Lee Just Watched (Jun 21 - Oct 13)

Manji (64): Japanese new-wave director Yasuzu Masumura's erotic tale of two married women who connect sexually (and their husbands.!) WWW,WOTBP

Alila (07): Interplay of characters living in Israeli run down apt. complex, CFE,OKBNG

Dark Matter (07): Meryl Streep becomes involved with a brilliant Chinese student of cosmology. LEM, NWIE,EOS,WWW

Still Life (06): China, Yangtzee River, 3 Gorges Dam. OKBNG.

Intimate Strangers (04): Sandrine Bonnaire stars in this fantastic french film about a woman who mistakes a financial planner for a therapist and what ensues between them. LEM, WWW.

Pinero (02): Benjamin Bratt stars in this biography of drugged out , mixed up, but brilliant Latino playwright/poet Miguel Pinero who did years in jail and became a success in NYC theatre scene. WWW, BMH

The Teena Brandon Story (98): Engrossing DOC on which the film 'Boys Don't Cry' was based. BMH, WWW.

Little Fish (06): Former Junkie Kate Blanchett tries to start a business. OKBNG

The Dreamers (03): Bertolucci's EXTREMELY erotic French film involving an American student and an eccentric brother and sister (threesome). WWW, BMM, Must See.

Retribution (06): Japanese thriller. CFE.

Existenz (99): Can't believe I missed this sci-fi from Cronenberg starring Jude Law and Jen. Jason Leigh. FAH!!!!

Revolutionary Road (08): Excellent performances by DiCaprio (he ALWAYS nails it in my opinion) and Winslett (love her honesty). WWW.

10 Items or Less (06): Delightful little piece with Morgan Freeman and a grocery store cashier.. WWW. FAH.

A Wonderful World (06): Spanish satire about a homeless man who becomes famous after an attempted suicide. Pretty interesting actually. BTIE.

Frost Nixon (08): Ron Howards film. LEM.

Killshot (09): Piece o junk with Mickey Ruorke and Diane Lane. But I'll watch him reading the phone book.

The Matador (08): Spanish DOC about the rise of young bullfighter 'El Findi'. WWW if the subject interests you.

Elsa and Fred (05): Madrid Spain, lighthearted but serious love story about two folks in their 80's who hook up. Wonderful. WWW.

I Served the King of England (06): Czech story of a waiter who aspires to aristocracy, supposedly true story. Not bad.

Film Geek (05): FAH, Director/writer/actor James Westby. He's a video store film geek who gets laid off. LEM. Small, creative , inventive and funny.

Summer o4 (06): German story of a hip family in their country home and what happens to them when the son brings home his nymphfet young girlfriend. WWW.

Stranded: I've Come From a Plane (o7): Re-enactment of the Uruguayan Rugby team's crash in the Andes and how some of them survived. Great combination of actual footage. BMM. WWW.

La Petite Lili (03): Another French film about the change in family dynamics when young sensual girlfriend spends the summer. Not bad either.

Torremolino (73): Spanish satire about a couple who get involved in the making erotic films. odd and kinda interesting.

Witch Hunt (08): Powerful, informative DOC narrated by Sean Penn about the Bakersfield, CA child molestation hysteria. BMM. WWW.

Ripple Effect(07): Forest Whittiker is fun in this gentle film about Karma and finding serenity. WWW.

The Lost Coast(08): CFE, 3 friends dealing with their past..can't remember much about it.

Very Young Girls (07): DOC coming to blog about young prostitutes. BMH, BMM.

The Great Buck Howard (08): Not bad for Hollywood flick. Malkovich did a good job.

Tuya's marriage (06): Beautiful film in Mandarin language about Tuya looking to find a new husband that would fit into their family unit. WWW.

House of the Sleeping Beauties (06): Very odd German film about a house that 'rents' sleeping women to men for the night. WOTBP, not exploitive at all. Interesting concept. NECOT.

Cherry Blossom (08): German film about an older couple, one who is dying, and love of Japanese culture. Simple, elegant, wonderful. WWW.

Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi (03): Israeli teenager has much to do (especially cooking!) to keep his family on track. A small, lovely, humorous movie. Great characters. WWW.

Unsettled (06): Must see DOC focussing on some of the people being 'unsettled' along the Gaza Strip in 05. LEM.

Crips and Bloods (08): DOC about the crips and Blood gangs of LA. Well done, insightful and eye opening. WWW.

8 Miles High (07): True bio of a Bavarian girl who grows up to become the 'IT girl', involved with the Rolling Stones and that whole scene. Surprisingly good.

Valentin0: The Last Emperor (08): Great DOC about designer Valentino leading up to his 7oth b-day celebration show. LEM.

Peter and the Wolf (06): Gorgeous remake of the Russian classic. Less than an hour long. WWW.

Head On (06) In Germany ,a Turkish immigrant woman marries a Turkish German man to get out from under her families traditional thumb.NWIE. I found the male character fascinating. WWW.

Brideshead Revisited (08?): Good take on the classic.

The Big Lebowski (98): Jeff Bridges in the cult classic, I had never seen it. Not as good as I had expected though I do enjoy him aways.

Night of the Iguana (64): Richard Burton stuns as usual in this great adaptation of the T.W. play.

In Between Days (06): Sweet story of Korean immigrant adolescents.

Bolt (08): FAH animation about the dog 'Bolt' who is a tv star coming to terms with his own reality. LEM.

The Pursuit of Happyness (06): If it hadn't been a true story I'd be gagging, but as it did in fact happen, hey, WAY TO GO!!!!

State of Play (09): Horrendous remake of the fantastic BBC series of the same name. Stay away from this one.

The Man in the Moon (91): Phenomenal film starring a 14 year old Reese Witherspoon. I had no idea how talented she is. Sisters in Louisiana , budding love and family. BMM.

TV to DVD:

Sensitive Skin (seasons 1 & 2): Joanna Lumley of the British series 'ABsolutely Fabulous' stars in this serious study of a couple negotiating their 60's. WWW, NECOT

Doctor's Diaries (09): Nova special following 7 Harvard med students from 87-08. WWW. WBTIE.

Rat Attack : DOC about an area of India that gets infested periodically with rats. Really interesting!

The State Within : A good old fashiooned political thriller, mini-series.

Party Down: FAH series about a group of caterers. Each episode is a different party they are catering. LEM. (except the last episode)

IT Crowd (06): MUST SEE British series about the IT team in the basement of a large corporation. FAH, LEM, Hysterically funny!

30 Rock (brilliant, FAH), The Shield (final season, SOOOOOOOO good), The Office(Awesome, FAH), Dirty Sexy Money (FAH, too bad it got cancelled) ,Flight of the Conchords(2nd season, FAH), House (latest season, dissapointing, stopped watching it, they have run out of material. Loved all the past seasons.)

Lee Just Watched (Mar 5 - Jun 20)

The Bands Visit: (07) Israeli. LEM. Delightful and uplifting.

The Grocer's Son: (07) French , WWW

The Beautiful Truth: (08) DOC

Noises Off: (92)

A Very British Gangster: (07) DOC WWW

Humbolt County: (08)

Dear Zachary: (08) DOC BMM, BMH, WWW

Something Like Happiness: (05) Czech drama WWW

Show Business: The Road to Broadway: (07) DOC

Scum (BBC version): (77) WWW

Shake it all About: (01) Scandinavian drama

Frozen River: (08) WWW

Once Upon a Time in the Midlands: (02) British .Shane Meadows film. WWW

Jelly Fish: (03) Tel Aviv comedy/drama

Times and Winds: (06) Turkish

Burn After Reading: (08)

Passover Fever: (95) Israeli, WWW

Roman Polanski : Wanted and Desired: (08) DOC
WWW

AKA: (02)

Body of Lies: (08) Ridley Scott film.

Milk: (08) Boring.

I've Loved You For so Long: (08) French drama.

Vantage Point: (07)

Righteous Kill: (08)

My Zinc Bed: (08) Flawed but fascinating. WWW

Wendy and Lucy: (08) Wonderful Indie film. WWW

Nobelity : (06) DOC

Bukowski: Born Into This: (03) DOC about drunk writer Charles Bukowski. If you like his writing FAH, WWW.

Reconstruction: (04) Danish psychological thriller. CFE but fun..

Mojave Phone Booth: (06) Indie film. OKBNG

Just Another Love Story: (07) Great Danish film. WWW.

Front Runners: (08) DOC Stuyvesant High school in NY class president race. FAH.

Kira's Reason :(01) Must see
Danish film.

Street Fight: (05) DOC about 2002 mayoral race in Newark NJ. FAH. WWW.

Towelhead: (07) Excellent film about a young girl who is sexualized at an early age and how she deals with it. Controversy about the title, made from novel of the same name. WWW.

Terror's Advocate: (07) DOC , WWW

Sacred Steel: (03) DOC. LEM, FAH, steel guitar in 'The House of God" church. Ordered soundtrack immediately!

Trafic:(71) French classic, Jaques Tati. LEM, WWW, FAH.

Aviva My Love: (06) Israeli drama

Ricky Gervais: Out of England :(08) Standup comedy. Fun.

Rachel Getting Married:(08) A little self absorbed . NMCOT.

Blind Mountain: (07) Chinese. BMM, BMH,WWW. Painful but must see this film.

The Taking of Pelham 123: (74) Original version. LEM.FAH.

Waco: The Rules of Engagement: (97) DOC about Waco. NWIE. Must see if you are interested in the subject. BMM.

Keane: (04) Must see Indie film starring a BRILLIANT Damian Lewis.

WALL-E: (08) Pixar animation FAH.


TV to DVD: I watched the following series and every one was excellent!

- K Street
- In Treatment
- The Forsyte Saga
- Freaks and Geeks
- The Way We Live Now

Lee Just Watchded (Jan 26 - Mar 4)

Black , White & Gray (07): DOC about the controversial photographer Mapplethorpe and his connection with Sam Wagstaff and Patti Smith. Pretty interesting if you are a fan of any of them. Lots of interviews with Smith.

Crawford (08): DOC about how The arrival of the Bush family in 99 affected this small Texas town. WBTIE.

Kings and Queen (05): 146 minute french film by director Desplechin. Long and rambling story about a woman , her crazy but fascinationg ex, and a bunch of people in their lives. I found it strangely alluring. NECOT.

Days and Clouds (08): Very honest Italian film about a middle aged well to do couple in Genoa and how the loss of the husband's job affects their lives. WWW.

The Cool School (07): DOC. In the late 50s Walter Hoppes and Ed Kienholz opened a unique gallery in LA , allowing west coast artists to compete with the likes of Pollock and de Kooning in NY. Fascinating if the subject interests you.

Inside John Lennon: Unauthorized (03): Unauthorized bio. Some good stuff for Lennon fans.

The Assassination of Richard Nixon (04): Based on real event .Sean Penn portrays a world weary salesman who decides he needs to change the way things are by killing Nixon. Good character study. LEM.

Save Me (07): Surprisingly even handed story about a Christian haven for gay men who want to go strait. BTIE, OKBNG. Good only if the subject interests you.

Kurt Cobain:About a Son (06): Truly unique DOC about Cobain done through audio phone interviews Cobain did over the years with journalist Michael Azerrod. There is almost no footage of Cobain, none of his music, no other interviews with any one else. Just Magnificently shot images of three towns he inhabited. The photography BMM and reminded me of my own in many ways. WBTI, WWW, LLI. NECOT.

Scum (79): Alan Clarke's grim and powerful portrayal film of Britains Borstal (reform schools for boys) institutions during the Thatcher years. Made originally for BBC but they banned it.

Director: Alan Clarke (91): Simple and informative DOC about this brilliant director.

After the Life: Trilogy (1,2 & 3) (02): French director Lucas Belvaux created an interesting group of films in which some of the main characters intersect. Drug addiction, police work, underground agitators abound. I liked the 1st and 3rd, the 2nd fell short. The final shot at the end of the 1st is worth the whole thing.

The Firm/Elephant (DVD release 04): Two more brilliant films by director Alan Clarke. The firm stars the great Gary Oldman. Elephant was the inspiration for Gus Van Sant's fairly recent movie 'Elephant' which I also highly recommend. WWW.

Nil by Mouth (97): Actor Gary Oldman directs this simple, gritty little slice of lower class claustrophobic South London life. Starring Ray Winstone. Not bad at all.

Deception (08): Mainstream thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor. Just good B level fun.

Death at a Funeral (07): Not so great British comedy about a dysfunctional family at a funeral. Could have been worse.

Snow Angels (07): Sam Rockwell (one of my favorite American actors) gives his usual all in this quiet haunting drama of a 'domesticly disturbed' couple in a typical small town. WWW, LLI. Buyer beware.

Lee Just watched (Dec 6 - Jan 25)

The Edge of Heaven (07): A set of interesting characters in Turkey and Germany find there lives intertwining. Some interesting characters and performances.

Savage Grace (07): Julianne Moore's performance is outstanding. This tale of incest and dysfunction is based on the true story of a socialite who was murdered in 1972. NECOT, EOS, BMH.

Melo (86): French director Alain Resnais takes a good look at the not so happy lives of two successful male musicians and one woman. OKBNG.

Hearts of Darkness (91): Eleanor Coppola directs this FANTASTIC documentary about the making of Apocolypse Now (79). BMM, LEM, WWW.

Batman Begins (05): T2HOMLINGB. (see key)

Mongol (07): First of a trilogy about the life of Genghis Khan. BTIE.

Snatch (2000): Guy Richie's action film -worth seeing just to watch Brad Pitt in his role as a wild and crazy gypsy boxer who speaks illegible dialogue.

Made in Britain (82): Thanks to Oldman for suggesting this to us after watching "This is England". Tim Roth makes a powerful film debut with his performance as Trevor the 16 year old rebellious skinhead . BMM. Directed brilliantly by Alan Clarke, every moment is priceless. DNA, LEM, EOS.

Heckler (07): DOC about what comedians have to deal with when it comes to hecklers in the audience. OKBNG

Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa (07): Very interesting DOC about a group of unique peole living 'off the grid' in the New Mexican desert. WWW, WBTIE.

Blow (01): Johnny Depp plays real life 70's coke smuggler George Jung. His rise and downfall. MCOT, FAH.

Nuts in May (76): This is a hilarious film about a young British couple on their camping holiday. I laughed so hard it hurt. LEM, FAH, WWW.

Taboo (99): Unusual look into Kyoto's 1865 Shogun era. A young Samurai 's stunning beauty causes quite a stir among his fellow warriors. The subject matter, though done in a very traditional Japanese film making style, is WOTBP. NECOT, BTIE.

Bolivia (01): A low budget labor of love about a Bolivian exile trying to make his way by working in a Buenos Aires restaurant. I liked it.

Lost Embrace (04): Takes place in a Buenos Aires shopping mall where a Jewish mother and son own a lingerie shop.The son is searching for an understanding of the dad who left them long ago. OKBNG.

Spun (02): A wild ride with John Leguizamo and Mickey Rourke. About their crazy life of Meth addiction. All the actors were excellent. An imperfect film but a brave experiment. LEM, WWW, WOTBP.

Summer of Sam (99): Spike Lee's view of the summer (1977) during which the 'Son of Sam' reigned in NYC.I liked it. BTIE.

Conversations With Other Women (06): I thought I'd hate this but I ended up enjoying the performances and the couples' interplay. Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart are old lovers who meet at a wedding. BTIE, OKBNG.

Risk (2000) : Just a fun little B thriller set in the world of car insurance adjusters. As if! CFE, OKBNG.

Transiberian (08): Now this was a REAL thriller. WBTIE! EOS, FAH, LEM. Woody Harrelson plays a good American guy travelling with his new wife on the Transiberian railway for a little adventure. And boy did they get some.

Little Otik (01): Could not be more OTBP. Set in the Czech Republic and based on an old eery folktale. A couple who cannot conceive adopt a tree stump as their child. Yep. SOD, NECOT but sticks to the ribs and WWW.

The War Zone (99): Directed by Tim Roth. One of the most powerful and honest depictions of incest ever put on screen. DNA, BMH, BMM. Will be on the blog soon.

Festival Express (03): DOC about the 5 day train ride in 1970 that carried Janis Joplin, The Band, The Grateful Dead and others across Canada to play a series of outdoor concerts. FAH if you love this music.

D.O.A. (1950): From the Film Noir Classics, a thriller starring Edmond O'Brien as a dead man. He's been poisoned and will die tomorrow but is hell bent on catching his murderer!! Check it out if you are fond of this genre.

Bright Future (04): Kiyoshi Kurasowa directs this unusual tale about two young Japanese men and a jellyfish. An imperfect film but I liked it.

TV to DVD:

Five Days (07): HBO/BBC production. Five days in the lives of a family (and the community) as the police search for the wife /mother who has gone missing. I liked it.

State of Play (03): BBC conspiracy thriller. Watching David Morrissey is always FAH. This mini series follows a political scandal through the world of the newspaper people who are investigating the story. EOS, LEM.

The Shield (seasons 1 & 2): The FX series we've all heard so much about . Absolutely riveting. I'm addicted. Season 3 here I come.....

Lee Just watched (Sep 11 - Dec 5)

1.Mouth to Mouth (o5): Young actress Ellen Page stars in this small and captivating film about teens who are drawn into a small 'street' cult. BBPI, WWW WWW.

2.The Visitor (07): Widowed professor finds a new self through befriending immigrant squatters and Jimbe drumming. BTIE,WWW

3. The Great New Wonderful (06): Five different stories of New Yorkers post 9/11. Some were quite good pieces, though inconsistent.

4. We Own the Night (07): Unexpectedly fantastic cop thriller starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Duvall & Mark Wahlberg. WBTIE, EOS, WWW. LLI.

5.The King of Masks (99): Chinese story of passing of ritual arts from one generation to another.

6. Faithless (2000): Liv Ullman directed a Bergman script based on an infidelity in his own life. Slow but gripping. NECOT. I liked it a lot.

7. The Unseen (05): Unusual story of a successful man who returns to his childhood town and finds an old friend imprisoned in his home. Lots of old hidden trauma unfolds. Unusual and well done.


8. Haven (04): Good junky 'B' thriller with Bill Paxton as a white collar crime guy who gets busted in the Caymans.

9.Winter Passing (06): Wow, this one was a stunner. Ed Harris BMM as a reclusive and eccentric writer who's daughter comes home for a bit after many years. WBTIE, WWW.

10. The Business of Being Born (07): Powerful and informative DOC about the business of being born!

11. Iron Man (08): Holiday fun , Downey of course is great. Sexist as all get out, what's with the heels ladies....but FAH.

12. The Incredible Hulk (08): Not so fun, watched with family so we got a kick out of ripping it apart.

13. Sex and the City (08): Without a doubt, one of the WORST films ever made. Like being roasted on a slow spit...

14.Ladies and Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains (82): Unknown little starlets Diane Lane and Laura Dern in a rockstar wannabee movie. Not horrible and Diane was cute as a button!

15.Before the Rain (94): An entirely original film set in and around the time of the Balkans circle of violence. Too complex to explain, VERY powerful , LLI, WWW.

16. Rendition (07): Not very good drama about the U.S. rendition process, but I did learn a few things I probably should know.

17. Roads to Koktebel (03): Oh so QUIET Russian film about a boy and his dad making their quiet, slow walk towards a new life in a town by the Black Sea. NECOT but I enjoyed the journey.

18. Dear Wendy (05): Now here's a movie for the blog. Weird, a bit confusing and certainly imperfect but I LEM. Guns and good teens in a mining town combine with unusual consequences.

19.Mister Foe (07):The young male lead in this odd movie is Jamie Bell who was also the lead in 'Dear Wendy! He's a talented kid, 2 very different roles. This was a good psychological thriller that was never predictable. NECOT, I liked it.

20. Jackson Pollock: Love & Death (99): Good informative DOC., goes way behind the scenes! WWW.

21. Pusher (96): Yes!

22. Pusher 2 (04): BIG BIG Yes!

23: Pusher 3 (05): Yes, but some tough violence that won't be easily forgotten.
A GREAT trilogy set in Copenhagen, drugs, scum, slimeballs, yes yes and more yes.written and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. BMM. Especially #2. Check em out, Mads Mikkelson is in 1 & 2!

TV to DVD:

-1 'The Wire' complete HBO series (One of the best dramatic TV shows ever made in my humble opinion)
- 2. 'John From Cincinnati' complete HBO series
-3. 'Black Books' complete BBC series (A total kick,FAH)
-4. ' Tell Me you Love Me' complete HBO series
-5. 'Flight of the Conchords' complete series (don't think I could be more entertained than by the antics of these two brilliant and crazy New Zealanders.)
-6. 'The Corner' complete HBO mini-series