1. What Time Is It There?/Ni neibian jidian (Tsai Ming-Liang)TAIWAN- One of the greatest films about loss and alienation ever created.  Much in the tradition of director Ming-Liang's mentor, Francois Truffault, whose film, The 400 Blows, is actually shown in "What Time",  Ming-Liang uses a deliberately slow style to emphasize the emotional distance of the three main characters.  Astonishing performances by those three leads; Kang-sheng Lee, Shiang-chyi Chen, Yi-Ching Lu. *

2. Time Out/Emploi du temps, L' (Laurent Cantet) FR/SWISS-Great improvement over his solid 1999 film "Human Resources".  A father has lost his job but pretends to go to work everyday as to not worry his family, meanwhile he sinks deeper and deeper into lies and debt.  Estute commentary on the shape of the modern European economy driven home by the lead actor, Aurelian Recoiing. *

3. Bloody Sunday (Paul Greengrass) GB/IRE-Director Greengrass used hundreds of eyewitness accounts from all parties involved to make this uncompromised film about the Bloody Sunday massacre which took place in Derry, Northern Ireland on January 30, 1972.  The film cleverly breaks the scenes down to into two minute segments cutting between the British military, the IRA,  protesters and the leader of the civil right march, Ivan Cooper (James Nesbitt) so that you can make determinations of what went wrong for yourself.  You understand fully what lead up to that day and Greengrass allows the actual event to be shown as brutally as you can imagine.    I wish all films based on real events could be done this honestly.

4. In Praise of Love/Éloge de l'amour (Jean Luc Godard) FR-The best Godard film in many years has been praised and maligned by several critics due to it's anti Americanism which is not exactly correct.  The film's main elements relate to the state of American cinema and do not necessarily attach themselves to American cultural ideals.  Scenes where the filmmakers discuss Spielberg's buying of Holocaust survivor's stories for a screenplay is harsh but that combined with his attacks on Juliet Binoche who starred in Godard's "Hail Mary" has now "gone over to the dark side" indicate more a downfall of the Hollywood studio system than Americans in general.  Regardless, the film's poetic narrative and sumptuous visuals are stunning.

5. Adaptation (Spike Jonze) US- After years of watching the self destruction of Albert Brooks I never thought I would see a more pathetic character in a film but then Charlie Kaufman is introspection gone too ugly.  The story of a screenwriter, played to perfection by Nicholas Cage, who is going through a massive writer's block while trying to adapt a book written about rare flowers for the screen.  Like "Being John Malkovich" this film takes a while to form in it's theme but does so successfully despite a so-so ending.  Great work by all supporting characters, especially Brian Cox, who rarely gives a bad performance. **

6. The Piano Teacher/La Pianiste (Michale Haneke) FR/AUSTRIA-Great version on the Elfriede Jelinek book.   Here, Isabelle Huppert gives another great performance as a woman who has been mentally destroyed by her mother desires for her to become a pianist.  Her inner loathing and contempt manifests itself through self abuse until she becomes the object of obsession from a young student (Benoit Magimel from La Fille Seule) whom she trys to destroy as well.  This film is everything that this year's film "Secretary" wanted to be but could not accomplish.  *

7. Ten (Abbas Kiarostami) IRAN-Ten sequences all shot from the perspective of the passenger addressing a young mother who is recently divorced.  The passengers, who range from her resentful son who takes every opportunity to insult his mother's life decisions, to an old woman, to a prostitute who is extremely critical of the current Iranian government's treatment of women.  This film(shot on digital video) will remind some of Kiarostami's brilliant 1997 film "Taste of Cherry" but this is not as allegorical which brings up the question "how did this film escape the Iranian government censors?".  Kiarostami continues to create vital cinema, this time with great risk to his ability to continue to do so in his native country.

8. Read My Lips/Sur mes levres (Jacques Audiard) FR-Carla is a 35 year old secretary, hearing impaired and cannot find a way out of her complacent life.  After she faints at her job from being overworked she is allowed to hire an assistant-enter Paul (a very grubby Vincent Casell) fresh out of prison who desperately wants to keep from going back but sees Carla's ability to read lips as a possible asset.  Humanly flawed characters  that would make Elmore Leonard proud, wonderful acting by the two leads and a tight script makes this the best film noir this year. *

9. Talk To Her/Hable con ella  (Pedro Almodovar) SP-Best Almodovar film since "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" as few directors can work with so many levels of emotion in such bizarre circumstances.  Two men, Marco and Benino, react to the same play one night and later become friends when they meet at the hospital where they each have someone they care for.  Almodovar examines the committment that people have for each other and the degrees that they are willing to give of themselves.  A fully realized and well executed film. **

10. The Son/Le Fils (Dardenne Bros) BEL-Dardenne Brothers(Rosetta, La Promesse) Not as strong as their previous two films (Rosetta and La Promesse) but still incorporating the same unique visual technique of filming on top of their characters works well here.  This slowly crafted story of a carpenter whose hiring of an apprentice for reasons that slowly unfold to the audience is gripping but may be too claustrophobic for some.  As always the Dardenne brothers use of professional and non professional actors adds to the realism.
 
 

1. Truth About Charlie (Jonathan Demme) US-Note to Soderbergh...If you are going to remake a film please try to change it in an interesting way.  Here Demme remakes "Charade" in the spirit of the French New Wave(complete with Anne Karina and Charles Anzavour).  Thandie Newton is wonderful taking over the Audrey Hepburn role of a confused woman who is manipulated when she trys to find out why her husband was murdered.  Sadly, casting Mark Wahlberg in the Grant role was a poor choice and hurts too many scenes.

2. 8 Women/8 Femmes (Francois Ozon) FR-Maybe Francois Ozon is finally coming around (last year's Under The Sand was decent as well).  Fun musical remake of a brutal 60s French play.  Some great musical numbers and solid acting jobs by Huppert, Ledoyen and Denueve.  Silly, pretty and still a bit of Ozon's viciousness thrown in.

3. Auto Focus (Paul Schrader) US-Schrader (screenplay-Taxi Driver, Afflication) has a great subject here-Bob Crane, star of TVs Hogan's Heroes, whose legacy was not his starring role on that series but as the star of thousands of videotapes which showcase of his sexual addiction.    Willam Dafoe gives another a great performance as his video technician friend, John Carpenter, who helps Crane with his addiction which may have lead to his murder.  Not a great film but sleazy enough to entertain.

4. The Ring (Gore Verbinski) US-Verbinski does a fine job adapting the original Japanese horror phenomenon for the American audience. Naomi Watts makes another good choice of projects with this film and Brian Cox again is very good.  Tight, scary with some changes to the original film that add some truly horrifying moments. **

5. Heaven (Tom Tykwer) US-ITALY-UK Tykwer (Run Lola Run) may not have been the best choice for this, the last script written by Kieslowski and Piesiewicz , but Cate Blanchett in the lead is stunning and the film is visually well done.  Tykwer, almost seems to intentionally work against himself by not using his ability of filming action which kills the tension of the first half that should have set up the second half exodus in Tuscany.

6. Murderous Maids/Les Blessures Assassines-(Jean-Pierre Denis) FR-Sylvie Testud in the lead gives the bets performance by an actress this year.  A totally uncompromised film based on the true story of two chambermaids that murder their boss and daughter that only falls short due to a slightly weak script and poor work of character development and follow through.  The darkest film of this year and maybe 1932.  Needs to be seen for Testud's performance. *

7. Atanarjuat /The Fast Runner (Zacharias Kunuk)-CAN Interesting subject, gorgeous to watch and very ambitious storytelling that sadly goes way overlong for it to be effective in keeping interest.   Sadly, stories such as these, a telling of an Inuit legend where a spirit destroys a village, are rarely put to film.

1. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes) US -Haynes hasn't made a great film since "Safe" and this isn't it-remake of a remake?  Looks good, Julianne Moore is great but bland dialogue-Think 1950s Velvet Goldmine. **

2. Y Tu Mama Tabien (Alfonso Cuarón) MEX- What exactly is new here?  Let's show that the privileged have no appreciation for what they have-Wow! Porno for people afraid to rent porno or it's great "third world cinema"-Blah Blah Blah. *

3. The Pianist (Roman Polanski) UK FR- Palm D'Or at Cannes so it must be great.  Nope, sorry!  They gave a major award this year to a Palestinian film as well so this Holocaust film was an offering to the god of political correctness (think Ulysses Gaze and Underground in 1995) Polanski still hasn't made a good film since Chinatown.  **

4. Minority Report (Steven Spielberg) US-Great story by Phillip Dick-Ruined by Spielberg and his stupid little gadgets.  Someone please give me the always wonderful Samantha Morton and I'll make a masterpiece. *

5. Solaris (Steven Soderbergh) US-  Why remake Tarkovsky?  WHY???? Third useless remake by Soderbergh in two years (Ocean's 11, Traffic).  Clooney and Soderbergh are better than this. **

6. Gangs of New York (Martin Scorcese) US-Daniel Day Lewis is sensational but this is too much, Mr. Scorcese.  Sadly, Martin has lost it as "Gangs" rivals Kundun for Scorcese's bigger wastes of time. A little too much spectacle and not enough grit. **

7.  Insomnia (Christopher Nolan) UK/US-Nolan has made two stunning original noirs in a row (The Following and Memento) so why remake Insomnia, which was perfect and only four years old?  The original Norwegian film is fantastic and this US version was a weak effort with sub par acting (Robin Williams?).  Soderbergh produced it so I have some idea why this happened. *

1. Standing In The Shadows of Motown (Paul Justman) US-My fear is that no one will ever try and tell this story again thinking that it has been covered by this joke.  Dreadful, contrived garbage with a poorly staged concert of new singers mauling Motown (Joan Osbourne singing Smokey anyone?).  Poor James Jamerson.

2. Bowling for Columbine (Michael Moore) US-Oh Joy!  Michael Moore is self edifying and then preaches to the liberal choir.  As contrived a "documentary" as "Motown",  Moore appears somewhat disappointed when he wins the battle and then KMart changes it's ammunition policy.  Seems like Moore is crusading again-This time for a network TV deal.   Result-I bought several illegal firearms after this film.