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I realize it is a couple weeks late, but here’s my top five through October. Well, I guess through the second week of November.
1. Zombieland
2. Up
3. District 9
4. (500) Days of Summer
5. Star Trek
Not much movement, I know, but I expect that to change in the near future (it isn’t from lack of trying, I’ve seen at least a dozen films since the last list). I don’t believe I’ve said anything about Zombieland before. It is darn near a perfect movie. Taut, consistently funny, surprising, and well-cast. One of those films where I understand if someone doesn’t like it much, I just probably can’t be very good friends with that person. Jesse Eisenberg is who people want Michael Cera to be. Woody Harrelson was just about born to play his role (and I’m hoping he gets a nomination for The Messenger because I’ll consider it half a vote for this). Abigail Breslin, well, maybe I better let Brian chime in. And I’m madly in love with Emma Stone. If I’m not writing a ridiculous post advocating that this script should get a nomination, it will have been an insanely good year.
While I have the floor, just wanted to point out something. The latest Gurus O’ Gold list went up a few days ago. Their predictions are always interesting and one of the bets resources out there. But I was struck by how few films the experts think have a shot to get a Best Picture nomination. For ten spots, they seem to agree that only eleven have any real shot. I realize that no one really knows how the change to ten affects anything, and that it is still relatively early in the game. But this is stunning to me. I thought part of the point of the change was accepting that a wider swathe of movies can be good than the Academy generally deems. But this wouldn’t be progress at all.
It’s not quite the end of the month but I’m headed out on safari for a few weeks and I know no one will sleep until they hear my latest top 5.
1. Up. Still no change.
2. Zombieland. What a delightful surprise. This is a clever, funny, deliciously gory film. It sticks to its premise and takes it in a fun direction. Absolutely terrific characters with some excellent surprises. This is the multiplex movie to see at the moment.
3. The Informant!. Zany, hilarious, twisty.
4. I Love You, Man. Funny! If it’s on the plane I think I’ll watch it again.
5. Moon. Will the fledgling movement to get Sam Rockwell a nomination pay off? Probably not. But that would be sweet.
As time goes on we see more films it’s tougher to move the top five, so occasionally I’d like to highlight a film that probably would have made the top five had I seen it earlier.
9. By no means a perfect movie but I enjoyed its unique visual style and surprisingly dark themes. The second half is significantly better than the first – probably because by then you accept the relatively thin plot and characters – and the climax is quite effective.
Top 5 Movies On Earth (that I’ve seen so far)…(this year)
Thus far, only Jared and John have put up their misguided lists, so I will confine my derogatory comments to their choices and assume that Brian’s picks will be typically horrific. That being said, both John and Jared should correct their post names to “How Many Mediocre Movies Can We Pick?”. The answer in both cases is at least two. Unfortunately, at this time I can’t comment on District 9, nor Moon. But I will give each of them the benefit of the doubt, as those are two movies I am looking forward to seeing.
However, before I repudiate their claims of greatness (for some of their movie picks…not themselves…that would be ridiculous even for them), I’ll give mine:
1. Inglourious Basterds
I love me some Quentin Tarantino. That being said, while I really enjoyed this movie (even more after thinking about it for a while), I wish there would have been more of the actual Basterds. I can’t wait to see the uncut version.
2. The Hangover
Best bachelor-party-in-Vegas movie of the year. And easily the funniest movie of the year thus far. Zach Galifianakis was hilarious and I’m thrilled that this movie has caused him to be recognized and signed on a variety of new films. I still think the film trailed off at the end, and I still wish Heather Grahms’ character was better developed, but it was a good movie.
3. (500) Days of Summer
I really enjoyed this movie. It was slightly less funny than I expected, but the story more than made up for it. The only real problem I had with it was that some of the cool pieces of the movie went just a little…longer than they should have. They were stretched too much. For example, the dancing scene. Excellent scene, great device, but it went just far enough with the blue bird to over stay it’s welcome.
4. Sunshine Cleaning
Fun, quirky, and Amy Adams…what more do you need?
5. Star Trek
I hate that I like this movie. I’m looking forward to it getting bumped off the list. Please Hollywood, put out some good movies in the next month or two.
Honorable Mentions: Taken & Coraline
Now, on to the Why I Am The Only Grouch To Have Any Taste segment of our show. As all of you readers out there (so, pretty much my fellow Grouches) have noticed by now, my colleagues (and I use that term loosely) have been proclaiming the merits of Up and I Love You, Man. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Both of these were OK movies that completely underwhelmed.
After all their hype, I couldn’t believe the lack of humor in I Love You, Man. It actually reminded me of Death at a Funeral – short bursts of hilarity sparsely spread throughout a plodding, unfunny plot populated with actually decent characters. Some thoughts:
The Good
Paul Rudd: I agree with my fellow Grouches that Paul Rudd has really impressed me in his leading man roles. I hope to see more of him – just in better movies. I actually liked him better in Role Models than in this.
Jaime Presley: I thought she nailed this part. Every scene with her in it was improved because of her. One of the few comedic elements in the movie that was actually under-utilized.
Jason Seagal: He has really impressed me in his last couple of outings. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was one of my favorite movies last year and held up under repeat viewings – no small feat in itself.
Rush montage
The wedding party
Paul Rudd’s constant, horrible nicknames.
The Bad
Paul Rudd’s constant weird accents: What was up with that? It was sort of funny once. The rest of the times it was worse than boring.
The constant abbreviations and “slang” terms: Never-ending. Never funny.
Extremely slow to develop. It’s actually surprising how long they took on developing unnecessary elements and how little they took in developing more interesting aspects.
The Ugly
The lack of chemistry between characters, the lack of plot development, and the inharmonious/cobbled together feel of the entire movie.
Conclusions
Just looking over the past thoughts, one might question why I have such animosity towards the film. And my response is: I don’t. I did like the film. It was fine. Fine. There were some good/great characters and a couple of laughs, but it never really came together for me. How do you not hit it out of the park when you have Rush figured so prominently and you cast The Hulk?
Jared, John, and Brian need to re-examine their definitions of “comedy.”
As for Up, it unfortunately falls into the same category as the other recent Pixar movie – decent movie, but fails to live up to the bar of The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. Not only that, because it’s Pixar, it developed an enormous amount of undeserved hype. By far the best part of the movie was the talking dog and squirrel jokes. Unfortunately, that lasts all of 5 minutes.
All in all, two decent movies that should only be in someone’s Top 5 if they’ve only seen 5 movies this year.
Thus far, only Jared and John have put up their misguided lists, so I will confine my derogatory comments to their choices and assume that Brian’s picks will be typically horrific. That being said, both John and Jared should correct their post names to “How Many Mediocre Movies Can We Pick?”. The answer in both cases is at least two. Unfortunately, at this time, I can’t comment on District 9, nor Moon. But I will give each of them the benefit of the doubt, as those are two movies I am looking forward to seeing.
However, before I repudiate their claims of greatness (for some of their movie picks…not themselves…that would be ridiculous even for them), I’ll give mine:
Well, John wrote the post I’d been planning, so he is a bum. But I’ll jump on the bandwagon and share some films I can’t wait to see (in some sort of vague order, though my list is already at fifty, so I’m sure I missed a few):
An Education. Mostly because Nick Hornby wrote the screenplay and he is all kinds of awesome. Carey Mulligan (is it just me, or does she look a lot like Michelle Williams?) is poised to break out as a result of her starring turn here, but the supporting cast (Peter Saarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson, Sally Hawkins) ain’t too shabby.
Precious. See, this is why I love the Oscars (and why I don’t really believe in the concept of acting). A year ago, if anyone had suggested Mo’Nique could have a legit shot at an Oscar nom, you would have laughed. I would have laughed. And, at least in my case, it wouldn’t have been disrespectful, just that the type of roles she plays aren’t generally the ones the Academy deigns to acknowledge. And yet here we are.
The Box. Twilight Zone? Yes, please.
Couples Retreat. Not that it will get Oscar love, but the movie was co-written by Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, directed by Peter Billingsley, and I’d watch pretty much anything half the other people are in.
A Single Man. I don’t know if it will make a 2009 release, but festival buzz is high and Colin Firth is awesome. Plus, there’s no way I miss a movie with Ginnifer Goodwin and Lee Pace.
Dare. Only this low because I don’t necessarily believe IMDb’s release date for the film. Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, and Kate Mara’s sister in a high school drama? Yeah, that’ll do.
Up in the Air. I was impressed with the script, and the reviews have been glowing.
Women in Trouble. For its artistic merits. I swear.
Also: Bright Star (can’t get me enough Paul Schneider), Zombieland, St. Trinian’s (because, come on, how is this a real movie?), Pirate Radio (Richard Curtis is my dawg) and Ong Bak 2.
Didn’t seem like that great of a summer, huh?
1. Up. No change.
2. I Love You, Man. Check it out on DVD, jobin.
3. Moon. An entertaining, thoughful, compelling sci-fi flick starring Sam Rockwell and only Sam Rockwell. Should be out on DVD in a few months and it’s definitely worth watching.
4. The Hangover. Do you know if this blog is pager friendly?
5. (500) Days of Summer. Clever and amusing romantic comedy that makes some fun twists in the genre. Even though I wish it was a little funnier I enjoyed its stylistic flourishes.
Now let’s get to the late-year good stuff. Whiteout sure looks great, huh?
Right now might be my favorite part of the year, in terms of movie-watching. We’ve seen the summer blockbusters, the interesting films I didn’t see in theaters (e.g. Sin Nombre, Sugar, Sunshine Cleaning) are rolling out on DVD, and we’re pretty much at the exact point right before Oscar contenders become legit Oscar contenders. Nobody knows anything, because most of the big films haven’t really been seen at all, but everyone wants to know something. To wit, the first edition of the Gurus O’ Gold is out, and if you haven’t seen it, check them out. And you all laughed when I said Star Trek was in the conversation. The important festivals, Telluride, TIFF, and Venice are just getting underway. Even as short as a week from now, we’ll have a better idea about the Oscars. But now, now is when absolutely anything is possible and we can still be full of hope that this will be a great Oscar year.
1. Up
If Up were to get a Best Picture nom, I’d be thrilled as all heck. And while it should have been WALL-E, it would unfairly diminish this film to call it a make up nom. Of course, I guess I should allow for the possibility I’ll seen ten films I like more than this. Man, that would be something.
2. District 9
One of the two new additions to the list since my last post. Maybe this is nostalgia talking, but I think that recent scifi/action films have tended to forget what makes their genre so great. In my mind, it isn’t the special effects, necessarily. It is the stories that couldn’t be told any way other than explosions, mindless violence, and a few broken laws of physics. Anyway, District 9 bursts out of the scifi/action genre to become a truly great film.
3. (500) Days of Summer
The other new add. It may have been the movie I was most looking forward to this summer, so there’s something to be said for it being able to stand up to my hype. It wasn’t everything I hoped it would be, but it was certainly close. There are some neat tricks in there, which manage not distract from the film, and the story is a generally compelling subversion of a romcom.
4. I Love You, Man
Sure, Rush jokes will pretty much always be funny in a movie. But someday, someone will build a film around TOTO jokes. And then I’ll have to stop watching movies.
5. Star Trek
John is still wrong.
And a special honorable mention to The Hurt Locker, which was in my Top Five for at least a little bit. Actually, I think there was a week when Away We Go made it as well.
It’s hard to believe but I’m putting together my top ten even later than last year. Again I had hoped to catch up on some movies I missed, but yet again that barely happened. But truthfully this time there weren’t that many I feel like I missed the boat on by skipping.
2008 wasn’t a great year. I’d say it continues a trend starting in 2006, the year Brian and Jared started this project and the early first discussions among the four of us. 2006 had a strong crop of great movies (The Departed, Children of Men, Pan’s Labyrinth). 2007 had a handful of great films (Knocked Up, Hairspray) but a much larger group of very good films (Once, Mr. Brooks). 2008 had few great or very good films, but a huge chunk of merely good films. My top five were easy to pick. The next three became fairly obvious. But literally two dozen films vied for those final two slots. On the one hand, that’s a nice group of films in contention. On the other hand, all are flawed and wouldn’t have come close to my top ten in previous years.
Enough rambling, on with the list!
1. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. A rare film that left me feeling like I had experienced something, although it wasn’t a very pleasant something. Writer/director Christian Mungiu explores abortion in 1980s Romania, where the procedure, along with many other freedoms, are restricted under a Communist regime. Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu play college roommates Otilia and Gabita. When the latter becomes pregnant, the former helps her find a doctor to perform an abortion and sets up the particulars. It’s a night full of unsavory characters and dirty hotel rooms. Otilia also must balance her duties caring for her friend with commitments to her boyfriend (where “I need to help Gabita get an abortion” will not suffice as an excuse).
The subject matter is tough and bleak. Mungiu’s stylistic choices are always fascinating but never distracting. His shots run for minutes at a time, often with the camera remaining still and the subjects moving throughout the frame. One scene where Gabita sits down to dine with her boyfriend’s family lasts a very uncomfortable, unbroken ten minutes. It’s a technique nearly identical to the one used in the only other recent Romanian film I’ve seen, 12:08 East of Bucharest. Romanian cinema is said to be undergoing a renaissance; can a reader let me know if this is part of the new Romanian style?
The abortion scenes are extraordinarily graphic and brutally realist although not needlessly lurid. I wouldn’t say it contains any politics and I suspect most viewers will feel the movie supports whatever abortion views they had going in. I know that months later I find several images from this film deeply affecting.
4 Months won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2007 but failed to make even the Foreign Language shortlist. The outcry surely factored into the Academy’s decision to alter that category’s nomination procedures for 2008. A short qualifying run made it eligible for the 2007 Oscars – and both Marinca and Vasiliu would have been very deserving nominees in the Lead and Supporting categories, respectively – but didn’t get a real commercial US release until 2008. It is a true masterpiece, but one I have no intent of viewing again soon.
2. The Dark Knight. We’ve discussed this movie a lot around here, but I keep coming back to the same thought: The Dark Knight is like someone wrote a superhero movie just for me. It has the genre’s requisite action sequences, humorous sidekicks, sleek gadgets, and scheming villains but with a complexity and dark edge that one rarely sees in films, let alone in a genre flick. This truly got to me in parts, helped of course by Heath Ledger’s legendary performance, and made it gave me points to ponder leaving the theater. Those are qualities I love to find in any film of any genre.
3. The Wrestler. I fully enjoyed this film when I saw it initially but I’ve found it has risen in my esteem even further over subsequent months. At its heart it’s such a simple story so well told of people whose peaks are far behind them and whose only glories will never be achieved again. Mickey Rourke’s baring performance is incredible (and I remind you that the dude cut himself for real in those wrestling scenes and that is bad ass) while Marisa Tomei is her usual sparkling self. And nomination snub be damned, can you think of a song that so perfectly encapsulated its film like Bruce Springsteen’s title song over the credits? The fade to black and the first strums of that song are just so perfect.
4. Milk. Who knew a formulaic Oscar-bait genre pic could be so good? It tells the story a remarkable subject and does so incredibly well. Milk manages to be a message movie without becoming overly preachy and it maintains an over-arching narrative without straying too far into the classic biopic “tick the box” feel. Director Gus Van Sant gives it an intense feel of time and place, transporting the viewer into the middle of tumultuous 1970s San Francisco. And perhaps most notably it is full of terrific performances, not just from the incomparable Oscar winner Sean Penn but also supporting players Josh Brolin, James Franco, and Emile Hirsch.
5. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. The last few years have seen some incredible documentaries where filmmakers happened to be filming what would have been a rather pedestrian film just to capture an incredible turn of events (think King of Kong). Here, when his friend Dr Andrew Bagby was murdered in 2001, director Kurt Kuenne decided to make a film about his deceased friend. A noble subject to be sure, but probably one that results in an intensely personal and not widely-seen final product. But Andrew’s ex-girlfriend and suspected killer, Shirley Turner, fled to her native Newfoundland where she announced she was pregnant with Andrew’s child. Kuenne’s film turned into a film for Andrew’s son, Zachary, to tell him about his father.
Andrew’s parents David and Kathleen move to Newfoundland to battle Shirley for custody of Zachary while the wheels of justice turn unbearably slow. The Bagbys must maintain a friendly relationship with their son’s murderer in order to see their grandson, an unthinkably painful prospect. The twists and turns continue as the courts make rulings and Shirley’s sanity appears unstable. I will not come close to revealing the film’s resolution. David and Kathleen end up becoming the main characters in this incredible story; their resolve is truly remarkable.
Dear Zachary did the festival circuit and had a short theatrical run in 2008, but I saw it on MSNBC. It may have future airings there and I would recommend checking it out if it does.
6. Slumdog Millionaire. I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with the points Slumdog backlash devotees make. It feels mildly exploitative, the acting isn’t particularly great, and the plot strains credibility. I think for the most part it doesn’t really matter. The way the story advances through incredible chance does bother me to some extent, but I accept it as a modern fairy tale. Most fairy tales take outlandish turns. And I don’t really know how you can make a film about extreme poverty without it feeling at least somewhat exploitative unless it dwells on only the most negative aspects of human existence. The life of the poor isn’t horrible for every second of every day and it’s not necessarily glamorizing poverty to show that in a film.
Slumdog is always fascinating. The adjective that still comes into my head all these months later is “vibrant” but I’m not sure that’s quite right. I think that’s too positive a word. It is vibrant, but also brutal and nasty and dirty and raw. Maybe “pulsating” is a better word, helped with by the Oscar-winning camera work and score. I do love films where the settings feel like a major character; this was the case with my 2007 love affair with The Assassination of Jesse James and the same holds for the bustling slums of Mumbai even tough they couldn’t be further from the emptiness of the Great Plains in Jesse James. In a way I felt like I had spent two hours experiencing India. Truthfully I’m not sure Slumdog will hold up well as a Best Picture winner but it’s a pretty fantastic immersive experience with a crowd-pleasing ending.
7. Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I always knew this would make my list, but a reviewing several months ago surprised me with how good it truly is. I think with films that depend on humor and shock value subsequent viewings will necessarily lose some of the impact. And that happened here, but by not guffawing so hard I caught how well-crafted it is. The characters are interesting, well-developed, and amusing. The jokes are taut and clever; the plot engaging. Plus it has some moments that could be considered truly classic (think Dracula musical and YOU SHALL NOT PASS!).
8. In Bruges. I like a movie that can get to me a little and this very, very dark comedy did. Much like Sarah Marshall it depends to some extent on shock value, but even if you know what’s coming it’s still deeply engrossing and the ruminations on fate only get more fascinating. Great performances and fully-developed characters make the subject matter and strange twists and turns seem natural. The concept is a little insane (odd couple hitmen hiding in Belgium!) but the execution is spot-on to the point that it doesn’t really seem that insane.
9. Tropic Thunder. Does this clever and funny film make writer/director Ben Stiller respectable? I mean, Zoolander was quite good too. Like the previous two films on my list I’m surprised how well it held up on a second viewing; here you take out the shock value and it’s still damn funny. Maybe even funnier. The Hollywood mockery is clever and the fake trailers that begin the movie are hilarious. The Golden Globe nod for Tom Cruise is kind of a joke, but Robert Downey Jr’s recognition surely is not. He’s an actor in blackface acting as an actor in blackface acting in a movie. And he does the DVD commentary as his character’s character. Heady!
10. Let the Right One In. What an interesting mixture of genres. It’s a vampire movie and does have some genuinely creepy moments straight out of a good horror film. But the film’s wide appeal is clearly due to the very sweet tween romance between protagonists Oskar and Elli (the vampire). I haven’t seen Twilight but I think I can safely say that Let the Right One In beats it at its own game. The DVD subtitle controversy may have the internet up in arms, but this is a real winner no matter what subtitles you get. In fact, I’ve read comparisons of the two sets of subtitles and the new set has a few sections that are superior to the theatrical set. I think it’s rare to see a vampire movie that’s so cute.
And there were plenty of other good films this year that did something special. Most of these were in the running for the last two spots on my list. In no particular order:
I like a raunchy Apatow-style comedy with a helping of depth and insight. Or you can take something like Role Models, eschew the depth and insight, and just make it extra balls-out funny. Paul Rudd can definitely lead a film… For a great double feature of very clever and entertaining con movies, pick up The Bank Job and RockNRolla. Both are some of the most fun movies I’ve seen in some time with plots that withstand scrutiny… Speaking of fun films, Gran Torino is not what I would call a good movie by any stretch but hell if it isn’t ridiculously entertaining. It thrives on Clint Eastwood’s hilariously fun and over-the-top performance.
Don’t listen to the rest of these fools on this site, Frozen River is terrific. It’s a quiet film but it kept me tense in its portrayal of desperate poverty… Or for another wintry film to cool you down this summer, turn to David Gordon Green’s bleak but affecting drama Snow Angels, featuring good performances from Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale… For something completely different, Green’s other 2008 film was the hilarious stoner comedy Pineapple Express. I think maybe the last scene was the best ending of the year… Another place to look for laughs is Get Smart, which blew my low expectations away. It’s fairly mainstream comedy but very well-done.
Is it sacrilege for me to admit Kung Fu Panda was my favorite animated film of the year? DreamWorks rose above their usual crutch of pop culture jokes to create something that’s timelessly funny and entertaining while the animation is strikingly gorgeous… HBO’s Recount dramatizes the 2000 Presidential recount farce in a way that didn’t seem too obnoxiously political. Many of the characterizations are campy fun but Laura Dern as Katherine Harris takes the cake… The Fench thriller Tell No One takes the usual genre elements and gives them a curious French stylistic twist… Have I mentioned recently how great Richard Jenkins is in The Visitor? He’s near perfection in a good film, though it lags a bit whenever he is offscreen.
And one final commendation to the first two-thirds of Hancock. It’s rare indeed for me to be so onboard with a movie so quickly and so completely. I mean, what a concept: a boozing superhero who needs a PR campaign to repair his image. Brilliant! The plot and every little story touch is so clever and entertaining while Will Smith and Jason Bateman turn in their usual terrific performances. Too bad the last third is so putrid that it irreparably damages the film. Everything that is so right about the first hour goes spectacularly wrong, as if an entirely differenent set of people made it. I don’t understand how something can be so well-crafted at the beginning and so hapharzardly awful at the end. And I’m not even talking about the big twist, which the DVD box basically spells out. It’s the resolution with its out-of-leftfield plot points and absurd logic. Without that unfortunate turn of events Hancock would have surely been near the top of this list.
On to a better 2009!
UPDATE: I forgot Coraline. Edits below.
I guess since all the cool kids (plus Jared) are doing so, I’ll throw in my two cents on the first half of the year. “Do a top five,” I said. “It’ll be fun and easy,” I said. Then I realized I’ve only seen about ten 2009 releases and not many were good. Adam and Jared’s posts seem to indicate the same, that their choices are fine but flawed. I mean, look at our lists from last year at this time. Those are a lot better slates, no?
Well here we go, first half of 2009 top five. I think only a few of these we’ll still be talking about in a few months.
1. Up. It’s a funny movie because the squirrel got dead. Like #1 could be anything else. I just had an unfortunate realization today that this is going to be knocked out of 3-D theaters by Ice Age. I should go back and see it in 3-D, right?
2. I Love You, Man. Funny stuff but also original and clever. Between this and Role Models Paul Rudd is really showing that he can lead a movie.
3. The Hangover. Breakout hit of the year. Damn funny but I thought it needed more polish. Just not quite as tight as other R-rated comedies we’ve seen lately.
4. Coraline (3-D). Gorgeous style with some genuinely creepy touches. The “Other” characters with their button eyes were surely nightmare fuel for legions of youngsters. I just wish the conflicts resolved in a less straight-forward manner.
4. 5. State of Play. And now we enter the winner by default section of the list. Quite enjoyable but it got a big boost from me for being a DC film. I don’t think it’d be as good for people not from here. Not that it has any big DC insight, it just has lots of neat DC settings. The twists and turns are fun, except for the horrible last one. When Russell Crowe was in town to shoot this last spring I saw him play a short surprise set at a Great Big Sea show. He was surprisingly good.
5. 6. Duplicity. Frustrating in that only parts of it are truly great while other parts falter. Great story with a terrific ending, but I was tired of Julia Roberts and Clive Owen’s little back-and-forth with each other about a third of the way through. How many times can she pretend to be mad at him before it’s stale? I think if you take out some of those scenes you’re left with a pretty terrific film.
As I have yet to see more than 10 movies that have been released this year, this list may not be the most well informed. However, since I have excellent taste in movies - much better than my fellow Grouches – you can be sure that the movies I have chosen are excellent and you should immediately go see them. So, without further ado, my current top 5:
1. The Hangover
I agree with Jared about the film trailing off towards the end and Heather Grahms’ character’s lack of development, but overall this was easily the funniest movie I’ve seen all year (and possibly last year). Zach Galifianakis was absolutely hilarious as the awkward brother-in-law to be and really made the movie for me – though Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper were great as well. (Ed. Note: I have yet to see I Love You, Man so “funniest movie I’ve seen all year” does not include this apparent gem – at least, according to Jared.)
2. Sunshine Cleaning
Once in awhile a movie comes along that warms even my cold heart (i.e. Juno) and this was another one. It doesn’t hurt your chances if you cast Amy Adams, though. I actually really liked the plot of this movie. A struggling, single mother with man issues is trying to make ends meet so that she can afford to provide for her son. Sound familiar? Basically this movie took the scenario from Frozen River and made a MUCH better movie. Instead of turning to crime, Adams starts her own business in the crime scene cleaning industry with her “loser” sister (Emily Blunt). Hilarity ensues.
3. Star Trek
Surprisingly enough, Jared and I agree that John is wrong. I really wanted to dislike this movie. J.J. Abrams is highly over-rated and, at best, I’ve only decently liked some of his stuff. However, Star Trek turned out to be a very enjoyable summer action/adventure film. There were a number of things wrong with the plot and handling of some things, but overall the movie worked. I was also really impressed with the casting. Karl Urban as “Bones” McCoy was fantastic – I can’t think of anyone who could have pulled it off better. Zoe Saldana….excellent choice….she should be in more movies… I’m a huge Simon Pegg fan, so his appearance as Scotty was welcome, as was Anton Yelchin as Chekov. All-in-all, a surprisingly fun and fairly well done summer blockbuster a la Iron Man last year.
4. Taken
Liam Neeson is great. I was recently discussing this movie with a friend and neither of us were able to come up with a movie in which Liam Neeson was not great. This movie was no exception and had him in a different type of role than I am used to seeing him in. I really like the plot, the scene flow, the tempo, and most of the action sequences. A great movie that was suprising released in the doldrums of new movies. Oh well, that just means it’s already out on DVD for your viewing pleasure.
5. Up
I am sure to be the only Grouch with this at the bottom of my top 5, but I stand by my decision. I did like this movie (especially the talking dogs, which were easily the best thing about the film), but I think Pixar screwed themselves. Finding Nemo and The Incredibles set the bar way too high. Both Wall-E and Up, while very good movies, have been unable to live up to their predecessors’ greatness. While very enjoyable, and recommended, I find it unlikely that this movie will be able to hold on in my top 5 movies of the year. ”SQUIRREL!!”
Well, we are right around halfway through the calendar year, so here’s my top five so far. Hopefully the other Grouches follow.
1. Up
A fantastic movie, though I didn’t think it was as good as WALL-E. Which isn’t really a knock, seeing as how I would have said the same thing about every other film from last year.
2. I Love You, Man
This film is funny, sure, but it also manages to generally keep up a compelling story. It has been a long time since Jason Segel wasn’t in a movie in my top five.
3. Star Trek
As usual, John is wrong. We’ll see if I can come up with some sort of rebuttal.
4. The Hangover
I know the point isn’t original, but goodness gracious did this movie rake in the dough. It is gonna finish with $200 million domestic, and be safely in the top 100 domestic grosses all time. The film was often funny and occasionally hilarious, but I had a few quibbles with it, specifically that it significantly tailed off at the end, and they had no idea what to do with Heather Graham’s character.
5. The Brothers Bloom
Has a fantastic beginning (and no, not just due to the two cameos), but the last third has serious issues. Which is unfortunate, because I really wanted to love the film. Con movies are really hard to pull off, and Rian Johnson puts forward a jolly good effort. Bang Bang steals the show, in my humble opinion. There’s also a line in the film that’s in the early running for my favorite movie quote of the year.
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