The Wedding List

In writing my review of Bend It Like Beckham, I briefly touched upon the fact that I have a deadline hanging over my head.  Before my wedding day, on 9/10/11, I have to watch the following nine films:

1.  Bend It Like Beckham
2.  Harlan County, USA
3.  White Oleander
4.  Lost and Delirious
5.  Don't Eat The Pictures
6.  Escape to Witch Mountain
7.  Madchen in Uniform (1931)
8.  Turtles Can Fly
9.  Taste Of Cherry

I've seen almost half of those already, and reviews are forthcoming.  Anna, in turn, is being forced to watch the following nine films that I have chosen for her:

1.  Total Recall
2.  The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
3.  Ghost Dog:  The Way Of The Samurai
4.  Starship Troopers
5.  Halloween (1978)
6.  Akira
7.  The Gold Rush
8.  The Road Warrior
9.  Seven Samurai

She's also seen a couple of these, and will be writing reviews of those as well.

The criteria/explanation for these is that they're films that partially represent our respective personalities, and are films that our loved one wouldn't necessarily be inclined to watch of their own volition.  These aren't "deal breakers"; she doesn't have to like any of these films (I only have two of those: Robocop and Dawn Of The Dead.  She already passed that test!).  We just want to make sure that we both have a good sense of our partner's personality before we dance down the aisle (Oh, there will be dancing.  Disco dancing.).

There are several more challenges, ones which have nothing to do with films, and I won't bore you with them.  But I'll make sure to keep you up to date on this particular one as we go, and I'll be prodding the missus to do the same.

Heaven's Gate (Movie Review)

I'm Walken.  Yes, indeed.

HEAVEN'S GATE (1980)
Director: Michael Cimino
Stars: Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken, Sam Waterston

With a plot loosely based on the Johnson County War of 1892, we follow the trials and tribulations of Sheriff Jim Averill (Kristofferson); Nate Champion (Walken), the deadly enforcer for the Cattle Barons; and Bordello Madam Ella Watson (Huppert), whom they both love.  When the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, led by Frank Canton (Waterston), decide to effectively eliminate the poor, foreign farmers encroaching on their territory, they come up with a list of so called "thieves and anarchists" to be put to death; and the three lovers need to decide which side they want to stand with.

I don't often go into the production of a film while reviewing it, but in this case, I feel as if the "legend" of Heaven's Gate needs addressing.  Hot off the success of Michael Cimino's sophomore directorial effort, The Deer Hunter (1978), which won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director; and while still entrenched in the golden age of the New Hollywood; Cimino was essentially given carte blanche to make his "little" Johnson County War Romance film, that had been rejected several years prior.  It went into production in early 1979, with a budget of around $12 million, and a projected release date for that year's holiday season.  In the end, largely due to Cimino's uncompromising extravagances (such as collapsing and reconstructing a period street set in order to make it six feet wider), the budget ended up at over $40 million, an astronomical sum for that time, and didn't even finish shooting until March 1980.

Premiering late in 1980, the nearly four hour long film ended up being savaged by the critics, and was promptly pulled from theaters a week later.  Six months on, the studio released a shortened two and a half hour version, but to no avail.  In the end, the film grossed only $3 million at the domestic box office.  United Artists, the studio formed in 1919 by D.W.Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, collapsed under it's debts, and was purchased by and folded into MGM Studios.  It rang the death knell for the New Hollywood, and passed ultimate control of the films back from the artists, to the studio heads.  Considered one of the biggest box office and critical bombs of all time, it effectively destroyed Cimino's career.  He briefly was given a shot at directing Footloose (?!?), but after four months of outrageous budgetary demands, he was fired and replaced by Herbert Ross.

Years later, Los Angeles pay-cable station The Z Channel screened the four hour cut of Heaven's Gate, which is the version that was subsequently released on home video.  It has, in the following decades, been given a grudging degree of respect, with some critics and filmmakers even hailing it as a lost masterpiece.

Ok, now that we have the "legend" out of the way, how much of it is really true?  Well, most of it.  The death of the New Hollywood could just as easily be attributed to the success of such films as Jaws and Star Wars, as it was to the failures of Heaven's Gate and One From The Heart, since the more money the business was making, the more suits began to take over.  But was it a "lost masterpiece"?  Not so much.

The movie is bad.  Really bad.  Cimino completely earned the public flogging that he received for making it, and it has equally earned it's place as one of cinema's worst films.  Completely pretentious in the truest sense of the word, in that it's simplicity and stupidity are masked by the outrageous length of the film, including individual scenes and shots, lending it an undue sense of importance.  The film is ostensibly about how bad it is that men of higher education run the world, and that people of any "class" should have the same inalienable rights.  This point is undercut by the fact that the poor foreign farmers are shown to be as decisive as cattle themselves, and rely upon Harvard educated Jim Averill for their every decision.  Cimino, himself a graduate of Yale, betrays his hand by showing a strong condescension to, and disdain for, the very people that he attempts to defend.

The plot is as simple as you could possibly make it.  Imagine Avatar as a box office failure, instead of a blockbuster.  You have Waterston as the standard mustache-twirling villain, Kristofferson as the stalwart hero, and Huppert as the hooker with the heart of gold.  Why, then, the unnecessary sense of importance for what could just as well have been popular entertainment?  Certain lines and points are repeated over and over again, to make sure that everything really hits home.  Yep, I get it dude.  No, really.

Are there any redeeming values?  Yes;  and that's what makes it all the more painful.  It has a wealth of "spot the actor" moments, and some good performances, but they're all completely wasted.  You've got Jeff Bridges as. . .  well, I'm not really sure what his character is.  He stands around in a black hat looking confused a lot.  Shakespearian actor John Hurt plays a sort of Jar Jar Binks-like character, stumbling drunkenly around the battlefield providing "comic relief".  Mickey Rourke appears, in his first screen role, as "Huh?", joined by veteran actor Geoffrey Lewis as "Wha?".

The photography, by master cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, is gorgeous to look at, and the movie's main virtue.  But it's rarely composed well, with the shots often seeming randomly placed.  Yeah, that vista looks great;  what's the point of this shot again?  The music is boring and misplaced, often using variations on The Blue Danube (apparently, no one informed Cimino that Stanley "Fucking" Kubrick had already placed his stamp on that particular piece).  The pacing and editing are ziadifposennnnnn. . . Sorry.  Fell asleep at the keyboard there for a moment.

It's a must-see for film fans only.  Not because of any degree of quality that it contains, but simply so that you can say you've seen one of the biggest cinematic train wrecks of all time.

FREDERICK OPINES:  ABOMINATION

Director Of The Week: Tom DiCillo

TOM DICILLO (August 14, 1953, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina - )

After attending NYU Film School, Tom got his feet wet as an actor and cinematographer in films such as Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise, before directing his first feature film, Johnny Suede (1991).  Remembered now primarily as a footnote in the future career of the then unknown star, Brad Pitt, it didn't catch on with either audiences or critics.

The pain of making the film, however, led to DiCillo's best remembered and most acclaimed work, Living In Oblivion (1995).  The indie comedy of a director (Steve Buscemi) struggling to hold his low budget movie together starts out in a fairly straightforward manner, but soon descends into chaos, and you're never really sure which events are actually happening.  Oblivion wasn't a huge hit, but it turned a profit, and this time was much more widely acclaimed.

Riding off of that success, his next film produced was Box Of Moonlight (1996).  Despite strong performances from John Turturro and newcomer Sam Rockwell, it didn't make much of an impact.  Since that time, his films have essentially gone straight to video, or been in very limited release.  One recent success that he's had is the documentary When You're Strange (2010), about the history of the band The Doors.  Narrated by Johnny Depp, the film has earned nominations for both Emmy's and Grammy's.

The Ten Films I'm Most Excited About In 2011

Predictions are a difficult thing in the film world.  The big releases are mostly mapped out, but you never know what's going to be pushed back until next year (How many years has The Tree Of Life been on similar lists to this?).  The smaller films can come seemingly out of nowhere.  Who knows what little films premiering at Sundance are going to rocket their way into our hearts?

Best guesses being what they are, here's what's on the horizon that I'm salivating for.

10.  CONAN

Director: Marcus Nispel
Stars:  Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols
Plot:  Conan is a barbarian warrior who hands wizards asses back to them. . . in pieces.

Hey;  I didn't say that these would all be "good" films.  The pedigree on this is not strong, with the best response I've had to a Nispel film being the slightly positive "Yeah, ok".  But dammit, it's Conan!  Love the mythology.  Love the books, comics, films. . .  The cast is respectable, too.  Lang and Perlman are consistently great, and Rachel Nichols is ludicrously attractive.  Count me in.

9. DAMSELS IN DISTRESS

Director:  Whit Stillman
Stars:  Adam Brody, Greta Gerwig
Plot:  A college girl is indoctrinated into a group of shallow harpies.  Pretentious hilarity ensues.

Stillman's first directorial effort since 1998's The Last Days Of Disco.  Indie dramadies about social groups were the house that he helped to build, so it'll be interesting to see if he's still seen as relevant by the critics in '11.

8.  THE RUM DIARY

Director:  Bruce Robinson
Stars:  Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart
Plot:  Based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson, Depp stars as an American journalist living in Puerto Rico.  There will be drinking and wackiness.

Director Robinson returns after an almost 20 year hiatus.  If you're wondering why I'm excited about this, check out his films How To Get Ahead In Advertising and Withnail & I.

7.  CASA DE MI PADRE

Director:  Matt Piedmont
Stars:  Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Will Ferrell
Plot:  A parody of Spanish language Soap Operas.

After Rudo y Cursi and Y Tu Mama Tambien, I have complete faith in Luna and Bernal's co-film choices.  Ferrell in a Spanish language comedy will be muy interesante.

6.  X-MEN: FIRST CLASS

Director:  Matthew Vaughn
Stars:  Jame McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, January Jones, Kevin Bacon
Plot:  Prequel to the X-Men franchise explores the origins of the team, and the relationship between a young Xavier and Magneto.

Vaughn's follow-up to one of my favorite films of 2010, Kick-Ass, and in the same genre.  Fox Studios shoddy track record aside, I'm stoked for this.

5.  A DANGEROUS METHOD

Director:  David Cronenberg
Stars:  Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightly
Plot:  A love triangle between Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Sabina Spielrein.

Cronenberg is nothing if not compelling and engaging, so it'll be interesting to see his continued progression away from body-horror into the world of the psychological.

4.  TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

Director:  Tomas Alfredson
Stars:  Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Mark Strong
Plot:  George Smiley espionage thriller, based on the classic John LeCarre book.

From the director of Let The Right One In.  Would you like to know more?

3.  THE TREE OF LIFE

Director:  Terrence Malick
Stars:  Brad Pitt, Sean Penn
Plot:  Dunno.  Something about family drama and existentialism.  A minotaur may or may not be involved at some point.

It's Malick, aka Little Kubrick.  That means, if you can see this on the big screen, make it a point to do so.

2.  HUGO CABRET

Director:  Martin Scorsese
Stars:  Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Ben Kingsley

Scorsese plays in 3D in this adaptation of the childrens book The Invention Of Hugo Cabret.  Having read it, I completely understand why Scorsese would want to make this;  it's entirely a love-letter to the magic of cinema.

1.  THE MUPPETS

Director:  James Bobin
Stars:  Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Kermit
Plots:  It's Muppets, bitch.

Since I'm a living, breathing human with eyes and ears, I'm a huge fan of the Muppets.  So this one's a no brainer.  Bobin is a first time feature director, but has previous experience from Da Ali G Show and Flight Of The Conchords.  Script by Segel.


So. . .  a bunch of interesting stuff coming out.  Looking forward to it.

Director Of The Week: Oscar Micheaux

OSCAR MICHEAUX (Jan 2, 1884 - March 25, 1951)

After singing the praises of The Birth Of A Nation director D.W.Griffith last week, I feel as if it's my karmic duty to talk about the first African-American feature film director, Oscar Micheaux.

At the time of The Birth Of A Nation's release, Micheaux was working as a novelist from his farm in South Dakota.  Interested in breaking into film, he approached the newly formed Lincoln Motion Picture Company, the first producers of what would become known as "race movies"; films with an entirely black cast (white characters were played by black actors in "whiteface"), made for black audiences, and often shown in segregated theaters.  Oscar offered them the rights to adapt his first novel, The Homesteader, on the condition that they let him direct it.  Lincoln declined.  So Oscar went about raising money to produce his film the same way he made money for his books;  by going door-to-door.

He finally got the film produced, and The Homesteader was released in 1919.  Emboldened by his first successful film endeavour, he followed it up with a direct affront to The Birth Of A Nation, entitled Within Our Gates (1920).  The film parodies several elements of D.W.Griffith's classic, most notably the attempted rape scene.  This time, the races are reversed, and there's an additional twist;  it's a white man trying to rape a woman of mixed race, who is (unbeknownst to him) his own illegitimate daughter!  As you can imagine, Micheaux often came into conflict with censorship at the time, and several of his films have become either truncated or lost entirely.

This sounds like a great loss to cinema, and from a historical perspective, it is.  However, if you actually watch any of his films, welllll. . .  they're not exactly fantastic.  Even factoring in the budgetary and time restraints given to him, there seems to be a lack of understanding as to how to utilize the medium of film.  Editing flaws, continuity errors, static staging, and a lack of strong direction for the actors are common enough problems in his movies.

He was a passionate trailblazer, and a true auteur in an era when "black films" were often being made by white producers and writers.  His prolific output over his 30 year career included about 40 films, both silents and talkies, and in the 40's he resumed his career as a novelist.  Despite his limitations as an artist, his true legacy is as an inspiration to several generations since.

new year. same you.

So much of our lives in the new(est) millennium are focused on what's hot, what's new, what's current and fresh. We post to-the-minute minutiae on our social networking sites.

And yet, every time the holiday season rolls around, traditional salutations pop up everywhere. "Chrismahanukwanzukah" might have been coined in the last decade, but certainly the sentiment has rung true for ages. We wish good tidings to our friends and loved ones, whether intimately or broadcast on the 'net.

The worst tradition, by far, are the lofty new year's resolutions. "I'm determined to lose 15 pounds." "Every day I am going to the gym." "This is the year I will fall in love." Typically, we don't really expect that these resolutions will last. But why not?

I wrote a more detailed post on the first two at Moxie Does It. I believe in making changes for a healthy lifestyle, especially in modifying diet and exercise - but time and time again I see my friends making these determined statements only to fail or backslide.

Making goals is what helps some of us stay motivated - if we set deadlines, we're sure to meet them. We can plan tasks along the way, and even set up a reward system, and that'll help with success.

But, rather than posting your resolutions (that you will "try" to do, but will you really remember what they are even a week from now?) to feed upon likes and comments - try thinking more about New Year's Realizations.

Most of the great and fantastic things I did in 2010 were little challenges I set for myself. I learned to bake, got engaged, swam a mile. I couldn't have done these things without realizing that I didn't know how to bake; that there was really no reason to NOT get married to Frederick Frog; or that in order to swim a mile, I had to actually put on my bathing suit first.

Realize what greatness you are capable of. Realize what patterns you have that cause you sadness or shame. Realize the small changes you CAN make daily, instead of the big changes you hope to make some day. Figure out what it is that defines your life NOW, instead of what you wish defined it.

Planning for a whole year of satisfying results is a great dream. Planning to realize that dream takes effort.

I wish you a great 2011 -- one in which you can look back at the end, and measure your success. Success that came one step at a time.

Every Movie I Watched In 2010

Here's a round-up of every movie that I watched last year.  In case you were wondering, "Hey, didja see. . . ?". . .  Here you go.

Movies released in the US in 2010 are capitalized.  These are listed in the order I watched them, and if I saw it twice, I list it twice.  For the most part, short films and videos were disqualified, with the one exception of the Wallace & Gromit shorts.  But hey;  if you've got a whole DVD dedicated to your one short film, I'm throwing it on.  Seasons of a show (or mini-series) count as one film.  If I don't watch the entirety, from beginning to end, I don't count it (Sorry, Kristen Stewart's The Runaways!).

I'm also throwing a letter rating next to each entry, so you know how I felt about it.

MP = Masterpiece
GR = Great
G    = Good
M   = Middling
B    = Bad
AT = Atrocious
AB = Abomination

From "The Great Buck Howard". . .

1. The Great Buck Howard (M)
2. Tyson (G)
3. The International (AT)
4. Race To Witch Mountain (AT)
5. Sherlock Holmes (G)
6. Bruno (M)
7. The Limits Of Control (AB)
8. World’s Greatest Dad (GR)
9. World’s Greatest Dad (GR)
10. The Hangover (B)
11. Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (G)
12. The Princess And The Frog (G)
13. Public Enemies (B)
14. The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (G)
15. Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (G)
16. Extract (G)
17. Land Of The Lost (G)
18. Away We Go (B)
19. Deadgirl (AB)
20. Gomorrah (GR)
21. Europa (GR)
22. I Love You, Man (M)
23. Havoc (M)
24. The Good German (AT)
25. Man Bites Dog (GR)
26. The Swarm (M)
27. The Lovely Bones (B)
28. Doubt (G)
29. THE BOOK OF ELI (G)
30. DAYBREAKERS (G)
31. The Cove (G)
32. My Life As A Dog (G)
33. CYRUS (G)
34. Duplicity (M)
35. Monsters vs Aliens (B)
36. Saw VI (M)
37. Twister (1996) (M)
38. The Simpsons: Season 10 (G)
39. Black Christmas (1974) (MP)
40. Whip It (G)
41. Rudo y Cursi (GR)
42. TRIANGLE (G)
43. The Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call - New Orleans (G)
44. The House Of The Devil (M)
45. Fighting (G)
46. Battlestar Galactica: Season 1 (2003) (M)
47. 30 Rock: Season 1 (GR)
48. Kagemusha (GR)
49. Generation Kill (GR)
50. THE WOLFMAN (G)
51. 30 Rock: Season 2 (G)
52. SHUTTER ISLAND (MP)
53. Broken Embraces (G)
54. Bronson (B)
55. Antichrist (GR)
56. ALICE IN WONDERLAND (AT)
57. Ong Bak 2 (B)
58. Payback: Director’s Cut (G)
59. Tokyo! (G)
60. Angels & Demons (AT)
61. Unforgiven (1992) (MP)
62. Dracula (1931) (G)
63. Dead Snow (M)
64. FISH TANK (GR)
65. THE GHOST WRITER (B)
66. 30 Rock: Season 3 (GR)
67. Postcards From The Edge (M)
68. A Town Called Panic (GR)
69. Lost: Season 1 (GR)
70. Food, Inc (M)
71. Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room (G)
72. Howard Zinn: You Can’t Be Neutral On A Moving Train (M)
73. Cocaine Cowboys (G)
74. Places In The Heart (M)
75. Street Fight (G)
76. RED RIDING: IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1974 (M)
77. RED RIDING: IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1980 (M)
78. RED RIDING: IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1983 (B)
79. Lost: Season 2 (G)
80. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (M)
81. CLASH OF THE TITANS (G)
82. Clue (MP)
83. Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (G)
84. Criminal Lovers (B)
85. The White Ribbon (GR)
86. Sisters (1973) (MP)
87. Lost: Season 3 (G)
88. The Baader Meinhof Complex (B)
89. Blood Creek (G)
90. Rowan Atkinson Live! (MP)
91. KICK-ASS (GR)
92. Young Guns (G)
93. Red Heat (M)
94. Revenge (G)
95. Wild Strawberries (MP)
96. The Duellists (G)
97. Black Dynamite (G)
98. Dracula’s Daughter (M)
99. The Box (AT)
100. House (1977) (G)
101. Alien (MP)
102. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (MP)
103. Blade Runner: Final Cut (MP)
104. The Hunger (B)
105. Legend: Director’s Cut (G)
106. Top Gun (AT)
107. Lost: Season 4 (G)
108. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (GR)
109. Idiocracy (GR)
110. Knocked Up (GR)
111. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (M)
112. Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure (MP)
113. Beverly Hills Cop II (AT)
114. Someone To Watch Over Me (G)
115. Black Rain (M)
116. Revenge (G)
117. IRON MAN 2 (M)
118. For All Mankind (G)
119. Days Of Thunder (G)
120. Thelma & Louise (M)
121. The Last Boy Scout (GR)
122. True Romance (GR)
123. Plunkett & Macleane (G)
124. The Fan (B)
125. G.I.Jane (G)
126. Crimson Tide (G)
127. Enemy Of The State (G)
128. White Squall (G)
129. Gladiator (AB)
130. Black Hawk Down (B)
131. Lost: Season 5 (G)
132. Man On Fire (G)
133. ROBIN HOOD (M)
134. Hannibal (B)
135. Spy Game (AT)
136. Matchstick Men (G)
137. Kingdom Of Heaven: Director’s Cut (GR)
138. MACGRUBER (AT)
139. Zardoz (M)
140. Domino (G)
141. A Good Year (G)
142. Deja Vu (B)
143. SPLICE (GR)
144. The Taking Of Pelham 123 (2009) (B)
145. American Gangster (B)
146. Body Of Lies (G)
147. Dark City (GR)
148. Offspring (B)
149. Paper Heart (B)
150. 9 (AT)
151. Evil Dead II (MP)
152. THE A-TEAM (M)
153. Day Of The Dead (1985) (MP)
154. A Perfect Getaway (G)
155. The Final Destination (AB)
156. THE SQUARE (GR)
157. Robot Stories (G)
158. Carriers (B)
159. 49th Parallel (G)
160. TALES FROM THE SCRIPT (G)
161. Silver Lode (G)
162. Elvis (1979) (G)
163. WINTER’S BONE (MP)
164. Guns, Germs and Steel (B)
165. The Fog (1980) (GR)
166. Revanche (G)
167. Black Narcissus (MP)
168. The Rules Of The Game (G)
169. Pushing Daisies: Season 1 (G)
170. INCEPTION (GR)
171. State Of Play (2003) (G)
172. Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (G)
173. The Matrix (B)
174. Cheri (M)
175. PREDATORS (AT)
176. Between the Folds (G)
177. The Pit (G)
178. TOY STORY 3 (G)
179. The Burbs (G)
180. Hellgate (M)
181. Night Train To Munich (GR)
182. SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE (M)
183. La Bete Humaine (GR)
184. THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (G)
185. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (AB)
186. CHLOE (B)
187. THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE (M)
188. HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (GR)
189. Vera Cruz (G)
190. GREENBERG (G)
191. THE EXPENDABLES (G)
192. GREEN ZONE (B)
193. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (GR)
194. PIRANHA (G)
195. Mystery Team (M)
196. Futurama: Bender’s Game (G)
197. CEMETARY JUNCTION (B)
198. A PROPHET (G)
199. Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder (B)
200. Appaloosa (G)
201. F For Fake (MP)
202. THE LAST EXORCISM (G)
203. Carmen Jones (GR)
204. Lost: Season 6 (AT)
205. Mad Love (1935) (G)
206. THE AMERICAN (GR)
207. SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD (M)
208. THE CRAZIES (B)
209. Coming To America (GR)
210. MACHETE (B)
211. Metropolis (1927): The 2010 Reconstruction (MP)
212. PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME (AT)
213. Dirt!: The Movie (G)
214. Ice Station Zebra (G)
215. THE LOSERS (AT)
216. FROZEN (AT)
217. DEFENDOR (G)
218. Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (MP)
219. THE KILLER INSIDE ME (GR)
220. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (G)
221. THE TOWN (M)
222. A Wedding (G)
223. BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD (G) 
224. THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) (AT)
225. NEVER LET ME GO (MP)
226. Mulberry Street (B)
227. Tentacles (M)
228. Halloween (1978) (GR)
229. Strangers With Candy: Season 1 (GR)
230. The Legend Of Boggy Creek (G)
231. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 1 (MP)
232. Count Yorga, Vampire (G)
233. 30 ROCK: SEASON 4 (GR)
234. Dr. Phibes Rises Again (B)
235. MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE (G)
236. Halloween II (1981) (G)
237. Surrogates (M)
238. Doctor Who: Season 3 (G)
239. The Manitou (G)
240. The Raven (1963) (M)
241. Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (GR)
242. Return To Sleepaway Camp (AT)
243. CENTURION (M)
244. Dead Of Night (G)
245. Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (B)
246. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (G)
247. Paranormal Activity (G)
248. Mad Monster Party? (B)
249. The Burning (B)
250. Night Of The Demons (1988) (G)
251. Strangers With Candy: Season 2 (GR)
252. Uzumaki (G)
253. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (G)
254. The Masque Of The Red Death (1964) (GR)
255. Strangers With Candy: Season 3 (GR)
256. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.0 (B)
257. WINTER’S BONE (MP)
258. Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic (GR)
259. Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (G)
260. ANIMAL KINGDOM (M)
261. Starship Troopers (MP)
262. JONAH HEX (M)
263. White Oleander (M)
264. 127 HOURS (G)
265. Battlestar Galactica: Season 3 (GR)
266. Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers (B)
267. Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0 (G)
268. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (M)
269. YOUTH IN REVOLT (G)
270. Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 (G)
271. Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers (AT)
272. LEAVES OF GRASS (G)
273. Rebel Without A Cause (MP)
274. Werewolf Of London (M)
275. The Vampire Lovers (G)
276. REPO MEN (M)
277. Strangers With Candy (AT)
278. VALHALLA RISING (GR)
279. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2 (MP)
280. Some Like It Hot (G)
281. Bend It Like Beckham (G)
282. EDGE OF DARKNESS (M)
283. The Gold Rush (MP)
284. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (MP)
285. The Deal (M)
286. True Blood: Season 1 (M)
287. MONSTERS (B)
288. Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3 (MP)
289. THE LAST AIRBENDER (AB)
290. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE (AB)
291. Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant (G)
292. Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) (G)
293. Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers (AB)
294. What’s Cooking? (G)
295. The Keep (AB)
296. S&Man (M)
297. Sin Nombre (G)
298. Tarzan and His Mate (GR)
299. TRON: LEGACY (AT)
300. Arrested Development: Season 1 (MP)
301. Lost and Delirious (B)
302. BLACK SWAN (MP)
303. Tarzan Escapes (G)
304. Arrested Development: Season 2 (GR)
305. Galaxy Of Terror (B)
306. TRUE GRIT (GR)
307. Tarzan Finds A Son (G)
308. THE FIGHTER (GR)
309. Arrested Development: Season 3 (GR)
310. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED (B)
311. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (GR)
312. Red River (M)
313. Honeydripper (G)
314. Blades Of Glory (B)
315. The Long Good Friday (MP)

. . .  to "The Long Good Friday".

Overall, a pretty solid year.  I watched about a hundred more films than last year, and a lot less crap.  F for Fake was my archeological discovery of the year.  The (almost) fully restored Metropolis makes the already great film so much more accessible and amazing.  Good times!