Another year, another list. What strikes me about this one are the extremes of mood -- if you were to watch these ten films in a row, you'd swing from Haneke's ominous gloom to Mottola's adolescent triumphs, from Julia's greed and grit to Avatar's soaring hights and back to the horrors of Antichrist. By the time you paired Bad Lieutenant with A Town Called Panic -- two films with their very own brand of mania -- you might feel a touch of whiplash. Proceed with caution.
1. The White Ribbon
Michael Haneke's mysterious and distrubing black-and-white portrait of a village in pre-World War I Germany won the Palme d'Or in Cannes. Peter Bradshaw has it exactly right: "This is a profoundly disquieting movie, superbly acted and directed. Its sinister riddle glitters more fiercely each time I watch it."
2. Adventureland
One Falco gag is generally enough to break into my top ten, so if you make "Amadeus" a running joke, you're pretty much guaranteed a top spot. Also, Greg Mottola's Adventureland is "a lovely and hilarious reminder that the bittersweet days at the tail end of youth are as potent a topic as ever." (My review.)
3. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Werner Herzog and Nicolas Cage go to New Orleans: "All the madcap drug binges and mysterious reptiles can't disguise the very real wounds suffered under these ominous, storm-swept skies." (My review.)
4. Avatar
No other movie this year pulled me back into the theater with such force to see it again. A stunning achievement, dazzling in scale and detail.
5. Julia
Erick Zonca's film, featuring an unbelievable performance by Tilda Swinton, is "a non-stop, disturbing, exhilarating, all-engrossing experience." (Marcy's review.)
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
"Candy." (Marcy's review.) Roald Dahl, stop-motion animation, and Wes Anderson are such a perfect fit that I had to reconsider every one of his movies, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which I liked much, much better after having seen Mr. Fox.
7. Antichrist
Lars von Trier's nightmarish vision is filled with chaos and pain, but it's every bit as complete, convincing, and compelling a world as Cameron's Pandora. Still glad I didn't see this one in IMAX 3D. Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Defoe. The trailer.
8. Ricky
"There is no way to write about Francois Ozon's Ricky without spoiling the shocking, wondrous surprise of it. If you have read my reviews and trust me, then read no further. Go see it. Go." (Marcy's review.) Just this much: it's about an exceptional baby.
9. A Town Called Panic
A madcap adventure from Belgium, told with crudely animated plastic figurines. More giddy fun than most people can handle in 75 minutes. Official Site.
10. Tony Manero
A wicked tale of oppression and disco fever in Pinochet's Chile, directed by Pablo Larrain: "By turns hilarious and harrowing, Tony Manero is full of shocking surprises and potent characterizations." My review.
