KEN LOACH-It’s A Free World.
The second part of our Best Movies of the year, after the jump.
40-LADY CHATTERLEY-Pascale Ferran (Trailer)
Conceived as proof of the human need for balancing the duality between mind and body; the once banned literary classic, written by D.H. Lawrence, received the French treatment in this excellent and graphic adaptation of its second, lesser known version. The relationship between a sexually frustrated young female aristocrat, whose husband suffers from paralysis, and a gamekeeper was enhanced by its leading couple’s performances and a sensual atmosphere, particularly recreated in the photography of nature.
39-PARANOID PARK-Gus Van Saint (Trailer)
Even when it seems Gus Van Saint keeps on doing the same movie since his awarded opus “Elephant”; the truth is that the American director, one of the last bastions of independent filmmaking, has created his own stylistic niche of long traveling shots, silences and attempts to reflect the inner life of the teenagers in his master piece and he kepts exploiting it by being translated into the life of a depressed rock star (“Last Days”) first and now to the skater’s universe. His voyeuristic camera’s vision was still unique, but the depiction of his main character’s moral conflicts, after being involved on a deadly accident, was flawed with a touch of superficial “déjà vu”
38-HAIRSPRAY-Adam Shankman (Trailer)
John Waters’ most accessible moment has become a franchise, used as a musical in theatres and now remade by Hollywood. Many of us questioned the need for a remake; but this new version, without adding anything to the original, was so cheerful and well-executed that ranked among the best feel good movies of the year. The same Waters gave his blessings showing up in a small cameo; next to an impeccable, star-studded cast where everyone glistened: John Travolta was called for the role done by Divine, respecting the original’s man in drag antics. Elsewhere, Michelle Pfeiffer’s long awaited comeback; Queen Latifah; Christopher Walker and a group of promising young stars giving their best for this paean to the tolerance of individual differences.
37-MICHAEL CLAYTON-Tony Gilroy (Trailer)
Shaping itself as one of the favorites for 2008’s Oscars, Tony Gilroy’s assured debut had a scent of seventies political thriller to it, albeit set in today’s world of big corporations and top-rank, truth-adjusting law firms. George Clooney’s was a fine lead as the amoral problem fixer, who gets caught on the proceedings of a high profile lawsuit thanks to one of his partners, the defender of the company accused, losing his mind shortly before the trial. He was backed by top-notch performances from Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton in this moral tale of modern corruption.
36-CASSANDRA’S DREAM-Woody Allen (Trailer)
Woody Allen returned to drama for the third of his London movies, dealing with British working classes and the moral issues Dostoyevsky tackled in his classic “Crime and Punishment”. Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell were two struggling brothers who see the chance to leave poverty behind by helping their wealthy surgeon uncle getting rid of a rival. Yet to be released in the UK, is bound to being backlashed by critics and audiences alike, who were less than convinced by Allen’s depictions of their upper classes in his former “Match Point”. Other than that, a solid drama that somehow feels like it’s missing something important to its conclusion.
35-LA SOLEDAD-Jaime Rosales (Trailer)
Alter “The Hours of the Day”, the Catalonian director ascended to the first league of Spanish filmmakers, by musing about the unbearable loneliness of being in a touchingly realist drama telling the ups and downs of its characters’ familiar and social relationships in devastating detail. The consequences of a bomb explosion, left too underdeveloped to justify their inclusion, were the only cloud over his achievements.
34-DAYS OF GLORY-Rachid Bouchareb (Trailer)
Powerful war movie about the indigenous (its original title) soldiers from North Africa’s French colonies, who help fighting for their mother country in the Second World War. It described their heroism against prejudice and xenophobia within the Army. As moving, as poignant in times of racial turmoil; it timely brought to mind the sacrifices that those groups of people, often treated as second-rate citizens, were prepared to do for France.
33-THE NAMESAKE-Mira Nair (Trailer)
Mira Nair carried on refining her superb narrative sense with this reflection about the search for our own identity, placed within an immigrant family from India living in New York, whose first generation was still stuck in roots and traditions, whereas their offspring got progressively away from them in order to integrate themselves within the society surrounding them. As it is customary in the Hindi director’s work, no aspect of “The Namesake” was left to improvisation, resulting on a truly rewarding viewing experience.
More identity studies, in this case about a German emigrant’s struggle to reaffirm his place in a small village from Majorca. A reflection about his fears and insecurities while he tries to fit in his new position substituting someone named like him, whose disappearance will be a disturbing obstacle on his way. Made with a singular economy of resources and a suggestively ambiguous script, Rafa Cortés earned Fipresci’s revelation award in Cannes for this promising debut.
31-THE DARJEELING LIMITED-Wes Anderson (Trailer)
Another weird and quirky comedy from Wes Anderson, this time with three brothers traveling to India on an attempt to re-bond between them and look for their missing mum. The colourful production design and Adrian Brody’s addition to the director’s usual acting troupe were the hits; whereas the presumedly funny gags of the story were mostly misses. However, it all added up to a charmingly unusual ride.
30-ATONEMENT-Joe Wright (Trailer)
Another of this year’s Oscar hopefuls, “Atonement” was a classic epic masterminded with an eye on the Academy. Many saw the original Ian McEwan novel impossible to adapt to the big screen, but the expert hand of Christopher Hampton managed its script with honours, even when its final seems a bit rushed and unbalancing to the rest of the movie. Everything else on it (young starry cast: mind-blowing cinematography and art direction; etc) is shouting out loud for awards.
29-THE COUNTERFEITERS-Stefan Ruzowitzky (Trailer)
Austrian movie chosen for the foreign film Oscar, based on historical facts. The tale of a Nazi plan to wreck its adversaries’ currencies by flooding their markets with fake notes and how they recurred to the finest counterfeiters among Jews and other prisoners, who were obliged to carried on the task to save their lives. Another good example of classy filmmaking.
28-THE ORPHANAGE-J.A. Bayona (Trailer)
It didn’t classify for the nomination it was selected for, but this Guillermo Del Toro production kept high pride for record breaking box-office in Spain and a good international reception. Following Amenabar’s steps, being profusely compared to “The Others”, it shared with the former a traditional ghost story and a chilling script. Belen Rueda needn’t envy Nicole Kidman.
27-A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS-Dito Montiel (Trailer)
A writer’s past childhood in Queens comes back to haunt him when his mother asks him back due to his father’s serious illness. Dito Montiel’s adaptation of his own memoir was one of the debuts of the year; finely crafted and crammed with notable performances (Shia LaBeouf; Chazz Palminteri; Rosario Dawson; Robert Downey Jr.; Dianne Wiest..)
26-PERSEPOLIS-Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronaud (Trailer)
Following with more authors adapting their childhood memories to cinema, in this case the ones of a young Iranian girl, growing up in a convulsive Terehan before going through the arrival of the Shah; fundamentalist revolutions and the war; captured on a celebrated comic that ended up being filmed and just received a nod for the Oscar to best animated movie. If graphic novels are a more serious and adult version of the comic; this movie is their equivalent compared to the sugary cartoons made in USA.
The surprise indie hit of the year. A low-key musical set in the streets of Dublin, capturing the magic encounter between a local street busker and an eastern European immigrant, both with considerable life baggage but connecting through the songs they write and play. It captured the old-fashioned romanticism and an strange believe in fate’s determinism, but ultimately it was an optimistic, feel-good flick. Shame about the songs!
24-LIGHTS IN THE DUSK-Aki Kaurismäki (Trailer)
The third installment from the “Loser Trilogy” was maybe the weakest of the three, paling in comparison with “The Man without a Past”. It maintained the careful atmosphere, more appropriate for America in times of pop-art than for Kaurismäki’s natal Finland; and his laconic style portraying characters pressed down by circumstances, looking for a second chance. It divided critics, but hardcore fans were conquered again.
23-MEL GIBSON-Apocalypto (Trailer)
Awaited as the final product of Gibson’s megalomania, after his all-conquering and violent take on the Bible; this time it substituted Aramaic and Latin for Yucatec Maya to carry on his predilection for dead languages; and lashes and lacerations were replaced for violent tribal fights in this portrayal of a civilization on the verge of extinction. Establishing a parallelism between the Mayans and today’s decadent society, his grandiose trademark reached new heights and even the ones who were ready for attack, had to shut their critical voices on the strength and magnitude of this spectacle.
22-LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA-Clint Eastwood (Trailer)
Released back to back with “Flags of our fathers” as an attempt to portrait the two sides of the coin in World War II; the former, dealing with the shameful reception that US veterans were given after coming back to America, was far from perfect. This second one fared better. Based on a real episode; it praised the sacrifice, honor and courage of the Japanese fighting to defend until the last moment the strategic island of Iwo Jima. It earned Eastwood once more widespread acclaim as the master he’s become.
21-IT’S A FREE WORLD-Ken Loach (Trailer at the beginning)
After winning the Palm D’Or at Cannes, the politically committed director went through a humbler approach shooting his latest project for TV, without suffering too much in the quality department. It gave a needed look at illegal immigrants and the ways their rights are abused in the Western countries where they come in flocks to work, hoping for a better future. Loach had a sympathetic view on most of the characters, concluding that were all trapped, one way or another, in an out of control system of mutual exploitation.