A great year that gave us riches from the world. Films about dislocation,
violent sexuality, death, teen alienation, love, repression, sexuality,
prejudice, identity, loss, multiculturalism, globalism, and disintegration.
There were shell games, suicides, triumphs, ambiguous endings, insulting
wrap-ups and communications. Fabulism trumped realism as the projector rolled,
spilling out stories that hinted at truth while popcorn got furtively munched.
What goes down in dark rooms all over the world is a mystery, a return, a
complication, an evocation, an escape, an enjoyment, a confusion. It's life on
the screen, it lies 25 times a second, and I love every minute of it.
Special Recognition Award #1
Ineligible Film Award
By the rules of the Calvins, I couldn't vote for either
Abbas Kiarostiami's Ten or Jae-young Kwak's My Sassy Girl, both of which would
have easily cracked my top ten.
Special Recognition Award #2
Genre Hash Award
Brotherhood of the Wolf threw more genre influences into the
pot as any film this year, but managed it with great aplomb and in completely
entertaining fashion. Postmodernist mélange with commercial qualities; if a
movie has to come out of a blender then it's OK if it ends up as fun as this.
