In the spirit of end-of-the-year wrap-up/best of lists… my favorites, disappointments and the sheer disasters for this year. I’ll start with the best and work my way downhill from there…
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. All grousing from critics, friends and general nuisances aside, hands down my pick for Best Picture of the year. Not simply because it’s a great film which, despite all the nitpicking, I think it is. But because it’s a great epic. The three films together ARE the Lord of the Rings and this film, bringing the trilogy to a close in grand fashion, deserves the award if for no other reason than because of this accomplishment. No one expected these books to ever be realized on film as well as they were here (Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings anyone?). So it’s my Best Picture pick.
Performance-wise, Ian McKellen stole the movie for me every time he spoke. He brings all the power and dread of Gandalf onto the screen. And Pippin’s song as Faramir charges off to prove himself (once again) was one of the best moments in any movie this year.
Pirates of the Caribbean. I mocked this movie INCESSANTLY when I first heard about it (a movie based on a Disneyland ride?!? COME ON!) And yet it turned out to be, by far, the most fun I had at the movies this year. The lion’s share of the credit here goes to Johnny Depp’s inspired Captain Jack Sparrow (and you gotta love the fact that the same Disney execs wringing their hands in concern over Depp’s characterization during the filming are the same ones that had to call him up later on and thank him for the great job.) But Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightley obviously had a great time as well. (And Keira Knightley is my favorite new actress this year between Pirates, Bend it like Beckham and Love Actually.)
Big Fish. Just saw this one over the weekend and can’t say enough good things about it. Five minutes into the film and I knew I was in trouble. Dad’s dying of cancer and his son’s going home to reconcile the past (and no, I don’t think I’m giving anything away there—like I said, this was 5 minutes into the film). Turns out it’s one of the few films that can make me weep without feeling like I was manipulated into it and one of the VERY few “dying of insert-terminal-disease-here” films I’ve ever been able to watch and not immediately hate. Perhaps it’s because it’s a Tim Burton film and, while I’ve heard it said that this is his most straightforward film, it’s still got that Tim Burton sensibility. I can’t think of a better director to tackle this Big Fish story.
Albert Finney is fabulous as the father who knows how he's supposed to die (the old witch showed him, you know) and isn't putting up with any thoughts to the contrary.
Love Actually. Written & directed by the guy that wrote Four Weddings & A Funeral, Notting Hill & Bridget Jones Diary, this one’s smart, witty, funny and one of the best holiday movies I’ve seen. It proves that the romantic comedy isn’t necessarily dead… it’s just in need of better writers. The best thing about this film is that it doesn’t condescend to its audience by wrapping everything up in a bright pink “happily ever after” bow. Not everyone ends up “coupled-up” at the end, some of the stories are frankly bittersweet and there’s more than a touch of sadness throughout. But there’s more laughter and joy and, while it may not always be romantic love, each of the stories DOES end up being about Love. Actually.
As for performances, Emma Thompson’s quiet breakdown at Christmas was a stunning piece of work (which she quite modestly played down in a recent interview I saw). Watch her to see what real acting is all about.
Whale Rider. One of the smaller success story films of the year, this is another of the “beautiful/moving” variety. Young girl tries hard to be what her grandfather needs, but what he needs is for her to be her brother, who died at childbirth, and who was “destined” to be the leader for their people. What’s great about this movie is that it’s not simple… Pai (the young girl) is, as her grandfather puts it, “of no use” to him, but this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love her. It’s quite obvious, in fact, that he does love her, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s not the boy he thinks he needs. Proving him wrong, and coming into her own, is what the movie is all about.
Pai’s speech for her grandfather toward the end of the film is another wrenchingly moving scene, made all the more powerful by the fact that it’s a twelve-year-old girl (in her first movie role) giving this amazing performance. If Emma shows you what real acting is all about, Keisha Castle-Hughes shows you that age isn’t the prerequisite for understanding that.
Finding Nemo. I went to this one simply because it was a Pixar film and they’ve yet to disappoint me. But I didn’t have a “hook” that drew me into this one (no pun intended). So I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it as much as I did. No argument that it’s a beautiful film—colorful and vibrant and a true spectacle of digital animation. But it has a great story as well… one that you can get caught up in and let wash over you and come out on the other end happy to have gone along for the ride (puns intended this time). Ellen DeGeneres’ ADD afflicted Dory was a priceless piece of comedy, and one that manages to pay off with some truly heartfelt emotion at the end.
Not quite in the same category as the previous films, these other films were well worth checking out this year.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. This one, I think, suffered from the nature of its own story. Ship to ship warfare isn’t a speedy proposition, especially in the film’s time period. So there were long sections of the film where the action “goes away”, which should be a wonderful opportunity for some character work. And there was a lot of that. Unfortunately, with the huge cast of characters, many of whom take an awfully long time to differentiate themselves, sometimes these moments dragged or seemed to serve little narrative purpose. The pace of the movie, as with the pace of the battles, became a series of short, aggressive bursts, followed by long lulls that, if you couldn’t wrap yourself up in, tended to seem a bit… long. A fine film, well acted… just not quite there for me.
The Last Samurai. I’ve never been a huge Tom Cruise fan (though in recent years I’ve come to like him more), so this one was kind of tough going in. The story sounded interesting and it looked good in the trailers. But there was a vague feeling of uncertainty… an “it could be good or it could really suck ” kind of feeling. I’m happy to report that it definitely doesn’t suck. Great battle scenes, some wonderful direction/storytelling moments (Cruise’s first fight after he learns the way of the samurai is one of the best moments in the film) and, unlike Master and Commander, I never felt the smaller scenes slow the pace of the film. Cruise is very good, although he’s completely overshadowed by his costar, Ken Watanabe, the leader of the rebellious samurai.
Kill Bill, pt. 1. I keep describing this one as a "cotton candy" film… it's real tasty going down, but 5 minutes later you can’t remember anything about it. As with any Quentin Tarantino film, it’s stylish and visually exciting and has a fabulous soundtrack. There are good performances all around, but Uma steals the show—as she should, being the lead character and all. The “problem” with it (and it’s only a problem if you think films should be about something) is that the story is SO simple that, once you walk out of the theatre and the visuals fade and the soundtrack stops running through your head, you’re hard pressed to remember anything about the film. A fun time at the movies. Just don’t expect it to move you.
Faves
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. All grousing from critics, friends and general nuisances aside, hands down my pick for Best Picture of the year. Not simply because it’s a great film which, despite all the nitpicking, I think it is. But because it’s a great epic. The three films together ARE the Lord of the Rings and this film, bringing the trilogy to a close in grand fashion, deserves the award if for no other reason than because of this accomplishment. No one expected these books to ever be realized on film as well as they were here (Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings anyone?). So it’s my Best Picture pick.
Performance-wise, Ian McKellen stole the movie for me every time he spoke. He brings all the power and dread of Gandalf onto the screen. And Pippin’s song as Faramir charges off to prove himself (once again) was one of the best moments in any movie this year.
Pirates of the Caribbean. I mocked this movie INCESSANTLY when I first heard about it (a movie based on a Disneyland ride?!? COME ON!) And yet it turned out to be, by far, the most fun I had at the movies this year. The lion’s share of the credit here goes to Johnny Depp’s inspired Captain Jack Sparrow (and you gotta love the fact that the same Disney execs wringing their hands in concern over Depp’s characterization during the filming are the same ones that had to call him up later on and thank him for the great job.) But Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightley obviously had a great time as well. (And Keira Knightley is my favorite new actress this year between Pirates, Bend it like Beckham and Love Actually.)
Big Fish. Just saw this one over the weekend and can’t say enough good things about it. Five minutes into the film and I knew I was in trouble. Dad’s dying of cancer and his son’s going home to reconcile the past (and no, I don’t think I’m giving anything away there—like I said, this was 5 minutes into the film). Turns out it’s one of the few films that can make me weep without feeling like I was manipulated into it and one of the VERY few “dying of insert-terminal-disease-here” films I’ve ever been able to watch and not immediately hate. Perhaps it’s because it’s a Tim Burton film and, while I’ve heard it said that this is his most straightforward film, it’s still got that Tim Burton sensibility. I can’t think of a better director to tackle this Big Fish story.
Albert Finney is fabulous as the father who knows how he's supposed to die (the old witch showed him, you know) and isn't putting up with any thoughts to the contrary.
Love Actually. Written & directed by the guy that wrote Four Weddings & A Funeral, Notting Hill & Bridget Jones Diary, this one’s smart, witty, funny and one of the best holiday movies I’ve seen. It proves that the romantic comedy isn’t necessarily dead… it’s just in need of better writers. The best thing about this film is that it doesn’t condescend to its audience by wrapping everything up in a bright pink “happily ever after” bow. Not everyone ends up “coupled-up” at the end, some of the stories are frankly bittersweet and there’s more than a touch of sadness throughout. But there’s more laughter and joy and, while it may not always be romantic love, each of the stories DOES end up being about Love. Actually.
As for performances, Emma Thompson’s quiet breakdown at Christmas was a stunning piece of work (which she quite modestly played down in a recent interview I saw). Watch her to see what real acting is all about.
Whale Rider. One of the smaller success story films of the year, this is another of the “beautiful/moving” variety. Young girl tries hard to be what her grandfather needs, but what he needs is for her to be her brother, who died at childbirth, and who was “destined” to be the leader for their people. What’s great about this movie is that it’s not simple… Pai (the young girl) is, as her grandfather puts it, “of no use” to him, but this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love her. It’s quite obvious, in fact, that he does love her, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s not the boy he thinks he needs. Proving him wrong, and coming into her own, is what the movie is all about.
Pai’s speech for her grandfather toward the end of the film is another wrenchingly moving scene, made all the more powerful by the fact that it’s a twelve-year-old girl (in her first movie role) giving this amazing performance. If Emma shows you what real acting is all about, Keisha Castle-Hughes shows you that age isn’t the prerequisite for understanding that.
Finding Nemo. I went to this one simply because it was a Pixar film and they’ve yet to disappoint me. But I didn’t have a “hook” that drew me into this one (no pun intended). So I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it as much as I did. No argument that it’s a beautiful film—colorful and vibrant and a true spectacle of digital animation. But it has a great story as well… one that you can get caught up in and let wash over you and come out on the other end happy to have gone along for the ride (puns intended this time). Ellen DeGeneres’ ADD afflicted Dory was a priceless piece of comedy, and one that manages to pay off with some truly heartfelt emotion at the end.
The Also-rans
Not quite in the same category as the previous films, these other films were well worth checking out this year.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. This one, I think, suffered from the nature of its own story. Ship to ship warfare isn’t a speedy proposition, especially in the film’s time period. So there were long sections of the film where the action “goes away”, which should be a wonderful opportunity for some character work. And there was a lot of that. Unfortunately, with the huge cast of characters, many of whom take an awfully long time to differentiate themselves, sometimes these moments dragged or seemed to serve little narrative purpose. The pace of the movie, as with the pace of the battles, became a series of short, aggressive bursts, followed by long lulls that, if you couldn’t wrap yourself up in, tended to seem a bit… long. A fine film, well acted… just not quite there for me.
The Last Samurai. I’ve never been a huge Tom Cruise fan (though in recent years I’ve come to like him more), so this one was kind of tough going in. The story sounded interesting and it looked good in the trailers. But there was a vague feeling of uncertainty… an “it could be good or it could really suck ” kind of feeling. I’m happy to report that it definitely doesn’t suck. Great battle scenes, some wonderful direction/storytelling moments (Cruise’s first fight after he learns the way of the samurai is one of the best moments in the film) and, unlike Master and Commander, I never felt the smaller scenes slow the pace of the film. Cruise is very good, although he’s completely overshadowed by his costar, Ken Watanabe, the leader of the rebellious samurai.
Kill Bill, pt. 1. I keep describing this one as a "cotton candy" film… it's real tasty going down, but 5 minutes later you can’t remember anything about it. As with any Quentin Tarantino film, it’s stylish and visually exciting and has a fabulous soundtrack. There are good performances all around, but Uma steals the show—as she should, being the lead character and all. The “problem” with it (and it’s only a problem if you think films should be about something) is that the story is SO simple that, once you walk out of the theatre and the visuals fade and the soundtrack stops running through your head, you’re hard pressed to remember anything about the film. A fun time at the movies. Just don’t expect it to move you.
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