Top 5 films you didn't see in 2010

Maybe you were too busy trying to figure out Inception, maybe you couldn't bear to take a break from your Dexter DVD box set, or maybe these just weren't playing at a theater near you. Regardless, you should have seen these films.


5. Waste Land
Genre. Documentary
Dir. Lucy Walker, Karen Harley, Joao Jardim
Starring. Vik Muniz

If you enjoyed Exit Through the Gift Shop but were left with a less than positive outlook on modern art, Waste Land might be just the thing you need to feel the love again. Uplifting and inspiring, Waste Land follows artist Vik Muniz as he embarks on a quest to bring beauty into the lives of a group of people with the most unfortunate job imaginable. They pick trash for a living, spending most of their time trudging through the world's largest landfill, picking out the recyclable materials from the rest of the general waste. These are the materials that Muniz then uses to create their portraits which eventually sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At times it feels a bit contrived, but in the end, Waste Land will make you believe in the power of art to transform the ordinary into the beautiful. It is also successful as an environmental film as it causes us to contemplate the overwhelming amount of trash we produce, without being overly preachy or accusatory. It does not seek to make us feel guilty, but rather it sends a general positive message about the possibility of change. And most of all it's an absolute joy to watch.

4. The Illusionist
Genre. Animation
Dir. Sylvain Chomet

Sometimes we need films to take us out of our ordinary lives and into another world. This is exactly what Sylvain Chomet's The Illusionist does and the world is somehow both beautifully mesmerizing and deeply somber. Adapted from a script by Jaques Tati, The Illusionist tells the tale of an aging magician, struggling to find work in a time where the trends of show business were changing. He meets a young girl who believes whole heartedly in his magic and changes his life. She acts as both his savior and that which destroys him as he stops at nothing to keep his illusions real for her. The result is a melancholic but very touching film.

3. Biutiful
Genre. Drama
Dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu
Starring. Javier Bardem

Biutiful is not for the faint of heart. It is a challenging film, but if you're a fan of Innaritu you'll expect nothing less. The story interweaves the lives of several people living in the underbelly of society, doing whatever it takes to survive. Bardem is a tortured father with the unique gift of being able to connect with the after life. This is not so much a gift as a curse, and becomes even more so when he learns his own life is limited. Bardem (as per usual) is fascinating to watch. There aren't really any moments of relief from the tragic lives of these characters, which makes for a difficult viewing experience, but if everything in life were easy...well maybe it wouldn't be quite so Biutiful.

2. Another Year
Genre. Comedy/Drama
Dir. Mike Leigh
Starring. Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville

Another Year is a heartfelt character study of a loving married couple entering their golden years, highlighting the changes their family and friends experience over the course of a year. Mike Leigh once again offers an insightful look at the intricate dynamics of family relationships and companionship. See this film if for no other reason than for Lesley Manville's exceptional performance as an unmarried and lonely woman desperately trying to hold onto the pretense of happiness. It's a charming and funny film that will make you grateful for whatever friends and family you may be lucky enough to have.

See my full review here.

1. Somewhere
Genre. Drama
Dir. Sofia Coppola
Starring. Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning

With Somewhere, Sofia Coppola solidifies her position as one of the most uniquely feminine voices in cinema today. They say you should write what you know, so it comes as no surprise that Coppola has written a story about a famous father and his relationship with his young daughter. The entire cast delivers great performances as they bring to life a brilliantly simple script. Although admittedly slow at times, Somewhere is overall poetic and endearing in all of its subtly beautiful moments. It is easily one of my favorite films of this past year.

For a full review, go here.

Another Year

Dir. Mike Leigh
Starring. Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, Lesley Manville

Another Year is a film about old people...hanging out with other old people...doing whatever it is that old people do, which I assume involves complaining about the postal service and blowing their nose into the same crusty bit of tissue over and over again and then sticking it back in their pocket. Or at least this is what I gathered from the first few minutes of the trailer I watched before getting bored and going back to watching youtube clips of puppies making cute noises.

Fortunately the film is nothing like my prejudgment, and when I finally managed to pull my head out of my own arse long enough to sit down and watch it, I was incredibly entertained. Another Year is so poignant and funny, its not just relevant to people on nursing home waiting lists.

The main characters are married couple Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen) and Another Year is just as advertised; a year spent with them. We follow the ups and downs of their lives as they love, laugh, work, entertain, comfort old friends and family, and gently prod their son to start his own family. It is truly a simple story of those lucky enough to have family, love, and companionship, and their relationships with those dealing with death, loneliness, disappointment, and regret.

The characters carry the film, and we would expect nothing less from director Mike Leigh. They are so three dimensional you will feel certain you know them in real life, or at least someone exactly like them. And because of this, its hard not to fall instantly in love with them.

Lesley Manville steals the show with her brilliant portrayal of Mary, Gerri's childless and husbandless work friend who desperately tries to stay positive in spite of her loneliness. She is altogether hilarious and tragic as she brings to life the sheer panic many women feel as they grow older and find themselves without a family to call their own.

Leigh's tender and genuine understanding of human relationships gives the film heart, humor, and hope. If you can bare to shut your laptop, silence your iphone, take out your ear phones and not send a single tweet for 130 minutes, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you enjoy this film. It does require your attention and care to really get into it...but...if...you....just....sorry, I think I hear my phone ringing...