Thanks to my London vacation and all the amazing stories that came from it (well, I thought they were amazing, anyway), it's been more than a month since I last gave you more of my top 100 movie list. So, picking up where I left off.
40. Lars and the Real Girl. I spoke highly of this movie here on the blog when I first saw it. Ryan Gosling gives a powerhouse performance, projecting so much personality onto an inanimate object that you begin to accept it as a character yourself. Certainly all the humor and heartbreak is just as genuine and effective.
39. For the Bible Tells Me So. I don't know that I've really seen what could fairly be called "a lot" of documentaries, but I've seen enough that I feel this statement should have weight: this documentary is the best I've ever seen. This detailed look, in proper context, at what the Bible says on the subject of homosexuality ought to be required viewing for anyone who uses religion as a shield for bigotry. And it also ought to be required viewing for anybody who would write off those people as a "lost cause"; the film shows that hearts and minds can be changed. I believe it can also be a source of support and inspiration for closeted gays or lesbians struggling to come out. I was in that place myself when I first wrote about the movie. And while there were other, more important factors than a mere movie that led to me opening up a few months later, I certainly found the film to be a sort of warm hug in a cold and lonely place.
38. Doubt. I raved about this movie when I first saw it in theaters. It has sharp writing, insightful and faceted. It has strong characters, and a thought provoking ending. And the cast is simply phenomenal -- Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis are all at the top of their game here. Not an easy watch, but a deeply rewarding one.
37. In the Loop. Here's yet another movie I've praised before on the blog. This British political comedy is sharp, acidic, fast-paced, and above all, riotously funny. The creator of this is the man behind the new HBO series Veep. And while I find that show to also be quite funny (and cast very much in the same mold), this film is simply superb.
36. Gone Baby Gone. At the risk of repeating myself, this is also a movie I've written about before. I'd lamented that Good Will Hunting made me wish Ben Affleck had pursued writing more than acting. This movie makes me glad he's taken up directing instead. It's by far the best of the adaptations I've seen of author Dennis Lehane's novels, a depressing and challenging moral morass that leaves all the characters scarred. That type of movie isn't everyone's cup of tea, I know, but I thought it was brilliant.
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