Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family. Can't believe it's nearly 2010! I remember as a child thinking that by the year 2010 we'd all be flying to other planets in spaceships. Disappointing, I guess, but at least we got a great movie this year called "Avatar" that allowed us to virtually visit an alien world. So while reality may refuse me the opportunity to fly to another world, an artist's imagination brought to reality through film can allow me to experience something I've been dreaming of ever since I was a child.
I guess that's good enough of a segue into part 2 of my list of top films of the decade...
#39: District 9
Non-hostile aliens get stranded in South Africa and are treated with prejudice, locked away in camps, segregated from society and abused in a scenario intentionally reminiscent of Apartheid. After decades of films in which aliens are the enemy, we get two interesting films this year in which humans are the villains in an alien struggle.
#38: No Country for Old Men
Kind of depressing film about old school law ill-equipped to deal with a new brand of criminal. Depressing but also thought-provoking, and incredibly well-acted, especially the role of one of the most disturbing and evil villains ever put on film.
#37: The Last Samurai
Yes, Dances with Wolves did it, and more recently Avatar... A film in which a person begins to see things from the perspective of those who were formerly the enemy and switches sides. But there's a reason this kind of story has been done in some form or another so many times, and this is done really well. A very emotional story with some amazing action and battle choreography.
#36: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and Prince Caspian
The Narnia movies aren't anywhere near on the level of the Lord of the Rings films, but I thought they were wonderful movies that were faithful to the spirit of Lewis' books if not the letter. The amazing musical score, the excellent effects, and the well-played characters of Lucy, Mr. Tumnus and the White Witch are special highlights for me.
#35: Ratatouille
My third favorite Pixar film of the decade. Very funny, great love story, and it actually made me want to learn more about cooking, something I've traditionally hated.
#34: Cloverfield
A monster attacks New York City and the action is filmed from the perspective of a camcorder. I'm a sucker for these handheld camera type movies and this one's done especially well. Very humorous but also thrilling and terrifying, leaving a lot to the imagination which I always find much scarier.
#33: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
I found the first two Harry Potter movies quite dull... Not bad, per se, just not very interesting, exciting or magical. But I've thoroughly enjoyed all of them since the third movie. This one is my second favorite. I've never read the books, and I've heard it makes a lot of changes, but as a movie it's really fantastic. It's just a tightly made film that has a level of emotional gravitas and suspense that the other Potter films just can't quite match.
#32: Kingdom of Heaven (Extended Cut)
It may not be very historically accurate, but a great movie in its own right. One of my favorite aspects is the way it delineates a clear difference between empty religion and genuine faith, and just how rampant the former has been for much of our history. See the extended cut only, because the theatrical cut is a mangled version produced by studio interference that doesn't reflect the movie that Ridley Scott was trying to make.
#31: Napoleon Dynamite
The little movie that became a phenomenon. This film is a joke that you either get or you don't. First time I saw it, I didn't get it... the second time, it clicked and now it's one of my favorite comedies of all time. I do think that if you've never spent time in the mid-west, a lot of the humor will be lost on you, though.
Well, that's all for today. The next 10 will be up in a day or two!
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