Amos Perrine’s 2008 Top Ten + Capsule Reviews from NYC
Amos “Bill” Perrine
Amos Perrine is one of WV’s leading experts on film. He programmed the WV Intl. Film Festival for years and still consults with them. He has written film and music reviews for several publications and advised Lincoln Center in NYC on an Iranian film series.
Below is his Top Ten list plus a few other comments. He was recently in NYC and sent me these short reviews of some contemporary films…He recently watched 21 films in 10 days. Once, while in NYC, he watched 7 films in 49 hours.
The Ten Top Films of 2008
Silent Light (Mexico)
The Man From London (Hungary)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel) Still Life (China)The Edge Of Heaven (Turkey)The Flight of the Red Balloon (France)4 Months, 3 Weeks and Two Days (Romania)A Christmas Tale ( France)Happy Go Lucky ( UK)Che (US) Most Overrated: Gran Torino (US)
Worst Travesty: Brideshead Revisited ( UK)
Most Predictably Stupid: Priceless ( France)
Performances: Sean Penn-Milk Sally Hawkins-Happy Go LuckyHeath Ledger-The Dark Knight All had one thing in common — they did not appear to be acting. Each performer drew you into his/her world with no apparent effort — and that is very hard to do. Oscar Predictions (Early): Milk-Picture Director-Fincher (Benjamin Button)
Actor-Sean Penn Penn (Milk)
Actress-Meryl Streep (Doubt) S. Actress-Viola Davis (Doubt)S. Actor-Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) Irony of the Year: Josh Brolin portrayed two clueless white male destroyers with highly misplaced senses of entitlement. First as Dan White, the assassin of Harvey Milk and, second, as the frat boy George W. Bush whose misdeeds resulted in 1,000,000 dead in Iraq, an unstable Middle East, the quadrupling of the US national debt and the worst economic crises facing the world since the Great Depression. But then, what did you expect from a man who drove into the ground every business he was ever involved with?
While my favs have been the Sturges fest at the Forum, I have managed to see 9 new ones:
I Have Loved You so Long—Not nearly as interesting as it’s positive reviews, and the “explanation” at the end is cheating.
Vicky Christina Barcelona–Rebecca Hall (also in Frost/Nixon) is a joy, and the picture comes so close to being a very fine modern romantic comedy, but just misses. Still, better than 98% of the junk out there.
Let the Right One In –An unexpected chilly treat from
Sweden.
Happy Go Lucky—Hawkins is joy rambling around in an otherwise uncaring modern life. Brightly shot.
W.–Not bad, but I refuse to feel sympathy for the frat boy who would be president & all that he has done to the world.
Frost/Nixon–Kinda boring, overly labored — what else do you expect from Howard. Langella is quite good.
Gran Torino-Clint has been the most pedestrian of directors, but this one shows he is senile as well.
The Wrestler-Predicable & uninvolving, despite a nice performance by Rourke. The grainy texture & hand-held camera cannot mask its superficiality.
Still the best pic of the year has been “Silent Light” which is a 2007 release. That and the two Met Operas In HD are my highlights, so far.
Benjamin Button–Nice to look at, but way too drawn out, souless, and the great love story turns out to be merely picture postcard pastiche. What Doesn’t Kill You—Neat little neo-noir that no one has heard of.. Revolutionary Road—Lifeless, even more artificial than Mendes’ earlier “American Beauty.” While Winslett is touchingly fine, the picture is a mausoleum. Frozen River-Burrrr indeed. Like The Wrestler, it takes more than living in a trashy trailer to make you feel the horror of a slipping down life. Milk–While not perfect, the picture is good enough to sweep the Oscars. And Penn gives the performance of a lifetime. I remember Harvey Milk when he was alive — had he lived he could have become president. He was that charismatic and committed. Cadillac Records–While there are some continuity issues (e.g., 50’s Elvis appears after the British Invasion) in this glossy & placid telling of Chess Records & Muddy Waters stories, any film about this significant portion of musical history is worthwhile. Mos Def as Howlin’ Wolf in some all too brief scenes electrifies the screen.
In Chronological Order, My post-silent era Ten Essential American Motion Pictures:
It Happened One Night
His Girl Friday
Citizen Kane
The Lady Eve
Out of the Past
Sunset Boulevard
The Searchers
Vertigo
2001: A Space Odyssey
Manhattan
Bill Perrine on the right with ”Matewan” director John Sayles and girl friend/producer Maggie Renzie, at a WVIFF event several years ago at the WVSU Capitol Center in downtown Charleston.
