My top 15-11

15. My Sucky Teen Romance

This may be the best film I have ever seen made by a high school student, and I have actually seen a lot. The film is about vampires loose as a sci fi convention. Drawing elements from of today’s vampire and nerd craze, it capitalizes on satirizing contemporary pop culture better than all the films made by the Wayans Brothers combined. A smart and legitimately funny picture, the filmmaking shows real maturity and talent. This filmmaker, Emily Hagins, makes me not only confident about the future of female directors, but film in general.

14. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I was so hurt by the last Planet of the Apes film, by Tim Burton, I was afraid to open my heart to a new one. Boy did this film redeem the last one. I was very impressed by every aspect of the film, especially the storytelling. The way the film made you invest and understand the, mostly, non speaking characters was amazing. Getting an audience to invest in non human characters is not an easy thing to do, ie Transformers. A truly great sci fi film, I hope they do not make a sequel that would degrade Andy Serkis’ performance.

13. The Dead Inside

This a ghost/zombie musical, I repeat a ghost/zombie musical. I am not ashamed to say that I love musicals, there is something truly special when song is perfectly tied to story. The film is not an “Oklahoma” type musical, it is more in the vain of Sweeney Todd, with its tone and lack of dance numbers. The movie is about an author who becomes possessed by a ghost and how her boyfriend tries to get her back. There is also scenes from the author's zombie book cut in throughout the film. A dark and witty indie musical, this film really shows that musicals are not just for the big studios.

12. Our Day Will Come

Crazy, that is the only way I can describe this movie. The film is about a lonesome red headed boy who befriends another red head, a psychologist played by one of my favorites Vincent Cassell, and how the two go on a cross country spree of debauchery as they try to travel to Ireland, where people with red hair are accepted. The film is even more stranger than that plot summary. Though, no matter how weird this film got, it was still really good with excellent acting and clean directing. I keep trying to think of words in my vocabulary to describe it, but I can’t. This film takes every situation beyond the extreme and is one of the oddest buddy films I have seen. All that being said, see it the first chance you get.

11. 13 Assassins


I love Takashi Miike, but I feel like I always have to justify it to people. Explaining the underlying themes on relationships in Audition or his commentary in violence Ichi The Killer, the genius of Miike is not all that obvious the laymen film patron. However, I no longer have to do that, as 13 Assassins is what I consider to be his first awards worthy picture (and not the Saturn Awards, I'm talking BAFTAs and Critics Choice, however I am sure this film will not receive the nominations it deserves). The cinematography and editing are some of the best I have seen all year, and it has the best swordsmanship since Kill Bill. The story is a take on Seven Samurai, yet instead of defending, the samurai are attacking. It reminds me of films like Braveheart and Gladiator in many ways, I am not sure I can give a better recommendation to a picture than that.

My top 20-16

20. Drive
starting off my list is drive, i regretfully missed this film in the theater and
have received no chance to see it since. I have not seen it, but what i hear from word of mouth i would love this film.

19. Green
a film about one woman's jealousy that morphs into crippling paranoia, this shot indie gem took me totally off guard. I was attending SXSW and found that I had a hole in my schedule, i decided to so see Green at the Alamo Drafthouse since it fit perfectly in my opening. I knew nothing about the film before i saw it, and it became my surprise of the festival. Directed and starred in by newcomer Sophia Takal, this film is mesmerizing as you watch the main character plunge down an incredibly dark path in such a bight and beautiful setting. I actually got to speak with Takal and she was an absolute delight. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1826684/

18. Paradise Rediscovered

I saw this picture by chance at the Deadcenter Film Festival in Oklahoma City. This is film is about a young atheist helping and falling in love with a fundamentalist christian girl who has wrongfully been ostracized from her community. Directed by Storme Wood, the films deals with issues of reconciling faith and logic, and makes a brilliant commentary on contemporary american religious issues. The film also has a beautiful love story. http://www.paradiserecovered.com/

17. Submarine
This is one of the smartest and funniest coming of age films I have seen in a long while. The film is about a boy, brilliantly played by Craig Roberts, trying to fall and love and keep his parents together at the same. While the film obviously steals from Goddard and Truffaut, it still feels very young and hip. I found the young boys quirky personality strangely familiar to my own in my younger days.

16. Elevate
An extremely interesting documentary about young Senegalese basketball stars and their journeys to play in the United states. An immensely enjoyable film with a fresh subject matter. I was able to speak to the Director, Anne Buford, who may have been the most captivating people i have ever met. http://elevatethemovie.com/

Making my top 20 list this weekend

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MY FAVORITE ACTOR THIS YEAR IS ......

KEVIN BACON!!!!!

While he did not give the best performance this year, that accolade should go to Brad Pitt for Moneyball, he appeared in three of my favorite films this year, Crazy, Stupid, Love, Super, and X-Men First Class. Interestingly enough Bacon plays the bad guy in all three films. I have always been a Bacon fan, footloose is one of the greatest teen films of all time, and this year I was pleased to see him on screen so much. The villains he played were all very different. He played the essence of evil in X-Men First Class as a mutant former Nazi scientist hellbent on starting WW3. His character was a diabolical genius and a proper villain for a big budget action film. While Fassbender and McAvoy should be credited with making the film a success, Bacon's performance does a fantastic job of raising the stakes high enough for the film to have real suspense. In Crazy, Stupid, Love Bacon plays the "other man" who breaks up Steve Carell and Julianne Moore. While his role is small in the film, the role is important and the scene between him and Jonah Bobo, who plays Carell's son, is one best I have seen this year. His final and best villain role of this year was as the drug dealer Jacques in James Gunn's Super. He plays a silly but maniacal caricature of a villain. He steals Rainn Wilson's wife in the film putting Wilson on a collision course to becoming the most violent vigilante I have ever seen on film. Bacon's Skeletor-esque physique and acting prowess creates one of the most believable and realistic "drug lord" characters I have seen in years. The characters final moments in the film are quite spectacular, especially when the he begins to monologue (The Incredibles Reference). Bacon had no leading roles that I am aware of this year and did not even make a cameo in the new Footloose movie, but in my eyes he had a spectacular year.

Hugo

For my first blog back I am going to discuss my favorite film of the year Hugo. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Hugo is a 3D children’s mystery film with an incredible twist I did not anticipate. With all the movie news today its hard to go see a film and be surprised, I actively did look up any information hoping not to ruin the movie and I am glad I did. The film revolves around a young boy named Hugo, sympathetically played by Asa Butterfield, who lives in the walls of the train station. Hugo attempts to steal from toy shop owner Georges, played by Sir Ben Kingsley, in order to get a part he needs to help fix an automaton, a clockwork robot. Georges catches young Hugo and forces him to empty his pockets, one item being a notebook full of specs for the automaton. When Georges inspects the notebook he is greatly disturbed, he takes it and tells Hugo to leave. Hugo leaves this interaction in tears, begging for his notebook back. Hugo begins to try to get his notebook back enlisting the help of Geoges goddaughter Isabelle, played by my favorite young actress Cloe Grace Moretz (see Kick Ass Review), over time the pair learn that Georges has a secret past, and the audience learns Hugo’s. Throughout the film young Hugo must avoid being captured by the station inspector played by Sasha Baron Cohen. Before this film I thought that Cohen with his characters like Borat might be a passing fad, but after his expert comedic performance in the film, I feel he may the next Jim Carrey. Cohen’s Character also has a crush on a lovely florist played by the under recognized Emily Mortimer, Cohen’s awkward attempts to converse with Mortimer are a highlight of the film. As the mystery unfolds you learn the tragic history of both Georges and Hugo and how the automaton ties them together, leading them both to a tearfully happy ending. I must confess that I not only saw this film three times, but is the only film this year that brought me to tears, though Buck was close. The film is historical fiction based on the book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” tying directly into the early history of motion pictures. Scorsese’s long shots look perfect in 3D, and he shows he is a true master in how he is able to convey so much story without a single word. I would go as far as to say that a good quarter of the film is without a script. I am almost at a loss for words in describing this movie as it hits me in so many ways, as a child, a cinemaphile, man looking at my past, and as lover of Scorsese films. I am truly in love with this movie, there are probably faults in the film but I am unfortunately unable to see them. I recommend this film to all, and it may be the best children’s film of the century.

IIII'mmmmm BBBAAAAAAACCCCCKKKK

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