Best 8 of 12: As Seen from the Left

Ah, so now it is time for my side of the equation. I am sure that in the first installment of this segment you were treated to an eclectic mix of cinema—running the gamut from space romance to neo noir, or something like that. Knowing Right Thumb, you may have even been treated to a lecture on the value of postmodern non-diegetic editing. I’m sure the word “postmodern” came up at some point, anyway. If it didn’t, I’m a monkey’s uncle.

I did not view his post before selecting my films, as a disclaimer. If we are synchronized at the least, chalk it up to the synergetic motion of minds at high IQ levels.

AI: Artificial Intelligence

This one is obvious to anyone who’s seen it. It’s the closest thing to a Stanley Kubrick film in the past twelve years, and that alone is enough to guarantee its place here.

War of the Worlds

No, I am not a Spielberg fanboy. (To prove that, I need only mention that I regard Minority Report as one of the worst films of the past twelve years. This is a bone of some contention with Right Thumb.) But War of the Worlds is just so, so well done. The special effects are, quite simply, the best of the past twelve years. There might be movies that are on par in the effects department, but nothing beats this. Period.

The Insider

Every facet of this movie is executed perfectly. The acting is stupendous even for its already-stupendous actors. The writing is superb. The direction is virtually flawless. The music is beyond fantastic. Of course, any music director that acknowledges the genius of Arvo Pärt is a made-man in my book.*

All the same, I anticipate a few gripes about this. A great movie, yes, but come on, best of the past twelve years? Well, it has been a barren twelve years, firstly, but this movie stands up notwithstanding. (If that’s possible.) It is frighteningly close to a perfect film. Perhaps it doesn’t try to climb as high on the rocky mountain of philosophical and aesthetic brilliance as, say, a 2001, but where it does go it goes quickly, smoothly, without a hitch.

Into Great Silence

Quite simply the most effective monk-smut I’ve ever seen. I was perfectly incapable of thinking straight when I first viewed this film, but now that I’ve had time to reflect upon the atrocities it lays bare, I cannot but admire the audacity of the director. There’s something to be said for a documentarian that tells the whole truth. This is heroic cinematic journalism at its finest. I will never, never revisit this film, nor will I recommend it to anyone whom I do not wish to irreversibly corrupt—and indeed, I wish that I myself had never seen those first fifty minutes at all. But what’s done is done and now, with only a minor shudder, I can acknowledge (at least intellectually) the relevance of this chilling, haunting, daunting, brutal, dirty, and altogether demonic documentary.

Battlestar Galactica

You knew it would be here. You’ll probably complain. Save yourself the bother and actually watch it. (Preferably without so many preconceptions and ill-conceived prejudices that you can’t see straight while you watch it.)

Wall-E

This is really a composite entry on my list. It is a stand-in for nearly every Pixar film made in the past twelve years. My summers now feel empty if I don’t get to see a Pixar movie.

Why Wall-E? Of all the choices, Wall-E reaches the farthest. Its execution is second to none, and if it drags a little at times, we can chalk it up to the film’s cinematic self-awareness. I wouldn’t argue with someone if they take Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc. or even Up over this one. It’s kind of like picking between episodes of the previous entry. They are all so fantastic that eventually it can come down to personal choice. (Now, granted, there are about ten times as many viable Galactica episodes. This casts no aspersion on Pixar, however, and cannot be construed as such.)

The Passion of the Christ

This is one film that I am very interested to see how it ages. It could be something still watched many decades from now, or it could not. It most certainly should be. Cinematically speaking, I know of no other depiction of the death of Christ that approaches the artistry, craft and effectiveness of this film. It is both a movie and a meditation. It recognizes that a religious film is much, much more than a simple retelling—it must be as intensely personal as the events it depicts. Yes, so the director drives me nuts. Mozart would probably drive me nuts.

Children of Men

I have a confession to make. I delayed the writing of this post by about half a week. (Much to the chagrin of Right Thumb, who seems to think that prose as charming, idiosyncratic and erudite as mine can be hammered out in an hour like some paper on the commutative properties of Higgs boson particles at extreme conditions.) I am now exceedingly glad I did so. For in this interval I have watched a movie that would have been simply tragic to omit from this list. About as tragic as Peter Jackson’s King Kong.**

We have had a number of movies in the past twelve years about how terrible the future could be. All of them, however, seem to do it just for its own sake. “Hey, look at my movie, yeah, see how terrible and dark and depressing the future is? Yeah, uh-huh? Now nominate me for an Oscar, yeah? I’m so depressing!!” Children of Men does no such thing. It manages to make a world that is even more terrible than any of these others, and still have a larger point. It manages to have some of the best cinematography in recent history. It manages to make you actually think, and not just expect you to drop your jaw mindlessly and say, “Well this movie clinched it. Now I’ll be a better person because if I’m not then robots will take over the world.”

And so it was ensured a place here. Be thankful for my laziness—it might save the world someday.

> Left Thumb <


* It’s not a very long book.

** Every time I remember that Kong was actually produced, I weep uncontrollably.