2010 Best of

Mark Zuckerberg is an evil asshole. Who cares? Strangely, I found his characterization in this film to be sympathetic. But, forget this film is nominally about Facebook. It's not interesting from that point of view. This is an Aaron Sorkin film all the way (dir. by David Fincher). If you like his work, you will enjoy the film. If you look at it from any other angle all of its shortcomings will smash you in the face.

Best film of 2010 so far for me.

Confessions is not perfect but it's pretty close. It's dark and gorgeous. It's unsettling. It's got Takako Matsu and Yoshino Kimura; Radiohead and Boris on the soundtrack. It gets crazy and goes by quickly at times (hard to catch all the subtitles), even though a good portion of the film is in slow motion. It's a testament to the skill of the director that everything makes an impression, even fluttering by. A few times, for a moment, it seems like it might lose steam and then whoosh! There it goes again. This is hands-on film making. An audio-visual package right up there with Myung-se Lee's M. It gets physical. And that's what I like about it. Nakashima gets how to manipulate sight, sound, and time moving through time that creates both a sense of being on a rollar coaster and being suspended in time. Like being in a dream or a car wreck.

It's creepy that most of the players in the film are 14 years old, talking about killing people and their mommy problems. The film gets most of its fuel from mommy problems. Shocking that it seems so believable that these kids understand what they are talking about. Tetsuya Nakashima makes these kids smart. It's very refreshing.

The first and last acts are both tours de force. If you over think this film it can fall apart. If you're the type that does that kind of thing you won't like it as much as I did. But unless you are also sensitive to slow motion or post rock emo soundtracks it's hard not to be overwhelmed by this masterfully crafted film.

This isn't a perfect film but its story is so moving that any shortcomings in the telling can easily be overlooked.

I was moved to tears several times during the film but more from just thinking about the scenarios than from any melodramatic presentation. Aftershock has a disjointed narrative from time to time and could probably be improved with a second round of editing. Several scenes appear to be part of something larger that got cut out, and a few seem irrelevant. The director's decision to downplay the climax as long as he can is a little disappointing but it fits with the repressed emotional level of the rest of the film after the initial earthquake sequence which, as we are reminded of in a slightly awkward memorial ending that closes the film, is supposed to be its devastating heart. It has structural weaknesses but it's a magnificent and heart-rending story with a lot of legs. Highly recommended to those who like that kind of thing.

sitenoise at the movies: Aftershock

A total blast. This film has about 15 principle players and they are all great. Michael Cera does his Michael Cera thing but since I've only seen him do it one time before I'm not sick of it. And this is a good film for him. He gets to rock out on bass guitar and do a lot of ninja fighting. It's all way over the top and executed very well.

Whoever edited this film deserves an Oscar for it. it's amazing. This is easily the most fun I've had watching a movie all year. It's not trash fun either. It's witty and smart. I was smiling almost all the way through it and LOL'd many times. Not a weak or bad character in the bunch.

2nd Best film of 2010 for me.

Ben Stiller's introspective deadpan character is very well suited to Greenberg. He's a guy who says things that many people only think. He's introduced as someone who has spent time in a hospital for mental patients, adding an edge which, brilliantly, is never realized. As I watched this film I kept thinking of the scene from the promotional television commercial for it where Stiller speaks bluntly to some twenty-somethings about his views on the younger generation, and I couldn't imagine how that scene was going to fit into what I was seeing. The film presents a much more subdued character than that commercial implies.

Greenberg is a slow boil and the two other main players are just as muted in their performances. Rhys Ifans plays an old friend of Greenberg and rolls along every time he's onscreen as if he's just gotten out of bed and is too tired to disagree with anything. The highlight of the film is Greta Gerwig. She literally says "Okay" to everything. Her performance is a breath of fresh air, charming and unpretentious, artfully un-artful.

sitenoise at the movies: Greenberg

Most surprisingly thoughtful little film of the year.

I haven't liked very many films from Taiwan but this light-hearted, low ambition rom-com was enjoyable for the characters ... more than the story, and I must say I found it pretty cool watching a film delivered in sign language for the most part. It's a very beautiful and expressive language. I also think the parents of the guy character must be professional comedians in real life because they had comic timing in spades. A good time was had by all in this house.

This is a strange one, in a good way, for the most part. It's a lovely and meditative story of blossoming and innocent young love that jumps back and forth in time and in and out of dreams. It gets a little weird, then a little confusing, and then almost shoots itself in the foot by hinting at some plot to get in the way of the story. I'm not sure that it happened but it seems to have, and it appears to relate to the melodramatic question a young woman asks her mother: "If you could go back to the past and meet dad again, would you still marry him ... but you know that he would have an accident later?"

I think it's a mistake to try and discover meaning in a film like this, as the director or as a viewer, even though it's filled with innumerable possible symbolisms. This is not a commercial love story. It's far too down tempo and poetic. But it is a love story and these kinds of films require a nice couple for us to love, and the two leads provide that here, with extra credit given to the ever watchable Nikki Hsin-Ying Hsieh in her film debut.

The beautiful theme song that plays as the end credits roll is sung by Tarcy Su, a singer and actress I just discovered in the remarkable film Blue Cha Cha.

sitenoise at the movies: One Day (You yi tian)