1. Love & Friendship
2. Paterson
3. Fences
4. The Founder
5. Hacksaw Ridge
Honorable Mention: Doctor Strange
All of these films are not only my favorite from the year, but I believe that each of these represents the best work these respective directors (all of whom I find interesting and worth following) have done in their careers.
Top tens are pretty silly. We all know that. But I've found myself resisting them more the past couple of years.
These five (maybe six) films are the ones from 2016 that I want to re-visit. Maybe it's telling that I haven't re-watched any of them yet (I did fall asleep to partial re-views of The Founder and Doctor Strange).
I'm planning on re-watching Rogue One because I just read a good essay on it which made me re-consider it somewhat (and honestly, we all know that I'm a sucker for this childhood pop franchise that won't let me grow up). But it wasn't and isn't a favorite from the year.
There were a lot of good movies in 2016, including some trashy stuff and some art stuff. I was entertained more in 2016 than I was this year or the year before it. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe not. I'm content with my current discontent.
The thing is that I don't care about the rest of the films from 2016. I don't want to re-watch them. I don't feel like discussing them. Was Nocturnal Animals better than Finding Dory better than The Purge:Election Year? How do I rank them? Why would I? I don't know. I don't care. I saw 53+ films from the year and I can only think of 3 (after looking at a list--otherwise I wouldn't have remembered them at all) that I feel were a complete waste of time: Star Trek Beyond, Neon Demon, and Tarzan, for the record. I couldn't force myself to pay attention to either of the first two and the latter has the distinction of being the only film to make me fall asleep in the middle of the morning.
I guess I'd re-watch any of the films from the year if it meant an opportunity to discuss aspects of them with you guys. But it's been a long time since we've all been "in sync" with our viewing habits. It's been at least as long since we've all committed to faithfully engaging with one another here about films.
I'm actually talking myself into an interest in a renewed attempt at a CR5FC "movie of the month" club. I'd be up for it if you guys are.
Thursday, December 28, 2017
2015
2015, Ten,
Five Groups of Two
1. The Force Awakens
2. Entertainment
3. Results
4. Irrational Man
5. Knight of Cups
6. Hateful 8
7. High-Rise
8. Stinking Heaven
9. Ex Machina
10. Crimson Peak
You all know how I feel about The Force Awakens. It succeeded in awakening the child in me. It *entertained* me. Which is why it feels right to pair it with Entertainment, the film that captured my own despair in regards to art and culture. Entertainment apes the forms of the arthouse, making it clear that the cheap and easy entertianments of the masses is not its easy target. It is just as much if not more so a statement against the empty gestures of a spiritually dead aestheticism.
I still love Results, but its faults are starting to wear through for me. Each re-watch, I see a little more clearly how it conforms to our culture of death in little ways. Its center is still an affirmation of love and life, but there are creakings at the seams. Irrational Man, on the other hand, has risen in my memory's estimation. I really do need to re-watch it. Woody Allen is at his most self-critical here, but critics dismiss this one because it features crime and philosophy instead of smarmy sex talk and social silliness.
Knight of Cups and Hateful 8 are two films that I respect and want to love, but don't love. Malick and Tarantino are both Masters, but I'm not sure that I want to follow either one. Malick is too serious, trying to escape it all. Tarantino is too smug in his commitment to wallowing in the trash.
High-Rise and Stinking Heaven both explore what it means to live together. I've forgotten most of what I liked about either one and find myself not caring to defend them now. My Top Ten ends at 6. Or maybe even at 4. The Top 4 are the only ones I would re-watch right now, this very minute.
Ex Machina and Crimson Peak get the end of the list nod because I find myself still impressed with the visual storytelling in each. Even if I had problems with both of them, they both featured compelling worlds fully realized.
Five Groups of Two
1. The Force Awakens
2. Entertainment
3. Results
4. Irrational Man
5. Knight of Cups
6. Hateful 8
7. High-Rise
8. Stinking Heaven
9. Ex Machina
10. Crimson Peak
You all know how I feel about The Force Awakens. It succeeded in awakening the child in me. It *entertained* me. Which is why it feels right to pair it with Entertainment, the film that captured my own despair in regards to art and culture. Entertainment apes the forms of the arthouse, making it clear that the cheap and easy entertianments of the masses is not its easy target. It is just as much if not more so a statement against the empty gestures of a spiritually dead aestheticism.
I still love Results, but its faults are starting to wear through for me. Each re-watch, I see a little more clearly how it conforms to our culture of death in little ways. Its center is still an affirmation of love and life, but there are creakings at the seams. Irrational Man, on the other hand, has risen in my memory's estimation. I really do need to re-watch it. Woody Allen is at his most self-critical here, but critics dismiss this one because it features crime and philosophy instead of smarmy sex talk and social silliness.
Knight of Cups and Hateful 8 are two films that I respect and want to love, but don't love. Malick and Tarantino are both Masters, but I'm not sure that I want to follow either one. Malick is too serious, trying to escape it all. Tarantino is too smug in his commitment to wallowing in the trash.
High-Rise and Stinking Heaven both explore what it means to live together. I've forgotten most of what I liked about either one and find myself not caring to defend them now. My Top Ten ends at 6. Or maybe even at 4. The Top 4 are the only ones I would re-watch right now, this very minute.
Ex Machina and Crimson Peak get the end of the list nod because I find myself still impressed with the visual storytelling in each. Even if I had problems with both of them, they both featured compelling worlds fully realized.
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