(Tentative) Top Ten Films of the Year

After watching the preview to Peter Jackson's upcoming The Lovely Bones, adapted from the Anne Sebold novel, it occurs to me that the best films of the year obviously haven't come out yet (not all of them at least), but I still felt compelled to compile a preliminary list.

10. Watchmen (dir. Zach Snyder)
Okay... anyone who's read my most recent blog-post knows I wasn't terribly enthusiastic about this film, and the truth is I stand by my initial review. In fact, I fully expect Watchmen NOT to be on this list by the year's end, and the only reason it's on the list now is because it was either Watchmen or the Friday the 13th remake (a horrible film, but at least it was comically inept), and Terminator: Salvation. All that being said, I didn't think the film was bad, only very flawed. I rate it at about a 6/10. On the positive side, I thought the film was bracingly evocative and the performances of Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the Comedian and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach were both very good.

9. Star Trek (dir. J.J. Abrams)
Again, I wrote in a previous blog-post that I wasn't wowed by this film as others were, but I did think it was a reasonable entertaining blockbuster, maybe even one of the most entertaining blockbusters in recent years. Personally, I thought the ----

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... aspect of time travel in the film was convoluted and unnecessary, but it was still a good movie; however, I do hope it is replaced by something better.

8. Public Enemies (dir. Michael Mann)
Was this Michael Mann's best film? No. Was it his second best? No. Third? Fourth? Fifth? Sixth? No. In my opinion, this was Mann's seventh best film (I have The Insider, Last of the Mohicans, Manhunter, Collateral, Thief, and Heat all ranked ahead of it). The fact that it's seventh is not necessarily a bad thing-those other six include some great films. Now, Public Enemies. Well, I thought it was just good, but with moments that were extraordinarily interesting. I appreciated the thought behind Michael Mann's direction, but I didn't think it was his strongest effort. In my view, he relied too much on the sheer grittiness of the digital cinema-verite aesthetic and didn't take it to the next level. Also, aspects of the narrative certainly left some things to be desired, particularly Christian Bale's story. If the film had any chance of being great, it went by the wayside when the filmmakers decided to give Christian Bale's character the emotional complexity of beige wall.

7. UP! (dir. Pete Docter, Bob Petersen)
This is probably the first great movie on the list, although I think its 25 ranking on imdb overrates the film. It continually impresses me how complex and emotionally nuanced Pixar films have become while still being enormously entertaining and this film is no exception.

6. Away We Go (dir. Sam Mendez)
I've been less than awed by Sam Mendez' post-American Beauty career. I thought Road to Perdition was technically well-crafted but lacking in many respects, and to me Jarhead was an entertaining mess of disconnected ideas that never came together. Mendez is clearly a very talented director, but I've always felt his style was overly controlled at times. However, Away We Go might be his best effort since American Beauty (I haven't seen Revolutionary Road). This film is funny, moving, and emotionally resonant and has wonderful performances from most of the cast.

5. The Hangover (dir. Todd Philips)
Flat-out hilarious. Todd Philips' best since Old School.

4. Adventureland (dir. Greg Motolla)
I was extremely impressed with Motolla's Superbad, which I think is one of the best comedies of the decade. With Adventureland though, I think really confirmed his talent as an independent filmmaker. This movie is both incredibly funny and touchingly honest.

3. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (dir. David Yates)
I rewatched this film recently and less impressed the second time, but it's still the third best film I've seen this year. It's one of the most purely entertaining Potter films yet and also the best acted. Also, it was beautifully directed by David Yates.

2. Bruno (dir. Larry Charles)
The conventional wisdom seems to be that this movie is funny but not as good as Borat. Well... I'll go on the record and say I think this film is SUPERIOR to Borat. It's just as funny and I think it's much more SUBVERSIVE. It exposes the homophobia of American society with deft, piercing satire.

1. Hurt Locker (dir. Kathryn Bigelow)
A marvelously intense film. I'm glad to see Kathryn Bigelow back in top form. I've admired her for films like Point Break, which is a minor 90s classic, and Near Dark for some time. Put simply, Hurt Locker is the first definitive statement on the Iraq War. It perfectly expresses the dread of the aimless mission and the perverse position of American soldiers in that country.