Charlie Kaufman's latest masterpiece.
It's a romance. It's a comedy. It's
a mystery. But most of all, he and
director Michel Gondry imbue every
scene with equal parts devotion and
loss -- a heartbreaking combination.
showered over it for the past month.
The hype is unnecessary; it's a gem
of a road trip flick with the four of the
best complementary performances of
the year.
his peers, isn't afraid of making
grand political statements. Here, he
takes a breath-taking swipe (at
America? Earth?) and makes it stick.
"Waking Life," and "School of Rock" --
his last three features -- were all
minor miracles in their own ways. His
fourth consecutive success now
indicates he's able to jump genres
without any artistic concessions.
second chapter of the "Kill Bill" saga
expanded rhthymically upon
Tarantino's violently happy
mythology. But the works are
indeed one.
question. But fans of Gondry's
trippy music video work (which I am
big-time) can attest to the auteur's
visual style, which truly is like no
other. The low-fi special effects, the
scene blendings, the time warping --
it's Gondry, brilliantly, in a nutshell.
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'bad education'
and this major accomplishment is a
feat of writing and directing working
in sync with a singular, caustic
purpose.
meta-meta-film. Or, in other words,
it's a movie about moviemakers
making a movie about the movie.
It's also beautifully constructed, and
superbly handled on the screen.
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'sideways'
whose work can be instantly
identified upon first sight, Tarantino
doesn't disappoint with his fifth film.
Some may balk at the lack of action;
I say give me a good story with the
action packed right in.
feature for the Oscar community to
finally acknowledge his directing as an
asset. Perhaps it was Payne's expert
juggling act of actors and words falling
into place with such ease.
Sandler seems to be mimicking,
takes on one "serious" film for every
three or four "popcorn" pictures he
makes. It's almost a tease --
showing cinephiles his true genius
(duh, drama) while paying the bills.
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'ray'
audience in "Dogville," doing what he
thinks "good people" would do in a
similar situation and then ducking
the horrific fallout. A perfectly
gutless protagonist.
hands-down victor. It was like
watching Ray Charles in the flesh, a
perfect marriage of actor and role.
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'million dollar baby'
Almodovar noir, most memorably a
drag queen with a penchant for
threats and exposing some
uncomfortable truths. He's grown
accomplished as an actor, and this
film was the school.
before, and his expression never
more gruff. But as a faded boxing
trainer who's accepted his unfulfilling
role in life, he undergoes a complex
transformation that's alternately
illuminating and agonizing.
Winslet was like picking a favorite
child. But in the end, the full range
of Thurman's bewitching rage,
sadness, anger, drive, and
determination won me over...slightly
more.
'eternal sunshine'
career for an actress in her early
thirties. But in my opinion, her work
in "Sunshine" is tops. Nobody does
"free spirit" like she does, and here
it's a marvel of passion and firery
optimism.
now, and critical favor seems to be in
ebb. Instead watch with awe at this
truly multi-faceted, scarily good
performance.
'million dollar baby'
'before sunset'
seals the deal on Delpy's wondrous
turn as a heartbroken Parisian as she
reconnects emotionally, musically --
and we must assume, eventually,
physically -- with her true love.
gender-bending role in "Boys Don't
Cry," Swank returns to top form as a
wannabe boxer (who seems more in
a need of a place to belong). The
film's final third is her show -- and
she nails it.
playing a very realistic person with
humor and offbeat charm. I know
people just like him, and the actor
never condescends or becomes
exceedingly goofy. He merely has
flaws -- and appetites -- universal in
their reach.
'closer'
'the manchurian candidate'
supreme with his jealous and
vindivtive rants that spewed like fire
from a dragon's mouth. It's not
easy being a watchable asshole.
when you're opposite Meryl Streep
and Denzel Washington, but
Schreiber, using merely his eyes, is
able to evoke the desperation of a
man hermetically controlled by his
mother beyond any form of free will.
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with the Tarantino canon,
sarcastically assured and
appropriately biting. (And nobody
writes for world-weary ex-hitman
quite like QT.)
Zach Braff's film was the accuracy of
meandering twentysomething-ness.
Sarsgaard, always funny and slightly
disturbing, was aces at translating it.
"Candyman" (no joke) and always
wondered where she'd gone. Well, as
it turns out, Alexander Payne and a
glass of Pinot Noir found her. She
basks in a humility and grace that no
other actress this year evoked quite
so expertly.
'coffee & cigarettes'
'dogville'
Aviator," has just one scene in
"Coffee & Cigarettes." She plays two
roles -- a famous actress and her
down-and-out cousin -- who share
tea over a discussion about the
limits of celebrity. Give her an Oscar
already!
most shocking scene in "Dogville"
involves Clarkson and a set of
porcelain dolls. Ultimately, when this
fine actress gets her comeuppance,
your jaw drops to the floor with respect
-- and horror.
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'ray'
cameo, but you just can't deny the
verve she brought to the screen
when she was on it. The "lost
eyeball" scene was the real kicker.
in "Ray" were all strong, but it was
King who deftly turned "Hit the Road
Jack" into the ultimate breakup song.
web space) over this brilliant Kaufman
script. Let me relish in my favorite
moment of the film: Clementine and
Joel, as children, flashing back to
themselves as adults, and delivering
truly harrowing voiceovers about lost
love.
delve into his characters more the
second time around, and it shows:
The Bride's past (and present) are
vibrantly presented.
in making an all-allegory,
all-metaphor film. He didn't forget
that his characters were people, too
-- and vicious ones at that.
Marston's astonishing debut. With a
great Catalina Sandino Moreno in the
title role, the writer-director takes the
audience on a thrilling ride from
Colombia to New York City with a pair
of naive drug mules, never easing his
suspenseful grip.
teenagers who try to cover up an
accidental murder was a terrific blend
of "Lord of the Flies" and "The
Telltale Heart." It deserved a wider
audience.
partner Jim Taylor did it again: They
found a microcosm of odd but
endearing characters, and showed us
that our lives really aren't that much
different from theirs. It really is more
difficult than it looks.
quarreling quartet never feels staged.
It feels lived in. It feels like you
might know someone in a marriage
such as these -- loveless, bitter, only
"for the kids." This realism elevates
the material and makes it worthy of
recognition.
be updated with a modern angle as
successfully as last year's
"Candidate." It doesn't have the
potency of the original, for sure, but
it's thrilling in its own right.
was adapted from, but nonetheless,
the success of "Before Sunset" was all
in its words -- gentle, flowing, wily,
and unpredictable.
(and the short stories from which it's
based) is that you cannot guess
where it's going, but are duly
rewarded once there.
