Don’t listen to people who bemoan the state of cinema in this strange strange year where so much was cancelled, put on hold. It’s an interesting thing: summer, for the first time in two decades, was not dominated by tent-pole blockbuster franchises. What a relief. If this is not your view, if you look forward to summer, to superheroes, to franchises, that’s fine, but just remember: you’ve won in the culture. The rest of us suffer under your taste’s domination. lol Because of the lack of three-months of frenzied blockbuster coverage … all kinds of OTHER films, smaller films, international films, were given space to flourish, to take wing. Visibility was more intense. If you want to see good films, it is often the case – particularly in our current environment where there is a SURPLUS of stuff to watch, leading to people feeling confused and disoriented about what even is OUT there … you have to seek them out. Pay close attention. There have been so many excellent films this year, some of which I reviewed for Ebert or Film Comment, some of which I didn’t. The contributors at Rogerebert.com voted on our Top 10, submitting ballots with our faves. These were then tallied up, and we were each given a title of one of the winners to write on.
I wrote on Lee Isaac Chung’s beautiful and emotional Minari, currently playing on Netflix. Midway through my first watch I knew this would be on my Top 10. It completely engaged every part of my attention, emotional, physical, intellectual. For example, I dissolved into tears near the end. I gasped at one point, and said out loud, “No!!” It’s that kind of viewing experience, the kind of viewing experience I cherish.
Take a look at Ebert’s Ten Best here.
Aside for Minari, I’ve reviewed a lot of films I really love this year. Here’s a small list:
The Assistant
I Was at Home, But…
Emma.
Saint Frances
The Way Back
Tigertail
The Vast of Night
Shirley
Babyteeth
Suzi Q
Palm Springs
Yes, God, Yes
She Dies Tomorrow
The Swerve
A Call to Spy
The Opening Act
Collective
The Life Ahead
Black Bear
Wander Darkly
My problem is that I have seen no movies this year. I CAN, on Amazon Prime and other sources. But I just don’t get the “movie” experience from TV. I discovered that in 1978/79. I saw Coming Home in the cinema, then HBO, then the cinema again. The third time was just better than the second and almost as good as the first.
// My problem is that I have seen no movies this year. //
Well, that’s not what I’m addressing, and so these comments are not meant for you. Nobody gets the movie experience from TV. But millions choose to watch anyway – and I, of course, have no choice but to adjust. There’s a lot of great movies that came out this year and my comments were addressed to people who are eager to see good stuff but get overwhelmed by the glut of stuff available, and the weird-ness of how things were released this year.