Best Films of the Last Decade

I have always refrained from assessing whether a particular year had a good cinematic output mostly because a majority of foreign films were out of reach for me. This meant I was a few years behind in catching all the newest film titles and as a result, many excellent titles missed my end of the year list. For example, past omissions have included personal favorites such as The Strange Case of Angelica, Mysteries of Lisbon, My Joy, West of the Tracks and Pedro Costa’s Colossal Youth. I had a 2 year delay for the first three films and it was almost 4 years before I finally saw the Costa. But ultimately at the end of the day, I can only judge what is available to me. With that in mind, I decided to tally up my top 10 film lists from 2003 - 2012 to determine a personal best cinematic viewing year. I cut down lists from some years which had more than 10 titles, such as 23 films in 2009.

A quick rundown of lists from 2003 - 2012.

Top 10 films of 2003

1. Lost in Translation (USA/Japan, Sofia Coppola)
2. And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen (2002, France/UK, Claude Lelouch)
3. Mr & Mrs Iyer (2002, India, Aparna Sen)
4. Teen Deewarein (India, Nagesh Kukunoor)
5. Adaptation (2002, USA, Spike Jonze)
6. 21 Grams (USA, Alejandro González Iñárritu)
7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)
8. Gangaajal (India, Prakash Jha)
9. Haasil (India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)
10. Saathiya (2002, India, Shaad Ali)

Top 10 films of 2004

1. Exiles (France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)
2. Monsieur Ibrahim (2003, France, Francois Dupeyron)
3. Kontroll (2003, Hungary, Nimrod Antal)
4. Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)
5. Carandiru (2003, Brazil co-production, Hector Babenco)
6. Kopps (2003, Sweden/Denmark, Josef Fares)
7. Control Room (USA, Jehane Noujaim)
8. About Baghdad (USA, Sinan Antoon & 4 other directors)
9. Checkpoint (2003, Israel, Yoav Shamir)
10. Before Sunset (USA, Richard Linklater)

Top 10 films of 2005

1. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)
2. Yes (2004, UK/USA, Sally Potter)
3. L’Enfant (Belgium/France, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne)
4. Sepet (2004, Malaysia, Yasmin Ahmad)
5. Cache (France co-production, Michael Haneke)
6. Mountain Patrol/Kekexili (2004, China/Hong Kong, Chuan Lu)
7. Head-On (2004, Germany/Turkey, Fatih Akin)
8. Brokeback Mountain (USA/Canada, Ang Lee)
9. Good Night, and Good Luck (USA/France/UK/Japan, George Clooney)
10. Turtles Can Fly (2004, Iran/France/Iraq, Bahman Ghobadi)

Top 10 films of 2006

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu)
2. Dosar (2006, India, Rituparno Ghosh)
3. El Violín (2005, Mexico, Francisco Vargas Quevedo)
4. Tzameti (2005, France/Georgia, Géla Babluani)
5. The Bet Collector (Philippines, Jeffrey Jeturian)
6. Khosla Ka Ghosla (India, Dibakar Banerjee)
7. The Descent (2005, UK, Neil Marshall)
8. The Lives of Others (Germany, Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck)
9. Election 2 (Hong Kong, Johnny To)
10. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)

Top 10 films of 2007

1. Foster Child (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)
2. Dans la ville de Sylvia (Spain, José Luis Guerin)
3. Slingshot (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)
4. Children of Men (2006, USA/UK, Alfonso Cuarón)
5. Black Friday (2004, India, Anurag Kashyap)
6. The Bourne Ultimatum (USA, Paul Greengrass)
7. Zodiac (USA, David Fincher)
8. Rendition (USA, Gavin Hood)
9. Ratatouille (USA, Brad Bird)
10. Drained (2006, Brazil, Heitor Dhalia)

Top 10 films of 2008

1. Rachel Getting Married (USA, Jonathan Demme)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (UK, Mike Leigh)
3. Wonderful Town (2007, Thailand, Aditya Assarat)
4. The Fall (2006, USA/India, Tarsem)
5. Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (India, Dibakar Banerjee)
6. Gomorra (Italy, Matteo Garrone)
7. Silent Light (2007, Mexico, Carlos Reygadas)
8. Tell No One (2006, France, Guillaume Canet)
9. Rock On (India, Abhishek Kapoor)
10. WALL·E (USA, Andrew Stanton)

Top 10 films of 2009

1. Be Calm and Count to Seven (2008, Iran, Ramtin Lavafipour)
2. Breathless (2008, South Korea, Yang Ik-June)
3. Wendy and Lucy (2008, USA, Kelly Reichardt)
4. Police, Adjective (Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)
5. Buick Riviera (Croatia, Goran Rusinovic)
6. Call If You Need Me (Malaysia, James Lee)
7. Karaoke (Malaysia, Chris Chong Chan Fui)
8. Birdsong (2008, Spain, Albert Serra)
9. Everyone Else (Germany, Maren Ade)
10. Milk (2008, Turkey, Semih Kaplanoglu)

Top 10 films of 2010

1. Kill the Referee (2009, Belgium, Y. Hinant/E. Cardot/L. Delphine)
2. Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)
3. El Pasante (Argentina, Clara Picasso)
4. The American (USA, Anton Corbijn)
5. R (Denmark, Tobias Lindholm/Michael Noer)
6. Manuel De Ribera (Chile, Pablo Carrera/Christopher Murray)
7. The Robber (Austria/Germany, Benjamin Heisenberg)
8. Carlos (France, Olivier Assayas)
9. Shutter Island (USA, Martin Scorsese)
10. The Life and Death of a Porno Gang (2009, Serbia, Mladen Djordjevic)

Top 10 films of 2011

1. Le Quattro Volte (2010, Italy co-production, Michelangelo Frammartino)
2. Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal)
3. Drive (USA, Nicolas Winding Refn)
4. A Separation (Iran, Asghar Farhadi)
5. Dhobi Ghat (India, Kiran Rao)
6. Another Year (2010, UK, Mike Leigh)
7. Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Chile co-production, Patricio Guzmán)
8. Aurora (2010, Romania co-production, Cristi Puiu)
9. The Kid With a Bike (Belgium co-production, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne)
10. Melancholia (Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier)

Top 10 films of 2012

1. Holy Motors (France, Leos Carax)
2. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
3. This is Not a Film (2011, Iran, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb/Jafar Panahi)
4. The Master (2012, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)
5. Gone Fishing (2012, Argentina, Carlos Sorin)
6. The World Before Her (2012, Canada, Nisha Pahuja)
7. Found Memories (2011, Brazil co-production, Lucia Murat)
8. The Bright Day (2012, India, Mohit Takalkar)
9. Unfair World (2011, Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos)
10. Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Kohler)

Best overall year

All the years contain many strong films but 2009 has the best overall selection with 10 outstanding entries. On top of that, there are 13 other worthy selections in 2009 that would have made an adequate top 10 substitute.

The Storm (Turkey, Kazim Öz)
Border (Armenia/Holland, Harutyun Khachatryan)
In the Loop (UK, Armando Iannucci)
The Limits of Control (USA, Jim Jarmusch)
Zidane (France, Douglas Gordon/Philippe Parreno)
Ain’t No Tomorrows (Japan, Yuki Tanada)
The Happiest Girl in the World (Romania co-production, Radu Jude)
The Hurt Locker (USA, Kathryn Bigelow)
The Class (France, Laurent Cantet)
District 9 (South Africa/New Zealand, Neill Blomkamp)
Katalin Varga (Romania co-production, Peter Strickland)
I Killed My Mother (Canada, Xavier Dolan)
The Prophet (France, Jacques Audiard)

2010 and 2011 are the next two best years with the highest number of personal favourites.

Top 10 from 100 films

In order to pick 10 titles from these quality 100 films, I ignored the previous year’s ranking and threw all 100 films into one big pot so that all entries were on equal footing. Even though the final list consists of films from 10 different directors and 9 countries, all the films either feature a journey or are shot in a verite style.

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu)

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is called a dark comedy but it is entirely possible to view it as a bloodless horror film where the audience is given a front row seat in witnessing the slow disintegration of the title character. Even though Mr. Lazarescu is slowly edging towards his death, no one around him seems to notice because they are all weighed down by a bureaucratic system and can’t look up to see the obvious.

2. Foster Child (2007, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)

In 2007, Brillante Mendoza pulled off a unique feat by making two powerful films, Slingshot and Foster Child, in the same year. The two works share many production similarities as both are shot in roughly the same amount of time (10 and 11 days respectively) in locations next to each other and utilize a verite style where actors are integrated with the slum residents to create a unique mixture of fiction and reality. However, the two film differ by their focus on the resident’s lives. Slingshot looks at how corruption and politics mixes with poverty while Foster Child looks at foster care in Philippines and individuals who adopt children and look after them. Foster Child smartly balances both the macro and microscopic view by depicting the larger hierarchal structure of adoption and the tender individual relationships that form between the children and those that care for them. As a result, the film is heart-wrenching and leaves a lasting emotional impact.

3. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005, Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)

Johann is a traveling salesman who cleverly uses cinema to sell aspirin. As engaging as his encounters are, what elevates this work is the director’s decision to overexpose the film negative. This gives each frame a yellowish tint which perfectly conveys the heat and brutality of the almost endless Brazilian landscape. The overexposed film shatters the fourth wall and ensures the audience gets a sense of Johann’s struggles thereby making them a passenger on his journey. The film also smartly shows how people’s idea of freedom varies and what makes one person happy can be torture for another.

4. Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)

Farrel, a lonely man, leaves a ship’s confined space and heads off into the vast open land in order to seek closure from his past. Alonso’s flexible camera film allows one to breathe in the environment and take in all the sights and sounds while observing the weight drop from Farrel’s shoulders as he makes his way through snow covered paths to his goal.

5. Exiles (2004, France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)

Exiles follows two characters who leave Paris and head to Algeria to find their roots. Since this is a Tony Gatlif movie, flamenco musical sequences are present but this time a touch of Rai music is added to the mix. The music, which consists of a hypnotic 11 minute trance segment near the finale, heightens the emotions thereby ensuring an immersive work.

6. Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)

A beautiful soulful film that explores the philosophical question "How do you prevent a drop of water from drying up?". A Buddhist monk renounces his religious life for the worldly pleasures of sex and love. But despite getting married, he begins to realize that satisfying one desire always leads to more desires. The movie highlights his spiritual journey but more importantly, it tackles the spiritual question from a woman's point of view as well. It is always men who are willing to get up and leave for the mountains. But what about the women they leave behind? Did anyone ask what happened to Buddha's wife?

7. Be Calm and Count to Seven (2008, Iran, Ramtin Lavafipour)

This stunning poetic film opens with fast boats landing on a beach, followed immediately by burqa covered women hurriedly unloading goods off the boats and disappearing into mud houses. The contents of those bags are revealed later on in the film but both the contents and act of smuggling are minor details. The most important aspect of this film is observing the way of life on a tiny beautiful island in the Persian Gulf. If the character’s didn’t speak Farsi, then one would imagine the fishing village setting was Yemen or North Africa . But the film is Iranian and shows a rarely seen side of the Persian country.

8. Holy Motors (2012, France, Leos Carax)

Leos Carax creatively captures the essence of cinema from the silent era to contemporary times while paying homage to key genres throughout.

9. Dans la ville de Sylvia (2007, Spain, José Luis Guerin)

Guerin beautifully strips cinema down to its bare essence capturing every sound found in a vibrant European city, right down to a bottle rolling down a cobblestone street, in following a man's return to the city where he met the lovely Sylvia 6 years ago. It is clear that the man is haunted by memories of Sylvia and seems to encounter her ghost in every female he crosses.

10. Breathless (2008, South Korea, Yang Ik-June)

Breathless draws a direct line from domestic abuse to a gangster life. In doing so, the film clearly depicts the dangers of a violent life, both in a household or in a gang, and demonstrates that there is a consequence to every violent action even if sometimes that consequence takes two generations to manifest itself. Yang Ik-June’s debut film is a rare film that has a purpose for every brutal violent scene and as a result film makes a strong case for leading an anti-violent life.

Children of Men and Once Upon a Time in Anatoalia were very close to making the top 10 and are worthy runners-up.

Countries represented

There are 30 countries represented but 3 nations make up 43% of all films, with USA having 21 films, India with 14 and France 8. Here is the list of nations arranged by inclusions:

USA: 21
India: 14
France: 8

Brazil, Germany, Iran, UK: 4

Argentina, Belgium, Malaysia, Philippines, Romania, South Korea: 3

Chile, Denmark, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Turkey: 2

Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Serbia, Sweden, Thailand: 1

Note: in the case of co-productions, the primary country is selected.

Film distribution breakdown of all 100 films

Total number of films seen due to film festivals: 53
Multiplexes: 20
DVDs: 18
Arthouses/indie cinemas: 8
online streaming: 1

The high percentage of titles from USA, India and France is not surprizing as these three countries have a prolific film industry and an established distribution scheme which ensures their works are easily available around the world. This is especially true in Canada where American, Indian and French films are quite accessible via cinemas and DVD/online streams. In fact, for a better part of the last decade, French films were more easily available than Canadian films which were mostly found only at film festivals.

However, the difficulty of seeing films from other countries becomes an issue if film festivals are taken out of the equation. For example, all three Filipino titles came from attending VIFF for two years. So now that I am not attending VIFF, my access to quality Filipino titles has declined drastically. Another decline has come from the closure of a local indie DVD store that specialized in carrying classic and contemporary Asian films of all genres. Therefore, many titles from Hong Kong, China, Japan and South Korea have fallen completely out of my regular viewing schedule. Plus, the shutdown of some mail rental stores such as Videomatica in Vancouver has also hurt in getting access to foreign films. The online film streaming sites in Canada do not have a fraction of the collection that worthy arthouse/indie DVD stores carried previously.

It seems that every year I am forced to repeat similar words about the difficulty of seeing global cinema but the truth is the foreign film distribution model in North America is broken, unless one lives in New York. Foreign film distribution is similarly in bad shape around the world but no such distribution problems exist for substandard Hollywood productions which are available in every part of the world.

A few other observations

2012 is the only year when all 10 films came from 10 different countries.
2003 contains the lowest number of countries represented with 4.
2009: 9 of the 10 films were made available due to film festivals.

Best Films of 2003

Another end of the year list put together from scribbled notes written a decade ago. A quick glance at my 2003 viewing notes confirmed that I once used to have much better options to view foreign films locally through the different arthouse cinemas and a selection of independent DVD stores. For example, I could always catch the newest Johnny To film a few months after its release unlike waiting 1-2 years now. Still despite a rich selection of films to choose from in 2003, I managed to miss many high profile releases which would have altered this end of the year list. Films such as Mystic River (likely to take #1 spot), The Barbarian Invasions, Distant (Nuri Bilge Ceylan), The Son (Dardenne brothers), Dogville, Kill Bill vol.1 and Oldboy would have featured prominently in this list.

Top 10 films of 2003

1. Lost in Translation (USA/Japan, Sofia Coppola)

2. And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen (2002, France/UK, Claude Lelouch)

Patricia Kaas’s soothing vocals coupled with the Moroccan visuals made this a very seductive cinematic experience. On top of that, And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen has one of the best film soundtracks solely due to Kaas’ jazzy notes.

3. Mr & Mrs. Iyer (2002, India, Aparna Sen)

Aparna Sen smartly uses a bus to highlight the cultural diversity of India and show how simple differences can constantly divide the nation or can sometimes bring people together. Konkana Sen Sharma, Aparna Sen’s daughter, steals the show with one of the most memorable acting performances seen in Indian cinema over the last decade.

4. Teen Deewarein (India, Nagesh Kukunoor)

Despite the prison setting and a murder case, Teen Deewarein has a peaceful flow and is packed with poetic words. At first, the three completely different characters appear to have nothing in common but a few clues tucked along the way create enough doubt and ensure that the ending does not appear as a complete surprize.

5. Adaptation (2002, USA, Spike Jonze)

6. 21 Grams (USA, Alejandro González Iñárritu)

7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)

8. Gangaajal (India, Prakash Jha)

A simmering film set in India’s political hotbed of Bihar against the background of corruption. After being constantly frustrated at seeing their hard-work go down the drain, the local police force take matters into their own hands and dish out their own holy justice.

9. Haasil (India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)

Tigmanshu Dhulia makes an impressive feature film debut with a thoughtful work that shows how the grassroots of political battles is lit early in the college years.

10. Saathiya (2002, India, Shaad Ali)

Top 10 Canadian Films of 2012

2012 was a really good year in Canadian cinema as demonstrated by the titles below but also by a few that narrowly failed to make the list such as Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle (War Witch). Any other year, Rebelle would have been in this list. Also, there are quite a few attention worthy films that I missed seeing last year such as Xavier Dolan’s Laurence Anyways, Peter Mettler’s The End of Time & Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell.

Top 10 Canadian Films of 2012

1) The World Before Her (Nisha Pahuja)

A perfectly balanced and insightful film that examines two very different camps of thought in India. The two camps, beauty pageants vs fundamentalism, contain the essence of issues that are dividing and ruining India. Given the recent brutal crime in Delhi, The World Before Her is one of the year’s most relevant films which should kick-start a debate about improving women’s rights in India.

2) Take This Waltz (2011, Sarah Polley)

Perfectly etched characters depicted in a beautiful fluid manner. Plus, Leonard Cohen's title song elevates the film emotionally.

3) I’m not a Rockstar (Bobbi Jo Hart)

Bobbi Jo Hart has edited over 4 years of footage to craft a documentary about the struggles and journey of a young girl, Marika Bournaki, to become a pianist. There are few scenes which show Marika’s natural talent but for the most part, the film shows her relationship with her father and the sacrifices the father makes for her success. This focus on father-daughter is why the film works so well as we get to know both of them better and even listen to things that we should not have access to. The subject matter applies to all arts in general and highlights pitfalls that can trip up young artists.

4) Mallamall (Lalita Krishna)

A highly relevant Canadian documentary that looks at India's economic rise via the countless malls being constructed there. The film also highlights a Canadian connection crucial in developing these mega stores, something that is hardly ever seen in any newspaper headlines.

5) Lowlife (Seth Smith)

This unique film follows two characters who get high on slugs. Their repeated usage of slugs blurs the line between reality and their slug induced nightmares. The drug visions are shown in black and white while reality is shown in color but as the film progresses that changes, especially with a jaw dropping ending.

6) Midnight’s Children (Deepa Mehta)

Midnight’s Children is such a dense rich novel that it seemed too difficult to ever adapt into a film. Of course, if anyone could accomplish this feat, it could only be Salman Rushdie himself. He has used his story telling strengths along with his well documented love of cinema to carefully adapt segments which contain the novel’s essence while providing a smooth cinematic flow. Huge credit also goes to Deepa Mehta for smartly using Rushdie’s narration to smoothen over the decade long gaps in the story without losing a beat. Rushdie’s voice comes across like a wise story teller preparing us for events we are about to see before our eyes. Also, the presence of many actors, regardless of their screen time, enhances the film as each actor adds a distinctive ingredient to the overall flavor.

7) Cosmopolis (David Cronenberg)

This carefully constructed Cronenberg limo was cruising towards the #2 spot on my year end list until it hit a roadblock. That caused the driver to get out of the car and inquire the damage. However, the young passenger Eric Parker got frustrated and jumped from back of the limo into the driver’s seat. He sped the car past the roadblock and made it to his destination in an impressive manner. Unfortunately, he arrived a little bit too late for the end of 2012 party. Still, Eric didn’t realize that his quick thinking allowed him to narrowly edge past another Cronenberg vehicle hot on his tails.

8) Antiviral (Brandon Cronenberg)

An absolutely juicy debut film that one can sink their teeth into. Antiviral looks at a not too distance future where society’s obsession with celebrity culture results in people lining up to buy meat grown from celebrity cells and happily injecting themselves with a celebrity’s virus. Given current addiction to anything celebrity related, such a scenario is not entirely unbelievable so full credit to Brandon Cronenberg for extrapolating the present in such a thoughtful film.

9) Mars et Avril (Martin Villeneuve)

Martin Villeneuve adapted his own graphic novel for the poetic and meditative Mars et Avril. The film is a labor of love and demonstrates that beautiful visuals can be made on a tight budget and a sci-fi film can be made without any horror or mindless action scenes.

10) Bestiaire (Denis Côté)

At first, this Denis Cote documentary looks like a peaceful observation of animals in a zoo. However, that perception is quickly shattered when the first agonizing sounds of animals wanting to break free from their cages are heard. The camera angles also emphasize the struggles most animals have in coping with a harsh winter which restricts their roaming space. Once summer arrives, Cote smartly frames his camera to give the appearance that it is the humans who are in cages and are observed by the animals. This shift of just who is the real observer coupled with the indoor winter shots raise plenty of burning points about caging of animals.

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Interestingly, Antiviral & Mars et Avril also extended the cinematic family tree of two famous Canadian names. Brandon is David Cronenberg’s son while Martin is Denis Villeneuve’s brother. However, it is good to see that both Brandon and Martin have successfully made their own mark with their debut feature films.

Best Films of 2004

I started publishing my end of the year list from 2005 onwards but I compiled a list for 2004, which I am now putting up in order to gather some stats.

Top 10 films of 2004

1) Exiles (France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)

An emotional journey packed with mesmerizing music including an 11 minute trance segment near the end. The story involves two characters who leave Paris and head to Algeria to find their roots. Their journey consists of heading through Spain and finally sneaking into Algeria as the Algerian border is closed. Since this is a Tony Gatlif movie, flamenco musical sequences are present but this time a touch of Rai music is added to the mix.

2) Monsieur Ibrahim (2003, France, Francois Dupeyron)

It is refreshing to see Omar Sharif (who plays a Turkish shop owner) given a charming role which he plays to perfection. But the real gem of this movie is the young actor, Pierre Boulanger, who gives a virtuoso performance as the 14 year old Momo. Boulanger’s expressions are priceless, feisty when they have to be and innocent when needed.

3) Kontroll (2003, Hungary, Nimrod Antal)

The movie follows the lives of the underground subway metro staff on their daily routines which involves dealing with insanity, inner turmoils, strange passengers and playing male power games. The first half is hilarious but the second half explores shades of darkness lurking beneath the surface.

4) Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)

A beautiful soulful film that explores the philosophical question 'How do you prevent a drop of water from drying up?'. A Buddhist monk renounces his religious life for the worldly pleasures of sex and love. But despite getting married, he begins to realize that satisfying one desire always leads to more desires. The movie highlights his journey but more importantly, it tackles the spiritual question from a woman's point of view as well. It is always men who are willing to get up and leave for the mountains. But what about the women they leave behind? Did anyone ask what happened to Buddha's wife?

5) Carandiru (2003, Brazil co-production, Hector Babenco)

A ruthless film based on a real life incident in a Brazilian prison where riot squad massacred unarmed prisoners for purely political reasons. The movie is divided into two segments with majority of the first segment looking at the prisoners and their lives from the point of view of the prison doctor. The second segment outlines the prison massacre.

6) Kopps (2003, Sweden/Denmark, Josef Fares)

A small peaceful Swedish town is about to have its only police station shut down due to lack of crime. Faced with the prospect of losing their jobs, the local Kopps decide to boost the crime rate themselves. A hilarious film with memorable characters.

7) Control Room (USA, Jehane Noujaim)

This eye-opening documentary shows that despite all the negative media coverage, Al Jazeera might be the only remaining democratic media outlet on the planet which has tried to show stories objectively. In doing so, it has drawn criticism both from the Arab and Western world. A channel that manages to get all sides upset at the same time must be doing something right.

8) About Baghdad (USA, Sinan Antoon & 4 other directors)

A rare film that gives Iraqi people a true voice. Sinan Antoon left Iraq after the first Gulf war and returned in 2003 to see what was left of his country. He wanders the streets of Baghdad and captures the feelings and thoughts of everyday people, taxi drivers, café owners, students, writers, poets, artists, librarians, tortured victims, government employees, etc. Along with Control Room, one of the most relevant docs of the year.

9) Checkpoint (2003, Israel, Yoav Shamir)

This must-see Israeli documentary looks at the everyday drama that takes place at some of checkpoints between Palestinian and Israeli zones. Shamir simply places his camera on the side and watches the activities objectively. What at first seems like a dark satire is the harsh everyday reality for these people.

10) Before Sunset (USA, Richard Linklater)

Before Sunset starts off 9 years after Before Sunrise and catches up with Ethan Hawke & Julie Delpy’s memorable characters. Like the first film, Delpy’s character is far more interesting and some of the camera work that follows her is a delight.

Honorable Mentions roughly in order of preference

Nathalie (2003, France/Spain, Anne Fontaine)

The Passion of the Christ (USA, Mel Gibson)

Memories of Murder (2003, South Korea, Joon-ho Bong)

Primer (2004, USA, Shane Carruth)

Kill Bill Volume 2 (USA, Quentin Tarantino)

Saw (USA, James Wan)

Close Your Eyes (2002, UK,Nick Willing)

Best Films of 2012

It goes without saying that an end of the year list depends on access to quality films from around the world. And my access to those quality global titles is getting harder each year with closure of arthouse/independent cinemas thereby delaying seeing foreign films in a timely manner. For example, only 4 of the 25 films (16%) listed below had a theatrical run of one week or more. The rest only played once or twice via a film festival/cinematheque screening. Since all film festivals don’t have access to the same films, that forces a wait of 1-2 years to see certain foreign titles. That is why this list, like all previous years, contains older titles.

Top 10 Films

1. Holy Motors (France, Leos Carax)

Leos Carax creatively captures the essence of cinema from the silent era to contemporary times while paying homage to key genres throughout. Pure Cinema!

2. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

A stylistic film that is packed with dry wit while depicting characters in the hunt for a murdered body over the course of a night. Also, the best shot film of the year which manages to use light and shadows to great effect. For example, the scene where the mayor’s daughter makes an appearance is pure cinematic bliss.

3. This is Not a Film (2011, Iran, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb/Jafar Panahi)

The film shows that in the hands of a talented filmmaker even a tiny confined space can be a liberating cinematic experience. The final moments capture those magical moments that Werner Herzog has claimed happen only when the camera is left recording just a little bit longer.

4. The Master (USA, Paul Thomas Anderson) 

5. Gone Fishing (Argentina, Carlos Sorin) 

A charming and relaxed film that contains plenty of contemplative moments in following a father’s (Marco played by Alejandro Awada) attempts to patch-up with his daughter. Such a story could have gotten a serious treatment in the hands of another director but Sorin smartly uses the visuals and pleasant score (composed by his son) to release any tension before it forms on the screen. When things are about to get serious Sorin ensures that the audience gets a nice reprieve either with a moment of humor or breathtaking beauty.

6. The World Before Her (Canada, Nisha Pahuja)

A perfectly balanced and insightful film that examines two very different camps of thought in India. The two camps, beauty pageants vs fundamentalism, contain the essence of issues that are dividing and ruining India. Given the recent brutal crime in Delhi, The World Before Her is one of the year’s most relevant films which should kick-start a debate about improving women’s rights in India.

7. Found Memories (2011, Brazil co-production, Lucia Murat) 

A mesmerizing film that deceptively appears as a contemplative piece but contains another layer beneath the surface. The ending, which puts a completely different spin on the overall film perception, haunts long in the memory because it forces one to rethink the lives of the residents and why they have continued to stay in a place cut-off from the rest of the world. One could easily classify this as an artful horror film!

8. The Bright Day (India, Mohit Takalkar) 

Mohit Takalkar makes his cinematic debut with a beautiful, poetic and hypnotic film. The visuals are striking as is the use of background music to enhance the film’s mythical tale. Plus, there are some smart touches such as using the same actor (Mohan Agashe) to play different characters that highlights how the main character Shiv perceives people around him.

9. Unfair World (2011, Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos) 

This smart Greek film shows how two cops’ efforts to save an innocent person leads to murder thereby forcing them to cover their tracks. Each frame is packed with absurd comedic moments which are slowly revealed as the camera movements act like a drawn out punch line. The film’s comedic style is reminiscent of Aki Kaurismäki, Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective) and the recent wave of Greek films directed by Giorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth, Alps) & Athina Rachel Tsangari’s (Attenberg).

10. Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Kohler) 

15 Honorable Mentions roughly in order of preference:

Teddy Bear (Denmark, Mads Matthiesen) 

An award winning body builder who not only lives with his mother but is afraid of her. Despite his hulk like appearance, he has no luck with love. So he decides to fly to Thailand to find a bride. This setup brings plenty of humor and credit to the director to allow events to flow naturally without any extra drama.

The Queen of Versailles (USA co-production, Lauren Greenfield) 

Even though Lauren Greenfield’s documentary looks at a single American family, the Seigels, the film is a case study of the excess spending that played a part in the American Economic crisis of 2008. The Siegels clearly spent beyond their means but they were not alone in doing so. After 2008, when easy access to money was shut down, the previously wealthy Siegels suffered the same fate as the average American of having to cut back and making drastic changes in their lives. Essential viewing!

Polisse (2011, France, Maïwenn) 

An unflinching look at a French police division dealing with children and juvenile crime cases. The verite style heightens the tension and shows that even the police officers dealing with the cases are not immune to losing control.

Reality (Italy, Matteo Garrone) 

A devastating case study of a man who is so blinded by his quest for fame that he starts to lose grip on reality and starts to throw his life away.

Killing Them Softly (USA, Andrew Dominik) 

Andrew Dominik makes a very good decision to adapt George V. Higgins’ 1974 novel Cogan's Trade to the 2008 American economic crisis. The original book is devoid of any political or economic elements but the film depicts the effects of financial strain on the characters in every frame. The opening shots of abandoned houses plus the non-stop sound bites of presidential debates highlight that even assassins and mobsters are feeling financial pressure in cutting back. The grayish look of the film also emphasizes the constant gloom that envelopes all the characters. As good as the film is, two stylistic scenes don’t mesh with the rest of the film’s look. The slow-motion car killing and the drug trip may look good on their own but they have no place in an otherwise tightly constructed film.

Arcadia (USA, Olivia Silver) 

A wonderful American film about a father’s road trip with his children to their new home. The strong start sets the tone of the father’s parental methods early on, which makes for a fascinating viewing. John Hawkes puts in a strong performance but the young actors also shine brightly and evoke tender emotions. This film is another one of those that belongs to the Neo-Realist American cinema category which depict genuine stories with a fly on the wall perspective.

Take This Waltz (2011, Canada, Sarah Polley) 

Perfectly etched characters depicted in a beautiful fluid manner. Plus, Leonard Cohen's title song elevates the film emotionally.

I’m not a Rockstar (Canada, Bobbi Jo Hart) 

Bobbi Jo Hart has edited over 4 years of footage to craft a documentary about the struggles and journey of a young girl, Marika Bournaki, to become a pianist. There are few scenes which show Marika’s natural talent but for the most part, the film shows her relationship with her father and the sacrifices the father makes for her success. This focus on father-daughter is why the film works so well as we get to know both of them better and even listen to things that we should not have access to. The subject matter applies to all arts in general and highlights pitfalls that can trip up young artists.

The Dynamiter (2011, USA, Matthew Gordon) 

A visually stunning film that belongs to the same category of New Realist American cinema such as Ballast and Wendy and Lucy, films that show a true slice of American life by focusing on characters completely absent from the big Hollywood productions.

The Student (2011, Argentina, Santiago Mitre) 

A razor-sharp political film that examines core issues at the heart of politics: tactics, strategy, managing & manipulating people.

Mallamall (Canada, Lalita Krishna) 

A highly relevant Canadian documentary that looks at India's economic rise via the countless malls being constructed there. The film also highlights a Canadian connection crucial in developing these mega stores, something that is hardly ever seen in any newspaper headlines.

Snowtown (2011, Australia, Justin Kurzel) 

A chilling work that shows how evil can slowly build up until it explodes with horrific consequences. Based on a true life crime, this Australian film shares some aspects of family & crime shown in 2010’s Animal Kingdom but Snowtown is far darker.

The Color Wheel (2011, USA, Alex Ross Perry) 

Alex Ross Perry and Carlen Altman’s vibrant script ensures that The Color Wheel stands apart from other American independent films by including dialogues and jibes that have a purpose in illustrating the character’s insecurities and personalities.

Heleno (2011, Brazil, José Henrique Fonseca) 

Jose Henrique Fonseca has created a devastating portrayal that perfectly depicts the self-destructive habits that led to the Brazilian soccer player Heleno de Freitas' decline. At times, it is painful to watch Heleno throw everything away but given his personality, his fall from grace seems inevitable. The music and black and white visuals nicely evoke the 1940’s-50’s and enhance the mood of the film.

Lowlife (Canada, Seth Smith)

And now for something completely different. This unique film follows two characters who get high on slugs. Their repeated usage of slugs blurs the line between reality and their slug induced nightmares. The drug visions are shown in black and white while reality is shown in color but as the film progresses that changes, especially with a jaw dropping ending.

Best Performances & Cinematography of 2012

There have been many worthy films in 2012 but also many more fine performances and great visuals. So I created a separate entry just to highlight actors & cinematographers prior to publishing a best of 2012 film list.

Lead performances (both male & female) 

Denis Lavant in Holy Motors

Denis Lavant is the perfect vehicle for allowing Leos Carax to explore various film genres in a unique and mesmerizing manner. Easily the best performance of 2012.

Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master

Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman are an ideal one-two punch that power Paul Thomas Anderson’s devastating film. However, Amy Adams holds the Master’s power (literally) in her hand and in a quiet manner manages to shine through.

Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant in Amour

Riva and Trintignant put in gut-wrenching and emotional performances as their characters deteriorate in a confined space.

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

Safe to say Daniel Day-Lewis IS Lincoln, not an actor playing the part. But then again, one expects nothing less from Daniel Day-Lewis who completely takes on the persona of every character he plays. It is still shocking to think that he had once retired from acting altogether. 

Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

Waltz is given plenty of juicy dialogues to flesh out his memorable character.

Manoj Bajpai in Gangs of Wasseypur

Manoj Bajpai has performed many worthy roles in his career but he is still best known for portraying the wild Bhiku Mhatre in Satya more than a decade ago. That is why it is refreshing to see him tap into the same energy in Gangs of Wasseypur. The film also highlights that in the hand of the right director, Bajpai is one of the best actors working in the Indian film industry.

Irrfan Khan in Paan Singh Tomar

It is hard to imagine anyone else acting the title role in Paan Singh Tomar other than Irrfan Khan. His relaxed style ensures that his character does not deviate too much in tone when he is happy, angry, sarcastic or just plain innocent.

Nina Hoss in Barbara

Nina Hoss puts in a pitch perfect performance by playing a character required to control her emotions in every instance.

Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe

McConaughey plays slimy variations of a similar character in Killer Joe, Bernie & Magic Mike. But he is truly on the top of his game in Killer Joe where he plays a corrupt cop who oozes evil while delivering precise dialogues.

Aniello Arena in Reality

It is heartbreaking to watch Arena’s character throw his life away in Reality but he has put in performance that has shades of a young Robert De Niro from Scorsese’s The King of Comedy.

Michelle Williams in Take This Waltz

Michelle Williams nicely slips into a character who is easily bored of men and things very quickly. As a result, her character will never be happy in life & Williams’ expressions convey this impending sadness behind every smile.

Matthias Schoenaerts in Rust and Bone, Bullhead
Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone

Matthias Schoenaerts plays a different shade of a tough character in Bullhead & Rust and Bone. In Bullhead, Schoenaerts is a physical force of nature but one who has trouble finding love because of a past which has scarred him for life. His character is still physically imposing in Rust and Bone but he has no trouble getting love and can pick up a woman at the drop of a hat. The Dardennes' style used by Jacques Audiard ensures that Schoenaerts and Cotillard’s characters are properly showcased thereby finding beauty in moments of brutality & pain. Also, the visual style is definite proof that Marion Cotillard is gorgeous without any make-up.

Rodrigo Santoro in Heleno

Santoro plays a footballer prone to self-destruction. Just like Reality, it is painful to watch someone throw their live away but Santoro shines in every moment of joy, misery and anger.

Vidya Balan in Kahaani

For the last few years, Balan has outperformed her male co-stars so it was appropriate that she finally got a film where she was the main lead. And she nicely carries Kahaani on her shoulders.

Best Supporting Actor (Male & Female)


Rishi Kapoor in Agneepath

Rishi Kapoor’s ruthless portrayal of Rauf Lala comes as a real surprize given the warm loving characters that Kapoor has played in the past. Yet, Rishi Kapoor is able to extract enough charm from his past characters and transform it into the sinister Rauf Lala who appears to be trustworthy when needed and is ruthless when he wants to eliminate his enemies.

Tigmanshu Dhulia in Gangs of Wasseypur

It was a real surprize when Anurag Kashyap gave director Tigmanshu Dhulia an acting role but the move has paid off incredibly. If one has to see what is wrong with India and its politicians, then one need not look further than Dhulia’s corrupt and manipulative character of Ramadhir Singh.

Gina Gershon in Killer Joe

Gershon puts in a raw performance for a character forced to take the blows, both emotional and physical.

Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained

DiCaprio’s smooth yet wickedly evil plantation owner is a masterful performance.

Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly

The only thing negative about Brad Pitt’s character of Jackie is that he is not given enough screen time.

Carlen Altman in The Color Wheel

Altman’s character of JR delivers a non-stop flurry of dialogues from the get go and is a delight to watch.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Gangs of Wasseypur

Nawazuddin Siddiqui had quite a year by starring in many big named films such as Paan Singh Tomar, Kahaani and Talaash. But he gets the meatiest role in Gangs of Wasseypur and he excels in playing a drug addicted gangster thrust into seeking revenge for his family.

Best Cinematography

Gökhan Tiryaki, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Caroline Champetier, Holy Motors
Mihai Malaimare Jr., The Master
Rui Poças, Tabu
Julián Apezteguia, Gone Fishing
Amol Gole, The Bright Day
Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roger Deakins, Skyfall
Stéphane Fontaine in Rust and Bone
Lucio Bonelli, Found Memories
Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi

The Master

The Master (2012, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)

"Nothing frightens those in authority so much as criticism. Whether democrats or dictators, they are unable to accept that criticism is the most constructive tool available to any society because it is the best way to prevent error. The weakness of rationally based power can be seen in the way it views criticism as an even more negative force than a medieval king might have done. After all, even the fool has been banished from the castles of modern power. What is it which so frightens these elites?"-- Voltaire’s Bastards by John Ralston Saul. 

The above words from John Ralston Saul came to my mind when viewing a scene in The Master when Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets quite upset when someone questions his methods. Dodd starts attacking the questioner even though the person raised a question in order to have a rational debate. However, it is clear that any form of questioning of Dodd’s methods will be met with such hostility. In fact, Dodd appears as a person who would not entertain any rational analysis of his work. He wants everyone to follow his words as gospel, which is why he surrounds himself with those who blindly follow his words/writing. The only exception to this blind follower rule is Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) who does not believe in Dodd’s methods. But Freddie is fiercely loyal to Dodd and acts like a bodyguard willing to rough up anyone who troubles Dodd. As useful as his muscle is, Dodd keeps Freddie around for his alcoholic creations.

Paul Thomas Anderson brilliantly reveals that Dodd is a fake who makes up things as he goes along. In order to come up with new ideas and visions, Dodd needs alcohol. As it turns out, the only thing that Freddie can maintain focus for is mixing alcohol. Otherwise, Freddie is constantly haunted by sexual desires which prevent him from maintaining any form of focus. So Freddie's strange brews help in soothing Dodd. In return, Dodd is willing to liberate Freddie’s soul by training him in his methods. The two share a master-pupil relationship but even though Lancaster Dodd is shown be the master, it turns out his control is an illusion. One example of a scene where this illusion is shattered takes place when Dodd needs his wife Peggy’s (Amy Adams) assistance to masturbate. As Peddy holds Dodd’s member in her hand, it is clear that she exerts a lot more power than previously shown in the film.

In debunking Lancaster Dodd’s methods, The Master shares some sentiments with Todd Haynes’ Safe which also shows a fake teacher willing to profit from others. While Safe is a bit subtle in exposing a fraud, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film is far more savage and does not leave any doubts as to Dodd’s identity. In exposing Dodd, The Master is also a devastating case study of how some people could easily be manipulated by impressive speakers. In this regard, The Master is a film whose message is much more universal and not grounded to just a single religion or ideology. The core message about manipulating people could easily be applied to political parties who try to seduce voters by telling them what they want to hear.  

Film Log: 2012

I expected a slow down in film viewing this year and was certain I would finally drop below 300 films per year. It turns out that I ended up with 340 films for 2012, which is just one more than my previous lowest total of 339 in the last 6 years. Still, 340 films is too much. Although, I expect things to dip in coming years as more theaters close down and my choices are even more limited. Still, it was a good year of cinematic viewing.

Total number of features (fiction and docs) seen: 340

The above total includes about a dozen features that won't be released until 2013. Those 2013 titles are removed from the list below.

Film (Year, Country, Director): [optional rating out of 10]

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The Hero (2004, Angola/France/Portugal, Zézé Gamboa): 7
Le Grand Voyage (2004, Morocco co-production, Ismaël Ferroukhi): 7.5
Kalyug (1982, India, Shyam Benegal): 10
Breakaway (2011, Canada/India, Robert Lieberman)
L’Appolinde (2011, France, Bertrand Bonello): 9
Rocket Singh (2009, India, Shimit Amin): 9
The Devil’s Double (2011, Belgium/Holland, Lee Tamahori)
The Strange Case of Angelica (2010, Portugal co-production, Manoel de Oliveira): 10
Dreams of Dust (2008, Burkina Faso/France/Canada, Laurent Salgues)
Jackie Brown (1997, USA, Quentin Tarantino)
Winter in Wartime (2008, Holland/Belgium, Martin Koolhoven)
Junoon (1979, India, Shyam Benegal)
Storm (2009, Germany co-production, Hans-Christian Schmid)
Terribly Happy (2008, Denmark, Henrik Ruben Genz)
Mammoth (2009, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, Lukas Moodysson)
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Turkey/Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nuri Bilge Ceylan): 10
Redbelt (2008, USA, David Mamet): 8.5
Green Street Hooligans (2005, USA/UK, Lexi Alexander)
The Guard (2011, Ireland, John Michael McDonagh)
Silent Souls (2010, Russia, Aleksei Fedorchenko): 9
Miss Bala (2011, Mexico, Gerardo Naranjo): 8.5
The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo (2011, USA/Sweden/Norway, David Fincher)
The Future (2011, USA/Germany, Miranda July): 4

Helvetica (2007, UK, Gary Hustwit)
Madame Brouette (2002, Senegal co-production, Moussa Sene Absa)
Take Shelter (2011, USA, Jeff Nichols)
American Psycho (2000, USA, Mary Harron)
Objectified (2009, USA, Gary Hustwit)
Adanggaman (2000, Ivory Coast co-production, Roger Gnoan M'Bala)
The Blacks (2009, Croatia, Goran Devic/Zvonimir Juric)
Agneepath (2012, India, Karan Malhotra): 8.5
Gambler (2006, Denmark, Phie Ambo)
Mysteries of Lisbon (2010, Portugal/France, Raoul Ruiz): 9
The Salt of Life (2011, Italy, Gianni Di Gregorio): 8.5
Husbands (1970, USA, John Cassavetes): 9
Badmaash Company (2010, India, Parmeet Sethi): 6
Kisses (2008, Ireland, Lance Daly): 8
The Gods Must be Crazy II (1989, Botswana/South Africa/USA, Jamie Uys)
Den Muso (1975, Mali, Souleymane Cissé)
The Mill and the Cross (2011, Poland/Sweden, Lech Majewski): 8.5
A Fistful of Dollars (1964, Italy co-production, Sergio Leone): 9
Life in a Day (2011, USA/UK, multiple)

In Time (2011, USA, Andrew Niccol): 7.5
Mildred Pierce (2011, USA, Todd Haynes): 9.5
Puss in Boots (2011, USA, Chris Miller)
Ratatouille (2007, USA, Brad Bird/Jan Pinkava): 9
Karen Cries on a Bus (2011, Colombia, Gabriel Rojas Vera): 6
The Man From the Future (2011, Brazil, Cláudio Torres)
Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (2011, India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)
The Tree (2010, Australia co-production, Julie Bertuccelli)
Everlasting Moments (2008, Sweden co-production, Jan Troell)
A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop (2009, China/Hong Kong, Yimou Zhang)
Polisse (2011, France, Maïwenn): 9
High Tension (2003, France, Alexandre Aja)
Le Havre (2011, Finland co-production, Aki Kaurismäki): 7
The Pink Panther 2 (2009, USA, Harald Zwart)
Life and Living it (2008, Ghana, Shirley Frimpong Manso)
Khorma (2002, Tunisia co-production, Jilani Saadi)
These Amazing Shadows (2011, USA, Paul Mariano/Kurt Norton)
Cafe de Flore (2011, Canada/France, Jean-Marc Vallée): 8.5
Snow & Ashes (2010, Canada, Charles-Olivier Michaud): 7.5
Kahaani (2012, India, Sujoy Ghosh): 8
Manhunter (1986, USA, Michael Mann)
Rapt (2009, France/Belgium, Lucas Belvaux)
The Message (1977, co-production, Moustapha Akkad)
Crank (2006, USA, Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor)
Crank 2 (2009, USA, Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor)
Parking (2008, Taiwan, Mong-Hong Chung)
Manila (2009, Philippines, Raya Martin/Adolf Alix, Jr.)
In Darkness (2011, Poland/Germany/Canada, Agnieszka Holland)
I Travel Because I Have to, I Come Back Because I Love You (2009, Brazil, Karim Ainouz/Marcelo Gomes)

This is Not a Film (2011, Iran, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb/Jafar Panahi)
Detachment (2011, USA, Tony Kaye)
Devil’s Town (2009, Serbia, Vladimir Paskaljevic)
The Lorax (2012, USA, Chris Renaud/Kyle Balda)
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943, USA, William A. Wellman): 10
Agent Vinod (2012, India, Sriram Raghavan): 8
Eyes without a Face (1960, France/Italy, Georges Franju)
Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy (2011, UK co-production, Tomas Alfredson): 9
A Dog’s Day (2001, India, Murali Nair)
Rockstar (2011, India, Imtiaz Ali)
Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012, India, Shakun Batra)
Starbuck (2011, Canada, Ken Scott): 7.5
God Bless America (2012, USA, Bobcat Goldthwait)
Klovn (2010, Denmark, Mikkel Nørgaard): 8
The Rum Diary (2011, USA, Bruce Robinson): 6.5
Turn me on, Dammit (2011, Norway, Jannicke Systad Jacobsen): 8
Immortals (2011, USA, Tarsem Singh): 7.5
The Color Wheel (2011, USA, Alex Ross Perry): 8.5
Inbred (2011, UK/Germany, Alex Chandon)
Snowtown (2011, Australia, Justin Kurzel)
Monsieur Lazhar (2011, Canada, Philippe Falardeau): 8
Shame (2011, UK, Steve McQueen)
The Last Circus (2010, Spain/France, Álex de la Iglesia)
Applause (2009, Denmark, Martin Zandvliet)
They Came to Rob Las Vegas (1968, Spain co-production, Antonio Isasi-Isasmendi)
My Joy (2010, Ukraine co-production, Sergei Loznitsa)
How I Ended This Summer (2010, Russia, Aleksey Popogrebskiy)

Warrior (2011, USA, Gavin O'Connor)
The Whistleblower (2010, Canada co-production, Larysa Kondracki)
38 Witnesses (2012, France, Lucas Belvaux)
Come As You Are (2011, Belgium, Geoffrey Enthoven)
Coming Home (2012, France, Frédéric Videau)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011, USA/UAE/Czech Republic, Brad Bird): 4
Play (2011, Sweden co-production, Ruben Östlund)
Some Like It Hot (1959, USA, Billy Wilder)
The Apartment (1960, USA, Billy Wilder)
Calcutta Mail (2003, India, Sudhir Mishra)
Bliss (2012, Germany, Doris Dörrie)
Skylab (2011, France, Julie Delpy)
Bullhead (2011, Belgium, Michael R. Roskam)
The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967, USA/UK, Roman Polanski)
The Double Steps (2011, Spain, Isaki Lacuesta)
Freaky Deaky (2012, USA, Charles Matthau)
Terreferma (2011, Italy/France, Emanuele Crialese)
My Father and the Man in Black (2012, Canada, Jonathan Holiff)
Mallamall (2012, Canada, Lalita Krishna)
Found Memories (2011, Brazil/Argentina/France, Lucia Murat)
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949, UK, Robert Hamer)
Bringing up Baby (1938, USA, Howard Hawks)
Teddy Bear (2012, Denmark, Mads Matthiesen)
Off-White Lies (2011, Israel/France, Maya Kenig)
Meherjaan (2011, Bangladesh, Rubaiyat Hossain)
Bestiaire (2012, Canada/France, Denis Côté)
The General (1926, USA, Clyde Bruckman/Buster Keaton)
Trafic (1971, France/Italy, Jacques Tati): 10
This is Spinal Tap (1984, USA, Rob Reiner)
Trouble in Paradise (1932, USA, Ernst Lubitsch)
The Man in the White Suit (1951, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
Annie Hall (1977, USA, Woody Allen)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
Madagascar 3 (2012, USA, Eric Darnell/Tom McGrath/Conrad Vernon)
Arsenic and the Old Lace (1944, USA, Frank Capra)
The Lady Eve (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
Jaane Bhi do Yaaro (1983, USA, Kundan Shah)
Chhoti Si Baat (1975, India, Basu Chatterjee)
Blazing Saddles (1974, USA, Mel Brooks)
The King of Comedy (1983, USA, Martin Scorsese)
Being There (1979, USA, Hal Ashby)
The Great Dictator (1940, USA, Charles Chaplin)
The Thin Man (1934, USA, W.S. Van Dyke)
Gol Maal (1979, India, Hrishikesh Mukherjee)
Angoor (1982, India, Gulzar)
Smiles of a Summer Night (1955, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, UK, Charles Crichton)
The Captain’s Paradise (1953, UK, Anthony Kimmins)
The Ladykillers (1955, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
Duck Soup (1933, USA, Leo McCarey)
Dollhouse (2012, Ireland, Kirsten Sheridan)
I Am Not a Rockstar (2012, Canada co-production, Bobbi Jo Hart)
First Position (2011, USA, Bess Kargman)
Sons of Norway (2011, Norway co-production, Jens Lien)
California Solo (2012, USA, Marshall Lewy)
The Circus (1928, USA, Charles Chaplin)
Juan of the Dead (2011, Spain/Cuba, Alejandro Brugués)
Paris Under Watch (2012, France, Cédric Jimenez/Arnaud Duprey)
Happy Family (2010, Italy, Gabriele Salvatores)
Scialla! (2011, Italy, Francesco Bruni)
La kryptonite nella borsa (2011, Italy, Ivan Cotroneo)
The Dynamiter (2011, USA, Matthew Gordon)
The Bottle in the Gaza Sea (2011, France co-production, Thierry Binisti)

For a Few Dollars More (1965, Italy co-production, Sergio Leone)
Ferrari ki Sawaari (2012, India, Rajesh Mapuskar)
I Wish (2011, Japan, Hirokazu Koreeda)
A Bullet for the General (1966, Italy, Damiano Damiani)
The Great Silence (1968, Italy/France, Sergio Corbucci)
Teri Meri Kahaani (2012, India, Kunal Kohli)
Sabata (1969, Italy, Gianfranco Parolini)
Keoma (1976, Italy, Enzo G. Castellari)
Django (1966, Italy/Spain, Sergio Corbucci)
Shanghai (2012, India, Dibakar Banerjee)
Paan Singh Tomar (2012, India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)
The Bright Day (2012, India, Mohit Takalkar)
Lowlife (2012, Canada, Seth Smith)
Zombie (1979, Italy, Lucio Fulci)
Four of the Apocalpse (1975, Italy, Lucio Fulci)
Contraband (1980, Italy, Lucio Fulci)
Contraband (2012, USA/UK/France, Baltasar Kormákur)
Tabu (2012, Portugal co-production, Miguel Gomes)
Barbara (2012, Germany, Christian Petzold)
Generation P (2011, Russia/USA, Victor Ginzburg)

Duck, You Sucker (1971, Italy, Sergio Leone)
Ice Age 4 (2012, USA, Steve Martino/Mike Thurmeier)
Man from Nowhere/Arizona Colt (1966, Italy/France, Michele Lupo)
White Zombie (1932, USA, Victor Halperin)
Revolt of the Zombies (1936, USA, Victor Halperin)
Pablo (2012, USA, Richard Goldgewicht)
Arcadia (2012, USA, Olivia Silver)
Night of the Living Dead (1968, USA, George A. Romero)
Dawn of the Dead (1978, USA, George A. Romero)
Friends with Kids (2011, USA, Jennifer Westfeldt): 4
Cemetery Man (1994, Italy/France/Germany, Michele Soavi)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012, USA/UK, Christopher Nolan)
Unfair World (2011, Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos)
King Curling (2011, Norway, Ole Endresen)
Holidays by the Sea (2011, France, Pascal Rabaté)
Keep the Lights On (2012, USA, Ira Sachs)

Mandi (1983, India, Shyam Benegal): 9
Ankur (1973, India, Shyam Benegal): 10
The Watch (2012, USA, Akiva Schaffer): 6
Total Recall (2012, USA, Len Wiseman): 5
Kondura (India, Shyam Benegal): 8
Nishant (1975, India, Shyam Benegal): 9
Manthan (1976, India, Shyam Benegal): 10
Cocktail (2012, India, Homi Adajania): 6
Oslo 31 August (2011, Norway, Joachim Trier): 8
Las Acacias (2011, Argentina/Spain, Pablo Giorgelli): 7.5
Hysteria (2011, UK co-production, Tanya Wexler): 6
The Raid (2012, Indonesia/USA, Gareth Evans): 6
The Intouchables (2012, France, Olivier Nakache/Eric Toledano)
A Dangerous Method (2011, Canada co-production, David Cronenberg)
Chronicle (2012, USA, Josh Trank)
Domino (2005, USA, Tony Scott)
Man on Fire (2004, USA, Tony Scott)
The Hunger (1983, USA, Tony Scott)
Taken (2009, France/USA/UK, Pierre Morel)
Revenge (1990, USA, Tony Scott)
Days of Thunder (1990, USA, Tony Scott)
Bondu Saved from Drowning (1932, France, Jean Renoir)
The River (1951, France/India/USA, Jean Renoir)
Unstoppable (2010, USA, Tony Scott)
Deja Vu (2006, USA, Tony Scott)
True Romance (1993, USA, Tony Scott)

La fille de l’eau (1925, France, Jean Renoir)
Nana (1926, France, Jean Renoir)
Headhunters (2012, Norway/Germany, Morten Tyldum): 5
Elena (2011, Russia, Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Ruby Sparks (2012, USA, Jonathan Dayton/Valerie Faris)
Ekdin Achanak (1989, India, Mrinal Sen)
Ekdin Pratidin (1979, India, Mrinal Sen)
Gangs of Wasseypur Part I (2012, India, Anurag Kashyap)
The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment (1959, France, Jean Renoir)
The Elusive Corporal (1962, France, Jean Renoir)
La Marseillaise (1938, France, Jean Renoir)
The Dictator (2012, USA, Larry Charles): 3
La Grande Illusion (1937, France, Jean Renoir)
Patlabor (1989, Japan, Mamoru Oshii)
Samurai 1 (1954, Japan, Hiroshi Inagaki)
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955, Japan, Hiroshi Inagaki)
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956, Japan, Hiroshi Inagaki)
The Cabin in the Woods (2011, USA, Drew Goddard): 6

Wrong (2012, USA, Quentin Dupieux)
The Day I Saw Your Heart (2011, France, Jennifer Devoldère)
See Girl Run (2012, USA, Nate Meyer)
Fat Kid Rules The World (2012, USA, Matthew Lillard)
Amour  (2012, Austria/France/Germany, Michael Haneke)
Rust and Bone (2012, France/Belgium, Jacques Audiard)
The Misfits (2011, Mexico, Javier Colinas/Marco Polo Constandse/Jorge Ramírez Suárez/Sergio Tovar Velarde)
Reality (2012, Italy/France, Matteo Garrone)
Holy Motors (2012, France/Germany, Leos Carax): 10
As Luck Would Have It (2011, Spain/France/USA, Álex de la Iglesia)
NO (2012, Chile/France/USA, Pablo Larraín)
Rebelle (2012, Canada, Kim Nguyen)
The Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011, Poland, Jerzy Hoffman)
Margarita (2012, Canada, Dominique Cardona/Laurie Colbert)
The World Before Her (2012, Canada/India, Nisha Pahuja): 10
Antiviral (2012, Canada, Brandon Cronenberg)
I’m Flash (2012, Japan, Toshiaki Toyoda)
Mars et Avril (2012, Canada, Martin Villeneuve)
All In Good Time (2012, UK, Nigel Cole)
The Ambassador (2012, Denmark, Mads Brügger)

Vengeance (2009, Hong Kong/France, Johnny To): 5
Ek Tha Tiger (2012, India, Kabir Khan): 2
The Master (2012, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson): 9
The Avengers (2012, USA, Joss Whedon): 6
Where Do We Go Now? (2011, France/Lebanon/Egypt/Italy, Nadine Labaki): 8.5
Cosmopolis (2012, Canada co-production, David Cronenberg)
Fightville (2011, USA, Petra Epperlein/Michael Tucker)
Looper (2012, USA, Rian Johnson): 7.5
Moonrise Kingdom (2012, USA, Wes Andersen): 6.5
Kauwboy (2012, Holland, Boudewijn Koole)
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012, USA, Colin Trevorrow): 7.5
Mirror, Mirror (2012, USA, Tarsem Singh): 4
The Deep Blue Sea (2011, UK, Terrence Davies): 6
Argo (2012, US, Ben Affleck) : 7
To Rome With Love (2012, USA, Woody Allen): 6
Evangelion 1.11 (2007, Japan, Masayuki/Kazuya Tsurumaki/Hideaki Anno)
They Live (1988, USA, John Carpenter)
Escape from New York (1981, USA, John Carpenter)
The Wasp Woman (1959, Roger Corman/Jack Hill)
Rodan (1956, Japan, Ishirô Honda)
Shock Corridor (1963, USA, Samuel Fuller)

Heleno (2011, Brazil, José Henrique Fonseca): 8.5
Gone Fishing (2012, Argentina, Carlos Sorin): 10
La Sirga (2012, Colombia/France/Mexico, William Vega)
The Student (2011, Argentina, Santiago Mitre): 9
Skyfall (2012, UK/USA, Sam Mendes): 9
Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012, India, Yash Chopra): 4
Son of Sardaar (2012, India, Ashwani Dhir): 2
El Bulli (2011, Germany, Gereon Wetzel)
Take This Waltz (2011, Canada, Sarah Polley): 9
Cloud Atlas (2012, USA co-production, Andy & Lana Wachowski/Tom Tykwer): 6.5
Our Idiot Brother (2011, USA, Jesse Peretz): 6
The Palm Beach Story (1942, USA, Preston Sturges): 8.5
2 Days in New York (2012, USA, Julie Delpy): 7.5
Midnight's Children (2012, Canada/UK, Deepa Mehta): 8.5
Savages (2012, USA, Oliver Stone): 4
Prometheus (2012, USA, Ridley Scott): 6
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (2012, USA, Timur Bekmambetov): 5

Killing Them Softly (2012, USA, Andrew Dominik): 9
Life of Pi (2012, USA/China, Ang Lee): 7
Zero Bridge (2008, India/USA, Tariq Tapa): 8
Starship Troopers (1997, USA, Paul Verhoven)
Talaash (2012, India, Reema Kagti)
Lincoln (2012, USA, Steven Spielberg): 8
Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Kohler): 9
4:44 Last Day on Earth (2011, USA/Switzerland/France, Abel Ferrara): 6
The Forgiveness of Blood (2011, USA/Albania/Denmark/Italy, Joshua Marston)
Total Recall (1990, USA, Paul Verhoeven)
The Queen of Versailles (2012, USA co-production, Lauren Greenfield): 9
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012, USA, Benh Zeitlin)
Gangs of Wasseypur Part II (2012, India, Anurag Kashyap)
The Loneliest Planet (2011, USA/Germany, Julia Loktev)
Bernie (2011, USA, Richard Linklater)
Magic Mike (2012, USA, Steven Soderbergh): 8
Margaret (2011, USA, Kenneth Lonergan)
Pandorum (2009, Germany/UK, Christian Alvart)
This is 40 (2012, USA, Judd Apatow): 4
Django Unchained (2012, USA, Quentin Tarantino): 8.5
Post Mortem (2010, Chile/Germany/Mexico, Pablo Larraín)
Footnote (2011, Israel, Joseph Cedar): 8

Arbitrage (2012, USA, Nicholas Jarecki): 6
The Lady (2011, France/UK, Luc Besson)
Barfi! (2012, India, Anurag Basu)
Heroine (2012, India, Madhur Bhandarkar)
Uski Roti (1970, India, Mani Kaul)

And that's a wrap for 2012!

Comedy Countdown

Back in the summer, Wonders in the Dark invited people to be part of a comedy countdown. The rules required voters to send a ballot of their top 60 comedic films of all time. Each person was given freedom to pick any form of comedy or even define what constituted a comedy. This resulted in a diverse selection of films from all corners of the world. The incredible project, now complete with the #1 film revealed on Dec 21, featured many excellent and in-depth essays on films. I personally enjoyed revisiting many classic comedies to come up with a list of 60 films ranked below in order of preference:

1) Modern Times (1936, USA, Charles Chaplin)
2) Play Time (1967, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)
3) The Gold Rush (1925, USA, Charles Chaplin)
4) Angoor (1982, India, Gulzar)
5) Dr. Strangelove (1964, UK, Stanley Kubrick)
6) Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, UK, Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones)
7) The Circus (1928, USA, Charles Chaplin)
8) Duck Soup (1933, USA, Leo McCarey)
9) Gol Maal (1979, India, Hrishikesh Mukherjee)

10) Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949, UK, Robert Hamer)
11) Chhoti Si Baat (1975, India, Basu Chatterjee)
12) Being There (1979, USA, Hal Ashby)
13) Sullivan’s Travels (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
14) In the Loop (2009, UK, Armando Iannucci)
15) City Lights (1931, USA, Charles Chaplin)
16) Trafic (1971, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)
17) Annie Hall (1977, USA, Woody Allen)
18) The Big Lebowski (1998, USA/UK, Joel Coen/Ethan Coen)
19) Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal)

20) The Apartment (1960, USA, Billy Wilder)
21) Bringing up Baby (1938, USA, Howard Hawks)
22) The Man in the White Suit (1951, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
23) The General (1926, USA, Buster Keaton/Clyde Bruckman)
24) The Lady Eve (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)
25) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944, USA, Frank Capra)
26) Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006, India, Dibakar Banerjee)
27) The Great Dictator (1940, USA, Charlie Chaplin)
28) 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006, Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)
29) Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008, India, Dibakar Banerjee)

30) Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983, India, Kundan Shah)
31) Groundhog Day (1993, USA, Harold Ramis)
32) The Graduate (1967, USA, Mike Nichols)
33) The Lavender Hill Mob (1951, UK, Charles Crichton)
34) Songs from the Second Floor (2000, Sweden co-production, Roy Andersson)
35) The Ladykillers (1955, UK, Alexander Mackendrick)
36) Mon Uncle (1958, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)
37) Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001, France/Germany, Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
38) Ed Wood (1994, USA, Tim Burton)
39) The Man Without a Past (2002, Finland co-production, Aki Kaurismäki)

40) My Cousin Vinny (1992, USA, Jonathan Lynn)
41) The Captain’s Paradise (1953, UK, Anthony Kimmins)
42) Smiles of a Summer Night (1955, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
43) Trouble in Paradise (1932, USA, Ernst Lubitsch)
44) The Dinner Game (1998, France, Francis Veber)
45) Hera Pheri (2000, India, Priyadarshan)
46) Andaz Apna Apna (1994, India, Rajkumar Santoshi)
47) Borat (2006, USA, Larry Charles)
48) Delicatessen (1991, France, Marc Caro/Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
49) You, The Living (2007, Sweden co-production, Roy Andersson)

50) Coming to America (1988, USA, John Landis)
51) The Princess Bride (1987, USA, Rob Reiner)
52) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001, USA, Wes Anderson)
53) Best in Show (2000, USA, Christopher Guest)
54) The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, Spain co-production, Luis Buñuel)
55) Whisky (2004, Uruguay co-production, Juan Pablo Rebella/Pablo Stoll)
56) Being John Malkovich (1999, USA, Spike Jonze)
57) Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986, USA, John Hughes)
58) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989, USA, Jeremiah S. Chechik)
59) The Skeleton of Mrs. Morales (1960, Mexico, Rogelio A. González)
60) Blazing Saddles (1974, USA, Mel Brooks)

Sleeping Sickness

Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Köhler)

Ulrich Köhler's film was my first choice for a German film entry for the Euro 2012 Book & Film Spotlight. However, the film only got a limited theatrical release in Canada (Toronto & Vancouver) and was not available for viewing prior to the Euro deadline of June 2012. Therefore, I had to leave the film out of the spotlight. Thankfully, the film is now available across Canada via Films We Like & iTunes and I am glad to have seen the film in 2012. Sleeping Sickness is indeed a mesmerizing film and it is easy to see why this film was #9 in Cinema Scope's Best of 2011 list. Cinema Scope's editor, Mark Peranson, has an excellent essay which outlines the film's beauty and charm. The entire essay is worth reading but I want to focus on the following:

Though there is a slight mirroring of Ebbo and Alex, there’s nothing simple about it, and this structural looseness is perhaps the closest that Köhler’s version of the cinema of the opaque comes to Apichatpong; to make this comparison due to the mere presence of a jungle is indicative of lazy thinking, akin to bringing up Claire Denis because she’s also a European filmmaker shooting in Africa. Indeed, I suspect most people who will watch Sleeping Sickness, like myself, will have formed their views of Africa through fiction, literature or film made by Europeans—hence the many comparisons of Sleeping Sickness to Joseph Conrad or Graham Greene (Köhler says the film was sparked by Sudanese author Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North, and indeed the main characters are richly novelistic and complex—they jump off the page).

I had not read his essay prior to seeing the film but surprisingly found myself thinking of both Claire Denis & Apichatpong while watching Sleeping Sickness. Peranson attributes this comparison as "lazy thinking" but atleast qualifies it with the following words that are true in my case: "most people who will watch Sleeping Sickness,...,will have formed their view of African through fiction, literature or film made by Europeans". It is not true that any film shot in Cameroon by a European brings Claire Denis to mind. In my case, the comparison to Denis' White Material came about by seeing Ebbo's isolation. In the first part of the film, it is shown that the sleeping sickness disease is almost cured and no longer an epidemic. That means there is no need for further funding and Ebbo can conclude his work & return to Germany. Yet, he does not return home like his wife. He stays behind for a further three years and becomes as isolated like Isabelle Huppert's Maria in White Material. Both Ebbo & Maria appear to be clinging on desperately so as to avoid returning back to Europe. It is clear that it will take a lot of effort to force both Maria & Ebbo to leave Africa. In Maria's case, Africa is her home and she has a business to protect while Ebbo seems to have developed a deeper connection with his surroundings. One part of Ebbo wants to return back but another part wants to live in the jungle. This inner struggle causes him to appear on the edge, one step away from ending it all. The Apichatpong reference also jumps out not only because of the jungle but the presence of a key transformation that occurs near the end of a film divided in two parts. Like Tropical Malady, there is a connection between the two parts shown in the film and the hippo transformation that takes place near the film's end is mentioned in the first part.

Overall, Sleeping Sickness is unique and manages to haunt one's memory long after the film's final image.

As a late correction to the Euro 2012 Spotlight, I decided to plug Sleeping Sickness into the game 1 results to see how the final group standings would get impacted. Currently, game 1 results show Portugal's Mysteries of Lisbon defeating Germany's Storm by a 5-1 margin. With Sleeping Sickness taking part instead of Storm, this is how things would turn out:

Germany (Sleeping Sickness) vs Portugal (Mysteries of Lisbon)

Acting: Portugal
Story: Both Portugal & Germany
Direction: Germany
Cinematography: Germany
Production: Both Portugal & Germany

Final result would see Germany prevail 4-3 over Portugal. As a result, Germany would get 3 points and Portugal 0. Therefore, the final group standings would look like this:

Team         Points   Goal Difference 

Portugal     6            5 - 3
Holland      6            5 - 3
Germany    4            5 - 5
Denmark    1            3 - 6

Portugal & Holland would end up with the same number of points and goal difference. But Portugal would still take first place due to their 1-0 win over Holland which will be used as a head-to-head tie-breaker. Therefore, the top 2 spots in the group won't get altered which means all the results from the quarter-finals onwards would remain the same.

The Lady Eve

My piece on Preston Sturges' perfect comedy The Lady Eve is published on Wonders in the Dark's comedy countdown.

Ship of Theseus

Anand Gandhi's debut feature Ship of Theseus has been getting some stunning reviews since its world premier at TIFF a few months ago. The tantalizing and thought provoking trailers have only increased my desire to see the film. Although, I have a feeling I won't get to see the film until atleast mid-2013. Of course, I hope it gets wider distribution soon...

Trailer 1: 

Trailer 2: 

Trailer 3: 

Calgary Latin Wave Festival

The Third Annual Calgary Latin Wave Film Festival ran from Nov 2 - 4, 2012 and featured an excellent line-up of films. The following nine were shown this year:

The Delay (2012, Uruguay, Rodrigo Plá)
Distance (2011, Guatemala, Sergio Ramirez)
Gone Fishing (2012, Argentina, Carlos Sorin)
Habanastation (2011, Cuba, Ian Padrón)
Heleno (2011, Brazil, José Henrique Fonseca)
Juan of the Dead (2011, Cuba, Alejandro Brugués)
The Student (2011, Argentina, Santiago Mitre)
The Towrope (2012, Colombia, William Vega)
Violeta Went to Heaven (2011, Chile/Argentina/Brazil, Andrés Wood)

I had originally planned to see atleast six films but I could only make it out to four. Here are some brief comments on the films in order of preference.

1. Gone Fishing / Días de pesca

Marco (Alejandro Awada) heads to stunning Patagonia to find and patch-up with his daughter. With a little bit of work, he manages to find her but she is not in the mood to forgive him. The film doesn’t give anything away about his past but it is implied that his alcoholism and marriage break-up played a part in him not being there for his daughter when she was growing up. So naturally the daughter has scars that won’t heal overnight. Such a story could have gotten a completely different and more serious treatment in the hands of another director but Sorin smartly uses the visuals and pleasant score (composed by his son) to release any tension before it forms on the screen. When things are about to get serious Sorin ensures that the audience gets a nice reprieve either with a moment of humor or breathtaking beauty. Gone Fishing has a pleasant relaxed tone throughout even though there are some strained issues beneath the surface. However, those troubled issues never bubble to the surface but enough is depicted about the issues to allow audience to fill in their own version of events. Overall, Gone Fishing is a charming and thoughtful film that allows for plenty of contemplative moments.

 

2. Heleno

The name of Heleno de Freitas is not that well known in international soccer mostly because he didn’t play in a World Cup but also since his goals came in an era before television. But in his time, Heleno was a star who scored goals freely for his beloved Botafogo club. Those goals brought him fame, money, alcohol and women. Such a combination of temptations is never a healthy thing especially for a man whose career depended on being in top physical and mental shape. Also, Heleno had other characteristics, such as his ego, which also played a part in alienating him from those around him.

Jose Henrique Fonseca has created a devastating portrayal that perfectly depicts the self-destructive habits that led to Heleno de Freitas' decline. At times, it is painful to watch Heleno throw everything away but given his personality, his fall from grace was inevitable. Rodrigo Santoro has put in an incredible performance and plays the arrogant and fragile sides of Heleno perfectly. Also, a lot of credit goes to Angie Cepeda and Aline Moraes who light up with the screen with their presence. The music combined with the black and white visuals nicely evoke the 1940’s-50’s and enhance the mood of the film.

Heleno’s story also contains shades of Garrincha who was truly a great soccer player. Like Heleno, Garrincha also played for Botafogo. In fact, both played roughly the same amount of games for Botafogo, Heleno with 235 & Garrincha with 236. Both were stars in their own time but alcohol and women sped their decline. At the height of their powers, both players were rich but were completely broke near the end of their careers. The one difference between the two is that Garrincha played in 3 World Cups and won 2 while Heleno could never fulfill his dream of playing in the World cup.

 

3. The Student / El estudiante

Santiago Mitre, writer for Pablo Trapero’s Carancho and Lion’s Den, makes a stunning directorial debut with The Student, a razor-sharp film that examines core issues at the heart of politics: tactics, strategy, managing & manipulating people. Even though The Student is set in Argentina (University of Buenos Aires), it is universal in showing negotiations & backroom deals part of any political process. Mitre’s films also shares some sentiments with The Storm (Kazim Öz) & Haasil (Tigmanshu Dhulia) in depicting political fires lit in universities.

 

4. The Towrope / La Sirga

At first, the isolated house in La Sirga appears as a peaceful retreat far from the chaos of the cities. But as the film progresses, that isolation appears less as an escape but more as a trap. In this regard, Vega’s film like Crab Trap depicts how an isolated picturesque part of Colombia is not immune to strains of conflict taking place elsewhere.

 

CIFF 2012 Wrap-up

The 13th Annual Calgary International Film Festival featured a mouth watering line-up of films from all corners of the world and excelled in both quality and quantity. Continuing the trend from last year, CIFF had encores of most films and added extra screening slots making it more convenient than ever before to catch the films. CIFF scheduled two weekday matinee screenings (2-2:30 pm, 4-5 pm) in addition to the two traditional weekday evening shows and also had a midnight film for all 10 days. These extra time slots opened the door for a dedicated cinephile to take in more than 50 films and at the same time made it a lot easier to see 40 films than previous years. I mention 40 films because this was a goal for a lot of friends in the past but they always fell short, sometimes ending up at either 36 or 39 films. I briefly played with the idea of making it to 40 films this year but I remembered the painful aftermath of seeing 30 films over 10 days a few years ago. So, I instead opted for a comfortable target of 20 films which allowed me to enjoy all the films with enough time for socializing and discussing films with fellow cinephiles.

Here are the 20 films seen in order:

Wrong (2012, USA, Quentin Dupieux)
The Day I Saw Your Heart (2011, France, Jennifer Devoldère)
See Girl Run (2012, USA, Nate Meyer)
Fat Kid Rules The World (2012, USA, Matthew Lillard)
Amour (2012, Austria/France/Germany, Michael Haneke)
Rust and Bone (2012, France/Belgium, Jacques Audiard)
The Misfits (2011, Mexico, Javier Colinas/Marco Polo Constandse/Jorge Ramírez Suárez/Sergio Tovar Velarde)

Reality (2012, Italy/France, Matteo Garrone)
Holy Motors (2012, France/Germany, Leos Carax)
As Luck Would Have It (2011, Spain/France/USA, Álex de la Iglesia)
No (2012, Chile/France/USA, Pablo Larraín)
Rebelle (2012, Canada, Kim Nguyen)
Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011, Poland, Jerzy Hoffman)
Margarita (2012, Canada, Dominique Cardona/Laurie Colbert)

The World Before Her (2012, Canada, Nisha Pahuja)
Antiviral (2012, Canada/USA, Brandon Cronenberg)
I’m Flash (2012, Japan, Toshiaki Toyoda)
Mars et Avril (2012, Canada, Martin Villeneuve)
All In Good Time (2012, UK, Nigel Cole)
The Ambassador (2012, Denmark, Mads Brügger)

The relaxed schedule allowed me take something memorable from each of the 20 films and I am glad I was able to attend them. I hope to write longer about the films in the future but for now just some quick notes along with my top 5 films.

Top 5 Films in order of preference

1. Holy Motors: An incredibly wild and creative ride that effortlessly glides through all film genres. Leos Carax has managed to capture the essence of cinema from the silent era to contemporary times while playing homage to key genres throughout. This is pure cinema and proof for why films hold such sway over people.

2. The World Before Her: Back in 2001, I was lucky enough to see Nisha Pahuja’s debut documentary feature Bollywood Bound at CIFF. That lovely film proved Nisha to be a born filmmaker. And she has reaffirmed that with The World Before Her, a perfectly balanced and insightful film that examines two very different camps of thought in India. The two camps, beauty pageants & fundamentalism, contain the essence of issues that are both dividing and driving India. On one hand, western capitalist ideas are flowing through India while on the other hand, traditional religious and cultural values are trying to block the western tide. Nisha Pahuja examines these issues with an objective eye and treats her subjects respectfully thereby allowing them space to bare their souls. The end result is one of the best documentary films of the year, cleverly edited and infused with a refreshing soundtrack.

3. No: Pablo Larraín’s gripping account of the 1988 plebiscite that put an end to Pinochet’s dictatorship may be rooted in Chilean history but the political issues at the core of the film are relevant to any nation trying to break free from an oppressive regime. The film also wonderfully recreates the grainy video look of the 1980’s and surprizingly contains one of the most catchy songs of the year.

4. Reality: Matteo Garrone’s film starts with a mesmerizing wide shot of Naples which depicts the vast beauty of the city and proceeds to follow a few different characters and does not settle in on one particular person. This creates the illusion that the film plans to chart the lives of multiple people. However, that illusion is shattered when the camera sets its focus on Luciano (Aniello Arena) and shuts the rest of the world out. This microscopic examination of Luciano results in a devastating case study of a man who is so blinded by his quest for fame that he starts to lose grip on reality.

Luciano bears a close resemblance to a young Robert De Niro which coupled with the film’s topic echoes De Niro’s performance in The King of Comedy. However, Martin Scorsese’s film heads into darker territory while Garrone’s film maintains an air of fantasy about it due to a dreamy musical score combined with a few Felliniesque moments. Reality is not on the same wavelength as Gomorra but it is a remarkable film about society’s obsession with celebrities and how that can cause some individuals to throw their life away.

5. Rust and Bone: Matthias Schoenaerts plays a different shade of his tough character from Bullhead. In Bullhead, Schoenaerts is a physical force of nature but one who has trouble finding love because of a past which has scarred him for life. His character is still physically imposing in Rust and Bone but he has no trouble getting love and can pick up a woman at the drop of a hat. The Dardennes' style used by Jacques Audiard ensures that Schoenaerts and Cotillard’s characters are properly showcased thereby finding beauty in moments of brutality & pain. Also, the visual style is definite proof that Marion Cotillard is gorgeous without any make-up.

A few quick notes on some other films

I unfortunately missed the opening night gala for Midnight’s Children but thankfully I caught the Black Carpet & Closing Night Gala for two other creative Canadian films. The Black Carpet Gala, Antiviral, marked the fascinating debut of Brandon Cronenberg. The film looks at a not too distance future where society’s obsession with celebrity culture results in people lining up to buy meat grown from celebrity cells and happily injecting themselves with the same virus that a celebrity has. Given current addiction to anything celebrity related, such a scenario is not entirely unbelievable so full credit to Cronenberg for extrapolating the present in such a thoughtful film. Martin Villeneuve adapted his own graphic novels for the poetic and meditative Mars et Avril, CIFF's closing night gala film. The visually beautiful Mars et Avril proves that a sci-fi film can be made without any horror or mindless action scenes. Both Brandon and Martin come from famous Canadian cinematic families as Brandon is David Cronenberg’s son while Martin is Denis Villeneuve’s brother. However, both Brandon and Martin have successfully made their own mark with their debut feature films.

Amour: For the most part, a warm film infused with plenty of humour that is hard to recognize as a Michael Haneke feature. Therefore, Haneke has included a scene or two to jolt the audience to let them know that he is still pulling the strings lest someone get too comfortable with the film.

Wrong: Quentin Dupieux’s follow-up to Rubber is a delightful leap forward and is packed with plenty of witty absurd humor.

Rebelle: This powerful film was joint winner of the CIFF narrative audience award along with My Awkward Sexual Adventure. In the hands of another director, Rebelle could have resulted in a violent film but Nguyen has ensured that the camera is not fixated on blood but instead on the characters and their plight.

My earlier preview post mentioned some of the other stellar films at this year's festival including Found Memories, The Bright Day, Unfair World, Teddy Bear, Barbara and King Curling which are some of the best films of the year.

Overall, it was another vintage year even though I missed some worthy features. Still, I preferred to properly enjoy each film as opposed to running from cinema to cinema to see 3-4 films a day, something which I regularly did in past festival editions.

L'Age D'or

My review of Luis Buñuel’s L'Age D'or is published on Wonders in the Dark as part of their Top 100 Comedy Countdown.