Centered around a great performance by Sean Penn, Milk is an undeniably inspirational film. It has extraordinary emotional range, pace, and power. It's delivery is as poignant as the speeches within.
A gorgeously real portrait of a man. Trenchantly poignant in how pathetic it is, an in the way it exhibits a man who clings to all that he has left. While simultaneously exposing a world and exposing a man: it's a great film.
One of the best and underrated films of the decade, a film about dualism and the inability to let old dogs die. An ugly and well acted parable that moves with inevitable melancholy.
A film about fighting to the bitter end (like most of the other films this year) centered around the performance of Melissa Leo.
A morally problematic, sickening, re-imagining of vampirism. A great crime film and a great love story about pure evil, and how things aren't how they seem to be.
A well-paced and uplifting film that brims with life. Exemplified by the sublime Danny Boyle, the music of A.R. Rahman, its pure fantasy, and the ignored actors: Frida Pinto and Dev Patel.
A film that so perfectly captures racism and irrational behavior. Clint Eastwood's most emotional film that is unexpectedly touching, comical, and sad.
The brilliant companion piece to the brilliant Elephant by Gus Van Sant (who also directed Milk). A film about moving through life comatose and the factors that shatter those perceptions. It moves biliously and pulls no punches.
A great film about religion featuring great performances by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep. It perfectly shows the different sides of religion and the people who follow it.
A great crime film that is as far away from being a superhero movie as a superhero movie can be. Immediately shocking, perceptive, and witty.
A film about pace that exposes a different side of Richard Nixon not because of what happens, but how it happens, and all that's in between.
A brilliant documentary that merely shows the insane parts of religion (or all of it...). Bill Maher proves himself as not preachy but rather intelligently realistic and pragmatic. The open and close are a wonder.
The other great documentary of the year. Completely devastating and the saddest film I've ever seen. Also technically brilliant and as effective as a suspense thriller.
And these films (alphabetically):
A realistic and trenchantly American film about perseverance and heart.
A black comedy film that is clever and complicated (two things comedy films rarely are).
David Gordon Green's well paced stoner comedy that strays into fantastic possibility territory.
A beautifully shot and sharply written comedy that is ridiculous and all the better for it.
Much like Gran Torino in the way it centers a story of racism around a great actor (Richard Jenkins). Simple and true.
No comments:
Post a Comment