So many movies

It is readily apparent from previous posts that I really like movies. I think we are in a remarkable period of filmmaking based only on the idea that I feel like there are waaay more movies I want to see than it is even remotely possible to see. Critics are apparently feeling the same way as no one seems to be able to do any kind of "best of" list that can be managed. Speaking of lists, it seemed like a good time to play a little catchup. I've seen a bunch of movies during my time away from this space, so why not make a list? This was interesting for me as it underlined how, without any kind of parameters or categories, hard it is to curate such a massive list. But that becomes a parameter of its own: the ones that stuck out, without any particular rhyme or reason as to why. There is certainly some commonality in their selection, but also randomness. Some of these are unheralded gems, others critically acclaimed or box office smashes so won't be surprises. I did group them by year - I had to have some way of reminding myself what I had seen and loved beside just my own faulty memory - but beyond that it is just me likey. A caveat:  all criticism boils down in the end to opinion, and mine is no more informed than many others. I know just enough about cinema to know that I don't know shit. But I know what I like - and after some thousands of movies, a fascination with their creation and a semi-serious attempt at understanding them - am starting to know why. Which just makes me want to see more! Did I mention I really like movies?

2013

The Way Way Back - Charming and fun but with surprising heft, featuring the always great Sam Rockwell, this coming-of-age is lovely.

Under the Skin - Jonathan Glazer (who also did the insanely good Sexy Beast) directs Scarlett Johansson in one of the most fucked-up movies I've seen in a long time, in the best possible way. My wife and daughter came home during the last five minutes of this movie and I made them leave me alone while I sat on the edge of the couch basically freaking out. Unreal and amazing with some outlandish techniques, it blew my mind. If you know what it means, let me know

Locke - A one man film with an astounding Tom Hardy (I think one of the very best working right now) talking on his car phone for 80 minutes, it is more theatre than film while using film to great advantage. If you like it look up how they shot it. Wow.

Fruitvale Station - Speaking of astounding, Michael B. Jordan gives a tour de force in this small, heartbreaking and amazing film. Not for nothing Jordan and the director, Ryan Coogler, reunited for Creed and the upcoming Black Panther. I am going to pat myself on the back for remarking that Jordan was a rockstar and one to watch back in 2009, even though others spotted him as a teen phenom in The Wire. This move is a must-see.

Others: Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club

2014 - I apparently didn't work as hard to get out the mainstream this year as many of my faves were big and popular. Slacker. In any event . . .

Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson meets Thomas Pynchon - what can you do? Make a twisted but compelling movie that kind of sticks to your feet as you leave the theatre. Sharp Joaquin Phoenix and unexpected Josh Brolin.

Snowpiercer - A wonderful entrant in the new golden age of science fiction filmmaking, this movie has such visual impact it can be easy to miss a great premise, taut script and tidy performances. Very cool. Haven't gotten to director Joon-ho Bong's Okja yet but am desperate to.

Whiplash - This got so much buzz, and an Oscar for the great J.K. Simmons, that it is no surprise here but I had to include it because it had such a profound effect on me. As an educator this film disturbs and provokes me, but I tend to love that. It also, maybe unfortunately, is on the "Great Movies You Only See Once Because They're Too Hard To Watch" list.

Big Hero 6 - I know, Best Animated Feature, who the hell am I, etc. See disclaimer above. I just freakin' LOVED this movie and think it is one of the better non-Pixar efforts from The Mouse in quite a while. And hilarious!

Others: Birdman, Guardians, Interstellar and Imitation Game

2015 

Sicario - This film is just loaded. Denis Villeneuve directs a Taylor Sheridan script with Josh Brolin and Emily Blunt doing work. Add one of my very favorite actors in one of those small-but-huge roles - Benicio Del Toro as Alejandro - and you get a tight, tight film with great punch and nice moral ambiguity. Yum.

Ex Machina - Hooray for more sci-fi, this one is by turns simple and obscure, subtle and broad, silly and psycho, but always beautiful and ultimately very satisfying. This one is fun to talk about after - lots of room for "but, but . . .".

Creed - Honestly probably would have bothered if not for Jordan and Coogler. Kinda done, ya know? But yay! Injected with new life and a weirdly - as it was so predictable - satisfying turn of story, I enjoyed the hell out of this flick. And what the hell, Sly?! I've always admired him as a great self-made and -aware success story, but I didn't expect to admire and enjoy a performance so much.

Mad Max: Fury Road - This was probably my favorite movie of the year. I ranted about tis movie to anyone who would listen for weeks, did an offensive amount of finger-wagging and I-told-you-soing when it got its best Picture nom, and still insist on its inclusion on any list of greatest action films - ever. Things that blew my mind:  the vast majority of the action in the film is practical! (apparently when George Miller found out what was now possible with mounted camera rigs - I'm told they took him out in the desert and blew his mind - he re-worked the whole script); the level of madness and mayhem produced without resorting to digital fakery is off the bloody charts and at times defies belief; the choreography of the action - and the great Max v. Furiosa fight scene - is so insane it should overwhelming but is somehow not thanks to extraordinary editing (apparently they distilled over a thousand hours of action footage); it is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, the palette at once minimalist and shocking; and the push and pull of the pace and tempo is masterful. And then here are the performances. Charlize Theron demands attention, somehow having motivation without backstory, and electrifies with her presence and physicality. Hardy (see above) does more with less than any performance I've seen in a long time. Max obviously has a well-established history, but Hardy gets him to another place with almost no dialogue and a degree of subtlety that stands in contrast to the setting and arc of the film. But for me the standout is Nicholas Hoult as Nux. Different and powerful, his performance is manic but meaningful, terrifying and tender. It is so good it is easy to miss. Hmm. I. Loved. This. Movie. Can you tell?

Others: Straight Outta Compton, Ant-Man, Martian

2016

Kubo and the Two Strings - This film moved me in many ways, driven by a great story that doesn't follow predictable patterns and some interesting and lovable characters. It is sweet and sad, but more than anything is just stunningly, achingly beautiful. Some of the frames are Fantasia-level gorgeous and it is evocative without being derivative, no mean feat.

The Nice Guys - Shane Black has been cranking out big scripts for a long time - he wrote Lethal Weapon 30 years ago for heaven's sake - but I think this one stands out and since he directed as well, props to Mr. Black. Dark but hysterical (comic-noir?) is a tough tightrope, but this movie walks it deftly, sometimes blatantly - pairing Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling is surprising only until you see it - and sometimes very sneakily. I laughed out loud repeatedly and found myself way more invested than I ever would have anticipated.

Rogue One - Some kind of commentary on all that has happened with the beloved-if-not-always-venerated Star Wars franchise is probably forthcoming so I won't get too nuts here, but I will say that this is hands down my favorite since the original trilogy. To say this movie is audacious is to say nothing. You're going to essentially do Episode 3.5, expand the original canon but with all new characters and not offend all the madly annoying and rabid purists? Good luck. But it worked! And was fun and funny, thrilling, and most shocking, even original. Serving the diehards and working as a legit standalone, it is quite an achievement. And yay for scif-fi! Huge spoiler alert, but this reaction to the ending rivals the ending itself.

Hell or High Water - Another wonderfully taut script, thanks again Taylor Sheridan, this movie unfolds with such restraint, even grace, that as much as I loved on first viewing it took additional looks to truly appreciate. The so-called "neo-western" so seldom actually works (it is usually either not actually a western or just an already-done western set contemporarily) I find it very gratifying when it does. And this film does, sometimes in ways that are even hard to accept, with moments that you kind of want to dismiss as hackneyed or obvious or too on  the nose, but just can't because they are just so damned, bloody good! It is also meticulously performed. We've see Jeff Bridges do this before, but honestly, who cares? If you think Chris Pine is just a pretty movie star, think again. And Ben Foster damn near steals the movie from them both. 

Others: Arrival, LaLa Land, Deadpool, Zootopia. Lots of movies I am very excited to see from 2016 but haven't yet.

Boy, did this one get away from. So much for shorter posts . . . so many movies!!!