Seth Goodkind's Top Ten For 2007
Children of Men - I personally believe this is the most important film of our generation. A powerful indictment of the capitalist, neo-fascist nation state which I believe our culture is becoming. It's the phantom of a worst-case scenario which intends to shock the audience out of their consumer catatonia.
Panther Squad - Panther squad makes sense is a sort of severe cerebral trauma kind of way. There is a linear plot, but all the elements from acting, to sound, to editing that make it up are brazenly terrible. It's just amazing to me that enough money can be brought to bear to create such a remarkable 90 minutes of total ineptitude.
Revenge of the Ninja - Ninjas are pretty cool I'll admit, but there are certain catches. Any attempt to maintain historical accuracy is definitely out, and generous hyperbole is a must. Revenge of the Ninja was that very one two punch of dispensation and inflation. Covered in blood and shurikens to the face it breathes potent invigorating life into the term "Ninjasploitation".
Apocalypto - As a self-proclaimed history nerd with an interest in cultural anthropology it should come as no surprise that I like this film. It suffers from moments of sheer incredible stupidity and it's creators bigoted politics, but it's an otherwise amazing spectacle of a decadent culture in decline.
Mermaid in a Manhole - Splatter is the name of the game in the Japanese Guinea Pig series of which Mermaid is the best. What they lack in gloss they make up for in sheer maniacal creativity and bloodshed. In Mermaid a painter uses the fluid from a decaying mermaid to paint her portrait while much footage is devoted to close-up shots of pus, gore, worm infested sores, oozing, dead babies and dismemberment. Splat.
Death Game - Two young girls stuck in a storm ask an older guy for help and proceed to seduce and destroy him. A surprise because the mistreatment unleashed on the poor guy is really quite vicious and the women who mete it out are startlingly adept and twisted manipulators. Every moment was a surprising revelation of psychoses.
Firewalker - Honestly, this is not really a great movie. It's more than just tolerable though, and can be fairly amusing at times. Since I spent the first 5 or 6 months of this year watching every single Chuck Norris film, I felt it was necessary to include the best one. Chuck isn't a macho right-wing asshole in Firewalker, and that's a breath of slightly fresher air. In Firewalker, he teams up with Lou Gossett Jr. for some Indiana Jones derivative antics of previously mentioned amusement and damn if he doesn't come across as cuddly.
The Host - Even though I've watched plenty of Godzilla and Gamera films, I've never been super excited by Kaiju movies and I thought The Host was just another giant monster, so frankly I didn't pursue it. Well, it is, but in a very different context. Essentially toxic chemicals create a big mutant that likes to eat people. It grabs a little girl, and her family has to find her. A complex mix of social commentary, monster horror and dysfunctional family dynamics, The Host is not perfectly assembled, but it comes damn close.
Eaten Alive - I cheated. I saw this movie about 5 years ago. I was drunk and remember only that I was very disappointed. A re-viewing blew my mind. Packed with heavy wet atmospheric creeps, multiple dysfunctional characters visit Judd's rotting hotel in the bayou. If Judd doesn't chop them up himself, his giant voracious crocodile will take care of the stragglers. Demented and cloying, Eaten Alive soaks in through your pores.
The Corporation - A documentary that details the rise of the corporation, from its inception in the mid 19th century to the multinational corporate conglomerates which now dominate global culture. The Corporation draws parallels between capitalism, advertising and consumerism with the concentration of resources and wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the rest of humanity. If you don't think you're a participant, or that it doesn't affect you, this documentary will put it into perspective and make you think hard and long.
