As usual, I've been procrastinating in putting this list together, mostly because this wasn't a very strong year for films. In my opinion, there just wasn't anything of high calibre like No Country For Old Men or There Will Be Blood or even Brokeback Mountain. I'm going to sort of cheat and include a movie in my Top Ten that I had as a runner-up in the last year's list. That should tell you something. I say 'sort-of' cheat because even though I viewed The Hurt Locker in 2008, it wasn't released theatrically until 2009. Usually, I wouldn't double dip but it's been slim pickings. Internationally, it's a different story . Although I was disappointed by Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces, there were several strong contenders from Germany, France, Argentina and England. More on that later.
The films that make it onto the list have to be engaging. That is my only criteria. Basically, if I'm thinking what I want for breakfast, it's not a good sign. Here we go.
1. (500) Days of Summer. This was a charming, flawless movie from start to finish. Not your typical love story. It's about a couple who breakup and and how they got to that point. It's both sad and funny and features Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the two leads. I have to say that besides James Franco, Gordon-Levitt is my favourite actor right now. I even sat through G.I. Joe. The man continues to make interesting film choices. In any case, it may appear a strange choice for #1 but I absolutely loved this film.
2. Fish Tank. Shot in cinema-vérité style, this is a fascinating look at a teenage girl living in the Essex projects who is determined to be a dancer despite various obstancles her way. Gritty, raw and powerful -- this ain't a Hollywood picture. If it were, it would be more along the lines of Precious.
3. A Prophet. I really enjoyed this French prison gangster story. Gripping story until the end. If Hollywood remakes this one, I hope they get Scorsese to give it a The Departed treatment.
4. The White Ribbon. Beautifully shot in black & white, it takes place in a German village just before the start of WW I. Sinister things starts to happen and the village residents begin to turn on each other. Children have rarely been this creepy. As with most Michael Haneke films, don't expect a neatly wrapped ending.
5. The Hurt Locker. A movie about Iraq that finally gets it, although I suppose it could be about any of the recent wars. Smart and suspenseful, it avoids most war movie cliches. Best thing about it was that I didn't find it preachy.
6. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans. If you are not familiar with Werner Herzog, I suggest you rent his earlier work like Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre, Wrath of God or even Woyzeck, Bad Lieutenant is pure madness and a crazy ride. Nicolas Cage is perfect as the drug abusing cop determined to go about his job at any cost. Give this a look and it would not be a Herzog film if it didn't have dancing iguanas.
7. Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino's best film since Pulp Fiction. A very entertaining alternate history of WW II with several intertwining stories. Christopher Waltz as the Nazi villian Col. Hans Landa deserves a best supporting Oscar. My only complaint is that at times Tarantino's verbose buildups were a tad long, but that is his trademark.
8. Avatar. A very entertaining journey and a feast for the eyes. I recommend everyone see it in 3D at the theatre. I'm not sure how well this experience will hold up in 2D at home. When you take away the special effects, this is still a cliched story with occasionally cheesy dialogue. Despite this, I admire James Cameron for proving all the haterz and critics wrong and making it a box office phenomenon. However, I'd be disappointed in seeing this movie pick up the Oscar statue for Best Picture. My thoughts are best summed up by Roger Ebert: "The Hurt Locker is the year’s best film. Should Avatar snatch that Oscar away, it will be because it grossed zillions of millions, not because it’s better. Avatar is an enormously effective experience, an awesome technical achievement, a universal success, but a great film, it’s not. If it were, we’d still be on the floor of the theater."
9. Mary and Max. Clay-mation genius. I didn't anticipate how great this adult cartoon would be. Hilarious and at times tragic. Overall, this was a very strong year for animation and this gem was just slightly better than Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Coraline, and deserves equal exposure.
10. Moon. For the last film on the list I was torn between the sci-fi of Moon and District 9. I was impressed by the low budget of District 9 and how great it looked as well as its allegorical overtones. (Starship Troopers it ain't) But I was more moved by the themes of loneliness and self-discovery in Moon. Closer to the cerebral sci-fi variety of films such as 2001 or Solaris, it was an interesting concept if a little predictable half way. What saved the film was the amazing performance by Sam Rockwell as the sole actor performing against himself.
Runners Up: Polytechnique is hauntingly beautiful and my top Canadian film this year. A Single Man is gorgeously shot and I am not afraid to say that the stunning grainy film stock is like porn to me. An Education is worthy of accolades especially in Carey Mulligan but I felt like I've seen this coming of age story before. The Argentinian film The Secret in the Eyes is a very impressive murder mystery drama with one of those epic Se7en type endings. I would not be surprised if it upstages The White Ribbon and takes the Best Foreign oscar home. A film that kind of slipped through the cracks as it was released early in the year is Two Lovers. It wasn't what I was expecting (but in a good way) and it features an amazingly captured club scene. Yes, great music in movies has a tendency to sway me. And finally, I really enjoyed the South Korean thriller Mother with an astonishing performance by Kim Hye-Ja and it's kind of a travesty that she is not even nominated, but I digress.
The Rest: I had high hopes for The Road but I'm still trying to figure out why it didn't quite work. Some books just don't work as movies I guess. Up in the Air was decent but I couldn't relate to the awesomeness that everyone else was seeing. I felt the same about A Serious Man. Great ending but I just didn't care for the characters in the film. No one to root for. But maybe I missed something. Sherlock Holmes was better than expected thanks to Guy Ritchie and In the Loop had some of the best dialogue this year.
And finally, I would also like to recommend the british Red Riding trilogy. It's three films but I believe they were shot for british TV so technically they don't really fit into this list. But since they left quite an impression on me, I though I'd share. I'm also not ashamed to admit that I had to watch these films with the subtitles on since the northern slang is sometimes too incomprehensible.
