the new look list. march 2009.

its been a whole month since i last put the list together, there's been a couple of major changes. im looking at making a number of changes to the list over the next few weeks, more info to be posted soon.

1. pierrot le fou (jean-luc godard)
2. the passenger (michelangelo antonioni)
3. au hasard balthazar (robert bresson)
4. se7en (david fincher)
5. sunrise (f.w murnau)
6. i've loved you so long (Philippe Claudel)
7. a man escaped (robert bresson)
8. the wrestler (darren aronofsky) *
9. hunger (steve mcqueen)
10. doubt (john patrick shanley) *

11. the outlaw josey wales (clint eastwood)
12. pickpocket (robert bresson)
13. milk (gus van sant) *
14. bottle rocket (wes anderson)
15. gran torino (clint eastwood *
16. revolutionary road (sam mendes) *
17. twelve monkeys (terry gilliam)
18. red desert (michelangelo antonioni)
19. mon oncle antoine (claude jutra)
20. bronco billy (clint eastwood)

21. l'argent (robert bresson)
22. gomorrah (matteo garrone)
23. rome, open city (rossellini)
24. shadow of a doubt (alfred hitchcock)
25. unforgiven (clint eastwood)
26. traffic (steven soderbergh)
27. che - part one (steven soderbergh) *
28. f for fake (orson welles)
29. the brothers bloom (rian johnson)
30. changeling (clint eastwood)

31. lancelot du lac (robert bresson)
32. oss 117 ; cairo nest of spies (michel hazanavicius)
33. the element of crime (lars von trier)
34. the shining (stanley kubrick)
35. rear window (alfred hitchcock)
36. the dark knight (christopher nolan)
37. wall-e (andrew stanton)
38. the silence of the lambs (jonathan demme)
39. five easy pieces (bob rafelson)
40. slumdog millionaire (danny boyle) *

41. frost/nixon (ron howard) *
42. man on wire (james marsh)
43. blow up (michelangelo antonioni)
44. the limey (steven soderbergh)
45. che - part two (steven soderbergh) *
46. spellbound (alfred hitchcock)
47. europa (lars von trier)
48. the shop on main street (ján kadár and elmar klos)
49. before the devil knows youre dead (sidney lumet)
50. the adventures of baron munchausen (terry gilliam)


51.the curious case of benjamin button (david fincher) *
52. the usual suspects (bryan singer)
53. lars and the real girl (craig gillespie)
54. out of sight (steven soderbergh)
55. days of heaven (terence malick)
56. la ricotta (pier paolo pasolini)
57. blindness (fernando meirelles)
58. killer's kiss (stanley kubrick)
59.letters from iwo jima (clint eastwood)
60. jcvd (mabrouk el mechri) *


61. dirty harry (don siegal)
62. mad detective (johnnie to & wai ka fa)
63. the idiot (akira kurosawa)
64. in bruges (martin mcdonough)
65. gone baby, gone
66. time bandits (terry gilliam)
67. tideland (terry gilliam)
68. play misty for me (clint eastwood)
69. bigger than life (nicholas ray)
70. hellboy - the golden army (guillermo del toro)

71. bolt 3D (disney) *
72. pale rider (clint eastwood)
73. the pianist (roman polanski)
74. withnail & i (bruce robinson)
75. the terminator (james cameron)
76. the wizard of oz (victor fleming)
77. capturing the friedmans (andrew jarecki)
78. monty python's life of brian (terry jones)
79. firefox (clint eastwood)
80. hancock (peter berg)

81. iron man (jon favreau)
82. saboteur (alfred hitchcock)
83. the gauntlet (clint eastwood)
84. breezy (clint eastwood)
85. the day the earth stood still (robert wise)
86. rope (alfred hitchcock)
87. total recall (paul verhoeven)
88. wanted (timur bekmambetov)
89. the international (tom twyker) *
90. mallrats (kevin smith)

91. die hard (john mctiernan)
92. magnum force (ted post)
93. casino royale (martin campbell)
94. valkyrie (bryan singer)
95. the reader (steven daldry) *
96. space cowboys (clint eastwood)
97. the young victoria (jean-marc vallée) *
98. body of lies (ridley scott)
99. solaris (steven soderbergh)
100. hancock (peter berg)

101. the trouble with harry (alfred hitchcock)
102. indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull (steven spielberg)
103. the hunt for red october (john mctiernan)
104. the puffy chair (duplass brothers)
105. "the birds" (alfred hitchcock)
106. i am legend (francis lawrence)
107. the rock (michael bay)
108. quantum of solace (marc forster)
109. superbad (greg motola)
110. frenzy (alfred hitchcock)

111. transformers (michael bay)
112. the magnificent ambersons (orson welles)
113. speed (jan de bont)
114. australia (baz luhrmann)
115. star trek - the motion picture (robert wise)
116. coogans bluff (don siegal)
117. the enforcer (james fargo)
118. joe kidd (john sturges)
119. spider-man 3 (sam raimi)
120. dear wendy (thomas vinterberg)

121. goldeneye (martin campbell)
122. night watch (timur bekmambetov)
123. judge dredd (danny cannon)
124. armageddon (michael bay)
125. strangers on a train (alfred hitchcock)
126. jamaica inn (alfred hitchcock)
127. robocop 3 (fred dekker)
128. robocop 2 (irvin kershner)
129. my bloody valentine (patrick lussier) *
130. a nightmare on elm street 4 (renny harlin)

131. a nightmare on elm street (wes craven)
132. zack and miri make a porno (kevin smith)
133. goldfinger (guy hamilton)
134. a nightmare on elm street 2 (jack sholder)
135. you only live twice (lewis gilbert)
136. mad max - beyond thunderdome (george miller & george ogilvie)
137. die another day (lee tamahori)
138. a nightmare on elm street 3 (chuck russell)
139. a nightmare on elm street 5 (stephen hopkins)
140. a nightmare on elm street 6 (rachel talalay)

141. W. (oliver stone)

cinema total = 16

hunger (2008)

steve mcqueen meant a lot to me as a young art student. his work was much more accessible to the eyes of someone who held godard in as high a regard as an artiste like klimt, and especially stood out when compared to the late nineties round of british enfant terribles, a group with whom i just couldnt relate. it was with great pleasure that i left "hunger", an oxymoron if ever there was one, and perhaps not the right word.

as mentioned elsewhere, the way in which mcqueen brings european sentimentalities to a british film production is inspired, with the complete picture bringing together a largely unique final piece, especially for a film that was a borderline commercially successful product. visually the film reminds of bruno dumont, with his stark yet epic visuals that draw upon bringing the beautiful out of the less than average.

german actor michael fassbender is the closest thing the film has to a "star", asbobby sands, and charts the hunger strikes that lend themselves to the films title. fassbender is outstanding, going to the lengths of suffering for one's role that would impress even de niro. while the after thought of the film is all but concerned with the plight of bobby sands its easy to forget that sands doesnt appear until the films second act. much of the lead into the film revolves between that of a young inmate arriving at the maze prison, and the story of one of the prison guards. the story of the prison guard has an especially interesting body, showing that the film isnt completely one sided and unfairly sympathetic towards the other side.

the success of the film has been a great indication as to the quality of films that audiences are seeking out in britain at the moment, its taken me by surprise actually, but is no doubt a great thing.

man on wire (2008)

and now for a film that the academy did get right... and a british film too.

james marsh's "man on wire", the tale of philippe petit, a young french man and his attempt to cross the two towers of the world trade center by rope, is the best reviewed film of all time. quite an impressive feat, but then so is the film itself. the fact that no actual video footage of petit crossing the towers actually exists doesnt prevent the film from being a towering achievement (pun intended), as instead we follow his plight and plan to scale and cross. the film is told in the manner of the heist film, with each detail and problem explained and tackled in the appropriate manner. the forty year old opinion of those involved is shown too, with each displaying a huge amount of emotion and reverence to the event.

analogy towards the events of september the eleventh are left to be made by the viewer, but the detailed shots of the buildings themselves are enough to provoke thought and exploration into those later events. the manner in which petit describes the towers as things of unimaginable beauty comes across as a striking anchor point for how the towers are now remembered.

gran torino (2009)

part two in my current series of academy award "upsets"....

i kid of course, its just a funny coincidence that i saw "i've loved you so long" and "gran torino" back to back, but quite why clint eastwood was all but missing from this years oscars seems a tad odd to me, especially if you take into account the fact that this may well be the last time we see him up on the silver screen. let's just ponder that thought for a moment; clint eastwood, american icon, hell, american IDOL, may well have performed his final performance. its the end of an era, of that of the great american motion picture. a symbol of the old hollywood that no longer exists. what with newman passing last year, eastwood is one of the few familiar strands from yesterday.

"gran torino" originally existed as the final chapter in eastwood's "dirty harry" series, yet prior to hiiting the screen the character has seemingly become an amalgamation of several of eastwood's key roles. we see the obvious, be it harry callahan or ben shockley (courtesy of "the gauntlet"), and the not so obvious in the shape bronco billy (providing the light humour over the dark themes). the role certainly seems to be a celebration of eastwood's career, and the fact that the film exists in such a workmanlike and unglamourous fashion is a testament to eastwood's no-nonsense attitude. if "gran torino" does prove to be eastwood's final role then it will mark an outstanding era of american cinema in a suitably just fashion, although personally i dont see him quitting just yet...

the international (2009)

an action film with a topical beating heart, "the international", from director tom twyker of "run lola, run" fame stars clive owen in full-on james bond mode as a british policeman involved in an international case involving illicit bank dealings. naomi watts stars as his new york-based associate, with able support from a cast selected from around the world, the most impressive of all being 'brian f. o'byrne' as the impressively titled 'the consultant'.

"the international" opens with a great scenario, involving one of owen's colleagues, poison and a car wing mirror. from then on we are led through a gripping journey across the globe as we follow owen's 'louis salinger's' attempt to indict a high profile bank. there's an over the top, yet scarily real shoot out at the guggenheim, which is one of the most impressively realised action scenes iv seen in some time, managing to outdo not only its closest comparrison in the shape of the bond flicks, but also the bourne films too.

while it wont change the world, "the international" proved to be an impressive piece of mid-afternoon entertainment.

i've loved you so long (2008)

many have referred to sean penn winning the academy award for best actor as an "upset". many referred to the exclusion of ''the dark knight'' from this years big awards as an "upset". i myself deemed the lack of a nomination for bruce springsteen and his eponymously titled theme to "the wrestler" as an ''upset". alas, ladies and gentlemen, i introduce to you the biggest academy award "upset" of 2009; philippe claudel's "i've loved you so long". now im not simply suggesting that "i've loved you so long deserved a shot at "best foreign picture", i think it should have been in the running for "best actress", "best adapted screenplay", "best director" and "best picture" too. its just a magnificent film, absolutely beautiful and tender, yet raw and unreliable in mood at the same time. iv never been a fan of kristen scott thomas, in fact im not sure if i have actually ever seen her in anything, but she just owns the role in this film, moreso than either sean penn, katie winslet or mickey rourke in their respective roles.

this film is outstanding and perhaps the greatest oscar snub in recent history.

the hunt for red october (1990)

not my usual sort of film, but interesting none the less. alec baldwin is great in the part that harrison ford and ben affleck (and perhaps ryan gosling?) would later go onto portray, but sean connery plays the same role he plays in everything and just comes across as lazy. the technique used to control the use of language and accent is very interesting though. i had to watch this for my studies, so will be checking out the follow-up jack ryan films over the next few weeks.

oss 117 : cairo nest of spies (2008)

this gallic pseudo-satire of the james bond genre proved to be a great experience. the film combined all out spoof with drama and action to create a film that i enjoyed thoroughly.

strangely, the oss 117 series predates the bond series by some years, hence the tag of pseudo-satire. jean dujardin, a former french talent show contestant, proves formidible in the title role, with bérénice bejo great as the archetypal bond girl. the quality of the film is impressive, its high concept and a blockbuster in the visual sense of the word. knowing nods to the production techniques of the time that the film is set (1960's), with the use of back projection and limited camerawork prevailant. in turn the film reminds of the early bond films, albeit with a great deal of modern political allusions and references. the film is incredibly funny too, with the scene involving the prayer leader a particular standout. comparisons to inspector cluseau and the pink panther films will no doubt attach themselves to this, but personally i have never been a fan of those films.

not only is "oss 117 : cairo nest of spies" a great satire, but its a great film too, and much more interesting than the actual films that its spoofing.

the pianist (2003)

roman polanski's oscar winning film boasts perhaps my favourite oscar winning performance of modern times, in the shape of adrian brody. having not seen the film for quite some time, it was with the recent oscars in mind that i looked to ''the pianist'' again. as iv grown older the attrocities on display have grown to shock me even moreso than they did when i was younger, and some scenes in "the pianist" feel genuinely hard to stomach. and while brody's performance is a tour-de-force, some of the supporting performances fall fairly flat (the early scenes within the family home feel like something out of an enid blyton tale). all in all though, it is a great film, with adrian brody genuinely affecting in his role and a deserved winner of the best actor oscar.

the young victoria (2009)

emily blunt stars as queen victoria in this martin scorsese produced pseudo-biopic. french filmmaker jean-marc vallée helms a competent enough picture, that is pleasingly enough while it lasts, but leaves little in the way of after effect. emily blunt and paul bettany both provide great performances, with rupert friend as prince albert being the key performance. he brings genuine sense of emotion towards the relationship between albert and victoria, with the final moments proving incredibly touching.

post oscar 2009 report

well our predictions werent too bad (although i am aware that beth beat me in best director!). in hindsight sean penn was a much safer bet than expected, with him taking the SAG award and whatnot, but it was still a shock to see roure lose out. i did love penn in ''milk'' though, and if i could be so bold as to quote my own review of the film from january 12th -

for me the oscar race has heated up. i didnt really consider milk to be much of a contender, but after tonight i find it difficult to believe that there has been a better performance this year than that of sean penn as harvey milk.

it would have been great to see rourke take it tho, if not for some academy recognition for aronofsky's "the wrestler".

winslet's win came as no surprise to anyone, although i do think the win being for "the reader" was undeserved when compared to her turn in "revolutionary road". i would have been pleased to see her take it for that, but "the reader" winning just reaks of hollywood politics in action (with the vile harvey weinstein back to his manipulative ways of old).

"slumdog millionaire" winning everything else also proved to be no surprise. im pleased that the film won so much, and the internet backlash is beyond annoying. sure there are films that i would have prefered had beaten it to best picture, but i am still really pleased to see danny boyle's film take home so much praise. the genuine happiness that everyone involved displays is refreshing when compared to the stoic nature usually associated with this sort of thing. "wall-e" really should have taken the sound awards tho.

one final thing, the obituaries were incredibly moving this year, due in no small part to the inclusion of paul newman. the way in which the lights all fell upon his moment, and the quote rang out amongst the auditorium was just perfect.

firefox (1982)

a surprisingly successful attempt at post-star wars casual science fiction for clint eastwood, with the film boasting a much more experimental element than one would have expected. eastwood fuses casual sci-fi with the espionage thrillers he was familiar with at the time of the films production to combine a winning formula. the advertised notion of a plot revolving around a super-fi jetplane takes a back seat for the first hour, as we see eastwood's vietnam vet attempt to infiltrate the russian military. the latter half of the film takes place on and around the plight aboard the plane, in a vein that is perhaps the direct opposite of similiar fare like "top gun". "firefox" is to be commended as a very different piece of work to the usual clint eastwood film, and it succeeds much better than expected.

the shining (1980)

another jack nicholson performance, and another tour de force. the scale of madness on display in kubrick's stephen king adaptation is awe-inspiring. i looked to "the shining" for academic reasons on this occasion, im looking at symetrical screening, and this is a great example of it. the camerawork, the framing and the editing of this film are incredible examples of the language of cinema, and display why kubrick was such a great filmmaker. the use of steadicam is especially of note, with kubrick being one of the earliest advocates of the device.

oscar predictions 2009

with it being the oscars this weekend, my girlfriend and i decided to do a bit of a sweepstakes as to the results. she hasnt seen most of the films so we kept to the big categories. we also employed the will/should/should have been nominated rule too.


best actor -

bethan;
should- mickey rourke- the wrestler
will- mickey rourke- the wrestler
nom- benicio del toro- che

adam;
should- mickey rourke- the wrestler
will- mickey rourke- the wrestler
nom- leonardo dicaprio- revolutionary road


actor in a supporting role -

bethan;
should- heath ledger- the dark knight (tis the only one she's seen)
will- heath ledger- the dark knight
nom- michael kelly- changeling

adam;
should- philip seymour hoffman
will- heath ledger- the dark knight
nom- jason butler harner- changeling


best actress-

bethan;
should- meryl streep- doubt
will- kate winslet- the reader

adam;
should- angelina jolie- changeling
will- kate winslet- the reader
nom- cate blanchett- the curious case of benjamin button

best supporting actress-

bethan;
should- marisa tomei- the wrestler
will- amy adams- doubt

adam;
should- marisa tomei- the wrestler
will- amy adams- doubt
nom- kate winslett- the reader (i still stand by the fact that this was a supporting role, in context if not length)


animated film -

bethan;
wall-e

adam;
wall-e

best foreign film

bethan;
the baader meinhoff complex

adam;
will- the class
nom-gomorrah

direction-

bethan;
should- danny boyle-slumdog millionaire
will- danny boyle-slumdog millionaire
nom- darren aranofsky- the wrestler/ steven soderberg-che


adam;
should- david fincher- the curious case of benjamin button
will- david fincher- the curious case of benjamin button
nom- darren aranofsky- the wrestler/ clint eastwood-changeling


film-

bethan;
should- the curious case of benjamin button
will-slumdog millionaire
nom- changeling/the wrestler

adam;
should- the curious case of benjamin button
will- slumdog millionaire
nom- changeling/the wrestler/doubt/revolutionary road

capturing the friedmans (2003)

for a long time in the years following its release ''capturing the friedmans'', andrew jerecki's film charting the disintegration of a seemingly normal middle class family held the honour of being my favourite documentary of all time. alas that isnt necessarily true, having not seen the film for a while its importance had flailed in my mind. with that i decided to give the film a spin late at night. in doing so i was reminded just how great a film it is, and although i dont hold it in as high regard as i once did, it still has a magnificent grasp over its viewing with its intriguing, interpretative and downright shocking story.