By William Moon
This is a list of films released theatrically in the United States which I have given an A to, thus far. I know 2008 is far over, but not everything is out on DVD yet from 2008, and I will not be making out my top 10 of the year until probably during the summer, like I always do. This is a list of the films that have a chance in making the list. I will add films if I hand out more ****'s.
(in alphabetical order)
4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days: A Romanian film about two women who set out to have an illegal abortion performed in a hotel room. With its stark angles and long-shot takes, 4 Months manages to be both a gritty, near neorealistic journey into 1987 Romania, as well as a heartrendering story of two women and their fight against societal and governmental differences. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days is like Irreversible, in that it is both compelling, realistic, raw and rare. The kind of film that sucks you in and seeps its way into your skin for days, weeks, months, perhaps years...
The Band's Visit: A quirky-comedic Israeli film that is mostly spoken in English, about an Egyptian band, scheduled to perform at a famous orchestra, only to find no one has come to pick them up or direct them where they are supposed to be going. The Band's Visit is spoken in three different languages, but mostly English, so I wouldn't consider it a Foreign Language Film. The film is both moving and lighthearted, captivating depth and hilarity. It captures the essense of quirky life much better than American quirksters such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine. It's a film that is definitely worth a visit.
The Dark Knight: Christohper Nolan's masterpiece and sequel to Batman Begins. Legendary Bruce Wayne (aka Batman. aka Christian Bale) duels head to head with the Joker (played by the late Heath Ledger). The film is a masterfully suspensful, adding all the right elements of a comic book movie and even then some. I'd go to say this is probably the best comic book to screen adaptation I have ever seen, and many other critics agree. The production values are top-notch and Ledger gives the performance of his career. The Dark Knight is an action-packed, intelligent thriller that is not to be missed or passed off for the mere fact of limitating it to its genre.
Doubt: From John Patrick Shanley's play, comes the story of a nun who makes accusations of a priest molesting a child. The plot might sound cliche, but the story is woven together so intricately, the dialogue so refreshening and crisp, and the performances are all among the years best. Every moment is not worth forgetting, in this brilliant film. With its pins and needles tone, and ability to show the innocence, fear, regret and dishonesty in everyone Doubt will leave an everlasting impression upon you.
Frost/Nixon: British talk-show host David Frost and former President Richard Nixon go head-to-head in this excellently directed and acted retelling of the controversy surrounding Watergate. The film is mostly comprised of interviews from Frost and Nixon, but also, like Milk and The Queen, intertwines live-action historical footage from the real events. Frost/Nixon is the best Ron Howard movie in years, and anyone that is obsessive with film or politics should see this.
Funny Games: A remake of the 1997 German film with the same title, by the same director, Michael Haneke, Funny Games breaks all the conventional grounds of a typical horror film, satirizing American cinema and what audiences hope to see. Most American horror fans go for blood, gore and pure torture, but what if the ones being torutured are a middle-class family with a ten year-old child that you'd normally be rooting for? Too bad. In Funny Games, all the rules are broken and the villians are the heroes, out to kill the family and the cliches cinema-goers have bought into.
Let the Right One in: A Sweedish film about a twelve year-old boy who befriends a vampire of the same age. This is nothing like Twilight, Interview with the Vampire or The Lost Boys and more of the surrealistic tone of classics such as Nosferatu and the original Dracula in a modern setting. The film is epically shot and devastingly gorgeous to behold, and breaks the general rules of a vampire film with still keeping the classic elements.
Man on Wire: The documentary about Philippe Petit who walked across the twin towers, Man on Wire is a touching film about the loss of a society from an artistic and societal standpoint, as well as a token of hope for those that dare defy the laws out of something they love. Driven by passion and shot with cinematic elegance, Man on Wire is one of the best documenatries of the decade.
Milk: Gus Vant Sant directed two excellent films of 2008 and this is one of them. Milk is the story of Harvey Milk, the nations first elected political gay activist. Sean Penn gives one of his best performances here as Harvey, and the film itself is incredibly moving and poignant. In a time, 30 years after the events have taken place, gay men and women are still fighting for equal rights. With live footage of actual crowds and interviews, Milk has a very docudrama feel, but never strays away from a definitive plot that spirals to a climactic beauty that is so rarely acheived on film. It's a film about letting your voice be heard, and sometimes silencing yourself to make even more of a statement.
Paranoid Park: I wasn't kidding when I said Gus Van Sant directed two excellent films of 2008. This is other. Paranoid Park is a film about teen skaters who get caught up in an accidental murder, and instead of reporting the crime, flee the scene in fear of being caught and taken to prison. Paranoid Park captures teenagers much better than last years Juno, in a manner that Bully and Kids do. The teenagers actually act and speak like average teenagers, and not like characters from a polished script written by adults. The cinematography and film editing are among the years best, and the music does nothing but enhance the world of its characters. The whole thing, like Milk, plays as sort of an operatic tragedy, both gorgeous and gritty.
Revolutionary Road: Sam Mendes's film about a surburban 50's couple that feel the need to escape a life of mundanity and normality that seems so settled and complacent. It's a film for anyone living in a small town that dreams of leaving to a bigger and better place, when everyone arounds you thinks you're insane for wanting to do so. The film is beautifully shot and intensely melodramatic. I mean that in a good way. Revoluationary Road features standout performances from Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, in this trutfully told tale.
Synecdoche, New York: Charlie Kaufman's directoral debut, about a theatre director (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who falls too far into his own work and mind by taking Grotowski's method to the extreme of completely throwing his own life into his work into his life into his worklife. What seems like a tedious array of randomized events in the first half, more than pays off in the second in this extremely brilliantly written, multi-layered, groundbreaking work of art. It falls in the lines of films such as Mulholland Drive and 2001: A Space Odyssey that feel more like a piece of art, rather than actual film. It's something that should be seen many times to fully comprehend and something that will no doubt be studied in film schools for years to come.
Wall-E: Another masterpiece from Pixar. Wall-E is an animated film about the journey of a sole robot named Wall-E. It's basically liberal propoganda for the green-minded folk. Think An Inconvient Truth for kids. Of course, I loved it. Wall-E is both satirically hilarious and touching and features the most convincing romantic relationship of the year, through no dialogue what-so-ever. For anyone that has a heart and an open-mind, Wall-E is a great film for you, no matter what your age.
The Wrestler: Many are calling this film the Mickey Rourke comeback, and although his performance is extraordinarly powerful, the film, as a whole, is quite amazing, in itself. Darren Aronofsky proves once again that he is one of the best directors around. He's directed everything from scifi to a drug film to a film about a man losing his mind in his own brilliance. The Wrestler tackles the story of a more simplistic one, about a man who wants to keep doing what he loves doing, even if it costs him his life. The Wrestler possibly acheives what few sport films do in that it actually touches on a deep and personally emotional level, while still pulling out the punches and blood.
XXY: A Spanish film about a 15 year-old hermadophite coming of age and to terms with her/his sexuality and emotional turmoil. It's a subject matter that is hardly ever discussed and needs to be addressed more often. 1 of every 10,000 babies are born hermaphrodites and most parents choose to make the children females, to try and lead a normal life. The only problem is hermaphrodites not only have both male and female parts but also different internal cells. Many people live their whole life with male parts and female on the inside or vice versa and never know it and this film is both haunting and mesmorizingly refreshing in tackling a subject matter we rarely see, and features a standout performance from Ines Efron.
This is a list of films released theatrically in the United States which I have given an A to, thus far. I know 2008 is far over, but not everything is out on DVD yet from 2008, and I will not be making out my top 10 of the year until probably during the summer, like I always do. This is a list of the films that have a chance in making the list. I will add films if I hand out more ****'s.
(in alphabetical order)
4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days: A Romanian film about two women who set out to have an illegal abortion performed in a hotel room. With its stark angles and long-shot takes, 4 Months manages to be both a gritty, near neorealistic journey into 1987 Romania, as well as a heartrendering story of two women and their fight against societal and governmental differences. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days is like Irreversible, in that it is both compelling, realistic, raw and rare. The kind of film that sucks you in and seeps its way into your skin for days, weeks, months, perhaps years...
The Band's Visit: A quirky-comedic Israeli film that is mostly spoken in English, about an Egyptian band, scheduled to perform at a famous orchestra, only to find no one has come to pick them up or direct them where they are supposed to be going. The Band's Visit is spoken in three different languages, but mostly English, so I wouldn't consider it a Foreign Language Film. The film is both moving and lighthearted, captivating depth and hilarity. It captures the essense of quirky life much better than American quirksters such as Juno and Little Miss Sunshine. It's a film that is definitely worth a visit.
The Dark Knight: Christohper Nolan's masterpiece and sequel to Batman Begins. Legendary Bruce Wayne (aka Batman. aka Christian Bale) duels head to head with the Joker (played by the late Heath Ledger). The film is a masterfully suspensful, adding all the right elements of a comic book movie and even then some. I'd go to say this is probably the best comic book to screen adaptation I have ever seen, and many other critics agree. The production values are top-notch and Ledger gives the performance of his career. The Dark Knight is an action-packed, intelligent thriller that is not to be missed or passed off for the mere fact of limitating it to its genre.
Doubt: From John Patrick Shanley's play, comes the story of a nun who makes accusations of a priest molesting a child. The plot might sound cliche, but the story is woven together so intricately, the dialogue so refreshening and crisp, and the performances are all among the years best. Every moment is not worth forgetting, in this brilliant film. With its pins and needles tone, and ability to show the innocence, fear, regret and dishonesty in everyone Doubt will leave an everlasting impression upon you.
Frost/Nixon: British talk-show host David Frost and former President Richard Nixon go head-to-head in this excellently directed and acted retelling of the controversy surrounding Watergate. The film is mostly comprised of interviews from Frost and Nixon, but also, like Milk and The Queen, intertwines live-action historical footage from the real events. Frost/Nixon is the best Ron Howard movie in years, and anyone that is obsessive with film or politics should see this.
Funny Games: A remake of the 1997 German film with the same title, by the same director, Michael Haneke, Funny Games breaks all the conventional grounds of a typical horror film, satirizing American cinema and what audiences hope to see. Most American horror fans go for blood, gore and pure torture, but what if the ones being torutured are a middle-class family with a ten year-old child that you'd normally be rooting for? Too bad. In Funny Games, all the rules are broken and the villians are the heroes, out to kill the family and the cliches cinema-goers have bought into.
Let the Right One in: A Sweedish film about a twelve year-old boy who befriends a vampire of the same age. This is nothing like Twilight, Interview with the Vampire or The Lost Boys and more of the surrealistic tone of classics such as Nosferatu and the original Dracula in a modern setting. The film is epically shot and devastingly gorgeous to behold, and breaks the general rules of a vampire film with still keeping the classic elements.
Man on Wire: The documentary about Philippe Petit who walked across the twin towers, Man on Wire is a touching film about the loss of a society from an artistic and societal standpoint, as well as a token of hope for those that dare defy the laws out of something they love. Driven by passion and shot with cinematic elegance, Man on Wire is one of the best documenatries of the decade.
Milk: Gus Vant Sant directed two excellent films of 2008 and this is one of them. Milk is the story of Harvey Milk, the nations first elected political gay activist. Sean Penn gives one of his best performances here as Harvey, and the film itself is incredibly moving and poignant. In a time, 30 years after the events have taken place, gay men and women are still fighting for equal rights. With live footage of actual crowds and interviews, Milk has a very docudrama feel, but never strays away from a definitive plot that spirals to a climactic beauty that is so rarely acheived on film. It's a film about letting your voice be heard, and sometimes silencing yourself to make even more of a statement.
Paranoid Park: I wasn't kidding when I said Gus Van Sant directed two excellent films of 2008. This is other. Paranoid Park is a film about teen skaters who get caught up in an accidental murder, and instead of reporting the crime, flee the scene in fear of being caught and taken to prison. Paranoid Park captures teenagers much better than last years Juno, in a manner that Bully and Kids do. The teenagers actually act and speak like average teenagers, and not like characters from a polished script written by adults. The cinematography and film editing are among the years best, and the music does nothing but enhance the world of its characters. The whole thing, like Milk, plays as sort of an operatic tragedy, both gorgeous and gritty.
Revolutionary Road: Sam Mendes's film about a surburban 50's couple that feel the need to escape a life of mundanity and normality that seems so settled and complacent. It's a film for anyone living in a small town that dreams of leaving to a bigger and better place, when everyone arounds you thinks you're insane for wanting to do so. The film is beautifully shot and intensely melodramatic. I mean that in a good way. Revoluationary Road features standout performances from Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, in this trutfully told tale.
Synecdoche, New York: Charlie Kaufman's directoral debut, about a theatre director (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who falls too far into his own work and mind by taking Grotowski's method to the extreme of completely throwing his own life into his work into his life into his worklife. What seems like a tedious array of randomized events in the first half, more than pays off in the second in this extremely brilliantly written, multi-layered, groundbreaking work of art. It falls in the lines of films such as Mulholland Drive and 2001: A Space Odyssey that feel more like a piece of art, rather than actual film. It's something that should be seen many times to fully comprehend and something that will no doubt be studied in film schools for years to come.
Wall-E: Another masterpiece from Pixar. Wall-E is an animated film about the journey of a sole robot named Wall-E. It's basically liberal propoganda for the green-minded folk. Think An Inconvient Truth for kids. Of course, I loved it. Wall-E is both satirically hilarious and touching and features the most convincing romantic relationship of the year, through no dialogue what-so-ever. For anyone that has a heart and an open-mind, Wall-E is a great film for you, no matter what your age.
The Wrestler: Many are calling this film the Mickey Rourke comeback, and although his performance is extraordinarly powerful, the film, as a whole, is quite amazing, in itself. Darren Aronofsky proves once again that he is one of the best directors around. He's directed everything from scifi to a drug film to a film about a man losing his mind in his own brilliance. The Wrestler tackles the story of a more simplistic one, about a man who wants to keep doing what he loves doing, even if it costs him his life. The Wrestler possibly acheives what few sport films do in that it actually touches on a deep and personally emotional level, while still pulling out the punches and blood.
XXY: A Spanish film about a 15 year-old hermadophite coming of age and to terms with her/his sexuality and emotional turmoil. It's a subject matter that is hardly ever discussed and needs to be addressed more often. 1 of every 10,000 babies are born hermaphrodites and most parents choose to make the children females, to try and lead a normal life. The only problem is hermaphrodites not only have both male and female parts but also different internal cells. Many people live their whole life with male parts and female on the inside or vice versa and never know it and this film is both haunting and mesmorizingly refreshing in tackling a subject matter we rarely see, and features a standout performance from Ines Efron.
No comments:
Post a Comment