The Year in Movies: Complete With Amnesia

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The year is standing on its last legs, and for the life of me I can't remember half of the movies I saw this year. The entire first half of the year is completely gone to me; the earliest film I recall seeing in a theater is PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST which can't be right, 'cause didn't that come out in the summer? I forgot six months? Damn!

One of the problems was that many of my most-anticipated films simply haven't come out in wide-release yet. So no decisions or thoughts on PAN'S LABYRINTH, PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER, THE HOST, TIDELAND, CHILDREN OF MEN, or CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER.

Add to that the films that, for whatever reason, I just did not get a chance to see, including THE DEPARTED, FEARLESS, VOLVER, BABEL, BORAT, THE PROPOSITION, INSIDE MAN, HARD CANDY, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, or TENACIOUS D AND THE PICK OF DESTINY. I'm trying as fast as I can to catch up with those that have come out on DVD, but with 12.5 hours left in the year (as of this moment), I don't see much progress being made.

So, instead of a Top 10 list or anything, I'll present a few films that really caught my eye this year (not including films I already reviewed on this blog), and maybe post a few links to other people who watched way more movies than I did this year.

In no particular order:

CASINO ROYALE - Damn! What a way to re-invent the Bond franchise! I make no bones about it, this was simply the best Bond movie in 20, 25 years. It takes a while to become that, but when you watch the final moments of the film, you'll see what I mean. A lot of early pot shots were taken when it was announced that blond Daniel Craig was taking over the helm as opposed to early front-runner Clive Owen, and that the franchise was being updated to coincide more with a 21st century style of action film. Who would've thought that meant "place character development over action, and ground the film in a gritty reality while still providing eye-candy galore?" Great action, sexy women and laugh out-loud moments play against deep emotion and tension to provide a great movie.

BRICK - Someone forgot to tell writer/director Rian Johnson that movies about high-school kids solving a murder are suppose to either suck or run weekly on television. BRICK is film noir for the new century: rapid-fire dialogue that doesn't apologize for its rhythms, characters that rise out of shadow and smoke to play archetypes rather than roles, and a protagonist that embodies all the markings of some of the genre's best: Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, and Lawrence Tierney. Joesph Gordon-Levitt shines in yet another role, and finds in BRICK a small movie that should have a large impact on the way films featuring kids are made in the future. This was definitely one of my favorite films of the year.

CLERKS 2 - Did you forget that Kevin Smith, besides making jokes about pop culture and blow jobs, can actually write with heart and compassion? Because if you did, chances are you missed CLERKS 2, which brings Smith back to the his most popular film and provides a chance to show the warmth and heart he brought to both that first film and CHASING AMY. CLERKS 2 doesn't shine because of the humor, or the outrageous comedy, or the always scene-stealing antics of Jay and Silent Bob. It shines because of the small, tender moments that play in between the laughs, the woes and worries of people coming into their 30's and realizing they have no idea where they are or what they're doing, and for having a scene between two friends that plays more real, more heartfelt, and more genuine than anything I've seen in a buddy movie in years. Like CLERKS, this came out at the perfect time for me, right in my early 30's and wondering where I am and what I'm doing. A great Book-end to Smith's Askewinverse.

LADY VENGEANCE - Speaking of book-ends, wow! Off the heels of two powerhouses like SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and OLDBOY, LADY VENGEANCE provides the first hint of relief and closure to Chan-Wook Park's Revenge trilogy of films. Whereas the first film deals with the question of who is more deserving of revenge, and the second one tackles the moral question of casting stones (is our revenge justified in light of our past actions), the third film looks at the results of vengeance. Visually stunning and full of the tricks and moments that make watching any Chan-Wook Park film worthwhile, LADY VENGEANCE serves as a fitting end to an amazing chapter of a director's life.

JUST MY LUCK - I know you're looking at and wondering if I've lost it completely. Don't worry. This is included for a very justifiable reason: this, to my memory, was the WORST film I saw all year. I admit to watching it on an airplane during a trip where the satellite television went on the blink and I finished my book. It would be hard to think of a worse performance this year (did Paris Hilton appear in any movies this year?) - those people who praise Lindsey Lohan for her small role in A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION are wrong. She was merely adequate, and her role could have been played by dozens of more deserving actresses. Please do yourself a favor and bypass this film even if it causes you physical pain to do so. You'll thank me later.

And that's it! There are some more movies I didn't get a chance to write about that were also worth mentioning (and not in a JUST MY LUCK kinda way) - be sure to check out RUINNING SCARED, THE DESCENT, THE PROPOSITION, and, of course, A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION. Just not for the Lindsey Lohan performance.

Be seeing you!

The Year in Movies: Complete With Amnesia

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The year is standing on its last legs, and for the life of me I can't remember half of the movies I saw this year. The entire first half of the year is completely gone to me; the earliest film I recall seeing in a theater is PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST which can't be right, 'cause didn't that come out in the summer? I forgot six months? Damn!

One of the problems was that many of my most-anticipated films simply haven't come out in wide-release yet. So no decisions or thoughts on PAN'S LABYRINTH, PERFUME: STORY OF A MURDERER, THE HOST, TIDELAND, CHILDREN OF MEN, or CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER.

Add to that the films that, for whatever reason, I just did not get a chance to see, including THE DEPARTED, FEARLESS, VOLVER, BABEL, BORAT, THE PROPOSITION, INSIDE MAN, HARD CANDY, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, or TENACIOUS D AND THE PICK OF DESTINY. I'm trying as fast as I can to catch up with those that have come out on DVD, but with 12.5 hours left in the year (as of this moment), I don't see much progress being made.

So, instead of a Top 10 list or anything, I'll present a few films that really caught my eye this year (not including films I already reviewed on this blog), and maybe post a few links to other people who watched way more movies than I did this year.

In no particular order:

CASINO ROYALE - Damn! What a way to re-invent the Bond franchise! I make no bones about it, this was simply the best Bond movie in 20, 25 years. It takes a while to become that, but when you watch the final moments of the film, you'll see what I mean. A lot of early pot shots were taken when it was announced that blond Daniel Craig was taking over the helm as opposed to early front-runner Clive Owen, and that the franchise was being updated to coincide more with a 21st century style of action film. Who would've thought that meant "place character development over action, and ground the film in a gritty reality while still providing eye-candy galore?" Great action, sexy women and laugh out-loud moments play against deep emotion and tension to provide a great movie.

BRICK - Someone forgot to tell writer/director Rian Johnson that movies about high-school kids solving a murder are suppose to either suck or run weekly on television. BRICK is film noir for the new century: rapid-fire dialogue that doesn't apologize for its rhythms, characters that rise out of shadow and smoke to play archetypes rather than roles, and a protagonist that embodies all the markings of some of the genre's best: Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, and Lawrence Tierney. Joesph Gordon-Levitt shines in yet another role, and finds in BRICK a small movie that should have a large impact on the way films featuring kids are made in the future. This was definitely one of my favorite films of the year.

CLERKS 2 - Did you forget that Kevin Smith, besides making jokes about pop culture and blow jobs, can actually write with heart and compassion? Because if you did, chances are you missed CLERKS 2, which brings Smith back to the his most popular film and provides a chance to show the warmth and heart he brought to both that first film and CHASING AMY. CLERKS 2 doesn't shine because of the humor, or the outrageous comedy, or the always scene-stealing antics of Jay and Silent Bob. It shines because of the small, tender moments that play in between the laughs, the woes and worries of people coming into their 30's and realizing they have no idea where they are or what they're doing, and for having a scene between two friends that plays more real, more heartfelt, and more genuine than anything I've seen in a buddy movie in years. Like CLERKS, this came out at the perfect time for me, right in my early 30's and wondering where I am and what I'm doing. A great Book-end to Smith's Askewinverse.

LADY VENGEANCE - Speaking of book-ends, wow! Off the heels of two powerhouses like SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE and OLDBOY, LADY VENGEANCE provides the first hint of relief and closure to Chan-Wook Park's Revenge trilogy of films. Whereas the first film deals with the question of who is more deserving of revenge, and the second one tackles the moral question of casting stones (is our revenge justified in light of our past actions), the third film looks at the results of vengeance. Visually stunning and full of the tricks and moments that make watching any Chan-Wook Park film worthwhile, LADY VENGEANCE serves as a fitting end to an amazing chapter of a director's life.

JUST MY LUCK - I know you're looking at and wondering if I've lost it completely. Don't worry. This is included for a very justifiable reason: this, to my memory, was the WORST film I saw all year. I admit to watching it on an airplane during a trip where the satellite television went on the blink and I finished my book. It would be hard to think of a worse performance this year (did Paris Hilton appear in any movies this year?) - those people who praise Lindsey Lohan for her small role in A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION are wrong. She was merely adequate, and her role could have been played by dozens of more deserving actresses. Please do yourself a favor and bypass this film even if it causes you physical pain to do so. You'll thank me later.

And that's it for now! I'll be stopping by for a final 2006 post before heading off to spend time with family and friends. I hope you do the same!

The Year in Books: Book(s) of the Year

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Used to be I could read about 7 novels during the Christmas break we got as kids. My mother used to hate it because I would invariably read all the new books Santa gave me by the time I had to go back to school. Up until this year I tried to carry on the tradition, reserving my last week of vacation to be used in the week between Christmas and the New Year.

But alas, the time spent renovating the house and surgery recuperation has limited my "pull" for the coveted holiday break. So it looks like the last book I'll finish this year is the one I'm currently engaged in, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Susskind. Which, by the way, is excellent. You wouldn't think a guy who has the best sense of smell in the world could put his power to such insane and devious use, but you'd be wrong.

So total tally for this year's reading list: a scant 55 books, compared to 73 last year and 68 the year before. 25 new authors read. After conversing with Guest Blogger Jason we compiled our various Books of the Month (something we've been doing for the past 5 years) and came up with this year's picks for Book of the Year, categorized in fiction and non-fiction. My pick and runner ups first:

My Book of the Year (Fiction): The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami

Murakami continues to amaze me with every book I read of his, starting with A Wild Sheep Chase about 6 years ago. His writing combines the mundane with the truly bizarre, and both sides are treated with a quiet subtlety and passion that works on multiple levels - as a twisted speculative fiction, as a meditation on the atrocities of war and as a window to our own souls, and the responsibilities we owe to ourselves and those around us. All this from the following brief synopsis, provided by amazon.com:

"Bad things come in threes for Toru Okada. He loses his job, his cat disappears, and then his wife fails to return from work. His search for his wife (and his cat) introduces him to a bizarre collection of characters, including two psychic sisters, a possibly unbalanced teenager, an old soldier who witnessed the massacres on the Chinese mainland at the beginning of the Second World War, and a very shady politician."

Runner-ups for Book of The Year (Fiction): Two other books you can't go wrong with:

  • No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy (mini review here)
  • Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
My Book of the Year (Non-Fiction): The Know-It-All, by A.J. Jacobs

Who would've thought a memoir about one guy's attempt to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica would be so readable? And thought-provoking? And, well, uplifting? Let's admit it, this isn't quite the same suspense as reading about someone attempting to climb Everest. But A.J. Jacobs parallels his Herculean task with another from his life - his attempts to have a child with his wife. Arranged in alphabetical order, the book mixes entries from the Encyclopedia and his thoughts on them with the trials and tribulations that run rampant in his personal life.

At once hilarious and touching, this was the most enjoyable book I've read all year, fiction or otherwise. Check it out here.

Runner-ups for Book of the Year (Non-Fiction): Two more that might be worth your time:

  • Palm Sunday, by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain
No comments, but here is Guest Blogger Jason's picks:

Book of the Year (Fiction): The Adventures of Kavelier and Clay, by Michael Chabon

  • Runner-up: The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth
Book of the Year (Non-Fiction): Koba the Dread, by Martin Amis
  • Runner-up: Bird by Bird, by Ann Lamott