Non-Narrative Live Performance Piece?

Whereas our narrative piece about a man with a briefcase being followed to a multi-story car park and being subsequently shot requires live sound recordings to give it 'cinematic realism', our non-narrative piece has become something of a massive experiment. Whether this is going to pay off is to be seen.

The original idea was to take three themes and produce sounds that that could be perceived in a variety of ways depending on the image that you associated them with. We decided to reduce three themes to one central theme (the decline of traditional community), using a selection of nine individual looping images that reveal themselves over the 3+ minute duration of the film. All the while, a long, evolving tracking shot provides the constant. The more we thought and spoke about the idea of rhythm (visually and aurally), the more we began to think about the piece from as much of a musical standpoint as a filmmaking one.

We were always going to visually edit in a very rhythmic way, with the creation and eventual progression of sound following suit. For the sake of experimentation, we began to think: why not foley all of the sound in a real-time environment as a kind of multi-layered performance? It's bold and experimental sure, but isn't that what learning is all about? Trying new things? Seeing if they work? Being able to explain yourself if they don't?

With our narrative project's sound design taking shape in a more calculated, traditionally cinematic way, for the sake of expansive practice it only seems fruitful (in the long run) to consider the polar opposite approach to a project which is a non-narrative compliment to our more versed narrative submission.

This idea is last-minute, I will admit. Having sat through group crits though, and seeing the similarities in a lot of people's projects, the artist in me wants to be noticeably different in the way I present my creative personality through my work. Sure, we may fall flat on our faces undertaking something we've never tried before. But if we don't try, then we won't know what we are potentially capable of creating. And that's the most exciting thing about any art, music, or film.

Principle Photography Has Wrapped...

Throughout this term, it's long been a case of, 'are we still on schedule?', 'are we falling behind schedule?' and 'it's fine, we've got plenty of time'. That being said, I've not at any point felt like we weren't going to get our projects completed with plenty of time. I don't want to use the term, 'we shot ourselves in the foot', but judging by the two group critiques we've had, we may have (a little bit). Point being, we are shooting and designing sound for TWO projects where as most people/groups are only shooting the one. Their reason being, I guess, that we are not being marked on our visual construction and purely on our sound design. That's fine, I understood that in the brief. I suppose Carl and I both just wanted to create two pieces that were entirely ours and not visually recycled.

Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to seeing my year's take on modern sound design for silent films such as 'Metropolis', 'Nosferatu' and 'Alice in Wonderland'. Designing sound for a film that for the last 80-odd years has previously had none is an exciting prospect, but for someone like myself who has only been a part of the filmmaking process for the last five months, I want to use every available opportunity to create pieces using the technology and software that is at my disposal. Maybe that's stubborn and maybe it's creating more work for myself, but I like the challenge.

More on these two stories as they develop...

Thinking In A Non-Narrative Way For The First Time

In any of my creative experiences, I have always had a fondness for storytelling. Whether it be through music, film, prose etc. Sometimes a mesh of them all ie. a music video for a song that is lyrically composed as a short story. There were always so many stories I wanted to tell through music, and there's still time. For now though, my creative outlet is film which gives me the opportunity to think about telling stories visually. But that's just it. A film is as much about sound as a song is, and the narrative techniques employed in a song are even more relevant when thinking about how the sound of your film can end up defining it.

All storytelling aside, I am making two films this term; one of which is in a non-narrative form. At first, I found it a struggle to think in a non-narrative way for the first time. It's certainly an alternate way of thinking to any way that I've thought before which got me thinking. Can I still tell a story but present it in a non-narrative way? It's these kinds of big questions that I'm sure my lecturers will be thrilled to learn I am asking.

I've come to the personal conclusion that all art tells a story, but when presented in the non-narrative format, the story is variable. A narrative film has coherance and structure that can only be perceived in a limited amount of ways, whereas the non-narrative film is fairly open to perception. The film's creator will have had definitive ideas about meaning when putting it together, but overall, the point of the piece will be to challenge the viewer/listener and invite them to make the film their own in terms of what feeling and thought it provokes from within themselves.

I feel like I'm starting to understand it all now. Not so fast, John Cage.

We just come from a bad place.

Over the last few years or so, it seems that the meaning of taboo has gotten lost. For the most part, we have become desensitised to extreme violence and sexual content. Hell, violence is becoming forever sexualised, with sex being occasionally and manipulatively violencised (I'm not the first person on the internet to ever use that word before). And religion? You can pretty much say or depict it in any way you please without hardly offending anyone, it seems. That infamous scene in 1971's 'Straw Dogs' has become entirely socially irrelevant. In fact, not only has it been all but forgotten about, it's been remade this past year to the sound of little controversy. Where a certain film's graphic scenes of torture once ignited conversation about how they made us squirm, we all now laugh at the many sequels that followed, praising the most creative ways in which a filmmaker can take a life. So what is left to shock us? What is left to challenge our principles and arouse what is left of our senses?

'Shame' is the second feature from maverick director and Turner Prize winner, Steve McQueen CBE. Like his debut film, 'Hunger', it stars current Hollywood golden boy Michael Fassbender, and in many ways his female counterpart, Carey Mulligan. Considering both of their ever rising statuses in the game, the roles undertaken by the pair are staggeringly brave.

Fassbender, in the midst of another stellar year, continues to shine in the role of Brandon. Brandon is 30-something, moderately successful in the NYC office game, with a cool white, modern apartment in Manhattan. Externally, he is a catch (Bateman, anyone?). People want to know him, and people want to be around him. Women, namely. Is this because he is able to offer them something more than they are accustomed to? The answer is yes, simply, in the short term. Playing off the failures of his sleaze bag, family man boss's tequila fuelled attempts to lure pant-suited blondes back to his penthouse, Brandon is able to charm (the pants off) the same blondes by simply identifying the colour of their eyes (a first hurdle at which his boss David (24's James Badge Dale) falls flat on his face) before proceeding to literally eyef**k the s**t out of them from across the room. David is in awe. How?

By all accounts, Brandon is a master of seduction. To a point, this is true. He knows how to get what he wants, which in most cases involves convincing his prey that it's what they want as well. I use the word 'prey' for a reason. While Brandon doesn't necessarily victimise his sexual conquests, they certainly fall victim to his obsessive influence whether they realise it or not. This is where the torture of sexual addiction becomes a more complicated affliction than say, alcohol or drug dependency. The latter are harder to keep a secret as they outwardly affect the people around you. Family and friends are able to easily identify the noticeable changes in appearance and behaviour, and the addiction is able to be confronted head on. As mesmerisingly addressed in 'Shame', sexual addiction is a wholly inner struggle that can only be reckoned with upon exposure.

Cue Sissy, Brandon's equally but indifferently troubled younger sister uncharacteristically but unbelievably well portrayed by Carey Mulligan. Until her reintroduction into his life, Brandon has been able to comfortably satisfy his urges without consequence. There has been a substantial lack of guilt, and a definite lack of shame up to this point, it seems, as Brandon has isolated himself into a world without intimacy, dominated by pornography, prostitution and one-night stands. He continually ignores her attempts to contact him, culminating in a desperate answer phone message in which is she attempts to get a rise out of him by claiming she has a week to live. That being what it is, a grotesque use of falsified disease in order to hear his voice, what choice did he really leave her with? As we come to learn, she is a sufferer of her own afflictions, namely depression, and is desperate for the intimacy that Brandon could not care less for. Before he knows it, she has moved in and onto his couch via a strangely comfortable welcome that is passed over in the most uncomfortable of fashions courtesy of a Steve McQueen trademark single take, single shot scene in Brandon's bathroom.

It is upon Sissy's arrival in Brandon's life that we are able to see his addiction for what it is; an emotional numbing of the heart driven by denial, hypocrisy and selfishness. As if he had spent all of his available energy on feeding his addiction and keeping it a secret, his forced awareness of Sissy's own struggles and shortcomings moves him to, for the first time, show cracks in himself. For starters, he overlooks his use of pornography at work, only for his buddy-boss to end up ignorantly blaming an intern and getting him off the hook. Where he once selected partners based on sexual attraction, he begins to inadvertently entertain himself with the idea of genuine affection. The result being, the inability to perform, and having sex with a loveless prostitute just to get the taste out of his mouth.

This slow transformation is presented stunningly by McQueen in a series of visually arresting sequences that can last for minutes at a time without a single cut or line of dialogue. He invites you to understand Brandon's world without ever being forced to feel uncomfortable within yourself. What you see is certainly graphic and over extended periods of time, but it is all integral to the characters and their progression through the story. McQueen's cinematic techniques strive to create a realistic sense of discomfort for the characters, not the viewer. Without these scenes of destructive realism, the theme of sexual addiction would become completely redundant, and the film itself, pointless.

It is not simply Sissy's presence that plays on Brandon's consistency though. Sure, without her on his couch he would never be caught masturbating by anyone, nor would his online sex chats ever be discovered. These are all elements of his continual exposure that he is able to deal with through a variety of outlets and resolutions. If anything, it does him good. What Brandon is unable to cope with is another person's dependancy on his company and support. Sissy's insecurity and acute depression has eventually led her back to him, her apparently only available lifeline. From the sounds of things, their parents are either dead or entirely estranged, though it is never mentioned. All we know, is that the tormented pair come from 'a bad place'.

If we are to imagine that Brandon's own personal battles mean that his head is only slightly above the water, the addition of Sissy's need to be recognised as important to someone else's existence is the heavily weighted sinker that proceeds to drown him. While he will never admit it to himself, he struggles so hard to be responsible for himself that being remotely responsible for someone else's emotional health, even a family members, is completely out of the question. His addiction drives him to be outwardly angry with Sissy in such an unconscious way that through his attempts to debase her, he in turn is able to further deny himself. In this new found proximity, he finds further cause to defer concern away from himself by way of embellishing the struggles of his sister. When she begins to question him, his immediate defence is to hypocritically force her to question herself. In the end, this continued act of blind selfishness proves to be more of a reckoning than Brandon could have ever imagined.

In a year full of overwhelming performances, none are as bold or as raw than that of Fassbender and Mulligan. Fassbender is all but assured an Oscar nomination for his pained performance, and judging by the current five frontrunners, I would say with confidence that this is the standout male performance of the year, on a level par with Tilda Swinton in 'We Need To Talk About Kevin'. He encapsulates Brandon with such beautiful honesty that it's hard to imagine the likes of Pitt or Clooney topping him. Unfortunately for Fassbender's film, it is up against the much more academy-friendly 'Moneyball' and 'The Descendants'. Two films that are no less impressive, but staggeringly less controversial. Whether he can achieve what he deserves all depends on the balls of the voters. Being recognised by the Hollywood Foreign Press is a start; a controversial nomination by all accounts, no doubt in response to Fassbender's unrelenting success with the critics' associations. My allegiances now lie with him though, and I will be crossing my fingers from now until February 26th.

Carey Mulligan's turn as Sissy is simply another level of outstanding. I suppose what's most impressive is the fact that it is completely outside of the comfort zone that she has established for herself over the last three years. 'Drive' was somewhat of a departure in terms of the type of film she was featuring herself in, but the role selection was typical as far as what we've come to expect of her. Sissy is a fragile, distressful character, and in her first stab at the psychologically gritty, she absolutely nailed it. Flexing her expressive dramatic muscles for the first time, she latches onto Fassbender from the first second she appears on screen, not loosening her grasp on his psyche for the remainder of the film. Little screen time as she may have, it is more than enough time to affect the story in the most incredible way of any supporting character in film this year (2011).

Looking at the list of Supporting Actress hopefuls, I would fully expect to hear Mulligan's name announced on January 24th. As someone who has witnessed a great deal of impressive performances throughout the past year, I would hope that she will surprise the masses and take home her first of prospectively many Academy Awards when the winners are announced next month. Again though, it comes down to the film itself, and whether the Academy can bear to bestow greatness on a film as aggressively honest as 'Shame'. It's a funny old game, the Oscars, with undeserving winners walking away with gold year after year. I find that part of the fun though. When your deserving underdogs come through and upset the masses, it's a fist pumping moment for any serious film lover.

'Shame' is certainly not for everyone, it's true. Some will argue that it's not for anyone. What it absolutely and unequivocally is however, is an astonishing piece of visceral storytelling from a truly gifted artist brought to life by the two best dramatic performances of the year. On that merit, it is well worth your time even if you'd rather not experience it in a crowded auditorium on a first date.

Top 23 of 2011

23. Bridesmaids

Easily the funniest film of the year, and not a Rogen or a McBride in sight! Having said that, 'Bridemaids' continues the Apatow tradition, but for the first time with women at the forefront. It has proved to be a phenomenal vehicle for long-time Apatow favourite and SNL vet Kristen Wiig, but even more so for Melissa McCarthy (whose previous TV credits include 'Gilmore Girls' and more recently 'Mike and Molly') in her first major feature film. McCarthy is unforgettable as Megan, and as the critics associations of America start to announce their end of year awards thick and fast, it's looking increasingly likely that McCarthy will secure an Oscar nomination for her bold, hilarious turn that single-handedly launched this film to 'The Hangover' heights. Wiig's screenplay is sharp as you like, and she along with a brilliant Rose Byrne are both fantastic, but it's McCarthy's film from the moment she appears on screen.

22. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

The initial trailer for this film really didn't sell the overall quality of the picture. At first, I found myself thinking, 'Franco! What on earth are you doing?' After a stellar 2010, I was fearing a slight sell-out. I was to be entirely incorrect. 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' is THE blockbuster of the year. It features arguably some of the strongest visual effects ever seen on screen and an award-worthy supporting performance from Andy Serkis as Caesar, the first ape to experience threatening levels of intelligence. Serkis has long been the king of mo-cap performance, but this really needs to be seen to be believed. He gives Caesar just the right amount of humanity that he needs to anchor the story, and contrary to how the trailers may sell the movie, it really is in the story that 'Rise' excels. Personally I can't remember the last time I had this much fun gawking at visual effects and extensive action set-pieces while being completely gripped story-wise and entirely invested in all of the characters, most of all a CGI one. Nice try, Cameron.

21. The Guard

'The Guard' definitely caught me off-guard. Literally. Though aware of it's existence and the positive reviews it was pulling in, it was only on a word-of-mouth recommendation that I felt the need to seek it out while it was still on a cinematic run.

Directed by John Michael McDonagh (brother of 'In Bruges' director Martin McDonagh), he more than follows in his brother's footsteps when constructing the ultimate buddy-cop comedy. The wild brashness of 'In Bruges' is played upon to great effect, with Brendan Gleeson's 'Gerry' being both perhaps the funniest and most politically incorrect character you will see on screen this year. He's borderline racist, full of contempt, a drinker, and a regular frequenter of escort girls. What more could you ask for in a police sergeant?!

Strong complimentary performances from Don Cheadle as the initially unwilling American partner, and Mark Strong as the baddie round off 'The Guard' as THE European comedy of the year, hands down.

20. Super 8

J.J. Abrams is pretty much the prince of advance viral marketing (Nolan is the king). People were talking about 'Super 8' for well over a year before it's release. The teaser trailer was excellent, and the plot was a tightly guarded secret. Abram's homage to Spielberg sci-fi was always going to be a huge deal.

And it is! But as special as it felt when I was watching it, it didn't quite live up to it's hype. I don't think that's Abrams fault though, or executive producer Spielberg's for that matter. These days, when a film is promoted with such fervour, everyone expects the best film ever made. Hell, even I was chatting Best Picture nominations before I'd even seen it.

'Super 8' has unlimited strengths. The 70's sheen is untouchable, the younger actors are pretty much perfect (and I'm not a fan of kid actors), and the story is wonderfully solid by Spielberg standards. My only two teeny-tiny gripes are that perhaps it is slightly too much (at times) of a Spielberg homage rather than a J.J. Abrams stand-alone piece, and that I felt that the alien was a teeny-tiny bit too Cloverfield/Star Trek-y. Neither of these criticisms are 100% negative, as I'm aware of the intent of the film and the creature style that Abrams has developed for himself. I guess I just felt like I'd seen this creature before, in some shape or form.

Nevertheless, a wonderful family film that I warmed to instantly, and carried with me long afterwards.

19. Source Code

To put it lightly, there was no way that I was ever not going to like 'Source Code'. 'Moon' had been such a revelation in terms of modern sci-fi, I was always eager to find how how he would follow it. The answer is 'Source Code'.

While Jones didn't self-pen his second feature, he certainly played a massive part in creating the world of the source code. As with 'Moon', it takes place in a perfectly feasible near future. And, as with 'Moon', it is the subtlety of fictional science that elevates Jones' film into his own stylistic realm. Rather than cloning and moon mining, 'Source Code' sees Jake Gyllenhaal unwilling solider replaying the last eight minutes of the life of a man who died in a terrorist train bombing. Through this admittedly far-fetched experimental process, he is able to use his skill set to try and identify the source of the attack in the hope of preventing a second, all through relentless, tailorable flashbacks. Think 'Vantage Point' meets 'Back to the Future' but in a far more appealing manner than you could ever imagine.

It's a mind-blow to try to explain, but well worth the time and consideration. It leaves you with questions that will never be answered, but for me that was part of the fun. Parallel universes aren't necessarily meant to be questioned. Overall, it is a total blast and further proof than Duncan Jones has a massive future ahead of him.

18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

I had all but written off the Harry Potter franchise until late last year. My girlfriend pleaded with me to give them a go as I had previously turned my nose up at it, deeming it 'kids stuff'. I reluctantly agreed to give them a go, starting at the beginning, more because I wanted to join her for the 'event' that would eventually be the release of the final chapter; 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'.

Here I am holding my hands up. I was completely off the mark with my views of this world-beating film series. It is astonishing not only in its storytelling, but in its technicality, its character development, humour, action set-pieces, the whole nine and then some. Once you get past the first couple of films, it all kicks off. 'Azkaban' descends in to a darkened maturity and never looks back.

While I personally prefer 'Part 1' as a piece of filmmaking, 'Part 2' is pretty much all you could ask for in a final chapter of a phenomenon that has dominated the box-office for the last ten years. Where it doesn't quite have the reflective delicacy of 'Part 1', that was never the point. The action comes thick and fast, giving you more than enough time with each of your favourite characters, discovering various fates in the process. When viewed as an 'action' film, it presses all the buttons. It is all out final war. Good and evil clash in a way never seen before on-screen, and a fine use of Imax 3D means that you are right in the thick of it.

And to think, I almost missed out on this entirely memorable spectacle.

17. Warrior

If awards were given out for the most overlooked films of the year, Gavin O'Connor's 'Warrior' would probably be at the top of most people's lists. While at first glance it may look like potential straight-to-dvd, testosterone fuelled nonsense, I'm hear to tell you that that's about as far from the truth as you could get. I was speculative of a MMA film too, don't get me wrong. What transpired though was an epic tale of disconnected families, financial hardship and redemption.

No one would have ever predicted such an emotional film. Fantastic performances from Tom Hardy and (possible Oscar contender, no shit) Nick Nolte provide the initial strength of the story of two brothers who end up fighting professionally for different reasons, but peel back the layers and this is not just "'The Fighter' goes UFC". It is a beautifully acted and beautifully executed film about the powerful effect that sport can have on a family. The characters are solidly anchored separately, and offered the chance to build and build to the eventual climactic clash.

If any film pleasantly took me by surprise this year, 'Warrior' was most definitely it. Stunning.

16. The Ides of March

You know a film is solid when it falls slightly below your expectations but is still easily one of the finer films of the year. My opinion of George Clooney is so high that I guess I just expect everything he touches to turn to gold. Unfortunately for 'The Ides of March', its not even George Clooney's best film of the year, nor Ryan Gosling's or Paul Giamatti's or Philip Seymour Hoffman's (though it was Hoffman's strongest performance and one that will be forever overlooked). Saying that, all of these individual dramatic strengths still contributed to one hell of a movie.

You either love or hate political thrillers, but when they are presented so masterfully without being over-preachy, they sure are hard not to appreciate. More than a Clooney film (though he plays a central character, it is a supporting role), this is a massive Ryan Gosling vehicle. It almost, in a way, feels like a slight mantle passing from father to son. Gosling is the youth among all the ever impressive experience, and holds his own fantastically well, more so than he did in 'Drive' earlier in the year.

All in all, it will confirm your love for Gosling and solidify the idea you had that if Clooney ran for president, you would probably vote for him.

15. 50/50

As if 'cancer-comedy' is a sub-genre now? I mean, hell, Seth Rogen's done two of them now. This is far and away the better one.

If any movie ever found the balance between hilarity and sensitivity, '50/50' is that movie. Penned from the real-life experiences of Rogen's friend (and soon to be Golden Globe nominated screenwriter) Will Reiser, it tells the story of 27-year old Adam's (Joe Gordon-Levitt) struggle with 'type-4 back cancer'. With a spot-on supporting cast of Rogen, Anjelica Huston, Bryce Dallas Howard and the enchanting Anna Kendrick, it's as funny as it is heart wrenching. You honestly laugh as hard as you cry. In all my movie going experiences, I've never come across a film able to evoke contrasting emotions so admirably. Where Adam it hit with bad news, Rogen's Kyle is right there to share a joint and make a dick joke. It all just works so well that you can't help but fall in love with it.

Claiming original screenplay awards across the board already, prepare your box of Kleenex for real-life survivor Will Reiser accepting that Golden Globe in January.

14. Another Earth

'Another Earth' is a beautifully constructed piece of low-budget indie sci-fi, comprising the elements of many of its influences to create a modern beauty. I would write more about a film that I have come to love over the past year, but as it turns out, I already have!

Click here to read a more in-depth appreciation of Mike Cahill's Sundance darling, 'Another Earth'.

13. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Whilst David Fincher's follow-up to 2010's 'The Social Network' (easily the best film of that year) has managed to crack my Top 15, let it be known that after one viewing, 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' picks up the prize for biggest letdown of the year. It's not that the film was in any way 'bad', it just didn't tick all the boxes that I was expecting it to.

For example, much of the dialogue is just too sharp for my expectations of this story that I have come to know so well. While that worked perfectly in 'The Social Network', I had a lot of trouble buying into the quips of this script. It was wonderfully written, no argument there, but it was awfully light in places considering the dark content with which it deals. Not to mention the way it was marketed. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I was expecting a new level of bleakness that only David Fincher could have provided, and fanboy though I am, part of me feel like he compromised. Why appeal for bleakness you ask? Why not appreciate the lighter lifts that the script provides for relief when it all gets a bit much? Because for me, that's not what the story of Lisbeth Salander is. It is a painful, harrowing journey that is entirely uncompromising, and thats exactly what Niels Arden Oplev's adaptation had going for it. It literally pulled no punches.

Those gripes aside, this is a fantastic film. The cinematography is typically stunning, the acting ensemble is strong (even Daniel Craig), but this movie is all about Rooney Mara. She is incredible from start to finish disappearing into a role that could have just as easily destroyed her career before it ever really began. Thankfully though, Fincher was right. Mara was the right choice, even if she is a teeny tiny bit too cute to be 100% convincing as the modern legend that is Lisbeth.

12. Midnight In Paris

I'm new to Woody Allen. He is the product of a generation slightly removed of mine, unfortunately, but I am taking great delight in revisiting that era though his countless films. 'Annie Hall', 'Manhattan' and 'Hannah and Her Sisters' have all been thoroughly educational from a screenwriting point of view, but with his 2011 offering 'Midnight in Paris', I was able to truly enjoy Woody Allen at the cinema for the first time.

What I didn't realise when taking my seat in the auditorium was that I was going to be watching a film about fantastical time travel! And what a treat it was watching Owen Wilson charmingly travel night after night to Golden Age Paris for frolics with the likes of Picasso and Hemingway. Ridiculous you say? Well, sure, but when its all put forward in such a joyous fashion, why question it? I, for one, certainly didn't find myself asking any questions regarding how this all came to be. Why ruin it? The film looked great, was written great and acted great by a smorgasbord of talent that includes (*deep breath*), Rachel McAdams, Marion Cottilard, Michael Sheen, Alison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Kathy Bates, Adrian Brody and everyone's second favourite character actor behind J.K. Simmons, Kurt 'Wayne's World' Fuller. Oh yeah, and Carla Bruni?

With just enough Allen to easily be able to regard it as Allen, and enough Owen Wilson to satisfy even the toughest of exteriors, 'Midnight in Paris' is Allen's best film in years, and certainly one of the best films of this year.

11. Margin Call

Taking place on the eve of the 2008 Wall Street crash, mega-indie 'Margin Call' was a pleasant surprise as 2011 drew to a climactic close. The debut feature from JC Chandor, it tells the story of one man's startling discovery and the controversial efforts of the many that strived to combat the impending financial doom.

For the record, I didn't really have any idea what anyone was talking about in 'Margin Call', but I certainly had no trouble feeling the impact of it. That impact specifically, the accessibility that it allows, is what makes this film impressive. The same way that no one really understood anything Mark Zuckerberg was banging on about in 'The Social Network', or Billy Beane in this year's 'Moneyball' (if you were clueless about baseball statistics which most of us are), 'Margin Call' enables the viewer to feel the power of the foreign land of Wall Street. While the jargon is indecipherable, the way in which the characters respond to it is almost Shakespearean in its valour. Zachary Quinto shines as the junior analyst who develops the underused Stanley Tucci's discovery, while big shots Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons turn this zeitgeist-fest into something that pans out more like a Broadway stage play than a Wall Street boardroom drama.

With terrific performances all round and one of the screenplays of the year, be sure to keep an eye out for 'Margin Call' when it makes an extremely limited cinema run in the UK next year.

10. Snowtown

'Snowtown' was probably the toughest film to watch all year. Basing my expectations on a beautifully crafted trailer, I expected the worst. A film that deals with the relationships between a mass murderer of suspected pedophiles and homosexuals and his unwitting accomplices was never going to be an easy watch. In fact, I don't think I've ever watched a film and been as personally upset by what was transpiring.

This is for many reasons, and all to do with the filmmaking. First of all, the two lead performances are nerve-janglingly real, to the point where I could barely stand the sight of John Bunting (Australia's most notorious serial killer), let alone try and process what it would have been like to share a room with him. There is an awkward threat that surrounds his character from the moment he appears on screen, a terrifying sensation that lingers into the afterglow of the film as a whole. You long for Jamie to find a way out of John's manipulative clutches as the situations grow darker and more violent. But this is not a film about justice and redemption.

What makes the scenes these two characters share all the more uneasy is the lack of scoring. Unsure silences fill your ear canals as Jamie slowly becomes sucked into John's twisted world. As a viewer, you could not feel more involved in this journey, right there beside Jamie as he goes from victim to potential accomplice in the space of two hours.

The cinematography is poetic and the writing sharp, creating all the more reason to fear the barren open spaces of Australian suburbia.

Not for the faint-hearted, 'Snowtown' is a film that I would encourage any budding filmmaker to watch once.

9. Moneyball

I got really excited for 'Moneyball' months before its release for a few reasons. The main one being that strong, memorable baseball movies are extremely rare. When I heard that Aaron Sorkin was co-writing a movie about baseball statistics and strategy, it became an instant must-see. And it didn't disappoint.

Brad Pitt is effortlessly brilliant as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane who managed to turn one of the poorest (financially) teams in baseball into a genuine contender, using brains rather than bones. In a sport dominated by money, and making plenty of enemies in the process, Beane developed a scouting strategy that has now been adopted by most of America's major league teams. 'Moneyball' tells the powerful human story of that development with the help of an Oscar-worthy screenplay from last years across-the-board victor Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian (Oscar winner for 'Schindler's List'). A powerhouse writing combo if ever there was one.

Featuring superbly solid supporting performances from Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman (and a cameo from Spike Jonze), 'Moneyball' is proof that Bennett Miller is worth his salt as a filmmaker.

Don't like baseball? Doesn't matter. If you like storytelling, you'll like this.

8. Melancholia

I'm absolutely over the moon that I liked 'Melancholia' as much as I did. As a previous blog will evidence, I saw 'Antichrist' at the cinema and hated it. I found it's pretension and unflattering use of infantile shock tactics to be offensive and tasteless. 'Melancholia' though, is an entirely different monster whilst still employing many of the pretensions that put me off Lars Von Trier in the first place. Almost as if watching and hating/not quite understanding 'Antichrist' was a necessary preface to prepare me for my appreciation for 'Melancholia'.

Simply put, it is a masterpiece. Through a gorgeous use of apocalyptic personification and music, Von Trier has gone from offensive nut job to artful genius in one fell swoop creating a lasting piece of work that will affectionately reside long in my memory.

Kirsten Dunst gives the performance of her career as the depressive Justine, capturing the harsh realities of an affliction that prevents her from feeling anything given that the world is coming to an end. She is stunning in every scene from start to finish, outshining equally solid turns from Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt, Charlotte Rampling, the Skarsgards and Von Trier regular, Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Beautifully blending art, music, character study and sci-fi, 'Melancholia' is one film that I would recommend seeking out at all costs if you've passed it over up to this point.

7. Take Shelter

Back in September, I saw a trailer that gave me all kinds of funny feelings. 'Take Shelter' immediately rose to the top of my 'must-see' list, so imagine my disappointing rage when November 25th came and went without the slightest suggestion of a screening at any of Norwich's cinemas. I moaned and I cried and scoured the internet for hi-def screeners (desperate times, desperate measures), but none were to be found. Then, in mid-December, our lovely friends at Picturehouse cinemas decided to give it a six-day run. Thank the Lord.

In 'Take Shelter', Jeff Nichols has managed to reintroduce Americana to the cinema going public. He could not have recruited finer talent in Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain, and they are put to fantastic use. The film tells the story of Curtis, a man who is either an unwilling prophet or a paranoid schizophrenic. Or maybe both? Maybe that's the point? Either way, Nichols has struck every available nerve with a modern classic that addresses the zeitgeist of the nation. The subtle use of an 'impending storm' as a metaphor for social decline never wavers and never seems in any way obvious or over political as we watch Shannon's Curtis slowly destroy himself and his family in the blind hope that his decisions will eventually save them all from what he deems to be certain doom.

It all sounds a bit heavy, and believe me, it is. As far as though provoking, independent American cinema, this is where the bar now lies. In a fair world, Michael Shannon will squeak in with an Oscar nomination having already fared better than expected with the critics associations, while Jessica Chastain can assuredly add her performance to an already stellar 18-months in which she could easily garner multiple Supporting Actress nominations. While she won't win for 'Take Shelter' (more likely, 'The Help'), her performance in this powerhouse of a psycho-thriller is simply further testament to the fact that Chastain is an acting legend in the making.

6. We Need To Talk About Kevin

'We Need To Talk About Kevin' is the most overlooked film of 2011. Hands down. No arguments. In a stunning adaptation of Lionel Shriver's 2004 novel, Lynne Ramsay has gloriously crafted what I think was the most impacting film of the year.

The subject is simple. Imagine how awful it would be to find it hard to love your first born child? From birth, Kevin is difficult and cold. Cue puberty, and he becomes a demonic domestic force, a shadow of traditional parental expectation as he manipulates his family and attempts to sabotage his mother's mindset at every available opportunity. This journey through childhood and into adolescence all climaxes in a mesmerising way, and it is through one element of this film that 'Kevin' is able to peak with such untouchable intensity. Tilda Swinton.

I know a lot of people have mixed feelings for Swinton, more often than not because she's 'a little strange looking', but no one can deny that her lead performance in this film is incredibly powerful. The bravery of her character is echoed in the bold and relentless charge that is her performance, not for one second allowing anyone to doubt her perseverence. Behind closed doors, he character is tortured and destructive, but in public she is untouchable.

There is a lot to be answered for in terms of how women are portrayed in modern cinema (I'm pointing my finger at Michael Bay), but this year has seen the likes of Rooney Mara and Meryl Streep in assertive female roles, laying waste to male rivals in the process. This year though, with all the female revival, no one came close to Tilda Swinton who gives the performance of her career in a film she can call her own. Perfect acting. More or less perfect film.

5. Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy

Are actors working for less money these days? Is that it? It certainly seems like a lot of movies in the last few years have had a lot of talent in them. Just look at 'Valentine's Day' and 'New Year's Eve' for example. Or don't. Please, don't.

'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' involves the most male talent since 'Glengarry Glen Ross'. Headed up by the masterful Gary Oldman, the movie also features Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch and everyone's favourite big shot and in this instance, scene stealer, Tom Hardy. They all come together to create a uniquely underplayed thriller that aches for repeat viewings. At the same time, it is an exhausting watch. A quiet, thoughtful piece of work, 'Tinker' thrills the mind rather than the senses, leaving you feel like you have been challenged by what you've seen. With a thriller, that's all you can ever ask for. Whilst hard to follow in places if you don't already know the story, it is a beautifully shot, beautifully written and impeccably acted le Carre adaptation that commands the attention of any serious film lover.

4. Hugo

Anyone who has read an interview with Martin Scorsese over the last few years knows the passion he has for the preservation of our cinematic roots. Year after year, precious celluloid prints are left to be lost or destroyed while films like 'Clash of the Titans' and 'Transformers 3' pollute our screens.

'Hugo' returns us to the birthing point of the golden age and tells the story of a delightful young orphan (Asa Butterfield) with a love of the movies who forms an accidental but crucial relationship with real-life filmmaking pioneer George Melies (an effortless Ben Kingsley). The film as as visually stunning as anything released in the past few years, and the single most affecting use of 3D technology that (personally) I have ever seen. This use of 3D, I think, is what makes the film that little bit more impressive.

Martin Scorsese is a known champion of traditional cinematic technique, so to opt for what is largely a recently fashionable technology to tell the story of modern cinemas humble beginnings was a bold and out-of-character choice indeed. It turned out to be a magnificent decision and made for perhaps the most immersive experience I had at the cinema all year.

With hugely impressive support from Sasha Baron Cohen and Chloe Moretz, 'Hugo' is something unmissable that if you didn't catch at the cinema, you must be sure to experience at home with the family.

3. The Tree of Life

Cue controversy! I thought that 'The Tree of Life' was one of the single best pieces of filmmaking that I have ever seen. My experience of this film at the theatre is certainly something I will never forget, namely because I have never been exposed to anything like it in the mainstream before.

This film is hit-or-miss with everyone who's seen it, sure. Half of it's viewers marvel at it's intelligence, personality and overwhelming cinematography as it addresses the issues of family and religion head on. It asks huge questions about 'what it all means', and challenges viewers to perceive the 'why' on a whole new plain. Doesn't it?

The other half hated it, describing it with such words as 'vacuous', 'pretentious' and (the hands-down favourite) 'boring'. So let's just be straight for a second here. Terrence Malick is pretentious. He is an artist! 'The Tree of Life' is not a film made for your entertainment, it is a film made to satisfy his own personal longings to visualise life; adolescence, innocence, questioning your very existence. A huge undertaking for anyone, Malick presented his views on this issues through beautiful cinematic form and (for want of a better phrase) visual poetry.

Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain excel in their supporting roles, Pitt representing 'nature' and Chastain, 'grace', alongside a fine, young group of actors who adapt to their director with maturity beyond their limited years, offering effortlessness in their realism.

2. The Artist



Where to start with 'The Artist'? It is, without a shadow of doubt, a truly fantastic film. The inevitable backlash has begun though, with a majority of blogger and online critics coming down hard on it's silent film 'gimmick' and asking the question; had this film actually been released during the silent film era, would it be receiving even half of the praise that it has been receiving for the simple fact that it was released in 2011? The answer is, of course not.

Sure, the fact that it is a majoritively silent film is somewhat of a gimmick, but isn't it a refreshing and joyous one? As far as filmmaking goes, 'The Artist' doesn't touch some of the other fine releases of 2011, but as far as a cinematic experience and pure, innocent enjoyment goes, it is untouchable. Should it win Best Picture at the Oscars? Probably not. But it will, for the simple reason that is has reminded the public of the charm and importance of silent films as part of our film heritage while telling a warm, funny and impeccably presented story of two people falling in love; one representing a dying age and one representing the future. As far as any silent film goes, the score in unrivaled in its brilliance, while the acting for this time as place is delicately wonderful.

1. Drive

Oh, 'Drive'. You really do get more unbelievably freaking awesome with every watch. What began as cult anticipation turned into cult appreciation. That transmorphed into unrelenting critical acclaim, and with it's blu-ray and DVD release this week it is already a cult classic.

There are so, so many reasons why 'Drive' is the best film I saw last year. The main one being the commanding performance from Ryan Gosling as the central character. As far as acting opposite extremes goes, you'd be hard pressed to find a performance this year that offered as much range as Gosling's. At times he is fragile, soft-spoken and caring, selfless in his dismeanor. In the flick of a switch though, he quivers with a buried rage that leaves bodies mutilated in his defensive wake. With a range of death-tools from curtain rails to bootheels, 'Drive' employs the most effecting use of mainstream sporadic extreme violence outside of Tarantino.

As a film student, I am already hearing whispers of projects being influenced by the films cinematographical style. Newton Thomas Sigel's unforgettable visual construction is something already being cited as reference through a fashionably stylistic use of angle and colour filtering. I bet that none of us expected to be using the term 'modern-day 80's noir' this year, but alas, there you have it.

What Nicolas Winding Refn has done is pretty much reinvent the genre film in the way that, 'Drive' isn't a genre film (?). It spans everything from the romantic to the ultraviolent, and most things inbetween. It's a mob film and it's a love story. Win win?

With Refn employing Gosling for his follow-up, Bangkok-based mob/MMA film 'Only God Forgives' which will be hitting our screens later this year, I think it's safe to say that this particular partnership will continue in it's solidity and provide the necessary cure to mainstream cinema's current ills through it's coupled strength and vision. Who knows? Maybe we'll find the same director and leading man at the top of this list this time next year?



That's all from me, folks. Ignore all of those that penned 2011 as a duff year for films. If I had to make my Top 10 a Top 23, someone was doing something right. Apologies again for this belated annual review. Hopefully, it has in the least invited you to check out a film that you may have missed this past year.