Cyberspatialniche

1) The Lord of the Rings

Several years back just after the release of Star Wars: Episode I, I remember hearing of a somewhat obscure director from New Zealand who wanted to make a fantasy trilogy that would demonstrate to George Lucas exactly how epic fantasy filmmaking should be done. With the release of Fellowship of the Ring, Peter Jackson has elevated the definition of excellence in fantasy/sci-fi cinema to a new height against which Lucas must struggle to reach.

But I liked Phantom Menace, didn’t I? After reflecting back on that film, I now realize that it failed in a lot of important ways that the Fellowship of the Ring succeeded in. While Phantom Menace drops us headfirst into conflict without much introduction, Fellowship succeeds in drawing us into the lives of Hobbits, Elves, Wizards, and Humans. Where Phantom washes us over with plasticky landscapes and just-out-of-the-box droids, Fellowship immerses us with vibrant country sides and well-worn battle armor. And when a major character falls in Phantom, I felt only a bit of sadness that one of the cooler characters wouldn’t be around in the next two films, where in Fellowship I was shedding tears for the loss of a friend.

What else did I like about Fellowship? All of the actors were fantastic! The score to the film was breathtaking! The visual effects were gorgeous and seamless with the naturally beautiful landscapes and sets behind them. Unlike Harry Potter & The Sorcerer?s Stone, the troll in Fellowship actually looked realistic and scary! The costumes and buildings were absolutely convincing. At no time during the film was I even slightly distracted by disbelief in the fact that I was watching Middle Earth.

To me, Fellowship was a movie made out of love and respect by skillful people who honestly care about their product. Peter Jackson skillfully directed these people into making a film that sets new technical standards, honors the legacy of Tolkein, and can stand up on its own as a work of art. Very few filmmakers have accomplished that much in their entire careers! Eleven months is going to be a quite a wait, but what a great event to look forward to!!

2) Amelie

Amelie is a beautiful and highly idiosyncratic film about the joys of anonymous acts of compassion. Amelie finds both delight and emptiness in these acts as she attempts to fill an emotional void in her life. Her struggle is at times comical, cynical, and always magical. Written and directed by the French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of the bizarre Delicatessen and delightful City of Lost Children, Amelie succeeds in being both idyllic and ironic, boastful and bashful, saccharine and sarcastic. It’s an uplifting work of cinema without the shmaltz and fluff that Hollywood routinely cranks out as “feel-good” films. Unfortunately, until it wins some Oscar nominations for best foreign-language film, you probably won’t find it at your local multiplex. But dig hard for a good theater, and you might just find yourself blessed.

3) Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge is a musical unlike any you’ve ever seen – a fantastic journey through bohemian 19th-century Paris as retold with the pop songs of the 20th century. Sounds confusing? It can be, both visually and aurally unsettling at times, but only as a vehicle to guide the audience along a classic tale of star-crossed lovers. Don’t watch it expecting historical accuracy. Don’t be surprised if you’re laughing and crying at the same time. And don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing along!

4) the Others

Never has so innocent a force as light been so terrifying! The Others, the first American film by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar, is a classical horror film set in an old mansion off the coast of Great Britain during the end of the second World War. From the beginning of the film, Amenabar suggests hidden horrors lurk right around the corner…or perhaps in the next room, which because of the children’s unexplained aversion to light, is always unseen behind a locked door or drawn curtain.

If this were all there were to the film, I’d still probably be raving about it. But the true genius of the Others lies in its two layers of perception. To say any more would be sacrilege and would ruin whatever chance you have of experiencing both layers, but this is a film that you simply must see more than once. And for added entertainment, make your second trip to the theater with someone who hasn’t seen it yet.

5) Monsters, Inc.

6) Memento

A remarkable concept film that succeeds in depicting the protagonist’s affliction by unravelling the story from the end to the beginning. Starring Guy Pierce (who I LOVED in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), Memento suceeds in keeping the audience guessing until the very end, or rather beginning. I’ve heard that when starting a story, you should grab the audience with something outlandish. Memento uses this technique quite effectively with the protagonist killing someone in the first few minutes of the movie. But that’s only the destination…the journey is what keeps us involved and intrigued.

7) Vanilla Sky

the Man Who Wasn’t There

9) AI

I have a special place on my shelf for my three favorite Kubrick films – Dr. Strangelove, 2001, and a Clockwork Orange – which, for me, represent the best work of an amazing film-maker. When A.I. is released, it will sit proudly next to those movies as both an epilogue to Kubrick’s career and an homage from one auteur to another. A.I. is an attempt to blend the idiosyncratic and sometimes anaseptic film-making of Kubrick with the epic and emotional film-making of Speilburg. This attempt, however, is not always successful. The opening story of the young robot trying to fit into a family seems at times too cold to make us care about the future of these characters. Later, when the young robot reacts to finding out that he isn’t as unique as he thought, we lose yet another layer of empathy for him.

Many people have said that they felt the film should have ended twenty minutes early without the final epilogue. I can’t agree on the basis that Kubrick was quite fond of having a coda at the end of his work, and he did in fact approve of the ending before he put the project away. Speilburg’s handling of the coda, likewise, was brilliant. Not giving too much away, but finding a resolution to the film that was both poignant and fulfilling, scientific and fantastic.

Overall, Speilburg did an overall good job at brining one final Kubrick film out to the world. He absolutely nailed Kubrick’s style in the clinic, Rouge City, and frozen city scenes. Perhaps if more of Speilburg had involved, this film would have been a perfect blend of genius. Instead, we’re left with an highly above-average work that can’t quite figure out its identity.

10) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

If you know even a small variety of unusual artists, you’ll probably flip like I did when you read you wrote the soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s upcoming epic movie Gladiator. Hans Zimmer is a usual enough choice for an epic, action film, but what about sharing the byline with a former member of the eclectic, folk group Dead Can Dance??? Well, it’s not without precedence.

Recently, Lisa Gerrard and her new musical partner Pieter Bourke have contributed significantly to the critically acclaimed hit the Insider. In both movies, Gerrard’s haunting and beautiful voice temper the other components of the film with an elegant, ancient, and exotic texture. But while in the Insider her music consisted entirely of previously released songs mixed well with the traditional score, in this film she is allowed to compose new and original music that flows seamlessly with Hans Zimmer’s score.

Beyond Gerrard’s contributions lies the traditional textures of Hans Zimmer. Known for his own blend of exotic textures and bombastic, adrenaline-pumping orchestral power chords, Zimmer performs up to expectations in Gladiator. Especially cool, though, is his quoting of a theme from Gustav Holst’s Mars. This is especially appropriate in the context of the film, as it appears when Maximus, the Gladiator goes into battle (Mars – Roman god of war).

For those purists out there who normally wait until AFTER seeing the movie to buy the soundtrack, the list of events on the back of this CD don’t give away too much (unlike NUMEROUS other scores…Phantom Menace, for example). But, if you insist on waiting, then run out to see the film on Friday and proceed immediately afterward to buy this wonderful soundtrack.