2003: My Year In Films

This list is incomplete right now, mostly because I can’t remember everything right now. I’m definitely forgetting some films right now. Over the course of the next few days, I will have brief comments about each film.

28 Days Later B – Inconsequential but very entertaining zombie film. I’ve never been a huge fan of horror, so when I see films from the genre which I like, it’s always a pleasant surprise. Strangely, I don’t remember all that much from this film other than the scenes of the empty city set to Godspeed You Black Emperor, and the satisfyingly gory conclusion.

A Mighty Wind – Though not as consistently funny as Best In Show, A Mighty Wind finds Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy’s (expanded) improvisational troupe in fine form. Eugene Levy steals the show overall as the despondent Mitch, but Jane Lynch’s Laurie Bohner scores the best deadpan lines in the film. A-

All The Real Girls – This is a mess of a film. It’s not completely bad – I think that it could definitely be edited into a halfway decent 30 minute short film; but left to the devices of its writer/director David Gordon Green, it is padded out with unnecessary scenes and pointless selfindulgence which ultimately makes the film come across as the work of an amateur with some signs of potential. The plot isn’t anything special, but it makes a virtue of its banality by letting the story play itself out naturalistically for most of the film. The best parts of the movie are the scenes in which the two leads interact with other under less than dramatic circumstances, and the film keeps it focus squarely on the dynamics of those two characters. Green has a gift for capturing realistically awkward conversational rhythms and letting his inarticulate characters communicate themselves mostly through subtext. However, when the characters have to actually say what they really mean it usually just ends up sounding like like bad poetry or Oscar-reel histrionics. There’s plenty of parts in the film which don’t feel natural at all; scenes which either seem stilted due to the limitations of the actors, Green’s direction, or the script’s reliance on indie/art film cliches. (My full review of this film can be found here.) C-

American Splendor – This film tells the story of the great Harvey Pekar through a unique mixture of documentary, animation, and adaptations of Pekar’s own autobiographical comics starring Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis. American Splendor has a wit and craft which puts most other films to shame, and it is the summit of Pekar’s lifelong project of transforming his hard-luck life into the stuff of working-class-hero legend. A

American Wedding – I have a lot of goodwill for the American Pie franchise, and this was pretty much more of the same. Unnecessary characters from the previous two films are wisely jettisoned, and greater emphasis is placed on Eugene Levy and Seann William Scott’s deranged fratboy Stifler, who were the two best reasons to watch these films to begin with. I especially enjoyed the budding Fonzie/Richie relationship between Jim and Stifler, which I’d like to see further played out should this franchise continue. I don’t see why it shouldn’t – both of the sequels are better than the original American Pie, and it’s sort of amazing how much mileage the writers and actors have managed to squeeze out of what initially seemed like very thin characters. Not all of the jokes are great, but most of it works, especially the inspired sequence with Stifler in the gay bar. If this is the end of the Stifler character, then someone in Hollywood really ought to find a way to give Scott a new character that plays to the same strengths, because he truly has a gift for playing this particular type of oaf. B

Big Fish – I’ve never really been a huge Tim Burton fan, so I’m happy to see this come from him. Though some critics fault this film for its tear-jerker ending, I’m not exactly convinced that this film would have been better if it wasn’t at least a little bit heavy-handed. I enjoyed the ending, but the gentle humor and casual weirdness is what I found most endearing. B

Bubba Ho Tep – This isn’t a bad film, and it definitely has its moments of greatness (for example, the bit where the impersonator kisses Elvis’s ring), but it hasn’t really stuck with me in the longterm. It’s good entertainment, but it misses the mark by trying so incredibly hard to be a cult film. I wish that they hadn’t played it so straight – the film would be better if they had embraced the weirdness of it a bit more, and kept amping up that weirdness as the film progresses. As it is, it just plateaus about a half hour in and sustains the same level of weirdness and humor, and it ends up feeling static when it really should have been a lot more dynamic. B-

Capturing The Friedmans – This fascinating documentary tells the story of the Friedmans, a Long Island family torn apart by allegations of sexual abuse. Though it is quite clear that something happened, it is hard to discern the facts of the matter, since everything is distorted by a complicated web of lies, self-delusion, police corruption, and hyperbole borne of a town’s fear and opportunism. The film offers no clear answers, and every time the viewer feels as though it has a grasp of what happened, startling new information enters the story which changes everything. It’s a riveting film, and one which will change the way you think of the word “leapfrog” forever. A

Cremaster 3 – Though this film was sort of painful to watch when I actually screened it at the Guggenheim, my opinion of it has improved somewhat in hindsight. When I think back on it, I only seem to remember the best images and sequences and its interminable length and obtuse narrative have become more forgiveable. I’m not much of a Matthew Barney fan, but I have learned to respect what he does, even if I think he should probably avoid filmmaking in the future. C

Elf – Will Ferrell shines in this charming holiday crowd-pleaser. I could do without the schmaltz towards the end, but it’s appropriate for the genre, and Ferrell’s comedic talents far transcends the film’s more formulaic moments. The film also features a strong supporting cast, including Andy Richter, Amy Sedaris, Zooey Deschanel, Peter Dinklage, Ed Asner, and Bob Newhart. B

Finding Nemo – This is a likeable but mediocre children’s film which I find to be extremely overrated, but that could be largely because I’m not at all part of this film’s target demographic. It is amusing when it wants to be, but much of the humor is either lame or overly dependent on cheap puns. Ellen DeGeneres’ turn as the voice of Dory, the memory-impaired goldfish is enjoyable, and by far the best thing about this film. C+

Intolerable Cruelty – I can’t really understand why some people dislike this film so much – I guess they are all Coen fans mired in expectations. Whatever. This film was very entertaining, and had some very funny bits. I thought that the first half of the film was sharper and wittier than the second half, but since so few solid comedies are made these days, I’m willing to grade on a curve. Either way, how can anyone deny Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy? B

Kill Bill Vol. 1 – Though this movie can obviously work as either a simple action film or as a film-nerd/trainspotter’s collage of Asian martial arts cinema tropes, I found it to be primarily an extremely absurd dark comedy. In addition to offering some of the most beautiful and memorable images that I’ve seen in any visual medium from this past year, it also includes some of the year’s most hilarious jokes. I’m very excited to see the second installment, though I find it hard to imagine that anything in it can top the sequences in Japan with O-Ren Ishii. A

Lost In Translation – This is, along with Morvern Callar and Kill Bill, one of the finest pieces of visual art that I’ve seen in the past year. The real triumph here is that the photography and visual storytelling is second to the story, with its sharp humor and subtle, well-observed characters. I feel a strong emotional connection to this film, and clearly this has been the case for many other people. It’s a rare and special film; and it is, at least within my personal canon, an instant classic. A

Matrix Reloaded – There are just so many things wrong with this movie, I barely know where to begin. I knew going in that it wouldn’t be a very intelligent or thoughtful film, all I was hoping for was an entertaining action film, and it did not deliver on those merits. I will say this – if you’re a person who went to see Matrix Reloaded and was exposed to philosophies and ideas that you had never been exposed to/thought of yourself by the age of 15, then I do believe that you are shallow and lacking in intellectual curiosity, and frankly, you deserve movies like this. (My full review of this film can be found here.) D+

Morvern Callar – This starts off moody, broody, and quiet, but eventually morphs into a bleak buddy travelogue comedy. It’s a nice trick, and I’d like to see this again sometime soon so that I can watch it with full knowledge of the plot. Visually, this film is amazing. Every shot is perfectly composed, and as a friend of mine noted, it seems almost like a ninety minute painting. Thanks to some clever sound editing, the mix tape which is a major plot point of the film is allowed to feel very real to the viewer, and becomes a character in and of itself. A-

My Architect – This is a documentary made by the son of influential 20th century architect Louis Kahn about his father’s life and career. The film attempts to piece together the man’s fractured personal life, which was complicated greatly by having children with two mistresses, which was kept a secret until after his death. The film visits the site of each of Kahn’s most important buildings, and manages to give the viewer a sense of what it may be like to experience them, particularly his greatest works, the singular Salk Institute and the stunning National Assembly in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The film is a great portrait of an artist’s life and work, and gives great insight into the often neglected art of architecture. A

Old School – This movie has some very funny scenes (almost all of which are dominated by Will Ferrell), but is overly formulaic and is set back considerably by awkward pacing and bad editing. Will Ferrell and Luke Wilson carry the film, but deserve much better material. B-

The School Of Rock – Much like Elf, this is an amusing mainstream comedy built to play to the specific strengths of its star. Everything that’s ever been funny and unique about Jack Black is distilled into what is essentially a mash-up of the Bad News Bears and Wayne’s World. The movie has a lot of heart, and plays out the conventions of Hollywood kid’s films with intelligence and wit, so when it strays into formula, it hardly matters. It’s hard to imagine Black finding a better role than this. B+

The Secret Lives Of Dentists – This film is mostly quite mediocre, but features a typically strong performance by Hope Davis as a woman whose adulterous affair torments her repressed husband. The writing and acting is fine enough, but the film has very little to say about its characters aside from simply portraying them believably. Denis Leary has a supporting role as the “devil-on-the-shoulder” id within Scott’s internal monologue, a device which is alternately amusing and grating. The film suffers for having an obnoxious and somewhat inappropriate soundtrack which vaguely recalls the sort of music one would hear in a low-budget soft porn film on Cinemax late at night. C+

The Shape Of Things C-

Spellbound – This is another in a series of great, entertaining documentaries about left-field subject matter from the past year. The film starts off with profiles of eight of the contestants who are about to head off to the National Spelling Bee, and allows the audience to root for their favorites in the competion in the latter half. My personal favorites are the bizarre, ADD-addled Harry, ticking time-bomb Ted, and April, the most pessimistic 12 year old girl in the world. A

Spy Kids 3-D – Though this film is often hilariously absurd and includes a few of weirdest plot nonsequitors I’ve ever seen (Steve Buscemi comes to the rescue on a giant flying pig!), the video game themed scenes were dull, and overall the film isn’t particularly memorable. B-

The Station Agent – Though this is by no means a bad movie, it never rises above the level of low-expectations indie mediocrity. The film is built around (and presumably written for) Peter Dinklage, who turns in a great performance in a film that is otherwise totally forgettable. B-

Thirteen – The best way to describe this film would be “edgy after-school special.” Extremely po-faced and melodramatic, and utterly lacking in humor and irony, Thirteen seems designed primarily to frighten parents and titillate the lecherous. The writing, score, and photography is amateurish at best, and occasionally veers off into the worst kind of art school pretentiousness. Evan Rachel Wood’s performance is remarkable given her age, but she can’t help but to indulge in a bout of scene-chomping histrionics along with Holly Hunter by the end of the film. C

The Triplets Of Belleville – I am extremely mystified by every good review written about this film, which may actually be the single worst film I’ve ever seen. There have been films which have angered me more, and some which were more painful to watch, but in terms of sheer mind-numbing tedium, nothing I’ve witnessed comes close to this. It felt as though I had paid $10 to have entertainment removed from my life for 74 minutes and replaced with a seemingly endless stream of unfunny gags, grating sound effects, and sub-mediocre plotting. As my friend who saw this with me says, “The Triplets of Belleville” is an entertaining movie, if you’ve never seen a cartoon before in your life, like fat and gay jokes, and think that playing household items like musical instruments (Imagine – Marge Simpson in Stomp) is somehow innovative or remarkable, or indeed, is anything less than teeth-grindingly annoying.” Please avoid this film at all costs. D-

X2: X-Men United – Along with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, this is the best superhero film I’ve ever seen. I do prefer X-Men 2 to Spider-Man, but I’ve preferred X-Men to every other geeky franchise since I was six years old. This movie gets the X-Men right in ways that the comics very seldom have, outside of Grant Morrison’s New X-Men and Chris Claremont’s mid-80s run with Paul Smith and John Romita Jr. on Uncanny X-Men. The film has its share of logical flaws, and I’m disappointed by how it short-changes key characters like Charles Xavier and Scott Summers, but almost everything else works so well that I can let that all slide. Ian McKellan’s Magneto and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine steal the show again; but Alan Cumming’s Nightcrawler is the best that character has been since 1985, and Rogue and Iceman are far better characters in the film than they have ever been in the actual comics. Judging by the conclusion of this film, the next film will probably deal with Jean Grey and the Phoenix, which should be interesting. That won’t be easy to translate to film, unless the screen writers go with Grant Morrison’s less continuity-heavy version of the Phoenix. I’d be quite happy if Emma Frost and the Beast were introduced as well, but there is already so many characters in this film franchise, it may not be a good idea to include any more without further sacrificing time for the pre-existing characters. A-