#290 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Friday March 4)
Good morning,
Everyone has their lists of best films. Here are some thoughts on the films of the year gone by.
TOP TEN LIST OF FILMS
I recently read a quite detailed list of the “ten best” films from last year (both adapted and original scripts), from Tom Ropelewski. He consented to its republication here. He clearly is more highbrow than I, as I haven’t even heard of several of these:
The Beatles Get Back – the most welcome do-over in movie history. Sure, it’s almost eight hours long, but there’s not a wasted moment. Speaks volumes about creative collaboration, inspiration vs. work, and group/family dynamics.
Bo Burnham’s Inside – Is it a comedy special? An extended music video? Who cares? It’s all just filmed entertainment at this point. Inside is funny and touching and deserves a prime spot in the time capsule of Our Plague Year.
Last Night in Soho – Thomasin McKenzie (the Jewish refugee in hiding in Jojo Rabbit) stars as an aspiring fashion designer in modern London who finds herself psychically connected to a doomed model (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) in mod London of the 60’s. Pure cinematic fun, reminiscent of the best of Brian de Palma’s 70’s/80’s thrillers, with a wicked final performance by Diana Rigg.
Pig – “John Wick with a truffle pig” starring Nicolas Cage sets up a certain set of expectations. What Pig delivers is something altogether different, a quiet meditation on life and purpose. A terrific debut by writer-director Michael Sarnoski and the most surprising film of the year.
Red Rocket – Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project) has quickly vaulted to the top of my must-see Director’s List. This is his best yet, about a self-deluded porn star who returns to his hometown looking for a second chance… at pretty much anything. Breakout performance of the year by Simon Rex.
Licorice Pizza – A sweet, offbeat coming-of-age romance by Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love) set in the San Fernando Valley in the mid-1970’s, with great performances… Fun cameos from Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn, too.
Titane – A murderous stripper has a thing for classic cars. Unnatural bondings ensue. Don’t ask, just give it a chance if you’re in an adventurous mood. We can argue afterward.
Power of the Dog –A tense romantic triangle evolves into a perverse quadrilateral in this unsettling Western set in 1925 Montana by Jane Campion (The Piano, Top of the Lake). Continually surprising, with great performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee.
The Sparks Brothers – I’ve tried many times, but I still find the band Sparks pretty much unlistenable. Yet I was charmed by the eccentric Mael Brothers and their tenacity through decades of obscurity in this documentary by Edgar Wright (Sean of the Dead, Last Night in Soho).
Drive My Car – A gentle drama about the myriad barriers to communication in the modern world, and the tools we use to try to break through them. One of the few recent films which justifies its nearly three-hour length, when so many don’t (I’m lookin’ at you, Nightmare Alley).
Honorable Mention:
Annette – Just the opening musical number (“So May We Start?”) and the surprisingly moving final scene. The rest is a mind-boggling folly.
SOME ADDITIONAL PICKS OF MINE
My list would include several of his, with the addition of:
CODA – An unusually affecting coming of age movie about a girl growing up as a “child of deaf adults” (CODA), who works her family’s fishing boat with her deaf father and brother. She is headed for college against the backdrop of how much her family needs her. Great performances in a “feel good” movie that differs in so many ways from the typical fare.
Don’t Look Up – Yes, I know it can be ham-handed, but this story of a comet on a collision course to Earth, as metaphor for climate change and our current political environment and celebrity culture, grills just about every silliness in the world today. It’s both funny and deep, while pessimistic without prescription.
The Tragedy of Macbeth – It is remarkable how many different ways Shakespeare can be performed and the ways in which the bleak story of the Macbeths’ pursuit of power can be staged. Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand and an excellent supporting cast tell this tale in a stylized black and white that demonstrates the compelling messages of this tale.
West Side Story – Notwithstanding silly claims of cultural appropriation, this more “woke” and aware version of the Bernstein/Sondheim/Roberts masterpiece is a celebration of the story. Amazing choreography and music, foundering a bit on miscasting. Watch this and then the 1960s version and make your choice!
Eight Days a Week - A great Ron Howard film on the Beetles invasion of America and their concert tours (maybe it wasn’t distributed in 2021, but it’s a helluva lot shorter than The Beatles Get Back!)
tick, tick…Boom! - Yes, I know, I’m a sucker for musical theatre, but this musical, based upon Jonathan Larson’s one man show about getting his first musical staged, is a solid, entertaining film. Lin-Manuel Miranda directed a brilliant show. The story of the ill-fated creator of the seminal Rent. Two scenes are worth the price of admission. The first, Stephen Sondheim and a critic (Bradley Whitford and Richard Kind, respectively) providing notes to the young playwright. The second is an amazing set piece, “Sunday,” that takes place in a diner, with a who’s who of notable cameos from the world of theatre.
THE 34TH ANNUAL SCRIPTER
The winners were announced last Saturday. For film, The Lost Daughter won and for scripted series (TV), Dopesick won. Congratulations to the winners and the other finalists. I was wrong on film (my vote was for The Power of the Dog) but I was right in picking the winner for TV.
Have a great weekend,
Glenn