Amélie

I re-watched this classic—no. 3 on my personal list—for the first time in a long time with what I hoped would be a critical eye. I wanted to find the flaws, to discover real reasons to do something other than gush about how great this film is. ... And I failed, because there are no flaws here. This truly is one of the greatest movies ever made: clever, fun, artsy, quirky, wise and foolish, compassionate, loving, and joyful. Audrey Tautou is a vision of loveliness throughout, so much so that you wonder how a girl that beautiful could also be that weird and insecure, yet never for a moment does the viewer doubt the sincerity of Mme. Poulain's painful relationship with the rest of the world. Her pas de deux with Mathieu Kassovitz’s Nico is utterly charming, even when it edges towards being exasperating over the characters’ inability to seal the deal. Finally, the very French-ness of everything gives the proceedings just the right touch of being far away, in some ways like a fairy tale, while still maintaining a universality that can touch deep inside every viewer. Perhaps this movie’s greatest trait is its compassion and understanding for those for whom life just isn't easy (as we see with both Amélie herself and the regulars at the Cafe Deux Moulins—a collection of funny, strange, and most human people.) At such a great remove of time, it’s difficult to remember what a supernova this film was when it was first released; regular re-viewing is imperative to appreciate this one in all its glory. Best of All, now and forever. Vive Amélie!

Alien: Resurrection

It becomes obvious early on that this flick was made mostly so Sigourney Weaver could have most, if not all, of the good lines. At least this time out she gets to trade in the previous outings' desperation for something more like occasional devilishness. That, and the bulk of this movie, are at least somewhat entertaining, even if at this point everything presented is redundant and derivative. Most interesting about this movie, in hindsight, is who was working behind the camera: Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed, and Joss Whedon wrote the script, both before going on to much bigger things. Say what you will about this franchise--and it's been all over the map--but it has always attracted top talent, even if its every presentation amounts to just a one note, dolled-up haunted house story. In this case, that's not enough to make a classic, but I never wanted to turn it off, either, so I guess that's a draw. Like its signature beastie, the series is a survivor.