Though it may not be as iconic as the 1940s version, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is still astounding. Every character is fleshed out and filled with eccentricities lacking in prior versions. Themes of empathy, fascism, dealing with death, and learning to live again run deep within this masterpiece. And for all the complexities, the film is just plain enjoyable.

The most beautiful thing about EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is that in connecting us so intimately to the man and showing him in all his complexity, Luhrmann cuts through the baggage we bring and gives us a fresh look at one of the most fascinating and accomplished musicians who has ever lived.

Borat isn't just one of the funniest movies of the year, it might be one of the funniest movies of all time.

Marty Supreme is a rare film that will become a watershed moment in cinematic history, in the same way that Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction did. It will be spoken of in reverent tones in years to come, and will be endlessly studied and then copied by lesser filmmakers.

Does for psychedelics what "Boogie Nights" does for cocaine; displaying in graphical detail the ultimate failure of drugs as an escape route.

The cast’s commitment throughout The Whale allows Aronofsky to create a tearful experience.

What Josiah Saw examines religion, trauma, grief, sanity, and familial bonds in a truly unique way. Grashaw elegantly balances the heavy drama, action, and horror moments, crafting an unforgettable journey. Dilts intelligent screenplay is brought to life by a stunning cast giving it their all in every scene.

I love love love love loved Cold Souls. That might be because I love love love Paul Giamatti.

The results are either darkly comic and tragic, depending on the viewer's mindframe. But McElhinney's route to these results, as with the Bertolucci, is nothing short of stunning.

This is a documentary that is very difficult to stomach.

The director lets us take an intimate look at the San Quentin 1000 Mile Club and some of these prisoners’ stories while they run 26.2-mile marathons around the dirt and gravel-filled prison yard.

Brutal and breathtaking.

In 1968, a variety show appeared on PBS that would permanently change the face of television. That program, created, produced, and hosted by openly gay African American Ellis Haizlip, was Soul! His niece, writer/director Melissa Haizlip, now tells the story of her uncle’s legacy in the enthralling, all-encompassing documentary Mr. Soul! 1960s television was full of white people. They were well-off posing as middle class, as in The Donna Reed Show and Mr. Ed, or the hillbillies featured in The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres, but everybody, from sitcoms to news to commercials, was white. Ironically, this same decade also saw the rise of the color television, yet programmers remained colorblind. Ellis Haizlip had a vision, though: a black show for black people. His connections in public broadcasting made it happen, and he went through a handful of hosts before taking on the duty himself. What emerged became one of the single most important broadcast series in the history of television. Of course, the powers that be eventually caught on, leading to the show’s demise. Yes, this is a basic summary, but honestly, it would be a disservice to go any deeper for anybody previously unfamiliar with this show or its content. Simply put, this was one of the most amazing things ever to appear on television, and that’s not hyperbole. Ellis’ connection to the Black Arts Movement brought in a wide range of artists, from Stevie Wonder, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, members from The Last Poets, to Amiri Baraka. Author James Baldwin, Minister Louis Farrakhan, and boxer Muhammad Ali all appeared, as well as actors Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier. BAM poet Nikki Giovanni frequently guest hosted. “In 1968, a variety show appeared on PBS that would permanently change the face of television.” Essentially, Melissa Haizlip has built a motion picture monument to Ellis and his vision. There’s a brief glimpse of his life, enough to understand where he was coming from and what he was doing. But, the movie is really about the show he created, where Gospel choirs would collaborate with poets and jazz musicians, sometimes all at once, and figureheads of black culture could come to express the beauty and experience of their lives. This wasn’t about denigrating others for their privilege, but rather a serious discussion of what was happening then and there. Haizlip wasn’t afraid to challenge his guests, either. We see Ellis question Farrakhan on the Nation of Islam’s position on homosexuality. The minister’s response can be interpreted in many ways, but Haizlip allowed for that. He addressed issues without anger, resentment, or provocation. He kept things low-key and relaxed, a social gathering where all were welcome no matter where they came from. This was not only the first program to fully embrace African American being, but also a landmark in arts programming, as in Nikki Giovanni’s in-depth conversations with James Baldwin. This was different, innovative, groundbreaking. Soul! ended in the wake of the Nixon administration, but its legacy lives on. About two-thirds of the series is available for streaming, and after watching just a few episodes, you understand why this show from fifty years ago deserves to be the subject of serious analysis today. To get the full story, though, you should watch Mr. Soul! and understand why Ellis Haizlip deserves and embodies that title.

It is not only the year's best documentary, but it is also among the finest films ever made about religion.

One of the year's best films. It is an extraordinary triumph of nonfiction filmmaking, presenting a wild mind game that leaves the viewer invigorated by its sheer audacity and complexity.

Here's the sliver of hope: In contrast to everything we've been told, the people who run Al Jazeera turn out to be decent and level headed.

Masculine, Feminine could be viewed as Godard's reaction to his own success and the state of the world around him.

Every scene in Never Steady, Never Still feels focused and intentional, like someone has agonized over how to most directly and honestly express the characters’ inner states.

Funny Face is a rare gem of a film that will keep you guessing from beginning to end, and you’ll be lucky if you get to see it.

As he did with “The English Patient,” director Minghella performs a miraculous juggling act, balancing his epic, sweeping story with the subtleties of character and detail that make Cold Mountain breathe.

What makes Breathless a masterpiece along with its style is how Godard captures the overall malcontent, which still resonates with much of modern life as we know it and ultimately leaves us all breathless.

Nossa Chape has an urgency and poignancy that several narrative dramas only wish they could achieve.

Paltrow gives the performance of the year, and perhaps of her career, in this extraordinary and powerful dissection of genius, jealousy, madness and serenity.

Kudos to Andrea Werhun for laying out her sex work story for all to see, to Sean Baker for continuing to highlight such under-reported stories, and to director Nicole Bazuin for doing such a masterful job of making the subject both relatable and entertaining. Werhun is a true star in every sense, shining a light on philosophical issues while being extremely charismatic in the process.

Arguably, the greatest horror film of the past thirty years.

Only a little over an hour-long, yet manages to be one of the most compelling subversions of the possession genre I’ve ever seen.

Every line of dialog, every camera angle, every beat is precisely engineered.

Bhagwan Bharose fully envelopes everyone watching into its character lives.

Grabsinski doesn’t waste the audience’s time with all the nuances of how the time machine works. He just gets to the story, the purpose of why Nick uses it, and the fun, crazy antics that come from it.

If you want pure, undiluted, 100% guaranteed entertainment, Soap Girl is the film to enjoy. This film is a wonderful work of fun, with a marvelous ensemble cast who have more energy, sex-appeal and charm than any group to strut and vamp across the camera in recent memory.

Chalk is loaded with life, energy, truth and respect. It may just make you yearn for your high schooling days. Okay, maybe not, but Chalk will have you laughing long after the movie has ended. How's that for homework?

Full force Will Ferrell at his best. And as an added bonus, we all get one of the funniest movies of the year...that is if you don't mind your humor on the rude and crude side.

It’s Plemons, who’s always stellar, that proves to be the real revelation.

A gorgeous and poetic meditation on fate, honor and life in the Old West.

The film can be enjoyed on many levels, including getting just interplanetary on your favorite substance and waiting for the plethora of quotable lines.

It’s a beautiful visual and spiritual journey through the glorious highs and devastating lows of a brilliant artist who was ahead of his time.

The story is lively, and the mixing of music, skateboarding, interviews, and footage of the past is amazing. It doesn’t matter if you’re a “hip hop head,” a skater, or a stockbroker. You’ll be engaged from beginning to end.

We Are The Thousand is a phenomenal music documentary and experience for anyone, especially musicians.

When you watch Wonderland, going back twenty years plus, you think you're in for some paleontological expedition. Yet, thanks to James Cox's considered and adept direction, a cast and script that never cheats the experience or realism of Hollywood's enigmatic underbelly -- the drama of the 1981 Wonderland murders is de-petrified.

One of the greatest art documentaries ever made. Through an imaginative mixture of rare footage, audio recordings and contemporary interviews with the living legends of modern art, Rosen has created a cinematic portrait which is, in itself, a work of art.

The juiciness of the storyline overflows into a series of rushing strawberry rapids that will carry you away.

Doff balances tones amazingly and directs visually striking scenes with gusto and confidence. His writing subverts expectations while remembering to be a story about humans, all the while being an exciting, nonstop laugh riot. All that makes the film more than worth watching. Then you add this truly outstanding cast who effortlessly embody their characters, and you have nothing short of a masterpiece.

Brightwood rocks from beginning to end. The screenplay twists and turns and bends like all the best thrillers do. The direction maintains the mystery all the way through the surprising finale. The two actors are great and play off each other nicely. Elcar’s first feature-length film is one of the year’s best.

On the surface, the plot is simple, but the nuances, keen observations, silences between words, the humanity of it all, and the ease with which the filmmaker effortlessly navigates turbulent currents subtly transform the feature into a complex drama. There are no heroes or villains, no good or bad people, just folks trying to figure themselves and each other out.

This is a five star film because it is one of the most perfect science fiction thrillers of all time.

Despite my ignorance of Hong Kong, I'm convinced that Iron Monkey could be the best, most entertaining martial arts film I may ever see.

The true success of this film has everything to do with Joaquin Phoenix’s masterful performance.

Monk In Pieces is a showstopper for the woman who stopped all of our preconceptions of what a show could be. It is achingly brilliant and needs to be stampeded to immediately in the direction of your choice.

The Djinn is scary and harrowing with a shocking and impactful ending. The acting is perfect, and the visuals are a masterclass in creating tension.

Bukowski is one of my all time favorite writers and now I have an all new respect for the man thanks to John Dullaghan’s phenomenal film. I’ll be breaking out “Post Office,” “Ham On Rye,” and “Notes of a Dirty Old Man” again very soon.

Not really a horror film at all, but a dark religious thriller with a creepy edge and a song in its heart. The film wittily mixes the starkest possible religious conflict with enchanting 70’s era folk music, creating the first comparative religions quasi-musical thriller.

It's vital that everyone who cares about film see this documentary.

In short, this is an x-treme documentary, as riveting as a road accident and a lot more bloody. That this film might give other young people ideas is something that keeps me (and probably director Hough) awake at night.

Limbo is a cinematic monument for the shadows of the doomed.

Music fans of every stripe should kill to see this film, one of the very best music documentaries in recent years.

This is an excellent movie -- by all means, flock to it!

The Art Of Self Defense is set in a very peculiar world populated by eccentric characters. While that might turn some off, due to the vision of director Riley Stearns and his incredible production team, as well as a top-notch cast, the movie is as hilarious as it is unpredictable. It emerges as a strong early contender for best film of the year.

The Pez Outlaw has something for everyone. It’s a crime thriller, rom-com, family drama, corporate espionage flick. It is also a sincere and loving look into the Pez collecting community, which is full of the sweetest people imaginable. This is the kind of film you’d show to someone who doesn’t like documentaries to change their mind. It is that good and powerful.

This extraordinary work of cinematic art is among the most sublime, compelling and beautifully crafted films to grace the big screen.

The documentary is the great American story of the outsiders coming in and rising up. You need to see it.

Cimino fashioned a deep, multi-textured screenplay rich with fully dimensional characters. His ensemble cast brought the story to vivid life. Kristofferson gave a career peak performance here as a man who seems perpetually out of his element.

Offers the Iraqis a rare chance to share their anger and their lives with the outside world. The resulting production is a raw and powerful film that demands to be seen.

Every once in a while, a documentary comes along that can turn the culture upside down and absolutely move you. Mary Mazzio’s Bad River is that film for me.

Tatsumi is a stellar work of genius on every level.

This is one of those rare docs that paints a grand picture of an era and makes the journey feel like a party.

Glazer’s film is marked by supremely judged restraint.

Please see this film, if only to hear victims speak truth to power.

There are no sacred cows in A Mighty Wind. Even beloved public television is skewered by Guest and Co. In a lot of ways, this movie pokes the most fun at the average PBS liberal who refuses to let go of the 1960s.

An indictment of a regime but also a look at the strength that perseveres despite the most dire circumstances, this film, and its lead star, deserve all the upcoming love at the award circuit… if there’s any justice left in Hollywood, that is.

Some people, including a couple of people I watched the film with, may see The House That Jack Built as pretentious nonsense. Others will see it as the glorification of violence. I see it for what it was intended to be, a work of complicated, violent, hilarious art.

Thanks to the incredible editing and score, the story never loses momentum. In fact, due to real-world parallels (as a part of the plot is based on true events), Enola Holmes 2 offers more intrigue and danger than the original.

Microcosmos is that rare film to lead us, to reiterate why the camera is just as important as the paintbrush, keyboard, pen, chunks of clay, and anything else that can be used to make art. This is art.

Blood Relatives is a blast from start to finish. Noah Segan orchestrates a strong sense of atmosphere while still focusing on well-developed characters. His screenplay is whipsmart, while he demonstrates an excellent command of tone.

Paying for It is a tremendous effort that honors Brown’s source novel while digging deeper into its subtext. By further developing these characters and emphasizing the female gaze, Lee provides a compelling narrative that neither glamorizes nor denigrates the women Chester encounters. I highly recommend this film.

The Falling Sky doesn’t spoon-feed you any information; rather, it blows it up your nose. This production, without explanation, works brilliantly in immersing the audience in the electricity of the Reahu ritual. Not knowing what is going on or what is heading towards you instills a discombobulation that allows you to surrender to the void and go with it.

You should absolutely see Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All-Time – Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi. It’s about an hour and a half long, and I’ve seen it twice and could watch it again.

It feels like a lost gospel. It really is a magical film like nothing else.

von Donnersmarck creates a milieu so realistic that the attention-worthy setting becomes just a backdrop, while an intricate tale, as suspenseful as it is humanistic, takes over.

You're going to hear a lot about 500 Days of Summer over the next few months. All of the good stuff is true. Any bad stuff you hear is not.

Anyone seeking motivation, or just looking for inspiration, will marvel at the life story of Valerie Taylor, her sharks, and her love of the sea. She is a treasure, as is Sally Aitken for bringing her story to the screen.

McQueen has aced the task of translating Stigters’s book, putting her research into an educational and provocative collage and bringing it gracefully to another medium and a wider audience.

There are so many wonderful, well-crafted scenes in The Last Suit. Pablo Solarz’ script is a multilayered masterpiece.

It is a horrifying and devastating spectacle of life gone dreadfully out of control, yet it is also riveting and hypnotic in such a dramatic sensation that you are left breathless by the sequence of events which will haunt and torture for as long as your memory remains intact.

The story entertains from start to finish, and the filmmaker absolutely delivers another home run.

Steal This Story, Please! is not just an important film but a great one. It will entertain, inform, and might even change your views about the world and the kind of person you can become.

"Kill Bill Vol. 1" was a pure action movie, in love with collisions of violent movement. “Vol. 2” relaxes the pace, allowing for extended monologues. Those who lamented the first film's lack of wicked word exchanges should delight in Carradine's final soliloquy.

A modern-day Apocalypse Now, a visual and aural trip that’s as abstract and surreal as it is stark and realistic, Sirat urges us to embrace each other, as the world swells and throbs around us.

A raw, brutal, hypnotic journey into the world of seven heroin addicts who barely survive on the streets of New York City. It is a film of great sadness and pain.

Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror is an excellent love letter to one of the longest-running films in cinema history. Linus O’Brien honors his father’s work, and it is felt throughout the entire film. Watching this terrific documentary will make you want to do the Time Warp and enter the B-movie world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter all over again!

It is so bad that it’s flawless.

Enough about the CGI tweaking, is this film really Lucas's unloved masterpiece? The film that got lost in the shadow of "American Graffitti" and "Star Wars" while, actually, being a better film?

The lightning in a bottle you have to catch to make an epic love story work is chemistry between the leads. With one actor a relative novice, and the other trying to stretch himself and direct his first feature, the deck was stacked against them. But wow did they pull it off. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are terrific together.

Saint Clare will sneak up on you as it did me. It’s a murder mystery with dark horrors and giggles blended delectably.

One warning however: James Caan's shoulder hair, when seen on this size screen, may frighten children considerably (you'll at least want to discuss it openly after the show, answering any questions your kids may have in an honest and direct manner).

I loved this film; from the opening “Ben-Hur” nod to the hieroglyph subtitles, it's simultaneously hilarious and poignant, with great performances.

The director walks the delicate tightrope of emotions so that every new development makes previous scenes all the more intense

If there is justice in this world, this is the movie that will get people talking again about the excitement of film.

How does Xanadu qualify as the greatest movie musical? Simple: it offers nothing but pure wall-to-wall fun and nonsense to keep a smile on one’s face from the opening credits (which cleverly spoof the logo of Universal Pictures) through the end of the picture. [11 Aug 2005]