Films of 2011 Part 9: 20-11

And we crack the top twenty. How exciting! This is a feasible point where normal, ordinary people who don’t have too much time on their hands may have commenced this countdown. I think I said something similar in my last post, but basically, if you want to ignore everything I’ve said up to this point and regard this as simply a ‘top 20 films of 2011’ feel free to. But alternatively, all my other film reviews were worthwhile as well, weren’t they?

*Crickets*

#20. Children of Men (2006, Alfonso Cuarón)

Again, I was very much simply late to this party. What’s more, I went into watching this with a certain degree of scepticism, because it just sounds like one of those films I would like, largely because of my famous love of dystopias. Having said that, a work of dystopian art has to be really well constructed to fly within my radar, so this film’s cracking my top 20 should indicate that, yes, this is really well constructed. For the most part I did find myself a little wearied by the sullen and depressing tone of the film, but the thrill-ride chase sequences allow it not to get bogged down in introspective miasma. While I hate to elevate a film’s status due to a particular sequence, there is a ten-or-so minute sequence late in the film, where Clive Owen is trying to find his pregnant ward through a bombed-out tenement while opposing factions of a civil war are caught in each other’s crossfire, and you sit there mesmerised through this brilliant sequence... and then it strikes you about halfway through that not only is it gripping cinematography but it’s all one long fucking tracking shot. But it’s not a standalone great part of an otherwise average film, just a breathtaking moment that elevates an otherwise very impressive film.

#19. Notorious (1946, Alfred Hitchcock)

Given how often I’ve mentioned Ingmar Bergman in this list (a full twice), it’s about time his namesake Ingrid got some love here. This is the first and only Hitchcock to make this list, probably because I’ve seen most of his major works prior to 2011, but it’s up this high for a reason. I think that of all his films, this one manages to blend genre the best, and can be enjoyed equally well by fans of spy-thrillers and fans of romantic comedy, and for the same reasons. The chemistry between Bergman and Cary Grant is beautiful, and there are so many hilarious moments here where one or other of our protagonists is acting out of wounded pride or feigned apathy, where in an ordinary setting one would want to crack their head against a wall for their stupidity. Here, though, set against a backdrop of an undercover mission to bust a ring of drug smugglers, it works electrifyingly well, and the dichotomies of love/loss and life/death are brought to their most satisfying conclusion – I would say more so than in North by Northwest. This is up there with Hitchcock’s finest and newly among my favourites.

#18. Raising Arizona (1987, Joel & Ethan Coen)

Although Joel is solely credited on IMDb with directorial duties here, I’m going to fall into that critical camp of just lumping the Coen brothers together with everything. I seemed to have had an unofficial catch-up with the Coens this year, even though I never made a big thing of it, and this one was a great highlight of the year. Falling more into their comic file, this simple premise of two white-trash lovers – one an ex-cop and one an ex-criminal - who are failing to conceive a child out of their love is taken into customary Coen territory when they decide to steal a baby from a couple who just happen to have nine newborns of their own. Remember in my discussion of True Grit how I mentioned my theory of their films falling into two camps? This one obviously falls into the ‘one person dies, and that person is a testosterone-soaked renegade avenger caricature’ variety, and that particular circumstance could only feasibly exist within the twisted universe of the Coens. This film wins because it is told with such loving and endearing humour, and because Nic Cage and Holly Hunter are just so simply charismatic.

#17. Festen (1998, Thomas Vinterberg)

On the subject of loving, endearing humour and charismatic characters, look no further than this hilarious Danish teen-sex romp. The more insightful among my readers will have spotted a couple of outrageous lies in that last sentence: basically everything except ‘Danish’ and ‘teen-sex’ only maybe replace ‘sex’ with ‘rape by father’. To the faint-hearted and easily shocked, I can think of more pleasant ways to spend two hours than in the company of the family who gather in Festen to celebrate their patriarch’s sixtieth birthday. One example of a more pleasant way would be the two hours following the act of hacking off your nipples with secateurs. However, for those who, like me, at least appreciate a harrowingly depressing and tawdry family drama, this is as powerful as they come. All the hallmarks of European dogme cinema are here but with raw, brutal honesty unmatched by anyone whose name isn’t Lars von Trier. As the wine flows at the party, so too do the festering family skeletons come pouring out of the closets. A remarkable film, but if you’re in the mood for something a little more whimsical, check out the three-hour extended cut of Puppies getting scalded with hot steel instead.

#16. The Thing (1982, John Carpenter)

Okay well it would appear I’ve leapt from one level of the grotesque to another. This was another of my top 250 catch-up and I would have to call it the most pleasant surprise of the lot. While the customary gore and fibrillating alien tentacles (I’ve seen enough Hentai... etc.) are present, what struck me most about this film was its wonderful subversion of generic conventions, namely that of the country house crime fiction story. As with any typical Poirot mystery, we are presented here with a limited cast of characters on an isolated arctic research station that are essentially intruded upon by a highly dangerous ‘escapee’ from the outside. The twist is that the escapee is some level of alien mutant-like chameleon that is able to take on the form of its prey, so not only are the occupants cut off from the outside world, but are facing the threat from within their trusted ranks. The suspicion and tension is built expertly as the characters confront and deal with the threat, both from outside and from each other. If you can see past the gore, this is a very accessible mystery thriller, and it also finally managed to answer my question as to why Kurt Russell was ever famous and popular. The answer is because he’s awesome.

#15. The Fog of War (2003, Errol Morris)

Winner of best documentary at the 2004 Academy Awards, and the second Errol Morris film I caught this year, this electrifying piece of political exposee is a must-see for anybody interested in US foreign policy, twentieth-century history, or with even a passing interest in anything at all. Essentially a series of snippets of conversation with Robert S McNamara - a key figure in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations - his thoughts on the Vietnam war, Kennedy assassination and American foreign policy in general are expounded in Morris’ characteristic probing, questioning style. McNamara is filmed in what is at first an intimate light, which as the subjects turn more morally troubling and vague becomes an intrusive and expository one. McNamara is, however, refreshingly forthcoming and uneasy with some of the significant decisions he himself made, that changed the face of recent history. He is, indeed, an ideal subject for a documentarian, and Morris makes full and fascinating use of him to create a profound and memorable film.

#14. Witness for the Prosecution (1957, Billy Wilder)

Another of my top 250 catch-up (plenty more to come, too, I should add), this adaptation of Agatha Christie’s famed courtroom mystery is just a simple delight. Pivoting on a nicely bombastic performance from the great Charles Laughton, what makes this film so entertaining is the obvious fun being had by the cast. This is not to say there is any self-conscious fourth-wall breaking, but there is simply so much fervour from all of the players that is so easy to ignore until the denouement of the piece, where the audience is in as much awe as the relevant characters. Tyrone Power is deceptively good as the accused man, while Marlene Dietrich puts in a remarkable performance as his cold, calculating wife. I think in the hands of anyone but Billy Wilder, this film would be relegated to the ash-heap of film history as a fairly typical courtroom drama. But because of the sardonic and cynical wit that Wilder so effortlessly injects, this becomes so much more than a simple genre piece.

#13. Win Win (2011, Thomas McCarthy)

So the moment is upon us, maybe unexpectedly soon, when I must announce this as my favourite 2011 film – at least so far. Why? A few obvious reasons – one, it’s impossibly sweet without being schmaltzy. Two, it’s neat and tidy without being contrived. Three, it’s got Paul Giamatti in it. On top of these, there are the less obvious and more personal ones. It’s nice to see a film that features drama and conflict, guilt and dereliction of duty, without pummelling the themes home in an over-dramatic way. Instead, Tom McCarthy gives us a cast of characters, all flawed in their ways but all loveable in others, and a narrative thread that is free from flab: there isn’t an unnecessary moment here, or a too-long pause, or a false line. It’s basically genius filmmaking all around put here to service a quaint and sweetly funny story. Nothing simpler, it just made me smile.

#12. Thelma & Louise (1991, Ridley Scott)

For a long time this film was near the top of my must-watch list, and continually got bumped down by new and potentially more exciting prospects. I was quite thrilled that when I finally did take the plunge early this year that this film was more brilliant than I could have hoped. The story of two women who embark on a well-earned weekend of crazy shenanigoats that goes quickly sideways into far more crazy than expected, it establishes a crucial male/female divide early on in the film. Susan Sarandon’s Louise is the tough, sensible and embittered friend to the more frivolous and impulsive Geena Davis as Thelma, while the men in the story vary from the downright contemptible Christopher McDonald to the surprisingly decent Michael Madsen and Harvey Keitel. An interesting gender exploration but also an exquisite tragedy (we all know how it ends, right? We’ve seen the Simpsons take-off), this is a cynical film with a surprising amount of heart.

#11. Blood Simple. (1984, Joel & Ethan Coen)

If you’re getting tired of my Coen brothers entries, I can reassure you that this is the last, the winner of that particular contest. So I retrospectively checked out their premiere, another deceptively simple premise that quickly explodes into an impossible labyrinth of Coen vicissitudes. Blood Simple is most comprehensively of the ‘bloodbath’ school of Coen films, and I should confess that I find myself more drawn to the bloodbath variety, simply because it allows the brothers more room to explore the fragility of life and the random quality of the events they contrive for their characters. This amazing debut film employs a very small cast of characters for a double-crossing murder caper that far exceeds its apparent scope. Frances McDormand and Dan Hedaya give enjoyable performances but the highlight is most definitely the squirmingly good M Emmett Walsh as Hedaya’s hired gun. This film should be used far more as inspiration for how a story should drive a film, and how themes and characters will develop if you tell the story very well. It’s a winning formula we see over and over again from the Coen brothers, but very few other directors seem to be paying attention.

With that block down, I must leave you now in anticipation of my final reveal of my top 10 tomorrow. Until then, I wish you a hearty Friday evening.