film brings us some small measure of harmony. It gives
us commonality. Whether hooting at Snakes on a Plane, checking our watches during Miami Vice, questioning M. Night Shyamalan’s none-too-subtle messianic impulses in Lady in the Water or laughing at (not with) a ridiculous horror movie like Pulse,
movies are one of our most cherished national avocations. Even if our
own opinions about films vary wildly (and they often do), there’s the
singular experience of a common cultural story, a value seemingly
ingrained in our DNA. In shared darkness, we can achieve a collective
absorption.

The fact is that the simple act of watching with other
people as the larger-than-life unfolds before us reinforces our
collective dreams and makes them seem attainable, if only for a
fleeting afternoon or evening. After settling the latest preposterous
squabble, driving the babysitter home or picking up take-out for one,
we may reenter the slipstream of our seemingly pedestrian lives, but we
carry with us trace elements of the belief that things can be
different. Last year was not a watershed year for populist filmmaking,
but there were still plenty of films to get excited about. For the full list and posting, from FilmStew, click here.