The idea that a cultural movement begins or ends with the flip of a calendar is, of course, fallacious. ”60s Music” is an identifier of a specific strain of popular music that really refers to the time period, between 1965 (mid-career Beatles) and 1976 (The Sex Pistols). What we think of as the Golden Era of 70s movies began, arguably, with The Graduate in 1967 (or Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? the year before) and ended with Raging Bull in 1980.

For now anyway, the 2000s can be called The Netflix Decade, a time when, in theory, more movies were more accessible to more people than ever before. That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone took advantage of this opportunity. Still, the idea that a movie, even one from say, Romania about abortion, can have a second life on video is encouraging. If you’re a stickler for lists, consider this the 90 (or so) best movies of the last ten years. What this era in film will ultimately be called is anyone’s guess, but, many films in this list, particularly those made in the US, reflect life in the Age of Terror, where the country was led by a man whose ambition far exceeded his abilities.

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days – Over the last ten years there has been a rush, in relative terms anyway, of films from countries that were formerly behind the Iron Curtain. The best of these was a heartbreakingly frank film about the moral and practical dilemmas of abortion while Eastern Europe crumbled in the late 1980s. A movie of unflinching honesty. (2007)

8 Mile – Don’t laugh. Yes, Eminem played himself, but great movies put the viewer in a time and place and Curtis Hanson’s impeccable direction gives life to the hopelessness of Eminem’s Detroit ring of despair. The performances of Kim Basinger and Mekhi Phifer are first-rate.  The movie looks even more authentic now that Eminem has faded from the limelight. (2002)

21 Grams – The title refers to the amount of weight we lose after we die. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s follow-up to Amores Perros brought together a math professor (Sean Penn), a grieving housewife (Naomi Watts) and a re-born convict (Benicio Del Toro). The story isn’t arranged chronologically and the morality of what’s taking place is apparent before the full impact of the plot.

The 25^th Hour – Spike Lee’s least bombastic work. Three men (Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Barry Pepper) one of whom is preparing for a prison stint, re-assess their lives in New York City while terrorist occupied planes still echo in the background. The request made late in the film by Norton will make you gasp, but then nod in agreement with his logic. (2002)

About Schmidt – When Jack Nicholson’s wife dies he decides to rent an RV and drive around trying to avoid the realization that he’s a selfish creep. Alexander Payne’s portrait of aging shines even brighter when compared to the emptiness of another Nicholson film about old age released several years later—The Bucket List. Hope Davis is brilliant as Nicholson’s estranged daughter. (2002)

Almost Famous – The best fictional account of the rock and roll life this side of Spinal Tap. Billy Crudup hits every note as an ambivalent guitar hero. Philip Seymour Hoffman is hysterical as rock critic Lester Bangs. Cameron Crowe’s movie also launched the career of Kate Hudson, who plays a groupie. Don’t hold that against it. The “Tiny Dancer” sequence on the tour bus is sure to put a lump in your throat. (2000)

Amelie  – Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s fable starring Audrey Tautou is certain to become a beloved classic if it hasn’t achieved that status already. Jeunet and Tautou occupy a world that looks much like our own yet is eminently more just, hopeful and full of love. Engaging from any number of perspectives. (2001)

Amores Perros – The three-pronged story about how lives have been irreversibly altered by a car accident can only be described as awe-inspiring. It introduced the world to the massive talents of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Gael Garcia Bernal and the progenitors of Latin American Cinema. Much as Amores Perros is a child of Pulp Fiction, it is also the father to the acclaimed City of God. (2001)

Away From Her – This tiny movie about a woman (Julie Christie) coming to grips with Alzheimer’s raises challenging questions about the true nature of love, honesty and companionship. That Sarah Polley was only 27 when she directed this counts as a miracle. (2007)

Babel – Whereas Amores Perros’ and 21 Grams’ centerpiece were a singular event, Innaritu’s Babel centers on a singular feeling brought on by a digital, wireless age. It’s one of mutedness. We can speak to more people in more places than ever before, yet we still have no clue what to say. The characters’ eyes tell us everything we need to know about their hollowed-out existences. In Babel, continents are little more than land masses that separate people trying to cope with this new world. Brad Pitt has never been better. (2006)

The Beat That My Heart Skipped – Romain Duris dreams of becoming a concert pianist conflict with his father’s desire that he follow his footsteps into a life of low-level street thuggery. Director Jacques Audiard brings together the disparate physical and emotional universes that Duris occupies. Paris, probably the most-filmed movie locale in the world after New York, is presented in a new, fresh way. (2005)

Before Sunset – Nine years after Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy fell in love on a single night in Vienna they meet again. Except now they’re in Paris. But time has passed and things have changed. Or have they? A great idea executed to perfection by director Richard Linklater and the two leads. (2004)

Black Hawk Down – Mark Bowden’s searing chronicle of the US Army’s disaster in Somalia. Ridley Scott and a strong ensemble cast capture the frantic efforts of well-intentioned men in one impossible situation after another. (2001)

Bigger Faster Stronger* – A straightforward documentary about steroids and American culture by a first time director and former devotee of the weightlifting/bodybuilding scene. (2008)

Bloody Sunday – Made prior to United 93 and The Bourne movies, Paul Greengrass’ re-creation of the events of January 30, 1972 in Derry, Northern Ireland seethes with anger. (2002)

Borat – Far and away the best comedy in recent years. Although it dutifully serves its  function as a biting social satire, it’s the bar which other comedies strive for: “Yeah, (title) was pretty funny. But it’s no Borat.” (2006)

Bowling for Columbine – With the school shootings still fresh in the public mind Michael Moore’s film about America’s obsession with guns is a tour de force of filmmaking. It’s become the template for countless other issue-driven documentaries, but the original is still the best. Who could forget Moore emerging from a bank, gun in hand as gratitude for opening a new bank account? (2002)

Capote – I tend to resist portrayals of historical figures little more than overwrought imitations, but there are some performances that just throw you back in your seat. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s depiction of the caustic, gifted, tortured Truman Capote is such a performance. (2005)

The Dark Knight – One of the major secular features of Bush Era was rampant self-involvement. Facebook has turned the personal into the global scale. In a landscape where fame goes to those who are willing only to be more extreme than their predecessor, Heath Ledger, as the sadistic Joker tapped perfectly into this pathos while living up to unprecedented pre-release hype. Everything, onscreen and off, about The Dark Knight reflected the culture of entitlement. Mostly though, The Dark Knight delivered on all its promise.  The movie has flaws; Christian Bale’s smoky (or is it gravelly?) voice is an unneeded prop and the stunt make-up of Aaron Eckhart’s character is unnecessary. That said, it performs the near impossible—a summer blockbuster whose story and message stays with you for days, if not weeks. (2008)

Darwin’s Nightmare – A documentary about the perch in Lake Victoria that shows the social and political effects of an ecological nightmare. While An Inconvenient Truth was the environmental movie that bagged the awards and attention, Hubert Sauper’s movie chilled and moved. (2005)

Eastern Promises –  David Cronenberg re-emerged with A History of Violence, but its follow-up was far more entertaining. Naomi Watts’ London midwife stumbles across the Russian mob, as personified by Viggo Mortensen, cultures clash, mayhem ensues–including a grisly fight in a steam bath. (2007)

Edge of Heaven – The best movies of the decade made outside the US addressed the blurring of boundaries among class, race, ethnicity or sexuality. Fatih Akin’s film about a German Turk who moves to Istanbul in order to find his half-sister makes you wonder if maybe boundaries aren’t such a bad thing. (2008)

Elephant – Gus Van Sant’s take on school violence is haunting. The impending carnage looms over the characters to such a degree that, as an audience member, you want to shake them by the shoulders and tell them to run before the bullets start flying. (2003)

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room – The best of its type. A traditional talking-heads documentary that harnesses the national outrage of the Enron collapse and the subsequent dominoes that fell. Names are named and we’re given plenty of reason to hold those mentioned in absolute contempt. (2005)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – I resisted this as too gimmicky at first and I don’t buy Jim Carrey doing anything serious, but on a second viewing it struck me as a thoughtful consideration of how memory relates to romantic longing, especially considering it’s a major studio release. The rare instance of  when a blend of a potentially toxic mix of artists–Carrey, Kate Winslet, Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman results in a coherent final product.  (2004)

The Fall – A suicidal stunt man, an eight year old Eastern European immigrant girl who speaks accented English, Charles Darwin, Alexander the Great and many, many others people populate Tarsem Singh’s follow up to The Cell. Reportedly made without CGI, it’s unlike any film ever made. (2008)

Finding Nemo – A father clown fish loses track of his son clown fish. In desperate need of help in finding him, he is assisted by a pang fish with short-term memory. That the movie somehow takes a parent’s worst nightmare and turns it into something cute is a testament to its many charms. Edged Ratatouille and Up for a spot behind WALL-E on this list. (2003)

Garden State – While it’s easy to dismiss the movie as a tool for Zach Braff’s navel-gazing, Garden State appealed to people of a certain age, pre mid-life, who wondered, “What’s it all for?” It owes massive debts to The Graduate and the work of Wes Anderson but it’s a movie of and about its time. (2004)

George Washington – David Gordon Green’s somber sketch on poor black children in North Carolina plays like a Miles Davis number. The movie is all mood, but by the end, you feel like you know the kids in this movie intimately. (2000)

Gone Baby Gone – This may be a blasphemy in some quarters, but Ben Affleck’s directorial debut does Clint Eastwood better than Eastwood himself. It confronts many of the same issues as Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River the difference is the performance of Amy Ryan, as the world’s worst mother. (2007)

Good Night and Good Luck – George Clooney’s paean to an era gone by was meant to be a body blow to the modern media, where rumor and innuendo flourish. More than David Straitharn’s uncanny impersonation of Edward R Murrow, most the high points are the elegant singing of Dianne Reeves that served as a bridge scenes of increasing tension. (2005)

Goodbye Solo – Souleymane Sy Savane is  Solo, a Senegalese cab-driver in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (the Tar Heel State is a new hot spot for American Indie Cinema). He picks up a weary, southern man who asks that a few days from now Solo take him to Blowing Rock National Park, no questions asked. Ramin Bahrani’s movie is so loaded with symbolism it’s easy to overlook what an assured, confident piece of filmmaking it is. If there’s any justice, Savane will pick up an Oscar nomination this year. (2009)

Happy-Go-Lucky – How far does attitude go in life? At first glance Sally Hawkins’ Poppy is gratingly optimistic, but as Mike Leigh’s small masterpiece unfolds we see that Poppy is far more sophisticated than we’ve given her credit for. Furthermore, I can think of no film of this or an era that so lovingly presents a friendship between two women—Hawkins and Alexis Zegerman. They’re co-workers and have each other’s backs in ways that the girls from Sex and the City would never understand. (2008)

The House of Flying Daggers  – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon set a standard that Zhang Yimou’s exhilarating epic set in the Tang Dynasty surpassed. That’s Ninth Century kids. Two police officers, with differing motives, force a gorgeous dancer to go undercover and infiltrate The House of Flying Daggers, a group of militants who steal from the rich and give to the poor. There’s a sequence where…ok forget that, watch it and you’ll instantly recognize why this movie is on a “Best of” list. (2004)

In America – After WALL-E this was the movie that stole my heart. Jim Sheridan directed a script he wrote with his daughters about a family a lot like their own. It’s the magical story of a family overcoming the loss of the youngest child through great sacrifice and a move to Hell’s Kitchen. Sarah and Emma Bolger, who play the precocious daughters, will steal your heart too. (2003)

In the Bedroom  – Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek have a son (Nick Stahl) who gets involved with an older woman (Marisa Tomei) estranged from her husband. When Stahl gets killed by the husband in a jealous fit Wilkinson must face his own thoughts of revenge in this wrenching drama directed by Todd Field. (2001)

In the Mood for Love – It’s 1962 Hong Kong and Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are neighbors who suspect their spouses of infidelity. Wong Kar-Wai’s film is in the grand tradition of a love story set against a society in upheaval, but simmers with a lust and eroticism all its own. Runner-up to Y Tu Mama Tambien for sexiest film of the decade. (2001)

In the Valley of Elah  – When Tommy Lee Jones’ son goes missing shortly after returning from a tour in Iraq, he sets out to find him. In the course of his quest he’s aided by Charlize Theron and the movie becomes a layered treatise about the war in Iraq, the military and family. In his best roles, Jones face says far more than any word could and that’s certainly the case in this movie, which takes its title from the site of David’s biblical battle with Goliath. (2007)

Into the Wild  – After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta, Chris McCandless, the child of well-to-do parents, gave away all his possessions and hitchhiked across America en route To Alaska. A wonderful companion to Jon Krakauer’s elegiac account of McCandless, Sean Penn’s movie brings together sweeping natural panoramas, marvelous supporting characters (Hal Holbrook especially) and a pitch-perfect score from Eddie Vedder. (2007)

Junebug – So many films about the clash between urban and rural ways of life resort to easy stereotypes, but Phil Morrison’s movie strikes just the right tone. Now living in Chicago, a son brings his art gallery-owning wife (the stunning Embeth Davidtz) to meet his parents in rural North Carolina. He re-acquaints himself with his brother whose wife (played by Amy Adams in the breakthrough performance of the decade) is pregnant. New conflicts arise as old wounds are re-opened. Celia Weston is delightful as the family matriarch. (2005)

Katyn – The legendary director Andrzej Wajda may have made his best film in his 80’s. It’s the heretofore untold story of the slaughter of thousands of Polish soldiers at the beginning of World War II by the Russian Red Army. Wajda focusses on how the Russians lies about the massacre left a permanent stain on the Polish psyche. The final twenty minutes of Katyn put your heart in your throat. (2008)

Kontroll  – Nimrod Antal’s film about life in the Budapest subway system defies easy description. Every scene and piece of dialogue seems loaded with literal and metaphorical interpretations. And the metaphor can apply just as easily to the main characters as to life in Hungary after the fall of the Soviet Empire. (2005)

 Lilya 4-ever – Abandoned by her mother, 16 year-old Lilya must fend for herself in bleak, gray Estonia. She meets a young man different from the abusive thugs in her neighborhood. He is kind to her and promises to pull her out of her dire circumstances. Hopeful and desperate, she trusts him. Thinking they will run off to a slice of heaven, Lilya is instead lowered into a kind of Hell that can only be borne from the minds of the truly evil. Lukas Moodyson’s film muscles its way into the pit of your stomach and stays there for days.

Little Children  – The decade’s best movie about suburban dystopia and arguably Kate Winslet’s best performance. She plays an educated mother whose marriage is passionless. She begins an affair with Patrick Wilson –The Prom King, as he’s dubbed by the neighborhood mothers—whose marriage is  deteriorating while he attempts to pas the bar exam. Most memorable, however, is Jackie Earle Haley, a sex offender trying to start a new life while under the watchful eye of self-appointed moralist. (2006)

The Lives of Others – An engrossing film about the horrors of life on the front lines of the Cold War. Ulrich Muhe is a member of the Stasi in 1984 who listens in on the conversations of a playwright and his lover. His own life being one of boredom he becomes increasingly engrossed in those of his subject. Florian Heckel von Donnersmarck crafted a film of personal destruction while addressing contemporary issues of privacy in a time of unparalleled freedom. (2006)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – It will be hard to explain to future generations the impact that this series of films had on a populace put on perpetual edge in the age of terrorism. Thousands of people lined up to watch the entire trilogy, nine hours in total. It did not take much imagination to see the similarities between Peter Jackson’s sprawling epics and the state of world affairs. The stories of honor, mysticism, fellowship and duty in the face of an indefatigable enemy bent on an engineering an apocalypse resonated with millions of people who had never even heard of JRR Tolkien. (2001-2003)

Memento  – How Christopher Nolan began the decade. The taut Guy Pearce is covered from head to toe with tattoos. He’s also written himself hundreds of notes. The ink on both the paper and his skin is critical because he has no short term memory. In normal circumstances this would be quite the conundrum, but it’s worse because Pearce’s wife has been murdered and he’s trying to figure if he did it or if someone else did. Memento was that rare, visceral movie that left the audience in their seats after the house lights came up, catching their collective breaths. (2001)

Michael Clayton  – Where Good Night and Good Luck was a clarion call to a lazy media elite, George Clooney got back in front of the camera in this tightly written drama about corporate malfeasance. He’s a fixer who keeps small problems from becoming big ones. He must prevent an old friend gone crazy (a manic Tom Wilkinson) from jeopardizing a billion-dollar project while keeping the company lawyer (a scathing Tilda Swinton) at bay. Tony Gilroy’s movie recalls 70s classics like The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor. (2007)

Minority Report - The back end (after Artificial Intelligence: AI) of a Steven Spielberg double-dip on the dire possibilities of the near future, blisters with energy. Tom Cruise plays a pre-crime officer—criminals are arrested before they commit their crimes—who finds himself caught up in agency politics that have far-reaching implications. Watch it again just to see how prescient it is, based on a Philip K. Dick novel. (2002)

Monster’s Ball  – An extremely graphic sex scene featuring Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton (ick) generated buzz, but Marc Forster’s depiction of troubled lives in the south is harrowing. Heath Ledger, Sean Combs and Peter Boyle are excellent in support of Berry’s raw performance. (2001)

The Motorcycle Diaries – Before he became a face on a t-shirt, Ernesto Guevera was called “Fuser” by his friends. As a student, he and a buddy traveled through South America on a beat up Norton 500. Gael Garcia Bernal is Che in Walter Salles’ exquisite travelogue about idealism colliding with reality. The Machu Picchu sequence is breathtaking. (2004)

Moulin Rouge! – Unapologetically over the top, Baz Luhrman’s was the best musical of the past ten years. A courtesan (Nicole Kidman) falls in love with a would-be poet (Ewan McGregor) much to the chagrin of a duke. This triangle is resolved in a splash of song, color and double-entendres. Jim Broadbent won an Oscar the following year in Iris, but he deserved it for his role as the ringmaster here. (2001)

The New World – Terrence Malick’s lyrical, contemplative rendering of the affair between John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahantas sweeps you up and carries you off to a place that only he seems to be able to construct. When the duties of colonization become too much, the stability of their relationship is threatened. (2005)

The Notebook – The moment you say, “Oh, come on! That would never happen!” you’ve missed the point. Every character in the movie is of a type and that very broadness is what makes the film such a timeless love story. (2004)

No Country for Old Men – Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh immediately joined the pantheon of cinematic psychos but Tommy Lee Jones is outstanding as sheriff trying to make sense of killer whose weapon of choice is a cattle prong. Josh Brolin is up to Jones’ lofty standards as Chigurh’s main target. Kelly MacDonald turns a potentially forgettable role as Brolin’s wife into the moral center of the film. While the movie may have caught fans of the Coen Brothers off-guard, it fits nicely in the canon of the makers of Miller’s Crossing, Fargo and Blood Simple. (2007)

Once  – Set in modern day Dublin, Glen Hansard is a Hoover repair man and Marketa Irglova is an immigrant caring for her mother and daughter. They are both amateur musicians and gradually they write songs together that reflect their growing feelings for each other. A small treasure. (2007)

Pan’s Labyrinth – In order to escape her sadistic stepfather in Franco’s Spain, a ten year-old girl imagines a secret world where she must perform three tasks to prove that she is, in fact, a princess. Fashioned by Guillermo Del Toro, who spent the decade creating worlds that exist just beyond the reach of our own. (2006)

Requiem for a Dream — Four disparate characters succumb to drug abuse. Most frightening in Darren Aronofsky’s film is the descent into madness of a woman collecting social security played by Ellen Burstyn. Far from a lecture, the movie shows in explicit detail how different people become addicted for different reasons.  (2000)

Sideways - In celebration of his philandering pal’s upcoming nuptials, Paul Giamatti takes him on a tour of California wine country. Like any good road movie, Alexander Payne’s film contrives one scenario after another in order to reveal something about the characters. What made Sideways different was the intensity of Giamatti’s portrayal of a man consumed by his own self-loathing. (2004)

The Station Agent – A thoughtful independent film from Thomas McCarthy about a dwarf (Peter Dinklage) who inherits an abandoned train station after his best friend dies. He’s subsequently harangued into friendship by a chatty hot dog vendor (Bobby Cannavale). The unlikely friends then encounter a woman (Patricia Clarkson) who is in mourning. Well-deserving of the many awards it picked up on the festival circuit. (2003)

Taxi to the Dark Side – Of the many righteously indignant documentaries criticizing the Bush Administration Alex Gibney’s was the best. It’s the story of an innocent Afghan cab driver who was tortured and killed while in US custody. He’s not a casualty of the madness of war, but rather, the victim of carefully vetted policy.  (2007)

There Will Be Blood  – P. T. Anderson’s sprawling epic of greed, oil and religion has a problematic ending but who could forget the opening scene, where Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, without saying a word, grunts his way into our psyche. He plunges one hole after another into the ground through the force of his personality, creating to a fortune but and future that will, most certainly, be bloody. An instant American classic. (2007)

Traffic  – The War on Drugs from the peripatetic camera of Steven Soderbergh. In his most complete film, he inspects many, if not all, aspects of the struggle and concludes that the effort has been a colossal failure. Sturdy performances by Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Quaid, Don Cheadle and Michael Douglas anchor a somewhat chaotic enterprise. (2000)

Waking Life – Richard Linklater’s mind-massaging meditation on truth, reality, dreams and just about everything else washes over you like a hot shower. The fact that it merges animates live action characters pushes it to the stuff of legend. An exponentially better “alternative reality” film than Mulholland Drive. (2001)

WALL-E – The other major secular strain brought on by the reign of error that was the Bush presidency was conspicuous consumption. Remember that he suggested we go shopping in the weeks after planes were crashed into the financial and political capitols of the country. And we did. Boy did we spend. The magicians at Pixar presented the down side of this approach to calming our collective nerves, while telling a tender love story. If you didn’t go “awwwww” at least once while watching WALL-E may God have mercy on your soul. (2008)

Waltz With Bashir  – Perhaps the first and last of its kind. An animated documentary about an Israeli soldier’s memories of a battle that occurred some twenty years earlier. Ari Folman’s autobiographical story of The Lebanese War had the unique distinction of reminding you of several other films while still being thoroughly original. (2008)

Y Tu Mama Tambien – The sexiest movie of the decade. Maribel Verdu joins Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna on a road trip from Mexico City to a mysterious beach with no strings attached. Much steaminess follows. (2002)

You Can Count on Me  – Before starring in Kenneth Lonergan’s movie Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo had minor roles in minor movies. They play a brother and sister who are connected by a tragic event from their past. Each day is a struggle as they to overcome their flaws and make something out of their shiftless lives. Linney was nominated for an Oscar as a single mother trying to build a life out of perpetual setbacks. The soundtrack features several songs from Steve Earle, who knows a thing or two about turmoil. (2000)

Zodiac  – David Fincher’s story of the serial killer that spooked the Bay Area in the 1970s. Jake Gyllenhaal is a newspaper cartoonist who starts out trying to decode the murderer’s cryptic messages and ends up more obsessed with finding the killer than the police officer (Mark Ruffalo) assigned to the case. Fincher gets the grisliness out of the way early and delivers an unsparing crime procedural; the inclusion of Donovan’s Hurdy Gurdy Man on the soundtrack is inspired. (2007)

They barely missed the cut: High Fidelity, Oldboy, Adaptation and Up

Best Releases Three or Four Decades Late

Army of Shadows – Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic of The French Resistance, released in Europe in the late 1960s made going underground heroic and cool. It ushered in a much-deserved reassessment of Melville’s place in The French New Wave. (2006)

Killer of Sheep – the life of a Los Angeles slaughterhouse worker in black and white with one of the best scores in film history. Charles Burnett’s film sat in a vault at UCLA for 30 years until it was released on video by Milestone/New Yorker Video. (2007)

Underrated, Forgotten or Worth a Second Look

24-Hour Party People – Steve Coogan nails it as the riotously self-possessed Tony Wilson, the television host who sired the Manchester music scene in the late 1970s. Michael Winterbottom adeptly recalls a flowering cultural moment that was both depressing and inspirational. (2002)

The Bridge – Eric Steel’s documentary about why the Golden Gate Bridge has become Ground Zero for suicides. More than that though, it’s about those left behind and trying to make sense of the profoundly tragic. (2006)

The Cell – The acting isn’t much (Jennifer Lopez playing a psychologist and Vince Vaughn playing it straight) and the plot machinations are absurd but Tarsem Singh’s movie about the subconscious of a serial killer is loaded with visual explosions from start to finish. (2000)

The Claim – When you sell off your wife and baby daughter for a gold mine it’s just a matter of time before it comes back to bite you, even in the pre-Information Age. There’s no escaping karma on that one. Michael Winterbottom’s version of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge is unforgettable. The icy turn-of-the-century Canadian landscape is the ideal backdrop for this morality tale. (2000)

The Dish – What role did Australia play in the first moon landing? Well, the country put up a satellite interface in a remote desert. Sam Neill plays one of the technicians who helps the locals prepare for and cope with their day in the, uhh, sun. Patrick Warburton is winning as the American liaison. (2001)

Everything is Illuminated – The movie based on what might be the best novel of the decade barely registered at the box office. Eugene Hutz steals the movie as Elijah Wood’s linguistically-challenged guide and Liev Schreiber’s debut behind the camera is extremely faithful to Jonathan Safran Foer’s source material. (2005)

Heaven – It came and went in the blink of an eye, but Cate Blanchett is a bald vigilante aided and abetted by police-officer Giovanni Ribisi. Impossible to categorize as an action pic for the art house crowd (or is it vice versa?), Tom Tykwer’s movie merits another consideration. (2002)

Idiocracy – Mike Judge’s futuristic comedy about what happens to a society that spends decades rewarding impulse and hubris over intellect and honesty. Sound familiar? (2005)

The Illusionist – In pre-World War I Vienna Edward Norton plays a magician who astonishes and taunts royalty (Rufus Sewell) and law enforcement (Paul Giamatti). It was overshadowed by The Prestige which was released the same year, but it is better shot, better acted and without the cop-out ending of Christopher Nolan’s film. (2006)

Innocence – After his wife dies a man looks up his lost love from over forty years ago. She has married and is living a comfortable life. Now in their 70s, they try to pick up where they left off. Paul Cox’s film of hope, death, loss, regret and risk tugs at your heart and never lets go. (2001)

Last Orders – A London butcher (Michael Caine) instructed his best friends (Tom Courtenay, David Hemmings and Bob Hoskins) to throw his ashes into the water at Margate beach. His son (Ray Winstone) joins them as they make the journey, recollecting about what was and what might have been. The type of small, touching film that big stars don’t seem to make anymore. (2001)

LIE – Paul Dano, in a pre-There Will Be Blood role plays a teenager who sits on a bridge above the Long Island Expressway. He has nothing, so when a dubious character, the slimy Brian Cox, offers him some semblance of normalcy, he takes it. (2001)

Made – Jon Favreau’s comedy is a follow up to Swingers which again features him and Vince Vaughan. This time they’re playing wanna-be mafiosos hired by Peter Falk to cut a deal with Sean Combs. The repoire of the castcast is terrific and the movie is even funnier with the audio commentary on (by Favreau and Vaughn). (2001)

Our Daily Bread – A dialogue-free documentary about the mechanized, industrialized nature of food production. Make sure you eat before viewing. (2006)

The Proposition – Set in late 19^th century Australia, the underappreciated Ray Winstone is magnetic as a frontier lawman determined to bring peace to his town. A group of four brothers has terrorized the locals and Winstone urges two of them to turn in the oldest, who is the ringleader. This sounds like a traditional Western but Nick Cave’s bloody and depraved script is accompanied by a setting that invites comparisons to Antonioni. (2006)

Reign Over Me – Almost all of Adam Sandler’s comedic characters are emotionally-stunted man-boys. His character in Mike Binder’s film is also a shell of a man, mumbling his way around New York City on a scooter, donning headphones to keep the outside world away. Don Cheadle is his usual superb self playing a dentist, trying to find out what’s gone wrong with Sandler, his old college roommate. In the course of reaching out to Sandler, Cheadle must face problems in his own life. (2007)

Sweet Land – In 1920s Minnesota a beautiful German woman arrives to marry a Norwegian farmer. He speaks little English and she speaks none. This is the least of their troubles as her ethnicity, in light of World War I, gives the rest of the community pause. Ali Selim’s feature debut is quiet, elegant and assured. (2006)

The Widow of St. Pierre – Patrice Leconte’s tale of redemption set in the (then) French colony of Newfoundland in the 1850s. Emir Kusterica plays a drunk sentenced to death for a murder. But time passes before the guillotine can arrive from France. Slowly, the community, represented by Juliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil, comes to see the murderer in a different light. (2001)

The Yards – James Gray’s story of corruption in the Queens rail yards was unjustly ignored by audiences on its release. Perhaps it was because the star, Mark Wahlberg, was an unproven quantity as a dramatic actor (Ok, some might say he still is), but he more than holds his own among James Caan, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway, Charlize Theron and Joaquin Phoenix. (2000)

A Double Feature About Women Living on the Margins

Frozen River and Wendy and Lucy -  Melisso Leo and Michelle Williams try to save their son and dog, respectively, while staring some hard truths in the face. (Both released in 2008)

Actors of the Decade—Gael Garcia Bernal and Philip Seymour Hoffman

Actresses of the Decade – Cate Blanchett, Laura Linney and Kate Winslet

Directors of the Decade – Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Christopher Nolan

Overrated

Brokeback Mountain – A movie more concerned with its message than advancing the story in a cinematic way. The script is clunky (saved by Heath Ledger’s performance) and for a movie intended to bust stereotypes, it’s comprised of supporting characters who are exactly that.

Knocked Up – Where The 40-Year-Old Virgin was a sweet, bromance about the complexities of dating, this was self-indulgent. A stoner who lives with other porn-living potheads hooks up with a successful television producer? That’s a shaky premise to begin with and impossible to ignore whenever the two leads start talking about child rearing. Why weren’t women insulted by this movie?

Lost in Translation – Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are displaced Americans in Tokyo. It’s a Jim Jarmusch movie done by Sofia Coppola. One Jarmusch is plenty thank you very much.

Mulholland Drive – What’s this movie about? No, really somebody tell me.

Movie that’s aged the worst – Crash. Only five years old and the tale of race and circumstance in Los Angeles already feels quaint.

And what of Wes Anderson? – His four films (three live-action and one animated) are entertaining, but they’re all riffs on a similar theme—highly stylized portraits of fractured families done to great soundtracks. They all made my best of the year list when released, but Anderson, so far anyway, has been content to have his characters talk about their struggles rather than show them.

Television (Still a vast wasteland)

The conversation begins and ends with The Wire. If you haven’t seen it you have deprived yourself of storytelling on par with Charles Dickens, but more visual. There’s no point in spilling more cyber-ink on it as countless others have extolled its virtues. So watch it. Now. You’re welcome.

The two best documentaries of the past ten years originally aired on television. Martin Scorsese’s No Direction Home revealed every available side of Bob Dylan including a few that Mr. Zimmerman would rather have kept under wraps. Scorsese seemed to talk to everyone who ever had anything to do with Dylan.

The other great doc was Spike Lee’s agonizing, thorough, poetic story of the debacle and failure of our government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. It’s not hyperbolic to call When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts an act of public service.

OK…if I must choose…a baker’s dozen…(I actually already tipped my hand above by adding a clip after the summary)

WALL-E, Amelie, The Dark Knight, Memento, Amores Perros, In America, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Moulin Rouge! There Will Be Blood, The Lives of Others, Waking Life, You Can Count on Me and Lilya 4-ever.

I’ve not written about In Treatment since the first week, so it’s time I wrote a catch up post.  I was inspired to do this when I left a 400 word comment on Unpopcult’s review of week 5 and I thought it would be a waste not to try and turn it in to a post.

In Treatment is a 5-nights-a week, HBO drama currently airing in the UK on Sky Arts 1.  The most recent complete week that I’ve seen was Week 5, so that’s what I’m going to concentrate on.  The series centres around therapist Dr Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) and his relations with his clients.  Each night of the week features a different patient.

To begin with, each plot strand seemed to be unrelated, but, as time has gone on, they have slowly become entwined.  Considering that it mainly consists of some people talking in a room it’s an incredibly gripping, and, at times, exciting series.

With so many episodes, the quality inevitably varies, although they maintain an overall high standard.  The emphasis in each strand shifts, week by week, in order to tell a long novelistic story and, quite often, last week’s strongest strand becomes the weakest, and vice versa.

Monday – Laura (Melissa George)

Laura has become the central focus to the series.  It started with her confessing her love for Paul (known as erotic transference in the trade), but, as the weeks passed, we also learned Paul is actually in love with her too.  It’s not entirely clear why Paul is in love with Laura – sure, she’s 25 years his junior, gorgeous and keeps telling him how much she wants to have sex with him – but doesn’t Paul want more than that?  Facetiousness aside, they’ve not made the reasons clear why Paul has completely lost his head over her.  There are some clues, such as the disintegration of his marriage, but, so far, Laura hasn’t proved to be that lovable.  In his own therapy session, the previous week, Paul did say how intelligent, funny, good story-teller etc etc that Laura was, but that hasn’t really come across in the sessions that we’ve seen with her.   The series is incredibly layered and subtle, so I’m sure that my concerns will be addressed before too long.

Tuesday – Alex (Blair Underwood)

Alex started as a bullish fighter-pilot struggling to deal with having killed civilians, but, with the on-set of an affair with Laura, the strand has taken on a darker edge.  This week’s episode was very powerful as Alex pushed Paul to breaking point by revealing that he had been spying on him and divulging details of his wife’s affair.  I did find it all  kind of strange though (perhaps it was supposed to seem that way).  Alex was definitely very creepy, and seemed almost possessed, but part of me just didn’t believe that he would really have dug up all that information.  I’m hoping that this week will shine a bit more light on it all.

Wednesday – Sophie (Mia Wasikowska)

Sophie’s strand seems to be the least connected to the others, but it is no worse for that.  I do wonder if her story will eventually link to all the others or if it will continue to be stand-alone.  Either way, Mia Wasikowska is exceptional in the role and her rapport with Gabriel Byrne is a joy to behold.  I guess what it brings to the overall picture is that it shows Paul at his most caring when he can at other times seem a bit cold.

Thursday – Jake and Amy (Josh Charles & Embeth Davidtz)

Thursdays have always felt a little bit like filler on In Treatment and Jake & Amy, a husband and wife undergoing couples therapy, have never quite rung true.  Like Sophie their story isn’t tied directly to the overall plot, but you can draw parallels between their marriage and Paul’s own troubled one.   The plot really picked up this week and, in something of a reversal, we saw Amy become very unemotional while Jake showed his true desperation to save their marriage.  It was actually very moving and they both finally seemed like real people.

Friday – Gina (Dianne Wiest)

Friday’s episodes are especially fascinating as Paul visits his own therapist Gina.  Their relationship is quite complicated and there is past bad blood between them.  This means that there is so much smoke and mirrors in their conversations that it’s difficult to know exactly what they are really saying to each other.  We see first hand that Paul blatantly lies when recounting some events and so it brings in to question everything that is said by every character in the series.

This week they were joined by Kate, Paul’s wife, who has recently admitted to having an affair.  Despite stating that they were already blurring the lines of acceptable behaviour for therapy, Gina brought up Laura and made Paul explain the situation.  Did she do this as a good piece of therapy or in order to get one over on Paul?  The other big theme in this episode was the comparison between Kate’s physical betrayal and Paul’s emotional one.  Kate was allowed to be very indignant about Paul’s feelings for Laura, but it’s hard to feel too sorry for her considering she’s just come back from a holiday with another man.  I felt that, to an extent, they were allowing Kate to take the moral high ground and it didn’t really wash with me.  Everything seems to have fallen apart for Paul and I’m intrigued to see where the series goes next.

In Treatment is the rarest of beasts – a complex, adult drama serial.  My only criticism is that having  five episodes every week is forcing me to be very creative when managing my Sky planner.

This is a classic Soothsayer review I wrote back in 2001 on one of Keira Knightley’s first films. The film predates her break-thru in Bend in Like Beckham by one year. This British film also featured her first nude scene at 16 years old. It is really interesting and weird to look back on it now and see how Keira has come.

As you begin to fall into the “hole”, that is this film, you begin to see a noir-styled thriller beginning to materialize.

Thora Birch (“American Beauty”, “Dungeons & Dragons”) stars as Liz, a girl who is found by Dr. Philippa Horwood (Embeth Davidtz) after a horrifying ordeal where three other students and Liz had gone missing. With Liz being the only survivor Horwood has to believe Liz’s wild tale.

Liz tells Horwood of her friends Frankie (Keira Knightley), Mike (Desmond Harrington), and Geoff (Laurence Fox) and their weekend adventure. Liz made arrangements with a friend of hers, Martin (Daniel Brocklebank), to set-up a weekend party in a deserted underground bunker. Liz’s story takes a horrific turn when she reveals that the coeds were locked inside the bunker for much longer than they had expected. Was there foul play involved in the locking of the bunker? What was the relationship really like between Liz and her fellow classmates? And what the hell really happened within that bunker?

The film begins very cleverly as it chronicles 3 different stories of what exactly happened in the bunker. It’s interesting how each of the perspectives allows Thora Birch to showcase a different side of Liz. As the film goes towards the truth it becomes darker and darker until the final truth is revealed. The sad part is that the finale may be too dark.

Birch shows that she has a broadening range that is starting to emulate the likes of Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. Her dark and tormented character here is perfect example of that blossoming career. I also enjoyed the performances of all the coeds who show that there is a lot of young talent coming out of England. I hope to see more of Knightley and Harrington in the future.

I have always been a fan of Davidtz but she seems to be one of these actresses who are wonderful actresses but pop up in the strangest films. She was last seen in “13 Ghosts” which was another film that didn’t deserve her. In recent years, Davidtz has however seen some parts that have been worthy of her acting. She was wonderful in “Bicentennial Man”, “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “Mansfield Park”. In those roles you could really see her Shakespearean training showing through. I am always surprised to where she will turn up next. I first noticed her in films like “Army of Darkness” and “Schindler’s List”.

If you’re a fan of “twisted-teen-boarding-school” films or Thora Birch, I highly recommend catching “The Hole”. I however can’t recommend it for everyone.

3 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

Originally Written: December 9, 2001

Rosamund Pike Movie: Fracture

A structural engineer (Anthony Hopkins) and an ambitious young district attorney (Ryan Gosling) become locked in a deadly battle of wits when the former is found innocent in the attempted murder of his wife in director Gregory Hoblit’s tense tale of courtroom mind games. Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is an engineer who lives with his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), in the couple’s lavish Southern California home. One day, after carefully planning out the details to ensure that there is no way he can be convicted of murder, Ted shoots his wife in a blatant attempt to kill the woman. When head hostage negotiator Rob Nunally (Billy Burke) arrives on the scene to speak with Ted, he is shocked to find that the victim of the shooting is in fact his longtime lover. Though Jennifer survives the trauma of being shot in the head at close range, she hovers comatose between life and death as star prosecutor Willy Beachum (Gosling) reluctantly accepts the case while preparing to leave the Los Angeles criminal court system behind for a more promising career at a posh private law firm. Though the DA (David Strathairn) vehemently resents Beachum’s lofty plan for departure, the hotshot young lawyer remains convinced that he can expedite the apparently open-and-shut case and be on his way to greener pastures in one week’s time at the very most. Beachum’s swelling ego betrays him, however, as his future boss Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) begins to turn up the heat and fracture mechanics specialist Ted chooses to represent himself at the trial knowing well that a career spent spotting structural flaws in aeronautical systems has instilled him with just the kind of argumentative skills needed to riddle the swaggering young lawyer’s “foolproof” case with doubt.

Oft spielt es eine nicht unerhebliche Rolle, unter welchen Umständen es dazu kommt, dass man einen Film sieht. Phil Morrisons Junebug erreichte mich in einem Umschlag, den Miriam mir per Post zusandte. Obwohl ich bisher überhaupt nichts über den Film wusste, ging ich natürlich sofort davon aus, dass er ihr viel bedeuten würde. Ich ließ mich also auf das Unbekannte ein und sah mir den Überraschungsfilm an …

Und was soll ich sagen; Junebug ist ein wirklich schöner, kleiner Film. Er erzählt eine Geschichte, die sicherlich viele – und ich selbst sehe mich als Teil dieser Menschengruppe – so oder so ähnlich bereits erlebt haben dürften: Die Kunsthändlerin Madeleine wird der verschrobenen Familie ihres Mannes George vorgestellt und stößt dabei nicht nur auf Vorurteile und Ablehnung, sondern lässt außerdem viele der Probleme, die in der Familie totgeschwiegen werden, deutlich werden. Was also grob umrissen wie die Prämisse einer stupiden Hollywood-Komödie klingen könnte, wird in dem realistischen Independentfilm zum wunderbar subtilen Drama.

Vielleicht ging es nur mir so, aber viele der in Junebug dargestellten Situation ließen mich an eigene Erfahrungen zurückdenken: Ob nun der Wunsch, den Eltern seiner Partnerin zu gefallen oder die Ablehnung, auf die man bei ihren Eltern stoßen kann – einer der interessantesten Aspekte des Films lag für mich darin, dass es mir leicht fiel, einen Bezug zum Erzählten herzustellen.

Doch was Junebug abgesehen von dieser Qualität besonders sehenswert macht, sind die hervorragend herausgearbeiteten Charaktere: Die ehrgeizige, liebenswürdige Madeleine, Georges überbehütende, vorurteilsbehaftete Mutter Peg, sein ruhiger, zurückhaltender Vater Eugene, sein unfreundlicher Bruder Johnny und dessen schwangere Frau Ashley, die glaubt, ihren Mann durch das Baby enger an sich zu binden – alle Figuren erfahren eine angemessene Aufmerksamkeit und werden darüber hinaus von fähigen Darstellern verkörpert. Einzig George, Madeleines Mann, wird im Verlauf des Films in den Hintergrund verdrängt, was seine Motivationen insbesondere gegen Ende des Films etwas undurchschaubar werden lässt. Dabei gestaltete sich auch seine Geschichte als besonders interessant für mich; war es doch die eines nach längerer Zeit heimkehrenden Sohnes. Schade.

Schauspielerisch beeindruckte mich besonders Benjamin McKenzie, der in den anderthalb Stunden als introvertierter Johnny mehr Können zur Schau stellen durfte, als in allen 92 Episoden von O.C. California zusammengenommen. Johnny ist ein tief unglücklicher, düsterer Charakter, dem leider die Fähigkeit fehlt, seinen Gefühlen Ausdruck zu verleihen. Diese Unzulänglichkeit ist es, die ihn immer wieder mit allen anderen Figuren zusammenstoßen lässt.

Filmisch setzt Regisseur Morrison in seinem Werk auf eine sehr ruhige Bildsprache, die zuweilen fast an Standbilder erinnert. Immer wieder werden unbewegte Naturbilder zwischengeschnitten. Befinden sich Charaktere im Bildausschnitt, bewegen diese sich kaum. Dadurch wird vor allem eines erreicht: Der Betrachter nimmt die Kamera nicht wahr und akzeptiert das Dargestellte somit als realitätsnah.

Es fällt mir schwer, mehr über einen Film wie Junebug zu sagen. Es ist ein Film, der weniger durch zu entschlüsselnde Motive oder Philosophien fasziniert, sondern eher durch die Darstellung des Alltäglichen und Bekannten. Junebug lässt den Betrachter das wohl dramatischste und spannendste aller Abenteuer erkennen: Das Leben selbst.

Kommt bald …

In the aftermath of a gruesome restaurant murder, the survivors of the attack are left to ponder their own mortality and how it relates to their connection to society. Forest Whitaker, Guy Pearce, Kate Beckinsale, and Dakota Fanning headline Little Fish director Rowan Woods’ adaptation of Roy Freirich’s debut novel.

Title: Matilda
Year: 1996
Director: Danny DeVito
Writers: Nicholas Kazan & Robin Swicord, based on the book by Roald Dahl
Starring: Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, Pam Ferris
Music: David Newman
Length: 98 minutes
Synopsis: an unappreciated little girl has a powerful mind
How I saw it: on video many times (have on DVD), most recently yesterday
Subjective Rating: 7/10
Objective Rating: 5/10 (points off for story, cinematography, special effects/design, acting and music)

Cartoonish fun. I’m not a fan of the story; the antagonist is too purely mean and cruel with no reason – universally detestable – which I always find to be a tedious and ineffective device.  But it’s still a good movie.

Andrew yoder back 360 on 360 off – Snowboarding Video | REELcomp

Dudeguy Films Just Tr… Featuring: Mike Ravelson, Brendon Rego, Nick Esposito, Justin Kenis… From: brendonrego Views: 1944 Added: about 1 year ago Length: 2:12. introspect. a sesh in the backwoods From: introspectfilms Views: 610 …

Most notably, rising senior Chris Rockwell (above, with Tournament Director Tom Ramsey) was the tournament&s runner-up after posting a four-day total of 288 (even-par and only one stroke behind medalist Justin Yoder). …

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Dudeguy Films Just Tr… Featuring: Mike Ravelson, Brendon Rego, Nick Esposito, Justin Kenis… From: brendonrego Views: 1944 Added: about 1 year ago Length: 2:12. introspect. a sesh in the backwoods From: introspectfilms Views: 610 …

Dudeguy Films Just Tr… Featuring: Mike Ravelson, Brendon Rego, Nick Esposito, Justin Kenis… From: brendonrego Views: 1944 Added: about 1 year ago Length: 2:12. introspect. a sesh in the backwoods From: introspectfilms Views: 610 …

A group of British teens scream for someone to help them out of "The Hole".

(Nick Hamm, 2001)

July 15, 2009

by Joel Crary

“The Hole” begins as an engrossing mystery before descending into a particular bit of depressing murk in its second half. Its main character is a young woman who is either delusional, or calculating, or both, and because the film never firmly commits to whichever she is, it loses its footing and turns nasty.

The film opens with a bedraggled Thora Birch shuffling her way up the road to an abandoned private school. On her way, she passes posters of missing teenagers that include her image. She picks up a public phone, dials an emergency number, screams and collapses. She is brought in for analysis and we discover via a montage of news reports that the whereabouts of the missing teens has been discovered – three of them were found dead in an abandoned war bunker. Only Liz (Birch) escaped with her life. A psychiatrist (Embeth Davidtz) working for the police implores Liz to recount the story of her disappearance and to shed some light on exactly what happened.

Liz paints a picture of being unpopular at school and conniving a scheme to get the attention of the object of her affection, an American footballer and son of a famous rock star named Mike (Desmond Harrington). The two are scheduled to go on a field trip, but Liz’s “like a gay friend” Martyn (Daniel Brocklebank) orchestrates a getaway to the old bunker for the popular crowd, including Frankie (Keira Knightley) and Geoff (Laurence Fox).

The bunker is essentially a cold and dusty underground cement chamber with an escape hatch as its only exit point. That the electricity still works at all is a marvel. The four teenagers enjoy themselves until it’s clear that Martyn is taking his sweet time in coming back to let them out. His unrequited crush on Liz is the only possible motive. But Liz’s story doesn’t add up.

The police bring Martyn in for interrogation. He offers a much different account, but it only raises more questions. Why does Liz believe that everyone was able to escape the bunker after what she describes as nothing more than a trying few days? Why was she so ragged as the film opened? What really happened? Most importantly, why place the blame on Martyn when he could easily refute the entire account?

The movie fails to deliver more effectively on answers to these questions. We start to doubt Liz’s sanity, but because she is aware of the lies she’s telling, the story creates intrigue without suspense. There are jealousies and betrayals among the teens in the bunker, but none of them quite ring true because neither account seems to establish who these characters really are. With sets like this, character drama is everything. The payoff resorts to some pretty depraved explanations that never seem to gel into the thriller the film wants to be.

“The Hole” is fairly well acted and quite well photographed. It builds into what has the potential to be a good little mystery. But for a mystery to succeed, it needs an authoritative voice to reveal a truth from beneath lies. “The Hole” lacks this voice. The lies that are told have no bearing on what will inevitably be discovered. And that would be fine if the liar were crazy, but the screenplay can’t decide one way or the other.

Embeth Davidtz (Bristande bevis mm) är konsthandlerskan som via arbetet får vägarna förbi sin nyblivne makes familjehem i North Carolina. När den lite strama storstadskvinnan möter de minst sagt excentriska släktingarna ser hon först inte bortom det udda och annorlunda. Men genom henne får vi lära känna en familj där alla på sitt sätt kämpar sig genom tillvaron som består av både glädjeämnen och bekymmer. 

Det är inte någon rafflande intrig som driver detta drama framåt utan istället relationerna som utvecklas mellan Davidtz och de andra. Makens mamma är avvisande och kall medan den gravida svägerskan Ashley nästan kastar sig över henne och bjuder in henne till sin värld. Det blir nästan en voyeuristisk känsla att se filmen och tillsammans med Davidtz lära känna de olika individerna samt deras respektive relations- och individproblem. Alla skådespelare (Alessandro Nivola, Scott Wilson, Celia Weston, Ben McKenzie och Amy Adams (som Oscarsnominerades för rollen)) är rent ut sagt fantastiska i sina prestationer där de använder så mycket mer än dialog för att skapa trovärdiga och fina porträtt av de olika karaktärerna. En fin och njutningsfull liten pärla.

Betyg: 4

I’m addicted to television, I watch around 40 series a week, and I’m a hardcore fan of about 20 of them. So I’m obviously devastated everytime May comes around, because that means most of those series will come to an end soon enough. And right now, May has come again. And I’m going to preview the finales of the shows I follow.

Gossip Girl: No shame in watching this, it’s entertainment at its best. And with 4 more episodes left in it this season, the final stretch is looking real good, Georgina Sparks, my favorite character in the whole series, will return (and it’s never bad to see Michelle Trachtenberg). The second to last episode will be the backdoor pilot to Valley Girls, a prequel to the show which will focus on Lily’s adolescence. And the season finale will see Serena trying to uncover the real identity of Gossip Girl. Rad, right?

Heroes: Apparently the season ends this Monday, so I’m guessing Sylar will get extremely close to the president. Plus, we’ll get to see what happens with the two big rumors surrounding this finale: 1) There’s gonna be big ass fuckin’ death, and this time it’ll stick 2) Volume 5 will be called ‘Redemption’.

Chuck: This season I’ve decided that Chuck is the most entertaining show on television, and I’ll buy my sandwich at Subway if that’s what it’ll take to show NBC that we want it to return for another season. With the season finale coming up this monday, we’ll see Chuck trying to save Ellie’s wedding day from Roark and Fulcrum.

24: 5 more ‘hours’ to go until the season ends, and as is usual with 24, we have no fuckin’ clue as to what’s gonna happen. Season’s been damn great, though.

House: 3 more episodes to go, and after last episode’s final scene they’ll probably be awesome, and I hear the hallucinations will persist and House will get some real strong case of insomnia. And will finally get to see if the House-Cuddy hookup finally happens, as everyone’s been teasing. Aaand apparently they have been doing some photography tests on a mental hospital for next season, so maybe House will see himself in a loony bin by season’s end.

How I Met Your Mother: 4 more episodes to go in this one, which will see Barney celebrating his 200th female conquest, and Ted’s 31st birthday.

The Hills: Who cares what happens? Stupid, mindless stuff, but fun, and it’s a guilty pleasure of mine.

The Big Bang Theory: Just like with Chuck, this show’s proven how exceedingly great it is on it’s sophomore season, but unlike Chuck this show’s actually gotten some recognition of it, as CBS renewed it for two more seasons. And the two last episodes seem great, on Monday’s episode Leonard, Koothrappali and Wollowitz go to Vegas, leaving Sheldon alone, and after Sheldon finds himself locked out of his place, he has to bunk with Penny which will surely make for some nifty moments. And on the season finale Leonard will learn some very valuable information about Penny.

Two And A Half Men: Charlie will question his relationship with Chelsea. And Alan, Herb and Charlie will rush Judith into the hospital as she goes into labor.

Dancing With The Stars: If I had to predict a winner, i’d say either Gilles or Melissa. Maybe Shawn? Who knows. I just want Stevo to return for another episode or something.

Greek: Too many episodes left this season to know or predict what’s to happen. But apparently Rebecca will be seen kissing Robin, the openly gay big sis of Ashleigh.

American Idol: 5 Idols left. How I think it’ll go down? Matt will leave after next week’s Rat Pack theme. I’m HOPING Danny will be fourth, since that would mean an Allison-Kris-Adam final three. Allison will probably end up third, and getting a record deal as soon as she does. Which’ll mean Kris vs Adam would be the final, either one winning would be fine, but of course I’m thinking Adam will.

Fringe: Three more episodes left in which we’ll see Olivia exploring her visions on the May 5th episode. And the season finale looks awesome, as someone linked to the Fringe Division will be attacked, Walter will disappear and the great Leonard Nimoy will guest star as Dr. William Bell.

90210: Another good guilty pleasure, apparently the only big thing to see will be the appearance of Naomi’s older sis which will apparently shake things up quite a bit in the famous zip code. Oh and, after this season ends, no more Dustin Milligan, and I, for one, am psyched about that.

Scrubs: Only to more episodes to before this amazing show ends its eight year run. J.D. will start considering another job so that he can be closer to his son, Turk will start his new job as Chief of Surgery, Ted and Gooch will take their relationship to the next level. And then we’ll get the series finale, which is looking up to be GREAT, Elliott and J.D. will probably take their relationship to the next level, and I’m praying that we either get to learn the Janitor’s real name, or we get to see the long desired hug J.D. wants to get from Dr. Cox. Either one would be fine, both would be great, but I’m fearing tv’s around the world would combust from too much awesomeness. Oh, and many of the most memorable guest stars will return for this final bow including Amy Smart, Colin Hay and Tom Cavanagh.

Americas Next Top Model: I really really want either Fo to win this. Or Natalie. Or Allison. Or whoever really, I don’t care.

South Park: This season will end in November, so yeah, no point in talking about what’s next. Not that we have the slightest idea of it, either.

Grey’s Anatomy: Three more episodes to go, including the two-hour season finale. We’ll get to see Izzie’s mom, Thatcher all sobered up visting Lexie and Mer to make ammends. I really don’t know what else is coming up, only that some bloody good guest stars will be in the season finale, including the great Debra Mooney as Owen’s mother, and the rad Liza Weil as a cancer patient with whom Izzie sympathizes, and also this’ll hopefully probably T.R. Knight’s last season.

30 Rock: We’ll get to see Jack’s mom visiting. Liz and Tracy encouraging Jack to fin his real dad, while Tracy deals with a new-found illegitimate son himself. And Liz becomes a relationship expert after appearing in a talk show.

CSI: Apparently the finale will be the first in years with no huge cliff-hanger, which is fine by me since losing Grissom this season has already provided enough emotional downs for one season.

The Office: A great upcoming episode about taking casual Fridays too casual. Michael entering the cafe-disco business. Jim and Pam embarking on a secret trip. And season finale will focus on the annual Dundler Mifflin Company picnic, and that episode will ROCK, partly because the guys will play volleyball which should be funny as fuck, but mostly because we’ll get to see the exceedingly rad Amy Ryan playing Holly again, and that should make up for the best episode this season. And no, I didn’t forget about to write about Pam and Jim’s wedding, that’s just not happening this season. Yeah, I know.

Supernatural: Castiel’s human vessel will be emptied, and he’ll be human Jimmy again, having little recollection about being an angel. Sam will be locked up in Bobby’s panic room to detox from the demon blood. However Bobby sees that more seals are being broken and advices Dean to let Sam free, to which Dean disagrees and has a big blowout with Sam about it. Oh, and the season finale is named ‘Lucifer Rising’, if that doesn’t get you going, I don’t know what will.

Parks And Recreation: Show just premiered, so yeah, no idea what’s gonna go down. I will say however, that I’m truly liking this show so far, and that I’m madly in love with Rashida Jones. Fo shizz.

My Name Is Earl: All I know is that there’ll be a two-part episode called ‘Inside Probe’.

Ugly Betty: 5 eps to go, we’ll get to meet Matt’s dad, Daniel will try to get a Mode bailout, which will be given ultimately by Matt’s dad, baby William will be kidnapped, Daniel makes an appearance on The View. Aaand, the best thing will happen at the season finale, as Betty and Matt will go to a New York Mets game on a double date. With Henry and his new girlfriend! Nifty, I know. Oh, and as usual, expect the same Marc & Amanda awesomeness.

Samantha Who?: Too many eps to go to consider anything really, though Sam will obviously get all worked up trying to balance her new job and Todd (and Winston Funk, I hope).

Smallville: This season’s been pretty fuckin epic, Thursday’s episode was amazing, and the three remaining eps are named ‘Beast’, ‘Injustice’ and ‘Doomsday’, so yes, the epicness will persist.

Private Practice: Season ends this Thursday, Violet will have to choose between Pete and Sheldon, Addison will have to face her feelings for Noah as Morgan goes into labor, and Naomi faces some tough professional decisions.

Numb3rs: 3 more eps to go, including the awesome-looking 100th episode this coming Friday.

Saturday Night Live: Two more episodes to go, and both look great, one coming up next weekend will have Justin Timberlake hosting, and he’s always great at that, and Ciara as a musical guest which means he’ll step on stage with her to sing her new single. And the finale will have Will Ferrell as host (and I believe he’ll be writing some of the sketches too) and Green Day as musical guests.

Desperate Housewives: About 5 more to go, Orson’s thieving will start to get really worse, Dave will realize he’s been targetting the wrong Wisterian, Jackson will return with unexpected news. And, in the two-hour season finale, we’ll get to meet Carlos’ teenage niece Ana Solis (who will apparently become a series regular), and the Dave Williams mystery will finally come to an end.

The Simpsons: Remaining four episodes will be great, one will have Ellen Page as guest, the other one will have Jodie Foster, another will see Marge discovering a sauna in the basement, and the season finale will see Homer starting up a border patrol to keep Springfield safe from immigrants from neighbour town Ogdenville.

Family Guy: Just like with The Simpsons, this one has four episodes left, one’s named ‘Stew-Roids’. Another will see Brian dating guest star Lauren Conrad in an episode which will also count with Drew Barrymore, Audrina Patridge, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon and Craig Ferguson as guests. Another one will have Josh Radnor, Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel in their roles from How I Met Your Mother. And the season finale looks like the best of the bunch, as it will have the bunch reenacting three of the most famous works of Stephen King: Stand By Me, Misery, and The Shawshank Redemption.

Amazing Race: After Mel and Mike left, I don’t care who wins. I just want some backstabbing to happen.

Sit Down, Shut Up: The show just premiered a week ago (and I didn’t love the first ep), so I just hope it improves.

So that’s my rundown of the shows which will soon see their seasons ending, but what can we expect for those that have already ended and that are now awaiting their new seasons come this fall, well here’s what I know about those shows that I watch:

Weeds: One of the best shows on television, its fifth season will debut on June 8th, and so far Jennifer Jason Leigh has been cast in a new recurring role as Nancy’s sister.

Entourage: Sixth season will premiere June 23rd, Gary Cole will be a new regular cast member as will Autumn Reeser and Jami Gertz. Lil’ Wayne, Lebron James, Andrew Bynum, Aaron Sorkin and Tom Brady will apear as themselves. And both Vince and Eric will get some lovin’, as Gal Gadot will play Vince’s girlfriend in some episodes and Alexis Dziena will play a love interest for Eric.

Nip/Tuck: The show will run for two more seasons of ten episodes each, thus ending with a grand total of 100 episodes in 2011. The first ten will start airing in January 2010, and guest stars for those final 20 episodes will include Vanessa Redgrave, Melanie Griffith, Rose McGowan, Kathy Griffin, Mario Lopez and Gilles Marini.

Privileged: This one hasn’t even been renewed for a second season yet. But this is me keeping my fingers crossed.

America’s Got Talent: All judges will return. Nick Cannon will take over hosting duties. Auditions cities are New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Boston and Houston. Season premieres Tuesday, June 23rd.

Friday Night Lights: Best thing to happen to television in a decade has been saved from extinction again! Yes, that’s right, the DirecTV deal from last season held up and the show is returning under that deal for two more seasons of thirteen episodes each! Rejoice.

Kath & Kim: I watched the first season. That was enough torture, don’t renew this.

So You Think You Can Dance: Audition cities are: New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Denver, Memphis and Seattle. Season kicks off May 21st.

Project Runway: This one should’ve started airing in January, but after that infamous feud between Weinstein Co. and NBC it became impossible. Deal was made just a couple weeks ago and the new premiere date is now August 20th. And yes, it’ll be on Lifetime.

Dexter: Best thing to happen to television since the aforementioned Friday Night Lights, nothing is known about Season 4, though the fact that there’ll be a Season 4 should be awesome enough. The show’s writers convened in February/March to brainstorm for ideas, filming is to start in June and the season will have it’s usual late-september start.

Californication: Not much known, but the season will happen, and I’m guessing will start around the time Dexter starts. And casting news include that of Alicia Witt being cast as a gynecologist Hanks crushes on, which sould be awesome, and Embeth Davidtz has been cast as the wife of the dean, which will be played by Peter Gallagher. So yeah, no signs of Californication turning down its radness.

The Cleveland Show: It’s a Family Guy spin-off centered on the Cleveland character, so yeah, expect it to be awesome as fuck. And expect a Kanye West cameo as a rapper named Kenny West come 2010.

The United States of Tara: I was a huge fan of the first season, and it set the field greatly for a kick-ass second one.

East Bound & Down: Raise your hand if you’re with in saying that the first season was way too short? I know, right. But fortunately there’ll be a second season so expect more Kenny Powers.

True Blood: One of my Top 5 favorite shows on TV, it returns June 14th being its usual awesome self. And if that wasn’t enough, one of my fav actresses, Ms. Evan Rachel Wood, has just signed on for a nice juicy role.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: It’s been waaay too long without any Larry David and the gang, seriously, but they’re coming back with a bang, as Larry David, Cheryl Hines and Vivica A. Fox have all confirmed their return. Aaand, as you probably have already heard the whole cast of Seinfeld will be guests. This is too good.

Nurse Jackie: This is a new show that I don’t even know when it’ll premiere, but it sounds awesome.

Boardwalk Empire: Same case as Nurse Jackie, dunno that much about it, but with a pedigree like that one it has, it’s impossible not to be psyched.

Glee: This’ll probably be another one of the mindless fun shows. You may think I see too many of those already, and I’m with you on that one, but this one’s a mindless fun musical show. Yeah.

Valley Girls: The Gossip Girl prequel spin-off, centering on the life of a young Lily Van der Woodsen, which means awesome 80s themed stuff going on. And it’s nice to see that Brittany Snow will return to television.

Melrose Place Spin-off: If I gave 90210 a chance, it’s only fair I give one to this too.