20. ECCENTRICITIES OF A BLONDE-HAIRED GIRL

Hard to blame the protagonist for not getting any work done

The latest from highly regarded Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira, this remarkably succinct 64-minute film tells the story of a man falling in love with the young girl who stands in the window across the street. The film’s visuals are as strikingly beautiful as actress Catarina Wallenstein, and de Oliveira blends some delightfully surreal situations with the loveliness of Lisbon to create a film of subdued passion. Consider me astounded that the director is now 102 years old (!). This film is now playing on Netflix streaming, so you have no excuse not to check it out.

I hope I look this good when I hit 100

19. THE FIGHTER

What’s left to say about this movie? David O. Russell, as expected, has gone above and beyond the call of duty to rejuvenate the washed-up boxer genre. This has to be one of the most smartly cast movies of the year; in many ways, the work was done before production even began. Building on Mark Wahlberg’s solid foundation, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Amy Adams each portray formidable characters that ultimately contribute to my favorite kind of movie: one where there are no outright villains. At various points throughout the movie, it seems that no one has Wahlberg’s best interests in hearts. The realization that they all actually do, and always have, makes for a moving final act. Still in theaters.

18. LIFE DURING WARTIME

This was the first Todd Solondz movie I’ve ever seen, and it may not have been the obvious choice. As a quasi-sequel to his earlier film, Happiness, it brings back many of the characters from that movie. But I didn’t feel like my experience was hindered much by not having seen the previous film. On the contrary, trying to piece together old relationships might have served as a distraction from Solondz’s ultimate focus: conversations. The way these characters relate to one another, sometimes awkwardly, sometimes with refreshing honesty, is unlike anything I’ve seen from other directors. I’m looking forward to seeing his other films. On DVD soon.

17. THE GHOST WRITER

I’ve already said my piece about this unforgettable thriller from Roman Polanski. The director’s bigger-than-life characters, which made Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown such stand-out films, are in full force here, elevating the film above Martin Scorsese’s own excellent Shutter Island. Now on DVD.

16. PLEASE GIVE

I share Daniel’s love for this criminally underseen film from Nicole Holofcener. In terms of films with strong female characters made by female directors, Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right has hogged all of the spotlight. While that film definitely has its merits (including what I think should be a surefire Best Actress-nominated performance from Annette Bening), Please Give, as Daniel has said, reminds me of Woody Allen at his best. With all those neurotic New Yorkers trying to figure out life and love, this movie is right up my alley. Ann Guilbert gives one of the great supporting performances of the year as the elderly Andra, ranging from obnoxious to hilarious to, finally, touching. Now on DVD, so watch it.

That orange hair, that scornful face, and that pointed finger are just three of the many notes in this memorable performance

15. INCEPTION

All I can say is…

...how the hell did they do this?

14. BLUEBEARD

Definitely a Beauty and the Beast thing going on here

Catherine Breillat has followed 2007’s pleasure-packed Asia Argento starrer The Last Mistress with this delightful gem of a fairy tale. Clocking in at 80 minutes, the film alternates between the story of the fearsome Bluebeard and the two young girls who are reading the story to one another. In either case, the subtle rivalries between sisters simmer under the surface. In the fairy tale, two young sisters respond differently to their father’s untimely death. One chooses to mope around while the other goes and gets herself married to the rich bachelor Bluebeard, who is known for killing his wives. The relationship between Bluebeard and his much younger bride is as loving in its early days as it is chilling in its last. The surprises in this simply told story are many, and I hope you’ll discover them for yourself. This film is easily accessible through Netflix streaming.

13. FISH TANK

I talked about this film earlier in the year when it played for a short time in Austin. Rumors suggest that star Katie Jarvis, based on the power of her performance in this film, nearly snagged the coveted role of Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s upcoming remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. That’s no surprise, and I have a feeling we will be hearing from this talented young actress very soon. Look for this film on Criterion Collection in the coming weeks.

12. THE SECRET OF KELLS

This film is too gorgeous to describe in words. The story is standard enough: a young boy struggles to show his worth to his community but eventually becomes a hero. However, because the film is set in a ninth-century Ireland replete with some of history’s most beautiful illuminated manuscripts, we are treated to an animation style that mimics the rapturous detail of those ancient illustrations. More than once during this film, I was genuinely moved by nothing more than the amazing visions passing by on the screen. Figure out which of your friends has the highest quality TV and watch this movie on the best HD format you can. It’s the prettiest thing you’ll see for a long time. Now on Netflix streaming.

You have to see it to believe it

11. WILD GRASS

“Dreamy” is the only word to describe this latest film from Alain Resnais. His usual vibrant colors and soft focus are ever present, and lead actors André Dussollier and Sabine Azéma, so wonderful in Resnais’s last movie Private Fears in Public Places, lift this quirky romance with their assured performances. These two are like contemporary French versions of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne; I’d watch them fall in love in just about anything. Now on DVD.

There's this much neon in characters' homes

10. TOY STORY 3

I’ve already professed my love for this movie. It seems like every year, Pixar has improved on their ability to tug on our heartstrings. This year, they proved that they could actually make us believe, for a few seconds at least, that our favorite toys might die. In a Disney movie. Impressive. Now on DVD.

9. ENTER THE VOID

As I’ve said, this is a film you absolutely have to see. It’s one of the riskiest films of the year, which results in the year’s best payoff. Still in theaters, on Netflix streaming in a couple weeks.

8. BLACK SWAN

I’ve long been a fan of Darren Aronofsky’s work. This year, it seems people are finally seeing things my way. Let this be a lesson to other filmmakers: if you can’t seem to get everyone to give you the praise you deserve, give ‘em a Natalie Portman masturbation scene. I know there has been a lot of talk about Portman’s performance, about all the training she went through and the emotional toil that her character undergoes. But make no mistake, this movie belongs to the director. Aronofsky has been drawing great performances from his actors for years, from Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream to Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. Now, he has brought these fine performances together with some of the striking visuals he first attempted in his underrated The Fountain. This, it seems, has made for a perfect storm of filmmaking. The per-screen averages for this film on opening weekend were off the charts, and there were lines around the block here at the Alamo Ritz for weeks. I’m glad to see Aronofsky finally getting some attention. See you at the Oscars, Darren! Still in theaters.

In one of my favorite scenes of the year, she retires to the wings after her winning performance as the Black Swan, taking in her success with each deep breath. Self-confidence has never spilled forth from the screen like this.

7. DOGTOOTH

Easily my favorite concept of the year. Three siblings, now clearly in their twenties, have been kept in the house for their entire lives by their parents in what seems to be either a warped social experiment or the most extreme display of overprotectiveness ever. I lean toward the former, since even commonplace words are given absurdly incorrect definitions during the kids’ homeschooling sessions. The best part is that, rather than just letting this premise hang there on the screen, Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos really grapples with how this situation would affect the youths’ understanding of sexuality and human relationships. A great deal of credit goes to the actors playing these three grown children. Through a blend of tragi-comic awkwardness and an inspiring lust for life, these three win our pity and, ultimately, our praise. On DVD in two weeks.

One of the ''games'' they play

6. BLUE VALENTINE

I’ll have more to say about this movie this weekend after it starts playing here in Austin. I can tell you that I went into the screening at the Austin Film Festival with middling expectations. Do we really need another indie romance gone bad? After seeing the film, I can say that, in fact, this is exactly what independent filmmaking needs more of. The assured direction of newcomer Derek Cianfrance has given us what I think should be the Best Actor and Actress winners of the year. Don’t make it harder on yourself than it needs to be, Academy. Just give Gosling and Williams the statues already. Still in theaters.

The bridge scene that had everyone talking at Sundance

5. THE SOCIAL NETWORK

I’ve already seen this one three times, and I’d be happy to see it three more times before it hauls in all those Oscars in February. This is the essence of a well-made movie. Everyone involved has brought their best filmmaking to the table. David Fincher recovers admirably from what I thought was a noble misfire in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Aaron Sorkin has given us a script for the ages, one worth buying in print and putting on the shelf next to the Epsteins’ Casablanca, Towne’s Chinatown, or Chayefsky’s Network. The cast, from top to bottom, is flawless. Eisenberg takes us on an amazing ride, thanks to the full-circle nature of Sorkin’s story. From the rapid-fire, girlfriend-repellant opening sequence to the crushing, “Baby You’re a Rich Man” finale, Eisenberg uses Mark Zuckerberg to teach us a lesson about how to navigate our increasingly impersonal lives. Kudos also to Timberlake, Garfield, Armie Hammer (those twins are the same guy!), Austin Cinephile favorite Rooney Mara, and Trent Reznor for one of the year’s top scores. Fincher has said he didn’t set out to make a movie that would define a generation. Well, we’re taking it anyway. I think this is our Graduate. Now on DVD.

4. DADDY LONGLEGS

This film is anchored by a truly eye-opening performance from director Ronald Bronstein. He plays the father of two young twin boys, who represent the writer/directors of the film, Josh and Benny Safdie. This autobiographical film about the Safdies’ childhood is by turns harrowing and hilarious. Bronstein is one of those classic post-divorce fathers, neither deadbeat nor disciplinarian. He seems intent on being the boys’ friend more than their parent. The Safdies’ camera moves so freely as it follows the man and his boys through the streets of New York that it makes this viewer miss the city. I look forward to revisiting the people and places in this film as fervently as I look forward to revisiting the city itself. There doesn’t seem to be any plans to release this film on DVD, which would be a real tragedy. If you get a chance to see this movie, take it.

3. GREENBERG

Watching this movie is a bit like watching a band made up of musicians from different genres that have decided to play together and see what happens. You have writer/director Noah Baumbach, responsible for such witty takedowns of East Coast intellectuals as The Squid and the Whale and Margot at the Wedding. You have Ben Stiller, known mainly for making low comedies that are just a notch above Adam Sandler’s work. You have Greta Gerwig, mumblecore sweetheart. These disparate elements have fit together perfectly. Baumbach has made an effortless transition to Los Angeles, Stiller has given us hope that there will be more depth and less Focker in his future, and Gerwig could be our generation’s Diane Keaton. This one’s going into the Austin Cinephile Hall of Fame. Now on DVD.

2. TRUE GRIT

Despite a long career filled with films that have pushed the envelope and brought filmmaking to new and exciting places, I don’t think the Coen brothers have ever impressed me as much as they have with this film. The old cliche says “they don’t make ‘em like they used to.” Now someone has. It’s hard to say how we’ll feel about Fargo, The Big Lebowski, or Raising Arizona fifty years from now. But True Grit has already inserted itself into a long line of classically-made Westerns like Stagecoach and Red River that have passed the test of time with flying colors. There is no message you have to take away from it, no preaching about some current event hidden in the subtext. Just some good guys trying to help a young girl get her revenge on some bad guys. Without those “important film” crutches to lean on, the Coen brothers had to nail the only challenge left to fulfill: telling a great story well. Boy, did they do it.

There may be no other filmmaker as capable of revitalizing my passion for the cinema as the Coens. I had the same feeling walking out of True Grit as I did when I left O Brother, Where Art Thou? and No Country for Old Men: I love the movies. I love Jeff Bridges’s gruff stalwart getting tossed into the fray with Matt Damon’s talkative braggart. I love seeing a star like Hailee Steinfeld being born in front of my eyes. I love watching great character actors like Barry Pepper steal scenes. I love the contraction-free dialogue. I love the constant return to an old hymn in the score. I love that the Coens were able to move me to tears in the final act without making tears their obvious intent. I love the movies.

1. SWEETGRASS

This was the first film on my list, way back in January when it trickled out to a few theaters. It has stayed strong throughout the year. I’ve returned to it time and again on Netflix streaming, where you should seek it out immediately. This staggeringly beautiful documentary follows a group of cowboys as they herd some 400 sheep across some mountains in Montana. The kicker is that this trek was the last of its kind, ending a centuries-old tradition. For anyone who loves Westerns like True Grit, this film holds limitless wonders. The open range is still there; the unpaved forests, unspoiled rivers, and unexplored mountains are all still there. These men sleep under the stars, smoking cigars and sharing jokes. They keep on the lookout for bears. They sit around fires. They use sheepdogs. In the 21st century, this still happens, and for some reason, it’s a reassuring thought.

Like the greatest documentarians (Frederick Wiseman, for one), directors Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor don’t corner the cowboys in an interview room for talking head segments or try to carve some kind of narrative out of their footage. They simply let the journey speak for itself. The film is blissfully free of talk, making the experience of watching it almost as relaxing as taking a trip into the mountains yourself. As a lasting document of a small piece of our national history, not to mention a master class on how to make a documentary, I will cherish this film for the rest of my life.

Your move, 2011.

Once more, we here at AustinCinephile are arrogant enough to try to categorize this ever-expansive amalgam of cinematic achievements into finite lists. For this posting we’re taking it straight to the heart as we identify some of our favorite flicks from different genres. The rules are simple: pick any ten genres and identify the film most deserving of that genre’s top spot. Whether the film chosen is the most representative of that genre, a film that turned the genre completely on its head, or simply a personal favorite of the phylum is up to the individual contributor. Take a look at our selections and post your love or hate messages via comments at the end of the post. Enjoy.

DANIEL
Desperate Living (1977) – Anti-Comedy: John Waters’ third major feature is a tour-de-force, the culmination of his work as a trash film king. The story, about a community of outlaws living under the tyranny of a grotesque queen (played by Edie the Egg Lady), is one gut-busting gag after another.

The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) – Rock and Roll Comedy: Frank Tashlin was able to make fiction films look like cartoons; it didn’t hurt that he made this great film with the cartoonishy proportioned Jayne Mansfield. The film also features great rock performances, including the title song by Little Richard.

Horse Feathers (1932) – Musical Comedy:

While perhaps not the greatest Marx Brothers movie, Horse Feathers has so many great things that its parts outweigh its sum. The Brothers’ best musical numbers (“I’m Against it!” and “Everyone Says I Love You”), some of their best wordplays and gags, and the Brothers doing what they do best: messing things up.

The Jazz Singer (1927) – Almost Silent-Musical: While primarily a silent film, The Jazz Singer follows/establishes the generic conventions that would later make up the musical. The star, Al Jolson, was most definitely the greatest performer of all time, and he shines in this film with every one of his songs and dances. Blue skies, smiling at me…

The Maltese Falcon (1941) – Film Noir: Not exactly a bold choice, but why should it be? This film’s got great snappy dialogue, dead-on performances, a brilliant story, and Peter Lorre.

The Punishment of Anne aka The Image (1975) – Hardcore Pornography: Class sex auteur Radley Metzger’s ode to the Marquis de Sade stands high in the pantheon of smut, and for good reason; the alluring sex scenes are matched with a tone of danger and wickedness with an eye for good composition and editing in a place that almost reaches legitimacy.

The Shining (1980) – Art Horror: This picture is scary! Master Stanley Kubrick created a breathtaking blend of art film techniques with hair-raising tone and images, a tour de force of crazy.

The Squid and the Whale (2005) – Period Coming of Age Film: I include this in small part because I wanted to include something from the last 10 years, but mostly because this is a brilliant film with more heart than anything I’ve ever seen. The writing, directing, performances, and everything else down to even the 16mm film stock make this a must see for anyone who wants to re-assess their youth and families.

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) – Sci-Fi Fantasy: What can I say about this film that recreates the hokey sci-fi serials of old in a way that defied convention and box-office expectations? Mos Eisley Cantina, lightsabers, the Force, the Kessel Run…this film’s got it all.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) – Indie Horror: This brilliant cheapie hits in all the right places while remaining subtle and restrained; no murders are depicted graphically, although we still are satisfied with women hanging on meathooks and a chainsaw wielding, mask wearing mama’s boy. An artless exercise in terror ends up creating some of the most iconic and beautiful imagery of any genre, especially Leatherface’s gorgeous chainsaw ballet of frustration at the picture’s end.

MICHAEL
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – Western

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) – Slasher

Yojimbo (1961) – Samurai:

I love Seven Samurai, but I have to take Yojimbo over the more iconic Seven, not because I believe Yojimbo is a superior film. Seven Samurai is one of those films that can stand against any other picture. It is an epic completed with such skill and dedication by all involved players that few films can ever hope to stand alongside it. My reason for choosing Yojimbo over Seven, then, is simply that Yojimbo’s title protagonist falls more in line with the ronin characterization that I tend to look for in my samurai leads, a convention that I feel is at the heart of the samurai genre. So, while I acknowldge that Seven Samurai is the superior picture, Yojimbo is the one that makes my list. And I think few people would argue against the genius of Yojimbo, even if it is not a Seven Samurai.

The Exorcist (1973) – Horror

Almost Famous (2000) – Coming of Age

Batman Begins (2005) – Superhero: This one was a tough one for me. I am big fan of the superhero genre picture, simply because I love superheroes. I read comics as a youngster, even collected the marvel comic cards. Today I still read comics, though in the much more prestigious guise of the “graphic novel.” And the superhero that stars in most of my graphic novels: Batman. He was my introduction to superheroes, with Tim Burton’s 1989 film and, along with the X-Men, drew me toward Fox’s superhero animated television with the still beloved and truly masterful Batman the Animated Series. It should come as no surprise, then, that a Batman picture should top my superhero genre list. My dilemma over which Batman film to choose is not, as many of you may assume, between the two Nolan installments, but rather between Nolan and Burton—garde versus the old. I love Buton’s Batman. His gothic approach, the subtle way he incorporated hand drawn animation, Nicholson’s iconic performance, the list goes on and on. This posting is the first time I am actually acknowledging my newly-declared devotion to Batman Begins. Like his Batman, Nolan has ignited superhero genre escalation. We can no longer go back to the way it was. We must look forward and prepare for what is to come.

Full Metal Jacket (1987) – War

Die Hard (1988) – Hard Body Action

Mean Girls (2004) – Girlie Flick

The Godfather (1972) / Goodfellas (1990) – Gangster: For the life of me, I just can’t rate one over the other within the consideration of the gangster genre. Both are brilliant films, masterpieces in their own rights. I consider The Godfather to be the greatest American film ever made (yes, bring on the commentary backlash) and Goodfellas to be the greatest film of one of the most respected and legendary filmmakers of our time. But, within the gangster genre, they are level. Goodfellas’s overt glamorization relies on a sense of contemporary hipness that distinguishes it from The Godfather’s classical homage to La Cosa Nostra. Each has its own unique style, it’s own themes and concerns. In the end the films are too different and ultimately too good for one to clearly establish a superiority over the other in terms of gangster criteria. Instead I must fuse them together as two sides of the same coin, the ultimate gangster double feature. But the question still hangs: if I were that programmer, in which order would I bill them?

STEPHEN
The Aviator (2004) – Historical Epic: It helps that this film takes place during my favorite time in history, when Hollywood icons were living large and brushing shoulders at fancy nightclubs in their swanky duds. Not only does it delve deeply into the fatal combination of power and paranoia that eventually overcame Howard Hughes (a career-boosting performance from Leonardo DiCaprio), but it also gives us glimpses of ancient legends as played by future legends (Jude Law-Errol Flynn, Cate Blanchett-Katherine Hepburn). Scorsese knows what it means to love movies and the people in them, and this is about as good a love letter to the cinema as we could hope for.

The Omen (1976) – Uh Oh, It’s Satan!

Superman: The Movie – Superhero:

Many will try to say that the superhero has been steadily getting better, evolving in depth and maturity from X-Men 2 to Spider-man 2 to The Dark Knight. But for my money, none of them have topped the granddaddy of the genre, Superman: The Movie, which was directed by Richard Donner (who also directed The Omen). It had an incredibly expensive cameo from Marlon Brando as well as a subtler and undoubtedly cheaper appearance by Glenn Ford, both favorite actors of mine. Toss in names like Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty and you’ve got one of the finest casts ever assembled for a superhero film surrounding what proved to be pitch-perfect casting in Christopher Reeve. People often say that an actor was born to play a certain role, but I think the saying has rarely fit better. Reeve does everything right as Superman, which is quite impressive when you realize that, even in the good superhero movies that followed, the actors playing the hero were never really that impressive (Michael Keaton? Christian Bale? Tobey Maguire?).

The Proposition (2005) – Neo-Western: What could be neo-er than taking a genre established in the frontier of America and tossing it into the 19th century outback of Australia? Unlike other American examples like Unforgiven or Open Range, which barely rattled the cage of the Western genre, The Proposition totally upended the whole thing, thanks to surreal scenes involving a muttering John Hurt and the howlingly marvelous Danny Huston as well as an unsettling and entirely unique score from Australian post-punk legend Nick Cave. There has never been a film like this one, and it truly saddens me that no one has seen it.

The Terminator (1984) – Sci-Fi

Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972) – Biopic

The Public Enemy (1931) – Gangster Film

The Thin Man (1934) – Whodunit

Take the Money and Run (1969) – Mockumentary

Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – Musical

Well, last night’s Alice in Wonderland marked the tenth film I’ve seen with a 2010 release date, so I have compiled the first ordering of my continuously updating Top 10 of 2010 list.

From now on, when I see a new release, it will not automatically be added to the list, but in fact will be weighed and judged and a lesser film (I’m looking at you, The Wolfman) may be booted.

A quick note on dating: Stephen and I have a disagreement on dating. I use the IMDB method, which basically dates a film by the earliest public exhibition of a film. This includes film festivals. I do so because I think that this is the industry standard, and because it is the most objective figure. Stephen prefers first American theatrical run, which more often than not is NY/LA. There are reasons to do it his way, but I don’t think they’re very good.

This has some practical results. For instance, he considers Youth in Revolt, Daybreakers, and Saint John of Las Vegas 2010 films, while I classify them as 2009. Because of that, our respective lists may include different entries.

Hi All,

We’re creeping our way into February, and it’s about time we officially declare our Top 10 selections of the year. If you’re interested in checking out what made the grade, drag that cursor on over to the Lists section and check out the Top 10 of 2009 lists from each of our contributors. Did Avatar’s cutting-edge 3D CGI buy its way into a top spot? Did Tarantino’s Basterds scalp their way to numero uno? Did we even acknowledge The Blind Side? (No, no we didn’t.) All this and more at Lists!

enjoy,

AustinCinephile

I have been thinking about writing a blog post on the cinema year in review. I’d take about the general trends that the year brought, the highs, lows, surprises and upsets of the year. That kind of thing.

As part of that project, I have been thinking about consistent themes of the year. My first idea, and perhaps the most fruitful, is that this year had an inordinate amount of films about characters plagued by the past. Here is the list of films I can think of. Let me know if I missed any, or if you think some don’t belong on this list.

(500) Days of Summer
Antichrist
Away We Go
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
A Christmas Carol
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Funny People
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
Halloween II
The Haunting in Connecticut
Julie & Julia
The Lovely Bones
Moon
My Bloody Valentine 3-D
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Survival of the Dead
Up
Watchmen

Why this trend might be is a mystery to me.

No, this didn't play at BNAT, but...

Just got back from Butt-Numb-A-Thon. It’s 2:11 pm and I am exhausted. Later tonight or tomorrow I will post my full report, but for now I have created a little teaser list with the titles.

Every year, the night before BNAT Harry posts a list of hint titles to get people excited, what he calls the fake list. I thought I would do something different, and, having already seen the films, I would post titles that the films either reminded me of or were influenced/influences of. So, in order of their exhibition:

1. Faust – The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
2. The Lovely Bones – What Dreams May Come
3. Girl Crazy – Funny Face
4. The Red Shoes – Trilby
5. Shutter Island – The Pawnbroker
6. Le Magnifique – Play It Again, Sam
7. Micmacs – Street Trash
8. Frozen – Fargo
9. Centipede Horror – Slither
10. Candy Snatchers – Kidnapped Coed
11. Kick-Ass – The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys
12. Avatar – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith