Remember in High Fidelity when Rob Gordon arranges his albums in autobiographical order? I do that with my films. I can tell you where I was emotionally when I bought Brian Clement's Binge and Purge and how sad I was the night I bought Stephen Norrington's The Last Minute. Films make me think of happy times, sad times, the people I love and the people I have hurt. Film is an important part of my life.
After you see Christ Complex in 2012/2013, after you see some of the choices I make in 2012 based on events that took place in 2011, you will go back to this list. You will want to see where I was emotionally. You will want to see what films influenced my directing style in 2011. You will do all of that, IF you really care that much. More than likely you will skip to the films, compare it to your own list and get on with your life.
Well I will let you do just that.
So now I present, my top 10 films of 2011:
10. Donor Unknown- This year I have admired strong women. Women who have defied what society deems to be appropriate and have followed their own heart. JoEllen Marsh did just that. She wanted to track down her biological father, a sperm donor. She wanted to meet her siblings, children fathered by this man known as “Donor 150”. I won't share how far she takes this quest, but it's inspiring. Does she change the world? No. The butterfly effect that JoEllen causes though can be felt long after the film is over. If she did what society deemed appropriate then the events depicted in this film would have never taken place. If that happened, her world view wouldn't have affected mine. My hope for 2012 is that the ladies that I love in my life embrace the JoEllen inside of them.
9. The Beaver- In 2008, The Beaver was the hottest unproduced script on The Black List. I read the original script and it's staying power is undeniable. You throw some Jodie Foster and Mel Gibson into the mix and it just reinforces what is already a strong screenplay. For those who fed into the controversy, let's not forget this is the same script you were championing for just three years earlier. Nothing has changed, don't give into the consensus. You can learn a thing or two from Walter and swim against the tide.
8.Midnight In Paris- To me Woody Allen works better when he's cynical. The end of Crimes and Misdemeanors, Annie Hall, countless others, these films stick with me. My best friend spent 2011 trying to recapture this sense of wonderment that exists inside of me that I thought was dead. I learned at the end of the year that the cynical side of me only makes up a small part. Maybe, when we have people who care about us in our lives we do our best work. Woody Allen's marriage to Soon-Yi Previn is still judged to this day. I think to say Woody doesn't do lunch with the in-laws is a gross understatement. If this relationship is what got him to creatively think outside of his box, then it's not a bad thing...right? He's has done some amazing work lately: Match Point, Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona and now this. The people that believe in us make us stronger artists. They help us put our heart into our work. For the proof you need to look no further than my number 8. Now available on blu ray at your local retailer, and I'm not contractually obligated to make that statement.
7.Melancholia- As everyone who has followed me on social networking and in blogs should know, I suffer from clinical depression. If something bad happened I expected it. I never got sappy when a major world tragedy happened because...well that's just the way life works, right? In 2011 I went all The Beaver and took my life back. Once I did, I noticed my depression started to slip away. Now if a giant “Super Earth” collides with us, I'll be crying like a baby with the rest of you.
6.Neon Flesh- This was a Tribeca year for me. I read Jenny Sherman's top 10 list earlier this morning and she talked about how SXSW stuck with her the entire year. That's how I felt about Tribeca . Tibeca's online festival is nothing short of inventive. It embraces the technology and allows people to see films they wouldn't normally get to see otherwise. Neon Flesh is slick, smart and witty. It plays like an 80's crime comedy written by Guy Ritchie. It's not getting enough attention or play right now, so please find it and get the word out.
5.A Dangerous Method- When watching David Cronenberg's latest it hit me, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud's relationship echoes that of mine and SDCT's own Billy T. Well I guess if Carl Jung made a lot of “poop and fart” jokes. My question is where does SDCT's own “mother hen”, Jenny Sherman fit in? It would be safer for all those involved if I didn't answer that question.
4.The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- Remember back in 2009 when I wouldn't shut up about the Men Who Hate Women ? The film eventually became known as The Girl With The Dragon and you all were suddenly “in the know”. I just want a little credit for jumping on the bandwagon early...please? Bueller? Anyway, the 2011 adaption of the best selling novel captures some of the dark romantic moments that were in the novel but left out of the Swedish film. Although I wonder what was added when the TV versions came out? After watching Fincher's version, the 2009 film feels like a teaser trailer. I hope they restored some of these quiet romantic moments in the Swedish extended TV versions, because they make the story. Although I could have done without the “James Bond-esq” opening title sequence. Still not sure what that was about...
3.Turn Me On Dammit- I hope things are different when I am the parent of a teenaged daughter, but as a whole parents don't understand sexuality when in comes to a teenage girl. Girls have the same confused feelings as boys and sometimes act out in a similar fashion. As a father I hope I can get over myself and be there to answer or support any questions. When all else fails, I can make my daughter watch this very frank John Hughes-ish romantic comedy. If THAT doesn't work, fifty percent of the time she all her mom's.
2.Love in a Puff- AFFD was a festival that meant a lot to me this year. I became friends with Steve Norwood, Crystal Decker, among others. I sat in a dark theater and I learned so much about myself. The trip in July to Dallas was a cathartic moment in my life. That was my The Beaver moment (There is not innuendo there by the way). I took control of my life. When I walked out of the theater after watching this film about finding attachments with those you meet during smoke breaks, I knew what I expected out of my life. I knew what I wanted. This would define all of my decisions for 2011 and affect all those in 2012. The film shaped me and I owe it everything.
1.Headhunters- Tree of Life, The Artist, Hugo, those are the films you will pick as your favorite film this year. Headhunters is as deep, smart, surprising and humorous as you need it to be. It's a fun film that flirts with being a character study. I talked to a guy on Twitter the other day that thought I was getting more out of this film than what is there. He might be right but that's why film is a personal experience.
The films that shaped me in 2011 will be different than the films that shaped you. I urge you to learn a thing or two from Walter, JoEllen and even 2011 Woody Allen and go against the tide. I did that in 2011 and met some really great friends, got one of the dearest best friends I have ever had, and I'm 70% done with my first feature film. The films I saw, the decisions I have made will shape my 2012. It's who I am. This list, these movies are a part of my history. My mindset from 2011 lies here in this blog. So if you are one of the few who cares enough, you have all your answers right here.
Goodnight friends, both me and Christ Complex will see you next fall.
Great list, and not because you picked an AFFD film that was very important to me. PUFF went on my list of unreleased films...but your mention means the world to me as fan and programmer.
I love that you and I both shifted away from obvious strong films and went with ones that spoke to us on a deeply personal level. THE TRIP was my number 1, and I've already heard from a few folks who cannot fathom that.
MELANCHOLIA was one of my favorites, but your mention of THE BEAVER is great as it was just outside the handful I mentioned. Such a strong film, and yet it did get somewhat overlooked, I think, because nobody wanted to say something was great if it starred a wackadoo lead actor. I don't know.
Great list, bottom line. As I mentioned, I look forward to HEADHUNTERS, and I had heard of TURN ME ON, so that's on my list as well.
Steve
I love how much insight you have given us inside the mind of Jeffrey Scott Richards by listing the list of films that have been the most important to YOU this year. That's something that every film fan does, whether we want to admit it or not, the films that we like shape us as humans. They change our outlook on life, they can reaffirm things that we're already thinking. Yes it's just moving pictures on a screen, but I've seen from helping out on Christ Complex that every film really is a commitment to make certain points come across.
I can't wait to see HEADHUNTERS. If it's your #1, it's sure to be excellent.
Film is the most amazing media because it can touch and change us in a way that we can't quite comprehend. As we enter the stale smelling, carpeting walled rooms of the theater, loaded down with our warm, over buttered popcorn, and tooth rotting sweet treats, we come expecting to be entertained and distracted from our own realities for a few precious hours. But once the lights go down and we become vulnerable, we find a piece of ourselves in the magical dancing light on the screen, causing us to question who we are and what we will become. Whether we are in a corporate viewing center or curled up on the couch, film awakens our need of creativity, self evaluation, and awakens the ability to take control of ones own destiny. This reshaping of the human soul is lightly referred to as entertainment, I think of it as the chrysalis state of personal development, the death of one state of mind giving way to the birth of individual enlightenment. This is why I feel blessed to be an actress, and have the opportunity to be involved in The Christ Complex.