First up I have to thank Kevin Bowen, Paul Fischer and Drew Turney for helping pick up the slack by filling in for me with their reviews of films since late Summer. I'm a control freak, and so giving up that control was a hard thing to do. The guys were great though, even when I disagreed with them on several occasions. I even had to deal with angry e-mails from people who didn't realize I had stopped reviewing (like 'BurmaShave' on Hollywood Elsewhere).
My reviews tend to be done in my few moments of spare time in the wee hours of the night. I'm glad they seem coherent, in spite of the frequent grammatical issues, uneven postings due to release date differences between the US and Australia, and the wacky use of British/Australian spelling and slang. I'm not a professional critic, nor do I want to become one. I try and avoid casting moral judgments wherever possible, and I'm writing for a web site - not The New Yorker. Thus I tend not to deliberately flourish my prose with thesaurus-enhanced wordplay, economic forecasting, repetition of a film's synopsis, or comparisons to obscure cinematic masterpieces even if I adore them.
The work is more stream of consciousness writing and the aim is to give you as objective and concise as possible an opinion about what I thought both worked and didn't. As I'm one of the few guys in this field not trying to break into the film industry I'm bluntly honest in my reviews, to the point that some filmmakers who have been friendly towards me have since give me the cold shoulder when I deliver mixed or negative reviews of their work.
Very occasionally my twisted sense of humor - and in the few cases where necessary my political/religious/social viewpoint - will creep in but only where its relevant. Gratefully almost all reaction I hear back tends to be positive - even if you've disagreed with me, you at least understood where i've come from and thanks to the many who've emailed over the years for that.
One of the more surprising years of film going, 2007 has ultimately proven an excellent but uneven year overall. The dividing line between mainstream studio efforts and art house gems seemed sharply defined this year - a stark contrast to last year's more compelling line-up of films that seemed to deftly embrace audiences from both sides of the aisle.
Most of the films being mentioned in Top Ten lists this year scored only small and short-lived releases in the year's final few months, and whilst the 'buzz' about films were rarely wrong, it was exaggerated on a few key titles. There have been some real gems though in terms of filmmaking craft, sheer entertainment and in a few cases both. Here are my picks for the best films of 2007:
1. Atonement
A haunting and emotionally devastating tale of consequence and opportunity lost, Joe Wright's stellar adaptation of Ian McEwan's acclaimed and richly dense novel takes the formula of the grand romantic wartime period piece and turns it on its ear.
Keeping that book's complicated time-jumping structure intact, the revelations hit with so much impact that, especially with those perspective shattering final few minutes, it's understandable that quite a few audience members more used to the formulaic efforts that often glut the genre will be confused, upset or even feel somewhat cheated.
As much as 'Atonement' is a love story and often travels paths that make us believe that it will ultimately be a redemption story of the foolish young Briony, the final result is something far more brutal, damning and realistic - that certain lies once told can never be undone or redeemed. The ending brilliantly conveys the duality of fiction - how fiction can be both devastating and used for good, even if in this case it's merely a placebo to stem a lifetime of unresolved guilt.
Just as revelatory is the sheer quality of filmmaking on display. The 34-year-old Wright delivers direction so smooth that veteran helmers with two decades and a dozen other films under their belt would envy such craft. From the dual-perspective takes of key scenes to the single take shot of the chaos at Dunkirk Beach during the evacuation, Wright seems utterly self-assured and confident, and yet always puts the material first and foremost in mind.
The haunting score ranging from sweeping orchestral tones to typewriter noise is brilliantly effective and memorable. Admittedly the latter half during wartime does falter in pace at times, but it never loses its way - a strong performance by James McAvoy keeps things grounded, he makes your heart break with just a slight vocal crack in the cafe reunion scene.
Knightley holds her own in her few scenes, and the three actresses who play Briony - especially the wonderfully expressive Romola Garai as the flagellant 18-year-old incarnation - are flawless. What could've easily been overdone melodrama is smart, mature and expertly crafted tragedy that's up there with 2005's unforgettable "Brokeback Mountain" in terms of quality and raw power.
2. No Country For Old Men
A decade ago the Coen brothers hit their peak with "Fargo" and "The Big Lebowski" in quick succession. Since then however its been a steady downhill slide, hitting bottom with 2004's odious remake of "The Ladykillers," a film which made many people give up on the chance the pair could ever make a comeback.
Like a phoenix however, they've risen from the ashes renewed with 'No Country', a perfectly realized modern-day western thriller that combines moments of hard-edged violence, several sequences of astonishingly taut suspense, frequent interjections of deliciously dry and laconic humor, and introspective flashes of lament on how not only the world has changed but the way our perspectives do as we get older.
Its a testament to their skill how 'Country' seamlessly moves from one genre to the other, almost always taking turns you'd never expect. Using the Cormac McCarthy novel as the basis for their story, the pair have managed to create a truly cinematic tale from a story by one of the few authors of today who thankfully doesn't write his books as pseudo-screenplays. This makes it surprising when I hear complaints about the open and rather abrupt ending as everything leading up to it makes that point to end the film on perfectly sound.
The narrative often defies convention, but remains unremitting and unrelenting in its realistic depiction of the setting, the characters and their actions. Tommy Lee Jones as the wryly amused but haunted sheriff, a surprisingly strong Josh Brolin as a rancher who's chance to get out comes at too high a price, Woody Harrelson as a cocksure bounty hunter, and Javier Bardem as a ruthless airgun-wielding hitman all deliver awards-caliber work.
Whilst we get glimpses of beauty in the desolate west, the most memorable moments of the film are set around several rundown motels where the pair milk genius moments of tension with just silhouettes and steady footsteps (there's also a great moment involving a river chase and a vicious dog). It is a bloody and grisly film at times, but this is one of those few times where the violence and gore are not just necessary but essential.
On first viewing its simply thrilling, on subsequent viewing I get the feeling this will only grow in estimation. As much as I prefer "Atonement" on a personal level, 'Country' is the true masterpiece of movie making of 2007.
3. There Will Be Blood
Whilst there's a sense of deference to the likes of "Citizen Kane" and "Giant" in its bones, "There Will Be Blood" is otherwise a grim and daringly original flick that finally pushes Paul Thomas Anderson into the true visionary filmmaker territory that so few directors these days occupy. His sheer relentlessness at showing every detail of the rise and fall of a self-made emperor of industry, in this case a misanthropic and increasingly sociopathic Californian oil tycoon in the early 20th century, displays so much gumption that many will be turned off by the dark roads this drama travails.
A shame really as those who can appreciate it will thrill to the quality of filmmaking on display and its exploration of some very American themes like the destructive and sadistic nature of pure capitalism, the false hope and corruption of organized religion, and the awkwardly tragic and almost pitiable self-isolation that comes with real power and unremitting obsession.
Its recreation of the period is practically flawless, from the brilliant production design to the mellifluous dialogue its characters spout, it brings an unflappable air of authenticity to the locations and people that inhabit the grim and unforgiving Southern California long before the days when spray-on tans and Krispy Kreme became ubiquitous parts of that landscape. Jonny Greenwood's deeply unsettling and never predictable score haunts the many dark vistas and fire-lit scenes and only strengthens some deftly compelling moments such as the dialogue-free opening segment.
At times Anderson's wanderings become too obsessive, most notably in the last hour as, much like Scorsese's "The Aviator" or last year's "The Last King of Scotland", the fascinating rise of Daniel Plainview becomes a not as compelling fall, one that gets drawn out for far too long before rallying around a superb punchy ending.
Whilst Day Lewis does channel his over the top Bill the Butcher routine from "Gangs of New York" in some of those latter scenes (his notable milkshake monologue for instance), he gives an otherwise absolutely compelling performance of an often contradictory and always fascinating creation that he has so inexorably sunken into that it's hard to separate the character from the actor. With his almost theatrical line delivery, he dominates the picture in spite of a truly compelling supporting performance from Paul Dano as a young preacher who swaps between the rabid ramblings of a true believer to the soft-spoken but apologetically cynical tones of a secular realist.
It's a performance for the ages and will no doubt give Lewis a well-deserved Oscar. The film itself is too caught up in its marginal obsession to be truly emotionally engaging, but its nevertheless one of the most fascinating character studies the cinema has seen in years and worthy of the many accolades that are being heaped upon it. If you're prepared for the rough and demanding journey it demands of you, you'll find it hard not to warm to its heart of black gold.
4. The Bourne Ultimatum
The supposedly final chapter in the most consistently solid thriller franchise of this past decade, the third 'Bourne' continues the rarified trend of each subsequent sequel notably improving on an already astute piece of espionage-laden escapism.
More streamlined than 'Supremacy', the third film is admittedly as shallow as a wading pool in terms of substance - despite his grittiness, Jason Bourne himself is such an emotionless automaton that he's even more of a two-dimensional caricature than James Bond was at the height of Roger Moore's high camp days.
Yet the filmmakers deftly swerve around the issue with the sheer intensity of the unfolding action. The various fight and chase sequences are thrilling, the plot enjoyably twisty but quite easy to follow, the cast all delivering where they need to, and there's a perpetual sense of tension even during its few quieter character moments.
Director Paul Greengrass is still overly reliant on a Parkinsons-inflicted camera operator with a penchant for nasal hair revealing close-ups, but they are notably less of a hindrance this time around. In fact the pseudo-doco style ultimately adds to the suspense of the Waterloo Station sting, the car chase finale, and the film's best sequence set around the streets and across the rooftops of the Moroccan city of Tangier.
Greengrass, scribe Tony Gilroy and all the crew involved have molded the modern spy thriller formula into a majestic form and know with meticulous precision how to impact an audience. Whilst some may lament (and rightly so) on how the series has dumped intelligent spy drama plotting in favor of relentless gritty action, or the fact that the films bear little resemblance to Ludlum's work, that doesn't stop this from easily being the strongest action film of the year.
5. Into the Wild
While Alaskans may begrudge the real Chris McCandliss for his foolishness, actor turned writer/director Sean Penn is able to turn the story of one disillusioned young man's failed attempt to get back to nature into a life re-affirming and almost spiritual road trip quite unlike any other film this year.
Decidedly manipulative at times in his portrayal of Chris as an almost romantic hero, he's nevertheless unafraid to briefly explore the man's stubbornness or more self-destructive traits including his inexperience and arrogance. By the end you don't so much like him, but you do understand his viewpoint and why he did what he did.
Penn's direction is extraordinary. There's nature photography that would make David Attenborough jealous, cast performances that truly push all the actors to the edges of their range, and a sheer confidence that allows him to get away with many poetically beautiful non-dialogue scenes of quiet reflection and, at times, a touch of experimental editing and camera trickery.
Scenes of warmth and pathos featuring a variety of wacky characters on Chris' long journey north are skillfully intermixed with his darker and more primal fight for survival against nature in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness. He even manages to make a voice over, generally one of the laziest elements of filmmaking craft, into a vital piece of the puzzle that greatly expands the scope and impact that Chris' journey is having on others.
Kudos also to the entire cast but specifically Emile Hirsch. The young actor goes to such extraordinary physical and psychological lengths here, showing off such a committed and courageous performance that his omission from this year's Best Actor Oscar nominations list is criminal. Hal Holbrook did get nominated and deserves to be for his short but superb role as an old man who takes Chris under his wing - their final scene together in the truck is truly heartbreaking. Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart and the like deliver the goods in their small supporting roles.
At 150 minutes it's a long movie and certainly feels it. This is a full on journey, complete with rough patches, some very grisly moments, passages of stark beauty and emotions that run the entire gamut. Whilst Penn addresses Chris' shortcomings, he rarely challenges his idealized portrayal of the man or gives consideration to some real world issues that could quickly deflate the modern day legend he's so carefully constructed here. Despite these obvious omissions and manipulations though, it doesn't stop the film from delivering many enriching rewards to us as an audience.
6. Zodiac
Despite being a David Fincher-directed serial killer thriller, the often subtle and procedural-driven "Zodiac" bears little resemblance to the helmer's 1995 gore and tension fueled "Se7en". At nearly three hours long and armed with a very relaxed sense of pacing, many of those hoping for another "Fight Club" will be sadly disappointed by Fincher's insistence on meticulously recreating one man's decades-long investigation, and offering us a conclusion that's both too open and paradoxically too tidy.
Instead, "Zodiac" is something less visceral but far smarter, a more mature piece of work that starts out looking like a standard 'chase the murderer' style affair, but morphs into something quite different - namely exploring the emotional and psychological toll that comes from the obsession over the case, and its impact on both the police and reporters involved.
Style wise Fincher delivers some far more subtle tricks of the trade then we're used to, focusing more on recreating the time period in exhaustive detail than showing off the visual flourishes and attention grabbing camera work that he's most famous for.
The actors all deliver solid if predictable work, and their various stock mannerisms - from Gyllenhaal's quiet mumbling to Downey's flamboyance - actually suit their characters perfectly. The killings are all done and out of the way by the end of the first act, and unfortunately it robs the film of the more conventional fear and tension that it had so effectively built up.
Whilst moments of suspense do creep their way back in, that sudden change of pacing will upset some who'll become quickly bored with the last two acts. Those who can handle the quick tonal change, and the admittedly fragmented last half hour, will find rewards on each subsequent viewing. There's a lot here but, like the investigations it chronicles, it takes a lot of patience and effort to reap the many small rewards from between the lines where they reside.
7. Michael Clayton
Though marketed as a conventional mainstream thriller, "Michael Clayton" is a pure art house 'coming of middle-age' drama which just happens to incorporate your standard car bomb and hero outsmarts the villain type cliches in it. Otherwise there's nothing so mundane at all about Tony Gilroy's superbly executed directorial debut which shows that there's still room out there for the sadly decreasing genre of solid and smart adult-themed drama.
Switching tracks from the adrenaline-fueled 'Bourne' film franchise he adapted the scripts for, 'Clayton' is a far more somber affair. An introspective and realistic look at corporate malfeasance and personal compromise - this is a purely relaxed and slowly unfolding character study that examines the choices we make and dealing with their inevitable consequences.
The characters are played not as good or bad archetypes but real people stuck in situations created by their own decisions and struggling to keep their heads above water. All of this is buoyed by three superb leading performances from Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton and George Clooney who devour such strong material with visible relish.
It's a film that many may find either too pedantic or ultimately inconsequential to embrace, and admittedly its ending does wrap things up a tad too tidily, but those who do embrace it will cherish it's many dense layers. Gilroy's cool and level-headed approach demands both attention and respect, and unlike most films these days - especially the thriller the marketing department behind the film purports it to be - this one leaves you contemplating its many meanings long afterwards.
8. Sweeney Todd
It may not be his most purely entertaining effort (that would still be "Beetlejuice"), nor his most deliciously twisted (that's "Batman Returns"), but it's fair to say that "Sweeney Todd" is certainly Tim Burton's best film in over a decade. This superbly crafted adaptation of Sondheim's most operatic musical is grim even by Burton's standards, and yet despite the frequent slashing of throats with silver hand razors, it contains many quotable and almost chirpy melodies that never let you forget this is based on a musical that once played along the Great White Way.
Sondheim's biting satire married with Burton's stylized gothic tone and moments of visual flare prove more of a perfect match than expected. Helping it along is John Logan's script, which opts trims some of the needlessly long verses of the original songs rather than cut whole numbers altogether. Yet the entire film remains very much a crooning affair with only about 5% of the lines being spoken plainly rather than as a melody.
Burton uses fluid and enveloping cinematic staging to make numbers like "A Little Priest," "By the Sea" and the three-way sung "City on Fire/Johanna (reprise)" work in a way that only movie musicals can. Recreation of the period setting is exquisite - the almost monochromatic cinematography and make-up, combined with flashes of theatrical red, makes it an ever so atmospheric Victorian fantasy of dim and dank cobblestone streets, misty overcast stone palaces and cramped dusty attics.
The cast probably wouldn't last more than few rounds on "American Idol," but they acquit themselves fine thanks to the mostly spoken word nature of the tunes. All the cast deliver where needed from Alan Rickman's deliciously evil Judge Turpin to Johnny Depp's surprisingly committed turn as Todd himself - a kind of Captain Ahab with the bouffant of Frankenstein's bride. Carter comes out the best with the toughest and most compelling role of the whole film.
Its few faults lie more so in the original work than Burton's adaptation. There's no real show-stopping numbers, and often the music between songs is notably stronger and more memorable than those used for the actual singing. Some tunes, though well sung, seem out of place ('Pretty Women') and certainly the second half is decidedly stronger both musically and dramatically than the protracted first half.
In any case, this is one of the musicals of late that works. It's maybe not up there with "Chicago" or "Dreamgirls", but it's damn close - certainly a far cry from the visually exciting but hollow "Moulin Rouge", the woefully overwrought "Phantom of the Opera", or the godawful "The Producers".
9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Hauntingly beautiful, 'Jesse' is one of the most meticulously detailed and original biopics ever made. Coming off of acclaimed Aussie indie flick "Chopper", Andrew Dominik displays incredible filmmaking acumen with this drama that both harkens back to the classics of the genre in the 70's, and simultaneously reinvents the often cliche and gritty western as a languid artistic masterpiece with the length and depth of a classic leather-bound novel of old.
The literature metaphor is apt as at 160 minutes, 'James' certainly takes its time wandering its many wind-swept wheatfields and pin drop quiet white rooms. The plot often takes detours following the other members of the gang whilst James himself disappears for long stretches at a time. Even when off screen though, the legend and talk remains consistently about the man and/or Robert Ford's hero worship of him. Ultimately, all of these little segues are relevant to the narrative.
From his smelling of used bed sheets to watching James soak in a tub, some have dismissed Ford's obsession as subconscious gay longing for James' affection, but there's a lot more too it than that. Pitt's superb and deceptively multi-faceted performance brilliantly plays up the celebrity charm routine element of his character's legend and how he uses it to manipulate others, along with the increasingly haunted paranoia of a man who seems well aware his time has come.
In fact the film never tries to build suspense - driving towards the titular event with an unwavering sense of inevitability so that by the time the shot is fired, everyone involved has long been resigned to their fates including James himself. Affleck as the insecure and often-humiliated Ford delivers a rich and powerful portrayal, showing off new facets of very familiar type of character. D.O.P. Roger Deakins delivers some truly extraordinary photography with some rather stark locales. His use of lighting (most notably in the train robbing sequence) and warm earth colors give the normally drab mid-West a rich and natural palette.
It's a film that ultimately requires a lot of patience with its drawn out scenes and dialogue. In fact if you were to fast-forward it at twice speed, you could probably still enjoy all the film's rewards without having to endure the glacial pacing. Then however you'd miss its rich atmosphere - the artistic landscapes, the tense love and fear the characters have of Jesse, the preciseness of the documentary-like voiceover, and the fascinating exploration of the James legend post-kill. A long journey, but one of the most rewarding in a long time.
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
For a film that deals with one of the toughest subject matters available - that of physical paralysis - Julian Schnabel's "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" manages to deliver a surprisingly life affirming and inventive testament to the strength of human will. This subject matter is often a very depressing and dry topic, yet he manages to keep it engaging by having a flawed lead who confronts his self pity and, most of the time, pushes it aside to keep fighting.
At 42, Elle magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffered a stroke and began the nightmare of 'locked in syndrome' - his mind is completely functional, but his body totally paralyzed except his left eye which is able to blink. The first act brilliantly portrays this from a first person perspective, his voiceover providing a monologue of despair, fear and annoyance. It's disturbing, none more so when we literally see one of his eyes being sewn shut from the inside, but very effective in conveying the helplessness and frustration of his condition.
The rest of the film incorporates more familiar third person shots, but Schnabel adds all sorts of intriguing new elements from flashbacks of his past life to imaginative fantasy wanderings. He never paints Bauby as a saint or heroic, the man was a callous womanizer and post-stroke is still rude and self-absorbed. Mathieu Amalric's superb portrayal helps us empathize and feel for him even though we don't exactly like him - which is how it should be.
It's a demanding film. Aside from the harrowing nature of feeling that we're also trapped in this locked off world, the use of an alphabet to spell out words is repeated over and over to the point of severe annoyance. Yet you understand why it was done and realize it very likely wouldn't work as well told any other way. Certainly it's very effective when scenes like his heartbreaking conversation with his enfeebled father (Max Von Sydow in a stellar performance) strike like an emotional sledgehammer.
Production values are excellent all round and the assorted actresses in their various roles do commendable work. Ultimately and despite its tough subject matter, it's a great film - one that conveys a horrible condition like never before, but rather than wallowing in it, it makes those of us without it consider our own lives and experiences in a new light. Powerful and moving.
11. Juno
This year's "Little Miss Sunshine" equivalent, "Juno" manages to rise above the often over-rated 'affectionately quirky indie comedy' genre and turn the story of a cynical knocked up teenage slut into an endearing and sweet tale with some real emotional heft. Armed with a short eighty-something minute runtime and a generally positive and uplifting attitude to its smart comedy stylings, it's no wonder that major audiences have flocked to see this over the despair-driven limited appeal darlings that made up most of the awards race this year.
Diablo Cody's near flawless script is bristling with that immediately quotable and smart, pop culture-driven dialogue that teenagers only spout in ironic post-modern comedies. One could immediately discredit that element of robbing the story of any realism, but Reitman's sure direction and a brilliant supporting cast allow for rock solid delivery of the lines to make it all work.
The dialogue is rarely laugh out loud, but is endlessly clever, witty and sassy - so much so that it will probably take a few viewings to really get at all the layers of some of the throwaway references. Ellen Page delivers a truly star-making turn as the titular incubator, getting all the best lines and a few moments to stretch her emotional range amidst all the well-informed wisecracks.
Other cast members like JK Simmons and Allison Janey as the understanding parents get their own zingers, whilst funnymen Jason Bateman and Michael Cera are more subdued and genuine than we're used to seeing them. Aside from Page though, if someone else gets a lot of deserved acclaim out of this it has to be Jennifer Garner as the prospective adoptive mother of Juno's offspring. Known mostly for her ass-kicking action heroine roles, "Juno" shows off a completely different side to the actress who turns what could've been an easily caricatured role into something with real depth and poignancy.
It's a superbly polished little comedy, that's it. "Juno" never really aims higher than its indie film roots, and despite its everyday appeal the humor stays so consistently high brow that one would've liked to have seen a few genuine belly laughs to give it an even broader appeal. Yet in some ways that would spoil the unique flavor it has going. Not the funniest, but easily the most well-crafted comedy of the year.
12. Gone Baby Gone
A truly stellar directorial debut by Ben Affleck, this adaptation of the Dennis Lehane drama displays many similarities to Clint Eastwood's more polished but less engaging take on Lehane's "Mystic River". Affleck's version is rawer and far more authentic in its portrait of Boston's working-class neighborhoods. Yet, like Eastwood, he seems to have an innate understanding of the way a mystery novel should be translated for the screen in order to keep its essence intact.
Despite the child kidnap plot line, and a couple of very effective twists, this is far more of a contemplative thriller than an action-driven one. It asks us as an audience some quite tough moral questions and isn't afraid to show that the right choice can often yield far worse consequences. 'Baby' engages one's brain as well as one's emotions, and whilst it takes a while to unfold - once it gets underway it gets more daring and fascinating with each minute.
Ben's brother Casey plays the lead and is solid enough, as is a surprisingly dressed down Michelle Monaghan. Supporting roles however from Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman are more compelling, whilst Amy Ryan gets the showiest role as the drug addict mother with a foul mouth and hard as nails bravado to hide a vulnerability that pops through on occasion.
The narrative is deceptively simple, its relaxed sense of pacing leads into events which are seen from completely different perspectives later on. There's some predictable moments to be sure, but also some out of left-field surprises that perfectly fit and never offer easy solutions. In many ways the questions of who did it and why become perfunctory, this is much more an exploration of the fallout from not just the kidnap but its eventual solution.
It's hard to find adult fare these days offering this much in the way of talking points and debate. It poses some real dilemmas both moral and ethical to which there are no clear solutions and good arguments for on both sides. Whilst his acting resume hasn't proven mixed, 'Gone' demonstrates that behind the camera Affleck has the chops to become one of the greats.
13. Sicko
After getting a little too political with "Fahrenheit 9/11", Michael Moore returns to a more vital and entertaining arena with "Sicko" - his examination of the crumbling American health care system. Moore's most humanistic film yet, the man still has an agenda to be sure, and his display of the facts remain somewhat tailored towards proving his arguments rather than being an objective analysis of the situation.
Yet rather than acting like a crusader for justice on a heavily divisive issue (eg. gun control, Iraq war), the Moore in "Sicko" is a curiosity-driven skeptic who keeps both the politics and judgments restrained (at least for him) in favor of personal stories of both an uplifting and horrifying nature.
The film does a good job of lambasting the pro-capitalist attitude that has lead to the current ineffectual system - and in doing so will hopefully knock down a few ignorant prejudices about socialized medicine. Yet throughout it never fails to both entertain and engage thanks to a variety of fascinating interview subjects.
As a filmmaker Moore continues to hone his particular genre down to a fine art. For what is an admittedly depressing subject, he manages to turn dry statistics into often humorous or surprising anecdotes via the use of droll comparisons and archival footage. The ultimate goal seems to be pointing out flaws in a system that pretty much everyone, no matter what way they politically lean, is well aware that it is in need of fixing.
It sadly lacks the real biting edge that made 'Columbine' into such a great piece of work, but feels a more complete and thoughtful piece than 'Fahrenheit'. Having dumped his partisan flavor and focused on the common issues to all of us, "Sicko" is Moore's most accessible and ultimately touching film yet.
14. Eastern Promises
Whilst more straight-forward and less involving than his brilliant 2005 effort "A History of Violence", 'Promises' yet again shows how good the wonderfully eccentric David Cronenberg can get when he drops his sci-fi tinged flights of fancy and channels that imagination into more grounded and gritty dramatic storytelling.
It's film that takes its time with its characters, leaves many things open to interpretation, and yet hits home at key moments with brutal violence and clever twists. Despite being mostly set around Naomi Watts' family apartment and a restaurant, the story explores a wide and ambitious scope encompassing the trafficking and murder committed by Russian organized crime families in London.
Viggo Mortensen delivers a masterfully restrained performance as Nikolai, the ex-con driver for a powerful crime family dripping in Shakespearean overtones - including a father figure who obviously prefers him over his own unstable son (Vincent Cassell). Watts delivers a strong supporting performance whose investigations into the baby of a dead sex slave serves as the story's catalyst.
Steve Knight's superb screenplay is filled with well-timed scant moments of dark humor, engaging mobster family dynamics, and brutal action including the unforgettable sauna fight sequence where a totally nude Viggo engages in a bloody savage ballet without any restraint.
The film shoots its London locale in beautiful and compelling visuals, but the pacing admittedly is relaxed enough that many may find it too slow or ultimately inconsequential to get into. A shame considering how smart and developed a mob drama this is, and Viggo gives one of the year's most committed performances.
15. I'm Not There
Todd Haynes' avante garde take on the life of Bob Dylan is certainly the year's most original effort of filmmaking. Utilizing one of the strangest structures ever conceived for a biopic, 'There' portrays different times in Bob Dylan's life as completely different characters - each with their own distinct personalities and subplots.
It's a very risky thing to do, and Haynes does slip up on occasion, but for the most part it proves an entirely cohesive whole that more honors Dylan as an artist and what he stood for rather than examines or reveal insight into one of the 20th century's most famed musical auteurs.
Where the fumbles occur is unfortunately a basic tenant of all filmmaking like this - with six different stories unfolding in a just over two hour feature, some get the short shrift whilst others are notably weaker than the stand-outs.
By far the strongest is Cate Blanchett's brilliant spin on the semi-stoned sunglass wearing character that recent generations most identify Dylan with. It's bold for an actress to play a such an iconic male figure and she never falters for a second with her sometimes comic, slightly exaggerated but always fascinating performance which also thankfully seems to have the biggest chunk of runtime.
Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger also deliver interesting and more somber riffs on Dylan's earlier career and his failed first marriage. Not so lucky are Marcus Carl Franklin, Ben Whishaw and especially Richard Gere who're stuck with subplots that are simply too esoteric even for such a film as this - and often drag the pace to a complete stop.
The movie takes many strange turns and indulges in some very self-indulgent moments that only the most hardcore Dylan purists will understand let alone enjoy. It's a very difficult film to penetrate and so many will right off its disjointed approach as merely amateur, but in many ways it seems Haynes' point is to confuse - to bring back mystery to such an enigmatic man.
One only for those who can handle such off-the-wall arthouse fare, but those who do may find endless rewards the rest of us can only glimpse.
16. American Gangster
Ridley Scott's fastidiously constructed but somewhat inert look at the life of Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas takes a different approach to some very familiar material. Technically proficient and exceedingly well made, just as you'd expect from a helmer like Scott, both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe deliver solid performances that are as good as anything they've ever done.
Yet there's a notable sense of detachment - a cold and objective British sensibility that avoids both judgment and allowance of us as an audience to place real emotional investment in these characters. For all their crassness and harder edges, the likes of Brian DePalma's "Scarface" or even Ted Demme's "Blow" had a fire and passion to them to offset their over-glorification of success through unremitting violence.
'Gangster' is more of a clinical intellectual study of that type of character - a drug lord who can control his empire through smarts and fear without having to raise his voice and only occasionally resorting to firing a weapon. Making it fresher is that equal time is focused on the other side - Crowe and his efforts to bring down said empire through believable long-term surveillance and sting operations.
Scott's crew smartly recreate 70's Manhattan and stacks the supporting cast with strong talent, it's just a shame that it plays more like a dry documentary than a dramatic feature - so we just don't really feel involved in the proceedings no matter how well they're executed. On the flip side though, that approach allows for one of the most accurate depictions you'll see of the rise of a drug lord's empire and the cops who bring him down.
17. Once
In a time when big budget and very theatrical studio musicals are in vogue again, this cute little indie feature manages to quietly reinvent the entire genre with its endearing and enjoyable little story about romance between an Irish street musician and a young Czech woman.
Writer/director John Carney strips the genre of its artifice to deliver a thoroughly modern musical - one grounded in reality. There's no big dance/set numbers, the dozen songs are sung and played either solo or as a duet and in every case (short of maybe one late night street wandering scene) fit completely naturally into both the story and the real world setting.
Yet when they hit home, like the film's strongest number 'Falling Slowly' which is sung in a music shop early on, it truly resonates with you emotionally. A lot of that is helped by hiring real life musicians and friends Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who handle all the numbers superbly and share an easy going chemistry that makes even some of the sub-standard songs work better than they should.
It's a decidedly clunky film at times. When not singing the duo show they're not trained thespians, which yields some clunky conversations and awkward silences along with a forced and somewhat unconvincing element to their romance - she comes off as icy, he just seems decidedly uncomfortable and both seem overly self-aware about being filmed. You want to see these two wind up together, but it often seems like neither of them would be happy with that arrangement despite their words to the contrary.
Carney's style of shooting also leaves much to be desired with its poor framing and jittery style - not helped by the fact that the last half-hour is far more technically proficient than the first hour and shows he's more than capable of doing better. Yet in spite of its flaws, there's genuine warmth and emotional reaffirmation here which makes it a crowd pleaser that very much deserves to be seen.
18. Superbad
Whilst the endearingly sweet but sparsely humored and decidedly over-rated "Knocked Up" scored all the love from critics this year, it was the other comedy from the Apatow production camp that proved a lot more fun. Admittedly like 'Knocked' it also has been over hyped as its certainly not a 'reinvention of the genre' let alone an awards caliber kind of movie.
What you do have though is the most consistent laugher of the year, an "American Pie" without the cloying sentiment and a more twisted and smarter sensibility. The gags fly thick and fast right from the start and go some raunchy places at times, but the subversively clever script relies more on whip smart dialogue and strong characterization than raunchy sight gags or crudeness just for the sake of it.
Director Greg Mottola makes his feature film debut on the project and does a superb job, getting excellent performances across the board from his entire cast including our hopeless trio of teens (Michael Cera in particular is excellent) to Bill Hader & Seth Rogan's inept cops who deserve their own film spin-off. Production values are also solid across the board and help turn what could've been something silly such as Seth's cock-drawing obsession into one of the funniest gags of the year.
Like all films Apatow has his hands in, it runs a good deal too long, has little in the way of actual plotting, and injects too much awkward sentimentality into its last act which stifles the humor to some extent. Short of a few scene trims though, there's little that could be improved on here. One of the few teen sex comedy that's actually worth recommending.
19. Black Book
The best guilty pleasure of the year, "Black Book" (aka. "Zwartboek") looks like a real arty film at first glance - an English subtitled, Dutch-made feature about a Jewish singer in 1944 recruited to seduce a high-ranking SS officer and in the process falls for the man just as WW2 comes to a close.
What makes the film different is that it's written and directed by Paul Verhoeven, the Dutch filmmaker behind such big budget US features as "Basic Instinct," "Total Recall," "Robocop" and even "Showgirls". Thankfully this is a far cry from "Showgirls", 'Book' reminds us of Verhoeven's sheer strength as a filmmaker and combines it with material far weightier and more compelling than any of his previous work (even if those films have more replay value than this).
The production quality feels like a major Hollywood epic with lots of suspenseful escape and wartime action scenes to satisfy the blockbuster crowd. Yet the film never falls into conventional plotting, throwing in frequent surprise twists and remaining refreshingly frank and unapologetic about its portrayal of characters on both sides and what they do to survive.
Rather than the boastful buffoons seen in the likes of the "Indiana Jones" films, the Nazis in general are portrayed as a well organized and coldly efficient army who're often a step ahead of our heroes, whilst Sebastian Koch as the subject the singer must seduce is a well fleshed out and at times sympathetic character. Some members of the allies as well, though noble, are daringly portrayed as either blindly stupid or wilfully traitorous.
Verhoeven gives us his trademark assertive heroine in the form of Carice von Houten who delivers a career-making performance up there with Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct" or Sigourney Weaver in "Alien". Kudos also to both of them for making her a smart and tough nut unafraid to use her sexuality as a means to an end, but at her core remaining a woman who is still emotionally impacted by what she does, though never letting it get in the way of what needs to be done.
Some have decried the film's use of van Houten's nudity as sexist when this is one of the few times its not only essential to the plot but is actually empowering - many American films could take lessons from this as to how to portray a fiercely intelligent and determined female character. It does get dragged out for too long, and the framing device of telling most of the film as a flashback from the 1956 Suez Canal crisis robs it of some inherent suspense. Yet this is one of the more entertaining films I saw this year, certainly not as well made as Ang Lee's similar but far more poetic "Lust, Caution" - but certainly more engaging.
20. 3:10 to Yuma
James Mangold's remake of the 1957 original turns the often dryly conventional and tediously repetitive American western genre into something more exciting and palatable for mass audiences, yet remains smart enough and buoyed by great performances that more discerning viewers will enjoy as well.
Moreover it gives Russell Crowe a juicy villainous rogue role that allows him to show off that sly charisma that made us fall in love with him in the 90's. Gritty and intense, Mangold's take on the material exceeds the original (and the genre) because it uses its setting as merely backdrop for a well-paced and often unpredictable road trip meets chase thriller.
The wild west of 'Yuma' isn't filled with dumb buck toothed hicks but rather hard working ranchers and smart opportunists. The focus isn't a depressing take on the harshness of life of the mid-West but rather gets right into the action with stagecoach fights, exploding mine shafts and ruthless bad guys all intent on stopping our hero transporting the villain cross-country.
Christian Bale delivers solid work in the thankless lead role, but is outshone by flashier support from Crowe, Peter Fonda as an enjoyably cynical veteran cowboy, and an almost revelatory turn by Ben Foster as Crowe's truly sinister psychopathic aide. The pace rarely falters and the ending certainly surprises, easily making this one of the best mainstream films of the year.
Other Recommendations
28 Weeks Later, Away from Her, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Blades of Glory, Breach, Charlie Wilson's War, Control, Enchanted, Grindhouse, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Host, Hot Fuzz, The King of Kong, La Vie En Rose, Live Free or Die Hard, The Lookout, Lust Caution, A Mighty Heart, The Mist, The Orphanage, Persepolis, Ratatouille, Rescue Dawn, Rocket Science, The Savages, Severance, The Simpsons Movie, Starter for Ten, Transformers
Click Here For Lists Of My Favourite Films Of Every Year Since 1993
