Even so, the fear mongering national news never fails to cover stories on how the economy failed to grow by 0.01 per cent and the disappointment on the chubby face of Tesco due to their under achievement during the festive season; unemployment figures continue to rise and us graduates are left clueless as to whether we’ll amount to anything near the value of our student loan fees; and they’ve even started picking on the poor teachers who are criticised for their willingness to strike and their inability to teach.

Proof that Cameron and Clegg are almost the same person, like a pair of Colin Firth clones that went wrong. Not even the late (not great) Saddam Hussein could find a better look alike!

Well, anyone that voted in another Conservative government should be stripped of the ability to moan in 2012; those stupid enough to vote for the Liberal Democrats should flog themselves before bed every night. And anybody too lazy to vote should keep themselves to themselves, unless you live in an area such as the North East of England where the election result is predetermined due to a brutal legacy of destruction and abandonment practised on the region by a certain political party. That was my excuse after all….

This post has come about as a response to this blog: http://straightouttaconsett.wordpress.com/ which was a response to a remark I made to a friend which can be found in this article: http://straightouttaconsett.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/especially-when-living-in-thailand-surely-there-are-better-things-to-do-john-charlton-rodgers-11th-january-2012/. If you read it, you’ll get the idea. As Mr Robert Riddell intends to keep the world up to date with his numerous exotic adventures, I intend in turn to keep him up to date with the various goings on at home. That’s right, the many adventurous days at work, books read on Kindle, films watched and ensuing political/sporting/cultural debates that are going on between friends. In short, this blog should make him realise how great Thailand is, and how he should not miss the Motherland at all. And as always, it’s an excuse to start writing again. Though every blog I post is an attempt to get back into the habit of writing, as if I have ever genuinely ‘been in the habit.’

Magnificent ‘oldies’ that I’ve turned my attention to include Marvin Gaye and the unrestrained madness of Captain Beefheart. There is little excuse for avoiding the beguile of Gaye’s immensely powerful soul music; Beefheart is a challenge on initial listening, yet his experimental fusion of blues, soul and rock certainly proves worth the effort invested.

But whilst I’m becoming accustomed to the likes of Beefheart and Gaye, I’m also very aware that there’s a plethora of music that’s been released this year, equally deserved of listening. There’s the Stephen Malkmus album, The Antlers, WU Lyf, new Atlas Sound… but then there’s more music I haven’t listened to that I should have: Dinosaur Jr., Grandaddy, The Cure, Tom Waits… and then…

the list goes on…

From about 1995 to around 1998, there was one band that I loved more than any other. I thought so much of this band that it was more like supporting a football team; I wanted to listen to nothing else, well apart from maybe the Beatles, but they were one in the same thing. Age brought with it the realisation that there were more bands of a similar sort of standard, i.e. Ocean Colour Scene, The Verve, Kulashaker, that suggested Oasis were not the be all and end all of music, despite what Noel Gallagher would tell us.

As I began to realise that the keyboard was not produced by satan, and that there were genres and styles of music other than Indie that were tolerable, my taste in music slowly but surely evolved, and by the age of 13, Led Zeppelin were my favourite band, though Oasis still harboured a place in my heart.

10 years on, there is no such thing as the ‘greatest’ or ‘biggest’ band in the world, no one cares, or maybe no one should care. I have no favourite band/artist. Beatlemania Mk II failed. Oasis did not ‘break’ America with (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, nor have they made a half decent album since. Band members simultaneously left and joined the band, but still, no originality, depth, wisdom, emotion, musical inspiration or (here comes a buzz word) zing could be injected into the dying Manchester band. Dying? They became the living dead.

The NME still bow down to the Gallaghers who make the front page with a slight fart. ‘Bloc Party are s***’ this and ‘Jay-Z shouldn’t play Glastonbury’ that! Who really cares what a pair of incredibly arrogant, unoriginal, obtuse pair of kn** ends that rely on publicity rather than artistic integrity to gain public interest have to say about the current state of art or music that they frankly have no relevance to whatsoever. The more bands and different styles of music that you become accustomed to, the more you wake up to the fact that your childhood was wasted listening to two very average albums.

So you take out the ‘creative impetus’ of the band, Noel Gallagher, and what are you left with? Beady Eye. Made up of Liam, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and some other hash brown on the drums. The media (myself included I suppose) are far too intrigued to find the results of a band clearly suited to someone of, I don’t know, say Claudia Winkleman’s tastes.

Bring the Light is about as fresh as the lettuce in a day old sandwich from Greggs. First listen suggests that Beady Eye are ‘paying homage’ to Bob Dylan and the Band. Next listen, the Velvet Underground, from which Oasis repeatedly snatched ideas for their last two albums. Third listen, it’s not so much who they’ve ripped anyone off as you notice that the song is clearly a minute and a half too long. A tired and uninspired guitar solo which has been taken from ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Playing the Guitar Vol. 3,‘ and a lengthy tried and tested gospel choir accompaniment provide what is to be assumed an unintentional comical angle to Beady Eye’s début single. There’s really no point in even going into the lyrics: “Oh Baby c’mon” being a heavily repeated motif. Having taken all of this into consideration, it’s what we’ve come to expect, isn’t it?

Shutter Island (2010, Martin Scorsese)

Martin Scorsese’s latest film Shutter Island stars Leonardo Di Caprio as protagonist US Marshal Teddy Daniels. Daniels is called in to investigate the disappearance of a patient at the Shutter Island mental asylum for the criminally insane.

The film boasts B Movie sensibilities: a haunting, mischievious soundtrack which is perfectly suited to the cheap shocks and erratic performances on screen; stereotypical characters and accents alike; and a narrative which jumps and twists when unearthing the predictable, sinister plot.

On the surface Shutter Island seems pretty straight forward, and on most levels it is. It’s not exactly the psychoanalytical exploration that some might claim, but it was never meant to be. I truly believe this to be Scorsese’s most visually impressive film since Goodfellas; the first dream sequence in particular is a stand out scene, and it’s evident that massive attention has been paid to colour, sound and mis en scene which exhibit a vibrancy that might be lost in films such as Gangs of New York or The Departed. Instead of being the blatant, not-so-thrilling thriller, that was Cape Fear, Shutter Island utilizes psychological thriller conventions, but adds heart and style to execute a brilliant film.

Amarcord (1973, Frederico Fellini)

Fellini’s Amarcord is an episodic drama based on events that occur in a village circa post-war, fascist Italy. The film follows everyday life for the inhabitants of a coastal town, intruding on domestic conflicts and village virtues.

No real film-goer should need to be told of the genius that is Fellini, therefore I’ll assume anyone that reads this knows a thing or two about cinema. The obvious difference between Armarcord and say, 81/2 or La Dolce Vita, is that this film is shot in colour. And boy is it! The use of colour adds a spectacular dimension to Armarcord with some set pieces (the photo above in particular) adding to the grandeur of events.

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(500) Days of Summer

Marc Webb’s début feature (500) Days of Summer is a romantic comedy that is intended to push the boundaries, seeking originality through the usage of trendy music and witty dialogue–nothing new there then. The films follows Joseph Gordon-Lewitt as greetings cards maker Tom Hansen as he persues and becomes romantically involved with colleague Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). Summer has clearly stated that she doesn’t want a boyfriend, yet Hansen is quite the opposite and falls head over heels. The film starts as Summer dumps Tom and then goes back to the start to show how it all began. The film then flicks ‘randomly’ through the various stages of their relationship, showing the good and the bad times, and moments where the cracks start to appear.

I have no problem with this style of narrative. In fact there are some really great films which use a similar style such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Memento. That said, I mean ‘similar style’ as a very loose term as the aforementioned films are examples of genuinely brilliant cinema. My problem with the narrative of (500) Days of Summer is that it has the intentions of being sporadic and ‘random’ in an interesting and artistic way, but it falls far short. Because the film gives away what day in the relationship it is up to, with a very cheesy time scale animation/graphic design/pretentious device, I think that the artistic dimension which comes with the non-linear narrative is lost. Had the film not had this, I think it also could have bennefitted  by losing the annoying-to-write (500) in it’s title… Maybe that’s just me.

On a serious note though, I can’t help but think that Days of Summer is a very ‘try hard’ film. This is evident in the soundtrack which is made up of great songs by The Smiths and Doves, but then it digresses, as much of the film does into Hollywood conformity, using tedious string music which is heard in a billion other comedy films. What’s more is there’s a very annoying and incredibly unfunny voice over at the start of the film, which I think is a hindrance to the film, rather than a necessary plot device.

I think the worst thing about Days of Summer is that it has such a promising script. There are flaws where it becomes too quirky, especially with Tom’s little sister giving him advice on his love life, which for me sees the film slip into family comedy territory, a long with that horrid string music mentioned earlier. The story of the film is good and the acting for the most part is solid. The presentation, apart from the quirky and pretentious moments already commented on shows great confidence and promise from first time director Marc Webb. It’s fine for what it is, but it’s certainly not the contemporary classic or genre breakthrough that critics are calling it.

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Though released at the beginning of the month, it’s taken me a while to get round to obtaining the new Vampire Weekend album. 2006s self titled album fused syncopated complex rhythms with African influenced guitar riffs, and above all, good, fast, energetic indie songs. ‘Contra’ has much of the same feel as the first album, in that it hasn’t lost any of its energy and style. This doesn’t mean to say that the band haven’t made progressions in their sound.

Muted palm chords and rising and falling melodies do make up a lot of the music in a similar way to its predecessor. But there’s no harm in keeping working formulas, especially if they work this well. Standout songs including ‘Run’ with a brass induced chorus, and ‘Diplomat’s Son’ with it’s M.I.A sampled opening. These are just a couple of examples of new territory for the band. Some melodies have a ‘Dirty Projectors’ air about them, but that’s not surprising considering lead singer Ezra Koenig went on tour playing saxophone for the Projectors before forming Vampire Weekend.

Lyrically, Contra still centres around Koenig’s stories of boarding school and class. Which is fair enough, but the lyrics aren’t centre stage here. It’s all about the music. Contra doesn’t fall into the second album trap that most New York bands fall into (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes). First single ‘Cousins’ is the ‘punkiest’ song on here, and will no doubt be a live favourite. The fast pace of the album is well broken with calmer tracks like ‘Taxi Cab’ and the brilliant closer ‘I Think You’re a Contra.’ What are the odds that most of these songs form the soundtrack of this years World Cup? Let’s hope so as they’d be most apt, rather than the drivel that’s usually played from the likes of Coldplay and Keane.

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Enough about previous work and selling out. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Tommy, who’s fresh out of prison. His brother Sam (Tobey Maguire) is happily married with Grace (Natalie Portman) and they have two daughters. Sam is in the army and has to go to Afghanistan leaving his two children and his lovely wife and his troubled brother and then dies and then his brother picks up the pieces and then everything plods a long…. Slowly….. But surely….. UNTIL

Well, I can’t really say because I would be spoiling it. It is only at this point though that the film becomes interesting. Fair enough, the film does a decent job of portraying the domestic difficulties of war on the families left behind whilst husbands are risking their lives on the other side of the world. I understand that. But it really doesn’t get anywhere as nearly as interesting as it should be until your eyelids begin to drop, and you can really feel the pain of sitting in the cinema seats. When I left the film I asked a friend how long it had been on for, and I couldn’t believe it was only an hour and a half long.

The positives came from the onscreen performances, mainly Maguire and Gyllenhaal. Had the film that preluded the climactic scenes been anywhere near as intense or gripping, ‘Brothers’ would have been a good film. However, for me it’s just another mundane American remake, though I haven’t seen the original…. So all I can really comment on is how mediocre this film is.

"Perhaps in the world’s destruction it would be possible at last to see how it was made." - Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Having recently read the ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy, I was determined to see the film adaptation at the cinema. I eventually got to see it last week and it didn’t disappoint. John Hillcoat, director of ‘The Proposition’ (2005) envisions Joe Penhall’s script, adapted from the novel. It is set in a post-apocalyptic North America, where “a long shear of light followed by a series of low concussions” caused the land to burn and die. All that remain alive are a few people. And of the few remaining alive, some are murdering cannibals. Yet there are still the good guys. One man and his son travel from North to South in their hope to find the South Coast and warmer land to survive the winter.

Viggo Mortenson plays ‘The man’ who goes unnamed throughout the novel, though in a flashback in the film I think I heard his wife, Charlize Theron call him John. I wasn’t the only one either. Anyway, digression over, ‘The man’ or John is battling against the odds, the cold, starvation and a looming illness to ensure that his son has some sort of life. Even if that means he has to live in a morbid land of death, where nothing can grow and there’s nobody to trust.

‘The Road’ is far from the likes of other ‘end of the world movies,’ such as banal efforts like ‘Day After Tomorrow.’ The film is bleak, dreary and pessimistic, but its an honest piece of work. It doesn’t paper over the cracks and build false hope. I found the novel to be an extremely sad portrayal of human existence. The final paragraph for me expresses that earth once existed without the presence of people, and it is inevitable that it will return to this state again. The film gives a different perspective. This is one of hope and focuses more on the theme of human kindness that McCarthy said his novel was about.

‘The Road’ is a well executed film which has been carefully constructed in order to stay faithful to the source material. Though I think that the novel is more successful in exploring the will to survive and depicts more graphically the horror that ensues in the aftermath of the ‘apocalypse,’ the film does a fine job to bring a well acted Father-Son relationship that leaves you thinking. Of course you’re going to get people saying ‘The Road’ is too bleak, or there’s no point. Well, it’s an end of the world movie. What would you expect?

To start this, thing (which I don’t know how seriously I’m going to take, or how often I am going to contribute to), I’m going to steal a friend’s idea and present my favourite films of the past decade.

Before I begin with the run down, I need to mention just a few of the films that didn’t make the list. This is for personal reasons, as it felt extremely difficult to narrow the list down to just 10. Two of the most regrettably painful outcasts from the list are Brazilian gangster epic ‘City of God,’ and the beautiful and harrowing fantasy ‘Pans Labyrinth.’ ‘City of God’ is an outstanding film in all respects. Fast, epic and violent, it portrays a very dangerous world with sense of realism and an unflinching style.

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ is Del Toro’s masterpiece blending reality with imagination and the horrors of war with the hardships of life. The film is both poetic and stylish in nature and I haven’t a reason it’s not in my list. Just that I found 10 I deem more worthy.

Other notable absences are Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Departed,’ and the film that it’s script was adapted from, the Chinese thriller ‘Infernal Affairs.’ There is no ‘Gladiator,’ ‘ Lord of The Rings,’ ‘The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,’ ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ or ‘Memento.’ Steve McQueen’s ‘Hunger’ which depicts the last days of Bobby Sands’ hunger strike was also a very close contender.

Well, here it is, in all it’s debatable glory:

MY TOP 10 FILMS OF THE NOUGHTIES

10. In The Mood For Love (2000)

The first time I saw Kar Wai Wong’s visual and audio feast was its first showing on Channel 4, when I was around the age of 16 or 17. At that age I don’t think I was too knowledgable of Asian cinema and I couldn’t have cared less for period drama. For that is what ‘In The Mood For Love’ is, given its fine detail for scenery and costumes, and that it is set in 1962. Stumbled upon by chance, I was unable to tear myself from the wonderous colour and sound that embellish the beautiful ‘In The Mood For Love.’

Chow Mo-Wan, a journalist and his neighbour So Lai-zhen are companions, drawn together by their suspicion surrounding a possible affair between each one’s spouse. The continuing interaction provides for what could be a compassionate relationship if it weren’t for So Lai-zhen’s determination to avoid stooping to the lies and deceit of her cheating husband.

Epic and grandeur are the only fitting words to describe the powerful set pieces presented in ‘In The Mood For Love.’ Not since ‘Barry Lyndon’ has there been such a driving soundtrack. And ‘Lyndon’ had the advantage of Schubert, Handel and Mozart. The aesthetics of this film alone make it worthy of a place in anyone’s top 10 films of the decade.

9. Lost In Translation (2003)

After the somewhat succesful ‘Virgin Suicides,’ Sofia Coppola’s next attempt behind the camera was a very suprising effort. Who would have thought? Thirteen years before the release of ‘Lost In Translation,’ Sofia Coppola was contributing to The Godfather part III via her abysmal portrayal of Mary Corleone.

Francis Ford Coppola, she’s not. ‘Lost In Translation’ is the ultimate independent film, whether it means to be or not. It’s a refreshing homage to independent and new wave cinema, though in the lead role is one of the most recognised and celebrated comedy actors of Hollywood. Bill Murray doesn’t give a typical comedy actor’s performance. It’s one of subtlety and of maturity. His portrayal of Bob Harris, an ageing Hollywood action star entering what could be a mid-life crisis could of easily swayed into quirky, impatient territory. Instead, Murray’s Harris is lost in thoughts of his troubled marriage and is out of his depth with the language barrier of Tokyo.

Harris gets lucky though. He meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johnsson) at his hotel bar, who also doesn’t speak a word of Japanese, and is also lost in thoughts of her ailing relationship to her husband. Whilst her husband, a photographer, is off on all day photo shoots, Charlotte spends most of her time alone, rarely leaving her hotel room. Johansson does a great portrayal of a woman without purpose. Someone inescapable of their surroundings. It is in the relationship with Harris that Charlotte finds understanding and meaning.

It’s not exactly a complicated film with complex ideas. It’s kind of stripped down, back to basics film. It’s narration sometimes takes the form of blatant metaphoric imagery. But take common themes of the ‘near mid-life crisis’, marital problems and loss of identity and throws them into a foreign world, and the results are very interesting. The pulse of the film slows, main characters sometimes take secondary roles and from the smallest of circumstances hilarious and touching situations arise.

‘Lost In Translation’ uses ambience in abundance. With a sparse and soothing soundtrack by French electronica outfit Air, and the neon landscape of Tokyo at night, the film feels more futuristic and alien than any science fiction movie can.

8. Let The Right One In (2009)

“I live off blood”

“Are you… dead?”

“No… can’t you tell?”

Nope, this is no teenage romance flick. Though it is far more romantic and compelling than the much hyped (and much watched) ‘Twilight’. Tomas Alfredson’s screen adaptation of  John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel ‘Let The Right One In’ is charming, elegant and terrifying in equal measures. It follows the lonely, bullied child Oskar as he befriends his lonely next door neighbour Eli. Eli is not all she seems and it’s not long before Oskar finds out her secret, that his only friend feeds on human blood.

In the wrong hands, (for example Matt Reeves’ who is responsible for Cloverfield, and is set to remake this for American audiences) ‘Let The Right One In’ could be just another horror film. But it’s not. It is without a doubt the genre’s jewel of the decade. With most audiences going for the hyped ‘Paranormal Activity,’ ‘Let The Right One In’ is always going to be overlooked for the fact that it’s not in the Queen’s and it doesn’t give cheap thrills and a continuing drone out of which something will creep every five minutes. It’s in the hands of someone who knows his genre, but also knows about storytelling. A craftsman who can clearly depict emotion and fear, with a care for narrative and characters.

The  film is about bullying, negligence, murder and abuse. It’s about love, sacrifice and friendship. But at the forefront is a story about a child who is a vampire, who feeds on human blood, and has to kill in order to do so. Though the adaptation from novel to screenplay has altered the original story to leave out the paedophile zombie and castration scenes, it was done in accordance to the author’s wishes. Make note that there are no endings sacrificed to pave the way for a sequel. Intelligent and breathtaking cinema, and no surprises it’s from Europe.

7. 24 Hour Party People (2002)

The only ‘non-dark’ comedy to make the list is 24 Hour Party People, directed by Michael Winterbottom. Starring the brilliant Steve Coogan as Factory Records, and general ‘Madchester’ music scene pioneer, as well as Oxford graduate and TV journalist, the one and only Tony Wilson. The man behind bands such as Joy Division/New Order and The Happy Monday, Wilson’s part in exposing this music to the world is portrayed here as being vital. With his unorthodox methods (signing a contract with Joy Division in his own blood) and his habit of over indulgence, this proves for great entertainment.

The film often has to shift tone to provide for more sensitive areas, including the suicide of Ian Curtis and the death of Martin Hannett (which also provides some necessary laughs), and it tiptoes on these subjects with as much detail as the film needs.

Though a lot of people might not like the music scene that the film documents, this film makes interesting as merely a biopic of Wilson, and a comedy in its own right. The sights and sounds of the 80s/90s Manchester music and clubs scenes are presented with some solid visual work from Winterbotton. The key to the film is the acting, with Steve Coogan’s strongest film performance with a Partridge-esque portrayal of Wilson. With a strong supporting cast including the likes of Peter Kay, Paddy Considine and Andy Serkis, 24 Hour Party People is a showcase of Britain’s acting and comedy talents.

6. Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)

2004 was a bit of a make or break year for Shane Meadows. After being handed the responsibility of a decent size budget and ‘all star’ cast which contributed to the unsuccessful failure that was ‘Once Upon a Time In The Midlands,’ Meadows turned his hand to the formulaic genre of the revenge movie. The film follows ex-soldier Richard as he seeks revenge on the low lives of Derby’s suburbs who drugged, manipulated and humiliated Richard’s younger, mentally challenged brother Anthony.

‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ saw a rich return to form for Meadows with his realist and natural directing style. Paddy Considine is sublime in the lead role as Richard, and Tony Kebbell is also on song in his first major film role as Anthony. The film on a whole is really well written, with believable characters, funny and cringe worthy dialogue and a feeling of an inextinguishable angst that serves as a motif for the duration of  the film. The soundtrack is built up of a selection of tracks ranging from Aphex Twin to Adem, and serves well to reflect the range of emotions from retribution to redemption.

Inadvertently, ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ was to showed that revenge films didn’t have to have 88 blood splattered masked corpses sprawled across our screens in a hodge podge film that forgot morality and had no sense of direction or purpose. I am of course referring to Tarantino’s Kung-fu/ Spaghetti Western opus ‘Kill Bill.’ ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ has a heart, but it also has a brain. It is focused upon telling an emotive story, using violence, but it’s never glamourised and doesn’t forget that mutilation and murder are bad and can only be undertaken by bad people.

5. No Country For Old Men (2007)

The Coen Brothers won their first Best Director Oscar for this modern-day Western immersed inevitable evil and questioned courage. Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel by the same name, ‘No Country For Old Men’ saw a return to serious work for the brothers, much in the same vein of their earlier films ‘Blood Simple’ and ‘Fargo.’ Given that the last two films made by the Coens were ‘Intolerable Cruelty’ and ‘The Ladykillers’ this return was more than welcome.

Tommy Lee Jones takes the lead role as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell in his pursuit of Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) who stumbled upon the scene of a drug deal gone wrong. With a case full of cash Moss is also on the run from notorious hitman Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). All excel in their respective roles especially Jones whose Sheriff Bell, on the brink of retirement, is also on the verge of being caught up in the whirlwind of violence and futility brought about by Chigurh. The downright ruthless evil of Bardem’s character proves the perfect ingredient for gripping action and dialogue driven scenes alike. The Coen’s portray perfectly McCarthy’s chaotic world of hopelessness and cap it off with a poetic and somewhat risky ending that does not conform to Hollywood procedures.

4. There Will Be Blood (2007)

Five years on from ‘Punch Drunk Love,’ Paul Thomas Anderson teams up with Daniel Day-Lewis to create his most interesting and visually arresting piece of cinema to date. Yet another of the films on the list to be adapted from a novel, this time it’s based loosely on ‘Oil’ by Upton Sinclair. The Oscar-winning performance from Day-Lewis as the oil-man/baron/tycoon Daniel Plainview, pushes the boundaries of the actor’s talents and produces a riveting spectacle that one can’t help but admire despite his glutinous and malicious tendencies. The film charts Plainview’s turbulent rise from ‘rags to riches’, with which his personality and ego amplify and evolve until he eventually becomes a self loathing, sociopathic alcoholic. This provides for some immoral entertainment as we see that the more that Plainview gains, the more he falls apart. A basic fable presented on a large-scale perhaps.

Visually, ‘There Will Be Blood’ is incredible. The opening scene with Plainview’s attempt to dig for silver  is gripping, yet there’s no dialogue, just musical accompaniment. And this goes on for about 10 minutes. This is how much of the film flows, and it does so with grace. When Daniel’s company strike oil, there are a vast number of shots that are evidence of the director’s virtuosity with the camera. Landscape shots of the burning rig, the slow synchronicity with the moving trains and the exquisite close-ups all prove for aesthetically pleasing viewing.

I do not think that ‘There Will Be Blood’ would have the same impact if it were not for the beautifully haunting soundtrack, penned by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. It is a crying shame that it was discounted by the Oscars because a minute of music from the film had already been used by the composer as part of a piece performed at the BBC proms prior to the films release. Be that as it may, nothing should me taken away from the memorizing music that doesn’t only serve as a backdrop to the film, but stands out as a hypnotic entity which weaves itself in and out of scenes.

And that’s why this film is so high. It’s not so much the story. It’s the quality of presentation and writing, and it’s the execution that make this an absolute classic piece of art cinema in its purest form, from beginning to end. And especially to the end, with the climactic scene delivered in such a dramatic fashion, its hard to remember whats even gone before it.

3. Oldboy (2003)

Park Chan Wook’s ‘Oldboy’ is possibly the hardest film to write about. So, I’ll start with the plot. Oh Dae-Su is locked up in a room for 15 years with only a television for company without reason and knowledge of who has done it to him. Inside, Dae-su builds himself up physically on the event that he might one day meet his captors. Upon his sudden release, Dae-Su follows the clues so that he may seek revenge on those who imprisoned him. He unwillingly accepts the help of sushi chef Mi-do who finds herself drawn to this tragic enigma that will eventually throw them into a world of chaos.

The second in Wook’s ‘Vengeance Trilogy,’ ‘Oldboy’ has stepped up a gear from the sombre art house movie ‘Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance.’ Here, the director takes the same themes of family and revenge, but the film is a host to a plethora of other ideas that bring it to a new level of darkness. The audience is consistently pelted with images of violence, and then when you think that the pain is over, the story threatens with looming discoveries. That is to say, ‘Oldboy’ is not for the faint of heart.

2. American Psycho (2000)

“When I get to Paul Allen’s place I use the keys I took from his pocket before disposing of the body. There is a moment of sheer panic, when I realise Paul’s apartment overlooks the park…. And it’s obviously more expensive than mine.”

The second female director in the list, Mary Harron deservedly takes second spot with American Psycho, a diluted adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel by the same name. Investment banker and Harvard Business School graduate Patrick Bateman is a picture of perfection. Bateman does his stomach crunches (“I can do a thousand now”) and applies his facial lotions to maintain his flawless looks. His American Gardens apartment is a reflection of the bourgeois, cosmopolitan lifestyle. A lovechild of the Ronald Reagan administration era, Bateman is the stereotypical yuppie, eating at New York’s finest restaurants every night, bragging with friends by the names ‘Bryce’ and ‘Van Patten’ over business cards and Armani suits. Everything is based on appearances. And why are these appearances so important to Patrick? “Because I want to fit in.” And then there’s Paul Allen….

More successful, a more eloquent business card and able to book a table at the coveted restaurant, Dorsia, Paul Allen inspires hatred in Patrick Bateman. But it’s not just Paul Allen that Bateman loathes. There’s the homeless: “We have nothing in common.” There’s his girlfriend. It can be the slightest of disagreements or moments of jealousy that can twist the thoughts of the disillusioned ‘protagonist.’

The film is totally dependent on the casting of the lead role, and this being the first major adult lead role of Bale’s probably serves as the pinnacle of the Brit’s acting career. Well, that’s with regards to showcasing his talent, not box office revenue. Bale shifts Bateman’s emotions in split seconds, from the calm, collective, suave exterior, to the manic, psychotic, envious soul that is fighting to break out. But what makes this performance so impressive is Bale’s ability to make every word that comes from Bateman absolutely hilarious. Whilst the film is an attack on the ‘yuppie’ and Ivy League/Business School culture, it  also serves as the blackest of comedies. The smallest things that trigger Bateman’s rage, from a prostitute asking how much he pays rent, or his secretary asking who Ted Bundy is, it’s Bale’s construction of a persona and his reactions that characterise Bateman, a long with the maniacal and deranged dialogue of course.

The films ambiguous ending is handled with finesse. Bateman’s rollercoaster of emotions as he attempts to decipher reality from imagination provide immense entertainment, a long with an inspired soundtrack with songs ranging from “I’m Walking on Sunshine” to “It’s Hip to Be Square.” Cars explode, heads roll, bodies disappear and names are mistaken. The films ending monologue is as insipid and malicious as what has preluded it, and leaves the viewer with a feeling that among the hilarity and absurdity they have just witnessed, there might have just seen a horror film after all.

1. Mulholland Drive (2001)

David Lynch, creator of ‘Eraserhead,’ ‘Wild at Heart,’ ‘The Elephant Man,’ ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Lost Highway’ and ‘Twin Peaks’ also created the decades best film with ‘Mulholland Drive.’ The film that almost never was, originated from a pilot episode for a new TV series from the director which was rejected by television studios. Studio Canal picked up the idea for a feature-length version of ‘Mulholland Drive,’ taking scenes already recorded for the pilot and then funding for additional scenes that would virtually create a new plot. The result is this dreamlike enigma, a neo-noir mystery, alternating between a critique and an homage to the Hollywood film industry.

A car accident involving a limousine and a speeding open top car bring us to Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles. The lone survivor, a woman dressed in a black dress, stumbles from the wreck and finds herself walking the streets until she hides in an apartment. The apartment she hides in is owned by the aunt of Betty who has just arrived in town. The woman is black can’t remember who she is or why she is there, but calls herself Rita after seeing a Rita Hayworth poster. Betty tries to help Rita in her attempt to find out who she is, and also why she has a black bag full of money. The ensuing plot is full of riddles, which brings them to Club Silencio, where things ‘are realised.’

Even writing about the plot is a difficult task in itself. At times it poses as straightforward, but it soon becomes clear that there are sub plots and unanswered questions. The narrative is linear until halfway through the movie it is turned upside down, and everything you thought you had fathomed has to be cross-examined. It’s not the first of Lynch’s films to use such an unorthodox style. ‘Lost Highway’ is probably the most similar in its make up.

With the film being open to interpretation it is possible that the first half of the film is a dream, and the second half is the reality of Dianne (Naomi Watts’ character in the second half. Betti was her character in the first.) Or its possible that both parts are dreams, or parallel universes, or whatever. In the end, it’s really not what is important about the film. What is important is what is on display, how it is presented, and whether on a whole the idea works.

Though the idea of a film based on dreams and memories sounds new, it’s not. Films such as Bunuel’s surreal ‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeouisie’ and Jacques Rivette’s ‘Celine and Julie Go Boating’ use similar ideas, and puzzling narratives, and these films were made decades ago. There are many European films that use lucid themes and dreamlike sequences that seem to influence a lot of Lynch’s work. What Lynch does though is to transpose these ideas for an American audience, and do this without losing any flair or artistry that might come about in this process, like say Cameron Crowe’s remake of ‘Abre Los Ojos’ with ‘Vanilla Sky.’ Lynch carefully intertwines mystery and noir-ish elements into the film, which is also about love, jealousy and possibly revenge. These themes are carefully layered in different sequences in both parts of the film. The first contains sequences such as Betty’s audition and Club Silencio, which seem like riddles ready to be deciphered. Yet at the same time they contain quality acting and visual splendour, which takes away such need to approach scenes with analytical perspective. Scenes from the second half have less of a dream like quality, but feel like memories cut and pasted. They are mixed up, and they seem like clues, but you can’t really be certain. With Lynch, you can’t always trust what you see.

The acting from the two leads, Naomi Watts and Laura Harring, is perfect. Justin Theroux is in his second film in the list, his other being ‘American Psycho’ at number 2. He plays a film director in ‘Mulholland Drive’ and features in some of the more comical scenes of the film. One includes a cameo from Billy Ray Cyrus as a gentle tough guy sleeping with the director’s wife. The film also contains Lynch regular Michael J. Anderson (the dancing dwarf from ‘Twin Peaks’) as a mysterious Hollywood mogul. Another Lynch regular that must be noted is Angelo Badalamenti, the composer of the soundtrack. The soundtrack is similar to that of ‘Twin Peaks’ in style, but it is far more haunting and sinister. It captures the essence of mystery and melancholy, and at times creates an ambience that reflects the on-screen illusions.

‘Mulholland Drive’ is best watched at around 3 o’clock in the morning, with all the lights off, curtains shut and doors locked. Although I’ve mentioned the Club Silencio scene a few times now, I’m going to mention it again. The scene captivates everything odd, surreal and enigmatic about this film. It also serves as its turning point. “Hay no banda. There is no band.” Well, whether anything exists in the film, or whether it’s all just a lucid journey through broken dreams of a disillusioned Hollywood hopeful, its my favourite film of the decade.