I'm a little behind the other two on coming up with this, but here is my top 50 Films of the Decade. I will limit my remarks to 1) movies that did not make lawyer or doctors lists, or 2) my top ten (in a seperate post) 3) movies I want to say something about. Without further ado:
50. Moulin Rouge- The dizzying carnival of music and visuals is like nothing before or since. It's a love letter to love letters (and songs and poems and cliches) spinning so fast it nearly collapses of its own weight. I loved it.
49. The Descent- The first of three horror films on my list, it's surprisingly devoid of male characters, taking you on a claustrophobic journey into the black heart of women.
48. Gone Baby Gone- It gets bogged down towards the end of the second act, but it makes up for it by forcing you to think about issues that matter and not copping any easy answers. It would have picked up a little Oscar love any year besides 2007.
47. The Aviator
46. Public Enemies
45. Revolutionary Road
44. Miami Vice
43. Old Boy- This Korean film examines revenge, free will, redemption (at least the Asian version of it) and whether you want happiness with illusion or misery with truth. Love it or hate it, you won't forget it.
42. In Bruges
41. Kill Bill (Vol 1 and 2)
40. Black Hawk Down
39. Munich
38. 28 Days Later
37. The Fog of War- Errol Morris doesn't have the flair for the dramatic nor the controversy of a Michael Moore, but this re-examination of Robert McNamara through his own lens is my favorite documentary of all time. The limited special effects serve the material, and seeing a genius who was instrumental in both Hiroshima and Vietnam wrestle with history, himself, and there relationship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
36. Collateral
35. Wedding Crashers
34. United 93
33. Inglourious Basterds
32. Adaptation
31. The Wrestler
30. Mystic River
29. Let the Right One In
28. Traffic
27. Almost Famous
26. Amelie
25. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
24. Zodiac
23. The Dark Knight
22. Wall*E
21. The Incredibles
20. Bourne Trilogy (yes, cheating. If I had to rank them, they'd be last to first)
19. Syriana
18. The Prestige/Memento (they shouldn't be together, I'd put Prestige a bit higher than Memento, but I forgot it and don't feel like re-thinking the list at this point)
17. The Children of Men
16. Michael Clayton
15. In America- By far the highest ranking film in my list that doesn't make Doc or Lawyer's, this true story of Jim Sheridan and his families illegal move to New York from Ireland examines death, grief, freedom, forgiveness, marriage, childhood and immigration. The visuals are stunning, the acting is phenomenal, and I dare you not to cry.
14. The Departed
13. Old School
12. Pan's Labyrinth
11. About a Boy
Friday, December 18, 2009
Top 50 Films of the Decade, 50-10: Priest
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3 comments:
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50. Moulin Rouge has some great visuals and interesting scenes, but I've tried to watch it 4 times and I have yet to finish it.
48. Good call on this film. The only B++ I've ever given was a shockingly great directorial debut for Ben Affleck.
45. You never shared any thoughts on RevRoad - expand please.
43. Old Boy - Haven't seen it.
37. Fog - Great call - this will be on my revised list. Morris is awesome - he has a very interesting blog at nytimes.com
15. InAmerica - Haven't seen !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will soon. Sheridan + #19 means must see.
i thought rev road was the best drama of last year, admittedly not saying much. i was a little more sympathetic to winslet's character then you and doc. although i thought she was off her rocker, at the same time, she was fairly clear about what she wanted (paris), and leo backed out on it with little to no input from her. i didn't love it, but the acting was so good, and each scene played out perfectly. i especially like the guy from the mental institution. an interesting character, if fairly stock (the crazy guy sees the truth), but played very well and saying interesting things.
watch old boy. a movie about revenge. you will want to watch it without bride or kiddos.
dude, you must see in america. i know doc doesn't love it, but i don't now how you can't. plus, it's sheridan's actual story, which makes the whole thing more intriguing.
Old Boy is very good. I love the fight scene that pans from left to right and lasts several minutes in an uninterrupted shot. The ending is totally jacked - one of the most memorable twist endings ever.
Love Fog of War, too, but I don't know what I could gain from a second viewing.
My main 2 problems with In America are that 1) I can't believe a mother would drop her 2 small children with the Hounsou character and not be worried to death. This may have happened in real life, but would never happen in mine so my ability to relate is out the window. 2) It's tough referencing a famous movie (ET in this case) and have your movie hold up. (ET itself heavily referenced Empire Strikes Back but Sheridan is no Spielberg). When Hounsou and the girls are talking about ET at the end, I was thinking, yeah, ET is a great movie - I wish I was watching that right now. I did like it though - the parents just seemed too reckless.
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