Bojangles Top Ten Movies

This was an impossible list to make. This was, in my humble opinion, the best year of film that I've been alive for. I saw around fifty films overall and the majority were good films. There were many that were brilliant. Quite a few would have been in the top 2 most years, but due to even better films, some of these won't even make the top ten list.

This was a year of brutal endings. A year of violence and the dark side of the human psyche. A year that put a microscope up to our society in a myriad of ways, one more interesting than the next. Two films overshadowed this field and I am going back and forth on what's the better film. Today (although tomorrow may be different) I feel that the number 1 film is:

1. There Will Be Blood

This might be the most beautifully shot film that I've seen. Every single setup is perfect. Anderson has mastered the language and motion of film in an unbelievable way. I knew he had this in him, even though his previous films are very different. Daniel Day Lewis devours the movie and makes it his own. His accent and mannerisms stay with you long after the film is over. The score by Greenwood is overbearing in a 2001 (which I feel actually shares many parallels with There Will Be Blood, the first 30 minutes seem to be paying homage in some very interesting ways) sort of way, but it definitely adds to the film. Overall, this might be one of the most ambituous and unique films out there and will be talked about for years to come.

2. No Country For Old Men

This film is as ambituos as TWBB thematically, but couldn't be more different in terms of execution. Where TWBB is theatrical, bold and flamboyant, No Country is subtle, creepy and gets under your skin. Where TWBB shows us the birth of two competing impulses for America's soul, No Country shows us horrifying nihlism. This is a world where there is no meaning. Sure, there is evil incarnate in the hitman, but where is the flipside to this coin? What does his evil mean when we have no good to counter this. We only have an elderly man waxing nostologia for simpler, less primal times, while random and terrible things happen all around him. The message can be boiled down to this quote in the film.

"You Can't Stop What's Coming."

Technically the film is perfection. The Coen's make use of sound in a way not seen since Hitchcock. They use almost no music and instead push silence into the forefront of the story.

3. Sweeney Todd

Another terrifying look at human nature. The savageness of this film is quite shocking and the juxtoposition of blood, cannibalism, throat slashing and song is memorable to say the least. This is probably my favorite Tim Burton film and reminded me a lot of Sleepy Hollow--which I feel is extremely underrated. I am baffled that this film got made, but feel that film goers are lucky that it did. Not many studio films are this uncomprimising in it's bleak outlook.

4. The Assassination of Jesse James

Another staggeringly beautiful film shot by Roger Deakins. This has a leisurely pace, but an ultimately rewarding one. I'm surprised that it did so shitty at the box office, as Brad Pitt is gold as Jackson. It reminds me quite a bit of There Will Be Blood. These films together would make a hell of an interesting double feature.

5. Gone Baby Gone

I didn't really see this one coming. They always preach about how drama is all about tough choices. If this is true, then the choice that is made at the end of the movie is pure DRAMA. This is a fun film with great acting, great scenes and a fucked up 3rd act. I wish it got better box office, but I'm glad Affleck is getting props for his script and directing.

6. Michael Clayton

The script is as tight as you'll see and the acting is sublime. George Clooney has turned out to be one of the best guys working in movies. He has an eye for good scripts.

7. Into The Wild

The only life affirming movie so far. The true greatness in this movie lies in the supporting characters that Chris meets on his journey. These characters bring out a side in Chris that makes the film tragic. This film (like many on this list) has it's own pace and takes it's time. The joy of the film is in the details, the digressions, the interactions.

8. Zodiac

This film started skipping on my DVD player and I almost started to cry until it played smoothly. Watching it makes you feel as obsessive as the detective tracking the killer. Some of the scenes in this film take creepiness to a whole new level. It's a film I'll want to watch a few more times, as I don't feel I have a great grasp on it. Maybe that's the point.

9. The Living Wake

Doesn't have distrobution yet, so I got a screener of it. This film has a great time with language and doesn't take itself seriously at all. I'm not even going to try to explain it, as I'd do it terrible justice. This film feels like something that I would have written, so I can't say I really recommend it.

10. 28 Weeks Later

I've seen beginnings before, but WOW! This movie gets going in my favorite intro of the year. Zombies are my achilles heel and I found this to be a damn entertaining zombie movie.

That's the list. I feel bad about leaving off Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, Eastern Promises, Bourne Ultimatum, King of Kong, Margot at the Wedding, Once, This is England, Juno, Hot Fuzz, Diving Bell and 3:10 to Yuma, but, again, it was the best year of movies I've seen.