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H O M E P A G E
JANE'S MOVIE WORLD:
JANE'S MUSIC WORLD:
MUSIC TRIBUTES: JANE'S ART WORLD: |
Established 1999
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Yes, I have bravely picked my favorites of this year. If you click on the title - you will be taken to the page my regular review/recommendation is on.
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GARDEN STATE
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There weren't a
lot of strong contenders this year, but I kept coming back to
Garden
State as the freshest and most original movie of the year.
I honestly had no clue where the storyline was taking me and that element of
surprise and perception of the human condition made it the most interesting
film of the year to me. As I wrote in my original review:
Is a quirky little comedy, by first time director Zach Braff, who also wrote the script. It is a delightful mind trip that follows a young guy who is zombied out on medication to his mother's funeral in New Jersey. There are constant little perceptive surprises in the script that keep you amused and eager for the next scene. Natalie Portman gives a charming performances as the girl he falls in love with along his trip as self-examination, as he comes off his meds. It is simply filmed, but has a complex heart of troubled and troubling characters combined with true warmth and humor. I think this is one of those word of mouth movies, since the small theater was nearly full when I saw it. This is a HIGH RECOMMEND! For these reasons I have chosen it my film of the year. Hopefully we'll see more from Braff! (And its worth seeing just for the scene shown in the attached picture - huge laugh.)
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 Ray:
my choice for performance of the year would be Jamie Foxx as the embodiment
of Ray Charles. Ray is shown as a man who was taken advantage of
because of his blindness and in turn was frequently not kind to those who
were closest to him. But, in the end he earns our respect for the
music he created and how he brought his life around to end on a positive
note. This movie ended up being an experience and a crowd pleaser. |
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| The Aviator: Is a good solid movie that tells show the decent of Howard Hughes from his beginnings in Hollywood to his sink into mental illness. Leonardo DiCaprio nails the intense essence of Howard Hughes, even though he looks nothing like Hughes: truly a remarkable performance that should net him an Oscar nomination. This may not be great epic bio, but I enjoyed it for the performances. | The Bourne Supremacy: Is a solid spy thriller with taunt chase scenes mixed with a well-written script and good performances by the cast headed by Matt Damon. There are thrilling chases through the streets of India and Russia that will take your breathe away. A rare sequel that is an entertaining winner and can stand up on its own. | I, Robot: Begins too slowly, but builds to a satisfying conclusion. What drew me to the movie is the visual conception of the robots and it is amazingly realized in the film. They go from being absolutely frightening to curiously charming. Combined with lots of pay-off twists and turns to the plotline and excellent action, this is ultimately an entertaining film. | |
| The Incredibles: Is a grown-up cartoon with an edge of violence, but with adult humor, such as the superheroes finding their waist a bit larger 15 years after retirement, when they try to fit into their supersuits again and the amusing cartoon likenesses, such as Nixon and Edith Head. But, there is a sweetness in the relationship between the parents and their children in the movie that gives it heart and made it such a megahit this year. | Mean Girls: is a smart, funny movie about a teenager thinking she's tricking the popular girls to spy on them, who ends up loving the attention of being part of their group. There are nice little plot twists in the script by Tina Fey (who also give a good performance as a teacher) and Lindsay Lohan is perfect as the confused teen. | Shall We Dance: Is my surprising choice to be in this group, because it is a little movie that simply works. It is sweet and funny and I found myself smiling about it days after I saw it. Richard Gere plays a Chicago lawyer who in mid-life finds a way to express himself in ballroom dancing. A Teddy Bear movie with gentle wisdom that worked for me this year. | |
