Due to some unfortunate cash flow problems I have been unable to see as many movies as I've wanted to. However that is not to say I didn't see as many as I could. I continue to do lists because let's face it, they are fun. This is not to say my opinions change. Some days it feels like my number 2 or 3 should be my number 1. However at the end of the day, the day being today, these are my top ten films of last year, enjoy.
1. Summer Hours: Some may wonder why I enjoy foreign films so much. Here's the reason, most of the time I find them wiser, quieter, and contemplative. These are the attributes I find I'm becoming more attuned to in my movie watching. That being said, "Summer Hours" is a joy to watch with great acting and a story about a family who become disillusioned after the death of the matriarch. The remaining children don't know what to do with the mother's estate which is the only thing that seems to keep them together. After viewing the film I thought much about it and can't wait to go into more detail as I get more familiar with it.
2. Up: Pixar's best movie to date which is saying something. Probably the one film this year that is for everybody who likes going to the movies. It's equal parts moving, funny, and exciting which makes up for the best kind of entertainment, also the best 3-D movie of the year.
3. A Serious Man: Another masterpiece from the greatest American filmmakers working today. A metaphysical comedy about that unending question why do bad things happen to good people. "A Serious Man" is a seriously dark film one of the darkest films by the Coens, but it's hilarious. The timing and pace of their dialogue and scenes are seamless.
4. Goodbye Solo: Two of the best performances of the year were in this film. "Goodbye Solo" is the story of two strangers who soon form an unlikely bond that you wouldn't see coming. The ending avoids cliche and sticks to the motivations of the characters. This is small minimal stuff that respects its audience by only showing what you need to know.
5. Inglorious Basterds: Quentin Tarantino's World War 2 reinvention film is a joyous movie from the very first shot. Viewing it a second time just made me more aware at how well Tarantino constructs his war opus.
6. Up in the Air: A timely witty dark comedy about the times we live in. When I first saw "Up in the Air", it affected me in a very personal level, and I would say has more in common with my number 3 on the list than most people are giving it credit for.
7. Fantastic Mr. Fox: Wes Anderson's lovely trippy animated flick is the most lighthearted comedy of the year. Like the best of animated movies, it's highly inventive, colorful, and very, very funny. Anderson has always had a very animated aesthetic in his films, and it was probably only a matter of time until he finally decided to do one literally. It's one of his best films.
8. The Girlfriend Experience/The Informant: Steven Sodebergh is probably the most prolific filmmaker going right now, making at least one movie per year, and in some cases two. He's able to seamlessly work in both streams of independent and mainstream filmmaking, so much so that perhaps we take his films for granted. He continues to be interesting. Both the minimal "The Girlfriend Experience" which follows around a call girl at the height of the economic crisis and the dark comedy "The Informant" featuring Matt Damon in one of his greatest performances are two of his best films.
9.Sita Sings the Blues: I stumbled upon this film by the high recommendation by Roger Ebert. I looked for it ever where until I became aware the filmmaker refused to pay the copy write laws to the old blues songs that were used. This didn't prevent her from making the film available to download for free on her website or by donating money towards it. Either way you choose to view it, the film is at your disposal. The film is animated which deals with a woman's relationship issues and relating it to an old Indian folktale. Check this one out, it's worth it.
10. Limits of Control: Jim Jarmusch's polarizing film with a plot that is needless to say either non-existent or irrelevant. What's relevant is the lynchian atmosphere, Jarmusch is able to conjure up. It is something I've never seen by him before and I found it extremely fascinating. For those intrigued, the story follows a spy who meets up with many interesting characters, all of whom seem to talk in code. It leads the spy and the viewer into questioning things such as reality and dreams. It's a trippy ride for anyone inters ted.
Since Ebert does it, I'm gonna do it too my Jury Prize is going to two films "The Class" and "Departures". Both films would've made my top ten list but since they were both officially released in 2008 they don't qualify, however I did see them in 2009 so I thought I'd give them special consideration with this category. "The Class" was the winner of the Palm D'Or at Cannes in 2008 and is probably the most realistic view of a teacher's life in a tough school. The French film dispels with the cliche of sentimentality and simply shows a teacher doing the best he can do under difficult circumstances.
"Departures" was the winner of The Best Foreign Film at the Oscars last year. It's Japanese and tells the story of a cellist who must take a job as an undertaker. Unlike "The Class", the film is full of sentimental moments, but the story itself is sincere enough to be a winner.
And finally....I'm happy to say for the first time in Jeremy and the Movies history, I do not have a Worst Movies of the Year list. That's not to say I've seen any bad films, but by the same token I would say there is something redeeming in all of the films I've seen, therefore I didn't see the point in naming them the worst since I know I could've done a lot worse. Okay FINE "Fame" was pretty terrible.
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