My favorites from 2006

My viewing was limited this year, but here's the 10 best of all I saw:

1. LUNAR SEAS – Likely to be perceived as an elitist or pretentious pick it also happens to be an honest one. I discovered this film, posted by the filmmaker (Kristian Zaklynsky), on a wonderful torrent site I frequent. This non-narrative masterpiece served as his thesis film for the Iceland Academy of the Arts. It consists of 32 segments, all varying in length, tone, and technique – too varied, in fact, to go into detail here (I plan on writing about it at length in the near future). A true example of film as art, it was the most involving and rewarding filmic experience I had all year.

2. THE DEPARTED – Scorsese’s use of Irish themed punkers The Dropkick Murphys during the belated opening title sequence attests to his ability to remain current even into his sixties. This, his first great film since GOODFELLAS, owes much to the brilliant performance of Leonardo DiCaprio and the rest of the cast. A relatively rare, plot driven endeavor that preserves some flashes of vintage Marty, makes for the most entertaining film of the year.

3. LIGHTS IN THE DUSK – Bressonian subtlety utilized in a somber noir comedy from director Aki Kaurismäki. Unique in its lyrical restraint, sparse dialogue and refreshingly economic storytelling; the magic resides in the details. This was my first experience with Kaurismäki. He revealed himself as a master of the language of film, my favorite example being the communication of a pending double cross communicated using nothing more than the timely application of make-up. It’s moments like these that make me love film.

4. INVISIBLE WAVES – Another first for me, this time it was with Pen-Ek Ratanaruang. Again, I was very impressed even with the high expectations. INVISIBLE WAVES was a surreal, sometimes comedic, mystery which rewarded the viewer with new discoveries (and mysteries) with every viewing. This is the type of movie you want everyone to see so you can hear their interpretation of it.

5. BLOKADA – A pastiche of unbelievably well shot archival footage, from the blockade of St. Petersburg in the early ‘40s, arranged into a haunting and devastating 52 minute meditation. Long takes of marching soldiers create a hopeless hypnotic trance, a la Béla Tarr’s WERKMEISTER HARMONIES, a feeling that permeates the entire film. Think Resnais NIGHT AND FOG sans narration.

6. THE HOST – The best popcorn movie of the year, so good in fact I don’t think it’s a popcorn movie at all. Unforgettable images and unpredictable plot twists. Another glossy big budget effort from Korea, so this isn’t Hollywood - no one is safe. The deployment of the orange chemicals and the chaos that ensues at the end of the film was the grandest closing sequence of the year.

7. SHEITAN – Crazy and fun with a terrific young cast lead by veteran Vincent Cassel who some how manages to make a racist and insane character cute and likable. Contradictory blends of adjectives like these define the film and help set it apart from the trickle-soon-to-cum-deluge of horror product spilling out of the contemporary French scene.

8. PERVERT! – A low budget tribute to Russ Meyer splashed with cheesy horror elements that are truer to the spirit of yesteryear’s exploiters than anything by Tarantino thus far (and I’m a Tarantino fan). Quite possibly the CITIZEN KANE of shot-on-video genre trash.

9. THE QUEEN – An involving docudrama accentuated nicely with Frear’s use of actual footage. Delightfully less dry than I was anticipating, it managed to create interest for a subject I prior had none.
10. OLD JOY – An American indie with a European ethos. I think it would have been better served without the music from Yo La Tengo, allowing the natural sounds to take over during the contemplative transition montages. That aside, OLD JOY does a fantastic job of connecting the audience, not with the characters, but rather the situation. My experience with this film felt more like a hike to the hot springs than a trip to the cine.