Tyler's Best Of The Year (Revised)

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Looking at my last best of the year list, I realise that it was a time where I hadn't seen that many movies and picked whichever movie sounded good to me. Well, I'm completely revising this list and making some new choices, while keeping some of the old ones, and putting a lot more effort into my reviews.

I was considering starting with 2010, but chose to go with 2009, and maybe come back to 2010 later, as I haven't seen all the noteable films of that year yet.

So, here goes... again.
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2009: Up


My last pick for 2009 was The Hangover, but while I still like that movie, Up is a more rewarding experience. It was between this and Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino's best film since Pulp Fiction. Inglourious Basterds has some excellent performances and writing, but Up is one of the finest animated films you'll ever see. The other films of 2009 I enjoyed are Avatar (Not James Cameron's best work, but worth a watch), The Blind Side, It's Complicated (Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin's performances make it great) & Sherlock Holmes. I don't like this year for film as much, but it did produce a few good films and even a couple of great ones.

The noughties seemed to be the best decade for Pixar films. Starting with a film about monsters and ending with the emotional final chapter of a beloved trilogy in 2010, Pixar made consistently entertaining and engrossing features. And most of Pixar's films are also sharp at the emotions, and no other Pixar feature was as sharp at the emotions as this.



Carl Fredricksen was always adventurous, and now in his old age, decides to visit Paradise Falls, by tying thousands of helium balloons to his home. He sets off on his adventure, with an accidental stowaway, an 8 year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell, a young naive boy.

What sets apart Up from it's Pixar counterparts is it's more adult aspects. During the opening montage, which shows how Carl met his future wife, the subject of infertility is subtly addressed, and feels much different from any other animated films. Other mature themes, like death, parental seperation and lost feelings, are also alluded to, some of them more obviously than others. At times, the film can seem a little off-putting, but Russell and Dug, a dog with a collar that allows him to speak, are always there to balance it out with crowd-pleasing humour.

The visuals are stunning, which is to be expected, but the realistic features of the characters are truly brilliant. Carl especially really looks like an elderly person you may see walking around the streets. The voice performances are wonderful, especially newcomer Jordan Nagai as Russell, which is truly one of the funniest, memorable and saddest voice performances in cinema. The innocence conveyed in Nagai's performance makes the scenes where he talks about his deadbeat dad all the more moving.

Toy Story 2 may be my favourite of the Pixar bunch, but Up remains one of the more poignant members of the group. A little more adult than the others, but equally fun and well made.

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2008: The Dark Knight


Still the same choice for 2008, and the most obvious one; it's easily the most popular film of 2008. Distantly followed by Wall-E, another Pixar gem, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man, Slumdog Millionaire, Indiana Jones & The Crystal Skull & Burn After Reading. 2008 was a pretty decent year for film, but not one of the best.

Having already helmed Memento, The Prestige & Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan directed his biggest project yet, a massive sequel to his Batman origin film, tackling bigger issues and creating a more brooding atmosphere to develop his version of the Batman story. Batman Begins was good enough, but The Dark Knight takes everything Batman Begins has, and greatly improves on it.

Batman still protects Gotham City, with aid from Jim Gordon, an honourable police officer and Harvey Dent, the new District Attorney and Gotham's White Knight. Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne is involved in a love triangle with Rachel Dawes and Dent. The Joker, a gleeful anarchist, is focused on making the world burn.



Gone is the underworld setting of Batman Begins, in favour of a more slick, realistic view of Gotham City. It perfectly mirrors how the Batman character is developed; it may look better, but there seems to be even more darkness underneath. Or at least thats the way I look at it. This is also might be that Nolan has matured more since The Prestige, another fantastic film. Gaining success with original concepts like Memento, and popularity for not stuffing up the Batman story, he moved on to furthering the ideas for the character, creating philosophical depth to the story and the decisions made, and just making it more exciting.

Christian Bale is solid as the caped crusader, bringing Patrick Bateman-like qualities to the character (being charismatic and chilling at the same time), but Heath Ledger was the performance that was obviously going to gain attention. It's a great performance, but I think that this is the film's one weakness. It's another example of the villian being more memorable than the hero, and to a certain extent, it's sort of camp. I think this might've been just to make the movie more popular, but luckily, so muh effort was put into writing the character and making him more than the average psycho villian, that it's a very memorable performance.

The visuals are truly dazzling in every scene, from the aforementioned look of Gotham City, to the pitch-perfect colours used in every scene. It may be considered brooding, but they're certainly beautiful to look at. But, in the end, it's the director that makes me love it so much. The effort Christopher Nolan put into making this film is undeniably admirable. Just shy of 2 & 1/2 hours long, Nolan grabs your attention with a Michael Mann-ish opening sequence and ends on a mature note. If you're looking for a heroic version of Batman, look at Tim Burton's original, but if you want a complex, intelligent Batman, then I'd tell you look no further than this masterpiece.



When I usually like a film, it's because I enjoy watching it. And while I really enjoy The Dark Knight, I watch it because Nolan's sheer effort and scope is staggering. It really is the best superhero film ever made, or at least tied for number one, but also a mature piece of cinema, a must see for casual film fans, and definitely one of my top 10 favourite films of all time.




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2007: Zodiac (Warning: Spoilers Ahead)


Possibly the best year of the noughties, or at least my favourite, many excellent films were released in this stellar year. So many good films makes it hard to make a solid pick, but I narrowed it down to Fincher's masterpiece. My runner-up is Danny Boyle's inventive sci-fi stunner Sunshine, which is noteable for it's strong performances and interesting execution. Another favourite of 2007 is Pixar's Ratatouille, which is my favourite Pixar film since Toy Story 2. Paul Thomas Anderson's weakest film to date, but by no means terrible, There Will Be Blood is another great film from 2007, that I love mainly for it's great photgraphy and Daniel Day Lewis' powerful performance. I also love No Country Of Old Men, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, Superbad, Hot Fuzz, Knocked Up, 300, In The Valley Of Elah & Charlie Wilson's War. Other films I enjoy/guilty pleasures are Saw IV, Blades Of Glory & Wild Hogs. A film I know many love from 2007 is Juno, but I could not stand this movie. One other movie I will mention is Rescue Dawn. It's no doubt a good movie, but I didn't get into it as much as others. What I do like about though, are both Christian Bale and especially Steve Zahn's performances. The one film from 2007 I did want to see was Eastern Promises, but could not secure a copy, as I'm under 18. Such a great list of films, and there's even more, considering the films I wasn't very fond of, namely Gone Baby Gone, Michael Clayton, Before The Devil Know You're Dead & of course Juno.

But all these films could not stand up to how much I admired, respected and downright enjoyed everything about David Fincher's Zodiac.



I was blown away by Zodiac when I saw it a few months back. I was taken in by the tense opening sequence, and when people started getting killed to the tune of Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man, I knew I was in for something special. During the 1960's and '70s, the Zodiac Killer terrorised San Francisco and sent various letters to newspapers, but the film is particularly about a San Franciso Chronicle cartoonist named Robert Graysmith, who slowly becomes an avid follower of the case. It also follows Detective Dave Toschi, assigned to the Zodiac case and slowly becomes sick of being a part of it. I think of the film in three parts: the introduction, where the main characters and story are established, the Toschi chapter, which spans Toschi's police investigation and the final Graysmith chapter, where Graysmith conducts his own personal investigation into the murders.

As David Fincher mounts the tension, style and atmosphere, it's easy to find yourself hooked into the story that Fincher conveys. It's gripping, but also entertaining, in it's own way, to see characters interact and suspects questioned. Given the look and feel of a '70's cop drama, we almost feel we're part of the investigation, peeling back layers of the case and drawing our own conclusions, before we have them completely have them turned over on their heads. It's fun to watch as Fincher keeps us on our toes.

It's also good to see Fincher's talent mature. Sure, Se7en & Fight Club proved him to be a director who knows what he's doing, but Zodiac started his mature and subtle approach to film that continued in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button & The Social Network. There's some of the grim feel of Se7en, and visual dazzle of Fight Club, but this is a completely different film; one that's plays out like a simple procedural thriller, with a multilayered examination of obsession underneath. There's also a hidden thematic message; what will we do for the truth? Alienate our family? Lose our job? Compromise our sanity? Basically an extension of the obsession part, but an interesting one in itself.

The film is also incredibly cool, thanks largely to the choice of music and masterful style that it's directed in. It's a little Tarantinoesque, a little Dirty Harry like, but undeniably Fincher. The sequence in which the montage of characters reading the Zodiac letters, with Sly & The Family Stone's "I Wanna Take You Higher", just feels awesome.



The character of Robert Graysmith is a tricky one to understand. We don't know where his obsession with the Zodiac case comes from, other than a scene where his wife confronts him in a messy room full of files and notes. He says "I need to know who he is. I need to stand there. I need to look him in the eye and know it's him,". This line still resonates with me, because the line is delivered with sincerity and passion. You honestly believe this guy gave up many years of his life to catch a virtually uncatchable killer.

Jake Gyllenhaal's performance is arguably the best of his career, as he slowly digs himself deeper and deeper into the case, compromising everything dear to him in the process. Gyllenhaal is very believable in the role, and while I don't think much of him as an actor (although Donnie Darko is a favourite of mine, and Gyllenhaal's performance contributes a lot), he is definitely performing at his absolute best here.

Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr's performances are also very good, but it's John Carroll Lynch who is the most effective as prime Zodiac suspect Arthur Leigh Allen. He's genuinely creepy and chilling in his few scenes in the film, and delivers each of his lines with an aura of evil and eerie power.

Many filmgoers dismiss this superbly crafted thriller because of it's ambiguous and inconclusive ending. Viewers wanted a killer, but in a David Fincher film, it's never that simple. What we get is the perfect ending, one that can go different ways, depending on how you view the film. The final scene between Michael Magaeu and the Vallejo police officer gives chills down my spine. The final line delivered in the film offers up some closure, and even though Allen might not be the Zodiac, he's still a murderer. I love the ending to this film, because I can draw my own conclusions and Hurdy Gurdy Man is the perfect way to start and end a film.



I completely love everything about this film, and even though it's underappreciated now, I can see it becoming a relavant classic in a few years time. This is how you make a mystery film, and I don't think David Fincher will ever top Zodiac.




Three excellent movies so far. I'd also pick Zodiac as my favourite for 2007, as well as The Dark Knight for 2008. Great start.
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2006 is coming soon, but there are quite a few films I have to (re)watch. Right at the moment, it's between Bryan Singer's best film to date, Chris Nolan's second best film and a stylish, very underrated thriller.



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I like this idea for a list. Totally agree with Up for 2009. I would have went with The Assassination of Jesse James.......for 2007 though. But then it's not my list, is it.



So far, I can only agree with The Dark Knight. Btw, very nice reviews.. I would like to see Zodiac for the second time coz I was not able to finish it on my first viewing(my dad changed channel wtf!)



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So far, I can only agree with The Dark Knight. Btw, very nice reviews.. I would like to see Zodiac for the second time coz I was not able to finish it on my first viewing(my dad changed channel wtf!)
Definitely see it again, it's worth watching at least once. It's one of those films that you either love on the first viewing, or completely hate it.



It's one of those films that you either love on the first viewing, or completely hate it.
I don't know about that. I liked it, didn't love it though.

I definitely agree that 2007 was a phenomenal year. Juno, There Will Be Blood, Into the Wild, The Assassination of Jesse James, Lars and the Real Girl, An American Crime, No Country for Old Men... so many brilliant movies.

Nice list. Love Up. Can't agree with The Dark Knight, completely overrated in my opinion. But like Godoggo said, it's your list, not mine. Looking forward to seeing more choices.



I don't know about that. I liked it, didn't love it though.

I definitely agree that 2007 was a phenomenal year. Juno, There Will Be Blood, Into the Wild, The Assassination of Jesse James, Lars and the Real Girl, An American Crime, No Country for Old Men... so many brilliant movies.

Nice list. Love Up. Can't agree with The Dark Knight, completely overrated in my opinion. But like Godoggo said, it's your list, not mine. Looking forward to seeing more choices.
Overrated in the sense that everyone loves it, or overrated because you think its bad movie?.



Overrated in the sense that everyone loves it, or overrated because you think its bad movie?.
I don't think it's a bad movie. It's just not life changing as some people make it out to be. It's just another superhero movie to me.



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2006: The Prestige


In what is one of my favourite years of the decade, Marty bagged his Oscar for The Departed, the “made-too-soon” United 93 equally horrified and enthralled and and Superman Returns was made, erasing the third and fourth film from the existing Superman film story arc. Underrated thriller Lucky Number Slevin was surprisingly stylish and intelligent, one of the finest dramedies ever made in Little Miss Sunshine instilled in me new respect for Carell and Kinnear, The Lives Of Others was certainly deserving of it’s Oscar, Miami Vice saw Michael Mann repeatedly stepped over his stylistic bounds, Babel was incredibly emotionally sincere and Children Of Men was a well-made picture (even though it’s overrated). Still, even though this strong group of films was released, it came down to near masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth and The Prestige. It was a hard decision, but The Prestige got in.




Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige".

Two magicians, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, are friends that soon become enemies, after Borden’s negligence causes Angier’s wife’s death. The duo’s rivalry turns obsessive and dangerous after Borden performs a trick that boggles and infuriates Angier into an objective to figure out the secret behind Borden’s trick.


Christopher Nolan directs this suspenseful tale with effort and a grim outlook. While conveys the rivalry between the two magicians, it also shows the side you don’t see of the magic world. It’s told with a theatrical manner, and the grand scenes involving the illusions are interesting to watch, thanks to some great writing and believable prop design. The film can also be considered a study of rivalry and obsession, as Angier nears closer to outdoing Borden, but nothing is as it seems in the world of The Prestige. It also works well as a period piece, thanks to some beautiful costume design and great photography.

Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are both magnetic in their roles, Jackman especially. I didn’t consider him that much of a great actor before I saw this (although his performance as Wolverine was great fun), but he is miles away from anything else he’s ever done here. The other performances are solid, but in particular, Jackman and Bale are the standouts.

Of course, it’s a common staple in the thriller/mystery genre to have a twist, and it is a tired concept, but sometimes, the director can make them work, with the right amount of authenticity and conviction. Nolan is one of the few directors that can not only make a twist ending work, but ensure that the film remains rewatchable. When the film’s reveal is displayed, the pieces fit together, but works in a more deeper way. When Angier, moments away from death, states to Borden, You never understood, why we did this. The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special... you really don't know?... it was... it was the look on their faces...”. Angier is telling Borden he never knew what it was to be a true illusionist, a true magician, but in this viewer’s opinion, Angier lost sight of that too, in his quest to be superior to Borden. The film’s twist is open to certain parts of interpretation, but this is my opinion on this aspect.



Christopher Nolan has made better films, but none feels quite as complete as The Prestige. It’s certainly one of the most intriguing films of recent memory, and one of my top 20 favourite films of all time.




Nice, I gotta see that movie. The Prestige and Following are the only Nolan films I haven't seen.
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2005: Hidden



Well, I'm getting this show back on the road, and picking up where I left off with 2005. Admittedly, this isn't a very good year for film, and I can honestly say that no film released in this year is a masterpiece (although my choice comes sort of close). My runner-up for this year is Steven Spielberg's Munich. It's a slow-moving historical document, which tries a bit too hard to achieve the depth, but it does succeed in the end, and the style and suspense are perfectly built and sustained throughout. I also love David Cronenburg's A History Of Violence which is an extremely engaging and well acted (Viggo Mortensen is f--king superb) drama. And while I'm not a big fan of Ron Howard's work, Cinderella Man is a nice film, with honest and engaging performances. I also really like King Kong, Batman Begins, Sin City, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, Walk The Line, The Constant Gardener & Crash . I couldn't even finish Syriana, it bored me to death.

But out of all these films, which I've watched multiple times, I went with Michael Haneke's Hidden, which I've watched twice ever.

Hidden opens with opening credits, displayed over a lingering shot of a quiet French residence. After the credits finish, the camera pulls back to reveal that it's a tape, being watched by Georges and Anne Laurent, the residents of the home being taped. They are initially disturbed, only mildly though, but the unmarked videos begin to pile up, accompanied by crude crayon drawings. The film then begins to delve into the connection between the tapes and Georges childhood.



Haneke's Hidden isn't an easy film to digest. It's meandering pace and minimal plot direction make a bit hard-going at times. Haneke's approach to the certain themes conveyed (voyeurism, objective guilt, childhood trauma) though, makes it worth the watch alone. It's approached with certain honesty and intrigue, but while also mounting the tension on at every turn, but not in "something is going to happen" way, but in a "will something happen" kind of way. This is most apparent in a specific scene where Georges confronts a man who almost collided with him (the man was on his bike). He almost verbally assaults him, and the man is obviously getting frustrated. But it's not acted upon. It's a single incident, with no repercussions whatsoever, and it may seem superfluous, but it's all added to the tense and realistic vibe.

And at some points, there are pay-offs. (Spoilers) The scene where the man Georges confronts about the videotapes kills himself, it's so unexpected and shocking and it's a very effective advancement of the plot. I may be babbling now, but the feeling of shock and awe this film created with me is too much for words (although that feeling isn't revisited in the second viewing). I also very much love the technical aspects of this movie, especially the camerawork used throughout. The darkness and shadows used in the flashback sequences, which are of Georges' childhood and the light and slick coloring of the present day sequences, just flow throughout and something very nice to look at. I also like the element of minimal music, which, again adds to the realistic experience. And as expected, Daniel Auteil and Juliette Binoche are solid in their roles.

A few years ago, when I first saw this wonderful film, I wouldve given it a full rating of 5/5. But a repeat viewing brought forward the slow pacing and the lesser value of the ending. But, honestly, I can't completely disregard it, and it wouldn't feel right NOT to rate as the best film of the year. It's an art house crowd pleaser. Effective work from Michael Haneke.

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