I didn’t go home during the break this year so I guess I missed out on seeing a lot of great films, since it’s usually a chance to catch up on the year’s films that have been released to the airlines and the prestige films that hit the theaters during the holiday season. Anyway, here’s my list:
1. Inglourious Basterds: controversial, but a fascinating and well-made film that was great to look at despite the comic book-like violence
2. Gomorrah!: revisionist mafia film from the motherland
3. Avatar: it was an amazing visual experience
4. District 9: impressive sci-fi allegory with pretty cool special effects
5. The Cove: heart breaking injustice presented in an informative and entertaining manner
6. Zombieland: entertaining popcorn film
7. Adventureland: great soundtrack of a story set during my own youth
8. The Hangover: the most laughs I’ve had watching a movie this year
9. The Informant!: Steven Soderberg's latest is carried by Matt Damon's performance
10. Drag Me To Hell: the Raminis are back
I suspect the following films that I didn’t see might have made the list: The Hurt Locker, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Revanche, The Damn United, An Education, In The Loop.
This year was really about delving into the long and impressive Japanese film history. I watched obscure Akira Kurosawa films (and now only have a handful left to see), discovered Ozu, sought out obscure Nagisa Oshima films, enjoyed Shohei Imamura in his prime, and filled in the gaps of Takeshi Kitano films that I had missed.
I discovered a couple of American film classics as well, King
Rat based on James Clavell’s first novel and
finally saw True Grit, which was
more faithful to the novel than I would have expected (however I am still eagerly
anticipating the Coen brothers remake that is in production).
Our book club is reading "True Grit" this month as per your suggestion. When we meet, we're going to watch the movie. I look forward to that.
Posted by: Eric | January 13, 2010 at 09:49 AM
Glad you discovered Ozu. I personally think he is superior to Kurosawa.
Posted by: AKB | January 13, 2010 at 01:31 PM
I think True Grit, the novel, is something that I could read every year and might make a habit of doing so.
As much as I admire Ozu, I find his world view somewhat stifling. Furthermore, I think Kurosawa is one of the great moralists of the 20th century as well as a first rate innovator and entertainer.
Posted by: MC | January 14, 2010 at 12:32 AM
I think Ozu captures the nuances of Japanese culture in a more subtle way. There's nothing wrong with Kurosawa ... I just prefer Ozu.
Posted by: AKB | January 15, 2010 at 01:08 PM
AKB, I understand your preference.
I was just trying to explain why I prefer Kurosawa to Ozu. In fact, I even prefer Imamura's view of Japan to that of Ozu. That being said I think Ozu has a lot to offer, and perhaps the fact that it focuses so much on the nuances is what frustrates me.
Posted by: MC | January 15, 2010 at 07:38 PM
Having lived in Japan and now living in New York is probably the reason I sometimes miss a nuanced culture. Watching Ozu instantly transports me back to Japan. I actually discovered Ozu after I left Japan so my reaction to his films may have been different if I watched them when I was still over there.
Posted by: AKB | January 16, 2010 at 10:49 AM