OK, I finally got a chance to see Public Enemies and Where The Wild Things Are, two films that I really wanted to have seen before I attempted any kind of list.
This list is intended to show what my favourite films of the year are and not what the best films are. That said, my #1 is both my favourite and the best of the year. I also went with 15 films because I saw 48 movies this year and 10 is just too few.
15. Drag Me To Hell – What starts out as a fairly standard looking horror flick clearly becomes a “Sam Raimi” horror flick with the first fight between Christine and the gypsy lady. That combination of horror and slapstick is what made Raimi’s Evil Dead series so good and it shines through in Drag Me To Hell. I loved that after everything Christine went through she still didn’t escape her fate. Any other horror movie would have the hot chick survive and that’s why I love Drag Me To Hell so much.
14. District 9 – In my mind this is obviously a racial drama somewhat disguised as a sci-fi film. I don’t think that was done to trick people into seeing it, but rather to expand the range of people who would see it. There are some truly disturbing scenes in the film, most notably when they test the alien technology with Wikkus’ new arm and he’s forced to kill the aliens. I certainly wasn’t expecting something as unsettling as that. Then again, there’s also a great payoff when the action kicks in in the third act. It’s a movie that I really enjoyed but strangely for me one that I’m extremely unlikely to watch again (I’ll watch movies again and again and again). Plus I hope and pray they don’t make a sequel/prequel.
13. Extract – As a big fan of Office Space, Idiocracy, Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis and Jason Bateman there was no doubt that I’d really enjoy this film. It’s hard to boil it down to why I like it so much, but it just has that “feel” that certain movies have. Everything works and connects and you’re left with a fun experience. David Koechner as Nathan is the annoying suburban version of Gary Cole’s Bill Lumbergh from Office Space. I was laughing my ass of when Kristen Wiig finally let him have it. Kudos should also go to Ben Affleck for his great supporting role.
12. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans – Finally a film where Nic Cage’s manic performance actually fits with what’s happening. I guess the film is a crime drama but the solving of the crime never seems to be the main thrust of the film. Rather it’s the increasingly complex situations that Terence (Cage) gets himself into either to score drugs or pay off gangsters he’s crossed. If anything, the film should be watched for the awesome scene where Terence pulls a MASSIVE gun on an old lady in a nursing home and her nurse.
11. (500) Days of Summer – I’ll watch anything with Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Zooey Deschanel in it so when you put them in the same film it’s almost a given that I’ll love it. And boy did I love this film. The film looks at the 500 day relationship between Tom (Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Deschanel) in a non-chronological order in Tom’s attempt to find out what went wrong and to win Summer back. However, make no mistake, as the narrator says at the beginning, this is not a love story. A love story involves love coming from both sides and whilst Tom obviously loves Summer it’s questionable whether Summer ever loved Tom.
10. Zombieland – Action comedy carnage of the best kind featuring the always awesome Woody Harrelson and the emerging Emma Stone and Jessie Eisenberg. There’s a real nice story of human connection buried under all the bloody corpses so don’t think it’s just a simple zombie flick. The much talked about cameo is beyond amazing but I’ll refrain from mentioning who it is in case anyone’s reading this who hasn’t seen the film yet.
9. Up – Pixar always do outstanding work but in my opinion this falls well short of Wall-E. There are undoubtedly bits to love in Up but for me it just didn’t have that hook right at the beginning like Pixar’s best work does (Wall-E, Monsters Inc and Toy Story). What was truly impressive about the film was the brief history of Karl and Ellie relationship and how this was able to bring about such an emotional response from me if such a short period of time. Pixar really are legends in film-making if they can turn a grumpy senior citizen into an action hero movie star.
8. Moon – A real slow burn sci-fi flick that’s best to know as little about as possible before viewing. If you haven’t seen it check it out. Sam Rockwell is great as essentially the only actor in the film.
7. Star Trek – I’m not a huge fan of the Star Trek franchise. That’s not to say I don’t like it but rather that I haven’t seen much of the content based on the franchise. Essentially the only reason I caught this in the cinema was because it’s directed by J.J. Abrams who can do no wrong at the moment. From my limited exposure to the franchise it would appear that the young actors cast in the iconic roles fit perfectly with what how they used to be. It’s hard to see Spock played by Sylar if only because Heroes is such a terrible show. If I had no knowledge of Zachary Quinto before seeing him in Star Trek I think I’d have liked his performance more. The plot of the film wasn’t too special but as a means to reboot the franchise without completely destroying everything that had come before I think Abrams did a magnificent job. Hopefully the next one in the series will live up to this new start.
6. Observe and Report – Seth Rogen as a manic depressive mall cop is not something I would of expected from him. The anger that shines through his character is kinda scary considering this is supposed to be a comedy. It’s a very dark awkward humour which I think is an acquired taste. You either like that style of comedy or you don’t, and I don’t think you can grow to like it over time. The two standout scenes are when Ronnie (Rogen) gets back from his date with Brandi (Anna Faris) and she’s pretty much comatose and when Ronnie finally gets to confront the flasher in the mall. Something tells me that the tone of the film may put a lot of people off, preferring instead the almost certainly shit Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Save your time and watch this. There’s no doubt it’s the best mall cop comedy of all time.
5. The Hangover – The film comes across as a kind of detective story crossed with a guys-gone-wild comedy featuring the comedically flawless Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms. Far and away the best pure comedy of the year and featuring a great cameo to boot.
4. Inglourious Basterds – The script reads like it was written by a 10 year old with severe spelling problems but the final product is a work of almost perfect revisionist historical fiction. I never doubted that I’d love this film, hell I love everything that Tarantino has done, but the level of tension that Tarantino turns almost every scene up to is amazing. Brad Pitt seems to be having a lot of fun as Aldo, but the star of the film is Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa who is at times funny, charming, disarming and terrifying. The ferocity in the scene where he confronts Bridget von Hammersmark is quite jarring. I also loved the use of David Bowie’s “Cat People”.
3. Funny People – Judd Apatow does it again with both comedy and heart. Adam Sandler gives the best performance of his career with his longtime friend as director and other members of the Apatow gang (Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann) continue to shine. There’s literally nothing I disliked about this film and I’m sorely disappointed with the lack of love it got at the box office.
2. Adventureland – I was completely caught off guard by what this film was actually like compared to what the trailers made it seem like. A great film and a great counter to the perceived awfulness of Kristen Stewart thanks to the terrible Twilight. You can read my review here.
1. Avatar – I’ve seen it twice in 3D now and I’m still at a loss for words for how amazing it is. It’s without a doubt the greatest cinematic experience that anyone can have. The 3D isn’t used as a gimmick but rather as a means to suck you into the world of Pandora so that you can experience it for yourself. Neytiri is the clear star of the film and I continue to be amazed at how emotive the character can be through the use of Cameron’s new performance capture technology. Zoe Saldana is amazing as Neytiri and it’s a crying shame that she’s unlikely to be nominated for best actress. I dare say that anyone who doesn’t tear up at least a little when Neytiri learns of Jake’s betrayal doesn’t have a heart. How could you not feel for her. If I had the money and they were on the market, Avatar alone would be enough to convince me to invest in a home 3D setup. I can’t imagine being limited to seeing it in 2D only.
I'll admit that some of the above I am yet too see Extract. Moon. Zombieland. 500 days of summer(i'll buy that on blu-ray). Bad Liuetentant(hasn't been released in the uk). I have two jobs, one is working in a cinema. So i watch alot of stuff if i can get round too it. My Fav film of this year can only be: Let the Right one in, its haunting and beautfiully-made, like a grown-up version of Twilight only with better acting and truly wonderful story of lonliness and connection. So, I'm surprised it didn't make it into a top-5 place, let alone not making the 15. Almost everyone i know who has seen says it's film of the year, and recommands it to others.
And another one, i'm stunned isn't in there is Hurt Locker. A majestic film, and probably the finest war movie evermade, With a great cast and epic turn by Jeremy Renner. Him, the script and other aspects should easily be up for oscar consideration.
I love Let The Right One In but it came out in 2008 so that's why it's not on my list. I absolutely hate the idea of a US remake of it. And only 2 or so years after it came out. Why bother. As for The Hurt Locker, I enjoyed it and thought it was a well made war film but I'm just not as impressed by it as most others seem to be. It'd probably be in the 15-20 range for the year though.