Strong Opinion: 2007: Best Editing & Best Cinematography

BEST EDITING

1. HOT FUZZ

Of all the tech categories, picking from my Top 2 here was the toughest decision. I ultimately went with FUZZ because what they attempt, and succeed at is really difficult. The rapid cutting on display here had to work not just as an affectionate tribute, but as a superior example of overcaffinated storytelling. The opening montage sets the pace and hilariously enough, things only get too overheated during the typically dull booking sequences. The final beat is an editing joke that puts over 30 shots into a 10sec space.

2. THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM

Easily the best edited of the Bourne pictures. While the previous films sometimes sacrificed geographical coherence for editing excitement, ULTIMATUM always made sure you knew where all the different teams were. Cutting an action sequence is hard enough, but with Bourne you always have to include the Government officials watching everything from computer monitors. Handheld running also cut nicely with what I call ‘information shots’, like Bourne’s wrapped hands grabbing broken glass on a ledge or a foot that lands next to a smashed cell phone.

3. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

The film is so perfectly timed, with great tension generated from conversation as well as standoffs. Also, an excellent job keeping Tommy Lee Jones’ character tied to the narrative.

4. DEATH PROOF

Of course the car chase gets this one on the Top 10. But I put it so high because of the sustained tension during the 1st half of DEATH PROOF. Throughout Jungle Julia’s night out, there a constant feeling of danger. Reminiscent of the opening section of the original HALLOWEEN, you feel the film building towards something terrible.

5. RATATOUILLE

I don’t believe animation makes editing easier. You still need to find the right pace and tone. RATATOUILLE captures the excitement of a working restaurant. Highlights include Remy falling into the kitchen, escaping with the will, and the big night with Anton Ego.

6. 300

With every shot a painting and most of the film in slow motion, it’s to their credit that the final product is so rousing.

7. DAY WATCH

Tricky blend of fantasy storytelling and richer, more personal character struggles that you usually find in these kinds of films. There are probably as many characters with plotlines as in PIRATES 3, but the editing is more streamlined, and maintains a much better balance of epic and personal.

8. ONCE

The cutting doesn’t draw attention to itself, and it’s nice. However, the “Lies” scene really knocked me out. Almost like a great music video, we see the entire history of the guy’s last relationship played out while he sings about its demise.

9. ATONEMENT

Could be used to teach how editing makes you feel about what you are seeing. Scenes replay, offering new perspectives about certain events.

10. 28 WEEKS LATER

Like BOUNRE ULTIMATUM, the jittery camerawork is complimented by an equally nervous editing style that (unlike say…TRANSFORMERS) doesn’t become incoherent.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

As I mentioned on my Apologies page, I didn’t see THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD. From all I’ve heard about and seen, it most certainly would have made an appearance here.

1. ZODIAC

Other films have been shot digitally, but I believe this is the first one so advanced it completely bypassed ever going onto film. (Prints were made directly from the computer chip.) Whatever the truth, this is the best looking digital movie ever. Crisp and beautiful, but also moody, with many atmospherically tense nighttime scenes.

2. 300

A new age in film images. There isn’t much to say about the ‘lighting’, but the compositions and use of colors is astounding. Nearly every frame could be mounted on a wall. Kim Morgan said in her review of this film, “severed heads are beautiful,” and in this case she’s right.

3. SUNSHINE

I couldn’t find a still image that best exemplified why SUNSHINE ranks so high on my list. The photography is unique and occasionally experimental. I remember a conversation towards the start of the film and the way the light cuts across the two people talking, I’d never seen anything like it.

4. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

This captures heat and dust with the same intensity that FARGO did for cold and snow. While not a fantasy, the images transport you to a unique time and place.

5. SWEENEY TODD

Dariusz Wolski previously shot THE CROW, DARK CITY and the 3 PIRATES films so I thought I knew what to expect, but this is moodier and much darker than any of his (or Tim Burton’s) previous films. The whites look chalk grey, and the blacks are impenetrable.

6. THERE WILL BE BLOOD

The images find great detail in vast spaces as well as the many intense close ups of Daniel Day-Lewis. The look has been compared to both Malick’s DAYS OF HEAVEN and Stanley Kubrick’s work.

7. DAY WATCH

Bold and flashy (in a good way) with a lot of unusual compositions. And it all looks very crisp.

8. AWAY FROM HER

There’s an interesting approach going on here. At first, the wintery vistas seem cozy and inviting. Once the focus shifts to the Retirement Center, the outside light is overexposed, creating a harsh intrusion. Don’t know how many people picked up on that.

9. ATONEMENT

This camera never met a field of flowers it didn’t like. Other scenes, the images are much more impressionistic. Even the ugly settings have a delicate beauty. Also worth a mention, the library discovery scene, and the way light shines off a desk lamp.

10. INTO THE WILD