365 in 2005

FWIW, this is my list of films from 2005. My rules at the time allowed tv series (the whole series counted as one film); subtracting these, the total is 356. Lots of great films, lots of fluff, and a few total UGHs. If I can rustle up the short blog entries on each, I'll add them to this post.

• 356. Locked Up
• 355. Memoirs of a Geisha
• 354. Big Eden
• 353. Kitchen Stories
• 352. Donnie Darko
• 351. Modigliani
• 350. Girl Play
• 349. Ray
• 348. All the President's Men
• 347. Walk on Water
• 346. Melinda and Melinda
• 345. The Sexual Life
• 344. Four and a Half Women
• 343. The Man Who Came to Dinner
• 342. P.S. Your Cat is Dead
• 341. Pickpocket
• 340. Apres Vous
• 339. Slipstream
• 338. The Holy Girl
• 337. Chinatown
• 336. My Summer of Love
• 335. Testosterone
• 334. The Family Stone
• 333. Better Luck Tomorrow
• 332. Employee of the Month
• 331. Kandahar
  Dreadful character development and delivery, but it's beautiful. I turned off the sound through much of it, just to see what the country was like.
  
• 330. Best Man
• 329. Super Size Me
• 328. Tell Them Who You Are
• 327. War of the Worlds
• 326. Ladies in Lavender
• 325. Best Boy
• 324. Beauty Shop
• 323. Spare Parts (Rezervni Deli)
• 322. Millions
• 321. Morvern Callar
• 320. America Brown
• 319. Duck Soup
• 318. Agata and the Storm
• 317. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
• 316. Saving Face
  A very endearing love story, set in the Chinese-American community in Flushing, NY. A young surgeon's mother shows up on her doorstep pregnant, while at the same time she's trying to work up the nerve to come clean about a new relationship with a ballerina. Much of the dialogue is in Chinese, subtitled.
  
• 315. Prozac Nation
  An adaptation of Elizabeth Wurtzel's best-selling, much-translated confessional/memoir of the same title, starring Christina Ricci. Ricci is a little short and puffy for this role, but she does a decent job of being convincing most of the time. The one note she tends to miss is the bright light that Wurtzel really is (inside the chaos).
  
• 314. Spun
• 313. Frida
  The Frida Kahlo biopic, starring Salma Hayek (with Mia Maestro and Alfred Molina). I wasn't terribly interested in the subject, but it was watchable.
  
• 312. Savages
  A very unusual, and very strange and experimental first American release from Merchant-Ivory, set in a remote country villa where a group of savages enter and gradually take on the roles of the former inhabitants. More of an art film send-up than anything else, I think.
  
• 311. An Angel at My Table
  Jane Campion's biopic on New Zealand poet Janet Frame. The film is long, and spends quite a bit of time in Frame's childhood, presumably to better set up her young adulthood. A combination of shyness, passivity and being a bit of a loner led to some horrible experiences of being institutionalized, but Frame eventually emerges as a widely-published and well-respected poet.
  
• 310. Smiling Fish & Goat on Fire
  A so-so little romantic comedy about two brothers (starring two brothers) with remarkably different outlooks on life and love.The assorted supporting characters are great.
  
• 309. Vertigo
  Alfred Hitchcock's portrait of obsession and spiraling out of control, with James Stewart and Kim Novak (and a very young Barbara Bel Geddes!).
  
• 308. Empire Falls
• 307. The Human Stain

• November

• 306. High Fidelity
  One of my very favorite movies for a rainy day, or packing/unpacking, wrapping presents, whatever. If I had been born a boy, I probably would have been the guy in the film -- the obsessive record collector, who returns to every past relationship with musical references, organizing the history of his life by the album that best represents it. It's also a great (and accessible) intro to some fabulous lesser-known bands.
  
• 305. Rent
  I'm a big fan of the stage musical "Rent" -- that has to be said first. And I know many reviewers have commented on the degree to which Chris Columbus stayed true to that source material. I have to disagree -- everything that doesn't work well about this movie is due to divergence from the material. The stage version is done as a rock opera, with the dialogue sung rather than spoken. This keeps you plugged-in to the music, you never have that "oh, now they're going to sing about it" feeling like you get with many musicals. Columbus took much of that out, and it really screws up the pacing. But everyone can sing, and the "new" cast members (Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms) are fantastic.
  
• 304. Annie Hall
• 303. Oasis
  Korean film about two outcasts (a young man who has just been released from prison, and probably is mildly retarded; and a girl with cerebral palsy who has been left by her family in a nearly-abandoned apartment building) who fall in love. I'll confess, I couldn't watch more than 20 minutes of it -- it's just too difficult.
  
• 302. Tying the Knot
• 301. In My Country
• 300. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• 299. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
• 298. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
• 297. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
• 296. Brother to Brother
• The L Word: Season 2
• 295. Mostly Martha | November 18, 2005
• 294. A Shock to the System | November 18, 2005
• 293. Seven and a Match | November 17, 2005
• 292. Lordz of Dogtown | November 17, 2005
• 291. Happy Endings | November 16, 2005
• 290. House of D | November 14, 2005
• 289. Mind Hunters | November 13, 2005
• 288. Producing Adults | November 13, 2005
• 287. Crash | November 13, 2005"
  Why do we all behave the way we do? You could say it's about what we believe (true or false), or about how we hate or love, but I think it's about control. We talk about situations being "out of control," as if our having control of people and situations were the normal state. White LAPD officers rachet up their power over a situation in order to assure that they maintain control, gangbangers go to threats of violence to assure that they maintain control, and white women walk the other way when they see black youths in order to assure that they maintain control. I don't know what the implications are, what we're supposed to do about it, but a film like this certainly gets you thinking about the world.
  
• 286. American Chai | November 13, 2005
• 285. Final Cut | November 12, 2005
• 284. Turtles Can Fly | November 12, 2005
• 283. Yes | November 11, 2005
  No. Or not quite, at least. If you could turn off the dialogue, or replace it with nearly anything else, it could be great. But most of the dialogue between Joan Allen and her lover come across too much like poetry, and it's not helpful.
  
• 282. The Brown Bunny | November 10, 2005
  I know there are some great reviews of this movie out there, but I don't see it. It's a study of one sad guy's journey back to the woman he loves (in a frightened, jealous, dominating sort of way). Oh, and it's apparently also a study of his big tool.
  
• 281. Palindromes | November 9, 2005
  I watch this because I need to know what new crap Todd Solondz is up to. Maybe someday I'll get why he makes the films he does, but most of the time I think he's just going for thrill value.
  
• 280. Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical | November 8, 2005
• 279. David Searching | November 8, 2005
  Random gay guy / fag hag flick #42. But, starring Anthony Rapp and Camryn Manheim (and Steven Spinella, and Kathleen Chalfant), so you'd think it wouldn't be awful. But you'd be wrong. I can't completely hold their bad locations against them, and there were some sweet moments, but it was pretty boring overall. And what's with the Walter Prior character? (Prior Walter being the role Stephen Spinell won a Tony for)
  
• The Librarian: Quest For the Spear | November 7, 2005
• 278. Heights | November 7, 2005
  A modern Altman-esque tale of entangled liaisons, ultimately at the expense of our observant heroine. I didn't dislike it, but I didn't love it. Though Rufus, yum.
  
• 277. Omagh | November 6, 2005
• 276. Harry + Max | November 6, 2005
• 275. Mystic River | November 5, 2005
  With a stellar cast (Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Laura Linney, Kevin Bacon), led by the brilliant Clint Eastwood, this movie could hardly do any wrong. But it's better that, turning what you think is going to be a murder mystery into a film about regret, family, power and revenge. It's an amazing film.
  
• 274. Layer Cake | November 5, 2005
  A modern gangster/drug-runner movie told with a somewhat humorous tone. I could have used subtitles, since the dialogue is fast and the accents thick, and maybe I would have liked the film more if I had understood it all. It's just not my thing.
  
• 273. Born Into Brothels | November 5, 2005
  A documentary not on the brothels in Calcutta, or even necessarily on how/why children come to live there, but on a photographer's struggle to help them get out. After spending a couple of years filming and photographing in some of the worst red light districts in Calcutta, Zana Briskie decides to start teaching the children about photography. She gives them cameras, holds critique sessions, lets them examine contact sheets to select from their photos, and somehow gives these kids something to believe in, other than their likely future as prostitutes. Her work to get them into schools is exhausting and mostly fruitless, but few may manage to escape.
  
• 272. Rock School | November 4, 2005
  Real-life rock school founder Paul Green is crazy, but he's successful in getting a whole bunch of kids to learn to play serious rock music. The story is fairly flat, though -- it feels more like random cuts of film than a documentary.
  
• 271. Particles of Truth | November 4, 2005
• 270. Mysterious Skin | November 4, 2005
  A Gregg Araki film about two boys molested by their baseball coach. Told in combination of extended exposition, present-day narrative, and quick flashbacks. I liked it, but it's hard to find words to critique or praise it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is stunning.
  
• 269. Straight Jacket | November 3, 2005

• October

• 268. Mercy | October 31, 2005
• 267. Nashville | October 31, 2005
• 266. The Weather Underground | October 30, 2005
• 265. Lisa Picard is Famous | October 30, 2005
  Lisa Picard is a little psycho, a lot neurotic, and not at all famous. But she'd like to be, and seems clueless about just how long ago the famous train passed her by.
  
• 264. Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story | October 29, 2005
  A documentary on fighter Emile Griffith, who (inadvertently?) killed opponent Benny Parets in the ring. I may have drifted in and out a bit, but I found the storytelling a bit flat. The interviews with Griffith and with Parets' son were great, as was the arranged meeting between the two in Central Park. It's an interesting look at New York City, as well.
  
• 263. Imaginary Heroes | October 29, 2005
  This movie reminded me of so many others with similar themes (suburban angst and the tragedy of loss): The Ice Storm, Moonlight Mile, Wonder Boys. Golden boy son commits suicide, and younger brother is left with shattered glass for a family. Sigourney Weaver and some good writing keeps it from being ordinary.
  
• 262. Two Weeks Notice | October 28, 2005
• 261. A View From the Top | October 28, 2005
• 260. The Incredibles | October 24, 2005
• 259. Chicago | October 22, 2005
• 258. The Yards | October 22, 2005
• 257. Off the Lip | October 21, 2005
• 256. Mad Hot Ballroom | October 21, 2005
• 255. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants | October 20, 2005
• 254. Wilder Napalm | October 17, 2005
• 253. The Deviants | October 17, 2005
  Low-budget sexy fun. The film makes one really common low-budget film mistake, though: acting as if everything that happens is the first time it's happened. Every conversation is the first time someone's asked the question.
  
• 252. Be Cool | October 16, 2005
• 251. Me and You and Everyone We Know | October 16, 2005
  Miranda July is one of those people I always use to defend against in my head -- I couldn't understand why she had to be so odd, so off-kilter and goofy. I'm not sure why I cared, really. But I was intrigued by this film mostly because of those lingering puzzling thoughts. And I'm glad I saw it -- it's fantastic, and only slightly weird.
  
• 250. Elizabethtown | October 15, 2005
  It's not about anything, really. There are a few really moving moments, but generally I didn't like this very much.
  
• 249. Kissed | October 11, 2005
  An early Molly Parker film about death -- or, rather, about one woman's lifelong obsession with death. It plays most of the time like a dreamy macabre comedy, but works its way deeper as the film goes on. Also stars Peter Outerbridge, who shone as the MTF transsexual in 'Better than Chocolate'.
  
• 248. They Came Back | October 9, 2005
• 247. Look At Me | October 9, 2005
• 246. Lilies | October 8, 2005
• 245. Seven Girlfriends | October 8, 2005
• 244. Schultze Gets the Blues | October 8, 2005
• 243. Milwaukee, Minnesota | October 8, 2005
  Really, really awful. Allison Folland is generally wo fabulous, but this was all kinds of raw. Troy Garity was relatively endearing, but the rest felt like a bad school play.
  
• 242. Sahara | October 7, 2005
• 241. Nobody Knows | October 2, 2005
  It could have been called "Nobody noticed." Or "Nobody Cared." Four children left on their own by an unbelievably ditzy mom. The film is told in the children's world -- we don't really see what the adults see, or if they see; we don't really see how the money flows (or we do, but we don't understand the Japanese currency). An amazing piece. But it's very, very long and depressing as hell.
  
• 240. Kinsey | October 2, 2005
  The film's a little crazy, but how else could you tell the story of Alfred Kinsey and his sex research? The light humor and glossy look, juxtaposed against Kinsey's dry examination of sex make for a result you can't help but take not quite seriously.
  
• 239. The Girl in the Cafe | October 1, 2005
  Quite unexpectedly cute. Kelly MacDonald plays shy Scot Gina, who meets shy Brit Bill Nighy (who turns out to be a major player in the UK government), and things are nice, until they're not. It's ultimately about speaking out, and how one person can make a difference, but that part comes in a fairly propaganda-ridden package.
  
• 238. Winter Solstice | October 1, 2005
  A little slow, but ok. Allison Janney brings a little sunshine into the home of a single dad. Making a film about people who move so slowly through life -- who don't have big revelations or heroic tasks to complete -- is a delicate business. Too much of a study of this sort and you end up with "A Taste of Cherry", which I couldn't even finish.
  
• 237. Childstar | October 1, 2005
  Making kids act in films is bad. We make them into brats, idolized and hated and treated with kid gloves. But we knew that, and as much as I usually really love Don McKellar, I didn't think he had all that much to say in this film that was new.
  
• 236. Serenity | October 1, 2005
  It's about belief -- it's what all the Joss stuff is about, I think. Not necessarily religion, or mystical forces, or good and evil, just belief in something. So the movie's about Mal and the crew of Serenity doing something because they believe in it, and are willing to die for it, not because of a paycheck. It was great -- lots of superfast action, some amazing movement from Summer Glau (who knew she was a ballerina ninja? who knew that was possible? Buffy on crack!), and all kinds of mind-fucking from Joss. That's why we love him. And curse his name sometimes. He does things he's not supposed to, and keeps us on our toes, but then doesn't get all satisfied with himself -- the movie doesn't ever take itself too seriously, and brings the funny just when it's needed.
  

• September

• 235. Monster-in-law | September 28, 2005
• 234. The English Patient | September 25, 2005
• 233. Passion Fish | September 25, 2005
  A difficult, gorgeous films by the incomparable John Sayles. I still don't understand how this man gets inside the minds of women, without making it a comment on women or some kind of tribute. He's a genius.
  
• 232. Undertow | September 24, 2005
  Unbearably dull. I just can't manage to get interested in movies that watch people go on and on in a meaningless existence. There's enough of that in my own life, why would I want to take time out from that to watch something even more boring?
  
• 231. In and Out | September 24, 2005
  I don't remember thinking about this before -- the film goes to an absurd side of comedy a little too often for me. The bad acting of Cameron, leaving the guy on the steps of the Supreme Court, Cameron stuffing Joan Cusack's face at the wedding. The heart is good, I think, but sometimes it's not where I would have put it.
  
• 230. Flightplan | September 24, 2005
  I'm not a super-hard sell on thillers with a heart -- but somewhere in the third act, a gigantic hellmouth opened and unleashed plot implausibilities beyond belief, and it was just too annoying to be dealt wit.
  
• 229. I Love You, Don't Touch Me | September 23, 2005
  Not a bad piece on dating and learning to deal with your stupid expectations.
  
• 228. Miami Blues | September 19, 2005
• 227. Waking the Dead | September 11, 2005
• 226. Happy Accidents | September 10, 2005
• 225. Just Visiting | September 10, 2005
• 224. The Hours | September 10, 2005
  There are so many ways to interpret this film, I'd hardly know where to begin talking about it. But I really love it, agony and all.
  
• 223. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar | September 9, 2005
• 222. Smile | September 9, 2005
  Terribly messy, but with a good heart, if not a bit sweet. If you put aside the myriad implausibilities, and cliches galore, and make it through the first interminable hour, the story of a girl volunteering for an Operation Smile-like project in China may resonate nicely
  
• 221. The Center of the World | September 6, 2005
• 220. Dancing at the Blue Iguana | September 6, 2005
• 219. Only You | September 5, 2005
• 218. Alexander | September 1, 2005
  Way too bloody for my tastes, but the jumping back and forth in time was an interesting way to tell the story -- the idea that you have to have context before you introduce an epic hero.
  

• August

• 217. The Stepford Wives | August 31, 2005
  Not as awful as I'd been led to believe. Though with a Paul Rudnick script, it should have been wittier, sharper. The look was dead-on, and there were lots of great beats, but the story really sagged in the third act. They didn't do horror -- not really -- and the comedy didn't work completely without something more edgy.
  
• 216. D.E.B.S. | August 31, 2005
• 215. Mean Creek | August 30, 2005
• 214. My Son the Fanatic | August 30, 2005
  A bit of a twist on the typical immigrant story, with parent immersed in the modern evil world, and child reaching for the old ways. Om Puri may not be the typical male romantic lead, but he's great here, with Rachel Griffiths opposite.
  
• 213. Touch of Pink | August 30, 2005
  v. cute story of boys in London, and one boy's out-of-loop mom in Canada. And Kyle MacLachlan appears as the spirit of Cary Grant, which is interesting. It's a device to get us to understand why and to what extent the boy holds onto childhood, but mostly it's great comedy.
  
• 212. The Ballad of Jack and Rose | August 29, 2005
  Though it might be impossible to put this group of actors together and not have a great film, I still have to give Rebecca Miller credit for an amazing narrative.
  
• 211. Bedrooms and Hallways | August 29, 2005
• 210. A Lot Like Love | August 28, 2005
• 209. This So-Called Disaster | August 26, 2005
• 208. Angela's Ashes | August 25, 2005
• 207. L.A. Confidential | August 25, 2005
• 206. The Cider House Rules | August 24, 2005
• 205. The Deep End of the Ocean | August 23, 2005
• 204. Joan of Arc | August 23, 2005
• 203. Off the Map | August 23, 2005
• 202. The Upside of Anger | August 22, 2005
• 201. Sin City | August 21, 2005
• 200. Mi Familia | August 21, 2005
• 199. Catch Me If You Can | August 20, 2005
• 198. Tokyo Story | August 19, 2005
• 197. Chasing Liberty | August 18, 2005
• 196. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | August 18, 2005
• 195. Bride and Prejudice | August 17, 2005
• 194. The Wedding Date | August 16, 2005
• 193. Ice Princess | August 16, 2005
• 192. Rick | August 16, 2005
• Dead Like Me, Season 2 | August 14, 2005
• 191. Along Came Polly | August 10, 2005
• 190. Uptown Girls | August 9, 2005
• 189. Everyday People | August 6, 2005
• 188. The Laramie Project | August 4, 2005
• 187. Million Dollar Baby | August 4, 2005
• 186. Admissions | August 4, 2005
• 185. The Insider | August 2, 2005

• July

• 184. Must Love Dogs | July 31, 2005
• 183. Casa de los Babys | July 30, 2005
• 182. Broken Hearts Club | July 30, 2005
• 181. Latter Days | July 29, 2005
• 180. The Island | July 28, 2005
• 179. Big Fat Liar | July 26, 2005
• 178. The Last Seduction | July 24, 2005
• 177. You'll Get Over It | July 23, 2005
• 176. The Girl From Monday | July 23, 2005
• 175. Vera Drake | July 23, 2005
• Carnivale, Season 1 | July 20, 2005
• 174. Carrington | July 13, 2005
• 173. A Simple Plan | July 12, 2005
• 172. Easy | July 9, 2005
• 171. Living Out Loud | July 9, 2005
• 170. The Terminal | July 8, 2005
• 169. Close to Leo | July 7, 2005
• 168. Bride and Prejudice | July 6, 2005
• 167. Hotel Rwanda | July 6, 2005
• 166. Finding Neverland | July 4, 2005
• 165. Hitch | July 3, 2005
• 164. The Importance of Being Earnest | July 3, 2005
• 163. Better Than Chocolate | July 2, 2005

• June

• 162. Logan's Run | June 30, 2005
• 161. The Jacket | June 28, 2005
• 160. Hedwig and the Angry Inch | June 26, 2005
• 159. Maybe Baby | June 23, 2005
• 158. 2046 | June 22, 2005
• 157. Imitation of Life | June 20, 2005
• 156. Saved! | June 20, 2005
• 155. In the Mood for Love | June 19, 2005
• 154. Wimbledon | June 19, 2005
• 153. Lost in Translation | June 18, 2005
• 152. Three Kings | June 18, 2005
• 151. The Ideal Husband | June 17, 2005
• 150. Saving Face | June 17, 2005
• 149. P.S. | June 16, 2005
• Trevor | June 16, 2005
• 148. Cowboys and Angels | June 15, 2005
• 147. Master and Commander | June 14, 2005
• 146. Antares | June 13, 2005
• 145. Let the Church Say Amen | June 13, 2005
• 144. In Good Company | June 12, 2005
• 143. Intentions | June 12, 2005
• 142. The Corporation | June 11, 2005
• 141. Mr. and Mrs. Smith | June 11, 2005
• 140. The Cell | June 11, 2005
• 139. Pollock | June 10, 2005
• 138. Cold Mountain | June 8, 2005
• 137. Prick Up Your Ears | June 7, 2005
• 136. The Woodsman | June 6, 2005
• 135. The 24th Day | June 6, 2005
• 134. The Matchmaker | June 3, 2005
• 133. The Event | June 3, 2005
• 132. Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius | June 2, 2005
• 131. Primer | June 2, 2005

• May

• Six Feet Under, Season 3 | May 30, 2005
• 130. Birth | May 28, 2005
• 129. Eulogy | May 28, 2005
• 128. Closer | May 28, 2005
• 127. Monsiur Ibrahim | May 27, 2005
• 126. Gone, But Not Forgotten | May 26, 2005
• 125. Robot Stories | May 25, 2005
• 124. Intermission | May 24, 2005
• 123. The Maltese Falcon | May 23, 2005
• 122. The Color of Paradise | May 22, 2005
• 121. East is East | May 21, 2005
• 120. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou | May 19, 2005
• 119. Enduring Love | May 19, 2005
• 118. Primer | May 19, 2005
• 117. Bread and Tulips | May 18, 2005
• 116. Noi the Albino | May 14, 2005
• 115. Invinvible | May 14, 2005
• 114. The Son | May 13, 2005
• 113. Sideways | May 12, 2005
• 112. A Beautiful Mind | May 6, 2005
• 111. Earth | May 7, 2005
• 110. Elling | April 30, 2005
• 109. Y Tu Mama Tambien | May 1, 2005

• April

• 108. Come Undone | April 16, 2005
• 107. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) | April 15, 2005
• 106. Km. 0 | April 15, 2005
• 105. Rosenstrasse | April 12, 2005
• 104. Secret Things | April 11, 2005
• 103. Butterfly (La Lengua de la Mariposas) | April 11, 2005
• 102. Billy Elliot | April 10, 2005
• 101. Eat Drink Man Woman | April 10, 2005
• 100. My Own Private Idaho | April 9, 2005
• 99. The Cooler | April 2, 2005
• 98. The Color of Pomegranates | April 2, 2005
• 97. Lawrence of Arabia | April 2, 2005
• 96. Under the Tuscan Sun | April 2, 2005
• 95. Maria Full of Grace | April 1, 2005

• March

• 94. Manito | March 31, 2005
• 93. Witnesses | March 28, 2005
• 92. He Died With a Felafel In His Hand | March 27, 2005
• 91. Falling Angels | March 27, 2005
• 90. The Quiet American | March 26, 2005
• 89. Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous | March 26, 2005
  This was a random Netflix pick -- a title I'd never heard of, with a great cast and a story that sounded interesting enough for me to pick it up. I don't know how it did at the box office, but I'm probably way out of its demographic anyway. It comes off a bit like a novel that didn't quite get properly adapted for the screen (or a novel that was really a self-help book), but it's not awful. And little Jordan Mosely, the one obviously talented kid in Bravo's "Showbiz moms and dads" apparently won the part she had been auditioning for near the end of the series -- in this film. The film alternates between three stories: the present, with Michelle in prison talking with the preacher; the past, with Michelle's mother willfully ignoring the fact that her boyfriend was molesting her daughter; and the recent past, with Michelle recently paroled from a drug violation, trying to make a clean start at a three-day church revival. The film plays like a mystery, but there's not much to be solved, other than what's going to happen next.
  
• 88. Woman Thou Art Loosed | March 26, 2005
• 87. Not One Less | March 25, 2005
• 86. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | March 25, 2005
• 85. The Incredibles | March 24, 2005
• 84. Buddy | March 23, 2005
• 83. Wolves in the Snow | March 21, 2005
• 82. Alexandra's Project | March 21, 2005
• 81. Wilby Wonderful | March 20, 2005
• 80. Word Wars | March 19, 2005
• 79. Almost Famous | March 19, 2005
• 78. Things I Never Told You | March 19, 2005
• 77. The Business of Fancydancing | March 18, 2005
  In my 365-films-in-365-days year, it wouldn't have been right not to see this film. A documentary about a group of people who see a lot of movies. A LOT of movies. These are people who see 1,000 movies a year, not 365. None hold a regular job (though one does have something part-time, the others are on disability or living off an inheritance), and all are very, very quirky. Growing up in the theatre, I met more than my fair midwestern share of characters like this, and I have mostly really warm feelings about them. Here are people whose questionable mental health might just as easily have landed them on the streets muttering things, rather than in the movie theatres muttering things. And other than the occasional violent outbursts (most notably from the oldest of the group, the only woman), these folks seem pretty harmless.
  
• 76. Cinemania | March 18, 2005
• 75. Man of the Yaar | March 16, 2005
• 74. Raja | March 14, 2005
• 73. Elizabeth | March 13, 2005
• 72. Baadasssss | March 13, 2005
• 71. American Splendor | March 12, 2005
• 70. Owning Mahowny | March 12, 2005
• 69. George Washington | March 12, 2005
• 68. I Heart Huckabees | March 11, 2005
• 67. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring | March 10, 2005
• 66. The Middle of the World | March 9, 2005
• 65. The Rage in Placid Lake | March 9, 2005
• 64. THX1138 | March 8, 2005
• 63. Carol's Journey | March 8, 2005
• 62. Kill Bill, volume 2 | March 7, 2005
• 61. Kill Bill, volume 1 | March 7, 2005
• 60. Gun-Shy | March 6, 2005
• 59. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind | March 5, 2005
• 58. The Aviator | March 5, 2005
• 57. Constantine | March 5, 2005
• 56. The Party's Over | March 3, 2005
• 55. Yossi and Jagger | March 3, 2005
• 54. The Weight of Water | March 2, 2005

• February

• 53. The Whole Wide World | Feb. 28, 2005
• 52. Cavedweller | Feb. 27, 2005
• 51. Waking Life | Feb. 26, 2005
• 50. Bark | Feb. 25, 2005
• 49. A Taste of Cherry | Feb. 22, 2005
• 48. OT: Our Town | Feb. 21, 2005
• 47. Morlang | Feb. 21, 2005
• 46. Ginger and Cinnamon | Feb. 20, 2005
• 45. The Republic of Love | Feb. 20, 2005
• 44. Minority Report | Feb. 19, 2005
• 43. Sunset Boulevard | Feb. 19, 2005
• 42. The Dish | Feb. 19, 2005
• 41. Hollywood Ending | Feb. 19, 2005
• 40. We Don't Live Here Anymore | Feb. 18, 2005
• 39. Down to the Bone | Feb. 16, 2005
• 38. Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself | Feb. 16, 2005
• 37. One Hour Photo | Feb. 14, 2005
• 36. Marion Bridge | Feb. 13, 2005
• 35. Long Life, Prosperity and Happiness | Feb. 13, 2005
• 34. Napoleon Dynamite | Feb. 12, 2005
• 33. Dandelion | Feb. 12, 2005
• 32. Finding Nemo | Feb. 12, 2005
• 31. The Company | Feb. 12, 2005
• 30. The Healer | Feb. 11, 2005
• 29. Amy | Feb. 10, 2005
• 28. Mean Girls | Feb. 10, 2005
• 27. Big Eden | Feb. 10, 2005
• 26. The Station Agent | Feb. 9, 2005
• 25. In America | Feb. 7, 2005
• 24. Japanese Story | Feb. 6, 2005
• 23. Virgin | Feb. 6, 2005
• 22. Bagdad Cafe | Feb. 5, 2005

• January

• 21. Equilibrium | Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005
• 20. The Dreamlife of Angels | Jan. 24, 2005
• 19. Full Frontal | Sunday, Jan. 23, 2005
• 18. The Forgotten | Sunday, Jan. 23, 2005
• 17. Punch-Drunk Love | Sunday, Jan. 23, 2005
• Significant Others (tv series)
• 16. Broadway Damage | Saturday, Jan. 22?
• 15. Dogville | Monday, Jan. 17, 2005
• 14. Silver City | Monday, Jan. 17, 2005
• 13. Angels in America | Weekend of Jan. 15, 2005
• 12. AKA | Saturday, Jan. 15, 2005
• 11. I've Heard the Mermaids Singing | Friday, Jan. 14, 2005
• 10. Ma Vie en Rose | Friday, Jan. 14, 2005
• 9. The Village | Friday, Jan. 14, 2005
  I didn't go into this expecting much -- the fact that I continued to work on a crafts/organization project throughout is one sign of how seriously I didn't take this viewing -- but that made for a good start. Anyone who's seen much Twilight Zone or Star Trek (TNG, in particular), or read much of the Asimov sci-fi or spec-fi genre will guess the "secret" fairly early on. I pooh-poohed that when I heard someone say something to that effect after the release, but now I totally agree. But that's ok, really -- like the Sixth Sense, it's not a deal-breaker. But the problem is, so much of the wonder and tone of the movie is wrapped up in the facade, the truth, and the delayed revelation (to characters and audience) that there's not a lot of room for development after that -- and THAT'S what would have been interesting. The best part of the TNG episode where Picard lives another life in a day (the flute one... don't ask me the name of the ep) is the point where you see him deal with the huge weight of all this, and know the effect it will have for years to come. The Village would have been so much more interesting if there was at least some contemplation of how this life was to continue -- would the secret die with the elders? Would Ivy tell Lucius (who, curious as he is, might decide to leave)? This has been a short-term experiment -- so how did they get to have such a large population? All these things are important because the central story just isn't compelling enough. Oh. and Bryce Howard? Luminous, and just wicked scary talented.
  
• 8. The Five Obstructions | Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005
• 7. Born Rich | Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005
• 6. Love Actually | Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005
• 5. Lemonysnicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events | Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005
• 4. Abcd | Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005
• 3. Let it Snow | Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005
• 2. Code 46 | Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005
• 1. Garden State | Saturday, Jan. 1, 2005