Another year down, and boy was it a doozy. In my short time where I consider myself as a film hobbyist, I don't think I've experienced a winter film season with so many films that have so much hype. The surprising thing about this year is that most of these films are American, too. Sure, most American films are overproduced, noisy, and dumb, but this was a good year for the good 'ole USA. This may come from the fact that many American treasures and established creators released films this year, including Scorsese, the Coen Brothers, Woody Allen, David O. Russell, Alexander Payne, Paul Greengrass, and Spike Jonze. This has kind of overshadowed new talent, and I haven't seen a lot of the lesser known artists' work, I think, because of this. I may add that I'm an amateur not getting paid to see movies, so there's only so many movies I can watch. I did miss out on her, Nebraska, Short Term 12, The Great Beauty, and Dallas Buyer's Club, just to name a few of the films that I really, really wanted to see before I wrote this, but it would be lame to post a "Best of" list in March. (I began writing this in January, and it's almost March!)
First off, honorable mentions for the Robert Redford driven film All is Lost, which is about a man lost at sea by himself, and it proved to be the most tense movie of the year. The World's End, the latest collaboration between Edger Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost, which was unsurprisingly hilarious along with creating their greatest character, Gary King. Upstream Color is a psychedelic sci-fi romance made for people who love 2001 and Terrence Malick movies. It should also be noted that Shane Carruth starred, directed, produced, edited, composed, designed, and cast the film. It was truly his film, and he should be applauded.
The List
10.) The Act of Killing- The Act of Killing is a rough, brutal way to start a movie list, but then again, my movie taste is usually confrontational. Confrontational is a good word to describe this documentary, which follows a group of Indonesian gangster recreating, on film, their massive killing spree during the anti-Communist purge of '65-'66. Anwar, the film's main character, is reported to have killed almost 1,000 men, usually by strangling them wire. The film starts off with punch by having one Anwar's friends casting local kids to recreate them crying as he kills their parents. The most harrowing part of the film is that these thugs and their party are still in power. They are legendary, and yet they know how false their image is.
-Favorite Scene- A man whose father was actually killed during the killings suggest to Anwar and his friends that they film his side of the story, too. They shut down the idea because they know that it would make the communist look sympathetic and themselves as monsters. This grown-up orphan proves to be the best actor during the recreations, not surprisingly.
9.) American Hustle- This film features the best acting by bad hair. When I saw the trailer for this, I was so confused as to why they all had awful hair-dos. I knew the movie took place in the '70's, but it looked like the 70's puked on this film, until they revealed the movie took place in New Jersey. Oh, that explains it. Anyway, American Hustle proves again that David O. Russell knows how to direct ensemble films, and it features the some of best acting of the year. Amy Adams and Christian Bale's chemistry and relationship holds the film in place and prove that they are some of the best working in the biz, while Jennifer Lawrence proves that she is her greatest in a dramedic (drama-comedy) role, playing Bale's cartoony, manipulative wife. This is a film about con-artists, and no one is really honorable, besides Jeremy Renner's character. Still, you end up rooting for many of the characters in hope that they find their happy ending. Some people have complained that the film wasn't informative enough, but do viewers really expect this to be a document about the FBI Abscam operation while starring Bradley Cooper? Hell, the film started off with the disclaimer, "Some of this actually happened." For a movie about phonies and liars, it started off being more honest than most films.
-Favorite Scene- The bathroom scene! If you've seen it, this was your favorite scene, too, I'm sure. Sydney (Adams) confronts Rosalyn (Lawrence) about her ebarassing behavior in front of some mobsters, and Rosalyn confronts Sydney about her affair with her husband, and the emotions are explosive.
8.) War Witch- War Witch is a magical realistic film about 12-year old Komona (played by first time actress Rachel Mwanza) who is made to kill her parent and join rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Komona's ability to see ghosts gives the rebels an upper hand against the government, so she becomes a prized possession to the rebel general. A love affair with an albino rebel causes the two to try to flee and create a better life for themselves, but they learn that it is easier said than done. War Witch proved to be one of the most beautiful films because of cinematographer Nicholas Bolduc, yet the film is so devastating. The things that Komona has to go through, and we all know that this situation isn't too farfetched, is just awful. Still, the movie is pretty subtle. The story is harsh without being overbearing and sympathetic without being sappy. Through it all, the film does present a light at the end of the dusty tunnel.
-Favorite Scene- It's hard to say favorite with a movie like this, but the second to the last scene, where Komana gets to the end point of her journey and achieves her goal. Sorry, I don't want to give too much away, but it is just moving.
7.) Frances Ha- The film's title character, Frances, is a 27 year-old modern dancer following her dream, except that she's not really good at it. Besides not getting anywhere with her dance company, her best friend and "soul mate," Sophie, tells her that she's moving out to live with her new boyfriend, who Frances doesn't really care for. Now one her own and looking for a solid place to live, Frances makes one bad mistake after another without the guidance of her BFF. Frances is truly made for late-twenties viewer who questions their life as their choices create more and more concrete paths, and the film at times can be terrifying. Still, the energy of the film rarely becomes heavy and the humor is shameless and sometime raunchy. Plus, Greta Gerwig, as the film's star and co-writer, is so perfect at being ditsy (and kind of dumb) yet lovable. I see Frances Ha becoming a cult favorite for the confused and misplaced.
-Favorite Scene- Frances calls Sophie while on spur-of-the-moment visit to Paris, and the two try to patch up after a falling out while keeping arm's length from each other because of their less than satisfying lives. The two friends have so much that they want to say to each other, but are too scared to go first.
6.) The Gatekeepers- I feel like I have a little bit of a theme here with The Act of Killing, War Witch, and The Gatekeepers, but it wasn't on purpose. The Gatekeepers is a documentary that features interviews with six former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service. Not only is the Shin Bet pretty secretive, but to get these six to talk so candidly seems unprecedented, even from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't know all that much about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The film goes through "highlights" and major events involving the Shin Bet. The Gatekeepers will go down as essential viewing for anyone who wants to learn more about conflict in the Middle East. What I found fascinating is that these six men, who have obviously different world views, tactics, and personalities, all pretty much say the same thing: that they're trapped in cycle of violence caused by extremists and ideology.
-Favorite Scene- When discussing the Bus 300 affair of 1984, the filmmakers recreated the conflict through first hand photographs and computer imagery creating a still image that allowed movement for the camera and blended the photos together. You have to see it, because my explanation kind of sucks.
5.) 12 Years a Slave- Critic Andrew Shuster called 12 Years a Slave the "feel bad movie of the year," and I have to agree with him. It walks hand-in-hand with The Act of Killing for depicting inhuman history. This is not surprising since it's a slave story coming from Steve McQueen, a director whose previous work showcases human misery. Some may even go as far to call it a horror film, and I would have to agree with them. That's what slavery was: horrific, and the creators don't pull back.
Solomon Northup is an interesting hero in the sense that he doesn't really do anything too heroic, which makes it such a curious film. Because there is not grand deliverance, it can make story kind of painful, because there seems to be no hope. Chiwetel Ejiofor conveys that hopelessness so well, and you can see it slowly drain on him. It's a look of injustice. On the other hand, there's Michael Fassbender as his Solomon's master, who shows rage, anger, and hate so well, but then again, Michael Fassbender gets everything right in everything he does. These characters are surrounded by a vivid, magnificent picture thanks to Steve McQueen and cinematographer Sean Bobbitt. It is artful, merciless, and a much needed reminder of the sins of the past, because they're still felt here in the present.
-Favorite Scene- Again, "favorite" is a bad word to use, but the most memorable is when Solomon is left dangling from a rope around his neck for half a day. I'm sure a lot people think that the whipping scene is the most dramatic, but watching Northup struggle for dear life was almost unwatchable. It's even more striking when the other slaves on the farm start going about doing their chores, and children are playing in the background while Northup tiptoes on the ground just to get a little release from the pressure.
4.) Gravity- I hate when movies try to recreate the experience of roller coasters and video
games. Gravity does that a lot, but it was great, and there are so many reasons why a film like this didn't drive me crazy. One, the imagery was amazing. Setting a story above the Earth creates a mise-en-scène that you can't get wrong. Two, the peril was real, scary, and stressful. Every time debris started circling around back to Sandra Bullock's character, Ryan Stone, I'm sure that I held my breath until all of the chaos stopped. Three, the story is pretty good. I know a lot of people think that it's just a lot of stuff exploding in space, but there is much to write on in regards to the story. Sure, it is minimalistic, but there is a lot of information packed in the tight 90 minute film. For those who don't think there is a storyline, I challenge you! Four, the camera work is insane. I'm a fan of the long shots, and director Alfonso Cuarón loves the long shots. They create such a tension that is hard to replicate. Five, the acting is really good. It's interesting that this film came out the same year as All is Lost, since both are driven by mainly one character stuck in a perilous situation. Gravity is all about Dr. Stone, and this is the best acting done by Bullock I've seen (honestly, though, just about any actress could have played the part as long as they got over the grueling physical nature of the role, but kudos to her.) Finally, I love a film that causes the audience to shut the hell up. When the loud musical intro started and then quickly cut to a silent picture of Earth, no one in the audience spoke for the rest of the movie. That's a job well done in my book.
-Favorite Scene- The first scene is the best part, because it is the most startling. It took me a couple minutes to get use to the character floating in space, and just when my nerves were settled, satellite debris was destroying everything, including the shuttle Dr. Stone was attached to, spinning her around and around, and I almost puked.
3.) Inside Llewyn Davis- If anyone was hoping Inside Llewyn Davis was going to be another O' Brother, Where Art Thou? because it was another collaboration between the Coen Brothers and T Bone Bennett, well, I'm sure they were disappointed. Inside Llewyn Davis is a gloomy affair, which is noticeable right away by the photography's muted, also colorless presentation. The story, too, is rather melancholy. It's about a struggling folk singer in New York before Bob Dylan made folk popular. Llewyn can never catch a break in the film, and it seems like the universe is out to get him. At least, it seems that way at first. As the film goes on, you learn that Llewyn is kind of a dick. I couldn't help but feel that he deserves some of his punishment. Still, for as cold and unlikable Llewyn is, you really understand the person he is when he is performing. His music is the only likeable thing about him, and the character is perfectly played by Oscar Isaacs. I think it may be my favorite performance of the year, and I can't think of anyone else who could have captured the character. The film is an Internet catch, too, because it features a cat for most of the film, and features the usual Coen Brothers weirdness (the scenes with John Goodman as a rude, Voodoo-practicing junky is just bizarre.)
-Favorite Scene- Llewyn travels to Chicago just to talk to a producer, which cases an impromptu audition. Llewyn sings "The Death of Queen Jane," and the performance is probably the most heartfelt in the whole movie. When Llewyn finishes the song, you can see Llewyn hold his breath, waiting for the producer's words, which may change Llewyn's life forever.
Before I talk about my next film, let me say one thing about this list. The previous films didn't really have a set order. They were just films that I think people should see, but I don't really think that Frances Ha is better than The Act of Killing. The order is really just arbitrary and depended on my mood. The order has changed so many times. Even the honorable mentions have been in my top ten at one time or another. Still, this top two is concrete and will not move. They have stayed with me since I've seen them. I've revisited them many times in my head, and plan on revisiting them physically many times in the future.
2.) Before Midnight- Now, Before Midnight is the third film in the "Before" series by director Richard Linkletter and starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. It's been 18 years since the first film, which featured American Jesse (Hawke) and French Céline (Delpy) as two strangers who spend the night together wondering the streets of Vienna. After a sequel that brought them back together, we see Jesse and Céline in Greece on a six week family vacation. The film contains the usual yet great features that the other films contain: the two walking around a European town talking about relationships, love, and the future. It would seem that it wouldn't be that interesting the third time around, but the characters are older, more experienced, and still have more questions than answers about the ultimate questions of life. Linkletter, Hawke, and Delpy know these characters through and through, and everything seems real and honest. The two leads are almost non-acting; I can't tell that this is a performance for others to see. While I'm usually one who want good things to die before they become stale, I kind of hope that we meet up again with Jesse and Céline in another nine years.
-Favorite Scene- The twenty minute fight scene in the hotel is pretty intense and kind of depressing. The courting is done with, the honeymoon is over, and love hasn't defeated all the fears Jesse and Céline had about marriage. They know each other better than before, and they know how to make each other pissed to prove a point. We haven't seen these characters act like this before, which is pretty great for a third film in a series. Plus, the scene perfectly captures an argument between two lovers: badly chosen words start off a spark which quickly becomes a raging fire, accusations about the past get thrown around, and bickering about time management spring up (which always happens in verbal fights for some reason.) As much as it was hard to watch at times, it was inevitable, and you could see its possibilities from the very beginning.
1.) Stories We Tell- My favorite film of the year is a documentary from director/actress Sarah Polley, who explores the life of her mother, who died when Polley was only 11. She interviews her siblings, extended family members, and family friends about her mother, who comes off as vibrant, energeetic, and caring. The film could have ended there and have been one daughter's journey into learning about a mother that she never knew, but through exploring, Polley learns that her mother actually had an affair, and that her father, Michael, isn't her biological father. The film becomes a mystery that contains a couple of surprises. What's really surprising is that the film becomes a meta exploration into the nature of storytelling and documentaries. Is objective viewpoints possible? Are there honest-to-God truths, falsehoods, or a combination of both when it comes to recollecting the past? I kept on asking myself days after seeing the film, "what was real?" It has changed the way I've viewed documentaries since. Still, the film isn't too heady or heavy. It is a really sweet, tender film about a loving family, and it made me laugh one minute and cry the next.
-Favorite Scene- I love the scenes where Polley's paternal father, Michael, reads Sarah's personal writings about her mother, her fathers, and the events that make up the film. All the while, Sarah is in the recording booth, making sure that Michael gets the recording just right. You get the sense that the news that Michael isn't Sarah's biological father hasn't weakened their bond, but has made it stronger. Still, there is also a sense of performance coming from these scenes, as both Sarah and Michael are skilled actors, and I can't help but wonder how much of this was staged.
