Favourite Older Films (2010)

Here is my list of my favourite films reviewed this year.

Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)

“Ottawa is often called the “town that fun forgot.” I might have agreed with the epithet based on my own years of solid, empirical (boring, boring, boring) research, until I saw Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter, an outrageous, riotous, certifiable film shot entirely in the quiet, unassuming city of Ottawa.”

Let The Right One In (2008)

“At a dinner party earlier in the year, I described Let the Right One In as a vampire movie made by Ikea – complete with clean lines, modern color schemes, and you get to make your own ending with an Allen key. I did this for a cheap laugh. As the days and weeks wore on, I felt shame. Let the Right One In is a deeply affecting movie that stays with you a long, long time after the bleak Swedish credits role.”

The Wrong Guy (1997)

“This hilarious film is based very loosely on Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (1956) featuring Henry Fonda about an innocent man accused of a crime he did not commit. In The Wrong Guy’s case, Nelson Hibbert (Foley) merely thinks he is being hunted for the stabbing murder of his boss (Kenneth Welsh) while absolutely everyone — including law enforcement, his fiancée, everyone at his office – knows Hibbert is completely innocent. During Hibbert’s pointless escape from justice, he inadvertently finds himself hot on the trail of the real killer played by a super cool Colm Feore.”

Persepolis (2007)

“Eccentric, hilarious, troubling and wise, Persepolis is a child’s take on war and war’s many victims. Based on the black-and-white graphical novels of the same name, Persepolis is autobiographical look at a young girl living in Iran during the final days of the Shah and the rise of the Islamic regime. Persepolis author and director Marjane Satrapi gives us a view into her early life and young adulthood that is intimate and heart-breaking.”

Mongol (2007)

“The first in a trilogy about the life of Genghis Khan, Mongol is an insanely compelling movie about the infamous leader – from his boyhood to the early days as Khan of a unified Mongol nation. Yes, Genghis Khan’s life was nasty and brutish (if not short) but I have to admit I’m dying to see more. The next instalment The Great Khan is due out this year.”