THE DAILY MOJO by Adam Daniel

It seems another year has passed where a lot of the best films I saw were movies I caught up with on DVD (quite a few from 2007!). I made a vow in my resolutions to try and make this year a more cinematic year, but for now here’s a rundown of my favourite film experiences in 2008:

10. Cloverfield

A total popcorn roller-coaster ride, but an enjoyable one thanks to the energy of the plot and the believable performances of the leads. The “let’s take a shortcut through the subway” scene was definitely one the scariest movie moment of the year for me. I also really loved the clever way in which producer JJ Abrams moved the story outside of the film itself, like he does with so many of his projects.

9. 2 Days In Paris

A film that snuck up on me; I assumed it would be acerbic and reasonably funny, but Julie Delpy’s witty script provided frequent laugh-out-loud moments and Adam Goldberg served as a perfect foil for her character’s care-free spirit. A naturalistic, hilariously real look at the head-scratching conundrums that love can present.

8. Iron Man

The film is as slick and glossy as Tony Stark’s invention, the flying suit which allows him to become the titular character, but Robert Downey Jnr.’s ability to humanise Stark is what made it great. Jon Favreau’s most ambitious film required a delicate balance of humour, drama and action, and he nailed all three. Taken with ‘The Dark Knight’, this was the year filmmakers discovered how crucial ‘realism’ is to the fanciful stories of comic book heroes.

7. Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead

A gritty gut-punch of a crime drama, Sidney Lumet’s film plunges you into the lives of two brothers, played engagingly by Ethan Hawke and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, whose lives are imploding. Their simple plan to turn it all around goes horribly wrong, and watching the downward spiral of their attempts to extricate themselves is as compelling and brutal as watching a car crash.

6. Gone Baby Gone

Ben Affleck’s assured, confident direction made this one of the most absorbing films of last year. The story of a private and police investigation into a child abduction soon becomes a more chilling tale of the abuse of power and the ethics of justice. With this and ‘The Assassination of Jesse James…’, Casey Affleck has made the leap to the next level, that of actors whose performances I won’t miss.

5. Eastern Promises

A 2007 film that I am disappointed I missed on cinema release. The taut and enthralling story that transports you into the unique world of London’s russian Mafia, and is effortlessly believable thanks to strong, measured performances from Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortenson. The best compliment I can pay to this film is that within five minutes I was fully engaged in the story and blissfully unaware I was watching a DVD. It also contains one of the most savage and memorable fight scenes in recent memory.

4. The Dark Knight

Director Christopher Nolan takes up where he left off with ‘Batman Begins’ and gives us a relevatory parable on the costs of fighting a battle against an enemy who is anarchy incarnate. Ledger’s performance as the Joker will go down in the annals as one of the most memorable screen villains of all time. The gritty and realistic cinematography made you believe in Gotham as a real place, as did the honest performances of the supporting cast. In my mind Nolan has taken Bryan Singer’s place as the director who can most perfectly balance action and character. The conclusion, as dark as the title suggests, was the most intriguing ‘to be continued’ in a saga since ‘The Empire Strikes Back’.

3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Only just scraped in to the best of 2008, with a viewing right before New Year. It’s taken its hits from critics due to its langorous pace and seemingly simplistic message, but transcending all this is the year’s best love story. Director David Fincher may not have any grandiose statements to make with this film, but he has delivered his most mature and emotive work. The brilliant CGI that allows the titular character to age in reverse is largely unnoticeable and therefore certainly the best effects work of the year. Pitt gives another subtle yet unforgettable performance and Cate Blanchett is at her most radiant.
For me, the film’s simple but profound message was this: all things end, and it only matters what you make of them in the moment.
(Sidenote: I hate the lazy “two faces” poster that they have used in Australia; the above poster with the clock is much more evocative and interesting).

2. Michael Clayton

Another one I missed in 2007. I love legal dramas, I love character pieces, and I love George Clooney (perhaps in a “more-than-a-heterosexual man should” way); put all three of these together, add in Tony Gilroy’s excellent directorial debut, superb supporting performances from Tom Wilkinson and Tilda Swinton and some deceptively great cinematography and you have a film that would definitely have contended for best of 2007. Gilroy ratchets the tension with a master’s touch and his skillful denouement provided one of the year’s most satisfying conclusions to a film.

1. There Will Be Blood

I was already firmly in the ‘PTA is a genius’ club before seeing this movie, and TWBB has affirmed that belief. Paul Thomas Anderson’s most mature and compelling film, TWBB is at a simplistic level a movie about an oil man’s clash with a religious fundamentalist in his pursuit of wealth. But below its surface there is so much more; the clash of capitalism vs. religion, the nature of good and evil, and a well-deserved Best Actor performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, perhaps the most fascinating sociopath ever put to film.
Every aspect of the production of this film was pitch perfect; Robert Elswit’s breathtaking cinematography, the eerie sound design, the dust hued production design and costuming.
God I wish PTA was a more ambitious director in terms of volume of output – every one of his films stands up to multiple repeat viewings. A masterwork by a talented, audacious filmmaker.

Notable Mentions:

The 7-UP series
Not technically a single film, but watching 42 years worth of this documentary series over several weeks was one of the most enjoyable movie watching experiences of my life. A brilliant concept superbly executed.

The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Excellent performances, amazing photography. Almost cracked the list.

Juno
Solid, enjoyable, well-written film. Diablo Cody’s characters may not be naturalistic, but she has a distinct and interesting voice as a writer. Not worthy of a best film nomination, but a good film nonetheless.

4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
The most frightening non-horror movie of the year.

Rogue
Big crocodile vs. humans. Good times.

Tropic Thunder
Funny but didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
Another one that almost made the list. Challenging, affecting, and ultimately life affirming.

Worst Films:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
See here for the best explanation of what Lucas and Spielberg did to Indy.

West
Wow. Turns out some young guys in Sydney’s outer west drink too much, get into drugs, screw chicks and fight each other. What a revelation. This was I think the only film I turned off without getting to the end this year. I want to support Aussie film more than anyone, but I still want to see a story, not just a string of boring ‘gritty’ scenes.

Southland Tales
Richard Kelly eviscerates all his ‘Darko’ good will with one major stinker of a movie. I’m all for ambition, but at least give us a story that has something resembling a plot. Just a total cluster F.

High Probability to make next years Top 10:
Synecdoche, New York
Wall-E
Slumdog Millionaire
The Wrestler
Wendy and Lucy
Man On Wire
Gran Turino
Che
Frost/Nixon
Let The Right One In
Hunger
The Visitor
W.
Milk
Burn After Reading
Revolutionary Road