Police, Adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009)
The surveillance scenes were mostly fantastic — both when the cop was watching the kid and when we were watching the cop (at his various meals, for example). Some of the latter scenes were held a bit too long, I thought, but I liked the idea all the same. Where the film faltered, I thought, was in the dialogue-driven passages. The writing there just wasn't as evocative as the purely visual moments, and I didn't like the shift from such understated storytelling to the opposite.
Grade: B
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (Frederick Wiseman, 2009)
The best documentary of last year (and again this year, Filmspot-wise) is probably a better celebration of the human body in motion than Riefenstahl's
Olympia. Totally unexpected from Wiseman, too, who I think has more a reputation for a critical eye for a look of wonder. The long takes are wonderfully immersive, but also very conducive to getting lost in thought about various unspoken and undirected themes. Standout scenes include one particular rehearsal of a pas de deux and the exqusitely filmed performance of Medea and her children. Art from art.
Grade: A-
The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)
I don't remember many specific criticisms about this one except that when it was over, I just kind of shrugged. It's a very nice production, with strong performances and excellent black-and-white cinematography, but thematically it was just kind of meh for me. Narratively, too, in the latter stages.
Grade: B
Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)
This film contains some of the best shots of last year (e.g., the walk in front of the mountain), but also some of the worst shots (specifically, the handheld stuff in the apartment early on). There's a metaphor in that. And while Gainsborough's performance is pretty good, it's mostly for naught, as this film is just boring. Too boring for me to care about its themes. And provoking an audience reaction isn't that hard, ya know?
Grade: C
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson, 2009)
Delightful from start to finish. There was one line, maybe two, that felt forced (and
way forced, at that), but most everything else was charming and amusing and funny and I already said delightful, right? And the animation was totally cool and smile-inducing in its own right. The best ficton film since
Children of Men.
Grade: A
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