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Staff Selections: 2009 The Year in Review

Andrew

The Visitor
  1. The VisitorThe personal and political dovetail around a performance of uncommon complexity and grace. A humanist parable that stands as a key film of a lamentable political decade.
  2. Jar CityAll talk was on Let the Right One In, but this unheralded forensic thriller from neighbouring Iceland transported me like no other. Art/pulp bliss.
  3. Forbidden LiesSeeing is still not believing this, er, unbelievable documentary, as it thoroughly and deftly exposes a complex ego of epic proportions.
  4. HungerHard to deny this Irish prison drama as a masterpiece, even if its tough subject matter perhaps makes it a conditional one.
  5. Red Riding TrilogyThe first part, ‘1974’, was a stunner, and if the other two not quite as much, as a whole this is still essential and substantial. Champion.
  6. Rain of the ChildrenAn artistically bold, heartfelt love letter to cinema, to Maori, and to New Zealand. Bravo, Vincent Ward.
  7. Up The YangtzeA near perfect filmic essay on the seismic dichotomy that is modern China.
  8. Wendy and LucySimplicity is this American indie’s greatest virtue, but not its only one. A model of “less is more”.
  9. In Search of a Midnight KissAn indie rom-com that charmed the pants off me, and even squeezed a tear. There’s hope for Gen-Y yet!
  10. La AntenaEven the festivals have overlooked this sumptuous homage to expressionism. A designer’s wet dream.

Second 11: Time Crimes, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Dean Spanley, Frost/Nixon, Duplicity, Fear(s) of the Dark, Synecdoche New York, Let the Right One In, Coraline, Persepolis, Big Man Japan. …

Tim

My Winnipeg
  1. My WinnipegIt’s all about Guy Maddin in this hilarious, self-pitying essay on hermaphrodites, beauty salons, and sweaty ice hockey players.
  2. Wendy and LucyA luminous, compassionate American indie about hardship in modern times that’s also a marvel of economic filmmaking.
  3. Star TrekThe blockbuster of the year: brash, blasphemous, and a bundle of youthful energy.
  4. Red Riding TrilogyGobsmacking television, this murky Yorkshire policier is a boldy cinematic triptych recommended for recovering Wire addicts and everyone else.
  5. HungerA shit-smearing, laugh-a-minute prison movie that’s, in all seriousness, an astonishing work of formal virtuosity and raw physicality.
  6. RequiemSandra Huller, in the year’s most riveting performance, anchors this rational dramatization of irrational events.
  7. Brand Upon the Brain!Fulfilling the ‘boner quotient’, Herr Maddin delivers another horny, Oedipal fantasy-autobiography in German expressionist overtones.
  8. You the LivingA comedy for the depressed, Roy Andersson’s latest doomsday pantomime features improbable visuals and laughs-a-plenty.
  9. 30 Rock - Season 3Tina Fey’s rapid-fire sitcom - in its best season yet - boasts some of the sharpest dialogue this side of 40s screwball comedy. Larry David’s sixth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm is similarly in fine form.
  10. Not Quite HollywoodAn unruly retrospective of discarded Australian cinema that revives at least a dozen trash classics, and one genuine masterpiece: the sensational Wake in Fright.

Well-loved: Private Property, Somers Town, Crows O, The Edge of Heaven, Fay Grim, 5 Centimetres Per Second, The Wayward Cloud…

Rob

Tony Manero
  1. Tony ManeroThe grimy exploits of the death dealing disco diva. Fascist allegory of the year.
  2. RequiemBlessedly quiet film of hysteria and exorcisms.
  3. Wendy and LucyMasterful miniature of life on the margins.
  4. Role ModelsThe potty mouthed big kids version of the little-kids-who-could movie.
  5. Heartbeat DetectorLike a cinematic glacier: cold as all get out and slooooowwww moving, but riveting to watch if you’ve the mind to.
  6. Red Riding TrilogyScuzzy neo-noir with atmosphere to spare.
  7. Fay GrimUnder-appreciated spy malarkey from a forgotten talent.
  8. Somers TownWhat started life as a commercial for Eurostar becomes a winning portrait of mateship and the joy of mischief.
  9. Times and WindsIdiosyncratic drama of the wishing your father dead variety. Memorable in all sorts of unexpected ways.
  10. Mother of TearsSuperlative nonsense. Unhinged in the best sense and a total triumph of bad taste.

Bubbling under: Revanche, Wild Combination, Standard Operating Procedure, Private Property, Pineapple Express, Observe and Report, I Know Who Killed Me…

Svenda

Brand Upon the Brain!
  1. Brand Upon the Brain!A screwed up and sexy fetishistic homage to silent cinema.
  2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 DaysAn honest and bracing account of life in communist Romania, which made me want to vomit with its shocking and impressively realist portrayal of an illegal abortion.
  3. Love Live LongA drama, or perhaps a documentary, about the Gumball 3000 Rally, or perhaps about a treacherous one night stand? Whatever it is, I loved it.
  4. ChocolateKick-ass Thai martial arts movie in which an autistic and introverted teenage girl revenges her mother’s debtors.
  5. RequiemCatholic religion and mental illness converge as a girl battles her demons in 1970s Germany.
  6. HungerThe politically motivated hunger strike of IRA volunteer Bobby Sands is rendered so palpable that I could almost smell and touch it. An ode to individual sacrifice.
  7. Lorna’s SilenceThe plight of Belgian immigrant Lorna is given the Dardenne brothers’ signature mix of realist materialism and spiritual overtones.
  8. Rubbings From A Live ManAn intelligently self-aware foray into the eccentric world of New Zealand theatrical performer Warwick Broadhead.
  9. Big Man JapanDiscombobulating creative sequences abound in this hilarious anti-hero mockumentary.
  10. My WinnipegDirector Guy Maddin's unforgettably clever ‘docu-fantasia’.

Highly Commended: Iron Maiden - Flight 666, Son of Rambow, Up the Yangtze…

Simon

Red Riding Trilogy
  1. Red Riding TrilogyUp there with the original Edge of Darkness as memorable television
  2. AppaloosaNice to know that there are decent westerns still out there.
  3. Star TrekThis film will make you wish you had a better television.
  4. District 9I wonder what ‘Halo’ would have been like if he had got to direct it?
  5. TakenLiam Neeson + cartoon violence = fun for grownups.
  6. Let the Right One InA great movie from the vampire sub-genre. Take that Twilight!
  7. In BrugesA well made crime comedy.
  8. Tony ManeroAh! The 70s. You have to admire the chap for his persistence.
  9. WatchmenAh! The 80s. The music, the fashion, the ageing superheroes.
  10. Not Quite HollywoodAaaargh! The 70s AND the 80s. So many bad films, fondly remembered. Be sure to watch Wake in Fright, just released: the film the Australian Tourism Board doesn’t want you to see!

Honourable mentions: Ghost Town, Milk, Doubt, Time Crimes, Watchmen Animated; Knowing (Biggest disappointment!)…

Lucy O

Let The Right One In
  1. Let The Right One InAn elegant, moody vampire parable from Sweden: the perfect antidote to Twilight hysteria.
  2. Wendy and LucyGentle, politically conscious character piece features my favourite performance of the year from an unexpected Michelle Williams.
  3. Drag Me To HellDirector Sam Raimi gives us what we want in this twisted tale that luxuriates in its own bawdy, playful genre.
  4. District 9At last, an intelligent, character-driven sci-fi that’s also a hell of a lot of fun.
  5. Role ModelsPaul Rudd is at his most deadpan in my pick for best comedy, complemented by a genius supporting turn from goddess Jane Lynch.
  6. Forbidden LiesLeft-field docudrama thinks it’s telling the story of a Jordinian Campaigner against honour killing. It’s not.
  7. Star TrekGlorious reboot of the franchise delivers a hell of a ride for fans and newcomers alike - as long as you ignore Winona Ryder.
  8. PersepolisWhimsical, offbeat and gorgeously animated, this autobiography of a spirited girl growing up in Iran is the year’s best example of a complex story told simply.
  9. Vicky Cristina BarcelonaWoody Allen proves he’s still got it in this devastatingly sexy rom-com that features someone to tickle everyone’s fancy.
  10. Jar CityUnsettling forensic thriller with an aloof Icelandic sensibility. Will leave you chilled to the bone.

Hot on the heels:: I’ve Loved You So Long, Eden Lake, Second Skin, Trick r’ Treat…

Chris

Wendy and Lucy
  1. Wendy and LucyMichelle Williams shines in this heartbreaking story of companionship and loss in modern day America.
  2. RevancheA superbly crafted thriller which slowly unfolds. An organic experience.
  3. My WinnipegDelightful and hilarious semi-autobiographical take on Guy Maddin’s hometown (also easily his most accessible film).
  4. I Love You, ManLaughs-a-plenty in this awkward rom-com, depicting the challenge of male friendship and masculinity in SNAGS (sensitive new age guys).
  5. MartyrsTesting the limits of what the body (and audience!) can withstand. A brutal revenge horror that spiritually transforms.
  6. My Kid Could Paint ThatAn interesting and probing look at the art world, and at family life in the spotlight.
  7. Inglourious BasterdsPurely suspenseful and cinematic. And almost without any of the Tarantino cliches.
  8. XXYAn intriguing coming of age story of sexuality. Wonderfully performed.
  9. The ClassWell-observed and compelling. An in-depth glance at the school system that recalls The Wire - Season 4.
  10. Iron Maiden - Flight 666A touching insight into a long history of music and touring. Best enjoyed with a heavy metal buddy.

Waiting in the wings: Encounters at the End of the World, Red Riding Trilogy, Bacon’s Arena, Lorna’s Silence…

Ian

The Class
  1. The ClassA microscope on the combatitive, complex, sometimes heartfelt interactions between a teacher and his class. Less of a documentary than it appears, but no less beautiful for that.
  2. Wall-EYet more proof that digital animation – especially from the Pixar team – need not be the death of the humane and well told tale.
  3. Waltz With BashirSomewhere between investigative doco and work of art, this animated piece marks Israeli director Ari Folman’s attempt to fill in the blanks of his time fighting in Lebanon.
  4. Star TrekWith director JJ Abrams at the helm, and a script with zest, humour and assured retoolings of Kirk and Spock, this is probably the best Trek movie to date.
  5. Frost/NixonRiveting, brilliantly-acted recreation of the time an interviewer risked his career to try to get Richard Nixon to admit his guilt in front of the cameras.
  6. Slumdog MillionaireThe fairytale success that almost didn’t even get a cinema release.
  7. The HangoverA hangover with energy! A comedy with mystery and surprises! Wow.
  8. Up The YangtzeA documentary about the tide of change in China, shot with a poet’s eye.
  9. Men's GroupAvoided by far too many renters, perhaps out of fear of saccharine or hippy touchy stuff. Semi-improvised, this provides a fascinating peek inside the male mind.
  10. Dean SpanleyAlso seen by too few – sad, because it is far stranger and funnier than the overly safe advertising campaign made it appear.

Further faves:Inglourious Basterds, District 9, The Wrestler, Watchmen, Requiem, Hunger, Let the Right One In, Gomorrah…

Lucy C

Star Trek
  1. Star TrekWheeeeeeeee!! Who knew it could be such fun without the old wrinkly cast.
  2. The VisitorA friendship develops between disparate people. Heartbreaking. Needs tissues.
  3. Young at HeartOldies rock out to modern songs. More tissues.
  4. ShelterThe indie “coming out” story. Plus some surfing.
  5. I Love You, ManThe bromance to make you laugh your arse off.
  6. Harry Potter and the Half Blood PrinceMagical. Darker. More grown up. Satisfyingly gathering momentum for the grand finale.
  7. Skins (Series 3)New characters breathe life into the excesses of teen sex, drugs and drama. Great soundtrack.
  8. 30 Rock (Series 3)It just keeps getting better and betterer. Tina Fey is a comedy goddess.
  9. District 9Gritty and disturbing sci-fi film, made all the more effective for being set in South Africa.
  10. XXYHauntingly beautiful Spanish story centered around Alex, (an intersex teenager) that boldy confronts notions of gender, sexuality, love and acceptance.

Contenders for the crown:Ben X, Trick 'r Treat, Role Models …

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