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The beginning of the year is when most publications send out their "best of" lists from the previous year. No disrespect to 2003's quality fare, but we'd rather take a peek at what the future of film-watching may have in store for us.
Check out our top ten list of films we've never seen but certainly hope to in the Year of Our Lord 2004 A.D.
Tarnation
Francis Ford Coppola is famously quoted as saying that "...suddenly, one day some little fat girl in Ohio is going to be the new Mozart and make a beautiful film with her father's camcorder and for once, the so-called professionalism about movies will be destroyed, forever, and it will really become an art form."
Jonathan Caouette might not be a fat girl from Ohio, but he is a young gay man
from Texas who, on a budget of around $128.00 dollars, and a hodge-podge of photos,
home movies, phone messages, and re-enactments, has created a documentary about
his relationship with his schizophrenic mother that has inspired effusive praise
from the likes of Gus Van Sant. Could be all hype, but when the film guide at
Sundance calls a no-budget homemade documentary made with Apple's consumer-focused iMovie software a "masterpiece," our curiosity is piqued.
The Life Aquatic
Production stills from Wes Andersen's latest film, being shot in legendary Italian
film studio Cinecittá (think Fellini, DeSica) include pictures of Bill Murray
in a funky "10,000 Leagues Under the Sea" style sea explorer's get–up, flanked
by the director's regular cast of ne'er do wells. Rumors on the film's contents
include
stop-action animation from the guys who did "Nightmare Before Christmas," albino
dolphins and loads of surreal underwater creatures. Simply can't wait.
Dogville
Lars Von Trier's studio-bound tale of hard luck America has made the rounds on the festival tour, with the director's wild commentary and austere filmmaking aesthetics have inspired endless commentary. "Dogville" hits the screens at the European Union Film Festival at the Siskel Center in March and will receive a wide release later in the year. We can't help but remember seeing Von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark" in the theaters, when a roomful of grown men and women were reduced to racking sobs by Bjork's astounding performance and Von Trier's emotionally unsettling sense of visual immediacy. You either love Von Trier or you hate him, which is a pretty good sign that he's doing something right.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
While the appearance of Jim Carrey isn't always a sign of quality, early production stills and the presence of French director Michel Gondry, whose music video work with bands like Massive Attack and Bjork (Human Behavior) was showcased at this year's RESfest, make for an intriguing offering.
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