Film is the ultimate art form. And of course, undeniable escapism. But what about the integrity and value of the product being sold to the movie-going consumer these days? Is escapism destroying the art form? Is the balance as it has always been?

The top-ten highest grossing movies of any year always tell the story of the state of film at that time. In 2011, the last instalment of the Harry Potter franchise was of course at the top of the list. Following Harold was the third Transformers film, the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean, the fifth Twilight, the second Kung Fu Panda, the fourth Mission Impossible (admittedly quite good), the fifth Fast And The Furious and the second Hangover…!

Now that is nothing more than a list of the next generation of a product. Like an iPhone. Same shit, slightly different content.

Twenty years ago, in 1991, the highest grossing film was also a sequel – James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Yet it was the only sequel on a top ten list that also included The Silence Of The Lambs, JFK and Cape Fear – films of real worth. (But, to be fair, the list also included Hook, The Addams Family, Hot Shots! and the now seriously dated Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.)

I can’t seriously sit here and claim that the driving force behind film studios is not money. Of course it is. My real concern is that film audiences are becoming less discerning when it comes to quality. People seem more content to watch more of the same (sequels to an existing franchise) than something different. And if this trend continues, we may see less great films of true originality being made in the years to come.

There were some great films released in 2011. Lars VonTrier, despite his Hitler comments at Cannes, produced another great work in Melancholia. Woody Allen served up his best film in years with Midnight In Paris. Kevin Smith tried something different and almost succeeded with his off-beat horror film Red State. Margin Call and The Ides Of March proved that decent drama is not yet dead. The much-maligned Apollo 18 breathed new life into the slowly fading mockumentary sub-genre, much like last years’ The Troll Hunter. Drive, although overrated (in this author’s opinion), at least brought something fresh to cinema. And in the case of the standard documentary, Martin Scorsese’s film on the life of George Harrison, Living In The Material World, was a stand-out for the year.

Film isn’t dead.

Yet.

And here are the ten best films I saw in 2011.

10. Rampart
Dave Brown is a psychotic, bigoted cop working the streets of LA. When he steps a few feet over the line and the knife begins to fall, he and his past are unmasked to those close to him. Gradually, he finds himself increasingly alone. Whilst Woody Harrelson’s Brown is not so much Harvey Keitel’s The Lieutenant, his caustic performance is Rampart‘s power. A great supporting cast and a script co-penned by the mighty James Ellroy provide the added depth to this nasty, relentlessly grim film.

9. Hanna
Raised in the wilderness and trained by her secret agent father, Hanna is a petite bundle of blonde lightning. Once unleashed on the civilised world, her quest for revenge becomes an educational experience. Relishing this excellent escapism requires you to look past Cate Blanchett’s hammy role, but with such a knockout performance by Saoirse Ronan, that’s not too difficult. Tight direction, and an edgy soundtrack by The Chemical Brothers, made Hanna one of the best action films of 2011.

8. The Way Back
During the Second World War, a Polish POW finds himself in a Siberian gulag with little hope of long-term survival. When he and some fellow inmates escape, they find that the wilderness they have fled into may kill them faster than the actual prison. My bias towards director Peter Weir aside, The Way Back is the kind of epic story that was once a staple of the Hollywood canon. It’s flawed and somewhat overlong (and it does sag with the departure of Colin Farrell), but it’s driven by integrity and honest performances from its strong cast.

7. Take Shelter
If ever there was evidence that the Academy Awards are now a bona fide sham, it can be found in the failure this year to nominate Michael Shannon for Best Actor. When he first turned heads in Jesus’s Son back in 1999, Shannon became the man most recognised as ‘that creepy guy’. Films like Tigerland, 8 Mile, Bug and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire have proven he is capable of embodying the sinister. But there is something else to this actor, something that was recognised a few years back when he was nominated for Revolutionary Road. In Take Shelter he truly reveals his stunning capabilities in portraying a man guided by visions of a coming apocalypse, who takes the ‘necessary’ steps to protect his family.

6. We Need To Talk About Kevin
As fellow reviewer Adam Fay said to me recently, this film may not have had the same power if Tilda Swinton was not involved. While it is certainly artistic and on occasions surreal, it is Swinton’s performance that drives this difficult movie. In fully embodying the pitiful character of Eva Katchadourian, Swinton elicits more pain and sadness than Horrible Bosses did for this writer. Jokes aside (for Kevin is no laughing matter), this psychological horror film is a dissection of genes versus environment. After seeing it, you may find yourself debating not only its merit but its subject matter for quite some time.

5. Thirteen Assassins
A bunch of disparate Samurai band together to take bloody revenge on a serious A-hole who slew their respected leader. Overly talky in the first half (the Japanese tend to love to explain everything in detail) but redeemed in the last half by a crazy forty-five minute sword fight, leading up to a wholly satisfying showdown. Not nearly as violent as some of Takashi Miike’s work, but he still manages to fill a few barrels of fake blood in what could be his most accomplished film to date. A Japanese Dirty (bakers) Dozen.

4. The Descendants
So what makes this film so good? On one hand we have a subtle performance from George Clooney and on the other a superbly adapted script from Alexander Payne and friends. This tale of a Hawaiian landowners’ attempts to connect with his children as his wife lies comatose in hospital, is the perfect example of a simple story well told, with real characters and equal doses of pathos, drama and humour. And let’s not forget the outstanding cinematography of the Hawaiian archipelago by Phedon Papamichael. It’s a damn shame that films such as The Descendants are so few and far between these days.

3. The Guard
It’s another damn shame that this little film slipped by almost unnoticed by most audiences in 2011. For The Guard is a genuine sleeper – one of those films that will garner a cult following and be recognised broadly in the years to come. At least that’s what I’d like to think. Brendan Gleeson truly delivers one of the great comic performances of the last decade or so, playing the eccentric cop of a small Irish seaside town, thrown together with an uptight FBI agent (the equally cool Don Cheadle) to solve a murder involving some philosophical drug runners. It may not sound like much (for it’s all about character and dialogue), but at every turn The Guard offers something fresh – and isn’t that what all films should aspire to in the increasingly dull arena that is cinema? (The answer is ‘yes’, if you’re unsure.)

2. Hugo
Gorgeous film about a young boy who lives inside the clock tower of the Paris metro. Eventually, he manages to help invigorate the spirit of an old man buried beneath the weight of the past. This metaphorically rich film has been hailed as director Martin Scorsese’s finest work; his masterpiece, no less. If it weren’t for GoodFellas, I’d probably have to agree. Yet this is a much different Scorsese to the man who made wiseguys look so tragically hip. Here is a director with an intimate knowledge of film, creating an ode to films and their magic through a magical film. Simply stunning on all fronts, Hugo is a joy to behold with amazing cinematography and a magnificent cast, led by Ben Kingsley and the stellar young Asa Butterfield as the title character.

1. The Tree Of Life
In a career spanning forty years, writer/director Terrence Malick has completed only five feature films. All are rooted in a sensibility that transcends the typical linear function of most cinema. Malick’s films exist in both the conscious and subconscious. He can articulate the inner voice of his characters like no other filmmaker. The Tree Of Life could be his masterwork, much like 2001: A Space Odyssey was the true masterwork of Stanley Kubrick (hell, of the 20th Century too). This is no film for fans of Fast Five. This is a deliberate exploration of the origin and meaning of life, told in Malick’s trademark meditative style. This is art, not escapism, utilising the very foundations of film as art (including the amazing old-school effects work of Douglas Trumbull). Nearly every shot could be a framed picture, such is the detail and artistic merit of this awesome work (and I don’t use the word ‘awesome’ in its true sense very often). If any “Artist” should have won an Oscar this year, it was Malick.

by Wadrick Jones

If you’re a cat lover and love what you see, I’d really appreciate your help in seeing this design get printed by Threadless… please sign up on the Threadless site and vote 5. Should the design get printed, I’ll be giving away a few of these tees here on the GritFX Magazine, and via our Facebook Page and twitter account.

The Kitty Inside - Vote 5!

Meow…
Manz

Not only that, event planners, Kelly Murphy (of Saucewear) and Amy Fiedler (of Winky Boo) are organising a charity raffle where all proceeds will be going to a Boston charity, Birthday Wishes. GritFX are proud to be a part of that and have donated our autographed LOST tee – signed by 13 cast members of the hit TV show!

Find out how you can make this tee yours by visiting the Tee Gazette post “Boston Tee Party Charity Raffle Donation #1 – Autographed LOST Tee“.

Boston Tee Party Charity Raffle Donation #1 - Autographed LOST Tee

As part of 2012, I plan to take a photo a day and today I would like to share image #1 – today’s laundry!

As you can see I own some great tees by some of GritFX’s talented peers… and amongst today’s washing is a very special tee given to me by the #12DaysXmas crew!

The 2nd Annual 12 Days Of Christmas event was one you wouldn’t have wanted to miss and was a great success due to the wonderful people involved. I had a fantastic time working on the event with Tee Gazette’s Kelly and Jared and the three of us were speechless at the generosity of the 12Dayers.

My thanks goes out to each and every one of them!

They really are a great bunch of designers & artists with great tees on offer… so next time you ask yourself “Where do I pick up a tee for 2012?”, check out the following (listed in alpha order)…

Tees To Be Seen In During 2012

Seeing as though it’s that time of year, I thought I’d share a few of my favourite Xmas albs. So deck the halls, slap some grog in the fridge, and let’s spin some festive sides…

Keely Smith – A Keely Christmas (1960)

Keely Smith is one of the great unsung singers/performers/comediennes of that cool Vegas/Rat-Pack era of music. She was one hep-cat. As side-woman to Louis Prima she was the poker-faced foil for the hip swinging Prima to bounce off and be-bop around. They were a dynamic duo, and all their recordings are super-cool and well worth devoting time to. But Keely also made many solo records from the late 50s to the mid-60s. This is one of my favourite Christmas albums. Her interpretation of these classic carols is right up there with Bing, Frank and Dino (whose Xmas albs are the thing of legend). Those smooth Nelson Riddle arrangements are as sublime as ever, and Keely matches each vibe perfectly. From the fun renditions of “Jingle Bells”, “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”; to the Hawaiian “Christmas Island”; to the timeless cozy beauty of “White Christmas”, “Silent Night” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”; she nails every one. This is one for those nights leading up to Christmas, when you need that warm instant hit of the Xmas spirit. You can’t go wrong.

Low – Christmas (1999)

This came out around the time I was getting into Low, which is cool because it has stayed one of my favourite albs/EPs of theirs. I actually noticed “Just Like Christmas” being used in an ad on TV the other day, and I thought: Oh well, it’s only taken people 12 years to wise up to what a great band they are, and what a great song it is. Better late than never, I suppose. This EP is a mix of original and traditional Xmas songs. Low’s music suits the more hallowed tone of the traditional songs. Their renditions of “Silent Night” and “Blue Christmas” are not a big stretch, and they seem to absorb them easily, turning them into signature Low songs. And their “Little Drummer Boy” (which is my favourite carol) is a majestic beam of heavenly sound. Low have made a career of slow, soulful, understated songs delivered with a rare delicate power. They are a seriously underrated band, with an atmosphere and emotion like no other. I’ve seen them twice (one time they even played a song off Christmas) and they are a thing to behold. At the second show we all just sat on the floor and submitted to their special meditative sound. Husband and wife duo, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker have made no secret about their own (Mormon) faith, which always added some holy dimension to their minimal music. It was un-ironic and passionate and restrained. Nothing was overplayed. Everything was underplayed. Everything about them was Low. There were (many) moments of absolute perfection. There was hypnotic ambience. The music felt like it was good for you. It felt like going to church (in fact, one of their live albums One More Reason to Forget was even recorded in one). Which is why they suit Christmas songs so well. And why their song “If You Were Born Today (song for Little Baby Jesus)” is so beautiful, with the lyric: ‘If you were born today/ We’d kill you by age eight/ Never get the chance to say/ Joy to the world/ And peace on earth/ Forgive them for they know not what they do.’ You know they mean it.

The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album (1964)

I slapped this on one Xmas and a friend of mine remarked: ‘I reckon all the Beach Boys music sounds like Christmas music’. And he was right. Brian Wilson’s righteous ambition to ‘make music that made people feel loved’ is the perfect match for the Xmas vibe. And when Brian was dealing out those inspired three or four-part harmonies to the fellas, wow, they could hit notes that were truly angelic. So it made perfect sense that they should do a Christmas Album. Side one gives us five original Beach Boys songs, all of them masterfully conjuring the festive joy of Xmas. The opener “Little Saint Nick” exchanges the “Little Deuce Coup” rhythm and you’re soon cruising Xmas tunes in a large red & chrome sled. Then later they turn their talents to the classics, like the playful “Frosty the Snowman” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. But when they perform “White Christmas”, “We Three Kings of Orient Are”, and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” their harmonies will knock you on your butt – so grab that eggnog and make for the couch. All the arrangements are brilliant. It’s also a great chance to hear Brian sing some beautiful lead. He injects “Blue Christmas” with sweetness and tenderness that comes full circle when they close the album with “Auld Lang Syne” and Dennis speaks on behalf of the band, wishing ‘every one of you, a very Merry Christmas, and we hope the New Year brings you as much happiness as this year has brought us. Thank you very much.’

by Decoy Spoon

Pics: www.lyrics.com; www.roxwel.com; wikimedia.org; allposters.com; and www.johnnyferreira.com.

I can still remember going to see Flash Gordon when I was a kid. It was such a cool film. This would’ve been around 1981, I would’ve been about seven, and it blew my mind. I learnt a lot too. I came out thinking: I have to remember that (1.) One can throw metallic footballs at oncoming baddies (2.) Beware of men named Ming (and 3.) Never stick your hand into a big hollowed-out tree trunk. (All films are essentially documentaries when you’re a kid. These were life lessons.)

But I would also come away singing: ‘Flash!…ahh-ahh!…saviour of the universe!’ What a theme song! I didn’t know jack about music at the time, all I knew was that big sound (which I would learn was a guitar) sounded like a roaring jet-propelled spaceship zooming through those kaleidoscopic skies. (I still think of Brian May’s guitar-sound that way.) I didn’t know anything about women either, really, but I knew there was something about Ornella Muti that I liked. And I didn’t know anything about acting, but I thought Sam Jones was up there with (my other big screen heroes) Clint Eastwood or Harrison Ford or Gil Gerard. I figured they all probably knew each other and hung out and went to restaurants. I mean, why wouldn’t they?

A few years later my family moved from Brisbane to Sydney and one of the first films I remember seeing in my new hometown was Highlander (I can’t remember the order, but Top Gun, Back to the Future, Aliens and Platoon were up there too) and Queen were back again supplying songs for the soundtrack. ‘Here we are…born to be kings…we’re the princes of the universe!’ That’s how you start a film. I was learning again too. (1.) In lieu of stitches, safety pins can be used to suture deep neck wounds (2.) A trench coat and samurai sword are the ultimate fashion statement (and 3.) It’s better to burn out than to fade away. There was no official soundtrack released at the time, so A Kind of Magic became both their 1986 studio alb and the unofficial soundtrack to Highlander. I got it on cassette and I played the living hell out of it. Queen became my full-on ‘tennis-racquet-in-front-of-the-mirror’ band. (Even now, they still inspire flamboyant air-guitar and fist-punching like no other band.) This was before I had a real concept of band and albums – this was all I had of theirs, so it was just on loop for months and months.

In my late teens I would return and delve deeply into their entire catalogue. Freddie Mercury died just as I was finishing school (November 1991) and it made me dig out that tape again, and from then on, Queen became a more serious musical thing in my life…something sacred and untouchable. They were in my blood. I came to love all their albums: Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, News of the World, Jazz, Flash Gordon, The Game, The Works, The Miracle, Innuendo…what a body of work. (And Hot Space, still has “Under Pressure”. And considering the circumstances, [the posthumously released] Made in Heaven is still a pretty strong album with some standout songs.) But for all those great albums, if I was forced to choose one to represent the whole, it would be A Kind of Magic.

Their appearance at Live Aid in 1985 is now the thing of legend. Queen had just finished touring The Works and had enjoyed sold-out shows all over the world, but the response of the Wembley crowd obviously energised the band and they gave an incredible show-stealing performance. It’s twenty minutes of rock perfection and a 101 on how to command a stage and move a crowd of 72,000 (check it out on Youtube). Some big names played that day…and they were all redundant by the end (poor ol’ Bowie had to follow them, and it seemed like a cabaret act from the local pub). When Queen sang ‘we are the champions of the world’ it was just a simple truth.

Reinvigorated by Live Aid, they wrote “One Vision”, which blasts out of the gathering-storm-clouds and ignites the Magic album. (This song actually classed-up the 1986 film Iron Eagle. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it, even Louis Gossett Jr. is still trying to figure out how it spawned three sequels.) The rest of the songs seem equally imbued with that same energy and inspiration. They were on fire. The title track became another hit single, and the epic “Who Wants to Live Forever” became (like so many Queen songs) a stadium-sized anthem. Ditto for “Friends Will Be Friends”. Bassist John Deacon (who is one of the most underrated bass players in the history of rock) wrote the two underrated tracks “One Year of Love” and “Pain is So Close to Pleasure”. The songs “Gimme the Prize” and “Princes of the Universe” are the immortal head-chopping Highlander tracks. And some fans might balk at “Don’t Lose Your Head”, but it’s saved by Freddie’s vocals and the glossy 80s production (and themes of decapitation) which keeps it in touch with the rest of the album. So despite being the weakest link, it’s not out of place on the album.

Queen took prog’s cerebral bookish head and reattached it to its body, then gave it a nervous system via strong melodies delivered with a maximum of passion and heart-pumping surges of adrenal energy. In doing so they managed to create a unique style of rock/pop with brawn and brains.

It’s interesting to note that two months after Magic came out, Bon Jovi released Slippery When Wet, which is arguably the highpoint for big-hair and suede tassels and flying harnesses, yet (as any live footage of them at Wembley will testify) Queen had ditched the harlequin outfits and Freddie could rock rings around anyone in just his jeans and sneakers with a short-back-and-sides and a moustache. (Actually, if you wanna see some great live Queen, check out the concert in Montreal in 1981. It was released way back on VHS as We Will Rock You, but it’s been released on DVD as Queen Rock Montreal and it kicks butt. There’s also a CD of that concert, which is cool because it includes “Flash” and “The Hero” from Flash Gordon which unfortunately were cut from the concert film.)

I don’t wanna say this is their ‘best’ album, but this was the album that I played-to-death, alone in my bedroom, before I made serious friends as a teenager. I was somewhere between a kid and a teenager, realising there may be things in this world even cooler than Star Wars toys (maybe). And besides loving Flash Gordon (the song and movie), this was my gateway into Queen. So it will always be special to me. But it’s the perfect choice because it just so happens that this was also when they exploded (further) onto the world stage post-Live Aid and assumed their rightful roles as true Rock Gods…as Champions of the World.

Decoy Spoon November 2011

12 Days Of Christmas, The Sequel!

What’s not to love about the 12 Days Of Christmas – the Sequel?… 48 indie t-shirt brands; 4 surprise event participants; 12 lucky tee winners; 2 lucky bonus winners; and over $1,000 USD in prizes!

GritFX will be giving away a movie-inspired tee as part of Day 1 – the winner can pick from our Popcorn Classics range and will also go home with tees from 3 other brands! With 12 consecutive days of giveaways you’ll want to check Tee Gazette every single day… and let’s not forget about that amazing end of event bonus draw where two lucky winners will win cash and gift certificates! It doesn’t get much better than that, people…!

And it doesn’t matter if you’ve been naughty or nice this year because everyone, everywhere are invited to enter! So, um, what are you waiting for?