December 28, 2009
1. The White Ribbon - a gripping whodunnit (maybe?) from Michael Haneke. Its a film, like all of Haneke's, that simmers on the surface, boils underneath, and begs more quetions than it answers. This beautifully shot alegorical picture has more than meets the eye.
2. Ballast - a...( read more) very, very low key film from Lance Hammer in a great debut. It's performances are pure, its story is poignant and touching. An all around great film, full of artistic authenticity.
3. Sin Nombre - another brilliant debut, this time From Cary Fukanaga, whom I've been in touch with a few times. Very much looking forward to his future work. Sin Nombre is a brutal depiction of the struggles of getting to America. It's an excellent companion to another great South American migration story, El Norte.
4. Le Silence de Lorna - another brilliant, soul searching essay of a film from the Dardenne brothers, who seem incapable of making a bad film.
5. Fantastic Mr Fox - Wes Anderson's first, and I'm guessing not last, foray into animation. The stop animation he uses calls back on history, and allows for the story to take front and centre. I loved it.
6. A Prophet - a gripping and gritty French prison drama. Within its small confines it reaches somehow for epic and achieves it. Powerful, powerful stuff.
7. Inglorious Basterds - Well Mr Tarantino, we've waited and you have given (unlike Mr James "chock a block special effects" Cameron). The Basterds were for some reason blasted at Cannes, but I thought it was an excellent and vibrantly told retelling of history. It's light fare, but that's Tarantino's bag, and for my money this is without a doubt his best work along with Pulp Fiction.
8. You, the living - a delightfully deadpan bit of absurdism from the master modern surrealist, Roy Andersson.
9. Antichrist - an uncomfortable, sometimes excessive but always artful bit of reverse theology. It's a movie with something to say (I think) that will leave most turned off. You better be ready for this one.
10. The Hurt Locker - the first great film about the Iraq War. It's a nail biting thriller, taking an objective position among the soldiers themselves. War is a drug, the film tells us, and we can see why for some people.
11. Bad Lieutenant - Is this a great work of art like Aguirre or Stroszek? Nah, but I'll be damned if it's not only of the most delightfully deranged movies of the year. It also doesn't hurt that Herzog creates a couple of the greatest scenes in recent memory (here's looking at you iguanas and dancing souls).
12. Two legged Horse - rom Samira Makhmalbaf, daughter of Mohsen Makhmalbaf, the great Iranian filmmaker. Its a tale of a well to do man who hires a boy, mentally handicapped boy to carry around his son who lost his legs in a landmine exlosion. The wealthier boy dominates his "two legged horse," selling rides on him, feeding him straw and more or less turning him into a horse. It's a tough film and certainly not meant as entertainment, but it's powerful and meaningful.
13. Goodbye Solo - another great film from Ramin Bahrani, this time about an immigrant cab driver who befriends an older man who hires him to drive him to a place where he will commit suicide
14. Big River Man - in a year where we've had to do without any pseudo documentaries from Werner Herzog, Big River Man will suffice. It chronicles the journy of Martin Strel of Slovenia as he swims the Amazon River. Heres a guy who's swam the Mississippi and the Yangtze. He must be in peak shape, but he's not. He's in his 50s, he's overweight, and may or may not (likely the former) have a drinking problem. The documentary I assume is aiming for ecstatic truth as Herzog puts it, but nevertheless chronicles a healthy dose of insanity. Great stuff.
15. Broken Embraces - another great collaboration between Pedro Almolvodar and his muse Penolope Cruz. What a rich and vibrant looking piece of work this is.
A few other films I really admired/enjoyed this year:
Crazy Heart - a great film about the archetypal fallen country and western singer trying to get his life back together. Great performance from Jeff Bridges in particular.
Precious - a film that has earned itself heaps of praise, and attached itself some big names AFTER it was made and released. Sure Oprah and Tyler Perry are "producers" but only have Lee Daniels and crew completed the film and had it released. They have nothing to do with the movie itself other than promotion. Nevertheless, a very strong film with very strong performances from its two leads (particularly Mo'nique).
Up in the Air - another gem from Jason Reitman
Vincere/Sweet Rush - two very admirable and very vibrant films from aging legends of the screen. Vincere is Marco Bellochio's story of Mussolini and his secret lover. Sweet Rush is a highly admirable film from aging Polish great Andrei Wadza that resonates with more experimentation and creativity than the great majority of young filmmakers today. Neither film is the directors best work, but both are admirable for their youthful vigor and granduer. Sweet Rush features moving monologues from Krystyna Janda recalling the real life death of her husband and frequent Wajda collaborator Edward Klosinski that are worth the price of admission alone.
Knowing - a movie that got crapped on by nearly every critic out there (minus Ebert who gave it 4 stars). I was skeptical but must admit that I throrougly enjoyed the film and found it to be very well done for the most part (minus Rose Byrne who seems only to know how to shriek terribly). I found it effective, and you gotta call a spade a spade!
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