Wow, this was a lot more difficult than I expected. I flirted with the idea of doing a top 20 this year simply because there were so many very good films to choose from. The only real easy choices in the whole list are the top 2. Everything else has moved a lot in the last couple of days and would probably move again if I redid the list tomorrow. The two huge surprises this year are 1) everything's in english and 2) no documentaries made the list. That's genunely shocking, but rest assured it will be made up in the next post. Before we get started here are a few honorable mentions.
Films that I suspect would make the list had I actually seen them: I'm Not There, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Film that nobody liked that I probably will even though by all accounts it's awful but then again I didn't see it so who knows: Southland Tales
Films that I would have sworn 10 minutes after watching them that they would make the list but would probably make it in a different year and may increase in my estimation upon a second viewing: Darjeeling Limited, Control, Eastern Promises
OK here goes.
10) Bug – It was mismarketed as a horror film on it's release, but it is genuinely the scariest film of the year. It's a horror movie in the same way as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. If being in love is choosing to give up a part of yourself in order to see the world through someone else's eyes, what happens when the person you choose slowly goes off the rails? Michael Shannon is one of the creepiest actors I've ever seen, and it's amazing how much he dives into this strange character.
9) The Lookout – There's a lot going on in every Joseph Gordon-Levitt performance, and he helps elevate what could have been just another thriller into something a bit more substantial. It's well-crafted and hums along, but it makes the list for the performance. You can't take your eyes off of him.
8) The Bourne Ultimatum – I'm not one of those people who wants to turn this franchise into the new James Bond. I'll take three great films over 20 watered-down ones any day. I love the ways this film wraps up the series by reflecting shots from the first film. Oh and it's by far the best action film of the year, and would be just about any year. And he kicks a guys ass with a book.
7) Michael Clayton – An action movie with absolutely no action at all. It takes its cue from the great paranoid thrillers of the 1970s like Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View. Great performances by George Clooney, Tilda Swindon, and expecially Tom Wilkinson.
6) Juno – Orange Tic-Tacs, hamburger phones, and Mott the Hoople. “It's not like it was his idea.” Too bad the trailer gave away all the good Jason Bateman bits.
5) Once – I love the music and adore the ambiguous final shot. A “musical” where the music doesn't seem forced. Oh and they made it for like $75
4) Zodiac – The brilliant film this year that nobody seems to be talking about. it's probably because it came out so early in the year. The use of CGI to “build” 1970s San Francisco is seamless and adds a lot to my enjoyment of the film. To some degree it's the anti-Seven, focusing on procedures and frustrating loose ends instead of dead bodies.
3) Sweeney Todd – Blood, songs and pies. I really want to see this again.
2) No Country for Old Men – Every other film on the list moved around, but this was a solid number one until early on the 30th. In No Country the Coens finally toned down their ironic sense of humor and just told a great story. I've said it before, but the ending is perfect and finishes an unsettling film on a hopeful note.
1) There Will Be Blood – The single most anticipated film of the year for me delivered far beyond what I was expecting. It is difficult not to just write SEEITSEEITSEEITSEEITSEEIT! It's incredible the way Anderson tossed aside his usual bag of tricks [matching film to pop songs, show-offy camera movements] and created something totally new for him. He's my favorite American director, but I didn't believe he had this film in him. On one hand I don't want to overhype it, but on the other I don't thnk it's possible. I saw it at midnight, got out of the theater at 2:45, and instantly thought “How soon can I see it again?” There is no debate, Daniel Day-Lewis gives the performance of the year. His voice, his walk, the way his face scrunches up whenever God is mentioned, all perfect. The last scene builds and builds and gets crazier and crazier beyond anything you could have been anticipating, but I went with it. I am seriously wondering whether this or Magnolia is PTA's masterpiece.
I am finished
Happy New Year
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Blood is Compulsory
They're hardly divisible, sir—well, I can do you blood and love without the rhetoric, and I can do you blood and rhetoric without the love, and I can do you all three concurrent or consecutive, but I can't do you love and rhetoric without the blood. Blood is compulsory—they're all blood, you see.
Yes, the Ballad of Sweeney Todd is missing, and Helena Bonham Carter isn't really a great singer, and occasionally the Lady Snowblood style afterial sprays are a bit much.
I'm here to tell you that it doesn't really matter. This is likely the best film version of Sweeney Todd we could have hoped for. It's incredibly intact: the excess, the striking pessimism, the comedy, it's all there.
I love films that openly laugh at our hopes for a happy ending for anyone. The way it mocks Ms. Lovett's delusional dreams of the sea, and the way the young lovers are given the most annoying songs add another layer of depth to the story. It's almost as if the film portrays Sweeney as the sanest character of all, a revenge machine who knows with absolute certainty what lies in wait for him after he achieves his goal.
This is not to say it's another Donny Downer movie. It's incredibly entertaining and funny. Ms. Lovett's song about the sea is maybe the biggest single laugh I've had at the movies all year [including Superbad, I know!] And Sacha Baron Cohen's Pirelli the barber is hilarious.
And then there's the red stuff. The blood. Geysers of it spray out of necks at an alarming rate. But I think it's the best example of Burton's craft coming to the forefront. His greatest skill as a director and a visualist is his knack for combining horror and comedy. I can think of no better example of this brilliant synthesis than the way he deals with the killings in the film. The first death is brutal. a savage beating, a blood soaked floor, and a sliced throat long after we think the job is done. But after that the film slides into a comic montage where the blood sprays ridiculously and the bodies crash down the chute with a comical crunch. Everyone relaxes and smiles. We can't help it. But we're being set up for the big finish. The deaths before the climactic scene with the judge are so quick they are almost an afterthought. But then the brutality returns with a vengeance [see what I did there?] and the film ends on a sudden, unsettling note that is very powerful.
Oh, and kudos to the first person who figures out the opening quote without googling.
Also Merry Christmas everybody.
Yes, the Ballad of Sweeney Todd is missing, and Helena Bonham Carter isn't really a great singer, and occasionally the Lady Snowblood style afterial sprays are a bit much.
I'm here to tell you that it doesn't really matter. This is likely the best film version of Sweeney Todd we could have hoped for. It's incredibly intact: the excess, the striking pessimism, the comedy, it's all there.
I love films that openly laugh at our hopes for a happy ending for anyone. The way it mocks Ms. Lovett's delusional dreams of the sea, and the way the young lovers are given the most annoying songs add another layer of depth to the story. It's almost as if the film portrays Sweeney as the sanest character of all, a revenge machine who knows with absolute certainty what lies in wait for him after he achieves his goal.
This is not to say it's another Donny Downer movie. It's incredibly entertaining and funny. Ms. Lovett's song about the sea is maybe the biggest single laugh I've had at the movies all year [including Superbad, I know!] And Sacha Baron Cohen's Pirelli the barber is hilarious.
And then there's the red stuff. The blood. Geysers of it spray out of necks at an alarming rate. But I think it's the best example of Burton's craft coming to the forefront. His greatest skill as a director and a visualist is his knack for combining horror and comedy. I can think of no better example of this brilliant synthesis than the way he deals with the killings in the film. The first death is brutal. a savage beating, a blood soaked floor, and a sliced throat long after we think the job is done. But after that the film slides into a comic montage where the blood sprays ridiculously and the bodies crash down the chute with a comical crunch. Everyone relaxes and smiles. We can't help it. But we're being set up for the big finish. The deaths before the climactic scene with the judge are so quick they are almost an afterthought. But then the brutality returns with a vengeance [see what I did there?] and the film ends on a sudden, unsettling note that is very powerful.
Oh, and kudos to the first person who figures out the opening quote without googling.
Also Merry Christmas everybody.
Best film discoveries of 2007
Ok I promised to write about a couple of films I saw for the first time this year that barely missed being included in my top ten of all time. Both films had barely been seen in America before being released this year by Criterion. I'm talking about The Spirit of the Beehive and Army of Shadows.
The Spirit of the Beehive is almost impossible to describe. The best way to describe it is the only film I've ever seen that captures what it is like to be a small chid with a strong imagination. It's about two sisters living in a small village during the Spanish Civil War. One day the movie Frankenstein is screened for the town. The film has a strong, unsettling effect on the youngest sister who believes the monster is real. She discovers a wounded soldier and cares for him in secret, and is eventually faced with the realization of death. But this is not really a film where plot takes center stage. It's hazy and dreamlike and lingers in small moments between the two children. It sets up a world where the characters are trapped in their insular home [the hexagonal amber windows reveal the home to be the titular beehive] until the young girl Ana breaks free and experiences the conflict that surrounds her country. The most apt comparison for this film would be Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone with young, imaginative children using the fantasy worlds they create to shield themseves from the wars surrounding them. But those films seem loud and show-offy in comparison to this small film that manages to make more out of less. It also seems like the kind of film that gets better each time you see it.
It's no real surprise that Army of Shadows made a number of critics' ten best lists upon its theatrical release last year. The film is undoubtedly a masterpiece. It may even be Melville's best. [though I probably prefer Le Samourai] The single word review would probably be tension. The single word that is not really a word review would probably be holyshitomgsomuchtension! It's based on a book about the French resisitance during World War 2, and shaped in part by Melville's own experiences working with various resistance groups. It mostly follows Phillipe Gerbier, a resistance chief and his 'adventures'. I put adventures in quotes because the film isn't really about fighting or heroism, but about the very difficult choices these people had to make when fighting the Nazis. Not to say it's boring in the slightest, but that all the action is based in reality and carries with it consequences that affect the characters in different ways. It's an amazing film that will probably only grow in stature as more people discover it.
That brings me to the main point I want to get to. What would have happened had these films not been largely unseen in America for 30+ years? And what other masterpieces from around the world have been undiscovered? How much would what we see as our film 'canon' change if more films like these were available? I'm not sure I know the answers to these questions, but I'd like to discover two films in the next year that are as good or better than these.
The Spirit of the Beehive is almost impossible to describe. The best way to describe it is the only film I've ever seen that captures what it is like to be a small chid with a strong imagination. It's about two sisters living in a small village during the Spanish Civil War. One day the movie Frankenstein is screened for the town. The film has a strong, unsettling effect on the youngest sister who believes the monster is real. She discovers a wounded soldier and cares for him in secret, and is eventually faced with the realization of death. But this is not really a film where plot takes center stage. It's hazy and dreamlike and lingers in small moments between the two children. It sets up a world where the characters are trapped in their insular home [the hexagonal amber windows reveal the home to be the titular beehive] until the young girl Ana breaks free and experiences the conflict that surrounds her country. The most apt comparison for this film would be Pan's Labyrinth and The Devil's Backbone with young, imaginative children using the fantasy worlds they create to shield themseves from the wars surrounding them. But those films seem loud and show-offy in comparison to this small film that manages to make more out of less. It also seems like the kind of film that gets better each time you see it.
It's no real surprise that Army of Shadows made a number of critics' ten best lists upon its theatrical release last year. The film is undoubtedly a masterpiece. It may even be Melville's best. [though I probably prefer Le Samourai] The single word review would probably be tension. The single word that is not really a word review would probably be holyshitomgsomuchtension! It's based on a book about the French resisitance during World War 2, and shaped in part by Melville's own experiences working with various resistance groups. It mostly follows Phillipe Gerbier, a resistance chief and his 'adventures'. I put adventures in quotes because the film isn't really about fighting or heroism, but about the very difficult choices these people had to make when fighting the Nazis. Not to say it's boring in the slightest, but that all the action is based in reality and carries with it consequences that affect the characters in different ways. It's an amazing film that will probably only grow in stature as more people discover it.
That brings me to the main point I want to get to. What would have happened had these films not been largely unseen in America for 30+ years? And what other masterpieces from around the world have been undiscovered? How much would what we see as our film 'canon' change if more films like these were available? I'm not sure I know the answers to these questions, but I'd like to discover two films in the next year that are as good or better than these.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
It's bigger than a baby's arm
...but not much bigger. Ladies and gentlemen, I bought myself a Christmas present today.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Coming Attractions
It was just announced at There Will Be Blood's website that there will be a preview screening in Seattle on December 29th at midnight. What a perfect birthday present! I've already bought two tickets and you should too. I was worried about making my top-ten list without TWBB on it in order to make my Jan 1 deadline. Now I don't have to worry.
I don't have a ton to say about Atonement. It was perfectly watchable and very, very pretty-- just like Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice. There's just isn't anything sublime about it, and the parts that are supposed to be the major show-offy setpieces fall on their face [I'm thinking in particular about a loooooong tracking shot in the Dunkirk section that seems to have no meaning at all. War is chaotic and ridiculous? Well no shit.] I tend to think comparing books to the films adapted from them is pretty tiresome, but I can't put my finger on why the ending of the film is so flat when McEwan's ending is the cornerstone of the whole book. I think it has something to do with the book ending on a questioning note, where the film wraps everything up in a nice shiny [if a bit melancholy] bow.
Ok, that's it for tonight. Buy your tickets kids. Paul Thomas Anderson is always worth it.
Tomorrow: Two films that I discovered this year that just missed the all-time top ten.
Oh, and Sweeney Todd.
I don't have a ton to say about Atonement. It was perfectly watchable and very, very pretty-- just like Wright's version of Pride and Prejudice. There's just isn't anything sublime about it, and the parts that are supposed to be the major show-offy setpieces fall on their face [I'm thinking in particular about a loooooong tracking shot in the Dunkirk section that seems to have no meaning at all. War is chaotic and ridiculous? Well no shit.] I tend to think comparing books to the films adapted from them is pretty tiresome, but I can't put my finger on why the ending of the film is so flat when McEwan's ending is the cornerstone of the whole book. I think it has something to do with the book ending on a questioning note, where the film wraps everything up in a nice shiny [if a bit melancholy] bow.
Ok, that's it for tonight. Buy your tickets kids. Paul Thomas Anderson is always worth it.
Tomorrow: Two films that I discovered this year that just missed the all-time top ten.
Oh, and Sweeney Todd.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Top tens
I've been spending an inordinate amount of time lately browsing through top ten lists. I haven't really made a "Favorite movies of all time" list in at least five years. It's a fun exercise in a lot of ways, and it forces you to make choices. Do I try to make picks from the broad range of the history of cinema, or do I just pick the ten that have affected me the most? Can I really have 2 Wong Kar-Wai films in my top 10? How do you make a list like that with no Hitchcock... or Wilder... or Welles or Sturges or Von Trier? It's infuriating. So that's the task I've set out for myself this month, to wrap up the year with a top ten for 2007 and a top ten films of all time post. I wish I still had the old top ten to compare it with, but it was lost when I closed the video store. I'd be willing to bet that only 5 of the films from that list will be on the new one. We'll see.
Until then Senses of Cinema has a page where a bunch of different people have submitted their top tens. I've spent a lot of time there. And here's a link to Sight and Sound's ten best of 2007 lists.
Until then Senses of Cinema has a page where a bunch of different people have submitted their top tens. I've spent a lot of time there. And here's a link to Sight and Sound's ten best of 2007 lists.
Catching up
Did you all miss me?
Gone Baby Gone has to be one of the best surprises I've had at the movies this year. I giggled-- I don't think anybody can help but to giggle at the Directed by Ben Affleck credit, but he really delivers in his first film. It drips with atmosphere and authenticity-- Affleck obviously knows Boston and wants to put a part of the city on screen that we haven't seen before. But this would be all for nothing if it wasn't for the story. About an hour in I was convinced the film was over and terribly disappointed. Then the story kept going and the second half of the film made me rethink everything I was feeling in the first half. Every time I felt like I had a grip on what was going to happen next, the story took another turn. It finally ended on an unexpected note that left me grasping for answers to the questions the film posed. The cast is great, especially Casey Affleck, who's having a hell of a year. Michelle Monaghan is really the only weak spot, but I think that's because she isn't given a whole lot to do. With Michael Clayton, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and now Gone Baby Gone 2007 is turning out to be an incredible year if you like mature thrillers.
It's difficult to talk about Margot at the Wedding after Gone Baby Gone, not because Margot is bad [SPOILER: it isn't] but because something feels missing from it. Margot is very funny in it's own absurd way, but it falls flat on its face when it reaches for drama. I didn't really feel it when anyone cried in the film, and they cry a lot. I felt at times like it was pointless to wallow in the lives of these dysfunctional people. I think the comedy bits make the film worth seeing, and Jack Black makes up for a lot, but it won't stick with you.
Gone Baby Gone has to be one of the best surprises I've had at the movies this year. I giggled-- I don't think anybody can help but to giggle at the Directed by Ben Affleck credit, but he really delivers in his first film. It drips with atmosphere and authenticity-- Affleck obviously knows Boston and wants to put a part of the city on screen that we haven't seen before. But this would be all for nothing if it wasn't for the story. About an hour in I was convinced the film was over and terribly disappointed. Then the story kept going and the second half of the film made me rethink everything I was feeling in the first half. Every time I felt like I had a grip on what was going to happen next, the story took another turn. It finally ended on an unexpected note that left me grasping for answers to the questions the film posed. The cast is great, especially Casey Affleck, who's having a hell of a year. Michelle Monaghan is really the only weak spot, but I think that's because she isn't given a whole lot to do. With Michael Clayton, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and now Gone Baby Gone 2007 is turning out to be an incredible year if you like mature thrillers.
It's difficult to talk about Margot at the Wedding after Gone Baby Gone, not because Margot is bad [SPOILER: it isn't] but because something feels missing from it. Margot is very funny in it's own absurd way, but it falls flat on its face when it reaches for drama. I didn't really feel it when anyone cried in the film, and they cry a lot. I felt at times like it was pointless to wallow in the lives of these dysfunctional people. I think the comedy bits make the film worth seeing, and Jack Black makes up for a lot, but it won't stick with you.
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