We’re in the middle of the LOTR years now, so you know The Two Towers is gonna be high on the top 10 list this year, probably number 1 right? It’s got one of the greatest battles in cinematic history, Helm’s Deep that’s over 30 minutes long and has between 5 and 10 WOW! moments. Only something truly transcendent could top a movie like that. Is such a film out there? Read on an find out!
Like Eminem, Matt Damon did a little flexing in this film. Damon’s excellent as the assassin with memory loss, taking the terrific premise he’s given and delivering on the drama and action in equal measure.
Michael Moore’s shtick is at its best here, in his study of gun culture in the US, specifically after the Columbine High School shooting. While entertaining us with his antics, Moore also gets us riled up at all the insane double standards and fear driven capitalism of the movement.
When Danny Boyle directs something, he usually makes it fresh and interesting. Take this movie for instance. Zombie movies were previously slow moving, playing as an allegory of modern society. Boyle’s zombies run quickly and devour quicker. As a result, Boyle shifts the movie’s themes to more modern ones that befit the current culture, creating a terrifying modern horror movie without losing any of the potent social commentary.
This is good Scorcese, not great Scorcese. That usually means it’s better than most offerings out there anyways. This one is a period piece of Civil War Era New York City, and the various gangs/politicans that run it. Daniel Day-Lewis wins again with his complex, captivating portrayal of Bill the Butcher.
Cultural specificity wins the day with this charmer. Nia Vardolos, a Greek woman from Chicago, wrote this romcom about her relationship with a non Greek man and the sitcom-like clashes with her family. Vardolos and John Corbett are great, but so is the well cast rest of the family, toting Windex and a smorgasbord of meat with them.
Gaspar Noe always swings for the fences. Sometimes what he produces is gratuitous and despicable. Sometimes, like this one, he finds something. In this case, by telling the tale in reverse, he shows how one vile despicable act can destroy someone’s perfect existence. NOT for the faint of heart, but the movie’s irreversible, and unforgettable.
A bunch of wrongs make something incredibly right here. Adrien Brody directed by Roman Polanski in a movie about the Holocaust has a lot of baggage, but man, a story about a Jew desperately evading capture by the Germans in Warsaw during WWII leads to some truly unforgettable sequences and emotionally wrenching moments about the simple struggle to exist.
Zhang Yimou is the king of the Chinese martial arts epic. In this one an emperor seeking to unite China is approached by Jet Li’s nameless warrior claiming to have killed his 3 biggest enemies. The martial arts are stunning, the imagery is poetic and beautiful, and the story is told in a manner that makes you take it seriously while being entertained at the same time.
Runner Up! That’s still great. This movie is an epic build taking the splintering fellowship and following their journey. The forward momentum of the film pushes us to the Battle of Helm’s Deep, to date one of the 5 or so best battles I’ve ever seen committed to film. Plus, Andy Serkis wins his lifetime achievement Oscar playing the first great CGI character committed to film.
All it took was the best sci fi movie of all time to beat LOTR. Yes, you heard me. Steven Spielberg’s take on Philip Dick’s famous story is perfect. It has stunning action sequences and futuristic visuals. The plot is twisty and consistently compelling. The cast is uniformly excellent, led by a never better Tom Cruise. And the themes are ubiquitous and prescient all at once.
