I’m almost embarassed to let you all know how many movies I saw last year. Almost.

Very few absolute stinkers this year. Every film I saw had at least a few redeeming qualities so even some of the lower ranked movies are pretty good. I’m a little upset that I missed “Signs” because I’m sure that it would have been a definite worst movie of the year contender.

106. Rules of Attraction
The last Bret Easton Ellis adapted movie was one of my favorites of a few years back- “American Psycho”- but this movie is so bad for so many reasons. Roger Avary directed his first movie since “Killing Zoe” and maybe this would have been better if he hadn’t spent all his spare time throwing darts at his Quentin Tarantino dart board and perhaps he would have learned how to make a better film. This movie doesn’t make me angry the way the last few years’ worst films have (“Vanilla Sky”, “Sunshine”, “Any Given Sunday”, “Central Station”) but it’s pretty bad nonetheless. Nothing in this film works except for Shannon Sossamon. The 80’s music that plays throughout the film set in the present makes no sense. Maybe in five years, this movie will be considered a good “bad” movie but in 2002, I can’t bring myself to enjoy it on that level. The snowflake landing on James Vanderbeek’s face that turns into a teardrop takes the cake for worst moment in film for 2002. The bizarre scene when that kid from “Undeclared” is declared dead on the floor of the E.R. is the strangest bad moment in film for 2002. The overwrought scene of Vanderbeek revving his motorcycle engine in the snow is the most ridiculous moment in film for 2002. When Vanderbeek manically utters “Define crazy” to a scared freshman is the most laughable line in film for 2002. Hell, the more I write about this movie, I think that maybe by 2004, I will be able to enjoy this movie as a good “bad” movie, but until then it places dead last. Rock n Roll!!

105. Igby Goes Down
The scenes of the crazy dad freaking out in the shower are reason enough to find this movie so low in my rankings. This movie is so damn dull. Like “Catcher in the Rye” without any of the interesting ideas, dialogue, or character development. I would watch “Rules of Attraction” ten times in a row before I had to sit through this one again. Is it too late to change my worst film pick?

104. Austin Powers in Goldmember
Too many bathroom jokes even by Mike Myers standards, too many recycled jokes, and not enough energy make this movie pretty bad. However, it does include the best Susanna Hoffs moment in cinema since “The Allnighter”.

103. Italian For Beginners
Wanted Dogme lite, got Dogme boring.

102. Silence, We’re Rolling
Egyptian snoozefest but I did like the guy who looked like a young Jonathan Richman.

101. Undisputed
A lightweight Oz.

100. Satin Rouge
Armenian mother daughter belly dancers.

99. Orange County
Enough of Jack Black playing the fool already. Almost everyone I know dislikes Tom Hanks except for me. I save my venom for his no talent son Colin. Man, he sucks.

98. Bungee Jumping on Their Own
Japanese melodrama about reincarnation. If this were remade in the West, Rupert Evert would star.

97. Lan Yu
Something about Tianamen Square messing with people’s lives.

96. 24 Hour Party People
Manchester music scene from the late 70’s- early 90’s. I really like elements of Michael Winterbottom’s movies (“Welcome to Sarajevo” being another) but I feel like there is just something missing to fully pull them together.

95. Scarlet Diva
I saw this movie in the midst of my summer fling with Asia Argento. I can’t really recommend this semi-autobiographical movie unless you have been dying to see Ms. Argento shaving her armpits while naked.

94. XXX
Chris Lawrence declared this movie the “worst movie ever”. But the outrunning of the avalanche scene and the making fun of dying scientists scene are two reasons to keep this movie far from that proclamation in my mind. Still, this movie is pretty bad if you really think about it, huh?

93. 8 Mile
I wanted more arm waving rap war stuff than awful character developing dialogue like “Yo, at least I got a job!” I can’t wait for the Jack White biopic slated for Christmas 2003.

92. Count of Monte Cristo
Guy Pearce and Luis Guzman were fun in this silly romp of yesteryear. The first 3/4 of this movie were actually quite enjoyable, but the last 1/4 was pretty awful.

91. Girls Can’t Swim
Awful, awful, awful ending, but it did a good job of capturing that 15 year old girl mixture of silliness, maturity, and confusion.

90. 25th Hour
This film had some fine moments, but I really should stop spending money on Spike Lee joints.

89. Reign of Fire
Looked really good, but it wasn’t nearly creepy, campy, or suspenseful enough to be this year’s “Final Desination” or “Behind Enemy Lines”.

88. One Hour Photo
Almost as creepy as Patch Adams.

87. Blue Crush
Not campy enough for my tastes, but the ending of the girl surfer raising her arms in triumph morphing into a magazine cover with the headline “Girls Lay Pipe!” is truly priceless.

86. The Lady and the Duke
Eric Rohmer experiments with digital video in this French Revolution drama. Not that great, but I respect the fact that the eightysomething director is still trying new things. Plus, one not so great film every 35 years or so is an acceptable ratio for me.

85. Yellow Asphalt
Bedouins vs. Israeli settlers

84. The Quiet American
Graham Greene deserves better than the director of “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Bone Collector”. Still, the source material is pretty strong.

83. Swimming
Could have been called “Bored Teens Loitering”. Lauren Ambrose of “Six Feet Under” is excellent though.

82. Spy Kids 2
I liked the “Godzilla” type backgrounds. Ricardo Montalban in a flying wheelchair!

81. Bartleby
Other than Crispin Glover, I would have preferred not to have seen this Melville adaptation. Still, Crispin Glover!

80. Femme Fatale
Entertaining if not completely silly. The “Run Lola Run” story/ time structure in this Brian Depalma yarn is interesting.

79. The Hours
As I was leaving the restroom at Union Square after seeing this film, I overheard one guy telling another, “Whoa, I’m glad I’m not a woman.” He was either referring to his thoughts on the film or his thoughts on the long line to get into the women’s restroom, I’m not sure. Either way- a good line.


78. Undercover Brother
I didn’t know that apparently black folks don’t like mayo. Any verification on this?

77. 7 Days In September
Documentary about New York City from Sept. 11-17, 2001. The highlight of the film was this kid at Union Square pontificating on the situation. He discussed Einstein and all sorts of things you wouldn’t expect a ten year old to be blathering on about. After the movie, I stood next to him at the urinal. I almost brought up Kierkegaard, but I thought better of it.

76. Read My Lips
Another French thriller.

75. Dogtown and Z Boys
Skateboarders are kind of egocentric, huh?

74. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
So much better than the Phantom Menace. The first half was okay at best, but the second half made me giddy with anticipation for the next installment. The sounds of asteroids might be the best sound effect of the year.

73. Storytelling
Todd Solondz seems to be trying to answer his critics in this film, but shouldn’t he make more movies before making a film like this? Entertaining, but a major disappointment after his last two films (“Welcome to the Dollhouse” and “Happiness”). From the critic Ernest Hardy, “To Todd Solondz, if you’re listening Storytelling is a work of genius, an uncompromising portrait of true pain and a masterful anticipation of anything that I or any other mere reviewer could ever conceive. NOW do you feel better?”

72. Drumline
“Bring It On” but with more brum brum brums and rat a tat tats.

71. Panic Room
Fun David Fincher genre exercise, but my dad had serious reservations about the plot developments.

70. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
This year’s “Man on the Moon”. Entertaining, but I think I would rather just watch 3 episodes of “The Gong Show” and then read the book that this was based on. Oh, and would somebody shoot Julia Roberts already?

69. Insomnia
The first time I’ve liked Al Pacino in years! Overall,
this movie isn’t that memorable, but it did have some very good moments. Many of the quick jumps reminded me of Chris Nolan’s last film (“Memento”) and wide shots of the scenery are great. Plus, Nikki Katt!

68. I’m Trying to Break Your Heart
Or “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Worship Every Little Move Jeff Tweedy Makes and Not Question Him or His Sleazy Manager About Anything They Do Because Major Labels Are Stupid.”

67. Trouble Every Day
Probably the most disturbing film I saw all year. Claire Denis (“Beau Travail”) brings Vincent Gallo to the big screen as a cannibal sexaholic who might just be a vampire. Completely ridiculous yet utterly riveting.

66. In Praise of Love
Jean Luc Godard sure hates Americans, doesn’t he?

65. Russian Ark
One continuous 95 minute shot. The amazing look of the digital video makes me feel okay for the first time of the imminent “demise” of film as a medium. The movie confused the hell out of me and the sweeping camera shots lulled Sujan, Jamie, and me into dreamland, but I’ve got to respect the way this film was made. Matt Zoller Seitz of “Ny Press” likens this film to a 95 minute museum experience of a hundred years of Russian history pre 1917- sometimes boring, sometimes fascinating, but always interesting in some aspect.

64. Rain
New Zealand- mid 70’s- a teen girl, her little brother, and their idiotic parents. Really good until the last ten minutes. Kind of like “Cold Fever” meets “Ice Storm”.

63. Warm Water Under a Red Bridge
Fun Japanese movie about a woman with an unusual sexual talent and the man who loves her.

62. Pinochet Case
Documentary about the mean mean Chilean dictator.

61. Secret Ballot
Iranian film about a woman registering people to vote.

60. Max
The portrait of the young dictator as an artist.

59. Road to Perdition
“Miller’s Crossing” light. But, I sure do like “Miller’s Crossing”.

58. Frida
I’ve been waiting all my life to see a movie where Trotsky gets icepicked. As far as biopics go, this is a good one. The whole film looked like a painting come alive.

57. Monsoon Wedding
A foreign film for people who don’t like foreign films. Very enjoyable but too many stupid subplots knock this movie down my list.

56. Beijing Bicycle
A Chinese teenager fights for his right to have his bicycle and maybe for his right to party too but that will be in the sequel. A lot of scenes of gangs beating up people are in this movie.

55. Fast Runner
Inuit folk tale shot as a movie. I enjoyed this, but I think the hype led to me being disappointed in it. The digital video looked awful and it was way too long. If it had been shorter and shot on film, I think I would have liked this a lot more.

54. About Schmidt
I liked the Nicholson soul searching stuff much more than the silly “Flirting With Disaster” family stuff. I know Hope Davis was trying to rebel against her dad but, come on, that dude she’s marrying is too much of a doofus. I like “Flirting With Disaster” but that movie was consistent in tone, this one can’t decide what it wants to be. However, the Nicholson stuff is so strong that the movie is overall quite good.

53. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times- Marc Balgavy is more in touch with his 14 year old self than I am. He described this movie to me as “George Washington meets the Virgin Suicides”. Um, no.

52. The Bourne Identity
The kind of movie that you want James Bond movies to be like. There was one moment where I literally jumped out of my seat because I was so scared and I almost pulled a muscle.

51. Last Orders
The neighborhood bar is the heart of this male weepie of a few friends travelling to the sea to spread the ashes of their recently deceased friend (Michael Caine).

50. Human Nature
Truffaut’s “The Wild Child” as a comedy.

49. Bowling For Columbine
Michael Moore makes some really interesting points when he isn’t grandstanding. Interesting points parts- A+. Grandstanding parts- F.

48. The Good Girl
Tim Blake Nelson was so good in this movie. This movie was no “Chuck and Buck”, but it did have its charms- modest as they were.

47. About a Boy
I know most people didn’t like this movie, but I found myself sucked in by it. I actually liked Hugh Grant and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

46. Scratch
I had no idea that DJs are so obsessed with UFO’s. Or that they don’t like mayo. Any verification on this?

45. Nine Queens
Argentinian heist flick had me guessing throughout.

44. Secretary
I felt like I was watching Jim and Anne Fornecker perform in a Max Fisher play when I was watching this film.

43. 8 Women
The dance sequences in Francois Ozon’s latest were amazing- reminiscent of Jean Luc Godard and Hal Hartley’s best.

42. War Photographer
Interesting documentary about... um... a war photographer.

41. Intacto
The strangest film I saw all year. Max von Sydow plays a concentration camp survivor who lives in a casino out in the middle of nowhere. He is able to steal other people’s luck and concocts all sorts of weird games for other people with similar powers including making people run at full speed while blindfolded through a forest with the last person standing the winner to then face von Sydow in an ultimate battle of a Russian Roulette type game where you have to ask yourself, “Do you feel lucky punk?” Well, do you?

40. Y Tu Mama Tambien
This movie makes me really want to get to Mexico as soon as possible and get involved in some sort of twisted love triangle.

39. Gangs of New York
Set design- A
Costume design- A
Leonardo Dicaprio- C
Story- D
U2 Song over credits- F
Daniel Day Lewis- A++
Sweet Jesus, the best performance of the year. You didn’t know whether to hate him or love him. His performance singlehandedly raised this movie at least 25 spots on my list. Sort of the Alex Rodriguez of 2002 movies. Pure brilliance in a sea of mediocrity of plot and character development.

38. Happy Times
This guy wants a wife, see, but can’t find one. So he tries to impress this really mean woman by tricking her into thinking he runs a massage parlor even though he doesn’t even have a job. She insists that her blind step-daughter be given a job at the parlor. An elaborate scheme ensues but the title of the film is a misnomer.

37. Far From Heaven
Todd Haynes (“Velvet Goldmine”, “Safe”) pays tribute to the films of Douglas Sirk with this 50’s era drama. He completely captured the look of the era and the feel of Sirk’s films.

36. Rabbit Proof Fence
Why are Australians so damn mean?

35. Catch Me If You Can
Should have been a half hour shorter, but it was fun from beginning to end. I will go see anything Spielberg puts out.

34. Spider-Man
J.K. Simmons (OZ) is the most underutilized actor in Hollywood. Who would have thought that the best screen kiss of the year would happen in this movie?

33. All About Lily Chou-Chou
Japanese. Dreamy and meandering. Music, the internet, and teenagers.

32. CQ
Jeremy Davies plays a confused filmmaker in the late 60’s making a self indulgent personal film while at the same time working on a “Barbarella” type feature film. Unbelievable cameos from Jason Schwartzman and Billy Zane.

31. The Kid Stays in the Picture
Best line of the year was uttered in this film- something about reaching for the brass ring but getting rapped in the balls with a brass knuckle.
Documentary about the producer Robert Evans. His speaking style reminded me of Bob Odenkirk as God on “Mr. Show”.

30. Metropolis
My first Japanamation flick. I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I didn’t care because I was having so much fun.

29. Dahmer
Creepy and effective. Great grainy look. Interesting character study. The actor who played Dahmer was like a super scary Tobey Maguire.

28. Bloody Sunday
An account of the day the British took it to marching Irish folk in 1972. Handheld cameras were used quite effectively. At least the U2 song over the credits in this movie made sense unlike the one in “Gangs of New York”.

27. Interview With An Assassin
Eerie fake documentary about a man who claims that he was the second gunman in Dallas in November, 1963.

26. Minority Report
So so so close to being great and one of the year’s best films. Most of this film is incredible. Action, suspense, drama, intelligence, but the last 20 minutes blow. Like A.I., Spielberg can’t quite figure out how to end this film. If it had ended where it should have, it would have been a downer and homey knows that don’t sell no tickets. It is interesting to watch the middle-aged Spielberg wage a battle on celluloid within himself between whether or not he wants to create art or create a blockbuster.

25. Solaris
This movie made me feel like I was watching the visuals to a “Boards of Canada” album. The promotion of this film as a George Clooney romantic drama was easily my favorite misleading of the public since the New Coke fiasco.

24. The Piano Teacher
8 months later and I still am not sure what to make of this French movie about a self-mutilating middle aged woman who lives with her mom and does horrible things to others.

23. Sunshine State
This movie was like a Robert Altman tapestry of characters type film but without the energy. And I don’t mean that as an insult. Edie Falco was brilliant and it was nice to see Richard Edson (“Eight Men Out”, “Stranger than Paradise”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) in a film again.

22. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
I don’t know why I feel like I have to justify myself for not putting this film higher on my list, but I feel like I have to. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I just don’t find myself emotionally invested in any of it to really care what happens. Maybe if I had played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid or read the books in high school, but I just can’t quite connect with the whole thing. That being said, this movie was stupdendously entertaining.

21. Adaptation
There were moments of complete brilliance in this movie and other moments of complete silliness. There were parts of utter originality and other parts that have been done more effectively in other movies like “The Player”. From critic Charles Taylor, “Adaptation sets some kind of standard in congratulating moviegoers for their own hip cleverness. If Jonze and Kaufman could have figured out a way to give the audience hand jobs they would have.” And the problem?

20. Time Out
French film about a family man fired from his white collar job who then decides to pretend he’s still working and all of the lies/ scams/ depression that follow as a result.

19. Chicago
The musical is back! Never mind quasi musicals like “Moulin Rouge” and “Dancer in the Dark”, there hasn’t been a real musical made in years. From beginning to end, I was hooked. The theme of celebrities being used up and tossed aside by the public adds a little seriousness to the fun- but not too much that it detracts. I predict this movie will win Best Picture.

18. Devils On The Doorstep
A very dark comedy about the Japanese occupation of China at the tail end of World War II. Gorgeous black and white film. Starts as a farce, ends as a tragedy.

17. Murderous Maids
Based on the true tale of two incestous sisters and their miserable lives as servants who end up murdering their employers. Interesting comments on the class structure in France. Sort of a “Rules of the Game” with incest and a Brian Depalma twist.

16.The Rookie
The moment when Dennis Quaid is warming up in the bullpen in Texas before going into his first game as a major league pitcher and he looks up and makes eye contact with his wife, I almost lost it. If “The Two Towers” left me out of the loop emotionally, this film pulled me right in and didn’t let go. I suppose if I had spent less time as a child daydreaming about all things baseball and more time daydreaming about wizards and hobbits, Chris Lawrence would like me better today. Damn.

15. Home Movie
Short documentary from the filmmaker of “American Movie”. The film shows us five different kooky households- a guy who lives on the bayou, a woman who lives in a tree, a guy who has turned his house into a house of the future, a husband and wife who have converted a missile silo into a home, and a husband and wife who live in a house with dozens of cats. Like “American Movie”, you’re not sure if the subjects are being made fun of, but I don’t really care either way- I think the audience can decide for themselves the answer to that question.

14. Lovely and Amazing
This film left me in quite a melancholy mood, but in a good way. So many awkard situations, so many real moments, such family drama, such a good movie.

13. The Son’s Room
This Italian film treads the same terrain as “In the Bedroom”- dealing with the loss of a child- but with much more subtlety and realism. Instead of turning into a revenge flick, this film deals with how a family deals with grief day in and day out. No easy answers, but a great film.

12. Daughter From Danang
Documentary about a Vietnamese- American woman who had been adopted by a Southern woman as a little girl in 1975. She never really got along with her adopted mother and was always curious about her birth family back in Vietnam. She was able to locate her family and after a year of so of writing letters decided to visit them in Vietnam. However, she wasn’t quite ready for the culture shock of her visit. As you watch the first few days of her trip, you can sense the impending disaster. When it finally occurs, it is painfully fascinating. A great documentary.

11. Punch Drunk Love
This is the first truly original film that P.T. Anderson has done. Like a musical with no music other than the great Popeye song from the Altman film. Instead of spending 3 plus hours trying to emulate Altman like in “Magnolia”, Anderson uses an obscure song from a maligned Altman film to pay homage to him. This film is tense and dreamlike. Adam Sander’s character reminded me of Vincent Gallo’s in “Buffalo 66” - a jerky guy who just wants to be loved in order to be saved. Interestingly, this was the second film I saw this year- “One Hour Photo” being the other that the Gursky poster I have in my apartment of the 99 cent store seemingly came to life on celluloid. I love the oversized blue suit Sandler wears in the entire film.

10. Happiness of the Katakuris
One of the most twisted films I’ve ever seen. From Takashi Miike, director of last year’s “Audition”, this film features claymation, burials of dead guests of an inn, an erupting volcano, a scam artist, a crazy grandfather, song, dance, and in the audience with me for the second year in a row at a Miike screening- David Cross. It was impossible to predict what might happen next, because the movie took so many insane turns. Probably the most fun I had watching any film this year.

9. I’m Going Home
93 year old Portugese director Manoel de Oliveira made this slow, elegant film about a sixtysomething actor who finds out his wife has just died in a car accident as he finishes a play. The film is about how the actor copes with his wife’s death. The shots of Paris at night are incredible and the many store front/ cafe scenes as he explores the city by himself capture the magic of a good silent film.

8. Songs From the Second Floor
Scandinavian strangeness. A bunch of crazy vignettes all loosely tied together. There is the wandering ghost boy of a Holocaust victim still with the noose around his neck. There is the pissed off could have been entrepreneur amongst a junkyard of discarded life size Jesus on the cross statues crying out, “How could I think I was going to make money on such a loser?” There is the woman having sex with her boyfriend inside her apartment as a homeless guy outside screams her name as dozens of mechanized rats scurry about in the street. There is the recently fired guy covered in soot who comes home and sits despondently on the edge of the bed with his soot covered hand resting gingerly on his wife’s bare behind. There is the magician who saws his unwitting victim in half. The best way I can describe this movie is a cross between the lyrics of the Archers of Loaf song “Harnessed in Slums”, the existential explorations of Krzyszlof Kieslowski’s films, and the incredible strangeness of Terry Gilliam’s films.

7. Spirited Away
My second foray into Japanimation left me craving more. This is the tale of a girl trapped in an evil kingdom when her parents gluttony at an abondoned amusement park leaves her stranded. Every minute or so, there is a new brilliant ripple of wonderment and fun. This is the kind of movie that Disney could never pull off so instead they bought it for distribution. This film is full of the kind of imaginative ideas that J.K. Rowling could never conjure up on her best day.

6. Roger Dodger
Campbell Scott needs to be in more films! This movie captures all the male angst that “High Fidelity” tried to capture on film. The first five minutes and last five minutes of this film are absolutely perfect and the rest isn’t half bad either. This movie reminds me of a Big Star song- on the outside it is all fun and lollipops, but if you really pay attention to it you want to cry because it is so sad.

5. Talk to Her
Every single shot of this film could be used as a promotional still. It looked gorgeous. I haven’t seen enough of Almodovar’s films to know how this one rates, but I do know that it is my favorite of the handful I have seen. This movie is so sweet, it made me want to cry.

4. Late Marriage
Israeli film about a thirtysomething bachelor being pressured to get married by his family. They keep arranging dates for him to meet prospective wives. However, he is secretly carrying on an affair with a divorced mother who he is in love with. His parents find out and intervene. There are some hilarious moments and some really painful moments in this film. It also features the most realistic sex scene of any film I’ve ever seen. The next to last scene sums up the film without a word being spoken in much the same way that the last scene of “Big Night” sums up its theme. This is the kind of film that will stick with you for months, if not years, after watching it.

3. Morvern Callar
This movie could have been called “The Mix Tape As Narrative”. Lynne Ramsay’s last film “Ratcatcher” wasn’t all that great, but this one is. Samantha Morton plays the title character who wakes up next to her dead boyfriend next to the Christmas tree with it’s never ending flashing lights blinking on Christmas morning. It seems that her boyfriend slit his wrists the evening before and has left her directions to send his recently completed novel to a publisher. She turns in the novel under her name and ends up making a lot of money off of it. In the meantime, she gets rid of her old boyfriend while listening to the mix tape he had left her as a Christmas present and then travels to Spain with a friend. There are so many incredible random moments in this film that won’t sound impressive in print, but on celluloid are amazing. I watched this movie with a big grin on my face the entire time. How could I not like a movie where the main character spends many scenes listening to a mix tape? Ramsay has just signed on to direct “The Lovely Bones” which should be interesting.

2. The Pianist
The best Holocaust related film I have ever seen. Roman Polanski is back! Adrien Brody is unbelievable. This film follows Brody’s character Max Szpilman (based on his memoirs) in Warsaw from the years 1939-1945. We see the war only through Szpilman’s eyes- how it begins with small slights of the Jews, turns into bigger injustices, and then on to the Warsaw ghetto. The filth, the poverty, the horror, the murder. Then the “relocation” of the Jews in the ghetto begins. Szpilman survives the war through determination and sheer luck. Every moment and detail of this film are perfect. There are large stretches of this film with no dialogue at all, but it is nonethess captivating. Did Szpilman survive because he was a coward or were things out of his control? This is the one film from this year that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone. I know that my tastes are easily ridiculed by those in the food court, but this film should be seen.

1. What Time Is It There?
A watch vendor in Taipei becomes obsessed with a young woman right before she departs for a trip to Paris. After she leaves, he becomes obsessed with the Truffaut film “400 Blows”. He embarks on a mission to set all the clocks in Taipei to Paris time. His mother is obsessed that her recently dead husband is going to be reincarnated and join her at the dinner table. There is a giant fish in their fishtank. The watch vendor almost kills himself trying to reset a clocktower overlooking a busy intersection in a scene reminiscent of Harold Lloyd’s “Safety Last”. The woman that the watch vendor is obsessed with shares a park bench in Paris with Jean Pierre Leaud, the actor from “400 Blows” but she doesn’t know who he is. Somehow all of these disparate parts come together with many others to make up my favorite film of 2002. I'm not quite sure how to fully describe this film. It kind of put me in a trance. It had elements of Eastern mysticism that I didn't really comprehend until discussing it after the film. It obviously had quite a few nods to classic films of the past which I loved. The cinematography was unbelievable. It sometimes didn't quite make sense from scene to scene, but by the end it had all fallen into place for me.

2002 LISTS
dan
kevin
jeremy
alex
sujan
dave n.
sarah f.
juhi
genna
shawn
chris larry
mitch
chris m.
donovan
marc
jim

discussion