The films are listed in reverse order:
 | | Alex Crawford reports from the Festival |
25) Blood and Bones: A brilliant, brutal Japanese film with a terrific lead performance.
24) New York Doll: Immensely moving documentary about a punk rock legend.
23) Proof: Classy drama with a wonderful performance by Gwyneth Paltrow.
22) The Constant Gardener: Terrific follow-up to City of God by Fernando Meirelles.
21) Linda, Linda, Linda: Heartwarming Japanese high school movie. Great soundtrack.
20) Hustle and Flow: A brilliant performance by Terrence Howard fuels this hip hop movie.
19) For the Living and the Dead: Stunning Finnish film about grief.
18) Manderlay: Lars Von Trier's less successful, but equally interesting sequel to Dogville.
17) The Proposition: Bleak, bloody and authentic Australian western.
16) Man Push Cart: Heartfelt film about a Pakistani immigrant struggling in New York City.
15) Shanghai Dreams: Visually and emotionally impressive film about recent Chinese history.
14) The Death of Mister Lazarescu: Horrifying Romanian film about the death of an old man.
13) Stranded: A brilliant, funny and warm Australian film about a broken family.
12) Where the Truth Lies: Thriller about a sleazy secret of a pair of fallen 50's idols.
11) Keane: Harrowing and brilliant film about one man's grief. Damien Lewis is remarkable. 10) Everything is Illuminated The second highest directorial debut on the list. The actor Liev Schreiber chose Jonathan Safran Foer's autobiographical novel for his first stab at directing and the result is an immensely likable, distinctive and impressive film. There are wonderful performances by Elijah Wood and Eugene Hutz, while the film manages to be incredibly moving in an understated, unsentimental manner. It's very, very precious. 9) Quo Vadis Baby? This is the follow up by director Gabriele Salvatores to his hit, Io Non Ho Paura (I'm Not Scared). It's a smart, sexy and slick modern slice of noir, with terrific performances from the entire cast. It's incredibly cine-literate, with references splashed about all over the place. It looks fabulous, and Salvatores manages to control three different times and a number of different (though the same) plots with the hand of a master. 8) Walk the Line
 | | Joaquin and Reese in Walk the Line |
The late, great Johnny Cash is one of my favourite recording artists of all time, so I was both a captive audience and, potentially, a savage critic. The performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are sublime, while both actors provide plenty of adrenaline to their vocal performances, making them feel spine-tinglingly authentic. The film is nicely marshalled by James Mangold, who wisely focuses on the love story at the centre of Cash's life. 7) Lemming Directed by Dominik Moll, whose previous film, Harry He's Here to Help, I loved, Lemming is a smart French thriller with elements of psychological horror, intimate drama and black, black comedy. Terrific performances by Charlotte Rampling and, particularly, Charlotte Gainsbourg give the film a real impetus, and it looks terrific. The screenplay is wonderfully obtuse and it leaves as many questions as answers, but it's so stylishly done that it really doesn't matter. For once, a film for which the adjective Hitchcockian, could have been created. 6) The Matador
 | | Pierce Brosnan stars in The Matador |
Directed by Richard Shepard, this is a three hander of the very highest order. It's a clever, outrageous crime comedy, with three tremendous turns by Pierce Brosnan (as a bisexual, womanising, alcoholic hitman), Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis (who play a married couple that Brosnan's character befriends). There's a whole heap of heart, but what will stick in your mind is the fabulous dialogue, the performances and the number of visual surprises, such as Brosnan dressed as a cheerleader and the actor walking through his hotel lobby in a pair of black underpants, ankle high cowboy boots and little else. Brilliant. 5) Good Night, And Good Luck This is an earnest, mature, sensitive piece of filmmaking from arguably Hollywood's most important man. David Strathairn gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Edward R Murrow, a TV presenter who famously confronted Senator Joseph R McCarthy at the height of his nefarious power. Clooney's film is one-sided and passionate. It's beautifully photographed in glorious monochrome and has a wonderful supporting cast that includes Clooney himself, Robert Downey Jr, Patricia Clarkson, Tate Donovan, Ray Wise, Frank Langella and Jeff Daniels. 4) L'Enfant This is the new film from celebrated Belgian filmmakers the Dardenne brothers. This is verite filmmaking and is a hugely impressive effort from the awards laden brothers. There are a pair of great performances from the two young leads, playing parents with a new-born son. The dad is a thief and a conman, who lets out his partner's room while she’s giving birth, while she is spellbound by him, but fiercely protective of their son. Liege has never been photographed with this intensity before, and by the end, you'll be completely in the film's grasp. 3) Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
 | | Val and Robert in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang |
This is Hollywood at its best, smart, self-referential, sexy, funny and exciting. It was made for just $15 million and contains career redefining performances from Robert Downey Jr, as the narrator, romantic lead and hero, a petty thief spotted by a director while fleeing arrest, and Val Kilmer as 'Gay Perry' a homosexual private eye who must teach Downey Jr's character about his business to aid his preparation. This is the basis for a beguiling slice of modern noir filmmaking, in the clothes of a sexy, funny thriller. It's incredibly clever, in terms of plot and characters, and deserves to be an enormous hit. Amazingly, it's the directorial debut of Shane Black, the celebrated screenwriter, who should be able to command a much larger budget next time, if he so wishes. 2) (Sympathy for) Lady Vengeance
 | | (Sympathy for) Lady Vengeance |
This wasn't an easy decision is. Park Chan Wook's thematic trilogy of revenge ends here, following the bravura excesses of Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Old Boy, it comes as something of a surprise that Lady Vengeance is able to shock and appal in equal measure. Built around a stellar performance by Lee Young-Ae, Lady Vengeance is as intricate, intelligent and troubling a film as there has been all year. Nobody, and I mean, nobody, gets revenge, and what makes people, including us, hungry for it the way that Park does, and the results are simply unmisable. It's another brilliant film from an increasingly compulsory filmmaker. 1) Hell Directed by Denis Tanovic, was a film that sneaked up on me somewhat. Before watching it, I knew next to nothing about it, other than that I had greatly enjoyed Tanovic's previous film, No Man's Land. Hell, it turns out, is part of a trilogy developed by the late, great Krzysztof Kieslowski that has been handed over to new, young, European directors since the maestro's death. Tom Twyker (Run, Lola, Run), directed Heaven a few years ago, while Purgatory is in development now. Heaven was a mess, quite frankly, but Hell is an indisputable masterpiece. It is, on one level, a melodrama about three estranged sisters, and their disabled mothers as they live almost entirely separate lives in modern day Paris, yet the great performances by Emmanuelle Beart, Karin Viard and Marie Gillain, beautiful script by Kieslowski's collaborator Krzysztof Piesiewicz and some stunningly assured direction turn Hell from melodrama into masterpiece. The plot is intricate, detailed and affecting, while the dialogue is minimalist and sparse, highlighted by the abrupt ending. The photography is gorgeous, whilst Tanovic displays an enormous affection for his characters. It's just a brilliant and brave film, troubling and intense, yet hugely rewarding. Hell is Tanovic's masterpiece, and stands comparison with any of Kieslowski's films. |
