My Oscar charts are in terrible need of reassessment but I've been devoting all my hours to working on the new website. It's a hungry beast. So, in the interim, you should check out my new article at Tribeca Film where I wonder about the 12 pictures that seem to have the most heat going into balloting season. 8 films have looked to be fairly settled for Best Picture nods for a couple of months now (The Social Network, 127 Hours, The Town, The Kids Are All Right, Toy Story 3, The King's Speech, Inception and Winter's Bone) but the problem is that there are 4 newer, and thus shinier, December pictures that want in (Black Swan, True Grit, The Fighter and Another Year). 8 + 4 ≠ 10 so something's got to give. Which films are most vulnerable? And will the Globes upset expectations, as they are prone to do, propping up a 13th or 14th option?
Many of you (here and offblog) have told me that I've been underestimating Black Swan's Oscar capacity and I tend to agree; just haven't had time to update the charts. Next week everything will need a major overhaul anyway given the busy awards calendar.
<-- Beautiful Barbara Hershey. Will any critics group acknowledge her unsettling maternity in Black Swan?
I had the pleasure of attending the Fox Searchlight holiday party earlier this week here in NYC and though four films were being honored, Black Swan was sucking up the oxygen. Otherwise James Franco was consistently surrounded by well wishers, journalists, and other industry types and Conviction's Sam Rockwell (see 'best in show' article) and Juliette Lewis (our fab interview) were in high spirits and on their way to a charity event after the party.
I had a geeky fanboy moment with Darren Aronofsky, who I had to share with a few other critics since he was so in demand for conversation. After thanking him for a filmography that's always worth writing about (a huge plus whether you consider the individual films follies or masterpieces), the group conversation somehow turned to top ten lists. He actually teased me about how high Black Swan would place in mine. 'Top ten? That's it?' he asked in mock disappointment. 'What, does that mean, like, #9? These things are important.' Funny guy who one expects would be über serious in person; blame those obsessively dramatic films that we've dramatically obsessed over for the past decade.
Glory of the 80s: Barbara Hershey's consecutive Cannes Best Actress Wins
Finally, me being me, you can probably guess that I made a B line for Barbara Hershey the second I arrived. I had to tell her how great it was to see her in something high profile again and then we chatted briefly about some 80s movies. (Hannah and Her Sisters and The Last Temptation of Christ are, as it turns out, the movies people stop to talk to her about the most.) I brought up A World Apart and Shy People "It's not even on DVD!" she exclaimed about the latter. I co-miserated. I didn't bore her with this next bit but I consider it a huge failing of our modern film culture that even if you win Best Actress at Cannes (Twice!) your films can sometimes vanish from view entirely.
"You sweet girl."
When I said goodbye I told her that I hoped her phone is ringing off the hook post Black Swan. "Not yet." she replied.
Sheesh, what's a girl got to do for Hollywood to recognize her gift? Casting directors need to jump on that. She's still beautiful at 62 (Black Swan downplays this, given the terror implicit in her role, but in person it's a different story) and still a fine actress. Not that anyone should have doubted her ability after that special '84-'88 run, the Oscar nomination for Portrait of a Lady (1995) and this Swan dive into a major portrait in miniature. How can she pack so much into so little screentime as Erica Sayers? It's all there from lost dreams, to shut-in enabled demons through to the total negation of self. She's emptied herself out to make room for vicarious living through Nina. It's just too tragic that even her vicarious living is self sabotage, she's projecting failure every chance she gets.
It's the role, isn't it? I knew it would be too much for you. I knew it.
The New York premiere of Black Swan was held last night at the Ziegfeld which is the theater for premiere's here in Manhattan. I have so many fond memories of the place. All the stars were in attendance including Darren Aronofsky, Vincent Cassell and Barbara Hershey. Plus the deliciously dark rival ballerinas Mila, Natalie and Noni.
I think it goes without saying but I'll say it: Winona Ryder is still one of the most beautiful women on the planet. Those eyes. That coloring. Gah.
Why Noni is wearing a tux we can't be sure but we love that she did. Why Aronofsky refuses to shave that Flynn mustache we can't be sure but we wish he would. Why Natalie is carrying around Nabokov's Lolita* we... wait, what?
There's got to be a story there. I hope it does not involve obsessive fans of The Professional.
*Okay, it's apparently a clutch by Olympia Le Tan - thx Dom - fashioned as a replica of the literary classic. The replica costs only $1,321.00more than the real thing. But can the real thing hold your lipstick, keys and money?
Y'all. I am so worried about the continued reports / rumors that Darren Aronofsky is making a superhero picture next. First they said he wanted the Superman reboot that now belongs to Zach Snyder. (Great, just what traditional placid loveably corny Superman needed... a tricked up slo-mo enthused "hip" director. Yikes!) Now, Vulture reports that Aronofsky is close to signing for Wolverine 2: No Longer Forced Into Awkwardly Origin Titling (2012).
Drawing by John Romita Jr. | Darren Insert by Moi
I realize that the Aronofksy/Weisz NYC lovenest probably doesn't come cheap. And I realize that after 5 straight winners showcasing your visual originality, gift with actors, and massive cojones, anyone would be tempted to cash in. But how exactly is that going to look on the filmography? Is he just hoping to get the acclaim that Chris Nolan has from the public by going more mainstream? (If you ask me he's a better director than Nolan but Nolan makes high tech sci-fi/superhero movies so naturally he's a million times more beloved.) Will this sequel be an unsightly blemish or am I just worried because of the permanent scarring from the 100% joy-free X-Men Origins: Wolverine?
Best Case Scenario: On the plus side the only way is up. Wolverine's Japanese detours in the comics are among the hero's most intriguing and could offer enormous possibilities for visual triumphs. Plus, if Aronofsky's filmography to date is any indication he is incapable of making a movie as dull as the first Wolverine, in which no action sequence could raise a pulse because nothing was ever at stake with invincible / indestructable people in every corner. In fact the only sequence that had any electric snap was the watery escape but that was entirely the fault of the mighty power of Naked Hugh Jackman and consider: Aronofsky got more indelible star mojo from that man when forcing him into pajamas and a bald cap.
So maybe it'll be great to see Jackman reinvigorated as an actor within his signature character? It is hard to give a bad or lazy performance in a Darren Aronofsky movie... and they're obviously comfortable with each other via The Fountain. Presumably a director is choosy about which actor he'll direct making love to his longtime girlfriend onscreen.
To make a long story short, this movie is bound to look rosy in comparison to the first Wolverine. And if anybody deserves some safety cushion funding for their next few weirdo projects, it's Aronofsky. So why not cash in?
Two Face: The Fountain and Wolverine
Worst Case Scenario: The homogeny-loving power of both suits and fanboys sap most comic book projects of any chance at originality and specificity, so what if Aronofsky's artistry is violently sucked from him, the tragic victim of status quo vampirism? What if he makes his first dud? That'd be so sad.
It's true that I haven't seen Black Swan yet and it's true that many people hate The Fountain (but you can't exactly knock it for being generic, can you?) so perhaps I protest too much. But from The Wrestler to Black Swan to... a sequel to someone else's vision?
I worry.
Maybe you don't. Are you already salivating to see the claws come out again or just to see this director/star pair reunited?
I'm working on revising the Oscar predictions. So far we've updated the extensive foreign film pages (yet, we're already behind again the news is coming so quickly), the animated and documentary categories, the aural categories like best score and song (I could use some help there -- offer it in the comments) and NEWbest picture. And yes I know that many people believe that The Way Back will not be released in time. But I don't believe for a second that the current plans will keep.
About Best Director. After a banner year for diversity last year this year looks like a return to the standard. It'll take a while for cinema's burgeoning spread of voices to register on a frequent basis. If you fuse all my predicted nominees together -- that'd be David Fincher, David O. Russell (pictured left), Mike Leigh, Peter Weir and Christopher Nolan -- you've got a 54 year old white auteur with 9 films under his belt who has been nominated once before in this category and is generally perceived as overdue for a win. But why would you fuse them together? That's only something I sometimes do with statistics because I am weird.
I would have loved to predict Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan (because I am a fan* in general, though I haven't yet seen the film), but here's something I fear about the new 10 wide Best Picture system. Though it gave us a nice spread of genre and mood and consensus last year, I fear the noisy mainstreaming of that category will end up drowning out the hoopla for those left of center choices that the directorial branch sometimes honored in their gutsier moments. And if my fears prove correct going forward, that'll be a real shame.
Your thoughts and armchair punditry are welcome in the comments as always.
*fan not stalker. Which I must differentiate because a friend of a friend of a friend did point out his & Rachel Weisz's apartment to me the other day quite unexpectedly, even though movies weren't even the topic of conversation. The exterior was red. That's neither here nor there. I'm just sharing for a bit of organic blog flavoring. *
I've been freaking out about Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan ever since the day the trailer debuted and it's not healthy. I mean what if the trailer is better than the movie? Lord knowsthat'shappenedbefore. Since I don't want to know any plot details, I'm avoiding reviews like the plague (even from people I love) since you can trust virtually no one to be spoiler free these days. Even when they are, you end up knowing too much and having too many voices in your head before you see a film. But I haven't been able to help looking at various Venice born tweets.
Mostly though I've watched the trailer too many times and fear that there's no way that I can last another three months until the release without the movie becoming too familiar before a first viewing. Oh cruel world!
Take the following image for an example.
Now, sure, the first time through you're all "OMG, Natalie Portman is masturbating!" but the sixteenth time through don't tell me that you weren't, like, "That bedroom is possessed! And not by hormones."
Now the IMDB claims that the production design / art direction team is Thérèse DePrez (The Reader) David Stein (Eternal Sunshine) and Tora Peterson (After.Life) but that's only half the story. I suspect they were merely the chanting disciples at the Rosemary's Baby style f***-fest between Frank, freed from his Donnie Darko wormhole, and Mariah Carey somewhere betwixt her Butterfly and Charm Bracelet LPs. This room is their devil child. And it is sick.
Don't even try to count the number of stuffed animal species and the sheer volume of girlish ghastliness from every surface; the cow in a tutu is the least of the evil spirits.
I don't mean to frighten you.
As a mental tonic, here's Natalie Portman's untroubled gorgeousity on her first day in Venice. And why should she be troubled. She's already earning sensational reviews.
As any Oscar pundit worth their weight knows, that doesn't necessarily mean Oscar will be doing pliés with her come 2011. People always equate great reviews with Oscar nominations but the equation is not half that simple. For one thing there are usually dozens upon dozens upon dozens of people who win great reviews in a year. These things just SEEM like they equate months before the actual awards season gets underway. Plus, AMPAS has trouble with movies that people refer to as "deranged" or "visionary" or "on acid". They just do.
We're optimistic about the movie -- but Oscar less so. Still, you never know. Aronofsky's career momentum from The Wrestler (2008) could definitely help. So... stay tuned. *
Kenneth in the (212) Fun couples at the Emmys. I hadn't seen some of these photos. Cute! Just Jared The new cast of Dancing with the Stars. I don't watch it but I do find it amusing in a meta way that Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame will compete. /Film Dozens of new photos from The Social Network
popbytes I so wish I was in Venice right now for Black Swan.* (yes more on this later today) In a perverse way I hope that Darren Aronofsky does take that X-Men Origins: Wolverine sequel. The Playlist I forgot to mention that someone finally gave primo scene-stealer Ari Graynor a lead role. That someone was David Gordon Green. I guess he's just smarter than other directors. USA Today Lindsay Lohan talking to Vanity Fair. She claims she's still a "damn good actress." You always were Linds so prove it again. You can't keep resting on 1998-2004. Pop Eater Sofía Vergara's boyfriend is in politics? Huh, who knew. Movie|Line ewwww. the bedbug epidemic has reached Toronto. Will it hurt the Film Festival?
Late tonight... the next episode of Hit Me With Your Best Shot features A Face in the Crowd. Are you joining in?
Robyn doing Björk whilst Björk watches. No pressure or anything.
I almost got super cheeky and put the forthcoming Black Swan (2010) at #1 on account of Darren Aronofsky sitting in that director's chair. He brings out career bests from actors without fail, does he not? See also: Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Hugh Jackman, Mickey Rourke and (far more arguably) Ellen Burstyn & Marisa Tomei.
The first Oscar predictions of the year are complete. Woo-hoo. These are always both fun and aggravating to do. I love being proven both wrong and right. New film years offer so much promise of success, failure, and everything inbetween.
My own excitement for Darren Aronofsky's freaked-out ballerinas picture Black Swan is all intermingled with my fears that no matter how good it is (assuming that it's good), Oscar voters have notorious trouble embracing the visionaries until they really do something middlebrow (case in point: David Fincher and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Black Swan sounds way too weird to be middlebrow... but, then, so did Button come to think of it.
I decided to throw caution to the wind and predict Natalie Portman for Best Actress anyway. Oscar has embraced histrionic ballet stars before (The Turning Point, anyone?) And even if voters are still wary of Aronofsky (how has he not been nominated yet? Argh!) they do recognize his enviable skill with actors, as evidenced by the nominations from Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler.
In the end, these are the dozen performances I (currently) feel we should most keep an eye on for Oscar play
Hiam Abbas in Miral (though I could also see this as supporting)
Annette Bening for Mother and Childor The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway for Love and Other Drugs
Nicole Kidman down the Rabbit Hole
Diane Lane for Secretariat
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone
Lesley Manville has Another Year
Julianne Moore thinks The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Julia Roberts for Eat Pray Love
Robin Wright Penn as The Conspirator
The red highlights are my predicted nominees but visit the Best Actress page for more details as to why I chose who I chose.
I've also posted the Supporting Actress hunches -- which includes Helena Bonham-Carter in The King's Speech -- though in truth I didn't really have any hunches. Ha! That's the way it goes sometimes.
I'd love to hear your feelings on these two actress categories. Next week, after I've had time to examine and build spreadsheets, I'll share your communal prediction for Best Actress from the "Actress Psychic" contest. It's always interesting to note what Consensus imagines about something so intangible.
For this next group installment of the countdown we start in beautiful France and have a lot of trouble leaving it! It even pulls us back in the end.
30 Beau Travail dir. Claire Denis (1999, released in 2000) It's okay that I haven't seen it in so long that it feels like a dream now. It always did. And that "Rhythm of the Night" ending. My oh my oh my. Denis has cast her unique spell many times since, but never quite like this.
29 Caché (Hidden) dir Michael Haneke (2005) A boon to patient moviegoers... and a bane. But who tortures audiences with as much control, mystery and depth of meaning? It's easy to make an audience jump with loud jarring sound cues and shock cuts. But I've never seen anyone make an audience leap and gasp as loudly, like one collective frightened hive, without the aid of music or editing. Haneke is a master.
28 Marie Antoinette dir. Sofia Coppola (2006) My most controversial "favorite" all decade long. So many people were outright angered by Sofia Coppola's third dream of a movie. Imagine making a historical epic about a frivolous young woman from her point of view. And without the violence! "How DARE she!?! Only men (of any age and temperament) deserve historical epics from their own points of view!" [/sarcasm] Coppola is three for three now, making her one of the most important cinematic voices of our time. Picture number four is on its way. Can't wait.
27 Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) &Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004) Some people think Tarantino's most purely cinematic double (DP Robert Richardson sure is gifted behind a camera, isn't he?) is disposable entertainment, all style no substance. But it might well be my favorite from his filmography, give or take Pulp Fiction. And though I found/find Vol. 2 a more traditionally talky Tarantino effort and therefore a slight letdown after the surprisingly visceral visual punch of Vol. 1... there's no beating its amazon vs. amazon showdown in a crowded trailer. "Bitch, you don't have a future."
26 Dogville dir. Lars von Trier (2003, released in 2004) Lars von Trier's audacious parable was 178 gripping minutes of cinema... despite and also because it takes place on a bare stage. One of the most violent pictures I've ever seen. And there's not a drop of blood.
25 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring dir. Kim Ki Duk (2003, released in 2004) Simplicity and wonder... a peaceful profound tonic dropped in an ocean of violent pictures.
24 I ♥ Huckabees dir. David O. Russell (2004) My favorite existential comedy of the decade. Unless you count Eternal Sunshineof the Spotless Mind. So... yes, maybe the rebirth of the musical isn't the story of the movie decade but the creation of the existential comedy? Or has that been around since The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Or am I stretching the definition? 'The interconnection thing is definitely for real!'
23 The Wrestler dir. Darren Aronofsky (2008) He made three pictures this decade and they're all on the list. Does that make him my favorite? It puts him up there at any rate. Even when people think he's down for the count (The Fountain) he gets back up for more. Rather like "Randy the Ram" albeit without the pathos. Aronofsky is only 40 years old. Many filmmakers start strong and fade. I hope he's just warming up.
22 Lost in Translation dir. Sofia Coppola (2003) There is so much inside the movie worth loving: the pink panties, the karaoke, the rare star chemistry, the Cameron Diaz mimicry, the soulful ennui... but what I remember most vividly six years later, on that first encounter, was the afterglow. It was a cool evening and we'd missed the rain. Walking away from the theater, the streets were wet and reflective and I just kept looking around, absorbing the shimmering color and the skyscrapers. It wasn't Tokyo obviously but it felt rather like seeing New York again for the first time, like the movie had recharged my senses: Lance Acord was walking beside me as personal DP, Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray were whispering something profound in my ears.
21 No Country For Old Men dir. Coen Bros (2007) The Coen Bros inexorable death march was thrillingly rendered and beautifully acted with Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin all at the peak of their powers. Bonus points for that audience confounding but pitch perfect black out ending. You really can't stop what's coming.
20 Volver dir. Pedro Almodóvar (2006) I once started counting the kisses in this underappreciated wonder because I loved the loud smacking so much. I abandoned the kiss count after 15 minutes and 47 smooches but no matter. For no amount of P.D.A. can properly show my love for Raimunda (Penélope Cruz), her loud sister and their ghostly mother. I could kiss them thousands of times and you still wouldn't know how dear they are to me.
19 Before Sunset dir. Richard Linklater (2004) "Baby, you're gonna miss that plane"
18 WALL•E dir. Andrew Stanton (2008) Calling it the best animated film of the decade is a compliment of high order. There were abundant cartoon treasures all throughout the Aughts... including many that didn't make this list. Maybe that's the cinema story of the decade? I keep looking for one but there are hundreds of stories. I'll take them all. I don't understand people who always want their movies prepackaged in one or two genres. Give me ALL KINDS.
17 Y Tu Mamá También dir. Alfonso Cuarón (2001, released in 2002) One of the greatest road trip movies. One of the greatest romantic triangles. One of the greatest sex comedies. One of the greatest coming of age dramas. One of the greatest. It's as magical as Boca del Cielo "Heaven's Mouth".
16 Entre Les Murs(The Class) dir. Laurent Cantet (2008) The closest we come to a documentary on the list (I didn't include them for purity reasons -- all of these being regular feature films) since this film, reenacted/transferred/adapted (however you want to describe it) by many of its subjects from a book of the same name, feels so damn authentic. Hollywood loves to make films about teachers fighting to reach their students. I've never seen one this good before. It earns its hard won light by allowing for the shadows.
75 The Fountain dir. Darren Aronofsky (2006) Who needs drugs when you can snort Aronofsky movies?
74 thirteen dir Catherine Hardwicke (2003) I still maintain that this was a stunning debut, deeply felt and ferociously performed. I'm still confused about what followed with Hardwicke.
73 Monsoon Wedding dir. Mira Nair (2001, released 2002) For its color, energy and beauty and for one of my all-time favorite portraits of extended family love. Naseeruddin Shah and Shefali Shetty jerk my tears every time. Plus a great soundtrack.
72 Kings and Queen (Kings and Queen) dir. Arnaud Desplechin (2004, released in 2005) Anchored by two of the most important French actors of the decade (Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos) and so rich with feeling and complication, that I actually feel guilt that I haven't returned for a second look
71 Brødre (Brothers) dir. Susanne Bier (2004, released in 2005) The remake is Globe nominated and in theaters right now, but this is the one for you.
70 Lovely & Amazing dir. Nicole Holofcener (2001, released in 2002) So few films are made about women and when they are they're so often cheaply written romantic comedies with clichéd quirks for lovable girlwomen protagonists. I love how thorny and mature these characters are and how authentically they navigate their relationships. Bonus points to Holofcener for achieving here what she didn't achieve with Friends With Money which is the threading of thematics (body image and identity) through interpersonal drama without coming across as stiffly THEMATIC at its core.
69 Peter Pan dir. PJ Hogan (released in 2003) If more people had read the source material, they'd understand how diluted this story had become and what a gift this movie was for the centennial of J.M. Barrie. Bonus points for the amazing below the line team: Roger Ford (production design) known for the Babe films, Donald McAlphine (cinematography) fresh off of Moulin Rouge! and Janet Patterson (costumes) of Jane Campion filmography fame.
68 Ying Xiong(Hero) dir. Zhang Yimou (2002, released in 2004) It couldn't possibly live up to my expectations since I had to wait two years for it (Damn you Weinsteins!) but it was still a joy to lay eyes upon. The color and structure alone... orgasmic. Please don't remind me that this is the last pairing of one of the greatest screen couples of the entirety of cinema (Maggie Cheung & Tony Leung Chiu Wai) or I may well burst into tears. Don't do it!
66 Sen to Chihiro no Kamikushi(Spirited Away) dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2001, released in 2002) Transfixing. I really need to see it again. I only wish it had proven more influential. I'm not going to pretend it hasn't been a great decade for animated films, but there is a certain "sameness" that can occassionally feel like poison. Miyazaki is the antidote.
65 American Psycho dir. Mary Harron (2000) What could have been another disposable serial killer picture (my god there are too many of them) was instead a slickly sick smart and well judged character piece. Without the character.
There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping you and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.
64 Shia Mian Mai Fu (The House of Flying Daggers) dir. Zhang Yimou (2004) Eye candy extraordinaire
63 Shortbus dir. John Cameron Mitchell (2006) I've realized in the years since its debut that the cracks from concept to execution show. But whatever. This is one of my favorite films about New York City and it's recognizable to me in a way too few films are. The cinema needs more intensely personal visions like this. Mitchell has only made two films and they're both on this countdown. Needless to say, I cannot wait to see Rabbit Hole.
62 Morvern Callar dir. Lynne Ramsay (2002) A signature role for the screen's most talented enigma, Samantha Morton.
61 Pola X dir. Leo Caraz (1999, released in 2000) Restless, foreboding, confident, shocking, erotic, dangerous, indelible... certifiable. At least that's how I remember it.
60 Ratatouille dir. Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava (2007) Everyone can cook. Too bad that not everyone can make movies as well as Pixar.
59 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl dir. Gore Verbinski (2003) Every once in a blue moon a summer blockbuster is perfect. I still remember the joy and shock of the first viewing. I pretend that the useless sequels don't exist and I watch this grand adventure any time it's on TV.
58 Tillsammans (Together) dir. Lukas Moodyson (2000, released in 2001) So unusually warm, generous and moving that I felt scarred by the brutality of Moodyson's follow up Lilya 4Ever (2002). I've been scared to go forward into any of the subsequent miserabilist movies since. I like depressing hopeless movies (as this countdown should make clear) but I don't want to think of Moodyson making them after the humane beauty of Together and Show Me Love (1998)
57 Se, Jie (Lust, Caution) dir. Ang Lee (2007) Against all odds, the follow up to Brokeback Mountain wasn't a letdown at all but another startlingly potent and exquisitely rendered doomed romance.
56 The Devil Wears Prada dir. (2006) über quotable and movies that achieve that last. Think about it: they do. "Gird your loins!"
55 Children of Men dir. Alfonso Cuarón (2006) So many great moments: a morning coffee explosion, the purring kitten, that slow car escape, that long violent tracking shot, Theo crying by the tree, the "theatrics" of the kidnapping. I don't even mind so much that they left out such fascinating parts of the book. Here was a complicated concept beautifully executed. I'm still mortified that Oscar didn't give Emmanuel Lubezki the cinematography prize. How many times have they stiffed him now? For shame.
54 Happy-Go-Lucky dir. Mike Leigh (2008) Leigh's follow up to the brilliant Vera Drake put another cheerful woman center stage to very different inspirational effect. Life isn't always sweet, but why not enjoy it all the same?
53 In the Bedroom dir. Todd Field (2001) Because I saw it so long ago but I can still feel the sting of the Sissy slap, the echo of the gunshot and the disturbing domesticity of that subversive quiet finale.
52 Pride & Prejudice dir. Joe Wright (2005) One of the freshest liveliest filmmaking debuts of the decade... and for something that should have felt so disposable. Thankfully Joe Wright didn't make us wait for more. (Atonement almost made this top 100 list, too)
51 Milk dir. Gus Van Sant (2008) If we have to have so many biopics every year, why can't they all be like this one: original, focused on a worthy subject, technically accomplished, and overflowing with fine performances?
Robert here, continuing my series of the directors that shaped the past 10 years. Last week I wrote about a “love him” or “hate him” director that turned out to be mostly loved. So having promised such a man I feel like I let you down. I think I can do better with this week’s subject: Darren Aronofsky
Number of Films: Three. Modern Masterpieces: Two. Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain (this is called baiting the hook.) Total Disasters: None. Better than you remember: Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain if applicable. Awards: Requiem and The Wrestler receive Oscar Nominations for acting. The Wrestler gets the Spirit Award for Best Picture. The Fountain goes mostly overlooked (because The Academy has no idea what a good movie score sounds like). Box Office: The Wrestler is tops with over 23 mil. The Fountain tops 10 mil. Requiem in very limited release (thank you NC-17) does 2 and a half mil. Critical Consensus: The Wrestler is clearly his most praised film. Requiem gets mostly good notices though some critics are split. The Fountain confuses everyone. Favorite Actor: Mark Margolis, who you might recognize as the pawn shop owner, the priest, and the landlord (respectively)
Let’s talk about: Desperate obsession. Though I suppose you can make an argument that most great films are about desperate obsession. Isn’t Dorothy desperately obsessed with getting home? Isn’t Charles Kane desperately obsessed with being loved? Isn’t Rick desperately obsessed with Ilsa? Maybe… it depends on your definition of “desperate” and “obsessed.” For the sake of Darren Aronofsky’s films, we can agree that the desperate obsession of his characters is defined at the highest extreme possible. And perhaps that’s his biggest shortcoming (I feel the need to level a criticism early since the rest of this post will be complimentary, and a bit defensive). His films’ insights don’t seem to extend much further than: “desperate obsession leads to very bad things.” And thematically, each successive film doesn’t seem to tread any ground beyond this.
Darren Aronofsky is, however, a great director of actors. I mention this now because it's largely the performances by his actors that successfully counter-balance any troubles had by his films. Another criticism of Aronofsky’s films (though not by me) is that they posses a sense of stylistic overkill. “Style over substance” they say. To which I often respond that those criticizing a piece of art would be wise not to employ a phrase that’s cliché (please also refrain from describing a film as “the emperor has no clothes” thank you). There is no doubt that the director’s films are stylishly bold and often aggressive. But how does one make a film about mental collapse such as Requiem for a Dream without utilizing such an uncompromising subjective camera? And how can one suggest that the style and storytelling of The Fountain isn’t absolutely necessary to explore the minds of its characters (depending on your interpretation of course). Aronofsky’s films are certainly high style but they don’t suffer from it. They are, in fact, among the most inventive movies being made today.
Aronofsky and Rourke. Blurry.
And still it all comes back to the acting. Even if Aronofsky’s films are stylistically excessive (including brilliant contributions from talent such as Matthew Libatique and Clint Mansell) they are always saved by the acting. After all, these movies are really about people and how their inability to find joy in the mundane, mediocre world around them fuels their desperate obsessions for that which is ultimately unattainable; whether it be respect, love, saving a spouse or fitting into a red dress. And the portrayals of actors such as Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Hugh Jackman and Mickey Rourke are not just human and moving but often crushing. These are performances that easily counteract any possible stylistic distraction and become the emotional heart of each film. It takes great actors to steal the spotlight from Aronofsky’s audacious aesthetics. Yet they do, every time.
Heading into this decade, Aronofsky was the hot new thing, coming off the indie success of Pi. Requiem for a Dream was something of a companion piece, continuing the (as Aronofsky calls it) “hip hop montage” device of its predecessor. Seemingly a continuation of his winning streak, the film had few detractors (not including stoned college dorm-mates who dismissed it as a mere modern Reefer Madness). But eight years later when The Wrestler opened to much acclaim, more voices than I expected invoked memory of the director’s “last two disasters.” That second disaster was The Fountain, a passion project that collapsed and had to be completely re-thought with a smaller cast and budget. Too many critics savaged it as incomprehensible. Yet I couldn’t understand why reviewers could praise the opaque work of Lynch or Buñuel but find nothing worthwhile in this powerful film (which, quite frankly shouldn't require 100% comprehension to be enjoyed). Thankfully, the critical and commercial failure of The Fountain did not slow down Aronofsky.
I'm happy to see that, thanks to The Wrestler, Aronofsky has regained a place of high cinematic respect (though it’s no small shame that his least demanding picture should be his most highly praised). Hopefully he will not take it as a sign to shrug off his audaciousness moving into the future (which soon includes the ballerina picture Black Swan and a possible RoboCop remake). To quote Nathaniel: “Auteurs should all go for broke.” To quote myself: “If great movies always show us something we’ve never seen before, then it's awfully hard to make a case against Darren Aronofsky.”
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