“Best of” lists are silly things as opinions are far too easily altered by mood and environment. I watch “High Fidelity” at least twice a year because at the time it was released, I felt this strong connection to John Cusack’s character and its funny and awesome. But I’d never compare it to “The Godfather”, which affects me in a completely different way, but which I neither own nor desire to watch anytime soon.
But lists are fun. So we make them. It’s a way for critics to connect with their audience.
So, instead of calling the following my “best of”, it will simply be a list of my favorite films and music of the past year (and decade). And there just happen to always be ten (or 12) of each.
10. "SUMMER HOURS" – If there is a common thread among some of the films on this list, it’s that maybe they document life’s profound imperfections and moments of silence. In “Summer Hours”, three adult siblings must reconnect with each other when their mother dies, forcing them to confront each other and the many flaws in their relationship.
9. "35 SHOTS OF RUM" – This delicately paced and quiet film tells the story of a man and his daughter struggling to deal with their present while cautiously planning for their future. Like these characters, this film demands your patience, but in the end you’ll be better off for the time spent.
8. "THE COVE" - If one image stands out from the many films released this year, it will be of the sight of marine mammal specialist Richard O’Barry forcing his way into an international whaling meeting with video images of animals being slaughtered attached to his chest. This moving film documents the efforts of a group of filmmakers and conservationists to expose the dolphin slaughter happening in the waters of Taijii, Japan. This film is not for the squeamish, but is a must-see.
7. "THE HANGOVER" – We all saw it. Hilarious. Looking forward to “Hangover: The Sequel”
6. "AVATAR" – Although the plot is a futuristic re-hash of “Dances With Wolves”, you still walk away from James Cameron’s latest epic knowing you’ve witnessed a film like you’ve never seen before.
5. "FOOD, INC" – It might have just been the subject matter, but this movie affected me more than any other documentary this year. Exposing the food industry as the heartless machine that it is, filmmaker Robert Kenner found a way to not only effectively dole out information in a thoughtful manner but he also provided a guide to making our world a better place to be.
4. "THE MESSENGER" – How Ben Foster and Owen Moverman are not getting Oscar buzz for this film is beyond me. Foster, portraying a soldier, just returned from Iraq, who is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification Service finds a way to be both emotionally fragile and physically resilient. It’s the best performance of the year. Moverman, a former Israeli paratrooper, directs this film with a subtle grace we don’t’ see enough of. He’s now my favorite active director.
3. "EVERLASTING MOMENTS" – Set in the early 1900s, a young working class woman wins a camera and with it the opportunity to view the world differently. Her husband becomes jealous of the freedom the camera affords her and she is forced to make decisions that will affect her and those around her. Directed by five-time Academy Award nominee Jan Troell, “Everlasting Moments” is that rare, perfect film that could go on forever.
2. "THE HURT LOCKER" – Anyone who claims they can empathize with someone who is living/has lived through war is lying. Unless you have been there you simply cannot relate. What makes “The Hurt Locker” one of the best war films ever is that the audience walks away with a fierce connection to the men and women who live lives most of us can’t, and don’t want to, dream of.
1. "BEACHES OF AGNES" – Agnes Varda has been directing films since 1955, and whether it’s fiction (“Cleo from 5 to 7”, “Happiness”) or documentary (“The Gleaners and I”), her vision is rarely matched. At 81 years old, she’s decided that she could no longer afford the price and physical effort it takes to continue making films. To say goodbye she’s left us with the “Beaches of Agnes”, which serves as a farewell to filmmaking and a document of her life, loves and the movies that enriched the artistic world. Though she’s still very much with us, attending to her garden and famous cat, we will miss her terribly.
My Favorite films of the decade in no particular order (yes this is silly, but everyone else is doing it, and I couldn’t reduce the list to fewer than 12)
"Gleaners and I"
"Hunger"
"4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"
"Old Joy"
"Let The Right One In"
"Traffic"
"Pan's Labyrinth"
"Bus 174"
"High Fidelity"
"Iraq in Fragments"
"Dogville"
"Into Great Silence"
My favorite records of 2010 (in order)
1. Antony and the Johnsons – "The Crying Light"
2. Micachu - "Jewellry"
3. Raekwon – "Only Built For Cuban Lynx II"
4. Sonic Youth – "The Eternal"
5. The xx - "xx"
6. Dirty Projectors – "Bitte Orca"
7. Animal Collective – "Merriweather Post Pavilion"
8. Leonard Cohen – "Live in London"
9. The Swell Season – "Strict Joy"
10. REM - "Live at Olympia"
My favorite records of the decade (in no particular order, and again, 12)
Radiohead - "Kid A"
Jay Z - "The Blueprint"
Fugazi - "The Argument"
MIA - "Arular"
Wilco - "Kicking Television"
Tom Waits - "Orphans"
TV on the Radio - "Return to Cookie Mountain"
Beck – "Sea Change"
Bjork – "Volta"
Arctic Monkeys – "Whatever People Say I Am…"
PJ Harvey – "Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea"
Outkast – "Stankonia"
Emmett
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