There seems to be a backlash against Some Like it Hot due to its placement in the top spot on the AFI’s funniest comedies list. This is understandable, comedy is one of the most subjective genres. I was exposed to it early, and still hold it near to my heart.
Even closer to my heart, is Wilder’s The Apartment, my all time favorite film. I agree that it has remarkable emotional resonance, even today, and it feature persormances that never step wrong. If you were to ask me, no one hits a bum note in the entire production. I wouldn’t describe it as under-rated, due to its numerous rankings and awards, yet it is certainly not discussed nearly enough. I’ve had to go through a month of reading articles lauding the 50th anniversary of Hitchcock’s Psycho, and have yet to discover one celebrating The Apartment’s milestone. Wilder may have walked away with the Oscar gold, but Hitchcock still gets all the ink.
I think that scenario is also emblematic of Wilder’s place in cinema history and the discussion of classic Hollywood. In a sense, he is the invisible auteur. Allow me to explain. The films of artists like Ford, Hitchcock, and Welles are so identified with certain authorial touches and hallmarks that they become sort of embalmed in their own signifigance. That is not to say that they are worse off, merely that one views a Ford film with a distinct idea of the various ways its a Ford film (stunning vistas, etc.) With Wilder, the touches are not as obvious, in fact they are more tonal than stylistic. As a result, Wilder’s films are more susceptible to being admired without everyone remembering the name Billy Wilder. The films work so well, that to a certain extenet, they are taken for granted.
Finally, it is important to consider that Wilder began as a screenwriter, and is one of the first people to write and direct with legendary results for an exteneded period. As such, he is primarily a storyteller in the sense of story, while most other legendary directors are storytellers from a visual sense.
(My apologies for the length, I feel rather like the man behind Woody Allen in the movie line in Annie Hall.)
Nasty business out of the way first. No film I saw this year (and indeed few films I’ve seen ever) are as profoundly stupid as Zack Snyder’s insipid “Sucker Punch”. “30 Minutes or Less”, “No Strings Attached”, “Your Highness”, and especially “The Hangover Part 2” all seemed soul suckingly un-funny when viewed through the prism of the current boom of American mainstream comedies.
Although I’m far from caught up on the cinema highlights of the year (I currently have copies of “Certified Copy”, “Melancholia”, “Margin Call” and many others waiting for me and plan on taking in “Hugo” in all its 3D glory as soon as I possibly can) I found the following films particularly satisfying.
Honorable mentions:
Moneyball
Bridesmaids
Rango
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Midnight in Paris
Now, on to the top five…
5. Drive
4. Super 8
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2. The Descendants
1. The Tree of Life
The number one spot was a done deal the minute I finished watching “Tree of Life” for the first time. I cannot foresee anything overtaking it as my favorite of the year and one of the finest cinematic experiences of my life.
After a further consideration (re-watched a few films, caught up with a few others) and my list has morphed into the following:
Honorable mentions:
Moneyball
Bridesmaids
Rango
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Super 8
Drive
Now, on to the top five…
5. Midnight in Paris
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
3. The Descendants
2. Hugo
1. The Tree of Life
I really was not expecting to embrace “Hugo” as much as I did, but I think it’s a true masterpiece, engaging and transporting with the best use of 3D I’ve encountered. It’s really competitive for the number one spot. Those who say this year in film was a lackluster one are merely looking in the wrong places.
Underrated? almost 2 years ago
There seems to be a backlash against Some Like it Hot due to its placement in the top spot on the AFI’s funniest comedies list. This is understandable, comedy is one of the most subjective genres. I was exposed to it early, and still hold it near to my heart.
Even closer to my heart, is Wilder’s The Apartment, my all time favorite film. I agree that it has remarkable emotional resonance, even today, and it feature persormances that never step wrong. If you were to ask me, no one hits a bum note in the entire production. I wouldn’t describe it as under-rated, due to its numerous rankings and awards, yet it is certainly not discussed nearly enough. I’ve had to go through a month of reading articles lauding the 50th anniversary of Hitchcock’s Psycho, and have yet to discover one celebrating The Apartment’s milestone. Wilder may have walked away with the Oscar gold, but Hitchcock still gets all the ink.
I think that scenario is also emblematic of Wilder’s place in cinema history and the discussion of classic Hollywood. In a sense, he is the invisible auteur. Allow me to explain. The films of artists like Ford, Hitchcock, and Welles are so identified with certain authorial touches and hallmarks that they become sort of embalmed in their own signifigance. That is not to say that they are worse off, merely that one views a Ford film with a distinct idea of the various ways its a Ford film (stunning vistas, etc.) With Wilder, the touches are not as obvious, in fact they are more tonal than stylistic. As a result, Wilder’s films are more susceptible to being admired without everyone remembering the name Billy Wilder. The films work so well, that to a certain extenet, they are taken for granted.
Finally, it is important to consider that Wilder began as a screenwriter, and is one of the first people to write and direct with legendary results for an exteneded period. As such, he is primarily a storyteller in the sense of story, while most other legendary directors are storytellers from a visual sense.
(My apologies for the length, I feel rather like the man behind Woody Allen in the movie line in Annie Hall.)
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5 Best Movies of 2011 So Far and 5 Worst 5 months ago
Nasty business out of the way first. No film I saw this year (and indeed few films I’ve seen ever) are as profoundly stupid as Zack Snyder’s insipid “Sucker Punch”. “30 Minutes or Less”, “No Strings Attached”, “Your Highness”, and especially “The Hangover Part 2” all seemed soul suckingly un-funny when viewed through the prism of the current boom of American mainstream comedies.
Although I’m far from caught up on the cinema highlights of the year (I currently have copies of “Certified Copy”, “Melancholia”, “Margin Call” and many others waiting for me and plan on taking in “Hugo” in all its 3D glory as soon as I possibly can) I found the following films particularly satisfying.
Honorable mentions:
Moneyball
Bridesmaids
Rango
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Midnight in Paris
Now, on to the top five…
5. Drive
4. Super 8
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2. The Descendants
1. The Tree of Life
The number one spot was a done deal the minute I finished watching “Tree of Life” for the first time. I cannot foresee anything overtaking it as my favorite of the year and one of the finest cinematic experiences of my life.
A predictable bunch, but my bunch nonetheless.
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5 Best Movies of 2011 So Far and 5 Worst 5 months ago
After a further consideration (re-watched a few films, caught up with a few others) and my list has morphed into the following:
Honorable mentions:
Moneyball
Bridesmaids
Rango
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Super 8
Drive
Now, on to the top five…
5. Midnight in Paris
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
3. The Descendants
2. Hugo
1. The Tree of Life
I really was not expecting to embrace “Hugo” as much as I did, but I think it’s a true masterpiece, engaging and transporting with the best use of 3D I’ve encountered. It’s really competitive for the number one spot. Those who say this year in film was a lackluster one are merely looking in the wrong places.
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