Not One Less (China, 2000)-Story about Chinese peasants. Critical of economic greed, profound look at rural life in today's China. Recommend.

Monsieur Ibrahim (France, 2003)-No, all religions don't point to the true God, and no, this isn't a movie I recommend. French garbage.

Little Otik (Czechoslovakia, 2001)-Bizarre fantasy that starts off as a comedy and ends up a horror flick. Don't recommend.

That Obscure Object of Desire (France, 1977)

Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire (USA, 2004)

Sakura Wars (Japan, 1997)

Green Legend Ran (Japan, 1998)

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (Japan/USA, 1990) - Eight short films based on Kurosawa's dreams. Beautiful and poetic while maintaining a dark undertone. "The Weeping Demon" and "Mt. Fuji in Red" are my favorites. Recommend.

Amelie (France)--Dreams versus reality story that is visually poetic, but in the end is for simple-minded romantics. Mildly recommend.

Autumn Spring (Czech)--I know what the director tried to do here; but his worldview doesn't give any hope at all. Lack of purpose in the characters make this comedy one of the saddest pictures I've seen. Recommend.

Baran (Iran, 2002) - Story about love and acceptance set in Iran. This one will be shown at our Foreign Film Series. Highly Recommend.

The Barbarian Invasions(France)-- Crap. If you like movies about "Blue state" intellectuals (Actually, they are Canadian, but what's the difference?) whining about their lot in life, this movie is for you.

Bend It Like Beckham (Great Britain)--Cross-cultural sports story. Recommend. Will be a big hit with women. Recommend.

Best in Show (USA, 2000) - Mockumentary about dog lovers. This stuff is a hoot, reminds me of some family members. Recommend.

Big Fish (USA)--Tim Burton's excellent take on Southern tall tales and myths. Highly recommend for Southerners, Yankees just won't get it.

The Big Kahuna (USA, 1999)-Why is it that most of the movie descriptions listed on the jacket never match the movie? Rent it and listen closely to the debate, who we are or what we are? Highly recommend.

Blind Shaft (China, 2003) - Morality play set among miners. Some of the adult themes caught me off guard, but is brutally honest in it's portrayal of reality. Recommend for adults.

The Blind Swordman: Zatoichi (Japan)--I guess Japanese cinema is doing well because they are producing crappy remakes. Revisionist story about the blind samurai. This was not a good movie; animated blood was annoying, no development of story lines, and the Japanese Riverdance scenes made me cringe. Stick with the black and white Zatoichi. Do not recommend.

Bowling for Colombine (USA)--Movie attempts to explain why we have over 11,000 gun-related deaths yearly. Highly recommend.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (USA)--This movie sucked so bad that while watching I listened to "Queen's Greatest Hits" on Channel 9 during the flight from Istanbul to JFK, and still determined it made my top 5 worst movies ever. Bad, bad, bad.

Children of Heaven (Iran, 1999) - Cute story set in modern day Tehran. Brother and sister and a pair of sneakers. Highly recommend.

The Chronicles of Riddick (USA)-- Dan forced me to watch this at his house. Horrid, poorly written and acted.

Conduct Zero (South Korea) —High school movie concerning the student “boss” and his minions. Would be funny if it weren’t so true. Recommend, if only for a good look at South Korean hierarchical structure.

Constantine (USA)--Works on some levels, there is more than meets the eye with this movie. Can't say I really recommend it.

Crimson Gold (Iran)-- From the same director of The Circle, another movie that will make you feel like throwing yourself out of the highest building you can find.

The Devil's Backbone (Spain)--Scary, scary, scary. Had to sleep with the cat for two days after this one.

Dodgeball (USA)--Ben Stiller has an excellent performance. Leave your brain outside and you will love this movie, "more useless than a poopy-flavored lollipop." I haven't laughed this hard since "Major Payne". Recommend.

The Five Obstructions (Denmark)--Two directors go head-to-head creating five different versions of the 1967 film The Perfect Human, Recommend.

Ghost in the Shell II (Japan)—Animated return of this brain-buster. Highly recommend.

Hero (China)--Haven't we seen this before with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon? Beautifully filmed and another Tony Leung appearance, but this story has been recycled too much. Slight recommendation.

Heisei Tanuki Wars (Japan, 1994)-Weird, weird anime about cartoon bears with their nut-sacs showing. Mighty strange.

Hotel Rwanda (USA, 2004) - Americanized version of genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994. Preachy at times, didn't do it for me.

Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong)--Wow! One of the best cop movies I've seen. I'm slowly becoming a Tony Leung fan. Highly recommend.

I, Robot (USA)—For some reason I’ve seen this movie four times in two weeks, most recently on my flight from Atlanta to Madrid. One of those blockbusters that makes you think (a little). Recommend.

James' Journey to Jerusalem (Israel)--A biting commentary on Jewish life. This could have been a great movie, but it didn't push enough.

Kaena (France)—Fell asleep 30 minutes into this animated mess concerning bugs and sap from trees. Yawn.

Kikujiro (Japan, 2000) - Comedy that is nothing more than skits put together to make a less-than-cohesive story. Do not recommend.

Lain I: Navi (Japan, 1999) - Sci-fi, Matrix-like anime. Do you feel accelerated? Recommend.

Left of the Dial (USA, 2005) - HBO Pictures documentary. A balanced view of Air America as they begin radio programming. The five minutes of election day and the day after footage are some of the best ever. Must see.

The Life Aquatic (USA, 2004) - Quirky movie. Bill Murray holds it together with his deadpan, and it has its moments. The inside joke "wink-wink" was tiring after a while. Slight recommendation.

Mean Girls (USA)--Teen flick that Dan Clark wanted me to see due to scene describing home-school students.

Millennium Actress (Japan)--Recommend for anime/Japanese film buffs. Great postmodern story.

Minority Report (USA)—Ok, I enjoyed this, albeit seeing it again has worn chinks in the armor. Some scenes are just too over the top. Recommend at least once.

Mr. 3000 (USA)--This movie sucked. Formulaic, Hollywood tripe.

Les Miserables (USA, 1998) - Grace over Law. See it. Highly recommend.

Musa the Warrior (South Korea/China)--Recommend but incredibly violent and the typical "honorable Korean" storyline.

My Father and I (France-2004)--Caught myself thinking "God, this is exactly the way I feel about my Dad at times". Psychological drama that ends up as depressing and ambiguous as it begins. Recommend for adults.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Japan, 1984)-Anime, from the Archives of Studio Ghibli. One of Miyazaki's first works, reminds me of the themes presented in Princess Mononoke, strange landscapes, telepathic bugs, strong teenage lead, with the goal of saving the environment. Recommend.

No Man's Land (France? 2001)-Scathing indictment of all sides involved in the Bosnia-Serbian war, especially the UN. Recommend.

Nueve reinas "Nine Queens" (Argentina)--Con movie with a surprise punch at the end.

Open Your Eyes (Spain)--Dreams versus reality stuff again. Much better than the crap remake Vanilla Sky, especially Eduardo Noriega's performance, but I still can't recommend it. Instead, see the director's The Others for a good scare.

Oshiri… (?) (Japan, 1991)-Anime. Didn't quite work for me as a whole story, but did contain interesting Japanese cultural bits. Recommend if you want to look into Japanese society, do not recommend if you want to watch a good movie.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (Australia)--Compelling story about Aborigine relocation during the 30s. Highly recommend.

Requiem from the Darkness, vol 1, 2(Japan) – Animated ghost stories. Recommend.

The Ring (USA, 2002) - Not as scary as the Japanese version--the spooky scenes were a bit too artsy, and this version makes the mistake of showing the little girl's face. Very mild recommendation, but if you are going to see one of the two, see the Japanese version.

Ringu (Japan, 1998) - Oh my! I couldn't sleep at night without the cat. This one is scary! Keep the lights on! Hiroyuki Sanada (Twilight Samurai) has a major role. Highly recommend.

Run Lola Run (Germany)—Another repeat for me. Enjoyed this movie as well as the techno soundtrack. Recommend.

The Road Home (China)-- Great, great movie. Mainly for women and emotive men.

Samurai Fiction (Japan)--Fair samurai story, reminded me of a Japanese music video.

Saved! (USA)--Probably the most offensive movie about Christians in a long time; but right on in terms of what we have allowed Christianity to become. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Sin City (USA, 2005) - It's so cool looking you’re not supposed to be concerned about its total lack of moral grounding, sexism, nor its nihilistic outlook. Beautifully filmed, but I am tired of Rodriguez and Tarantino trying to push the boundaries of violence. Read the comics, this movie I do not recommend.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (South Korea)--Visually stunning and morally relevant. Great movie but I need to brush up on my Buddism.

Star Wars: Episode III (USA, 2005) - Lucas has redeemed himself after Episode II. Dare I say it is the best of all six movies? The last thirty minutes are of a masterpiece, epic drama, hurling toward an ending we all know but still hope Anakin can avoid. The scene with Uncle Owen looking out over Tatooine with infant Luke brings chills, foreboding the first time we will see Mark Hamill in Episode IV. Ignore the sappy love scenes and focus on the rest. Highly recommend.

Ten (Iran) -- 5 stars, excellent movie about the plight of women in Iran.

Together (China, 2002) - Excellent movie about choosing money/fame or family. Sentimental at times, but it still hits home. Recommend.

Totoro (Japan, 1988)-Miyazaki. A great story for kids about imaginary friends. I need to buy a cute Totoro stuffed animal for the back of my car to sit next to Gigi. Highly Recommend.

Tokyo Godfathers (Japan)--Excellent anime story about redemption, kind of in the same vein as Whale Rider. I'm going to call the Little Art Theatre in Yellow Springs and request they book this one for Christmas Eve.