Blu-Tuesday: February 16

Black Sheep returns this week to highlighting the most exciting BD titles to grace store shelves on Tuesday's. This first Tuesday sees the release of a 2010 Oscar nominee for Best Costume Design, the 20th anniversary release of a contemporary classic and the film the Toronto Film Critics Association called the best of 2009.

GOODFELLAS

Director Martin Scorcese has another potential hit on his hands with the upcoming SHUTTER ISLAND coming out this weekend. Twenty years ago, he made what many of his fans would consider to be his last great film, GOODFELLAS. Sure, THE DEPARTED was a strong film but it is no match for this mafia tale. Warner Bros. has packaged this edition in one of their gorgeous BD books but if it were my anniversary, I wouldn't be too happy with the party I was just thrown. There is no question as to whether the film itself, starring Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, stands the test of time but this new BD edition is no different whatsoever, in terms of extras or transfer, than the original BD release from 2007. If you don't own it already, now is clearly the time to change that. If you do, then really the only new thing you're getting is the book.

COCO AVANT CHANEL

Audrey Tautou (AMELIE) embodies the great fashion icon, Coco Chanel, in COCO AVANT CHANEL from French director, Anne Fontaine. If a film about fashion only manages to score one Oscar nomination in the Costume Design category, then I guess it succeeded where it was supposed to. And while it may not have seen any other love from the Academy, it certainly found a great deal of admiration from North American audiences. While it wasn't exactly my cup of tea, fashion admirers will find a lot to feast their eyes on.

HUNGER

I'll make this quick because I've just realized that this amazing film is finally available to own on BD and I don't own it yet! I must get to the stores before they close so I'll just say that this Criterion collection of Steve McQueen's debut feature, HUNGER, promises to honour the film the way it most certainly deserves. This is not an easy film to watch but with Michael Fassbender leading the way through this account of I.R.A. leader, Bobby Sands's infamous hunger strike, it is a film that will find your stomach turned and yet somehow hungry for more.

ALSO AVAILABLE:

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009)
(Starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx)

BLACK DYNAMITE (2009)
(Modern cult favorite)

REVANCHE (2008)
(Criterion collection of Gotz Spielman film)

LOLA MONTES (1955)
(Criterion collection of Max Ophuls film)

DIRTY HARRY COLLECTION (1971-1988)
(Includes: DIRTY HARRY, MAGNUM FORCE, THE ENFORCER, SUDDEN IMPACT and THE DEAD POOL)

Black Sheep's Top 10 of 2009

I sit before my computer on the last day of 2009. In a matter of hours, there will be so much going on that I will not be able find two minutes together to accomplish anything really so it's best that I get this done now, when I can give it the attention it truly deserves. 2009 was a great year for me and the movies. Early on in the year, I began publishing a regular monthly column on The Movie Network's "Movie Entertainment" magazine's website and it has since been picked up by The Movie Network itself. In April, I attended the Tribeca Film Festival for the first time and ended up meeting and interviewing one of my favorite director's, Steven Soderbergh. My interview with him about THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE would go on to be published on CBC's website. In May, I left my day job and prepared to move to Toronto, which I did in July. The summer was a great time to be unemployed and I managed to sustain myself on zero incoming cash until just after the Toronto International Film Festival. This year, I saw nearly 20 films at the festival, compared to a scant five the year before. I also had the chance to sit and interview the star and director of this year's indie success, PRECIOUS. I have had to return to working my day job now but 2010 awaits and I'm closer now than ever before.

Alright, so that's me. Now what about the movies? I knew all year that I was going to be leaving my day job at some point so I was able to get excited about a lot of the movies that were coming out this year. And a lot of them did not disappoint. As per usual, my full list of best performances and films will be coming soon with the announcement of the Mouton d'Or awards in January but the following is my Top 10 films of 2009, in alphabetical order. Even as I write these very words to you, I have a short list of eleven titles and I'm still not sure what will make it and what won't. The suspense is killing me! Anyway, here goes ... (click on any title for the full Black Sheep review)


(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
Directed by Marc Webb


I've seen this film three times and it makes me smile and feel good about everything every time. This anti-love story is so infectious and so enchanting that it somehow ignites my personal quest for love while simultaneously breaking down all the myths about love I've subscribed to all these years. The adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are the cutest couple of the year!


DISTRICT 9
Directed by Neil Blomkamp


When I first saw this film, I was floored. It was original; it was exciting; I was completely convinced that South Africa had been overrun with alien life. It isn't every day that you catch a film that is visually remarkable, action packed and socially conscious at the same time with absolutely no trace of compromise. I was also pretty floored because the moment it ended, I knew it was going to find its way on this list.


AN EDUCATION
Directed by Lone Scherfig


This film was the toast of TIFF and I could not get in no matter how hard I tried. It was well worth the wait. Its classic style and subtle screenplay brought new perspective to the feminist plight. Star, Carey Mulligan carries the ecstasy of a first love with the jubilance of a little girl and the weight of the consequences to dating an older man with grace and restraint. I for one definitely felt like I learnt something.


FANTASTIC MR. FOX
Directed by Wes Anderson


Wes Anderson is a particular taste and I was thrilled to see that taste make a successful transition into the realm of animation. Watching this adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic is a constant delight. It truly digs its own path, striking the perfect balance between adult insight and childlike excitement throughout. In a world where Pixar owns the monopoly on satisfying adult animation (and rightfully so), it is refreshing to see that others out there can not only pull it off too but bring something new as well.


THE HURT LOCKER
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow


By now, you've no doubt seen this film on every Top 10 list in the world. It is an obvious choice but it is also the right choice. Bigelow managed to craft a highly explosive film about trying to make sure bombs don't go off. The film is naturally tense but all the more so because Bigelow sneaks us into this military bomb squad in Iraq by shooting from as many different perspectives as possible. Perhaps this is why it is the least judgmental Iraq war film to date.


PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL "PUSH" BY SAPPHIRE
Directed by Lee Daniels


From a filmmaking perspective, this one is certainly uneven at times but its boldness is so striking that it certainly earns its place amongst the best of the year. This story of a young woman, overweight, pregnant, illiterate and abused, is the most unlikely of success stories. It is fueled by some of the most brave performances of the year from one of the most eclectic casts of the year. It is Daniels though who deserves the biggest applause here for getting people to stop ignoring this girl and see her for who she is inside.


A SERIOUS MAN
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen


Who knew that the Coen Brothers could get so personal and still feel completely disassociated? Michael Stuhlbarg's incredible performance as Larry Gopnick allows this tale of misfortune to transcend its Jewish roots and become a tale for unlucky folks everywhere. Watching his life is like watching a train wreck just get worse and worse but somehow all the while, thanks to that special Coen touch, deep, genuine sympathy is inspired aplenty.


SIN NOMBRE
Directed by Cory Fukunaga


I cannot say enough good things about this first feature from Cory Fukunaga. Two complete strangers end up on the same journey to cross the Mexican border into the United States and neither their lives nor ours are the same for having the experience. Each of their characters is going through their own individual struggles but the solace they find in each other makes every hardship they suffer worth it. Fukunaga is a bold new voice.


A SINGLE MAN
Directed by Tom Ford


Fashion designer, Tom Ford's directorial debut, is just plain stunning. It's 1960's design is authentic and exquisite and the performances from Colin Firth and Julianne Moore are fresh and exciting for each of them. By adapting Christopher Isherwood's novel of the same name about a man coping with the death of his longtime lover in a world that doesn't acknowledge that love, Ford has made more than a film; he has also made a very compelling argument for gay marriage and the rights that should be afforded gay men and women everywhere. And naturally, he did it in style.


UP IN THE AIR
Directed by Jason Reitman


Films that are decidedly adult in theme and tone have struggled recently to connect with audiences but this one is so perfectly executed that it is not only reaching its audience but going far beyond it. The zeitgeist factors in this film, from the crumbling economic backdrop to the increasingly guarded approach towards love and human interaction, make it easy for most to identify with it. The entire cast (George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick) is lovely; the tone is respectful; and thanks to Reitman, the whole thing soars.


HONOURABLE MENTION: HUNGER
Directed by Steve McQueen


OK, so I found a way to cheat the Top 10. Don't hate on me. I did not include this film in the actual Top 10 as it is considered a 2008 entry but as it did not play in Canada until this year, it warrants mentioning. This 2008 festival favorite went unnoticed in North American cinemas this past spring but that doesn't shock me. Hunger strikes and graphic prison violence are not exactly crowd pleasers. If you are up for it, you must see this film. It will turn your stomach but it will furiously turn the wheels of your mind as well.

There you have it folks. These were my favorite films from 2009. Here is to an excellent 2010!

HUNGER

Written and Directed by Steve McQueen
Starring Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham and Stuart Graham


Father Moran: You lot figure out which book is the best yet?
Bobby Sands: We only smoke the Lamentations, right miserable cigarettes.

HUNGER is by far one of the most complex experiences I’ve had at the movies in some time. It is immediately intriguing. Very little is said but so much is shown to contextualize exactly what it felt like in 1981 in Northern Ireland. A man we do not know looks at himself in the mirror and is clearly questioning something about himself, as he soaks his bloodied knuckles in the sink. This same man checks beneath his car for potential bombs before he gets in it. He is so clearly burdened by the heaviness of his time and the decisions he has made to fit into that time that watching him while not knowing exactly who he is or what he does or where he’s going, instantly creates the need to know more. The reveal itself is slow enough to allow for a single snowflake to fall on a knuckle and fully melt before us, but once writer/director, Steve McQueen, does show us what is really going on, you will recoil in horror without being able to turn away.


2,187 people were killed between the years of 1969 and 1981 when Parliament decided to remove special category status from prisoners who committed violent crimes in the name of politics. Therefore, members of the Irish Republican Army who had staged protests that got violent or blown things up in the name of their cause were now to be subjected to the same prison conditions as common murderers and thieves. This was the presumption anyway. Instead, they were placed two by two in tiny chambers that were infested with maggots, had human excrement all over the walls and contained, for lack of a cleaner description, no pot to piss in. So not only were they not being given any consideration for their convictions but they were being treated as though they were sub-human. It is certainly hard on the system to look at but it is all shot so delicately and yet so intensely that you are drawn in so closely that it breaks your heart.


HUNGER follows brief party leader, Bobby Sands (Michael Fassbender) through his time as a prisoner at the HM Prison Maze until he embarks on a now infamous hunger strike. This is McQueen’s first screenplay and first film and yet he executes this fragile material with such grace and technical prowess that one would think he’d been doing this for years. This tightly told story is told with little to no dialogue but yet never gets tedious. The truth is that the harshness of these prisoners’ supposed living arrangements is so dire that all McQueen needs to do is place his camera in the right spot and let it all just happen naturally. Thanks to cinematographer, Scott Bobbitt, McQueen’s camera is always in the right spot. The imagery is as colorful and lustrous as it is jarring. The silence allows for the our own thoughts to become more fiery without the distraction and focuses out attention on what the characters could possibly have been thinking.


Just when you think you’ve seen enough misery, it suddenly gets that much worse. I do not want to dissuade anyone from seeing HUNGER as its power and beauty are far more satisfying and enlightening than its ghastly truths. That said, the hunger strike itself does not happen until the third act and when it does, you will lose any hunger you yourself may have had prior. What you will have lost in appetite though, you will have gained in compassion.