#16 - #27
THE STRANGE AND THE FLAWED
Alexander
Directed & co-written by Oliver Stone, R
Stone’s much-maligned epic has become a pop culture whipping boy as of late, but I was entertained and fascinated throughout by its combination of awesome imagery, terrific stunt sequences, high camp, and sheer daring. “Alexander” is such an onslaught of ideas and beauty that, messy as it is, I couldn’t help thinking that its detractors have become too accustomed to small, perfect, and non-threatening packages. Megalomaniac: Alexander...and Stone.
The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
Directed, written, & starring “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, R
Winner of the Best Director award at the Venice International Film Festival, Kitano’s willingness to combine pulp violence, revenge fantasy, musical numbers, slapstick, and contemplative musing embodies the sheer joy of putting images to celluloid. His fanciful and leisurely period piece pits the blind master against several small town gangs and a reluctant ronin in feudal Japan. Simply by slowing things down and making room for flashbacks, “Zatoichi” achieves a contemplative feel. And the sword fights are pretty cool, too.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Directed & co-written by Wes Anderson, R
To see the world through the eyes of Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) is to see one damn thing after another, to be tired of adventure, bored with romance, and easily frustrated by failure. Essentially this is the story of a Tom Sawyer who became rich and famous for boyish adventuring, so famous that he couldn’t stop, even long after he stopped caring and lost the ability to grow up. Megalomaniac: Steve Zissou.
DRAMA
Closer
Directed by Mike Nichols, R
It may be cinematically much livelier than many stage-to-screen adaptations, but “Closer” is clearly in the world of modern theatre. In this adultery parable, four characters share a closed-off universe with no one but each other; their conversations could be held in any place or no place; and they all know how to express themselves way better than you and I ever could. And then there’s Clive Owen, one of the year’s best villains, winning his way into our hearts by being so purely loathsome and free from illusions about being any other way. If he’s not the next James Bond, he should at least be the next Bond villain. Except I can’t imagine how that would work without him killing 007. Megalomaniac: Larry (Clive). Oscar nominee for Supporting Actor Owen and Supporting Actress Natalie Portman and Golden Globe winner for Supporting Actor.
Million Dollar Baby
Directed by Clint Eastwood, PG13
Enthusiasts call the structure of Eastwood’s careful and deliberate “Million Dollar Baby” “classical,” while naysayers call it “cliché.” It feels odd to describe a movie that has drawn so much controversy as “safe” and “conservative,” but, artistically, there aren’t better words to describe it. Either way you slice it, this is a movie that knows its three characters (Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, and Hilary Swank), knows where they live, knows what they want, and knows the story it wants to tell about them. The controversy surrounding the movie’s ending is pretty interesting, too. Oscar winner for Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress, and nominated for Actor, Adapted Screenplay, and Film Editing.
Vera Drake
Directed & written by Mike Leigh, R
The world of 1950s working class London has been brought painstakingly back to life by writer-director Leigh (“Topsy-Turvy”). We witness the day-to-day routines and interactions among factory workers, mechanics, housecleaners, and tailors, but the movie takes on the differing moral standards of the rich and the poor as we discover the always smiling, always kind Vera (Imelda Staunton) performs unsanitary abortions, while the rich girls get to buy their way past the law. Oscar nominee for Director, Actress, and Original Screenplay.
Win #1 - #8
Place #9 - #15
Honorable Mention #28 - #39
Introduction
Baadassss!
Directed & co-written by Mario Van Peebles, R
The birth of a new generation of American independent cinema—for and by blacks—is chronicled in this recreation of the making of “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song.” L.A. in the ‘70s is a whole other world, to be sure, and rogue filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles (played by son Mario) is the kind of determined S.O.B. we love to hate and hate to love. Megalomaniac: Melvin Van Peebles.
The Passion of the Christ
Directed & co-written by Mel Gibson, R
Considering its subject matter and for all its visceral “umph,” Mel Gibson’s “The Passion” has left a surprisingly small impression on me. This may not be the fault of the film so much as all the noise that has surrounded it. For all the build-up and public outcry for and against it, what we ultimately get is a mostly conventional film of solid craft and above average sincerity. It is not an historical document or a conversion tool, but a description of the faith of those who made it, as valuable as an artist’s description of romance, politics, or fun. “The Passion” follows in the footsteps of other filmmakers who have tried their hands at faith, a lineage that includes, in various interpretations, Scorsese, Tarkovsky, and Malick. When the smoke clears, this is how the wise will appreciate “The Passion.” But the smoke itself has been so fascinating and infuriating; so much can be learned about theories of criticism from both those for and against the movie, including the intriguing decisions of non-critics to pretend to be critics and the decision of professional critics to refuse to see the movie in the terms of film. Many have decided about “The Passion” solely on how it agrees or disagrees with their preconceived notions, refusing to be challenged, in what amounts to the colossal equivalent of “I liked/disliked the ‘Harry Potter’ movie because that’s how I did/did not envision Harry to be after I read the book.” One wonders how many of “The Passion’s” critics would praise an openly Hindu movie about the breaking of Ganesh’s tusk, told in the style of “Gladiator” with no context given, and how many of “The Passion’s” enthusiasts would hate it. Oscar nominee for Score, Cinematography, and Costumes.
Ray
Directed & co-written by Taylor Hackford, PG13
It’s not just the life of musician Ray Charles that is recreated by “Ray” in a stellar, natural performance by Jamie Foxx, but the entire, vanishing world where he grew up, got his start, and made his fortune. Taylor Hackford has energized (or, judging by the camerawork and editing, a little “Scorsese-ized”) and given depth to what is essentially a formula picture. But we see more of the rural South, we get deeper into the life of a ‘50s road musician, and we see more of the workings of a music empire. “Ray” may not be an artistic groundbreaker, but it at least did its homework. Megalomaniac: Ray Charles. Oscar winner for Actor and Sound and nominated for Picture, Director, Costumes, and Film Editing.
DOCUMENTARIES
Super Size Me
Directed & written by Morgan Spurlock, NR
Morgan Spurlock’s giddy DV documentary is not a serious attack on the fastfood industry, no, it’s more like a fun dissection of what fastfood says about America, and a terrific stunt to boot. Thanks to my wife, I already knew a lot of the nutrition stuff in this movie, so maybe “Super Size Me” is the only movie on this list to confirm what I already believe. Sue me. Megalomaniac: Morgan Spurlock. Oscar nominee for Documentary Feature.
Tarnation
Directed & written by Jonathan Caouette, NR
Of course the movie is narcissistic, manipulative, exploitative, and could be construed as a colossal resume for a talent agency (and then, at the screening I attended, filmmaker Jonathan Caouette said he was a big fan of “the truth”). But isn’t that all art, in some way or another? With that in mind, the world of “Tarnation”—a grainy, blurry, and raw video diary that achieves a rusty, nightmarish grandiosity—has a considerable wallop. Megalomaniac: Caouette.
Touching the Void
Directed by Kevin Macdonald, R
There are no monsters or knife-wielding maniacs in the scariest movie of the year, just an incomprehensibly long fall from a mountaintop, and the incomprehensible, black depth of the soul of a man in mortal terror. And then, just when he thinks he’s going to die, he gets a cheesy pop song stuck in his head. Beautifully, icily photographed.