tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post6306890429012956740..comments2023-07-23T09:45:33.199-05:00Comments on the last lullaby (and) peril: 2006: L'enfant (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)Jeffrey Goodmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-39210917222516226582010-04-27T11:55:55.577-05:002010-04-27T11:55:55.577-05:00Sam, I look forward to seeing your top pick! I kn...Sam, I look forward to seeing your top pick! I know that it has a good number of fans. <br /><br />Great piece by Joel on this film. And thanks so much for the kind words. Always a treat to have you here.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-59676061459149113362010-04-27T11:35:56.296-05:002010-04-27T11:35:56.296-05:00Dave, as a major De Palma fan, I definitely owe TH...Dave, as a major De Palma fan, I definitely owe THE BLACK DAHLIA another look! I saw it, I think, the day it came out in theaters and did struggle with it. I think I particularly had trouble with Hartnett. But I will definitely revisit it. I know how passionate you and Doniphon are about it.<br /><br />Thanks, Dave! Always great to have you here.Jeffrey Goodmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464544798603030406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-64557476196663170142010-04-27T10:03:44.870-05:002010-04-27T10:03:44.870-05:00Well Jeffrey, this is a most distinguished choice,...Well Jeffrey, this is a most distinguished choice, and I applaud the love for the Dardennes. Our own Joel Bocko also reviewed L'ENFANT yesterday at WitD in his 21st Century series. They are great for sure, but for me they don't rate with Bresson by a distance. Wonderful assessment here of their prime cinematic artistry.<br /><br />My Own #1 Film of 2006:<br /><br />The Fountain (Aronofsky; USA)<br /><br /><br />Runners-Up:<br /><br />The Lives of Others (Von Donnersmarck; Germany)<br />Once (Carney; Ireland)<br />Letters From Iwo Jima (Eastwood; USA)<br />Inland Empire (Lynch; USA)<br />Children of Men (Cuaron; UK; USA)<br />Dreamgirls (Condon; USA)<br />The Departed (Scorsese; USA)<br />Babel (Innaritu; USA; Mexico)<br />I Don't Want to Sleep Alone (Ming Liang; Hong Kong)<br />United 93 (Greengrass; UK; USA)<br />This is England (Meadown; UK)<br />The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Loach; Ireland)<br />Still Life (Ke Jia; Hong Kong)<br />Syndromes and a Century (Weerasethakul; Thailand)<br />The Prestige (Nolan; USA)<br />Volver (Almodovar; Spain)<br />Private Fears in Private Places (Resnais; France)<br />The Queen (Frears; UK)<br />Little Children (Field; USA)<br />Reprise (Trier; Norway)<br />Little Miss Sunshine (Dayton/Faris; USA)<br />I Served the King of England (Menzel; Czechoslovakia)<br />Iran in Fragments (Langley; USA)<br />Rescue Dawn (Herzog; USA)Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2361395648458719073.post-34879989037773282152010-04-27T09:11:06.078-05:002010-04-27T09:11:06.078-05:00In my original countdown, I went with THE LIVES OF...In my original countdown, I went with THE LIVES OF OTHERS and still think that movie is incredible. I also rank UNITED 93 just as highly and am amazed at how well Greengrass was able to do with that story, by focusing a good deal of time on the immediate situation rather than getting into a grand-scale, sweeping look at the terrorist aspect. But, after the countdown I watched the film that I now rank as #1 for 2006. It's probably a shocker, and one that nobody but Doniphon would potentially back - Brian De Palma's THE BLACK DAHLIA. <br /><br />The movie has been crucified by most critics and audiences, but I found the entire thing enthralling. There are moments in it where De Palma is nothing short of brilliant - the shootout leading to the discovery of the Dahlia's body is some of the best work I've ever seen from him. To be certain, there are faults in the film, but I almost think these errors help in the overall atmosphere. Does the whole thing not make sense? All the better, as the mystery at the center of the story never seems to make sense to those whose lives become consumed with solving it. This is probably the biggest limb that I've gone out on in terms of picking favorite films... actually, not even favorites in the sense of "guilty pleasures." I think this is an outstanding movie, not just one that I personally happen to enjoy.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07134196370913749544noreply@blogger.com