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!

DVD Review: SIN NOMBRE

Written and Directed by Cary Fukunaga
Starring Paulina Gaiton and Edgar M. Flores


I have a name and it has come to embody a meaning after so many years and so many experiences. I have never given much thought to its meaning but then again, I have never been forced to leave it behind. SIN NOMBRE translates roughly to not having a name and Cary Fukunaga’s debut feature film is an intricately detailed rallying of intersecting stories about people with no choice other than to leave their names and everything they mean behind them to start again. It is told by this promising newcomer with such respect and delicate ease that it breaks your heart at the same time as it opens it.


El Casper (Edgar M. Flores) is a member of a Mexican gang called the Mara Salvatrucha in a town called Tapachula. He is no older than 20 but from the number of tattoos he sports, you know that he has been a part of this gang for some time now. He has taken an even younger boy under his wing as his protégé but there are signs that there may be bigger interests for Casper outside of the gang life; he has a girlfriend now and he is even willing to shirk gang responsibilities to be with her. The gang has no intentions of letting him walk away though.


Sayra (Paulina Gaitan) is also no more than 20 years old. She has lived in Honduras her whole life while her father has been in New Jersey making a better life with a new family in hopes that one day he can bring over his daughter and give her the chances he never had. Before he could, he was deported and he now plans to cross over again but this time he will not be leaving Sayra behind. The trouble is, having not known her father and having never truly had the desire to leave Honduras, Sayra cannot figure why she is making the journey while she is making it.


Casper and Sayra meet on a train. He saves her life and simultaneously condemns his own. After that, they are forever connected. Fukunaga, an American born filmmaker, spent two years researching SIN NOMBRE. He spent time with hopeful border crossers riding the tops of trains through an impoverished but beautiful Mexico; and he spent just as much time with gangs to understand their rituals and their reasoning. The care with which he crafted this beautiful picture gave birth to two fully fleshed out characters, rather than the clichéd shells they could have been, thus allowing their stories to come together and shape the journey.


SIN NOMBRE is simply revelatory. Every turn is unexpected and every nuance makes each of these turns make perfect sense. The journey itself is never easy and the destination is never guaranteed but Fukunaga holds our hands with one of his while he asserts his immense talent with the other. Casper and Sayra may have to leave their names and their selves behind them to start their new lives but telling their story with such incredible promise makes Fukunaga’s name one that will surely be closely followed from here on in.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: I Knew It

Nicolas Cage wasn’t worried. He knew that his latest action masterpiece, KNOWING, would come out on top. It was written in binary code or something on some scrap of paper that was buried in a time capsule for over fifty years. Does that sound ludicrous? You should see KNOWING then. And see it, you did, to the tune of nearly $25 million. The film’s future as the box office champ was sealed on Friday when KNOWING took in in one day what Cage’s last number one “hit”, BANGKOK DANGEROUS, took in all weekend. Critics were less than enthused about Cages latest stagy offering but when has that ever deterred fans from seeing one of his films?


Two other wide releases tried hard to top Cage but could not. If only they too had read that code from fifty years ago, they would known it was never going to happen. Still, the Paul Rudd-Jason Segal bromance, I LOVE YOU, MAN, has nothing to be ashamed of with its second place debut. The film did similar business to Rudd last film, ROLE MODELS, and Segal’s first starring effort, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. With good word of mouth, the film could experience similar strong holds as their predecessors and find its way to a $60+ million gross. Coming in for a somewhat disappointing third place finish in Tony Gilroy’s follow up to MICHAEL CLAYTON, DUPLICITY. Sure a $14 million gross for reasonably wide release is decent business but this picture stars bonafide movie stars, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Their charisma alone should have carried this to a much stronger start. Reviews have been mixed so returns should dwindle fairly quickly, as should the two stars’ asking prices.


In limited release news, Sundance favorite from this year, SIN NOMBRE, opened strongly, while Sundance favorite from last year, SUNSHINE CLEANING continued its successful expansion. SIN NOMBRE walked away from Sundance with the cinematography prize as the prize for dramatic direction and this weekend, opened to the tune of a $12K per screen average on six screens. SUNSHINE CLEANING, jumped its theatre count from 4 to 64 and saw its returns explode over 200%. The Amy Adams-Emily Blunt indie comedy is being well received and jumps its count to over 250 next week. Meanwhile, the largest per screen average of any film in release belongs to VALENTINO: THE LAST EMPEROR. The documentary about the great fashion designer opened to over $20K per screen on just one screen in all of North America.


NEXT WEEK: The latest Renny Harlin action flick, 12 ROUNDS finds its way to 2,200 screens. It’s been a whole week without a wide horror release so THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT steps in to fill the void next week on 2,600 screens. And the Dreamworks Animation folks are hoping for a big score with the big film, MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (3,500 screens).

Source: Box Office Mojo