The Reel Critic - 05/06/10

Last December, every newspaper, magazine and blog published something just like this. It’s a reflection of the past year, an article that requires very little research, no additional viewing, no real beginning, middle and end and is entirely based off of one writer’s opinion despite purporting some deep statistical formula. That’s right, for the final Reel Critic, I present my top ten films of the last school year, the only criterion being that the film had to be released since September 2009.

10. Avatar: Let’s get it over with. Visually stunning and totally innovative, “Avatar” certainly did its job in impressing and awing me this past holiday season. That being said, the film has no business being talked about seriously for the best film of the year being that it seems as though story and acting was an afterthought entirely. Kudos for what was done right, disappointing for what it did wrong.

9. Broken Embraces: I wish I could put this higher up on the list, and for the first two-thirds of it, I would have put it there; however, the film falls apart in its last act. What was an artfully visual Spanish tragedy turned into an overly talky and expository melodrama. It also featured Penelope Cruz in one of the better female acting performances of the year.

8. The Cove: The only documentary on this list, “The Cove” succeeded in doing exactly what a doc should do. It was entertaining, stranger than fiction, well-made and socially conscious. I do have some problems with the exploitive filming tactics of the crew even though some guerrilla filmmaking was necessary to unravel this story,

7. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus: There’s a serious pattern developing early on in this list — films that are visually impressive but lacking in story. Dr. Parnassus fits the bill here, with Terry Gilliam’s strange aesthetic serving an overly complicated story that suffered from the untimely death of lead actor Heath Ledger. Still, strong performances from Christopher Plummer and fill-ins Colin Farrel and Johnny Depp make this a very worthwhile film.

6. The White Ribbon: This German film by Michael Heneke tells the harrowing tale of the children in a small German town before World War I. Essentially declaring the abuse of the children to be the cause for a generation of Nazis, the film’s desaturated, grey aesthetic perfectly serves the dark tone.

5. An Education: Powered mostly thanks to an incredible performance by rising star Carey Mulligan, this film captures a slice of life in British suburbia in the 1960s. A clean appearance and other strong performances from Alfred Molina and Dominic Cooper as well as a strong script by Nick Hornsby leads to a simple and successful film.

4. The Messenger: The total opposite of the above film, this gritty Woody Harrelson vehicle directed by former Israeli military officer Oren Moverman is an intense exploration into the mental effects of war. Unrelenting in tone and shot in a gritty, raw style, the film that made my mother want to walk out of the theater was the most viscerally affecting movie I saw this year.

3. The Hurt Locker: Not much else can be said about the most lauded film of the year. Best Picture and Best Director winner at almost every major awards ceremony, this film shoots to kill in every way. What it does best: Dragging out moments of tension far longer than any Hollywood film ever would whilst bringing out the best in actors’ performances and setting to its advantage.

2. Crazy Heart: Something about this film just worked for me. I can’t even really pinpoint what or why but I totally bought the story beginning to end. It’s possible that I was simply too distracted by the monumental acting (and singing) of Jeff Bridges, the surprising country chops of Colin Farrell and an overall incredible soundtrack. Even the contrived ending that should have made me cringe worked in the context of the film, even if it did have me questioning how the heck Bad Blake didn’t self-destruct.

1. A Serious Man: The Coen Brothers (forgetting “Burn After Reading”) can do no wrong in my book. This film is a perfect example of how they combine their interesting and innovative scripts with their quirky, stylized aesthetic. Not casting a single big name, the film and its performers had me thinking about, laughing at and ultimately pitying and fearing for the characters and their lot in life. Based loosely on the Book of Job, the film plays heavily on traditional Jewish tropes that made it particularly enjoyable for those viewers who can relate to the stereotypes of the old, Eastern-European Jewish family (read: me).

That’s it. Your 2009-10 school year of film in review. The Reed Critic will be back in the fall. Be sure to get to the movies and turn on the TV this summer. I know I will.