Freakpit's Faves of 2006 (Top Five)

[Excerpt from the best films of 2006 on my "Tales from the Freakpit" blog]

5. BLOODY SUNDAY: A DERRY DIARY

This is yet another documentary that I saw at the Stranger Than Fiction documentary festival in Dublin in 2006. It follows the survivors and victims' families throughout the ongoing enquiry into the infamous events of one day in the early 70s when a group of British paras in Northern Ireland opened fire on a civil rights march, giving rise to one of the grimmest periods in the recent history of the troubles.

The film, made by one of the eyewitnesses herself, is not totally biased against the British - there is an acknowledgement that an IRA gunman was present and opened fire, and there is a hint that perhaps her memory of the events is not as clear as she thinks - but on the whole doesn't leave too much doubt as to which side its on, and understandably so. I'm not about to try and start a political argument here, but suffice to say the Brits do not come out of this looking good and probably with good reason.

As yet I don't believe it's had much of an outing outside of festivals and one or two TV appearances (not in this country that I know of) but it really deserves a wider audience. It was stated that when the results of the enquiry are known (expected this year) that further information will be recorded. One only hopes that when it does, someone picks the film up to distribute to the wider audience it deserves.

3. THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY

2006 was a good year for the Irish in the Freakpit, wasn't it? Ken Loach's drama following the Anglo-Irish war of Independence and two brothers who take up opposite sides in the ensuing civil war picked up the top prize in Cannes but that didn't stop it courting controversy in the British press, some of whom seemed to think it was nothing more than IRA propaganda.

The truth is that it's a gripping historical drama that is as good as anything of Loach's that I've seen, regardless of where your political leanings lie. Yes, it makes the British look like a bloodthirsty bunch of monsters but here's a newsflash for you - the British did commit countless atrocities in Ireland, so why not show them? The detractors seem to have completely missed the point that first of all it's historically accurate and, secondly, that it's not as if Loach makes the Irish out to be all sweetness and innocence.

In truth, most of the conflict arises not from the Irish fighting the English but from the Irish against Irish civil war that followed. This means nothing to some people however, but then the sort of people who would trash this film because of its political nature are probably the same sort of people who refused to watch BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN because it's "totally gay".

Freakpit's Faves of 2006 (25 to 21)

[Excerpt from the best films of 2006 on my "Tales from the Freakpit" blog]

25. THE GHOSTS OF DUFFY'S CUT

This short documentary (just under an hour if I remember correctly) is an Irish production, shot in luscious HD, telling the story of a bunch of Irish immigrants who flocked to America looking for work during the 19th century and found jobs on a stretch of railroad. Within weeks every one of them was dead, buried somewhere in an unmarked mass grave.

Part ghost story, part mystery, part historical investigation, the men behind the camera play detective in an attempt to find the bodies and work out what happened to the men who died. What they uncover is a horror story of hardship, disease, bigotry and superstition. It's fair to say that some of their findings are speculation rather than fact but they build a compelling case and the film turned out to be one of the highlights of the Stranger Than Fiction 2006 documentary festival in Dublin. I believe it was to be shown on RTE in Ireland in January too, but since January's almost over I guess there's a fair chance I've told you too late. Oh well.

The Freakpit's Favourites of 2006

[Excerpt from the best films of 2006 according to my "Tales from the Freakpit" blog]

28. RED ROAD

Andrea Arnold's feature debut has already scooped a bunch of awards, not least a prize at Cannes, and is the most critically acclaimed film to come out of Scotland in a long time (if not ever). It's a revenge movie, it's a mystery, it's an emotional drama and it's a look at the CCTV-riddled society that Scots live in. Cast and crew all do an excellent job and deserve all the praise they've received (and will receive). Turned out to be a highlight of my trip to the 2006 London Film Festival.

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

[excerpt from a post originally appearing on the blog "Tales from the Freakpit"]

If I had to list my favourite ever head-refrigerating African cannibal madman, I guess I'd pick Idi Amin. I've read about him, and I've watched a couple of films about him - the trashy film THE RISE AND FALL OF IDI AMIN (gobsmacking for many reasons, not least of which was just how much of the film's lunacy was based on real events) and the documentary IDI AMIN DADA: A SELF PORTRAIT.

Naturally then, particularly having recently read the novel, I was enthusiastically awaiting the release of THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. Adapted for the screen from the novel by Giles Foden, the film is the drama feature debut of accomplished Scottish documentary filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (who gave us TOUCHING THE VOID and the Oscar-winning ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER) and stars James McAvoy as a young Scottish doctor who finds himself acting as personal advisor to the crazed tyrant Idi Amin (a powerhouse performance by Forest Whitaker).

When a director makes his feature debut they can often end up overusing their bag of tricks to the point where the film becomes over-directed. Macdonald however has already proven himself with his documentaries however, and ends up striking the perfect balance between stylish presentation and offering a story free of artistic intrusion.

There is plenty of style on offer, to be sure - there are some documentary style touches and the most wonderfully effective use of quick zooms since the glory days of kung fu and spaghetti westerns. Macdonald manages to give the film a highly polished and distinct look while at the same time keeping it entirely separate in style from his documentaries.

As I've admitted above, I was excited about seeing this film and right from the off it grabbed me. In fact, it grabbed me even before the titles rolled, thanks to a fondness for the Fox fanfare at the start of the films. I can't help it - having spent my childhood growing up with STAR WARS and its sequels and then becoming obsessed with PLANET OF THE APES (greatest film ever made) I still get filled with child-like glee every time I sit in the cinema and that Fox fanfare comes on.

Anyway, the film itself... It's a stunner. It'll come as no surprise that large parts of the book are missing from the film - it always happens - and some of the supporting characters feature a lot less as a result. However, what is preserved on screen is certainly faithful to the book and the support characters are just that - the movie is all about Amin and Dr Garrigan, and how the latter becomes seduced by the charm and power of an evil man, to the point where he can hardly see that evil being committed (and when he does he's already in too deep).

The film has one or two moments that will make for uneasy viewing for more sensitive viewers (including one nasty scene that is alarmingly reminiscent of an infamous scene from CANNIBAL FEROX involving some metal hooks). However, it's worth it even if such things aren't your cup of tea as it's a captivating look at a fascinating man, it's a terrific thriller and it's a showcase for some great performances both in front of and behind the camera. It's a marvellous film and deserves all the accolades it gets.

Whitaker is certainly a stick-on for the Best Actor Oscar as far as I can tell, and I fully expect him to get a Golden Globe tonight too. That is, if he hasn't already. I don't know what time they're on and I don't know what the time difference is between here and America. It's just after 10pm here, so let's see... sod it, I'm off to look and see if they've started yet. Probably not, but there's not much point in me making predictions if they've already happened. Bye for now.