FILM REVIEW: RAGE

Jose Maria (Gustavo Sanchez Parra) in Rage.

 

Slow boil

By Don Simpson

Jose Maria (Gustavo Sanchez Parra) has a nasty temper. The moment someone says or does something harmful to him or someone he cares about, he lashes out in a violent rage. (He has a killer punch to boot.) But before the violence erupts, you can see the anger intensely boiling in Jose Maria’s eyeballs. It is as if Jose Maria is attempting to kill his foe simply with his gaze, but director Sebastian Cordero’s third film steers far, far away from the supernatural (such as laser beams shooting from people’s eyes).

This is around the time that I should warn you: Do not let the Dario Argento-esque title fool you, Rage is an intensely über-realistic character study, not a horror film. What Rage studies most carefully is the perception and treatment of Latin American immigrants working in Spain. (Get it? Race/Rage. Anyway...) Jose Maria is a “spick” construction worker and his new girlfriend Rosa (Martina Garcia) is a beautiful young housemaid. They both hail from South America and because of their lack of European citizenship their social status is not much higher than that of animals or slaves. They do the work that the xenophobic Spaniards do not want to do. Men like Jose Maria are expected to be manual laborers with no other role in society while women like Rosa are treated merely as sexual objects. Illegal immigrants are only allowed to exist when they are needed for work, otherwise they are to remain out of sight yet they are a necessary component of the capitalist machine. (This is not all that dissimilar to the perception and treatment of illegal immigrants in the increasingly xenophobic U.S.)

Barely scraping enough income together to survive, Jose Maria sleeps on a bunk bed in a cramped space with six other immigrants while Rosa lives in a quaint secluded room in her employers’ -- the Torres family -- mansion. When Jose Maria loses his construction job and finds himself on the run from the police, he hides in the shadows of an unused section of the Torres mansion. No one, including Rosa, has any clue that Jose Maria is inside the mansion. Forced to live out of sight from everyone, Jose Maria becomes a literal manifestation of society’s perception of illegal immigrants. Jose Maria evolves into a rat-like creature (figuratively, of course), scampering down to the kitchen to scour for food any moment the house is temporarily vacant, taking more significant risks when his hunger grows too intense. (Even his bowel movements are done clandestinely in plastic bags.)

Adapted from Argentine author Sergio Bizzio’s novel, Cordero’s characters are incredibly well-developed and multidimensional. Every choice of action made by Rosa and Jose Maria makes perfect sense within the context of the narrative. We experience their incredible desire to become normal members of society, to experience love and respect, to start a family. Even the Torres family members are more than just uptight and oppressive bourgeoisie. Their decisions are not restrained by class or economics, they reason just like real people.

Unfortunately, all of this focus on character development and realism slows Rage down to a near crawl. Rage has the makings of a fantastic thriller and while I respect his stylistic choices, there could have very easily been some climactic tension if Cordero only opted to pick up the pace every once in a while.

FILM REVIEW: IP MAN 2

Ip Man (Donnie Yen) in Ip Man 2.

 

Taking two by one

By Don Simpson

I need to get a couple of things off of my chest before I begin: I am not a fan of martial arts films and I never saw Ip Man. However, I was assured by several friends and acquaintances who consider themselves to be aficionados of martial arts films that I would enjoy the artfulness and choreography of the Ip Man films and that these films are so well produced that they transcend the realm of the standard martial arts film audience. Or something like that. They also informed me that the plot of Ip Man 2 does not require the viewer to have already seen Ip Man. That advice effectively gave me the green light to not do due diligence and rent Ip Man for background; I opted to take the cold plunge and dive right into Ip Man 2.

I will say that Ip Man 2 made a positive impression on me very early on, when the titular Ip (Donnie Yen) explains to a young prospective protege, Wong Leung (Xiaoming Huang), that violence is only to be used as a last resort.  

Moments later they are brawling because Wong does not heed Ip’s advice and wants Ip to prove his worth as a martial arts master (which is a recurring theme in Ip Man 2). Ip is glad to oblige and Wong concedes. Actually, Wong only appears to concede; he returns later with three friends to show Ip what’s what. It is not until Ip effortlessly conquers Wong’s friends that the four young ruffians become Ip's first students.

But who is this man named Ip Man? Well, he is a Wing Chun master who relocated his family to Hong Kong in the early 1950s after escaping from Foshan. When Ip Man 2 begins, Ip opens the first Wing Chun school in Hong Kong. Not only is Ip wanting to spread the gospel of Wing Chun, but his family desperately needs the income to pay for everyday necessities such as rent and school fees.

Since Ip’s is the first Wing Chun school, he not only finds it difficult to enroll students (that is until Wong and his friends come around), but time and time again Ip also finds himself having to prove himself worthy of his status as a master and Wing Chun as a worthy form of martial arts, especially to the local Hung Ga master (Sammo Hung) with whom Ip finds himself toe-to-toe (and fist-to-fist) with a few times. Then, in the grand finale (which unfortunately lives up to its comparisons to Rocky IV and Karate Kid), Ip must prove to the western world that their brutally barbaric sport of boxing is no match for finesse and skill of Eastern martial arts in a near-death match with Taylor "The Twister" Milos (Darren Shahlavi). (Non-violence be damned; Ip needs to prove that despite the differences between their races, everyone should respect each other...even if that means pummelling -- and getting pummelled by -- a Caucasian boxer.)

So, I have to admit that the choreography (designed by Sammo Hung) did amaze me, especially the fish market sequence and the showdown atop the wobbly table and upturned chairs. Ip Man 2, it turns out, is strangely reminiscent of West Side Story, replacing the dancing gangs with fighting martial arts clubs. (Did I go too far with that analogy? Umm...Probably.) Yen is an amazing presence, channeling the peaceful fortitude of Buddha with an amazing martial arts skill set. His facial expressions, so calm and stoic, his body movements, so fluid and graceful.

My primary complaint is that Ip Man 2 lacks a strong plot and character development. I know, I know -- this is a martial arts film. But, just because martial arts films are typically lax when it comes to plot and character development that does not mean that film directors cannot try to improve upon that. Ip Man 2 could have easily integrated a meatier plot and more character development into the story while still giving martial arts fans what they want.

The real Ip Man, a.k.a. Yip Man, is considered to be the first martial arts master to teach Wing Chun openly and his most famous student was Bruce Lee. Director Wilson Yip intended for Ip Man 2 to focus on the relationship between Ip Man and Bruce Lee. However, they were unable to finalize the film rights with Lee's descendants. So then, screenwriter Edmond Wong decided that he wanted to use Ip Man 2 to portray how Chinese people were treated by the British as well as the Western perceptions towards Chinese martial arts.

FILM REVIEW: POETRY

Mija (Yun Jung-hee) in Poetry.

Silences

By Don Simpson

Poetry opens with a very tranquil and -- ahem -- poetic shot of a river. The scene is practically silent, even the sounds of children playing on the river bank is muffled by the soft white noise of the nature that engulfs them. The sublimely peaceful state of nature screeches to a halt when the camera -- as well as one of the children --  notices a dead body floating in the river.

The corpse appears once again, a few scenes later, as Mija (Yun Jung-hee) exits a medical clinic where she just visited a doctor regarding an electric pulse in her arm (due to lack of exercise) and a somewhat recent bout of memory loss (Mija notes that she once forgot the word "bleach" but -- thanks to the more permanent impact of capitalism on her brain -- she remembered the brand name Clorox). The corpse’s mother is wailing in severe distress as Mija and other onlookers watch her break down, eventually crumbling to the parking lot.

We eventually learn that the corpse is a teenage girl named Agnes who committed suicide after being raped repeatedly over an extended period of time by a group of six male classmates. Mija sits at a table drinking beer with the fathers of her deadbeat teenage grandson, Wook’s (Lee David) five friends as she learns that their six boys are the rapists. Agnes's mother has yet to press charges, and the five fathers want to provide her with a financial settlement of 30 million Won to protect their sons’ futures; yet as soon as the conversation turns to money, Mija wanders away.

Mija, who provides for herself and her grandson with government subsidies and a measly income that she earns as a part-time maid for a stroke-riddled elderly man, spends the remainder of the film paralyzed by the looming decision to either raise five million Won to silence Agnes's mother or turn her grandson over to the police. She also must contend with her increasingly fleeting memory (which she learns is due to dementia), but as a last hurrah Mija decides that she wants to learn how to write poetry -- she explains that she has poetry in her veins because she likes flowers and has a knack for saying odd things. It is not without irony that she attempts to learn a new form of communication while her memory impedes her everyday thoughts and conversations. (It is also not without irony that Mija discovers that she is suffering from dementia around the same time that she learns just how demented the world is really.) With poetry, Mija might also be subconsciously searching for a way to connect with other people -- everyone appears to write her off as a crazy and clueless old lady; people ignore her while she’s talking; her grandson even ditches their badminton game when he receives a text message from his friends.

Mija’s interest in poetry at this juncture in her life is also not without purpose. Mija learns during her poetry classes to "really see" the world, which teaches her to truly recognize the preponderance of violence and selfishness in the sex-obsessed male world. This new insight allows Mija to come to terms with her grandson’s sexually violent crime, as well as contend with the male conspiracy to cover up the crime and silence (the female voice of) Agnes's mother. The male characters in Poetry repeatedly use their power, sex and money to control the female characters; and the language of poetry becomes a tool to liberate Mija from the oppression and cruelty of the masculine world.

Poetry, South Korean director Lee Chang-dong’s (Secret Sunshine, Oasis) fifth feature film, won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

SUNDANCE 2011: THESE AMAZING SHADOWS

A scene from These Amazing Shadows. 

Turner around again


By Don Simpson


As a direct result of Ted Turner’s push to colorize black and white films from the MGM archives, President Ronald Reagan signed the National Film Preservation Act on September 27, 1988. This law established the United States National Film Preservation Board. The National Film Registry is the National Film Preservation Board’s list of films slated for preservation in the Library of Congress. Ever since 1989, a maximum of 25 films per year have been deemed “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” and added to the Registry. Films must be at least 10 years old in order to qualify. (I often wish that I could wait 10 years before creating my year-end list of favorite films.)


Paul Mariano and Kurt Norton's These Amazing Shadows interweaves an endless array of archival footage -- of the work of the Registry, of course -- with interviews featuring Registry board members, archivists, a plethora of famous filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan, Rob Reiner, John Waters, Barbara Kopple, John Lasseter, John Singleton, Wayne Wang, Steve James, and Amy Heckerling, plus, let’s not forget, the Librarian of Congress Dr. James H. Billington to make a case for film preservation. The justifications vary from the importance of documenting American history (both truths and lies) and developing a historical archive of cinema to protecting fragile negatives (as we learned in Inglorious Basterds, nitrate film is quite flammable) and legitimizing film as an art form. Some interviewees pull for their childhood favorites, while others seek to better represent a specific demographic -- i.e. women filmmakers, black or indigenous subjects -- in film history. Censored films also get notable attention.


The Registry runs the gamut from Hollywood classics to extremely rare films. It contains newsreels, silent films, experimental films, short subjects, film serials, home movies, documentaries, independent films, television movies, and even music videos. As of the 2010 listing, there are 550 films currently in the Registry. (It is worth noting that inclusion on the list is not a guarantee of actual preservation.)


As a fleeting glimpse at the cross section of films in the Registry, These Amazing Shadows is a film historian’s (or at least an avid film enthusiast’s) wet dream. I seem to think These Amazing Shadows might be rather boring for the non-film enthusiasts in the audience. Other than that, Mariano and Norton's somewhat stale documentary possesses one very definitive political goal: to ensure that the National Film Preservation Board forges onward well into the future.


This is as good of a time as any to make this case, with Republicans and Libertarians teaming up in their anti-big government rhetoric. It would not be without irony if this new generation of Reagan’s army destroyed one of Reagan’s very own creations. Turner has already proved once that the interests of film history are not best served in the hands of free market Capitalists, so who is going to protect and preserve cinema’s incredible history if this role taken out of the hands of the National Film Preservation Board?

TOP ELEVEN: JOHN ESTHER'S BEST FILMS OF 2010

A scene from Enter the Void.

Elevated eleven


By John Esther


The Angel -- Writer-director Margreth Olin's unmasking of motivations behind one woman's heroin addiction is a beautifully crafted film with formidable performances -- including one very well trained kitten. Lea (Maria Bonnevie) has had a rough life. After her father dies at an early age, Lea's mother, Madeline (Gunilla Röör), gets involve in an abusive relationship with an alcoholic, Ole (Benjamin Helstad). Since booze and abuse are aplenty, Lea begins to intoxicate her life, searching for a continuity continually obstructed by her mother. When Lea herself becomes a mother, she continues the family tradition of child abandonment. Moving back and forth in time with constrained spaces, Olin punctuates Lea's despair as an omniscient narrator and Lea's inner thoughts. 

Casino Jack -- Staunch big Republicans living large by the creed, stinking with greed, Jack "I Work Out Everyday" Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) and Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper) kindled and swindled sweet deals with seemingly no end in sight. Political power brokers, they had brains, bank and the backdoor to some very influential people and nothing so small as integrity, ethics or friends would get in their way. Hilarious and unabashed, more than any fictionalized film in recent memory, the riveting, rolling Casino Jack magnificently exposes our corrupt era of lobbyists, special interests, the politicians for sale and the American people who not only refuse to change the system, but actually vote and campaign against their own interests (i.e. Teabaggers) while lobbyists and corporations continually seize more power against the people. Thanks to late director George Hickenlooper's direction, a brilliant script by Norman Snider and stellar performances by Spacey and others -- notably Spencer Garrett as Delay and Christian Campbell as "Christian" Ralph Reed -- Casino Jack is one of the more original, angriest, comical, satiric, and best films of 2010.

Enter the Void -- A groundbreaking “psychedelic melodrama”  about a young man (Nathaniel Brown) hovering around to and fro many moments of his short-termed life, if you think last year’s Avatar broke cinematic boundaries, for every breakthrough James Cameron’s film offers technologically, Noé’s film does artistically. Any discussion about the best directed film of year excluding Noé's cinematic tour-de-force is highly suspect if not downright irresponsible (at least if you saw the entire film). Rich, dense, hallucinatory, mesmerizing and offering a unique film going experience, Enter the Void was the true film event of the year.

Exit Through the Gift Shop -- Perceptions and demarcations of the boundaries of art – from the street to the cinema house – swell to the bursting point in British artist Banksy's genius deconstruction of artistic endeavors as he chronicles one man's unlikely but really reel rise from artistic obscurity to renowned artist. Was it really a documentary or stage fiction? Would the former be more authentic than the latter in terms of depicting reality? Hardly. A thrilling satire on numerous levels, this is art as art consumption as art criticism as art.

Even the Rain -- Director Sebastian (Gael Garcia Bernal), producer Costa (Luis Tosa) and their Spanish crew have just arrived in Cochamba, Bolivia, to make a film about Columbus' arrival in the Americas during the late 15th century. An examination in racism, religious hypocrisy and resistance, the film within the film of director Iciar Bollain's Even the Rain takes an unflattering view of the Spanish crown's gold crush in the 16th century. While on location, the local "Indians," many of whom are involved with the film at significantly lower pay than their Spanish counterparts, are involved in a struggle with powerful forces over the local water supply. The film about a film or films (someone is shooting a documentary on the making of the film) thoroughly analysis the limitations and possibilities about making films to address (adjust?) social injustices, whether they are past or present, and that film is never the same as reality, regardless of accuracy, yet this is being illustrated in a film.

Four Lions -- Uneasily and uneasy the funniest film of the year, from the opening moments Four Lions gets off to a hilarious start. The actors have great timing and the script by director Chis Morris, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain rips a laughter hole into a type of mentality that wishes most of us dead. "Joking is a sign of weakness." Yet as the movie propels itself forward, the farce takes on a sense of tragedy as the cell become violent threats. To be clear, this movie is not an attack on Muslims, rather is an attack on violent extremists who happen to be Muslim (these  guys seem to know nothing about the Koran). And they are not the only ones who take a hit in the film. Everybody, from crusader to cop, negotiator to next door nut (Julia Davis), takes a licking while the time is ticking off. This is one hilarious, smart, touching and brave film.

Howl -- When I first saw this at Sundance Film Festival 2010 I suspected I had already seen one of my top ten and when I saw it again at Outfest Opening Night I was sure. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Howl looks at American poet Allen Ginsberg, circa age 29, and the influence his magnum opus and first published poem, Howl, had on America during the mid-1950s. While the poem Howl said so many things about America and Howl the film says so much about America then and now, the greatness in this film lies in the fact that the filmmakers managed to capture both Ginsberg and Howl at its vital essence: the voice of desire and fulfillment of communication and acknowledgement by and for those who have been ignored by society at large through malice, ignorance or indifference.

I Love You Philip Morris -- In his best performance hitherto, Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, a brilliant real life con artist who was able to fake friend and foe alike to such a degree that "fucking Texas" made sure he received an unprecedented 144-year prison sentence. Possessing a strong cast, smart script, and outrageous humor/history, there is very little to dislike about the film. Although I did find the film funnier the first time I saw it at Sundance 2009, amongst films released last year, perhaps only Four Lions was funnier than I Love You Phillip Morris?

Lebanon -- Bookmarked by an image that would make Federico Fellini proud, first-time writer-director Samuel Maoz feature film occurs almost entirely inside a tank with four IDF soldiers on the first day of the Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Similar to Das Boot in its claustrophobia hell hole, this film adds another dimension by constantly reminding the privileged viewpoint of violence for some – whether they view it through the lense of a huge tank or an American movie theater. Not for the squeamish, this is a worthy companion to Waltz with Bashir, a top ten selection of mine from 2008.

Pat Tillman (left) and Kevin Tillman in The Pat Tillman Story.

The Pat Tillman Story -- When Pat Tillman gave up his multimillion-dollar career as a professional defensive end with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army Rangers with his brother, Kevin, in 2002, he became a poster child of self-sacrifice for the alleged national good. But when Pat was killed on April 22, 2004, at the age of 27, under less than courageous circumstances, another story had to be told.  A riveting story about real sacrifice, courage and the best of American (human) values, director Amir Bar-Lev’s documentary champions the Tillman family's defiance against the U.S. Army and demanded the truth be told surrounding Pat’s death.  Engaging, enraging, edifying and essential, this documentary attempts as much as it can to face the facts and set the record straight. If there are any shortcomings in its truth it is because the powers that be continue to lie in the way.

The Two Escobars -- Back in the early 1990s, Columbia was in the midst of a huge drug war. With notorious kingpin Pablo Escobar at the helm, the country was working its way to the highest murder rate in the world. They were tough times for Columbians, but there was hope for a nation tattered and tarnished by organized crime: the Columbia national soccer team. Lead by Andres Escobar, and backed by considerable bloody money, the team rose to the ranking of fourth in the world when they entered the World Cup games in Los Angeles, 1994. Rather than see victory on or off the field, both Escobars met with violent endings. Directed by Jeff and Michael Zimbalist, this is one really riveting documentary about a nation strapped under crime. 

SUNDANCE 2011: MAD BASTARDS

Bullet (Lucas Yeeda) and TJ (Dean Daley-Jones) in Mad Bastards.

Angry as hell

By Don Simpson

TJ (Dean Daley-Jones) is a volcanic ex-con residing in Perth who has come to a point in his life that he finally wants to see his 13 year-old son, Bullet (Lucas Yeeda), whom he has never known. Bullet, who lives in the far off Kimberly region of northwestern Australia with his troubled mother Nella (Ngaire Pigram) who is quite the firecracker herself, is in dire need of a father figure, having just recently found himself in trouble with the law -- who also happens to be his grandfather Tex (Greg Tait) -- for burning down a neighborhood house with a Molotov cocktail. As TJ treks from Perth to Kimberly, Bullet is sent away to a two week survival camp in the bush to discover a new direction in life from an Aboriginal elder (John Watson).

TJ's meandering quest by hitchhiking and by foot takes him on a figurative walkabout across the remote and stunning Kimberley landscape. He encounters an eclectic array of Aboriginal characters who become his hosts on the long strange trip. The experience has a life-changing effect on TJ, but even the new and improved TJ still turns from a lovable lug to an Incredible Hulk as soon as his fiery rage is triggered.

Grandpa Tex has spent a majority of his life learning from the School of Hard Knocks too, but he has evolved into a softly spoken gentle man with a powerful brick house frame. Now that Tex is aged and experienced, he uses his authority as a local cop to help turn around the troubled lives of the males in his community.

The film’s title alludes to at least one of the root causes of the madness of these three inglorious bastards -- they have all lacked a positive male role model in their lives. (It is impossible to ignore that economics, addiction and -- although it is never overtly shown -- racial discrimination are also major factors in their combustible personalities.) Producer-director-writer Brendan Fletcher’s Mad Bastards is a brutally realistic look at the journeys taken by three distinct generations of males to becoming mature and good men.

With a primarily Aboriginal cast of non-actors, Fletcher based Mad Bastards on his subjects’ real life stories. Several scenes play out more like a Robert Flaherty documentary than a work of pure fiction and on that level Mad Bastards works brilliantly as an ethnographic study of the Aboriginal people of Kimberly.

But as a narrative film, the disjointed editing of Mad Bastards really drives me absolutely mad. It took me at least 15-20 minutes to even begin to adjust to the seemingly haphazard structure of the narrative and it is not until TJ finally makes his arrival that the film really starts to flow in a sensible manner. I have no qualms with most cross-cutting narratives, but all of the jumping around in Mad Bastards really distracted -- and at times, confused -- me. I think what bugs me the most is that some scenes feel like they are cut way short only because Fletcher is too anxious to get to another location. This is by no means a reason not to see Mad Bastards though; Fletcher’s film is definitely worth checking out.

TOP TEN: DON SIMPSON'S FILMS OF 2010

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) in Blue Valentine.

Top picks of the year

By Don Simpson

The year 2010 will go down in my memory as the year that audiences and critics began demanding more transparency in non-fiction cinema. I’m Still Here and Catfish rode on an early wave of pre-release hype, but both films drowned in an onslaught of negative publicity concerning allegations of their deceitful tactics; yet somehow Exit Through the Gift Shop slid under the radar of most negative publicity and has been garnering Best Documentary nods all across the universe.

Also, 2010 was clearly a year that was ruled by the ladies of the silver screen, with a plethora of commanding leading roles for women and girls alike: Blanca Engström (The Girl), Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank), Heather Kafka (Lovers of Hate), Zoe Kazan (The Exploding Girl), Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone), Robin McLeavy (The Loved Ones), Birgit Minichmayr (Everyone Else), Chloë Grace Moretz (Let Me In / Kick-Ass), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Stella Schnabel (You Wont Miss Me), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), Tilda Swinton (I Am Love), Marzieh Vafamehr (My Tehran for Sale), Lotte Verbeek (Nothing Personal), and Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine). I could go on...but you get the picture.

I saw a heck of a lot of films in 2010 (I lost count shortly after I broke the 300 mark), so the torture of narrowing this year-end list down to just 10 films was just shy of waterboarding for me. With the helpful guidance of “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” and some keen insight from my always-faithful Ouija Board, the following is an alphabetical listing of my favorite films of 2010.

Black Swan -- I think I am the only film critic who picked up on the strange attraction to Nina’s crotch throughout Black Swan. I am not sure what that says about me, but I just wanted to throw that out there. Black Swan has received a fairly rough reception by some film critics, and as a long-time hater of Darren Aronofsky’s films I can definitely understand their perspectives. From my perspective, Black Swan is the least pretentious and most playful of Aronofsky’s oeuvre. I read Black Swan as an over-the-top horror flick that is not supposed to be taken seriously at all. Above all, Black Swan made my favorites list this year because of its unrivaled ability to enrapture and transport me into the fantastical black and white and red world which Aronofsky created with cinematographer Matthew Libatique.

Blue Valentine -- The emotionally tumultuous Blue Valentine is guaranteed to rip the insides out of even the most romantically ambivalent. So why see it? First of all, because it features two of the best acting performances of 2010: Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. Secondly, because writer-director Derek Cianfrance is able to portray the relationship of Cindy (Williams) and Dean (Gosling) so frankly that it hurts to watch.

Exit Through the Gift Shop -- More so than any other film of 2010, Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop has stuck with me ever since my initial viewing. It also seems quite appropriate to dedicate my #1 position to one of the “documentaries” from 2010 that really got audiences contemplating the reality of the images, as well as the amount of disclosure that “documentary” filmmakers should be required to offer. I would be very surprised if Banksy reveals the truth behind Exit Through the Gift Shop any time soon, so you will just have to make that judgment on your own.

Fish Tank -- As an heir apparent to the British social realist tradition of Ken Loach’s working class dramas, director Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank is a painfully bleak portrait of modern life on an Essex estate. First-timer Katie Jarvis gives a bitterly honest lead performance as Mia, one that is schizophrenic mix of tenacity, meanness and fragility.

The Girl (Flickan) -- The naturalness of Blanca Engström’s acting debut — a primarily facial one at that — is what really makes The Girl a fantastic film. Her interpretation of the purity, freedom and solitude of childhood is a transcending experience to say the least. Engström is a transfixing presence, and we the audience are left as helpless observers, stuck on the other side of the screen wanting to extend a kind and caring hand to assist her.

Lovers of Hate -- I have an infinite amount of love (and absolutely no hate) for Bryan Poyser’s Lovers of Hate. Lovers of Hate is an exquisitely written and acted film. The plot itself seems relatively simple (three characters, two locations), yet Poyser’s directorial vision is complex and even somewhat unconventional. Lovers of Hate is ridiculously funny but also a thrillingly emotional roller coaster ride – a cinematic achievement that few directors and actors have pulled off as successfully as Poyser, Chris Doubek, Heather Kafka, Alex Karpovsky have here.

The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) -- Based on Kimberly Theidon’s book Entre Prójimos, Peruvian director Claudia Llosa’s allegorical film details the long-lasting effects from the Sendero Luminoso’s shameless raping of Peruvian women. Llosa’s magic realism sensibilities allow her to walk the fine line between the grim natures of the content and visually lyrical yet absurdly comedic moments.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World -- Functioning as a hypertextualized mash-up of pop culture references from the 1990s and 2000s (thus lending the film a certain timeless quality), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World does well to push the boundaries of reality in all kinds of directions -- as long as your good senses are not insulted by some shameless stereotypes and a splattering of hyper-violence (though very little blood is shed), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is an entertaining flick with a fantastic soundtrack.

A Town Called Panic (Panique au village) -- Neither sense nor logic exists in the world of A Town Called Panic; this is essentially a cinematic representation of the playtime fantasies of a dangerously imaginative and hyperactive five-year old child (it makes the Toy Story films seem like snooze-fests written by stodgy and stuffy Hollywood studio hacks). The sets are constructed with papier-mâché and cardboard; the characters are plastic toy figurines — most of which stand upright with the aid of a flat base to which their feet are attached — of mismatching dimensions, as if the aforementioned child was let loose in a vintage toy shop for 10 minutes and given enough funds to buy a bucketful of toys. Coherency and cohesion be damned, A Town Called Panic is pure unadulterated anarchy en Francais!

The Yes Men Fix the World -- Directed by Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno (a.k.a. the Yes Men), and co-directed by Kurt Engfehr (editor-producer Bowling for Columbine; Fahrenheit 9/11), this humor-injected political documentary makes Michael Moore’s most recent effort (Capitalism: A Love Story) seem grossly uninspired. Posing as high-ranking representatives of evil corporations, the Yes Men con their way into business conferences and television interviews in order to wake up their audiences to the dangers of passively allowing greed to rule the world. The results are more than just silly activist pranks; the actions of the Yes Men are thoughtfully conceived acts of protest designed to reach the largest possible audiences, inciting discussion, debate and action — this is exactly what all great political documentaries should do.