Ten from 2010

I recommend these ten movies as some of the best I saw this year.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) When I read the novel Perfume by Patrick Suskind some years ago I felt it was a purely literary experience which could never be adequately filmed. I am happy to find myself mistaken. Critical response at the time of its release gave me the impression that it weirded them out, that the concept was too bizarre for them to like it. Not me because I like stuff weird - not just "look how zany or gross I can be" but "how did they even think of this" type of weird . I was as pleased with the unique conception of the book as I was the beautiful execution of the film. It's about a lot of things - a man who is in a sense an innocent in that he doesn't know the crimes he commits are wrong, the folly of trying to recapture First Love, and the underesteemed power of scent to affect our thoughts and emotions.

Sleep Dealer (2008) Mexican cyberpunk? Yes, and one of the few genuinely intelligent and well-made Science Fiction movies I have seen in recent years. Takes the migrant worker phenomenon into the near future where people with bootleg neural nodes go to labor factories and plug in to operate work robots somewhere else in the world, or upload their memories to a youtube-like website which offers them up for sale. Actually has enough ideas in it for a full movie, rather than becoming an extended chase scene half-way through. The situations are complex and compelling, the characters are appealing, and the details are handled with brains and wit. Highly recommended.

Mafioso (1962) Italian black comedy. Meticulous factory supervisor revisits his folksy home town in Sicily and learns the true meaning of family. Sicilian family. Even though you know from the beginning that he is sure to end up in a terrible situation before the end of the story, it is relentlessly amusing throughout. Convincingly detailed with sunscorched cobbled streets and huge platters of amazing food. Extremely entertaining, surprising in its developments and highly rewarding overall.

Mister 880 (1950) Just about the most heartwarming story of crime and counterfeiting you will ever see. Based on a true story, about an old man in New York City who supplemented his income by passing one or two crudely designed counterfeit one dollar bills every day. His systematic and offbeat approach kept him from being captured for some ten years. Young, wavy-haired Burt Lancaster won't give in until he captures lovable kindly Edmund Gwenn. Dorothy McGuire plays The Girl but for some reason she has always passed instantly from my memory. You can have Miracle on 34th Street, this is better and you don't have to wait until December to watch it. All-around good fun for everyone.

Horrors of Malformed Men (1969) Japanese film based on the writings of Edogawa Rampo. (I continue to believe that the unavailability of his work in English translation is a global conspiracy against me personally.) This is completely indescribable and one of the strangest things I have ever seen - and you know I am no dilettante when it comes to strange.

Match Factory Girl (1990) Finnish film, directed by Kaurismaaki, in which a young woman's every attempt to find a little happiness in life is mercilessly crushed. Not as much of a downer as it sounds though, as Kaurismaaki's films, however bleak and sparse, always leave a strange feeling of calm satisfaction. His aesthetics and ideals seem to match mine precisely - I never say "I didn't like that part," or "I wouldn't have done it that way," and he obviously loves machines and industrial spaces as I do. There is no filler, and every shot is a beautiful composition, no matter what is happening. His influence on the modern Quirky Independent Film is obvious, just as obvious as the fact that they are trying to do what he does and not succeeding. The characters sit silent and immobile in a state of perpetual discomfort with life, but they are thinking and feeling beings with human souls, not goofy cartoon characters being weird for weirdness' sake. Probably only about a hundred words are spoken in this too-short, hour-long film and it makes me long for that imaginary Finland, where people aren't always yapping at you or each other or themselves.

Puzzlehead (2005) Small, quiet, intelligent SF story exploring what it means to be human. Man builds his android replica and programs it by scanning his own brain - the creation must learn to overcome the weaknesses and failings of its creator. No huge surprises, just a thoughtful, well-made character study.

Petulia (1968) Richard Lester at his peak as a creative director. One of those nutty stories about a poor schmuck whose life is knocked akilter by a crazy person. Perfectly reflects the spirit of the times in its style, technique and subject matter. Excellent casting in every role, especially the supporting work of Shirley Knight and Joseph Cotten. Howard Hesseman also appears as a dope smoking hippie. Certainly the best Lester film I have ever seen, probably the best he ever made. There is something bizarre and unexpected in every single scene.

Ghost Story of the Snow Woman [Kaidan Yuki Jorou] (1968) Chilling Japanese costume folk-tale beautifully presented. A beautiful Snow Woman kills everyone who sees her, until she falls in love with one of her prospective victims whom she spares if he vows never to speak of his experience. She takes human form and he marries her, not knowing her true nature. Very slow and formal without a lot of cheap shock, which makes her icy silent threat all the more wonderful. A lovely, sad and beautiful romantic ghost story.

Crimen ferpecto (Ferpect Crime) 2004 - Extremely witty and original Spanish murder farce. Rafael is a department-store super-salesman and ladies' man who accidentally kills his boss and is blackmailed into marriage by the only witness - the only girl on the floor who wasn't attractive enough for him to notice. Very lively and imaginative cinematography, excellent characterizations and acting, with lots of laughs. Good distraction for when you feel like you want to murder someone yourself. Outrageous colorful fun that goes places you won't expect.