From the Editor's Desk, Dec. 3: The Best Movie of the Year. Or Not.
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Oscar Watch, From the Editor's Desk, Cinematical Indie
I may have seen the best movie of 2006 on Friday. I mean there are plenty of caveats above and beyond the "may" in that first sentence: The best movie of 2006 in my opinion, of course, and frankly I want to watch the movie again on a big screen before I decide. Of course, the fact I want to watch it again is interesting. The fact that it has me cross-referencing and re-contemplating half the rest of the year's films, from United 93 to Pan's Labyrinth is also interesting. I'm not being coy by not naming the film -- I just, again, want to be sure. I mean, I was insanely fired up over the trailer for The Good German, and that didn't exactly work out. (More details about that on Wednesday, in my The Good German review. ) But if I've seen a trend in this year's films, it's that many of them are what for a lack of a better term I'll call fables -- evocative and heartfelt dream-like tales that are long on imagination and vision but short on rigorous story. Some of the more impressive films I saw all year were fables in that way -- Brick; Pan's Labyrinth; The Lives of Others; Lights in the Dusk and, yes, the film I saw on Friday -- they may not be coherent narratives (or, rather, they may not be conventionally coherent narratives) but something in them sticks to your heart and dreams and head in a rare way. The movie I saw on Friday is ugly, harsh and wrenching; there's something mutedly hopeful in it, like slow strings coming through harsh bass notes. Yet at the same time, as the credits roll, there's no guarantee those strings will be ultimately be heard instead of the blank silence of death. And that's what makes this time of year exciting for a film critic -- although, really, it's what happens every time the lights go down and you sit hopeful in the darkness: Maybe you'll see something worth talking about and re-assessing. Maybe you'll see something worth thinking about. Worth feeling for. What's the best movie you've seen all year? And seen any good fables lately?
J.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-04-2006 @ 10:08AM
Aaron said...
Little Miss Sunshine
Reply
12-04-2006 @ 12:13PM
shawn said...
Am I not reading right, or did you actually say what the best movie of the year is? What film did you see on Friday!
My pick right now is United 93
Reply
12-04-2006 @ 11:34AM
Francois said...
The Last King of Scotland
Reply
12-04-2006 @ 1:32PM
Paul said...
Four Eyed Monsters
Reply
12-04-2006 @ 12:24PM
James said...
Shawn -- no, I didn't name it: And I'm not being coy, I just want to be sure, you know?
Reply
12-04-2006 @ 3:12PM
mcgillicutty said...
Children of Men, perhaps?
It's definitely "ugly, harsh, and wrenching" yet "mutedly hopeful."
Reply
12-04-2006 @ 5:19PM
Pimpkie said...
Could this movie be "The Fountain"? (it’s been met with mixed reviews and the line has been drawn in the sand -- you either love it or hate it...I loved it!
My favourite (wide release) is “The Departed”. (One of the best films I had the opportunity to see this year was “Day, Night, Day, Night”)
Reply
12-05-2006 @ 9:10AM
Michael said...
Pimpkie, I too hope that James is referring to "The Fountain" but I have a sneaking suspicion he is not. I've been waiting patiently to see this film for the better part of a year and honestly I am not dissuaded by all the negative reviews. I find hope in that amazing love story. Call me a romantic but I hope that I love my wife as much as the lead in that wondrous fable so obviously does.
The core of "The Fountain" is that it is a love story above all. One of my other favorite movies that received much the same sort of reviews is "What Dreams May Come". Much was made of the film's take on Heaven and Hell and even reincarnation however I saw it for what it really was - an intense love story. What man would sacrifice eternity in Heaven for the love of his wife? Only one with a pure and true love would do so. "The Fountain" is also a story of such love. The rest is just window dressing.
Hopefully James will stop teasing us and reveal his choice for best film soon. I found it interesting that he did name a few other films that rank right up there including "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Brick". C'mon James, give us a clue what you saw last week!
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1-22-2007 @ 7:52PM
Larry McVey said...
The best film I've seen all year is indeed a fable. It is also a film that I haven't been able to shake 8 weeks after seeing it. Though when I first walked to my car after the film had ended I wasn't sure what to think. It worked on me, and worked on me, and finally I came to some very heavy analysis of what I had experienced after watching the film. That film is Todd Field's "Little Children." No film this year has had the power to stay with me the way this one has not "Babel" not "The Queen" not "The Departed" and certainly not "Little Miss Sunshine," I liked LMS for what it was, but then I liked "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" for what it was too.
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12-16-2006 @ 5:33PM
Timothy Wilken said...
Apocalypto! is the best movie I have seen this year. It speaks on many levels, and is one of the best actions rides of any year.
The subject matter is very violent, but we live in a very violent world. Just watch the nightly news. Read the reports about Danfur from Amnesty International. ... Gibson amazed me, made me think, and totally entertained me. I cared about his characters, and left thinking about the film every day since.
That's not a bad purchase for $9.00.
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