You Can Count on Me (2000)

I love lists of great movies. I devour books put out by anyone with any say-so in the entertainment industry about the 100 greatest films of all time. I also love seeing movies that many people haven't seen. There may be a little cinephile hipster living in the corner of my heart.
That's why my heart skipped a beat when, several months ago, the cover story for Entertainment Weekly was "The 50 Greatest Films You've Never Seen." I haven't worn out a magazine that hardcore since my Lego catalogue days. This is the reason I subscribe to this magazine.
I worked my way though it, found some promising titles, and kept track of which ones were available on Netflix. I've watched some and haven't been disappointed.

But tonight I had the pleasure of watching Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo as once orphaned siblings whose lives have turned out drastically different. Sammy (Linney) is a single mother living in her hometown and working at a bank under an uptight boss (Matthew Broderick). When Terry (Ruffalo) comes to town broke and looking for money, Sammy embraces him into her arms like the prodigal son. In that moment of joy, Sammy doesn't realize Terry's ulterior motive, or just how much of an impact he is going to make on her and her son. Oh, her son. What he needs most is a dad, and Terry fills that desperate need in his life as best as he can. Never have you had your heart broken so over a kid before.

In the end this film is about family, and as a very family oriented person I can tell you that I spent the second half of the movie in tears. The acting, the writing, the Bach integrated throughout the film, everything about this is sublime. It doesn't matter that the film lost in the measly two categories it was nominated for. It's gold in every aspect.

Crash (2004)

From the time it came out, I've heard many complaints about Crash. Most of them having to do with it's big score at the Oscars (many believe it wasn't entitled to bring home the Best Picture prize). But as an Oscar winning film I couldn't very well not watch it.
When I saw the words "post-September 11th" in the first line of its description I felt a cloud of despair. While many feel that 9/11 is too big to be included in film, I usually disagree, but when a film with that description wins an Oscar three years after the attack, you get the feeling that the Academy valued patriotism over quality.
Fortunately, this film had little to do with 9/11. Sure, there was a Persian family in the film suffering from post 9/11 racism, but most of the racial hate was surrounding the black community.
I found the subject of racism to be refreshing and honest. There haven't been too many films this solid on the subject since Do the Right Thing.

This film managed to pull off something unusual and satisfying. It was a serious ensemble film that worked well with all of its components. I walked into this half expecting The Sandra Bullock Show or something to that degree. This wasn't a star-stuffed vehicle, this was a portrait of many accomplished actors and actresses showcasing rich drama. Let's face it, whether they're executed correctly or not, ensemble films are fun. And this film, as dark and emotional as it was, was no exception.