La Grande Illusion (1937)

A lot has to be said for a movie that imagines people as real people; that portrays enemies as really allies forced into conflict by the clashing interests of their motherlands. When you think of prison escape movies, you imagine the round-up of prisoners planning the escape, and the ruthless, cruel guards and their warden. Much of this is true in 1994's Shawshank Redemption, but one must also remember that that prison contained actual convicts, not prisoners of war.

The French POWs are treated rather fairly. When Capt. de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay) and Lt. Maréchal (Jean Gabin) are first captured, they are treated to a nice dinner by the somewhat formidable Captain von Rauffenstein (Erich von Stroheim), and then sent to a prison camp where the guards are cordial and where rules aren't necessarily strict. Any POW caught escaping is shot on sight, of course, but they are not, otherwise, treated inhumanely.

Of course, the POWs still want to be free; it is a common need of the human soul to have freedom, and so the soldiers do all they can to escape the confines of their prison. Upon Maréchal's first night in prison he discovers his flat mates have been tunneling, little by little, a way out, dumping the excess dirt outside during gardening duties. A funny scene takes place as a Frenchman, burrowing out, loses consciousness due to lack of oxygen, and when he is retrieved is fed cognac. When the liquor touches his lips, he reawakens and cradles the bottle as if he were a child drinking milk.

And the movie has a clever sense of timing. On the night of the proposed escape, a camp change is made, and flat mates are separated. Another touch of humanity is displayed by the guards as they load the POWs onto trucks to venture to a new location: "May you see your wives soon." It affirms that no one likes war, and most wars are not a necessity; people would rather coexist in peace, though it is ironic that most humans are unable to do so.

The movie has a goofy air about it, and one particular moment that is both somewhat silly and rather poignant comes when the men receive costumes to put on a show with. They catch wind that women wear their hair short now ("It's like sleeping with a boy," the cognac-loving Frenchman exclaims), and then pause as they witness one of the men dressed up in a woman's dress. Everyone falls silent. It highlights the repression that goes on in prison, the need to escape, and the lack of a female companion for men who go to war (more specifically then then now).

Maréchal and Boeldieu are put under Rauffensteins rule, who runs what is described as an "inescapable fortress." He also comes equipped this time with a silver plate to support his fractured spine, becoming part machine almost and carrying with him a menacing air. He speaks in a slow drawl and is burned all over, "which explains the white gloves," he muses. Rauffenstein is the epitome of the evil prison warden, yet he is not. He respects Boeldieu as a fellow servicemen and, when a raid on Boeldieu's room is done, trusts his word that nothing illegal is there (it is a lie). There are also random moments when both men speak to each other in excellent English.

The theme of human kindness is best represented in two scenes near the end: Maréchal and another inmate, Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio) escape while Boeldieu attracts the attention of all the guards as he makes another escape. Rauffenstein pleads with Boeldieu to come down, to not force his hand and make him shot him. But Boeldieu continues onward, and Rauffenstein shoots him down. Later, in a hospital wing, Rauffenstein apologizes for what he had to, and Boeldieu simply replies, "I would have done the same."

The other happens after Maréchal and Rosenthal escape successfully and find shelter with a widowed German woman, Elsa (Dita Parlo) and her daughter. Her loneliness cries for recognition from someone, as her husband was killed in the war, and the common bond shared between two should-be enemies is beautifully rendered to dust here, as they grow to love each other.

I have spoken perhaps too much of the film's plot, and nowadays some will probably see it's optimistic view of humanity as dated and not as revolutionary. The film holds my attention throughout and is filled with characters that I truly grow to love and care for. There are no villains, except for perhaps the war that rages in the background, but instead people being people, kind, honest human beings. There are too few movies that triumph the human spirit, but this is one of them.

The Best Picture Round-Up

We're in the middle of Oscar season, with the awards only two weeks away, so I thought it would be a good time to look back at the ten movies nominated for an Oscar and provide my final thoughts in each individual film, and what I think of its chances of winning.

Avatar

Nominated for: Best Picture, Director, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Art Direction, Visual Effects, Cinematography, and Original Score.

The behemoth that recently beat Titanic's box office record and is looking to rake in $700 million domestic before all is said and done has become one of those films that, as time has gone on, has become increasingly overrated in my mind. Upon my initial viewing I thought it was thrilling and a lot of fun, but I didn't think it could be seriously considered for Best Picture. Well, now it's poised to take the top prize, and while it would shatter the curse of all sci-fi films (not a single one has ever won Best Picture) I feel it is the wrong movie to do so. It doesn't have any acting or screenplay nominations, so how can it be the best of the year when some of the core elements of the film aren't near the best? Let it clean up the technical awards, it deserves those, but nothing more.

The Blind Side

Nominated for: Best Picture, Actress - Leading (Sandra Bullock)

When this film was announced on Oscar morning as a nominee I nearly keeled over in surprise. I hadn't seen it yet, but I couldn't imagine it being that good to even be nominated. I went and saw the film shortly after the nominations, and can say that the film surprised me with its heart, and Sandra Bullock was actually pretty good considering she is Sandra Bullock. But it is beyond me why this movie is nominated, or why she is the frontrunner for Best Actress. The film is so clichéd that you can predict every moment that's coming, and the whole supporting cast are exaggerated to an extreme. It's not that bad a film, but it is nowhere near one of the ten best of the year, not even twenty, or even thirty.

District 9

Nominated for: Best Picture, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Screenplay - Adapted

In a year of five nominees, this would not have made it, nor would The Blind Side (and three others I'll point out down the line). This is the most overrated film on the list, and I have never liked it, not since I've seen it. Fan love for this film makes it even worse in my mind. Sure, the concept is good and provides some good commentary, but the movie gets too heavy handed in its message, and too clichéd in its climax to live up to the level of originality people have claimed it holds. It's visual effects nom is certainly deserved, but the others aren't.

An Education

Nominated for: Best Picture, Actress - Leading (Carey Mulligan), Screenplay - Adapted

This film was decent, though its message is obvious. Mulligan is excellent in the lead role and would be my favorite to win if it weren't for Sandra Bullock. But this is one of the films that wouldn't be here if it weren't for the ten picture list, so you can't consider it too strongly. Check it out, it's good, but it won't win anything.

The Hurt Locker

Nominated for: Best Picture, Director, Actor - Leading (Jeremy Renner), Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Cinematography, Original Score, Screenplay - Original

The show is a stand-off between this little film which only made $13 million in its theater run, and Avatar, which has made $675 million so far. If The Hurt Locker wins, it will be the least amount of money a Best Picture winner has ever earned. Many people are pointing to Avatar to win because you should always follow the money. But what did that get The Dark Knight last year? It received eight nominations, but lost a Best Picture and Director nod. If the Academy was too blind to nominate that film this year, I can see why that would give Avatar a chance, since they want to boost their ratings. That is the whole point of this 10 picture round-up, to boost ratings so popular films like District 9 and The Blind Side make it in. Plus, there's a preferential ballot system in place that could really screw whoever wins. But Hurt Locker has Acting and Screenplay nominations, which means it is favorited by those groups, and Kathryn Bigelow won the DGA, so she has the directors on her side, and the Producers Guild gave the film the PGA. It's got a lot of love from those groups that Avatar doesn't.

Inglourious Basterds

Nominated for: Best Picture, Director, Actor - Supporting (Christoph Waltz), Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Cinematography, Screenplay - Original

Not a lot of people realize it, but Inglourious Basterds is the dark horse poised to take the top prize. It won the SAG for Best Ensemble, so we know it has that group's approval, and the SAG was key to predicting the Crash upset a mere four years ago. I would say that Basterds doesn't have a chance except if the following scenario plays out: it wins in the preferential balloting. I could see that happening. I'll explain the preferential ballot later on down the line. But just know that if Basterds upsets, it could be because of this. Plus, Tarantino may be owed his due.

Precious

Nominated for: Best Picture, Director, Actress - Leading (Gabourey Sidibe), Actress - Supporting (Mo'Nique), Film Editing, Screenplay - Adapted

This movie is quite devastating and quite good as well, though many argue it fills the "white person feels good about themselves" role. Whatever, I don't concern myself with that. It is a good story, well told, well done, and very heartbreaking, with great performances. Will it win anything? I think only Mo'Nique will win, and the rest will just be happy to be nominated. Some have argued that it is also very likely to win based on its Film Editing nomination, which is key to determining Best Pic. It has it, but something tells me Precious is not a force to be reckoned with.

A Serious Man

Nominated for: Best Picture, Screenplay - Original

I was ecstatic to see this film receive a nomination, but I have to concede that it is another of the five that wouldn't here in a normal year. Still, it is a terrific film, and the Coens haven't lost their touch yet. It will be nice to see them at the show this year.

Up

Nominated for: Best Picture, Sound Editing, Animated Feature, Sound Mixing, Original Score, Screenplay - Original

Up is only the second animated movie ever nominated for Best Picture, Beauty and the Beast being the other one, but I wouldn't really count it as official because there are ten nominees, and lets face it, it would not have made the cut on a short list of five. Still, it touts six nominations and it should take home Animated Feature and Original Score. So it won't be a total wash for Up.

Up in the Air

Nominated for: Best Picture, Director, Actor - Leading (George Clooney), Actress Supporting (Vera Farmiga), Actress - Supporting (Anna Kendrick), Screenplay - Adapted

This movie has the most nominations for acting and won't take any of them home. It is positioned to win Jason Reitman his first Oscar for Screenplay, which it deserves (though I would love to see In the Loop win), but otherwise, this was a film that had the heat back in October and November, and then lost its momentum. It still has a chance, I grant you, albeit a slim one. I had the pleasure to see this movie at an advanced screening in October with Roger Ebert himself in attendance, and the following week Reitman himself came to speak at my school. It is his best movie so far, but I think I will remember it more because it was a unique viewing experience for me.

The Preferential System:

Because there are ten nominees this year, the Academy has changed up the style of voting to accommodate all the nominees in the possibility of winning. Usually, the voter would just mark their vote as is normal; now, each voter has to rank the Best Picture nominees one through ten. The votes are tabulated and the films are ranked according to their votes.

Doesn't sound bad, right? Well, here's the bitch: the film that ranks 10th gets eliminated, and all the votes get redistributed to the number two film on their lists. Then the 9th gets eliminated, and those voter's next choices are redistributed. Then the eight. Then the seventh. And on and on and on down until there are only two standing, with one clear majority.

USA Today ran a great piece about the balloting system, illustrating how a film in the second position in the first round could easily take the number won spot. Now, a film needs a 50% majority vote to win, so any time that happens, the elimination game stops. But, with 6,000 voters, you get a variety of choices, so anything is possible.

This system would be all fine and dandy if people weren't fucking bloodsucking backstabbers. The preferential system is far from foolproof. Friends of Jim Cameron could easily rank Avatar number one and The Hurt Locker number ten, eliminating any chance that movie had of winning, rather then being decent human beings and just writing down what they actually think the rank should be. But no, human's suck. This is one way that Inglourious could sneak in: a stale-mate between Avatar and Hurt Locker could allow Inglourious to sneak through and take the big prize (I imagine it will be ranked second or third on most voter's ballots).

We'll see how it all plays out. There are only 10 days left in the polls, and 15 left until the big show. I'll put up my predictions on March 7th, a few hours before the show begins.

Pépé le Moko (1937)

The anti-hero is something that has been around in film for a very long time, even in literature. There are a variety of antiheroes, from Rick Blaine in Casablanca to Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, to any gangster in any gangster movie. The earliest anti-heroes can be seen in the gangster movies of Hollywood's 1930s, but Pépé le Moko is probably one of the most significant in terms of firsts.

Directed by Julien Duvivier, Jean Gabin plays the antihero of the title, a thief from Paris who hides in Algiers and steals, steals, steals. In an early opening sequence, the police try and catch him by swarming several houses, but he is so well connected with everyone that he escapes without detection (though a gun fight ensues).

He meets and falls in love with a woman visiting from France, and wants to finally end his career as a criminal. The movie is about deception, greed, and crime, as Pépé is loses an accomplice to the police and, eventually, succumbs to a French ending. Anyone who knows French films from the 30s through the 60s (most of them, anyways), know that the characters usually die by the end. Wages of Fear (which I will review much later down the road) has an example of one of these.

But this movie is famous because it firmly establishes what an antihero is. He is charming, yet violent, pleasant, yet cold and calculating. Jean Gabin, who also stars in another on my list to review, Grand Illusion (1937), is terrific as the man who knows no limits, who steals and pilfers to his hearts content.

Really, anyone who loves a good gangster movie and wants to understand where the archetypal character came from need only turn to Gabin in this film. It is a seminal performance, laying the pathway for Humphrey Bogart, Al Pacino, and many others to follow. It is not a terrific film by any means, but it is a damn good one, and one worth checking out.

2010 Oscar Predictions

Tomorrow, at 5 am, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will release the nominations for the Oscar telecast in March. For some reason this nominations are being announced two weeks late, as they typically happen around the 20th of January. The delay is no matter, though, as it will give the awards more distance from the guild and Globes awards that have happened. I will make my picks for the big 8 categories: Screenwriting, Acting, Directing, and Picture. With 10 options for Best Picture, it is hard to imagine getting more then 3 wrong, but we'll see. Anyways, here are my predictions for the nominations of Oscar.

Best Original Screenplay:

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

A Serious Man

Up

Rationale: I expect to see at least 4 of these movies in the Best Picture seat, and the Original screenplay section is a place where the best screenplays really get to shine. Many will argue that Avatar's screenplay is the weakest element of that movie, and I agree, but I don't see the Academy nominating anything else. A chance for maybe (500) Days of Sumer or, God forbid, The Hangover to snag a nomination. Otherwise, these are most likely your five.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Crazy Heart

District 9

In the Loop

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Up in the Air

Rationale: I'm taking a few outside chances here; Crazy Heart, Precious, and Up in the Air are all locked, but I'm unsure about District 9 or In the Loop. I think In the Loop would be a terrific nomination, and I would hate District 9 to be nominated, but it seems to be so loved by everyone. I don't get it, honestly, but apparently this is the year for sci-fi to shine. Star Trek or Julie & Julia could snag a nom as well.

Best Supporting Actress:

Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air

Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds

Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Julianne Moore, A Single Man

Rationale: Nine doesn't seem loved by anyone other then the SAG and Globes, so I rule out Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard right away. Though they could still be nominated. I haven't seen A Single Man yet, but Julianne Moore is a favorite of the Academy and seems likely to snag the dark horse spot. Otherwise, the other four are pretty much guaranteed.

Best Supporting Actor:

Matt Damon, Invictus

Woody Harrelson, The Messenger

Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Rationale: You can guarantee about 3 of these, with Tucci and Plummer being my unsure picks. I see Tucci missing out because The Lovely Bones is not much liked (unseen by me), and we already have a crazy villain in the category. Christian McKay, as Orson Welles in Me and Orson Welles seems like the only candidate likely to unseat somebody, but the movie isn't well known enough to be a serious threat. These will probably be the nominees.

Best Actress:

Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Helen Mirren, The Last Station

Carey Mulligan, An Education

Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Rationale: In December I predicted this category would be a showdown between Mulligan and Sidibe, but apparently the sands have shifted and it's between Bullock and Streep, with Bullock the favorite. How did this happen? Helen Mirren is the only one who could not be nominated, with Emily Blunt the likely alternative. Otherwise, another easy category.

Best Actor:

Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

George Clooney, Up in the Air

Colin Firth, A Single Man

Morgan Freeman, Invictus

Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Rationale: Again, I am copying the SAG exactly, because it seems the most logical. They are all strong contenders, though Jeremy Renner is the only one I see being unseated, perhaps by Viggo Mortensen for The Road. Otherwise, the rest of the slots are locked up. Unless the Academy loves Daniel Day Lewis enough to nominate him for anything.

Best Director:

Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

James Cameron, Avatar

Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Rationale: These are the five DGA nominees, and I see no reason for none of them to be nominated. Clint Eastwood or the Coens seem like the only likely upsetters, but their movies don't have enough heat behind them for this to be likely. Hopefully Bigelow will win, just like she deserves, and a woman can finally break the barrier as Best Director.

Best Picture

Avatar

District 9

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

A Serious Man

Star Trek

Up

Up in the Air

Rationale: The five DGA nominees are locked. As for the other five, just random guesses based on the PGA awards. I really would love to see A Serious Man nominated here. I'm guessing Up, but the animated film may be forever doomed to the Animated Feature category, and so it will be relegated there instead of here. If not Up, then Invictus. I seriously hope The Hangover doesn't get nominated; that would be a sad day for the Oscars (though last year was a sad day for the Oscars). Also, three sci-fi movies? Star Trek could be in or out, but since it has PGA love, I pick it. Same for District 9. This list right here, though, is a prime example for why 10 nominees is a bad idea. Go back to 5.

The nominees will be announced at 5:30 am PST tomorrow! I'll be up to watch them. HOORAY!

Top 10 of 2009

Here we are again. At the end of another long year in film. The year may have ended in January, but I give myself an extra month to see the films that don't get released near me until January. This year was pretty good for the movie world, and there are a few on my list that I might love even more later on. I can say, though, that this list has 10 movies I would have no problem sitting down and watching again. The quality wasn't as high, but the entertainment value was still there.

10. Inglourious Basterds

Dir. Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino finally released his much-delayed sixth film (if you count Kill Bill as one) and proved, once again, why he's so damn talented. It's a film that runs 150 minutes and is largely free of violence, relying on words to be the driving force. Brad Pitt stars as Lt. Aldo Raine, who leads a group of jews through Nazi land killing Nazis Apache-style. The violence is gruesome but brief, and Tarantino builds the suspense the old fashioned way: with characters, situation, and an abundance of dialogue. Melanie Laurent stars as Shosanna, the jewish girl who escapes execution to own a movie theater that hosts the premiere of the latest Nazi propaganda drivel. The film deserved the SAG award it won for Best Ensemble, because it really is an ensemble piece and no one character is the star. Brad Pitt is in maybe a third of the film. And it gives us one of the best villains of all time, Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), who makes milk and strudel terrifying.

9. Up in the Air

Dir. Jason Reitman

Jason Reitman has only made three feature movies in his career, and so far I have featured all three on my top 10 lists of their respected years. While this isn't his funniest movie (Thank You For Smoking still holds that title), it is definitely his best, a rich blend of comedy and drama, set against the backdrop of our current economic struggle. George Clooney is Ryan Bingham, who works for a company that loans him out to other companies to handle their layoffs. And business is never better then during this economic hardship. He prefers to be alone, but must show the ropes to an up and coming Cornell grad with an idea of how to fire people most cost-effectively. Clooney's character also dreams of reaching 10,000,000 frequent flyer miles. It's a movie with a lot of ideas that successfully balances all of them, and seems to strike a true chord. In the times we live in, something like this could not be more welcome.

8. Up

Dir. Pete Doctor

For the fourth year in a row, Pixar continues to rank on my list. Up is as spectacular as Wall•E (2008) or Ratatouille (2007), and is more of a throwback to silly children's entertainment. It opens with a five-minute sequence that beautifully says so much about life, love, and loss without a single word of dialogue that will bring you near to tears, and then embarks as a safer, more conventional adventure as geezer Carl Fredricksen lifts his house into the air and sets off to South America with Junior Explorer Russell in tow. Doug, the talking dog, is definitely a winner and everyone sees their dog personified in Doug, but the rest of the talking dogs, while entertaining, are boring, and so is the villain, an old explorer who has spent his life searching for some rare bird. Few Pixar movies have true villains (A Bug's Life, Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and The Incredibles all have villains) but at least they are interesting. Still, Up will take you away on a grand adventure for the young and the old, and is still a worthy addition to the Pixar canon.

7. Goodbye Solo

Dir. Ramin Bahrani

Ramin Bahrani is another director who supposedly has never made a bad film. I haven't seen Man Push Cart or Chop Shop, but I have seen Goodbye Solo, and this film is one of pure beauty. Solo is a cab driver somewhere in a small North Carolina town who picks up an old man who requests to be taken to certain location. Solo becomes fascinated with the old man, and soon begins driving him everywhere and trying to befriend him, suspecting the old man of wanting to commit suicide. It's a beautiful tale of two very different people and two very different points in life coming together, and Bahrani has a mastery of moving his film along at just the right pace. The performances are also fantastic, as Souleymane Sy Savane radiates as Solo and Red West grumbles as William. The film has a perfect ending, and is really one of the rare joys of the year.

6. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans

Dir. Werner Herzog

From a film of pure beauty to one that is all kinds of wrong, Bad Lieutenant is a remake of an early 90s film of nearly the same name. But if you are going to remake something, Werner Herzog is the man to do it, putting his unique spin on culture and life. Nicolas Cage has seldom been better as Terence McDonaugh, a New Orleans cop who gets promoted to Lieutenant as he suffers a chronic back pain that leads him to become a massive druggie. Cage infuses his character with a mix of madness and strange rationality, and the movie works because you believe him for every moment of the film. Two scenes will enter the film lexicon, one involving iguanas, the other involving a dancing soul. The movie is unhinged, much like Cage's character, and keeps getting more and more outrageous. Never have I seen a film that made me root for a more obviously wrong character, but this one does it superbly.

5. Tokyo Sonata

Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Now back to a film that isn't necessarily beautiful, but definitely deserves to be seen in its own right. Tokyo Sonata tells the tale of a middle-class Japanese family that slowly begins to disintegrate, as the father loses his job and can't muster the courage to tell his family, and his youngest son begins exploring his interest in music. It's a tale of roles and where we fit in our society, which seems to be a timeless theme. The father pretends to go to work, and instead meets a fellow unemployee who teaches him the habit of looking important while really being without pay. The film's third act features a rather odd device, as all the characters hit their climax, but it is brought back by a beautifully done piano solo of Claude Debussy's "Claire de Lune," which leaves you sitting in the theater long after the credits have roled.

4. A Serious Man

Dir. Joel & Ethan Coen

A Serious Man was a movie that didn't go down easy on my initial viewing. As soon as it ended and the credits rolled, I sat there with a definite wtf expression on my face. But as the hours passed and I pondered the movie, I realized just how good it was. Essentially it is an adaptation of the Book of Job set in a Minnesota suburb in the 1960s. Michael Stuhlbarg is Larry Gopnik, a college professor who receives a bribe from a failing student, and who returns home to find his wife seeking a divorce for no apparent reason. Everything happens out of the blue, and more and more bad shit keeps happening to Larry. The film is also peppered with strange folk tales, one about a dentist who finds Hebrew on a patient's teeth and tries to investigate the meaning of it. The rabbi who is telling this story suddenly stops, and Gopnik sits there saying, "Why did you tell me that?" People will feel the same way about the movie in general, and that is more or less the point, but it still stands as one of the Coen's best works.

3. Gake no ue nonyo (Ponyo)

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki

Miyazaki is a master of animation and storytelling; his sure hand always guides a project successfully to a finish, and no one seems to have more imagination or balls then he does. Ponyo is adapted from The Little Mermaid (the Hans Christian Andersen story), but it takes that story and makes it so much more innocent and pure. Ponyo is a little fish of some kind who breaks free of her father's rule, and becomes friends with Sosuke. She transforms into a human, slowly, and her breach of the elements causes massive flooding and crazy storm weather to abound. The movie is about the pure joy of being a child, as embodied by Sosuke and Ponyo. The movie has pure exhilarating moments as Ponyo runs across fish waves, and Ponyo makes Sosuke's little toy boat large enough for them to go explore the flooded town. I saw the American voiced version, which is miscast (the kids are too old and Liam Neeson doesn't ring true), and it features the most prime example of a great, cute kid's song being taken and run through the Disney shitmill to create a bastardized Ponyo song (sung by young Cyrus and Jonas). I can't wait to really see the movie in it's original Japanese form, but even some bad voice acting can't keep this movie from being truly spectacular.

2. The Hurt Locker

Dir. Kathryn Bigelow

The Hurt Locker is the first Iraq war movie I have seen that is actually frickin' amazing. This is largely in part due to the fact that it is about the men fighting in the service, and doesn't meditate on why we are there or what we are doing there. The soldiers are there doing what they are ordered, and this film follows one particular bomb defusing nut, SFC William James (Jeremy Renner) and the various bombs he defuses. This is another prime example of tension and suspense that exists because we care about the characters, we care about the situation, and this is also Hitchcock's bomb theory fully embodied into an entire movie. Every bomb-defusion is wrought with tension, as are the various other activities. The cast is uniformly terrific, with Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty as the other two main soldiers of the unit. This movie is right now in a heated battle with Avatar for Best Picture, while Avatar is a fine film, it is nowhere near as awesome as this one. Kathryn Bigelow deserves the Oscar, and this deserves Best Picture. It's obviously not my favorite of the year, but it is number two, and that's pretty damn good.

1. Where the Wild Things Are

Dir. Spike Jonze

While Ponyo is about the joy of childhood, Where the Wild Things Are is about the pain and misunderstanding of being a child. It takes place at that time in a child's life when imagination is venturing out the door and real adult responsibilities begin to set in. It opens with my favorite moment of the year, as young Max (Max Records) barrels down the stairs in pure, unfiltered childhood energy. He escapes into his world where the Wild Things roam, played by a variety of voice actors including James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, and Lauren Ambrose, and becomes associated with their world. Each of the Wild Things represent an aspect of Max's life, and are beautifully realized as costumes and computer generated images. Rather then creating them in Post, Spike Jonze has real fur and blood characters there the entire time, and animates their face. More so then anything, this movie reminded me of my youth, when I would enter my own worlds and shut the rest out. Many parents claimed that this movie was too scary for children, and I agree kids under 7 may not like it, but kids from 8 - 10 get it, and the rest of us can relate. It's not a movie for kids, it's a movie about kids, and they have as many emotional issues as adults, they are just personified in their imagination. Max Records is also terrific as young Max, who is a little brat at times, but we all were. But I mostly fell in love with the Wild Things, and there crazy world where danger always lurks, but if you have your friends, you'll be just fine.

I like to honor more then just ten films. Those were my ranked favorites, but there are 20 more that were also pretty good. Here they are, alphabetically:

Avatar

Crazy Heart

An Education

Fantastic Mr. Fox

(500) Days of Summer

Food, Inc.

The Girlfriend Experience

In the Loop

The White Ribbon

World's Greatest Dad

In addition, I would like to host my own impromptu awards. Here are my picks for Best Director, Actor, and the like:

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Runner-up: Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are

Best Actor: Nicolas Cage, The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans

Runner-up: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, An Education

Runner-up: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Runner-up: Peter Capaldi, In the Loop

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

Runner-up: Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air

Best Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds

Runner-up: A Serious Man

And of course, no year review would be complete without a round-up of the worst this year had to offer. In this final section, I pick the most overrated movie and reveal the 5 worst of the year.

Most Overrated Movie: District 9

5 Worst of the Year:

5. Watchmen

Dir. Zack Snyder

Suposed to be an original take on the superhero story, based off of an excellent graphic novel. It has the best opening titles sequence of the year, no doubt, but with mostly uncompelling characters, this one falls FAAAAAR short.

4. Antichrist

Dir. Lars von Trier

It's just brutal for the sake of brutalities sake. It features some gorgeous cinematography, and clearly has an interesting message, but von Trier is so full of himself that the movie becomes a crazy misogynistic tale, though the roles are reversed briefly. Still, got to give Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg kudos for being courageous enough to try something like this.

3. Terminator Salvation

Dir. McG

Pure, pure shit. The worst of the Terminator films. Shit blows up, things happen, and Christian Bale is probably in one of his worst roles as John Connor. Mr. Avatar Sam Worthington shows up here as a robot thing, but the movie is dramatically empty, and the story is pointless. I hope there won't be too many more of these.

2. Gamer

Dir. Neveldine/Taylor

Another film that takes flashy coolness of substance, Gamer tries to have a cool message about corporations in the evil future and selling your body for money and blah blah blah, but really it's brainless thrill ride, with not thrills. Michael C. Hall is pretty awesome, and Gerard Butler is terrible as always. It must be in his contract to star in shitty movies.

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Dir. Michael Bay

Really, I have wasted enough breath on this movie. Definitely one of the worst pieces of shit I have ever seen. Mindless, racist, offensive, it violates every rule of the make a good movie book. I won't be back for Transformers 3, thank you very much.

AND THAT'S IT! 2010 awaits with more interesting, exciting movies. I can't wait to see everything that is in store for us this year, and to kick off a whole new decade! LET THE MOVIES COMMENCE!