PT Anderson's dysfunctional love story about a lonely man with anger management issues and an oft-wronged lady who remains a hopeless romantic is the best directed romantic "comedy" ever. Bright colors that comment on character's inner workings, a symbolic keyboard, and intentional lens flares are just part of PTA's arsenal. Adam Sandler will never be as good as he is here- his best scene being in a Honolulu hotel room. The music by Michael Penn is sad, inspiring, lonely, and heartwarming all at the same time.29. Miami Vice
The dialogue on the page shouldn't work (As Trudy says, "I ain't playin'"), but as delivered by Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, et al. and digitally filmed by Dion Beebe, it's like you're living in every scene. The R-rated violence is shocking at first for those used to the TV series, but this is not your father's Miami Vice. It's more realistic and urgent. It's also mostly void of humor, which probably hurt it at the box office. But Michael Mann only wanted to portray the drug trade and vice agents as they actually are. I can't think of a film this decade that improved more on repeat viewings.
28. Synecdoche, New York
Too smart for its own good and too challenging to be mega-accessible, Charlie Kaufman's script would have been better served by his former collaborator, director Spike Jonze, but there is far more going on here with respect to the human condition (life, death, relationships, struggles) than any other film this decade. Minutiae is evaluated in both huge and miniature sizes. Memories, consciousness, God, and love are creatively explored. It's like Kaufman is decades ahead of all of us, and trying to show us the way.27. Cinderella Man
They do make 'em like they used to. People didn't want to revisit The Depression (Seabiscuit) or boxing (Million Dollar Baby) when this film rolled out in 2005. They missed an inspiring story about resilience and determination. Although Russell Crowe has been better elsewhere, Jim Braddock is a perfect addition to his movie star persona. Paul Giamatti steals every scene he's in (his Oscar is sitting on George Clooney's shelf). Ron Howard's direction shows some flair in the boxing scenes and rightfully stays out of the way in the family scenes. Thomas Newman's score is one of the decade's best.
26. Let the Right One In
Director Tomas Alfredson composes each shot so impressively that this vampire revenge flick grabs your attention by the throat and never lets go. But it wouldn't be this high on the list without a message of unconditional love that resonates. Teenagers with problems are a dime a dozen every month at the multiplex, but the way these teenagers express their emotions and use their strengths to succeed (and the way Alfredson's cold, vacant landscapes add to their cavernous souls) makes this a lasting experience.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
Mine:
ReplyDelete30. Syriana - My favorite Sodergbergh film combines multiple stories and smart writing with performances from Clooney, Damon and Mark Strong.
29. Babel- This is the first Arriaga/Inarritu film in my list, but not the last. Echo Doc's comments.
28. Lord of The Rings Trilogy - Even for a fantasy hater, they're all good. The first is the best with all of Tolkien's 'green' themes playing out well.
27. Gladiator - Not an art film, but still Ridley Scott, Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix at the top of their game. A great experience time and time again.
26. United 93 - Greengrass strikes again with a pitch perfect rendering of 9/11 that is both artful and worthy of a history classroom.
Yours:
PDL - I hated this the first (and only) time I watched it. I need to give it another chance.
MV - Mann!!
Syn - I liked this when I saw it last year and need to see it about 5 more times. Nice photo.
CM - I love this massively underrated movie - its coming up on my list.
LTROI - On my list, but not this high.
My list 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
Soderbergh was only producer on Syriana. I've never connected with it. It acknowledges that intercontinental petroleum politics is complicated and confusing. That's how I feel about the film. Gaghan gets the interesting characters a multi-arc storyline right, but doesn't get any humor or excitement (as Soderbergh from Gaghan's Traffic script). The deaths in Syriana were too depressing and less justified as well. (Still at a "B" for me though - it's good).
ReplyDeleteBabel is less cerebral than Syriana, but gets plenty of emotion (Babel at 63 on my list).
LOTR - can't believe you have this higher than me.
Gladiator - the action scenes are perhaps the best of the decade. Crowe is at his movie-star best, but the politics dragged for me. It'll make my revised top 100 list though.
United 93 on my list at #62.