There was a time where I’d watch hundreds of movies a year, attending several festivals and meticulously reviewing each one and creating top ten lists for the end of the year. This year, I’ve only watched twelve movies since the Toronto International Film Festival — most telling of all, I’ve only watched 73 feature films in total this year.

Among those 73, there have been some gems. Instead of trying to enumerate the best of them, I want to share with you a short list of the films that I enjoyed this year and that I feel that you should watch if haven’t done so already.

I’ve learned that I haven’t fallen out of love with film — I have fallen in love with enjoying film instead of analyzing it.

The movies below aren’t necessarily the “best” films of the year when it comes to artistic merit. They aren’t all going to win Academy Awards or be on critics’ top ten lists. They are, however, movies that have struck a chord and have entertained considerably.

In the end, I feel that this is much more valuable to all of you, and to me as well, than any attempt to classify and order a so-called “best of” list based on arbitrary criteria. I hope you agree.

Film in 2008

Here’s my list of some of the movies that I enjoyed this year, in alphabetical order.

The Dark Knight: Never has the comic book movie been treated with such care, precision, and depth as it has here with Christopher Nolan’s new take on Batman. Heath Ledger is legendary in his performance as The Joker, but what truly stands out here is the examination of the internal struggles between good and bad and the fine line between them.

Hunger: British visual artist Steve McQueen’s exposé on the last six weeks in the life of Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands is powerful, difficult, wrenching — but also breathtakingly beautiful. Crafted with intricate attention to detail and a visual palette that attacks each scene with elaborate artistry, McQueen’s filmmaking debut blends beauty with despair in an inescapable way.

Medicine for Melancholy: Everyone has experienced the awkwardness that is the morning after a one-night stand. What Barry Jenkins’ film does is take that awkwardness and use it to build a story of friendship that is honest and real. The film may be too preachy at times, but in the end what draws me to it is the complete frankness with which he approaches the relationship between his two main characters — a relationship that many of us will be able to relate to.

Milk: Sean Penn is truly one of the greatest actors to grace the screen, and nowhere is this more evident than in Gus Van Sant’s film about Harvey Milk. The movie is worth watching for many reasons, but the most compelling reason is Penn’s nuanced and resonant performance. It’s always great to see a master at work.

Rachel Getting Married: If there’s anything that draws you to Jonathan Demme’s film other than Anne Hathaway’s tour-de-force performance as Kym — Hathaway continues to prove herself as one of the most talented and versatile actresses in Hollywood — it is probably the intimacy between the characters on the screen and you, the audience. There are few films today that engage the audience in such a powerful and pervasive way.

Slumdog Millionaire: Game shows, romance, and a rags-to-riches story are always great cinematic tropes, but Danny Boyle’s real success in this film is in the infusion of hope into the humor and drama that permeate every scene. A movie that fills even the most despairing scenes with hope is one that is guaranteed to lift the spirits.

Synechdoche, New York: You know a film is successful when you not only need to watch it several times to truly grasp its intricacies, but when you want to keep watching it because it keeps unveiling new surprises every time. A movie impossible to summarize, Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut is bafflingly powerful and addictive.

WALL·E: The first third of this film — almost thirty minutes containing more humor than the entire golden age of physical comedy combined and more ill-fated romance than even the end of Casablanca — is a shining example of all that is good in cinema. Andrew Stanton’s animated lead robot portrays more emotion and is more human than the majority of the characters that we are forced to watch on the big screen these days.

That’s it for now. I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of great films here, so help me: what are some of the movies that you really enjoyed this year?

What’s your most-rewatched movie?

Here’s my list of top 10 most-rewatched movies:

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. Garden State
3. Cool Runnings
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Dodgeball
6. The Shawshank Redemption
7. Fight Club
8. Edward Scissorhands
9. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
10. The Usual Suspects

What’s on your list? And more importantly, what does it say about you?

(Oh, and if you’re feeling generous, help me out by leaving a comment on my earlier post ‘Carsonified’ and help me win a trip to an exciting web event.)

A few thoughts on TIFF this year.

A lot of you have been asking, so here’s a list of ten films that really stood out for me at the festival:

• Disgrace
• Flame & Ctiron
• Hunger
• Lymelife
• Medicine for Melancholy
• O’Horten
• Pudge
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Synechdoche, New York
• Us Chickens

Thirty-seven feature films and twenty-three short films later, I’ve come to the conclusion that this year’s festival — when it comes to the quality of the content — was good, but not great. Media outlets around North America are being quick to decry TIFF08 as a weak festival, but I wouldn’t go that far.

Sure, there weren’t as many Oscar standouts, and sure, the festival seemed to be catering more to Hollywood glitz and glam than smaller inspired filmmaking, but there were still many excellent films that screened at TIFF that audiences won’t get to see anywhere else.

I won’t keep talking about the festival here because you can check out all my coverage on blogTO, where I wrote a daily festival update and also reviewed film. Check out the blogTO TIFF08 section for more updates from me and all the other people covering TIFF for the blog.

Oh, and for those of you that have seen Lymelife and liked the music in it, co-writer Steven Martini gave me a copy of the demo CD for The Spaceship Martini (who did the music in the film) and it’s all kinds of awesome. Get me to play it for you next time you see me.

• Everlasting Moments
• The Paranoids
• Il Divo
• Edison & Leo
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Mothers & Daughters
• $9.99
• Firaaq
• Medicine for Melancholy
• Ashes of Time Redux
• Deadgirl
• Hooked
• Passchendaele
• Year Ago in Winter
• Nuit de Chien
• 33 Scenes From Life
• Still Walking
• Acne
• The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
• 24 City
• Fifty Dead Men Walking
• The Ghost
• Tears for Sale
• Zift
• Me and Orson Welles
• Gigantic
• Barrage Contre le Pacifique

It’s a short list this year because I’m working during the festival. I’ve also tried to avoid any films that will be opening in Canada anytime soon and have tried to focus on foreign films that will probably never be screened again on this side of the world.

Oh, and of course, that list doesn’t include any short films. I do plan on catching at least 30 short films as well.

What’s on your TIFF list?

Let me know what you plan on seeing, and if you have any thoughts on the films I plan on seeing. I’m off to Algonquin Park to go camping for the weekend. Ciao!

Most of you that know me well are aware that TIFF-time in Toronto is my favorite time of year.

Armed with my press pass, I watch between 30-40 films, interview dozens of actors and filmmakers, and hang out at a few parties as well — all in a span of ten days.

Despite my obsession with film and the festival, I tend to stay away from reviewing the actual movies and instead cover industry news and filmmakers. There’s a part of me that shies away from trying to judge the passions and efforts of a fellow creator. There’s a fantastic quote in Ratatouille (one of the best films to be released this decade) that explains this sentiment well:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

I do, however, love exploring the work of new filmmakers, particularly those that make short film. Much of the excitement in that comes from the ability to discover new talent at its ground level, and to help foster that talent by telling the world about it. Yet again, a quote from Ratatouille comes to mind:

There are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends.

If you’re coming to TIFF this year, do me a favor and watch some Canadian short films and support our next generation of filmmakers. And if you haven’t watched Ratatouille just yet, do that now. Right now.

Are you coming to TIFF08? What are you excited to see at the festival?

Cinema-going is not a task that can be done effectively with others. Far from it. Going to watch a film (especially a good one) is an activity best pursued alone and independently.

Call me a film snob if you must, but watching a movie at the cinema does not involve what most people would call social activities. Cinéastes usually frown upon loud discussion and boisterous movement during the film, limiting most types of social interaction.

Conversation and discussion is of course necessary, but usually best-placed after watching the movie and not during the film itself. The initial appraisal of the film is a solitary effort — the extended appreciation of it comes from post-film exchange.

Going to the movies is neither “totally awesome and confidently badass” nor “sad and pathetic.” It is, in essence, the best way to appreciate the craft on the screen.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of television back when I was growing up in Queens (mostly because we didn’t own one for most of my childhood there) but whenever I did get the chance to watch TV, the show I undoubtedly wanted to watch was Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

Fred Rogers taught me much more than just how to button up my cardigan. He was the perfect example of a courteous, polite, and cultured member of the community. He was an excellent role model for any child growing up, and I’m glad he was part of my childhood.

I didn’t say much about the man when he passed away five years ago, but Mister Rogers has kept inspiring all of us — not just children, but adults as well — since the first moment we first saw him on the screen until now, years after his death.

I recently found this video on Youtube and had to share it all with you.

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Sometimes, we may forget that, but I’m glad that I had someone in my life like Fred Rogers to remind me.

Why is the love story between EVE and Wall·E so effective?

Because in the end, with all the technical prowess and intricate animation that is evident in the film, the most important thing about Pixar’s newest hit isn’t in the complexity of its craft, but instead in its simplicity.

Don’t worry, I won’t be posting any spoilers here. (Though judging from the money it made this weekend, I’m surprised there are still people out there that haven’t seen the film.)

Wall·E’s love for EVE is not one that is based on looks or sexual desire or even the need for self-validation through the eyes of another. It’s not selfish or wrought with unnecessary drama.

Instead, it focuses on the simple, basic, and wholesome need for companionship. It is centered upon the simple notion that we, as humans or as robots, need to be reminded that we are not alone, that there is someone out there that wants to dance and watch Hello, Dolly with us on our iPods.

Our lives are filled with work and commitments (directives?) that often distract us from simple and honest human interaction. Wall·E — both the character and the film — reminds us that these raw and unfiltered personal connections are what really drive us to (as perfectly noted by the Captain) live, and not just survive.

Pixar’s amazing focus on simplicity in its love story is most evident in the guiding premise of the film: through all the trials and tribulations, all Wall·E really wants to do is hold EVE’s hand. It’s hard to argue that that isn’t the most simple, basic, but beautiful expressions of love possible.

Cameron Diaz was spotted in Santa Monica on the set of “My Sister’s Keeper” yesterday, in which she plays the sister of a girl with leukemia. In the movie, Cameron’s character shaves her head as a show of support. In reality, Cameron took the easy way out and used a cap and makeup. A real actor would have shaved their head. Daniel Day Louis would have actually given himself leukemia.

I’m no Daniel Day Louis fanboy, but I will admit that he’s a remarkable actor. Reading this quote, I was reminded of why actors like DDL always manage to garner immense respect from the filmerati, and Diaz simply becomes a pop culture icon.

It’s not because she won’t shave her head. Instead, it’s because DDL realizes that his job is not only to make us believe in the character he plays, but also to make himself believe in the actions of that character. Not an easy thing to do.

Most of you know me as a bit of a film nerd, so it’s probably not surprising that I’ve actually seen 411 of the 1001 movies on the original list. I’ve included my matches from the original list below (it is quite long), but like Kottke, I’ve added a little section on additions and subtractions immediately after the initial list, so keep scrolling.

I’ve also highlighted my favorites again with an (*) asterisk.

• The Great Train Robbery (1903)
• The Birth of a Nation (1915)
• Les Vampires (1915)
• Nanook of the North (1922)
• Nosferatu, A Symphony of Terror(1922)
• The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
• Metropolis (1927) (*)
• Sunrise (1927)
• The General (1927)
• The Jazz Singer (1927)
• The Docks of New York (1928)
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
• Dracula (1931)
• Frankenstein (1931)
• Shanghai Express (1932)
• Duck Soup (1933)
• King Kong (1933)
• Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
• Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
• Camille (1936) (*)
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
• The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
• Olympia (1938)
• Stagecoach (1939)
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
• The Wizard of Oz (1939)
• Gone With the Wind (1939)
• Daybreak (1939)
• Wuthering Heights (1939)
• Fantasia (1940)
• The Philadelphia Story (1940)
• The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
• Pinocchio (1940) (*)
• Citizen Kane (1941) (*)
• The Lady Eve (1941)
• The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• Dumbo (1941)
• Casablanca (1942) (*)
• The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
• Brief Encounter (1946)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
• My Darling Clementine (1946)
• Beauty and the Beast (1946)
• Great Expectations (1946)
• It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
• The Lady from Shanghai (1948)
• Adam’s Rib (1949)
• On the Town (1949)
• Rashomon (1950) (*)
• All About Eve (1950)
• Sunset Blvd. (1950)
• A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
• The African Queen (1951)
• An American in Paris (1951)
• Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
• Roman Holiday (1953)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
• On the Waterfront (1954) (*)
• Animal Farm (1954)
• Rear Window (1954)
• The Barefoot Contessa (1954)
• The Seven Samurai (1954) (*)
• Guys and Dolls (1955)
• The Man from Laramie (1955)
• Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
• The Ten Commandments (1956)
• 12 Angry Men (1957) (*)
• Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
• The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
• Mother India (1957)
• Cairo Station (1958)
• Gigi (1958)
• Vertigo (1958)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• Some Like It Hot (1959)
• Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
• Ben-Hur (1959)
• Rio Bravo (1959)
• La Dolce Vita (1960) (*)
• Psycho (1960)
• The Apartment (1960)
• Spartacus (1960)
• La Jetee (1961) (*)
• Lola (1961)
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
• The Hustler (1961)
• West Side Story (1961)
• A Dog’s Life (1962)
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
• The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
• Lolita (1962)
• Keeper of Promises (1962)
• The Birds (1963)
• The Nutty Professor (1963)
• 8 1/2 (1963) (*)
• The Great Escape (1963)
• Shock Corridor (1963)
• The Leopard (1963)
• The Haunting (1963)
• The Servant (1963)
• Goldfinger (1964)
• Scorpio Rising (1964)
• My Fair Lady (1964)
• Dr. Strangelove (1964)
• A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
• Before the Revolution (1964)
• Doctor Zhivago (1965)
• The War Game (1965)
• The Battle of Algiers (1965)
• The Sound of Music (1965) (*)
• Alphaville (1965)
• Pierrot Goes Wild (1965)
• Faster, Pussy Cat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
• In the Heat of the Night (1967)
• The Graduate (1967) (*)
• Cool Hand Luke (1967)
• Point Blank (1967)
• Wavelength (1967)
• Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
• The Jungle Book (1967) (*)
• Planet of the Apes (1968)
• Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
• The Producers (1968)
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• A Touch of Zen (1969)
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
• Midnight Cowboy (1969)
• Easy Rider (1969)
• Patton (1970)
• M*A*S*H (1970)
• A Clockwork Orange (1971) (*)
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) (*)
• Walkabout (1971)
• Harold and Maude (1971)
• Get Carter (1971)
• The French Connection (1971)
• Shaft (1971)
• Dirty Harry (1971)
• The Last Picture Show (1971)
• The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
• Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
• Cabaret (1972)
• Last Tango in Paris (1972)
• Sleuth (1972)
• Deliverance (1972)
• Solaris (1972)
• The Godfather (1972) (*)
• Cries and Whispers (1972)
• Badlands (1973)
• American Graffiti (1973)
• Papillon (1973)
• Enter the Dragon (1973)
• Mean Streets (1973)
• The Long Goodbye (1973)
• The Wicker Man (1973)
• Serpico (1973)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• The Harder They Come (1973)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
• Young Frankenstein (1974)
• Chinatown (1974) (*)
• Blazing Saddles (1974)
• The Godfather Part II (1974) (*)
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
• One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) (*)
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
• Nashville (1975)
• Jaws (1975)
• Carrie (1976)
• All the President’s Men (1976)
• Rocky (1976) (*)
• Taxi Driver (1976) (*)
• Ascent (1976)
• Star Wars (1977)
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
• Annie Hall (1977) (*)
• Saturday Night Fever (1977)
• Killer of Sheep (1977)
• Eraserhead (1977)
• The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
• The Deer Hunter (1978)
• Grease (1978)
• Days of Heaven (1978)
• Dawn of the Dead (1978)
• Shaolin Master Killer (1978)
• Up in Smoke (1978)
• Halloween (1978)
• Alien (1979)
• The Tin Drum (1979)
• All That Jazz (1979)
• Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
• Life of Brian (1979)
• Apocalypse Now (1979) (*)
• The Jerk (1979)
• The Muppet Movie (1979)
• Manhattan (1979)
• Mad Max (1979)
• Nosferatu: Phantom Of The Night (1979)
• Ordinary People (1980)
• The Shining (1980) (*)
• Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• The Elephant Man (1980)
• Airplane! (1980)
• Raging Bull (1980)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• Chariots of Fire (1981)
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1981)
• E.T.: The Extra-Terestrial (1982) (*)
• The Thing (1982)
• Poltergeist (1982)
• Blade Runner (1982)
• The Evil Dead (1982)
• Tootsie (1982)
• Gandhi (1982)
• Fanny and Alexander (1982)
• A Christmas Story (1983)
• Videodrome (1983)
• Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
• The Big Chill (1983)
• Money (1983)
• Terms of Endearment (1983)
• The Right Stuff (1983)
• Once Upon a Time in America (1983)
• Scarface (1983)
• Amadeus (1984)
• The Terminator (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
• Ghostbusters (1984)
• A Passage to India (1984)
• The Breakfast Club (1985) (*)
• Out of Africa (1985)
• The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
• Back to the Future (1985) (*)
• The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985)
• Brazil (1985)
• Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
• The Quiet Earth (1985)
• The Color Purple (1985)
• Manhunter (1986)
• Stand By Me (1986)
• Blue Velvet (1986)
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) (*)
• She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
• The Fly (1986)
• Aliens (1986)
• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) (*)
• A Room with a View (1986)
• Children of a Lesser God (1986)
• Platoon (1986)
• Caravaggio (1986)
• Top Gun (1986)
• Full Metal Jacket (1987)
• Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
• Goodbye Children (1987)
• Broadcast News (1987)
• The Princess Bride (1987)
• Moonstruck (1987)
• The Untouchables (1987)
• Fatal Attraction (1987)
• Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
• The Vanishing (1988)
• Bull Durham (1988)
• Ariel (1988)
• The Thin Blue Line (1988)
• Akira (1988) (*)
• Cinema Paradiso (1988) (*)
• A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
• The Naked Gun (1988)
• Big (1988)
• Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (*)
• Rain Man (1988)
• The Accidental Tourist (1988)
• Batman (1989)
• When Harry Met Sally (1989) (*)
• Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) (*)
• Do the Right Thing (1989) (*)
• Roger & Me (1989)
• Glory (1989)
• Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)
• Say Anything (1989)
• Goodfellas (1990) (*)
• Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
• King of New York (1990)
• Dances with Wolves (1990)
• Pretty Woman (1990)
• Edward Scissorhands (1990) (*)
• Total Recall (1990)
• Boyz ‘n the Hood (1991)
• Naked Lunch (1991)
• Thelma & Louise (1991)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• JFK (1991)
• Slacker (1991)
• Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991)
• Strictly Ballroom (1992)
• The Player (1992)
• Reservoir Dogs (1992) (*)
• Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
• Unforgiven (1992)
• Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
• Candy Man (1992)
• The Crying Game (1992)
• Groundhog Day (1993) (*)
• Short Cuts (1993)
• Philadelphia (1993)
• Jurassic Park (1993)
• The Age of Innocence (1993)
• Schindler’s List (1993) (*)
• Three Colors: Blue (1993)
• The Piano (1993)
• The Wedding Banquet (1993)
• Three Colors: Red (1994)
• Hoop Dreams (1994)
• Forrest Gump (1994) (*)
• Clerks (1994)
• Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
• The Lion King (1994)
• Natural Born Killers (1994)
• The Last Seduction (1994)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994) (*)
• Heavenly Creatures (1994)
• Through the Olive Trees (1994)
• Casino (1995)
• Babe (1995)
• Toy Story (1995) (*)
• Braveheart (1995)
• Clueless (1995)
• Heat (1995)
• Seven (1995) (*)
• The Usual Suspects (1995) (*)
• Fargo (1996) (*)
• Independence Day (1996)
• Secrets and Lies (1996)
• The English Patient (1996)
• Lone Star (1996)
• Trainspotting (1996)
• Scream (1996)
• Deconstructing Harry (1997)
• L.A. Confidential (1997)
• Happy Together (1997)
• The Ice Storm (1997) (*)
• Boogie Nights (1997)
• Kundun (1997)
• The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
• Taste of Cherry (1997)
• Open Your Eyes (1997) (*)
• Mother and Son (1997)
• Titanic (1997)
• The Celebration (1998)
• Saving Private Ryan (1998)
• Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) (*)
• Run Lola Run (1998) (*)
• Rushmore (1998) (*)
• Pi (1998)
• The Thin Red Line (1998)
• The Idiots (1998)
• Ring (1998)
• There’s Something About Mary (1998)
• Magnolia (1999)
• Beau Travail (1999)
• The Blair Witch Project (1999)
• All About My Mother (1999)
• Three Kings (1999)
• The Wind Will Carry Us (1999)
• Fight Club (1999) (*)
• Being John Malkovich (1999) (*)
• American Beauty (1999) (*)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)
• The Matrix (1999) (*)
• In the Mood for Love (2000)
• Gladiator (2000)
• Requiem for a Dream (2000) (*)
• Amores Perros (2000)
• Meet the Parents (2000)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
• Traffic (2000)
• Memento (2000) (*)
• Dancer in the Dark (2000)
• O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
• Amelie (2001)
• And Your Mother Too (2001) (*)
• Kandahar (2001)
• Spirited Away (2001)
• The Piano Teacher (2001)
• No Man’s Land (2001)
• Moulin Rouge (2001)
• Monsoon Wedding (2001)
• Mulholland Dr. (2001)
• The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) (*)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
• Gangs of New York (2002)
• The Pianist (2002) (*)
• Talk to Her (2002)
• City of God (2002) (*)
• Chicago (2002)
• Adaptation (2002)
• Far from Heaven (2002)

Here are the 25 movies I’ve seen that were added in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th edition of the list:

• Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
• Shine (1996)
• The Big Lebowski (1998) (*)
• Bus 174 (2002)
• Hero (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Barbarian Invasions (2003)
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
• Oldboy (2003) (*)
• Good Bye Lenin! (2003)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• The Best of Youth (2003)
• Lost in Translation (2003) (*)
• Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
• A Very Long Engagement (2004)
• Sideways (2004)
• The Passion of the Christ (2004)
• Collateral (2004)
• The Aviator (2004)
• Million Dollar Baby (2004)
• Cache (2005) (*)
• Paradise Now (2005)
• Brokeback Mountain (2005) (*)
• Tsotsi (2005)
• The Constant Gardener (2005)

And while I don’t know what the very latest edition of the book has added or deleted (since I don’t have a copy of the changes), I’ve seen all ten of the films Kottke has seen, at least. And if I may quote him for one minute: “Removing Caché for Apocalypto? No fucking way.” Here are the ten added films that Kottke lists on his blog that I’ve also seen:

• Crash (2004)
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
• The Prestige (2006)
• United 93 (2006) (*)
• Children of Men (2006) (*)
• El Laberinto del Fauno (2006) (*)
• The Queen (2006)
• Apocalypto (2006)
• The Departed (2006) (*)
• Volver (2006)

There are 446 movies mentioned in this post, so if you’re looking for some suggestions on what to rent this weekend, this might be a good place to start. And if you have seen them all, how about feeding me some suggestions as to what to check out next?

How many of the 1001+ have you seen? Are there any I missed that you consider a must-see? Let me know.