Hayao Miyazaki makes some of the best films out there, animated or otherwise. The only film of his I have seen and wasn’t able to connect with is Princess Mononoke, but films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro are films I would rank among my all-time favorites. Ponyo is another one of those films — I loved it.
As I wrote in my review, “Miyazaki’s films are some of the most imaginative, unique, magical, beautiful and downright playful films you will see, and Ponyo is no different.” I wouldn’t change a word of that and am anxious for Ponyo to become the first Miyazaki film I own on Blu-ray on March 2, 2010.
I was almost convinced Public Enemies was great after I saw it in the theater, but I knew a second viewing would solidify my opinion and it proved to strengthen it once I finally watched it again on Blu-ray. While Johnny Depp’s performance isn’t exactly a barn-burner, I though Marion Cotillard was absolute perfection in this film, just as she was in Nine and just as I expect her to be in damn near every film moving forward. Christian Bale also brought something special to his performance as Melvin Purvis.
Michael Mann is a personal favorite director of mine and I was happy to see him make up for the major disappointment that was Miami Vice and come back with a quality piece of cinema.
Perhaps one of the most overlooked films from earlier this year is Overture’s Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt as a pair of sisters that team up to start a crime scene clean-up service. The film hit the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and left with a thud and was ushered into 642 theaters this past March. It holds a 73% rating at RottenTomatoes and managed to drum up $12 million at the box-office, so obviously a few others liked it, but I’m still not sure why it didn’t gain much steam.
Perhaps because it was improperly billed as a dramedy. I would hardly call it a comedy of any sort as much as it’s a straight-forward drama, but if you go in expecting a barrel full of laughs I can see why some would come out disappointed. If you haven’t seen this one give it a shot.
My only concern with what appears to be a complete dismissal of Francis Ford Coppola’s Tetro is the standout performance of Alden Ehrenreich will be completely forgotten. I can understand why some people may have mixed feelings about the film, and I think Coppola even went a little over-the-top with the finale, but overall this is a fantastic film with one hell of a performance from a potential up-and-comer. On top of that, it’s one of two black-and-white films that made my top 25, a cinematic technique I am proud to see filmmakers are still using.
