Drew Barrymore's directorial debut comes as a huge surprise. Although her vision is rather linear (the storyline isn't particularly complex or convuluted, it IS her first time out) its filled with so many intelligently placed thoughts, feelings and expressions that it still feels like a multilayered outing. A bold coming of age pic, a goofy sports film, a subtle (yet grippingly LOUD) riot grrl feminist effort, a cute romance all melded into one underlying idea. Sheer individualism, told in multiple different facets. A rare triumph of a teen hipster movie.
5. Fantastic Mr Fox
Wes Anderson arguably hasn't been himself- master of the oddball cinema- since the Royal Tenenbaums. But oddly enough, or is it really that odd considering who it is, he finds his muse in stop motion. His weird sense of humour and penchant for making vaguely morally ambiguous, quirky characters is put to great use here, and it really comes off as his most optimistic film yet. You can be weird. You can be odd. You can be a freak. But you'd better believe, that your fantastic.
4. Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" By Sapphire
By regular standards, it's a complete mess. Plot points, themes, imagery and humour all over the place. But many geniuses are quite able to find all their important properties in clutter, and Precious is one of those few geniuses as a whole. Whether its the hilarity and uplift of the humour, Monique's monster turn, Gabourey's broken bird portrayal, the pains and hardships of blacks in society, or watching all of these different people having to push, the message is clear. Brilliantly, beautifully clear, and although the movie's ending isn't exactly cause for celebration it is glouriously optimistic. Life is hard. Life is funny. Life is sad. Life is painful. Life is fragile. But above all, it is precious. It is always precious.
3. Inglourious Basterds
The wild, untamed cinematic savantry of Quentin Tarantino is his primarily appeal. However here, we see him refine himself just enough for this World War II revisionist spaghetti western. With fantastic results. The flood of thoughts, feelings, emotions and references are seamlessly divided into linear chapters, Tarantino's eclectic knack for being able to choose just the right actor for the role is once again present (especially in the amazing turn from Waltz given here) and although the tale is told with more style and finesse then many there is fashion to see in no longer Nazi occupied France, that isn't why the movie truly becomes an instant classic. The movie is a silent, loving, polished ode to cinema itself. Truly a gift of a movie.
2. Avatar-Coraline
Oh boy, another tie. The subject matter of each film is entirely different. Avatar is a hardly covered space allegory for the plight of the Natives and Coraline is an animated film that calls out the child in our adult. But they are on the same plain as visual spectacles, and storybooks like no other. But for various reasons.
Coraline is quite the beautiful movie, in fact probably the most beautiful stop motion film created, ever. Every picture on the screen, intricate, nostalgic, meloncholic and foreboding, hauntingly gorgeous stuff here. But why the movie is really the incredible storybook that it is, is the way the screenplay speaks out to the viewer. It not only makes us look inside ourselves to our inner child. It strikes fear into them, reminds us who we once were, the mistakes that were made, the darkness that plagued us even then. This movie is the hand that feeds slapping the mouth that bites, and THAT is why it leaves such an imprint in the mind. A true gothic piece of art.
Avatar. Good God, what the hell is there to say about this thing that no one else has said...Cheesy dialogue. Yes. On occasion. Predictable story. Oh yeah. But was the vision and scope of the film on a level that transcends almost all of its sci-fi predeccesors. Yes. Although by all means this is a story we've heard before, Cameron tells it with such boldness, such expression such mastery such magnanamous wonder of a world our imaginations couldn't dream of...that the telling of the story far outways the actual story. And that is why it succeeds. Although succeed is an understatement here.
1. A Serious Man
In comparison to the bombastic action, sci-fis, globe trotting and animation contained on this list, its kind of weird that the number one film is so...minimalistic and so very existential and nihilistic. With comedy as black as the ace of spades. How could such a small, but horrendously negative thing hit my number one? Simple. This is the first Coen film, where I feel an emotional pull. Don't get me wrong, I love most of their other films. However while they did call upon human darkness with deft intuition, they lacked the real humanity of A Serious Man. Larry Gopniks tale of nihilism in the extreme can be depressing, but guess what. We've all been there. We've all wanted help. And when we don't get it we question our own worthiness according to whoever, and this only makes us more desperate for answers and in the end the answers aren't there, because no one really has them. We have all been there. This really is a mature, loving picture from the Coens, and maybe not their best film, it is the film that I hold closest to my heart in my times of sorrow. I'd love to see you try and watch No Country For Old Men when you're depressed.
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-Kris Aarons
