So I snagged my graphic from The AV Club? I don't have time to spend 3 hours in Photoshop trying to put Jesse Eisenberg's head on Buzz Lightyear. I have a blog to uphold, and you get what you pay for with unpaid interns. Just be grateful I got around to this and leave a kind word in the comments. I promise there will be enough pretension and snark to tide you over until the next rant.
First off, let me list a couple movies I wanted to see but didn't have a chance to. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I missed most of these were because I was intimidated by their length (TWSS). I'm sure Carlos is fantastic, but I have a hard enough time finding 5 minutes to shave, let alone watch a 6 hour miniseries. The same goes for Un Prophet, which I am reasonably sure I will love and hate myself for putting off. Others I just didn't get around to for whatever reason. Included in this category are I Am Love, The Ghost Writer, Let Me In, Marwencol, Rabbit Hole, Another Year, and Mother. Granted none of these are huge films, but I would have liked to have seen them before I compiled a list. If any blow me away enough to shake up my list, I'll be sure to come clean.
One last distraction before the meat of this post. Although I've missed some films this year, I've still seen a ton, and it's a shame that critics distill a years worth of cinema into a convenient 10-film package. I can't believe that just a few years ago the Academy had only 5 best picture nominees each year. Even with ten, at least that many deserving films are snubbed and left out of the party. So in the spirit of inclusiveness, I'd like to list a few films I loved that didn't make my Top 10.
The Tillman Story - Riveting and affecting, Bar-Lev's documentary is more than a romp through the life of a fallen patriot. It follows the emotional journey of the Tillman family and their war with the US Government over how he should be remembered.
Toy Story 3 - I think you might have heard of this little film, now the highest-grossing animated film of all-time. Here's my review of it from July.
Black Swan - Exceedingly well acted and meticulously shot, but not as profound or serious as people have made it out to be. Great film-makers can make B movies too.
True Grit - Maybe the resonance will hit me upon further viewings, but after masterpieces like No Country and A Serious Man, I was hoping they'd reach for more pathos. Good thing minor Coen Brothers is better than the A-game of most everyone else.
Micmacs - A piteously overlooked film this year. Jeunet's taps into the wonder and beauty that made Amelie so alive and irresistible. This is his stab at a more slapstick premise, but still gets the tender moments alongside the laughs. Here's my review from April.
The Illusionist - From the director of The Triplets of Belleville, comes the story of an aging, marginalized illusionist and his biggest fan, a girl named Alice. The animation is beyond breathtaking, and the storyline accomplishes a great deal with nearly no dialogue.
The American - One of the most polarizing films of the year for critics was probably a victim of misplaced expectations. The poster teases a James Bond-esque caper, and the trailer did nothing to assuage these assumptions. What viewers got instead was a gorgeous, nuanced film and a subtle performance from Clooney. Some found this hard to stomach. I ate it up.
I'll start counting them down tomorrow. Don't touch that mouse.
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