Number 96: 300
Starring: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, Dominic West, David Wenham, Andrw Tiernan, Rodrigo Santoro
Directed by: Zach Snyder
Release Date: March 7, 2007

We all know the story: King Leonidas of Sparta refuses to conform to the will of Persia, leads an army of 300 barely clad men to defeat them, fails miserably, and becomes legend. But when you put Zach Snyder in charge o the much-romanticized screen adaption, you're in for a full 117 minutes of pure, unashamed, gory blitzkreig. "Blood" should be listed in the credits, it factors into the fim so much. And the story, unlike Snyder's later film Watchman, is clear and coherant, on topic. Acting-wise,it's nothing spectacular: Lena Headey isnotable as Leonidas' tough-as-nails Queen Gorgo, but on the whole it's the blood-spattered adventure that keeps 300 afloat.

Number 95: The Devil Wears Prada
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, Adrian Grenier
Directed by: David Frankel
Release Date: June 30, 2006

Most romantic comedies get the short end of the stick when it comes to critical reception, but this Lauren Wiesberger adaptation was considered one of the bestfilms of 2006 by many. Anne Hathaway sheds her Princess Diaries image in this coming-of-age tale about a green collage grad sent to the claw of the "boss from hell" (Streep). Now, although Hathaway is good, this is not her best work;Meryl Streep as the diabolical Miranda Pristley is clearly the real star here. She conveys ten times more of a message with one raised eyebrow than all of her lines put together, forcing the character to becme her own.

Number 94: Jarhead
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Scott MacDonald, Peter Skarsgaard, Donald Faison
Directed by: Same Menes
Release Date: November 4, 2005

I like this movie's tagline: "Every Man Fight His Own War." One of only a handful of Desert Storm films in recent years, Jarhead is based on Anthony Swofford's best-selling memoir of the same name, chronicling his exeriences in themarines during August 1990-April 1991. William Broyles Jr. dous a fantastic job of translating the soul of Swofford's 2003 book onto the screen.

Number 93: Coyote Ugly
Starring: Piper Perabo, Ada gacia, Maria Bello, Tyra Banks, John Goodman, Izabella Miko, Bridget Moynahan, Melanie Lynskey, Del Pentacost
Directed by: David McNally
Release Date: August 4, 2000

Coyote Ugly may sound rough around the edges;upon hearing the words "madcap female run nightclub," one seeking serious cinema cannot help but be leery.Honesly, it sounds like the plot of a badHBO comedy to my ears.Any such fears audiences had, however, went unrealized at the beginning of the decade when Coyote Ugly hit the big screen. Described by critics as little more than glorifed porn, the five female leads represent independant women who won't take cra from anyone;much more suitable role models than Paris and Nicole, I think.

Number 92: The Notebook
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands
Directed by:Nick Cassavetes
Release Date: June 25, 2005

If I were asked to name THE tearjerker of my generation, The Notebook would win hands-down. The chemestry between real-life lovers Gosling and McAdams translated flawlessly to screen;you can feel his unending pain when she supposedly never wries back. Few great romance films are made nowadays to this degree;they've been replaced with romantic comedies and period dramas where the main characters all commit adultery with one another, and I think the women of America are greatly malnourished. Am I the only one who finds it disturbing ht many people consider The Notebook the first truly epic romance since 1997's Titanic?

Number 91: SherryBaby
Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Brad William Henke, Bridget Barkan, Ryan Simpkins, Danny Trejo
Directed by: Laurie Collyr
Release Date: Septermber 8, 2006

Maggie Gyllenhaal was given yet another opprtunity to prove her acting chops for Laurie Collyr's SherryBaby, something we all must be thankful for. She is impeccable as Sherry Swanson, a mother fresh from a lengthy prison sentance, wanting desparetly to reconnect with her young daughter. The odds are against her, and Sherry knows it;she spends the entire film teetering on the edge of the wagon as it travels along the bumpy road.Our sympathy for his irresponsable womanis an enourmas credit to Gyllenhaal.

Number 90: Amelie
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Lorella Cravotta, Serge Merlin
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Release Date: November 2, 2001

Following on the success of the previous year's Croucing Tiger, Hidden Dragon,Amelie was another surprise. The film follows sheltered Amelie (Tautou), who has just moved on her own to Paris. It takes us throughout her finding love and meeting various people, as Amelie gives us her thoughts on said person. It's a thoughtful, sugary sweet, quirkly little film, bloved by any foreign film buff and many others i they've got the sense.

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Number 79: Me, Myself and Irene
Starring: Jim Carrey, Renee Zellweger, Chris Cooper, Michael Bowman, Richard Jenkins, Robert Forster
Directed by: Bob Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Release Date: June 23, 2000

The genius of Jim Carrey is evidant in this 2000 comedy. I ask you, just how many Hollywood actors could carry a film playing a split personality victim while giving the other actors ample breathing room? Not many, in short. Now considered an iconic Farrelly brothers film, alongside Dumb and Dumber, thier frst collaberation with Carrey, and There's Something About Mary.

Number 78: Garden State
Starring: Zach Braff, Ian Holm, Peter Skarsgaard, Amy Ferguson, Alex Burns, Jackie Hoffman, Armando Riesco, Trisha La Fache
Directed by: Zach Braff
Release Date: September 22, 2004

One of the most popular Sundance darlings (note the tell-tale phrase "starring, written and directed by"), Garden State carries several statements that simply needed to be heard. Travelling back to his drug-addled hometown, Andrew Largeman attempts to heal the complex relationship with his father after his paralyzed mother's death. It's a good thing Zach Braff, the star of Scrubs and therefore popular among younger audiences, made this his baby; kids wouldn't have even thought of seeing it otherwise, and the message is such an important thing for them to hear.

Number 77: The U.S. Versus John Lennon
Starring: John Lennon (archival footage), Stew Albert, Tariq Ali, Carl Bernstien, Robin Blackburn
Directed by: John Schienfield, David Leaf
Release Date: Setember 29, 2006

Detailing John Lennon's transition from pop hero to the face of the anti-war movement, David Leaf and John Schienfield's thought-provoking documentary was just one of dozens released in 2006. The genre was suddenly hot again;a perfect time for Leaf and Schienfield to make TUSVJL. Telling the full story of John Lennon's relationship with our goverment, this film was highly reminiscent of the same year's Shut Up and Sing. According to the film, when The Man realized the extant to which John Lennon's influence with young Americans and beyond had grown, how his pacifist ideas were fast becoming the norm as anti-war protests happened every day, they decided to take a stan against this nonsense. Lennon was tailed, tapped and put under a full investigation, even threatened with deportation, all due to his views of peace and equality and the fact that many prospective voters seemed to agree with them. Once again, our bad gauy is Nixon, and our hero is a shaggy haired poet;the archival footage, of which much of the film is made up, fits here, unlike other films where it just seems our of place. For the people who weren't alive the first ime around, TUSVJL offers a wistful image of an older Americca, without the rushed pace it reeks of today. There is one line in this thoughtful documentary, however, that sums u Lennon's lifelong campaign for peace to a tee: John Lennon was a born enemy of those who control the United States, which I always say was admirable. :"Lennon came to represent life, while Mr. Nixon... and Mr. Bush... represent death."

Number 76: Half Nelson
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Shakeera Epps, Jeff Lima, Nathan Corbett, Tyra Kwo-Vovo,Rosemary Ledee
Directed by: Ryan Fleck
Release Date: August 11, 2006

After The Notebook, I must admit, I was sure Ryan Gosling would never be heard from again. It's all too typical in Hollywood;handsome young actor stars in beloved drama, is the subject of critical buzz for months, and is pemanatly typecast as "that kid from ____."It wasn't a bad assumption, but it was a completely incorrect one. Nelson was his first big film after The Notebook (I'll forget the diasaterous Stay);Gosling portrays a crack addict inner-city middle school teacher,truly dedicated to his students but in a terrible rut himself. A student, Drey(Epps), the unwilling member of a neighborhooddrug circle,discovers him getting high one day and makes it her mission to "save him." Gosling's character, in turn, tries to protect Drey from copying her brother's stint in prison due to involvement in said drug circle. Thier relationship, and caring owards one another, is the foundation for this film, and films with strong foundation almost lways turn out brilliant. This is the case with Half Nelso/.

Number 75: School of Rock
Starring: Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman, Adam Pascal, Miranda Cosgrove
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Release Dae: October 3, 2003

It's difficult in this new millenium to find a comedy with botha wide critical and general fanbase, to say the least. But it's certainly not impossible. We discover just that in School of Rock, the 2003 Mike White-penned comedy. SoR has the rare ability in film to please everybody;the plot isfresh enough for those seeking originality, it premiered to positivity at Sundance for film snobs, Jack Black was nominated for a Golden Globe for awards show addicts, and the laughs are abundant to please collage frat boys. Indeed, this is a prime example of the age old comedy-films-can-be-just-as-good-as-dramas argument; when his imposter elementary school teacher is found out by outraged yuppie parents, Jack Black's speech on how much he now cares for the students is just about as heartfelt as anything Nora Ephron's ever directed.

Number 74: The Hurt Locker
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghy, Guy Pierce,Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
Release Date: June 26. 2009

It was a shock that James Cameron won the Best Director Golden Globe instead of ex-wife Bigelow for The Hurt Locker. Almost all the press surroundng this film has been about Kathryn Bigelow's exceptional direction, and while she deserve every bit of it and more, I'm going to talk about the screnwriter, Mark Boal, who cunningly crafted an intriguing story of not one central battl, but of several bombs and how they affect the lives of their detonaters. There is one scene depicting a "body bomb" that will leave you shaken if you have any sort of emotion.

Number 73: August Rush
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathon Rhys-Meyers, Terrance Howard, Robin Williams, Leon Thomas III
Directed by: Kirsten Sheridan
Release Date: November 21, 2007

Uplifting August Rush, the starry-eyed tale of an orphan trying to find his family through the power of music is the perfect film to show your children when they ask what good movies are. Evan Taylor, living a miserable exsistance at a country orphanage he has been at for "eleven years and sixteen days," runs to New York City, and is taken in by a Fagin-esque Robin Williams. For a time Evan, renamed "August Rush" by his new protector, lives in squalor, playing on the streets and in parks for cash, until he escapes the abusive enviorment. He winds up first at a church of some unspecified Christian religion, and then as the youngest student at Julliard. Throughout his troublesome and astounding journey, Evan/August remains confidant in an almosted assured way that he will find his prents 'through the music,"having no cluehis mother (Russell) is a concert cellist and his father (9999Rhys-Meyers) is a former rocker. With a climactic concert in Central Park that will have heart rates pulsing, August Rush is an insperational dram that carries with it a message of hope much needed today.

Number 72: Whale Rider
Starring: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vickie Haughton,Cliff Curtis, Grant Roa
Cirected by: Niki Caro
Release Date: July 4, 2003

A favorite of many, Whale Rider was a severely low-budget drama that made it';s way into the hearts of millions. The plotline sounds hokey;agirl, the only survivor of a set of twins, is rejected by her prejudiced grandfather, who is convinced that she cannot inheiret an ancient title based on Paikea, the Whale Rider. But, you'll find most sleeper hits sound hokey at first. Keisha Castle-Hughes was

Number 71: Watress
Starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Andrienne Shelly,Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith, Eddie Jemisen
Directed by: Adrienne Shelly
Release Dat: May 25, 2007

This fim, while quirky and cute and honest, is bittersweet. Keri Russell of Felicity fame was given the cance to revive her career with themeaty role of Jenna Hunter, the wife of an alchoholic who suddenly finds herself pregnant. But it's not as fun as originally intended, if you have the foreknowedge of writer-director-costar Adrienne Shelly's brutal murder six months before release. I won't get into the gory detail of how she died;this is not the time nor place, go to Google if you simply must know. What I will say on the sbject is Waitress very well could have been her breakthrough hit. It was supposed to be hers and hers alone to glory in;the earliest buzz had been strong enough for everyone to predict great things were coming for Shelly, and, for no good reason whatsoever, that was robbed of her. Her death dd not cause the same impact as Michael Jackson or Anna Nicole Smith;she was not known enoug for that. When we lost this talented woman, it's a near certainty that we lost many, many moies that could have changed lives. And if one of her films could have saved someone from suicide, or abuse, or depression, then there are no words to express how terrible a loss it was.

Number 70: Mystic River
Starring: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Lawrence Fishburn, Kevin Chapman, Spencer Treat Clark, Thomas Guiry, Emmy Rossum
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Release Date: October 15, 2003

Based on Dennis Lehane's best-selling novel of the same name, Mystic River deals with what can happen to a person when anger settles inside for so long, and what grief can do to a person. In his first Oscar-winning performance, Sean Penn is a father dealing with the murder of his daughter, and Tim Robbins is his childhood friend, the prime suspect. Did he do it? Or was it her scabby ex-boyfriend? And what dous the relationship between these two and Sean Devine (Bacon) mean? Fabulous acting, with a dvastating story you'll never forget, no matter how hard you try.

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Number 100: Uptown Girls
Starring: Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Heather Locklear, Donald Faison, Jesse Spencer
Directed By: Boaz Yakin
Release Date: August 15, 2003

This is probably going to be one of my more controversial choices, simply fo th fact Brittany Murphy is no longer with us. I'm going to be truthful here and tell you I delibrately tried to include one of her films on my list because she died, but also because she was such a talented actress. In my opinion, she was around the corner from widespread recognition of this fact, and that makes her death all the more poinant. That being said, Uptown Girls is not an example of groundbreaking film-itt's acually recieved lukewarm praise. I considered it a likeable film, unworthy of Oscar attention and also the negativity that surrounded. Murphy was decent, and Fanning, then eight years old, stole the screen.


Number 99: A Knight's Tale
Starring: Heath Ledger, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany, Laura Fraiser
Directed by: BrianHelgeland
Release Date: May 11, 2001

The word that best describes A Knight's Tale is "campy." Sing-alongs in the jousting crowds, a destitute Geoffrey Chauncer, and the following line: "I miss you like the sun misses the flower. Like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter. Instead of beauty to direct its light to the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has banished me to. " That about sums up this stoy of a poor squire (Heath Ledger) longing for fame and glory as a knight. It definately dousn't sound like anything memorable, just something to zone out to on a rainy Saturday aternoon, but A Knight's Tale is acually surprisingly worth of your precious time that would otherwise be spent on a Lifetime Original Movie. And's it surreal to see Paul Bettany as Chauncer wearing nothing but a wooden barrel for a good part of the film.

Number 98: Two Lovers
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwenyth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rosellini, John Ortiz
Directed By: James Gre
Release Date: February 13, 2009

James Grey was nominated for the Golden Palm award at Cannes for this drama, the last film Joaquin Phoenix made before going bonkers. He plays Leonard, a suicidal Jewish photographer living with his immigrant parents in Brooklyn, unabl to choose between two women. One is Michelle (Paltrow), a confused neighbor who's fallen for a married man, and the other is Srah, the girl his parents selected. Grey is an insightful director, leading his cast to the fial product flawlessly: an intricate film of intrigue and pain.

Number 97: Charlie Wilson's War
Starring: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Release Date: December 21, 2007

Tom Hanks breates life into Charlie Wilson. I personally don't think he recieved theappreiciation deserved for Charlie Wilson's War, because of his past Oscar wins, and wish to honor him with a space on my list. Julia Roberts is a pleasant surprise as Joanne Herring;why would she ver go into retirement, with talent like this? And, best of all, the story is just as relevant tody is it was whe the real Charlie Wilson ended the Cold War.

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Number 89: Iron Man
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrance Howard, Leslie Bibb, Faran Tahir, Shaun Toub
Directed by: Jon Favreau
Release Date: May 2, 2008

Robert Downey Jr. made a career comeback in 2008 with Charlie Bartlett, Tropic Thunder and Iron Man. Of the three, Iron Man was the most looked-forward to by comic book afficianados. Downey plays Tony Stark, the somewhat sleazy owner of a multi-million dollar weapons company inheirited thrugh his father. Downey virtually embodies Stark-he can probably relate to him on so many levels-and once he becomes Iron Man, you can tell he was born to do this. Acting on par with Heath Ledger in the same year's The Dark Knight.

Number 88: Thirteen
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Nikki Reed, Holly Hunter, Jenicka Carey, Jeremy Sisto, Brady Corbet
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Release Date: August 20, 2003

Catherine Hardwicke's controvesial film depicting the story of a teenage girl gone bad was one of the highlights of 2003. It wasn't a breakout hit financially, but Thirteen put the powerhouse Evan Rachel Wood, later to appear in Across the Universe and The Wrestler, on the map, earing her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress that year. There are no doubts that she deserved the recognition; many girls expressed relates to her portrayal of a depressed cutter from a broken home.Nikki Reed's true-life story of peer pressure, abuse and depression prove things are becoming increasingly difficult for teens everywhere. It's hard to think this film was intended as a comedy.

Number 87: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Starring:John Cameron Mitchell, Michael Pitt, Andrea Martin
Directed by: John Cameron Mitchell
Release Date: July 20, 2001

Few films in the past have been brave enough to center on a transsexual, but John Cameron Mitchell-writer, director and star-crafts a heartbreaking story of rejection and hurt. The only truly emotional indie folk musical of the decade takes us from Hedwig's romance with an American, the abandoment she suffers when her sex change surgury goes wrong, her later, lyric-stealing lover, to her days soldiering on, performing in sleaze and squalor. Hedwig is a hellian of a character, hardened by her troubles yet not so as to alienate the audience. We feel her pain at the thievery of her songs, and laugh right aong with her at just the right moments. An angsty, snarky anti-romance.

Number 86: Wall*E
Starring: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Sigourney Weaver
Directed by: Andrew Stanton
Release Date: June 27, 2008

Two Summers ago Wall*E pulled the world by it's heartstrings, providing a seemingly happier aternative to The Dark Knight. While the kiddies didn't care about much more than the cute baby Transformer, thier parents were probably taken by surprise. This Pixar tale helmed by Finding Nemo's Andrew Stanton is a plea against the impending apocolypse in disguise as an adorable, rusty robot. Wall*E is cute;but with Wall*E comes a glimpse into what the not-so-far future may have in store for us gluttunous humans. Personally, I thought the previous year's Ratatouille was overall the better film, but even I have to admit Wall*Eis a sort of symbol for what could very well become our society in a hunded years or so.

Number 85: A Serious Man
Starring: Michael Stuhlberg, Richad Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Aaron Wolf, Jessica McManus
Directed by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Release Date: October 2, 2009

One of the more recent inclusions, the always illusive Coen brothers redeem themselves from the diasater known as Burn After Reading.Earning an Independant Spirit Award for direction, Joel and Ethan prove yet agan they are one of film's leading talentsagainThier decision to hire a practical nobody for the lead role od Larry Gopnik, the man whose live-in brother causes his wife to leave him, gained my respect-but, the again, they always choose actors relevant to the characters.

Number 84: Hard Candy
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes, Gilbert John
Directed by: David Slade
Release Date: April 14, 2006

Before she became Juno, Ellen Page was Hayley Stark, the seemingly sweet fourteen-year-old who turns psychotic on an implied sexual predator. Page's role in Hard Candy gave her slight recognition;by that, I mean five people in America said, "Hey, she look familiar!" whenJuno was screened to critics the year later. Okay, so maybe it didn't give her a huge career boost, but her portrayal of Hayley is twistedly electric;the amount of times I jumped out of my skin when I saw Hard Candy are too high to count. An indie thriller with backbone and soul, definately worth your time and money.

Number 83: Pieces of April
Starring: Katie Holmes, Derek Luke, Oliver Platt, Alison Pill, John Gallagher Jr., Patricia Clarckson, Alice Drummond
Directed by: Peter Hedges
Release Date: October 17, 2003

This is interesting;a movie Katie Holmes did while she was still America's sweetheart, before she married Tom Cruise of the planet Gorblon. This indie drama centers on April Burns, who has decided to brave her family's scorn and have them over to her cheap, gitty New York City apartment for Thanksgiving dinner. There's this one scene I always remembered from April:
April: "I'm the first pancake."
Evette: "What do you mean?"
Eugene: "She's the one you're supposed to throw out."
Thse few lines define the angsty feel of April Burns. Hedges, who also wrote the screenplay, constructs a real family, it's deeply-held secrets, and how that family collapses into each other at something so simple as a dinner. He writes with such ease, you wonder if April, his unforgettable protagonist, is essentially a female version of himself.

Number 82: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansso, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Kevin Dunn
Directed by: Woody Allen
Release Date: August 15, 2008

After the badly-received Match Point, many wondered if Woody Allen had lost his touch with old age. Perhaps it was his departure from New York as a primary setting, or perhaps the cesation of his acting that did it. In the strangely satisfying Vicky Cristina Barcelona, all fears were quashed. The erotic exoticness of the story brings him much-needed points in the 00's, as well as his desicion to use virtually one song throughout the film's entirety. And, of course, Penelope Cruz, as the suicidal, slightly deranged ex-wife to painter Javier Bardem, factors into he mix with her performance. She is one of those actresses that had clearly spent endless hours honeing her craft;indeed, Cruz is not once caught off guard in Vicky Cristina. Her character is hyper, a flame that spreads to anything and everything around. I saw Vicky Cristina in theatres, and I would list it as one of the few dramatic films worth paying for the big screen and quit area for. It's also a film that grabs you right away, even if you know absolutely nothing about it or the background, a very special thing in cinema today.

Number 81: Kate and Leopold
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Meg Ryan, Liev Shriever, Breckin Meyer, Natasha Lyonne
Directed by: James Mangold
Release Date: December 25, 2001

It sounds like a bad Lifetime Original Movie: 21s century girl meets 19nth century boy, girl and boy fall in love, have problems and make up. Kate and Leopold has a fluid grace that keeps the pace movine at a brisk speed. We're allowed to laugh in between major plot points,mainly at Leopold's take on 2001 technology:it's slightly ironic, because now we gawk at one another and gasp, "How did we ever survive without Facebook?" The romance between Kate and Leopold, nevertheless, is sweet and genuine, something we need more of in the new decade's films. Big stores aren't needed, there dousn't have to be an outrageous sex scene or half the film spent by sobbing child abuse victims. Kate and Leopold was a good movie about a relationship that would stretch out beyon two centuries, and was such a success because of that easygoing love.

Number 80: The Hangover
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianikis, Justin Bertha, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson
Directd by: Todd Phillips
Release Date: June 5, 2009

I don't belive in excluding cmedy form "Best Of" lists, unlike some people. I do belive that comedies can be just as apt ad emotional as any drama, and The Hangoveris one of the finest exaples. Take the very capable Justin Bertha, the lovable heartthrob Bradley Cooper and put them in a Las Vegas hotel room, and you'll discover just ho freaky-deaky and warped the results can be. However, the bulk of the credit must go to co-writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore;thier ability to build comedic story and a connection to the poor bored girlfriends who get stuck watching thier film should and must be applauded. There's few doubts that Lucas and Moore have been through or known someone who went through similar experiences and thoughts before impending marriage. The Hangover wasn't an outright hit;financially, it grew graually, much like 2003's Pirates of the Carribbean. The technical term is "sleeper hit;" I call it "enjoyable memoir."

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Heath Ledger's final film will forever be remembered as 2008'ssickly masterful "The Dark Knight."
However, calling "The Dark Knight" Ledger's final film is an incorrect statement. It would be accepted if you said, "Heath Ledger's last completed film was 'The Dark Knight,'" but it was not his last.
Ledger was at midway through work on "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," directed by Terry Gilliam, when his body was discovered that cold January night nearly two years ago. Can you belive one of Hollywood's most promising talents has been dead for two years? It hardly seems plausible that he's gone, since he's had two films released since his premature death.
My memories of that night, the night his death was announced, are vivid. I was half-watching Brothers & Sisters with my mother, and we recived a phone call. "Did you hear? Heath Ledger died!"
As with Michael Jackson's demiseless thana year and a half later, I flat out refused to believe it. "No way, you must be thinking of somebody else," I scoffed;then turned back to the computer and all morbid thoughts concerning cowboys and wannabe knights flew from my mind.
Then the eleven o'clock news began, and my jaw literally dropped to the floor. I really didn't think things like this happened anymore; not since River Phoenix, anyways.
How could this happen? Why? Was it intentional? These were the questions asked by all over the next two or so weeks. I came to the conclusion that it had been the fault of drugs, but that Heath was not suicidal, just mildly depressed. I didn't cry over him, for I had only seen Brokeback Mountain and bits of 10 Things I Hate About You, but I was certainly shaken. This was my first legendary Hollywood death, after all.
But it wasn't until the following summer, when I saw The Dark Knight, that his loss was made a reality for me. Wow, I recall thinking, he's really gone.
The Dark Knight was a great film, and I think Heath deserved the Oscar for his haunting performance as the Joker. I don't care what anybody says, he was chilingly on par in that role. But I am not at all pleased when I heara person metion "Heath Ledger's last movie, that Batman one." First of all, it was not "the Batman one.' There are far too many Batman films in existance, in my personal opinion, so how anybody could say "the Batman one" is completely beyond me. Second of all, Heath Ledger was hard at work on this somewhat smaller, somewhat artsier film directed by the charming Terry Gilliam during the final weeks of his life. He was not granted the time to complete that role;this dous not give us permission to take away credit for the work Heath was able to do with the time allotted.
So, The Dark Knight was probably his most mermorable role. But The Imiginarium of Doctor Parnassus will truly be Heath Ledger's final bow, the curtain call on a brilliant life cut way too short by the irony of life.

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Film: "Sherlock Holmes"
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Judw Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly
Release Date: December 25, 2009

When I found out that Robert Downey Jr., the greatest comeback story since the Foo Fighters, was starring in the new Sherlock Holmes adaptation, I was floored. It was one of those "Omigodomigodomigodomigod" moments; "He's proposing tonight?! He's going to be the greatest detective of all time?!"
Upon learning the film was set to be directed by Madonna's no-talent ex-eye candy, I nearly burst into tears. Why would Robert Downey Jr. follow up on "Tropic Thunder" with him?
I extend to Mr. Ritchie my deepest apologies.
RDJ, severely reminisant of Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparow, is not the typical Holmes. He's a brilliant detective, that's obvious, but he's also grittier than past portrayals. Certainly, none of the classic Holmes enjoyed bare knuckled fist fights, and acually won any. And I doubt any previous actors have voiced the suspicion that Sherlock Holmes and John Watson were much more than friends.
The film opens with Holmes and Watson (an impishly enduring Jude Law) capturing Lord Blackwell (Strong) in the midst of some half-explained Satanic ritual. He is thrown in prison, sentanced to be hanged, blah blah blah...the usual Victorian punishments for devil worship. Three months later, Waston, who has been appointed chief officiating...doctor-type person at the hanging, is prepairing for his impending marriage and departure from Baker Street. Holmes has fallen into a comical depression as a direct result of this, and even goes so far as to sabotage a dinner between the three of them. Holmes' attachment to Waston is adorable and slightly tragic;this was before men were allowed to show any emotion whatsoever, remember. And Watson is an absolute saint for putting up with him so long, you can only feel sympathy for him.
Holmes is called to visit the doomed Blackwell in jail, and the crazed prisoner warns him that he will have his revenge on him. He is promptly hanged, and Watson pronounces him dead.
Or dous he? Some time later, a man reports seeing the ghost of Blackwell rise from hte grave. The grave is opened, and...the wrong corpse? Acually, the corpse of a man Holmes' former flame, Irene Adler (the surprisingly alert Rachel McAdams) has just pleaded with Sherlock to locate. Is Irene working with Blackwell? Will Watson be the laughingstock of his peers forever? Oh, conflict!
The plot could be stronger, that's my main issue with the film, and the character has been altered from the poriginal Arthur Conan Doyle stories. But honestly, that characcter of Sherlock Holmes in his stories, not changed at all, is irrevelant to today's society. This is a heartbreaking truth, but truth it is.
There are more points of fun than flaws with Sherlock Holmes. My favorite part, hands down, is Hans Zimmer's score. The slightly murky, mettallic music fit this story to a tee. I remembered why exactly I loved Pirates after experiencing the stellar soundtrack; if it's not a best-seller I'll die.
And the acting, oh, the acting has been underrated in these past few weeks of snide reviewer's comments. Rachel McAdams, always a pleasure, surprised me as Irene Adler;she plays bad girl efficiently and catlike, in a way all actresses aspire to. I was genuinely surprised at myself for being so shocked;had I forgotten 2004's Mean Girls? She was downright vicious in Mean Girls, I'm sorry to all the Regina Georges out there, but it's fact. And as for RDJ, he's as lovable and cunning as always-well, as he was in Iron Man and Tropic Thunder, two of his most recent films, and also two of hs best. UI'm sure that Sherlock Holmes (and hopefully the already in the works sequel) will join those ranks in the hearts of many.

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Film: Confessions of a Shopoholic
Directed By: PJ Hogan
Release Date: February 13, 2009
Starring: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Robert Stanton, Leslie Bibb, Joan Cusack, John Goodman


As a newly minted fan of the five-part "Shopoholic" series by Sophie Kinsella, I decided to go back and rewatch the recent film film adaptation directed by PJ Hogan. Even an imbecile could tell you I wouldn't be thrilled with Hogan's work, since there were several changes between book and film.
The basic plotline remained intact. Rebecca Bloomwood (played to a tee by the savvy Isla Fisher) is unhappily employed at a two-bit financial rag, spending her spare time lavishing her frusterations on designer clothes that end up in the back of her closet, never to see the light of day again. It is clear, about a half hour into the film, Becky has a problem: while she is supposed to be working, she sneaks off to a mythical sample sale, getting into a barbaric fight with another woman over a pair of shoes. Her look of absolute domination is priceless when she hisses, "Hand over the Gucci boots and no one gets hurt," in the quiet purr of an angry feline. Becky's addiction, which she meticulously hides from family, friends and co-workers, has fallen into serious debt with her "magical cards" of cash-so much so, she and her roommate feel obliged to break out the bottles of tequila to sit down and open each red letter Becky has ignored. This little act of liberatoin lead to what I will only call an unpleasant letter being sent to the editor of Elite magazine, a rail of a woman with an artificial looking weave (Bibb), Becky's dream job.The beatufully written piece she intended to go to Eliteis insteaddelivered to the office of Luke Brandon, editor of the stuffy Successful Savings. Brandon (the baby-faced, slightly boring Hugh Dancy) is impressed by this oddball journalist, and promptly hires her, convinced she will reach a broader "demographic," when in fact poor Becky dousn't have a clue about finance. All the while, she uses her imagination to come up with excuses to feed to her bank manager, the dreaded Derek Smeath (Robert Stanton), a man determinded to hunt down and put Ms. Bloomwoodin her place.
The good part about this film is Fisher's antics as the unforgettable Becky Bloomwood. The full-blown war between her and Smeath is classicaly comical She crocodilesobs to love interest Brandon that her's her stalker ex-boyfriend at one point, the next moment recording a special ringtone for Smeathie: "Do not answer this call, it's Derek Smeath." The glimpses of her letters to the bank sound like a third grade missing assignment note;I broke my leg, my dog passed away, I've been away in Finland for vague medical treatment. Isla Fisher bring Becky to life completely, and makes us feel for her despite the fact this whole predicament is all Becky's fault in the first place.
But my big issue with this film is the fact that the setting of the original story is changed from the heart of London to snobby, pretentious Manhattan, a change that makes no sense given the timeline of the books to the nationality of Isla Fisher. She grew up in Australia; definately much closer to Europe than tacky America, and Dancy is British. I will bet you anything the change was made because the producers thought New York would be more relevant to us idiotic Americans, and that really bothers me, becausehaving London as a backdrop would have made the film stand out brighter amongst the other cheesy romantic comedies of late.
The other thing that irked me was the descision to combine the first and second book into one movie. The obvious reason would be, "Oh, well you can't possibly imagine them making five films, can you?" Well, no, but how dous mashing two interwining stories together help that situation? I could accept this if the first novel had ended with a cliffhanger, or only semi-happily, and it is true that the second novel had a sweeter ending, but what was wrong with the first one? She got the guy and lived happily ever after, that's all the majority of these viewers care about. The worst part of this is that large chunks of story are sacrificed due to this solution; in the book, Becky and Luke immigrated to the States from London, and with the plot change, that was automatically scrapped. The second novel is titled "Shopoholic Takes Manhattan," for God's sakes. Dousn't anyone care about thier source material anymore?
On top of these flaws, the acting is downright embaressing, with the exception of Fisher. The subplot between her and Brandon is mildly entertaining, but Dancy has an expression on his face that makes me assume he really dous not want to be there at all. Bibbs might as well be a manniquin, for all she contributes.
My final judgement: if you've read the books and care about convincing actors, proceed with severe caution. But if all you want is a few laughs from your friend Isla and warm feeling, definately go Shopoholic.

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Film: Across The Universe
Release Date: September 19, 2007
Directed by: Julie Taymor
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Campbell, TV Carpio, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy

2007 was, I think we'll all agree, an astounding year in the film world. A summer of threequels, and a fall full of pure, unabashed noir. So this bright, sunny, almost campy Beatles-inspired music from the mind of Julie Taymor was a delightful surprise.
A vast majority of people have openly balked at any movie Beatles-related in the past, not wanting the specific genre ruined by bad film. You can't blame them; who would bebrash enough to mess with the Fab Four?
Don't fret. I wouldn't recommend anything that ruined good music for anybody.
Artsy to the point of metaphoric, with a dose of sunshiny fun, Across The Universe tells the tale ofstar-crossed loversJude and Lucy (oh, yes, they did-I said campy, right?). Jude played by 21's Jim Sturgess, a Liverpool shipworker, is prepairing to "jump ship" in search of his long-lost father in America. The man, who turns out to be a simple janitor at Princeton, proves to be a dissapointment, but while there Jude meets Maxwell Kerrigan (Joe Campbell),a rambunctious, soon-to-be dropout. Max invites Jude home to dinner for Thanksgiving, introducing him to his younger sister, Lucy (the impeccable Evan Rachel Wood), whose boyfriend is overseas in Vietnam.It is a credit to both Sturgess and Wood that thier character'scompatability in a forgone conclusion as soon as they appear on screen together;you can just aseasily picture them as buddies than as lovers.Max, the typical burnout character, convinces Jude to run away to New York City;Lucy joins them over the summer, after the death of her boyfirend, and after she convinces her conservative mother "just for the summer before collage." The three of them rent a room from the airy flower child, Janis Joplin-esque Sadie (Sexy Sadie...get it?), whose interest in her guitarist "Jojo" (Martin Luther McCoy), quickly develops into romance. Thier world of tranquility comes crashing down in an avalanche when Max is drafted;this sends Lucy into the arms of the anti-war movement, much to Jude's dismay.
I know the names are hilarious, but the movie knows this, and you're supposed to laugh at them. (One character, the bisexual Prudence,was introduced when "she came in through the bathroom window," and they acually say it.) The film's faultslie inthe slightly confusing storyline. You are proably stratching your head as you read this, and with consummate reason, no matter how many times I tell you it's easy to hook onto once you are watching it. It's no wonder more people didn't see this modern indie classic during it's lengthy theatrical release.
And even it's defenders have to concur, Across The Universe is one of the most pretentiousfilms of the decade.It reeks of pretentiousness like yesterday's macaroni and cheese, just as much as people who name thier daughters Tatiana Elisabeth Chevonne. Combined with the same year's I'm Not There, Across The Universe made 2007 the year of overly-confidante film in my mind. But there is one glaring difference between ATU and INT: I'm Not There was weird. There is such a thing as too metaphoric when dealing with such a wide audience. I do not mean weird in the sense of, "Oh, look, there's a sunrise in the background, that symbolizes the beginning of his life as a father." I mean, weird in the sense of, "Hey, wait a minute, I thought that Heath Ledger was the one playing Bob Dylan? What's up with Cate Blanchett screaming at that woman?'
I don't mean to trash I'm Not There, because it was anexcellent movie with excellent performances . The point I'm trying to bring up is Across The Universe was easy to understand while being pretentious;it's a fine example of pretentious filmmaking for the average filmgoer, acually. That, for me, wasthis film's greatest accomplishment: the fact that ordinary people, who normally wouldn't have eventhought of seening such asimaliec film, happily did.I sat down withan extremely diverse group of people, a groupthat, frankly, youwouldn't imagine going into a Julie Taymor film, and can safely assume every single soul in that theatre enjoyed themselves.
That is the art of moviemaking, For any sceptics, go see the movie, and you'll know preciesly what I mean.

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Film: "Milk"
Release Date: Nov. 26, 2008 (?)
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Josh Brolin, Alison Pill, Joseph Cross
Screenplay written by: Dustin Lance Black


It was sheer coincidence that this film, an excellent biopic based on the later life of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, was released not three weeks after the Prop 8 victory (depending on who you ask). If you know the tragic story, as too many of us didn't before Gus Van Sant kindly stepped in, you would know that the date was meant to collaborate with Milk's brutal assasianation in 1978, less than a year after he was sworn in as the first openly gay man to serve in major public office.
Dustin Lance Black, who has been writing and directing for television most of his career, opens the film in 1970, on the eve of Milk's fourtieth birthday, when he meets and wryly seduces his future lover, Scott Smith (James Franco, last seen as the Spicoli-based Saul Silver in Pineapple Express). Harvey, about to enter a mid-life crisis not helped by confiding in an obviouslygreen twenty-two year old, quits his office drone exsistance, grows aCharles Manson-esque beard,andtransports Scott to "gay mecca"; San Francisco.
Harvey and Scott set up shop, sellingcameras when they clearly contain no knowledge on film (I counted one customer in the entire movie, and he caught them rifling through his nude shots). The shop's purpose is really to serve as headquarters for Harvey's almost yearly campaigns for city supervisor: unfortunatly, poor Scott is stuck tending to the store and the campaigns simoultaiously.Franco, a promising young actor reminiscent of Patrick Swayze, displays a subdued, twangy Scott, a young character heartbroken by his lover's shifting interest from opera and theatre toappearance and political alliances. He still loves Harvey irrevocably, his prescence later in the film confirms that, but it's a different man than he fell in love with in the first place. Still, thier devotion makes one wonder how anyone could possibly call them wrong.
Thisultimately leads to thier relationship's sticky demise in 1977, the same year that Harvey takes in Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch, redeeming himself for the hellish torture known as "Speed Racer), a runaway prostitituefuture AIDSactivist.Anne Kronenberg (Broadway alum Alison Pill),the solefemale role in the film, is also introduced;half Harvey's age, butAnne happens to be responsible for running the campaign that finally wins him hissupervisor seat.The amount of hatred against gays is certainly spoken of early on in the movie, but is not fully realized until a sadistic orange juice saleswoman named Anita Bryant leads a Christian morality cult to a series of victories against homosexual rights. Bryant immeadietly calls to mind a seventies version of Sarah Palin; one simply cannot help it, especially since Milk has garnered comparisons to President Obama of late.Her winsend with Prop 6, an initiative that would ban all gay teachers and thier supporters from employment in any public school in California. Harvey, a natural born leader, marches the massive gay community in San Francisco (literally and figurately) to a shockingly sweet victory over Bryant and John Briggs, en equally evil man of smug supieriority.
But, of course, all good things come to an end. "Poor Harvey," I've heard people say, "murdered for no good reason at all, with his whole life opening up for him." The same year Milk was elected, Dan White wormed his way into the conservative seat;Harvey reached out to him, made genuine attempst to befriend White, but they got into a tiff over work and White resented him for it. White resigned, tried to get his job back, and blamed Milk (who, admittedly, had been pushing the mayor to decline). White (played by Josh Brolin;unemotionally, thewisest way) basically goes insane, and shoots the mayor and Harvey within the space of fiveteen minutes. The death scene is abrubt, painful to watch, has you on the edge of your seat even though you are well aware of the outcome.
The most tragic thing about Milk's untimely death is the fact that he had been happy. Not happy like, "Yeah, I've got a pretty decent life;" happy as in, "I'm doing exactly what I want to do and get to do it for as long as I want." Harvey Milk was by nature a wanderer. He spent the first forty years of his life searching for a place and a career and a family that felt right, and just as he was settling into that sense of home, an angry, bitter lunatic walks into your office and punctures his skull.
By the way, Dan White got seven years in prisonon volentary manslaughter. His lawyers pled that he had whiled away the previous evening gorging on sugary snack food, which messed with his mind enough to make Dan desire two innocent, kind people dead. This became known as the "Twinkie defense" and, for some odd reason, was later banned.
At the end of the movie, you see asilent clip of the real Harvey Milk. This is an apt tribute because

• You see how eerily Sean Penn resembles Milk
• the clip reminds you that this wasn't the work of some brilliant mind, it is a telling of mostly fact. Harvey Milk really did live, he was in love with an angelnamed Scott who passed away due to complications from AIDS in 1995, and his life was cut brutally short by a sensless crime against humanity Because humanity wouldn't be thesame without that one life.

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