About This Challenge
In November 2003 I set myself a goal to see all top films from the most reputable lists available - both from critics and award winners. I originally included
the
American
and
British
Film Institutes top 100, the popular
IMDB
Top 250, past winners from the
Cannes
Film Festival and
Acadamy
Awards, plus the top 100 films ranked by
MetaCritic.
Since then I have added in numerous other lists included the mammoth
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list
from Steven Jay Schneider's book.
In total, I have
534 films left to see and have seen
1070
films.
Last Twenty Films Seen
July 10
Inception (2010) - The first major feature film from Christopher Nolan in which he has both written and directed has landed at #3 in the IMDb Top 250 in the first two weeks of release - echoing his prior success with The Dark Knight. An incredible feat regardless of whether it is deserved. I loved the cast, the unconventional plot which was challenging without being too difficult to follow, and of course the mind-melting effects. But this gravity defying film carries no weight. At some point Nolan made the choice to sacrifice the kind of character depth that made Memento a success, in favour of a convoluted plot, all too cliche action sequences, and a cheap-trick finale.
Recommended
Män som hatar kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) (2009) - The first of the trilogy based on Stieg Larsson’s best selling books is another in a string of great foreign thrillers to come along in the past few years. While I’m never going to be able to identify with a character like Lisbeth and the feminist subtext of the film, I can still appreciate a damn good thriller, even the ones with flaws. I really hope the David Fincher helmed US remake will stick a bit closer to the book in regard to Lisbeth’s motivations in the case, but otherwise I’m all in favour of a revisit of these characters.
Recommended
Mammoth (2009) - Lukas Moodysson (Lilja 4-ever) offers up another thought provoking piece of cinema - this time with some heavyweight star support from Gael García Bernal and Michelle Williams (unfortunately not the best performances of either careers). The themes of this films stuck with me for days after viewing and I was quite affected by the way it attacks globalization and capitalism in such a legitimate way. The fatalistic exploration of the direction we are all heading is disturbing - we are out of balance and the only solution is to hold the course? Or maybe I am giving this film too much credit - whatever the case, it is a beautifully directed guilt-trip.
Average
Twilight (2008) - So this overwrought teen drama that I never thought I would be able to stomach turned out to be completely watchable. But also juvenile garbage. Just how the mass market likes it.
Average
Ong Bak 2 (2008) - Tony Jaa delivers another round of stunningly choreographed fight scenes. As expected the story isn’t up to much and most of the characters are so badly under developed that following the general thread can be difficult at times. But when it’s good it’s really good - even if it doesn’t know whether to take itself seriously or fall into parody.
Average
Toy Story 3D (2010) - The most accomplished Pixar film yet. I went in with the highest of expectations and these were met on every front. To succeed, it had to be more - and how it did this is with honest emotions and values - not sight gags and gimmicks. Much like the first two in the trilogy, the story takes you on a journey with not even a hint of the destination. There were noticeably less laughs in the cinema that then other two (which I also revisited this year in 3D) but it didn't need them. It's proof you can still do intelligent and original filmmaking that appeals to the widest audience. So good was this film that I wonder if Pixar possibly have another film this good in them?
Essential
Away We Go (2009) - Well this is certainly the end of my interest in Maggie Gyllenhaal. But that's hardly much of a review. There's of lot of great ideas explored here by director Sam Mendes - at its simplest this is a mid-30s couple trying to find their place, both literally and figuratively. What's great is that the attempt is an honest and bittersweet look at becoming an adult and the concept of starting a family. Where it lacks is that the the two leads are so emotionally numb that the result is both uninteresting and soulless.
Average June 10
Shutter Island (2010) - Two U.S. marshals are mysteriously summoned to a remote island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate a disappearance at a hospital for the criminally insane. Great synopsis. This is Scorcese recreating the true feel of the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema with a stunning noir narrative style and . Total class, so vivid, so deliberate and a level of tension under tight control at the hands of a master. This is not just the best of the Scorsese/DiCaprio quadrilogy - it’s one of the best thrillers in years.
Essential
The Hit (1984) - There’s not a lot of plot to get in the way of what is not just one of the best road movies I’ve seen, but also one of the best British gangster flicks. It’s ultra cool crime drama with a trip across Spain, hitmen tracking down a supergrass, a kidnapping, and occasional brutality. Great performances - Tim Roth in his first feature film is a real standout - Terence Stamp and John Hurt are also strong. A sparse soundtrack from Eric Clapton and Roger Waters adds to the tone. It wasn’t a hit for director Stephen Frears upon release, but its one of those rare films from the eighties that gets better with age.
Recommended
The McVeigh Tapes: Confessions of an American Terrorist (2010) - Nine years after his execution for the Oklahoma City bombing, this MSNBC investigative feature draws from 45 hours of audio tapes of McVeigh himself to give an account of his life and the events leading up to the mass murder. There has likely never been a better examination of the mind of a terrorist than is presented here - McVeigh is unsympathetic and completely candid about his motives. There is (thankfully) not a lot of liberal slant to the telling of the events and the focus is largely on McVeigh and the socio-political conditions that influcenced him.
Recommended
Micmacs (2009) - A long awaited new film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet - described by the man himself as Delicatessen meets Amélie. While Jeunet’s films are always visually ‘busy’ this latest effort has the most packed into it - combined with a tangled vigilante plot which seems needlessly elaborate. It will take a repeat viewing to fully comprehend but as expected the attention to detail alone makes this recommended viewing.
Recommended
Kick-Ass (2010) - I’m really not in the target audience for this latest graphic novel adapted super-hero franchise. It’s a fun concept - an average teen/geek donning a costume and fighting crime - but doesn’t rise much above other offerings in this genre. It’s well choreographed entertainment, but the satire never reaches its potential, at which point things just descend into a generic shooting match.
Average May 10
Avaze gonjeshk-ha (The Song of Sparrows) (2008) - A man is faced with new challenges after losing his job on an ostrich farm and must venture out from his rural village to Tehran in order to make a living and restore harmony to his family life. This is outstanding World Cinema from Iranian director Majid Majidi. Told with humour and heart, we struggle along with a man who will never get a break in life - loses his sense of direction - but finds redemption through the people close to him. A beautifully shot film that will give you an unexpected insight into the values and community of modern Iran and the coexistence of urban and rural life.
Essential
Iron Man 2 (2010) - A largely forgettable sequel that takes everything fun and intelligent about the first film and replaces it with an absurd plot, irrelevant and confusing character distractions and redundant action sequences (sounds like a replay of my thoughts on Transformers 2). Mickey Rourke’s fitting performance makes the best of it, and there is much entertainment, but when the credits roll it’s just another wasted opportunity.
Average
Boy (2010) - It’s no surprise to me that a waggish tale of a young boy growing up in the 80s has become the highest grossing local film ever. It’s a coming-of-age dramedy with sense of humour that succeeds in becoming more homage than cultural cringe. The real standout is the re-imagined nostalgia from director Taika Cohen’s own childhood - it easily makes up for weaknesses in the story and some of the acting performances.
Recommended
Chop Shop (2007) - This is the age of American neorealism in cinema and Chop Shop was part of this revival. We follow an ambitious and streetwise Latino orphan as he works and lives in an auto-body shop on the outskirts of Queens, New York. It’s a gritty social portrait that feels so real you almost expect the actors to start talking to the camera. Roger Ebert rated it the sixth best film of the decade - an honour that is more than earned. Director Ramin Bahrani followed this up with the also brilliant Goodbye Solo in 2008.
Essential
Bikur Ha-Tizmoret (The Band’s Visit) (2007) - A great premise - an Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center and find themselves lost in the wrong town. It’s a low-key cross-cultural relations film with beautiful depth and none of the cliches that can plague a story of this nature.
Recommended
Charlie & Boots (2009) - Quite adequately described as a great Aussie road movie with Crocodile Dundee and ‘that guy who played Kenny’ (Shane Jacobson). I think the older generation will get a kick out of this - it has its moments - and then there are other times when it feel like it was sponsored by the Australian Tourism Board.
Average
Cocaine Cowboys (2006) - While not having the sharpest production values, this documentary exploring the drug trade in Miami during the 80s is astounding in the depth of insight uncovered. The audacity of these real life drug barons and the social and economic impact on Florida are exposed through colourful interviews with the people involved recalling just how crazy things got.
Recommended April 10
Fish Tank (2009) - Director Andrea Arnold follows up the equally bleak Red Road with another grimly realistic portrait of life in housing-estate Essex. In this Loach-esque coming-of-age tale we follow a young girl as she tries to find a path through her socially dysfunctional family environment and pressures of finding a meaningful existence. A great film of the times and did well to claim the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film in recognition.
Essential