Hello.
For those who are wondering what movies might appear on my Top 25 of 2010 list, heres a sample of some candidates:
True Grit
Toy Story 3
Centurion
Inception
The Social Network
Frozen
The Expendables
Never Let Me Go
Scott Pilgrim vs the World
. . . among others. Actually, there might not be a Top 25. Maybe just a Top 10. It wasn't as good a year for movies as 2009 was. Anyway, on with the list -
Red Cliff
"My Lord, these peasants are dragging us down."
One of my favorite directors of all time made a great comeback in 2009. He's John Woo, and the film is "Red Cliff". He started out in Hong Kong, creating such groundbreaking and influential action operas as "A Better Tomorrow", "Once a Thief", "Bullet in the Head", "Hard Boiled", and my favorite, "The Killer". Then he came to America. The stuff he made here was kind of fun, but nowhere near the stature of his previous work. Stuff like "Broken Arrow", "Face/Off", "Mission: Impossible 2", "Windtalkers". So he went back home to make more movies and this is his first offering. Set in China roundabout 200 (A.D.), it's a sprawling epic detailing the exploits of two smaller kingdoms who must unite to defend themselves against the invading Imperial army, culminating in a final fight at the titular location, Red Cliff. It was a real historical battle, and over the past few hundred years the stories of this period of history (known as the "Three Kingdoms") has become legendary in China, thanks to countless works of literature and, in the past 100 years, motion pictures. In fact, there were five other big budget Three Kingdoms-set movies released within a year of "Red Cliff". It's a great movie, full of massive, detailed battles scenes (my favorite is the naval assault, with hundreds of ships set on fire), well-drawn characters full of depth and humanity (with some mythic embellishment for good measure), beautiful cinematography, nice music, and many fine performances. There are two versions of this movie out there, the American version and the International version. International is how it was meant to be seen - "Red Cliff" was originally released worldwide in two parts, with a total running time of about five hours. The American version chops the entire movie down to a two-and-a-half hour running time, leaving in most of the action scenes but gutting the movie of it's heart. Travesty! Duh, go International (Part 1 and Part 2) or don't go at all.
Coraline
"Maybe they got bored with you and moved to France."
Based on the book by Minnesota resident Neil Gaiman (one of my favorite authors), and directed by Henry Selick ("The Nightmare Before Christmas"), this is one of two stop-motion animated flicks that made my list this year, which is pretty remarkable. I've loved stop motion animation ever since I laid eyes on 1933's "King Kong" as well as classic Ray Harryhausen movies like "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" and "Jason and the Arognauts". I'd even made some stop-motion animated short films when I was a kid. After a young girl (Coraline, not Caroline) and her parents relocate to a new home, she finds a tiny secret door which leads her into a parallel world. In this world are fun, idealized versions of her parents (except for their creepy button eyes) who want her to stay with them, but things are obviously not what they seem and danger soon follows. This movie is unapologetically weird and full of creative invention. It's Selick's best movie (he also made "James and the Giant Peach), the animation is wonderful (as was the 3D presentation in theaters), and it might scare the crap out of little kids. Or not, how should I know, but it does have an unsettling quality about it that I can't quite pin down, which I love. The voice actors do a fine job, especially Teri Hatcher as both of Coraline's mothers, and the great Keith David, as a mysterious black cat who guides Coraline through the "other side". Strange, understated, and satisfying, it's good stuff.
The Hurt Locker
"We got goats, guys. Heads up! Goats!"
Here it is, the Oscar-winningest movie of 2009. And, no, it's not a war movie. As the quote which opens the movie quite clearly implies, this is a movie about addiction. Addiction to war. Or, more specifically, addiction to high tension situations, which wartime (especially the Iraq war, during which this movie is set) provides abundant access to. The addict in question is Sergeant James, played by Jeremy Renner. After the death of their commanding officer, James is assigned leadership of a bomb disposal unit comprised of Sgt. Sanborn (Anthony Mackey) and guilt-ridden Specialist Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). The storyline unfolds in an episodic way, moving from one incident to another. Along the way, the team must learn to deal with James and his seemingly reckless ways, while at the same time James forms a friendship with an Iraqi boy, a friendship that may or may not bring him face to face with his true nature. Nearly every scene in this movie is a small masterpiece of tense filmmaking. Kathryn Bigelow ("Near Dark", "Point Break", "Strange Days") does a masterful job here, utilizing the cinema verite style made popular by "24" and the "Bourne" movies to nice effect (usually this style - often dubbed "shaky cam" - annoys me, but not here). The performances are great all across the board, but the main kudos have to go to the three leads. There are also lots of cameos by more well-known faces, like Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, and Evangeline Lilly from "Lost", but they only add to film, not detract from it. Damn fine movie!
Zombieland
"Thank God for rednecks!"
What would one of my Best Of movie lists be without a zombie movie? Incomplete, that's what! Here's one that came as a total surprise when I first saw it. Horror comedies are incredibly hard to get right, but this movie does it just fine. While not as classic as other zombedies such as "Dead Alive" or "Shaun of the Dead", it still ranks pretty dang high. After the inevitible zombie apocalypse, four survivors must band together to, um, survive. And go to an amusement park. Named after their hometowns, there's scaredy cat shut-in Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg of "The Social Network"), zombie killin' good ol' boy Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and con-artist sisters Wichita and Little Rock (Emma Stone from "Easy A" and Abigail Breslin of "Little Miss Sunshine"). Despite the well done zombie mayhem and the rock and roll style of the film (check out those opening credits!), it's the four main characters on whom the entire story rises or falls. It rises. The interaction between the characters is perfectly played, leading to most of the big laughs, while director Ruben Fleischer's well-timed visual gags provide the rest. It's not all yuks and yucks, however. Choice moments of real, heartfelt drama add just the perfect touches of realism to the proceedings, and then skedaddle in order to make way for more laughs. And, yes, there's a really funny cameo appearance by a famous celebrity. Bill Murray. Spoiler alert. So grab a beer, sit back, and enjoy the ride.
Watchmen
"Funny story. Sounds unbelievable. Probably true."
I still can't believe this movie got made. Based on the legendary (not to mention controversial) graphic novel (in Nerd Voice: "It's not a comic book!") by Alan Lee and Dave Gibbons, "Watchmen" is set in an alternate-reality 1985 where the government has outlawed all superhero activity. With Russia and America on the brink of nuclear war, members of the disbanded superhero team the Watchmen are being murdered one by one and it's up the surviving members to solve the mystery before it's too late. So why do I have a hard time believing this movie exists? Because this movie is for adults, dissecting American culture via superhero myths with surgical precision, wit, and and brutal, brutal honesty. It's a very dark satire. These superheroes are not idealized, they are flawed people with superpowers dealing with some very real problems. Cancer, rape, psychosis, disconnection, impotence. And yet, the movie is technically brilliant, good looking with perfect effects work and brilliant sound, featuring plenty of great music from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Director Zack Snyder ("300") is obviously good at the sights and sounds and, thanks to the well written source material (it's the first graphic novel to win major literary awards, much to the chagrin of the literary elite), it's got substance and heart. He does a bang-up job of adapting the comic, with the exception of the ending, which was changed a bit. But I don't mind, I kind of like what he did with it. There are three different versions of this movie - the Theatrical version (excellent), the Director's Cut (15 minutes longer and even better) and the Ultimate Cut (Director's Cut plus the integration into the movie of the animated "Tales of the Black Freighter" short film, which is a comic book being read by a character within the movie, and it parallels the movie's plot quite nicely). The Ultimate Cut is a nice idea, making it a more accurate adaptation of the source, but it just doesn't work as well in movie form. I say go for the Director's Cut. But Theatrical is good as well. This movie isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth a look if you love smart satire.
See ya next time! Part 3 awaits. . .
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