Film Round Up 2009

Best film of 2009?
It is really difficult to scrape together a list of 5 this year (which begs the question: How the hell will the Oscars come up with a list of 10 for the 2010 ceremony?) It’s not that good films aren’t being made though – they’re just not being distributed. The situation is particularly bad here in Italy where we are still waiting for Séraphine, 35 Shots of Rum, White Materials, A Prophet (wow what a year for French films), Fish Tank, An Education and Bright Star (The latter I managed to catch up with before year’s end at the good old Prince Charles in London and it was as swoon-worthy as the trailer promised). To make matters worse, you can’t even see these films at festivals. The Rome festival, for example, this year mostly screened previews of studio fare (Julie & Julia, Up In The Air) before their inevitable general release. After last year’s bold one-two punch of Il Divo and Gomorrah, the local industry has retreated back to its usual output of historical nostalgia, middle class navel gazing and teen romances (though the intriguing Io Sono Amore will finally get a release in February). Vincere has been widely praised both here and on the festival circuit, but when you are dealing with Italian fascists every day you hardly want to pay money to see them at the cinema. Then there is still the usual problem of finding a cinema that shows films in their original version. I couldn’t bear to see UP dubbed, so I await the DVD release. Really it’s enough to make you want to hurl a statue of the Duomo at someone.

So for what it’s worth my top 5 are…

In the Loop (funniest script of the year)
Revolutionary Road (Winslet’s finest hour)
Let The Right One In (slightly over-praised but lingers in the mind)
A Serious Man (yada yada yada – hilarious even to goys like me – and no that’s not a typo )
Bright Star (Campion finds a visual poetry to match her subject – Keats. If you don't believe me - watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTetIodauIM )

Biggest Disappointment(s)
Broken Embraces
Dear Pedro,
please can you stop writing scripts and concentrate on directing. We are tired of seeing the same old plots and characters trotted out every two years and really no one is interested in the story of a director who wants to re-cut one of his old films. No One. Please adapt something soon and put your visual smarts to good use. I’d love you to have a go at Agatha Christie! Please have a go at Agatha Christie!
Yours sincerely,
Disgruntled Fan

Nine
Daniel what were you thinking! He doesn’t channel Fellini or Visconti or Rosellini (the character takes superficial aspects of all of them) so much as the guy who sang “Shuddupa Your Face.” You know a film is bad when Fergie and Kate Hudson are the best things in it.

The Emperor’s New Clothes Award For Most Overrated Film
The White Ribbon
Yes it is beautifully composed and cast but it is also awesomely patronizing and, like Hidden, not as clever as it thinks it is.
Avatar
They're Blue! Just like the Smurfs! Wow!

Worst film
This is easy - Angels & Demons
Let me summarize it for you so you don’t have to put yourself through it: "exposition, exposition, exposition, bad CGI of the Vatican, exposition, exposition, guy from Shine (rent a Euro #1), exposition, Tom Hanks with new weave, exposition, guy from Breaking The Waves (rent a Euro #2), exposition, Ewan McGregor with dodgy accent, more exposition."So bad I couldn't even finish watching it on a plane.


FILM OF THE NOUGHTIES
Much easier to compile is a Best of the Decade List. What follows is very subjective and could well change once I’ve had a drink. I’ve tried to stick to films I really love and have seen multiple times rather than IMPORTANT films. Oh well.


In no particular order:

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Lost In Translation (2003)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Requiem For A Dream (2000)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Wall E (2008)
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
This Is England (2007)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The Class (2008)