20. Red Riding: 1974 (2009, Julian Jarrold): 67
Drenched in seedy period atmosphere, this tale of murder and police corruption succeeds despite the fact that I never bought into the central relationship. Strikingly cinematic for a made-for-British-television production.
Au revoir, Mr. Rohmer. Eric Rohmer 1920-2010.
19. Jack the Bear (1993, Marshall Herskovitz): 65
Male coming-of-age weepie that pushes all the right buttons and evokes To Kill a Mockingbird in the process. JRo had it right back in 1993.
18. 35 Shots of Rum (2009, Claire Denis): 54
Maybe minimalist French dramas and I just don’t get along. Denis’ latest effort, which has gotten raves from critics around the globe, left me apathetic, shoulders shrugged. It’s well-acted and heartfelt, but I never connected with any of the characters. Nice soundtrack, though.
17. /Up/ (2009, Pete Docter & Bob Peterson): 78
The first ten minutes will break your heart, while the remaining 80 will make you feel like a kid again. Beautifully animated, with excellent voice work from Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer and young Jordan Nagai. “Squirrel!”
16. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009, Terry Gilliam): 62
A mess of ideas, as all lesser Gilliam movies are. Visually, it’s quite scrumptious, but it suffers from Heath Ledger’s absence during the Imaginarium scenes; Depp, Law and Farrell just aren’t adequate replacements. Also, the final act is handled rather poorly.
15. I Love a Man in Uniform (1993, David Wellington): 77
Intense Canadian drama about an actor who takes his role as a cop a bit too seriously. Owes a lot to Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of the Comedy, as the lead character (well-played by Tom McCamus) is a man whose delusions ultimately destroy him. Too bad this one is nearly impossible to find.
Adaptation. (Spike Jonze)
Battle in Heaven (Carlos Reygadas)
The Beat That My Heart Skipped (Jacques Audiard)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Paul Greengrass)
Caché (Michael Haneke)
Colossal Youth (Pedro Costa)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Piu)
Éloge de l’amour (Jean-Luc Godard)
The Five Obstructions (Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth)
The Gleaners and I (Agnès Varda)
14. /Penn and Teller Get Killed/ (1989, Arthur Penn): 73
Little seen and highly underrated (very) black comedy written by and starring one-time bad boy magicians Penn and Teller. It’s a funny, smart vehicle for the duo that is well worth seeking out, which should be easier now that the DVD is available for sale online through the Warner Archive.
1. Mulholland Dr. (2001)
2. Elephant (2003)
3. Tropical Malady (2004)
4. The Host (2006)
5. A History of Violence (2005)
6. The Secret of the Grain (2007)
7. West of the Tracks (2003)
8. War of the Worlds (2005)
9. The New World (2005)
10. Ten (2002)
