With lines of escape in my mouth » into the wild http://www.nigeldowler.com A Crumbs Effusion Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:56:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Films of the Year, 2007 http://www.nigeldowler.com/blog/2008/01/18/films-of-the-year-2007/ http://www.nigeldowler.com/blog/2008/01/18/films-of-the-year-2007/#comments Sat, 19 Jan 2008 06:27:26 +0000 admin http://www.nigeldowler.com/blog/2008/01/10/films-of-the-year-2007/ One of the many preferable things about living in Canada over Europe is being able to see films upon their first release and not having to wait a few months. That way you can actually make a list of your favourite films of 2007 as soon as the year is over rather than having confusing conversations in May over whether a certain film belongs to this year or last year.

Anyway, here in no particular order other than alphabetical are my 10 favourites from the last year.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days – gritty Romanian film which won the Palme d’Or about a young woman struggling to help her friend organise an illegal abortion.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford – sedate but intriguing Western about the last few months in the life of infamous outlaw Jesse James and the man who killed him. Casey Affleck gives one of the best performances of the year.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – an interesting thriller about a robbery gone wrong and its repercussions.

Bridge to Terabithia – a beautiful, inspiring and emotional tale about two preteens who become friends and create their own fantasy world.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – amazing French film based on the true story of a man who becomes totally paralysed in all but his left eye.

Eastern Promises – intense and violent thriller about a Russian mob family in London.

Into the Wild – fantastic film about a young man who gives up his life to pursue his dream of living among nature in the Alaskan wilderness.

No Country for Old Men – the Coen brothers back to their best with a film noir about a man on the run and his determined pursuer.

There Will Be Blood – brilliant and courageous character study of a charasmatic, success-driven oil prospector.

Zodiac – excellent procedural thriller about the obsessive hunt for a serial killer.

]]> http://www.nigeldowler.com/blog/2008/01/18/films-of-the-year-2007/feed/ 0 Into The Wild http://www.nigeldowler.com/blog/2007/11/11/into-the-wild/ http://www.nigeldowler.com/blog/2007/11/11/into-the-wild/#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:39:21 +0000 admin http://www.nigeldowler.com/blog/2007/11/11/into-the-wild/ I think I saw the film of the year today. I’m not doubting that it’s the film of the year, just whether or not I saw it. And yes, on further thinking, I did in fact see it. Made by Sean Penn, based on the book by Jon Krakauer which was itself based on the life of Chris McCandless, a promising college graduate who decided to shun modern society and take a trip into nature with the hope of living alone in the Alaskan wilderness.

Into The Wild

The role of McCandless is played expertly by Emile Hirsch, who I had only seen previously in the mediocre “The Girl Next Door”. The film follows Chris’s adventures, from getting rid of his unnecessary material possessions to the relationships he forms with the people he meets on his travels and to his time spent living in an old, broken, abandoned bus in Alaska.

I found the film to be very evocative and it has stayed in my head constantly since I saw it. I give it 7 crumbs out of 10, which is a high rating for me. It might even be worth 8 crumbs but I’ll reserve that until I see it a second time.

Update: Dec 13th 2007

Saw this for a second time last night and I was again absorbed by every moment. It deserves 8 crumbs.

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