BEST OF THE YEAR (so far)
A lot of critics seem to be putting out their Best of Year (so far) lists, so we’ve decided to do the same. But, rather than list films guaranteed to garner critical acclaim (and respect of our academic elitist peers), we’re choosing those we would honestly watch more than once.
Best films (Chris):
Shinobi: Heart Under Blade
So good, and so sad. I really hope this gets a decent US release. I absolutely loved this film.
Takeshis’
500% Beat Takeshi indeed. A blast from start to finish. It may take a while to get a dvd release here, but know it will be worth the wait.
Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Tommy Lee Jones’s directorial debut is a hard hitting vengeance film cum anti-border policy political statement. A wonderful wonderful film. I’m interested in seeing what Tommy Lee Jones will do next.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Quite possibly the funniest film I’ve seen all year. Shane Black’s buddy “cop” movie twists all the tried and true cliches into something brand new. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are in top form. Undeniably cool.
Silent Hill
Love it or hate it, it took a lot of balls to make a surreal 80’s era art house/videogame/horror film. This film pays homage to some of the best, including Jacob’s Ladder, The Devils, and Carnival of Souls, and it’s not afraid to challenge its audience to think a bit. This is one film I’ll be buying on DVD ASAP.
Best DVD’s of the year
Kindom of Heaven Director’s Cut
Laugh all you want, but Ridley Scott actually went back and made his film watchable — 45 minutes longer, and 50 times better. There’s a bit too much Eva Green in the middle, but once the focus goes back to the enginer the film’s a blast. 4 discs of goodness cover the film and an in depth making of.Check it out.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
“Taste the black semen of my vengeance!!” It’s about time this film was released. And the disc is quite good. Lots of VH1 Pop culture style docs on the extras disc, and a great film to boot. Anyone else think they modeled characters in Vampire Hunter D after Z-Man?
Honorable Mentions
Rampo Noir (aka: Rampo Jigoku)
Kris and I saw this Edogawa Rampo inspired tale without subtitles, so we’re not quite sure what all went on. But, I will say it is one of the most visually interesting films of the year. Check it out if you can.
Drawing Restraint 9
Not quite as good as Cremaster, and maybe not one we’d watch again, but Matthew Barney’s vaseline opus is an interesting watch. Head down to the SF MoMA and see it (and the Barney Exhibit) before it’s gone.
Worst films
Date Movie.
Stupid Stupid Stupid humor. Unwatchable.
Basic Instinct 2.
Man ass, bad hair, and barely any Stone. Skip it at all costs.
Superman Returns
A remake of a great film in the guise of a sequel, only boring. Brian Singer establishes himself as the master of the tepid superhero film.
Best Films (Kris):
Banlieue 13
Bouncing, bounding boys with 0% body fat bust through drug lord’s underground den and disarm a bomb bent for all the brie in Paris. Main theme: Ghetto vs Government. Review coming soon.
Brick
If Shakespeare (or whomever Shakespeare plagiarized from) created a black-hearted crime noir and cast a bunch of high schoolers, this would be it. Worth it for the sly-speak, ya dig? Review coming soon.
Drawing Restraint 9
Matthew Barney and vaseline, vaseline and Matthew Barney. The circuitous route of melting and forming and sculpting and all the crazy wonderful things Barney does with his favorite medium. Added bonus, Bjork! Review coming soon.
Everything is Illuminated
Everything is dark at first as Elijah Wood embarks on another arduous journey, this time he’s in the Ukraine searching for a woman in a faded photograph prized by his dead grandfather. He’s chauffered by a crochetty oldtimer who thinks he’s blind, an Ali-G wannabe and a “mentally deranged seeing-eye bitch”. Even through coke-bottle thick lenses, he won’t be able to detect what’s up ahead. Review coming soon.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Whoa, can you say “unexpected”? Robert Downey, Jr gets in over his head (that’s no surprise) with a gay Val Kilmer. Leagues away from Top Gun I might say. Well, actually Val is less gay in this one. Review coming soon.
Lucky Number Slevin
Another gem with dialogue as the marvelous cherry on top. This one has a review!
Pirates of the Caribbean 2
Uhm, ’nuff said.
Rampo Noir
Totally trippy visuals, lots of mirrors, lots of tiny comedic elements, lots of intrigue! You guessed it, review is on its way!
Silent Hill
Creepy, stylized, thrilling. Fans of the game will not be disappointed. Try saying that about a lot of video game based flicks.
