45. Spirited Away
I dislike Anime. I watched Spirited Away many years ago after it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature over more noteworthy nominees. I was pleasantly surprised that Spirited Away was extremely accessible, beautiful and moving. The voice work in the American Version is done quite well, and the story has the Eastern way of taking an emotionally complex and moving story and making it simple and universal.
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, with the majority of the animation being done by his own hand, the film is at the top of its craft. The animation may be some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. There is something about 2D work that will always be more powerful to me than CGI; I appreciate each frame being hand-drawn, these works are a labor of love. I believe that this is the kind of picture that Akira Kurosawa could have easily directed- a wonderful film.
44. Spider-Man 2
If Iron Man is entertaining because of the performance of Robert Downey Jr. then Spider-Man 2 is entertaining due to the wonderful performance of Spider-Man. We know that there is no possible way that Toby Maguire can be in that suit, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Certainly half of the time we are watching Spiderman we are watching CGI animation, yet we don't care. I was a fan of the comics as a child, and watching one of my old heroes fight Dr. Octopus on the side of a skyscraper nearly brought tears to my eyes.
The original Spider-Man was too campy (the Green Goblin costume was completely absurd) and Spiderman 3 had just too much going on and contained one of the lamest sequences in the history of film- the Emo Dance Sequence. Spiderman 2 is the one that got it right. This is how it should be, with one villain fighting Spider-Man, and Peter Parker longing after Mary Jane, struggling with his decision to take responsibility over his powers. The special effects are amazing, and more than anything there is something grand about watching Spidey jump from rooftop to rooftop, laughing to the heavens. This is the best superhero movie ever made.
43. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
A picture of utter majesty. I can honestly say that I do not always understand what is going on in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The story is the equivalent of a Chinese fairy tale, and there is a princess, and yada, yada, yada. This is a film to be seen not heard. The martial arts sequences are masterful. Watching two characters swordfight high up in the swaying trees of a forest and doing super-human acts of Kung Fu are simply amazing. Brilliantly directed by Ang Lee and choreographed by Yuen Wo-Ping, we watch characters defy gravity and realize that we are not watching CGI, but outstanding wire work. The actors are doing these things, they just have a little help. Per Lee, the only CGI used was to remove the wires from the actors. These are not stuntmen and women, but actors so physically in line with their outstanding skills they defy our conceptions of what the human body is possible of.
42. United 93
The concept is simple. A group of men board an airplane and take it over. The passengers are frightened. Air traffic control loses contact with the plane and begins to notice its route beginning to change- they can sense something is going on. The group of men on the plane are deranged and capable of unspeakable evil. The passengers on board the plane realize that they are going to have to stand up for themselves- they do. The plane crashes, and everyone dies. Well, not everyone. You see, the plane is United flight 93, and the date is September, 11th- the target being either the White House or the U.S. Capitol. This is a story of a group of people determining to take control over an uncontrollable situation. Expertly directed with restraint by Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum) United 93 never pauses for sentiment. There are no lingering shots of the Trade center, no easy shots to the tear ducts. It tells the story of a specific place and time, as if it doesn't realize it is telling a story from the most horrible day in American history.
41. Lost in Translation
I have never seen a better movie about loneliness than Lost in Translation. Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and Bob (Bill Murray) are two lost souls struggling with their lives on separate business trips in Japan. They meet at a hotel bar and become friends. They talk deep into the night and we sense that there is a connection between them
Here is a film that is not afraid to force you to think about the emotions of the characters. Charlotte, who is in her mid twenties, is trying to experience her own life and become independent as well as loved. Instead, she is dragged around the globe with her photographer husband (Giovanni Ribisi). Bob has been married for many years and is a successful film actor. He hates the monotony of his life, his marriage, even his children. These are two characters on spiritual poles; one wants to live her life, while the other is tired of living.
What these two characters share in this movie is special, and we are glad to be apart of it. It is as if we are observing “What happened in Paris” from Casablanca. I think I most like the film for Sophia Coppola’s wise choice not to have the characters sleep together. It would have ruined the movie.
Above all else is the ending. The trip is over, and both Bob and Charlotte are on their way back to their lives. Bob finds Charlotte walking down the street, stops her, and whispers something in her ear. We aren’t allowed to listen. A tear falls out of Charlottes eye as the movie ends. This moment alone earned Coppola her Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. We aren’t supposed to hear what is said, only wonder.
