Thursday, December 29, 2016

Year End 2016: The Film Finds

This years list of films which just missed the best of the year list  and are too good not to be noted at the end of the year. All are more than worth your time

DUDE BRO PARTY MASSACRE 3- send up of 1980's/1990's VHS horror that gets the time and the spoofing dead on right. One of the best spoofs in years is a joyous guilty pleasure.

SEARCH FOR HELL- incredible documentary about the search for the entrance to hell on earth. I wonder what this would be like in the way it was intended to be seen as a VR film

THE LESSON-Horror film that transcends its dip into torture porn to be a film that will rattle your cage as a teacher gives lessons to some bad students. Brilliant on so many levels

PRIESTS- Exorcist film about priests trying to drive an evil spirit out.  Truly a great film where the actual exorcism is the weakest part of the film.

Kalki Koechlin in MAGAHRITA WITH A STRAW is glorious. This is should be on the Oscar short list but won't be because almost no one has seen it.

MARK OF THE WITCH low budget horror film that transcends everything to be a really creepy visual and aural delight (stay through the credits)

HOOLIGAN SPARROW-If you want to know how women's rights are in China see this film about an activist who is on the government hit list

TIGERS- crushing film portrait about the way that companies are taking baby formula to foreign countries and effectively destroying the population by having the doctors recommend the high priced food when breast milk would be better

PISTOL SHRIMPS - Screamingly funny and utterly enjoyable film about women who start a basketball league. Oh an many are writers and actresses who play to win.

I VOTED? Under seen film about how easy it is to rig elections- Paging anyone who voted against Donald Trump- you should have seen this.

MR CHURCH- Eddie Murphy is Oscar worthy in this true story of a cook who changed a family's life. Magical

LIFE,ANIMATED- The story of a boy brought out of his autistic shell by Disney's cartoons. Magical.

FIVE NIGHTS IN MAINE- Under seen film survives on the strength of it's performances. David Oyelowo, Dianne Wiest, Rosie Perez all are at the top of their game.

DEMIMONDE Form over content about love lust and murder in the early 1900's in Europe. It will kick your ass. with it's style. I love this film.

AS I OPEN MY EYES-Baya Medhaffer's performance is stellar

CHASING BANKSY Frank Henenlotter's film about trying to steal a Banksy film improved with age for me. Certainly its much better than several documentaries on the real Banksy from this year.

DEMON- Polish horror film mixes horror and comedy and leaves you chilled to the bone as it ends in uncertainty

ADAMA- Grossly under seen and under appreciated animated film about a youngman who travels to France to save his brother and ends up in the middle of the First World War. This is what animation was meant to do.

PUPPETMAN - The best John Carpenter film he never made. An awesome short

HISSEIN HABRE- Think SHOAH as done by Jonathan Oppenhiemer

KEDI- This opens in February (films are ranked the year I see them)- but it's a 80 minute movie about the cats of Istanbul

NEW COLOR: THE ART OF EYDTHE BOOTH- Glorious portrait of a wonderful woman and artist

REDEMPTION SONG- Portrait of the refugee experience as hell shot by a refugee. Light years ahead of other similar films- especially FIRE AT SEA.

FOR KIBERA- Agitprop as it should be- vital alive and the sort of film that will spur action

DARK HARVEST- Cheech Marin gives an Oscar worthy performance in a killer little thriller

WEST COAST- Here for sheer audacity-as I said films that need to be noted at years end- this is the story of poor white French kids who think they are West Coast gangstas

SUICIDE SQUAD- The villains suck but the characters are spot on. I really liked it.

BAD CAT- foul mouthed animated film from Turkey about a cat with human desires who has a run of bad luck- this is what adult animation like SAUSAGE PARTY or NERDLAND should be like.

SUPERPOWERLESS- What would happen if Superman wasn't super anymore?

THE UNSEEN  Awesome thriller about a man turning invisible who has to rescue his daughter who is similarly afflicted

LOST CITY OF Z- Excellent film is a true story of a man over come by his obsession

CRAZED- is. A wild over the top action film is a hell of a lot of nasty fun

CROSSCURRENT's cinematography makes this a must see. A loving portrait to a river that gives China life

I DON'T BELONG ANYWHERE-probably the best portrait of Chantal Akerman I've seen

TOY- excellent thriller/drama about a romance

ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE crazy horror film about god reincarnating a nebbish in order to have him save his girlfriend who was taken by the devil- its just wacky fun.

IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE- a great look at people looking for silence

POOR BOY- I have no idea if this tale of brothers living on a boat in the desert is good but it sure as hell is one of a kind to the point I remember it 8 months later.

COURTED lovely drama about a judge romancing a juror. This needs a huge release in the US.

2037 WINTER DREAM- great apocalyptic/end of the world story just does it all right.

PATTAYA- a film about dwarf fighting is a very unPC comedy

MAN WHO SAW TOO MUCH- excellent film about the desire to see terrible things on the news.

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