Below are my ten favorite movies this year, but the problem is that I have not seen everything I'd like to. So, this is my list for now, but I'm going to put up another one in a month or two after I see the movies I have listed below. Here goes.

10. Bend It Like Beckham

Formulaic and cheesy, yet it's my tenth favorite film of the year. In other words, it transcends those usual hurdles that make the great majority of these movies complete crap. The film is shot really nicely, the girls are cute, and the family is entertaining. Good times.

9. The School of Rock

Jack Black + cute kids playing rock music = pure gold. I only wish they had actually done the song that Jack Black originally sings to the class. Ah well.

8. Mystic River

This movie was all about acting. The story was interesting, but nothing terribly original. The directing was good, but nothing like other stuff done this year. Still, I was engaged the entire time. I really do like Sean Penn.

7. 28 Days Later

This movie is genuinely scary and beautifully shot. That is all I ask for in a horror movie. I want to be freaked out a bit, but be entertained during the in-between parts.

6. American Splendor

Harvey Pekar is an amazing person and the film was built around his eccentric personality. It was a cool combination of documentary and a comic re-telling of Pekar's life.

5. Elephant

Gus Van Sant took the high road and made a film about Columbine that didn't answer any questions. Essentially, it was as if real-life were the book and this was the adaptation. There was no new information or evidence, but you saw the incident from new perspectives. Quite amazing.

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

I have two phrases for you. 1. Pure fun. 2. Johnny Depp is fucking awesome.

3. Kill Bill Vol. 1

This film is completely over the top, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining, succinct, smart, and beautiful. Quentin is without a doubt one of the most interesting forces in film alive today and Kill Bill is a testament to that fact.

2. Spellbound

I admit, this movie doesn't do much more than entertain. That being said, it does it in a way that is unlike 98% of the films being made today. A great movie for just about any occasion.

1. Lost in Translation

A spectacular film. I love Bill Murray and the film is a great depiction of how an outsider views life in Tokyo (not that I've been there). The acting, the visuals, the writing, all of it was great.

Movies I'd Still Like to See

My Architect
Thirteen
Demonlover
The Station Agent
Intolerable Cruelty
Pieces of April
Shattered Glass
21 Grams
Big Fish
House of 1,000 Corpses
Peter Pan

Feel free to leave comments if you think I'm missing anything else.