Tuesday, January 02, 2007

In which I post a list with very little explanation

These would be my favorite films of the year. I saw 274 Seattle (or Vancouver) premieres this year, and uncounted older films. This is the cream of the new (to Seattle) crop. Films that didn't have a theatrical run are followed by the acronym for the festival I saw them at: the Seattle or Vancouver film festival, or the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. If it was seen at an independent movie house, the name or acronym for the place also follows the country listing. No, I don't know why I do that.
1. Sátántangó (Béla Tarr : Hungary ; NWFF)
2. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu : Romania)
3. Caché (Michael Haneke : France)
4. Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville : France)
5. Three Times (Hou Hsiao-Hsien : Taiwan ; NWFF)
6. L'Intrus (Claire Denis : France ; NWFF)
7. Still Life (Jia Zhangke : China ; VIFF)
8. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón : UK)
9. The Science of Sleep (Michel Gondry : France)
10. Mutual Appreciation (Andrew Bujalski : USA ; NWFF)
11. The Power of Nightmares (Adam Curtis : UK ; SIFF)
12. Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt : USA ; SIFF)
13. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul : Thailand ; VIFF)
14. A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater : USA)
15. Tertium non Datur (Lucian Pintilie : Romania ; SIFF)
---no one is talking about this film, but I think it's extraordinary. Not quite an hour long, one set, and you actually get to see the movie twice as it's rewound under the closing credits, as if to disprove the title. Very nasty, very funny.
16. L'Enfant (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne : Belgium)
17. Innocence (Lucile Hadzihalilovic : France ; NWFF)
18. The French Guy (Anne Marie Fleming : Canada ; Northwest Sightings)
---another one I've heard not a peep about. One of the darkest comedies ever, from a director who has made greatest short films of recent years. If it weren't for Mr. Lazarescu, it would also be the best medical satire of the year.
19. Iraq in Fragments (James Longley : USA)
20. Woman is the Future of Man (Hong Sang-Soo : Korea ; NWFF)
21. The Weeping Meadow (Theo Angelopoulos : Greece ; NWFF)
22. Hamaca Paraguaya (Paz Encina : Paraguay ; VIFF)
---No buzz on this, either, although it's still on the festival circuit, so that could be remedied soon. Comparisons to Beckett are probably appropriate, as there's nothing but waiting here, most of it in static long shots. The rare close-ups have significant power. Again, it's barely an hour long, and it's absolutely controlled.
23. The Century of the Self (Adam Curtis : UK ; SIFF)
24. Colossal Youth (Pedro Costa : Portugal ; VIFF)
25. Battle in Heaven (Carlos Reygadas : Mexico ; Grand Illusion)
26. La Moustache (Emmanuel Carrère : France ; The Big Picture)
27. Duck Season (Fernando Eimbcke : Mexico ; Varsity calendar)
28. My Dad is 100 Years Old (Guy Maddin : Canada ; SIFF)
29. Darwin's Nightmare (Hubert Sauper : Austria[?] ; NWFF)
30. Histoire(s) du Cinéma (Jean-Luc Godard : France ; NWFF)
31. Longing (Valeska Grisebach : Germany ; VIFF)
32. A Perfect Day (Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joriege : Lebanon ; SIFF)
---A brilliant, and totally ignored, film. No buzz at all at the Seattle festival (those that saw it generally greeted it with a shrug), and at that time it wasn't even listed on the imdb. I thought the narcoleptic hero, which sounds on paper far too symbolically telegraphed, was completely engaging. It also contained one of the most unusual acts of romantic obsession I've ever seen.
33. Ghosts (Christian Petzold : Germany ; SLGFF)
---Powerful minimalist drama, which played in the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (not noted for its rigorous selection criteria--not their fault, but generally any foreign gay-themed drama of any note has already been snapped up by SIFF) where it was met with sighs of displeasure. I think it was generally felt that it was a downer, and it is unusually bleak, but it ends at the perfect moment, and had greater staying power than anything they've shown within memory.
34. The Departed (Martin Scorsese : USA)
35. Honor de Cavalleria (Albert Serra : Spain ; VIFF)
36. Inside Man (Spike Lee : USA)
37. The Hidden Blade (Yoji Yamada : Japan ; Varsity calendar)
38. Cavite (Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon : The Philippines ; Varsity calendar)
39. My Country, My Country (Laura Poitras : USA ; Varsity calendar)
40. Tachigui : the Amazing Lives of the Fast Food Grifters (Mamoru Oshii : Japan ; VIFF)
41. The Host (Bong Joon-Ho : Korea ; VIFF)
42. The Queen (Stephen Frears : UK)
43. The Descent (Neil Marshall : UK)
44. The Page Turner (Denis Dercourt : France ; VIFF)
45. Lemming (Dominik Moll : France ; Varsity calendar)
46. The Proposition (John Hillcoat : Australia)
47. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (Chan-Wook Park : Korea)
48. Dave Chappelle's Block Party (Michel Gondry : USA)
49. Fantasma (Lisandro Alonso : Argentina ; VIFF)
50. Lunacy (Jan Svankmajer : Czech Republic ; NWFF)
51. Night Watch (Timur Bekmambetov : Russia)
52. Art School Confidential (Terry Zwigoff : USA)
53. Mongolian Ping Pong (Hao Ning : China ; Varsity calendar)
54. United 93 (Paul Greengrass : USA)
55. The New World (Terrence Malick : USA)