I've been horribly negligent to my movie habit this past year. Having now reviewed a bunch of "Best of 2011" lists (here and elsewhere) I'm going to try to catch up on a handful, and I started with Meek's Cutoff.

Although I'll admit I sat up with a: "Oh fuck me, you've got to be kidding!" when the credit roll came up, I liked Meek's Cutoff. In truth, when all's said and done, it was probably for the best -- often during the last half hour or so I thought to myself, there is no way this can satisfyingly conclude what it has set up, that won't be kind of a let down and/or a cheat. The point is the uncertainty, after all; the wanting to trust in each another, and what's more, trust in some form of Providence, but having absolutely no reason to do so. To have faith is a merit, to be gullible a fault, but Meek's Cutoff is orchestrated so that they are one in the same, and therein lies the dilemma, as well as the fundamental intelligence of the movie, since it recognizes that it is a dilemma it can only illustrate and not resolve: the best it might do is humbly cast its vote, as the characters in the movie often do, resigned to the democracy of the plurality it exists in and counting blindly on the mutual civility that maintains it. Restless to take back control, Meek tries to usurp that democracy in the film's quietly pivotal scene, but loses his face off to Mrs. Tetherow. Meek sets aside his desire for destruction, his desire to wrest control back from the unknown (first reluctantly, later by choice), recognizing and implicitly acknowledging the object of that desire as illusory, and therefore surrendering his will to the unknown (God, Woman, Chaos). Killing the Indian wouldn't have changed the basic nature of their situation, only temporarily appeased his sense of powerlessness in the face of the unknown via the injection of his own vanity. Despite the relatively sparse dialogue, the film gives your mind plenty to chew on if you like this kind of existential antiheroism, as film critics often do far more than the general movie-going public. On the other hand the sense that it all boils down to a neat little allegory is a little bothersome to me; but having just seen it this evening, I'm still not yet sure exactly what I'm dealing with or will be left with after the dust settles. I do like that Mrs. Tetherow is driven by pragmatism rather than sentimentality, i.e. "I want him to owe me something."

Meek's Cutoff didn't quite hold the same overpowering sense of dread for me that I've seen others speak of -- to be honest, I found the performances just a pinch lacking, if only a pinch, but for me it vaguely undercut the sought-after realism so crucial to the movie's overall effect. Meek in particular is downright cartoonish early on, and Williams' accent felt a little all over the place to me. But they all get better as the movie goes, and it's a minor complaint. The minimal style and ambient soundtrack reminded me of There Will Be Blood, but I wouldn't put Meek's Cutoff in quite the same league, TWBB being absolutely overpowering in its resonance as something more than the sum of its parts. Meek's Cutoff strikes me more as a nice little art piece, a pared down Waiting for Godot or No Exit on the Oregon Trail. That kind of thing is up my alley to some degree, so I'm coming away happy enough, with a lot to think about.

I'm looking forward to breaking my long movie hiatus and continuing to see how some of the other recommendations from this year stack up. The only other new film I recall seeing was Source Code, which was passably entertaining, but nothing I'd likely put on any best of lists.

K

Incidentally, Tarantino's best of 2011 list:



K

Quick thoughts on two Japanese movies from 2011--

OUTRAGE:



Probably Takeshi Kitano's most tightly plotted, sharply comic, and anti-romanticized yakuza picture, but Outrage feels like a satire made by a guy who is bored with the genre he's satirizing. Some great images from Kitano, as always, and some splendid violence, but taken as a whole it's a little too one-note in theme and tone. There's no emotional movement to the film, nothing is learned by anyone, nothing changes; there is no character you are given particular reason to care about more than any other, even Kitano's. The movie is simply a farcical illustration of a cruel, self-defeating system. It does work on that level and has many fine moments, as well as a decent enough pace and formal balance, but I was left wanting something a bit more. Outrage is well made, showing Kitano very much in command of his craft and at home with the unique aesthetic he's developed over the course of his directorial career. But for me it lacked the spark that would've put it over the top. Obviously worth seeing, however, particularly for Kitano fans.

13 ASSASSINS:



I found this reimagining of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai to be pointless seeming: diversionary fluff, elevated (a little) by some memorably weird and gruesome Miike-esque twists and visuals. Overall, I'm not sure what all the critical raving is about -- it's no Seven Samurai, and Miike himself has far more interesting films -- but it made for reasonably fun viewing. Basic popcorn entertainment with a small pinch of Miike edge.

K

Couple more 2011 films I saw, "Courageous" and "Iron Lady". The former being good and the latter being almost as much a disappointment as "J. Edgar".

part 1 of my list.

also:

Noah B. and I have been arguing over Buffy vs. Twilight.

Nice to see Tarantino give some love to The Green Hornet. They did a shockingly good job in that film of defining the Brit Reid/Kato relationship in a way that made perfect sense and having a guy become a super-hero after his father's death, not to avenge his dad but out of spite because his dad was such a dick to him was absolute genius.

Mike

part 2 of my list.

Haven't really watched enough to films to have a comprehensive view. I think TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY might be my favourite.

I agree with you more or less on DRIVE, HANNA, and YOUNG ADULT.

One not on your list, THE DESCENDANTS was okay, better than I was expecting.

Charles, even before I read your Worst Of list, I suspected you would appreciate this excoriating critique of HUGO.

Bat Bean Beam:The Death of Cinema Redux

Finally saw "The Artist". Not bad, but overrated.