Well, I know it’s April (late? me?) but a list of the best films of the last decade might gain from the calm and hope of Spring as the roar of the holidays and awards season has subsided.

 

Why do I write these things? I don’t know. It gives me pleasure to share this art that I feel so deeply passionate about even as I clarify my view of it for myself.

 

You can jump right in or give yourself the thrill of suspense by scrolling to the bottom and making your way back up to #1!

 

And now we can

Well, 2009 wasn’t exactly an exciting year at the movies but neither was it devoid of a little greatness. I didn’t see an overall thematic thread to the past year’s releases but I am seeing other strong patterns in the last ten years or more that has increased in its intensity at a slow but persistent level. So as we begin a new decade in cinema, I’d like to ask a basic question…

 

When did the movies lose their joy?

 

Can you even remember the last time you felt pure, total joy at the movies?

Just a moment to discuss the greatness of The Blind Side, which I finally saw last night. Imagine, if it hadn't been nominated for Best Picture as well as being the front-runner for Best Actress, I never would have had any interest in this movie for as long as I lived. Let's begin.

 

Why The Blind Side Is Brilliant:

 

#1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINALLY! A movie for and by rich, white, southern Americans. Year after year we have to sit through violent, immoral, arty trash like There Will Be Blood, Into

While I can sympathize (if not empathize) with the experience of being accosted by mediocrity at every turn, I felt Olson’s attitude to be a glaring symptom of several real problems in the current creative atmosphere.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes (yes, I’m

This is getting ridiculous. As a Canadian citizen living in the U.S., I'd like to offer the following clarifications:

 

In Canada,

 

I have always had my choice of physician.

 

I have never experienced any delay in treatment more than a reasonable few minutes in the waiting room.

 

I have never had to wait for a hospital bed, nor do I know anyone else who has either.

 

I have never met anyone in Canada who traveled elsewhere for treatment. In fact, when Canadians visit the U.S., they take out

Welcome to the fifth annual Alex Awards! I’m running late this year so I’ll be brief. 2007 remains the single most mind-blowing year for cinema of my adult life. It’s unfair to have expected more of the same in ’08 but even if half the films this past year had been nearly as good as There Will Be Blood, Zodiac, The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford, No Country For Old Men, Into the Wild and A Mighty Heart, we’d be in the midst of a new golden age. Alas, it was not to be.