Update: The book’s been published! It’s now listed on Amazon. One of the authors of this book, Todd Fahnestock, gave a xeroxed, hole-punched, string-bound copy to Ann for me to read. She worked for him last week on a temp assignment. I don’t know anything else about him, but it appears he’s doing pretty well…

Charlie Kaufman comes through with another great script. While it definitely has the originality you’d expect from him after Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, there are fewer stunts and more genuine contemplation here. He didn’t write himself into this one either, and I had to check to make sure he was indeed the screenwriter. The…

A brilliant young violinist from the country seeks his fortune in Beijing. I’m a sucker for coming-of-age movies, and musical genius movies. This is both. The characters are quirky and good-hearted, and the soundtrack is gripping. I think I like these movies because I know that I too was a musical genius growing up. I…

A gruesome, grating cold war spy story. Isabella Rosellini and Anthony Hopkins do their best to redeem it, but the main character never earned my sympathy. I got very tired of watching his endless attempts to dispose of a dismembered body in two giant suitcases.

Two women hide from a drug dealer disguised as drag queens in Hollywood. The plot is just an excuse for the performances, which are hilarious and insightful. The movie mines a wealth of humor from the fact that behavior that is totally uninteresting when exhibited by women can be very intriguing and entertaining in drag…

This is a French film about the popularity and ruthlessness of wit in the court of King Louis XVI. There is some clever repartee and interesting portrayal of the period, but nothing very unique in the plot or execution of the film.

A Russian immigrant lives the American dream, good and bad. The attention to historical detail in the 40’s and 50’s Baltimore set is impeccable. Mr. Krichinsky arrives in 1916 and lives to see his son and nephew lay the foundations for K-mart, the exodus from the city to the suburbs, the impact of television on…

Two men meet. One has lived too softly, the other too hard. Each finds the other’s life tremendously alluring. I find this dichotomy in my own life, the introspection of reading and movie watching balanced against the raw experience of adventure. The concept is explored very nicely, with some wonderful poetry.

A simply told story of a Finnish man who must start a new life when he loses his memory. I think it is supposed to be a little cliche, but the humor is so dry that I wasn’t always sure. It’s interesting to get a peek at life in Helsinki.

A thirteen year old girl is the only available substitute teacher for a school in a small Chinese village. Despite the fact that her students know the lessons better than she does, her character leads her to help the school in unforseeable ways. A great movie to watch while job hunting – a reminder how…