Cormac McCarthy’s novel is a riveting piece of modern literature. The movie is better.
When I compiled the top five most disturbing movies of all time, I had yet to meet Anton Chigurh, the most terrifying creature in fiction. Javier Bardem plays the cold-blooded killer, invading southern Texas with weaponry that questions the significance of home security.
Chigurh follows Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), who found a satchel of cash from a Mexican bloodbath in the desert. Moss can run from Chigurh and other enemies but he can’t hide, running through a series of unforgiving violent acts. Woody Harrelson and Kelly Macdonald play strong supporting roles, while Tommy Lee Jones guides the film as a sheriff who narrates with southern Shakespearean finesse.
The Coen Brothers already made a masterpiece with “Fargo.” Here they turn great literature into excellent cinema and redefine the scary movie.
2. “Knocked Up”
If the line about Steely Dan doesn’t do it for you, what are doing reading this magazine?
“Superbad” stole a lot of this film’s glory among fans, but it won’t steal the Funniest Movie of the Year title from Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up.” The success of his comedy lies in the ability to relate with a wide variety of people. Stoner meatheads can laugh just as much as suburban soccer moms because everyone is poked at without being insulted.
It’s successful enough to have a comedy that’s funny, which is rare these days. To make a comedy out of unplanned parenting is especially remarkable. Strange how it happened twice this year.
3. “Juno”
The humor isn’t as direct as “Knocked Up,” but Jason Reitman’s quiet film is charming in its own right. There is not a single unlikable character here, from Ellen Page’s title role to the young pro-life activist and the baby’s father’s protective mother. That’s probably because the writer, newcomer Diablo Cody, doesn’t have time for stereotypical reactions to pregnancy.
Page knocks out some killer lines while Jennifer Garner plays the sweetest mother-to-be. Songs from Kimya Dawson fit the film’s moods — quirky, catchy and pleasant.
You might have to go out of town to see this one (curse the indie release schedule!) but this one is worth the drive.
4.” Zodiac”
The old school Warner Bros. logo sends an immediate challenge to viewers. David Fincher wouldn’t have it any other way.
Not as outrageous as “Se7en” but just as captivating, “Zodiac” is Fincher’s take on the Zodiac Killer and his relationship with the media. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle who helps a cop reporter (Robert Downey Jr.) and his bosses decode cryptic messages from a man who claims to have killed several people in the northern California area. There’s no ballet in the actual murders but plenty of dancing in the attempts to find Zodiac’s identity. The frustrating search teased audiences to the end, where the investigators put the case to rest with varied success.
5. “Talk to Me”
What task is harder — playing Petey Greene or playing Petey Greene’s manager?
Tough call, but talented actors Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor make it seem easy to play a foul-mouthed disc jockey and his career-driven business partner. Cheadle is Greene, an ex-con whose radio gig behind bars helps him land a job at a prestigious R&B station just before Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. The story is equal amounts touching and hilarious, just like Greene’s legacy.
Stay for the credits and enjoy a soulful performance from Me’Shell Ndegeocello and Terrence Blanchard.
