Midwestern Gothic

So typically, I like the idea of a Top Ten list for the best films of the year. Top 20 seems a bit much - you should just say something about every movie you’ve seen the entire year if that’s the case. But a very respected cinema publication solicited me for my top 20 of 2008 (okay, so it was actually just a reader’s poll), and I decided to oblige. As is par for the course most years, I made it to a lot of movies over the past few months (November, December, and a few in January) as Oscar season neared. However, I fell far short this year in my typical and much-loved arthouse/foreign/independent film going, which is eminently possible living in New York City. So if my list appears to be more mainstream-centric this year than others, that is the reason why. I pledge a return to my old escapades for 2009 in that area. But still, in the end, I did see a large chunk of 2008 offerings, mostly in the theater, and supplemented by a dose of Netflix these last few weeks to catch up on any Oscar noms and other fodder, I’ve got a decent amount from which to pick for my top 20. I will follow my own assumption about top 20 lists in general from above and include a few comments about some other films (not all) that were noteworthy for one reason or another.

1. Burn After Reading
Although a bit darker in its’ humor, this movie reminded me of I Heart Huckabees in that it was entirely and absolutely comfortable to not at all take itself seriously, resulting in such an inordinate amount of silliness and sarcasm that it was impossible to not giggle furiously the entire way through it. I think, because of how idiosyncratic and individually goofy each character gets, you can’t help but enjoy how much fun the actors probably had playing them, and be even more entertained because of it. “You’re in a league of morons” is one of my favorite quotes ever.
2. In Bruges
Uproariously funny and witty dialogue that combines so well with the surprising amount of legitimate pathos - and absolutely no sappiness to spoil it all. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson played off each other so well. Man, I loved this film.
3. W
Each actor’s interpretation of his/her character alone makes it one of the funniest movies in a while (someone might have thought I was suffering conniptions from all the squirming I was doing while trying to balance out laughing with simultaneously paying attention). Brolin and Dreyfuss (who leans in and speaks in such a gravely-low Cheney voice that he should have ominous music playing in all his scenes) stood out to me.
4. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
It’s already been said, but this film oozes so much sensuality, romance and culture without being a big production, which makes it that much more appreciable. I thought the narration added a whimsical touch, and was very welcome. A lot of movies can show off a locale in a half-decent manner, but Woody Allen clearly knew how to showcase very unique and beautiful aspects of the Spanish countryside and cities.
5. The Wrestler
Rourke’s character and performance alone make this movie resonate deeply. Marisa Tomei was also touching and heartfelt (not to mention extremely good-looking naked). Bruce’s theme song was so fitting and true, and the strip club scenes notwithstanding, the scenes in the deli were perhaps the best in the film (for entirely different reasons); really, we just learn so much about Rourke’s character in those, and gain such a respect for him that one wouldn’t normally expect for a character of his ilk.
6. Frost/Nixon
A really intense movie with great performances and absorbing scenes throughout. Langella was awesome, and I thought Michael Sheen, with how his character was written, was up to task too. In fact, all the supporting parts lent important detail to the film.
7. Milk
Sean Penn was spectacular, as was the recreation of the setting and time period. This movie was very well-paced and didn’t suffer any moments that didn’t hold your attention - always very high marks for me.
8. Happy-Go-Lucky
The detail and empathy in each character and scene in this film was something very few could pull off. Mike Leigh was one of them, and it was made even more impressive by the fact that there wasn’t much of a plot. London was very charming as a backdrop. Just like during the course of the film, Sally Hawkins’ character grows on you after the fact. Such a real film.
9. Man On Wire
Everything in this movie - the interviews, the recreations, the archive footage - was put together so well. There aren’t many more compelling people than Phillipe Petit about whom to make a film, and they didn’t sell him short. Uniquely interesting.
10. Che
The craft of filmmaking on display in this film was astounding. Almost like a very long History Channel re-enactment, really, but so exceedingly well-done.
11. Slumdog Millionaire
The film’s energy was palpable, and the way the premise was executed was wholly original and intriguing. Great music, great atmosphere, and all the top-notch technical work really showcased this vibrancy of the setting in India.
12. Frozen River
Really sympathetic portrayal of an honest, decidedly unglamorous location and its’ protagonists. In this type of movie, you need genuine, subtle, realistic acting to pull off the legitimacy of the film, and it definitely happened here, the three leads especially.
13. The Reader
Very good acting performances by all. Great storytelling that weaves very well and very thoughtfully through different time periods of past and present and connects them like any good film should.
14. The Visitor
Such a leisurely paced and laconic film with great, realistic characters. The directions the film takes seem surprising at first and up being very moving.
15. Stop-Loss
A very sympathetic treatment of individuals in the type of situation that seems often overlooked and not closely examined. This film never tried to be more than it was, which might have been a temptation with the subject matter.
16. The Dark Knight
Ledger and the execution and scope of the set pieces are what elevate this film above the nonsense of how over the top it got. If this movie could have taken a step back for a few seconds and gathered itself anywhere in all the madness, it might be half as good as everyone thought it was. But still supremely well-done in many areas.
17. Hancock
So underrated and misinterpreted by many. Will Smith is so watchable, and the film itself was very likable.
18. Gran Torino
Just a solid movie, with a good slice of Detroit to take in.
19. Revolutionary Road
A very good script, with Michael Shannon’s great character and performance bringing the action (and film) up a few notches. Didn’t get boring like this type of film is often apt to do.
20. Tropic Thunder
Too many side-splitting scenes to discount. Stiller, Downey, and Jack Black were all hilarious.

These two movies were in my original top 20, but were bumped in the last couple weeks as I saw more, so I’m including my initial comments:

> The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - not as interesting as it purports to be, but still a few magical moments. Not really worth all the fuss in the end, but still intriguing to watch.
> Rachel Getting Married - getting past all the movie’s show-offy wedding scenes lets you into some good character layers and interaction.

Most Horrible Relaunch of One of the Best Franchises in the History of Cinema: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I’m still having trouble believing how bad it was. So, so stupid and juvenile. I’ve been heartbroken since I saw it.

Worst Movie of the Year: Mamma Mia!
I didn’t choose to see this, we just tagged along with some others. Some of the worst production values ever, and the general mindlessness just blew me away. Too stupid and poorly-made to even be unintentionally funny bad (unlike another one from this year, Vantage Point). Easily one of the worst movies I’ve watched all the way through ever.

Another Crap Comic Book Movie Which Everyone Thought Was Good But Actually Wasn’t: Ironman
I had stayed away from this, but still had some expectations that it might be clever and funny. Not even close. First of all, I think the premise that some whiz kid playboy who is the head of an ultrahuge and influential weapons manufacturing company is a megacelebrity and beloved international tabloid sensation is supremely insulting in this day and age. Every other character in this movie besides RDJ was absolutely worthless. The script was so plain and just dumb. Yuck yuck yuck.

I also feel compelled to say that Wall-E, though solid and clever in many parts, did not really do it for me overall. Robot love is just not something with which I can connect, I guess.

Don’t dump my beloved man-crush Shia LeBeouf, and replace him with a douche nozzle R&B singer like Chris Brown.

We’ve all heard the song, but have you ever thought about the message?

“You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you, don’t you, don’t you…”

Carly Simon is sitting around, thinking about an arrogant ex-boyfriend, yada-yada, who thinks everything is about “him”. So she writes a song about him? It defeats the purpose! The song is about him.

Somewhere out there, this douche nozzle is three beers deep in a pub with his boys. ”You’re So Vain” comes on, and the first thing out of his mouth is “you know this song is about me, right?”.  You just fed his vanity a cheeseburger and fries.

Something to ponder.

I like things to be simple. If I have a simple question, I want a simple answer. To me, the simplest of questions is “what’s the weather like?” If you tell me it’s 65 degrees, I instantly know what that means and what I should wear. The same goes if you tell me it’s 55, 45 or 35 degrees. So why can’t there just be a way to very quickly find out this, the simplest of all information?

The weather channel will tell you what it’s like outside. But only if you happen to turn it on at the right moment (on the 8’s, as they like to say). And weather.com? Sure that site will tell you the weather. But it’s an eyesore to look at. See for yourself:

The information contained in that red circle is all I want to know. But they have to fill in the rest of the space with a bunch of useless and annoying pictures and information. I don’t want to watch a video of my local forecast, I don’t want to buy an HP product and I don’t want to click on any of those useless links. I hate it all.

So imagine my joy when I came across this website. (NOTE: Link may not be safe for work.) It tells me all I want to know in the simplest of ways. This website has restored my faith in humanity.

“If the drug effort were failing there would be no violence,” a senior U.S. official said Wednesday. There is violence “because these guys are flailing. We’re taking these guys out. The worst thing you could do is stop now.”

That was in response to statements made by a commission of Latin American leaders on the failures of the U.S. war on drugs. Read all about it here.

Yes, that’s one way to measure success. I’m just not sure the “more dead bodies, the more successful we are” approach is very effective in advertising your cause. What it’s very effective at doing is making it plain and clear that the war on drugs is a complete waste of time, money and people’s lives. I don’t understand how policy makers can believe that it makes any sense to continue trying (and failing) to keep drugs out of this country. No matter what they do, the situation will not change.

It’s simple supply and demand. My guess is that demand for drugs is relatively unchanging since they’re not hard to get and people are going to do what they want despite arcane prohibitive laws. So the price of drugs will be determined by the supply. Every time drug police confiscate a cache of drugs, it decreases the overall supply and thereby raises the price. When the price rises, it makes the drug trade that much more of a lucrative option for people looking to make money. More people enter the business supplying more drugs and things return to the original equilibrium. The same works for killing drug gang members. If a cop kills a supplier, the number of suppliers goes down, increasing the value of suppliers. Then more people want to become suppliers and things return to normal.

And what is the overall outcome? Last year, more than 5,000 people were killed across Mexico in connection with the drug war. Of course most of these people were killed by gang members and not drug police. But that doesn’t change anything. The only reason the drug business is run by gangs in the first place is because it’s illegal. In normal commerce, businesses solve their disputes through the use of contracts and the court system. Since these are not options for the black market drug business, the only recourse is to solve disputes with bullets.

President Obama just announced his appointee for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. If he really wants to change things, this would be a great place to start.

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