Top DVDs (Home Viewing) 2010

The idea of top DVD list should expand beyond the film itself: technical specifications, special features, packaging, etc. But, living in the country of easy access to pirated stuff, be it on the open black market (5 floors of pirated DVD, anyone?), or virtually through swift access of Internet downloads, the idea of home viewing shifts from exploring a rich content of original DVD to catching up with films not shown on big screen here.
It's hard to resist the temptation, indeed.
Nobody is left unexposed to this unprecedented access of latest films. If you wish to catch up with awards season, surely the city and the country here is a haven.
Taking the opposite direction myself, I am doing my best to catch up with the past, instead. Just like what I have always been doing before moving here: savoring my nights and weekends with unseen classics, from those came more than seven decades ago to recent ones, too.
What differs is the means of getting them: the abundance of these easy-to-get stuff contains some unexpected classics, and that's where I get my hands on them this year:


- The Boat that Rocked

Pardon the pun, but the film rocked from the start, and I soon found myself in the good company of men and DJs. The linking backstory of a young guy at his coming-of-age phase could have been developed better for more emotional purpose, after all, it's helmed by Richard Curtis. However, we settle for the killer 1960s playlist. What a great loving tribute to the music of the era! It's safe to say that when Curtis lends his hand on a project at human level, he will shamelessly devour his passion on the work. Think of Love, Actually. and you get the idea. It's an ode to a great music, and we'll settle for that.




- Nashville

Another music-themed film on the list, yet taking a different approach of being set in a life-like situation where events unfold with little to nothing sort of obedience to the narrative structure. In short: Altmanesque. Yes, we find overlapping dialogues, fire-cracking lines spoken by different characters at the same time. The sole moment of reflection occurs at the scene of Keith Carradine's "I'm Easy", easily the most soulful and solemn moment that brings all characters together. It is the pinnacle of the film, the easygoing attitude that culminates in a quiet moment of desperation, failure and yearning that define each one of the characters here. Interview with Robert Altman in the special features gives a rich inside look, as he always graciously did in many of his DVDs. He was indeed the great one.




- When a Woman Ascends the Stairs

The film marks my first entry to the yet undiscovered world of Mikio Naruse, perhaps the lesser known of Japanese film directors in the mid of 20th century. It is not fair to conclude anything from one title only, but seeing the fine craft of this domestic drama (the film revolves on how a woman maintains her dignity against the pressure of big city life), my hunch tells me that his works may be on par with those of Douglas Sirk's: easily dismissed on the surface level, yet underneath, it gives a vivid portrayal of how the present society works. It helps, too, that I watched the Criterion version, allowing superb technical specs to do justice to the film's outstanding quality.


- Two Lovers

How can the core premise of two women and a guy win one over? For one, I certainly was not. What drew me: Cannes selection, directed by James Gray, casts led by Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. For once, the gamble paid off. A true small-scale drama that observes each of the object in great, intimate details (the other party being Vinessa Shaw in wonderfully subtle supporting turn), the film hooks us with silence or little talks that unravel emotions underneath. For a home viewing, it is indeed a rarity to find us glued to small screen enthusiastically await for emotional bursts to happen. Do they? Watch yourself.



- Taare Zamen Par

Seeing how effective Aamir Khan as an actor and apparently, behind-the-scene force, handles a subject of education on big screen in 3 Idiots, I came across this title expecting the same. After all, I had been aware of its commercial and critical successes, as similar to 3 Idiots. But I gained more. Yes, watching Taare left me misty eyed, as I did not expect that someone in his directorial debut can give a great abundance of heart and turning an otherwise sappy drama into ... Well, let's face it, it is still sentimental, yet the dramatic moments roll out in narrative logic that is hard not to be taken to the magical and misunderstood world of Ishaan, the central character. Having a soft spot for a director who is apt at directing non-professional children, Aamir successfully turns Taare into a very human film that simply takes us to feel.


- A Face In the Crowd

It was the film I chose in the wake of Patricia Neal's passing. It was the good choice in relations to the event, but it was a better choice in the line of Elia Kazan's filmography, in relations to a special interview with the master I saw on another film. As a nail-biting satire, the story runs from sharp to heartbreaking affection that leaves me wondering: the media world never changes in the span of half a decade. As a film, it may be a star-in-the-making pad for Andy Griffith, turning his madcap character to delusional state with conviction. Yet I was more drawn to Patricia's feisty turn that never feels forced at once, and a rare quiet performance by Walter Matthau who, let's admit it, hardly received our acknowledgment as audience in his dramatic turn. For a home viewing, the film works to ponder what we just see on the tube.


- A Touch of Class

It's a comedy of errors, and yes, the fire-cracking lines fly off the wall to our delight. Add that with steely look of Glenda Jackson in her performance that, arguably, one of the strongest Academy has ever recognized, especially in the rare comedy field. Never succumbs to being a weak character, Glenda exudes, pardon the pun, the much needed touch of class for this adult-relationship comedy. The script may falter towards the concluding point, yet Glenda carries the torch with her firm persona that elevates the whole viewing experience, initially set as a lazy weekend home viewing, to that rare home viewing where you sit up straight to observe her performance.



- Make Way For Tomorrow

 This may be the most un-Hollywood film Hollywood has ever made. Featuring very old people as central characters? Hint of socialism among society shattered by economic chaos? And for film-buff: being remade by Yasujiro Ozu for his legendary Tokyo Story? It is hard not to be left unmoved and unaffected by Leo McCarey's deft direction. He swifts from heavy dramatic moments to easy breezy loving situations in subtle manners. In fact, at times Make Way feels real that we cannot help but wonder if these characters live among us. They may do, and as proven by the superb Criterion's extras, not less than film-enthusiast film director Peter Bogdanovich and film scholars believe that the dramatic film deserves a mention in the history learning of America during Depression era. As a film study, it is worth examining. As a film itself, in the famous words of Orson Welles: "it will make hearts made of stone cry."