Top 10 of 2006: #4-#3

4. Drawing Restraint 9. A European couple (director Matthew Barney and his wife Björk) hitch a ride on a Japanese whaling ship. They're served tea in an elaborate ceremony. On deck, the crew builds an enormous whale-shaped sculpture out of petroleum jelly, into which they insert a large piece of ambergis, which becomes the focus of a ceremony. Belowdecks, post-ceremony, the European couple disembowel each other and turn into whales. I was seldom absolutely sure what any of this meant—it seems I'm reduced to plot synopsis—but I was never less than entranced: sculptor-filmmaker Matthew Barney achived something resembling a Lynchian nirvana, where not a lot makes sense but it doesn't matter because the enigmatic visuals are so welcoming yet opaque, and because the actors seem so willing to go along with Barney, no matter what he asks them to do. Throw in the first music by Björk that I really liked, and you have the makings of a unique cinematic experience that I really, really need to see again.

3. Dave Chapelle's Block Party. Carried along by Michel Gondry's direction, Ellen Kuras's instinctive camera work, and the crackerjack editing, Dave Chappelle's Block Party flits about in time, following the planning and execution of a New York block party hosted by Dave Chappelle. Several of the segues between rehearsals and live performances gave me pleasant shivers, while the film's forays into Chappelle's home turf in Ohio and its exploration of the very different Bed-Stuy setting for the concert are sometimes giddy, sometimes surprisingly introspective. A friend said it felt like Dave Chappelle was running for office, and I suppose that's correct, but that office is "nice and approachable guy who hasn't been changed by his huge $50 million contract," a motivation for the block party that the film digs into without calling undue attention to it. And then there's the music. I've already discussed Kanye West's fabulous entry and the magnificent rush of the reunited Fugees, but everybody, from Mos Def and Talib Kweli (not sure if they were performing as Black Star or not, but they were on fire) to Erykah Badu, gave inspired performances. (Previously: Best Documentary, Best Musical Moment.) Posted by mike, April 1, 2007 11:04 AM