The Fille Files (January 29 - February 11)

Each week, the Filles bring you some of our favourite films finds of the week—news, reviews, features, interviews, tweets, new releases, etc.—just in case you missed them.

REEL GREAT READS

• 50 Greatest Lord Of The Rings Moments (Total Film) - If you love LotR, as one of us filles does, you will love this. A quick run through some of our favourite moments in the trilogy amid all the hype about The Hobbit. (But of course, us LotR fans will also watch all three again before December.)
• 5 Big Questions for Movie Geeks in 2012 (Screen Rant) - Very important questions for very nerdy people, including Q's about The Hobbit, The Avengers and other great and geeky movies.

Oscar Countdown, Day 2: Inception

Counting down the hours until Hollywood's most golden of awards galas? So are we! Semi-obsessively. Join us at noon for the next ten too-long days as we mentally prep our Oscar pool ballots and give each of this year's Best Picture nominees a once over and half.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

INCEPTION

THE RUNDOWN: A team of high profile criminals (Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy), lead by a talented-yet-totally-damaged man named Cobb (Leo DiCaprio), attempt to change a business man's (Cillian Murphy) mind. Literally. They try to manipulate his thoughts by entering his subconscious and infiltrating various levels of his dreams. But how far can they go without losing their own heads?

WHY IT'S GOLDEN: Inception is a surreal spiral into world after world that forces you think about thoughts. It's a beautiful, emotional narrative with stunning visual effects, a talented ensemble cast and gorgeous cinematography that you'd wish you could freeze-frame and hang on your wall. It's mainstream artsy film that feels neither mainstream nor artsy. This film pulled audiences in with the completely ambiguous, silent trailer of things tilting over, people drifting through air and very serious, slit-eyed expressions. What film can raise expectations so high then completely whoosh past them? - Michelle

WHY IT'S NOT: Personally, I was pretty enthralled by this pipe dream of summer blockbuster—metaphysics at the mindless movies, who woulda thunk?! But many of of my fellow moviegoers had one mega-complaint: it was just too damn long. And I kinda agree. Did they really need to be on that winter level for so long? I mean, let's face it, when Leo and ice get together, disaster is bound to ensue. But seriously, Chris Nolan could have trimmed out about 10 minutes and our minds would have remained fully fucked. - Emily

THE FINAL VERDICT: Inception is this year's Inglourious Basterds. We're all convinced the instant cult classic doesn't have a real shot at winning but we're glad to see a film so awesome getting recognition.

Check out Emily's original review of Inception here! Tomorrow: Toy Story 3!

Michelle's Top 10 of '10: Part 2

5. Kites 

Technically, Kites is a Bollywood film, though with its mix of Hindi, Spanish and English, it's not so obvious. And almost by absolute necessity as a Bollywood export, this film is also a love story. But before you start to draw assumptions, let me straighten this out: this is not your typical Bollywood love story. OK, yes, it's overly dramatic and highly unlikely and at times, predictable, but it's really a film about true love to the nth degree in all it's purity and commitment. It's the odd film that comes along every so often to quench the thirst of hopelessly romantic cinefilles. The love between Jay (Hrithik Roshan) and Natasha (Barbara Mori) is so real and palpable that the film goes to surreal extremes to express it. Let me put it this way. This film is depicts true love in the most humanly way: it shows us what really happens when your heart explodes.

4. Splice

Science is frightening. Not just because I'm not very good at it, but because of the outcomes it can yield. In the case of Splice, that's a cross-human hybrid: a creature that loves and learns and feels, just like we do, though is not quite like us. This film is about boundaries and where exactly those boundaries exist. In this, it brings into question what exactly it means to be human - or not. It's an extremely unnerving film. It's disturbing and terrifying, though beautiful in it's ability to prod us with questions: Should this creature exist? Is this an experiment? Or has this become a relationship? Is this a being that needs to be loved? Or should this creature be killed? And where exactly did we cross the point of no return? 

3. Chloe

If you're on the fence about Amanda Seyfried, Chloe can almost surely set you straight (though may do the opposite sexuality-wise). I'm not sure I can describe her role better than I have before:

"Chloe is a spider. She weaves together a strangely sticky, embroidered web between relationships, imagination and suspicions, inviting unsuspecting prey to step foot in her domain, but along the way, gets caught herself. Seyfried is chilling as the closely-shadowing weaver. She's convincing and expressive as Chloe, who we see as old beyond her years but not hardened. She's fragile but brazen."

Working with Seyfried are the also brilliant Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, tightening dramatic tension throughout the entire film until it's ready to snap.

2. Nowhere Boy

This John Lennon biopic is about the Beatles, despite what you may have heard. Can you honestly say that a film about one-half of possibly the greatest song-writing duo ever, who wrote the majority of The Beatles' songs, making them an international phenomenon, is not a film about the Beatles? But Beatles fans aside, what makes this film engaging is the whirlwind of confusing and dramatic family dynamics in Lennon's (Aaron Johnson) life in the midst of his adolescent, although mature, life. It's not really a film about the music (though there are a few scenes that hint at the brilliance to come), it's a film about the fragments that made the man who made the music. You do not need to be a Beatles fan to love this film (though I admit, it does help), you just need a taste for family secrets, hidden lives and watching loved ones break each others' hearts.

1. Inception

I like to think. And Inception is a film for those who hobby thinking: For those who stay up late at night in bed running through what ifs, hows and whys, this film is just for you. There is so much at work in this film that helps to create such a beautiful masterpiece that maybe I should just spew it all out: talented ensemble cast, gorgeous cinematography, brilliantly layered narrative, stunning visual effects... If you're asking for more, you're insane. While the world we see in this film is like a puzzle, the film itself a set of fragmented shards that fit together perfectly, though welcomes the viewer to pick them apart.

All photos: allmoviephoto.com

Emily's Top 5 of Summer '10

When you think summer, you probably think sun, sand, shorts and Sandy and Danny doing falsetto in the quad (well, maybe not the last one). When I think summer, I think great movies. When it's too hot to even think about being outside (or even when it's not), there's nothing better than grabbing a ice-cold Coke, a few like-minded friends and a light cardi (A necessity nowadays thanks to Cineplex's ridic AC settings) and plopping down for a two-hour cinematic vacay. And this past summer has given us some instant classics, at least on a totally guilt-free This-is-So-Freakin'-Entertaining level.

5) Piranha 3D 

Yes, yes. It's ridiculous. But in the most perfect way possible. I don't know about you, but I think every summer needs movies like this. We usually have to sit through movies that are unintentionally campy and emotionless during the hot-ass holiday season, but it's rare to find one that is overtly conscious of the fabulous frivolity. Or that features a feral fish eating and regurgitating a runaway peen.  Piranha 3D may not be Oscar-worthy, but it was the most fun I've had at the movies all summer. And I'm not the only one who thinks so - it's got a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes! Here's hoping Machete amps up the excitement for the terribly awesome trend and makes Hollywood realize that crass acts aren't so bad after all. In fact, they're delicious.

Photo: Worstpreviews.com 

4) The Other Guys

A few months back, I was sure I was going to guffaw my way through Summer 10'.  There seemed to be some really cool, indie comedies coming out (Cyrus, The Kids Are All Right) and well, that new Adam Sandler flick (I don't even dare speak it's name now). Unfortunately, none of those seemingly-destined-for-major-post-popcorn-quotage fllicks really managed to tickle my funny bone. So when The Other Guys came out, I assumed the worst, anticipating the awful aftertaste of recycled comedic cheese. I was SO wrong. Dirk Diggler + Ron Burgundy = the funniest movie of the summer, hell, maybe even the year.

Photo: Allmoviephoto.com

3) Inception 

Although I usually bow down to low-brow flicks during beach season, I also make a point to find at least one thought-provoking drama. Usually that requires several trips to a seriously-out-of-the-way rep cinema and a majorly open mind. But this year, I just had to drive to the closest Cineplex.  Two years after giving us the brilliant Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan brought us the perfect summer thinker's movie - Inception.  With it's wickedly in-depth script, way-too-real special effects and award-bait cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Caine, Marion Coittilard, Ellen Page), Inception blew every pretentious art house movie out of the water, making me, and billions of others, question their sense of blockbusters, gravity and personal reality. I mean, am I really writing this right now? Or am I knee-deep in subconscious sabotage? LEO!?

Photo: Allmoviephoto.com

2) Scott Pilgrim vs. the World 

Inception may have changed the way I think about reality, but Scott Pilgrim vs. the World did something even cooler - it changed the way I see movies. I may never be able to enjoy a movie again without overhead onomatopoeias explaining every karate chop, head bang and phone call. Or a pee bar regulating the main character's bathroom break. Or 3D hearts flowing out from under a stolen kiss. Or a famous laugh track randomly interrupting a seemingly unfunny conversation.There are just so many things about Scott Pilgrim we've never seen on-screen before, which is way too uncommon these days. The ads claim it's an "epic of epic epicness" and I couldn't agree more. Make you see it before it becomes too cult cool for you.

Photo: Allmoviephoto.com

1) Toy Story 3

A perfect ending to a perfect series. Two words: Spanish Buzz.

Michelle's Top 5 of Summer '10

For me, this summer was all about trippy films, be it 3D, mind games or lab experiments gone wrong in every way. Most times it was about being charmed by a beautiful idea, but sometimes it just felt good to be a little girl again. It was like a unconventional summer stay-cation, visiting times and concepts and oddities. Don't forget to pack your thinker!

5) Toy Story 3

Definitely one of the most anticipated films of the summer, led-up to with Toy Story and its sequel and brought back to theatres in 3D. The first two successful films weren't originally done in 3D and it seemed kind of risky to put the third out in 3D given all the major 3D failures lately. It's just that much sweeter when a film rocks it against doubts. But this film couldn't have done it for me without Barbie (Jodi Benson) and Ken (Michael Keaton), cracking jokes about Ken's all too obvious unmanliness and his destined love with Barbie.

Photo: allmoviephoto.com

4) Despicable Me

Steve Carell and Jason Segel is more than enough to sell a film but when it comes to kids films, we expect something corny, especially when it's about a two supposed evil masterminds and three chipmunk-cheeked little girls selling cookies. Doesn't leave much room for jokes for the parents but for those of us who are still secretly a five-year-old version of ourselves, this film was just right. I mean, come on, silly faces and sounds are still funny.

Photo: allmoviephoto.com

3) Mr. Nobody

This film was all about possibilities. What could have been? What was? They're both meshed in this film. It's an idea so limitless-ly fulfilling that it's depressing, if that even makes sense. Not that it's easy to understand much of the film itself. It's a futuristic utopian/dystopian film set to make us appreciate the way we live our lives right now, but also reminding us of the choices we've had in our own lives. In other words, it's a film for those who hobby thinking.

Photo: teaser-trailer.com

2) Splice

This film's beauty was in its unpredictability. Like Mr. Nobody, the film played with a utopian/dystopian idea: What if we could create animal-human hybrids? The results were repulsive, sweet, terrifying and sexy. This idea was intertwined with the story of a young couple going through their young couple woes but totally shaken up by this new being in their lives. In simplest terms, this film is very, very weird and discomforting. But some of us love that kind of thing.

Photo: allmoviephoto.com

1) Inception

How awesome is it when your most anticipated film of the summer actually meets your expectations? Come on. Who doesn't want to a see a film set in imaginations of stunningly unfamiliar worlds where the earth can fold over above or people can die but don't really die or where you can pry through others' thoughts? Just wow. Beautiful idea, great execution and a cast that fits almost seamlessly together. What more could you ask for? And not that I'm an Ellen Page fan but I like to root for my Canadians and this film seemed like a step, albeit a baby step, away from her usual troubled teenager role and into the clever college student role. Who knows, maybe next we'll see her a struggling young adult.

Photo: allmoviephoto.com