It seems strange, but animated features have a much higher hit-to-miss ratio on this blog so far than live-action films. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, Studio Ghibli’s longest feature to date with a running time of 137 minutes, not only reinforces this trend, it knocks it out of the park by easily being one of the best films I’ve seen over the course of the year.
Since I started writing a post about every film that I watch back in March of this year, I have only covered two documentaries. One of these had an agenda that I fundamentally disagree with, but had no reason to dispute its facts such as they were. The other one is essentially a feel-good movie that I liked, but whose less than perfect honesty I had misgivings about. In the case of Blackfish, I approve of its cause and agrees that it succeeds in advancing it, but also believe that it is profoundly unfair and misleading documentary.
There are many reasons why every film aficionado should watch The Big Sleep. It is regularly cited as one of the greatest films of all time, being included for example in Roger Ebert’s list of Great Movies. It always appears at or near the top of lists of the best noir films. It’s based on the best known novel by Raymond Chandler with scriptwriting assistance from no less a literary figure than William Faulkner. The pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall is one of the most famous romances that take place both on-screen and in real-life. In particular, Bacall’s death in August of this year elicited a renewed surge of interest in the films that they appeared in together.
Only Lovers Left Alive is easily summarized as Jim Jarmusch does vampires, with Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton playing the bloodsuckers. If having vampiric Loki isn’t enough for you, how about adding Mila Wasikowska, an extra delicious choice given her previous starring role in Park Chan-wook’s Stoker.
Even as big a comics nerd as I am, I had no idea that this was based on a Marvel superhero team. I would have if they had kept the original characters like the Silver Samurai and Sunfire, but after watching this, I’m glad that they changed things around and made it its own thing. I would have skipped this completely as just another Disney adventure cartoon and never known anything about it if it weren’t for excellent word-of-mouth.
Beyond Beauty is a Taiwanese documentary produced by renowned director Hou Hsiao-Hsien and directed by aerial photographer Chi Po-lin. It consists entirely of aerial shots of Taiwan from the vantage point of a helicopter. We’ve wanted to see it ever since we watched the trailer showing off the crystal clear images of the best scenery that the island has to offer. Given how small and how heavily industrialized the island is, the variety and grandeur of the natural landscape can’t help but surprise and impress.
Drive was one of the most distinctive films of 2011 so when I learned that it borrowed liberally from this 1981 movie, that definitely put it on my radar. It also helps that I consider Heat , probably the film for which Michael Mann is most famous, to contain some of the best gunplay scenes ever captured on film. So right from the opening shot with the camera ever so slowly panning down a tenement block to the rain-slicked street at night, I felt right at home.