Just in case you have not already heard - the winners are...

Best Motion Picture - Drama:
      A Beautiful Mind

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical:
      Moulin Rouge!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama:
      Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical:
      Gene Hackman (The Royal Tenenbaums)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama:
      Sissy Spacek (In the Bedroom)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical:
      Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge!)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture:
      Jim Broadbent (Iris)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion
Picture:
      Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind)

Best Director:
      Robert Altman (Gosford Park)

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture:
      A Beautiful Mind- Akiva Goldsman

Best Original Song - Motion Picture:
      Kate & Leopold- Sting

Best Original Score - Motion Picture:
      Moulin Rouge!- Craig Armstrong

Best Foreign Language Film:
      No Man's Land

Full details of all nominations are at: http://uk.imdb.com/RTO/Globes/

Under the database link I've added a file which shows all the films
discussed in this Group to date.  I've left room for average votes
for each film, which I will update once a month from info in our
polls section.

I agree with what you say about this film.  I didn't manage to catch
it at the cinema (maybe because, as you point out, it didn't seem to
get much of a UK release) but I did see it on DVD.  Well worth
seeing.  Great performances.

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0258761




--- In filmtalkuk@y..., "filmfan99uk" <filmfan99uk@y...> wrote:
> I saw LAST RESORT back in June, as part of the NFT Seeking
Sanctuary
> season. I don't believe it ever really got a UK release after that,
> and here it is cropping up on BBC2 seven months later.
>
> Basically it is the story of a young Russian (I think) emigree and
> her teenage son, who have come to Britain to meet her boyfriend.
When
> he doesn't show up, they unwittingly get mixed into the asylum
> proceesing system, and taken to an off season coastal resort, to
> await processing.
>
> Whilst the subject of asylum seekers often brings strong responses
> from people, this shows something of the lonely and vulnerable
> reality.
>
> Anyway I would certainly recommend this one as worth setting your
> video for.

I saw LAST RESORT back in June, as part of the NFT Seeking Sanctuary
season. I don't believe it ever really got a UK release after that,
and here it is cropping up on BBC2 seven months later.

Basically it is the story of a young Russian (I think) emigree and
her teenage son, who have come to Britain to meet her boyfriend. When
he doesn't show up, they unwittingly get mixed into the asylum
proceesing system, and taken to an off season coastal resort, to
await processing.

Whilst the subject of asylum seekers often brings strong responses
from people, this shows something of the lonely and vulnerable
reality.

Anyway I would certainly recommend this one as worth setting your
video for.

I also love this film, which I saw when it when it was first
released.  At the time I was not that familiar with Altman's work,
and so the style came as a complete surprise to me.

I agree that the Annie Ross plotline is weaker than the others, and
unecessarily slows the pace of the film at times.

As we mentioned The Apartment recently, I am reminded that Jack
Lemmon gives a great performance as a guilty father trying to become
reconciled to his son.

I have set-up a poll for this film.

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0108122
IMDB plot summary: 'While helicopters overhead spray against a Medfly
infestation a group of Los Angeles lives intersect, some casually,
some to more lasting effect. Whilst they go out to concerts and jazz
clubs and even have their pools cleaned, they also lie, drink, and
cheat. Death itself seems never to be far away, even on a fishing
trip'










--- In filmtalkuk@y..., "filmfan99uk" <filmfan99uk@y...> wrote:
> Caught this one this evening at the NFT, which is part of a season,
> dedicated to the natural redhead Julianne Moore.
>
> One thing Altman does well is creating the big picture, combined
with
> a mosaic of plotlines. Just like 'The Player', 'Nashville','A
> Wedding', and the severly underated TV series 'Tanner 88'; there is
a
> always a lot happening, to a lot of tenously linked people. In this
> we have nine different interlinked stories inspired by a poem
> called 'Lemonade' by Raymond Carver.
>
> What we are in here, is morally ambiguous Thirty something
territory,
> with very few characters seemingly happy with their lot. Tim
Robbins
> is an adulterous Motorbike Cop, who deliberately loses his kids pet
> dog. Julianne Moore cheats a little, if it will progress her pseudo
> art career. Francis Mcdormand is a single mum on the make. Fred
Ward
> and friends find a floating dead body, but finish their fishing
trip
> before reporting it. Jennifer Jason Leigh provides telephone sex
> chat, discussing her wet pussy, whilst changing her babys wet
nappy.
> Lyle Lovett is a hard working baker, who makes abusive phone calls,
> when his customers don't collect their cakes.
>
> Giving some moral structure to all these empty lives is Andie
> Mcdowell and Bruce Davison as parents, both having to cope with
their
> child being run over, seemingly make progress in hospital, only to
> eventually die of his injuries. Yet despite their loss, it is the
> other characters in the film you ultimately end up feeling sorry
for.
>
> Short Cuts is a brilliant three hour plus movie, that ultimately
goes
> nowhere, but certainly entertains you on the journey. Where it does
> slightly fall down is in its sense of place. Other then the
permanent
> sunshine, there is no real feel of the LA setting; or certainly
this
> is a very limited take on LA (no boyz in the hood pop up in this
> film). Certainly Lawrence Kasden's 'Grand Canyon' was far superior
in
> that respect, reminding you that although that film was also about
> white middle class LA, there was also a darker more dangerous LA
just
> around the corner. Also the constant intercut of the jazz ensemble
> and sixty something jazz singer Annie Ross, seemed out context with
> both the setting and the rest of the characters.
>
> But no Altman film is ever going to be completely flawless, and
this
> is as close to a masterpiece as one is likely to get these days
from
> hollywood.
>
> (Oh yes Mike, you were correct, Altman didn't direct Magnolia)

Caught this one this evening at the NFT, which is part of a season,
dedicated to the natural redhead Julianne Moore.

One thing Altman does well is creating the big picture, combined with
a mosaic of plotlines. Just like 'The Player', 'Nashville','A
Wedding', and the severly underated TV series 'Tanner 88'; there is a
always a lot happening, to a lot of tenously linked people. In this
we have nine different interlinked stories inspired by a poem
called 'Lemonade' by Raymond Carver.

What we are in here, is morally ambiguous Thirty something territory,
with very few characters seemingly happy with their lot. Tim Robbins
is an adulterous Motorbike Cop, who deliberately loses his kids pet
dog. Julianne Moore cheats a little, if it will progress her pseudo
art career. Francis Mcdormand is a single mum on the make. Fred Ward
and friends find a floating dead body, but finish their fishing trip
before reporting it. Jennifer Jason Leigh provides telephone sex
chat, discussing her wet pussy, whilst changing her babys wet nappy.
Lyle Lovett is a hard working baker, who makes abusive phone calls,
when his customers don't collect their cakes.

Giving some moral structure to all these empty lives is Andie
Mcdowell and Bruce Davison as parents, both having to cope with their
child being run over, seemingly make progress in hospital, only to
eventually die of his injuries. Yet despite their loss, it is the
other characters in the film you ultimately end up feeling sorry for.

Short Cuts is a brilliant three hour plus movie, that ultimately goes
nowhere, but certainly entertains you on the journey. Where it does
slightly fall down is in its sense of place. Other then the permanent
sunshine, there is no real feel of the LA setting; or certainly this
is a very limited take on LA (no boyz in the hood pop up in this
film). Certainly Lawrence Kasden's 'Grand Canyon' was far superior in
that respect, reminding you that although that film was also about
white middle class LA, there was also a darker more dangerous LA just
around the corner. Also the constant intercut of the jazz ensemble
and sixty something jazz singer Annie Ross, seemed out context with
both the setting and the rest of the characters.

But no Altman film is ever going to be completely flawless, and this
is as close to a masterpiece as one is likely to get these days from
hollywood.

(Oh yes Mike, you were correct, Altman didn't direct Magnolia)

Couldn't agree more, this is one of the all time great bittersweet
comedies. This was showing around Christmas a couple of years ago at
the Curzon Soho, unfortunately a last minute change of film contrived
that I missed it. However I justified the switch, on the basis that
it was scheduled to be on TV, about a week later; only for the BBC to
postpone the screening, no doubt so as not to upset the Curzon Soho ?

Anyway in answer to your question how did Fran fall for Sheldrake;
because he was the boss.



--- In filmtalkuk@y..., "mob61uk" <mob61uk@y...> wrote:
> Just great, great, great.  Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" is almost
> perfection, thanks to an absolutely brilliant performance from Jack
> Lemmon as the Everyman office worker, CC Baxter.  Shirley MacLaine
> also shines as lift attendant Fran Kubelik.  The only bum note in
an
> otherwise flawless work of art, is how the hell Fran ever fell for
> such an obviously unpleasant man as Sheldrake.
>
> The DVD of this movie that has just been issued has a crisp, clear
> picture, in full 2.35:1 widescreen format.  Unfortunatley, there
are
> no extras to speak of.
>
> IMDB plot summary: 'Bud Baxter is a struggling clerk in a huge New
> York insurance company. He's discovered a quick way to climb the
> corporate ladder - by lending out his apartment to the executives
as
> a place to take their mistresses. He often has to deal with the
> aftermath of their visits and one night he's left with a major
> problem to solve.'
>
> My rating: 5 out of 5
> IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0053604
>
> There are also some good on set pictures at:
> http://uk.imdb.com/Gallery?0053604&source=mptv

This film has at its heart four beautifully delicate performances by
Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslett and Hugh Bonneville.  They
are quite simply breathtaking.  In particular, Judi Dench as the
eponymous Iris Murdoch is the best that I have ever seen her.  If she
doesn't get an oscar for this performance, the there is something
wrong with the oscar committee (or whatever they are called).

It is therefore a shame to say that, at least in my view, the script
and direction are not up to the standard of the performances.  Both
tend to be a little obvious and literal at times.  Despite this the
film is well worth seeing.

Plot summary (from BBCi Films): 'Judi Dench's extraordinary Indian
summer continues with a heartbreaking performance as the late
novelist Iris Murdoch. Her portrayal of a great mind succumbing to
the ravages of Alzheimer's is unbearably moving.  Bouncing back and
forth between Murdoch's early days at Oxford and her deterioration
four decades later, "Iris" tells of its heroine's enduring love for
John Bayley, a fellow academic who wrote the memoirs upon which the
script was based.'

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0280778

To register your vote for this film, click on the "Polls" link on the
left-hand side of this page.

Just great, great, great.  Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" is almost
perfection, thanks to an absolutely brilliant performance from Jack
Lemmon as the Everyman office worker, CC Baxter.  Shirley MacLaine
also shines as lift attendant Fran Kubelik.  The only bum note in an
otherwise flawless work of art, is how the hell Fran ever fell for
such an obviously unpleasant man as Sheldrake.

The DVD of this movie that has just been issued has a crisp, clear
picture, in full 2.35:1 widescreen format.  Unfortunatley, there are
no extras to speak of.

IMDB plot summary: 'Bud Baxter is a struggling clerk in a huge New
York insurance company. He's discovered a quick way to climb the
corporate ladder - by lending out his apartment to the executives as
a place to take their mistresses. He often has to deal with the
aftermath of their visits and one night he's left with a major
problem to solve.'

My rating: 5 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Details?0053604

There are also some good on set pictures at:
http://uk.imdb.com/Gallery?0053604&source=mptv

Welcome to all the new members who have joined recently.

Everyone is welcome to post messages about any film you want to talk
about, from Hollywood blockbuster to the most obscure arthouse movie.

I'll set up a poll for every film that is the subject of a posting.
Members can then add their vote for the film, and I'll periodically
issue an update on the most popular films.  I'll set up the polls in
the next few days.

Any comments about this group, please email me.

Thanks.

Mike

Hi all I've just joined.

I have an interest in films not only for their entertainment value
but also commercially.

I own an online department store
http://www.britishinternetstores.co.uk and have a department devoted
to DVD and Video with music soon to open.  I have quite a few titles
in stock so please feel free to browse.  Before making your
selection, why not get in touch with me and find out how you can make
your purchase and get a discount.

Thanks Mike for the invitation to join I look forward to visiting
often.

This was a real surprise.  I went along to the cinema intending to
see another film, but because of timing problems ended up seeing this
one.  I had heard that the film was good, but it far exceeded my
expectations.

This is the first of Mira Nair's films that I have seen, and I'm
impressed.  The film was fantastic: beautiful to look at, with
vibrant colours;  directed with great sensitivity, using mainly hand
held camera work; and perfectly scripted and acted. The story was
funny, tender, passionate, and serious, with fully rounded
characters.  Oh, and the music was great as well.  As you may have
gathered - I liked it, just a bit!

If it doesn't sound like your kind of movie - go and see it anyway.
You may be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

IMDB plot summary: 'The film is crowded with characters, the members
of a family gathering together for the marriage of a young woman in
New Delhi: we trace their stories, retrieve facts and feelings about
their lives, get to know them, even when drama is behind the corner
and the past seems to mix with the present.'

My rating: 5 out of 5
IMDB lonk: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0265343

Watched on DVD.

A really enjoyable comedy, with Michael Douglas giving the
performance of his career.  The DVD has an excellent picture transfer
in 2.35:1, and has some good extras, including a Bob Dylan video of
the song written for the film.

IMDB plot synopsis: 'Grady Tripp (Douglas) is a professor/writer
living in Pittsburgh who is struggling with writer's block. Whilst
doing this, he also manages to get the chancellor (McDormand)
pregnant. In the meantime, he and a college student, James Leer
(Maguire) are trying to find a rare jacket once owned by Marilyn
Monroe, and a college girl, Hannah Green (Holmes) boarding with Grady
has a bit of a crush on him. Based on the book of the same name by
Michael Chabon. '

My rating: 4 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0185014

If you live or work in/near London, you may be interested in this
club.  They organise cinema trips in central London on a regular
basis.  I recently joined and went to my first evening (to see
Mulholland Drive): it was great fun, and the club members who were
there that night made me feel very welcome.

I would highly recommend the club.  You can visit their site at:
http://uk.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/londoncinemasocialuk

Seen on video.

Another good Hartley film, with his usual quirky characters, wry
humour, with inspired directing thrown in.  This is Lynch with less
horror and more control.

IMDB plot synopsis: "Bitter about being double-crossed by the women
he loved, (and with the police after him to boot), Bill vows to
seduce the next woman he sees, then throw her away. His brother
Dennis, meanwhile, is equally determined to track down their long
lost father, a revolutionary who has been in hiding for 20 years. For
different reasons, both leave New York and head for Long Island, out
of money, and short on ideas. D:"Long Island is a a terminal
moraine." B:"What's that?" D:"It's the material left behind when a
glacier recedes." D:"Gee, then what the hell are we waiting for?""

My rating: 4 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0105411

I'm very fond of this film, mainly based on memories of having seen
it some years ago.  I didn't even realise it was directed by Lean
until I saw it recently on DVD.  Re-watching it, I realised just how
good a film it is.  Yes it is occasionally sentimental, but there
is also so much more: nicely observed humour, brilliant ensemble
acting, and perfect directing from Lean.  One of those good old laugh
and cry movies, but with that little bit extra.

IMDB plot synopsis: "Noel Coward's attempt to show how the ordinary
people lived between the wars. Just after WWI the Gibbons family
moves to a nice house in the suburbs. An ordinary sort of life is led
by the family through the years with average number of triumphs and
disasters until the outbreak of WWII."

My rating: 4 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0037367

Watched on TV.

I tend to rate this film higher than the more famous La Dolce Vita
(though I do like that film as well).  This film seems more complete,
more controlled, and more successful in its aims.  Yes it can be
sentimental at times, but it also has a real depth of
characterisation, and character development.

IMDB synopsis: "Gelsomina is sold for a few coins by her very poor
mother to Zampano, a fairground wrestler. She follows him on the road
("la strada") and helps him during his shows. Zampano illtreats her.
She meets "The Fool", a funambulist. She feels like going with him,
but he puts confusion in her mind by pointing out that perhaps
Zampano is in fact in love with her ... "  The development of the
Gelsomina (innocence) and Zampano (brutality/machismo) is beautifully
handled.

My rating 4 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0047528

Seen on DVD.

If you have not seen this film yet, PLEASE PLEASE go and borrow the
video/DVD.  It is one of the most original thrillers for years.  One
that perfectly matches its form with the subject matter, while at the
same time dealing with some serious issues in a fresh and stimulating
way.

IMDB plot summary: "Point blank in the head a man shoots another. In
flashbacks, each one earlier in time than what we've just seen, the
two men's past unfolds. Leonard, as a result of a blow to the head
during an assault on his wife, has no short-term memory. He's looking
for his wife's killer, compensating for his disability by taking
Polaroids, annotating them, and tattooing important facts on his
body. We meet the loquacious Teddy and the seductive Natalie (a
barmaid who promises to help), and we glimpse Leonard's wife through
memories from before the assault. Leonard also talks about Sammy
Jankis, a man he knew with a similar condition. Has Leonard found the
killer? What's going on? "

Tieout say: "This taut, ingenious thriller displays real interest in
how perception and memory shape action, identity and, of course,
filmic storytelling.  There's grade A work from everyone, but in the
end this is Nolan's film. And he delivers, with a vengeance." [Time
Out Film Guide 2002]

The DVD version of this film has just come out, and it is superb.
Website is at www.mementodvd.co.uk

My rating: 5 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0209144

Seen on DVD.

This is one of those rare things: an intelligent and serious film
about sex.  Even more unusual, in a male dominated film industry, is
that it's directed by a woman.

Because of its subject matter, and because it does include explicit
scenes, it has received the usual prurient comments.  However, I
believe it is one of a new wave of films, such as Intimacy, that are
looking at sex with a new maturity.  As Ray Sawhill says in his
salon.com article
(http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/1999/09/17/romance/index.html?
CP=SAL&DN=110) "I found "Romance" to be one of the two or three most
potent films about sex I've seen in the last few decades."

IMDB plot summary: "Although deeply in love with her boyfriend - and
indeed sleeping in the same bed with him - a schoolteacher cannot
handle the almost complete lack of intimacy he will allow.
Increasingly frustrated, she gradually finds her sexual appetites
leading her into ever more risky situations, including a developing
one with the headmaster."  The manner the film is shot casts some
doubt on whether the sexual experimentation that the schoolteacher
goes through is real, or imagined.

My rating: 4 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0194314

Great idea!  Here are my lists:-

RELEASES IN 2001
================

1. Moulin Rouge
2. Amelie
3. The Piano Teacher
4. Together
5. Traffic

REPERTORY IN 2001
=================

1. Three Colours trilogy (yes, I'm cheating with three films!)
2. Fight Club
3. Blue Remembered Hills (TV, but shown at the NFT)
4. The Browning Version
5. Meet Me In St Louis


Anyone else want to send in there list?

Seeing as the Oscars are nearly upon us, I thought I would give two
lists for the best five films I saw at the cinema last year.

RELEASES IN 2001
================
Best : AMELIE
2nd  : SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE
3rd  : ALMOST FAMOUS
4th  : BATTLE ROYALE
5th  : THE MEXICAN


REPERTORY IN 2001
=================
Best : TANNER 88
2nd  : GET CARTER
3rd  : RUN LOLA RUN
4th  : HARD DAYS NIGHT
5th  : PRETTY VILLAGE, PRETTY FLAME

Saw this on video, unfortunately!  The picture was poor, and it
wasn't widescreen.  Nevertheless, the film still shone through.
Sorry, bad metaphor for a film-noir, for that's the genre in which
this movie definitely belongs, although.... (there's alway
an "although" with a Coen brothers movie) ...there are the usual Coen
Bros excentricities to make this something different.

Bearing in mind this was the brothers' first feature film, it is a
very assured piece of work.  The IMDB has a neat little plot
summary: "A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill
his cheating wife and her new man. After that, this cold-hearted
thriller really heats up."  It also gets a lot more complicated.

A review in filmthreat.com (http://www.filmthreat.com/Reviews.asp?
File=ReviewsOne.inc&Id=954) says "To call Joel and Ethan Coen's
landmark noir thriller an influential film is simply stating the
obvious. When this sultry, slow burn saga of a sleazy affair turning
rotten like fish guts in the Texas sun was first released in 1984,
its appreciative audiences immediately realized they were witnessing
nothing short of the revival of film noir for a modern day
audience."  I certainly could not have put it better myself.

My rating: 4 out of 5
IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0086979

This was one of those films which I never managed to see all the way
through.  When this was shown at Christmas on TV I decided I must
make a point of watching it all.  I'm glad I did, because it largely
lived up to its reputation of being a British classic.

The first thing that strikes you is the beautiful photography by Jack
Cardiff.  The handling of the relationship between the pilot and the
radio operator during the plan crash scene at the beginning is
perfectly handled.  I felt that some of the scenes in the "other
world" did date a bit, and were a slightly too simplified.  On the
whole, though, a  very enjoyable film.

My rating: 4 out of 5.

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0038733

Watched on DVD.

The DVD has a new print of this classic film, and the picture is
stunning.  It's been a while since I last saw this movie, and I was
reminded how fresh and inventive it is.  Though over 3 hours long (it
was originally made to be shown as 2 films) it keeps you riveted
throughout.

The story is simple: an actress who is loved by four men.  Out of
this Carne weaves a subtle analysis of the various relationships,
which is as relevant today as in 1945.

My rating: 5 out of 5

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0037674

I must admit, that when I see the words David Lynch attached to a
film, this usually has me running for cover. One might say that the
art of good directing is to create a jigsaw, that the audience can
eventually put together. Lynch on the other hand throws away half the
puzzle, replacing them with pieces with several other jigsaws. In
short you will never be able to put it together, and more fool you
for trying.

Nevertheless 'Mulholland Drive' does succeed in drawing you into a
surreal Sunset Boulevard type world, where everyone is either not who
they seem, or certainly not on the straight and narrow. The main plot
anchor to all the assorted weirdness, is the developing relationship
between easy on the eyes, Betty and Rita. Well that is until Lynch
decides they were really someone else, and not developing a
relationship, but instead have just ended one.

Does anyone remember the TV series DALLAS ? Do you remember when
Bobbys wife (Pam I think her name was) died. Remember when the
producers decided to bring her back to life, on the basis that it was
all a dream. Well Mulholland Drive does this in reverse. Remember
Bobbys surprise one morning, when Pam reappeared in the shower. Well
Betty/Rita/Diane/Whatever meet/reunite in the shower !

Still this is a film worth seeing, if for nothing more than the often
amusing set pieces. I especially liked the film director, trying to
maintain his artistic integrity, in the face of mob funding and
marital infidelity. That is until he became someone else who
was ........ Oh never mind !



--- In filmtalkuk@y..., "mob61uk" <mob61uk@y...> wrote:
> Saw this at the cinema. After the linear and fairly simple
narrative
> style of The Straight Story, Lynch has returned to his usual
> nightmarish vision of America, with all his trade-mark surrealism
> included. For me, the strange elliptical and frankly almost
> impenetrable plot worked (at least towards the end). I'm not sure
> why, but it did! The weird humour also worked in almost all cases,
> though occasionally Lynch stretched what can be funny to the point
of
> just being rediculous. On the whole, I would recommend the film -
> just don't expect to understand it.
>
> My rating: 3 out of 5
>
> IMDB Link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0166924
>
> Link to Sight & Sound magazine review:
> http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/2002_01/mulholland.html

Saw on video.

This film was a revelation.  It had been recommended to me, but I was
not expecting much, since the the only other Hartley film I'd seen
(Henry Fool) had not impressed at all.  However, I was wrong to feel
this way: "Amateur" turned out to be very good.

It's a sort of black comedy involving, as the IMDB
says, "Accountancy, Murder, Amnesia, Torture, Ecstasy, Understanding,
Redemption".  The IMDB plot summary says: "Isabelle is an ex-nun
waiting for her special mission from God. In the meantime, she is
making a living writing pornography. She meets Thomas, a sweet,
confused amnesiac who cannot remember that he used to be a vicious
pornographer, responsible for turning his young wife, Sofia, into the
world's most notorious porn queen. Sofia's on the run, convinced
she's killed him. Together, Isabelle and Thomas set out to discover
his past, a past waiting to catch up with him."

Now, the film is as strange as the summary sounds, but Hartley
handles it beautifullly.  The narrative unfolds at a carefully
controlled place, and in a totally believable way.  Hartley also
brilliantly handles the quirky humour,
as well as the more serious themes which underpin the film (such as
the nature of identity and responsibility) without the latter
becoming heavy-handed.

If you haven't seen this film, please give it a try.

My rating: 5 out of 5.

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Plot?0109093

Watched on TV.

This is the first time I saw the whole film.  Enjoyed it very much.
The choreography, especially near the beginning is excellent.  In
fact, everything about the beginning of the film is good.  However, I
felt that the movie as a whole was too long, and its quality was not
sustained throughout.

Of course - superb music by Bernstein.

My rating: 4 out of 5.

Link to IMDB: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0055614

Caught this on DVD.  Not usually my kind of film, but I enjoyed
it very much.  Effects were superb, and the humour was pitched just
about
right.  David Duchovny was good, and Julianne Moore - as always - was
great.

My rating: 3/5

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0251075

Saw film on DVD.  I'm surprised I haven't watched this before, since
Tom Waits - a musician I really admire - is one of the 3 main stars
of the film.  The other actors are John Lurie and Roberto Benigni.
As with many Jarmusch films, the pace is pretty slow, but stick with
it and you'll be rewarded with a gently funny tale of 2 macho guys
who learn to be a little bit more open through meeting a manic
Italian.

My rating: 3 out of 5

IMDB link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0090967

Saw this at the cinema. After the linear and fairly simple narrative
style of The Straight Story, Lynch has returned to his usual
nightmarish vision of America, with all his trade-mark surrealism
included. For me, the strange elliptical and frankly almost
impenetrable plot worked (at least towards the end). I'm not sure
why, but it did! The weird humour also worked in almost all cases,
though occasionally Lynch stretched what can be funny to the point of
just being rediculous. On the whole, I would recommend the film -
just don't expect to understand it.

My rating: 3 out of 5

IMDB Link: http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0166924

Link to Sight & Sound magazine review:
http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/2002_01/mulholland.html