But there is nothing staid or conventional in the way Campion tackles Thomas Savage’s novel of jealousy, power and sexual intrigue. The craft in evidence in this grand, big-sky western - the images, the music, the counterpointed performances of Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee - evoke the best traditions of old-style Hollywood storytelling. Then there is Jane Campion, who practices cinema on a whole different level. There are a lot of talented, competent, interesting filmmakers working today. But the film is more than a time capsule: It’s a history lesson and an argument for why art matters - and what it can do - in times of conflict and anxiety. The lineup is a pantheon of Black genius, including Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, the Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson and many more. This documentary about a series of open-air concerts in Harlem in 1969, interweaving stunning performance footage with interviews with musicians and audience members, is a shot of pure joy. They reward your attention, engage your feelings and respect your intelligence. What I can tell you for sure is that these 10 movies, and the 11 that almost made the list, do what they can to resist the dishonesty, complacency and meanness currently rampant around the world. Will everything be streaming except a handful of I.P.-driven spectacles? Will streaming platforms (and their subscribers) be receptive to daring, difficult, obnoxious or esoteric work? Anyone who claims to know the answers is a fool. There is a lot of anxiety, pandemic-related and otherwise, about what the future of the art form might look like. This year, it felt to me as if every good movie was also an argument for why movies matter.
scott The 10 Best Arguments for the Importance of Movies
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