once upon a time in america is probably my fave gangster movie... at least the one that goes beyond the genre the most.
ten (abbas kiarostami, 2002) - 8 - a thoroughly compelling film, given the conceit - it's made up of ten long conversations in a car between a woman and several regular passengers, and most shots are fixated on only one of the people involved. i could care less about women's rights in iran, which what the film film deals with (although the clautrophobic, austere style effectively heightens the theme of oppression), but the thoughtfulness and utter lack of compromise won me over.
bad boy bubby (Rolf De Heer, 1993) - 9.5 - how did it take me so long to finally see this? such an effortlessly fucked up film, yet with such a strong emotional pull. too many classic scenes to mention.
masculin/feminin (Jean-Luc Godard, 1966) - 8 - the first of godard's 'film as essay' works; vastly more entertaining that two or three things i know about her, but never quite reaching the anarchic heights of weekend. still, thoroughly intriguing and surprisingly coherent.
the weather man (Gore Verbinski, 2005) - 7 - it's not particularly entertaining or rewarding, but it has something about it. not authenticity, or originality, but something. the 'x' factor, if you will. it's been two weeks since i saw it, and i still remember it vividly, so that's saying something.