Coming Soon: Top 10 of 2010 January 9, 2011

I know I’m late again this year, but there are still a couple films I need to see that may crack into the top ten. But oh, there have been some great films over the last year.

To be continued….

(A Belated) Top 10 of 2009 January 31, 2010

This is about four weeks belated, but, as they say, “Oh well.”

And with a new year starting, an old one comes to a close. Some films from 2009 have settled in my mind over the last few weeks (or months) as great, and other have faded. That is truly the test of a film’s strength. So here is the Top 10 of 2009.

1. The Informant!

Steven Soderbergh has been very prolific lately, and despite the shallow ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ released earlier this year, he also directed ‘The Informant!’. This film manages to deal so well with deception, family issues, mental health issues, and even moral dilemmas — all in the most creative of ways. Credit is also obviously due to the great screenplay (by Scott Z. Burns), the book (by Kurt Eichenwald), and an excellent performance by Matt Damon.

2. An Education

This is a cute, touching film about a girl who discovers a bit about life and a lot about herself through her relationship with an older man. It is wonderfully made, but the film belongs to Carey Mulligan. Read more writing by me on the film here.

3. Avatar

This is the most entertaining film of the year. Yes, the script has problems, but those are more than compensated for. The visuals are unlike anything seen before (in 3D — I will admit the visuals may disappoint in traditional 2D) and, despite some writing flaws, we do still care about Pandora, the Na’vi, and the characters. And now that it’s the highest grossing movie ever, James Cameron has much to celebrate.

4. A Serious Man

A sad, humorous film about a normal man who has more than his share of troubles. The Coen Brothers pose some interesting questions about ethics, faith, and logical reasoning in their newest success. Read more writing by me on the film here

5. Coraline

When I started this list about 2 months ago ‘Coraline’ was the film to beat. This says two things: First, that 2009 was a relatively weak year for films (which is true), and second, that animated films outside of the Disney/Pixar realm have come a long way. Coraline is a cute, bratty girl who learns a thing or two, but the way she learns it is unique and visually stunning. And at times, very cringe-inducing.

6. The Hangover

Now this is a funny movie. There are no tricks or gimmicks. It was funny in theaters, and funny again on DVD. I’ve always liked Todd Phillips’ work (even critically panned ones, like ‘Old School’ or ‘Road Trip’), but here he hits a high point. There is not a full moment to be had.

7. The Hurt Locker

This is a gripping film, a great thriller, and should not be categorized as a “war” film because this is hardly about the war. This is not the perfect film many critics lead us to believe it is (the characters only have a three-point arc and some scenes are nothing more than anecdotal), but it is carefully crafted and very entertaining. Read more writing by me on the film here.

8. Fantastic Mr. Fox

It seems I’m spamming this post with “entertaining” and “creative”, but I promise that they are justified. Wes Anderson and frequent collaborator Noah Baumbach have made a fun film that can be enjoyed equally by children and adults. It was a great year for animated films.

9. The Cove

This is a documentary that doubles as a thriller and, in the end, a horror film. The second act of the film has problems with pacing, but that may just be because my brain is used to traditional films and I’ve only seen a few dozen documentaries. While maybe only the 9th best film, it is the most important and everyone should see it.

10. Inglourious Basterds

I am including this film simply for Tarantino’s effort. It was bold, but I don’t think the film is the masterpiece so many are pegging it as.

And there you have it. 2009 was a year of a few greats, many goods, and a plethora of awful movies. Bring in 2010.

Great Film Clips: Playing Cards in ‘The Sting’ January 18, 2010

I just finished watching ‘The Verdict’, a good film, and I was reminded of one of Paul Newman’s best performances: Henry Gondorff in ‘The Sting‘.

This is a great movie, and while the final payoff is everything the film promises, a scene I keep coming back to is when Newman and Redford take on Doyle Lonnegan, luring him in to their trap. The tension is so high here, and yes, we know that the film has a ways to go, but we see Newman fumble with the deck, as well as set up by Lonnegan to be cleaned out. The joy of this scene is how even we, the audience, are caught by surprise at the end, just like Lonnegan. We don’t know how Henry Gondorff does it, but we cheer for him all the way.

(I could not find the scene in its entirety online, but between these two clips you will can re-live most of the experience. Obviously there are some spoilers, but nothing that would ruin the movie. I wish we saw more of the setup in these clips.)

And click this link to watch the meat and potatoes, which is not able to be embedded. Trust me, it’s worth the watch.

Great Movie Scenes of the Decade January 2, 2010

Year-end lists are tough, so naturally decade-end lists are tougher. Instead of a list of my top films for the decade, I’ve compiled notes on 50 51 of my favorite movie scenes from 2000-2009. Please keep in mind a few things:

A) Most of these movies have many great scenes. I simply picked ones that are either my personal favorite or ones I feel encompass the film as a whole in the best way a mere one scene can.
B) I mean the scene in which these events take place, not just the small moment I write about. The leading up to (through foreshadowing), right before, and right after are to be considered as well.
C) These are not my top 50 films of the decade. Do not take this list as such. If I made such a list, I’m sure somewhere between 50-80% of the list would be the same, but that’s a topic for some other time.
D) These are in no particular order, other than the first, which may very well be my favorite.

If you have seen these films, I hope you will enjoy remembering these moments as much as I do. If you have not, I urge you to take the time to do so. There is much to be felt.

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Graysmith looking Arthur Leigh Allen in the eye at the end of ‘Zodiac’

When Jack gives “directions” to some tourists to the “Louvre” in ‘2 Days in Paris’

Battle of Carthage recreation in the Coliseum in ‘Gladiator’

Jake Sully flying through the Floating Mountains on Pandora in ‘Avatar’

Cady meeting the Plastics in ‘Mean Girls’

Climax of ‘Oldboy’ in Woo-jin’s penthouse

The gathering of the crew in ‘Ocean’s 11’

WALL-E playing in space with EVE using the fire extinguisher in ‘WALL-E’

Sabrina is a Little Creepy December 12, 2009

If you pinned me in a corner and forced me to pick the best writer/director of all time, I would choose Billy Wilder. Any one of these movies on their own are great films, if not masterpieces: Double Indemnity, The Lost Weekend, Sunset Blvd., Ace in the Hole, Stalag 17, Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Sabrina…. That’s 8, and he had some other good ones, too. Sure, some great directors have made that many great films, but few have done so many genres. He won 6 Oscars, had 15 other nominations, and took home the Irving G. Thalberg Award in 1988. He had mainstream and critical success and made films that can fit every mood, even today. Why he did so well was because he told straightforward stories. No gimmicks. And, of course, his famous ten commandments. “The first nine are, thou shalt not bore. The tenth is, thou shalt have right of final cut.”

I have nothing but admiration for Mr. Wilder. Now that that is out of the way….

Watching ‘Sabrina‘ again for the fourth or fifth time, instead of Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) seeming like the cute, hopelessly romantic chauffeur’s daughter, she seemed quite creepy. In the 1950s I’m sure no one thought too much of it, but unlike in ‘The Apartment’ (1960), where Miss Kubelik is a former lover who has problems and tries to kill herself, Sabrina is an obsessive stalker who has problems and tries to kill herself.

In the beginning of the film, during the course of an elaborate party, Sabrina watches David Larrabee from afar — perched on the branch of a tree. When David sneaks out of the party with his usual two champagne glasses and a bottle of bubbly, she greets him, but he brushes her off. David meets with the girl in the indoor tennis court while Sabrina watches through a window. This is quite voyeuristic. Billy Wilder was keen on the sexual humor and, had the sensors at the time allowed it, I’m sure he may have had David and the girl do a little more than sip champagne while Sabrina watched.

And then, as we all know, Sabrina goes to kill herself in the garage. Linus Larrabee ends up saving her, and the next morning she’s off to Paris.

Things escalate when she returns. If David had any common sense, during the next few scenes he would have made a run for it. But as Billy Wilder and his co-writers Samuel Taylor and (the very talented) Ernest Lehman showed us before, David doesn’t use much sense and only thinks about how girls will look once their cocktail dresses are on his floor.

First, she has a new dog and named David. Now, dogs are often named for characters or things we like, but David is not a dog name and it is quite odd to name a pet for someone you’ve been pining over for a few years.

Sabrina and David get back to her house and they chat, they make plans, she still loves him, etc. etc. etc. Sabrina’s reveal here is what David should be worried about: She recites all of his moves (which I mentioned above). “You saw a lot from that tree,” David says to her. She continues on, ignoring that comment. Shouldn’t David be a little concerned that Sabrina is a little too in tune with his methods?

Sabrina’s father seems to be the only one who thinks this whole thing is a problem (not counting Linus and the senior Larrabee). When Sabrina is in Paris and writes home, the rest of the Larrabee house staff is sad that she is still in love with David, but once she returns, they are so happy that she is being accepted they forget how she used to feel. Her father tells Sabrina that David is engaged. “I know,” she says. “He’s not married yet,” she declares. She plans to snatch David away. “I don’t like that. I don’t like the sound of it,” her father says. He believes that Sabrina should find someone respectable and live a humble, happy life. Not to reach for the moon. He tells her that before Paris, and she agrees. But on her return, oh, “The moon is reaching for me.”

It is interesting to see how Sabrina manipulates David, but fortunately for everyone, Linus is working in the background. He makes a play for Sabrina to get her away from the family. But she starts to like him as well (David is confined to bed… because of Linus’ doing). “Dear David. Yes, I did get over that. I’m cure. Now, how to get over the cure?” As she diagnoses, Linus is the cure for her. Funny how it is called a “cure.” Sure, it sounds like a good line, but it also cures her possibly psychotic obsession.

And so she is cured and goes to Paris with Linus. Sabrina finds love, Linus realizes business isn’t everything, and David grows up a bit and does what is best for the family. It is a happy ending, for sure, but Sabrina herself isn’t quite as pleasant as she first appears. With each viewing I begin to imagine her more and more as Glenn Close in ‘Fatal Attraction’… except with a slightly less violent ending. A valid comparison? I think so.

2005 ‘King Kong’ August 2, 2009

While the ever-faithful to classic cinema will rejoice in the oldest version of ‘King Kong‘ (which is justified in receiving all its praise), I feel no doubt that the newer film will hold up over time in its own right.

There are bad things in the movie, though: Jack Black has trouble handling serious material, Adrien Brody, while talented, can’t bring much life to his campy role, blatant ‘Heart of Darkness’ references are tacky, and the run-time is a bit long. But the combination of a great Naomi Watts, fantastic special effects, an epic score, and, of course, the lovable beast makes the film worthwhile.

My favorite scene of the film is where Kong and Ann are playing in Central Park. There is such a serenity here that we are lifted to an almost dreamlike haze, and the music, which heavily contributes to the scene’s success, is perfectly somber. And then, of course, the weapons come and we have the film’s climax.