On Sunday, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced the ten best films of the year. The thirteen-person jury that deliberated and compiled the list wanted to pick out the very best Hollywood had to offer this year. The films chosen range from comedies to musicals, and dramas to animated flicks. The films are Borat, The Devil Wears Prada, Little Miss Sunshine, Dreamgirls, Happy Feet, Inside Man, United 93, Babel, Half Nelson, and Letters from Iwo Jima.
I am glad that United 93 and Borat were recognized. Both are achievements in very different ways. But even more so, I am glad that Little Miss Sunshine was not looked over; it is probably my favorite film of the year. It has the so much heart and doesn't sacrifice quality for mainstream humor. It really is a unique comedy, all centering around a beat-up yellow Volkswagon that has to be manually pushed up to twenty miles per hour. As a low-budget film, it could have easily been ignored.
I would be lying if I said I was not surprised by the fact that The Devil Wears Prada, Happy Feet, Inside Man, and Babel made the cut. These are hardly films that come to mind when I think of everything I want to see or have watched within the past 11 months or so. But then again, I can only speak for Inside Man because it is the only one that I saw. I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by the film and its cheap ending after all its hype. As for the other films (which I will simplify against my better judgement), a chick flick, a children's animated movie, and a wanna-be Oscar film, they are not associated with the word "memorable."
But by far the biggest surprise to me is the exculsion of The Departed. As an exceptional "cat and mouse" flick with brutal violence mixed within espionage, betrayal, and twists, this film is definitely Scorcese on his A-game. Personally, it goes right up there with Taxi Driver. When I see some of the films that made the list, I can't help but wonder why The Departed was left on the curb to freeze.
To each his own...I guess.
2 comments:
I agree with your comments about the movies represented in this year's list. I am sure you forgot to mention this other movie that had a great shock and awe affect: The Benchwarmers. Possibly one of best movies ever made, hands down.
I haven't seen any of those movies. I need to get a life! I did see the new James Bond movie, though, and think it deserves more consideration than the Devil Wears Prada, even though I didn't see the latter, I did watch the trailer, and decided I could wait for the DVD.
Casino Royale, on the other hand, was a tour de force (to borrow a cliche) with the powerfully, mesmerizing Daniel Craig as the new BLONDE James Bond. He's every girl's dream of an alpha male, with just the right mix of menace and charm, intelligence and street smarts, and powerful intensity and emotional detachment.
In recreating Bond, Daniel Craig, ironically, has restored the character as originally conceived by spy novelist Ian Flemming.
Although I liked Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, they never captured the "Bondness" of Bond. Sean Connery came close but it was difficult reconciling his own unique brand of magnetism with the fictional James Bond.
Daniel Craig IS James Bond. Maybe that's why the movie lacks all the trademark Bond props, including the high-tech gadgets and ridiculous chase scenes down mountain tops on skis. This actor needs no props, to convince us he's Bond.
The AFI should reconsider its list.
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