Graham's year-endtravaganza

Best of the year (ordered best to less best)

1. Hunger (McQueen): directorial debut by video and installation artist Steve McQueen, a brutal picture about the prison conditions of IRA members in the 1980s, including a hunger strike led by figurehead Bobby Sands. Haunting, raw and very moving work of art.

2. 12 (Mikhalkov): A Russian interpretation of 12 Angry Men. Great performances, great writing. Introduces a really interesting Balkan-Russian political element to one of my favourite plays.

3. Bronson (Refn): Another “true story” prison flick, this time about England’s most violent prisoner, who took on the alias of Charles Bronson. A spectacle in every sense of the word. Fantastic performance by Tom Hardy. Great soundtrack too, if that matters.

4. Moon (Jones): Sam Roberts in an outstanding performance. Borrows a bit from Kubrick’s 2001, but not in an obnoxious way. Some of the most convincing “effects” I’ve seen from a Hollywood film lately, on a very small budget (Michael Bay take note, if you can put the blow aside for long enough). A spooky, touching, melancholy picture.

5. Drag Me to Hell (Raimi): Solid horror flick, like they should be. Scariest silk hanky ever. A cute lead always helps too.

6. In the Loop (Iannucci): I had no interest in this one, as the previews did not do it justice. But on Sporgey’s recommendation I had a look, and I’m glad I did. The foulest, funniest thing I saw this year.

7. Moscow, Belguim (Van Rompaey): A romantic comedy that actually doesn’t make me lose hope in humanity. Really sweet film.

8. Star Trek (Abrams): Just a good time.

90+ minutes I won’t get back (ordered mediocre to worst)

1. Sin Nombre (Fukunaga): Okay, but forgettable. So much so I don’t even remember enough to give a plot summary.

2. Gomorrah (Garrone): Not horrible, but a disappointment, as I was really excited about it. Felt like it was trying to be a political film, but I had trouble engaging with that side of it. Definitely did a good job of subverting the idealized, heroic picture of Italian mafia seen in a lot of Hollywood flicks.

3. Taking Woodstock (Lee): I like Ang Lee. There is something very admirable about the diverse subject matter he has been willing to take on. But this one was a boring, sentimental dud. Too bad.

4. Food, Inc. (Kenner): Anti-capitalist documentaries have become a capitalist industry among themselves. This one is better than some, but still that feeling of preaching to the converted. Monsanto, bad. Documentary filmmakers, good. Eat your veggies and shut the fuck up.

5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Hood): Ho-hum.

6. Notorious (Tillman): I can’t say I’m surprised that this one stunk. I’m surprised I even gave it a shot, but it was recommended to me. About as boring as Biggie’s music was.

7. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Bay): I know it was made for 15 year old boys, but even they must tire of seeing relentless CGI explosions for 3 hours. And the high-cost effects weren’t even good. There was so much shiny crap all over the place that two robots were indistinguishable as soon as they started wrestling. Not to mention the “homie” (read: black) transformers who can’t read.

8. Surveillance (Lynch): David Lynch’s kid, but talent does not run in the family. BOR-ING. Oooh, but there’s a plot twist at the end. Ground-breaking!


***Honourable mentions: Ballast, District 9, The Hangover, Dead Snow, Big Man Japan, Tyson