Weekend Flicks

Sideways (2004) : Directed by Alexander Payne, Sideways follows Miles (Paul Giamatti), who is distressed about his lack of success as a novelist, and Jack (Thomas Haden Church), an equally unsuccessful actor with a rapidly approaching wedding. In a last-ditch effort to sow their wild oats, Jack and Miles take off on a final road trip to California's wine country the week prior to Jack's wedding. Both men have goals for the vacation -- Miles wants to turn Jack on to the art of wine tasting, while Jack is concerned with exploiting his last days as a bachelor -- but when the two men come across two fascinating women (Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh), the duo is forced to examine their morality, and if maturity isn't such a depressing prospect -- or at least, for one of them.
Identity (2003) : A group of strangers are stranded at a remote motel where a maniac begins slaying them one by one in this pulse-pounding thriller with a dynamite twist. With torrential rains washing out roads and cell phone signals alike, the various characters--including a cop and the killer he's transporting--are forced to bed down for the night at a small Nevada motel. But when bodies begin turning up, it's up to the survivors to flush out the killer...and uncover the shocking revelation that connects them all. With John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, John C. McGinley and Rebecca De Mornay. Directed by James Mangold; screenplay by Michael Cooney.
Matchstick Men (2003) : Nicolas Cage stars as a con artist with a conscience whose life takes an abrupt turn when he meets his 14-year-old daughter for the first time. Roy (Cage) is a grifter whose smooth scams with his partner Frank net him a decent living. However, when he's not "working," Roy is a neurotic mess. When his therapist arranges for him to meet his teenage daughter Angela--the result of a failed marriage--Roy is stunned. But his reaction quickly changes as father and daughter forge an instant bond that will change Roy forever...even as she prompts him to show her some of the tricks of his trade. Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman, Bruce Altman and Bruce McGill co-star. Directed by Ridley Scott; screenplay by Nicholas and Ted Griffin.

List of Movies (~Oct.'04-Present)

1. Sleepers (1996)
2. Footloose (1984)
3. JFK (1991)
4. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) *
5. The Usual Suspects (1995)
6. House of Sand and Fog (2003)
7. Reversal of Fortune (1990)
8. The Rules of Attraction (2002)
9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
10. Funny Farm (1988)
11. Runaway Jury (2003)
12. Unfaithful (2002)
13. Madhouse (1990)
14. The Piano (1993)
15. Auto Focus (2002)
16. Something's Gotta Give (2003)
17. Another Woman (1984)
18. Adaptation (2002)
19. Witches of Eastwick (1987)
20. Alex and Emma (2003)
21. School of Rock (2003)
22. Alexander (2004) *
23. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
24. The Matrix (1999)
25. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
26. Sylvia (2003)
27. American Splendor (2003)
28. Le Divorce (2003)
29. The Spitfire Grill (1996)
30. Love Actually (2003)
31. The Shape of Things (2003)
32. Up Close & Personal (1996)
33. Bruce Almighty (2003)
34. Mystic River (2003)
35. Big Fish (2003)
36. The Merchant of Venice (2004) *
37. Striptease (1996)
38. Kiss The Girls (1997)
39. Harry Potter 3: The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
40. Gothika (2003)
41. Cheaters (2001)
42. 50 First Dates (2004)
43. The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992)
44. Risky Business (1983)
45. Birdy (1984)
46. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
47. Fargo (1996)
48. Wild Things (1998)
49. Sideways (2004) *
50. Identity (2003)
51. Matchstick Men (2003)
52. Super Size Me (2004)
53. It Runs in the Family (2003)
54. The Aviator (2004) *
55. After Hours (1985)
56. All the Real Girls (2003)
57. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004)
58. Hitch (2005) *
59. This Boy's Life (1993)
60. Born Rich (2003)
61. Capturing the Friedman's (2003)
62. Closer (2004)
63. Pieces of April (2003)
64. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
65. Marvin's Room (1996)
66. What a Girl Wants (2003)
67. Prince of Tides (1992)
68. Reefer Madness (1936)
69. The Girl Next Door (2004)
70. A Lot Like Love (2005) *
71. Chariots of Fire (1981)
72. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
73. A Cinderella Story (2004)
74. Boogie Nights (1997)
75. Uptown Girls (2003)
76. With Honors (1994)
77. [Empire Falls (2005)]
78. [Angels in America (2003)]
79. The Terminal (2004)
80. Serial Killing 101 (2004)
81. A Time to Kill (1996)
82. New York Minute (2004)
83. True Lies (1994)
84. Wedding Crashers (2005)*
85. Garden State (2004)
86. The Stepford Wives (2004)
87. The Muse (1999)
88. Ready to Wear/Pret-A-Porter(1994)
89. Monster (2003)
90. A Home at The End of the World (2004)
91. Twist of Faith (2005)
92. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)*
93. Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000)
94. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
95. Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen (2001)
96. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
97. Contact (1997)
98. We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)
99. In America (2002)
100. Godsend (2004)
101. The Company (2003)
102. [Sex and the City (1998-2004) Seasons 1-6]
103. The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)*
104. Garfield: The Movie (2004)
105. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
106. Broken Flowers (2005)*
107. I Heart Huckabees (2004)
108. The Dreamers (2003)
109. Dangerous Minds (1995)
110. Scent of a Woman (1992)
111. Boogeyman (2005)
112. Maria Full of Grace (2004)
113. In Her Shoes (2005)*
114. Prime (2005)*
115. Spanglish (2004)
116. March of the Penguins (2005)
117. The Graduate (1967)
118. Harry Potter 4: The Goblet of Fire (2005)*
119. The Longest Yard (2005)
120. Pride & Prejudice (2005)*
121. The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
122. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)*
123. King Kong (2005)*
124. The Notebook (2004)
125. Dirty Dancing (1987)
126. Transamerica (2005)*
127. Brokeback Mountain (2005)*
128. Phantom of the Opera (2004)
129. Match Point(2005)*
130. Kinsey (2004)
131. Munich (2005)*
132. Yesterday (2004)
133. The Upside of Anger (2005)
134. Cheaper by the Dozen 2
135. [Weeds (2005- ) Season 1; Season 2]
136. [Entourage (2004- ) Season 1; Season 2; Season 3; Season 4, Episodes ]
137. Crash (2005)
138. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)*
139. Thank You for Smoking (2006)*
140. Wicker Park (2004)
141. The Da Vinci Code (2006)*
142. The Break-Up (2006)*
143. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
144. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
145. The Door in the Floor (2004)
146. (Brian Jackson Knows Everything (2006)*) PREVIEW -- Starter for 10 (2007) (real title and elease date)
     
147. Walk the Line (2005)
148. Erin Brockovich (2000)
149. The Woodsman (2004)
150. Must Love Dogs (2005)
151. Ray (2004)
152. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)*
153. The Lake House (2006)*
154. The Village (2004)
155. The Big Lebowski (1998)
156. Melinda and Melinda (2004)
157. The Night Listener (2006)*
158. Sliver (1993)
159. Singles (1992)
160. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)*
161. Wayne's World (1992)
162. The Last Kiss (2006)*
163. Mean Girls (2004)
164. Varsity Blues (1999)
165. Running with Scissors (2006)*
166. She's the One (1996)
167. Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead (1991)
168. [The L Word (2004- ) Season 1; Season 2; Season 3; Season4, Episodes 39-41]
169. [Dexter (2006 - ) Season 1, Episodes 1-12]
170. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
171. The Holiday (2006)*
172. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)*
173. Capote (2005)
174. She's All That (1999)
175. Pursuit of Happiness (2006)*
176. Saw (2004)
177. Dreamgirls (2006)*
178. Mannequin: on the Move (1991)
179. A History of Violence (2005)
180. Fatal Attraction (1987)
181. Boys on the Side (1995)
182. The Family Stone (2005)
183. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (2003)
184. First Daughter (2004)
185. The Departed (2006)*
186. Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)
187. Nanny McPhee (2005)
188. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
189. United 93 (2006)
190. Shot in the Dark (2002)
191. The Island (2005)
192. Harry Potter 5: The Order of the Phoenix (2007)*
193. The Simpsons Movie (2007)*
194. Nanny Diaries (2007)*
195. The History Boys (2006)
196. Because I Said So (2007)
197. August Rush (2007)*
198. Little Manhattan (2005)
199. You, Me and Dupree (2006)
200. Hairspray (2007)
201. Knocked Up (2007)
202. Just Like Heaven (2005)
203. 16 Blocks (2006)
204. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)*
205. Notes on a Scandal (2006)
206. Bratz (2007)
207. The Kite Runner (2007)*
208. Fast Food Nation (2006)
209. Juno (2007)*
210. There Will Be Blood (2007)*
211. 27 Dresses (2008)*
212. Night at the Museum (2006)
213. Last Holiday (2006)
214. Definitely, Maybe (2008)*
215. Three to Tango (1999)
216. Cast Away (2000)
217. Autism: The Musical (2007)
218. The Firm (1993)
219. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)*
220. John Tucker Must Die (2006)
221. Notting Hill (1999)
222. Material Girls (2006)
223. American Psycho (2000)
224. Pretty in Pink (1986)
225. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)*
226. The Reader (2008)* PREVIEW
     
227. Possessed (2000)
228. Cheri (2008)* PREVIEW
     
229. Office Space (1999)
230. The Dream of the Romans (2008)* PREVIEW
     

Oscars

Driving Miss Daisy (1989) : An elderly Jewish widow (Jessica Tandy) living in Atlanta can no longer drive. Her son insists she allow him to hire a driver, which in the 1950s meant a black man. She resists any change in her life but, Hoke, the driver (Morgan Freeman) is hired by her son. She refuses to allow him to drive her anywhere at first, but Hoke slowly wins her over with his native good graces. The movie is directly taken from a stage play and does show it. It covers over twenty years of the pair's life together as they slowly build a relationship that transcends their differences. It won 4 Oscars for Best Picture; Best Actress in a leading Role (Jessica Tandy); Best Makeup; and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. It was nominated in 5 additional categories.
Fargo (1996) : Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) hires two men to kidnap his wife so he can get his rich father in law to pay the ransom. Once the ransom is paid Jerry and the kidnappers will split the money down the middle. That's the plan, but what happens is something totally different. Blood is shed when a cop and two innocent people are killed. Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) is the Chief who investigates the murders. While Marge investigates, Jerry gets involved in deeper problems, ranging from financial troubles, to threats from the kidnappers. It won 2 Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Frances McDormand) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Ethan Cohen, Joel Cohen). It was nominated for 5 additional Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (William H. Macy).
I watched the Academy Awards at Rachel's with SLW, Keren, Rachel, & Penina. It was nice though the ceremony was pretty uneventful. Chris Rock hosted and Million Dollar Baby (2004) won Best Picture.
Wild Things (1998) : One of the sexiest, most twist-filled films of the '90s! A high school guidance counselor is accused of rape by two voluptuous students from opposite sides of the tracks. Kevin Bacon is a local cop who suspects all three are in league to bilk a bundle of cash from one girl's loaded mom. The intricate set-up leads to steamy sex, murder and a series of shockingly amusing double-crosses that will leave you guessing until the very last reel--be sure to stick around for the end credits! With Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Theresa Russell and Denise Richards. John McNaughton (Normal Life) directed this "sly, torrid and original" thriller (Variety). Written by Stephen Peters.