Wrap-Up - Part I
Films I Liked

21 Grams
Alejandro Innaritu's sophomore effort is no slumper. This brutal tale of loss and redemption has one of the most unique movie structures I've ever seen, as the title, 21 Grams, takes on different meanings in each act. But despite quality movie stars, the switch to English, and a more accessible story, this is still very much an indie film. And it is at least 21 minutes too long, as the clever structure becomes grating in the third act, as you realize that it is part of a bigger game.

The Agronomist
Jonathan Demme pieces together the life of Jean Dominique, the man who turned himself from an agronomist into a journalist as he turned Radio Haiti into the only independent voice of journalism on that troubled island. There are imperfections in the documentary, as were inevitable since Demme put the film together from bits and pieces of interviews over the years with this very special man. But it is one of those docs that gives you an insight into a world you probably did not know and in this case, one that will never be open to a non-fictional account again.

Alien
Such a joy to see this one on the big screen again. A classic.

The Best of Youth
Marco Tullio Giordana's six-hour drama, originally made for Italian television, is quite good, though I must admit, the fuss around it seems more than a little overblown. This is not 1900 or even Kieslowski's The Decalogue. Not close, really. But it is well worth seeing… and we'll see how Miramax finally decides to roll it out.

Dogville
I have never liked a Lars von Trier film before…. not even Breaking The Waves. I admired Breaking The Waves more than the others, in no small part thanks to Emily Watson. But I have always felt that von Trier was more interested in provoking people (and himself) than in giving a complete view of human nature. Not so with Dogville. I really liked this movie, which strips away all the artifice of a movie like Dancer in the Dark, and gets down to von Trier's core issue… the abuse of the weak (always a woman) by the powerful as well as by the presumed weak who find ways of gathering some small power for themselves. What makes this different for me is that von Trier's central figure, here played by Nicole Kidman, comes to the film with some power of her own, which she is willing to subjugate, but still has. It does not make the often dark nature of humanity any more pleasant to watch devolve, but it does make the fight more interesting… a speedy middleweight against a heavyweight and not von Trier's traditional heavyweight beating a flyweight to a pulp.

The Five Obstructions
Two von Trier successes (for me) in one festival?!?! Wow! In many ways, these two films were perfectly matched for me. In this documentary, in which von Trier conspires with Jorgen Leth, LvT shows himself and his way of approaching art. And Leth shows his very different approach to the work, even as a filmmaker who inspired von Trier with an experimental film - The Perfect Human - that Leth made in 1968. As I wrote before, for me, this is a film about the possibilities of the process, which I consider a lost topic in today's film industry and in most criticism. Von trier's obstructions have intent, as do Leth's methods of getting beyond them. And both reach beyond our bottom line attitude about film these days.

The Fog of War
Errol Morris is one of the truly original voices of documentary filmmaking in the world. His specialty is showing his audiences the façade we know and then, digging behind the façade in ways that few filmmakers, doc or "feature" manage. Here, the subject is Robert McNamara, who served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense from 1961-1968. How did the "fog" shape his decisions and reactions and those of the people of power around him during those extraordinary years in the history of world politics? Has the fog moved on since and what will Mac do to clear his vision as the years go on. The film is absolutely fascinating from start to finish.

Gun-Shy
This German film from Dito Tsintsadze is one of those tiny festival gems you occasionally run into… the kind that you might rent by mistake or see on cable at 11:30p some night and absolutely fall in love with. Like so many films this year, it is a study of a person of inaction who is drawn into being a person of action, exposing the desire that was there all along. The German title of the film, Schussangst, and its tonal difference from its slightly tortured English title, is very expressive of the alternate realities within the film. It is a story of love and lust and kindness and violence and availability and denial. Fascinating.

I’m Not Scared
Some coming of age movies are about sex. Others are about war. And others are about a great challenge. But rarely have you seen a coming of age movie about a young man of great honor who grows stronger in his beliefs as the story unfolds. The film reminded me in many small ways of Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone, only here, the ghost is real.

Intermission
One of Lions Gate's great pick-ups, Intermission was the Big Fun movie of the festival. I'm not surprised that Zatoichi won the audience award. The winners always seem to be a bit more cult-y than Intermission, but this film left the crowd with that happy hum that you tend to hear when a smart audience had a really, really good time. And it has Colin Farrell as a dangerous prick to boot!

Lost In Translation
Sofia Coppola's tone poem of love and being lost. How much more can I write in praise of this movie? I'll just repeat again… if you want to force your ideas of story onto this experience, you will be bitterly disappointed. If you find yourself asking "Why didn't they go out for really good sushi?" you have missed the point. It is a puzzle, but one of the heart, not the mind.

Matchstick Men
I love this movie. It is a real one-off, much in the spirit of old Mike Hodges flicks, but with an unexpected heartbeat that is not a trick, but not what you expected. In the end, it is more Sexy Beast than it is The Sting. But having Ridley Scott at the helm is an added treat with some really lovely directorial strokes that the expected second-film-after-a-festival-hit-indie director could bring.

Nathalie…
It is not polite to ask a woman's age. Finding an age on director Anne Fontaine has proven more than a little difficult. The reason I was looking is that it occurred to me that just as Patrice Leconte found a new level in his work when he made Monsieur Hire at the age of 42 and has remained a more interesting and self-challenging filmmaker since, it seems that Ms. Fontaine has hit a time in her life when she is reaching for a profoundly interesting voice as a filmmaker. Ms. Fontaine is certainly in her 40s, if not in her 50s, and I guess that this is somehow seen as a death sentence for women in Hollywood. But I hope that this brilliant filmmaker, who is not clinging to her pubescent sexuality like Catherine Breillat, but rather is showing profound insight into a mature life, will raise her age like a flag sometime soon, as an example for Hollywood to follow. This film is about a married couple that is nearly perfect on the surface, but has lost some of the fizz underneath. Spurred on by her husband's admitted minor affairs, the wife hires a high end call girl to seduce him and to report on what happens, as she searches for a way to get back in touch with herself, as a woman and as a wife. Things twist from there. Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart and Gerard Depardieu populate the triangle with seeming effortlessness. A beautiful, intimate tale, following up last year's remarkable How I Killed My Father. This is a great, young, emerging filmmaker.

Touching The Void
IFC's other home run at the festival, this documentary is probably the best loved of all films I saw at the festival this year. There was not a negative word to be heard. And none was deserved. It is a remarkable story that just plain works the way you want a movie to work. Getting people into the theater will not be easy, but it's one to root for.

Les Triplets De Belleville
Sylvain Chomet's animated masterwork is an undeniable joy. How young can the audience for this smart, nearly spoken-word-free film be? Good question. It is a great marketing challenge for Sony Classics, but it is also a film that will be close to the hearts of those who have seen it for a long, long time.

Tom Dowd & The Language of Music
Another great doc about a man behind the music you have loved over the years. Anyone who can go from Mingus to Clapton is someone you want to know. And a movie about him is one you want to see.

The Yes Men
From Dan Ollman, Sarah Price and Chris Smith, this tale of two men who use their devious intelligence to burst the bubble of the alleged intelligence of powerful political groups is irresistible. From the gold jumpsuit used to manage workers from a distance to the plan to recycle McDonald's hamburgers for third world countries… after they have been consumed here in America… the boundaries of what we are willing to believe are amazing. (For a sneak peak at the mischief, visit The Yes Men at their website.)

Part I: The Films I Liked | Part II: With Reservations
Part III: Disappointing | Part IV: Sorry To Miss