AROUND this time of year, critics start getting asked to providetop-10 lists for the year. This is a seasonal tradition that - likethe backward lurch of the clock, and the manifestation of mince piesin Sainsbury's - tends to stimulate a panicked sense of incipientancientness, and generalised decay, and time's winged chariotrushing by, and NOTHING GETTING DONE.
Has it really been a year? Since I was arguing with everyone Imet about Vera Drake? Since Brad and Jen still represented oneheart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth?
Since the question, "So, what's good at the moment?" could beeasily answered, regardless of who was asking it, using the words,"The Incredibles"?
Perhaps the particularly fleetfooted passage of this year hassomething to do with its failure to offer much in the way ofenduring cinematic product. Nothing seems to have hung around forlong; nothing seems to have carried that much weight. Big auteurs -Soderbergh, Stone, Scott - have fumbled it. Big sequels - Ocean'sTwelve, Be Cool, The Revenge of the Sith - finally failed to carrymuch weight. Even apparent box-office shoo-ins such as Michael Bay'sThe Island and Ron Howard's Cinderella Man have failed to perform;while much-anticipated foreign imports such as AVery LongEngagement, The Chorus, The Sea Inside and 2046 didn't live up toexpectations.
Unifying "event movies", talked about by all, have been ratherfew and far between; and though the response to War of the Worldsfelt histrionic at the time, who really feels as if they'll ever seeit again? No, on the whole, it's been a year of spin-offs, sequels,and other old rope, without an unexpected breakthrough hit, or a non-negotiable new star, or a groundbreaking Brit-flick, or even aheadline-hitting documentary to write home about. The rapturousresponse to the lovable indies Sideways and Me and You and EveryoneWe Know, and the affection extended to blockbusters Serenity,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Batman Begins, says somethingabout the paucity of the competition, as well as the quality ofthose films. This year, any film with a spark of intelligence orhumanity has felt like a precious commodity.
Observe the reaction to Lucile Hadzihalilovic's Innocence for anexample of luke-warm achievement being over-praised in the absenceof significant competition.
Perhaps the sense of downturn is related to the pace oftechnological change. As the fear of piracy edges studios inexorablytowards simultaneous cinema, DVD and internet film releases, thevery concept of the uniquely cinematic cultural event would appearto be under threat.
In such a year, it falls to film festivals to remind us of thesheer range and diversity of movies still being produced, and thepossibility of gems being overlooked, and the existence of futurepromise. Some of my favourite films from this year's EdinburghInternational Film Festival don't have UK distribution; a festivalcan be your only chance to see something that's about to slipthrough the commercial net. Needless to say, festivals also providea nice little celebration of the old-fashioned glamour of the form,by supplying such vital props as stars, and red carpets, and guestlists, and strict press embargoes.
So it is that even at the end of a none-too-inspiring year, the2005 London Film Festival provides many reasons to be cheerful, orat least quietly optimistic. The London programme is always a littledauntingly vast, and has a grab-bag feel about it; but that's no badthing for those who do their research and know what they're after.Indeed, with more than 20 screenings and special events runningevery day, even the casual passer-by has a healthy chance of hittingon something good.
Some of the best work to emerge from the year's Europeanfestivals, including the Cannes Palme d'Or winner L'Enfant, Veniceentry The Constant Gardener, and Edinburgh hit Mirrormask, willscreen in the festival, alongside quality Hollywood product such asGeorge Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck, James Mangold's JohnnyCash biopic Walk the Line, and Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm.Star vehicles include John Madden's Proof, with Gwyneth Paltrow, andCameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, with Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst.
Sundance hit Hustle and Flow, starring Terrence Howard as arapper, gets its UK premiere, as does Ira Sachs's low-key dramaForty Shades of Blue, starring Rip Torn.
Other guaranteed talking points include Park Chan-wook's follow-up to Oldboy - another baroque, bizarre and ultra-violent tale ofrevenge, entitled Sympathy for Lady Vengeance - and Michael Haneke'sgrim drama Hidden, with Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche.Meanwhile, extensive programmes of new documentary, short film andnew-world cinema point the way further ahead.
Given the aforementioned changes in the film industry - theincreased might of studio PR, the sophistication of hometechnologies, the easy availability of pirate DVDs - the precisefunction and relevance of film can seem difficult to determine.Increasingly, even the flashiest and best-funded events findthemselves torn between their commitment to innovation anddiscovery, and the pressure to become mere showcases for celebrityproduct.
Inevitably, red-carpet shots of Kirsten Dunst will constitute themain source of press interest in this year's LFF, and the vastqueues for gala screenings of arthouse films won't necessarily bereplicated when those films are finally released. Still, it'sheartening that London has hauled together such a promising set offilms, and that spin-offs and sequels number few among them. It's noguarantee that next year's top-10 will be easier to write, but it isan encouraging sign.
The Times London Film Festival runs from Wednesday until November3 at various venues.
Details at www. lff. org. uk
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