I had a rough, rough time placing Precious, but this is where that rewatchability factor plays a part in a film’s overall placement on my list. This film is absolutely phenomenal. It’s one of the best dramatic film of the year and I would recommend everyone see it at least once. I was floored walking out of the theater after watching this film, which contains two of the best female performances of the year from Mo’Nique and Gabourey Sidibe, not to mention some noteworthy performances from Paula Patton and Mariah Carey. Despite everything that goes down in this film, the fact I left the theater with the feeling of hope is a testament to its quality.
Ironically enough, the DVD for The Hurt Locker just arrived and I have it playing in the background as I am typing up this list. It’s only the second time I have seen this film and that opening scene (featured to the right) is still one of the best I have seen in a long, long time.
The Hurt Locker and its director Kathryn Bigelow (my interview with her here) have been racking up award season kudos from critic’s groups across the nation. While I wouldn’t mind seeing Bigelow take home the Best Director Oscar, I just can’t see giving it the big prize, which at the moment it looks like it just may be on its way to getting.
This was about as high as Up in the Air could have gotten on my list and it wouldn’t be this high had I not watched it over the holiday weekend. As I mentioned recently, while walking out of the theater after watching this film I wasn’t sure what I thought of it. Afer further discussion with peers, and even during the process of writing my review, I began to like it more and more, but still something was bothering me.
This film hits a major high during the exchange between George Clooney and J.K. Simmons. Afterward, it decides what the two characters discussed isn’t what the film is going to be about, which was a big letdown for me.
However, this film has a genuine quality to it, and the one thing about disappointing moments in good movies is you are able to look beyond them once you’ve come to grips with them. I am starting to do so with Up in the Air, but only time will tell if my opinion goes up or down over the coming years.
| QUICK NAV: | #21-25 | #11-20 | #1-10 |
That’s it for this installment, but you can continue to explore the rest of my Top 25 using the navigation directly above. Also, be sure to take part in the nomination process as I am hoping to figure out the top ten films as decided by the RopeofSilicon readers. Round 2 of voting has already started so click here to get involved.
See you tomorrow with the final ten films.
