The
one-sentence logline should hook you; James Bond vs. Hannibal Lecter. But this South Korean Masterpiece of tension
is more than standard horror-action fare.
Rather writer/director Jee-woon Kim has created a film of one-upmanship
that would make Hitchcock proud. Equal
parts darkly funny, scary, violent and disgusting I Saw the Devil is an original that should stay as such.
13. Winter’s Bone – Debra Granik
Few
films announced a star in the making as Winter’s
Bone did with Jennifer Lawrence. At nineteen
the actress was already powerhouse who would eventually dominate the
conversation for more than a few years as she reigned supreme as Super Star of
the World. Winter’s Bone in South Gothic Mystery tradition gives us an unusual
hero/detective in Ree (Lawrence) as she desperately searches for her missing
father. It is where Winter’s Bone breaks from the Gothic Tradition that sets it
apart. The film’s female point of view
and its main character’s literal struggle for her family’s survival that makes
this so special.
12. Selma – Ava DuVernay
Everything about Selma is so perfectly good. Biopics are so difficult and what Ava DuVernay does here is a bit of a magic trick. She makes everything look so easy. It is not. It is, unfortunately, that much of what is the focus of the film still hasn’t changed. Powerful, bold filmmaking with so much warmth and compassion you won’t know what hit you.
11. We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lynn Ramsey
Another film that as we move farther and farther into this millennia becomes more and more prescient. What makes evil? Who is evil? Are parents to blame? Lynn Ramsey’s film is the bleakest of bleak. It shows the inevitable trajectory of an increasingly disturbing child (Ezra Miller in his finest work) and his parents (Tilda Swinton and John C Riley) apathy. All building to its end that… well, you will have to see it to understand why this film is only going to grow in importance as the years and decades pass.
10. OJ: Made in America – Ezra Edelman
Yes, this isn’t a cheat considering director Ezra Edleman’s 8-hour documentary played in theaters before premiering on ESPN. Like all great documentaries, this isn’t just about its subject. Rather OJ: Made in America is a mirror reflecting back on Race, Celebrity, Power, The Justice System, TV, Journalism, and America as a whole. The picture painted isn’t pretty but it is engrossing and powerful filmmaking.
14. I Saw the Devil – Jee-woon Kim
The one-sentence logline should hook you; James Bond vs. Hannibal Lecter. But this South Korean Masterpiece of tension is more than standard horror-action fare. Rather writer/director Jee-woon Kim has created a film of one-upmanship that would make Hitchcock proud. Equal parts darkly funny, scary, violent and disgusting I Saw the Devil is an original that should stay as such.
13. Winter’s Bone – Debra Granik
Few films announced a star in the making as Winter’s Bone did with Jennifer Lawrence. At nineteen the actress was already powerhouse who would eventually dominate the conversation for more than a few years as she reigned supreme as Super Star of the World. Winter’s Bone in South Gothic Mystery tradition gives us an unusual hero/detective in Ree (Lawrence) as she desperately searches for her missing father. It is where Winter’s Bone breaks from the Gothic Tradition that sets it apart. The film’s female point of view and its main character’s literal struggle for her family’s survival that makes this so special.
12. Selma – Ava DuVernay
Everything about Selma is so perfectly good. Biopics are so difficult and what Ava DuVernay does here is a bit of a magic trick. She makes everything look so easy. It is not. It is, unfortunately, that much of what is the focus of the film still hasn’t changed. Powerful, bold filmmaking with so much warmth and compassion you won’t know what hit you.
11. We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lynn Ramsey
Another film that as we move farther and farther into this millennia becomes more and more prescient. What makes evil? Who is evil? Are parents to blame? Lynn Ramsey’s film is the bleakest of bleak. It shows the inevitable trajectory of an increasingly disturbing child (Ezra Miller in his finest work) and his parents (Tilda Swinton and John C Riley) apathy. All building to its end that… well, you will have to see it to understand why this film is only going to grow in importance as the years and decades pass.
10. OJ: Made in America – Ezra Edelman
Yes, this isn’t a cheat considering director Ezra Edleman’s 8-hour documentary played in theaters before premiering on ESPN. Like all great documentaries, this isn’t just about its subject. Rather OJ: Made in America is a mirror reflecting back on Race, Celebrity, Power, The Justice System, TV, Journalism, and America as a whole. The picture painted isn’t pretty but it is engrossing and powerful filmmaking.
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