Post by wheelspinner on Jan 8, 2010 19:20:05 GMT -5
Let's get the bias out of the way first.
No film experience can surpass sitting in a packed theatre and watching your son's work screened up there, and then subjected to riotous applause at the end. For obvious reasons, Van Diemen's Land was my film of the year, maybe of my lifetime.
Of "the rest", here is my Top 10 in what was a massive year for good films.
1. Samson and Delilah
This was a grim and searingly honest account of the lives of two young Aboriginals living in the remote Northern Territory. Cast with mostly unknowns, it still manages to be a huge crowd-pleaser, deservedly winning a prize at Cannes and pulling big audiences here. Whether you look at it from the point of view of Aboriginal artists making a big splash, Aussie films succeeding overseas, new talent being unearthed or just evidence that film audiences still appreciate challenging material, this was a great story for our film industry.
The rest of my favourites are, in no particular order.
2. Bran Nue Day
Kind of the flip side of Samson and Delilah, a cheerful, irreverent and corny musical which again showcased some great Aboriginal talents, as well as solid supporting performances from the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Magda Szubanski and Missy Higgins.
3. Moon
This was the audience award winner at MIFF, but I missed it there. When we finally saw it, I was rapt. It reminded me of Silent Runnings in its portrayal of man's emptiness and vulnerability in space.
4. Treeless Mountain
This South Korean movie about two little girls abandoned by their mother was heart-rending and featured compelling performances from the two very young actresses playing the girls
5. Tulpan
A Kazakh comedy that was far funnier than Borat. A returned sailor who dreams only of marrying and settling down to herd sheep on the steppe, but who is flatly rejected by the only available girl in the entire region. The film is almost, but not quite, stolen by a mooning mother camel.
6. Das Weisse Band
Mysterious happenings in a small German village as a series of inexplicable murders takes place in the leadup to the outbreak of World War 1. A deserved winner at Cannes.
7. About Elly
This was an Iranian take on L'Avventura. A group of wealthy holiday makers inveigle Elly, the teacher of one of their children, to come along with them. Their real motives for inviting her are soon revealed, but her sudden disappearance causes them all to question who she really was, and why she really came.
8. All About Actresses
A mockumentary with a serious point to make as a range of well-known French actresses submit to "interviews" by a clueless actress-director. The actresses get right into the spirit of it, portraying themselves as spoilt prima donnas, fading beauties distraught at the onset of age, and award-winners bitter at having to still audition for roles they don't really want, submitting to the judgement of hacks they have no respect for. In the midst of the laughter and the singing, the nasty side of the profession is clearly displayed.
9. Coraline
Their seemed to be a lot of top-class 3D animation come out this year, and it was tough to pick just one. I went for this one over the likes of Up, because the story was stronger and more original, and the look of it was a welcome change from the Pixar style.
10. Let the Right One In
I didn't watch much horror this year, but this was a superb vampire movie with a bit of a twist. A meek and bullied young boy looks to the mysterious girl next door to befriend him. The nature of his new friend gradually dawns on him, but does not deter him. An affecting movie which has you siding with the vampire without indulging in the sentimental tripe of a certain well-known franchise.
No film experience can surpass sitting in a packed theatre and watching your son's work screened up there, and then subjected to riotous applause at the end. For obvious reasons, Van Diemen's Land was my film of the year, maybe of my lifetime.
Of "the rest", here is my Top 10 in what was a massive year for good films.
1. Samson and Delilah
This was a grim and searingly honest account of the lives of two young Aboriginals living in the remote Northern Territory. Cast with mostly unknowns, it still manages to be a huge crowd-pleaser, deservedly winning a prize at Cannes and pulling big audiences here. Whether you look at it from the point of view of Aboriginal artists making a big splash, Aussie films succeeding overseas, new talent being unearthed or just evidence that film audiences still appreciate challenging material, this was a great story for our film industry.
The rest of my favourites are, in no particular order.
2. Bran Nue Day
Kind of the flip side of Samson and Delilah, a cheerful, irreverent and corny musical which again showcased some great Aboriginal talents, as well as solid supporting performances from the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Magda Szubanski and Missy Higgins.
3. Moon
This was the audience award winner at MIFF, but I missed it there. When we finally saw it, I was rapt. It reminded me of Silent Runnings in its portrayal of man's emptiness and vulnerability in space.
4. Treeless Mountain
This South Korean movie about two little girls abandoned by their mother was heart-rending and featured compelling performances from the two very young actresses playing the girls
5. Tulpan
A Kazakh comedy that was far funnier than Borat. A returned sailor who dreams only of marrying and settling down to herd sheep on the steppe, but who is flatly rejected by the only available girl in the entire region. The film is almost, but not quite, stolen by a mooning mother camel.
6. Das Weisse Band
Mysterious happenings in a small German village as a series of inexplicable murders takes place in the leadup to the outbreak of World War 1. A deserved winner at Cannes.
7. About Elly
This was an Iranian take on L'Avventura. A group of wealthy holiday makers inveigle Elly, the teacher of one of their children, to come along with them. Their real motives for inviting her are soon revealed, but her sudden disappearance causes them all to question who she really was, and why she really came.
8. All About Actresses
A mockumentary with a serious point to make as a range of well-known French actresses submit to "interviews" by a clueless actress-director. The actresses get right into the spirit of it, portraying themselves as spoilt prima donnas, fading beauties distraught at the onset of age, and award-winners bitter at having to still audition for roles they don't really want, submitting to the judgement of hacks they have no respect for. In the midst of the laughter and the singing, the nasty side of the profession is clearly displayed.
9. Coraline
Their seemed to be a lot of top-class 3D animation come out this year, and it was tough to pick just one. I went for this one over the likes of Up, because the story was stronger and more original, and the look of it was a welcome change from the Pixar style.
10. Let the Right One In
I didn't watch much horror this year, but this was a superb vampire movie with a bit of a twist. A meek and bullied young boy looks to the mysterious girl next door to befriend him. The nature of his new friend gradually dawns on him, but does not deter him. An affecting movie which has you siding with the vampire without indulging in the sentimental tripe of a certain well-known franchise.