Triple Tap 
2010 / Derek Yee > Silliness abound, Triple Tap tries to be profound in ways that come off completely insulting. Whether we're talking about its corporate fraud angle, which is overwrought with short-hand money siphoning techniques that would make even moderately experienced financial investors cringe, or looking at its overarching game of cops and robbers that spends more time explaining banal theories than actually building proper tension, Yee's latest effort is mediocre at best. At worst, it's easy to consider it one of the worst films of the year save the presence of the beautiful Li Bingbing and the increasingly charismatic Louis Koo. Was One Nite in Mongkok a fluke? Though I would hope not, there's not much confidence in Yee's future projects at this moment.
The Joneses 
2010 / Derrick Borte > Conceptually, The Joneses is a brilliant satire with considerable contemporary relevance. However, its execution is surprisingly mundane and predictable to the point where it turns into a formulaic romantic dramedy. Worse yet may be its inherent hypocrisy of pitching products in the guise of being anti-consumerist, though that's a sin that could have been excused if the lessons of excess the film was trying to impart were doled out efficiently. But instead, the manner is so hackneyed that it ends up being a somewhat uninspiring mess.
The Day of the Jackal 
1973 / Fred Zinnemann > Off-hand, I can't recall a better dissection of how an assassin goes from taking a job to completing it, especially with a target as high-profile as the President of France. Every minor step is detailed but not in a way that bores. Zinnemann's meticulousness pays off for the viewer who gets to enjoy a double-sided analysis of both the authorities hunting down The Jackal and how he himself constantly stays one step ahead. The dry, near-documentary style filmmaking may turn off some, but its beauty is in the way it lets us soak in the cat-and-mouse chase rather be forced to endure some in-your-face entertainment. But that may be underestimating the subtle character study of The Jackal himself, played so wonderfully by Edward Fox. Is he good or bad? Similar to Shohei Imamura's take on a serial killer in Vengeance is Mine, the answers are far from obvious.
Funeral in Berlin 
1966 / Guy Hamilton > It's hard to believe the follow-up to The Ipcress File had the same cinematographer: The original had carefully constructed camera angles that contributed to the storytelling, but here Otto Heller's camerawork feels generic and secondary. Also troubling is the change of mood: Michael Caine's Harry Palmer is still shuffling through the bureaucracy to do his counter-espionage duties but our focuses constantly shift until we realize the plot is a bit too clever for itself. We don't get attached to any characters, and we don't really care much when we find out who the bad guys are (especially since the motives feel muddled). Oddly enough, Hamilton made Funeral in Berlin after Goldfinger, which feels problematic because Palmer's character is closer to Bond here than in the original.
The Ipcress File 
1965 / Sidney J. Furie > Kind of a pity that most people will know Michael Caine for being Batman's butler rather than the sublime counter-espionage agent Harry Palmer. The Ipcress File finds a middle ground between bitterness of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and the flashiness of James Bond in creating a calculated experience with a certain suave demeanor. Palmer doesn't ask for his Martini to be shaken but instead is adept at cooking a meal for two and solving some mysteries while he's at it. If you've never experienced Caine in his heyday, the Palmer series is apparently tops, though I'll reserve further judgment until I get around to watching Funeral in Berlin.
The Karate Kid
2010 / Harald Zwart > Call it The Karate Kid or as it would have been more aptly titled The Kung Fu Kid, the fact remains that Jaden Smith's genetically passed-on charm and charisma doesn't make up for his near-farcical martial arts techniques (especially in comparison to many of the young Chinese actors). But if we can excuse that, the film works as a modern immigration tale: How do young Americans, especially a minority, moving to China come of age? Christopher Murphey's screenplay has enough twists on genre conventions to justify the remake, though it fails to take advantage of deeper intercultural understanding by simply glossing over most conflicts.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
1965 / Martin Ritt > If there ever was an elegy to Cold War espionage, this may be it. Based on a John le Carré novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold doesn't waste time romanticizing the profession that modern day moviegoers identify with the flash and glamour of James Bond. In its bitterness, we witness a carrying performance by Richard Burton where he completely erases the line between the sides. It can be argued that no actor has ever portrayed the confusion of being a double agent better.
Three Days of the Condor
1975 / Sydney Pollack > An elegantly composed spy thriller centered around Robert Redford who accidentally stumbles upon a topical secret while working at a CIA think tank. For those who appreciate a slower pace and a healthy dose of paranoia, Three Days of the Condor is fitting and satisfying and works as a complementary piece to The Parallax View.
Prison on Fire
1987 / Ringo Lam > It's a bit tragic that A Prophet may have forever ruined expectations for prison films. Trendsetter Lam's take on the genre tries very hard to shine through the brutal experience of being behind bars but never really breaks through with anything particularly memorable. Prison on Fire ends up being a fairly ho-hum tale with a few stereotypical characters saved primarily by another fantastic performance by Chow Yun-Fat, who's considerably more watchable when directors utilize his abundant charisma. Consider this an appetizer of sorts for their electrifying joint-effort in Full Contact.
3 Idiots
2009 / Rajkumar Hirani > There's an easy explanation as to why 3 Idiots is easily the highest grossing film in Bollywood history, almost doubling the box office receipts of its nearest competitor: The film defines generations of Indians (and South Asians in general) and is relevant now more than ever. On the surface, it's just a fun film with quite a lot of predictability, cheesy moments and phoned-in laughs. But the thematics of a generation lost to examinations and monetary success are rooted deep within the culture's bones. Most Indian students, male or female, know the pressure of success in one of the world's toughest educational marketplaces, the fight for a spot in elite private schools, combating parental pressure and the selflessness this all carries. Dreams are often tertiary to jobs and family, but in 3 Idiots, Hirani has offered a glimpse of hope to the Indian youth. Chances are it will have little effect on how families work, how parents push their children to the edge, but the exploration, in all its glossiness, is a worthy cause that's obviously been taken to heart by the country's moviegoers. As long as it's not taken out of context and mistreated as an Indian equivalent of Dead Poets Society, there is much satisfaction to be had. And who knew Aamir Khan (whose Memento-derived Ghajini holds that second all-time spot) could so convincingly play a college student at age 44?
Greenberg
2010 / Noah Baumbach > There's a surprising amount of humanity packed into Greenberg, though what stuck out for me is the disconnect between generations. How we handle things is different than 20 years ago and will be different 20 years from now. Technology has changed the way we communicate with our neighbours. Youth, adolescence and the potential of the lost twenties vary due to the context of their own eras. It's not an easy matter to dissect during the length of a feature film, but Baumbach tries to throw the kitchen sink at it. For the most part, his heart is in the right place, but I'd argue that the two leads were a little too polar for it to work efficiently. We're not dealing with subtlety here, and that makes it feel a bit more pedantic than it needs to be. In contrast, one could argue the lightheartedness of Kicking and Screaming better added to the effectiveness of exploring post-collegiate life than Greenberg's near-blanket cynicism.
Life During Wartime
2010 / Todd Solondz > As Solondz's follow-up to one of the iconic chronicles of a modern dysfunctional American family, Life During Wartime is effective. But it only really works as an addendum to the original: The characters (played by different actors than in Happiness, a technique Solondz first experimented with in Palindromes) are surprisingly two-dimensional without their expository sequences, though there is some satisfaction in seeing the aftermath of it all.
Centurion 
2010 / Neil Marshall > The Roman Empire provides filmmakers with substantial history from which flesh out fantastic, thrilling dramas. Marshall fails to take advantage of such a backdrop with a story that may as well have been set in the Australian Outback. But while that may have been justifiable, the fact that the characters' lack of common sense drives much of the generic, shallow plot is not. Add onto that the dated twists, Centurion becomes a disappointing follow-up to Fish Tank for Michael Fassbinder and another wasted opportunity for The Wire's McNulty (Dominic West) to have a fruitful role.
Salt
2010 / Phillip Noyce > Angelina Jolie may be today's best female action star, but even her awesome screen prowess can't save a middling script with predictable twists. Kudos to the non-CGI action sequences reminiscent of classy Jackie Chan stunts, but even they're not enough after the story starts blowing up halfway. Spy business used to be cool and can be cool again, but Salt will not be the film to bring the Cold War back into vogue. And can we please get Chiwetel Ejiofor a leading role?
Kick-Ass
2010 / Matthew Vaughn > The bad: Awful editing, weak directing and mediocre writing. Scenes didn't flow into the next, the musical choices were also suspect. The good: The whole mythology of the everyday man being told through Kick-Ass was nice, but Hit Girl stole the show over and over again. What an amazing screen presence Chloe Moretz has. She's going to be a star (and has single-handedly given me hope that she'll do justice to Lina Leandersson's role in the remake of Let the Right One In). Takeaway? Vaughn may have peaked with Layer Cake.
L'avventura
1960 / Michaelangelo Antonioni > It's not quite Last Year at Marienbad, but L'avventura has the kind of melodic feel to its foundation that makes you want to look past any faults. But compared to La Dolce Vita (released in the same year) where Marcello was grounded in reality while all those around him floated about, nobody in this first part of the Antonioni's alienation trilogy had that kind of hook. I had a hard time worrying about characters who often went out of their way to show (and sometimes tell) us that they didn't have to care about the same things as the masses. If the film is meant to symbolize that money (and the lifestyle it brings) can still lead to an empty life, I'm not sold. Because these characters couldn't garner my sympathy, I couldn't, subsequently, care about what happened to and around them. For others with different value systems and life experiences, this may work. It's a film you have to feel in your gut or it just won't have a payoff.
Werckmeister Harmonies 
2000 / Béla Tarr > While beautiful and often mesmerizing, Werckmeister Harmonies is not easy to digest on the first viewing. Its metaphysical aspects hint at quite a bit of depth but for those without background knowledge of Hungary within the context of European history, the lessons in tow may seem shallow. Tarr's apparent preference (or obsession) for very long takes are mostly enjoyable, though there are times one has to wonder if certain scenes could have been shortened here and there for greater impact. Also rather fascinating is star Lars Rudolph having to be dubbed as he's German and the film is in Hungarian, which is apparently a rather complex and almost insular language. This is initially jarring in the intro sequence (which is absolutely fantastic itself) but becomes less of an issue as time goes on. Supposedly, this is one of the least accessible of Tarr's works, but can still serve as an appetizer before attempting his seven and a half hour labor of love Sátántangó. Just be prepared for a second viewing.
Vengeance is Mine 
1979 / Shohei Imamura > For all the serial killer stories that have ever been put on the silver screen, none have approached the subject in a manner as blankly as this. Vengeance is Mine is a story about love—not that of a man and a woman, but about a human being vs. society. The way the dominos fall don’t often go as planned, and sometimes killing a stranger and sticking his cold, dead body in the closet is necessary. For Iwao Enokizu, this is neither good nor bad. It is an action that complements his strategy for survival. There is no premeditation besides the obvious need to grow older, but in his eyes, one has a hard time seeing a rationale for even living. Ken Ogata’s performance as Iwao, for whom Japan led a 78-day manhunt in 1963, is chilling in its exactness as it captures the kind of stoic judgment the killer makes at will. His value of life is a mystery, but his existence is the kind of evil that myths are built around. He begs, over and over, a simple question to the viewer: Is it possible that there are those who cannot possibly be loved?
Giants and Toys
1958 > Yasuzo Masumura > Several times during Giants and Toys, I checked when the film was made. Kept on thinking late 70s, maybe mid-60s. But no, this was the prescient work of Masumura back in 1958, before the world of AMC's Mad Men and a far cry from the salarymen lifestyle we see now in Japanese cinema. This is as biting a morality tale as Sweet Smell of Success but with a lot more color, a girl with terrible teeth and pop culture satire undermining the apparent comedy. No wonder Park Chan-wook considers this man one of his great influences.
Shutter Island
2010 / Martin Scorsese > Something happened to Scorsese between Goodfellas and Casino. He stopped demanding more of the viewer, started catering to a lower common denominator and/or became too complacent with his storytelling. For a film to work, the technicals need to match the fundamentals and aesthetics. They don't always need to be in equal parts, but if one fails, the others get dragged down hard. In the case of Shutter Island, a darkly beauteous approach to classic Hitchcock horror, the director of Taxi Driver becomes satisfied with an ending that's not only predictable but has become almost expected in this day and age. It takes a lot more than a question of morality and human conscience that surrounds the finale to quench the thirst for a good film.
Daybreakers
2010 / Michael Spierig & Peter Spierig > Daybreakers starts out strong with a focus on creating atmosphere, context and a scientific approach to how vampires come to rule Earth, and then quickly teeters into a banal action clone that misses out on a chance to be a science fiction classic because of its shortsightedness.
Avatar
2009 / James Cameron > From a historical perspective, the positives for Avatar far outweigh the negatives. Cameron's technology is incredible: Often during action sequences, I was wondering if the make-up would come off in the heat, only to realize that, no, this wasn't make-up, that this was a new generation of CGI that would change the way we create and experience movies for the the next decade. Throw in the vibrant, imaginary setting of Pandora and you have a world ripe for the picking. But then comes the story, the characters and the barrage of cliches. One could argue that a tried and true story can be made better with refinement, but I'll argue that even in that, this film fails. The writing is tragically bad at times ("I see you!"), and the supporting players are ridiculous caricatures. If in doubt, seek no further than the element of interest in the film: Unobtainium. If that doesn't give away to the fact that someone, somewhere down the line forgot to do some quality checking on the script, I'm not sure what will.
The trick with Avatar, though, is this: I'm grateful for it. Some consider The Abyss to be the test vehicle for Terminator 2, and that to be a test vehicle for this. But given its lack of maturation in the storytelling department, I can't tell you how excited I am to see what Cameron does with his upcoming Battle Angel. Technology allows filmmakers to provide instant gratification to viewers. But you need a story for a film to be memorable, for it to age well. The Matrix is shockingly corny now, and I have little doubt that Avatar will also fail to hold up in the annals of time, box office receipts be damned. Its legacy, however, will be carried forth by the technology and all the cinema that will be founded on it.
Special Edition: Forty for the Aughts
Accident
2009 / Soi Cheang > Easily the most accessible film Cheang has made in the latter half of the decade, Accident is a cryptic piece about assassins who construct seemingly random chains of events to do their dirty deeds. On the outside, the package is filled with the kind of polish meant for a classy thriller, but underneath the hood, the focus is really about self-paranoia, or rather, when your business is making illusions, at what point does your reality cease to exist? Produced by Johnnie To, the film also acts as a showcase for Louis Koo’s acting abilities. After a career of being a slighted pop performer, he’s really starting to carve out a name for himself as Hong Kong’s go-to frontman (also see Election 2 and Overheard). Accordingly, Cheang also continues to impress with fresh, genre-hopping efforts similar to fellow countryman Edmond Pang that gives quite a bit of hope to the future industry of the country that brought us both John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai.
The Box
2009 / Richard Kelly > As a kid, I was pretty obsessed with classic Twilight Zone episodes. They were all about possibility and imagination, about the world that may be out there without us knowing. Kelly, after his commercial fuck-up in Southland Tales, pastes on Cameron Diaz and brings forth The Box, which, in the most positive way possible, is a feature length version of a 1950s Twilight Zone episode. With a bigger budget allowing for a fully realized and more refined production process, the film allows us to enter the mindset of mid-century America with fears of the Cold War. Except, of course, there are more sinister things in the air than Communists. There's some level of campiness involved here, no doubt, but if one can accept that as part of the experience, this is an unpretentious sci-fi treat not often found in today's cinema.
