Xixax Film Forum

Film Discussion => News and Theory => Topic started by: Stefen on September 23, 2009, 10:26:47 PM

Title: ►Top 25 of the 00s◄
Post by: Stefen on September 23, 2009, 10:26:47 PM
Figure it's about that time with this decade winding down. We should all start working on our lists. I've been revisiting some stuff the last few months and I'm surprised that some of it doesn't hold up as well as I originally thought and some hold up better.

I think a top 25 list would be a good idea since it encompasses such a large time period. If you only wanna make a top 10, that's cool, but seeing as how we're so listy, a top 25 felt like a good idea.

This year is brimming with excellent and potential excellent flicks so I'm gonna hold off on making mine for awhile but I thought I'd get this thread started just to get the idea out there.

We can use this thread to give recommendations of some forgotten gems that might warrant a revisit, politic, or just start working on our eventual lists. Maybe we can compile them sometime next year and get a definitive list when we're compiling our annual XIXAX awards.  :bravo:
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on September 23, 2009, 11:25:10 PM
where do I begin, this will be my rough draft and hopefully something else will come of it
there are some movies that are great that I really really love but I can't put them there 'cause they just don't feel like part of this decade

turtles can fly
ping pong
capturing the friedmans
spirited away
last life in the universe
the royal tenenbaums
sin city
battle royale
almost famous
volver
when the levees broke
eternal sunshine of the spotless mind
the white diamond
in america
a bittersweet life
the saddest music in the world
collateral
city of god
five obstructions
the best of youth
noi
the incredibles
northfork
departures
all the real girls (I think that's 26)

where the wild things are?
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on September 24, 2009, 01:15:29 AM
I've missed some decent candidates in 2008 and I still anticipate certain films this year, but I don't think my list will change much anyways.....

1.) The Son
2.) The Piano Teacher
3.) Brokeback Mountain
4.) Downfall
5.) George Washington
6.) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
7.) The Pianist
8.) The Child
9.) Flags of Our Fathers / Letters from Iwo Jima
10.) The Constant Gardener
11.) Lust, Caution
12.) Alexander Revisited
13.) Spirited Away (Japanese Version)
14.) Bruno
15.) When Will I Be Loved
16.) The Incredibles
17.) City of God
18.) Capturing the Friedmans
19.) Tigerland
20.) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
21.) Twilight Samurai
22.) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
23.) Sideways
24.) The Queen
25.) W.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: squints on September 24, 2009, 03:33:43 AM
Quote from: Gold Trumpet on September 24, 2009, 01:15:29 AM

4.) Downfall


yes! This one and Old Boy are the only two that i immediately thought of. What's great is that these can start populating this thread and i can totally start netflixing that shit!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on September 24, 2009, 05:22:44 AM
Quote from: Gold Trumpet on September 24, 2009, 01:15:29 AM
14.) Bruno

Woah unexpected!

Ok now I know what I'll do this morning at work (i.e.:this list)

Here goes... except the first two, the order is just the order I find them in my mind or on IMDB.

1: Mulholland Drive

2: Closer

Memento (first dvd I ever bought, gotta give some love. Also blew my mind)

Lord of The Rings : Two Towers

No Country for Old Men

Broken Flowers

There Will Be Blood (Duh... this'll probably win)

Battle Royale (Thanks Pete for the reminder...fuckin rocks, this film)

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

The Royal Tenenbaums

The Wrestler (??? not sure, but it sprang to mind early, so it might stick)

The Weatherman (why didn't anybody like this one?)

Adaptation

High Fidelity


that's all I can think of right now  :yabbse-undecided:
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Neil on September 24, 2009, 09:21:05 AM
Quote from: Pas Rap on September 24, 2009, 05:22:44 AM
Quote from: Gold Trumpet on September 24, 2009, 01:15:29 AM
14.) Bruno

The Weatherman (why didn't anybody like this one?)

I was the only one laughing out loud in the theater, i'm working on mine in class,
                                                                               in no order



  • There Will Be Blood
    Adaptation
    Traffic
    Almost Famous
    Requiem For A Dream
    Last Life of the universe
    Tupac: Resurrection
    A guide to recognizing your saints
    Eternal Sunshine Of the spotless Mind
    No Direction Home
    The Weather Man
    Match Point
    O' Brother where art thou  (2000?)
    25th hour
    City Of God
    Grizzly Man
    The Fountain
    Pan's Labyrinth
    Muholland Drive
    Sin City
    Waking Life
    Punch Drunk Love
    Memento
    Finding Nemo
    Big Fish


There are still a ton that i haven't seen even in the last two or three years or so, but a few on your lists i will obviously have to take a look at, and GT what's good about the Alexander Revisited, you're talking about the Stone flick right?  I never bothered with the 'revisited.'
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on September 24, 2009, 10:26:32 AM
love your list Neil, two votes for the weahterman waoh unexpected, happy about that. Everyone I lend it too find it ''forgetable''... which I never understoof. Anyways.

I had forgotten about A guide to recognizing your saints, great one nobody's seen. I need to add some Downey in my list...
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: samsong on September 24, 2009, 01:35:55 PM
35 shots of rum (claire denis)
before sunset (richard linklater)
brand upon the brain! (guy maddin)
code unknown (michael haneke)
dogville (lars von trier)
george washington (david gordon green)
gerry (gus van sant)
ghost world (terry zwigoff)
the house of mirth (terence davies)
in the mood for love (wong kar-wai)
life is a miracle (emir kusturica)
mulholland drive (david lynch)
the new world (terrence malick)
oasis (lee chang-dong)
punch-drunk love (p.t. anderson)
the royal tenenbaums (wes anderson)
a serious man (joel coen)
talk to her (pedro almodovar
tropical malady (apichatpong weerasethakul)
up (pete docter)
werckmeister harmonies (bela tarr)
yi yi (edward yang)
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: SiliasRuby on September 24, 2009, 02:15:08 PM
1. Almost Famous
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Mulholland Drive
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. The Royal Tenenbaums
6. Memento
7. Zodiac
8. Alexander (The Final Cut)
9. Full Frontal
10. The New World
11. Closer
12. No Country For Old Men
13. Requiem For A Dream
14. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
15. Collateral
16. Storytelling
17. Dogville
18. State and Main
19. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
20. Nurse Betty
21. Kill Bill The Whole Bloody Affair
22. State of Play
23. City of God
24. All The Real Girls
25. Gerry
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on September 24, 2009, 02:23:41 PM
Quote from: SiliasRuby on September 24, 2009, 02:15:08 PM
19. Before The Devil Makes You Dead

Do you mean the one with Marisa Tomei (sp?) and Seymour Hoffman that is actually called Before The Devil Knows You're Dead. I blind bought this a couple years ago I think and never seen it, everybody seemed to hate it.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: SiliasRuby on September 24, 2009, 02:28:36 PM
Quote from: Pas Rap on September 24, 2009, 02:23:41 PM
Quote from: SiliasRuby on September 24, 2009, 02:15:08 PM
19. Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Do you mean the one with Marisa Tomei (sp?) and Seymour Hoffman that is actually called Before The Devil Knows You're Dead. I blind bought this a couple years ago I think and never seen it, everybody seemed to hate it.
Fixed.

I loved it. Great performances all around. But hey, don't take my word for it. Watch it yourself. Besides no one listens to me around here.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gamblour. on September 24, 2009, 02:46:21 PM
Fuck, a decade is a long time. I will need a good ten years just to come up with this list.

Some thoughts...

The Fountain
Gangs of New York
The Royal Tenenbaums
There Will Be Blood
Ratatouille
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Amelie
Inglourious Basterds
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, ...and Spring
About Schmidt
Wet Hot American Summer
Shaun of the Dead
Punch Drunk Love
In the Mood for Love
Gran Torino
The Lives of Others
Little Children
In the Bedroom
Mulholland Drive
Dancer in the Dark
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Fernando on September 24, 2009, 03:10:03 PM
off the top of my head and with the help of this thread:

in no order. (the new world is probably at the top)

cher's meal will be mud
mulholland dr
adaptation
enounters at the end of the world
the new world
pan's lab
walle
zodiac
downfall
lotr: two towers
requiem for a dream
lost in translation
aviator
eternal sunshine
history of violence
brokeback
dark night
amelie
little children
in the bedroom
dancer in the dark
let the right one in


there's some stuff I want to see from some of you guys list, such as:
ping pong, alexander revisited, departures, last life, battle royale among others.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on September 24, 2009, 03:17:39 PM
Glad to see In The Bedroom getting some play. Little Children, too. Todd Field may be an unsung hero of the decade.

A.I. has held up pretty well. That'll be on my eventual list.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: john on September 24, 2009, 03:20:44 PM
This will still change. Not just because Ive omitted this year, but there are plenty of films I'm noticing on other lists that are arguably great. I think my top 5 is pretty resolute, though. Looking back at this decade, I don't think there's a more singular, stylistically innovative film than PDL. It's a beautiful, accomplished film that defies and embraces genre at the same time. Where Wes Anderson, or Charlie Kaufman's influence can be seen regurgitated in lesser works by other filmmakers, nobody has attempted to borrow from PDL. It's pure harmony of sound and vision. Not that I need to tell any of you motherfuckers that.

Punch-Drunk Love
25th Hour
Children of Men
Zodiac
Almost Famous
There Will Be Blood
The Royal Tennenbaums
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kill Bill
No Country For Old Men
Spirited Away
Adaptation
You Can Count On Me
Inland Empire
I Heart Huckabees
About Schmidt
Elephant
King Kong
Traffic
The New World
All The Real Girls
2046
Ratatouille
Before Sunset
The Pledge
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on September 24, 2009, 03:36:45 PM
Quote from: Neil on September 24, 2009, 09:21:05 AM
and GT what's good about the Alexander Revisited, you're talking about the Stone flick right?  I never bothered with the 'revisited.'

Starting out, I disliked the original because the story was chronological. Stone had a lot of complex personal issues to get across in his film, but making the story chronological made the film feel like a classical story. Most filmmakers like to play with the myth of historical figures so they simplify the story to get across their heroic statures. All Stone could do in his theatrical cut is allude to deeper subject matter.

Stone plays with myth, but his update of Alexander is meant also to combat myth. The duality in the film is between realism and myth. What Stone changed with his "Final" or "Revisited" cut is that he made the plot circular around the themes of the film. Instead of starting at Alexander's beginning of life, it started out at the beginning of his greatest battle victory. Then the plot circled around all of his life, arranging the scenes of his life in accordance to the themes in the film. The finale is still his death, but because the story is gaged by Alexander's emotional life, the finale feels even more like madness achieved. Stone gets even crazier with the imagery to really make it feel like a climactic end.

Also, there is a lot more story to the story. The themes are much more fleshed out. It helps in that basic way, but it also helps Colin Farrell's performance. I didn't like his performance in the original because it seemed imitative of other performances of historical figures. The theatrical cut forced Farrell to center the majority of his performance around things that a classically trained actor could exude in. Farrell has little of a theater career so he was a duck out of water because his diction isn't very eloquent, but the Final Cut allows Farrell to be Alexander on a host of different levels. Farrell's best dramatic talent is his ability to hoist a macho sensibility, but be able to contrast it with a sensitive and vulnerable side. The Final Cut plays on more scenes like that. It shows quieter scenes that allow Farrell to dig at Alexander. It makes the original scenes in the theatrical cut look better and more believable because this portrait of Alexander himself is much bigger.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: modage on September 24, 2009, 03:46:11 PM
Almost Famous (2000) Cameron Crowe
Amelie (2001) Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Children of Men (2006) Alfonso Cuaron
City Of God (2003) Fernando Meirelles
The Dark Knight (2008) Christopher Nolan
The Departed (2006) Martin Scorsese
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Michel Gondry
The Fountain (2006) Darren Aronofsky
The Incredibles (2004) Brad Bird
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) Quentin Tarantino
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) Shane Black
Knocked Up (2007) Judd Apatow
Let The Right One In (2008) Tomas Alfredson
Lost In Translation (2003) Sofia Coppola
Memento (2001) Christopher Nolan
Minority Report (2002) Steven Spielberg
Moulin Rouge (2001) Baz Luhrman
Mulholland Drive (2001) David Lynch
Punch-Drunk Love (2002) Paul Thomas Anderson
Rachel Getting Married (2008) Jonathan Demme
Ratatouille (2007) Brad Bird
Requiem For A Dream (2000) Darren Aronofsky
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Wes Anderson
Shaun of the Dead (2004) Edgar Wright
There Will Be Blood (2007) Paul Thomas Anderson

This is fairly quick but I know all of these meant a lot to me when I saw them. Like Stefen I've also been rewatching films from the earlier part of the decade and noticing how different they are compared to how I remember them.  So while many of these wouldn't have the same impact today that they did when I saw them, they still hold a place for meaning the most to me at the time.  Though it would be hard to argue I couldn't swap out half of this list right now were I to rewatch them against some that didn't make the cut. A Top 10 list would be much much more difficult.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: squints on September 24, 2009, 04:25:39 PM
I only came up with 23, but there's still a lot i've never seen (George Washington). Punch-Drunk Love is the best film of the decade. If The Wire counted as one long 60 hour movie i'd throw that on there too.


2008
The Dark Knight
Let the Right One In

2007
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Zodiac

2006
Children of Men
The Departed
The Fountain
United 93

2005
Munich
The New World
The Proposition

2004
Downfall
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

2003
All The Real Girls
Oldboy

2002
City of God
Punch-Drunk Love

2001
Amelie
The Royal Tenenbaums

2000
Amores Perros
Dancer in the Dark
Requiem for a Dream


Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: JG on September 24, 2009, 04:33:14 PM
man! i don't know. feel like there are lots of non-american directors i'm only now getting turned onto that would probably make the list.. like denis and apichatpong weerasethakul.

sure things:

all the real girls
the new world
frownland
l'enfant
adaptation.
ratatouille
punch drunk love

haven't seen in a long while but i think so:

spiderman 2
cache
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on September 24, 2009, 08:47:21 PM
Quote from: Pas Rap on September 24, 2009, 02:23:41 PM
Quote from: SiliasRuby on September 24, 2009, 02:15:08 PM
19. Before The Devil Makes You Dead

Do you mean the one with Marisa Tomei (sp?) and Seymour Hoffman that is actually called Before The Devil Knows You're Dead. I blind bought this a couple years ago I think and never seen it, everybody seemed to hate it.

all you need to know is marisa tomei is naked a lot. at least, that's all silias noticed..
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: SiliasRuby on September 24, 2009, 09:15:16 PM
Oh Jeez. You're so fucking hilarious. Jesus, this joke is already fucking old.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on September 24, 2009, 09:36:02 PM
it was never a joke.

i think the fact you couldn't even remember the movie's title speaks for itself.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: cine on September 25, 2009, 01:05:50 AM
1. Adaptation
2. Almost Famous
3. Before Sunset
4. The Best of Youth
5. The Cell
6. City of God
7. The Departed
8. Downfall
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
10. Inglourious Basterds
11. In America
12. In the Bedroom
13. Match Point
14. Million Dollar Baby
15. Minority Report
16. Monster's Ball
17. No Country For Old Men
18. The Passion of the Christ
19. Punch-Drunk Love
20. There Will Be Blood
21. Synecdoche, New York
22. Turtles Can Fly
23. United 93
24. Wall-E
25. The Wrestler
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: john on September 25, 2009, 01:46:40 AM
Yeah, once I put more thought into this, The Wrestler will be included as well, I'm sure.

Wonder Boys, too.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: MacGuffin on September 25, 2009, 02:12:56 AM
Quote from: Pas Rap on September 24, 2009, 10:26:32 AM
love your list Neil, two votes for the weahterman waoh unexpected, happy about that. Everyone I lend it too find it ''forgetable''... which I never understoof. Anyways.

Camel Toe.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: polkablues on September 25, 2009, 04:33:40 AM
Off the top of my head:

Dancer in the Dark
Waking the Dead
There Will Be Blood
Shaun of the Dead
The Bourne Ultimatum
Children of Men
25th Hour
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Amelie
Rabbit-Proof Fence
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Punch-Drunk Love
Before Sunset
Brick
City of God
Requiem for a Dream
Roger Dodger
Unfaithful
Tigerland
Wall-E
Hot Fuzz
Downfall
The Fountain
The Royal Tenenbaums
CQ
Narc

The more I think about it, the more I think that Dancer in the Dark may be the best film of the past nine years.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: brockly on September 25, 2009, 04:46:16 AM
mulholland dr.
there will be blood
crouching tiger, hidden dragon
where the wild things are
zodiac
finding nemo
dancer in the dark
lust, caution
spirited away
brokeback mountain
last life in the universe
hulk
the new world
no country for old men
in the mood for love
taking woodstock
let the right one in
district 9
the ring
redbelt
eastern promises
nobody knows
sunshine
time
quantum of solice
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on September 25, 2009, 06:27:05 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on September 25, 2009, 02:12:56 AM
Quote from: Pas Rap on September 24, 2009, 10:26:32 AM
love your list Neil, two votes for the weahterman waoh unexpected, happy about that. Everyone I lend it too find it ''forgetable''... which I never understoof. Anyways.

Camel Toe.

I think they make car tires out of camel toes!  :)

Quote from: :P on September 24, 2009, 09:36:02 PM
i think the fact you couldn't even remember the movie's title speaks for itself.

haha :( I guess that's why The Wrestler isn't there, Marisa naked was old news. jk

ALSO, what's up with New World? What didn't I get there, this was boring and long as hell. Oh you Malick fanboys.  :yabbse-smiley:
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on September 25, 2009, 11:50:09 AM
I'm adding Bourne Ultimatum.  The second one was just MacGuyver with handheld camera, but the third one opened with one of the best sequences ever written and filmed - the waterloo footchase.
It's the action movie of the new era (too bad nobody is really following suit) - it employs technology and Hollywood resources not for superficial extravagance (like Wanted) or cheap "realism" (like that Jamie Foxx Iraq movie or the new Bonds) but it brings cutting edge stunts and fight choreography to the table, armed with a solid, convincing, well-researched script.  And it's so unassuming too!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Ostrich Riding Cowboy on September 25, 2009, 04:56:53 PM
Chronological Order:
Almost Famous
Moulin Rouge!
Wet Hot American Summer
The Man Who Wasn't There
Donnie Darko
The Royal Tenenbaums
Bowling for Columbine
Punch-Drunk Love
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Bad Education
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Syriana
Manderlay
Brokeback Mountain
The Fountain
Children of Men
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
In Bruges
WALL-E
Milk
Let the Right One In
Up
District 9
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on September 25, 2009, 05:18:21 PM
Quote from: A. Yzsaakc on September 25, 2009, 04:56:53 PM
Bad Education

:yabbse-thumbup:

Good to see some Almodovar love. Talk to Her will most likely make my list.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: ©brad on September 26, 2009, 09:45:38 AM
Quote from: Stefen on September 25, 2009, 05:18:21 PM
Quote from: A. Yzsaakc on September 25, 2009, 04:56:53 PM
Bad Education

:yabbse-thumbup:

Good to see some Almodovar love. Talk to Her will most likely make my list.

He's my favorite filmmaker. Ever. (I decided this the other day.)

That is all.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on September 26, 2009, 11:58:45 AM
I had volver up!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: I Love a Magician on October 11, 2009, 04:23:47 AM
i need to watch more movies

01. There Will Be Blood
02. All the Real Girls
03. No Country for Old Men
04. In the Bedroom
05. Lake of Fire
06. The Royal Tenenbaums
07. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
08. Punch-Drunk Love
09. Brokeback Mountain
10. Adaptation

11. Little Children
12. Inglourious Basterds
13. Zodiac
14. Borat
15. Friday Night Lights
16. This Is England
17. The Dark Knight
18. The Man Who Wasn't There
19. Wall-E
20. I Heart Huckabees

21. Mullholland Drive
22. Junebug
23. Unbreakable
24. About Schmidt
25. Capturing the Friedmans

Some others: Wonder Boys, Collateral, Capote, The Wrestler, The Assassination of Jesse James, Traffic, Kill Bill (1 & 2), Shotgun Stories, Synecdoche, New York
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: squints on October 11, 2009, 04:35:22 AM
Quote from: I Love a Magician on October 11, 2009, 04:23:47 AM
05. Lake of Fire

Oh yeah! Fantastic movie.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on October 31, 2009, 09:48:06 PM
Quote from: polkablues on September 25, 2009, 04:33:40 AM

The more I think about it, the more I think that Dancer in the Dark may be the best film of the past nine years.

I'm starting to think that more and more myself. I just watched it again tonight and almost lost my shit, it's so good.

what i am also slowly, yet ultimately coming to think, is that von trier is our greatest living director. because ya thinking of how amazing dancer in the dark is, is one thing.  Then you have to remember he did dogville, the five obstructions and other jaw dropping pieces of work.

often i think about eras of cinema, and if the original nature of cinema and how the artists pushed the boundries may have become stale and boring with how the business is handled these days. also with so many movies made it's harder to be original. that is until i see a von trier film. other generations have their masters, and i think lars is ours because he reminds me how great cinema can be. we've got great other guys, like: anderson, kaufman, jonze etc... and they are all brilliant film makers, but von trier is in a class of his own; much like kubrick, kurosawa and tarkovsky before him.

He is constantly redefining the medium and it amazes me. mainly because despite the fact that he pushes the boundries he still keeps it in the realm of narrative. he never fully goes out into experimental cinema, because if he did, it would become a much more subjective experience and harder to critique. His work doesn't take that covertly well traveled road. he keeps story in his films, and because of that he has a much harder task at hand having it make sense.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on October 31, 2009, 10:06:44 PM
I forgot to add Jiri Menzel's I Served the King of England. Looking back, I think it would place somewhere between 15 and 20.

Also, not only do I disagree with Dancer in the Dark being a great film, but I consider it to be one of the worst films of the last decade. The film is so bad and reprehensible that my distaste for it goes beyond anything the Coens or Tarantino have ever served up. It gets a lot of nice applause, but I think it's a film that deserve an equal slam along with any compliment.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: squints on November 01, 2009, 12:54:38 PM
you're crazy. dancer in the dark is a great movie.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on November 01, 2009, 01:00:00 PM
GT hates Lars Von Trier.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on November 01, 2009, 02:04:00 PM
I'm in the middle with von trier.  I think he does very interesting things in his films, but sometimes they turn out to be more tedious or more self-serving (he likes doing things to cleanse his system) than meaningful.  however, tedious or not, he seems genuinely concerned with telling a story or creating a convincing melodrama and, regardless of how much the audience is aware of his presence in the films and how they know he might be "torturing" them - they still get engrossed in the suffering of his characters.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on November 01, 2009, 03:04:53 PM
Quote from: Gold Trumpet on October 31, 2009, 10:06:44 PM
I forgot to add Jiri Menzel's I Served the King of England. Looking back, I think it would place somewhere between 15 and 20.

Also, not only do I disagree with Dancer in the Dark being a great film, but I consider it to be one of the worst films of the last decade. The film is so bad and reprehensible that my distaste for it goes beyond anything the Coens or Tarantino have ever served up. It gets a lot of nice applause, but I think it's a film that deserve an equal slam along with any compliment.

have you written about this elsewhere on the site? i would like to read it, because i'm amazed you would make such harsh comments. like, not only do you disagree, but you sound down right angry!  now that's an opinion i wanna read, it's got some meat to it. if you got a link please do so.

Lars von trier is famously quoted as saying "A film should be like a rock in a shoe." i personally agree that film should be like that in many cases. it should be something that gets under people's skin to make them re-evaluate their surroundings/beliefs.  now some people don't like that and they want it to be more escapist/cathartic, and i love that too, but i think that type of cinema is the norm and over saturated these days.  clearly GT, dancer in the dark is a rock in your shoe, you exude that so strongly in your reply. i look for that type of reaction rather then a zen like feedback. i want it to affect me.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on November 01, 2009, 03:20:23 PM
Quote from: Stefen on November 01, 2009, 01:00:00 PM
GT hates Lars Von Trier.

Actually, I don't. While I would argue I also don't hate the Coens or Tarantino, I would admit I have a general distaste for them, but I've just really disliked every Von Trier film I've ever seen. That doesn't mean I have a dislike or hatred for him in general because I've only seen five of his films. I've ignored a lot of his work so I don't believe I'm qualified to give an opinion on the man overall. Life's too short to try see a majority of films by someone when even a small sample hasn't inspired you in the least. Anti- Christ does fascinate me, but because it seems like Von Trier isn't going to try to hedge the content in that film the way he does in Breaking the Waves and Dancer in the Dark. Anti-Christ looks like a different beast.

Dancer in the Dark is highly problematic because of its attempt to make thematic meaning between dogme 95 and the musical. It's not that Von Trier isn't right to attempt to combine structural approaches, but he finds the dumbest and most obvious contrast to dogme 95 in exploring a musical tone. The musical tone is even more ridiculous because the story is dreary and bleak from the get go. Bjork's situation looks seemingly helpess, but gets even sadder when her accidental misfortunes allows her to be arrested and executed. Von Trier tries to find positive things about her life to counterbalance the dismal reality she occupies, but a musical imagination is just a stagnant opposite of her world. It would be fine for one sequence in the film, but it doesn't develop the story or elaborate on her situation much at all. It just occupies time and space and repeats in the same manner through out the film. It's use becomes so heavy handed that it's blatant repitition just thuddens any true context that can be given to Bjork's personality in the film.

Also, the musical numbers are horribly done. All the musical numbers are song and dances with a number of people involved, but Von Trier continually films each one with millions of edits and quick cuts between a lot of different camera angles. There is little progression with how the musical numbers develop in Bjork's brain over the course of the film. They do not start out seemingly pleasant and get more chaotic and disturbed as her situation plummets even more, but just remain relatively the same through out. Also, the quick cuts and edits do not elicit a cognitive style. Von Trier never tries to change camera angles, mix in different type of shots or even change the tone at all. All he does is set up a million camera from coverage points of view and just films the numbers. The only distinction Von Trier has is with the quick cuts, but they become bland and boring immediately.

The whole film reminds me of a high school kid's idea of experimentation. Only in high school do we think it's a good idea to take a devastingly sad story and think it would be interesting to mix it with the lightest of things: a musical. Von Trier finds a barely passable reason to explore the idea, but even the execution is horrible.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on November 01, 2009, 04:11:50 PM
Lars Von Trier >>>> Oliver Stone  8)
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ on November 01, 2009, 08:44:52 PM
Quote from: Stefen on November 01, 2009, 04:11:50 PM
Lars Von Trier >>>> Oliver Stone

This is a pretty safe statement when only considering the top 25 of this decade.

Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on November 01, 2009, 09:07:18 PM
GT your observations are astute; i agree especially with your view on how the musical numbers were handled. And while they're good points, upon my three different viewings (in various times of my life) i never once thought of any of them.  This happened not because I'm incapable, but because i was enthralled in all the other great stuff it had to offer. the originality overshadowed how it could be improved upon. besides, every great pioneer is improved upon. i think I'd be more inclined to look at these elements you suggest if I had more options from this obscure sub-genre to pick from. like, are there any other verite style musicals out there?

maybe if this had become a popular way to make musicals, then someday I'd point out how the original (dancer in the dark) lacked the vision of the subsequent incarnations.  Kinda feels like you're barking up the wrong tree, and I'm amazed you even thought of this stuff quite frankly. for myself, it was the tone changes that impressed me. the attempt to mix dogma 95 and musicals is quite amazing.  however it's not that it's just dogma 95, more so it's the film's intensity and realism despite the musical interludes. that is unheard of, and in my opinion delivered well.

Also, most importantly, i hate musicals. I despise 99.999% of them. mainly because the music is horrible and cliched in virtually every musical i've ever seen. i know i know people say that's the endearing nature of them, but fuck it, i don't care. I also hate musicals because it's like a freeze frame on the plot. I'm always waiting for the horrible fucking song to be over so the story can continue. dancer didn't quite progress the plot with the musical interludes (well one or two kinda does, but generally this is another thing that could be improved upon in the future), but the musical breaks did have story based precedence; she is going blind, loves music and day dreams. it created a reason for itself, and in turn i appreciated it. And also, the music is sung through a beautifully unique voice in bjork.  the music hints at the classic genre, yet deviates on it's own to create something unlike it.

How music affects what the audience thinks of a character (especially when they're singing) is something that is never analyzed, and it should be. most musicals fall short in their ability to create true peril; something i think heavily has to do with the often idiotic let's-stop-and-sing element. think about any other musical, is the villain really all that bad? nope, because he starts singing and everyone including the soccer moms in the crowd learn to love his semi-badness. the whole musical experience is taken with a grain of salt. Sweeney Todd is the only other example of a deviation from this trap, and despite the achievements it makes, it still never looses that playful tone.  

Dancer in the Dark fucking destroys this overly entrenched style.  The cherry on the icing is the fact that von trier doesn't stop there, he doesn't make the villians totally ruthless, he makes them fully realized and three dimensional. They echo the badness of Dogville but are shown to have more of their own dilemmas.  These type of characters are another genre breaking triumph.  once again usually the bad guy in a musical is so transparently rich with ill intentions. And Bjork keeps true to her word and defends him in court. very rich characterization in a melodrama in my opinion.

for all the things going for it, I'm surprised you had time to stop and think something like: this editing and choreography is poor.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on November 01, 2009, 09:52:17 PM
Time to step up:

1.   The Five Obstructions
2.   The White Diamond
3.   Adaptation (Criminally underlooked by previous posters)
4.   Spirited Away
5.   Salinui Chueok (Memories of Murder)
6.   Gwoemul (The Host)
7.   The Royal Tenenbaums
8.   Dogville
9.   Battle Royale
10.   Dancer in the Dark
11.   Wall-e
12.   George Washington
13.   Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
14.   There Will Be Blood
15.   Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
16.   The Fountain
17.   Elephant
18.   Requim For A Dream
19.   Storytelling
20.   The New World
21.   Little Children
22.   In the Bedroom
23.   Intacto
24.   Old Boy
25.   Children of Men

Close calls: United 93; Bruno; Narc; Unbreakable; The Pledge
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on November 01, 2009, 10:05:56 PM
Balsy top two. Both documentaries.  :yabbse-thumbup:
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on November 02, 2009, 12:18:14 AM
Quote from: socketlevel on November 01, 2009, 09:07:18 PM
for all the things going for it, I'm surprised you had time to stop and think something like: this editing and choreography is poor.

My argument has nothing to do with the choreography. It has something to do with the editing, but that is a lower level criticism. The main level to my criticism has to do with how the musical aspects has little to add to the film. That's important because they are so overly handled through out the film so it affects the rest of the film. Yes, what Von Trier does is different, but he does it at such an obvious and simplistic level. I'm more inclined to wish Von Trier took notes from Fellini who made a drama into a musical (of sorts) when he did 8 1/2. He had success because he didn't make the musical montages overly obvious. He found ways to interweave them into the text of the main story. During 8 1/2, before long, the viewer has little notion of what reality is and isn't. That's a psychological rendering of the musical mixing into reality, but Von Trier has little interest to blur the lines in his approach. The musical numbers are black and the realism is white. Does Von Trier need to exactly duplicate Fellini? Not at all, but he does need to come up with a concept of some equivalence in thought.

I think Von Trier does this because he thinks the content of the film will overwhelm viewers. In your case and others, it seems like it did. Fine. I've never tried to stand in the way of anyone liking something, but I know others who got into the movie, but were abruptly taken out when the musical numbers collided with the development of the story. I'm always skeptical of stories that are about extremely sad situations because abuse of those stories are so common. Artists feel like they can get away with anything in the abstraction process because the general story is so sad, but that just shows film is the easiest art to fall prey to in the emotional category. It's good that Von Trier dabbled with other structures, but different alone isn't good.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on November 02, 2009, 12:47:08 AM
Quote from: Gold Trumpet on November 01, 2009, 03:20:23 PM
Quote from: Stefen on November 01, 2009, 01:00:00 PM
GT hates Lars Von Trier.
While I would argue I also don't hate the Coens or Tarantino, I would admit I have a general distaste for them, but I've just really disliked every Von Trier film I've ever seen.

Dude, you gotta be trolling. I can picture you thinking about this thing you posted, before you posted it, and saying, "I'm gonna go after three of their favorites at once and see what happens."

What do Lars Von Trier, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Bros have in common other than the fact that you dislike them and they all make movies?
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on November 02, 2009, 01:02:32 AM
Quote from: Stefen on November 02, 2009, 12:47:08 AM
Quote from: Gold Trumpet on November 01, 2009, 03:20:23 PM
Quote from: Stefen on November 01, 2009, 01:00:00 PM
GT hates Lars Von Trier.
While I would argue I also don't hate the Coens or Tarantino, I would admit I have a general distaste for them, but I've just really disliked every Von Trier film I've ever seen.

Dude, you gotta be trolling. I can picture you thinking about this thing you posted, before you posted it, and saying, "I'm gonna go after three of their favorites at once and see what happens."

What do Lars Von Trier, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Bros have in common other than the fact that you dislike them and they all make movies?

Yes, Lars Von Trier and Quentin Tarantino obviously have gotten more love than most other filmmakers on the board. More than Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, Werner Herzog or numerous others who seem to get only praise. Tarantino hasn't been bashed at all in the last year and of course, Von Trier is talked about frequently on the board. I must have been just plotting.

Jesus, I was just giving identification of two filmmakers I generally don't like. I was making a point about how I can't approach Von Trier the same way as I do those filmmakers because I don't know him as well as I do the Coens and Tarantino. Even still, me mentioning all three together has nothing to do with their filmic similarities. The point is rounded about how everyone here knows my likes and dislikes, but I was just trying to show how dislikes and likes can occupy different zones of context.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ on November 02, 2009, 01:26:11 AM
Quote from: socketlevel on November 01, 2009, 09:52:17 PM

3.   Adaptation (Criminally underlooked by previous posters)


Which is funny considering how gushed over it was in the Xixax awards.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on November 02, 2009, 03:35:41 AM
that movie wasn't that good.
I think there's the truth about spike jonze that people need to accept - at least spike jonze up 'til now anyways - sometimes the brilliant moments don't add up and a good setpiece in the second act doesn't mean the ending is satisfying.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Neil on November 02, 2009, 05:42:50 PM
and i don't see why you're so tough on that particular film?

I mean, you've stated a few issues with it, but i just don't see where you believe the film doesn't work, or whatever?
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on November 02, 2009, 07:17:43 PM
it acts like it's caught between a guy who is interested in the story and a guy who wants something larger-than-life and more thrilling, but the whole act doesn't work because, though it keeps on wanting to display merits for the latter - it clearly shows contempt for "Hollywood" by making half the movie purposefully hoaky.  That wouldn't have been a problem except that it's too clever for it's own good, but not funny or genuine enough, and it ends up working only on paper, or for audiences who hold equal contempt for "entertainment."  The last act of the film only works if it's like Big Fish: if the storyteller believes in the validity of the story, however hoaky it may seem.  As Adaptation stood it was at least 20 minutes of one elaborate wink/ elbow to the ribs, because the filmmakers and the actors and definitely some of the audience acted like they were so above Hollywood genres.

It wants a Big Fish ending but acts too snide to actually earn it.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on November 02, 2009, 08:36:55 PM
GT again nice points, and valid... i guess i agree to disagree. this really comes down to the impact of the sudden tone change. i liked it, whereas it was too much for you. fair enough, point taken.  strangely i think i'd more often side with your sensibility on this one, but my heart's in a different place i guess.

i gotta admit i laughed at "I think Von Trier does this because he thinks the content of the film will overwhelm viewers. In your case and others, it seems like it did."
that reads borderline elitist and patronizing, but knowing you from your previous posts makes me think I got lost in the written word :)

also i'm sorry but i wasn't accusing you of standing in the way of other people's taste or interests, i was simply amazed that you had the opinion you did.  not in a condescending way, but on the contrary, in an intrigued manor.

If it's any consolation, I don't think you're trolling, your choices for the 25 best dictate that you're not.  stefen, he would be more so trolling if he didn't have "popular" picks on his list. you accuse him of attacking well like directors yet oliver stone and clint eastwood are two examples of directors equally popular. true the three he chose to make an example of are probably more popular on this site, but in fact his choices get less indie cred; be it a good or bad thing.  so that's a round about way of saying i think he means it.

pete i think i'd agree with you if another film like adaptation came out.  adaptation is one of those movies that only gets made once, and works in the true meaning of cliche, to the point of establishing it.  "The first man to compare the flabby cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot." - Salvador Dali

kaufmen & jonze were poets. the next is an idiot.  (cough cough cold souls)
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on November 02, 2009, 09:15:16 PM
Quote from: socketlevel on November 02, 2009, 08:36:55 PM
i gotta admit i laughed at "I think Von Trier does this because he thinks the content of the film will overwhelm viewers. In your case and others, it seems like it did."
that reads borderline elitist and patronizing, but knowing you from your previous posts makes me think I got lost in the written word :)

Yes, it does come off as patronizing and arrogant, so let me explain myself. While I do believe the story of the film affected a lot of people, I have to admit I am prone focusing on certains parts of a film over other parts. I can like a film because I think its honest and thoughtful in the story, but be able to disregard any of the technical mishaps. A lot of times when people like movies, they are liking parts of a movie. Whether they realize it or not, when they review a film and mainly highlight a few things, it shows that only parts of a film really stuck with them. We all fit into that category in numerous ways. The debate is in how important those parts of a sum are. It's left open to interpretation.

Also, thank you for the kind words. I've been appreciative of all your responses. Stefen is a friend so I don't worry about his comments. While I have to admit my opinion runs counter to many popular beliefs here, I do admit I can do my fair share of liking obscure filmmakers over popular ones. It's just in certain conversations I can also lean toward popular filmmakers, but no one is really just one way or another.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on November 02, 2009, 09:34:21 PM
I consider myself an active viewer. I also consider the things i write, while maybe not ground breaking, clearly indicate some form of internal analysis and an attempt at articulation of these observations. So despite my best efforts, i was swept away by this film. not just once mind you, three times. I like talking films a ton, talking and analyzing many things actually, but film is the main passion.  

every once and a while a film doesn't appeal my intellect.... lol usually it's a pixar movie... but this time it was dancer in the dark. despite everything working against it, it did that for me. I guess i was just so amazed, and short sighted, that i couldn't see how it would not affect everyone in the world the same way! lol

So did Von Trier trick me? maybe (and i know that's not your point, just going on a tangent here). but isn't that the point? at least isn't that why we got into films in the first place? i think the day I can't be tricked (which, modesty aside, isn't too often) by a movie, i'll stop liking them.

and fyi opinions running counter to popular beliefs on this site is old hat to me, so no biggie.  one love.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on November 02, 2009, 09:51:52 PM
Quote from: socketlevel on November 02, 2009, 08:36:55 PM
pete i think i'd agree with you if another film like adaptation came out.  adaptation is one of those movies that only gets made once, and works in the true meaning of cliche, to the point of establishing it.  "The first man to compare the flabby cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot." - Salvador Dali

the play in annie hall or the last scene of Get Shorty?  Plenty of well-intentioned (or snidely intentioned?) scene have failed on screen before, I dunno why you think this one is so special or forgivable.  I think he wanted the cliche to be entertaining, as a lot of satires are entertaining (the pseudo-action scenes in many Simpsons episodes were very entertaining) but the one in the film was just flat.  There are some things Jonze and Kaufman thought they knew how to do but did not.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ on November 06, 2009, 12:20:14 PM
Quote from: pete on November 02, 2009, 09:51:52 PM
Quote from: socketlevel on November 02, 2009, 08:36:55 PM
pete i think i'd agree with you if another film like adaptation came out.  adaptation is one of those movies that only gets made once, and works in the true meaning of cliche, to the point of establishing it.  "The first man to compare the flabby cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot." - Salvador Dali

the play in annie hall or the last scene of Get Shorty?  Plenty of well-intentioned (or snidely intentioned?) scene have failed on screen before, I dunno why you think this one is so special or forgivable.  I think he wanted the cliche to be entertaining, as a lot of satires are entertaining (the pseudo-action scenes in many Simpsons episodes were very entertaining) but the one in the film was just flat.  There are some things Jonze and Kaufman thought they knew how to do but did not.


If in the case of someone like Wes Anderson where the style is so intrinsic in the delivery that it feels like a routine exercise for the artist, then I can see your point on how "it's been done before."  But art isn't always about completely new invention, and often times, if not all times, invention is reapplication and taking a new approach to something.

Adaptation isn't just a movie about making a movie, but even doubting the need to express that in and of itself.  The fear of telling a worthwhile tale that comes with storytelling.  Adaptation may not make my top 25 of the decade list, but it's a pretty solid movie.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on November 07, 2009, 11:52:06 AM
I didn't dislike it because "it's been done" - that was just in response to socketlevel's assertion that it was the FIRST movie to do it.  scroll up to read what I was saying before that. 
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on November 08, 2009, 08:21:28 AM
ya and i wasn't talking about style either. i was talking about going directly making the process of adapting a book the subject matter, and all the po mo elements that come along with it.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: MacGuffin on November 27, 2009, 10:54:05 AM
Top 10 movie flops of the decade

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Movie flops aren't just about losing money. Yes, big budgets that go bust are one consideration. But flops are also about lofty expectations dashed and high profiles brought low. They trigger embarrassing catcalls from the peanut gallery and a general whoever-thought-that-was-a-good-idea-in-the-first-place bewilderment.

Any judgments of flopitude are necessarily subjective, but here are 10 movies from the past decade that made those few moviegoers who saw them cringe. Disagree? Talk among yourselves.

10. THE SPIRIT

* Release date: December 25, 2008

* Estimated cost: $60 million

* Domestic gross: $19.8 million

Frank Miller, the man who created the comics "300" and "Sin City," and who redefined Batman and Daredevil for the modern age, directed this adaptation of Will Eisner's comic-strip hero. Starring Samuel L. Jackson and a bevy of beauties, it may have looked good on the page. But onscreen, the heavily stylized, nearly black-and-white results were disastrous. The expensive movie was killed by comic fans, who wanted Miller to go back to comics, and critics, who trashed the movie's over-the-top tones and aesthetics. Consequently, the partners at the company behind the production, Odd Lot Entertainment, parted ways after 23 years together. It even killed plans for a Miller-directed version of "Buck Rogers."

9. GRINDHOUSE

* Release date: April 6, 2007

* Estimated cost: $67 million

* Domestic gross: $25 million

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez managed to turn twice the filmmaking firepower into half the box office (and a third of the critical praise). With "Grindhouse," what began as an explicit exercise in joyous B-movie cinema homage -- a double bill of '70s-style schlock, one film from each director -- ended up aping its scuzzy genre ancestors a little too closely in the receipts department. After the three-hour-plus "Grindhouse" opened to a mere $11.6 million, Harvey Weinstein split the film's two parts -- "Death Proof" and "Planet Terror" -- and shuttled them to international markets individually. While that recouped a little of the Weinstein Co.'s money, it incurred the wrath of purists who were angry that the original film had been corrupted. Tarantino and Weinstein are famously loyal to each other, and while the writer-director eventually made good on the losses with the $120 million-grossing "Inglourious Basterds" this year, "Grindhouse" was one instance where loyalty nearly brought down the house.

8. ROLLERBALL

* Release date: February 8, 2002

* Estimated cost: $70 million

* Domestic gross: $19 million

Norman Jewison's 1975 comment on violence, corporatism and spectacle has its place in the paranoid '70s-era cult film pantheon. John McTiernan's remake, on the other hand, would be totally forgettable if it weren't so spectacularly misconceived in every way. The cast -- Jean Reno, Chris Klein, LL Cool J and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos -- was a C-list mishmash closer to reality TV than big-budget studio moviemaking. McTiernan had long since dented his box-office bona fides with "Last Action Hero" and "The 13th Warrior." And the studio releasing it -- MGM -- was so aware of its bomb-worthiness that it pushed the release back four times, out of the summer 2001 field and into the barren wasteland of February. In a last act of desperation, the movie was also re-edited from an R to a PG-13 rating, sabotaging any last chance it had at an audience. Ultimately, it pretty much wrecked McTiernan's career (he has directed only one film since).

7. THE INVASION

* Release date: August 17, 2007

* Estimated cost: $80 million

* Domestic gross: $15.1 million

Nicole Kidman couldn't have started the decade any hotter, scoring with "Moulin Rouge," "The Others" and "The Hours." But after 2002, her career went cold in the U.S. ("Stepford Wives," "Bewitched," "Australia" and "The Golden Compass"); it's as if the actress was abducted by some sort of soul-draining body snatcher. But wait, isn't that what she's fighting in "The Invasion," Hollywood's latest remake of the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"? This time around, the eerie premise, based on a novel by Jack Finney, failed to catch fire. The Wachowski brothers' second unit director, James McTeigue, was called in to shoot additional scenes written by the "Matrix" whiz kids after original director Oliver Hirschbiegel was sent packing, having filmed the bulk of the movie. In an omen of things to come, Kidman suffered an on-set fender-bender during the reshoots. When the film arrived in theaters more than a year late, Kidman's regal bearing took another dent.

6. CATWOMAN

* Release date: July 23, 2004

* Estimated cost: $100 million

* Domestic gross: $40 million

It was inevitable after Michelle Pfeiffer stole scenes as Catwoman in "Batman Returns" that her black-latexed anti-heroine would get a spinoff of her own. But when the inevitable occurred in 2004, this time with Halle Berry playing the character, audiences tried hard to cover up the kitty litter. No one involved with the movie came out unscathed. Not Berry, who just two years earlier had won an Oscar for "Monster's Ball"; not Sharon Stone, who chewed up the scenery as the movie's villainess; and not Pitof, the French filmmaker making his American directorial debut. He went back to his native land and hasn't directed a theatrical feature since. The movie is another example cited by studios in their long-held contention that female superhero movies just don't work.

5. TOWN & COUNTRY

* Release date: April 27, 2001

* Estimated cost: $90 million

* Domestic gross: $6.7 million

Twenty-five years after he seduced audiences in "Shampoo," Warren Beatty decided the time was ripe for another sex comedy, albeit one with a somewhat older circle of friends. He somehow persuaded New Line, which usually concentrated on the youth market, to foot the bill. And what a bill it was: With the script still furiously going through rewrites, Peter Chelsom began shooting in June 1998; 10 months and take after take after take later, the film was still shooting. That's when co-stars like Diane Keaton and Gary Shandling had to leave to fulfill other commitments. A full year later, the whole cast regrouped to finish the shoot, which had escalated to more than twice its original $44 million price tag. The completed film was actually something of a tepid affair. Beatty dithers as a New York architect who cheats on his wife with several women; Shandling's his best pal trying to come out as gay. And then there's Charlton Heston, playing against type, as a gun nut.

4. GIGLI

* Release date: August 1, 2003

* Estimated cost: $54 million

* Domestic gross: $6.1 million

If the course of true love rarely runs smoothly, then "Gigli" is an object lesson in how rocky it can get. As the new century dawned, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez -- tabloid code name: Bennifer -- were the couple of the moment. With an Oscar for writing "Good Will Hunting" and starring roles in "Pearl Harbor" and "The Sum of All Fears," his movie career was in high gear; she could boast a solid-gold music resume and rom-com appeal in movies like "The Wedding Planner" and "Maid in Manhattan." Onscreen romantic sparks seemed made to order. So what went wrong? Start with that title, "Gigli," that no one was sure how to pronounce. Add lots of lovey-dovey media appearances that erased a bit of their mystique. And then there was Martin Brest's film itself: a low-rent-mobster-boy-meets-enforcer-chick tale complete with a kidnapping, severed thumbs and Al Pacino in high dudgeon. Bennifer split in 2004, just before sharing the bill in another film not too far away on the flop-o-meter, "Jersey Girl."

3. LAND OF THE LOST

* Release date: June 5, 2009

* Estimated cost: $100 million

* Domestic gross: $65 million

Producer/puppeteers Sid and Marty Kroft were masters of the weird and cheesy; their old Saturday morning TV show, "Land of the Lost," is remembered fondly by kids who grew up in the '70s. But the material experienced something of a time warp when director Brad Silbering tried to give it a hipster spin this summer with the help of Will Ferrell, playing a paleontologist who journeys to a parallel universe where he meets the Sleestaks. Normally, any movie with a rampaging Tyrannosaurus (see "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "Night at the Museum") can't miss, but "Lost" was, well, lost in translation. The movie's PG-13 rating wasn't a comfort to many families when word got around of its toilet humor. Older moviegoers weren't interested, and Kroft purists weren't amused. Over the years, Disney and Sony had both held remake rights, but ultimately this hot potato landed at Universal, where it was one of the factors that resulted in the ouster of the studio's two top executives in October.

2. BATTLEFIELD EARTH

* Release date: May 12, 2000

* Estimated cost: $75 million

* Domestic gross: $21 million

Blame it on the Thetans if you want, but John Travolta's space oddity "Battlefield Earth" virtually imploded on the launching pad. Travolta's career was enjoying a resurgence in the wake of "Pulp Fiction" when he wagered a big chunk of his newfound credibility, as well as some of his own coin, on this passion project. "Battlefield Earth" was based on a 1972 sci-fi novel by Scientology guru L. Ron Hubbard, which Travolta promised would be "like 'Star Wars,' only better." Studios shied away, but Travolta found financing from Franchise Pictures, which would later be sued by investors for overstating the movie's costs as $100 million. Originally, Travolta hoped to play the young hero who leads a rebellion against the alien race that enslaves Earth, but the film took so long to assemble he ultimately opted instead to don dreadlocks and platform shoes to play the villain, barking lines like "Execute all man-animals at will, and happy hunting!" A planned sequel, which would have covered the second half of the novel, never materialized. "Some movies run off the rails," observed Roger Ebert. "This one is like the train crash in 'The Fugitive.'"

1. THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH

* Release date: August 6, 2002

* Estimated cost: $100 million

* Domestic gross: $4.4 million

Eddie Murphy is some kind of miracle. Five of his recent films lost more than $250 million, and yet he not only still gets hired but also commands his salary quote. But on the flop-o-meter, one Murphy title towers above even "Meet Dave," "Showtime" and "I Spy": Trumpets, please, for "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," whose release was delayed for 14 months. It instantly became the "Cleopatra" of our age. A sci-fi gangster comedy, complete with robot sidekick, set on the moon, "Pluto" was neither fish nor fowl -- but mostly foul. But unlike most stars who are tarnished by a mega-flop, Murphy -- who did take time off from broad comedies to redeem himself with his Oscar-nominated turn in "Dreamgirls" -- just keeps going and going and going.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: polkablues on November 27, 2009, 02:48:21 PM
The amazing thing is that only "Grindhouse" (as little as I care for Death Proof) is the only movie on the list that was wrongly ignored. Other than that, that is one big list of stinkers that deserved every bad thing that happened to them.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Myxo on December 01, 2009, 02:15:10 AM
I'll bite.

In no particular order:

There Will Be Blood
Punch-Drunk Love
WALL-E
About Schmidt
Secretary
No Country for Old Men
Million Dollar Baby
Memento
V for Vendetta
Almost Famous
Hero
Requiem for a Dream
Spirited Away (One of my favorite theater experiences ever.)
Mulholland Drive
Pan's Labyrinth
City of God
Closer
In The Bedroom
Sideways
Capturing the Friedman's (Still one of the more chilling documentaries I've seen.)
Traffic
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Little Miss Sunshine
The Host
Donnie Darko (Yeah yeah, I know. It's bad. But I love it.)
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: john on December 01, 2009, 02:41:02 AM
Quote from: Myxo on December 01, 2009, 02:15:10 AM

Spirited Away (One of my favorite theater experiences ever.)


Lucky bastard.

Also, revisiting Requiem For a Dream - it seems a bit heavy-handed in retrospect. It's effective, sure, but so is being kicked in the face.

This isn't to say that it's a bad film, I am still a fan of it (even if it's my least favorite of Aronofsky's films)

The point I'm trying to make is that it's a shame you (and others) have to be apologetic about Donnie Darko mostly for the fan base it has collected, but not something like Requiem For A Dream. To me, their both mid-level successes, technically innovative and occasionally emotionally succinct. I own both and I am unapologetic about either.

A few bad apples (and Kelly's occasional obnoxiousness) should ruin the commendable, memorable film he's made. I fully endorse you having both of those films on your list.


In The Bedroom, on the other hand...
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Alexandro on December 01, 2009, 07:59:05 AM
I also revisited Requiem for a Dream recently, after years and years of not watching a single frame. To me it is just as powerfull as before.

I don't know why this particular movie has had some backlash from the audiences that fully embraced it back in 2000-01, but I think it has to do with people being young and impressionable, never seeing something quite like that before, thinking that movie was the whole guacamole, and slowly through the decade, via new films and old films, rethinking that position to the point of being ashamed that once it was considered by everyone as the new amazing shit down the block.

It's boldness, the in-your-face quality of the images, editing, music and performance is usually held against it, when actually those are the things that make it so compelling. And of course, the depressing, pessimistic view of the world it has. This is an ugly fucking world these people live in, and it has become easy to dismiss such worldview as misanthropic or shocking but empty. The thing is, the film is portraying an empty world, devoid of hope or ways out. It's called Requiem for a Dream for something.

The difference between Requiem for a Dream and any number of other depressing films is that in this one it makes sense. More than that, it's inevitable. The written material and all the other elements fit perfectly with one another. And the execution is flawless. Ellen Burstyn's performance has an undeniable power, and it should be admired the way Arronofsky delved with such consistency into the grotesque. Honestly, to create such a wild ride with a film that's mostly a drama should be enough to earn this a spot in any top 25 of the decade. This is the first film I ever saw that deglamorizes drug use without portraying it in an aesthetically ugly or boring way.

And going back to the ending, a lot of filmmakers today are afraid of being seen as misantropic or too pessimistic. Accusations of being cheaply shocking or adolescent are easy to come. This guy went with it in a way that almost no one does anymore. PTA did it too in There Will be Blood and also got a lot of shit for it from some corners.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on December 01, 2009, 07:19:14 PM
Quote from: john on December 01, 2009, 02:41:02 AM
Quote from: Myxo on December 01, 2009, 02:15:10 AM

Spirited Away (One of my favorite theater experiences ever.)


Lucky bastard.


ya i saw it in the theatres as well, and contrary to the norm I'd argue the English dub is a better experience, IE: "now that's an esophagus!" isn't in the Japanese language one. That moment put a big smile on my face. i think whoever at Disney did the dub, did a great job. maybe john laseter? I'm not sure, but i bet he had his fingers in the pie.

one movie i forgot, and will have to change my list once i figure which one to drop is Julien Donkey Boy...
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on December 01, 2009, 10:21:31 PM
Quote from: john on December 01, 2009, 02:41:02 AMAlso, revisiting Requiem For a Dream - it seems a bit heavy-handed in retrospect. It's effective, sure, but so is being kicked in the face.

Dunno, I rather like being kicked in the face by a film. Requiem is quite an experience in the theater. I was also 17 at the time and had been building up anticipation for it, so perhaps that helped. As soon as that first title card slammed down, I was in.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on December 01, 2009, 10:56:00 PM
Requiem for a Dream and Fight Club (1999, I know) are two movies for me, that at the time, really changed the way I saw movies. They were both responsible for putting me on the path I'm on now, but I don't consider either of them great movies anymore. They both hold sentimental value to me, so because of that, I'll always have a soft spot for them.

Donnie Darko has always been fucking stupid, though. Even when I first saw it I thought it was fucking stupid. At least Aronofsky has gone on to do other good to great stuff. Dick Kelly ain't done shit.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on December 02, 2009, 01:11:37 AM
yes i think fight club and Donnie darko are not only messes in their own right but very pretentious as well.  my "do you think fight club is pretentious" thread made many years ago got peeps flamin' back when it was the bible film nerd movie. i could also go on about dick Kelly and how by listening to his audio commentaries I've figured him out for the fraud he is, but i think I've done that elsewhere on xixax as well.  in short just in case i haven't: listen to both Donnie darko commentaries, the one that he's alone in, and the director's cut with Kevin smith. the reason Donnie darko worked was because he failed to convey his intent with the film, which o.ooo1% of the time the film can fluke out and inadvertently end up with the guise of being deep. just look at southland tales, that's what happens the other 99.9999% of the time. you can even hear Kevin change his opinion about Donnie Darko and Dick's abilities as they talk about it. it's quite entertaining.

however requiem... now despite it's over the top editing and style, it's still quite a genuine piece of narrative.  it has the right intent in my opinion. i think it's a loud movie, though it shouldn't be slighted for that alone.  movies like Donnie darko, fight club, lock stock, snatch etc... are the type of loud films that scream at you with a very masculine style, in hopes to win people over with their rhetoric. as years pass when the "cool" amped up factor no longer resonates in the viewer, it becomes clearer the movies have little else interesting going on. Requiem's content still interests me years later.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: matt35mm on December 02, 2009, 02:47:28 AM
These last few posts have been interesting to read, because many of these movies mentioned were so seminal to probably most of us here on the board.  It's made me think about how my feelings about those films are now.

It's been a while since I've seen any of these.  I'm with Stefan in that I never liked Donnie Darko, which I saw only once when it first came out on DVD.  I didn't feel like there was anything there, past the glossy, cool look of the film, and the hip cynicism of Donnie.

I re-watched Requiem for a Dream not too long ago, after I had started to re-evaluate my initial opinion of the film.  The first time I watched it, I loved it, like most did.  Several years later, I found myself thinking, "Well, it's pretty unsubtle in style and has such an obvious message."  But then I re-watched it and was surprised by how well it works as a melodrama... I want to say that it almost worked as one sustained musical piece, with a healthy dose of the operatic and circus-y.  The montages and repeated shots almost work to feel like a dance, which I would swoon to and, via this, get absorbed into the drama.  I came to really appreciate this aspect of the film.  I don't even feel like the movie has a message beyond that anymore.  In a way, I actually see the film as more escapist than harsh realist, with all those swoonable qualities of the neat construction of the film acting almost like a drug.  This movie takes my mind off of my life and gives me a ride.  It's a drug movie for people who have cinema as their drug.

Fight Club is something I also appreciate a lot more now than I did before.  I thought it was a good movie when it came out, but not as deep as maybe it thought it was.  Now when I think back on it, I am just so damn impressed with how funny it is, and how far it goes with the anarchic side of things, that my respect for the film has grown.  It's a film full of ideas that we never get to see explored in movies.

Right now I have two films that I am really, really looking forward to seeing.  One is Ry Russo-Young's You Wont Miss Me, which I probably won't get to see until next year, and the other is Magnolia on its 10th anniversary.  I haven't seen Magnolia in a good 4 or 5 years, but I listened to the score a couple of weeks ago on a bus ride and felt like I was transported back to 1999, when I demanded that my cousin drive me, in the pouring rain, to one of the 7 cinemas that was playing Magnolia on its first week of limited release (before it rolled out in January).

Ladies and Gentleman, I have not had a cinematic experience more revelatory and meaningful before or since that day.  Listening to the score brought all that back, and I JUST KNOW that I will love love love Magnolia when I watch it again later this month.  I'm not gonna argue that it's PTA's best film; I don't give a fuck about that.  THE FILM MOVES MY HEART.

Anyway, this was totally the wrong thread for the end bit of that ramble.  So let me make a list:

NO ORDER (And definitely favorites, not best)

Before Sunset
Ratcatcher
All The Real Girls
George Washington
Punch-Drunk Love
There Will Be Blood
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Lord of the Rings
The Incredibles
The Company
Mulholland Drive
About Schmidt
Almost Famous
When The Levees Broke
The New World
Wall-E
Zodiac
Old Joy
Vera Drake
Wendy and Lucy
Lake of Fire
A Serious Man
Waking Life
Pride & Prejudice
Morvern Callar
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on December 02, 2009, 02:56:53 AM
Magnolia is still the G.O.A.T. movie for me, simply because it pretty much changed EVERYTHING for me. I think it's the same way with a lot of us. I wonder if, now in 2009, there's a movie this year that is touching 15 and 16 year old's now (the age most of us were) the way Magnolia touched us then.

Sometimes I watch the Magnolia trailers (especially the second one with momentum) just to be reminded of when I used to watch them over and over and over and over and over again on quicktime. Seriously, I must have watched those trailers a billion times. I think I even went to see Green Mile just to watch the trailer on the big screen. 
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: matt35mm on December 02, 2009, 03:25:06 AM
I watched that trailer on Quicktime over and over, too.  When I watched that trailer for the first time, I knew, with a calm sort of confidence, that Magnolia would be my favorite movie, Paul Thomas Anderson would be my hero, and that I would have to make films or die trying.  It was like a vision.

I don't think the teenagers have that going on right now.  They certainly missed out on having loud-mouth, wild, chain-smoking, possibly-coke-doing PTA as their hero.  I have the feeling that PTA is not a big deal to anyone under 20, because they missed the whole Boogie Nights and Magnolia thing (one of my friend's is 17 years old; she quoted "Wise Up" on her Facebook and I said something like, "Great scene from a great movie," and she said, "What movie?"), and PDL and TWBB aren't really appealing to teenagers.

I think we were really, really, really lucky to be teenagers in 1999.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on December 02, 2009, 03:32:12 AM
Quote from: matt35mm on December 02, 2009, 03:25:06 AM
I watched that trailer on Quicktime over and over, too.  When I watched that trailer for the first time, I knew, with a calm sort of confidence, that Magnolia would be my favorite movie, Paul Thomas Anderson would be my hero, and that I would have to make films or die trying.  It was like a vision.

I don't think the teenagers have that going on right now.  They certainly missed out on having loud-mouth, wild, chain-smoking, possibly-coke-doing PTA as their hero.  I have the feeling that PTA is not a big deal to anyone under 20, because they missed the whole Boogie Nights and Magnolia thing (one of my friend's is 17 years old; she quoted "Wise Up" on her Facebook and I said something like, "Great scene from a great movie," and she said, "What movie?"), and PDL and TWBB aren't really appealing to teenagers.

I think we were really, really, really lucky to be teenagers in 1999.

i was 20 but i so agree. i remember every 2 weeks a great movie came out that blew my mind.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Alexandro on December 02, 2009, 07:33:46 AM
I'm pretty sure teenagers must have something going on right now that incites passion like Magnolia did for you guys. I bet some teenagers are in awe of Quentin Tarantino, between the Kill Bill movies and Inglorious Basterds. Wes Anderson is very popular too with the movie freak crowd. However, anyone who was old enough to get grown up movies in 1999 was lucky because the combination of wild independent spirit and studio support resulted, as we all know, in a whole bunch of amazing movies.

I was exactly 17 when I watched Boogie Nights and concluded right there that Paul Thomas Anderson was the new great film director around. To me he was like a young out of his mind Martin Scorsese, who was already my favorite director. By the time Magnolia came out, I had already seen Boogie Nights around 30 times, had recommended it to everyone, and persuaded my screenplay teacher at college to play it for every class as a part of the course, which he kept on doing for years after I left. At 19 when I saw Magnolia, it just was confirmed for me the tremendous awesomeness of this guy. I remember when some magazine asked Scorsese who he thought was the new Martin Scorsese and he said Wes Anderson and I thought "you must be joking, haven't you seen Boogie Nights?" Now PTA is on his way to surpass Scorsese and who knows how many others.

At work we are preparing a top 50 of the decade between a bunch of people and some outsourced critics, there are only two films mentioned by everyone in their lists: the royal tenembaums and there will be blood.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gamblour. on December 02, 2009, 11:59:00 AM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on December 01, 2009, 10:21:31 PM
Quote from: john on December 01, 2009, 02:41:02 AMAlso, revisiting Requiem For a Dream - it seems a bit heavy-handed in retrospect. It's effective, sure, but so is being kicked in the face.

Dunno, I rather like being kicked in the face by a film. Requiem is quite an experience in the theater. I was also 17 at the time and had been building up anticipation for it, so perhaps that helped. As soon as that first title card slammed down, I was in.

I first saw it on DVD around 17 as well, but then saw it in theaters years later, and I was blown away by how much more of an impact it had on me. I still think Requiem holds up.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Myxo on December 02, 2009, 04:13:52 PM
Quote from: Stefen on December 01, 2009, 10:56:00 PMAt least Aronofsky has gone on to do other good to great stuff. Dick Kelly ain't done shit.

This is very true.

However, as movie lovers do we ever simply love a film based solely on how it makes us feel? I agree that Donnie Darko is not a good movie overall. But it's on my list because I love it. As a first wide release effort it's remarkable. Obviously we can sit here and discuss better directorial debuts. But I've seen a lot of forgettable films over the years. Donnie Darko stuck with me. The music is great. The storytelling is unique. Not saying it's a great story. But sometimes movies stand out simply by being different. Actually while we're on the topic, I'd put Donnie Darko in the same category of films as District 9 for me personally in terms of how it made me feel walking out of the theater. I didn't think that movie was great either but it was bold as hell, just like Donnie Darko.

To each their own right?
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: tpfkabi on December 02, 2009, 04:22:20 PM
Quote from: Stefen on December 01, 2009, 10:56:00 PM
Requiem for a Dream and Fight Club (1999, I know)
Donnie Darko

i never was that into any of these three. i saw them once and that was that pretty much.

i don't think Fight Club is in the same realm as Se7en, even though it was an earlier work.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on December 02, 2009, 04:36:24 PM
ya se7en, the game and zodiac are so much better.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on December 03, 2009, 02:55:45 AM
Quote from: Myxo on December 02, 2009, 04:13:52 PM
Quote from: Stefen on December 01, 2009, 10:56:00 PMAt least Aronofsky has gone on to do other good to great stuff. Dick Kelly ain't done shit.

This is very true.

However, as movie lovers do we ever simply love a film based solely on how it makes us feel? I agree that Donnie Darko is not a good movie overall. But it's on my list because I love it.

This brings up an interesting question. In the end, I suppose all films are subjective. I know I have tons of movies I love that may not be great movies, but have a special place in my heart for other reasons than their quality. Love Actually and 10 Things I Hate About You are two of those movies. Not great movies, but I like them because of other reasons.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on December 03, 2009, 04:17:10 PM
yes but for the purposes of top lists, in this case 25 of the decade, all film must have staying power.  it's very risky putting in a film that you just recently saw, because after the initial lust for it is over, will it still hold up? i remember i saw Donnie Darko and was blown away too, but after the gimmicks faded there wasn't anything there to hold on to. so while the film does have a seminal quality with young people, and i'm not knocking that part of it, there is no other depths that reveal themselves over time. Richard Kelly should feel proud of doing at least one of those two things. he just doesn't deserve top accolades.
Title: Re: Top 25 of the DECADE
Post by: Stefen on December 03, 2009, 05:13:08 PM
yeah, but who is going to go back and revisit everything just to make sure it wasn't just initial awe that made you love it? soderberghs solaris remake is a film that will probably be on my eventual list, and i dont know how much of it has to do with my feelings for it the first time i saw it.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on December 03, 2009, 05:16:39 PM
Does anybody still remember Eternal Sunshine? I remember loving it back then but I don't have any feelings for it now. I was reminded of it by my friend's gf who lists it as her favorite movie along with Stranger than Fiction. I think this is coherent, two adolescent movies I guess. She's 25 though  :doh:
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: matt35mm on December 03, 2009, 05:20:51 PM
It's on my list from the previous page.  I still love the shit out of that movie.  I think it's the only movie with a "quirky" woman that brings a depressed and/or generally lame white man out of his shell that I ever liked.  Part of that is because they deal honestly with how fucking grating quirky can be after a little while.  Part of it is because they're not in their 20s, and they actually look like and make sense as a couple.  Part of it is that it never has a character give a dumb monologue about how "this is life and I love you and that's all there is to it."
Title: Re: Top 25 of the DECADE
Post by: Stefen on December 03, 2009, 05:33:53 PM
it'll be on mine, too. i loved it at first, then i despised it, and now i love it again because i see it in a different light. its a tragic fucking story. the casual audience loves it because, aw they're supposed to be together, but they're not. not at all. sure, halfway through getting their memories erased, they realize it was a mistake and they want to keep the remaining memories, but that's only because the worst ones, the ones that made them hate eachother in the first place were already erased. tragic. and brilliant.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on December 03, 2009, 06:48:00 PM
lol ya eternal sunshine was on mine too. i think that movie stands up and does exactly what i mentioned, it resonates long after the style has faded. it's teaches that we need to remember and endure our endeavors, for if we don't and chose to lock it away in an attempt to forget, we can't possibly progress to the next stage in life. Donnie Darko on the other hand teaches that you can make everything alright if you get a time machine and play washed up trendy 80s tunes. lol I'm only kidding, there are mild themes of sacrifice and teenage rebellion but everything else is pseudo-philosophy mumbo-jumbo bullshit.

now I'm not saying films have to have this, they don't have to have meaning. more should imo, but i would never want to exclusively have message movies, and the best films hide the message beneath great entertainment.  but the point is, the allure of Donnie Darko was that it was dark and deep with tons of context.  so when it proves to not in fact have any, it's worth mentioning and taking a shit on.  if Donnie Darko had the pretense of being a time travel flick and nothing else, i probably would still like it.  it's just so fucking bleeding heart forced.

and stefen i agree sunshine is a beautiful tragic story. funny how so many see it as a happy ending, it's not.  it's tragically content. the idea that even though we won't be together, our time spent will be valued nonetheless is a bitter sweet and very important lesson.  i've written this before but when charlie kauf was on charlie rose, he has this wonderful bit where he talks about the fact that while he was growing up, movies formed many of his views on love.  later in life, when he got to experience it first hand, it wasn't the way it had been depicted. this mirrored my own beliefs, I've often thought that the modern romantic comedy might be one of the most destructive things under the guise of entertainment.  men and mainly women watch these films, and set their ideals based on them, when they might in fact be very false expectations.  ultimately leading to subconscious blame and let down.  eternal sunshine is all about breaking that structure down.  i don't think charlie rose got it, but fuck i totally got it. i was breaking up with someone when i saw it, and it was the most beautiful message i could have gotten from a film.

the original scripted ending has the same point, but it's more twisted. i like the way they went with it, they decided to let the characters know what is happening to them, and chose to go through with it anyway.  ironically it's a very positive tragedy.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: polkablues on December 03, 2009, 06:53:49 PM
Quote from: socketlevel on December 03, 2009, 06:48:00 PM
if Donnie Darko had the pretense of being a time travel flick and nothing else, i probably would still like it.

"Primer: 90210"

I'd watch that.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on December 03, 2009, 06:57:54 PM
Quote from: polkablues on December 03, 2009, 06:53:49 PM
Quote from: socketlevel on December 03, 2009, 06:48:00 PM
if Donnie Darko had the pretense of being a time travel flick and nothing else, i probably would still like it.

"Primer: 90210"

I'd watch that.

lol more like "back to the future" or just plain old "primer"

the way it is now it's primer: 90210 directed by Kid Kubrick
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on January 01, 2010, 04:19:18 PM
my top 10 favorite fight scenes of the decade:
http://www.facebook.com/enterthehero?v=app_2347471856&ref=profile#/notes.php?id=684352200
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on January 05, 2010, 03:10:42 AM
I left a lot of stuff off (mostly in the dishonorable mentions section) and I didn't include any Oliver Stone just to spite Gold Trumpet.

Top 25 Films of the Decade.

1. There Will Be Blood [2007] (wri/dir. Paul Thomas Anderson) – Easily the best cinematic achievement of the decade. Paul Thomas Anderson left his contemporaries in the dust with this one. He tried something new and hit it out of the park. I wish more of his immediate peers would attempt something this radically different in tone. (I'm looking at you, Wes Anderson). Daniel Day-Lewis gets the praise for his acting (well-deserved) and Jonny Greenwood gets the praise for his score (also deserved), but to me, Robert Elswit's beautiful cinematography is the real star.

2. In The Mood For Love [2000] (wri/dir. Wong Kar-wai) – I didn't see this until late and I'm glad that's the way it played out because I don't see myself appreciating this as much if I saw it when I was younger. Despite it's title, it's not a film that ever really goes the full love flick route. It restrains itself and that may be it's ultimate appeal. It leaves the audience, and it's main characters wanting more. Everything doesn't get resolved, and that's okay. That avenue is very refreshing for such a western influenced film. As with There Will Be Blood, the cinematography (this time by the always stellar, Christopher Doyle), is one of the main stars.

3. A.I. Artificial Intelligence [2001] (dir. Steven Spielberg) – Maybe the most controversial film Spielberg has ever done, and with good reason. A story that on the surface parallels that of Pinocchio, adds it's own touches and twists including robotic prostitutes, phallic imagery and fairs where self-aware robots are slaughtered for the amusement of cheering crowds. America! Fuck yeah! Contemporary sci-fi has never been done better. The ending suffers the same fate as most Spielberg films do where they lay the saccharine on too thick, but this time, it's only pretending to be a sweet ending. It isn't a happy ending at all. Whether Speilberg intended it that way or not will always be up for constant debate, but it's the viewer that ultimately decides and that may be why it's such a polarizing film.

4. The 25th Hour [2002] (dir. Spike Lee) – Spike Lee's at his best when he's making something with social relevancy that focuses on people first and foremost. He pulls no punches here. He's aided by a top-knotch cast (including the highly underrated and oft-underused Barry Pepper) and a brilliant screenplay by David Benioff (based on his own novel). If Spike Lee was more consistent, I have no doubt that he would be mentioned with some of the all-time greats. A single viewing of this film proves that.

5. Irreversible [2002] (dir. Gaspar Noe) – Irreversible isn't the first film to be told in reverse chronological order, but it's certainly one of the most controversial. Say what you want about about Gaspar Noe (and everyone has), but the guy does it big here and really presents a film that keeps you glued to the television wondering what's going to happen next despite the fact you may already know the ending. Is it over the top? Yeah, but I think it's necessary for this sort of story and if you're going to go over the top, this is your blueprint on how to do it right. Balance, people. Balance.

6. George Washington [2000] (wri/dir. David Gordon Green) – For a movie where nothing happens through the first hour, it sure does keep you entertained. Between the very genuine and endearing first time acting by the main cast (mostly children), and the beautiful cinematography (courtesy of Tim Orr) it really paints you a moving picture about what it's like to take it easy during the summer in the south. Easily one of my most memorable viewing experiences of the decade.

7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [2004] (dir. Michel Gondry) – Only Chuck Kaufman could come up with an idea this batshit crazy and only Michel Gondry could make a movie out of it. It's almost perfect and in my mind, it's Kaufman's crowning achievement. Maybe it's because I'm a pessimist but I always found the ending to be pretty tragic. When I talk to others, they always seem to think it's a happy ending. The only reason they regret getting their memories erased is because all the bad ones were already erased. If you only had memories from the beginning of a failed relationship, you'd probably think it was going to work out, too.

8. Talk to Her [2002] (wri/dir. Pedro Almodovar) – You could call Almodovar the best filmmaker of the last 20 years and you probably wouldn't be wrong. Some would say Volver is Almodovar's highlight of the decade, but in Volver, he does what he does best; write for women. Here he flips it and his two main characters are men and his writing doesn't miss a beat. This is why I chose this film to represent Almodovar on my list.

9. Dancer in the Dark [2000] (wri/dir. Lars von Trier) – I had a tough time choosing between Dancer in the Dark and Dogville as far as which von Trier film to represent the decade. I eventually settled on Dancer in the Dark because, despite having so many things working against it (it's a musical about a murderous Czech immigrant on death row losing her eyesight in 1964 Washington state, come on), it manages to take everything and put it together beautifully. The musical bits (especially the final number) are great and the hand-held digital camera Dogme 95-influenced look really makes it seem surreal.

10. The Incredibles [2004] (dir. Brad Bird) – I don't think I've smiled more during a movie than I did during this. The scene where they're in the plane and about to get shot down may be the most harrowing and thrilling scene in a movie in the last 10 years. It's got like 3 endings and they're all awesome.

11. Solaris [2002] (wri/dir. Steven Soderbergh) - It's slow but never boring. Great performances all around. Soderbergh uses ambiance as another character and it works flawlessly. Doesn't make the top 10 on account of an Insane Clown Posse song being used in the background during a key scene (what the fuck, Soderbergh?)

12. Let the Right one In [2008] (dir. Tomas Alfredson) – Probably one of the creepiest films I've ever seen, but that's what makes it so great. The movie doesn't work if the story involves teenagers or adults. It just doesn't. The best thing about it is it's innocence. Well, Oskar's at least.

13. Children of Men [2006] (dir. Alfonso Cuaron) – Have you seen the last 20 minutes? It made my head explode. Anything that explodes a head deserves a spot on this list. Plus, contemporary sci-fi is awesome, especially when it's dealing with the potential end of humanity. The whole movies a drag. Just dreary and drab and just not pleasant. A world where dudes can't get women pregnant doesn't sound too bad, though. If we're being honest, I mean.

14. Wonder Boys [2000] (dir. Curtis Hanson) - One of the rare times where the movie is better than the book. Everyone is great in this, but it's Michael Douglas who steals the show as a down on his luck pot smoking literary genius. It's a movie about college and getting high, but done in a way where Rhodes scholars can like it, too.  

15. City of God [2004] (dir. Fernando Meirelles)  - Initially, I didn't want to include this flick because, even though it's a really great movie, it's kind of suffered the same fate as movies like Fight Club and Requiem For a Dream where they kind of caught on with the wrong audience who was digging them for the wrong reasons, but in the end, if I didn't include it, then the homeboys won. We already lost Scarface to them, dated soundtrack and all. Can't let them take everything.

16. 21 Grams [2002] (dir. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) – The interweaving storylines that Alejandro González Iñárritu always does has kind of gotten stale, but this is where he does it best. I don't think Naomi Watts has ever been better. And Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro are always great; no exception here.

17. Amelie [2001] (dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet) – Audrey Tatutou is adorable. The best thing about it are the supporting characters. They give the film life. It's imaginative and tells a great story. It's full of win.

18. Brokeback Mountain [2005] (dir. Ang Lee) – Gay cowboys lulz. But seriously, guys; it's got that dork from 10 Things I Hate About You that always wore those gay leather pants doing a complete 180.

19. Nurse Betty [2000] (dir. Neil Labute) – Neil, you started off your career SO WELL. What the fuck happened? Get a grip, man. Go do some soul searching and get back to being awesome. Take a road trip, get arrested, kill a guy. Do whatever it takes.

20. Time of the Wolf [2003] (dir. Michael Haneke) – Haneke is a guy that I had to include on my list because he's made some great films this decade and since post-apocalyptic films are some of my faves, I included this one. The beginning of this film is brutal. Haneke got me with that one. I put my guard down for ONE SECOND (you NEVER put your guard down during a Haneke film, even in the opening minutes) and BAM, he got me. Had to turn it off, collect myself, then resume watching during the daytime. He's a real jerk.

21. Munich [2005] (dir. Steven Spielberg) – Like most Spielberg movies, it could have been a perfect film if Spielberg just let somebody else handle the third act. For being such a mild-mannered filmmaker, Spielberg sure nails the violence when he gets the chance. Nobody can do violence like Spielberg. The guy is just on another level when he's allowed to get gritty. It's like he goes all out with the violence because he knows he probably won't be allowed to do it again for awhile.

22. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada [2005] (dir. Tommy Lee Jones) – After 21 Grams, I think this is the best thing Guillermo Arriaga has ever written. The aforementioned Barry Pepper turns in a solid performance here and Tommy Lee Jones does the Tommy Lee Jones thing. Awesome story, awesome pacing, awesome setting. This one seems to always fly under the radar for some reason.

23. You Can Count on Me [2000] (dir. Ken Lonergan) – It's so simple and easy, but done so well. Quite possibly my favorite screenplay of the decade.

24. Mysterious Skin [2004] (dir. Gregg Araki) – Araki is a love him or hate him type of filmmaker and I can see where both sides come from. His movies are pretty terrible but they always had a youthful independent edge that anyone who was a teenager between the years 1995 and 2000 could always find infectious. Mysterious Skin is, in my opinion, Araki's first real foray into serious adult filmmaking. It's still riddled with Araki'isms (the awkward close-ups, the uncomfortable beats), but they aren't annoying here at all and they actually work with the story. Joseph Gordon-Levitt kills it here.

25. Almost Famous [2000] (wri/dir. Cameron Crowe) – Top 25 because it's one of those movies that will always be around. It's had a rough few years and maybe doesn't hold up as well as it did upon release, but it's still a solid flick and holds sentimental value for a whole generation. Some of the writing is clumsy and the pacing is a bit off at times, but as a whole, it's a great movie.

Honorable Mentions –

Punch-Drunk Love - [2002] (wri/dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Finding Forrester [2000] (dir. Gus van Sant)
Yu Tu Mama Tambien [2001] (dir. Alfonso Cuaron)
Traffic [2000] (dir. Steven Soderbergh)
Memento [2000] (dir. Chris Nolan)
Adaptation [2002] (dir. Spike Jonze)
Elephant [2003] (dir. Gus van Sant)
All the Real Girls [2003] (dir. David Gordon Green)
In The Bedroom [2002] (dir. Todd Field)
United 93 [2006] (dir. Paul Greengrass)

(Dis)Honorable Mentions

Gladiator [dir. Ridley Scott] –  To me, the funniest thing about Ridley Scott is the fact that he tries so hard to be his less talented younger brother, but he always ends up accidentally being slightly better and you can tell that really pisses him off. Tony Scott isn't what you'd call a good filmmaker, but he makes awesome action movies with the sole purpose of making awesome action movies. His brother on the other hand tries to make awesome action movies but they always end up having some sort of quality that appeals to a large group of people. Every time you see a Ridley Scott interview or listen to one of his commentary tracks, you can just tell he's miserable. Blackhawk Down is pretty awesome, though.

Donnie Darko [dir. Some pretentious jerkoff who fell on an alright idea and got in way over his head when he felt like he needed to tell someone] – This movie makes absolutely no sense if you think about it. I wish I could travel back in time and erase it from ever being made. The cons of this movie being made far outweigh the pros.

A Beautiful Mind and anything Ron Howard EVER does. – The only thing worse than a filmmaker who tries to please 100% of all people and attempts to pass it off as art is when said filmmaker ends up pleasing 75% of all people. It's pretty hilarious how Russell Crowe even does the Russell Crowe scowl while he's crunching numbers like it's tax season.

Crash – Oh, god, where to start? I don't think I've ever seen a more manipulative film. It just hammers you over the head over and over again with it's messages. When it was over, I wanted to riot. I wanted to start fires. I stepped out of the theater looking for a vehicle to turn over.

Juno – Juno is quite possibly the most annoying character ever written. She's a know-it-all who apparently didn't know about safe sex. True story: I actually saw this with Gloria Steinem and halfway through the film she stood up, climbed upon a platform, grabbed a loudspeaker, pointed it at the screen and yelled, "Oh, god, can you please shut up!"
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on January 05, 2010, 07:40:02 AM
:bravo: fucking awesome post.  :bravo: very enjoyable read. Will check out the movies I haven't seen in the list for sure

edit: damn my mind is boiling with different films I loved of the decade, thanks I can hardly work now  :doh:.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Captain of Industry on January 09, 2010, 04:42:05 PM
FILM COMMENT'S END-OF-DECADE CRITICS' POLL

1. Mulholland Drive David Lynch, U.S., 2001 2808 points
2. In the Mood for Love Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong, 2000 2687
3. Yi Yi Edward Yang, Taiwan/Japan, 2000 1833
4. Syndromes and a Century Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/Austria/France, 2006 1738
5. There Will Be Blood P.T. Anderson, U.S., 2007 1664
6. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu Cristi Puiu, Romania, 2005 1407
7. A History of Violence David Cronenberg, U.S./Canada, 2005 1303
8. Tropical Malady Apichatpong Weerasethakul, France/Thailand/Italy/Germany, 2004 1301
9. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Cristi Mungiu, Romania, 2007 1249
10. The New World Terrence Malick, U.S., 2005 1223
11. Platform Jia Zhangke, Hong Kong/Japan/France, 2000 1206
12. Zodiac David Fincher, U.S., 2007 1143
13. The Intruder Claire Denis, France, 2004 1110
14. The Son Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France, 2002 1089
15. Dogville Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/U.K./Germany/Netherlands, 2003 1084
16. Caché Michael Haneke, France/Austria/Germany/Italy, 2005 1083
17. Kings and Queen Arnaud Desplechin, France, 2005 1080
18. Elephant Gus Van Sant, U.S., 2003 1036
19. The Royal Tenenbaums Wes Anderson, U.S., 2001 1007
20. Before Sunset Richard Linklater, U.S., 2004 1005
21. Spirited Away Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2001 1000
22. The Gleaners and I Agnès Varda, France, 2000 985
23. Goodbye, Dragon Inn Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan, 2003 975
24. The World Jia Zhangke, China/Japan/France, 2004 974
25. Talk to Her Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2002 973
26. Inland Empire David Lynch, U.S./France/Poland, 2006 960
27. Still Life Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong, 2006 934
28. Colossal Youth Pedro Costa, France/Portugal/Switzerland, 2006 929
29. Russian Ark Alexander Sokurov, Russia/Germany, 2002 870
30. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence Steven Spielberg, U.S., 2001 850
31. In Praise of Love Jean-Luc Godard France/Switzerland 2001 834
32. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Michel Gondry, U.S., 2004 832
33. No Country for Old Men Joel & Ethan Coen, U.S., 2007 791
34. Werckmeister Harmonies Béla Tarr, Hungary/Italy/Germany/France, 2000 778
35. Grizzly Man Werner Herzog, U.S./Canada, 2005 777
36. Three Times Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan, 2005 767
37. Café Lumière Hou Hsiao-hsien, Japan/Taiwan, 2003 761
38. Regular Lovers Philippe Garrel, France, 2005 759
39. Blissfully Yours Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/France, 2002 713
40. I'm Not There Todd Haynes, U.S./Germany, 2007 703
41. 2046 Wong Kar Wai, China/Hong Kong/France, 2005 700
42. In Vanda's Room Pedro Costa, Portugal/Germany/Switzerland, 2000 654
43. Los Angeles Plays Itself Thom Andersen, U.S., 2003 649
44. Millennium Mambo Hou Hsiao-hsien, France/U.S./Spain/Greece, 2001 636
45. La Commune (Paris, 1871) Peter Watkins, France, 2000 632
46. The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow, U.S., 2009 623
47. Million Dollar Baby Clint Eastwood, U.S., 2004 607
48. What Time Is It There? Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan/France, 2001 600
49. demonlover Olivier Assayas, France, 2002 583
50. The Headless Woman Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Spain/France/Italy, 2009 581
51. La Captive Chantal Akerman, France/Belgium, 2000 580
52. Esther Kahn Arnaud Desplechin, France/U.K., 2000 579
53. Notre musique Jean-Luc Godard, France/Switzerland, 2004 562
54. Distant Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey, 2002 559
55. Saraband Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 2003 553
56. The Holy Girl Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Italy/Netherlands/Spain, 2004 550
57. Y tu mamá también Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico, 2001 537
58. Brokeback Mountain Ang Lee, U.S., 2005 537
59. Children of Men Alfonso Cuarón, Japan/U.K./U.S., 2006 537
60. Ten Abbas Kiarostami, France/Iran/U.S., 2002 527
61. Silent Light Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/Netherlands, 2007 527
62. La ciénaga Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Spain, 2001 511
63. L'Enfant Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France, 2005 511
64. Star Spangled to Death Ken Jacobs, U.S., 2004 508
65. Flight of the Red Balloon Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan/France, 2008 498
66. RR James Benning, U.S., 2007 491
67. The House of Mirth Terence Davies, U.K./France/Germany/U.S., 2000 484
68. 25th Hour Spike Lee, U.S. 2002 469
69. 35 Shots of Rum Claire Denis, France/Germany, 2008 460
70. Summer Hours Olivier Assayas, France, 2009 453
71. The Host Bong Joon-ho, South Korea, 2007 441
72. Adaptation Spike Jonze, U.S., 2002 438
73. Lost in Translation Sofia Coppola, U.S./Japan, 2003 435
74. Gerry Gus Van Sant, U.S., 2002 433
75. Private Fears in Public Places Alain Resnais, France/Italy, 2006 430
76. My Winnipeg Guy Maddin, Canada, 2007 430
77. Punch-Drunk Love P.T. Anderson, U.S., 2002 426
78. Fat Girl Catherine Breillat, France/Italy, 2001 422
79. The Departed Martin Scorsese, U.S./Hong Kong, 2006 422
80. Far from Heaven Todd Haynes, U.S./France, 2002 421
81. Donnie Darko Richard Kelly, U.S., 2001 413
82. Moolaadé Ousmane Sembene, Burkina Faso/Morocco/Tunisia/Cameroon/France, 2004 410
83. Woman on the Beach Hong Sang-soo, South Korea, 2006 407
84. Memories of Murder Bong Joon-ho, South Korea, 2003 405
85. West of the Tracks Wang Bing, China, 2003 398
86. Wendy and Lucy Kelly Reichardt, U.S., 2008 395
87. Trouble Every Day Claire Denis, France/Germany/Japan, 2001 390
88. Femme Fatale Brian De Palma, U.S./France, 2002 386
89. Songs from the Second Floor Roy Andersson, Sweden, 2000 386
90. Letters from Iwo Jima Clint Eastwood, U.S., 2006 379
91. Gran Torino Clint Eastwood, U.S., 2008 375
92. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Andrew Dominik, U.S., 2007 374
93. Last Days Gus Van Sant, U.S., 2005 368
94. The Man Without a Past Aki Kaurismäki, Finland/Germany/France, 2002 368
95. When the Levees Broke Spike Lee, U.S. 2006 360
96. The Best of Youth Marco Tullio Giordana, Italy, 2003 358
97. Turning Gate Hong Sang-soo, South Korea 2002 356
98. 24 City Jia Zhangke, China/Hong Kong/Japan, 2008 352
99. In the City of Sylvia José Luis Guerín, Spain/France, 2007 352
100. The White Ribbon Michael Haneke, Austria/Germany/France/Italy, 2009 348

http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/jf10/best00s.htm
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: tpfkabi on January 11, 2010, 02:28:24 PM
Is Road to Perdition getting on any lists?

That came on TV and even though it was panned and scanned I had to watch it - scene after scene of beautiful camera moves and composition imo.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: modage on January 11, 2010, 02:31:22 PM
Quote from: bigideas on January 11, 2010, 02:28:24 PM
Is Road to Perdition getting on any lists?

It made my top 50 (http://modage.tumblr.com/post/309153882/listomania-25-more-films-of-the-decade), but didn't make my top 25 (http://modage.tumblr.com/post/308288113/listomania-my-top-25-films-of-the-decade).
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: tpfkabi on January 11, 2010, 04:20:59 PM
I just caught the last hour but man, sequence after sequence:

*spoilers?*

The montage where the son learns to drive / bank robberies
Tom shoots him down and fades in and out of shadow - gunshots silent camera on half circle track (i guess?) revealing on gangster's death after another
The whole ending beach sequence
When Tom kills Daniel Craig's character - the nod to Taxi Driver - the reflection of Craig in the window
that's all I can think of right now - maybe a lot of these shots are taken from the graphic novel - I have no idea.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: MacGuffin on January 13, 2010, 12:35:09 PM
'Mulholland Dr.' is L.A. critics' film of 00s
Beat out 189 other titles chosen by 41 LAFCA members
Source: Hollywood Reporter

The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. has named David Lynch's "Mullholland Dr." the best film of the past decade.

In announcing its choice, the organization said, "Lynch's film stands as both a cautionary tale and a mascot for the triumph of art and personal vision in an industry that, from where we sit, often seems actively devoted to the suppression of both."

"Mulholland" beat out 189 other selected titles, which were chosen by 41 LAFCA members who participated in the vote. In 2001, "Mulholland Dr." was the group's runner-up for best picture, placing second to Todd Fields' "In the Bedroom."

In addition to "Mulholland," LAFCA's top films of the decade, in order, are: Paul Thomas Anderson's " There Will Be Blood"; Michael Gondry's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain"; Joel and Ethan Coen's " No Country for Old Men," which tied with David Fincher's " Zodiac"; Edward Yang's "Yi Yi"; Cristian Mungiu's " 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," tied with Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings"; Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away"; Paul Greengrass' " United 93," which tied with Alfonso Cuaron's "Y Tu Mama Tambien"; and Alexander Payne's "Sideways."
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on January 17, 2010, 03:51:14 AM
^those are some pretty boring choices, albeit fiiiiiiiiine and uncontestable in any productive way.

the lesson here, and in all the major "cumulative" lists, that is any list where the result is not the choice of a single person but the consensus of a bunch of ppl (even great critics or filmmakers) is that you will always end up watering down any inspired choices.

group lists hav no personality, i think GT would agree, and that is the one ingredient that makes a list interesting. i would rather hear a very precise well-thought-out list by Andrei Tarkovsky (http://people.ucalgary.ca/~tstronds/nostalghia.com/TheTopics/Tarkovsky-TopTen.html) than a collection of what movies made most internet critics' top ten lists.

one is a statistical factoid while the other is a valuable insight.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on January 18, 2010, 02:24:46 AM
Even though your mention of me wasn't automatically asking for reply, I do like Tarkovsky's list because it avvoids a common pitfall of filmmaker lists. Every list has a nod to Hollywood, but Tarkovsky chooses City Lights, a film that still has stylistic relevance to his own films. Chaplin was very influential later on with foreign filmmakers. Often a filmmaker will make a list and have 90% of the list speak to his personality as a filmmaker and then there will be a "Sloop John B" kind of choice that speaks to nothing but basic pleasures and has little resonance with his personality as a filmmaker besides he may just find the film personally enjoyable as a viewer, but that shouldn't matter much for representational lists. But Tarkovsky finds the most logical Hollywood film to include in his list.

The only wish would be for a little more variety with filmmakers. If Tarkovsky was influenced by Bergman and Bresson, was he not also influenced by Olmi, Dreyer and certain Italian Neo-Realists? Good list, but three Bergmans may be pushing it. Even for a huge fan like me.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Captain of Industry on January 21, 2010, 04:21:35 PM
24 Hour Party People
The Piano Teacher
Werckmeister Harmonies
Head-On
Capturing the Friedmans
The GoodTimes Kid/Momma's Man
Spirited Away
Undertow
Genealogies of a Crime
Inland Empire
Grizzly Man
2046
Together (Moodysson)
Songs from the Second Floor/You, The Living
Goodbye, Dragon Inn
Spider
Election
Friday Night
Punch-Drunk Love
Police Beat
The Guatemalan Handshake
The Son
Old Joy
A Snake of June
Happy-Go-Lucky
The New World

2009 movies I kept wanting to put:
The Informant!
District 9
The Headless Woman
Goodbye Solo
Lion's Den
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on January 21, 2010, 04:39:38 PM
That's a great list.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on January 21, 2010, 07:15:24 PM
I don't know 17 of them (including that 2009 list)  :shock: I'd like some details on the why/how/who(?) of the titles!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: polkablues on January 21, 2010, 10:12:13 PM
Good call on Police Beat.  A very unique, underrated movie, and I know quite a few people who worked on it.  Most of them are awesome people.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on January 21, 2010, 11:09:54 PM
bad call on inland empire and happy go lucky.

probably the worst films by their respective directors and easily among the 5 biggest disappointments of the decade (be kind rewind, darjeeling, lovely bones).
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: picolas on January 22, 2010, 12:35:04 AM
i also have to call bullshit on Goodbye Solo. i honestly have no idea why people enjoy that movie. i hate every character, nothing happens, and every shot is held for at least 20 seconds longer than it ever deserves to be. i want to punch that movie.

and Election (fantastic film) was '99, so choose another one? otherwise very fresh choices.

i just have 13 more descriptions to write for my top 50 list. it's become the longest thing i've ever written that isn't a script.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: children with angels on January 22, 2010, 04:22:02 AM
Quote from: picolas on January 22, 2010, 12:35:04 AM
i want to punch that movie.

Marquee!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on January 22, 2010, 07:12:30 AM
Quote from: picolas on January 22, 2010, 12:35:04 AM
i just have 13 more descriptions to write for my top 50 list. it's become the longest thing i've ever written that isn't a script.

gonna be epic !!!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: children with angels on January 22, 2010, 07:38:17 AM
Quote from: picolas on January 22, 2010, 12:35:04 AMElection (fantastic film) was '99, so choose another one?

I think he probably means this Election:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434008/
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Captain of Industry on January 23, 2010, 12:02:45 PM
Quote from: Pas Rap on January 21, 2010, 07:15:24 PM
I don't know 17 of them (including that 2009 list)  :shock: I'd like some details on the why/how/who(?) of the titles!

Any in particular?

In general the films I like illuminate the humanity of the filmmaker, the psyche of the individual behind the giant orchestration of events that coalesce into a 90 or so minute piece of art.  I like the feeling of a human hand on every frame.  This I prefer to plot.  Although sometimes directors working within constraints can expose parts of themselves by the way they reach to overcome obstacles, this I also find very interesting.  My list reflects that.

Quote from: ρ on January 21, 2010, 11:09:54 PM
bad call on inland empire and happy go lucky.

probably the worst films by their respective directors and easily among the 5 biggest disappointments of the decade (be kind rewind, darjeeling, lovely bones).

Happy Go Lucky as Leigh's worst film is a huge stretch, but I admit that it's not Leigh's filmmaking that makes the film shine for me, but Sally Hawkins' blissful performance.

Quote from: picolas on January 22, 2010, 12:35:04 AM
i also have to call bullshit on Goodbye Solo. i honestly have no idea why people enjoy that movie. i hate every character, nothing happens, and every shot is held for at least 20 seconds longer than it ever deserves to be. i want to punch that movie.


I think that when you're flying next time and Solo is serving you your in-flight drink you won't be saying nothing happened.  Then you'll know.

Quote from: children with angels on January 22, 2010, 07:38:17 AM
Quote from: picolas on January 22, 2010, 12:35:04 AMElection (fantastic film) was '99, so choose another one?

I think he probably means this Election:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434008/

Yes, thank you.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: picolas on January 23, 2010, 03:24:28 PM
Quote from: Captain of Industry on January 23, 2010, 12:02:45 PMI think that when you're flying next time and Solo is serving you your in-flight drink you won't be saying nothing happened.  Then you'll know.
can you be more specific? did you meet the actor? ...were you depressed? i know depression/suicide is a deep dark dense issue, but i consider this movie really shallow in its treatment of that.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Captain of Industry on January 23, 2010, 03:48:08 PM
Quote from: picolas on January 23, 2010, 03:24:28 PM
Quote from: Captain of Industry on January 23, 2010, 12:02:45 PMI think that when you're flying next time and Solo is serving you your in-flight drink you won't be saying nothing happened.  Then you'll know.
can you be more specific? did you meet the actor? ...were you depressed? i know depression/suicide is a deep dark dense issue, but i consider this movie really shallow in its treatment of that.

I can't remember why I chose such an oblique phrase to represent my emotions regarding Goodbye Solo.  I don't think the film handles the issue of depression.  It's certainly not dark.  I think it is dense and deep.  I fucking love the tragic density, in particular, of its ultimate allusion:  the blowing winds, the stick being dropped, the force of the wind upon the stick and the possibility, romantic or realistic, of the stick flying upward.  Solo himself is the wind blowing back against the fall of William.  Solo himself wants to be an airline attendant.  This is great.  I'll admit that I don't have knowledge of the pay difference between a cab driver and an airline attendant, but I imagine the difference is very little.  The point is:  Solo wants to move.  He wants change, and he wants to be above his current position, he wants to see things differently.  He does see things differently, and his attempts at changing William parallel his attempts at changing himself.  He isn't a heroic or antiheroic character, he's simply a desperate fighter.  And I love the film for it.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on January 23, 2010, 05:10:53 PM
Quote from: Captain of Industry on January 23, 2010, 03:48:08 PM
Quote from: picolas on January 23, 2010, 03:24:28 PM
Quote from: Captain of Industry on January 23, 2010, 12:02:45 PMI think that when you're flying next time and Solo is serving you your in-flight drink you won't be saying nothing happened.  Then you'll know.
can you be more specific? did you meet the actor? ...were you depressed? i know depression/suicide is a deep dark dense issue, but i consider this movie really shallow in its treatment of that.

I can't remember why I chose such an oblique phrase to represent my emotions regarding Goodbye Solo.  I don't think the film handles the issue of depression.  It's certainly not dark.  I think it is dense and deep.  I fucking love the tragic density, in particular, of its ultimate allusion:  the blowing winds, the stick being dropped, the force of the wind upon the stick and the possibility, romantic or realistic, of the stick flying upward.  Solo himself is the wind blowing back against the fall of William.  Solo himself wants to be an airline attendant.  This is great.  I'll admit that I don't have knowledge of the pay difference between a cab driver and an airline attendant, but I imagine the difference is very little.  The point is:  Solo wants to move.  He wants change, and he wants to be above his current position, he wants to see things differently.  He does see things differently, and his attempts at changing William parallel his attempts at changing himself.  He isn't a heroic or antiheroic character, he's simply a desperate fighter.  And I love the film for it.

Excellent post  :yabbse-thumbup: That's the way I saw it, as well. I think it's only as dark as the viewer perceives it.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: picolas on January 23, 2010, 07:28:37 PM
spoils for goodbye solo!

yeah nice summary. i'm glad you got that out of it, but i still don't like Solo. i find him insensitive to the suicidal guy in a lot of ways. very imposing without emotionally empathizing (see the scene where he keeps grinning at him on the couch, never even acknowledging his rage/outburst, just brushing it off), which is not the way to talk someone down. and obviously, it even doesn't work in the movie. (it didn't have to work to be a good movie or anything though. that's not the problem.)
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: picolas on January 31, 2010, 04:39:20 PM
i wrote this more for a facebook audience so if it feels like i'm overexplaining stuff that's the reason.

i'm not sure if anyone will read this whole thing, but i had a great time writing it and trying to say things about these films that are more specific to my personal experience with them than what i might write in a typical review.

DISCLAIMER: just because a movie didn't make it to this list doesn't mean i don't consider it GREAT. 50 is a tiny number for any decade. particularly this one, with years like '07 and '09, both of which i had to extend my usual top tens for. if 1999 had happened a year later this list would have been damn near impossible. so don't feel left out, 25th Hour, Hot Fuzz etc. it's also important to note the lack of upper-level 2009 films. this is because i think generally a movie needs to survive a couple of grace years and still feel amazing before it can be on that level... and of course i haven't yet seen all the great movies this decade had to offer. i'm sure if i wrote this list again in two years it would be different.

ALSO: i forgot American Psycho (barely) came out this decade. it would be in the 30s or 40s if only for containing one of my favourite performances ever.. but i can't bear to move everything around. i also maybe would've liked to add An Education. but again. too much gut-wrenching moving around, and i only saw it after writing the list. honourable mentions, both.

it BEGINS.

50. The Dark Knight

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it's flawed in many ways, but it still kicks you in the head. i've never seen a superhero movie before where i actually felt like the characters were in real danger. the whole movie swells with a pulpy sense of dread. how can The Joker ever be topped as a Batman villain? i never understood before this movie how he is Batman's PERFECT opposite from every angle. your move, Batman 3: The Darker Knight.

49. The Kill Bills

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yes, it was the beginning of Tarantino's decline. it was the first hint of not living up to the promise (putting it lightly) of pulp, jackie and dogs, and a regression into genre-remixes. it's nothing original, either. and don't get me started on Daryl Hannah. but kill bill proves that story itself is only a small part of the equation. it's all in the telling, and kill bill is, above all, EXTREMELY well-told. no one can deny Tarantino's hyper-love of setting a scene and delivering a moment. he is a true master of holding the audience in his hand and flinging them in whichever direction he chooses, because he loves pretty much everything that has anything to do with the act of filmmaking. except for developing as an artist. but that's another story for another time.. i think Basterds was a step in the right direction, i love it too and give it an honourable mention (it would be in the top 100) for most of the same reasons.

48. In the Bedroom

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the amazing thing about this movie is how REAL it all feels. there are scenes that seem as though the camera was recording for hours and just happened to capture this particular moment. like Tomei's confrontation with her ex-husband. his sudden banging of the table followed by a scarily calm exit.. it isn't filmed in a documentary style, with shaky-cam, or anything. far from it. it's just very well directed. Todd Field was an actor for many years before he was able to move behind the camera, and i think this experience has made him one of the best actor's directors working today. no matter the wrenching subject matter of his films, they remain intensely watchable in large part because the performances are so achingly real.

47. Two Lovers

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the tone is as twisty, enigmatic and strangely inviting as Jaoquin Phoenix's character. case in point: a scene he describes moments afterwards as "fuckin' weird", which is not only very accurate, but weirdly knowing and hilarious in its own right. the ending is also an amazingly double-sided moment... i STILL don't know how i really feel about it. and a dry-cleaning empire has never felt so sinister. it's also one of the least judgmental films of the decade.

46. Heima

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this movie IS Sigur Ros and more.. perhaps the most obscure film on the list, so i'm sure most people haven't seen it.. it's such a pure love letter to Iceland and.. people enjoying music. as broad as that sounds. Iceland is like a natural expressionist painting. the mountains aren't just mountains. they're like a dream version of mountains. extra twisty and with little spots of snow as though they were flick-painted on... such is the uniqueness of this film and Sigur Ros.. a band that has achieved fame in North America without a word of english in their music, and 11-minute songs. there are many great interviews between songs, but even if you don't speak english this movie will take you on a mesmerizing aural/visual journey.

45. Donnie Darko

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Richard Kelly has since become the immature teenaged David Lynch of his generation who just needs to get his goddamned head on straight! but at this moment in time, before the far inferior director's cut, the insanely terrible Southland Tales, and the alright with spots of good The Box, he was simply the young David Lynch of his generation. i remember jeff introducing me to the trailer/website and becoming obsessed with its mysteriousness and my inability to see it anywhere in Canada. when i was finally able to see it on dvd it revealed itself as the feature-length version of the trailer. ie just as obsessively intriguing. the thing i love most about Donnie Darko (along with most other fans) is how differently people can interpret it. it's a rorschach movie, dressed in 80s sci-fi teen drama garb.

44. Mulholland Dr.

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speak of the devil! Lynch! this movie is the bible for dream logic movies. i admit i'm not as devout a follower of it as most Lynch-lovers (in my defense, my imaginary 90s and 80s lists would include Lost Highway and Blue Velvet near the top) BUT it's hard to escape the power of this guilt-soaked nightmare. like most every Lynch movie, it is filled with moments of unexpected and unique hilarity (the key shoot-out, the use of the name "Winky's"), the inspiringly odd (..a lot), and the very scary (if you've seen it you know...). they culminate in a profound vision of jealousy and lost love in Los Angeles... jeez. i've got to watch this again immediately.

43. Monster's Ball

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i don't believe a better movie could have been made from this script. even Diddy works here. the thing i've always admired about this is how internalized all the character development is, and yet how obvious it all seems. everyone changes before your eyes without a trace of typical subjective filmmaking tricks. it just. happens.

42. Traffic

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Soderbergh has made a LOT of movies this decade, and most of them have been great. Traffic is a good representation of how adept at everything he can be. he's dealing with like 30 characters, however many subplots and settings (distinct colour schemes categorize them brilliantly), and somehow this movie remains coherent and compelling throughout. everyone gives a great performance. this is one of those movies where i marvel at how giant a task it must have been to pull off. simply making this script would be an epic accomplishment, but making it this well is something else.

41. Lost in Translation

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another film that does a great job of letting the characters simply develop in front of you. but one of the characters happens to be Bill Murray. a sad film, but not just for the sake of sadness. funny, too.

40. Knocked Up

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the finest Apatow (and there are a lot to choose from if you count movies like Superbad--which would be in the top 100--where he has clearly influenced so much as a producer). as usual he makes hilarity seem simple and easy and obvious, coming from every angle and encounter. and before you know it you've got a deep emotional attachment to all the characters, even the ones that are only around for minutes. the ending sneaks up on you like that. whoa--this is beyond funny. it's actually moving in the way a great drama might be. i hope Apatow figures out the difference between this and Funny People for his next movie. or just gives in and makes a drama like he seems to want to. not that "dramas" have to be unfunny.

39. Sideways

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see? dramas can be downright side-splitting. this is one of those rare movies where the writer character is actually believable as a writer. Thomas Haden Church needs to be in so much more. what else to say? as Virginia Madsen's character points out: "it tastes so fucking good"... that wine speech is sublime.

38. District 9

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where did this come from? i'll never forget the experience of busing from a sold-out theatre to another supposedly not sold-out one NEEDING to see this despite knowing so little about it. Sharlto Copley gives the improvised performance of the decade. this movie is TRULY dark. unlike most of those silly superhero movies that claim to be dark because people die and stuff. this is actually looking into the deep dark soul of humankind. the weapons testing scene is nightmarish because of how logical it all feels. cannot wait for District 10. ps. this movie also handles a lot of the same human/alien issues Avatar does, but far better.

37. King of Kong

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the incredible thing about this documentary is its God-like repository of every. possible. piece. of footage. you could ever. have. i think this was filmed for years. i think they had a camera following everyone. and the result is a real WORLD of ugliness, hilarity, and the weird. it's not just about an incredible rivalry, but a community. it almost feels fake in how much everyone willingly and unintentionally reveals about themselves, but it can't be. because no one could write this. well. maybe Ricky Gervais. but no. too epic.

36. Mysterious Skin

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how is a movie about child rape so watchable? performances. ambient score.. a vision of trauma and repression that is somehow.. luminous? the internal mystery of one's past.. part of the wonder of this movie is its somehow accurate-feeling treatment of such horrendous moments and their aftermath. like a quiet nightmare you wake up from without discomfort, because you know deep down it's all part of the natural healing process.

35. The Aviator

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strictly from watching it, this movie must've had one of the most uncompromised productions ever. it seems like Scorsese was able to make EXACTLY what he envisioned with absolutely no expense spared, down to the tiniest detail of, say, rotoscoping a skeleton over Dicaprio's body for a split-second during the taking of a photograph in court*, a painstaking detail almost impossible to notice. it simply screams epic. it's very long and it deserves to be. and its fascination, nay obsession with Hughes is infectious.

*http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/fbv/caps/aviatorskeleton.jpg (http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y251/fbv/caps/aviatorskeleton.jpg)

34. The Fog of War

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First Person is one of my favourite television shows of the decade. this movie began as an episode of that, but Errol Morris realized he'd stumbled onto a film and recorded a longer interview. it's intermittently moving, fascinating, and scary as hell. McNamara sums up his painfully-realized life lessons with examples that stagger the mind again and again.

33. Sweeney Todd

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a supremely underrated musical adaptation. the songs alone make it addicting, but on top of that you have classic Burton visuals (being used for good this time), wonderfully creepy performances from everyone, and a disquieting anti-revenge tale holding it all together. this is a great case of the right director matched with the right material. it almost feels like the story came straight from Burton's mind by the gruesome end.

32. UP

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a KID'S movie about being able to let go of the past, including material possessions like your HOUSE, in order to move on to the next adventure in life... in many ways it's the most mature Pixar movie, but that doesn't stop it from also being one of the outright zaniest. people have criticized the dog collar squeaky voice gag for being too Dreamworksy but i say it's quality goofiness. how can one not be moved by this movie? it probably squeezes the hearts of adults and older people MORE than its "intended" audience. i'm so happy i got the first Pixar movie as a kid, and they continue to stretch the limits of what constitutes a kid's movie.

31. A Serious Man

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i'm pretty sure this will leap up the list on further viewing, but from barely having met it i can say this: one of the best-executed movies of the decade. the pure technique at work is never anything but masterful. masterful of the camera, of the soundtrack, of the blocking, of the twitch of the right eyebrow on an actor's face. it's so precisely realized that it feels like a bob zemeckis motion capture thing, only without all the horribleness that entails (though i've never actually sat through one of those). beyond that this movie is a fascinating loop of knowing and not knowing and the hilarity of incongruity and the randomness of existence. it's another one of those every-performance-is-amazing ones too.

30. Man on Wire

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Philippe Petit is probably the single greatest documentary interviewee of the decade. he spins stories constantly as though they were magic coins appearing from nowhere and by mere association he brings out the magic in the people around him. the centerpiece of this movie to me is when a vacant-looking new york cop describes moment-by-moment the events of the morning Petit realized his dream and walked between the towers. it's a purely factual description from a no-nonsense guy just doing his job, but he can't stop himself from calling it one of the most amazing things he's ever seen in his life towards the end. it's a simple fact. the idea that people were plotting to do something wonderful to the world trade centers is a perfect counter to the grim associations we feel today and captures what they were meant to symbolize at best.

29. Anvil! The Story of Anvil!

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this is a movie about what it means to really REALLY love your art. there's something beyond touching about the image of these 50-year-old heavy metal rockers keeping on keeping on. keeping their spark under ENDLESS frustration and hardship and rejection. this is the audacity of hope. this is the true meaning of devotion.

28. The Pianist

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one of those movies i can watch again and again despite its intense pain and tragedy. i'm not an expert but it seems like the most accurate holocaust movie as far as the moment-to-moment feel of it, which is a gigantic feat. i find it very tough to reflect its many merits in words. most of the really powerful moments in this film are wordless. it's like a great thriller wrapped in an equally great tragic historical drama. the memory of Katie laughing uproariously at the jacket-confusion bit will always be part of watching this for me.

27. 21 Grams

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again, a monumentally painful film that manages to stay incredibly watchable. partly because of the depth of the performances (even the tiny ones... lookin at you, Clea Duvall, Eddie Marsan, etc...), the writing, and its fragmented structure. making sense of the arrangement of those fragments is half the fun of rewatching it. the scene where Sean Penn squeezes Naomi Watt's face sticks like a thorn in my mind. the final answering machine message is a great, modern dramatic device, too. woulda been cool if this was coincidentally also #21. ah well.

26. In the Loop

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underneath the frighteningly accurate satire, the thing that makes this movie so outstanding is its utter and unrelenting expressiveness. there are MANY great characters ranging from sane to the opposite of sane, and they're all constantly venting in their own wonderful ways. not since Groucho Marx have people been so effectively insulted on the screen... the unceasing slew of verbal carnage that makes up this film is so well-written that if you look at the imdb page of "memorable quotes" ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226774/quotes ) you'll find practically the entire screenplay. Armando Iannucci is simply one of the funniest men alive.

25. Where the Wild Things Are

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to me this is the purest movie representation of childhood. it actually managed to remind me of things i'd forgotten about when it came to being a kid. like how there's no sense of clear narrative in your life. not enough stuff has happened yet. this is artfully reflected in this movie's structure or lack thereof. or the things you take SO seriously... making each wild thing represent a different aspect of Max's psyche is a genius idea, and every actor nails their particular zone. Gandolfini as the mildly psychotic one is really good casting too.

24. Almost Famous

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i think this movie may have the best end credits ever. looking over the polaroids you feel like you've lived through a defining era in Crowe's life. and for the most part you have because he's managed to perfectly distill and weave together his experiences as a rock journalist. this movie has so much genuine character.. "ask me again" is a famous moment of non-acting kept in the movie, but it still seamlessly blends with the rest of the dialogue. because it's that real.

23. Brokeback Mountain

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this movie is more or less a perfect storm of tragedy, multiplying and compounding every minute until the final image. how is Ang Lee so amazing at handling such specific Western ideas time after time? i guess he taps into the universal ideas underneath, and repression is a tragedy anywhere. major props to Gustavo Santoalalla for the epic yet personal score, too (and back-to-back oscars.)

22. Gerry/Elephant

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these sibling films redefined the act of "patiently" watching a movie for me. after i saw Gerry for the first time i remember just standing around, looking at things with a newfound wonder.. it lengthens your attention span. but these movies aren't just a series of incredibly long shots. it's the content of these shots that truly warrant your thought and attention.. the literal, near-subconscious passing of night to day.. the creeping sense of death in the wilderness.. the living organism that is high school.. the sheer upsetting emptiness of Columbine. it took real courage and vision to make these kinds of sluggishly-paced movies at this particular time, reinvigorating an old style.. nowadays movies like "Goodbye Solo" and "Hunger" have taken the idea the wrong way, turning the technique into something actually mundane and meaningless. Van Sant's first two attempts got the idea of sloooooow photography right, and when done right, there are few things in cinema more invitingly profound.

21. Shaun of the Dead

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Wright/Pegg/Frost are a powerful moviemaking trio, and this film represents the best of their abilities: flawlessly executed visual jokes, loving parodies, and characters you laugh WITH to the end. all within the parameters of a zombie movie. but how does a mere parody of something else manage to make it this high on the list? it doesn't exactly reinvent the genre. it's just so brilliantly made that i can't imagine a single element being improved. not a moment of timing, or a camera move, or a prop. anything. it's kind of perfect.

20. Fahrenheit 9/11

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this movie manages to summarize possibly the most important and terrible chain of events of this last decade in a manner that is both concise (with expertly edited news footage and interviews) and detailed (using stories of specific individuals paying for those events in their own ways). it also suggests theories about why and where we're headed. it's incredibly sad, but also somehow VERY entertaining. just what you'd expect from Moore, who has delivered this kind of America-spanning analysis not once but four times this decade.

19. Memento

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i vividly remember an intense, somewhat new feeling walking out of the theatre after seeing this for the first time: the feeling of wanting to make films. i have studied this movie a LOT from a structural perspective (it's actually backwards AND forwards at the same time, a lot of critics fail to note) and i have come to the conclusion that there are no answers beyond a certain point. it's a riddle that isn't meant to be solved, AND YET it always seems like you're on the verge and there's a tangible solution hidden somewhere in there. just like how poor Lenny feels. one thing most people never mention is the power of the Sammy Jenkis scenes. so short, but they break me every time.

18. There Will Be Blood

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i think this movie has become relatively overpraised (#1 on most decade lists apparently*). having said that, it's pretty fucking amazing. obviously it has one of the most amazing performances ever. obviously it's one of the most visually incredible films of the decade. obviously the score is on another level. obviously it manages to create a piercing, underlying mirror to where we find ourselves today without even really trying. i have no doubt pt's next film will shine further light on this. he is the master.

* http://gawker.com/5428998/there-will-be-blood-wins-the-decade

17. Synecdoche, New York

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this movie is my ultimate case of not understanding upon first view (of this decade). i love Charlie Kaufman. i HATED this movie. i had pretty much resolved to never see it again before he came to town and indirectly shed light on one of its central themes: creative freedom as a bad thing. i watched it again and i still couldn't like it but began to see intricate patterns and less meaningless sadness the more i thought about it. the third viewing finally turned me around. this movie is about a lot of things: the inherent futility of creating ambitious, existence-questioning works of art for one, which is a tragic and funny insight into its own existence. ultimately, it's about acceptance. the acceptance of an endless and indifferent universe. and about that acceptance ironically being the first step to happiness and perhaps transcendence. i think Kubrick would have approved.

16. Little Children

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this movie is melodramatic in the best way, hilarious (!), disturbing (!!), and so ..enlightened. it's so GREAT that it managed to bring Jackie Earle Haley out of retirement. and the ending slaps the audience in the face in a way that seems like it's commenting on the very fabric of suburban-based movies. it's probably a little more obscure than some of the other movies on this list too so i offer this low-quality clip to show off some of its exceptional diversity in just over a minute: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDcdLd3TVuA .

15. WALL•E

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wwwwaaAAAaallll•e... 'nuff said.

...no? well. a robot accidentally teaches us to be human again... and nearly everything about this movie is perfect. the sound effects alone are a work of art. Ben Burtt manages to top his work as R2D2. as sacrilegious as that sounds. (and i'm big into Star Wars.)

14. The Man Who Wasn't There

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i consider this the final original Coen movie from a period where they were incapable of anything but genius. it's so original, so true to its truly weird self, it's near-impossible to compare it to anything even though i know it's kind of riffing on what noir is. Ed Crane is one of the top Coen characters. when he flashes back, in the midst of a car crash, to a memory of his wife getting rid of a salesman... i don't know what to say. it's a good encapsulation of why this movie is incredible. the salesman incident seems like a mundane experience, but it's a key moment in Ed Crane's mind. and why shouldn't it be? the final speech of this movie is so beautiful and strange.. it kind of changes everything that came before it. there are a lot of BRILLIANT speeches strewn throughout. this attempt at a summary is rambling, but so is the film. and so is everyone's life. particularly Ed Crane's. and that's great. For he IS modern man! (i'm not being pompous, that's a quote from the film.)

13. The Wrestler

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the bare premise for this could have produced a terrible movie easily. because of the way it's written and delivered, it rises above cliché and becomes an original piece of art. my friend Perry sees Rourke as a representation of the US, and his opponent, The Iron Sheik, as an obvious, exaggerated stereotype of the Middle East. this implies a country uncertain of its identity unless it's fighting and entertaining, which is kind of the same thing. i don't think Aronofsky was conscious of this idea while he was shooting, but that's one of the essential characteristics of truly great storytelling: it can be applied to history, both shared and individual. the use of Rourke is the best casting of the decade.

12. The Fall

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this movie actually has the best performance by a little girl ever. as well as the best-acted death scene by a monkey ever. it's a major accomplishment and it's pretty well impossible to find another movie like it. at times it feels like a narrative version of Baraka, jumping to a new continent every minute for another scene of craziness.. this movie has a perfect sense of seriousness about it, too. it's half about a ridiculous, improvised story, but also about how the act of making stories is one of the most powerful and healing things we are capable of as a species.

11. Adaptation.

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i'm not sure what to write about this, which is pretty appropriate. i could go down a list of everything it does right but i dunno.. it kinda speaks for itself in that way. i will say Kaufman and Jonze completely succeed at getting across the beauty of flowers in the scene where Cooper talks about pollination. and that all happens in less than a minute... just watch it. i have a youtube tribute to Kaufman* that works better than a little paragraph.

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWTy4o2EbkY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWTy4o2EbkY)

10. Requiem for a Dream

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watching this is always traumatic, and yet i can't count the number i've times i've hunkered down to let it destroy me. why do i do this to myself? it's easy to be drawn in by its wide range of eye-catching techniques. never has the snorricam (attached to the actor's body) been so effective and nightmarish. and it's also possibly the greatest performance by EVERYONE involved. will Jared Leto ever be this good again? Marlon Wayans? or that guy who's in everything, this time playing a self-help tv guy? Ellen Burstyn maybe. (her aging monologue might be the best of the decade.) anyways. this is possibly the most subjective movie ever made about addiction. and that's a good thing.

9. The Royal Tenenbaums

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this is a movie that knows it's a masterpiece. it knows. and acts accordingly. elaborate cast introductions, insanely detailed momentary flashbacks, dozens upon dozens of well-illustrated relationships amongst an adept and enormous ensemble. and still at its heart, amongst all these complex illustrations and extravagant filmmaking moments, it's a story with heart. Wes Anderson's magnum opus. i heart it.

8. The New World

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someone else compared the final part of this movie to the jump-cut from the bone to the spaceship in 2001, but 30 minutes long. 30 solid minutes of that level of visual mindblowingness and "oh my god it's like i'm seeing something for the first time"-iness... i agree. this movie took a couple of views to sink in. i had to be able to see it as a whole rather than a series of events before i could appreciate it fully and experience it best. i'd call this medium-level difficulty Malick. not as tough as Thin Red Line to sink your mind-teeth into, but tougher than Days of Heaven. when you do get it, it's a rich, rich portrait of humankind... it's hard to word my feelings about this. it's kind of like the best alien invasion movie ever.

7. Zodiac

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this is like three amazing movies in one: the standard whodunnit/murder mystery, the story of the burnt-out cops, and finally the unlikely detective story. each one is more compelling than the last, and leaves you as obsessed with the mystery as the central characters. the scene between ruffalo and gyllenhaal at the diner jumps out of the screen.. it feels like a real mystery is actually being solved in front of you. and everyone is perfect. and every shot is flawless. and it uses cg in the best possible way, where your mind is blown when you see what was actually digitally manipulated later. i could go on and on. it's a movie filled with brilliant choice after brilliant choice, and is endlessly rewatchable in no small part because of its unyielding level of detail.. a level of detail so specific it's still hard to grasp what this movie is as a whole instead of just a collection of great things. one can only keep watching.

6. Dogville/Manderlay

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Lars von Trier is like a genius-level chess player as far as argument-makers go. in these movies he aggressively plays against himself and wins. but also loses. could slavery ever conceivably be a good thing? ...yes? how can i possibly be questioning this? the empty stage/zero sets idea works so well, paradoxically creating a sense of a real community that is always moving and unaware of its profound ugliness, which is hidden in plain sight.

5. Let the Right One In

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for starters, child actors are impossible. if you want a child actor to carry a movie, you NEED to do a massive, lengthy search. this is why there are only ever 2 or 3 big child stars in hollywood at any given moment. so it's startling that a movie could feature two amazing, unknown lead children. on top of this you have a visual atmosphere so specific to this particular director that it becomes impossible to imagine anyone else handling the material nearly as well, or as boldly. i found out after the first time i saw this that the subtitles i had been reading were actually a second-rate translation. the fact that i fell in love with it despite that speaks to just how potent the subtextual meaning in this film is.. it's a powerful emotional experience, conjured not just by words but visuals, performances and score. even though it's based on a book.

4. Amelie

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this movie is pretty much made of magic. every three seconds something wonderful happens. it's a grab-bag of amazing moments, but more than that, it's a perfect summation of an era in an imaginary person's life, and of the lives of many other imaginary characters. it's hard to find a movie that takes more simple joy in existence. even in misery and loneliness, this movie finds beauty.

3. Punch-Drunk Love

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a true original. the execution is so strange and fascinating that you can never feel as though you've fully absorbed it. a classic example [someone else pointed out to me] is the broken harmonium in the background of a single shot in Dean's warehouse shortly after we meet him. this is a near-subliminal detail, but it informs so much about who he is and where he's coming from. he's failed to embrace the music machine like Barry does, instead seeing it as a piece of junk to be discarded and forgotten. he's afraid of his own soul, whereas Barry is finally beginning to understand his (he's secretly Adam Sandler). there are so many ways to interpret this movie beyond the literal. some of my friends see it as sci-fi, a film prof has called it the filmic response to every Adam Sandler movie from the past. all valid. all make it worth watching again. it may have the score of the decade too.

2. No Country for Old Men

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the first time i saw this i knew i couldn't make any sense of the last 20 minutes and would have to see it again to begin to understand. despite this, i still i knew i'd seen a truly amazing film. seeing it a second time knowing how everything would go down, i knew it was one of the best movies ever. i still can't get over it... a real mark of greatness is when you see a movie on tv and you watch it from beginning to end even though you own it on dvd and now really isn't the best time to be doing that. but it happened... i don't know what to say that hasn't been said. it just works on so many levels; as a merciless thriller, a grim character study, a picture of crime and justice in both a modern and primal sense... a dark-as-a-black-hole comedy. etc.

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

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a few weeks ago at work i recommended this movie to a couple, calling it my favourite movie of the decade. when they asked "why do you like it?" i found myself at a loss for words, overwhelmed with the idea of summarizing its goodness... i'm pretty sure Eternal Sunsh' is the only movie i saw in theatres thrice this decade. it's so chock-full of brilliant ideas. and it's self-looping, so you kind of want to see it again the moment it's over. but it's so good you don't want to devalue it by wearing it out.. if you watch this movie, the reasons for it at least being among the greatest films of the decade should be self-explanatory. i can't come close to explaining why without simply transcribing it, which would be boring and a waste of time. and really, that's the case with every movie on this list. if you haven't seen them and i've managed to intrigue you, see them. my descriptions are just a feeble attempt at reflecting what it is to sit down and do just that.

if you made it this far, congratulations and i hope you had at least a fraction of the fun reading these as i had writing them. BUT IT'S NOT OVER...


BONUS scientifically-generated top three for next decade with photos and analysis from the FUTURRRRE:

3. Avatar 2

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somehow by mixing things up and putting the characters and story ahead of the visual technology Cameron made up for his schlocky starter with this decade's T2. he always was the best at sequels. so very, very hard to believe this happened.

2. Tree of Life

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Malick has done it again! the scene where the dinosaur feeds plants to an injured, fresh out of time-travel school Brad Pitt never fails to make me laugh tears of sadness.

1. The Master

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oh my god. Hoffman utterly pwns this L Ron Hubbard-inspired madman, making Plainview look like PTA's ambassador to the UN or something. i remember feeling so proud of Tom Cruise when he quit scientology after seeing this.


YET ANOTHER BONUS, 50 more of the BEST, far less thought-out, very little research, in NO ORDER WHATSOEVER:

capote • atonement • hot fuzz • assassination of jj • confessions of a dangerous mind • life aquatic • fantastic mr. fox • o brother! • in bruges • hot rod • departed • catch me if you can • finding nemo • inglourious basterds • grizzly man • war of the worlds • gangs of new york • hurt locker • chopper • cloverfield • down with love • venus • superbad • wonderboys • diving bell • changeling • five obstructions • doubt • into the wild • cloudy with a chance • high fidelity • the lives of others • i love you, man • the informant! • comedian • zoolander • my winnipeg • away from her • minority report • king kong • lust, caution • no end in sight • downfall • polytechnique • departed • kiss kiss bang bang • solaris • american splendor • triplets of belleville • dear zachary •

i think i hold the record for longest post now.

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Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: squints on January 31, 2010, 04:51:32 PM
Awesome. Don't agree with the list really but a great post.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: ©brad on February 01, 2010, 12:57:46 PM
Yeah that was amazing. A truly inspired list. Nice work Pic.

Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: modage on February 01, 2010, 02:23:38 PM
I read the whole thing.  Exactly as has been said: Great post, I disagree with so much of it.  :)
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: picolas on February 01, 2010, 02:43:11 PM
thanks guys. whoa mod, i'm impressed. what are your biggest disagreements (aside from the new world)?
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: samsong on February 01, 2010, 02:52:21 PM
originally posted on my blog (with pictures!).  made it a point to be as concise as possible in the capsules.  excuse the redundancy.

***

 first.
- as this is a summation of an entire decade, i opted for twenty-five films as opposed to ten.
- one film per director.
- this list was made as intuitively and quickly as possible.  i'm not going to bother listing possibly egregious/potentially regrettable omissions.  feel free to point them out and i'll respond accordingly.
- the order of 11 – 23 is pretty arbitrary, though there is some semblance of a progression that's sort of indicative of my taste.



the list.


25. judd apatow's the 40-year-old virgin, adam mckay's anchorman: the legend of ron burgundy, larry charles's borat: cultural learnings of america for make benefit glorious nation of kazakhstan,  jeff tremaine's jackass 1 & 2, robert ben garant's reno 911!: miami, jay chandrasekhar's super troopers, trey parker's team america: world police, and ben stiller's zoolander

is this cheating?  a.o. scott suggested that the pervading subject of american comedy this past decade was male immaturity.  in order as listed: the best movie judd apatow will ever make; juvenile humor at its most nonsensical; the most ingenious subtitle in cinema history; glorious exhibition of willful retardation; achieves sublimity by way of the moronic (the motel panorama scene); the underestimated, under-appreciated masterpiece of the highway patrol movie; shameless schoolyard vitriol posing as political satire; because it's one of terrence malick's favorite movies, and it's crazy funny.

i love dumb comedies.


24. peter jackson's lord of the rings: the fellowship of the ring
the best and only great film of the trilogy.  (the two towers is bad and return of the king relies too heavily on the catharsis of closure)  the closest movies have come to matching the grandeur and mesmerizing artifice of classic hollywood epics.


23. pedro almodovar's talk to her
indulgence becomes almodovar.  his most sumptuous and felt melodrama, as emotionally engrossing as preposterous as its story is.


22. terry zwigoff's ghost world
"dear josh, we came by to fuck you, but you were not home. therefore, you are gay."  the best comic book movie of the decade, or ever for that matter.  understated, hilarious and deeply melancholic.


21. pete docter & bob peterson's up
pixar's finest hour.


20. jonathan demme's rachel getting married
"i prayed for you!"  demme's humanist cup overfloweth.


19. todd haynes's far from heaven
haynes responds to two of his major influences–douglas sirk and r.w. fassbinder–with a masterful third iteration of all that heaven allows.


18. bela tarr's werckmeister harmonies
an elegiac and bizarre cosmogony, and somewhat of a microcosm of tarr's magnum opus satantango.


17. joel coen's a serious man
bleak and hilarious, steeped in the coens' strange and oft misunderstood brand of humanism.  "just look at that parking lot."  


16. david gordon green's george washington
absolutely exquisite film about childhood.  green does malick better than anyone who's grasped at the hem of the master's garment.  does cinema get more lyrical?  (yes, but the bar is pretty damn high at this one.)


15. apichatpong weerasethakul's tropical malady
one of the most singular films from one of the decade's most singular film artists, joe (the director's alternative, easier-to-pronounce-for-white-folk name).  unorthodox, unprecedented, unforgettable.


14. guy maddin's brand upon the brain!
same as 15, but for guy maddin.



13.  robert altman's the company
the pinnacle of his late career, altman's true final masterpiece–a prairie home companion is more of an encore–takes the form of this formidably fluid and uncanny paean to human physicality and the inseparability of life and art.  malcolm mcdowell is incredible.


12. lee chang-dong's oasis
at once a challenging, novelistic heart-wrenching love story and scathing social commentary, oasis is korean cinema's greatest contribution to the form.   one of the most compassionate films i've ever seen.  the two central performances are of must-see caliber, as is the movie.


11. emir kusturica's life is a miracle
the day robert altman died, this is the film i chose to console me without having seen it.  the assumption was that, like his other films, emir kusturica's at-that-time latest would do nothing short of elate, about which i was more than correct.  life is a miracle is as joyous and cathartic as anything kusturica has created, and earns its title not by way of saccharine sentiment but an intense joie de vie. unfortunately the film was never distributed in the u.s.


10. lars von trier's dogville
self-proclaimed god's gift to film lars von trier continues his quest for cinematic immortality with this decidedly eloquent, brechtian damnation of not just small town america but humanity at large.  this may be the last time the quality of the film matches the reach of his egomaniacal ambition, but dogville is von trier's most confrontational masterpiece.



9. claire denis's 35 shots of rum
for my money, claire denis is the filmmaker of the decade.  i'm rarely as excited about a filmmaker's new work as i am about hers.  with 35 shots of rum, denis achieves a lucidity that, even for her, is superlative.  intimate, sublime, profoundly simple, denis's most pleasurable film.


8. wong kar-wai's in the mood for love
wong kar-wai's most elegant and mature work.  at the end of his review of the film, ed gonzalez concedes that, "in the mood for love is ravishing beyond mortal words" and indeed, words are failing me here.  at the moment i can do little more than claim my love for this film.


7. paul thomas anderson's punch-drunk love
superficially, there will be blood may be the more impressive feat but it's this, the strangest and flightiest of romantic comedies that represents fanboy favorite paul thomas anderson's greatest achievement to date, trading in his penchant for multi-charactered tapestries and virtuoso showmanship for a more acute, concentrated offering, so endearingly off-kilter, pathos-ridden as it is full of bizarre laughs.  barry egan is one of my all-time favorite characters.


6. edward yang's yi yi
generous and sprawling, in the grand tradition of eastern family dramas.  given his untimely death, this turned out to be yang's last film, and it's a more-than-ample swan song to his legacy, as it is yet another indispensable taiwanese fiction with substantive universal pertinence.  try not to cry at the end of this film.


5. michael haneke's code unknown
incendiary, dauntingly ambitious, audacious both in its narrative experimentation and choice of subject matter, michael haneke's code unknown is etched in my mind as one of the boldest films of the last ten years, one that polarized viewers but for me is entirely successful.  the film is comprised of sustained takes capturing incredibly tense and uncomfortable scenes that all cut just before what seems would be a pivotal moment.  this mounting of tension without any resolve makes for a truly riveting experience, paying off in a revelatory and powerful end sequence.  this film left me speechless.


4. terence davies's the house of mirth
a masterful, visually arresting adaptation of an edith wharton novel, a classic tale of feminine struggle, disillusionment, and suffering within patriarchal victorian society and culture.  its formal prowess, precise execution, and overall excellence (especially in the performances) announces the house of mirth as a truly great and major work by film's heartbreaking end.



3. richard linklater's before sunset
i left this film glowing, assured that i'd just seen one of the most beautifully nuanced, near-perfect romances of all time.  if this and its predecessor before sunrise are bottles of wine of the same vintage, before sunset is aged to perfection (whereas before sunrise is nice but uncorked too early).  the prolific texan's best film, no small claim for the man behind waking life and slacker.


2. terrence malick's the new world
history as mythic poetry brimming with malick's characteristically ravishing imagery.  each viewing of this visionary film is unique but always breathtaking and moving.  i met this film with two-and-a-half years of anticipation and impossibly high expectations and the new world still blew me away, and continues to do so every time i revisit it.  malick's is a film for the senses, an embarrassment of riches in the way of intellectual, emotional, and even physical stimulus.  an ineffable, dream-like movie.


1. david lynch's mulholland drive
THE apotheosis of the decade and the film that started my addiction to cinema.  after seeing it for the first time, i obsessed about it for weeks, resorting to watching the trailer repeatedly to see the film's images and hear its sounds in an attempt to relive the experience.  mulholland drive requires submission but not passivity, and those up for engaging with it are infinitely rewarded with no less than a glimpse at the expansion of the medium's potential.  an utterly captivating surrealist masterwork.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Myxo on February 01, 2010, 04:53:47 PM
You know what a lot of us are forgetting about?

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jackson-pollock.com%2Fimages%2Fmoviepollock.jpg&hash=08b3c86f51a88121ee7618f6d65999884f828213)

Not sure if I'd adjust my own list accordingly but I loved the hell out of this movie.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on February 01, 2010, 05:08:56 PM
Just loved your list Samsong, to me you just have awesome taste AND culture. congrats man, there are a bunch of movies I haven't seen in that list in between films that I love too, so I'll definitely check them out.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on February 01, 2010, 07:27:22 PM
great lists, i can't wait to make mine.

pic i read it on the fb but didn't want to comment cos it always upsets me to see how real ppl know nothing about movies.

i disagree with the following:

-low placing of district 9 and mully drive.
-inclusion at any point of kill bill, lost in trans, and amelie.
-high placing of no cunt.

great stuff in there overall, especially The Fall (ppl might check it out now) and Little Children (i don't agree but your defense would appeal to many ppl who skipped the film altogether).

missing: capturing the friedmans. especially since you hav lesser docos in there.
also: what is that image from before The End.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: picolas on February 01, 2010, 08:35:22 PM
- i think d9 may very well be a case of just being too new. i dunno. i was head over heals for it after i first saw it. second view was less smooth cause i knew everything that would happen. 37 is by NO MEANS a slap in the face and i still adore it but it may very well age into a better slot. i admit i underappreciate mully d. maybe cause i first saw it when i expected movies to be more self-contained. i'll probably slap myself about it one day.

- i had no idea you, or anyone for that matter, disliked amelie!

- i JUST saw capturing the friedmans last night and it killed me.

- that second-to-last image is from no country. chigur about to kill a guy with his air gun. it was a mistake in the facebook post at first, but i thought it worked as a "i just punctured your brain with my thoughts" kind of thing.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Ostrich Riding Cowboy on February 01, 2010, 10:58:58 PM
Quote from: samsong on February 01, 2010, 02:52:21 PM

4. terence davies's the house of mirth
a masterful, visually arresting adaptation of an evelyn waugh Edith Wharton [fixed] novel, a classic tale of feminine struggle, disillusionment, and suffering within patriarchal victorian society and culture.  its formal prowess, precise execution, and overall excellence (especially in the performances) announces the house of mirth as a truly great and major work by film's heartbreaking end.

Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on February 02, 2010, 12:36:20 AM
Your list was pretty good, a few snores imo but i liked about 90% of it.

two films i totally forgot to add are julian donkey boy and songs from the second floor. both are masterpieces.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: hedwig on February 02, 2010, 01:27:11 AM
picolas
i loved your list.

i'm so very glad you revisited synecodche ny and i love what you wrote about it. in fact i notice that you included quite a few picks that you opposed the first time around. this is awesome.

here's to a brand new decade.

Quote from: socketlevel on February 02, 2010, 12:36:20 AM
songs from the second floor
YES
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: matt35mm on February 02, 2010, 01:58:07 AM
Samsong, thanks for including The Company.  Nobody talks about that film and I agree with you that it's a masterpiece.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: 72teeth on February 02, 2010, 03:24:17 PM
i think i just realised how fast a fuckin decade moves...
i think grew up just now.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: MacGuffin on February 02, 2010, 05:13:57 PM
Quote from: 72teeth on February 02, 2010, 03:24:17 PMi think i just realised how fast a fuckin decade moves...
i think grew up just now.

Yeah, I remember when you were 62teeth.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Captain of Industry on February 02, 2010, 07:00:13 PM
Quote from: samsong on February 01, 2010, 02:52:21 PM
15. apichatpong weerasethakul's tropical malady
one of the most singular films from one of the decade's most singular film artists, joe (the director's alternative, easier-to-pronounce-for-white-folk name).  unorthodox, unprecedented, unforgettable.

Unprecedented, phew!  That's a lofty compliment to bestow.  It does have a really strong, unique feeling, so I can see where you're coming from.  Are you familiar with the Art Institute of Chicago's other famous alumni, Hong Sang-soo?
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: samsong on February 02, 2010, 10:45:52 PM
thanks.

whoops: the evelyn waugh/edith wharton mix up.
haven't seen songs from the second floor or julian donkey boy.
matt i'm glad you love the company as well. 
c.o.i., i am familiar with hong sang-soo, though i didn't know he was an aic alumni.  i'm a fan.  enjoyed the handful of his films that i've seen.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: 72teeth on February 08, 2010, 09:30:48 PM
The Films of the 2000s (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy-jmpHHNE0&feature=sub)- Bennett Media
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: picolas on February 08, 2010, 10:09:02 PM
YES. lots of terrible movies in there but i guess that's also reflective of the decade.

oh and thanks hedwig. not sure which movies you're referring to when you talk about other movies i didn't like at first, though.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: matt35mm on February 08, 2010, 10:42:42 PM
I appreciate the idea and thanks for posting, but I found that to be really unpleasant and crassly executed.  I only watched half of it, though.  There were also a couple of unforgivable spoilers.  And as picolas said, at a certain point there are just some bad movies tossed in there, taking away whatever pride in the decade might have been built up before then.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on February 08, 2010, 10:45:05 PM
but it reminds me of how good 8 Mile was.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Convael on February 09, 2010, 03:55:24 PM
It definitely wasn't nearly as strong as his PTA/Kubrick/Scorsese/etc mashups which are pretty phenomenal and nearly always make you feel like you have to run out and rewatch every movie that was in the video.  That one felt kinda clunky especially with the transitions between songs...
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Kal on March 22, 2010, 05:53:42 PM
CINEMASCOPE's TOP 10 OF THE DECADE

http://cinema-scope.com/wordpress/2010/03/cinema-scope-top-ten-films-of-the-decade/ (http://cinema-scope.com/wordpress/2010/03/cinema-scope-top-ten-films-of-the-decade/)

anybody seen #3?
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Alexandro on March 22, 2010, 07:51:03 PM
No, but I saw Los Muertos. Frankly I'm torn about this contemplative cinema of which Lisandro Alonso and a lot of other filmmakers are representative. It's like the ideas are more interesting than the film themselves. Like any other trend there are great films and very bad ones I guess. Los Muertos was a case where I was seeing the film waiting for it to earn the kind of stillness and attention that it demanded from me. Haven't seen La Libertad but nothing I've heard about it or that I've seen in Los Muertos tells me it could be any different.

It may be that I am being simplistic but to me there are a lot of filmmakers and films out there that fit this exact mold and I call them "the slow ones". There have been some slow movies in this vein I've loved from the last decade: Reygadas's Silent Light, the Gus van Sant trilogy of death (specially Gerry), Amat Escalante's Los Bastardos, Lucrecia Martell's La Cienaga. I mildly enjoyed Tropical Malady and I guess Los Muertos too. I can say I even enjoyed those more than the films by Kiarostami that influenced them. Yet there are some really exasperating movies out there from the same school, like Jarmusch's Limits of Control, and there was another one I saw called Clouds of May. Reygadas's Battle in Heaven was hell on earth actually, and Lake Tahoe. I have a special noticing of these movies because there is a substantial movement in Mexico and latinamerica of young filmmakers doing this kind of thing, but it almost always sucks because they don't seem to know why they're doing it except being contrarian to the usual narrative formula, and the results are pretty empty or tiresome.

About the list, it's refreshing in a way to see different titles...
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: classical gas on March 22, 2010, 09:48:03 PM
has anyone seen the second film, In Vanda's Room

it looks heavy. and some sites have it listed as a documentary and some as a fictitious film.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Robyn on April 19, 2010, 04:22:39 PM
There will be Blood
Into the Wild
Candy
Ethernal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Punch-Drunk Love
Kill Bill: Vol. 1/Vol. 2
The Squid and the Whale
Donnie Darko

Battle Royale
Zodiac
Amelie
Gladiator
Lost in Translation
Monday
Inglourious Basterds
Oldboy

The Dark Knight
Two Lovers
Mulholland Dr
Ocean's Eleven
The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford
Moon
Death Proof
Adaptation
Adams æbler
Pineapple Express


Yeah, I know..
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on April 19, 2010, 09:04:54 PM
Quote from: KarlJan on April 19, 2010, 04:22:39 PM
Yeah, I know..

pretty crap list.

but i'm guessing you're in your mid-to-late teens so that makes it alrite.. for now.

if you're wondering how i know, some dead give-aways: candy, gladiator, QUADRUPLE tarantino.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on April 19, 2010, 09:12:47 PM
Don't forget Donald Dorko!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on April 19, 2010, 09:35:37 PM
Quote from: Stefen on April 19, 2010, 09:12:47 PM
Don't forget Donald Dorko!

haha yeah but then i would've had to include the whole list. that film falls into the category of Amelie, Battle Royale and Oldboy in that it's a fanboy favourite that could IN THEORY still be included in a list for sentimental value. a better way to group dude's list is that it's filled with either gratuitous violence (a teen trademark and an extension of his Tarantino obsession) and romantic idealist films -- the last relics of puberty's hormone overload.

the few redeeming titles are exactly what would hav brought karljan to this site. it's a good sign that he senses value in PTA, Mully D, and (forgetting Eternal Sunshine for a sec) Zodiac.. altho it's tempting to break those downs into predictable behaviour. zodiac and CMBB could be seen as an extension of his lust for blood-smeared-in-a-slick-fashion, PDL as the "quirky romantic", leaving Mully D as the exception which would seem legitimate were it not for the support it has in Donnie Darko and Adaptation -- the combination of these movies (along with Eternal Sunshine) screams out an interest in unconventional narratives, and that's great, unless oldmate calls them all "trippy".

it's actually a great list in terms of reflecting his personality. i'm not trying to flame the poor newb. it just strikes me as one of the most perfect teenage-boy lists i've come across since i was one myself (almost ten years ago).
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: pete on April 20, 2010, 02:49:40 AM
fucking that's fucking harsh.  at least talk to the boy first before you go overboard with the hatred.  jesus.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on April 20, 2010, 03:06:04 AM
what hatred?

calm down.

i just took the list as an example of a phase we've all gone through. i sure hope the kid is more emotionally stable than you. i didn't even yell, or hurl abuse at him, "hating" him was not my intent.. he's cool as far as i'm concerned. maybe you should go lie down on a street mattress for a while..
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Robyn on April 20, 2010, 08:09:48 AM
Quote from: P on April 19, 2010, 09:04:54 PM
Quote from: KarlJan on April 19, 2010, 04:22:39 PM
Yeah, I know..

pretty crap list.

but i'm guessing you're in your mid-to-late teens so that makes it alrite.. for now.

if you're wondering how i know, some dead give-aways: candy, gladiator, QUADRUPLE tarantino.

Yeah, I knew you guys would think so, anyway.

That's true. I'm 17.

I don't really care what you think about the movies itself. But I love all these movies passionately and it's really frustrating when you write something like you did in your other post. As if you know exactly why I like them. It is impossible for you to know. I joined this site because of PTA, and I probably love him as much as you do. Not because of the reasons you mention.

And sorry if my english is bad, i'm from sweden..
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: socketlevel on April 20, 2010, 10:12:27 AM
Old Boy is great, regardless of fanboy hype. i hope it doesn't get lumped into that group of forgettable one hit wonders P.

pretty solid list other than some glaring bad choices. keep in mind he would have been like 8 when gladiator came out, so it's seminal. it's like if i include the goonies or blood of heroes in an 80s list, cuz they would probably be there.

I really like that you put assassination of jesse james. i loved that flick, so many great performances.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on April 20, 2010, 11:43:04 AM
Fuck that, it's a defendable list. There's space for Amelie on any top 25. There's way too much Tarantino and wtf with Pineapple Express but whatever we all have weird shit on our lists (fuck, i have The Weather Man so...)

Welcome dude. Congratulations for being 17 and not a total dickhead.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: New Feeling on April 20, 2010, 12:08:16 PM
1. Kill Bill
2. GRINDHOUSE
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. Irreversible
5. Punch Drunk Love
6. Mulholland Drive
7. Songs From the Second Floor
8. The Incredibles
9. Far From Heaven
10. The Man Who Wasn't There
11. Dogville
12. The Royal Tenenbaums
13. Synechdoche, NY
14. Inland Empire
15. Last Days
16. The Piano Teacher
17. Brown Bunny
18. The 25th Hour
19. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
20. Cache
21. Lake of Fire
22. Memento
23. Electroma
24. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
25. The Departed

There are a lot of really great movies I wish I still had room for.  And for the record I'm 30 and pretty sure that there are Tarantino fans of all ages.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Robyn on April 20, 2010, 12:23:31 PM
Quote from: Pas Rap on April 20, 2010, 11:43:04 AM
Fuck that, it's a defendable list. There's space for Amelie on any top 25. There's way too much Tarantino and wtf with Pineapple Express but whatever we all have weird shit on our lists (fuck, i have The Weather Man so...)

Welcome dude. Congratulations for being 17 and not a total dickhead.


I wasn't sure if I would put Death Proof on the list or not. I had a great experience seeing it when it was released, but it isn't that great if you compare it to his other stuff. Oh well...

I think Pineapple Express is hilarious. It is also one of those films that I wasn't sure off. It might not be a great movie, but the entertainment value is huge and I had a wonderful experience when I saw it for the first time.

Thanks.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on April 20, 2010, 01:33:33 PM
Quote from: New Feeling on April 20, 2010, 12:08:16 PM
1. Kill Bill
2. GRINDHOUSE
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. Irreversible

That's just trolling though
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on April 20, 2010, 02:00:50 PM
New Feeling along with 72 teeth is tied for funniest poster on this site.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: New Feeling on April 20, 2010, 02:48:19 PM
that's as sincere a top 4 as I could make although I must admit it was hard to order them.  They had the greatest emotional effect on me of all the films I listed, and I find them personally inspiring in ways I find few works of art, despite being quite inspired by a large amount of art.   All I know is there is no greater rush than the rush I felt when seeing these movies for the first time.

I honestly don't understand what it is that you guys think invalidates QT's work.  Someone please explain.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Robyn on April 20, 2010, 03:16:50 PM
COUSE IT'S JUST EMPTY AND MENINGLESS VIOLENCE NO FUCK DEEP HE'S A FUCKING USELESS COPYCAT WHO STEAL FROM FUCKING EVERYTHING :brickwall: :brickwall: :brickwall:

also, he masturbate to his own feet

with best regards
qthater88
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: New Feeling on April 20, 2010, 03:22:33 PM
lol
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: RegularKarate on April 20, 2010, 05:17:44 PM
I'm not as harsh on Tarantino as others, but the fact that you put Grindhouse there and that the only one in your top four that wasn't QT was Irreversable shows you probably have a fanboy loyalty or just love style over substance.

it's kind of meatheady.

also, he masturbate to his own feet
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pozer on April 20, 2010, 05:21:53 PM
lol
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on April 20, 2010, 05:33:29 PM
I like irreversible. I don't think it's all style over substance. Visually, perhaps, but it's narrative adds another dimension.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: squints on April 21, 2010, 12:51:54 PM
Quote from: KarlJan on April 20, 2010, 03:16:50 PM

also, he masturbate to his own feet


marquee
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: cronopio 2 on April 27, 2010, 04:52:53 PM
no order, i'm picking these for what they did to push cinema forward, whatever that means:

synecdoche, new york
the royal tenenbaums
25th hour
roger dodger
the tulse luper suitcases part 1 : the moab story
in the loop
tie: gangs of new york- the aviator
downfall
the dark knight
w.
the fountain
where the wild things are
ratatouille
once
before sunset
waking life
children of men
district 9
zodiac
the man who wasn't there
dogville
invictus
grizzly man
memento


this list was done instinctively and in very few minutes but i'm pretty comfortable, cos those are 25 movies i can watch again and again and again


Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pas on April 27, 2010, 06:25:33 PM
Surprising list. Definitely some stuff in there I've never seen though remember seeing the box at the video store. (Waking life, Roger Dodger, the other long title)

WTF with Invictus though. that film in no way pushed cinema forward. It totally blew (not my mind)
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on April 27, 2010, 06:31:48 PM
 :yabbse-thumbup: for W.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Stefen on April 27, 2010, 07:26:15 PM
Quote from: Gold Trumpet on April 27, 2010, 06:31:48 PM
:yabbse-thumbup: for W.

haha.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Pubrick on April 27, 2010, 09:10:20 PM
Quote from: cronopio 2 on April 27, 2010, 04:52:53 PM
invictus

i'm convinced this was a typo.

so, with that in mind, good list.

shame about the typo..
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: polkablues on April 27, 2010, 09:16:47 PM
Fuck yes, Roger Dodger.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Gold Trumpet on June 05, 2010, 06:20:19 AM
From my blog, my top 10 of last decade. Post is short but each film has a link to a review specifically written for the occasion.

http://filmsplatter.wordpress.com/2010/06/05/top-10-2000-2009-w-links/
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: SiliasRuby on June 05, 2010, 01:13:39 PM
You are gonna hate all of these ten in 2020. hehe.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Robyn on October 23, 2011, 06:22:11 AM
Quote from: KarlJan on April 19, 2010, 04:22:39 PM
There will be Blood
Into the Wild
Candy
Ethernal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Punch-Drunk Love
Kill Bill: Vol. 1/Vol. 2
The Squid and the Whale
Donnie Darko

Battle Royale
Zodiac
Amelie
Gladiator
Lost in Translation
Monday
Inglourious Basterds
Oldboy

The Dark Knight
Two Lovers
Mulholland Dr
Ocean's Eleven
The Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford
Moon
Death Proof
Adaptation
Adams æbler
Pineapple Express


Yeah, I know..

This list DID suck. I'm posting my current top 25 from the last decade so I can stop being embarrassed over this.

There Will Be Blood
Dancer in the Dark
Zodiac
Der freie Wille
Punch-Drunk Love
Into the Wild
Antichrist
Adaptation
Dogville
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Where the Wild Things Are
Reprise
The Others
Synecdoche, New York
Control
The Royal Tenenbaums
All The Real Girls
The Squid and the Whale
High Fidelity
The New World
3-Iron
Black Swan
Children of Men
Mulholland Dr.
Morvern Callar
Enter the Void

I will post another one in 1 year from now so I can stop being embarrassed over the above list
Title: Re: ?Top 25 of the DECADE ?
Post by: Reel on October 23, 2011, 11:49:17 PM
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
George Washington
Ghost World
Storytelling
In the Bedroom
Mulholland Dr.
Monster's Ball
Fat Girl
Cabin Fever
Punch Drunk Love
Swimming Pool
Kill Bill vol 1 & 2
Edmond
Turtles Can Fly
Last Days
SherryBaby
Bob Dylan: No Direction Home
Little Miss Sunshine
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Science of Sleep
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days
Funny Games
Greenberg
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: 72teeth on October 24, 2011, 12:39:14 AM
so many things tell me that i should love Sweeny Todd, but id rather just watch Oliver!... i miss you Tim Burton
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Robyn on October 31, 2011, 10:47:15 AM
Quote from: Reelist on October 23, 2011, 11:49:17 PM
Cabin Fever


what's wrong with you?

the best thing about that movie is the paul/eli story on the commentary track

and that's because Eli Roth is a retard
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Reel on October 31, 2011, 01:23:30 PM
Quote from: KarlJan on October 31, 2011, 10:47:15 AM
Quote from: Reelist on October 23, 2011, 11:49:17 PM
Cabin Fever

what's wrong with you?

Idk, I just like it. I didn't at first but after I watched it a bunch of times it grew on me. Eli is starting to piss me off, though. I think I need to unfollow him on Twitter. I never heard that story straight from the horse's ass. thx Karljan  :wink:
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: ono on October 17, 2012, 07:06:59 AM
Heywood was looking for this, so I thought I'd bump it.  I never chimed in.  I looked over the IMDb lists really quickly and am positive I've overlooked some things, but no list is perfect.  Depending on my mood, those in the top will shift.  There Will Be Blood is perfect in its filmmaking, cold, and really misunderstood.  Ghost World is much warmer and more transcendental as a result.  I've found I'm more partial towards the first half of the "zeroes", 'cause damned if they didn't have some of the best movies ever.  For the most part, the second part sucked.


Honorable mentions:
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Lottery on May 12, 2014, 10:16:11 AM
Ooh, I'll join in. I'm certain I've forgotten some crucial ones but that's how things are.

Something like:

WALL-E
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
City of God
Still Walking
Mulholland Drive
Children of Men
Pan's Labyrinth
Monsters, Inc.
Memento
Punch-Drunk Love
Ratatouille
Shaun of the Dead
Spirited Away
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Howl's Moving Castle
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The Incredibles
Syndromes and a Century
Zodiac
The Royal Tenenbaums
Nobody Knows
District 9
Distance
Finding Nemo

Hon. mentions:

In the Mood For Love
28 Days Later
American Psycho
A Serious Man
Little Miss Sunshine
Memories of Murder
The Dark Knight
30 others etc


Are there top 25 threads for previous decades? Search yielded little.

Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: jenkins on May 12, 2014, 12:44:26 PM
into this as an enjoyable direction for steering my day's movie thoughts

first i'm going to look through the above two lists and cherry pick the ones i'll wanna remember:

Memories of Murder
In the Mood For Love
District 9
Nobody Knows
Syndromes and a Century
Spirited Away
Punch-Drunk Love
Mulholland Drive
City of God (been on such a "i have to rewatch this" mission)(without having rewatched it during the mission)
24 Hour Party People
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
Enter the Void
Songs from the Second Floor
Dancer in the Dark

then i'll check another list:

Lost in Translation
Storytelling

^16. so now i'll have tons of fun counting to 25 and thinking about the 00's and movies:

Millennium Mambo
Unknown Pleasures
The Holy Girl
Exiled or Sparrow or PTU. or Election. or Triad Election. one of those
Morvern Callar
Woman is the Future of Man or Woman on the Beach or Night and Day. or Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors
The Informant!
Talk to Her
Innocence

making lists is weird. i had fun
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: wilder on May 12, 2014, 03:37:10 PM
Garam and I have a lot of overlap

Artificial Intelligence
Bad Education
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Bully
Dogville
Far From Heaven
Fear X
Ghost World
A History of Violence
Minority Report
Mysterious Skin
Palindromes
Paranoid Park
The Piano Teacher
Punch Drunk Love
Pusher 2
Pusher 3
Revanche
Spider
The Squid and the Whale
The State I Am In
Superbad
There Will Be Blood
Two Lovers
You Can Count On Me

Others:

About Schmidt, Adaptation, Catch Me If You Can, Collateral, Fish Tank, Gespenter, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Hours, The Informant, Inglorious Basterds, Ken Park, Let the Right One In, Master and Commander, Memento, Miami Vice, The New World, A Prophet, A Scanner Darkly, Together, Under the Sand, The White Ribbon

Weird decade. Also super bottom-heavy towards the beginning half.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: jenkins on May 12, 2014, 04:03:07 PM
paranoid park is an example of a movie that makes me go "oh well i shoulda mentioned that one, bummer, i can't figure out which i didn't need to mention but i feel like i needed to mention paranoid park"

you know
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Lottery on May 14, 2014, 03:39:46 AM
Huh, is Ghostworld really that awesome?
I saw a trailer and in it there was this ethnic store clerk having trouble with some macho jackass, now I swear I've seen that in another movie.

Anyway, should I make a 90s thread? I like using these sort of things as checklists.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: MacGuffin on May 14, 2014, 07:42:16 AM
Quote from: Lottery on May 14, 2014, 03:39:46 AM
Huh, is Ghostworld really that awesome?
I saw a trailer and in it there was this ethnic store clerk having trouble with some macho jackass, now I swear I've seen that in another movie.

Yes!

Sidewinder Boss: Hey! Hey! You! How many times I tell you? No shirt, no service! Get the hell out of my store! What do you think this is, Club Med?
Doug: It's America, dude. Learn the rules.
Sidewinder Boss: Learn the rules? YOU learn the rules! We Greeks invented democracy!
Doug: You also invented homos.
Sidewinder Boss: Fuck you!
Doug: You wish. You gotta buy me dinner first!
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Reel on May 17, 2014, 04:38:58 PM
Rock and roll baby, freedom of speech!

( the text really doesn't do it justice )


Ghost World is number 6 on my top ten of all time, get on that shit.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: Lottery on May 17, 2014, 06:59:44 PM
After reading Polka's post, I have a feeling that I have watched it before. Odd.
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the DECADE ◄
Post by: wilder on May 17, 2014, 07:15:58 PM
Quote from: Reelist on May 17, 2014, 04:38:58 PM
Rock and roll baby, freedom of speech!

( the text really doesn't do it justice )

Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the 00s◄
Post by: JG on May 21, 2014, 04:23:21 PM
tough!

the yards / two lovers
frownland
margaret
tetro
punch drunk love / the master
tropical malady / uncle boonmee / syndromes and a century
the new world
computer chess
all the real girls
spiderman 2
cache
a serious man
the fog of war
adaptation
the informant!
white ribbon
gerry
ratatouille
l'enfant
Title: Re: ►Top 25 of the 00s◄
Post by: wilder on May 25, 2019, 11:10:12 PM
Thread compiled here:

Xixax - 2000s (https://letterboxd.com/xixax/list/xixax-2000s/)

Xixax - 2000s - World Cinema (https://letterboxd.com/xixax/list/xixax-2000s-world-cinema/)