According to Simon Dillon
Competition for space on this list was stronger than ever, so here are some "honourable mentions" that didn't quite make the final selection: Moon, Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Informant!, Orphan, Triangle, Red Cliff, Drag me to hell, In the Loop, The Wrestler, (500) Days of Summer, Me and Orson Welles and Where the Wild Things Are.
One more point: Departures, a Japanese film that won best foreign film at the Oscars, STILL hasn't opened anywhere near where I live, so I'm rather irritated not to have seen that, as I suspect had I done so, it would have merited a place in this list. I shall see it next year, and in the meantime, in no particular order of merit, here are my choices:
The Hurt Locker
Katherine Bigalow's
best film to date is a nerve-shreddingly tense affair set in war torn
Iraq following a bomb disposal unit. Their commander feels
increasingly compelled to flirt with death for an adrenaline rush,
regardless of how much danger his colleagues are placed in as a
result. A stripped down no-nonsense screenplay, great performances,
fine direction and a refusal to make heavy handed political statements
make this a thrilling, powerful and uncompromising piece of work.
District 9
In a particularly strong year for science fiction, District 9
managed the impossible and breathed new life into the tired old alien
invasion story. The deliberately transparent apartheid allegory
provides the backdrop for thrilling excitement, horror, dark humour
and some outstanding special effects, not to mention a tour-de-force
performance from Shalto Copley. A first rate sci-fi actioner with
plenty of food for thought. In other words: a rare gem.
Up
Pixar strike
gold again in what is, if not their best film yet, then certainly
their funniest and possibly their most poignant. Any film that can
make you laugh hysterically and cry in the first ten minutes is an
extraordinary piece of work. The unlikely friendship between pensioner
Carl and Russell the boy-scout that follows as they adventure in a
lost South American jungle is absolutely sublime. The most uplifting
film of the year.
A Serious Man
The Coen Brothers use a
contemporary variation on the Book of Job as the framework for their
most personal film to date, but make absolutely no concessions to a
commercial audience. The film is all the better for it too - dark,
poignant and very, very funny. Certain scenes, too hilariously surreal
to detail, had me laughing so hard I was in physical pain.
Star Trek
As franchise reboots go, this
is certainly one of the better ones and the best Trek movie since The
Wrath of Khan. Wisely ditching the usual nonsense about the prime
directive and heavy handed messages about tolerance, this concentrates
on the one thing that made the original series so successful: great
fun. Worth giving a go even if you absolutely detest Star Trek.
A Christmas
Carol
Robert Zemeckis' roller coaster take on the
Dickens classic was much criticised by those who thought the effects
overwhelmed the story. Wrong. This is faithful to the book (much of
the dialogue is verbatim lifted from the page), full-on its depiction
of the story's explicitly Christian message, and properly scary to
boot. A wonderful "motion-captured" performance from Jim Carrey, fine
support from the likes of Gary Oldman, and the music score is great
too. Forget Avatar, this is the Christmas film to see this year, and
the best adaptation of A Christmas Carol since Alistair Sim's seminal
1951 version.
Gran
Torino
Clint Eastwood's extraordinary film may prove
his last performance in front of the camera, in which case it's a
brilliant swansong. Although it begins like Dirty Harry in retirement,
the screenplay evolves into something altogether different and
unexpected, containing brilliant performances, old fashioned wisdom
about mentoring and a strongly redemptive central theme. Of all
Clint's outstanding work this decade, this film was my favourite for
that reason and as such it feels like the culmination of the life's
work of an American legend.
Slumdog
Millionaire
Essentially It's a Wonderful Life meets
Oliver Twist in Mumbai. At heart this is a love story, but it's also
an ironic fable about money and destiny. Tremendous performances
(especially from the children), vivid locations, amazing music,
brilliant direction and editing mean that for once the Capra
comparisons are justified. However, like Capra's best work, the
feel-good finale is undercut by some extremely harsh earlier material
ensuring our sympathy with the protagonists is never shaken. Danny
Boyles best film.
Just saw "The Hurt Locker" here in Chile.
The title here would translate as something like "Life Without Limits" and I have to say it was a very good film, well worth the place here in your top 8.
Keep up the good work, as I often find your reviews informing my viewing choices...
Thanks
David F