January 02, 2008

The road to a Top Ten list was a little more complicated this year than in year’s past.  For instance, I usually start with my Worst ten list.  But really, I don’t feel qualified to make a Worst 10 list this year.  I just haven’t seen most of the horrible movies this year.

This is not to say that I don’t have films I hated.  It would have to be a tie between Redacted and Evening for the title of Film I Most Loathed in 2007.  But would it be fair to say that either film is the worst of the year?  Nah.  I mean, it’s easy to note that Lions For Lambs was utter crap and a failed effort on so many levels… but its effort was too apparent to dismiss it entirely.  Am I really going to take out my disappointment in Elizabeth: The Golden (Out)rage to that level?  Can I dismiss the occasional charms of Dan In Real Life enough to shred it as the most shockingly derivative and wrongheaded film to come out of the Disney stables in years?  No!  Not when I didn’t see all the other crap out there that may well have pushed these failures to the side.

The big story of 2007 really, in critical discussion, is the Trilogy Of Critical Onanism; (in order of jerk off) The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Zodiac, and There Will Be Blood.

The challenge of this trio, for me, who feels that all three films ultimately fail, has grown as the year has progressed.  It is easy to dismiss one… less easy to dismiss two… and silly to keep dismissing as the third rolls up on you.  Making it harder, on the face of it, is that all three are truly exception efforts on the production side.  And in the case of There Will Be Blood, I have to start with the admission that if I were to pick one act of one film as the very best of 2007, this film’s opening act would win hands down.  And yet…

These films are not exercises in the purely aesthetic that many casually attribute to Tony Scott (the filmmaker, not the critic).  I do think that Andrew Dominik’s ambition exceeded his grasp by no small distance.  David Fincher was, I think, simply after something that didn’t connect with me on any emotional or intellectual level.  And PTA… well… his unwillingness to finish what he starts is the most frustrating aspect of one of our most talented filmmakers working today… and one cannot excuse it as a failure, as he is just too damned talented to not be able to write a third act that fits and doesn’t require supporters to flop about like landed fish in order to rationalize what just doesn’t work.

So why is all this LOVE out there for these films?  Generalizations are forever a bad idea, but my instinctual response is that critics feed on the ambitions and drink in the visual power of these films like hungry survivors of a desert plane crash.  I think there is also an urge to send the message to “Hollywood,” where all three films were funded, that this is product that critics will support and support passionately. 

It’s not that critics are upset that the three films combined will be challenged to pass the opening weekend of Alvin & The Chipmunks… it is, perhaps, more that “they” like the fact that financial success is elusive.  It’s not that No Country For Old Men, which will surely gross more than the combined trio, is not getting critical love.  It’s that praise for No Country is easier than finding a photo of a drunken Spears girl.  Inevitable commercial failure is a perverse enhancement to the pleasure.

Speaking of failure, here is a quick rundown of some of the box office realities of 2007.

There is a reason for distributors to court critics for the support of their more challenging films.  If a critic can deliver just 125 people to theaters to buy tickets, their effort alone could have represented 5% of the gross or more for 27% of the films on this year’s domestic release schedule (140 releases out of a total of 528). 

Sure, there are some crap movies down there, but there are high quality titles in that 27% as well this year, such as Operation Homecoming, Primo Levi’s Journey, The Prisoner, The Protagonist, Quiet City, Syndromes and a Century, and The Trials of Daryl Hunt.  And it even includes the lowest grossing studio film of the year, Warner Bros.’ Rails & Ties, which managed just $22,136 in a 5 screen release. 

Moreover, 229 of 528 films released this year grossed under $250,000.  263 of 528 grossed under $500,000 (minus TWBB, which is just starting its run).  And 292 of 528 under $1m.

So, the entire industry of films grossing over $1 million in America consists of 236 films.  60 films grossed between $1 million and $5 million.  30 films grossed between $5 million and $10 million.  44 films grossed between $10 million and $20 million.  58 films grossed between $20 million and $50 million with just 5 of those from independents (4 of those 5 from Lionsgate). 

That leaves 43 total films to gross over $50 million… three from Lionsgate, all under $65 million total domestic.  Disney had eight, DreamWorks and Warners six each, Universal and Sony five each, Fox had four, New Line had three, MGM had two, and Paramount had one. 

Every major but Disney had a bomb grossing less than $10 million and every dependent but Miramax had at least one miss gross less than $1 million. The highest profile bomb was DreamWorks’ Things We Lost In The Fire, which had an 1142 screen launch… which proves once again that quality is not the first issue with bombs.  Whether you liked that film or not, you must find it silly to compare it to, say, I Know Who Killed Me, which grossed more than twice what this quality drama did.

But back to criticism…

This year, I have 35 films in contention for my Top Ten.  Three of the films were mentioned in last year’s Best column as undistributed films that I would have placed on my Top Ten then.  I am pleased that they were ultimately released, though grosses of $25,317 (for Lake of Fire), $31,856 (for Day Night, Day Night) and $354,812 (for Wristcutters: A Love Story) cuts me to the quick. 

As District B13’s $1.2 million run last year proved, it’s hard out there for an indie… especially when, unlike B13, you have a real challenge in making the argument to an audience for why they want to see the film.  Let’s just say that the 70,000 people or so who saw Lake of Fire and Day Night, Day Night experienced films that stir passion and debate as profoundly as any films they will ever see, before or after.

Oops… slipped into box office again…

My list of Runner Ups

Across the Universe – Julie Taymor’s name is often preceded by less than flattering adjectives… but the last one is almost always “genius,” which ain’t so bad.  Across The Universe is, in many ways, a mess as a movie.  But the moments of profound genius overwhelm the limitations in a number of segments of this film.  Also, Evan Rachel Wood is, once again, revelatory.   And the domestic arrival of Jim Sturgess might well become more significant over time.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead – Lumet is one of my all-time gods of filmmaking and he is at his best in this pitch black family thriller.

Beyond the Gates – Now the second best of the Rwanda dramas, topping the overrated Hotel Rwanda and a step behind Roger Spottiswoode’s more comprehensive (and domestic distribution-free) drama, based on the book which also spawned a doc, Shake Hands With The Devil.

Black Book – Verhoeven’s film inspires jokes, like calling it “a (concentration) camp classic,” or as one lover of the film coined it at Toronto 16 months ago, “Showgirl’s List.”  But it is one of the great, joyous movie-movie experiences of the year and even more so on hi-def.

The Bourne Ultimatum – Solid… still the weakest sister of the trilogy… and still good enough to be considered for Top Ten inclusion.  Top of the line commercial filmmaking.

Brand Upon the Brain!/My Winnipeg – Guy Maddin has delivered two experiences that I have liked more than any of his previous work in the last 16 months.  Brand Upon The Brain! premiered at Toronto and then I caught it, with castrato, at the San Francisco Film Festival.  My Winnipeg is the most personal piece I’ve seen from Maddin and is both a joy and an oddity.  There are few artists out there pushing the envelope and entertaining an audience like Maddin does these days.

The Brave One – Neil Jordan took one of “those jobs” from Joel Silver and with a lot of support from his star, Jodie Foster, made a programmer into a smart, demanding, provocative movie… which the studio jus couldn’t find the hook to sell.  One of those films that will have long DVD and cable legs.

Crazy Love – It’s just such a damned great story that you can’t help but be stunned by the film.  It’s not the best made doc of the year, but it is unforgettable.

First Act Of There Will Be Blood – An act of sheer genius.  There has been no filmmaking feat as profound this year… which is what makes the third act meltdown the most painful twist of the year.  Sorry, but I just can’t forgive the descent into madness… and I mean PT Anderson’s.  And really, one act is just about as long as Daniel Day-Lewis’ Huston imitation feels like a real person.  This should have been one of the great films of the decade.  Instead, it is a somewhat gimpy runaway that will be great to watch in pieces on cable, but will also have the most mocked scene since 300… if enough people see it to mock it.

Hairspray – The direction is a bit of a mixed bag, but a big energy show with a big energy cast, top notch performances by veterans, discoveries in a few new actors, and an unexpectedly gentle performance by John Travolta in this tale of outsiders taking a stand and being rewarded for it make Hairspray more than the sum of its shots.

The Host – Joon-ho Bong delivered this generation’s Godzilla, to an audience that was interested in the whole meaning of it as well as the fun across the globe.  Huzzah.

Into the Wild – Sean Penn made a gauzy, loving, passionate film out of the tragic story of Chris McCandless.  The style grates on some and the film is undoubtably 20 minutes too long, but for those who choose the journey, it is a highlight of the year, loaded with the humanity that McCandless found on his journey through America.  You can feel Penn’s empathy in every frame.  And the magnificent cast gives the actor-turned-filmmaker everything they have and more.

Juno – A simple, comic delight.  It could well be first and last success of Diablo Cody, whose style could quickly rot a tooth with its pithy sweetness.  But for now, we have a bite of a good one.

The Kingdom – Peter Berg got slammed for continuing to work in a style he made popular, but is now seen imitated often, including on the weekly series made from Berg’s Friday Night Lights.  But the story of a CIA task force fighting the Saudi law to find movie-movie justice is smart and thrilling and offers surprises around every shoot out.  In the class of Bourne, whether the grosses show it or not.

The Lives of Others – Last year’s great drama is too last year for this year’s Top Ten.  A perfect double feature with Black Book, in the spirit of Fail Safe and Dr Strangelove.

Lust, Caution – Ang Lee’s drama is a bit too long and a bit colloquial (it seems to mean a lot more in Asia than in the U.S.), but there is some great work, some intense sex, and more than a little subtext of weight to hang onto.

Persepolis – A real candidate to win the Foreign Language Oscar this year, this personal journey, told in black and white graphic novel images offers an entry into a story that most people would shy away from if otherwise described, but which is incredibly fulfilling when finally consumed.

Pete Seeger: The Power of Song – One of the great politically minded artists of all time, this doc offers the chance to get a deep view of a remarkable life.

The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair – Tucker/Epperlein’s second film of their Iraq War trilogy, this film looks at one story in close up, and delivers the emotions of a war gone so wrong.

The Protagonist – Jessica Yu looks at four people facing key moments of their lives.  The form is unusual but interesting.  And the message of the ability of the individual to make choices in a world whose current seems unfightable is mighty.

Rescue Dawn – Herzog’s dramatic remake of his documentary is one of the best unseen films of the year.  Great and subtle performances by Steve Zahn and Christian Bale, as Herzog pushes through the jungle as only he can.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – One of the great musicals of all-time becomes a very good movie, made by the perfect director and dominated by Johnny Depp’s pained performance as Mr T. 

This Is England – Shane Meadows’ brutal, no holds barred look at class and ethnic projection in his childhood England.  Like a smack in the face.

Wristcutters: A Love Story – My beloved of Sundance 2006, the film finally escaped to little fanfare, but it’s a romantic comedy gem that could well become a touchstone of the slacker generation.

Zoo – Robinson Devor’s semi-doc about a group of men who love horses, literally, is a piece of art when all anyone expected was a piece of kink.  It’s not one of the great films ever, but it overcomes the challenge of its subject and forces the viewer to consider how people feel deep inside in a way that you won’t see coming.

Posted by poland at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)