Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupart Grint, Emma Watson
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Country: UK, USA
Genre: Fantasy
Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.
After two films that followed the same formula, a new director stepped in to helm the third installment of the series. Alfonso Curaón, probably best known for Children of Men, turns the frothiness of the previous two films and shrouds it in the dark of night. Where the first two films left audiences with a resonating feeling of sitting by the firelight, Azkaban leaves the audience with the feeling of being lost in the woods at midnight. Gary Oldman steps in, in the perfect way that only Oldman can to any role he’s given, to the notorious role of Sirius Black. The mystique of the Harry Potter series takes a turn for the better here, foreshadowing the long journey to come.
Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John Sharian
Director: Brad Anderson
Country: Various
Genre: Mystery
Twice the Bale performance at half the weight!
Brad Anderson, of cult classic Session 9 fame, crafts this Hitchcockian mystery of an insomniac trying to piece together the puzzle of his faltering life. Sometime between American Psycho and Batman Begins Christian Bale found the time to lose 63 pounds for this harrowing role, and ends up putting in one of his best performances. The film is chock full of the symbolism that mystery buffs drool over, but it’s all built on a very real human drama which is what gives any film longevity. The script, the acting, and the direction all work with such synergy that it’s hard to believe this film hasn’t received more attention than the “Christian Bale skeleton” film. It’s dark and twisted, but always has a sense of fun in its execution.
Starring: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle
Director: Niels Mueller
Country: USA
Genre: Drama
The road to madness is sometimes a familiar one.
When you have a film produced by Alexander Payne, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Alfonso Cuarón that stars one of the most dedicated actors in its lead role and a supporting cast of the highest caliber, you know you’re dealing with a quality film. Surely, this harrowing descent into madness is an effective one. It’s a little tricky in its manipulation though, making us sympathize and connect with a character that we know will ultimately commit some sort of heinous crime. We’re never fully certain what it will be, and, well it’s not pretty. But watching Assassination is to watch an incredibly crafted character study and one of Sean Penn’s finest performances. The film is as quiet as the person you wouldn’t expect to blow, but when it does… whoo boy.
Starring: Matt Damon, Brian Cox, Joan Allen
Director: Paul Greengrass
Country: USA
Genre: Action
A.K.A. Jason Bourne Hunting
Sequels always face an uphill battle. Simultaneously they must forward the story of the character(s) while still stringing together all of the things audiences loved about the first film. It’s an uphill battle that Bourne handles with a magazine slap to the face. The Bourne Supremacy takes all of the action sequences from the first film, and mixes it in a story of espionage and revenge. It takes the action sequences and pumps steroids into them. The end car chase that mirrors the first films is so outrageous and over the top, but it’s hard not to admire its brazened stunt driving. It’s pure thrilling entertainment. Damon kicks it as Bourne, but it doesn’t hurt when you have a supporting cast like Brian Cox and Joan Allen. Greengrass takes over the helm, and knocks it out of the park with his fast paced style.
Starring: Seung-yeon Lee, Hyun-kyoon Lee
Director: Ki-duk Kim
Country: South Korea
Genre: Foreign, Romance
Chaplin. Keaton. Ki-duk Kim?
When a film of any country’s origin embraces the idea of images being a universal language, I tend to get a bit giddy, (don’t get me going on Chaplin films…) 3-Iron is so in touch with the idea that a story can be told without verbal language and still convey a wholly touching story, probably even better than most other films. To summarize it would take more words than I have room for here, but the first half of the film plays out a lot like Wall-E in two characters falling in love through excellently developed tender moments that never fall under schlocky, but remain in the cute realm that gives you butterflies. The second half of the film takes an unforeseen turn, but always stays true to the story being told. 3-Iron is absolutely one to be seen by any romance enthusiast.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Steve Carell
Director: Adam McKay
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy
Second only to maybe Borat, this is the most quoted movie of the decade. You have many leather bound books? High five!
As far as comedies go, there aren’t many others that are able to use a paper-thin plot to focus primarily on the laughs and not fall completely on their face. This is completely due to it having the best cast of comedians assembled since Caddyshack. There isn’t a scene in this film that allows humor to take a backseat; on the contrary, it seems like Ferrell and McKay slaved over finding the funniest course of events in each scene. And with a cast of such brilliant improvisers it’s no wonder this film finally pushed each of them into the A-lister spotlight. It might lack the heart that makes The 40-Year-Old Virgin so endearing, but it’s just.so.damn.funny.
Starring: Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber
Director: Zack Snyder
Country: USA
Genre: Horror
It’s no secret that the first decade of the 2000s have bred handfuls upon handfuls of remakes of older films, particularly in the horror genre. Most of these remakes are completely forgettable; cheap thrills made for bored teens on a weekend evening. But of those handfuls, there are a select few that show their respect for the source material and separate themselves by creating something else wholly inventive. Zack Snyder’s debut is one of those rare remakes that use the original as inspiration to expand on other ideas and themes in the concept. His direction his highly stylized, the story deals with hints of humanity, and there are plenty of jumps, scares, and blood-dripping amusement. Character development isn’t abandoned to make room for flimsy tension, drama isn’t sacrificed to make room for concept. Romero’s original is a milestone in the horror genre leaving some big shoes to fill, but Snyder’s remake can boast that it was one of the more entertaining films of 2004.
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupart Grint, Emma Watson
