13) Invictus

Invictus (2009)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Adjoa Andoh

Having been elected as South Africa's first black president, Nelson Mandella understands that if his country is to move forward black revenge must be put aside in favour of racial cooperation, and he sees the Springboks upcoming tilt at the 1995 Rugby World Cup as the perfect opportunity to unify post-apartheid South Africa.

I love Clint Eastwood as a director. He's a critical darling at the moment, a favourite of the Academy and can hardly put a foot wrong. Since the early 2000s he has had an amazing streak of back to back quality films: Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters to Iwo Jima, Changeling, Gran Torino which earning him three Best Director nominations and three Best Picture nominations, with Million Dollar Baby winning both gongs. With the Oscar nominations coming out tomorrow, and the Best Picture field being increased to ten nominees it wouldn't be surprising if Invictus added to his list of nominations.

Morgan Freeman was hand picked a number of years ago as the man Nelson Mandela would like to see play him on screen. It was an obvious choice. Freeman is the only actor with the gravitas to play such an admired and respected figure. And he does not disappoint. Freeman's South African accent is decent, but more importantly he gets the unique pacing of Mandela's speech pattern right. He subtly transforms himself physically, managing to stand, walk and move like Mandela. His characterisation is supported by a wonderful collection of shirts which just scream Mandela. With the exception of a perfectly cast Matt Damon (is there anyone in Hollywood who looks more like a South African rugby player than Matt Damon?) the rest of the cast is nothing to write home about. The other rugby players in particular are a bit stilted. But 90% of the screen time goes to Freeman and Damon anyway so it is not really an issue.

Freeman had been trying for a number of years to bring a film version of Mandela's autobiography A Long Walk to Freedom to the screen but there was simply too much there. When he came across John Carlin's novel Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation, Freeman became the driving force in bringing the film that would become Invictus to the screen. It is a beautiful scenario for a film, using this single amazing episode as a basis upon which to explore the amazing person that is Nelson Mandela. Where a biopic of Mandela would just have too much ground to cover over a period of too many years, Invictus lets this particular episode in his presidency be representative of the whole, summing up everything that made him such a remarkable and inspiring leader for South Africa.

Invictus is a very good film, but it is not one of Eastwood's best. It is very uplifting and inspirational and will make you believe in the unifying power of sport, but doesn't have the depth and power of Letters to Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby or Mystic River. It is also a bit simplistic in how it deals with the problem of the racial turmoil in post-apartheid South Africa (the films triumphant ending gives a sense of 'happily ever after' which is definitely not the case). This film will get Oscar nominations, including probably a Best Picture nod, but I honestly can't see it winning the big one.

12) Collateral

Collateral (2004)

Director: Michael Mann

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem


Part two of Channel 7's Sunday night movie double was Michael Mann's Collateral. I'd seen this movie a couple of times before and have loved it and was actually thinking of watching it again (I'd recently lent the DVD to my brother which jogged my memory).

Jamie Foxx plays LA taxi driver Max, who one night unsuspectingly picks up hired killer Vincent (Tom Cruise) who offers him $600 to be his driver for the night. When Max soon discovers the true purpose of the visits Vincent is making he finds himself not just a chauffeur but also a hostage and unwitting accomplice. When Max discovers that the last name on Vincent's hit list is attorney Annie (Jada Pinkett-Smith), a passenger from earlier in the evening who Max established an instant repore with, he has to work out a way of stopping Vincent.

This is a brilliant premise for a thriller. Mann has a thing for thrillers based around two central characters circling each other (Pacino/De Niro in Heat, Pacino/Crowe in The Insider, Depp/Bale in Public Enemies), and this time he has managed to get them in uncomfortably close proximity to each other, in the same car. Collateral is what I like to call a 'situation based thriller' (I don't know if a real term exists for what I'm about to explain but I think 'situation based thriller works). Unlike most thrillers where the interest and the suspense comes from the unravelling of an intricate plot which takes place over an extended period of time, complete with unseen twists and turns, in this case the interest comes solely from the immediate situation the two characters find themselves in. Collateral is more about the 'what' than the 'why'. For the majority of the film the viewer is not asking themselves why Vincent is killing these people, his motivation is irrelevant. Rather the suspense comes from how Max is going to deal with his immediate situation, finding himself the unwitting accomplice to a series of murders. Other 'situation based thrillers' I can think of off the top of my head are Joel Schumacher's Phone Booth (how is Colin Farrell going to get out of the phone booth without getting shot?) and Jan de Bont's Speed (how is Keanu Reeves going to get everyone off the bus without it blowing up?), but of the three examples Collateral is definitely the most sophisticated scenario.

Collateral came in the real golden year for Jamie Foxx, with his Best Supporting Actor nomination for this film being trumped by his Best Actor win for Ray, but it is Cruise's performance which interested me more. The decision to cast Tom Cruise as the hit-man Vincent was a great piece of against-type casting. The fact that audiences are so used to seeing Cruise play heroic roles brings all the more shock value to his merciless killings in Collateral. The best piece of against-type casting I can think of was Denzel Washington in Training Day for which he won the Best Actor Oscar. Playing a corrupt policeman, because it was Denzel Washington the audiences were just waiting for him to turn good and redeem himself (much like he does in the somewhat disappointing end to American Gangster) but he never does.

Collateral is a sharp, suspenseful thriller and generally a fantastic film. It is among Michael Mann's best films, alongside Heat and The Insider, and a case could be made for it sitting at the top of the pile.

11) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Director: Chris Columbus

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Tim Curry, Rob Schneider

Sat down in front of the TV to eat dinner tonight and Channel 7 had a Sunday night movie double starting with Home Alone 2. I’m not quite sure why they had it on given that technically it is a Christmas movie and the season for Christmas movies finished a couple of weeks ago, but I thought why not, I’ll give it a look.

If you haven’t seen it, Home Alone tells the story of Kevin McCallister, a young boy accidentally left home alone when his family goes on holidays. Through a series of ingenious booby-traps Kevin defends his home from a pair of burglars. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is pretty much the same film, except this time Kevin has managed to get on the wrong flight and land in New York on his own and rather than protecting his own home he is protecting the money being collected for a children’s charity at Duncan’s Toy Chest.

There isn’t a lot to say about this movie, but I will say this; watching this film again a few years down the track (almost 20 years, wow) you really do gain an appreciation for what a special talent Macaulay Culkin was. I say was like he is dead, he’s not, but puberty pretty much destroyed his career. There have been plenty of prominent child actors since who have been far superior actors, people like Haley Joel Osment, Dakota Fanning, Abigail Breslin, but where Culkin stood out is that he was a genuine star. None of the child actors we’ve seen since have had the same X-factor that he had. Not only did he have a certain type of charisma which enabled him to carry a movie, he had an onscreen persona which he carried from film to film (he was the same kind of wise cracking kid in Uncle Buck and Getting Even with Dad). The closest thing we’ve seen to Culkin is probably the Olsen twins or Miley Cyrus, both of whom established their careers in television before attempting a movie career.

10) Milk

Milk (2008)

Director: Gus Van Sant

Starring: Sean Penn, James Franco, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, Alison Pill


Based on actual events, Milk tells the inspiring story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to major public office, and his quest to inspire hope for equal rights.

The film was really beautifully structured. Having Harvey tell his own story (through the device of recording a cassette to be listened to in the event that he is assassinated) allows for an extra level of insight into his thoughts and emotions as the events unfold. Dustin Lance Black won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his work on Milk.

The performances from the cast were tremendous. Brolin's Oscar nomination was well deserved for his awkwardly insecure portrayal of conservative Supervisor Dan White. Hirsch and particularly Franco provided great supporting performances. But this was the Sean Penn show. He cemented his place as one of the greatest actors of his generation with this role. I was a bit surprised when Mickey Rourke didn’t win the Best Actor Oscar last year for his role in The Wrestler, but having now seen both films I’m content that as brilliant as Rourke’s performance was, Sean Penn’s performance as Harvey Milk was inspired.

It was so refreshing to watch a biopic and actually respect the main character. Too often you go to see a biopic on someone you quite liked only to see them get the “sad-clown / tragic-story-behind...” treatment and you come out of it thinking they’re a massive jerk (prime example being The Life and Death of Peter Sellers). Obviously this film had an entirely different purpose and motive in how it presented Harvey Milk, it wanted to send a pro-gay rights message and thus aimed to present him as a hero, but nonetheless it was still nice to like him.

I did, unfairly, find myself thinking why on earth did they introduce that ghastly character Jack (Diego Luna). He was frightfully annoying and I have no idea what Harvey saw in him. But then given that it is based on a true story I guess he can’t really be blamed on the writers. The fact that he was actually a real person made me feel slightly guilty for being a little bit relieved when he dies.

Wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the best films I see this year. It was simply brilliant.

9) Easy Rider

Easy Rider (1969)

Director: Dennis Hopper

Starring: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson


Kate decided that she’d like to watch Easy Rider, to see what all the fuss was about, so I thought I’d sit down and rewatch it with her.

After smuggling cocaine into LA from Mexico, Wyatt (nicknamed ‘Captain America’) and Billy ride their motorcycles from California to New Orleans so as to celebrate their new found fortune at Mardi Gras.

The completely left-field success of this film (it grossed $US19 million after being shot for a budget of less than half a million dollars) shook Hollywood. Easy Rider’s success was attributed to the fact that it spoke to Americas counter-cultural youth, a demographic previously ignored by Hollywood. The film’s tagline, “A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it anywhere...” echoed the sentiment of a youth disillusioned with their government and the establishment. The executives in charge of the major studios didn’t really understand the film’s success but wanted to replicate it, so started employing young filmmakers and giving them previously unheard of levels of creative freedom to make low-budget films targeting the youth audience. It was this youth policy that opened the doors for the next generation of filmmakers to enter Hollywood. Among the filmmakers to get their start in the aftermath of Easy Rider were Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma.

Also worth noting is that it was Easy Rider which really made a star of Jack Nicholson. His role, George Hanson, is not a huge part, but he’s the most likable character in the film and Nicholson really makes him jump off the screen. In his time on screen Nicholson demonstrates a star power and screen presence which Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper don’t possess.

Easy Rider is a really key film in terms of the period of film history that I am looking at for my thesis, but I must confess that I don’t particularly like it. I can appreciate why it was so significant at the time and I can appreciate why it was so influential, but I just don’t think it’s a brilliant film. It isn’t seeking to be a narrative film as such, rather a drug fuelled exploration of the American psyche, but the pacing of events is a bit inconsistent with some scenes seeming to take an eternity and others flying by. It’s not a particularly well shot film and the editing is quite jarring (if anyone can explain to me the logic behind the flashing/blinking cuts between scenes it would be much appreciated). It spoke to a particular generation at a particular time, and if you have an understanding of that context you will find it an interesting film to watch. If you don’t have an understanding of that context, you really won’t see what all the fuss is about.

8) Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Director: Wes Anderson

Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson


For my first outing to the cinemas this year I decided to see Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. It had been one that Kate and I (and my brother Lachlan) were keen to see and looked to be quickly coming to the end of its run so we thought we’d better get in before it was too late.

Based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl, Fantastic Mr. Fox tells the story of Mr. Fox’s effort to save his community from the farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who are hell bent on his destruction after he masterminded the robbery of their respective farms.
This was an excellent film, but I don’t think it will do as well as it deserves, as I think it’ll struggle to find its audience (as is evidenced by the pace at which it is disappearing from cinemas). Kids will find it enjoyable enough, but really the comedy in this film is targeted at adults, who of course will not go and see it thinking that it is a kids’ film.

This is a Wes Anderson film much more than it is a Roald Dahl film. The headliners, Clooney and Streep, are supported by a number of regulars from Anderson’s films like Schwartzman (especially funny as Mr. Fox’s son, Skip), Murray and Wilson. Surrounding himself with this familiar cast means that Anderson is able to create much the same quirky, dry comic tone that we have come to expect from Anderson comedies (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums).

The one thing which I did find became a bit grating in this film was the use of the word “cuss” in a thinly veiled attempt to cover up what would otherwise have been quite excessive swearing. “Are you cussing with me?,” “You little cuss,” “Cuss yeah,” “We’ve cussed this up,” “What a clustercuss of a situation” and on it goes. While they don’t actually drop an f-bomb at any point during the film, the effect is the same and for a film which is likely to get a family audience it is just unnecessary.

This film is an unfortunately hidden treasure. Were it not for the outright brilliance of Pixar’s Up, it may have even stolen a Best Animated Feature Oscar.

7) Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Director: Arthur Penn

Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Michael J. Pollard, Estelle Parsons


I’ve got my wife, Kate, reading Peter Biskind’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. So when we sat down to watch a movie tonight she requested Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde.

The film tells the story of legendary American outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, who with their gang, travelled through central America during the Great Depression robbing banks. The film follows their entire time together, from their first meeting to their bloody demise (I try not to give away endings in these blogs but I'm pretty sure everyone knows that Bonnie and Clyde died).

While the film follows them on their crime spree, the main focus is on the complex relationship between Bonnie and Clyde. Clyde is presented as a sexually complex character, much more so than had ever been seen in Hollywood cinema before, particularly from a hero character. Clyde warns Bonnie at the very beginning of their relationship that he “ain’t much of a lover-boy,” (meaning he is impotent). The lack of physical intimacy becomes a source of great frustration in their relationship. The film generally sexualises the thrill of crime, portraying crime as alluring and intertwined with sex (see the phallic suggestiveness of the way in which Clyde first shows his gun to an excited Bonnie).

While the frankness in which the film dealt with sexual issues was new to the American screen, it was really the films violence which turned heads when it was released in 1969. Bonnie and Clyde was one of the first films to make extensive use of squibs (the small explosive charges used to simulate bullet hits) which enabled Penn to be much more graphic in the way he portrayed the killings in the film. The tone of the violence in the film is at times light and comical, almost slapstick, but at others it becomes quite dark and horrific (such as the scene in which Budd is killed).

1969 was a real turning point in film production in Hollywood and the evidence of that is clear in Bonnie and Clyde. Not only did this film stand out thematically, with its explorations of sexuality and violence, it looked different. The choppy editing style was much more akin to the editing seen in the French New Wave films than the ‘invisible’ editing common in classical Hollywood, as was the location shooting. Bonnie and Clyde was a very influential film, paving the way for films like The Godfather and The Wild Bunch, and is worth seeing in that regard. But even if you ignore the context which gives it its importance, it is still a very interesting film and worth watching.

6) Standing in the Shadows of Motown

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)

Director: Paul Justman

Starring: The Funk Brothers, Ben Harper, Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins, Meshell Ndegeocello


The Funk Brothers are by far the greatest hit makers of all time, having played on more No.1 records than Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys combined, but nobody knows their names. They were the studio band for Motown records and over a 14 year period they were the heartbeat of every hit from Motown’s Detroit era, playing behind the likes of Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, The Temptations and many more.

This really is the dream subject for a documentary. First Amiel has taken a general topic, Motown music, which is loved by so many people. But rather than making a nondescript, History-Channel-style documentary about the Motown era he has found a really interesting focus in the Funk Brothers and their search for recognition for their amazing achievements. These brilliant musicians, so key to the entire Motown movement, offer a unique insight into the events of Motown’s legendary Detroit era.

Standing in the Shadows of Motown employs a number of different documentary techniques. The film uses a standard voice-of-god narration, over a combination of archive footage and re-enactments, to provide the structure for the film and get across key information. However, this film works because of the subjectivity of the presentation. We receive most of our information through interviews with members of the group, some new interviews as well as archival interviews with deceased members of the group. Hearing from these men, for whom this music is such an important part of their life, brings some real colour to the film. What really makes this documentary though is the footage from The Funk Brothers reunion concert in 2000 with guest vocalists including Ben Harper, Joan Osborne, Chaka Khan, Bootsy Collins and Meshell Ndegeocello. This concert not only provides some amazing performances throughout the film, but some interesting and at times very touching candid footage of these soul music legends sharing their stories with the future generations of performers which supplements the more standard, to-camera interview footage.

So often today you hear musicians or actors saying that they love doing what they do, but they hate being famous. In Standing in the Shadows of Motown you see a group of men who have made an absolutely enormous contribution to global music culture but have never really been recognised for it, and in that regard their story is at times quite sad. I guess fame is a good thing when it comes as a form of recognition for what someone has achieved.

5) Entrapment

Entrapment (1999)

Director: Jon Amiel

Starring: Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ving Rhames, Will Patton

I haven’t been well the last day or two so I wanted to watch an old favourite rather than something new which would require undivided attention. A friend of mine recently rewatched Entrapment and told me how good it was so I decided that was the way to go.

Insurance worker Virginia Baker (Zeta-Jones) goes undercover to try and catch legendary burglar Robert MacDougal. She presents him with an offer that is too good to turn down, an opportunity to steal $8 billion from the International Clearance Bank. But just who is getting played?

The premise of the film allows for some great sequences. The training sequences which take place in MacDougall’s castle are interesting and fun and focusing on the meticulous manner in which MacDougall prepares for the job help make his reputation as a master burglar despite his age believable. Entrapment has three major burglary sequences; the first being an introductory sequence in a city office block, the second in an old palace/museum and the third being the films showpiece, the burglary of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Each of these burglaries is complete with all the high tech gizmos you would expect a multimillionaire super-burglar to have in their arsenal.

I remember when I first saw this film at the cinema’s finding it a bit difficult to accept the sexual chemistry between Connery and Zeta-Jones (they did receive a 1999 Razzie nomination for Worst Screen Couple). He was easily old enough to be her father. But watching it now, armed with the knowledge that she married an old man in real life, somehow makes it more acceptable. Maybe she just has an old man fetish?

Entrapment is not a great movie by any means, but not all movies need to be great movies. This is one of those fantastic movies which is just fun. Pure escapism. It’s your perfect ‘Friday Night at the Movies’ film.

4) The Boat That Rocked

The Boat That Rocked (2009)

Director: Richard Curtis

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, Rhys Ifans, Rhys Darby, Tom Surridge, Kenneth Brannagh


In the UK in the 1960s the only licensed radio broadcaster, the BBC, played very little in the way of recorded music. This left the broadcasting of popular music to pirate radio stations, with these unofficial stations being tuned into by as many as 25 million listeners. The Boat that Rocked tells the story of one such (fictional) radio station, Radio Rock, broadcasting rock and pop music 24 hours a day from a boat anchored off the coast of England in international waters.

Whilst boasting a brilliant ensemble cast of comic performers, the real star of this film is the soundtrack. The music is what the film is all about. It is the whole reason they are on the boat. So naturally, the music of the era is a constant presence through the film, providing a lively backing to some of crews shenanigans as well as punctuating some of the films more emotional moments (Procol Harem’s ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ is used to particularly powerful effect in the films climax).

Despite its stellar cast, The Boat that Rocked performed disappointingly at the British box office and was criticised for being overly long. This long running time is exacerbated by the films meandering pace. Things just don’t happen particularly quickly. This ultimately led to the decision to re-edit the film for its American release, cutting approximately 20 minutes from the film and retitling it Pirate Radio.

Honestly, this film is not as good as some of Curtis’s previous efforts (in particular Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Notting HillI, though I think it safely outpoints Mr. Bean's Holiday), and probably isn’t even as good as it could have been, but it does have its share of brilliant moments and some really great characters. But if for nothing else, watch this film for its simply brilliant soundtrack.

3) Aladdin

Aladdin (1992)

Directors: Ron Clements & John Musker

Starring: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin


Aladdin is an old favourite which I’ve seen many times over the years. It comes from the last really great period in Disney 2D animation. In the early 1990s Disney managed to produce three brilliant animated musicals back to back in Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994), with all three being among the very best of the many Disney animated musicals. Unfortunately the success of Toy Story and Pixar’s digital animation saw the decline of the traditional Disney hand-drawn animated film (although Disney has returned to the old formula with the recently released The Princess and the Frog).

Based on the medieval Arabian tale that appears in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), Aladdin tells the story of a street boy who finds a magic lamp containing a genie who will grant him three wishes. With the genie’s help Aladdin seeks to woo the Sultan’s daughter, Princess Jasmine.

As much as I love this film, and in particular Robin Williams’ voice performance as the Genie, it slightly hurts to know that this film, and in particular that performance, would have such a negative effect on voice acting in animated films from that point on. Prior to Aladdin, animated movies would have a cast made up of professional voice actors. These actors were hardly household names as the audience never saw their faces, or if they were a known actor they were used for their particularly distinctive voice (Gilbert Gottfried’s performance as Iago in Aladdin is a fine example of this). As perfect as Robin Williams was for the role of the Genie, the amount of marketability his profile brought to the project is seen as the catalyst for the ridiculous situation we see today where we have animated productions forking out big bucks to stars like Renee Zellweger (Monsters vs Aliens), Cameron Diaz (Shrek) and Elijah Wood (Happy Feet), who despite being perfectly adequate actors, bring nothing to the part which couldn’t be provided by a professional voice actor for a fraction of the price, except a name to put at the top of the poster.

If you haven't seen Aladdin, do yourself a favour and check it out. That is, if you are lucky enough to be able to find a copy due to Disney's ridiculous policy of locking films away in the vault. But that is a rant for another day.

2) Gone Baby Gone

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Director: Ben Affleck
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris

While Ben Affleck’s directorial debut Gone Baby Gone didn’t really take off at the box office when it was released a couple of years ago, it did receive some glowing reviews which peaked my interest in seeing the film.

The film follows private detectives Patrick Kenzie (Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Monaghan) who are hired to investigate the disappearance of a young girl, only to become drawn into a mystery which runs much deeper than they originally thought.

One of the themes I found particularly interesting in this film is the way in which characters struggle with the incompatibility of their urban street lifestyle with their Catholic faith. “I asked my priest how you could get to heaven and still protect yourself from all the evil in the world. He told me what God said to His children. “You are sheep among wolves. Be wise as serpents, yet innocent as doves”. This is a theme most commonly explored in the earlier films of Martin Scorsese, and is particularly central to his 1973 film Mean Streets (an interesting comparison could be made between Affleck’s Patrick Kenzie and Harvey Keitel’s Charlie).

This is one of those great films which really leaves you with some tricky moral questions to work through. Without wanting to give anything away, Gone Baby Gone has a interesting twist ending. This challenging resolution to the events of the story leaves the characters divided and you, as a viewer, with a real ethical dilemma.

This was an excellent film, even more impressive when you think it was Ben Affleck’s directorial debut. Films like Gigli, Daredevil and Surviving Christmas often cause people to overlook the fact that Ben Affleck is actually an Oscar winning screen writer (Good Will Hunting) and Gone Baby Gone reminds us that there may actually be some talent there after all. Also notable is a brilliant performance from Casey Affleck, who really comes into his own in this film, as his own man rather than Ben’s little brother.

1) In the Valley of Elah

In the Valley of Elah (2007)

Director: Paul Haggis
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon


I decided to kick off the year with a film I've had on the shelf for a little while and had yet to get around to, Paul Haggis's In the Valley of Elah. With a screenplay by Haggis (Million Dollar Baby and Crash) you can be reasonably sure of two things; you know it's going to be good, but it's not going to be light entertainment.

Based on actual events, In the Valley of Elah (taking its name from the valley in which David defeated Goliath) follows retired military police investigator Hand Deerfield (Jones) as he investigates the disappearance and ultimately the murder of his son, recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq.

While the film is not set in Iraq, the Iraq war hangs heavily over the events of the story. The film explores the dehumanising influence of war, what happens when people become immune to the pain of others. This exploration of modern military culture is made all the more effective through its juxtaposition of Jones’s character with the old school military honour and pride he embodies.

For me, what really made this film was its very impressive cast, headlined by three Oscar winners; Jones (Best Supporting Actor - The Fugitive), Theron (Best Actress - Monster) and Sarandon (Best Actress - Dead Man Walking), with handy supporting turns from James Franco and Josh Brolin. Jones in particular gives a fantastic performance as the stoic Deerfield.

This is by no means the first film to explore the effect of war on returning soldiers, but it is definitely worth a look. It is quite a slow film, but never boring, rather the pacing is appropriate given the heaviness of the subject matter.

Introduction

Hi all,

My name is Duncan and I'm currently working my way through a film history PhD at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Early in 2009 I was listening to a podcast of a conversation about books between radio hosts Tony Martin and Tony Wilson. Martin mentioned how Stephen King had once said that the problem with authors today is that so much of their time is spent trying to write books that they don't make time to actually read any. As a result Martin had decided to undertake the challenge of reading 100 books in year. Now I'm not much of a reader but this conversation did get me thinking. As a film student I had become increasingly aware that I was spending so much of my time reading textbooks, commentaries, interviews and journal articles and writing essays, that I wasn't actually watching all that many films. People would assume that as a film student I was watching them all the time, but it just was not the case. I would go weeks on end without watching a film, which may not be much to your average man in the street, but for someone who is supposed to be studying the things it is not ideal. I was working on building an encyclopedic knowledge of film but had grown aware that this couldn't be achieved simply by reading about films, you have to be watching them. Besides, the joy of movies is in the watching! If I wasn't actually watching them, what's the point? So I set myself a challenge for 2009, to watch 200 movies in the year.

I watched all different kinds of films, from different genres, different eras and different countries. I saw a lot of films I had always been meaning to see but had never made time to do so, rewatched a couple of old favourites. In the end I reached my goal with relative ease (the complete list of 2009s viewing is below) and found it a very interesting, enjoyable and rewarding experience as a film student. So I've decided to do it again in 2010.

I've set up this blog to catalogue my thoughts on each movie as I watch my way through the year. Whether I end up writing formal reviews for the movies or just a few notes on things I found interesting or significant I don't know. If no one ever lays eyes on this blog I'm still hopeful that it will be a useful exercise for me, but if by chance someone is reading this I hope you find it interesting or entertaining and who knows it may even inspire you to watch a few movies, which can't be a bad thing.


Movies Watched in 2009

* denotes films seen for the first time
^ denotes films seen at the cinema

1. Charlie Wilson’s War*
2. Frost/Nixon*^
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*^
4. Zack and Miri Make a Porno*
5. Gran Torino*^
6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
7. Mean Streets*
8. Baby Mamma*
9. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
10. The Gleaners and I*
11. The Hustler*
12. Double Indemnity*
13. Dirty Harry*
14. Watchmen*^
15. Se7en*
16. For Your Consideration*
17. Wall-E*
18. Johnny Guitar*
19. The Last Temptation of Christ
20. Gun Crazy*
21. Planet Terror*
22. 300*
23. Slumdog Millionaire*^
24. Mystic River*
25. Cool Hand Luke*
26. The Silence of the Lambs*
27. Rushmore*
28. Breathless*
29. Hannibal
30. Red Dragon*
31. Badlands*
32. Manhattan*
33. Good Will Hunting*
34. A History of Violence*
35. Blow-Up*
36. A Fistful of Dollars*
37. Always*
38. For a Few Dollars More*
39. Sabrina*
40. Dick Tracy
41. Patriot Games*
42. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
43. Mulholland Drive*
44. The Boat that Rocked*^
45. Juno*
46. Stripes*
47. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
48. The Devil’s Advocate*
49. Interview With the Vampire*
50. Kill Bill Volume 1*
51. Wolverine*^
52. Kill Bill Volume 2*
53. The Manchurian Candidate*
54. Ten Canoes
55. Mamma Mia!*
56. Death Proof*
57. Ronin*
58. Jackie Brown*
59. Dead Man*
60. Mean Girls
61. Carlito’s Way*
62. The Game*
63. Knocked Up
64. Walk the Line*
65. 2001: A Space Odyssey*
66. Touch of Evil*
67. 3:10 to Yuma*
68. Fallen*
69. Citizen Kane
70. The Battle Over Citizen Kane*
71. Superbad*
72. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*
73. Hero*
74. Infernal Affairs*
75. Kings of the Road*
76. Blood Diamond*
77. The Bourne Supremacy*
78. Star Trek*^
79. The Bourne Ultimatum*
80. Born on the 4th of July*
81. Pineapple Express
82. RocknRolla*
83. I Love You, Man*^
84. Iron Man
85. Walkabout*
86. Mad Max 2
87. Wag the Dog
88. Thank You For Smoking*
89. Phonebooth*
90. The Last King of Scotland*
91. State of Play*^
92. Blue Velvet*
93. Rebel Without a Cause*
94. Donnie Darko*
95. In Bruges*
96. City of Ember*
97. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang*
98. Full Metal Jacket*
99. The Shining*
100. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead*
101. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
102. The Rules of the Game*
103. Year One*^
104. The Accused*
105. Not Quite Hollywood*
106. The Hangover*^
107. 12 Monkeys*
108. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford*
109. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
110. The Merchant of Venice*^
111. To Catch a Thief*
112. The Age of Innocence*
113. Transformers
114. Blood Simple*
115. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen*^
116. High Fidelity*
117. Death to Smoochy*
118. Pretty Woman*
119. True Romance*
120. Scent of a Woman*
121. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
122. 8½*
123. The Addams Family
124. Matchstick Men*
125. Brokeback Mountain*
126. Finding Neverland*
127. Bridget Jones’s Diary
128. Addams Family Values
129. The Devil Wears Prada*
130. Coraline*^
131. Apocalypse Now
132. The Godfather Part II
133. Dracula*
134. One From the Heart*
135. Witness*
136. Training Day*
137. Rumble Fish*
138. The Two Jakes*
139. The Godfather Part III
140. The Third Man*
141. Inglourious Basterds*^
142. Amelie
143. Doubt*
144. A Few Good Men*
145. Revolutionary Road*
146. Bad Eggs
147. JCVD*
148. Public Enemies*^
149. The Other Boleyn Girl*
150. Mission Impossible*
151. High Society*
152. The Cotton Club*
153. District 9*^
154. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse*
155. Funny People*^
156. The Color of Money*
157. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore*
158. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof*
159. Insomnia*
160. Michael Clayton*
161. Coda: Thirty Years Later*
162. Tucker: The Man and His Dream*
163. The Taking of Pelham 123*^
164. The Breakfast Club*
165. Ponyo*^
166. Gardens of Stone*
167. Peggy Sue Got Married*
168. A Decade Under the Influence*
169. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
170. Pan’s Labyrinth*
171. The Outsiders*
172. Children of Men*
173. Surrogates*^
174. Inside Deep Throat*
175. Vicky Christina Barcelona*
176. Network*
177. Trainspotting*
178. Blazing Saddles*
179. The Lost World: Jurassic Park*
180. Changeling*
181. Rear Window*
182. Couples Retreat*^
183. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner*
184. Pretty in Pink*
185. Dirty Dancing*
186. Up*^
187. North by Northwest*
188. Watchmen
189. Evita*
190. Sicko*
191. Stand By Me*
192. El Mariachi*
193. Desperado*
194. Once Upon a Time in Mexico*
195. The Man Who Wasn’t There*
196. Midnight Cowboy*
197. 1941*
198. Nashville*
199. Field of Dreams*
200. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus*^
201. Driving Miss Daisy*
202. Clear and Present Danger*
203. Birth of the Blues*
204. Monsters, Inc.*
205. Catch Me If You Can*
206. This is Spinal Tap
207. Zombieland*
208. Moon*
209. The Castle
210. End of the Spear*
211. Beauty and the Beast
212. All the President’s Men*
213. Marathon Man*
214. A Christmas Carol*^
215. Big
216. Love Actually
217. Beauty and the Beast
218. Point Break*
219. Bullitt*
220. Where the Wild Things Are*^
221. The Birds*
222. Avatar*^
223. X-Men 2
224. X-Men
225. Horton Hears a Who*
226. Sherlock Holmes*^
227. Australia*
228. Frost/Nixon
229. The Wrestler*
230. Rocky