Features 2001
12/27/01
- Gosford Park
Robert
Altman goes to England: a star-studded ensemble cast meets for a shooting party
and tea, witty repartee and murder.
12/26/01
- Jurgen's Favorite Films of 2001
Whatever
else 2001 was (and I'm still bitter I can't fly PanAm to walzing space stations
in orbit), it was a fine year for movies. Here's my top ten list.
12/23/01
- Apple Pie for the Soul: "Twin Peaks"
Before
"Mulholland Drive," there was "Twin Peaks." The first season
of David Lynch's milestone TV series is now available as a special edition DVD
set, and in digital resolution, FBI special agent Dale Cooper likes his apple
pie twice as much.
12/15/01
- Top Picks: Art House Musicals
Sometimes,
people feel compelled to break out into song and dance. Here are the top films
that demonstrate the best blend between terrific music and narrative. And no,
"The Sound of Music" is not on this list.
12/13/01
- Top Picks: Cult Movies on DVD
Small
budgets and a private vision often produce the hippest and edgiest stuff in
filmmaking. From Jim Jarmusch to John Waters and Ed Wood, here are the
clut favorites you can't be without.
12/12/01
- Kandahar
Mohesen Makhmalbaf's film about one woman's journey into the heart of Taliban
ruled Afghanistan is one the most powerful films of the year.
12/11/01
- DVD Review: Everybody's Famous
This
quirky and touching Dutch comedy, one of the 2001 Academy Awards nominees for
Best Foreign Film, is one of the funniest movies of the year.
12/5/01
- Top Picks: Gay and Lesbian Film
Gay
and lesbian cinema has come into its own. From herb tea to coming out, first
love to the AIDS crisis, these wonderful films are essential for any comprehensive
DVD collection.
12/04/01
- DVD Review: Calle 54
Move
the furniture, line up the tequila shots, and get ready to boogie down in your
living room: The infectuous Latin jazz documentary "Calle 54" is out
on DVD.
12/03/01
- War is one Hell of a Mess: No Man's Land
Writer-director
Danis Tanovic's dark satire about trapped soldiers is Bosnia's official entry
for the Foreign Language Academy Awards.
11/28/01
- Das Romantic Road Movie: In July
A
multi-cultural German road movie slash romantic comedy sounds like it could
lead to a serious accident, but Fatih Akin's film, starring Lola's boyfriend
Moritz Bleibtreu, is fresh Euro fun.
11/27/01
- DVD Review: The Closet
Daniel
Auteil and Gerard Depardieu ham it up in Francis Veber's comedy about an accountant
in a condom factory who pretends to be gay to keep his job.
11/25/01
- Essential Indies: Marcy's Top Picks
If
Marcy ruled the world, these films would be required viewing for every citizen.
11/25/01
- The Independent: Bombs, Babes, and Jerry Stiller
This
genial mockumentary about a prolific independent filmmaker with 427 B-pictures
to his name and his levelheaded daughter Janeane Garofalo features cameos by
Ron Howard, Marty Scorsese, and Roger Corman.
11/19/01
- In the Bedroom
Todd
Field's relentlessly sad debut is opening to rave reviews. Critics are already
clamouring for a Best Actress Oscar for Sissy Spacek.
11/21/01
- Guide Picks: Essential World Films
OK,
here they are, and without apologies: my favorites. I proudly present and heartily
recommend the world films you can't afford to miss.
11/20/01
- Guide Picks: Top Hong Kong Action Flicks
Since
"The Matrix" introduced Western audiences to wire-fu, it seems we
can't get enough of the flying, leaping, gravity-defying antics of the Hong
Kong action heroes. From John Woo to Jackie Chan: ten must-own DVDs.
11/19/01
- Guide Picks: Top British Comedies
British
humor isn't exactly everybody's cup of tea, but those who enjoy it would have
it no other way. Here's a list of essential English entertainment that could
make the queen lose her wig.
11/18/01
- DVD Review: Roots of Rhythm
Between
"Buena Vista Social Club," and "Calle 54" much attention
has lately been lavished on the rich traditions of Latin music. Harry Belafonte
narrates this three-part documentary tracing the influences that make the music.
11/4/01
- Amélie: Terminally Cute
France's
biggest export since the croissant is set to conquer a nation starved for happiness:
But "Amélie," an unabashedly cheerful ode to life's small pleasures,
is too cute for its own good.
11/1/01
- DVD Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Ang
Lee's Oscar-winning kung-fu spectacular looks stunning, and the disc is stuffed
with special features.
10/31/01
- Guide Picks: Top Anime DVDs
At
their best, anime are as intelligent as the best feature films, and their
daring plots can make the most jaded heads spin. Here are the best looking,
most exciting anime DVDs.
10/30/01
- Guide Picks: Top French Comedies
French
film, of course, has a bad rep for being talky and ponderous, and Americans'
idea of the Gallic sense of humor usually involves misguided notions about Jerry
Lewis. All the more reason to check out some geniunely side-splitting exports
rather than the half-assed American remakes. Tres rigolo!
10/28/01
- Guide Picks: Top Independent Film Soundtracks
No
independent film can be truly hip and achieve cult status without a happening
soundtrack. Where would be Jim Jarmusch without Screaming Jay Hawkins and John
Lurie? With this list of top ten indie soundtracks, you, too, can be too cool
for school. The ultimate mix is waiting for you.
10/27/01
- The Man Who Wasn't There
Less
than a year after "O Brother Where Art Thou?", Joel and Ethan Coen
are back with a film noir starring Billy Bob Thornton and Frances McDormand.
Don't expect much humor from this dark confection, which won Best Director Award
at Cannes 2001.
10/27/01
- DVD Review: With a Friend Like Harry
Dominik
Moll's morbid thriller, hands down one of the best movies of the year, is out
on DVD. Featuring a terrific ensemble cast including Sergi
Lopez (winner of European Film Award), Laurent Lucas, Mathilde Seigner, and
Sophie Guillemin. Don't miss it.
10/26/01
- When Filmmakers Don't Hide Behind the Camera
Two
San Francisco filmmakers travel to Africa to make a documentary about the AIDS
pandemic. They get drawn into the story in ways they did not forsee. "White
Hotel" is a painfully honest documentary unlike any other.
10/21/01
- Big Eden
Boy
gets boy in small-town Montana: a cutesy romantic comedy by newcomer writer/director
Thomas Bezucha that tugs on your heart strings enough to qualify as bypass surgery.
10/18/01
- Not For Deadheads Only: Grateful Dawg
The
celebration of a musical friendship, "Grateful Dawg" explores the
collaboration between mandolin player David Grisman and the legendary Jerry
Garcia.
10/17/01
- The Beauty of the Power Drill: Berlin Babylon
When
the Berlin Wall came down, a swath of prime real estate opened up in the heart
of the city. "Berlin Babylon," a film by Hubertus Siegert, documents
the furious construction.
10/7/01
- Festival Review: Fat Girl
Not
disturbed enough? See Catherine "Romance" Breillat's twisted tale
of adolescence.
10/6/01
- Festival Review: Mulholland Drive
David
Lynch is back, and this maddening L.A. noir shows the Master of Creepy at his
eerily compelling best.
10/5/01
- Festival Review: Y Tu Mama Tambien
Beavis
and Butt-Head grow up: Alfonso Cuaron's road movie, set in contemporary middle-class
Mexico and a changing countryside, is raunchy, poetic, and hilarious.
10/4/01
- Festival Feature: Fear and Loathing at the Walter Reade Theater
Film
critics are a greedy, freeloading bunch. Imagine the outporing of anger when
the doors closed on the first advance screening of cult director Wes Anderson's
latest film, "The Royal Tenenbaums," leaving hundreds of usually entitled
card-carrying members of the press in the cold, including yours truly.
10/4/01
- Festival Review: Storytelling
Todd
"Happiness" Solondz is back with two tales of abuse, revenge, murder,
teenage homosexuality, drugs, and twisted sex.
10/4/01
- The 39th New York Film Festival
Wes
Anderson. Todd Solondz. David Lynch. Jean-Luc Godard. Richard Linklater. The
2001 NYFF has films by directors that will make any film fan drool. We have
the low-down on this year's line-up and hot-off-the-press updates from the screenings.
10/1/01
- Les Visiteurs
In times
like these, what better escape from the news than French slapstick? Jean Reno
and Christian Clavier clown their way through this 1993 time-travelling comedy,
now out on DVD.
9/18/01 - Shaggy Panda Story
Bear Butts, five stories tall! Maria Bello and a cute-as-can-be panda family stars in "China: The Panda Adventure," an IMAX spectacle that's a little like porno without the sex: bad dialogue, clumsy plot, and not enough bears.
9/17/01 - Pippi Longstocking, Capitalist Pig?
Restore your faith in humanity with "Together," a wonderfully warm and colorful look at a Swedish hippie commune.
8/21/01 - Buffy, Watch Out!
Saya, the heroine of a new anime feature, is killing vampires the old fashioned way. Hiroyuki Kitakubo's "Blood" is as short and gory as the animation is stunning.
8/20/01 - Made Doesn't Make It
"Swingers" Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau are back for more, but this time, they're just plain annoying, says guest reviewer Beck Finley.
8/4/01 - Geeks in Love
Zero-gravity cybersex and acute agoraphobia: the Belgian movie "Thomas in Love," shot from the claustrophobic point of view of an hermitic über-nerd, makes for caustic satire but poor psychoanalysis.
8/3/01 - Don't Go See This Movie
Even if your life is at stake, even if all the lives of everyone you love are at stake -- don't see "Songcatcher." Trust me. You'd be better off sitting on your couch looking at your toes.
7/26/01 - Wet Hot American Summer
The chef talks to canned beans. The counselors shoot up. Janeane Garofalo mousses her hair. This is a summer movie for everyone.
7/19/01 - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Hedwig rocks: John Cameron Mitchell makes his directoral debut in this prize-winning adaptation of the Off-Broadway hit musical and stars as the wigged-out transexual hero.
7/3/01
- It's a Great Summer For Movies
Don't
believe the hype, and don't believe the backlash, either -- the best movies
playing now aren't advertised on TV or in full-page ads. But if you know where
to look, there are plenty of excellent films playing. With reviews of "Everybody's
Famous" and "The Closet."
6/28/01
- The Princess and the Warrior
After
the ecstatic fun of "Run Lola Run," German wunderkind Tom Tykwer returns
with a moody story about criminals, madmen, and wounded nurses. It may be slower
than "Lola," but this film is more alive than most movies, a baggy
monster you shouldn't miss.
6/20/01
- The Devastating Dynamics of Globalization
"Life
and Debt," Stephanie Black's documentary about the effect of international
trade policies on Jamaica, is a lesson in tariffs and the workings of the IMF
-- but don't expect to be bored. The human face she puts on the abstract concepts
will leave you infuriated.
6/19/01
- No Beauty in this Beast
Jonathan
Glazer's first attempt "Sexy Beast" falls short despite heavyweights
Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley. Not even fast dialogue and even faster editing
can save this bloated film from sinking.
6/9/01
- The Anniversary Party
In their
directorial debut, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming trade empty compliments,
vicious witticisms, and psychedlic drugs with illustrious house guests Gwyneth
Paltrow, Parker Posey, Jane Adams, Kevin Kline, and Phoebe Cates. If all navel-gazing
was this much fun!
6/1/01
- The Wide Blue Road
I feel like
dynamite: the incomparable Yves Montand blows up fish to save his family in
this Pontecorvo classic, unearthed by Jonathan Demme and Dustin Hoffman.
5/28/01
- Rent This: A Walk on the Moon
Diane Lane,
Liev Schreiber, and Viggo Mortensen star in this heartfelt story of hippie adultery
set in the Summer of Love.
5/24/01
- An Interview with Christina Ricci
The Indie
star talks about English accents, filming sex scenes with Johnny Depp, and her
new movie The Man Who Cried.
5/11/01
- Startup.com
A tale of
irrational exhuberance: watch the bubble grow, watch the bubble burst. Jehane
Nouhjaim's super-timely documentary follows two boyish entrepreneurs along their
dot-com rollercoaster ride, cinema verité style.
4/28/01
- Once Upon A Time in China
Gandhi on
steroids: Jet-Li kicks serious imperialist butt in the re-release of this spectacular
kung-fu epic.
4/26/01
- The Golden Bowl
Merchant-Ivory
do it again: See Nick Nolte, Uma Thurman, Kate Beckinsale and Anjelica Houston
dressed up in finery, huffing and puffing over intrigue and complicated love
triangles.
4/24/01
- The Low Down
Aimless British
blokes love, live, and loaf around London in Jamie Thraves charming debut.
4/16/01
- The Center of the World
Wayne Wang
and Paul Auster collaborate again, and this time they come up with a razzle-dazzle
movie about sex, money, Las Vegas, sex, power, computer geeks, and sex.
4/15/01
- With a Friend Like Harry...
The less
you read about Dominik Moll's wicked cross-breed of psychological thriller and
dark comedy, the better: you should just go see it. If you need any more convincing,
read the 100% spoiler-free review.
4/11/01
- Mario Bava on DVD
Fear and
Loathing in Italy: enjoy the schlock-artsy horror classsics "Blood and
Black Lace" and "Whip and the Body" in restored digital splendor.
4/4/01
- The Girl
A lesbian
love story set in a timeless underworld of mysterious lounge singers and grim
sugar daddies. Sounds good? Well, it isn't. Everything that could be wrong with
a World Film is wrong with "The Girl."
04/1/01
- Too Much Sleep
David
Maquiling is not the first indie director to take a camera to the suburbs. Critics
praise this movie that wants to be quirky and endearing, but I wish he hadn't
bothered.
03/27/01
- Profile: Marcia Gay Harden
Marcia Gay Harden stunned the film community by winning
Best Supporting
Actress for Pollock. Find out more about this accomplished but relatively
unknown actress.
3/23/01
- New Directors / New Films
The Museum
of Modern Art is showcasing the most promising new talent in film. Humping corn
on the cob, wrestling office workers, and Crispin Glover as Bartleby the Scrivener
-- who could ask for more?
3/22/01
- The Oscars: Ang Lee Robbed!
It's all
over, and the highest-grossing foreign film ever won four Academy Awards. "Crouching
Tiger" did amazingly well for a subtitled outsider -- but all in all, it
just didn't do well enough.
3/20/01
- The Lord of the Rings
This Christmas,
get ready for Gandalf, Frodo, and the rest of the gang: New Zealand director
Peter Jackson brings J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved fantasy saga to the screen, complete
with serious special effects and a star-studded cast.
03/15/01
- Memento
Christopher Nolan's brilliant thriller features a killer gimmick that actually
works. With it's sexy cast and the screenplay that won Sundance, "Memento"
is shaping up to become the hottest film of the year.
03/12/01
- Bittersweet Motel: It's the Music, Stupid
World Film Guide and Phish fanatic Jurgen Fauth reviews the documentary on his
favorite band, now available on DVD. Find out why he calls it a half-assed disappointment.
3/10/01
- Rendez-Vous with French Film 2001
If you're
anywhere near New York this Spring, make sure to head down to the Walter Reade
Theater to check out the most promising new French films.
3/9/01
- Hip-Hop, Petty Crime, and Croissants: The Magnet
If your idea
of French film is a bunch of bourgeois people sitting around arguing the fine
points of relationships, politics, and poststructuralist theory, think again.
3/6/01
- When Brendan Met Trudy
Roddy Doyle wrote this gleefully silly romance set in contemporary Dublin and
stuffed to the gills with movie references. Find out why Brendan and Trudy are
breathless, and why Trudy wears ski masks to bed....
03/04/01
- 8th Annual NY Underground Film Festival
Independent film is still alive. From March 7 through 13, the New York Underground
Film Festival proudly premieres more international, more challenging, less mainstream
films than ever before.
2/24/01
- From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China
Twenty years ago, violin virtuoso Isaac Stern visited China to play concerts
and "say hello with music." The resulting documentary won an Academy
Award. Now it's out on DVD, and it's as fresh and inspiring now as it was then.
2/22/01
- Last Resort
It's only February, but I'll bet right now that this Shooting Gallery release
with a lovely Russian actress, a Polish first-time director and a real-life
Internet pornographer will be the most bittersweet film of the year.
02/21/01
- The Oscars That Should Have Been
The Academy saw fit to nominate absolute schlock! Forget "Gladiator,"
"Chocolat," and Julia Robert's cleavage. I offer you the Oscar nominations
as they should be.
2/20/01
- Himalaya
Got a thing for yaks? Then run and see this movie. Eric Valli's gorgeous film
about a Nepalese tribe and its annual caravan across the mountains offers stunning
photography. But the story, like the air, is a bit thin.
2/14/01
- O Netflix, Where Art Thou?
It sounded to good to be true: online DVD rentals with a gigantic selection
delivered straight to your mailbox. Then it all went straight to hell: here's
why I'm back to my local video store.
02/13/01
- 2001 Indie Oscar Nominees
Last year, Hilary Swank walked off with Best Actress. Now great independent
actors Laura Linney, Juliette Binoche, Ellen Burstyn, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey
Rush, Ed Harris and Benicio Del Toro have a shot at the golden Oscar.
02/12/01
- Panic: See This Film -- If You Can
William H. Macy, Tracey Ullman, Donald Southerland and Neve Campell in a touching,
funny, and wicked dark comedy about a troubled hitman. The best film you've
never heard of is sneaking around theaters right now.
2/9/01
- Love Denied
Wong Kar-Wei's "In the Mood for Love" and Eric Rohmer's "Chloe
in the Afternoon" explore the torment and joy of infidelity in their highly
personal, unique styles.
02/08/01
- Secret "Quills" Site Revealed
Shock: The Marquis de Sade gets censored again! Fox Searchlight takes down its
kinky "Quills" site. But don't despair: your trusty Guide managed to sneak out
the secret URL in her laundry basket.
2/6/01
- Bad Company
The twisted turns in this French teenage drama make "Breaking the Waves"
look like a picnic on the beach.
1/31/01
- Nico and Dani: Krámpack
This Spanish coming-of-age story about a straight boy and his gay best friend
is a miracle: charming, light, and smart. And the title is fun to say, too.
1/30/01
- Fallen Angels Paradise
The Marx Brothers with a switchblade and happy whores drive a stolen corpse
through Egyptian nights. Ossama Fawzi's new movie makes being poor and dead
look like a blast.
01/28/01
- Sundance Winners
Indie filmmakers continue to challenge the boundaries. Stories about transsexual
rockers, cancer and transgender love, anti-semetic Jews, and skateboarding all
took home the big prizes at Sundance 2001. And the winners are...
1/17/01
- Snatch
Guy Ritchie is the happiest director in the world. He's got Madonna, he's got
a new movie, and he's got Brad Pitt. What else could he possibly wish for? Well,
for starters, how about a decent plot?
1/14/01
- Yi Yi: A One and A Two
Edward Yang's sprawling family portrait is gathering more and more momentum,
from critic's lists to Oscar rumors. What is it about this slow-burning film
that makes it such a success?
1/13/01
- Indie Spirit Awards
Forget the Oscars. The indie spirit awards recognize the films you care about.
"Chuck and Buck," "Requiem for a Dream," and "You Can Count on Me," each received
five nominations.
01/08/01
- Traffic: A Film By Steven Soderbergh
After Erin Brockovich, the indie hero delivers another star-studded
film that is winning lots of acclaim. Still, this Soderbergh fan was disappointed
with the ambitious drug war polemic.
