Half of the year is over now, and what better time to stop and reflect on some of the best films so far this year?
1. “The Raid 2” (now on Blu-ray, DVD)
Written and directed by Gareth Evans. Starring Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, and Tio Pakusodewo.
Evans’ sequel to his own 2011 film “The Raid: Redemption” is an outstanding and astonishing Indonesian martial arts film that mixes bone-breaking brutality and precise physical performances. The film picks up minutes after the previous film — in which a S.W.A.T. team infiltrated an apartment building housing vile criminals — with the main character Rama (Uwais) being sent to jail undercover to align himself with Uco (Putra), the son of the major crime lord Bangun (Pakusodewo). The film is one of the best action films in years and one of the best film sequels ever made. The fight scenes and action set pieces are incredibly graphic and wince-inducing, but the amazing skills of the actors/performers along with the camerawork and editing raise this genre pulp to the level of art.
2. “Ernest & Celestine” (now on Blu-ray, DVD)
Directed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner. Featuring the voices of Lambert Wilson, Pauline Brunner.
On the polar opposite end of the cinematic spectrum is “Ernest & Celestine,” an adorable, warm and joyous animated film from France about a little mouse befriending a bear. This Oscar nominee for Best Animated Film is beautifully rendered with lush colors that seem as if the animation is seeping onto the screen in watercolors. The film is genuinely funny and not in the crass way many Hollywood studio films are. The original French voice performances are lively and bursting with enthusiasm. There is also an English-language dub featuring the voices of Forest Whitaker, Lauren Bacall and Paul Giamatti. The film’s humor and themes of friendship should resonate with people of all ages. Though it may seem painfully childish to some, it is a wonderful and moving film with gorgeous animation.
3. “Stranger by the Lake” (now on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming Netflix)
Written and directed by Alain Guiraudie. Starring Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou.
The French magazine Cahiers du Cinéma named “Stranger by the Lake” the best film of 2013. Released at the beginning of the year in the United States, it is a brilliant look at obsession and desire. The entire film takes place on a lake, which is a popular cruising spot for gay men. They swim and lounge on the beach throughout the day and if the right people find each other, they go into the woods nearby. This is a film that the less one knows about beforehand, the better. The film features a lot of male nudity and gay sex and even a few un-simulated shots. The film is reminiscent of Hitchcock and early Roman Polanski, especially his first feature “Knife in the Water.” Guiraudie manages to wind the audience like a vice throughout the film with a deft touch and such simplicity. The final shot is haunting and leaves the viewer with much to ponder.
4. “Under the Skin” (on Blu-ray and DVD July 15)
Directed by Jonathan Glazer. Starring Scarlett Johansson.
A simple and honest plot description of Glazer’s mesmerizing sci-fi film makes it sound like a schlocky B-movie with an A-list star: Scarlett Johansson plays a man-eating alien who comes down to Earth to feed. That is a gross simplification of a wildly complex and demanding film. Johansson’s character does take the form a beautiful female and drives around in Scotland picking up men in a van. As with the previous film, the less one knows, the better. On top of that, it is hard to put into words exactly what happens on screen with such a visual and auditory experience. What can be said is that Glazer’s first film in nine years is a visionary and confounding work of art that puts the viewer in another realm. This is a film that one must watch in one sitting with the lights and phones off to become hypothesized by the imagery and sound. The sound design and score are eerie and perfectly sync with the images. Some will hate the film, finding it slow moving and opaque. Others that go along for the ride may be rewarded with this stunning film, one of the major achievements of the year.
