Secrets and Lies

All the movies I have seen so far this year, ranked from best to worst.

1.) Million Dollar Baby (3/4)
2.) Sideways (2/4)
3.) Sin City (4/2)
4.) Batman Begins (6/22)
5.) Mr. & Mrs. Smith (6/11)
6.) Unleashed (5/26)
7.) Kung Fu Hustle (4/24)
8.) House of Flying Daggers (1/1)
9.) Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (5/21)
10.) Land of the Dead (6/26)
11.) Howl's Moving Castle (6/13)
11.) Kingdom of Heaven (5/7)
12.) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (4/30)
13.) Madagascar (6/19)
14.) XXX: State of the Union (6/2)
15.) Constantine (2/19)
16.) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (1/9)
17.) State Property 2 (5/5)
18.) Miss Congeniality 2 (3/28)
19.) Elektra (1/31)
20.) Be Cool (3/12)

Been pretty slim pickings this year, actually. 1 through 6 were good, 7 through, oh, 17 or so were decent/adequate. 18 through 20 were bad. I'm really, really hoping there will be a lot more movies towards the top in the second half of the year. As always, it was hardest to rank the ones towards the middle.

Questions? Comments?

[EDIT: Howl's Moving Castle added on 7/5, thanks for Iceman for the reminder. -PMMJ]

Dang: Sandra Day O'Connor resigns.
* Report by Andrew Cohen.
* List of potential replacements.
* The BBC sees the upcoming court nomination as a battle for our nation's soul.
* Terry Neal's LiveOnline transcript.

Republican lawmakers fight back against the judiciary.

More on the right's scary eliminationist rhetoric. (Courtesy Iceman.)

FRIDAY NEWS:
* David Ignatius on the worsening terrorism problem.
* Botswana disputes Bush's AIDS claims.
* In Germany, Schroeder government loses confidence vote.
* E.J. Dionne wonders, who is listening to the President?
* Looking at the administration's adversity reaction.
* The G-8's debate on global warming is coming to a head, shortly.
* Ethics committee ends stalemate - sort of.
* House repeals the district's own gun restrictions.
* Dick Meyer explains why the GOP doesn't want to enfranchise DC.
* The rings of Saturn have their own atmosphere.
* Report shows carbon dioxide buildup is turning the oceans acidic.
* This just in: if you're taking sick days to cover your pro wrestling career, don't let your fellow teachers find out.
* Spielberg set to take on the 1972 Munich Olympics.
* Are DVD sales slumping? And if so, why?

Advertising reversed: consumers shape ad campaigns.