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Favorite Older Films First Seen in 2012, Part 5

Posted on January 5, 2013 by bernardovillela

This is an idea I first saw on @bobfreelander‘s blog. The idea is to list your favorite films from the past year that you saw for the first time, but exclude new releases. This allows much more variety and creates a lot of great suggestions if you read many of them.

Since I tracked these films much more closely this year my list grew long. I will occasionally combine selections by theme, but there is enough for five posts. These choices are in no particular order.

Enjoy!

Hellphone (2007)

This is a movie that is an absolute blast and it’s certainly unexpected. This is a French horror/comedy, which stars Jean-Baptiste Maunier a few years after his breakthrough in The Chorus. It’s about a demonic cellphone with a mind of its own. From the inciting incident, which plays out kind of like the acquisition of the Gizmo in Gremlins, you know what you’re in for: a lot of laughs, great kills and creative cinematography.  

House of Long Shadows (1983)

Here’s another assembly of horror legends and in this film you’d think there’s no way all these icons can have their moment, you fear it’ll fall victim to All-Star Cast syndrome but it doesn’t. Aside from the problematic lead, and a build-up you have to work your way through, this film really works.

The Thing from Another World (1951)

If you’ve seen either the Carpenter version or the new silly pre-make, you owe it to yourself to watch this one as well.

The Rape of the Vampire (1968)

I got on a little Jean Rollin roll at one point this past year and it lost some of its momentum. He’s typically more stylistically intriguing than narratively, but this has both.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

Typically during 61 Days of Halloween I tackle at least one series to watch and occasionally write on. This year I got those cheap 4-in-1 sets to take in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. This was the late-series surprise. A tremendously reflexive work, that pre-dates Craven’s meta work in Scream, and is quite an effective close to his direct involvement in the series.

The White Shadow (1924)

This is the famous fragmental silent Hitchcock that was found in a family attic in New Zealand last year. In typical Hitchcock fashion the film stops at the height of suspense to that point, even fragmental Hitchcock is great – it would’ve been interesting to finish it though as the text indicates some wild plot twists from there. You can watch it here.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

There may be more classics taken in for the first time next year as I have a new outlook on long overdue screenings. This list remains mostly quirky and classics I don’t need to sell anyone on are few and far between – should there be a plethora of long overdue screenings I will make the semantical change to “Dicoveries,” which would preclude the need to mention obviously good titles.

World on a Wire (1973)

This past year, owing to my fascination with Berlin Alexanderplatz the year before, I took in two Fassbinder films and this one was the most fascinating. I will likely take in more next year and wouldn’t mind if his work became a staple on these lists.

The Birds (1963)

OK, so far as this goes I never considered this film viewed because I never saw it from start-to-finish straight through I had several fragmented viewings, thanks to TV before this. Here Hitch’s idea to use no score truly works.

Emil and the Detectives (1964)

When considering what to do with this final spot a lot of the candidates covered niches I had covered already: Shot/Produced in Brazil (Where the River Runs Black), Hitchcock (Frenzy), Horror (The Mummy) and Disney (Child of Glass), however, to be more specific a Disney Movie Club selection didn’t make it. Now, yes, it one of those clubs where you buy a bunch cheap then have a membership requirement, but if you’re vigilant and a Disney nut it can be worth it. Another perk is Club exclusive titles. This tale is German and translated, but with a solid cast, very well-composed cineamtography and an engaging storyline it works fairly well. Disney titles that aren’t available openly are a topic for another day, but the club is a way to get some unique titles, and this was the best of the lot to me thus far.

BAM Award Winners: Best Cinematography

Posted on January 4, 2013 by bernardovillela

It’s quite obvious what the significance of cinematography is to anyone. It’s the visual signature of the film and the Director of Photography is second in command to a director and is a major contributor to the film’s overall aesthetic. Listed below you will see those who I feel not only created the best and prettiest images but also those who encapsulated their film the best and expressed it in visual terms. There are some repeat winners and some in foreign films but all treated each project uniquely and expressed their tale universally.

2024 Jarin Blaschke Nosferatu

2023 Linus Sandgren Saltburn

2022 Charlie Sarroff Smile

merlin_214038750_fe839002-a7c3-4901-a398-9d9f8a3f78b7-mobilemasterat3x

2021 Greig Fraser Dune

2020 Roger Deakins 1917

2019 Roger Deakins The Goldfinch

2018 Martin Gslacht Alpha

2017 Roger A. Deakins Bladerunner 2049

2016 The Revenant Emmanuel Lubezki

2015 Mad Max: Fury Road John Seale

2014 The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears Manuel Dacosse

The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears (2014, Strand Releasing)

2013 The Old Man Murat Aliyev

2012 Skyfall Roger Deakins

2011 Hugo Robert Richardson

2010 The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) Christian Berger

2009 Before Tomorrow (Le Jour avant le lendemain) Norman Cohn and Félix Lajeunesse

2008 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le scaphandre et le papillon) Janusz Kaminski

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le papillon) (2007, Miramax)

2007 The Seeker: The Dark is Rising Joel Ransome

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising (2006, 20th Century Fox)

2006 Fateless (Sorstalanság) Gyula Pados

Fateless (2005, Hungarian motion Picture Ltd.)

2005 War of the Worlds Janusz Kaminski

2004 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 Robert Richardson

2003 Peter Pan Donald McAlpine

2002 Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones David Tattersall

2001 Artificial Intelligence: A.I. Janusz Kaminski

Artificial Intelligence: A.I. (2001, DreamWorks)

2000 Unbreakable Eduardo Serra

1999 Sleepy Hollow Emmanuel Lubezki

Sleepy Hollow (1999, Paramount Pictures)

1998 Saving Private Ryan Janusz Kaminski

1997 Mother Night Tom Richmond

1996 Romeo + Juliet Donald McAlpine

BAM Awards: Best Supporting Actress Winners

Posted on January 4, 2013 by bernardovillela

What’s humorous, or better stated odd, is that when you finally start to amass these categories segregated from the totality of the yearly nominations you come across patterns that you wouldn’t have noticed. It’s a good thing I never noticed and it creates the smallest niggling doubt for years to come. The odd stat could very humorously and accurately be called “American Woman, Stay Away From Me.” Not only is there a high frequency of performers who speak English as a second language there are also English speakers from other nations: The United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The only American-born winners to date have been: Melanie Griffith (’96), Michelle Pfeiffer (’97), Julianne Moore (’03), Anjelica Huston (’11), Anne Hathaway (’12), Laurie Metcalf (2017), Molly Ringwald (2018), Dianne Wiest (2021), Stephanie Hsu (2022) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (2023). Regardless of the statistical shenanigans there are some great performances listed below that you should watch if you haven’t. Below you will find ladies who really know how to steal scenes.

2024 Joan Chen Dìdi

2023 Da’Vine Joy Randolph The Holdovers

2022 Stephanie Hsu Everything Everywhere All at Once

2021 Dianne Wiest I Care a Lot.

2020 Alice Krige Gretel & Hansel

2019 Isabelle Huppert Greta

2018 Molly Ringwald All These Small Moments

2017 Laurie Metcalf Lady Bird

2016 Kathryn Hahn Bad Moms

2015 Louise Bourgoin The Nun

2014 Jessica Lange In Secret

2013 Imelda Staunton The Awakening

2012 Anne Hathaway Les Misérables

2011 Anjelica Huston 50/50

2010 Susanne Lothar The White Ribbon

2009 Diane Kruger Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds (2010, The Weinstein Company)

2008 Penélope Cruz Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008, The Weinstein Company)

2007 Judi Dench Notes on a Scandal

Notes on a Scandal (2006, Fox Searchlight)

2006 Catherine O’Hara For Your Consideration

For Your Consideration (2006, Warner Independent)

2005 Liv Ullmann Saraband

2004 Maia Morgenstern The Passion of the Christ

2003 Julianne Moore The Hours

2002 Toni Collette About a Boy

2001 Lília Cabral The Inheritance (A Partilha)

Lilia Cabral in The Inheritance (A Partilha) (2001)

2000 Laura Fraser Titus

1999 Toni Collette The Sixth Sense

1998 Marília Pêra Central Station (Central do Brasil)

1997 Michelle Pfeiffer A Thousand Acres

1996 Melanie Griffith Mulholland Falls

Favorite Older Films First Seen in 2012, Part 4

Posted on January 4, 2013 by bernardovillela

Enjoy!

Tales from the Hood (1995)

There was a span of time when I was watching as many horror anthology films as I could stream. Most, as one would expect were inconsistent, on occasion one had one very memorable story. However, most surprising to me was that the most consistently excellent was the one I held out little hope for and watched on a whim; great unique takes, balanced with humor and social relevance.

Summer Interlude (1951)

If I got every Criterion release that intrigued me I’d watch nothing else. There are those that scream: “YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO BUY ME, RIGHT?” And and edition of a Bergman film I had yet to see is, indeed, one of those screamers. A really intrguing take that acts as a bridge from his early sensibility to the form we’re more used to seeing.

Brats (1930)

I didn’t catch too many Laurel & Hardy films in 2012, truth is when I was younger I saw most of them. This one where they play bratty little kids in forced perspective and composites struck me as new and humorous.

Always (1989)

One heretofore unseen gem from a legendary filmmaker deserves another. I saw this at an awesome outdoor summer screening series and I figured it was the best way to finally see Always in preparing my oft-delayed Spielberg ranking.

Jet Boy (2001)

This film is part road movie, homecoming, a tale of maturation and also of putting the past behind you. In a tale where a man and a runaway orphan cross paths by chance these bifurcated issues and wants can seem to be at odds, but they are combined in a very uniform way to good effect.

Student Bodies (1981)

If you miss old-school comedy parodies and have a sense of humor the horror genre this is for you. Works on both levels.

The Kingdom of the Fairies (1903)

It’s hard to keep your silent filmographies current especially when dealing with shorts but this Méliès seemed new to me, and is inventive even for him, especially being of such early vintage.

Planet of the Vampires

This sat around on my Netflix queue for quite a while. I’ve seen a lot of Mario Bava’s films and this one always struck me as an outlier, and not in a good way. I was delighted to be proven wrong. It’s an excellent, and as I later found out, influential work.

O Pagador de Promessas (The Promise Keeper) (1963)

This was one of the few films I was missing seeing to be more decisive about picking my most representative Brazilian film. It is also the only Latin American film to win the Palme d’Or and thankfully none of the fame or hype soured it for me at it. It is a brilliantly made film and a masterpiece of the Cinema Novo.  

The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981)

Though I have my issues with the first installment, in the real of horror trilogies The Omen is one that gets overlooked far too often. Granted you’ll either buy how far this one takes it or not, think it’s appropriate or not, but at least it goes for it (no guts, no glory) and tries to bring the Damien chapter to a close. I think it does so very successfully.

The Best Horror Films of 2012

Posted on January 4, 2013 by bernardovillela

I was better at tracking my views, and it was a better cinematic year overall in my estimation, so this list has expanded to 15 selections this year.

15. Absentia

This is a case of faith rewarded. The beginning is a little rocky but I saw something in it that made me stick with it and I was rewarded several fold. The film really picks up in all aspects of production as the details of the narrative start to fall into place. It’s most certainly worth a look.

14. The Hidden Face

Fans of cinematic frames should rejoice at this film, which I will grant will likely grow from a revisit. It’s a very well orchestrated and constructed, twisted tale.

13. Cold Sweat

Bring out the skeletons from your collective sociopolitical closets and great horror can be found. Cold Sweat really takes that premise and expound on it moreso than many other Argentine horror films I saw in a row this year. It’s expounding takes some suspension of disbelief but is quite effective.

12. Silent Night

This film has tremendous fun with its premise. Evil Santas of all shapes, sizes and styles should be on the comeback trail because there really is a tremendous amount of latitude there if you’re willing to trek it. Steven C. Miller makes his first of two appearances on this list and having seen two of his films I’ll be on the lookout for more. This film features some great supporting turns. It was also filmed in Manitoba, who seems to be positioning itself as a new hotbed of production in the Great White North, and I can see why based on the locales used here.

11. Excision

Excision, moreso than any other film on this list, has a possibility to have its reputation blossom over the years to come. This film very much inhabits the mind of its protagonist. This film does not fear exposing the the delusions of its main character opaquely, slowly revealing a plan of action that unfolds with precise and exacting horror. The film also features a number of great performances and very well-cast players including AnnaLynne McCord, Traci Lords and Jeremy Sumpter. It is definitely the one film on the list that warrants warning the faint of heart or stomach not to apply.

10. Whisperer in the Darkness

While I can’t say this is as successful as The Call of the Cthulhu in transcending it period-mimicking trappings; it does again choose the right time period and cinematic style for its Lovecraft adaptation. If the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society continues blending old-style cinematic ethos with mythos they’ll have hits for years to come.

9. The Monitor

Here’s one you could pigeonhole as psychological horror. It features two very strong lead performances by Noomi Rapace and Kristoffer Joner. It hints at a rather big twist early and delivers on more to follow to keep things intriguing. Mind-play, particularly in the horror genre, is under-utilized and can be highly effective and is used quite well here.

8. The Aggression Scale

You can call it a crime thriller if you like, and I’ll spend minimal time on this point, but I will address why I consider it horror. I don’t feel it’s a stretch. Any film that deals with home invasion can be considered horror if it plays towards that realm. Home Alone, which I compare this film to, never allows itself to be taken too seriously, this film ups the stakes, maims and kills people and is serious in tone, so: horror. Just because the villains are unmasked, in organized crime and have clear motives doesn’t make it less horrific.

The Aggression Scale also functions in large part due to the fact that it builds its character, in fact, quite a bit more than its situation at first. When things start coming to a head the two converge and the escalation of narrative intensity is quite great.

7. The Possession

I had better tracking of films and more horror watched this year, so the likelihood of another possession tale ending up on the list was actually lessened unless it was little better handled than last year’s pick. The Possession most certainly is. The Possession concerns itself less with differentiating details though Judaism, Dybbuk boxes and the like are new, as it does with character development, and that’s what makes it effective.

6. ParaNorman

In some ways, I can’t help but feel that this film’s balance keeps it lower here than it should be. ParaNorman splits time between doing a lot of things, and it does so in a horror milieu but isn’t always a traditional horror film. However, since it’s excellent at whatever it does it belongs. ParaNorman not only tackles feeling like an outsider, a child coming to grips with death himself, and in essence that tired phrase coming-of-age, but in horror terms it also more effectively draws a distinct parallel between protagonist and antagonist by having him experience the anguish and isolation of the victimizer when they were victimized. However, especially since it’s ostensibly designed for kids, ParaNorman never sugarcoats the wrongdoing of its antagonist; it explains, it even empathizes but never forgives it – it states the obvious: you’re not getting out of it what you think you are. The zombies feeling persecuted and being persecutors is also a great touch such that reversals are near-constant.

I had yet to write about it so I could further discuss what ParaNorman does in other regards, but that’s about as succinctly as I can cover the horror angle.

5. [REC] 3

Yes, [REC] 3 went somewhere I wasn’t expecting it to either, but I rather enjoy it nonetheless. In this film there are thematic expansions and new veins of thought explored if not literally picking up pre-exisiting narrative threads, which is all fine by me. It all comes down to how it’s done.

4. Intruders

Parallel narratives can be a double-edged sword. I’ve seen this film twice and it really works in both viewings in one I was naively accepting and offering no guesswork, in the second I knew it all and enjoyed it nearly as much as the first time. It’s a bilingual tale with a sensibility many horror fans will be familiar, one that’s uniquely Spanish even in the English portions of the film. It’s a different kind of approach to apparitions that I enjoyed.

3. Sinister

You’ll note that this is the only title on this list in which any footage is even found, not that I’d consider this film a found footage approach per se. What Sinister does is take the concept of malevolent celluloid a step further than most and build a story around the film and not strap it diegesis or camerawork to a narrator-cum-camera. Sinister also interestingly works again with a male protagonist, oft times alone who is very expressive and his fear allows us to fear. Silence or gasping is scarier than incessant screaming. That’s just one thing Sinister understands so much better than many other films.

2. The Woman in Black

There’s just something about Gothic horror tale done well that will affect me like few others do. There’s a primal hearkening to the sensitivities ingrained in us. The pitfall of the subgenre is that its been done to death and knowing tropes and protocols makes it hard for a style so old hat to work. However, there are some tweaks, techniques and approaches that dress up this old favorite and make it more effective than most.

1. The Cabin in the Woods

It’s one thing to deconstruct a genre, however, it’s another entirely to reconstruct it following said evisceration and build a beautifully grotesque new prometheus in its stead. It’s the second half of its master plan that put The Cabin in the Woods over the top.

Favorite Older Movies First Seen in 2012, Part 3

Posted on January 3, 2013 by bernardovillela

Enjoy!

Goobers! (fka Mystery Monsters) (1997)

And here comes a Charles Band that works. It’s the kind of title that really shouldn’t. The premise is silly, the production is low-rent, the acting sparse, but here there’s a brazen stick-to-itiveness and an over-the-top dedication that drives the comedy home above the mandatory tropes that must be dealt with.

If I wanted to get overly-specific I could formulate how often either Charles Band or Roger Corman produced and/or directed titles really work. My assumption is the latter has a higher success rate. However, I’m glad to have found more of Band’s movies lately and this one is absolutely ridiculous and works.

28 Up (1984)

Here is another somewhat representative choice. Prior to this year I had only seen thru 21 Up I believe. This year I await 56 Up. However, this past year I got current on the series. It’s hard to tell which of the series I enjoy most so I just selected the next in the series to be representative. It’s perhaps the most fascinating documentarian experience ever: every seven years people are interviewed and share their life and thoughts on various subjects. Clearly, there’s filtering but there’s a reflexive nature to it. As much as I adore the most recent Narnia installment this is Apted’s legacy.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog (2008)

Prior to The Avengers, and after having seen The Cabin in the Woods, I finally checked out this short demented film and loved it. I was not so well-versed in Joss Whedon’s work and wanted to see some more of it. It’s enjoyable and short so it should be seen if you, like me, are in the minority who have yet to see it.

The Life and Passion of Jesus (1905) and From the Manger to the Cross(1912)

Here’s one where I had to combine picks. These two films are packaged on DVD together. They’re silents that were filmed in the Holy Land and deal, as the titles indicate, with different parts of Christ’s life. It’s a pre-made double feature but a good one. Each fills in gaps the other leaves.

Coriolanus (2011)

This is the newest selection on this list and one I regret missing towards the end of 2011. This film confirms that I’m a sucker for modernized Shakespeare adaptations and that John Logan is a kick-ass screenwriter.

No Greater Glory (1934)

There are a few interesting notes about this movie: first, it’s an adaptation of a classic Hungarian novel (Yes, a US Studio tackled it first), next it’s an overlooked Borzage war critique, and in my eyes a more effective one than A Farewell to Arms.

The Manster (1959)

Spinning off from No Greater Glory George Breakston, after his days as an actor, went on to be quite a prolific and successful B-Movie director and producer. At random I chose one of his titles the seemingly schlocky Manster and was quite impressed by it. It’s low-rent, there are downright mistakes in it, but most of the handling and the narrative is highly effective for what it’s attempting.

Only When I Dance and L’il A (2009)

I’ve written ad nauseum about how I like Film Movement’s movie club and how they pair films with shorts on their DVD. When I watched this dance doc, obviously the short was one too. They tackle different disciplines, ballet and hip hop, but are equally successful.

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

If your only prior exposure to The Island of Dr. Moreau was through the 1996 version of the film, then you can guess what my reaction to Island of Lost Souls was: I absolutely fell in love with it. Yes, having Bela Lugosi involved does buoy the film but Charles Laughton owns this film entirely and without question – truly one of the greatest performances in the genre I’ve seen.

BAM Awards: Best Actor Winners

Posted on January 3, 2013 by bernardovillela

Once again I am sticking to the “Live Era,” here (meaning I made my choices at year’s end). This is the third such article I’ve posted chronicling my choices in my personal awards (here are links to Best Actress and Best Picture).

2024 Nicholas Hoult Nosferatu

2023 Barry Keoghan Saltburn

2022 Nicolas Cage The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

2021 Nicolas Cage Pig

2020 Sacha Baron Cohen Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm

2019 Joaquin Phoenix Joker

2018 Kodi Smit-McPhee Alpha

2017 James McAvoy Split

2016 Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant

2015 David Gulpilil Charlie’s Country

Charlie'sCountry (2013, Entertainment One Films)

2014 Brendan Gleeson Calvary

2013 Johan Heldenbergh The Broken Circle Breakdown

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012, Tribeca Film)

2012 Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln

2011 Michael Shannon Take Shelter

2010 Bill Nighy Wild Target

2009 Colin Firth A Single Man

2008 Sean Penn Milk

2007 Leonardo DiCaprio The Departed

2006 Nicholas Hoult Wah-Wah

2005 Philip Seymour Hoffman Capote

2004 Jim Caviezel The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ (2004, Newmarkey Releasing)

2003 Jeremy Sumpter Peter Pan

2002 Christian Bale Equilibrium

2001 Haley Joel Osment Artificial Intelligence: A.I.

Haley Joel Osment in Artificial Intelligence: A.I. (2001)

2000 Kevin Spacey Pay it Forward

1999 Haley Joel Osment The Sixth Sense

1998 Jack Nicholson As Good as it Gets

1997 Billy Bob Thornton Sling Blade

1996 Nick Nolte Mulholland Falls

Top 25 Films of 2012: 15-11

Posted on January 3, 2013 by bernardovillela

I try to keep my mind as open as possible during the year, and as you start assembling a list like this you see there could be perceived slights. The fact of the matter is making this list was brutal. More than once I had to consider if I can stick to a previously made proclamation, more than once I jotted down additional titles to see if they could slide into the top 25.

15. ParaNorman

Here’s a situation wherein I have to buck what my genre ranking would seem to dictate. This film ranks as #6 on the horror list but that is due to its handling and effectiveness of the horror elements within compared to “pure” horror films who aren’t splitting time, attempting to change tone and do multiple things. The completeness of emotional range and the things this tale does brings it up higher on this list than it goes on the horror list.

14. Killer Joe

This film falls into a very particular niche of being dramatic, horrific, crime drama, neo-noir, batshit that falls into my wheelhouse because it all makes sense and works. You never knows what’s coming but everything that happens, as crazy as it is, makes sense, is effective and has a ton of impact. It’s filled with tremendous performances including those of Matthew McConaughey, Gina Gershon and Juno Temple, all the elements and performances are expertly handled by William Friedkin.

13. Holy Motors

This was perhaps the most impossible film to place, and another film that came to mind when writing my brief intro to this list. The fact of the matter is once I had seen and digested this film a bit I knew it had to make it on the list I knew I enjoyed watching it and eventually came to love it, but how to quantify where on this list it falls was beyond me. Because the list is so varied it ended up landing where it did just on intangible gut feeling and exemplifies that making the list and being considered among the best is what matters.

12. Skyfall

There are some films that are on this list where you can argue fanboydom and I couldn’t really give too much of a fight, but I am a casual Bond observer at best, and I absolutely love this installment. That alone was enough for me (obviously), but many of the die hards I know were also very impressed with this film. However, this film goes far beyond being just a great Bond film and nearly shed the Bond facade altogether at times. It’s sumptuously filmed and has set pieces that lend it surreal beauty, it takes an archetypal character and has his demons be as much an antagonist as his literal enemy, it takes symbolic placeholder characters and rounds them, and is yet another testament to John Logan‘s brilliance. I could give it even more accolades but suffice it to say it’s a franchise installment that has myself, and the faithful, clamoring for more.

11. The Avengers

As mentioned above my list is pretty disparate, there are few titles that even come close to being apples to apples. The Avengers is one of the best times I had at the movies this year and upon release seemed like it was going to stand alone atop the loft superhero peak of this year, alas that was not to be. Again, it’s not really about a failing here (as each film dealt with a similar climactic plot device) but rather what else another superhero film did. Last year X-Men was up in this spot as top ranking. This year it’s second in the subgenre.

Favorite Older Films First Seen in 2012, Part 2

Posted on January 2, 2013 by bernardovillela

Enjoy!

Wait Until Dark (1967)

Part of what I really like about 31 Days of Oscar is that despite how high up the you-shoulda-seen-this-by-now ladder a film is the slate typically makes it quite easy to catch up on many of those titles. I always figured that the closing half of this film must be great, but what good is that without an effective build-up? Not much, but this film has both.

 Wild Boys of the Road (1933)

Yes, I learned it an always vaguely knew what Pre-Code was, but this year was the first time I really studied up on it and started to watch it more. This film, in part, was the catalyst. What really strikes you is how this film epitomizes the working class, stoic tackling of Depression themes head on that was a Warner signature of the era.

The Window (1949)

If I wanted to try and completely drive myself insane and place these films in order, this would likely come out atop the fray. This is a film based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich, the same man who gave us Rear Window, and is essentially that tale crossed with “The Boy who Cried Wolf.” It’s short and as suspenseful as you could possibly stand, with real danger and a tremendous performance by Bobby Driscoll that earned him the Juvenile Award from the Academy.

Mrs. Parkington (1944)

This is a another 31 Days of Oscar selection that allowed me to redeem missing one of Greer Garson’s nominations as Best Actress. A few years back TCM aired each of her five successive nominations in order and I should’ve seen the whole block. This is a duplicitous family portrait that spans lifetimes and does so very entertainingly.

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

In my previous post I discussed the dichotomy between Roger Corman and Charles Band. Where Corman sets himself apart is in the careers he helped kickstart, but also with his Poe adaptations. I saw a lot of these films in the past year and this was likely the most artistically daring and complete of the lot.

 Faces of Children (1925)

I have a lot of silents and older films sitting on my DVR that I must get to. This is a case of my catching a piece of this film on TCM late one night then being determined to watch it whole again one day. This film stuck with me not just because I discovered the work of Jacques Feyder through it, but also due to the wonderful tinting work involved in it.

Spectre (2006)

I embrace any and all horror series like Six Films to Keep You Awake that round up genre directors from certain countries to tell quick effective tales. It’s not dissimilar to Door into Darkness or Masters of Horror, this edition highlights the uniquely opaque, intricate and dramatic flair that Spain has for the genre. There will be another tale from the series on this list. This is the one that separates the die hards from the casual admirers.

 A Child Called Jesus (1987)

Any film willing to fill in some Biblical gaps, or at the very least cover ground rarely trod, will get my attention. Similarly any film that can hold my attention in spite of terrible dubbing is also worth noting.

The Christmas Tale (2005)

As mentioned above in Spectre, this is a Six Films to Keep You Awake tale, but this is the more accessible of the two I chose. It deals with a group of kids who find a woman trapped in a hole, as they learn about what got her there each faces moral dilemmas about how to deal with the situation. It not only sets up good horror but great character study.

 Death and Cremation (2010)

Prior to Jeremy Sumpter being the not-so-obscure object of desire in Excision he starred in this film which features a very overt and twisted mentor-protegé relationship. Bringing horror icons into the fold of a new project can be a double-edged sword but Brad Dourif is very effective in this role. Conversely, Sumpter utilizes his seeming vulnerability to channel a disconnected attitude and anger. The undertaker/death obsession mixed with suburban malaise can be seen as an obvious connection, but it’s not an overwrought one and works well with the performances.

Best Films of 2012: 20-16

Posted on January 2, 2013 by bernardovillela

I try to keep my mind as open as possible during the year and as you start assembling a list like this you see there could be perceived slights. The fact of the matter is making this list was brutal. More than once I had to consider if I can stick to a previously made proclamation, more than once I jotted down additional titles to see if they could slide into the top 25.

20. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Here’s a film that vaults onto this list after a personal recommendation. It’s a condemnation of trailers, a triumph of narrative and ensemble film acting. It’s a well-balanced tale of parallel narratives that hearkens back to Love Actually for me, however, has more varied and universal themes, and also some contemporary global commentary.

19. Goon

I wrote a lot about Goon after I first saw it, and it hurts even more to do so now seeing as how the NHL is well on its way to losing a full season for the second time in my adult life. It’s no coincidence that I write this with a teutonic team’s hat resting upon my head. Psychological baggage aside, this is a film that develops its characters, humor and story very well; and it celebrates, understands and embraces the sport its about better than most.

18. Sinister

I love horror films so I typically will make a genre-related list to highlight those titles, but that won’t stop me from including genre titles here so Sinister takes this spot and is the first of a few that will appear on this list. It takes a popular current trope uses it better than most, expands upon it, builds suspense, a lot of character, has a fantastic score, occasional needed comic relief; and a hell of a lot of impact. It’s one of those movies that affected my real life, as I know have a flashlight app on my iPhone.

17. The Woman in Black

On my horror list I discuss my general feelings on Gothic horror, they are positive but it’s a hard subgenre to tackle because it’s so classical and commonplace. For this film to do what it does, as well as it does, in this day and age, is triumphant indeed.

16. In the Family

This is a film that has had quite an adventurous, long and winding release pattern. It is a film that actually appeared on Slant’s best of 2011 list and has flown under the radar for most. However, for many of those who happen upon it, it’s made quite an impact. I was fortunate not only to have it play near me, but also that I decided to go as I nearly didn’t. It is a well-told, interestingly constructed, dramatically rendered and universal telling of what could seem like a niche tale of custody battle between surviving family members and a same-sex domestic partner.