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Film Faves 2008

If you'd like to hear my thoughts on these films, go listen to The Words & Pictures Podcast!

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007

-Otis

Desert Island Films

After all the negative vibes stirred up over "Indy 4" (check out the replies to my thoughts HERE), it's time for some positive thoughts on the subject of film.

That being said, here are my 10 "Desert Island Films" (in alphabetical order):

Casablanca
The English Patient
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
My Neighbor Totoro
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Rear Window
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
When Harry Met Sally

It was tough choosing a Miyazaki film among the many gems he's put out (it's really a tie between 4 of them, but one had to make the cut). And I'm surprised to find myself bumping longtime favorites like "A Fish Called Wanda" and "The Godfather" for new films like "Master & Commander" and "Lord of the Rings". Maybe a year from now, I'll feel differently and put them back. Things fall out of favor, and it might just be the freshness of these films in my mind that makes me include them here.

Feel free to list yours. Not the 10 movies that you think are "the best", but the films that mean the most to YOU.

There are no "best" films, anyway. In the end, there are only stories that mean more to you than other stories.

-Otis

Film Faves 2007

It's that time of year again, where I pick my favorite flick from the previous year.  I don't have time to give detailed thoughts on each movie since I'm too busy working on finishing Oddly Normal: Fignation Times, but I wanted to get this list finished and close out 2007.

Here are my favorite films of 2007:

300, Atonement, Beowulf, I Am Legend &  Ratatouille.

Overall, I thought is was a pretty good year at the movies.  Of course, I didn't actually go to the movies much, since theaters are awful these days.  I saw two of these movies in the theater and the others on HD DVD or Blu Ray (I own them all on hi-def).

I can't really peg one as my favorite, although I Am Legend stands out in my mind as the biggest surprise, since I wasn't really expecting to like it at all, let alone put it on my "best of" list.  I think all five films listed here are wonderful cinematic stories with great characters that transport you to a unique world.  You can't really ask for more than that when watching a movie.

Later.

-Otis

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006

Film Faves 2006

It's that time of year again, where I pick my favorite flick from the previous year.  Here we go . . .

****

Casino Royale - The best James Bond film.  Period.  End of sentence.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Better than the original by a long shot (and the first film was great), with wonderfully creative action sequences and the best screen villain in a while make this film one of my faves of the year.  The work that Gore Verbinski, Bill Nighy and the wizards at ILM did to bring Davy Jones to life is worthy of a special award on Oscar night, IMHO.  He's the most entertaining character in any film I've seen this year.  Pirates 2 also had the best ending of any film this year . . . I love a good cliffhanger with a twist or surprise.  Bring on Pirates 3.

Superman Returns - My favorite film of 2006.  This is the first true post-9/11 hero myth to hit movie screens (even if the filmmakers didn't even know they were doing it) and it came in the form of a hero created in 1938, a character that has symbolized "truth, justice and all that stuff" ever since in many forms.  It's appropriate that he should do just that for this new century.

United 93 - I could never call this movie my favorite of the year, it was simply too hard to watch.  But I do believe that it is the best film I've seen all year.  Watch the Academy ignore this amazing film about true heroes in favor of the usual nonsense (gangsters, drug abuses, serial killers, etc). 
EDIT (January 23rd, 2007):  As predicted, United 93 was not nominated for Best Picture.  It was nominated for Best Director and Best Editing, though. I suppose that's Hollywood's way of saying "we enjoy the way in which the story was told, but we really don't feel like honoring the film or subject matter as a whole".  I wonder why.  Actually, I don't.  I think we all know why.  I have a feeling it's the same reason that, of the two Eastwood films worthy of nomination this year, the one told from the American point of view was not nominated.  I love movies, but Hollywood continues to make me sadder and sadder each year.

X3: The Last Stand - Boy did people hate this movie.  As usual, I found myself on the other side of popular thinking and came away thinking it was the most emotional, most visually impressive, most entertaining X-film to date.  This is the series entry that, to me, felt most like the Uncanny X-Men comics I grew up reading and loving.  I was shocked that so many others came away with such a bad impression of the movie.  If you did not enjoy X3, I suggest watching all 3 films in order in a single sitting and see if your impressions of the 3rd movie change.

****
Overall, I thought is was a pretty good year at the movies.  Of course, I didn't actually go to the movies much, since theaters are awful these days.  And I still have a number of films I'd like to see that came out in 2006 (Flags of Our Fathers, The Lake House, Letters From Iwo Jima, Children of men, Little Miss Sunshine), so one or more of the movies I've chose as faves could get bumped.

Later.

-Otis

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005

 

Film Faves 2000

Cast Away – Robert Zemeckis always makes interesting films.  Some of them are truly great (classics, even) and some of them are experiments in filmmaking or storytelling.  Cast Away is an experiment in both filmmaking and storytelling, showing us a man trapped on an island and the realities and uncertainties he must face during what may be the rest of his life in isolation.  It's one of Tom Hank's best performances and the visuals used in the telling of the tale are some of the best ever created by Zemeckis and his team (and the fact that most people won't recognize many of the effects as effects is testament to their quality). 

Mission: Impossible 2 – My favorite film of 2000.  I've been a fan of John Woo since his Honk Kong days.  I remember watching Hard Boiled and The Killer over and over on my laserdisc player (yes, that long, ago).  Since his pilgrimage to the U.S. market, I've been waiting for him to show his stuff onscreen, the kind of amazing theatrics that made him a sensation when paired with Chow Yun Fat.  But his American films have left me unimpressed.  Until I saw MI:2, that is, and John Woo redeemed himself with an action film the likes of which only he, with his balletic slow-mo and fluttering dove wings, could create.

Unbreakable – This would be my favorite M. Night Shyamalan film, if not for that awful title card at the end of the movie.  Other than that one little storytelling misstep, the film is a wonderfully understated modern day super hero story.

U-571 – Not the best movie of the year, just simply a great submarine film.  Entertaining, exciting, with interesting characters and plenty of tense "trapped in a sub" moments make this film a winner for me.  Sometimes, just being a quality, entertaining film is enough.  If you have a home theater system, buy this DVD and give your sub-woofer something to chew on for a while.

X-Men – Coalescing the X-Men comics into something resembling a feature film is a challenge in and of itself, but turning it into a really good film that fans of the original comics can embrace is an achievement for the books.  I grew up on X-men comics.  It was an X-Men comic (Uncanny #173) that got me interested in comics in the first place, and this film put a huge smile on my face.  Director Bryan Singer did a great job of bringing the X-Men to life.  His choice of Hugh Jackman to play Wolverine gives me hope that his next film's unknown lead will help lead to another great comic book movie.

-Otis

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005

Film Faves 2001

A Beautiful Mind – Despite being directed by Ron Howard, I expected very little from this film.  I knew nothing about it, aside from the fact that it had won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I not only liked, but loved the film.  Howard does a great job of visualizing some very non-visual concepts here and Russel Crowe is wonderful as the tormented numbers whiz, John Nash.  But it's the amazing score by James Horner that brings it all together and puts it over the top for me.  The moment the titles begin and the score kicks in, I'm in the world of the film completely.  On a side note, this is the performance Crowe should have won Best Actor for, instead of the the highly (IMHO) over-rated Gladiator.

Black Hawk Down – This film is a great companion piece to Mark Bowden’s book about the 1993 operation in Mogadishu that left 18 American soldiers dead.  The book was an amazing read and Ridley Scott does a tremendous job re-creating the central events of the story, specifically the intense firefight on the ground and the downing of the Black Hawk helicopters. (NOTE:  If you’re unfamiliar with the book or the events that inspired it, I highly recommend getting the 3-disk deluxe edition on DVD.  The set includes the documentaries The History Channel Presents: The True Story of Black Hawk Down and PBS Frontline: Ambush in Mogadishu, two very good primers to get you up to speed before watching the film.  Most people will ignore this advice, but it will help put the events depicted in the film into proper context, so you understand the greater story being told.  The film takes a soldier’s eye view of the events, but the political and social issues involved are important to seeing the bigger picture.)

Bridget Jones’s Diary – My favorite romantic comedy since When Harry met Sally. Renee Zellweger is absolutely charming as the (now famous) British singleton Bridget Jones, Hugh Grant is a surprisingly convincing slimeball and Colin Firth plays Mark Darcy with the same deceptive stoicism he showed in his first portrayal of the character.  And is it just me, or does Renee Zellweger look better when she's carrying her Bridget Jones weight?  She doesn't look fat to me, simply normal.  Oh well.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – My favorite film of 2001.  I wrote a lot about my relationship to The Lord of the Rings films in this post on my old blog.  Fellowship remains my favorite in the film trilogy to this day.  From the amazing opening montage that explains the world of Middle Earth to the wonders of Moria on through to the intense final battle that splits the Fellowship into three groups, it’s a wonderful film experience.  I just wish the other two movies had captivated me as much as this one.

Monsters, Inc. – If you’d have asked me in 2001 which film was my favorite of the year, it would have been this one.  But Fellowship of the Ring has grown on me since then, and bumped this animated gem from the top spot.  That being said, this is still a great film, one of Pixar’s best, IMHO.  Visually, it’s an absolute treat.  The world that the filmmakers have created here is wonderfully unique.  The chase in the Door Vault is one of my favorite moments in any film of 2001 and something that could only happen in the universe of this movie.

-Otis

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005

Film Faves 2002

Chicago – I adore musicals.  I was in every musical that my high school put on and my love for the genre hasn’t subsided since then.  It’s unfortunate that Hollywood has largely ignored the category in recent decades.  The success of films like Chicago and the appearance of film-based musicals on Broadway like The Producers and Spamalot should be a wake-up call for them.  Rant over.  Oh, and Chicago (the movie) was wonderful.

Lilo & Stitch – My favorite Disney film since The Lion King and the most unique animated film to come out of The House of Mouse in a long time.  Chris Sanders created a great little flick here, and I look forward to his next project.

The Powerpuff Girls Movie – I can see the eye-rolling on this one and I do understand the response.  I’m guessing this didn’t end up on a lot of best Of lists in 2002.  But it’s on mine and I stand by my choice.  The television series is one of my favorites and the film is a highly entertaining origin story, revealing the beginnings of the three girls and their super-ways.  Plus, there are more monkeys in this movie than all six Planet of the Apes films combined.  That alone is worth the place on this list.

Star Trek Nemesis – It may be a virtual note-for-note rehashing of Star trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, but it’s a great ride.  Shinzon is one of my favorite Trek villains, the space battles are some of the best in the canon and it was great seeing the Next Gen cast go out on a high note.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – My favorite film of 2002.  Even Natalie Portman and Hayden Chritensen’s awful performances can’t kill the joy I felt (and still feel) for this film.  From the dizzying chase through Coruscant to the amazing half hour-long final battle sequence, it’s a great ride and a heck of a Star Wars film.  Yoda walking into that Geonosian hangar and saying “Count Dooku . . . ” was my favorite moment in any film of 2002.  The subsequent fight scene wasn’t too shabby, either.

-Otis

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2003
• 2004
• 2005

Film Faves 2003

 

Finding Nemo – Even when Pixar puts out a film that I consider one of its lesser works, like Finding Nemo, it still seems to end up on my list of favorites for the year.  This film sits at the bottom of the Pixar list for me (along with A Bug’s Life), but that doesn’t stop it from being a wonderfully moving and visually amazing film.  Ellen DeGeneres’s “Dory” is the most entertaining character in any film this year.  Pixar has yet to make a film that I don’t like, and I hope that streak doesn’t end with Cars.

Love Actually – If Robert Altman were a happier, more romantic filmmaker, this is the movie that Short Cuts would have been (no offense, Mr. Altman.  I loved Short Cuts).  It may not reflect reality, but it reflects what we wish were reality when it comes to love and romance.  It’s one of the most moving romantic comedies in years and it gets better for me with each subsequent viewing.  Hugh Grant’s impromptu celebration dance through 10 Downing Street is the funniest scene of the year.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World – My favorite film of 2003.  There are one or two films each decade that, for me, are truly great films and belong in a category all their own.  This decade has one so far, and it’s this film.   I hope Peter Weir and company keep working their way through the O'Brian novels.  If you're a sci-fi fan and have doubts about seeing this movie, let me add this;  it's one the best Star Trek films I've ever seen.

The Matrix Reloaded – I liked The Matrix when I saw it in 1999, but it was The Matrix Reloaded that made me a fan of the series.  Great fights, great action, great effects, great use of big words and a GREATLY frustrating  ending makes this movie a winner for me.  The scene where The Architect confuses the hell out of Neo (and the “I Know Kung-Fu”-loving  members of the  audience) was my favorite scene in any film of 2003.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – I know this is going to make a lot of people shake their heads in disbelief, but T3 is my favorite Terminator film.  I know, I know, T2 was groundbreaking and amazing and I love that film as well.  But for me, T3 is the best of the lot because of its story, its romance, its amazing effects and action sequences and more than any of that, I love the way they ended the film and managed to explain (in a logical yet twisty way) how John Conner could come to be the world’s savior.

NOTE:  Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl narrowly loses out on a spot in the Film Faves 2003 list.  But I just couldn’t choose another film to bump.  If I were doing lists of six, Pirates would definitely be here.  It’s my favorite adventure film since 1998’s The Mask of Zorro.  I can’t wait to see Pirates 2 and 3.

-Otis

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2004
• 2005

Film Faves 2004

I get a lot of flack from friends, both online and off, about my taste in film.  More accurately, I get verbally beaten around for having opinions that differ from the general consensus (i.e.  Revenge of the Sith was a great Star Wars film, X-Men 3 is the worst of the X-flicks, etc).  I find it strange that other people would care whether or not I like a film that they enjoyed or didn't care for one that they found worthy of praise.  Personally, I've never much cared whether or not someone shares my taste in film (or comics, or books, or breakfast ceareal, etc).  I know what I like and don't expect others to feel the same.  I also enjoy reading other people's opinions about movies I've seen, no matter if they differ from or reflect my own views.

So, in an effort to clear up some questions about my particular taste in movies, I've decided to start writing posts about my favorite films of yesteryear.   Note that I do not say "the best films", as there are no best films, just the ones that entertained or moved you the most.  Film citics who tell you that a particular movie was the "best of the year" is full of horse-pocky, as are any friends or family who try to tell you the same.  These people are speaking only for themselves, even if they don't realize it.

Since I've already covered 2005 in this post, I'll start with '04 and keep going back in time.  I thought 2005 was actually a fairly weak year, as far as movie-going was concerned.  The five films I chose as my personal favorites would not have been there in years like 1994 or 1999, when theaters were full of top-notch cinema fare.  This year doesn't look much better.  Six months into 2006 and I only have one movie on my list.

But enough about the present, lets talk about the past.

Here we go . . .

Bridget Jones:  The Edge of Reason - The original Bridget Jones is one of my favorite romantic comedies in recent years.  I saw the sequel in the theater and at the time I didn't think it measured up to the original.  But subsequent viewings on DVD have changed my mind.  It definitely plays better on the small screen and is a worthy companion to BJ1.  The rematch between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant is the best fight scene of the year.

The Day After Tomorrow - If you turn off your brain and ignore the ridiculously blatant political swipes, what you have here is a fun and visually amazing disaster film.  This is a return to form for director Roland Emmerich after the horrible Godzilla update in 1998 and the sleep-inducing Mel Gibson actioner The Patriot in 2000.

The Incredibles - My favorite film of 2004.  Pixar's best film to date.  Can't wait for Brad Bird's next project.  'Nuff said.

The Notebook - For me, the biggest surprise of 2004.  I actually didn't even see it until it was on DVD.  I was walking through Blockbuster and the wall of "Notebook" DVDs got the best of me, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I knew nothing about it and didn't expect much out of an impulse rental.  But I was amazed to discover a wonderful, moving gem of a romance here and I find I'm not alone in my admiration for this film.  Although The Incredibles was my favorite film of 2004, I find myself recommending this film to people more than any other in recent years.

Shrek 2 - Funnier, smarter and better looking that the original Shrek by a mile.  Puss In Boots is the funniest animated character I've ever seen on film.  Bring on Shrek The Third.

-Otis

Previous Film Fave Entries:

• 2005

Film Faves 2005

Once again The Oscars have come and gone, and I find myself not caring about the films that were awarded little gold men.  This is becoming a habit for me.

So I thought I'd talk a bit about my five picks for Best Picture of 2005.  These are my favorites from last year, and they only reflect the movies that gave me the most pleasurable experiences in the cinema or on DVD.  They are not my picks for the films I thought were the highest acheivements in film, they are simply the ones I liked the best.  The Academy may have thought Crash was the best movie of the year (and who am I to say otherwise, I haven't even seen it), but the following five flicks made me smile, laugh, cry or feel more than any other.

And in the end, isn't that what really matters?

Here are my picks . . .

In alphabetical order:

The Island - This movie was the biggest surprise of the year for me at the movies (well, except for my feelings about Star Wars Episode III and its eventual exclusion from this list.  But that's a different story).  Some people who know me, know my history with Michael Bay films; I loathe them (except for Pearl Harbor, which I actually enjoyed a bit).  But pretty much everything else he's done has been on my list of least favorites (especially Armageddon) for the year it came out.  "Short attention span trash" are words I've used to describe his films.  So when I sat down to watch The Island, I found myself shocked beyond belief that, not only did I enjoy it, but I ended up thinking it was one of the best films of the year.  If you're like me, and the work of Mr. Bay has not been high on your list, take my advice and give The Island a chance.  It may surprise you.  Mike has definitely redeemed himself on this one.

Memoirs of a Geisha -  This film has been slammed by critics for being unrealistic or too melodramatic, but I think they miss the point of the story and more importantly, they miss the beauty of the world being created onscreen.  To me, the film doesn't aim to create an authentic account of a geisha.  The film is concerned with showing us a beautiful, lyrical fairy tale version of the life of a geisha in pre and post-war Japan.  On the DVD commentary track, the director described the story as "Dickensian", and I completely agree.  I was amazed by this wonderful variation on the classic hero's journey and have so fallen in love with the characters in this film that it has earned a place on this list. 

Mr. & Mrs. Smith - This movie was also a bit of a surprise for me.  I'm not a big fan of Mr. Pitt or Ms. Jolie, but this film was a fun, funny action-comedy and the two actors really had a great chemistry.  This film also had some of the most entertaining action sequences of the year, including a knock down, drag-out, oddly-erotic fight between Brad and Angelina, and a hilarious chase scene in a mini-van that offers some of the biggest laughs of the entire film.  I'm sure there will be a sequel, I just hope they can pull off something as charming as the first one.  It'll be hard to top.  My advice:  go for a prequel, so the original premise can survive a bit longer.

Pride & Prejudice - My favorite film of 2005.  My initial review of the film, which I posted HERE, still stands.  And it looks beautiful on DVD.

Sin City - This is a tough film for me to view objectively.  The original comics by Frank Miller are some of my favorite funny-books of all time.  But watching the comics play out in live-action last year, lovingly recreated with such detail and respect for the source material, was one of the most joyous experiences I've ever had in a cinema.  For that, and that alone, this film belongs on this list.  Oh, and the extended, uncut DVD has a great "10 Minute Cooking School" with director Robert Rodriguiz . . . Sin City Tacos (go HERE for the recipe).  They're almost as good as the movie itself.

And those are my Film Faves of 2005.  If you haven't seen any of my picks, they're all available on DVD now, so go rent them.  You won't be disappointed.

-Otis

Note:  Cinderalla Man was originally on this list, but has since been bumped by Memoirs of a Geisha, which I have recently seen on DVD.