Interesting how the one film that is hitting every note right this year — mostly — is The Hurt Locker. If only its release had not been bungled so badly and it had gotten a September release. The money wouldn’t be an issue.¬† Stephen King’s list is great. He’s kind of got an instinct, of sorts, for Oscar’s best pic winner. Last year, while The Dark Knight was number one, number two was Slumdog Millionaire. The year before that, No Country for Old Men topped his list.¬†¬† In ’06, Pan’s Labyrinth topped his list, with The Departed nestled at number 3.¬† So, he doesn’t pick Avatar nor Up in the Air (though I’m not sure if he’s seen either of them, probably, but you never know. He has Revolutionary Road and The Reader in the mix for this list, where it would have been last year for our purposes). Still, I love his unabashed “this is my taste.” Not a whiff of pretentiousness here. Love the dude.
10. 2012
09. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
08. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3
07. Law Abiding Citizen
06. District 9
05. The Reader
04. Disgrace
03. The Road
02. The Last House on the Left
01. The Hurt Locker
Bomb disposal is one of the great staples of war movies, but it has never been depicted in such terrifying detail as it is here. Locker is more than suspenseful, however. Director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break), who has explored the destructive impulses of young men before, outdoes herself in this perfectly honed drama that speaks to the addictive attractions of risk and violence. Want to know why it’s so easy for the pols to feed the war machine? Look here for answers.
Thanks to Andy for the link.
