How many movies did you see this weekend?

I saw five.

At home:

Hannah and Her Sisters- Since getting both Marx Bros. box sets for my birthday, I have ended many an awful day with their hilarious antics and found, like Woody Allen in HAHS, that, if for no other reason, life is worth living for the Marx Brothers.

Cool Hand Luke- Even after just one viewing I can confidently say that there are few moments in cinema history better than Paul Newman, upon hearing of his mother's death, playing the banjo and singing Plastic Jesus with tears rolling down his cheek.

Sour Grapes- This is a comedy (if a film with no funny moments can be classified as such) written and directed by the great Larry David right around the peak of Seinfeld's popularity. An unbelievable disaster, were it not made by Larry David I would not even have forced myself to suffer through until the end.

At the cinema:

Crash- Though I wouldn't argue that it is entirely flawless, this film pulled me in and wrapped me up so tightly that its my frontrunner for the #1 slot on my best of '05 list. At 52, Haggis took his time to make his directorial debut but sure packed a punch when he did. Though most critics are comparing it to Grand Canyon, Short Cuts, and Magnolia, I think its closer to Traffic but about racism instead of drugs. I hope its remembered a year from now at the oscars, Cheadle and Dillon certainly deserve to be in the race for best supporting actor.

Kingdom of Heaven- It was heading for an Isaac recommendation until it set the story and characters aside and closed with 40 mins or so of useless battle scenes, and finished up at nicely mediocre. Still though, Ridley Scott makes damn gorgeous epics, I'd say he included 85% more richness in each image than your typical epic. Orlando Bloom, while toning down the annoyance factor, is still the unsurpassed master of bland. Importantly, this is our first look at a William Monahan screenplay, his three other screenplays in production are Scott's next film, Scorcese's next film, and Jurassic Park 4. I'd say he's capable, but far from sensational.