D_Davis' Top Ten For 2006
1. Slither - There is not much more I can say about James Gunn's film that I haven't already said. Seeing it was by far the most fun I had at the theatre all year - a great complement to be sure. The film is smart, funny, well acted and directed, and offers up a ton of great ideas - none of which are original in the slightest bit. Slither is one huge homage after another, but it is also a film that is far more than the mere sum of its parts. It is gooey, slimy, gross and just damn entertaining.
2. Inside Man - I was hoping Spike Lee would deliver a totally killer noir-like caper with this - and he did. He also worked outside of his normal area of expertise, and dove head first, deep into a genre ghetto full of hardboiled characters and noir-conventions. Denzel Washington is always good, and in this film he is stunning - a more charismatic actor you would be hard pressed to find. The man just oozes style. And speaking of style, Lee's direction here is top notch. He keeps the narrative plowing along, and fully expects the audience to keep up and pay attention. There is no pandering involved, and attention must be paid from the get go.
The only weak link in the chain is Jody Foster's character - the power broker. While I enjoyed her performance, I never go the sense that she was actually needed. However, everything, and everyone, else in the film is remarkable - from the subtle yet poignant commentary on race-relations, to the deadpan humor, to the action, the sets, and the acting. The filmmakers nailed it, and also offered up one of the best video game satires ever seen.
3. A Scanner Darkly - Although ASD is not a "great" film, it is the best adaptation of a Philip K. Dick book ever made - period. As a huge Dickhead, I could not have asked for more. Linklater picked the best bits and pieces of Dick's mind-altering narrative, and delivered a film brimming with phildickian paranoia and themes of isolation. However, Linklater also unearthed something that most directors miss when adapting Dick - the jester's amazing sense of pitch-black humor and amazing dialog. Their are moments in the book that are drop dead hilarious, and I was more than happy to see these sequences in the film - especially the gonzo, drugged-out discussion of how many gears a twelve-speed bike should have - brilliant.
The choice to animated this film was a stroke of genius, and the technical aspects of the film captured Dick's near-future world of fear and surveillance perfectly. I thought the ending lacked the impact from the novel, but this is a minor complaint. Also, Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal as Barris is, bar none, the best performance I saw all year - perfect in every way.
4. Fearless - Take Ronny Yu, one of my favorite HK directors, and mix in Yuen Wo Ping's choreography, and Jet Li's martial skill, with a narrative that dives deep into what it means to be a martial artist, and you have one killer flick. The action in this film is brutal and violent, and Li's turn as the historical kung fu hero/troubled young man is wonderful - he captures the angst perfectly. The film also has many surprising moments of quietness and tranquility - it is not simply packed with action, there is something more bubbling away here.
The film feels epic, but it is not over-long, and even through the quiet parts, it never feels boring. Fearless represents a glorious return to HK goodness for Yu, and a great turning point for Jet Li's career - as he is getting older, he wants to do more serious "acting" and show the world the spiritual side of martial arts, and in Fearless he does this, and much more.
5. Block Party - Block Party made me feel damn good. Really damn good. I smiled the entire time - both on the inside and on the outside. This is a feel good picture without being cheesy or schmaltzy - it made me long for a season when all men and woman will be able to be united, and just be cool with each other. And what better way to bring people together than with music? Creating music is the closest thing humankind can do to attaining an almost complete state of spiritual well-being on this earth, and it is too bad that many musicians choose to squander this ability by creating music that destroys the soul, and does not uplift humanity. The music in Block Party is spiritual, positive, and skillfully written and performed. Even though this may be a "mere" concert film - it delivers a most profound and uplifting message, and I had a dang good time watching it.
6. Death Trance - Where the heck did this awesome flick come from? Why aren't there more films like this? This kick ass action film was made for only $15 million. Superman Returns cost $300 million. Do the math. Death Trance rocks from the get go, and delivers more moments of total coolness than a dozen similar films. It's got ninjas, break dance fighting, tong fa-handguns, shotgun swords, magic, kung fu, comedy, rocket launchers, motorcycles, flying, a Goddess of Destruction, blood, telekinesis, horror, and oh so much more. All in a film that is only 90-minutes long. And it never stops to explain ANYTHING - a dang good thing. It keeps moving, and moving, and keeps on offering up one killer sequence after another - as soon as the awesome on screen registers in your brain, the film is on to something else, something just as, or more, awesome.
7. United 93 - I cannot recall a film that left me as emotionally drained as this. Not even Oldboy. After watching United 93, I felt like I had been punched in the gut and kicked in the face, my clothes were sweaty, and I actually felt a bit weak. Greengrass did a wonderful job here at presenting the film without manipulation, and without unnecessarily tugging at heart strings with over bearing musical cues or dramatizations. The film didn't feel directed, it felt like it was captured - and this is a very, very good thing. I see this film as a cinematic tribute to all the men and woman who died and who helped our nation rise above the tragedy of 9/11. It is like a moving, auditory, Vietnam Memorial, except on 9/11, the innocents never knew they were even at war.
8. SPL - Brevity and clarity are great things. I like films that are not over complex, I like films that say "this is what you're getting, better like it!" SPL is like a study in concise thematic language. It is not long, it does not feel the need to befuddle the narrative with lame twists or overly complex characterizations, and it does not pretend to be about anything more than it is. It is a police drama, dealing with the theme of fatherhood and brotherhood, and offers up a couple amazing fight sequences. Wilson Yip's direction here is amazing, he captures the ebb and flow of the narrative perfectly, and he also gets great dramatic roles out of his actors. To see Sammo Hung as a bad ass villain is cool enough, but then we also get to see him face off with Donny Yen, in a fight for the ages. Also, new comer Jacky Wu proves that he is the one to watch from Hong Kong right now. Some have said that SPL is bringing HK cinema back to its roots, but I say it is pushing forward and laying a new foundation to build upon.
9. Clerks II - Clerks II was funny, really damn funny. But most of all, it was touching. It actually moved me. I am no fan of Kevin Smith, and I find his dialog to be juvenile, and his reliance on cussing and sex-talk to be really lazy, and, worst of all, I think his juvenile style gets in the way of the stories he is telling. The one thing Smith does excel at is presenting realistic male friendships -and I totally appreciate him for this. The relationship between Randal and Dante in Clerks II is amazing - one of the most realistic and touching portrayals of male friendship I have ever seen. I may have forgotten a bunch of the jokes and funny quips by now, but I will never forget the look on Randal's and Dante's face when they realize that they need each other - it was a great moment at the movies for me.
10. The Devil and Daniel Johnston - I've said it before, but I'll say it again - I still don't see the genius in Mr. Johnston, and it is a good thing he surrounded himself with such loving and caring people. The people around Daniel Johnston are the true heroes of his story, and this documentary captures this with remarkable clarity. Sure, Mr. Johnston can write some pretty killer songs and tunes, don't get me wrong, I just think a lot of the fan-worship attributed to him should, in fact, be directed at his parents and manager. The film itself is pretty good, and it is put together with a ton of audio and video footage of Daniel. I do feel that there is entirely too much time spent talking about how great Daniel i, and comparing him to Dylan or Brian Wilson is just irresponsible fandom speaking. However, the documentary also presents the warts, and does not try to cover up some of the more disturbing portions of Johnston's life.
