10. Broken Embraces
Pedro Almodovar is good at making movies. It's what he does best; the reason being that he loves movies and you only have to watch one Almodovar movie to pick up on that. Broken Embraces is a movie in love with movies. The camera is in love with bold colors and Penelope Cruz. The story is told in flashbacks that explore the lives of the characters while drawing you in before cutting back to the present time. But this isn't a movie where all the action is in the flashback. The scenes in the present time are not just meant to serve as breaks from the flashback. These scenes also move the story forward; they continue to create intrigue and attempt to find the answers that the characters and the audience are looking for. That old movie cliche, "It has everything: drama, comedy, romance, intrigue, tragedy, action..." That is this movie and it's no cliche or gimmick. Every moment fits so well together that no scene feels out of place. 9. Star Trek
If only every summer "blockbuster" were like this...(I'd have a wonderful summer and never roll my eyes or groan at what's on the screen). I've been a Star Trek fan for about as far back as I can remember, though my fandom was limited to the series of movies with the original cast and the Next Generation series. This film had a very annoying ad campaign: "This isn't your father's Star Trek" which is code for "Star Trek is for cool people now." But this isn't just a cool, slick remake/reboot, it's a well made and very exciting action and science fiction movie. Like the new Batman series, the filmmakers take a fantastical subject and take it seriously and set it in the real world. There are scenes that take place in a bar and military academy on Earth, it's not too much of a stretch to believe that there are bars and schools in the future. One of the most memorable images in the film is James Kirk riding on a motorcycle next to cornfields and a Starfleet shipyard; it all looks very real, or at least all the other normal elements let me marvel at how they got that spaceship there. Star Trek has a sleek look and young attractive cast but is concerned with delivering an interesting story and compelling characters to go along with all those special effects.
8. The Hurt Locker
Before Stanley Kubrick set out to make Full Metal Jacket he said that he wanted to make a war film. When someone said that Paths of Glory was a war film, he responded that Paths of Glory was an anti-war film, now he wanted to make a film about war as a phenomenon. Kathryn Bigelow has done the same thing with The Hurt Locker. I've avoided films about the current war in Iraq; they all seem to be more concerned with politics and anti-war sentiments that I've seen before in films about Vietnam and other wars. But The Hurt Locker is about the soldiers, not the war. Bigelow's direction emphasizes substance over style. The scenes involving disarming IED's, a shootout with enemy snipers, and a scene with a suicide bomber are filmed in such a way that we feel the tension and suspicion that surround the soldiers on a near daily basis. There's effective use handheld camerawork that genuinely places us right there with the soldiers as they do their job without crossing into that self-conscious "shaky-cam" that has been overused in other recent films. This movie is effective as a tension filled action movie and a character study of one man that loves his job. 7. In the Loop
I still can't believe how funny this movie is. Satire usually brings to my mind tongue-in-cheek style humor and unflattering portrayals of characters that only just resemble actual people. This is a hilarious fictional account of British and American political backstage players and staffers; some are working to go to war, some are trying to prevent a war in a country in the Middle East, and each side is just as funny and just as ridiculous as the other. This isn't one of those "everyone in politics is an incompetent idiot" satires. The humor doesn't come from poking fun at people and their actions but rather from the people themselves: insulting each other, pointing out the ridiculous situations that arise, the actions of other people. You know, the only person that ever seems to be doing anything right is you. These are just people making dumb decisions and doing dumb things as people often do. 6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
This is not a children's movie. It's a Wes Anderson movie. I don't think that kids will understand everything in Fantastic Mr. Fox, but that's not a bad thing, and they'll certainly be entertained. A movie like this that doesn't talk down to children will stay around because as they grow and understand more, the movie will mean more and each viewing will be like seeing it for the first time, again. It's a very accessible movie too, for kids and adults. The talking animals wear shirts and pants and ties and dresses, they speak in ordinary voices, move into new houses, go to school, and have regular jobs. Everything isn't so black and white in the movie either. Mr. Fox is a former chicken thief that gave up his bandit lifestyle to raise a family, but slips back into his old thieving ways. His son wants to join him. His wife disapproves when she finally finds out. I had a great time watching this movie. The stop motion animation brings these animals to life more than you would think and is a perfect fit for the hyperreality that these animals inhabit. All the Wes Anderson trademarks are here, best of all that combination of dry humor and sincerity.
5. Inglourious Basterds
Despite a misleading marketing campaign, I knew I had just seen something very remarkable when I left the theater. I saw the film again and found myself enjoying it just as much as the first time. This is a great viewing experience. Stanley Kubrick has a theory that a film is made up or 7 or 8 shorter films or segments. Inglourious Basterds fits into that idea very well. The movie is made up of 5 chapters and about 7 or 8 distinct scenes that could stand on their own as very well-written and executed short films. The best scenes are filled with incredible performances from the actors and Tarantino's trademark, well-written dialogue and very interesting characters. Christoph Waltz, who has been much praised and awarded for his performance as Nazi Colonel Hans Landa, is deserving of every word that praise; he's created one of the most memorable villains in cinema history. Tarantino is not afraid to trade action and violence for suspense and tension and is almost Hitchcockian in the construction of those tense scenes. People have called Inglourious Basterds "ultra-violent" and though it is not filled with violence the way most action or horror movies are, the violence, when it does happen, is so intense and off-putting that it stays in the minds of the viewers.
4. (500) Days of Summer
It's a story about love, not a love story. It's about the great buzz from having met someone you like, the wonderful elation from them liking you, from being in love, and the soul-crushing feeling and aftermath from when it ends. This movie reminded me of two other movies that jumped around in time to show a failing relationship: Two for the Road and Annie Hall. Though the nonlinear timeline and story of a relationship ending has been used before, (500) Days of Summer always feels fresh and original and even inventive. You begin this movie knowing how the relationship will turn out, but this movie is about the personal journey you take in a relationship. It's about the importance of certain times and people in your life, even the sour moments.
3. Up In the AirI once said to a friend, "The closest thing we have to Cary Grant today is George Clooney." My friend responded excitedly, "So you see it too!" I can't be certain if the role of Ryan Bingham is the kind of part that would've gone to Cary Grant back in the day, but George Clooney has enough screen presence and real talent to carry this move. I loved this movie and when it ended I wanted to go right back into the theater and watch it again. Every critic has been saying that this is a movie that captures our time. Up in the Air touches on issues that all of us in 2009 (and now 2010) are very aware of without being topical. By not addressing specific issues the movie doesn't date itself and will hold up on later viewings and I believe that this movie will be around and will be relatable years from now. Up in the Air seems conventional enough at first. Ryan Bingham doesn't want to be tied down in his work or relationships, which are few. He meets Alex, played wonderfully by Vera Farmiga who takes a female character that probably wasn't much on paper and really brings her to life. "Will Ryan trade his life in the air for one on the ground?" is the conventional question that seems be posed and for a moment this movie looks like it's headed for a conventional ending. What we have instead is a smart movie that gives us something better.
2. Adventureland
You hear it from just about everyone when you're growing up: you go to school, do your best, then you go to college so you can get a great job, and there's your life. I guess "they" have to tell you something. Jesse Eisenberg plays James, a recent college graduate that finds he can only land a job at the run-down amusement park called Adventureland. What Greg Mottola gives us with with Adventureland is a coming of age story that, though it treads familiar territory, doesn't slip into cliche and always feels authentic. There was another movie released this year about a college graduate that can't get a job, Post Grad, which is the flip side to this movie. But unlike Post Grad, Adventureland is a bit like a Lou Reed song: unpolished, alternative, with an air of both melancholy and joy. There are good comic moments with Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig as the kooky couple that manages the theme park and some low-key moments with Martin Starr. There's also heavier moments with Em's (Kristen Stewart) home life and it all blends very well; neither the comic moments or heavier moments feel shoehorned into the script. There are no sight gags in this movie, no gross out moments, no melodramatic moments either. This could have been like many other coming of age movies: fluffed up, polished, dumbed down, loaded with cheap laughs and even cheaper life lessons. The filmmakers are confident with the material; so are the actors, and they're good enough to make the characters and their experiences feel both real and entertaining. Most importantly in a movie like this, the characters are fully fleshed out people that carry the story. This movie is everything a movie about young adults should be.
1. UpUp is the best movie of the year. I can't describe how much I was moved by this movie. But I'll try. Despite the Disney/Pixar banner, you don't have to be a kid or have family to enjoy this movie. Up is movie about life and plans and deals with them like a good film for adults would. The first part of the film is about Carl's childhood with, and later marriage to, Ellie, the outgoing, talkative other-half to the shy Carl. This part of the film is nearly entirely silent; accompanied by a beautiful, emotionally evocative score. The emotional resonance of that segment doesn't fade throughout the rest of the film and finds a balance with the more comical scenes with Russell, the 8 year-old scout that is accompanying the 78 year-old Carl and his floating house, and Dug, the dog with a collar that allows him to talk. Dug may be the best talking dog in the history of movies because he doesn't talk like person, but the way I imagine a dog would actually talk (he's always on the lookout for a squirrel). Pixar excels at making not just good computer animated movies, but good movies. Period. And this is one of their best.
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