of cinematic greatness

at the turn of the new year, friends kept asking me what my resolutions were. and i was stumped. i never really thought about making any. probably because it usually takes me 30 minutes into the new year to break them. more so the fact that i realise what i want or need to do throughout the course of the year and not necessarily at the beginning. the only thing i managed to come up with when pressured enough was a logical conclusion to how things sort of ended toward the end of the last semester: don't lose sanity.

but i pondered and then it occurred to me. a promise i've been making to myself these past few years since i started uni in perth: watch a shitload of movies.

yes. nothing beats my cinematic experience back in 2002 (the year before i came to perth) when i caught close to 200 films, attended as many film festivals as i could and scoured obscure screenings, especially the ones held at the alliance francaise. the fact that i've been made to shuttle between two countries and devote a large portion of my time to academia has severely disrupted my cinematic consumption. so yes. 2007 shall be THE mad movie year. break my all-time high back in 2002? u betcha sweet cheeks i will. watch out world!

as i am wont to do annually, i've come up with a list of some of the best films i've caught last year despite the unimpressive (read: pathetic) amount i managed to squeeze into my 2006 schedule. lists are vital! they kinda determine my future dvd shopping. as usual, films are about ideas. ideas that move you. so here are some that made me think and feel, the good, the badass and the downright entertaining.

in no particular order:
le grand voyage
match point
brokeback mountain
hawaii, oslo
rent
water
v for vendetta
borat
brick
the prestige
volver
babel

honourable mentions and pretty dang good in their own right: thank you for smoking, banlieue-13 (district b13), united 93, paradise now, breakfast on pluto, king and the clown, north country, c.r.a.z.y., proof, jarhead and time to leave.