90 - Salvador

It certainly did feel like Salvador was the first attempt for Oliver Stone before Platoon, but it certainly has its merits. For one, James Woods maintains the persistent, manipulative, and foul-mouthed character that he easily brings to a lot of his characters. John Savage also makes a more courageous turn as a seasoned war photographer (and Bob Capa fan :) ).

While I am pleased to see the Canon F-1 on the cover, I have to admit that Nikon was the dominant gear at the time. John Savage even uses a rangefinder (a Leica most likely) in quite a number of scenes. I'm not sure what he meant when he said his 120 was busted...I didn't see him carrying a Rolleiflex or something....anyway ;)

89 - Mystery Train

I remember Jim mentioning in one of his documentaries how he watches foreign movies with no subtitles and from there be able to discover how good the film has been made. That was the case for how I watched the first segment of Mystery Train. Just watch the facial expressions of Masatoshi Nagase and Youki Kudoh and you can't miss the emotion or context of what they were saying, despite the language barrier. In it's own weird way, it felt like watching R2D2 and C-3PO :)

It's great to have the gang back.....with Tom Waits on the radio, Nicoletta Braschi (from Down by Law), and John Lurie's background music. It was great to watch Steve Buscemi as well....anything he does with the Coen Brothers and Jim Jarmusch just can't go wrong.

88 - Night on Earth

Back on the Jim Jarmusch track :)

Wonderful slices of life....and truly are slices of stories and it doesn't really matter where it starts. Jim is just able to keep you watching and if you watch the extras, you appreciate how he creates his films on instinct. Choosing a taxi cab as a setting, this might have been a pre-cursor to those HBO taxicab confessions series.

Winona Ryder, Gena Rowlands, Giancarlo Esposito

I loved the episodes by Giancarlo Esposito, Armin Mueller Stahl, and of course, Roberto Benigni! I enjoyed Jim describing working with Roberto as being so easy you just have to point a camera at his face and let him do his thing :)

And Isaach De Bankolé!......I really didn't recoginze him until Jim mentions him in the extras (he was the ice cream man in Ghost Dog!)

The extras include audio clips of Jim responding to email Q&As....another welcome treat.

One last thing about Roberto......I don't think I'll look at pumpkins and sheep the same way again :)

87 - Paris, je t'aime

With a cast that included Steve Buscemi, Natalie Portman, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emily Mortimer, I definitley wanted to try this "buffet" :)

With a string of 20 stories though.....it did feel a little exhausting....even though the whole thing altogether lasted as much as a regular movie. I guess if you think about it....if you watch something from Inarritu (Amores Perros, Babel) or Soderbergh (Traffic), you get really focused on anywhere from 4 to 5 stories or plots......how about 20? Even though it was just a sequence of one after another, the format is probably what I wasn't used to......but hey, I aint complanin' :)

The common thread is the location of Paris, but this collection of stories really explores anything and everything about affection.

86 - Permanent Vacation

Ok ok...back to the Jim Jarmusch track. This movie has the same feel as Stranger Than Paradise...but in color....and like STP, you just can't help but enjoy the "stills" possible with the scenes Jim created for this story. John Lurie only has a small part and I have to admit I've gotten really used to him that I wished he had a bigger role somehow.

Plus....I get to see Barney (Frankie Faison) in a small but critical role :)

85 - Spun

I just can't seem to find the uniqueness in this film. You can certainly do a lot to expose the lives of drug addicts and everything around them, like Requiem for a Dream or Permanent Midnight, but it does not seem to work for me in this one. The only actor who seemed to be able to carry his character was Mickey Rourke....everyone else looked as if they were playing a fantasy.....I mean, unless you can run with the craziness like Benicio Del Toro and Johnny Depp did in Fearing and Loathing in Las Vegas or Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting, you're not really depicting a drug addict (I think). Even all the mixed elements felt stolen (addict spins, animation, 70s cops...)

84 - Down by Law

I've reached a point of addiction and now seeking out all of Jim Jarmusch's work. Down by Law is another excellent piece of work in black and white. Tom Waits' DJ riffs were amazing and John Lurie complemented him really well. And let's not forget the third "stooge": Roberto Benigni! I love how Jim used his struggle with english to amplify subliminal messages.

83 - Stranger than Paradise

Anyone who has an affinity for black and white photogaphy will enjoy watching this film. It's as if Jim Jarmusch had all these photographs and breathed life into them. If you love photography, you will have moments in this film where you will just admire the composition. The contrast is just beautiful.

82 - The Bad Sleep Well

I was curious about Akira Kurosawa's "non-feudal Japan" work and wondered how his approach translated to a modern setting. Seeing his usual cast of actors has really become a welcome treat and I can see why a lot of directors have done the same thing. The story can easily be tied to a Ronin tale, as it is all about patience in revenge. The twist, of course, is that not everything goes as planned all the time. I didn't really notice Toshiro Mifune until maybe halfway into the movie. He's so restrained in this film.

81 - Red Road

Jackie's obsession fueled her courage to not only stalk an ex-con, but drive her to the edge. In the end, closure still found its way.....and like Terrence Stamp's Wilson character (in The Limey), the final face-off, having subdued your enemy, and accomplishing all that had taken so much out of you.......you let go......and find your peace.

80 - Junebug

Sometimes people fall into relationships for very specific reasons....those that can blind pretty much everything else. Amy Adams' and Embeth Davidz' characters live totally different lives, but have the same state or relationship......one that does not stand on completely knowing each other, but sharing one specific event (or moments) that seem to keep the status quo. The insight into a southern family was very interesting.

79 - The Parallax View

This story could have been a prequel to The Manchurian Candidate. It examines the process behind recruiting, conditioning, and execution of potential "candidates" (or drones, if I were to make an analogy). Warren Beatty plays the role of an investigative reporter who, in his efforts to infiltrate the program, is sucked into it.

This is has been a back-to-back run on 60's/70's movies for me (having just seen Antonioni's Blow-Up). I found it quite entertaining just noticing how much has changed over time.

78 - Blow Up

Ok, I confess...I picked this out just so I can watch old photographic equipment in action again :) But there was a fun surprise....the swinging 60's!

77 - Inland Empire

This is disappointing, but I have to honestly say that I did not get much of Inland Empire. While I was amazed at Laura Dern's performance, I just couldn't follow the film enough.

My only consolation prize is one of the opening scenes that gave me Seinfeld nostalgia with Grace Zabriskie (Mrs. Ross) and Ian Abercrombie (Mr. Pitt) :)

76 - Funny Ha Ha

I saw Andrew Bujalski's "Mutual Appreciation" on IFC and was curious about this movie as quite a number of references to it is made in discussions on the web. Like MA, Funny Ha Ha uses the same formula and follows the main character and captures a lot of what is really part of real life....awkward conversations, pauses, and senseless dribble....stuff that can easily get cut out in other movies.

75 - Sansho the Bailiff

It's been really rewarding to see all these movies that revolve around the time of the Samurai or feudal Japan. It gives that period depth and that human element that reminds us that there is so much behind all the fighting.

It was really heartbreaking to watch Anju's sacrifice, but that was probably my favorite scene. That long march through the forest, towards the end of the lake, and eventual sacrifice was the saddest point of the movie...but also the most peaceful.

74 - Renaissance

This movie was born out of the media for which it was conceived. In the documentary, the creators shared a lot of enthusiasm for mixing motion capture with traditional and animation-based development. The story came somewhere in the middle. It's easy to see that there was inspiration from Blade Runner (and is mentioned in the featurette).....the plot.....about the quest for immortality....does share a similar desire by the replicants of Blade Runner.

The high contrast does take a bit getting used to....but your eyes eventually adjust.

73 - Pan's Labyrinth

It was really refreshing to see a production of this level of quality done outside of the United States.

Brilliantly set in the backdrop of war and a distressed family, the fantasy of Ofelia's world blended really well.

Tapping into old ruins and myths gave the fantasy credibility and Ivana Baquero, the center of it all, came through and had a really outstanding expression of curiosity, wisdom, and courage.

72 - The Eyes of Laura Mars

I remember seeing this movie on afternoon TV a long time ago and was just amused at all the cameras Ms. Mars used......she used a Nikon, Hasselblad, Leica, and even a Polaroid Land Camera. Sadly, the movie really had the feel of an afternoon TV program and the story was weak.

71 - Kicking and Screaming

I really liked The Squid and the Whale and so I was curious to watch Noah Baumbach's other movies. Kicking and Screaming certainly had the same attention to dialogue. I honestly didn't realize the flashbacks until midway through the movie.

Can't miss an independent movie without Parker Posey (she must be in like one in every five!)