Top 10 of 2008

With the end of another year, it is always a joy for me to ponder, debate and select which films stood out from the rest of the pack.  Unlike other years however, I had a tougher time picking which one should take the top spot, for there were two that emerged to be frontrunners.  But I had to pick.  So without further ado, besides the lovable robot to the left, see which other movies made my picks for the best films of the year.  Click here.

Barry Lyndon (1975) - * * * *

Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon” is an opulent tale of a meager living Irishman who eventually finds himself mingling with the upper echelons of European society.  With Kubrick’s intentional pacing and precision in every shot, he has made an absorbing costume drama epic, despite its three hour running time, following the title character in his slick and shrewd rise in rank.  There is not a single frame that is lacking in focus, for its eloquent clarity carries the film from beginning to end.  “Barry Lyndon” was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including nods for Picture, Director and Screenplay, and won four for technical achievements and cinematography. 

Dog Day Afternoon (1975) - * * * 1/2

Based on real life events that took place in 1972, Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino) and his friend Salv rob a Brooklyn Bank and hold its employees hostage, while the police amass a force just outside.  “I’m a Catholic, and I don’t want to hurt anybody, understand?! ”, as Sonny exclaims, and so begins Sidney Lumet’s engaging and original take on a bank heist.  “Dog Day Afternoon” has such a multifaceted appeal to it: the media’s sensationalism, non-passive captives, but most of all it is Al Pacino’s hearty performance that makes the film.  I don’t think I’ve seen a better performance from Pacino.  Sonny is a sympathetic lost soul, desperate in his attempt to get money for his male lover’s sex change operation.  The film was nominated for six Academy Awards (including for Picture and Actor), but only won one for Best Original Screenplay.  Attica!  Attica!

Love and Death (1975) - * * * 1/2

In “Love and Death”, Woody Allen plays Boris Grushenko, a Russian pacifist who is sent off to war against Napoleon’s encroaching armies, while Sonja (Diane Keaton) is left in the home front seeking true love. I have been feeling under the weather the last several days, and this was exactly what I needed.  Simply put, “Love and Death” is an uproar in its hilarity, steeped in Woody Allen’s neuroses as he ponders over morality and mortality.  The film has a carefree beat to it, not taking itself seriously at all, allowing us to just savor the film’s countless jests and amusing quips.  “Love and Death” was #3 on Gene Siskel’s Top 10 for that year.

Best of 2000’s

I have given myself another project for this year: compile the Top 25 Best Films of the Decade (2000 to 2009).  I have already made a list of movies that will be in contention (about 90 in total so far) released between 2000 and 2008, in addition to the great films that I’m anticipating from 2009.  For an even playing ground, I plan to rewatch all these films again throughout the year.  I have also taken into consideration reassessing some films that I may have been a little too quick to dismiss back then, like “Adaptation” for one, and see if I may have been mistaken.  So, kicking off “Best of 2000’s” will be a viewing of Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream” from 2000.  Click here for progress.

Frozen River (2008) - * * * *

Living in a rundown trailer on the outskirts of upstate New York, Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) dreams of buying that doublewide home for her two sons, but with her husband abandoning them, mounting debts and a dead-end job, she grabs the one opportunity that might help her out: human trafficking across the Canadian border.  “Frozen River” is a powerful piece of American independent cinema, authentic in its characters and its study of the human condition.  Leo’s performance is unpretentiously incredible, and easily one of the year’s best.  The film may be set in an almost forgotten and stark cold tundra, but “Frozen River” is luminous in its story.  This is one of the best films of 2008.  I have updated my Top 10 for the year, and have placed it at #7.

2009 Academy Awards Nominations

Best Picture: From the five nominated films, three were deserving of the recognition: Frost/Nixon, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire.  As for the other two, I am a little upset.  Many were swept with Benjamin Button’s sweeping epic romance, but I wasn’t one of them.  As for The Reader, it’s a decent film, but not quite good enough to be deserving of a nod.  Overlooking The Dark Knight is one of the biggest and most heinous crimes that the Academy can make.  Every year, they complain about waning viewership of the ceremony, partly because they nominate films that no one sees.  So, The Dark Knight comes along with rave reviews from audiences and critics alike, and yet the Academy has chosen to ignore it.  The same thing goes for WALL-E.  A travesty indeed that just makes me mad.  Milk should win, but Slumdog Millionaire will most likely come up victorious.

Best Actress:  I have no big complaints from the five performances nominated.  If I could make a change however, I’d substitute Sally Hawkins from Happy Go Lucky for Angelina Jolie in Changeling.  Also, I was annoyed by Kate Winslet being nominated for the wrong film.  Her performance for Revolutionary Road is gutsier and more powerful, but it doesn’t really matter at this point for Kate Winslet should win for The Reader, and will win.  Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married, Melissa Leo for Frozen River and Meryl Streep for Doubt are the other nominees.

Best Actor: Strong performances from the five actors, but Leonardo DiCaprio’s omission was troubling.  He gave a robust and touching performance in Revolutionary Road, but the Academy chose to ignore it.  Sean Penn should win, but I have a feeling Mickey Rourke will.  Richard Jenkins for The Visitor, Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon and Brad Pitt for Benjamin Button are the other nominees,

Best Director: 1:1 correlation with Best Picture category, thus Christopher Nolan of The Dark Knight is not on the list.  Take off Stephen Daldry of The Reader and put in Nolan, and I’ll be happy with the five directors nominated.

As for the rest of the categories, I am amply satisfied.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - * * * 1/2

Woody Allen is back in commanding form with what he does best; contemplations and conversations about love’s complexities and moral dilemmas.  Two best friends find themselves caught up in Barcelona’s enrapturing romanticism, but with their differing outlooks on love, Vicky being the realist and Cristina the idealist, they are befuddled when they meet Juan Antonio, a sexy and intriguing Spanish artist who stirs up intense passion in them.  There is a lot of talk in the film, as in most other Woody Allen movies, but it is so fascinating the things they talk about.  This may not be his best film, but it’s very engaging to watch.  Woody Allen may have left New York behind for now, but he has found a new muse, for Barcelona has that same captivating flair.

W. (2008) - * * *

There’s a recent poll by historians ranking all former Commanders-in-Chief (read article here), and can anyone take a guess who made it to the bottom five?  George W. Bush, who tied for 37th place with Nixon, is the man behind Oliver Stone’s new biopic and the film expounds on his poor placement.  Although, from what one may expect from a left-leaning filmmaker, “W.” could have been just another Michael Moore-like attack on the former President with a non-stop gag reel of his speeches, but it is balanced effort that follows the man’s rise and fall.  The film isn’t mean-spirited, but does question a lot his decisions and policies especially when it comes to Iraq.  Not quite as successful as his other films “JFK” and “Nixon”, less detailed, but an interesting watch at least.