Milk

I cried...a lot. Every actor in this film was great and I especially loved the ongoing chemistry between Sean Penn and James Franco. The Christian Right made me absolutely furious throughout though.

Dubai

Iran from a distance.

Gaza

The film Paradise Now has a line that always seems to put the Isarali/Palestinian War into perspective for me.
One of the would-be bombers is trying to convey the situation to a friend that favors diplomacy over violence...

"A life without dignity is worthless. Especially when it reminds you, day after day, of humiliation and weakness. And the world watches, cowardly, indifferently. If you're all alone, faced with this oppression, you have to find a way to stop the injustice. They (Israel) must understand that if there's no security for us, there'll be none for them, either. It's not about power. Their power doesn't help them. I tried to deliver this message to them, but I couldn't find another way.

Even worse, they've convinced the world, and themselves, that they are the victims. How can that be? How can the occupier be the victim? If they take on the role of oppressor and victim, then I have no other choice but to also be a victim, and a murderer as well."

Man On Wire

The French consistently remind me of beauty without question. There is no "why?", there is life being lived on the wire though. The walk between the towers altered everyone involved to an astounding degree, far beyond what I would have thought. This film is beautiful.

Encounters At The End Of The World

The latest film from Werner Herzog, like his many other documentaries, is beautiful in that you begin to see, and ultimately enjoy, the way Herzog views the world. Not to be seen as March of the Penguins 2: Revenge of the Little Tuxedos, this film focuses more on the people one would expect to meet at the South Pole. Each one is very, very unique from the Eastern European philosopher/backhoe driver to the misanthropic penguin expert that tells those who see a penguin heading away from water and into the interior of Antarctica to just "let 'em go".

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crytal Skull

Unfortunately the Indiana Jones of my youth (the hard-nosed and spry Jones of Raiders of the Lost Ark) has been (see South Park's accurate but obscene take on the most recent Jones film for verb) by George Lucas. Once again, the man who gave us the original Star Wars trilogy only to sour the entire series of films by making tween-friendly prequels has done it again with this film. Right from the outset, this film is loaded with cliches and Jones seems to be only able to spout catchphrases and one-liners. Cate Blanchett does a very unconvincing Russian as her British accent comes through again and again. Harrison Ford's Jones continually reminded me of a senile grandfather that somehow wandered onto the sets of old King Kong films. I felt more sorry for him than anything, like I should talk to him in a soothing voice only to have him yell "What?" as he turned up his hearing aid.

Taxi To The Dark Side

A terrifying film about the lengths to which a Cold War-raised government will go when it is most afraid. This documentary also reminds us that moral responsibility, so easily attached to superiors during the Nuremberg Trials, is conspicuously absent in today's Abu Garaib's and other atrocities.

Samurai Jack

Yes, it is a cartoon and, yes, it is about a samurai named Jack that is thrown into the distant future by his arch nemesis the evil Aku to continually battle foes of all shapes and sizes in the hope of getting back to his own time. It is all of these things but it is also really, really good. The pacing and cinematic style just makes you smile and enjoy the ride. The characters are very imginative and they each have a presence all their own. If all of that isn't enough for you, Samurai Jack also won 4 Emmy Awards.

President Barack Obama!

The first non-white man in the White House and it looks like he is about to heal something too. Amen.

Wristcutters: A Love Story

For David: It was good. Everyone should watch it.