First Week Top Ten

We’re now officially one week into the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival. Granted, regular screenings didn’t start until last Friday (only the opening night picture, In the Loop, screened on Thursday), so I guess I should be making that statement tomorrow instead of today. But it’s too late now as I’ve already written it, and while there are plenty of things playing tomorrow night I haven’t seen considering the number I already have I think I can write the rest of this entry in relative good conscience.

What in the world am I talking about? Well, I figured as we’re through the first seven days I might as well rate my favorites of the festival up to this point so far. After all, we are a culture suddenly obsessed with lists, so my adding one more (no matter how obscure it’s going to end up being) isn’t going to hurt anything.

So, without further ado, here are my votes for the Top Ten films of SIFF through the first week:

10. Pop Star On Ice – Outstanding and highly entertaining documentary chronicling United States figure skater Johnny Weir as he competes for Olympic Gold. Anyone who has ever seen the guy skate already knows how much of an outspoken character he is, but I didn’t expect him to be so interesting and compelling as well. Directors David Barba and James Pellerito do an excellent job of showing the highs, lows and mesmerizing in-betweens of Weir’s life, the film having an emotional resonance I admittedly wasn’t quite prepared for.

9. Summer Hours – To quote my review of director Olivier Assayas’ latest project, “There is an exquisite, almost longing ebullience to Summer Hours that lasted long after I left the movie theater, many of its themes whipping through my head like a whirlwind. I found that I didn’t want the film to end, that I wanted to see what kind of adults the siblings’ children would grow to become, to discover what sort of world it would be they would inherit. While not a masterpiece Assayas has still achieved something modestly miraculous, the finished product a memorable journey I can’t wait to embark on again.”

8. Morris: A Life with Bells On – If you scroll down you’ll see I already extolled the virtues of this winning mock documentary quite thoroughly. I also had the pleasure of interviewing the film’s star and writer Charles Thomas Oldham. Here’s my favorite quote (partly coming from my question asking Oldham where he hoped to go from here): “Worldwide domination, ideally, is the plan. That sounds nice. No, seriously, ideally I’d just love to do this again. That’s really what we want to do. I’ve been a lawyer, I’ve been a banker, they are the worst jobs on the planet. They’re dull, and they’re uninspiring to me (although there are [probably] plenty of people out there who enjoy being lawyers and bankers - I'm just not one of them). I love [acting], and I certainly love filmmaking. It is the most extraordinary way to make a living.”

7. Paper Heart – Another mock documentary (this festival seems to be full of them), this one revolving around actress Charlyne Yi as she travels across America trying to discover whether or not love exists, falling in l’amour with fellow actor Michael Cera along the way. Sweet, beguiling and beautifully awkward, this is one of those movies you can’t help but smile about each every time you think about it.

6. The Beast Stalker – Hong Kong director Dante Lam delivers a forceful, highly kinetic action opus that had me at the edge of my seat start to finish. A few too many of the genres usual quirks aside (the slo-mo inherent in Asian action cinema really has to stop), the central story (disgraced cop tries to redeem himself when a prosecutor’s daughter is kidnapped by trying to rescue her himself) is so gripping and suspenseful I found it impossible to look away. (The director has a second film playing at the festival, Sniper, and the buzz is that it is even better than this one. I can’t wait.)

5. Passing Strange – Spike Lee’s expertly photographed documentation of the landmark Broadway production’s final show. Extremely intimate, watching it I didn’t just feel like I was in the audience, at times I even felt like was actually on the stage itself. (There is no trailer for this yet, the video is from the 2008 Tony Awards.)

4. Spring Breakdown – Dumb? Yes. Silly? Definitely. Funny? You better believe it. How this inspired lowbrow comedy starring Parker Posey, Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch (who also co-wrote the screenplay) is being shuffled straight to video is beyond me because this movie has laughs, lots of them. As underappreciated gems go, as far as SIFF 2009 is concerned this one might just be at the very top of my list.

3. Deadgirl – I cannot get this movie out of my head. I knew what was going to happen, I knew where it was going to go and I knew exactly the way in which it would end. Nonetheless, this story of two teenage boys and their undead corpse crawled under my skin and refused to let go. Disturbing, to say the least, but also unforgettable, and that’s not a gift I’m going to even remotely take for granted.

2. The Hurt Locker – One of the best films of the year, Kathryn Bigelow’s dynamic opus of a bomb disposal unit working Baghdad is easily one of the more kinetically ferocious pieces of work of the director’s entire career. It’s a ticking clock thriller where danger lurks around every corner, and by the time it was over I’d realized I’d sweat so hard I’d have to go home and change into a new shirt.

1. In the Loop – No surprise here. I’ve been talking this one up since the very first moment I saw it at the SIFF press launch almost a month ago. As satires go, this one is as smart and pointed as any of the best ones you can call to mind. As comedies go, it’s so fall on the floor funny I could almost foresee myself watching it as many times as I’ve seen A Fish Called Wanda or Some Like it Hot. As 2009 goes, it’s not just the best film I’ve seen at SIFF, it’s the best film I’ve seen this year.

HONORABLE MENTION
The Cove - Louie Psihoyos' documentary by all rights should be sitting in that number three slot. It is as good a piece of investigative filmmaking as anything I'm likely to see. But as much fun as it is, that final 20 minuts unnerved me so much I have trouble talking about the movie more than just saying, "It's good - it's really good," to whomever asks me about it. Unfair? Yes, but unfortunately that's the place I'm at right now. All I can add is that this is a movie everyone should see, the truth Psihoyos unearths one the whole damn world should take the time to do something about.