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I'll save three four Terence Davies movies and Black Swan for another two posts.
2: Scontri stellari oltre la terza dimensione (Stellar clashes beyond the third dimension, Starcrash), (Lewis Coates, 1979)
A truly dreadful Star Wars rip off, which makes Lucas's dialogue seem like Noel Coward's in comparison. For some inadequately explored reason, two convicted smugglers are chosen to rescue the kidnapped prince. Oh dear oh dear oh. Space is pretty though.
3: Empire Of The Ants (Burt I. Gordon, 1977)
That noise you hear? H.G. Wells, in his grave. Dumped waste causes ants to grow to a huge size, whilst Joan Collins shows suckers around a real estate investment opportunity. I for one welcome our new ant overlords. They won't make movies like this.
4: The Men Who Stared at Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
Loose adaptation of Jon Ronson's investigative journalism about use of psychic powers by the US army. Four great performances - Clooney, McGregor, Spacey, Bridges - but somehow it doesn't gel for me. Perhaps because I can hear Ronson's voice in my head and this isn't it. Disappointing.
5: The Lord of the Rings (Ralph Bakshi, 1978)
I hated this as a teen - but it's grown on me. Yes, there are liberties in the tucking of the storyline (where's Tom Bombadil?), yes the animation is uneven, but it's surprisingly dark. I wonder what we'd feel about it if he'd made the second part?
6: Monsters (Gareth Edwards, 2010)
Low budget sf - this year's Moon or District 9, but better than the latter and largely filmed guerilla style. A strip of Mexico is infected with deadly alien life, and cute photojournalist has to get little rich girl home to the States before they stop the boats for the season. Then they miss the boat, so they have to cross country. Utterly believable, in part thanks to a pairing practised on In Search of a Midnight Kiss and beautiful and haunting. Ballardian and Close Encounters sublime. Go see go see.
7: Dans Paris (Inside Paris, Christophe Honoré, 2006)
One of several films watched this year with Romain Duris, sort of a French Brad Pitt. Here he is in definite emo Pitt mode, as part of a French New Wave comedy about relationship breakups, with the lead character (Louis Garrel) breaking the fourth wall.
8: Molière (Laurent Tirard, 2007)
One of those literary biopics where the life imitates art and the rise of the French playwright (Duris, less emo) parallels the plot of Tartuffe among other plays; it would help if I knew them, of course, but entertaining enough.
9: Et après (Afterwards, Gilles Bourdos, 2009)
Duris in psychological thriller that doesn't quite make sense: John Malkovich is a man who can foresee the deaths of others, and visits Duris, who assumes he is going to die. Reasonably gripping in a twisty turny way.
10: Lucky Bastard (Everett Lewis, 2009)
Gay drama in which a successful architect has to choose between his middle class boyfriend and a crystal meth smoking drifter. No contest, really, but it takes 90 minutes to realise that.
11: Mulligans (Chip Hale, 2008)
Gay drama in which a best friend comes out and then has an affair with someone's father. (It's a golf term, to do with starting over.) Not great, not rubbish, not too neat or pat. I'd query a friend not knowing something so intimate about a close friend, but then again, maybe it isn't a surprise.
12: Dorian Blues (Tennyson Bardwell, 2008)
Comedy. Dorian Lagatos (Michael McMillian) comes out to his brother, Nicky (Leo Lagatos), but is persuaded to keep it quiet from their overbearing father (Charles Fletcher). When he finally tells his father, it pulls the family apart and the ending is a little bitter sweet. Not that funny, to be honest.
2: Scontri stellari oltre la terza dimensione (Stellar clashes beyond the third dimension, Starcrash), (Lewis Coates, 1979)
A truly dreadful Star Wars rip off, which makes Lucas's dialogue seem like Noel Coward's in comparison. For some inadequately explored reason, two convicted smugglers are chosen to rescue the kidnapped prince. Oh dear oh dear oh. Space is pretty though.
3: Empire Of The Ants (Burt I. Gordon, 1977)
That noise you hear? H.G. Wells, in his grave. Dumped waste causes ants to grow to a huge size, whilst Joan Collins shows suckers around a real estate investment opportunity. I for one welcome our new ant overlords. They won't make movies like this.
4: The Men Who Stared at Goats (Grant Heslov, 2009)
Loose adaptation of Jon Ronson's investigative journalism about use of psychic powers by the US army. Four great performances - Clooney, McGregor, Spacey, Bridges - but somehow it doesn't gel for me. Perhaps because I can hear Ronson's voice in my head and this isn't it. Disappointing.
5: The Lord of the Rings (Ralph Bakshi, 1978)
I hated this as a teen - but it's grown on me. Yes, there are liberties in the tucking of the storyline (where's Tom Bombadil?), yes the animation is uneven, but it's surprisingly dark. I wonder what we'd feel about it if he'd made the second part?
6: Monsters (Gareth Edwards, 2010)
Low budget sf - this year's Moon or District 9, but better than the latter and largely filmed guerilla style. A strip of Mexico is infected with deadly alien life, and cute photojournalist has to get little rich girl home to the States before they stop the boats for the season. Then they miss the boat, so they have to cross country. Utterly believable, in part thanks to a pairing practised on In Search of a Midnight Kiss and beautiful and haunting. Ballardian and Close Encounters sublime. Go see go see.
7: Dans Paris (Inside Paris, Christophe Honoré, 2006)
One of several films watched this year with Romain Duris, sort of a French Brad Pitt. Here he is in definite emo Pitt mode, as part of a French New Wave comedy about relationship breakups, with the lead character (Louis Garrel) breaking the fourth wall.
8: Molière (Laurent Tirard, 2007)
One of those literary biopics where the life imitates art and the rise of the French playwright (Duris, less emo) parallels the plot of Tartuffe among other plays; it would help if I knew them, of course, but entertaining enough.
9: Et après (Afterwards, Gilles Bourdos, 2009)
Duris in psychological thriller that doesn't quite make sense: John Malkovich is a man who can foresee the deaths of others, and visits Duris, who assumes he is going to die. Reasonably gripping in a twisty turny way.
10: Lucky Bastard (Everett Lewis, 2009)
Gay drama in which a successful architect has to choose between his middle class boyfriend and a crystal meth smoking drifter. No contest, really, but it takes 90 minutes to realise that.
11: Mulligans (Chip Hale, 2008)
Gay drama in which a best friend comes out and then has an affair with someone's father. (It's a golf term, to do with starting over.) Not great, not rubbish, not too neat or pat. I'd query a friend not knowing something so intimate about a close friend, but then again, maybe it isn't a surprise.
12: Dorian Blues (Tennyson Bardwell, 2008)
Comedy. Dorian Lagatos (Michael McMillian) comes out to his brother, Nicky (Leo Lagatos), but is persuaded to keep it quiet from their overbearing father (Charles Fletcher). When he finally tells his father, it pulls the family apart and the ending is a little bitter sweet. Not that funny, to be honest.
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