Seth J.G. Goodkind's Top 10 For 2005:
A History of Violence (2005) – Who says Cronenberg lost his edge? I was skeptical about this film after seeing a few trailers, frankly it looked a little benign. So theres a guy who used to be a bad guy and his old buddies come looking for him? That and so much more my friends. This has all the earmarks of an exploitation movie, once we get into the well crafted, and terrifically acted plot, it cuts loose with a string of violence that would make a Scanner proud. This is a terrific movie all around, Cronenberg has NOT lost it, he’s just honed it.
Serpico (1973) – For me it’s always been a bit of a struggle to like Pacino, maybe it’s because he plays all those jerk characters, but I guess I always just preferred DeNiro. This flick is based on a true story about a well intentioned cop. He is an honest, not-corrupt, driven man in a system that is as rotten as an amphetamine bum’s teeth. As he works his way up through the ranks he incurs the hatred of his fellow cops who try countless methods of getting to him. He becomes increasingly jaded and at the same time resolute. It’s a good guy film I can really get behind, which is not common. I’ve always said the 70’s were the best years for American film. This just proves my point all over again.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) – I’m a big fan of religious horror, to me Catholicism and bloodshed go hand in hand. With some trepidation I watched this film in the theatre. What could possibly make it stand out against the films of the past, both classic and crap. (keep in mind I’ve also seen a great deal of Italian Exorcist knock offs) Heres how EoER does it. First, it’s a split between religio-horror and police procedural, a-la Law and Order. I’m a big fan, you got me, continue. Second, the underlying premise is terrific, this girl, Emily, knows that something is wrong with her, she is possessed, she’s fighting it tooth and nail, but it has her cold. That’s it. And finally, it manages to lay on a good sting of nasty creepy scares that do not in fact just skim off the old classics. That my friends is a good film, it’s a genre film, but it’s a damn good one.
The Constant Gardener (2005) – I can’t say a lot about this film that I’m sure hasn’t been repeated in the press. This is just plain and simple an engaging film with a conscience. Ralph Feinnes gets tangled in a web of political intrigue/industrial espionage when his activist wife gets murdered. Well acted, directed, edited, great cinematography, and it makes you want to do something when you leave the theatre.
Miyamoto Musashi, The Samurai Trilogy (1954-56) – Very few people I have spoken with have watched any samurai films, much less anything outside of the film class 7 Samurai or Rashomon. But let me tell you, those people are in film classes for a reason, they need to be told what to watch. For the discriminating viewer there is this epic trilogy. It has what I consider to be the best things in samurai cinema, in this case combined exceptionally skillfully by the cast and director. A long complex emotional story. Terse dialogue drenched with subtlety. Japanese melodrama. Fierce dramatic combat, and Toshiro Mifune.
Contamination (1980) - Luigi Cozzi in an interview said that he made the film after seeing the film Alien. He said he told his producer that he wanted the eggs and the exploding chests, in about that many words. What he got was so much more. The star, Ian McCullough of Zombie and Zombie Holocaust, is the perfect guy to give this gore-fest some respectability. He’s the dejected alcoholic ex astronaut, outcast by a society that doesn’t believe his stories about alien life on Mars. When some familiar looking eggs turn up on earth and start exploding some chests, he’s the perfect guy to help investigate. Better bring your umbrella buddy, it’s condition red, and we’re definitely expecting some rain.
Will Penny (1968) – A western starring Charlton Heston, one of my favorite old school macho actors. Heston is an aging cow hand with little to gain and less to lose. When the cattle reach the rail head, he sets off in search of other work and becomes a line rider in the remote north country. Along the way he takes under his wing an abandoned woman and her child who stay with him at the line riders cabin. Semi-predictably they fall in love, but what comes next is pretty tragic, and superbly acted by Heston who captures the mood perfectly. This is a western in the old style that dispenses with traditional uplifting saccharine in favor of bittersweet realism.
The Car (1977) – This is one of those awesome scare movies that could only be made in the 70’s. Starring James Brolin as a Sheriff in a remote New Mexico town where for no given reason, a huge car is terrorizing and killing the townspeople. There is a distinct sense of terror and panic building throughout the movie as every possible explanation and countermeasure falls flat. Even Brolin, stud that he is, can’t fight the Car. Although eventually of course they are able to do something, this film builds on suspense and surprise until the last minute climax. Some truly shocking sequences make it one of the better films of the mild-exploitation genre. Although it came 6 years later, this falls neatly in place beside Spielberg’s awesome early TV film The Duel. Have a sit down and watch Westworld, The Car and The Duel all in one day. You have my promise of a great time.
Fist of the White Lotus – This is to put it simply, the kung fu film I had always wanted to watch, before I knew there was Gordon Liu, Lo Lieh or white lotuses. I get aroused when I think of this film. There are few things better in the world of kung fu than beard flipping, invincible bad guys who besides making wholesale slaughter of their opponents look disturbingly off the cuff, spend the entire time laughing at their weakness and mocking them. If you see only one kung-fu film the rest of your life, I’m terribly sorry for you, but make sure it’s this one.
Der Untergang (Downfall) (2004) – Call me crazy, but I love history. And historical films, I think anyway, are ‘effin great. This is probably one of the best historical dramas ever filmed, it beautifully captures the personality of Hitler and his entourage in the last days of their reign. Bruno Ganz’s depiction of a delusional and ailing Hitler is simply one of the best portrayals I’ve ever seen, which says a lot because most portrayals count on the viewer not really knowing much about the actual person. I do know a decent amount about the 3rd Reich and Hitler, and so the fact that I still think it’s so damn good says a lot. The atmosphere of paranoia and claustrophobia, both real and psychological, is palpable. Although I would also recommend reading some books on the subject, this film is riveting and educational, a rare combination.
