2009 Favorite Discoveries
The average person, even if he or she is an avid cinephile, really sees a very small percentage of the films released every year.
Category: Top 10s and Other Lists
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2009 Top 10
These films reflect my favorite experiences of the year in cinema. I also think they are very good.
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Trumbo (Askin, 2007)
One strength of the film is that it relies heavily on the words of a wordsmith.
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Forgiving Dr. Mengele (Hercules, 2006)
The act of reviewing carries with it a strain of judgment, and when reviewing a documentary it is hard not to feel as though one is judging the subject and not just the artists' presentation of him or her. Which of us would dare judge Eva Moses Kor?
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Stephen Frears
What is your favorite Stephen Frears film? And why do you think he doesn't get the love and acclaim of some of his contemporaries?
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Persepolis (Paronnaud, 2007)
A lot of films can break your heart--a precious few can enlarge and renovate it.
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The Broadway Melody (1929 Best Picture Winner)
In a nutshell, a must see for cinophiles. Others might consider taking a pass.
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The Life of Emile Zola (Dieterle, 1937)
I will admit that the film has the sort of schmaltzy feel (aided by the over the top score) of its era. It was released in 1937, so some of the acting is what we'd describe as overwrought today.
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Les Miserables (Bernard, 1934)
Victor Hugo's novel is a timeless classic which has been retold and well loved since its inception, in part because it tells the story of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. The contemporary stage adaptation focuses on the antagonistic relationship between Valjean and Javert, but Bernard's film really focuses more on Valjean's spiritual development, echoing the novel's emphasis on his experience of grace and the way that it changes him gradually. Valjean is one of the great characters in the history of literature, and Harry Baur is totally up to the task of bringing him to life. The film feels less like an adaptation than a translation, and every time I assumed there would be a concession to staging or special effects--the barricades, the sewers--Bernard is able to take us there without drawing attention to the effects for effects sake.
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Love in the Afternoon (Rohmer, 1972)
The Criterion DVD had an interview with Neil Labute talking about how Rohmer influenced him, but I confess that towards the end of Love in the Afternoon, the film I kept thinking about was Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.