The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

 75 years later, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre remains a stark example of the boundaries Hollywood was able to push in the golden age of cinema. Many people may think of old black-and-white movies from the 40s as lacking any teeth, of being reasonably chaste or easy-going films where the good guys win, and the bad guys get theirs.

But 1940s Hollywood, especially post-WWII Hollywood, was particularly cynical, and that was reflected in the films made in the wake of the great conflict. Eventually, optimism would win over in the 50s (before naturalism wormed its way into the movies of the late 60s and 70s), but out of that cynicism, we got the terrific The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Humphrey Bogart stars as Fred C. Dobbs, an American wandering through Mexico in the 1920s, begging other Americans for spare change to get by. He's tipped off at the potential of gold in the nearby mountains and sets out with two other estranged Americans, Curtin (Tim Holt) and Howard (Walter Huston), to go prospecting. Along the way they encounter bandits, other enterprising Americans with a nose for gold, and of course the envy and suspicion that builds when the treasure is finally found.

Directed by John Huston (The African Queen, Key Largo), the film contains a remarkable amount of plot packed into a tight two-hour running time. There's a certain economy to the storytelling that is remarkable, and you get a good sense of who everyone is pretty quickly. It's also a film that doesn't pull any punches; Bogart is wonderful as Dobbs, a man who is friendly enough but demonstrates a deep mistrust of everyone, and as their gold stock slowly grows he gets more and more greedy, hoarding his share and suspecting his companions of ill intent. It's a standout performance by Bogart that proves he really was one of Hollywood's greatest stars.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is one of those films that truly is timeless. The story of man's greed and hunger for more never ages, and the performances and filmmaking are some of the finest of the decade. It's remarkable Warner Bros took a chance on such a dark film with few redeeming characters. I had seen the film many years ago and had forgotten just how great this was, but it really is one of the best Hollywood films of the 1940s.

Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

No recent review of Jeanne Dielman can begin without acknowledging the elephant in the room; we've all arrived here because of BFI's latest Sight & Sound poll, a once-in-a-decade exercise where esteemed film critics are invited to send in their personal top 10s, and the results are tabulated into a list of 100 films meant to represent the greatest of all time. In the past, The Bicycle Thieves, Citizen Kane, and Vertigo have all topped the list. In 2022, Jeanne Dielman stunned everyone by becoming crowned the new, eponymous "Greatest Movie of All Time."

As it happened, Jeanne Dielman was next on my queue of movies to watch, and I was well aware of its reputation. Jeanne Dielman is a long, boring movie. That's not a derogatory remark, simply a statement of fact that few would disagree with. It's a 201-minute exercise in presenting the minutiae and everyday mundanity of a housewife. Jeanne Dielman (Delphine Seyrig) goes about her day, cleaning, cooking, and occasionally prostituting herself to support her plain life with her son, who only appears briefly for dinner. Told over three days, director Chantal Akerman stages the film with long, unbroken takes as we watch Jeanne do menial tasks, like peeling potatoes, taking a bath, or watching a pot of coffee brew.

While the film is boring by definition, there's a certain hypnotic fascination that develops watching these routine tasks carried out. For a film as long as The Return of the King there's so little that actually happens, but that's the statement Akerman is making. Before smartphones and streaming services, a housewife had little to do in their daily life and was consigned to keeping the house while their husbands and offspring went out and explored the world.

The film's status as the greatest of all time in many ways will draw a lot of criticism from those that come to it blindly, not knowing what they are in for. It's a challenging film that I watched over a few days, as watching it all at once would probably feel like an interminable experience. But it's also a fairly audacious, bold piece of filmmaking. In the final two shots of the film, Jeanne finally does something unexpected and shocking, an action that normally wouldn't shock were it not for the proceeding three hours where it felt like almost nothing happened. When she drops a potato late in the film it's almost an upsetting moment, as it breaks the hypnotic flow of the routine.

We come to films for many different reasons, to be entertained and transported to other places. But we also look for reflections of ourselves or lives lived we could never imagine. I can't really recommend Jeanne Dielman because I know for most people it will be a struggle to sit through, but if you do choose to view it, be ready to surrender to the film's languid pace and structure. It's a film I probably won't find myself revisiting anytime soon, but I'm glad I experienced it at least once.

Top 10 of 2021

For movies, 2021 will be a year looked over and examined for how the distribution model, and access to films, truly changed. Whereas 2020 studios were forced to change their release model because there wasn't another option, 2021 saw several different experiments, from the shortening of the theatrical window (45 days now I believe until those new releases are available VOD) to Warner Bros.' fairly bold and wild decision to release their full slate both in theaters and on their HBO Max platform on the same day (the movies were only available streaming for 30 days). Disney tested their "Premiere Access" tier, where their movies were released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ for $30, although by September they dropped the experiment, with Shang-Chi becoming the first big Disney release exclusively in theaters. This led to Scarlett Johansson suing Disney over her contract for Black Widow (a Premiere Access release), claiming she lost millions because Disney wouldn't pay her from the streaming revenue.

Even bigger, of course, was that theaters reopened. I know in a lot of the US theaters were back open in limited capacities in 2020, but where I primarily reside in Los Angeles, theaters closed in March 2020 and didn't reopen until a full year later. The fallout in LA was widely felt too; beloved theater chain Arclight announced they would be going out of business and closing all locations nationwide (though primarily in Southern California, they had begun expanding in markets such as Chicago). This was a devastating blow, as Arclight was often seen as the premiere theater experience, where you could be sure to have a respectful audience and was often where the hottest limited releases would begin their runs, not to mention the Arclight Hollywood shared it's site with the historic Cinerama Dome (I'm sure someone will reopen the Dome before long). The major chains for the most part survived by the skin of their teeth and perhaps a bankruptcy filing or two, and AMC and Regal have begun taking over the empty theaters left behind by Arclight.

Returning to the theater was amazing; the last film I saw was Corpus Christi in February 2020; I returned by seeing Spiral on May 2021, and proceeded with three days in a row of movies, including a rerelease of Top Gun in Dolby, and Bob Odenkirk's John Wick-like Nobody. Since then I have seen dozens of movies on the big screen and while yes, home theaters are getting better and better, there's still something essential about going to a theater and totally disconnecting from the world for a few hours to get lost in a new film. In the digital age it's hard for my mind not to wander to my phone when watching something at home; in a theater, my proclivities for social respect demand that I focus, pay attention, and engage with the movie. I'm not disciplined enough to carry that to my home viewing experience.

Access to movies is greater than ever, too. Sundance 2022 just wrapped and for a fee, you could view the hottest festival titles on streaming, rather than being forced to fly out to the frozen tundra of Park City, UT and pay for expensive shuttles, lodging, and dining. Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, and others all made a variety of interesting movies, and if you missed that indie in theaters, it was available at home soon after.

All that to say, I've seen my fair share of movies from 2021, and even though I haven't seen everything (Drive My Car being the most notable example), I self impose a deadline of February 1st to release my top 10. Because it's my list, I set my own rules: there are films on here that were nominated in last year's Oscars, but because the Oscars extended the eligibility window from January 2020 to February 2021, it means that some 2021 releases were considered for the 2020 Oscars. I am but a humble plebeian who does not get special access to things, and so was unable to see these movies until well after my own cutoff for my 2020 list. Loosely, I follow the USA release calendar for movies, and use that as my guide. So, enough rambling! Without further ado, here is my top 10 of 2021.

10. Dune, 155 min. PG-13

Denis Villeneueve's much anticipated big screen adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi epic was a huge success, translating the dense, layered mythology of Herbert's prose to a fairly digestable format. The story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his families trials taking over the sand planet Arrakis (the Dune of the title), Dune is a juggling act that builds far-off worlds with great effect. The grand desert vistas are incredible, and the visual effects are so good that you believe these are real places. Rounded out by a stellar cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya, and you have Part One of what will hopefully prove to be an epic two-part film.

9. The French Dispatch, 107 min. R

Wes Anderson is fast becoming one of my favorite filmmakers working today; he's honed such a sharp and distinctive style that bothers some and enthralls other. The pinnacle of his work was The Grand Budapest Hotel, and while The French Dispatch doesn't quite match up to that film, it's still a wonder to behold. We almost take for granted now the amount of detail that goes into any one shot of Anderson's movies, and this one is bursting at the seams with expressive camera movements and production design. Anderson may have a finely honed aesthetic, but it's one that's taken him decades to perfect and to seem his talents on full display here is truly a sight to behold.

8. Nomadland, 107 min. R

The Oscar winner for Best Picture of 2020 had an official release of February 2021 in the USA, and so it fits right into my Top 10 of 2021 nicely at number 8. Chloe Zhao's contemplative piece on the Americans who move from place to place freely, never having a home, is a beautiful and haunting film. Frances McDormand's Oscar-winning performance is top-notch, and the casting of real Nomads adds an extra layer of authenticity to the film's aesthetic. It's a quiet movie that asks you to stop and appreciate the world we live in, one that is so consumed by work and the capitalist drive to succeed and come out on top. Though Zhao seems to have stumbled with her Marvel film Eternals (I didn't see it but the overall reception was mediocre) I am still very excited for what she does next with her big Marvel paycheck.

7. The Power of the Dog, 126 min. R

Jane Campion's Western epic, an adaptation of a 1967 by Thomas Savage, is a strange tale of ranchers and forbidden love. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons, the film boasts a rich cast, and a plot that is not always straightforward. Most of the time we are living in this time and this place with these characters, and Campion's sure hand guides us through this strange and sad tale. It may seem like a bit of slog but it's a great experience and one I won't soon forget.

6. CODA, 111 min. PG-13

Sundance's indie darling is a sweet, moving tale of the Rossi's, a mostly deaf family save their youngest daughter, Ruby (Emilia Jones). She is in her senior year of High School and is ready to break free of her families fishing business, but her family has become used to her hearing abilities and put undue pressure on her to stick with the family. It's a pretty clichéd tale, but director Sian Heder handles the affair with a sure hand and keeps the film from teetering into Lifetime-level fair. It's a tricky act, and several eccentric characters threaten to tip the scales too far to cloying, manipulative story beats, but overall the clichés work and what you get is a powerful, moving tale that delivers the waterworks.

5. The Father, 97 min. PG-13

The Father is probably most notable at this point for being the film that upset the Best Actor Oscar at the ceremony in April 2021; Chadwick Boseman was expected to pull of a posthumous win and the category was moved to be last, a risky decision that proved unwise when Anthony Hopkins won instead for his performance in The Father (not to mention the show just ending because Hopkins was asleep in the U.K.). But what shouldn't be overlooked is just how great this film is; directed by Florian Zeller and based on his own play, the film is a harrowing look at dementia's effect on the mind. Hopkins plays, appropriately, a character named Anthony and Olivia Coleman is his daughter Anne. He lives in a big apartment in London, but the film cleverly blends the days together, as people's faces change on a dime, and events repeat or take on a new perspective. You're never sure what is real and what isn't, and the film culminates in a scene so utterly heart wrenching and devastating that it will tear you down. It's a sad and scary film, a look at a disease that comes for many of us and has no happy resolution.

4. Flee, 89 min. PG-13

Animated documentaries are a fairly unique genre; the only one that comes immediately to mind is Waltz With Bashir, a 2008 film about recollections of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Flee focuses on one man's tale of escaping first Afghanistan in the 80s and then Russia in the early 90s. A refugee, Amin recalls his story in vivid detail, and animation is used to bring to life his memories. This serves a few functions; for one, it gives us a look at the setting and conditions of the story in a unique way that staged, live action recreations often fail out; for another, the subjects need to remain anonymous since they were smuggled into their respective countries under false pretenses, and rather than have Amin be shrouded in shadow we still get to see a facsimile of him and his family. It's an essential tale, and one that offers a key look at why many migrants escape from one country for another; they aren't simply looking to take your job, they are also looking for a better life for themselves.

3. The Green Knight, 130 min. R

David Lowery's fascinating retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a sumptuous visual feast, a film bursting at the seams with impressive imagery. Dev Patel stars as Gawain, who takes up the Green Knight's (Ralph Ineson) offer to land on a blow on him in exchange for the same blow to befall Gawain in one year. Gawain beheads the Green Knight, and is shocked when, still alive, he carries his head out and declares he will await him in one year. Much of the film follows Gawain and his treks through several fantasy adventures to his fate. What Lowery pulls off is a beautiful fable engrossed me from start to finish. The climax of this film is spectacular, and when it was all over I wanted to start the film over again.

2. Licorice Pizza, 133 min. R

Paul Thomas Anderson has had quite the career, releasing a series of films from Magnolia, to There Will Be Blood, to The Master that many would rank as some of the best of their decades. With Licorice Pizza, Anderson slows down a bit from his recent films to create a film that is more of a hangout movie, about a light flirtation between 25-year-old Alana (Alana Haim) and 15-year-old Gary (Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Phillip Seymour). The light plot follows a series of vignettes, where Gary first starts a water bed business and then a pinball store, while Alana tries to find her footing and direction in life (her family is played by her real family). Both Haim and Hoffman are wonderful, and Anderson recreates the San Fernando Valley of his youth, breathing life into a more subdued side of the 70s.

1. Quo Vadis, Aida?, 101 min. Unrated

I know little about the Bosnian War of the mid-90s, so when I turned this on I was floored by the harrowing tale the end of the conflict, as Serbian militants invade the small town of Srebenica and the residents flee to a UN safehold for extradition. Jasna Djuricic is electrifying as Aida, a translator from the local village working with the UN in the conflict, continually using her leverage to try and get her family to safety. The film is tense and shocking, based on the genocide that took place that happened not even 30 years ago. It's a sad film and not an easy one to digest, but Jasmila Zbanic directs the proceedings with a natural tension, lingering from afar on horrible events as an observer who would love to intervene but can't.

Other notable mentions

Sometimes I like to bring up a few other random films not released in 2021 that I saw for the first time and enjoyed. One was the 1921 silent film Destiny, directed by Fritz Lang, about two lovers who encounter death and must try to reunite through three tableaus set in different locales. While the way the film represents different countries is problematic, the storytelling and skill on display by Lang and company is impressive for this 100-year-old movie, and was a surprise gem.

Of course, no 2021 media retrospective is complete without mentioning the Netflix sensation Squid Game. I don't consider TV shows and miniseries for my top 10 as a rule, but season 1 of the show as incredible and it was amazing to see an international show become one of the biggest, most talked about events of the year.

Finally, I watched Ingmar Bergman's epic Fanny & Alexander, both the TV and theatrical versions. It's an impressive work and a fascinating film, although in both versions I felt the Christmas stuff went on way too long. When it really gets going, though, it's the master at his most refined and best, and I'm glad I finally saw it. I purchased the Criterion box set about 10 years ago and it sat on my shelf intimidating me with it's massive runtime (the theatrical cut is 3 hours and the TV version is over 5).

Stinkers

And of course, I saw plenty of films I did not like.

Halloween Kills was the direct follow-up to 2018's Halloween, a direct sequel to the 1978 classic. While 2018's Halloween managed to be a good sequel and follow-up, this film is just plain stupid. It brings back a whole host of characters that you don't even remember from the original, and features some plain dumb characters. I do hope the forthcoming Halloween Ends is true to its name, but I'm not holding my breath.

Space Jam: A New Legacy was never going to be good, but boy was this one even worse than imaginable. Lebron James is fine, but the film devolves into an IP orgy as several Warner Bros characters cheered from the sidelines of the big game. It's a crass, low, soulless film that can't even get the Looney Tunes right.

And finally, Thunder Force, the worst film I saw released in 2021, starring Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer. Whenever McCarthy is paired with her husband Ben Falcone the result is terrible; he doesn't restrain her and he's a lazy director. The movie low budget with no charm, and the only amusing gag is Jason Bateman's lobster claws. It's a dumb movie that's poorly written, directed, and acted, and I dearly hope McCarthy stops working with her husband.

Spiral (2021)

 What a glorious thing to be back at the theaters! 442 days have passed since I last ventured to the silver screen to see Corpus Christi, at the time blissfully unaware this would be my final theatrical experience in 2020. Now we are back, cinemas are reopening, and I'm ready to consume whatever Hollywood has to offer.

That Spiral, a Saw sequel, is my first movie back is a more random choice than anything. I've only seen the first Saw movie and have not indulged in any of the other several entries in the franchise. Like other gimmicky horror films like Final Destination, you get the premise with one film, and only really come back to see the more people put through torture by insanely complicated devices.

Spiral certainly delivers on the torture porn. This movie has a surprisingly stacked cast with Chris Rock, Max Minghella, and Samuel L. Jackson making up the main roles. They all play cops of the South Metro PD, and a disciple of the killer Jigsaw from the original films has decided it's time to make a political statement by killing "only those cops" that deserve it.

Chris Rock plays Det. Zeke Banks, a cop who ratted out a fellow officer many years ago and is still paying the price within his precinct. Tasked with showing rookie William (Minghella) the ropes, Zeke tracks down the various clues the new killer, who wears a pig mask, leaves. Meanwhile, cops who committed various sins from lying on the witness stand to covering up police brutality meet a grisly demise.

The film has a surprising amount of backstory to dole out; the movie has no time to establish Zeke's relationships with his peers, so we get fed bits of information in heavy-handed flashbacks that tend to overwhelm more than anything. The film is a refreshingly fleet 93 minutes, but it packs in a lot of story in its runtime and can't help but feel a little overstuffed at times.

Not to mention the theme of police brutality, always a rough subject has taken on more meaning than ever. Spiral is one of those films delayed by the pandemic, originally slated for a May 2020 release; it almost coincided with the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests that broke out across the nation. There has been a lot of ill-will towards the police, so your mileage may vary on seeing them torn apart on screen for their injustices.

Me, I just find the whole film pretty hokey. It has a predictable twist, and the traps are conceived in such a way as to make the victims think there is a chance at escape when there really isn't. You just watch someone scream as their tongue is ripped from their mouth or fingers detached from their hand. It's very unpleasant, and it doesn't really matter what sins the victim perpetrated.

Chris Rock gives it his all, and Sam Jackson is, well, Sam Jackson. If Saw is your sort of thing I think this will satisfy; it's certainly grislier than the film that kicked the whole series off, but I'm not sure how it compares to the other films in the series. This stuff really isn't my cup of tea, but damn was it nice to be back in a theater again.

Top 10 of 2020

 It goes without saying that 2020 was a hell of a year. With a virus that changed our way of life, I've had to re-evaluate what counts as a "movie" and what doesn't. The clear delineation between streaming and theatrical was further blurred, as movie theaters in the Los Angeles area have remained closed since March. What follows is my list of the top 10 movies, regardless of the platform of release. I should also note I haven't been able to see certain notable releases yet (Nomadland and Minari key among them) since they have not been made available on VOD yet, and so I will count those movies as 2021 releases.

10. Color Out of Space, 111 min. Unrated

Who doesn't love Nicolas Cage going full, well, Cage? The actor who has transcended stardom into memehood has actually turned out a couple of good indie horror flicks recently (see: Mandy for a stellar example of Cage fully unhinged). Color Out of Space, adapted from the H.P. Lovecraft story, is about a family living in the woods who have an unexpected encounter with a force of extra-terrestrial origins. What follows is a wild ride full of some true horrors, and is a film that actually left me shaking, a feat few horror films achieve. A lot of this has to do with director Richard Stanley, who was famously fired from directing a version of The Island of Dr. Moreau, breaking free of director's jail. While some performances are rocky, the sense of terror and discovery is exhilarating, and the result is a film I still haven't' forgotten.

9. Promising Young Woman, 113 min. R

Emerald Fennell's directorial debut is an inciting take on rape culture, how it permeates our society and excuses men for their decisions that have a lasting, psychological impact on their victims. Carey Mulligan is fantastic as a female-predator who pretends to be helpless and drunk before a gentleman swoops in to escort her home. More often than not, the gentleman begins taking advantage of her, until she drops the act and confronts the man on his perverted actions (usually followed by profuse pleas of "sorry"). In a brilliant bit of casting, male comedians who are usually perceived as friendly are thrown into these roles, further revealing that you can never fully trust someone. Fennell is a confident director and infuses Promising Young Woman with a fantastic style, down to the soundtrack that includes a fantastic, hair-raising rendition of Britney Spears' Toxic. The plot wraps up a little too neatly, but overall it is satisfying to watch Mulligan serve everyone their just desserts.

8. Da 5 Bloods, 154 min. R

Spike Lee is a fascinating, if frustrating, filmmaker. He seems to have found his foothold again with his most recent films, and Da 5 Bloods is a captivating experience. Four Vietnam veterans return to the country to retrieve a stash of gold they left behind on their last tour together, and to reclaim the body of the troop's leader (played by Chadwick Boseman). A terrific cast that includes two The Wire alumnus (Clarke Peters and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) and a standout performance by Delroy Lindo, Lee's war epic isn't always focused, and there are some notably cheesy subplots. But Lee is a master of suspense and always delivers a thrilling ride that doesn't disappoint.

7. Sound of Metal, 120 min. R

For any of us blessed with our senses, you sometimes wonder if you had to lose one (sight, sound, speech) which one would you choose? Sound of Metal chronicles one drummer's experience (Riz Ahmed) as his hearing rapidly deteriorates. A touring duo with his girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) on lead guitar and vocals, Ahmed's character, Ruben, becomes obsessed with raising enough money to pay for cochlear implants to restore his hearing. It's a more subdued film, and there are some truly heartbreaking, moving moments here, including a downright devastating, yet perfect, ending. The debut of director Darius Marder adds another creative to the list of emerging, young talent to watch.

6. David Byrne's American Utopia, 105 min. TV-14

Now here's a film that definitely blurs the line between streaming and theatrical. It's a filmed version of a broadway production, yet because it is directed by Spike Lee (making his second appearance on this list!) it feels far more cinematic than the other big filmed production released in 2020, Hamilton. I enjoyed the hell out of Hamilton but that felt much more like a "filmed play", whereas American Utopia draws you into David Byrne's abstract style and gives you an experience unlike any other film this year. I'm not a big Talking Heads fan (I know their hits) but I was still engrossed by the various songs and staging. Maybe it's because I'm so starved for live entertainment, but I enjoyed this and would recommend it to anyone (it's streaming on HBO/HBO Max). 

5. Soul, 100 min. PG

Pretty much the only person keeping Pixar's output to high quality is Pete Docter; the man seriously needs to be included on any list of great directors, because his work with Pixar is consistently terrific. Soul is very reminiscent of Inside Out, although this time we get a personification of the ethereal plane. Jamie Foxx is Joe Gardner, an aspiring musician who tragically dies on the day he finally gets his big break. Sent to the afterlife, he escapes the big glow in the sky and ends up in the "before-life", where souls are assigned various attributes before heading to earth. Soul is rather plotty (my summary covers maybe the first twenty minutes of the movie and doesn't even mention Tina Fey's character), but once again Docter conceives of a fantasy world and brings abstract ideas to life. Co-director Kemp Powers should also be commended for the texture and authenticity he brings to Joe Gardner's New York life, and the score, divided between Jon Batiste for the real world segments and Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross for the spirit world, is stellar. It doesn't quite hit me in the same way Inside Out did, but it's still a fantastic piece all the same.

4. Never Rarely Sometimes Always, 101 min. PG-13

Sometimes a film delivers a gut-punch of a sequence that elevates the rest of the movie. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a terrific drama about a pregnant teen girl who must travel from her hometown in Pennsylvania to New York to get an abortion. Accompanied only by her friend and meager funds, the film is a harrowing account of her trials and the hurdles one must encounter in the abortion process. But what really hits home is a sustained shot in the middle of the film; the main character, Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) must answer a series of questions from a caseworker. Slowly, the true nature of sexual abuse she's suffered at the hands of many (including family members) is revealed, and Flanigan's performance is astounding as you slowly watch her guarded walls crumble. It's a well-earned sequence, a moment the film has been building too, and it's executed with absolute perfection.

3. Boys State, 109 min. PG-13

I never thought I'd enjoy a documentary about a group of teenage boys recreating representative democracy over one chaotic week. Directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss have pulled off a remarkable feat, with a documentary so well shot that it feels like a real movie rather than a doc. Combine this with a cast of charismatic young men and you've got the recipe for one of the best films of the year. The doc says a lot about our government and just how low some people are willing to stoop to maintain their level of control. There are some very dishonorable tactics employed by the boys throughout, but the doc is so well edited that you are engrossed the entire time. Can't wait to see what this team of filmmakers brings us next!

2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 122 min. R

Now, normally this is a film I wouldn't have qualified as a 2020 release, as it did have a one-week theatrical run in LA in 2019, before its official US release on February 2020. But, since we are breaking all the rules, I figured this one was too good NOT to include this year since it missed out on my best of 2019 list. Sumptuously photographed, this film is damn near a masterpiece and was one of my final theatrical experiences before everything shut down (Corpus Christi is the last film I officially saw in theaters). Céline Sciamma's tale of a painter, the woman she falls for while completing a commissioned portrait of, is romantic and captivating. It's a story I was sad to see ending and is a film I look forward to revisiting soon.

1. I'm Thinking of Ending Things, 134 min. R

Netflix's habit of giving auteur directors a blank check is both a blessing and a curse; Alfonso Cuaron's Roma and Martin Scorsese's The Irishman were both bloated epics that could've done with some outside influence (The Irishman was still one of my 10 favorites of 2019). But sometimes when you get a writer-director like Charlie Kaufman, taking the reins off can have fascinating results. An adaptation of a slim novel (a rare occurrence for Kaufman, whose other famous adaptation morphed to include him in the movie), I'm Thinking of Ending Things takes place over one very long day as a young woman (Jessie Buckley) meets her boyfriend's family (Jesse Plemons as the boyfriend, Toni Colette & David Thewlis as the parents). Soon, though, it's apparent that what is happening may not be taking place in reality (Kaufman is a big fan of films that explore the mind, sometimes quite literally). To me this is Kaufman at his most assured as a director; while Synecdoche, New York (2008) is a fascinating film, stylistically it lacks what other directors brought to his scripts. But here is a fully realized vision, a perpetual fever dream that sucks you in. I will admit I had no idea what it meant at the end (I had to read a Vanity Fair article to understand it), but I enjoyed the journey and found myself pondering the movie long afterward (in a rarity for me, I even read the book it was based on). It's by no means perfect (knowing the book helps you understand the plot more, and you'll be very lost if you don't know Oklahoma! or who Pauline Kael is), but it's the film that resonated with me the most and took me on the wildest ride.

Other notable mentions:

Best Films I saw not from 2020

Of course, I saw many other films this year, and I'd like to highlight a few that really stuck out to me that was not a "2020 release." First was Fires on the Plain, Kon Ichikawa's harrowing tale of Japanese soldiers at the end of WWII, abandoned in the jungles of the South Pacific as forces withdrew from the island. It's a horrifying film, and I never thought a film from 1959 could make me feel so sick.

I also saw David Cronenberg's The Fly, another gross-out horror film, although this one fascinated me more than it repulsed me. Jeff Goldblum stars as the scientist who discovers teleportation, and the horror show that ensues when a fly gets into his telepod with him. Delightfully gruesome, this film was made in the 80s when practical effects were at their best before CGI began to overtake and dominate the medium. There are some great, gruesome makeup effects here, making The Fly one of the best movies I saw all year.

Finally, this was the year I finally got around to watching The Up Series. I had seen the first two entries years ago but was intimated by the sheer volume of films to get through. However, I'm happy I did, as the result is one of the most fascinating documentary experiments ever. Not every entry is a hit (I personally think they get really good at 42 Up), but watching these people grow and change is stunning and somewhat horrifying. By the time you get to 56 Up, you are watching someone age decades over the span of a few short edits. The director of the series, Michael Apted, very recently passed, and the 9th entry, 63 Up, was released around a year ago (I still haven't seen it as it has not been made easily available via disc or streaming). It may very well be the final entry (although I'd love them to make a 70 Up is a final hurrah), and I look forward to finishing it.

Stinkers

And of course, I saw plenty of crap this year as well. Let's start with Dolittle, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and a cast of famous voice actors. Downey is affecting a most peculiar accent, and the bizarre plot has Dolittle and the animals venturing across the ocean to stop a dragon or something. The gags are bizarre, the CGI animals are terrible, and Downey is seriously out of place.

Also terrible was The Devil All the Time, a slog of a Netflix film starring Tom Holland and a host of talented people. It was a miserable story that had no redeeming qualities to it, and I hated watching it. Don't waste your time.

Finally, Tenet. While not terrible, it was definitely a letdown. Christopher Nolan has his weaknesses, and it feels like this film was all of those things brought to the forefront. Nolan gets so wrapped in his inverted time gimmick that he fails to build a cohesive story or characters that we care about. Like all Nolan films "stuff just happens" but that has never been truer than this film. There are some cool sequences and the score is great (although it is loud), but the script is terrible and to top it all off, Nolan should never be allowed to supervise another sound mix again.

Top 10 of 2019

I haven't been doing Top 10s of the year lately because, well, the past few years kind of underdelivered. Sure there were movies I really enjoyed and watch fondly, but not enough films reached the pinnacle of greatness that deserved to be listed in a "Top 10." But 2019 saw an overwhelming explosion of excellent films from master directors, coupled with some truly excellent indie films and documentaries that rounded out 2019 to be quite a year. So without further ado, here is my top 10 of 2019.

10. Honeyland, 89 min. Unrated

 One of the great wonders of documentaries to me is how the filmmakers find their subjects. So much of great documentary filmmaking is purely accidental, of the right people being in the right place at the right time to capture a great story. With Honeyland the filmmakers were making a documentary on the environment and stumbled across Hatidze, a Macedonian woman who lives in a small village and keeps beehives in very old fashioned manners. Things escalate when a Turkish family moves into her area, causing disruption to her natural order and way of life. This film is a marvel to behold, a tender portrait of a life that strikes a resonant chord. One of the most unexpected and beautiful films of the year.


9. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, 161 min. R

Quentin Tarantino's ode to Hollywood circa 1969 is a fairly self-indulgent endeavor; with his amazing production design team, parts of LA were completely restored to their former glory 50 years ago for exterior scenes in the film. As far as the film goes, it's probably his lightest film on plot, as an aging TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double buddy Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) navigate the twilight years of their careers and friendship. Concerning three separate days in that year, the film also intertwines Sharone Tate (Margot Robbie) as Rick's neighbor, and if you know your history you have a sense of where things will lead for her. The film is a little long and aimless, but Tarantino's assured dialogue and love for the era, and the lead performances all still make this a stellar film.


8. Knives Out, 131 min. PG-13

Rian Johnson's latest, a whodunit in the mold of old Agatha Christie stories, is a fairly tight and terrific little piece of entertainment, bolstered by a fantastic ensemble cast and a silly but convincing central performance by Daniel Craig, affecting a treacly Foghorn Leghorn accent as detective Benoit Blanc. The central mystery is a good one, the sudden suicide of the patriarch of a murder-mystery novel empire called into question when it is revealed several family members had a motive for offing their beloved father. The mystery unspools in surprising ways, revealing key elements at unexpected moments and even pitting you against the detective. It's all handled with deft by Johnson, who cements himself as a slick, crafty storyteller who's next film I eagerly await.


7. Climax, 97 min. R

Gaspar Noé is an intentional provocateur; his filmography is full of films that want to shock you for the sake of shocking you, often gratuitously. Yet with Climax, he aims high and doesn't go as far as you might expect. That's not to say horrible things don't happen; they do, but the context is clear. Based very loosely on a true event, the film follows a dance troupe at a rehearsal at a remote gym in France in the dead of winter. During their party, it is slowly revealed that someone spiked the punch bowl with LSD, and everyone begins losing their collective minds. With a cast of dancers, Noé uses their physicality to full effect in a wild, trippy experience that escalates into a horror show you can't look away from.


6. The Irishman, 209 min. R

Yes, this movie is long. Yes, I do think it was too long. But I can't deny that The Irishman is the rare masterclass of filmmaking that we see so little of now. With Martin Scorsese working in peak form, the film details the life of hitman Frank Sheeran (Robert DeNiro), his life in the mob, and his friendship with Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). For much of the runtime, the film is classic Scorsese, reminiscent of his other mob epic Goodfellas. Yet once the film reaches the 2 and a half hour mark, it changes gears, gets quieter, and more introspective. It's this final hour that stuck with me and is why despite my quibbles with length, I find this to be one of the best films of the year. We will likely never get another film like this, featuring DeNiro, Pacino, and Joe Pesci (pulled from retirement). I do look forward to sitting through it again.


5. Marriage Story, 137 min. R

Noah Baumbach's semi-autobiographical film about divorce is about as heart-wrenching as you'd expect. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson are terrific Charlie and Nicole, the couple whose marriage is slowly unraveling. Torn between LA and NY, battling for custody of their son, the film is sometimes painstakingly real, as each party doesn't want to harm the other, but in the end, a separation is a difficult thing. The film tries to balance the blame between the two parties, although I can't help but feel the film favors Charlie's perspective ultimately, as Nicole begins escalating the situation due to his inaction. Regardless, it's a thoughtful, painful film that can enrich our understanding of each other.


4. Pain & Glory, 113 min. R

Another semi-autobiographical film, this one about Pedro Almodovar, here portrayed by Antonio Banderas as Salvador Mallo. Penélope Cruz plays Mallo's mother in flashbacks to his modest childhood in poverty, while present-day Mallo reflects on his career and relationships. It's a very touching film, and Banderas is particularly effective at portraying the man who helped start his career many decades ago. Almodovar is another director who can be unnecessarily sensational, but here he is restrained, his melancholy and remorse seeping into every frame of the film. In life, we have many regrets, and this film beautifully touches upon what it means to reflect, and maybe even get a second chance.


3. Apollo 11, 93 min. G

Many, many, many films and documentaries and tv series have been made about the Apollo space program, and specifically about the Apollo 11 mission that successfully placed a man on the moon on July 20th, 1969. But few documentaries can place you in the center of the action as effectively as Apollo 11. Featuring brand new 70mm footage from the day of the launch, the documentary places you in the moment of the mission, using audio from Mission Control and shuttle to detail the events of those many days Apollo 11 flew to the moon. It takes an event many know very well, and makes it suspenseful, holding you on the edge of your seat. So much could've gone wrong, and, amazingly, everything worked out to take Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins to the moon and back.


2. Maiden, 97 min. PG

One of the most incredible stories I've ever heard, Maiden is a documentary about the first all-female crew to participate in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. Told with talking-head interviews from the crew and footage from the event, the documentary tells an incredible tale of overcoming adversity and beating the odds. It's a classic sports-film set-up, with all the drama and heartbreak of real-life sprinkled in. So few films have taken me on such an emotional ride, and Maiden is a film I cannot recommend enough.


1. Parasite, 132 min. R

Parasite just gets better and better with every passing month. A masterpiece by director Bong Joon-Ho, the film concerns a low-income family who can barely make ends meet, even leaving their windows open to get free fumigation from street crews. One the son, Ki-woo, gets an opportunity to tutor the daughter of a very wealthy family, he sees an opportunity to get his family positions in every service position in the house. The film is a deft balancing act between comedy and horror, masterfully balancing genres and tone. It's a tight script that beautifully pays off all its set-ups, and in a year full of social class commentary, offers maybe the most intriguing example of class warfare. It's a terrific film, full of terrific performances, and is a film I eagerly revisit whenever I can. If you haven't seen it, seek it out immediately.

1. Inside Out (2015)

"Crying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of life's problems." - Sadness

Selecting a single film to stand out as the top of the decade is a pretty tricky choice. Of course, several films could vie for the top spot, but they had to settle for 2nd - 9th. So what is it about Inside Out, the one perfect film Pixar put out this decade, that made it stand head and shoulders above the rest?

With rewatch upon rewatch, my love for this film grew. It's the rare family film that is so emotionally intelligent that it can teach grown-ups as well as children. The film personifies five emotions inside a young girl's head: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. While there are of course a myriad more emotions we feel, these are a solid five representations, and as conveyed by Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, and Bill Hader, they are given life and distinction from each other.

The film has no bad guys (if anything the protagonist, Joy, is the villain), but instead draws drama from something as simple yet as devastating as a cross country move for a 12-year-old girl. The film's climax is a bold, stunning sequence that teaches us the power of sadness, that it's ok to feel sad sometimes, for it is in sadness that those that care most will reach out to us and offer us comfort.

This is an obvious enough message, but it is so rare to see something so simple yet so powerful conveyed in our pop culture. Pixar was not the hitmaker this decade that they were in the 2000s, where their output included the likes of Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Up. Besides this film and Coco, I wouldn't consider their output this decade to come even close to matching the outstanding quality they released ten years before.

Still, we got this film, directed by Pete Doctor, and I am eternally grateful for it. The best cinematic experiences are ones that move us profoundly, that emotionally grab us and take us on incredible, fantastical journeys that we never thought possible. I adore this film, and it stands head and shoulders above the rest as my single favorite film from the decade spanning 2010-2019.