Hope your 2012 is going swimmingly thus far. I've finally composed my Top 10 Films list from the past year and I lay it down now for your scrutiny. Think I've missed some? Think I've made a grave error of judgement? Agree completely? Feel free to let me know in the comments sections below and I'll be back soon with more updates on what's next for us and Safety.
Enjoy!
-Your Friendly Neighborhood Dan Glaser
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2011 was indeed a good year for movies. So much so, that I've changed my customary Top 5 into a Top 10. I unfortunately, despite my best efforts, did not get to quite every film that I wanted to before crafting this list. I've still yet to see--50/50, Hugo, War Horse, The Ides of March, The Rum Diary, Take Shelter, Tyrannosaur, Like Crazy, J. Edgar, The Descendants andThe Artist--as of making this list. However, of the films that I've thus far watched from this last year, these were my picks (from bottom to top).
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10) Melancholia - I had never been a large fan of auteur Lars von Trier until recently, my opinion altered by his 2009 cruel yet evocative masterpiece Antichrist. His follow up to that crowning acheivement is another animal altogether, but alike in its artistry. With arresting visuals and boneshatteringly candid performances from the entire ensemble, von Trier paints a really remarkable tableau with Melancholia. And while he may be employing the end of the world as a grandiose platform to examine how people with and without depression handle themselves under situations of duress, Melancholia may be amongst the director's most simple and linear works to date, the end result of which defiantly remains under your skin long after it all comes to its crescendo of a climax--quite like being unable to shake a particularly painful nightmare long after you've awakened.
9) Martha Marcy May Marlene - A very solid indie. Most notably, Elizabeth Olsen's breakout role is nothing short of stellar in this enigmatically structured and deceptively well-directed drama about the psychological damage done to a young woman during her time in an abusive cult and the repercussions thereof.
8) The Guard - Infused with outlandish wit and gallows humor, The Guard is a wonderful little Irish dark comedy that serves as perfect starring vehicle for Brendan Gleeson. In his first leading role ever (and it's about damn time, if you ask me), Gleeson is without a doubt the blood that runs through the veins of this deft and sharply amusing script (written and directed by John Michael McDonnagh, brother to playwright and In Bruges writer/director Martin McDonnagh). Mix in incredibly strong performances from the supporting cast, and you've got yourself a wildly engaging film that is one of this year's hidden gems.
7) Attack the Block - Slick, stylish, comedic and harrowing all at once--while also being infectiously fun without verging on campy--Joe Cornish's directing debut is full of charm, wit and heart. It plays like the mutated baby of Tremors, Shaun of the Dead and The Warriors--mixed with the early work John Carpenter--while being inventive enough that it stands apart from a simple yet loving homage. The cast is great. The writing is great. The directing is great. The cinematography is great. The score is great. This film is nothing less than spellbinding and equally as entertaining as it is masterful. And if that isn't enough, the film's got a dang good message beneath the surface. So without rattling on further, I'll say again that Attack the Block is satisfying in practically every way. Don't take my word for it though. Check the film out for yourselves and no doubt you too will be a Blockhead soon enough. Believe.
6) Bellflower - Okay. This film is explosive. Literally. From the homemade flamethrower to the equally handcrafted muscle car MEDUSA, which belches enormous burst of fire, it's pretty hard to ignore the energy of this supercharged indie. But although the pyrotechnics are quite impressive, what's really awe-inspiring about the film are the people who made it. Evan Glodell, who has been nicknamed by many a "mad-scientist of a filmmaker," not only constructed the aforementioned machines by hand, but he also custom built the one-of-a-kind camera that Bellflower was shot on and captured a truly inspired piece of cinema for under $20,000. And I haven't even mentioned the actual movie yet. WhileMelancholia examines how the apocalypse makes us feel, Bellflower suggests that our feelings can be apocalyptic. And man, oh man is it ever a thing to behold. One reviewer described the film as "a weird mix of John Hughes and Mad Max. One of the most strong and stylish critiques of the idiocy and confusion in young manhood since Fight Club. Handmade and heartfelt, Bellflower is intense and darkly gorgeous, with the sunburned intensity of a high-summer fever dream." I couldn't say it better and I won't even try, but I will say that you'd be crazy not to give this unique and bold film a taste.
5) Super 8 - I could write a long-winded review of Super 8 and restate what most have already said about J. J. Abrams' touching, scary, thrilling and entertaining throwback to early Spielberg greats such as E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws and The Goonies (all rolled into one). But the film speaks volumes on its own. With enough nostalgia to go around (whether you were born in the early 80's or just grew up on the films) and a delightful young cast of mostly newcomers (minus Somewhere's phenomenal Elle Fanning, who steps up her game hardcore as the emotional glue that binds her also extraordinarily gifted pre-teen castmates together), Super 8 is the kind of movie you just don't see anymore. And the kind of film that should be made more often.
4) Shame - Director Steve McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender reunite for a striking and volatile experience that has you washed in its namesake simultaneously with Fassbender's expertly-portrayed protagonist. A carefully-crafted character piece,Shame examines one man's emotionally destructive sexual addiction and how his lifestyle is shattered when his younger sister comes to stay with him (in a riveting performance by Carey Mulligan that's quite possibly her best yet). McQueen masterfully brings you into the rather perverse, yuppie life of the film's protagonist and then holds up a large mirror, leaving you feeling as dirty as the character does himself. A truly unique and intimate journey, Shame is without a doubt one of the year's best.
3) Another Earth - I have long been an advocate of metaphysical science fiction (The Fountain, both film renditions of Solaris, to name a few), as such projects desire to move the emphasis away from the imagined technology, and instead use said eponymous fiction as a grand motif to cradle the story's overarching theme... thus using its trappings not to dazzle, but rather to better examine conditions of the human psyche and ask questions that may be too elusive for a straightforward drama to tackle. And few do it better thanAnother Earth, as the filmmakers attempt to take on a large and very relatable query ("Can I change the mistakes I've made?") within the confines of a contained locale and a very small cast. It would be exceedingly easy to launch a worldwide look at how life is effected by the emergence of a second Earth, but instead the filmmakers seek to isolate the issue to the small town of New Haven, Connecticut and the lives of two individuals, whose paths cross in a shared tragedy on the night of the twin Earth's discovery. The film is achingly honest in every aspect and it even ends well, which is another feat not often boasted by both guerilla independents and sci-fi films alike. Also taking into account that the movie was shot with a prosumer camera on a mere $200,000 budget--Another Earth is truly an indie to admire and not only does it deserve your respect, it deserves your attention.
2) Hanna - One of those rare films that combines action with heart and adrenaline with beauty, Hanna is not so much a spy thriller as a high-octane fairytale. While I have never been a huge proponent for the works of Joe Wright, perhaps it is only that he has been dabbling in the wrong genre. His whimsical sensibilities and flair for melodramatic camerawork fit snugly against the framework of this often-tread genre to create a territory that we rarely get a chance to explore... an action film with as much humanity as it has energy. It's actually difficult to decide what to praise more in Hanna. The film is visually inventive--with a handful of truly inspired and breathtaking sequences--the score by The Chemical Brothers is rich and exciting and the performances by the entire cast are pitch-perfect (especially Blanchett, who, true to form, delivers one of her most mesmerizing performances ever). Most impressively, amongst all its flair and aesthetically dazzling delight, Wright details in Hanna an unexpectedly poignant portrayal of the separation between what growing up means to a parent and what it means to a child. In brief, this remarkable film has all the thrill of a Bourne flick, infused with the charm of a fable and the pulse of Run Lola Run. Not one to be missed.
1) Drive - One reviewer described this film as a "tough, hard-edged neo-noir art house feature, extremely violent and very stylish, with European art and grindhouse influences." I would do it injustice by trying to delve into any further categorization. If director Nicolas Winding Refn (Pusher, Bronson) hasn't attained auteur status from his previous work alone, he certainly has now with his masterful work in Drive--as well as earned every inch of his Best Director win at Cannes. The only thing equally as marvelous as the deliberate tangle of pace and visuals which Refn carefully controls in order to build the story is Gosling, who delivers his performance with such incredible restraint that it instantly secures a place for itself amongst such iconic antiheros as Eastwood's "Man With No Name," Bogart's Rick Blaine, et al. Add into the mix a chilling score, strong supporting players and a hypnotic edit and you at arrive to the whole of Drive, a beautifully imagined piece of cinema that establishes an electrifying tone--a mood that you won't be able to shake from your bones for days. Easily my favorite film of the year.
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Honorable Mentions:
I Saw the Devil
Super
I Melt with You
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Midnight in Paris
