sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying. this is a true work of brilliance. dark comedy abounds in modern film, and can be very hit or miss. everyone and their brother is trying their hand at it - particularly across the pond. this charming little film was quite a pleasant surprise for me, and in film, pleasant surprises tend to be few and far between. now it's no secret around these parts that i've got a decent sized man crush on colin farrell, i think he's one of the more promising young actors we have, and this film is example one. he manages to be hilarious, depressed, lovestruck, and suicidal over the course of two hours. the always terrific brendan gleeson is great as a good guy who also somehow is a hitman. ray (farrell) and ken (gleeson) are hitmen sent to Bruges, "the most well-preserved medieval city in Belgium" to lay low after Ray accidentally kills a child on his first job. ralph fiennes is hilariously foul-mouthed as their boss, harry. without spoiling too much, bloodshed, midgets, mistakenly punching a canadian for being american, rants on race, and a little love ensue. come for the witty banter, stay for the great performances and surprisingly touching story. great dramedy is hard to find. this one might wind up higher on the list in a few years.
19 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
bill murray is one of the true comedic heavyweights of our time. in my estimation, he's never been better than he is as the irrelevant, oblivious, sad and hilarious titular steve zissou. zissou was once at the top of his craft, producing hit documentaries and basically being jacques cousteau. now, some 20 years later, his star as faded, his best friend has been eaten by a mysterious creature and a man claiming to be his son comes forward. but it's wes anderson, so the story is really incidental to the real reasons i love this movie. this film is truly hate it or love it, but i love it. cate blanchett, willem dafoe, owen wilson all bring true comedic brilliance. seu jorge (a brazillian folk singer) plays and sings acoustic david bowie songs in portugese throughout. (!)(how awesome is that?) so zissou and company (including unpaid interns from the university of north alaska) pursue the beast on one last adventure, encountering pirates, drama and zissou's nemesis, alistair hennessey (a hilarious jeff goldblum) along the way. this one will make you laugh, make you cry, and expose you to one of the true pleasures of the 2000's. eminently quotable, eminently watchable, eminently memorable. a true pleasure. you won't regret it, unless you're no fun.
18 Mystic River (2003)
dennis lehane is probably my favorite contemporary american author. mystic river is a true work of brilliance out of him. lehane manages to describe so well the american underclass, to tell without judging or preaching. you recognize the humanity in it no matter how far removed from the blue collar streets you may be. that being said, there are times when a film is simply a superior way to tell a story, when actors can simply convey the emotions and thoughts involved in superior way to words on a page. clint eastwood has been one of hollywood's biggest players for a long time, this decade is when he brought his A game consistently behind the director's chair. mystic river, million dollar baby, flags of our fathers, changeling and grand torino are all works of subtle, understated genius (to varying extents). but what really makes this film are the brilliant performances of the leads. to say that sean penn and tim robbins bring their A-games would be the understatement of the century - they swept the 04 acting awards. they say with their faces what lehane takes pages to describe. powerful and devastating, mystic river is a distinctly american tale that says so much with so few words. 3 childhood friends whose lives were forever changed by a monstrous act find themselves reunited by another some 30 years later. it's not always pleasant to watch, but it is, in the end, an experience that will make you appreciate what a great actor(s) can bring to the table. sean penn and tim robbins have never been better. kevin bacon, marcia gay harden and lawrence fishburne are far more than adequate. add in one of the top 5 directors working today, and you've got an oscar-worthy film, probably deserving of a rank higher than the one i've given it.
17 Munich (2005)
i'll be the first to admit that spielberg's eyes get too big for his stomach sometimes. he can be overly sappy and sentimental, too big picture oriented, and have weak characters at times. despite all of this, Munich is a personal favorite of mine, it has a lot to say, and says it powerfully. especially prescient in this day and age, munich speaks to the nature of revenge and violent reprisals, and the profound changes engaging in such messy business can reap on all of us. pretty heady stuff. eric bana and daniel craig, among others, are on the elite team of israeli specialists hand picked by golda meir to enact israel's revenge on the palestinian militants responsible for infamously killing 11 members of the israeli olympic team at the 1972 munich games. what is seemingly a simple task becomes convoluted and much more complicated than any of the parties could have possibly imagined as the team travels the globe in pursuit of their targets. spielberg's direction does an incredible job of demonstrating the consequences of this plan, and bana's conflicted protagonist, avner, finds his world shattered by his involvement. whether you're pro-israeli, pro-palestinian or somewhere in between, spielberg's statement on the uselessness of violence as a means to accomplish ANY ends is a powerful allegory for the modern day geo-political situation. there's one amazing scene where the israeli commandos (claiming to be basques) and the palestinian commandos sent to foil them (claiming to be algerian) are put up in the same safe house and forced to deal with one another as individuals rather than abstract ideas. great stuff. well worth the 2 hr 45 minute commitment.
16 Gangs of New York
i love this movie a lot more than 16, but a cursory look at the films yet to be listed requires placement in this spot. the greatest villain in movie history (in my book), is portrayed in legendary fashion by the finest actor working today, daniel day-lewis. leonardo dicaprio in his first grown-up role. cameron diaz, john c. reilly and brendan gleeson highlight the others in this terrific ensemble. other than 'the last temptation of christ', this scorsese's most ambitious film, and the audience should be thankful that at least one director cares about creating such expansive and gorgeous sets (he built the 5 points in Italy). i've watched this one far more than is healthy to watch a film that requires two DVDs to fully enjoy, and can quote the butcher ad nauseum. however, ultimately, for me, leo isn't grown up enough to adequately foil DDL, and the film suffers for it. 'departed' 2007 leo would have been able to do it, 2002 leo fresh off of 'the beach' wasn't ready. also - it's a crime that liam neeson's badass priest vallon gets relegated to the prologue. that being said, i'm in love with scorsese's pull-no-punches, unapologetic depiction of history. who better to helm a tale of america's criminal past than the cinematic master of its criminal present? some all time classic characters and one-liners in this one, and the fact that DDL came home from the oscars empty-handed is a complete crime. a travesty even.
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