TOP FILMS OF 2009--updated 3/1/10

1. PRECIOUS--Nothing this year cut so deep, had so much raw tension and intensity, and yet became, in a strange way, a feel good movie. Six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress and Screenplay.*Please see my earlier PRECIOUS blog for more comments.*

2. A SERIOUS MAN--Takes Jewish angst to new and hilariously "everyman" heights. Now nominated for Best Picture and Screenplay Oscars. *See earlier A SERIOUS MAN blog for more comments.*

3. CHERRY BLOSSOMS--A smash hit during the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) session where it won best picture, this German/Japanese film by director Doris Dorrie played a short run earlier this year in Seattle. An aging couple with preoccupied adult children scattered around the world decide to visit them all with the final destination being Tokyo where their furthest flung son now lives. Of course, things don't go according to an ideal plan, but this moving film shows us how even in disappointment and tragedy and loneliness, life has many pleasures to offer us. A beautiful celebration of life.

4. SUMMER HOURS, a French film about the emotional and intellectual impact of executing the estate of a loved one.

5. DEPARTURES, a Japanese film about a young man who becomes a preparer of dead bodies, much to his shame and ultimate satisfaction in helping the living appreciate life--the preceding three films very happy and sad at the same time--watch these with a box of Kleenex handy. Please see March 1 blog for more info on SUMMER HOURS and DEPARTURES.

6. THE COVE--One of the best documentaries shown at the SIFF this year, this film plays like a very intense, very serious MISSION IMPOSSIBLE episode, but with a very powerful political agenda. A diverse group of skin-divers, camera men, advocates and politicos attempt to expose the wasteful and cruel slaughter of innocent dolphins in THE COVE in Japan--a world wide scandal being suppressed by the Japanese government with the cooperation of other nations. A very empowering film, and hopefully now that it has a well deserved Oscar nomination for best Documentary Film, this issue will receive greater world wide attention.

7. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS--Filled with many fine intense scenes that keep building to something--you don't know what is going to happen, or how it is going to happen, but the dread and suspense keep coming, and keep you riveted, and satisfy you, finally, with horrible violence or a shocking moment or a big laugh. Director/writer Quentin Tarintino's best film yet. This totally creative "anti-Nazi fantasy film" has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor and Original Screenplay.

8. UP--Creative, delightful and emotionally textured 3-D (although non-3-D is just as good) animated film from Disney and Pixar, this lovely, wacky gem has been nominated for 5 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Animated Picture, Screenplay, and for the likable musical score.

9. THE HANGOVER--Crude, lewd, and very funny, this adult comedy has the best laughs of the year, along with a wacky plot that unfolds like a murder mystery: What exactly, did happened last night?--with each revelation weirder than the last. What!!!!--no Oscar Nominations??!!???

10. A SINGLE MAN--Now nominated for Best Actor (Colin Firth), a moving and thoughtful "day in the life of" film with a lot of style and intrigue. *Please see my recent earlier blog of A SINGLE MAN for more info.*

11. BRIGHT STAR--A sensitive, subtle story of the unrealised and tragic love affair between poet John Keats and a neighbor woman, beautifully acted and filmed.

12. INVICTUS--Nominated for Best Actor (Morgan Freeman) and Best Supporting Actor (Matt Damon), this is an engrossing "based on true events" story by director Clint Eastwood. *See earlier blog of INVICTUS for more info.*

13. AVATAR--An unofficial remake of DANCES WITH WOLVES, except now set on another planet and featuring blue creatures instead of the Red man. The film impresses with thoughtful and wondrous special effects, and excellent technical achievements. Nominated for 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and 7 technical nominations. *See earlier AVATAR blog for more comments.*

14. BRONSON--Played at SIFF this year, but yet to open in Seattle, this is a stylish, actor driven, fascinating film based on a real life habitual criminal in Great Britain who has spent most of his adult life behind bars for various violent crimes including murder. Lead actor Tom Hardy is stunning. Watch for this film to play (probably briefly) this year.

15. UP IN THE AIR--Nominated for 6 Oscars included Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress X2 and Best Screenplay. *See previous UP IN THE AIR blog for more comments.*

16. EVERY LITTLE STEP--A suspenseful and entertaining documentary about the recent casting experience for a new Broadway version of A CHORUS LINE. It plays like an adult version of AMERICAN IDOL with drama, tears, twists, music and dancing.

17. DISTRICT 9--A sensational and lurid science-fiction film with many blood splattered moments, laughs, thrills and haunting themes including racism, prejudice, discrimination and political abuse. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards, including Best Picture(!?!), Adapted Screenplay and Best Visual Effects.

18. AN EDUCATION--Now nominated for 3 Oscars, including Best Picture, Screenplay and Actress (Carey Mullingan). *See previous AN EDUCATION blog for more comments.*

19. 500 DAYS OF SUMMER--A wacky, funny, quirky romantic comedy, it's a lot of fun to watch.

20. THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX--Now nominated for 2 Oscars--Best Animated Feature Film, and best Original Score. *See previous THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX blog for more comments.*

21. CORALINE--Based on a twisted Neil Gaimen "children's novel," this also makes for clever and witty adult entertainment. Nominated for 1 Oscar--Best Animated Feature Film.

22. MOON--A low budget wonder, this deceptively simple science-fiction film has one set (a moon digging operation) and one actor (a very good Sam Rockwell) but manages to cast a haunting and disturbing spell when a second character appears

23. HURT LOCKER--There's excruciating tension created by strong direction and acting, but where's the plot and the point? Nominated for 9 Oscars including Best Picture, Actor and Director.

24. --32.--ADVENTURELAND, AWAY WE GO, YOUNG VICTORIA, NICK AND NORA'S INFINITE PLAY LIST, I LOVE YOU MAN, TAKING WOODSTOCK, IN THE LOOP, STAR TREK, LITTLE ASHES.

Also loved Oscar nominated Jeff Bridges in CRAZY HEART, the Oscar Nominated set direction and costumes in SHERLOCK HOLMES and NINE, Oscar nominee for Animated Feature The PRINCESS and the FROG, the docu Oscar nominated FOOD INC and possibly more TBA.
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worst films.......Lovely Bones, Observe and Report, Bride Wars, Cold Souls and G-Force.

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Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Invictus

New Year's Eve started off with a great movie--the best way to celebrate. In 1972 I saw a little film in college directed by Alan J. Pakula (who a few years later would direct The Parallax View, Klute, Sophie's Choice and All the President's Men) and starring one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE actresses, Maggie Smith, and a great young newcomer Timothy Bottoms in what at the time I felt was one of the year's best films. It was fresh, funny, had great scenery of Spain, and best of all, I remembered the wonderful music score(by Michael Small, what's happened to him?), so reminiscent of Christopher Parkening's Spanish guitar classics, but not quite the same. For years I've searched for the soundtrack of that film, LOVE AND PAIN AND THE WHOLE DAMN THING, and as far as I know, there is not one around. To bad, because the music is still great. The film has FINALLY been released for the first time on dvd just this past year, and it is still a great little movie. Maggie Smith had won her Oscar a few years earlier for one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES--The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie--and continues to amaze me with scene stealing characters in films like California Suite (another Oscar win), Travels with My Aunt (Oscar nominee), A Room With a View (Oscar nominee), Gosford Park (Oscar nominee), The V.I.P's, the Harry Potter movies, and many many more. I think she is an International Treasure, and in Great Britain where she's won many acting awards for her stage work (I saw her several years ago on a London stage in Edward Albee's Three Tall Women and she stole the show--my in-laws kept asking me who was this incredible actress) she is Dame Maggie Smith. You won't watch a more moving, funny, romantic, beautiful little movie all year than LOVE AND PAIN AND THE WHOLE DAMN THING.
This week I finally caught up with INVICTUS, a film I didn't think I really wanted to see--like eating a spinach salad--good for you but sort of yuck. Happily, this is a great Caesars Salad--a very compelling film that fires on all cylinders--it works as a political drama with a spot on performance by Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela, who struggles to gain the trust of all people, white and black in South Africa after he is released from prison and wins election as President. It also works as a tense sports drama, with the underdogs transformed into a winning team by the energy and inspiration and support that Mandela gives them. And it works as an interesting character study with intimate portrayals of every day people confronting racism, change, political awareness, loyalty, and hope. It is the feel good movie of the year, and director Clint Eastwood, who is pushing 80, has out done himself again. I foresee Oscar nominations for Picture, Director, script, actor and perhaps Support Actor, a convincing Matt Damon among others.
Top of the dvd list this week, a second viewing of last summers classic Pixar film, UP, which holds up delightfully well on a TV screen, and will be included in my top 10 films list, TBA.
Very few films, much less animated ones, can get my tears ducts flowing.
I received a twin pack of TRANSFORMERS (2007) and TRANSFORMERS II: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, so Toni and I sat and watched them both on back to back nights. I enjoyed the original TRANSFORMERS several years ago in the theatre--a wild eye-popping popcorn film, and recieved many nods and nudges from my 12 year old nephew who thought it was fantastic. It still is, but it does get rather tiresome, too--the first hour set up is the best--the last 30 minutes of fighting and explosions in the Big city is annoying. So I was surprised when Toni wanted to see TRANSFORMERS II the next night. It was pretty much the same, with long scenes of non-stop mayhem and fighting that is edited so quickly that you don't have time to focus your eyes, but --hey, bring out the popcorn for this one too. As sequels go, it wasn't the worst I've seen, and we kept our expectations low and sort of liked it (!).
I also recieved as a gift a dvd set of two Marx Bros. films, and watched THE BIG STORE (1941)this last week. It wasn't the greatest Marx Bros. film I've seen, but it was mildly entertaining, kept me awake (when they weren't stopping the plot for a musical piano playing number, harp number, singing number, etc) and there's a great 20 minute chase through a large department store on skates, bikes, ropes, chutes, etc that is a masterpiece of silly choreography, if not completely hilarious.
And last but not least, also this week watched a film from new boxed set called Pre-Code Hollywood Collection, which features films from the early 30's in beautifully restored black and white which were all made before the THE CODE forced film-makers to censor their films of sex and violence and nudity and "inappropriate" themes. Buster Crabbe and Ida Lupino portray Olympic swimming champions who are tricked into being editors of a new health and fitness magazine, but the owners really want it to be a racy "skin" magazine with lots of healthy young men and women wearing almost nothing, and suggestive stories to go along with that. Of course it wasn't as shocking to me now as what you see today, but it really did have a rather lurid undertone, and the camera did seem to love to pan over young flesh as they worked out, and sang and danced in skimpy attire. The film is called SEARCH FOR BEAUTY (1934) and even though it was heavily censored at the time, one character states "It's so hot you could fry an egg on it."