Lee Just Watched (July 9 - July 23)

1. The Willow Tree (05): Iranian director ('Children of Heaven') Majid Majidi wrote and directed this film about a blind man who regains his sight. The effect this has on him and his family is not what one would expect. I found it devestatingly painful to watch but it got me to thinking about a lot of things in my own life. WWW. Will probably end up on blog list.
2. The Ballad of Narayama (1984): Japanese. A group of villagers who are experiencing severe famine opt to send their elderly to Mt. Narayama to die. Wild stuff. WWW.
3. Rails and Ties (07): Poorly written film about a railway engineer and his wife who adopt the child of a suicide victim. WOT.(Waste of Time)
4. PU-239 (06): HBO adaptation of a short story about a Russian nuclear plant worker who is exposed to radiation. Follows his last days on earth. Should have been great but it tried to cover too many angles. A brave attempt but ultimately dissapointing.
5. My Best Friend (07): French light hearted fare. Successful business man tries to round up a best friend in 10 days to win a bet. He does. I'd skip it.
6. Lost in Bejing (07): Chinese female director Yu Li creates an interesting portrait of modern day Bejing as its entire socio-economic structure shifts gears. The story follows two couples and their very strange connection. LEM.
7. Protagonist (07) : Unique DOC that cleverly weaves simple talking head interviews with animation in the attempt to draw parallels between the lives of four men and the structure of Euripedes' Greek Tragedies. Successful or not? You be the judge! WWW, NWIE, WOTBP.
8. The Comedians of Comedy (06): Fun standup comedy.
9. Private Property (06): French film starring Isabelle Huppert in a powerfully understated performance as the mother of two difficult teen boys and their negative effect on her life.BBPI. WWW.
10, Cassandra's Dream (07): Woody Allen's latest screenplay does not deliver the goods. Stars Colin Farrel, Ewan Mcgregor and Tom Wilkinson so it should have been good. Sorry Woody. WOT.
11. Man With the Movie Camera (1929): Without a doubt one of the best films I have ever seen. Will be on the blog this fall. Soviet avante-garde director Dziga Vertov's take on all things Cinema as well as his surroundings. Stunning in every way. BMM, LLI, LEM, WOTBP.
12, La Vie en Rose (07): Bio of Edith Piaf. Great for Piaf fans which I happen to be. I didn't realize just how difficult this woman's life was, especially her sadly crippling arthritis. Makeup on the actress was startlingly good at showing her aging and infirmity.
13. Unveiled (05): Iranian lesbian flees persecution, seeks asylum in Germany disguised as a man. WWW. BTIE.
14. I'm the One That I Want (2000): Comedian Margaret Cho in concert. Speaks honestly about what it is like to be a woman in America. FAH.
15. The Notorious Cho (02): Comedian Margaret Cho in concert, FAH.
16. Strange Culture (06): DOC. Story of activist artist Steve Kurtz and his arrest for alleged bio-terrorism.
17. The Bridesmaid (04): French director Claude Chabrol wraps a riveting thriller around a seemingly typical love story. LEM.

Lee Just Watched (June 21 - July 8)

1. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars (05): DOC. Six musicians who are refugees's from Sierra Leone's civil war use music to express their feelings and to help other refugee's survive.
2. Love Songs (07): French. Unusual musical /film about a hip young couple involved in a three way romance. I dislike musicals overall but I enjoyed this. The plot wasn't of that much interest to me but somehow I enjoyed this in spite of myself!
3. Open Hearts (02): Danish director Susan Bier's disturbing film about a happily engaged couple who's lives change when the man becomes paralyzed in an accident. Stars Mads Mikkelson and Nikolaj Lie Kass. I always enjoy watching both of these talented actors. Biers is a powerhouse as usual.
4. Manda Bala (07): DOC. Brilliant, shocking look at modern Brazilian corruption. Very very odd. A frog farm and farmer, a plastic surgeon who specializes in rebuilding the cut off ears of kidnap victims, the kidnappers and the kidnapped.....photographed and interviewed in a way that left my mind spinning.Tough stuff, our world...BMM, LLI, BTIE, WWW.
5. Sweeney Todd (07): The Johnny Depp version, LEM!
6. La Sorpresa (07): Set in Mexico, a deadly love triangle. OKBNG.
7. The Castle (1997): Austrian film based on Franz Kafka's absurdist novel. If you love Kafka this will probably be fun. Starring Ulrich Muhe from 'The Lives of Others'.
8. The Wedding Party (05): Satirical take on a wedding day disaster. Interesting but ultimately unsatisfying as I had a hard time suspending my disbelief.
9. Angels in the Dust (07): DOC. Truly inspiring story of a South African middle class family who devote their lives to creating and maintaining an orphanage for around 500 children who's parents have died of Aids. I admire these people tremendously. Reminds me that there are good people in the world. WWW, DNA .
10. Desert Bayou (07): DOC. After Katrina 600 African Americans from New Orleans were flown to a military installation in Utah. This is their story.
11. I Like Killing Flies (04): DOC. Tells the story of the Shopsin family who have run a unique (to put it mildly) and highly successful Greenwich Village restaurant for over 30 years. They live and breath this business. Fascinating. FAH, LEM.
12. On a Clear Day(05): British. A fifty five year old working class man becomes 'redundant' and finds an outlet for his anger and depression by preparing to swim the English Channel. I expected it to be sappy and sentimental but was pleasantly surprised. (well, it is actually a bit sappy and sentimental but what the heck......) A lovely film. WWW.
13. A Double Tour (1961): French. A Claude Chabrol murder mystery. Not bad, liked the acting and the setting.
14. Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1977): German filmaker Fassbinder's critical take on the lives of the bourgeois. Based on actual events, Herr R. does indeed run amok. I liked it.