MAN ON WIRE is a phenomenal film that reminds all of us that The Twin Towers had a life before they had a death (that’s a quote by the film’s subject).

I’m trying to not let it frustrate me.

I’m trying.

F**k.

Heck, the only reason I’m doing this is so that I’ll have posted something in June.

Yeah, okay… gotta keep trying to kick.

So it would make sense that two films I’ve recently worked on would resonate with me. I think I can safely categorizes them under “Cinema of the Lonely Man”. First things first, no romantic comedies in this catagory. No schlubs trying to find a girl, no ladies-man looking to settle down, no hedonists turning it around for a family.

Those aren’t lonely men, just men that happen to be alone until they find the right partner.  No, I mean men that drift through the ebb and flow of a social life without a community.  They might be looking for something, they might just be comfortable on their own.  Yes, they are still sexual beings.  They might have mates, but they’re still lonely.  Maybe, instead of my describing what I mean, how about I cite the two films that conjured this thought. The first is TAXI DRIVER.

The second is 127 HOURS.

In one, the lonely man turns his isolation and frustration into violence. In the second, the lonely man finds that his isolation conspired with nature to put the proverbial gun to his head. It’s not until he commits to breaking his isolation that he finds the strength to turn the tables on nature.

Do you see what I’m getting at? I think the better you know me, the more you know what I mean, but I think everyone can get it.  Either way, what other movies would you add to this sub-genre?

1. Crazy Heart
2. Extraordinary Measures
3. The Book of Eli
4. The Karate Kid
5. Abel
6. Up in the Air
7. Dear John
8. Celine: Through The Eyes Of The World
9. Hot Tub Time Machine
10. Percy Jackson
11. Ghost Writer
12. Date Night
13. Death at a Funeral
14. Remember Me
15. Greenberg
16. Brooklyn’s Finest
17. The Bounty Hunter
18. Our Family Wedding
19. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
20. Runaways
21. Letters to Juliette
22. The Back Up Plan
23. Despicable Me
24. Salt
25. Last Song
26. The Tempest
27. Cyrus
28. Kenny Chesney Summer
29. Touching Home
30. Takers
31. Just Wright
32. Please Give
33. Cabin in the Woods
34. Furry Vengeance
35. Wall Street 2
36. Killers
37. The Zoo Keeper
38. You Again
39. The Other Guys
40. Open Season 3
41. Ramona & Beezus
42. Avatar Special Edition
43. Quantum of Solace
44. Resident Evil 4
45. Countdown to Zero
46. Love & Other Drugs
47. Grease Sing-A-Long
48. Standing Ovation
49. Predators
50. Eat Pray Love
51. Going the Distance
52. Charlie St. Cloud
53. Secretariat
54. Inception
55. Red
56. You Suck
57. Vampires Suck
58. The Expendables
59. Next Three Days
60. The Ward
61. Black Swan
62. Social Network
63. Machete
64. Knight & Day
65. Battle for Terra
66. Tommy
67. Conviction
68. Restless
69. Red Hill
70. Saw 3D
71. Unstoppable
72. The Sound of Music Sing-A-Long
73. Cedar Rapids
74. Vallanzasca
75. Battle Los Angeles
76. The Beaver
77. Chronicles of Narnia 3
78. Burlesque
79. The Illusionist
80. Faster
81. Red Dawn
82. Gulliver’s Travels
83. Country Strong
84. The Tourist
85. Little Fockers
86. The Green Hornet
87. How Do You Know
88. The Fighter

So I didn’t hit the century mark this year. Blame my trip to Europe (there’s always next year).

If forced to answer what was my favorite movie of the year, I’d probably say INCEPTION or THE SOCIAL NETWORK, maybe THE BEAVER, but honestly, it felt like a weak year (granted there were a lot of fine movies I haven’t seen… yet).

And for those interested, I saw AVATAR another 23 times this year, which brings the grand total to 50.

Yes, you heard that right, I seen AVATAR in theaters 50 times. That’s almost 6 days straight of AVATAR.

I want a medal.

What if you don’t have an external mic for your camera? Then get the camera close to your subject. Sure, you can shoot wide shots but don’t let that be the only take with crucial dialog or you’ll be kicking yourself during post.

Then I took a second to think about it. Yeah, that’s what the artist of tomorrow (today) has to do: diversify. Not only do they direct, they have a pirate radio station, they run a drive-in, they have a recording studio/editing facility in the desert and they sell merchandise.

I think that’s the new model for struggling/starving artist. I’m trying to figure out how to do this to myself. How are you expanding your brand?

(I just heard echoes of the derby girl that spurned my affections)

If you’ve ever met me in a bar or seen me in a decent restaurant and asked “what’s a good beer” then you’ve heard me give an impromptu lecture on brown ales or how a pilsener is different from a lager.  Yes, I’m a beer geek and it’s all because of a documentary called BEER WARS.

This week, that documentary is available on iTunes (and apparently my PS3 too but I can’t stop playing BORDERLANDS to check–help). Don’t believe me? Here’s the proof.

(that’s the documentary on the “iTunes->Movies” homepage sandwiched between NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU and some Hulk cartoon while I download the latest FRINGE).

Of course I’m biased (dear FTC, I worked on it for almost three years but I am not being compensated for this mention… but if the director wanted to buy me some tasty cupcakes I wouldn’t say “no”) but I think it’s a pretty damn good doc. Also, the “making of” was mighty interesting so I can’t wait for the behind-the-scenes book (hint, hint; nudge nudge).

1. Taken
2. Bride Wars
3. Notorious
4. 12 Rounds
5. Frost/Nixon
6. The Pink Panther 2
7. Push
8. The International
9. Traveling
10. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li
11. Fired Up
12. Deuce
13. The Taking of Pelham 123
14. Coraline
15. Knowing
16. Dragonball: Evolution
17. Miss March
18. 500 Days of Summer
19. Duplicity
20. Fast & Furious
21. Watchmen
22. Battle for Terra
23. Alien Trespass
24. Wolverine
25. Angels & Demons
26. Obsessed
27. Monsters vs. Aliens
28. Away We Go
29. Night at the Museum 2
30. Year One
31. Star Trek
32. Terminator Salvation
33. The Ugly Truth
34. Crank: High Voltage
35. Land of the Lost
36. Up
37. My Life in Ruins
38. Ice Age 3D
39. War Eagle, Arkansas
40. Drag Me to Hell
41. The Hangover
42. I Love You Beth Cooper
43. 9
44. Taking Woodstock
45. Post Grad
46. Bandslam
47. District 9
48. The Hurt Locker
49. Bruno
50. Adam
51. Jennifer’s Body
52. Julie & Julia
53. 2012
54. Inglorious Basterds
55. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
56. Sorority Row
57. The Stepfather
58. A Serious Man
59. All About Steve
60. The White Ribbon
61. Get Low
62. Fame
63. Zombieland
64. Old Dogs
65. Couples Retreat
66. Michael Jackson’s This Is It
67. Tooth Fairy
68. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
69. The Informant!
70. Men Who Stare at Goats
71. The Road
72. Astro Boy
73. Where the Wild Things Are
74. Santa Buddies
75. New Moon
76. Paranormal Activity
77. Planet 51
78. Alvin & The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel
79. Avatar
80. Did You Hear About The Morgans?
81. Born To Be A Star
82. Creed Live
83. Legion
84. Nine
85. Sherlock Holmes

As usual, the ones without reviews were watched for work. For the morbidly curious, this is my workstation.

(Why is it so dark? Because I work in a full sized screening room.)

If I had to pick my five favorite flicks of the year, they’d be (in no particular order):

1. District 9
2. Up
3. The Hangover
4. Star Trek
5. Inglorious Basterds

Q: What movie did I watch more than any other?

A: AVATAR = 27 times!
Runner up: ICE AGE 3D = 22 times!

Call me crazy but I’ve been so close to the century mark for a couple years now that I think I’m gonna make that one of my goals for 2010.

And yeah, I know you just called me “crazy”. You’re not the first.

That’s why my two films of the decade aren’t even a couple of my favorites.

The first is this major studio release:

The second is this Indiewood import:

So why these two? I think they encapsulate major trends in the market and the collective psyche. In the case of SPIDER-MAN, I think this film kicked off the comic-book-to-movie explosion of this past decade. Yes, I know the X-MEN movie came out first but this one earned 5 times what that flick reaped and I think I know why? It boils down to two things. One, it was the first major blockbuster after the event that defined our decade. Two, the scene where the Green Goblin is wailing on Spider-Man and then out of nowhere bystanders start pelting the bad guy with garbage and yelling, “We’re New Yorkers! We protect our own!” I swear to you I saw people light up and cry at that very moment. In the fantasy of this movie, and in the pit of our hearts, that’s who we wanted to be. That’s what we needed to feel. That’s how we want to see ourselves.

As for 28 DAYS LATER, this film was about our fear of others, the unknown, the looming man-made apocalypse, chemical and biological warfare, even the air we breathe. It was our collective mistrust morphed into rage. Plus it kicked off the whole running zombie thing which launched an avalanche of a revival in the genre. Just look at all the comics and awesome games like LEFT 4 DEAD or how about an awesome flick like the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake. I don’t think we’d have any of those if it weren’t for Danny Boyle‘s post apocalyptic nightmare.

Okay, time for you thoughts, questions and violent dissent.