Lee Just Watched (Aug 24 - Sep 10)

1. Mr. Untouchable (07): DOC. Nicky Barnes the 'black godfather' of NYC drug traffiking 23 years ago speaks to us about his life and the scene as it was. Fascinating. WWW.

2. Late Marriage (01): Lior Ashkenazi of 'Walk on Water' stars in this Israeli film about a mid thirties man and his struggles regarding arranged marriage and family loyalty. Unusual and surprising. WWW.

3. Omar and Pete (05): Doc about two Baltimore drug addicts and their struggle to change their lives. Excellent.

4. Capturing the Friedmans (03): Doc about the Friedman family of Great Neck, NY and the sex abuse scandal they were at the center of in 1987. LLI, thought provoking. WWW.

5. The Grande Role (05): French, not so bad drama about an actor with a dying wife and his efforts to make her happy by letting her believe he has won a leading role in a great American film.

6. Teeth (06): A 'toothed vagina' is at the core of this great little feminist horror flick. WBTIE.

7. The Last Picture Show (1971): Believe it or not I never saw this Bogdanovich classic. LEM.

8. Picture This (1991): Interesting DOC about the making of 'The Last Picture Show'. WWW.

9. Surfwise (07): DOC about a wild sort of guy who had many many children and brought them up in a very unusual manner. Disturbing and compelling. NWIE. LLI. WWW.

10. Villa Paranoia (05): Wonderful Scandinavian flick by actor/director Erik Klausen. Young actress takes on the task of caretaker for seemingly dying mute old man. This film must be seen. The characters, the unexpected plot turns, everything about it is WWW. Serious, intense, but also hysterically funny, creative and joyous. Probably will end up on the blog.

11. Quid Pro Quo (08): A wheelchair bound reporter discovers a world of 'Wanabee Amputees'. Weird , not a great film by any stretch, but oddly satisfying.

12. Into the Arms of Strangers (07): B or C level pyschodrama about a man with amnesia unravelling his dangerous past. I tried to stop but ended up watching the whole movie. One of those so bad it was good sort of deals. (Don't bother...)

13. Ushpizin (05): Israeli film about a couple in a very religious community celebrating the holiday of Succoth. Strangers visit, mayhem ensues. I enjoyed learning about some of the interesting details of the culture and the holiday which even though I grew up Jewish I never knew. Very different. NWIE, WWW.

14. Anytown USA (05): Great DOC about a mayoral race in the little NJ town of Bogota. Hysterically funny and insightful look at small town politics. WWW.

15. Waiting For Happiness (02): Stunningly photographed film set in Mauritania. Quiet, gentle, and almost indescribable. LLI, BMM, WWW. I highly suggest this to anyone who loves the visual aspects of film making.

16. Reprise (06): Scandinavian, two young male writers are best friends trying to get published. What happens to them when they do? A good creative attempt that didn't result in a great film but still worth watching.

Lee Just Watched (Aug 9 - Aug 23)

1. There Will be Blood (07): One of the most overated films of all time. Even Daniel Day Lewis could not save this one. TTHOMLINGB!

2.The Corner (2000): Excellent HBO dramatic miniseries about the lives of some Baltimore families involved in the selling and using of drugs. WWW.

3. Eyes of Night (03): Greek drama about three people who try to find love and happiness. It ain't easy. NTB (not too bad.)

4. Choking Man (06): Tough story of a young Ecuadorian dishwasher working in a NY restaurant. He is dangerously shy , abused by his father, and falls for a sympathtic Chinese waitress.
NTB (not too bad.)

5. Easy Street (06): Good DOC about individual homeless men and women who live in the 'homeless people friendly' town of St. Petersburg, Fla. WWW, BTIE.

6. Without the King (07): Informative DOC about Africa's last ruling monarchy in Swaziland. How power does corrupt...WWW, NWIE.

7. Duck (05): This is a brilliant and unusual movie about a man and a duck. LEM, BMM, EOS, WWW, DNA. Added to my top ten list!

8. Chop Shop (07): A young boy and his sister do their best to make a decent life for themselves while living and working in the 'Chop Shops' of the 'Iron Triangle' (auto body shops) just outside of Queens. . WWW.

9. Room 314 (06): I was very impressed with this adaptation of Michael Knowles stage play shot in five segments. Five couples spend an evening in a non-descript motel room. It seemed so damn real that it bordered on painful. NECOT. BTIE, BBPI.

10. Alex Grey-The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors(06): Alex grey, a NY artist, takes us through his unique lifesize artwork that explores the nature of self. The life size drawings are stunning. NECOT, but if you are into art I recommend this. BTIE.

11. Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man (06): Excellent DOC explores this highly influential and controversial man. WWW.

12. Deliver Us From Evil (06): Amy Berg's award winning DOC about the child abuser (rapist!) Father Oliver O'Grady and the conspiracy by the Cathlic Church to protect him and other molesters. Shocking interviews with O'Grady himself. LLI, BMH, Infuriating as hell.

13. El Bola (2000): Beautiful, painful Spanish drama. A young boy , terribly abused by his dad is befriended by a new classmate. The classmate's loving family takes him under their wing. Powerful . WWW, BMH, LLI.

14. The Outsider (06): DOC about screenwriter (Bugsy, The Gambler...) James Toback. I enjoyed this inside view of the filmaking process.

15. Starting Out In The Evening (07): An aging writer's (Frank Langella) life is changed when a young grad student convinces him to let her do her thesis on his work. I enjoyed it because I enjoy him. OKBNG.