20. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The verisimilitude of the atmosphere, sets, costumes, and dialogue is better than I've ever seen in any Western - almost like taking a time machine back to the 1880s. Brad Pitt is much better than you expect and everyone else (especially Casey Affleck, who carries the whole film) is superb. Director Andrew Dominik lays down themes about fame, infamy, and notoriety expertly and uses glass (through window panes especially) to comment on how we view things (history, memory, heroes, etc.).
19. Almost Famous
Cameron Crowe may have completely lost his touch Apocalypse Now-style after investing his entire soul into this film, but at least this film exists. Music in movies can make or break a film and this film has the best source music of the decade. Led Zeppelin gave up 5 of their songs (a very rare event) to their personal friend Crowe. But it's the 2 Elton John songs that are in the best scenes. Every scene with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Frances McDormand is gold. Billy Crudup and Jason Lee will never be better. Neither will Kate Hudson, whom I seem to tolerate more than most. But it's Crowe who is the real star - his finest 2 1/2 hours.
18. I'm Not There
Before Heath Ledger and Christian Bale squared off in The Dark Knight, they both played Bob Dylan, as did Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett in Todd Haynes's unconventional biopic. Some of my favorite songs are fused with multiple tributes to the European art film. Easily the best biopic of the decade (and there were a lot of them). And all the "impersonations" that won Oscars don't begin to compare with Blanchett's performance. She gets the mannerisms and voice right, but also the soul and the meaning behind the words. Love her last look into the camera.
17. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Of all the wire-fu flicks, this film is the one worth revisiting the most because of the smaller, kinder, gentler moments. Director Ang Lee specializes in romantic films so his involvement in this is a curious one. The fight scenes are inventive, but it's the interactions between the characters (Lee's specialty) that have a lasting impact.
16. A History of Violence
A history of violence in America and also on film. The nature of violence and the men who use it is analyzed well by David Cronenberg, whose films tend to go either too violent or too weird to warrant a repeat viewing. Here, his hands are a little tied by a lurid graphic novel (which helps), but he still makes room to effectively evaluate the relationship between sex and violence. William Hurt's showy part got the Oscar nomination, but Maria Bello and Viggo Mortensen are equally good.
21. Finding Nemo
22. The Dark Knight
23. Sideways
24. Once
25. The Hurt Locker
26. Let the Right One In
27. Cinderella Man
28. Synecdoche, New York
29. Miami Vice
30. Punch-Drunk Love
31. Up
32. Lord of the Rings
33. Erin Brockovich
34. Michael Clayton
35. Lost in Translation
36. Inglourious Basterds
37. About a Boy
38. Public Enemies
39. Amelie
40. Collateral
41. Munich
42. Black Hawk Down & The Constant Gardner
43. Mystic River
44. The Aviator
45. Cast Away
46. The Wrestler
47. Gosford Park
48. Kill Bill
49. You Can Count On Me
50. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
51. 21 Grams
52. Ratatouille & WALL-E
53. Road to Perdition
54. Billy Elliot
55. The Royal Tenenbaums
56. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
57. Downfall
58. Hot Fuzz
59. The New World
60. Knocked Up
61. Inland Empire
62. United 93
63. Babel
64. Pan's Labyrinth
65. In the Bedroom
66. Monsters, Inc.
67. The Pianist
68. Batman Begins
69. 3:10 to Yuma
70. King Kong
71. In Bruges
72. No Direction Home
73. Intolerable Cruelty
74. Little Children
75. Gangs of New York
Monday, December 7, 2009
Best Films of the Decade 20-16
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3 comments:
Mine:
20. The Dark Knight - 90% perfect - I still don't like the ending or the trip to Hong Kong.
19. Bloody Sunday - Writer/Director Paul Greengrass shines a penetrating light on Northern Irish troubles. He frames the action around one of my favorite performances of the decade (James Nesbitt) and utilizes his now famous camera techniques to devastating effect.
18. Amores Perros - The first of 3 brilliant collaborations between Guillermo Arriaga and Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu is the second best of the three. Few films this decade have touched on as many emotional and raw themes as this force of nature. Another great car crash.
17. Layer Cake - Director Matthew Vaughn fuses great songs (Duran Duran, Rolling Stones) and a great script to produce the best of the 'british crime films'. I love the precision and tone of this film.
16. Traffic - Benicio Del Toro is the heart of this film as the lone do-gooder in an amoral drug war. Each story works, with the Michael Douglas/Daughter story and BDT being the best.
Yours:
JJ - I obviously love this, too. I am surprised you have it this high.
AF - Ditto AF. Hudson is insufferable.
INT - I like this one a lot, but can't appreciate it fully as a Dylan hobbyist (as opposed to a Dylan obsessive).
CTHD - B- for me. I don't care for this type of film.
AHOV - agreed. Don't you think Ed Harris is too over the top with the eye and everything, though?
Mine so far:
70. Bad Santa
69. Batman Begins
68. Little Children
67. 3:10 to Yuma
66. Knocked Up
65. Meet The Parents
64. Nine Lives
63. Wall E
62. Public Enemies
61. In Bruges
60. Let the Right One In
59. Bourne Ultimatum
58. Oceans 11
57. Milk
56. Slumdog Millionaire
55. The Prestige
54. Borat
53. Up
52. The Wrestler
51. Almost Famous
50. Assassination of Jesse James
49. Gangs of New York
48. Napoleon Dynamite
47. Gran Torino
46. The Breakup
45. The Notebook
44. Zodiac
43. In the Bedroom
42. Hotel Rwanda
41. Revolutionary Road
40. Wedding Crashers
39. Inglourious Basterds
38. Rachel Getting Married
37. Constant Gardner/Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
36. Mystic River
35. Michael Clayton
34. Garden State
33. Miami Vice
32. Pan's Labryinth
31. Bourne Supremacy
30. Syriana
29. Babel
28. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
27. Gladiator
26. United 93
25. Once
24. A History of Violence
23. Royal Tenenbaums
22. Cinderella Man
21. Adaptation
20. The Dark Knight
19. Bloody Sunday
18. Amores Perros
17. Layer Cake
16. Traffic
And, can I just say in advance (guessing what you and i have to come) that 2007 may be the best year for movies, ever. After we finish - I'll point out all the movies that are on our lists that come from that year - Ridiculous!
Haven't seen Bloody Sunday since its DVD release and don't remember much of it.
Amores Perros has always too aggressive for me and the dog-fighting too violent and cruel for me to give the movie a full chance. I've tried to get into it twice in the past 3 years and couldn't.
Layer Cake is the best of the British crime films and will be on the revised top 100 list. Vaughn does a really good job with the pop music. My favorite Craig performance.
Traffic - coming right up.
TAoJJbtCRF ascended the past few months as I watched it repeatedly on cable. Hypnotic with an interesting narration style.
I meant to watch CTHD, an upcoming Peter Weir film, and Gosford Park before I got to them on the list. I only got through GP, so CTHD and M&C aren't fresh in my mind, but I gave them A's on first and second viewings initially and stuck with the original assessment. My "A" level begins at #22. I knew we were going to split on the best Ang Lee film.
The scars were too much on Ed Harris, but I think he did OK. Obviously, he's much better in Apollo 13, Truman Show, and Pollock.
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