2008 Top Ten Film Lists

As 2008 comes to an end, the film critics top ten lists begin to proliferate. One of the best websites for tracking the top ten lists is www.moviecitynews.com and this is the webpage that displays the scoreboard.

http://moviecitynews.com/awards/2009/top_ten/00scoreboard.htm

It's early so keep coming back to it through to early January to see how the list develops. Notice that you can see the scoreboard or view individual film critics' lists.

Unfortunately few of the top twenty will actually play in our region so you may have to travel a bit to see them.

Because most of the films just came out in December, few of them were available to us at this time.

Our first four films for our 2009 season are:

Monday January 12: One Week
Monday February 2: I've Loved You So Long
Monday March 2: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Monday April 6: The Class (Entre Les Murs)

More to come on these films later.

Julian D.

Oscars Are Around The Corner

Unfortunately, too many distributors wait until December to release their best films. For some reason they believe that only films distributed in the latter part of the year can possibly be worthy of Oscar nominations. This year, some of the films that were released in the first 2/3 of the year and definitely have Oscar potential include: The Visitor, In Bruges, Frozen River, Wall-E, The Dark Knight, Iron Man and Hellboy II. Interestingly, the last four were mainstream blockbuster hits and the last three were all based on comic material but neverless are excellent and have raised the bar for animation and Superhero genre films way up.

One of my favourite Oscar news tracking websites is www.awardsdaily.com. Extremely well written and always on top of all of the important Oscar developments that focus on the the main candidates for the various Oscar categories rather than irrelevant issues such as celebrity, gossip and fashion.

Another good site that actually tracks top ten film lists from legitimate film critics is www.moviecitynews.com. Check the side link that says 2008 top ten list. To see how it will develop take a look at last year's final 2007 top ten list. You may find many great films that you missed last year.

Entertainment weekly at www.ew.com has an interesting set of articles where horror master Stephen King picks his top ten flims, books and cds for 2008. His lists will definitely bring out his biases but nevertheless are worth a look. You'll definitely find items worth watching/reading or hearing.

Here's his link for his favourite films.

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20245818,00.html

Julian D.

Roger Ebert on the Fate of Film Critics Today

Death to film critics! Hail to the CelebCult!
By
Roger Ebert on November 26, 2008

A newspaper film critic is like a canary in a coal mine. When one croaks, get the hell out. The lengthening toll of former film critics acts as a poster child for the self-destruction of American newspapers, which once hoped to be more like the New York Times and now yearn to become more like the National Enquirer. We used to be the town crier. Now we are the neighborhood gossip.

The crowning blow came this week when the once-magisterial Associated Press imposed a 500-word limit on all of its entertainment writers. The 500-word limit applies to reviews, interviews, news stories, trend pieces and "thinkers." Oh, it can be done. But with "Synecdoche, New York?"

Demise of the ink-stained wretch
Worse, the AP wants its writers on the entertainment beat to focus more on the kind of brief celebrity items its clients apparently hunger for. The AP, long considered obligatory to the task of running a North American newspaper, has been hit with some cancellations lately, and no doubt has been informed what its customers want: Affairs, divorces, addiction, disease, success, failure, death watches, tirades, arrests, hissy fits, scandals, who has been "seen with" somebody, who has been "spotted with" somebody, and "top ten" lists of the above. (Celebs "seen with" desire to be seen, celebs "spotted with" do not desire to be seen.)

The CelebCult virus is eating our culture alive, and newspapers voluntarily expose themselves to it. It teaches shabby values to young people, festers unwholesome curiosity, violates privacy, and is indifferent to meaningful achievement. One of the TV celeb shows has announced it will cover the Obama family as "a Hollywood story." I want to smash something against a wall.

In "Toots," a new documentary about the legendary Manhattan saloon keeper Toots Shor, there is a shot so startling I had to reverse the DVD to see it again. After dinner, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe leave the restaurant, give their ticket to a valet, wait on the curb until their car arrives, tip the valet and then Joe opens the car door for Marilyn, walks around, gets in, and drives them away. This was in the 1950s. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have not been able to do that once in their adult lifetimes. Celebrities do not use limousines because of vanity. They use them as a protection against cannibalism.

As the CelebCult triumphs, major newspapers have been firing experienced film critics. They want to devote less of their space to considered prose, and more to ignorant gawking. What they require doesn't need to be paid for out of their payrolls. Why does the biggest story about "Twilight" involve its fans? Do we need interviews with 16-year-old girls about Robert Pattinson? When was the last time they read a paper? Isn't the movie obviously about sexual abstinence and the teen fascination with doomy Goth death-flirtation?

The age of film critics has come and gone. While the big papers on the coasts always had them (Bosley Crowther at the New York Times, Charles Champlin at the Los Angeles Times), many other major dailies had rotating bylines anybody might be writing under ("Kate Cameron" at the New York Daily News, "Mae Tinay" at the Chicago Tribune--get it?). Judith Crist changed everything at the New York Herald-Tribune when she panned "Cleopatra" (1963) and was banned from 20th Century-Fox screenings. There was a big fuss, and suddenly every paper hungered for a "real" movie critic. The Film Generation was upon us.

Stop Press News! Justin and Jessica "spotted!"
In the coverage of new directors and the rediscovery of classic films, no paper was more influential than the weekly Village Voice, with such as Andrew Sarris and Jonas Mekas. Earlier this year the Voice fired Dennis Lim and Nathan Lee, and recently fired all the local movie critics in its national chain, to be replaced, Variety's Anne Thompson reported, by syndicating their critics on the two coasts, the Voice's J. Hoberman and the L.A. Weekly's Scott Foundas. Serious writers, yes, but...

Meanwhile, the Detroit Free-Press has decided it needs no film critic at all. Michael Wilmington is gone from the Chicago Tribune, Jack Mathews and Jami Bernard from the New York Daily News, Kevin Thomas from the Los Angeles Times--and the internationally-respected film critic of the Chicago Reader, Jonathan Rosenbaum, has retired, accepted a buy-out, will write for his blog, or something. I still see him at all the screenings. My shining hero remains Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic, as incisive and penetrating as ever at 92. I don't give him points for his age, which anyone can attain simply by living long enough, but for his criticism. Study any review and try to find a wrong or unnecessary word. There is your man for an intelligent 500-word review.

Why do we need critics? A good friend of mine in a very big city was once told by his editor that the critic should "reflect the taste of the readers." My friend said, "Does that mean the food critic should love McDonald's?" The editor: "Absolutely." I don't believe readers buy a newspaper to read variations on the Ed McMahon line, "You are correct, sir!" A newspaper film critic should encourage critical thinking, introduce new developments, consider the local scene, look beyond the weekend fanboy specials, be a weatherman on social trends, bring in a larger context, teach, inform, amuse, inspire, be heartened, be outraged.

Case of the missing belly button: One step below navel-gazing
At one time all newspapers by definition did those things on every page. Now they are lascivious gossips, covering invented beats. On one single day recently, I was informed that Tom and Katie's daughter Suri "won't wear pants" and shares matching designer sunglasses with her mom. No, wait, they're not matching, they're only both wearing sunglasses. Eloping to Mexico: Heidi and Spencer. Britney is feeling old. Amy is in the hospital. George called Hugh in the middle of the night to accuse him of waging a campaign to take away the title of "sexiest man alive." Pete discussed naming his son Bronx Mowgli. Ann's jaw was wired shut. Karolina's belly button is missing. Madonna and A-Rod might, or might not, spend Thanksgiving together. Some of Valentino's makeup rubbed off on Sarah Jessica. Miley and Justin went out to lunch. Justin and Jessica took their dogs for a walk.

Perhaps fearing the challenge of reading a newspaper will prove daunting, papers are using increasing portions of their shrinking news holes in providing guides to reading themselves. Before the Chicago Tribune's new design started self-correcting (i.e., rolling itself back), I fully expected a box at the top of a page steering me to a story lower on the same page.
The celebrity culture is infantilizing us. We are being trained not to think. It is not about the disappearance of film critics. We are the canaries. It is about the death of an intelligent and curious, readership, interested in significant things and able to think critically. It is about the failure of our educational system. It is not about dumbing-down. It is about snuffing out.
The news is still big. It's the newspapers that got small.

Stanley Kauffmann's 426 words on "Frozen River:" http://www.tnr.com/booksarts/story.html?id=59f569ce-37a9-499c-b65d-8d3ada0ff6f9&p=2
Rogers' Little Rule Book for movie critics: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/10/eberts_little_rule_book.html

Julian D.

Outsourced

We closed our fifth season with the simply lovely film Outsourced. Our audience of 619 patrons were extremely positive on the film. It was directed by John Jeffcoat who also cowrote it, on spec, with George Wing (50 First Dates). American distributors were very high on the script but wanted an experienced director to helm it. Jeffcoat stuck to his passion for the project and refused to give it up. As a result the film got picked up by a small local (Seattle) distributor and received little exposure across the U.S. maxing out at 14 theatres and grossing less than $200 000 despite a $5 million budget.

Outsourced was filmed over a month in Mumbai (Bombay) India where Jeffcoat ran out of money and had to cut 7 days from the film shoot. With George Wing in the hospital receiving a hip replacement, Jeffcoat locked himself in his hotel and made the accomodating script changes.

The wonderful music was composed by American B.C. Smith and sets a perfect tone and mood for the storyline. B.C. Smith, like Jeffcoat, had lived in India and had significant exposure to Indian music and tradition.

The cast is spot-on. Josh Hamilton plays the 'fish-out-of-water' role beautifully and has wonderful chemistry with all members of the cast especially the hauntingly beautiful Ayesha Dharker. Asif Basra is marvelous as the call centre manager in training and the supporting Indian cast is simply wonderful.

While a light and comedic film, Outsourced nevertheless raises interesting issues including: the differences between the U.S. and India with regards to culture and work, the importance of seriously learning about another culture, the impact of outsourcing, the ways to train and motivate workers and what is truly important about work and life.

$1400 was split between the Good Shepherd Food Bank and Junvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Here is an interview with the director.

http://outsourcedmovie.blogspot.com/2007/09/robert-horton-interviews-john-jeffcoat.html

Let us know your thoughts about the film.


Julian D.

When Did You Last See Your Father?

Our screening of When Did You Last See Your Father was coupled with our 2009 membership drive. We are delighted with our patrons' support as we sold out our memberships on that day. Thank you to all.

524 people attended the two screenings of When Did You Last See Your Father and they seemed extremely moved by the film. Marvelously directed by Anand Tucker (Hilary and Jackie, Shopgirl) and based on Blake Morrison's memoir, the film boasts exceptional performances by Jim Broadbent, Colin Firth, Juliet Stevenson and Matthew Beard. An interesting use of mirrors pervaded the film metaphorically highlighting the duality and double nature of personalities and situations. An extremely moving depiction of a son coming to grips with his feelings toward and memories of his father. $1100 from the proceeds was split between Hamilton Food Share and Neighbour to Neighbour Food Bank.

The following is an interview with director Anand Tucker.

www.cinemawithoutborders.com/news/127/ARTICLE/1603/2008-06-05.html

Let us know your thoughts about the film.

Julian D.

Up The Yangtze

A record 278 (for a matinee screening) were in attendance for the screening of director Yung Chang's Up the Yangtze, one of Canada's top ten films of 2007. Beautifully filmed, the viewing was a little spoiled by the fact that the 35 mm print did not arrive resulting in need to screen from a DVD, shipped at the last minute from the film distributor (it arrived one hour before the scheduled screening). The result was that the screen size was reduced and the sound quality was not consistent. We apologize for this. As a result of the substitution of DVD for 35 mm print, the distributor cost was reduced significantly, providing an additional donation of $500 to Hamilton Out of the Cold. We thank the attending audience for their patience and acceptance of the conditions.

Up the Yangtze has been acclaimed worldwide and has received astounding critical reviews (95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84% on Metacritic). The Yangtze river, known simply as The River in China, is undergoing the largest hydro-electric project in history, The Three Gorges Dam. This project will provide economic significance to China but also result in the displacement of millions of inhabitants, many very poor, whose lives have revolved around the river. The film follows two youths working on a tourist tour boat, the shy and sensitive Yu Shui (Cindy), whose family lives on a houseboat and shack on the river's edge and the brash and arrogant Chen Bo Yu (Jerry), who comes from a well-to-do family. Cindy wants to pursue her education and help support her family but Jerry, a brash young man, sees the opening Chinese economy as a sense of entitlement and a stepping-stone to wealth and success.

With a simple but thought-provoking narrative, Chang lets the camera focus on the lives and thoughts of the two youths, the different groups of individuals on the tour boat and the awesomeness of the river and the construction about it to contrast the old and new China and analyze the impact of the Three Gorges Dam Project.

An interview with director Yung Chang:

http://www.indiewire.com/people/2008/01/park_city_08_in_12.html

Let us know your thoughts on the film.

Julian D.

Boy A

There were 208 in attendance at John Crowley's poignant, thought-provoking and significant film Boy A. The superb script is based on Jonathan Trigell's novel, and focuses on the post-incarceration period of Jack (Boy A), portrayed amazingly by Andrew Garfield (Lion for Lambs), after his 14 years in prison for a horrible crime he participated in at the age of 10. Shot grittily, in Manchester, in just five weeks and editted in six, this powerful film features pitch-perfect performances from the whole cast with exceptional lead performances from Garfield, acclaimed actor/director Peter Mullan (Magdalene Sisters) as his social worker and a lovely supporting performance from Katie Lyons as Jack's girlfriend Michelle. Raising issues of who is deserving of forgiveness, whether one can ever be truly accepted as rehabilitated, and the effects of the media's and society's labelling on an individual it is truly one of the finest films to deal with crime and punishment.

Here is an interview with the director John Crowley.

www.indiewire.com/people/2008/07/indiewire_inter_172.html

and one with Andrew Garfield.

www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46862

Let us know your thoughts on the film.

Julian D.

The Visitor

Tom McCarthy had a breakout hit as writer / director with his debut feature The Station Agent. He has followed up with another acclaimed film which is also garnering talk about a possible Oscar nomination for the wonderful character actor, Richard Jenkins, in his first leading role in over 50 films.

The Visitor, was a big hit with our audience of 470. The film thoughtfully deals with a variety of themes including how people from different cultures can positively impact one another, how music transcends boundaries and cultural divides, how one's judgement of others can be easily be clouded by political constraints, and how small arbitrary decisions can completely redirect one's life. McCarthy, an acclaimed character actor himself, obtains wonderful naturalistic performances from both of the experienced actors (Richard Jenkins and Hiam Abbass) as well as the two younger actors.

Here is an informative interview with the writer/director.

http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2008/04/visitor-evening-class-interview-with_18.html

Let us know your thoughts on the film.

Julian D.

Young@Heart

Our opening screening for the 2008 fall season, Young @ Heart, was a tremendous success before an appreciative audience of 460. This inspirational, entertaining and uplifting film was extremely well received by the audience. Watching this documentary became a very moving experience not only due to seeing a chorus of 70+ year olds learning and singing difficult songs from classic rock and punk rock but also due to experiencing how their lives and relationships unfolded throughout the six weeks of the film shoot. It was revealing to see how the lyrics of these songs became so much more meaningful in this setting. Young @ Heart was preceded by the Oscar nominated short, I Met The Walrus, in which John Lennon's words during an interview with a 14 year-old Toronto boy, are played over the backdrop of supporting computer animation and pen illustrations. A very thought-provoking short, still very pertinent despite the fact that the interview occurred 40 years ago. The short can be viewed at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA2luBCxZIw&feature=related.

What are your thoughts about the film or short?

Julian D.

The Blog is on...

Hi everyone.

The Ancaster Film Fest begins the second half of their fifth season with the following films: Young At Heart, The Visitor, Up the Yangtze and Boy A. In the first half of this year, we screened Lars and the Real Girl, Into the Wild, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Amal, The Savages, The Kite Runner, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and The Band's Visit.

Please feel free to comment or discuss these films or any other films you've really enjoyed this year. For information on the Ancaster Film Fest films link to http://www.ancasterfilmfest.ca/. The site also contains comments and rating results on some of our past films as well as an archive of all of our films.

Our two most popular films in the first half of '08 were The Kite Runner and Amal. Amal has finally opened across Canada ... unfortunately only in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Hopefully there will be the deserved support and it will open wider in the coming weeks. http://www.poormansproductions.com/amalfeature/ It is a horrible shame how Canadian films struggle to be seen across Canada. In our five years we've screened some great Canadian films including: The Corporation, Snow Walker, Wilby Wonderful, A Simple Curve, La Grande Seduction, C.R.A.Z.Y., Saint Ralph, Sabah, Journals of Knud Rasmussen, Away From Her and Shake Hands with the Devil. Try to see some of these if you've missed any. They're available at your video rental store and often at your local library.

Hope to read your thoughts on film on the blog.

Julian D.

When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it. Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild