2:51 PM
Abeer Khan
- Let the Right One In
(Tomas Alfredson) - The best film of 2008, perhaps the best of the 00s. A
brilliant genre hybrid that works as a chilling horror film, a touching
adolescent romance, and an emotionally resonant coming-of-age tale.
- Hunger
(Steve McQueen) - Not so much a biopic of Bobby Sands (played by the
magnificent Michael Fassbender) as a harrowing depiction of the
political environment in which the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike took place
and the physical experiences of its participants. A perfect fusion of
form and content.
- The Skin I Live In
(Pedro Almodovar) - The best body horror film not made by David
Cronenberg. Serpentine, sexy, shocking. This subversive thriller easily
ranks among Almodovar's best work.
- Syndromes and a Century
(Apichatpong Weerasethakul) - An almost indescribable enigma of
shifting characters and time periods. An existential examination of
technological advancement, rural vs. urban life, and romance.
Undoubtedly a difficult (yet hypnotic) film that demands multiple
viewings to be fully appreciated. (Note: Released in 2006 in some
countries, but didn't make it to the US until 2007.)
- Zodiac (David Fincher) - The unsung masterpiece in Fincher's filmography. An All the President's Men for the 21st century.
- Still Walking
(Hirokazu Kore-eda) - Perhaps not quite on the level of Kore-eda's
Nobody Knows from 2004, this small-scaled family drama nevertheless
confirms Kore-eda as Yasujiro Ozu's successor. Precise, touching,
thematically universal.
- 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
(Cristian Mungiu) - A nerve-racking Romanian thriller about a young
woman trying to get an illegal abortion. Very much a minimalist piece of
filmmaking yet relentlessly captivating.
- The Damned United (Tom Hooper) - The film for which director Hooper should be known instead of the overpraised, Oscar-winning The King's Speech. A rich character study fueled by a scintillating Michael Sheen performance.
- Enter the Void
(Gaspar Noe) - Ever the provocateur, Noe delivers a film unlike
anything else you've ever seen as the viewer enters the POV of its dead
protagonist as his spirit travels over a neon-illuminated Tokyo. This is
singular, visionary filmmaking.
- Mysteries of Lisbon
(Raul Ruiz) - It takes a special kind of filmmaker to bring a 4.5-hour
period piece to life, and Ruiz is that person. Novelistic in its scope
and detail but fluid and visual in its execution. Sumptuous filmmaking
on a grand scale.
- Mother (Bong Joon-ho) - Mother knows best. Or does she?
- Take Shelter (Jeff Nichols) - The film M. Night Shyamalan wishes he could make.
- 500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb) - Arguably the Annie Hall for a new generation.
- Sugar (Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck) - The best baseball movie no one has seen.
- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul) - The weirdest ghost story ever.
- Attack the Block (Joe Cornish) - An exhilarating sci-fi action comedy.
- Shame (Steve McQueen) - Proof that the Oscars are bullshit: Fassbender didn't get a Best Actor nom for this performance. Absurd.
- Gomorrah (Matteo Garrone) - Goodfellas meets Amores Perros.
- We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lynne Ramsay) - A chilling, homegrown horror story.
- Mary and Max (Adam Elliot) - Claymation can be both depressing and heartwarming.
