The Top 10 Films of 2009: Kyle's Picks
Humpday (dir. Lynn Shelton)
Funny People (dir. Judd Apatow)
From I Love You Man to Sherlock Holmes, 2009 was surely the year of the cinematic bromance, and none were finer than Lynn Shelton's witty, giddy Humpday. Deftly setting up the highest of high concepts (two straight friends lock themselves into a bet where they must have sex with each other), then pivoting in unexpected directions, Humpday was an indie gem and a terrific showcase for mumblecore actor-auteur Mark Duplass, whose mid-movie monologue about a same-sex crush on a video store clerk simply couldn't be topped (ahem). The only other filmic friendship that could compare was the one between Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler in Judd Apatow's undervalued Funny People, which appropriated so many romcom beats -- they meet cute, court each other warily, come apart in a third-act blowup, then must reconcile -- that its eventual introduction of Leslie Mann feels all the more superfluous. Until then, though, Funny People is a dark, deeply felt dramedy that nails the competitive camaraderie of comics who jostle with their friends for dominance and then, upon attaining stardom, pine for the good old days of prank calls and tossed-off Thanksgivings.
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Comments
Someone needs to make a comedy list.
These year end "Top 10" lists rarely contain commercially successful comedies.
The Hangover was really funny, Mr. Buchanan, and did monster business with a bunch of "unknowns." That, in and of itself, means something.
Funny People wasn't, and Humpday wasn't "written" as much as improvised so I'm not sure that counts, technically.
But then again, maybe it wasn't a banner year for Comedies.
Up.
I just saw Imaginarium, and I treasured it, but now that I look at your list, I can see how it couldn't possibly have made your Top Ten. Bravo! I stand by the flicks you picked: some Oscar-worthy, some indie. And I'm happy you aren't drinking Cameron's Kool-Aid.
Best comedy of the year was Black Dynamite. Hands down.
DY-NO-MITE!
The discussions about "Antichrist" over at IMDB are really fascinating.
Unfortunately, it is the sorta film I will NEVER WATCH. I am no cinema Masochist and it is pretty obvious that Lars von Trier is a cinema Sadist; giving literal meaning to the phrase "torture porn".
My own opinion is that art is to symbolize pain and suffering, not shove it in our face so that we are truly traumatized. In that respect, the film becomes the very evil it is trying to explore.
I love the films "The Shining" and "Marebito" (see it if you haven't!) so I am not against horror/suspense but there are somethings I don't want to see since I will never be able to unsee them.
On the meaning of the title>
My guess is that Christ = Good and Antichrist = Evil. From reading about the film it seems there is a play of opposites going on> The difference between the way we believe things should be and the way they sometimes are. Wife/Mother as nurturer; Husband as loving; Nature as beautiful; Lovemaking giving life; Couples adoring each others sexual organs; No actual sex in mainstream films; Cut aways during the violent parts; All of this is made opposite. Thus, ANTI.
It all works in theory, but I still will NEVER see this film.
I am going to send Lars a copy of the entire series of "Arrested Development" and see if that doesn't cheer him up...
I agree with 'sunnydaze' There is enough of this stuff in real life, who the hell wants to be 'entertained' by it??? Not me.
Humpday may have been improvised but it was certainly still a comedy. I do agree that comedy is an under-respected genre, especially at this time of year, but hey, I had two!