship blahs. Each woman discovers something about themselves that allows them move forward in their lives. Mathilde Seigner gets a nice role as a romantically challenged lawyer who can't seem to assert herself enough to get her clients to pay her.

7/10 On a clear day (2005) / Dellal
A quiet little feel good british drama. Although it might be a little slow for most, since most of the characters are old farts ( 50+). A respected foremen in shipbuilding plant gets swept away in a massive wave of downsizing, and without a job to occupy his time (and self esteem) , an unresolved conflict resurfaces that he's managed to avoid dealing with his entire life.

7/10 A taste of Cherry (1997) / Kiarostami
I had heard this was a film about suicide. That's the short answer, It's a lot more complicated and poetic than that. Nice little touches in the film, he's surrounded by delight--asking strangers for 20 spadefuls of dirt to sign off on his death, when all around him machinery is dealing it out wholesale, there's also a sly anti-war critique buried here. Iran was warring with it's neighbour when he made this.

8/10 Gridlock'd (1997) / Curtis-Hall
Motor city. New Year's day and time for some positive life changes, like getting off the smack. The puragotory of drug addiction is nothing compared to the hell of trying to get into a government detox program.

8/10 And Life goes on (1991) / Kiarostami
Why does God do bad things to good people? A film director, Kiarostami (played by a fictional one) travels to the region destavasted by an earthquake (fact) to see if the two boys (actually brothers in real life) who played in his film : Where is the friend's home. A quest that almost seems egocentric at the beginning. An incessant weaving of fiction and fact. Since we've entered the new era of extreme weather conditions, where natural disasters will become, well ... routine and television crews are out trolling the planet to find their sound bites of suffering from third world to entertain couch potatoes in the first world. But in the face of absolute devastation, life goes on..

8/10 Big Bad Love (2001) / Howard
Bittersweet drama. Nice bluesy soundtrack. Leon Barlow's brains are a bit scrambled from the war, so this could be about a soldier suffering from Posttraumaic stress disorder, or the tale of a struggling writer going after his first success. The interesting thing about this film is the story is not told from a character's POV---but his imagination. So, onscreen we see him trying things out, noticing details, exaggerating stuff, going off on a weird tangents, y'know, basically imagining a draft for his next story. So, after a while instead of watching the film, I began to read it.

8/10 Election (2005) / To
Every 2 years, a Hong Kong Triad elects a new chairman, this time around, one of the contenders is going to try to buy the election--how unethical! And let's be frank here, this is more than a little undemocratic! Things are going to get a ltttle contentious, if not downright messy. Nice mix of backroom infighting and gangsterism. If you ever want to see a textbook definition of a movie Macguffin, this is it.

8/10 The loves of a blonde (1965) / Forman
The mating habits from the Czechoslovakian Republic, circa 1960. In a region where women have flocked to a shoe factory to work--because of short sighted central planning, they now, outnumber eligible men 16 to 1. Romance will be precious commodity and marriage will even rarer still. A love letter to all the lonely hearts who haven't quite given up on love.

8/10 Ten (2002) / Kiarostami
Ten conversations. The first one looks like an endless harangue, but there's eleven seamless cuts. One of the penalties of divorcing her husband, is she's branded a bad mother, and she is stuck chauffeuring around her angry son who of couse--little man that he is, knows the party line cold concerning the place of women in the world. Kind hearted, our divorcee picks up other women and offers them rides, each a kind of symbol; the pining lover, the abandoned woman, the whore, the old maid. One of Kiarostami's favorite shots is the long, winding road symbolizing life's journey, but here, he never goes for that signature long shot, instead remains within the confines of the car--within the parameters of his camera, either pointed at the passenger or driver, symbolizing the oppression of Iran women? Spectacular lack of advertising pollution on the walls and sides of buses and things in Iran--No graffiti either.

9/10 * The Decalogue: Eight (1989) / Kieslowski
Thou shall not bear false witness. Interesting, that during the philosophy course she teaches ( "Ethical hell"), a student relates the story from the second episode. Obviously, turning away a little jewish girl during the long night of the german occupation has haunted her, her entire life, but it has also made her take difficult stands. I liked the idea that hero's are not born, but made through an intimate knowledge of right and wrong and when to step up to the plate.

9/10 Fear and trembling (2003) / Corneau
Although this is set in a large Japanese corporation, this is actually a clever coming of age film. Sylvie Testud is a pluckish delight. As a Japanophile, Amelie(san) returns to her beloved homeland. There's immediate obstacles to her dream; her theme music, Bach's The Goldberg variations clashes with in the work environment. Visually, she's alone in a sea of olive skinned, dark haired, dark eyed co-workers, and lastly she's tries to intrigrate by working as a diligent clog in a giant corporation. Some really nice things; she's the proverbial bull in a china shop, however well intentioned and ernest her intentions, she's commits horrible social blunders without ever realizing that within the rigid higharchy of superior and subordinate, those mistakes are not hers--but a reflection on her immediate superiors. Or everything she desires to be sits across the desk from her every day, whereas the beautiful Miss Mori--being over 6 feet tall, the majority of Japanese men would consider her a freak. Great borrow from Oshima's " Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence". ( Zowee! Sakamoto's score is achingly beautiful here--or maybe it's just the acoustics in the bathroom).

9/10 Billy Liar (1963) / Schlesinger
Comedy. Tom Courtenay is almost perfect as an endless day dreamer--one gets the sense he's rebelling against the expectations his parents have, rebelling against his dead-end job through his bristling fantasies. At the time, Yorkshire was going through a kind of urban renewel, so, in the background, older building are beging razed and replaced with more modern ones. There's a huge development planned down the road from front of his house--his future?. A Bittersweet ending where he marches back to his responsibilities and duties (and more importantly--the comfort and security) instead of actually going after his dreams. In a couple of years, his step will become a little less jaunty, his flights of fancy, a little less frequent, and he will become merely one of those loveable eccentrics England is famous for. Ah, the promise of youth.

10/10 * The Decalogue: Ten (1989) / Kieslowski
Thou shall not covet thy neighbour's goods. After their ne'er-do-well Father passes away; Two sons discover locked away in his dingly apartment, a stamp collection worth over a million dollars.

The monthly's

Best film: Billy Liar

Best title: A taste of cherry

Best screenplay: Big Bad Love

Best Actress: Sylvie Testud -- Stupeur et tremblements

Best Actor: Tom Courtenay --Billy Liar

Best Villian: Silas. --Da Vinci Code. Maybe in Europe he could get away with it, but this guy would stand out like a sore thumb in North America. Policeman: Did you get a good look at the prep? Witness: "He was wearing a burlap Monk's habit with a hood, a rope belt, sandals, he was limping and dripping blood. He was an albino--and oh yeah, I think He's married to Jennifer Connelly

Best Movie Badass: the Triad foot solider who crushes then eats a ceramic spoon in front of a Triad boss--all the while staring daggers at him --Election

Cutiest scene: Forever freeloading on the villagers, The journalist begs some milk from a pregnant woman in the house next to where he is staying. The next day he scolds her sister when she is out hanging up the landry because he never got his milk. Then she has to explain he's still talking to her and not her sister, that she was a little busy yesterday--she gave birth to her 10th child. --The wind will carry us

Most blantant product placement: The Louvre --The Da Vinci Code

Biggest undeclared crush: Silas for his Bishop --the Da Vinci Code

[FilmKing2000]

THE BEST :

http://www.sophoto.cn/photopost/data/531/1Kjm-501_Rushmore_1998-med.jpg








THE WORST :

.http://image.ohmynews.com/down/images/1/todd_294343_1%5B465077%5D.jpg

I didn't see any bad films in May, but, with a rating of 6/10, this was my least favorite.
It's not a bad film, it's just the least of what I have seen over the past month