On the Way to #2,000 – Continued

#1,966 – FIRE IN THE SKY – I maintain that this is essential viewing for anyone interested in The X-Files, or Robert Patrick and his hotness, or aliens in general. Nothing too spectacular, but a very solid B movie with some pretty frightening sequences. I do not want to be abducted by aliens. Apparently all of the people involved (it’s based on a true story) are sticking to their story… cue the Twilight Zone music…

#1,967 – MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO – This batch of movies included some really great ones. How have I not seen this movie before? I love Gus Van Sant, even when he’s being difficult, and I’m always at least mildly fascinated by Keanu Reeves. The dialog and settings are brilliant – everything about this film is great, in fact. Worth multiple viewings, which I’m sure I’ll do later on at some point. This is one of those movies which I feel I need to see again in order to say anything intelligent about it.

#1,968 – KISS KISS BANG BANG – Uhhhh…. I couldn’t get into this movie. I was drinking, and chit-chatting, and it was too scattered and self-assured and smug. Yes, this movie was smug. Love Robert Downey, Jr. though – he’s a trip.

#1,969 – A DAY WITHOUT A MEXICAN – I wanted to like this movie, but couldn’t really get behind it. It was a little amateurish, and felt like a short that was extended in too many different directions (which it actually was). It elucidates some important points though.

#1,970 – GOZU – This is one of the strangest movies I’ve ever seen in my life. That includes all of the other 1,979 movies I’ve seen to date. I’d probably put it in the top 10 as far as sheer unmitigated weirdness goes. If you have a fear of people with cow heads, or full-grown men crawling out of vaginas, stay away. Thanks to Takashi Miike for keeping us guessing after all these years.

#1,971 – THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA – see 25 blog.

#1,972 – FOOTLOOSE – I’m catching up on classic 80s films which I missed as a child. Yes, somehow I avoided seeing Footloose for my entire life (until recently, anyway). This wasn’t a bad film, actually. I’m unable to judge it on its own merit, unfortunately; I only see it as a vehicle for 80s nostalgia.

#1,973 – THE BREAK-UP – see 25 blog. I keep hearing more and more stories about people who hated this movie because it wasn’t “Hollywood” enough for them. That’s reason enough to go see it.

#1,974 – SILVER CITY – This is another movie that was scattered in too many directions. I loved Chris Cooper’s spin on George Bush. But why in God’s name would you hire Tim Roth and only include him in 10 minutes of your movie? WHY?

#1,975 – EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED – I can’t say enough about this movie. I LOVED it. We’ve been listening to Eugene Hutz nonstop in our apartment for the last two weeks (that would be Gogol Bordello), and I was shocked at how perfectly he played Alex the translator. I thought he’d be good, but not THAT good. He starts out as a hip-hop Ukranian goofball along the lines of Ali G, and somehow morphs into a character of great depth and insight along the way. This movie plays an emotional trick similar to ‘Life Is Beautiful’ but is somehow less manipulative. I almost want to write Leiv Schreiber a letter and tell him to keep directing. I get the feeling that no one in Hollywood is encouraging him to tackle any more projects…

#1,976 – TOP GUN – Another 80s flick that I missed when I was young. My roommate wanted me to watch it as a drinking game where we’d do a shot every time the camera lingers on Tom Cruise’s ass. We didn’t actually do that, but the movie is pretty silly. All I can say is that the shots of him riding his motorcycle down palm tree-lined streets really made me want to play Vice City.

#1,977 – BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM – Cute chick flick. They really beat you over the head with the “Girls Should be Allowed to be Themselves” message, but I suppose it’s still necessary in this day and age. Someone please feed Keira Knightley a cheeseburger!

#1,978 – STAY – OK, here’s another movie I was initially ambivalent about, but I ended up really liking it. This movie was a blip in the theaters last year, in spite of its top-notch cast (Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling). Everyone panned this film. Either my brain is turning into mush from too many movies and too much booze, or I’m right about this movie and everyone else is wrong. It’s basically like an X-Files episode, and there’s some stilted, stupid dialog (which makes sense in retrospect). The editing was superb, and they do some really, really clever things with the camera (especially the transitions between scenes). When you get to the end of the movie, you’ll know why this is a keeper for me. I’m a sucker for this particular genre of film (people keep saying it’s been done before, which is true… but actually, not that often). Just watch it, and confront me later if you think I’m wrong.

#1,979 – STRANGERS WITH CANDY – See 25 blog. And watch this movie, goddamnit! You’ll learn that you’re racist (among other important lessons).

#1,980 – HAPPY ENDINGS – Just finished this film tonight. Lately I’ve been really peeved at the way that modern movies insist on TELLING you something (usually via voiceover) instead of SHOWING it, which should be easy, since they have a camera and all. That’s why I give more points to movies like Stay (which shows everything but doesn’t explain it while it’s happening) than to movies like Happy Endings (which requires written titles on the sides to update you on what’s happening, because there’s too much to keep track of). I still liked the film though, and appreciate the fact that it tackled some difficult issues (anyway, issues which the media would have us believe are difficult). Worth watching, I suppose.

More to come!