Like Anna Karina's Sweater

Bad Parenting, Dust, and Musical Numbers: The Best of 2007

Back in August, after seeing Suberbad in fact (a film I thoroughly enjoyed), I was having a discussion with friends about what a lousy film year it had been, full of disappointments (Exterminating Angels, Grindhouse) and outright garbage (Smokin' Aces). Sure, there were the films I had seen in 2006 that were finally getting released (The Host, Syndromes and a Century, Bamako, etc.), but there was nothing new that even came close to wowing me. That all changed in the past few months. In fact, I saw the top three films on my list in a span of only two days. (I've seen all three multiple times, just to be sure.) As has been noted elsewhere, it was quite a masculine year at the movies. The three films that can, in some regards, be classified as Westerns contain only traces of female characters. David Fincher's epic procedural Zodiac, which follows one man's hunt of another, finds women only on the periphery (or as victims). Even Romance and Cigarettes, which features an impressive female cast, is ultimately a study in castration anxiety. Sadly, only two titles on my list feature strong female performances, but what performances they are! Had Once made my top ten, and it nearly did (it sits at number eleven), I would have had a trio of musicals on my top ten. I never managed to catch Across the Universe, though from what I've read I doubt it was top ten material. Two lists follow – the top ten distributed films of 2007, followed by my undistributed list. In reverse order: Day Night Day Night (Julia Loktev, US) One of the few films I saw early in the year that simply stuck with me, owing mostly to newcomer Luisa Williams' haunting performance. Made my top ten more for what it doesn't reveal, which makes it all the more powerful. No Country For Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen, US) Gotta hand it to the Coen's for taking Cormac McCarthy's weakest novel and turning it into a genre minor-masterpiece. Zodiac (David Fincher, US) Like discovering a lost gem from the 70s. One of the few films this year that I actually wish was longer. Killer Of Sheep (Charles Burnett, USA) After years of crappy bootlegs, what a treat it was to see this masterwork of American independent cinema receive a proper release. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand) Though I saw this back in 2006, the film's final five minutes is reason enough for its inclusion here. Margot at the Wedding (Noah Baumbach, USA) Ninety-one minutes of family members being horrible to one another. What isn't there to love? I just can't decide if Margot or Daniel Plainview should walk away with parent of the year award. Romance and Cigarettes (John Turturro, USA) When I wrote about this film back in January, I never imagined it would receive a theatrical release. Bravo to Turturro for taking the chance on self-distribution and rescuing it from straight-to-video hell. Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton, US/UK) The greatest musical of all time becomes even darker in the hands of a director who does macabre so damn well. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, USA) This elegiac tone poem is essentially a love story masked in a bit of historic fiction. A film I honestly didn't even think I'd like – it was by far the year's biggest surprise. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, USA) "I hate most people. There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I've built up my hatreds over the years little by little. I see the worst in people. I don't need to look past seeing them to get all I need. I want to earn enough money so I can get away from everyone. I can't keep doing this on my own, with these... people." For my undistributed top-ten, I followed the rules of the IndieWire Critics Poll (in which I participated) which doesn't allow films that have found distribution. This means that I Served the King of England, one of my true favorites of 2007, is not present. Expect to be hearing a lot more about that film in 2008. In reverse order: Taxidermia (György Pálfi, Hungary) The Tracey Fragments (Bruce McDonald, Canada) Yella (Christian Petzold, Germany) Angel (François Ozon, UK) Bog of Beasts (Claudio Assis, Brazil) Ad Lib Night (Lee Yoon-ki, Korea) Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong, Korea) Madonnas (Maria Speth, Germany) The Old Garden (Im Sang-soo, Korea) In the City of Sylvia (José Luis Guerín, Spain)

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 14, Week 12

Has it really been twenty years? It certainly doesn't feel that way. To think that Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire) dates back to the time when Germany was still two countries is sort of mind boggling. It seems like only yesterday I was sitting slack-jawed in the theater, amazed at what was unfolding in front of me. It still hasn't lost its power after all these years. Congrats to all that guessed it. I don't know about the rest of you, but Christmas this year took just about everything out of me. It's just past midnight on the 26th, and I would like nothing more than to crawl into a cave and hibernate for the next two months. With a stack of DVDs, of course.... Well, we're at the end of Round 14, and for the final quiz I decided to use a somewhat obscure figure. I read somewhere that this bearded fellow once directed a few films, though I understand they're long forgotten. Best known as spokesman for a second-rate wine, he also graced the silver screen during the 70s in some choice roles, including his legendary performance as Unicron in Transformers: The Movie. Here he is in another unforgettable role from a film that defined a generation. Name it. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck, and be sure to check back next week for the winners!

There Will Be Blood: Sketches, Fragments, and Other Half-Baked Ideas

I'll admit it – I've become obsessed with Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood, easily the best film of the year. It's been burning inside my brain for weeks now, and I've spent countless hours dissecting Anderson's stylistic, thematic and directorial nuances, for I believe this to be that rarest of things – a perfect film. There isn't a wrong note, or single unnecessary moment, shot, or line of dialogue throughout. I've made several attempts at writing a proper review of the film, but just couldn't come up with anything sufficiently cohesive (or coherent, for that matter.) Though I've seen the film twice already, and have had some wonderful discussions with several other fans of the film, there are a handful of disparate threads regarding influences, allusions and allegories that I've not been able to tie-up. Rather than remain silent, I've decided to post some of these miscellaneous thoughts in the hopes of encouraging discussion. What follows are notes I've jotted down at various moments, thoughts that occurred to me while in the shower, or connections I thought of on the subway. I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments, even if it is to tell me I'm completely insane about any of this. I'm treating this as a work in progress, and I may add or remove sections over the next few days. [Note: Spoilers follow!] BUSH / POLITICAL ALLEGORY One question that's been nagging me is whether or not Anderson is consciously engaging in a bit of political allegory. With a film about an oil tycoon set at the intersection of industry and religion ("When ambition meets faith" is the film's official tagline), it's hard not to think of both Bush 41 and 43. Like Plainview and son H.W. (as in Herbert Walker, or mere coincidence?), the Bush father-son team also made their millions in the oil industry, and control of the precious liquid has resulted in actions that mirror Plainview's, but on a much larger, global scale. What almost convinces me of a political agenda is Anderson's inclusion of There is Power in the Blood, the Protestant hymn which George W. Bush stealthily quoted in his 2003 State of the Union Address, a wink and a nod to his fundamentalist base. Bush's line, "there's power, wonder-working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people" is an unquestionable twist on the hymn's repeated refrain, "There is power, power, wonder-working power/In the precious blood of the lamb." At the same time, however, There Will Be Blood speaks of the triumph of business over religion, which is certainly contradictory to the current state of affairs in Bush's America, where the two have become increasingly intertwined. When Plainview first speaks to the people of Little Boston, he employs standard political rhetoric ("the children are the future") and then unsurprisingly fails to follow through on his promises. After successfully obtaining the land from the pious Sunday (natch) family and cheating them out of a fortune, Plainview becomes something of an authority figure over the community, having power such that he can put an end to the beatings that patriarch Abel Sunday inflicts on his youngest daughter Mary for not praying enough – the first of his triumphs over faith, which will continue for years until he announces "I'm finished" after snuffing out the final vestige. But what are we to make of this ultimate triumph, nearly twenty years in the making? Anderson doesn't play favorites – there's equal corruption on both sides, and neither Daniel nor Eli are particularly worthy of our sympathy. Daniel's contempt for Eli's church is palpable, but he'll play the game, which includes public humiliation, in order to achieve his goals. Eli will in turn do the same thing. Is the final confrontation simply one man versus another, or do they represent something greater? Eli is a charlatan, and a self-confessed sinner. Is Daniel's destruction of the false prophet merely fulfillment of biblical prophecy? And where's the political allegory in this? (Sigh.) KUBRICK Anderson has always worn his influences on his sleeve, and just as Boogie Nights owes a debt to Scorsese, and Magnolia to Altman, I'm convinced that There Will Be Blood is his ode to Kubrick, and in particular 2001: A Space Odyssey (and to a lesser extent, The Shining). Thematically the two films couldn't be more different, yet there are Kubrickian elements throughout. Let's begin with the simple. MUSIC There are traces of Penderecki and Ligeti (two composers whose work can be found in several Kubrick films) in Jonny Greenwood's magnificent score. Compare Ligeti's pre-credit opening sequence from 2001 with Greenwood's track, Henry Plainview. Ligeti - Overture-Atmospheres Jonny Greenwood - Henry Plainview STRUCTURE Like 2001, TWBB is broken up into distinct, inter-titled sections which indicate leaps in time. Both films open with lengthy sequences that play out without a single line of dialog – 2001's The Dawn of Man, TWBB's 1898 – and both end with a discovery that results in advancement. The mysterious monolith in 2001 leads the apes the discovery of tools (which will ultimately lead man to space), while Daniel Plainview's accidental discovery of oil advances him from battered creature in a hole to successful oilman. (Yet as we later learn, a suit and wads of cash makes him no less a monster.) TONE/THEME Like many of Kubrick's later films, TWBB is filled with a sense of imminent dread, and fear. It's an extremely tense film, yet a slow burn, like The Shining. Societal alienation, a staple in Kubrick's work, is also at the forefront here. SHOTS (Unfortunately, I don't have a screener of TWBB, so I can't properly illustrate as I'd like.) The final sequence in TWBB is the only one not set on the plains, in a wooden shack, or in a hole in the ground, and the difference is as severe as the post-Jupiter scenes in 2001. There are two establishing shots of Plainview's mansion:

The first is vaguely reminiscent of the grand lobby of The Overlook hotel in The Shining. The second, of a bowling alley, calls to mind the room that Dave Bowman finds himself in after the Jupiter sequence. Speaking of that scene...

...here we find Dave Bowman who, like Plainview, is now an old man, alone in what appears to be a stately home. True, his meal is a bit more dignified than a steak on a bowling lane, but the similarities are interesting. Then there's the final scene of There Will Be Blood, which takes us right back to the opening of 2001:

Daniel Plainview dealing with his adversary.

A reminder once again that the title of this post does refer to half-baked ideas. Please feel free to contribute your thoughts below, or the number of a good psychiatric hospital.

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 14, Week 11

As several of you noted, though there's nothing wrong with Uma Thurman, there's really only one Ulla, and that's Lee Meredith. That's her in yellow, Max Bialystock's "toy" about to go to "work" in Mel Brook's comic masterpiece, The Producers. The film was a staple on Channel 9 (WWOR) in the 70s, and I'm pretty sure I caught every airing. (Ah the days before VHS...) A question for fans of Ms. Meredith -- how many of you remember this commercial, in which she appeared with Mickey Spillane? Certainly takes me back... Just a few more shopping days until what's-his-name's birthday, and as usual I'm far from prepared. Between end-of-year polls, last-minute issues surrounding the Quiet City/Dance Party, USA DVD, various holiday parties, and obsessing over There Will Be Blood, there's been little time for anything else. It's going to be busy the next few days...ugh. This week, a film with so many potential shots for a quiz, it was hard to choose just one. Easy? Hard? I'm not so sure. Name the film. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck, and have a very happy holiday!

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 14, Week 10

A childhood favorite, but now....not so much. The face behind Life magazine is that of Major Toht, a Nazi who will meet a most unfortunate ending in Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Though Ronald Lacey played the part of the Lorre-esque nemesis, a regular reader emailed to say that the eyes are in fact those of Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren. Any Spielberg scholars care to comment? I'm spending a great deal of time this week catching up on 2007 releases I missed earlier in the year. So far, only The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has been something of a revelation, with Michael Clayton, The Savages, and The Brave One being fair at best. At the moment, it looks like a good chunk of my annual top-ten will be dominated by Westerns and Musicals. Go figure. This week, an easy one before the final two of the round. Name the film. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!

Holiday for Misanthropy

Just in time for the holiday season, when many people are tossing around the old "Peace on earth, good will toward men" chestnut, comes not one but two cinematic misanthropes to put coal in your stocking and to lay waste to tidings of comfort and joy. Both Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd and Paul Thomas Anderson's (yes) masterpiece There Will Be Blood are built around protagonists who harbor an unquestionable disdain for their fellow man. These are no lightweight run-of-the-mill haters, but rather echt misanthropes that would make Vonnegut, Kafka, or Jean-Paul Sartre proud. For Sweeney Todd and Daniel Plainview, hell truly is other people. Originally seeking vengeance only on those who wronged him, Sondheim's demon barber of Fleet Street who speaks of "a hole in the world like a great black pit / and it's filled with people who are filled with shit," soon becomes convinced that all relationships are carnivorous in nature, and that death to everybody is the only solution. There will be blood, indeed. In There Will Be Blood, oil tycoon Daniel Plainview doesn't necessarily wish to kill his fellow man, he just wants nothing to do with him. "I hate most people. There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I've built up my hatreds over the years little by little. I see the worst in people." What drives him forward is a dream of becoming wealthy enough to get away from everyone – to essentially buy his isolation. (I'll have much more to say about the film later in the week.) Though we've seen other dark films released around Christmas in recent years (eg. Caché, Children of Men), I can't recall a single film (let alone two) that has at its core an irascible spleen-venter with a genuine hatred of mankind as Todd or Plainview. That both films are outstanding (There Will be Blood is the film of the year) puts a huge smile on this part-time misanthrope's face. I drink your milkshake!

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 14, Week 9

As many of you were quick to remind me, I did indeed use What Time is it There? in a past round. At least I didn't use the same shot. . . Congrats to those who got it -- it was a tough one. I saw a screening of Sweeney Todd last night. That much Paramount Pictures has allowed me to share with you. However, I signed a blood oath that prevents me from telling you that it is not only a brilliant adaptation and a near-perfect musical, but is easily one of the ten best films of the year. So, I won't tell you that. Ok? This week: I promised a reader that I'd go for something less highbrow this week, so here's something in a more populist vein. Who is that shifty-looking character hiding behind Life? Name the film. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!