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Mastidon's Top 10 of 2008!!
Merrick here...
Mastidon's done a bit of writing for us this year: reports from the QUANTUM OF SOLACE premiere in the UK, BNAT X stuff, and more.
He sent along his "Top 10 of 2008", which we present here for your consideration, conversation, and/or evisceration.
Hi Guys,
Mastidon here with my top 10 list. I wasn't planning on writing one but after realizing some of the films on my list haven't gotten enough attention, I figured I would put it down for you. Several of the following films I was fortunate enough to see at film festivals as that is the only places they were shown baring some limited releases in New York & LA. My list below does not contain MILK, THE WRESTLER, or FROST / NIXON. Not because I did not like those films, but simply because I have not been able to see them yet.
Coming in at #10 is a film I love for its quirkiness - FILTH & WISDOM. I must preface this by saying that I have become friends with one of the co-writers (Dan Cadan) since writing my initial review (HERE). However, I wrote that review long before we became friends. The film is too short for its own good leaving me wanting more. Eugene Hutz is brilliantly insane and the music is fantastic. Be sure to rent it and crank up the sound system.
#9 JULIA. I caught the world premier of this one at the Berlin Festival and unfortunately, it hasn't aired in too many other places. Tilda Swinton puts on her best display of acting to date as a broke alcoholic looking for any angle to get ahead. She derives a complex kidnap scheme in order to help a neighbor get her son back while trying to get herself $2 million in the process. The ending left a bad taste in my mouth much like THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. However, this film is well worth your time to see the masterful acting job of Tilda.
#8 BOY A. This British film actually premiered on UK TV in 2007. However after the Weinstein's saw it, they deemed it worth of a theatrical release in the US. The film is based on a true story about a British child who commits murder. In order to protect his identity, he is only known as Boy A to the press. Once becoming legal age, he is released to the world with a new identity that the tabloids are desperate to expose. This film does a great job at examining the media and the constant need for generating news without any care for the consequences of who is destroyed in the process.
#7 VALKYRIE My review on this one certainly stirred up the talkbackers against me (HERE). My opinion of the film hasn't changed. In fact, most of the German press have even gotten behind it too - (EXAMPLE). Tom Cruise is good in it but Bryan Singer's direction was simply amazing. This is a film that will hold the test of time against other great factual WWII films.
#6 CORRIDOR #8 I am a sucker for any good travel program. And this documentary certainly fills that void. It is a great insight into the perceptions and cultures of several Eastern European countries as to how they view each other as tracked over the course of a mythical highway that has been planned since WWII but still not completed. Good luck finding this film. I was lucky enough to catch it's world premier in Berlin (HERE). The good news is that it finally has an IMDB listing but so far has only been shown at 3 festivals.
#5 RELIGULOUS What kind of balls does it take to make a movie that questions religion in such an open and blatant fashion? Although I don't always agree with Bill Maher, I find myself more often than not that I do. And this is a case where we could not be more in sync. Organized religion has caused more death and destruction in the history of the world than all other causes combined. Bill is not saying there is no god. He is saying, we don't know and can't prove it one way or another. And the people who are saying there is, odds are they are out to make a buck. Even if you are an extremely religious person, this movie should earn your time because it does a great job of questioning the major faiths and not simply Bill's easy target of Catholicism.
#4 SLEEP DEALER Scheduled for a limited release in March which is over 1 year after winning awards at both Sundance and Berlinale, this mostly Spanish BLADE RUNNER inspired science fiction film is a great examination for anybody in the IT industry. Set in the near future, it shows to what extremes outsourcing is capable of becoming. I don't want to give away the plot here but I promise you that I will deliver a full review with a Q&A when the film gets close to the release. This film would be perfect to watch as a double feature with SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.
#3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE How do you know when a film is good? When 4 people independently tell you to go see it and one of them is your lawyer! If it wasn't for a screw up on the part of Delta Airlines on my flight back here to Germany, I would not have seen this film until March when it opens here. This film is certainly not over-hyped. It is just about as perfect film of a film possible. Perfect storytelling. Perfect to the point of making me look up everything I could on this movie to see that it was fiction as it seemed so believable. I hope it qualifies for Best Foreign Film this year as it certainly has earned it.
#2 GARDENS OF THE NIGHT This film broke my heart. It was by far the toughest review I have written to date -HERE). Very few films actually physically disturb me, SCHINDLER'S LIST, the graphic deaths in SEVEN, the opening of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. This film ranks right up there with them in the emotional factor. Tom Arnold gives the performance of his career drawling upon his personal experiences as an abused child. He will scare the hell out of you, Gardens is the perfect telling of how a child is kidnapped, exploited for child pornography, then eventually ending up working in the sex trade. Extensive research has been done to make sure this film was as accurate as possible to how these horrific events happen. This film is certainly not a happy night out at the cinema but is a MUST SEE for every parent out there.
Before I get to my #1, I want to draw your attention to the best short film of the year - GREEN PORNO.
GREEN PORNO is a collection of 3 one minute shorts. Each short deals with the sex life of a particular insect, houseflies, spiders, and fireflies. But these are no ordinary nature films. Imagine Isabella Rossellini dressed up as these various bugs playing the part of the male insects! Each one is a crazy costume like something a kid would wear for a school play. The female insects are portrayed by models. Isabella then explains as the bug what he is thinking this moment and then proceeds to have sex with these various models. Its hilarious. The shorts were produced by The Sundance Channel so hopefully you can catch them there.
My number #1 pick comes as no surprise to anyone who has seen my comments in the talkbacks - WALL-E.
Why WALL-E? Well for that we need to back up to 2003. PIXAR somehow dug into my brain and combined my 2 favorite things on this planet, SCUBA DIVING and movies. FINDING NEMO was the ultimate entertainment film for me combining both of my loves. I really did not think it was possible to top that, ever! But they did. And they did that by taking animation film making to an entirely different level, the level of a high quality dramatic film that will be watched for decades to come. To date, I have watched WALL-E 4 times. Each and every additional time I find some small detail to love it that much more. Yes, I am not lost on the irony of a film attacking consumerism to have a hundred different tie in toys. In fact, I even was given the dancing WALL-E as a Christmas gift. So why is this hypocritical film so good? Because it plants the seed that if we keep up this pace of consumption, the world as we know it is doomed. And to me, if I had to say what do I care more about then spending time in nature is protecting nature so we all can enjoy it in the future. PIXAR once again tapped into my subconscious and pulled out my desire to save the planet and combined it with R2D2. How could I not fall for that little guy? Easily my favorite film that I will watch for decades to come.
Wait a minute, did I forget THE DARK KNIGHT? How could I forget it? Heath Ledger's last performance was really once in a lifetime. And for that he makes my best list. But to be honest, my favorite over-all superhero movie this year was IRON MAN. Robert Downey Jr once again brought his career back from the dead and kicked ass. So with that I leave you with a recap -
Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT
Best Supporting Actress - Tilda Swinton, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Best Actor - Tom Arnold, GARDENS OF THE NIGHT
Best Actress - Tilda Swinton, JULIA
Best Screenwriter - Simon Beaufoy, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Director - Bryan Singer, VALKYRIE
Best Picture, WALL-E
Ciao...
-Mastidon
Mastidon here with my top 10 list. I wasn't planning on writing one but after realizing some of the films on my list haven't gotten enough attention, I figured I would put it down for you. Several of the following films I was fortunate enough to see at film festivals as that is the only places they were shown baring some limited releases in New York & LA. My list below does not contain MILK, THE WRESTLER, or FROST / NIXON. Not because I did not like those films, but simply because I have not been able to see them yet.
Coming in at #10 is a film I love for its quirkiness - FILTH & WISDOM. I must preface this by saying that I have become friends with one of the co-writers (Dan Cadan) since writing my initial review (HERE). However, I wrote that review long before we became friends. The film is too short for its own good leaving me wanting more. Eugene Hutz is brilliantly insane and the music is fantastic. Be sure to rent it and crank up the sound system.
#9 JULIA. I caught the world premier of this one at the Berlin Festival and unfortunately, it hasn't aired in too many other places. Tilda Swinton puts on her best display of acting to date as a broke alcoholic looking for any angle to get ahead. She derives a complex kidnap scheme in order to help a neighbor get her son back while trying to get herself $2 million in the process. The ending left a bad taste in my mouth much like THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. However, this film is well worth your time to see the masterful acting job of Tilda.
#8 BOY A. This British film actually premiered on UK TV in 2007. However after the Weinstein's saw it, they deemed it worth of a theatrical release in the US. The film is based on a true story about a British child who commits murder. In order to protect his identity, he is only known as Boy A to the press. Once becoming legal age, he is released to the world with a new identity that the tabloids are desperate to expose. This film does a great job at examining the media and the constant need for generating news without any care for the consequences of who is destroyed in the process.
#7 VALKYRIE My review on this one certainly stirred up the talkbackers against me (HERE). My opinion of the film hasn't changed. In fact, most of the German press have even gotten behind it too - (EXAMPLE). Tom Cruise is good in it but Bryan Singer's direction was simply amazing. This is a film that will hold the test of time against other great factual WWII films.
#6 CORRIDOR #8 I am a sucker for any good travel program. And this documentary certainly fills that void. It is a great insight into the perceptions and cultures of several Eastern European countries as to how they view each other as tracked over the course of a mythical highway that has been planned since WWII but still not completed. Good luck finding this film. I was lucky enough to catch it's world premier in Berlin (HERE). The good news is that it finally has an IMDB listing but so far has only been shown at 3 festivals.
#5 RELIGULOUS What kind of balls does it take to make a movie that questions religion in such an open and blatant fashion? Although I don't always agree with Bill Maher, I find myself more often than not that I do. And this is a case where we could not be more in sync. Organized religion has caused more death and destruction in the history of the world than all other causes combined. Bill is not saying there is no god. He is saying, we don't know and can't prove it one way or another. And the people who are saying there is, odds are they are out to make a buck. Even if you are an extremely religious person, this movie should earn your time because it does a great job of questioning the major faiths and not simply Bill's easy target of Catholicism.
#4 SLEEP DEALER Scheduled for a limited release in March which is over 1 year after winning awards at both Sundance and Berlinale, this mostly Spanish BLADE RUNNER inspired science fiction film is a great examination for anybody in the IT industry. Set in the near future, it shows to what extremes outsourcing is capable of becoming. I don't want to give away the plot here but I promise you that I will deliver a full review with a Q&A when the film gets close to the release. This film would be perfect to watch as a double feature with SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.
#3 SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE How do you know when a film is good? When 4 people independently tell you to go see it and one of them is your lawyer! If it wasn't for a screw up on the part of Delta Airlines on my flight back here to Germany, I would not have seen this film until March when it opens here. This film is certainly not over-hyped. It is just about as perfect film of a film possible. Perfect storytelling. Perfect to the point of making me look up everything I could on this movie to see that it was fiction as it seemed so believable. I hope it qualifies for Best Foreign Film this year as it certainly has earned it.
#2 GARDENS OF THE NIGHT This film broke my heart. It was by far the toughest review I have written to date -HERE). Very few films actually physically disturb me, SCHINDLER'S LIST, the graphic deaths in SEVEN, the opening of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. This film ranks right up there with them in the emotional factor. Tom Arnold gives the performance of his career drawling upon his personal experiences as an abused child. He will scare the hell out of you, Gardens is the perfect telling of how a child is kidnapped, exploited for child pornography, then eventually ending up working in the sex trade. Extensive research has been done to make sure this film was as accurate as possible to how these horrific events happen. This film is certainly not a happy night out at the cinema but is a MUST SEE for every parent out there.
Before I get to my #1, I want to draw your attention to the best short film of the year - GREEN PORNO.
GREEN PORNO is a collection of 3 one minute shorts. Each short deals with the sex life of a particular insect, houseflies, spiders, and fireflies. But these are no ordinary nature films. Imagine Isabella Rossellini dressed up as these various bugs playing the part of the male insects! Each one is a crazy costume like something a kid would wear for a school play. The female insects are portrayed by models. Isabella then explains as the bug what he is thinking this moment and then proceeds to have sex with these various models. Its hilarious. The shorts were produced by The Sundance Channel so hopefully you can catch them there.
My number #1 pick comes as no surprise to anyone who has seen my comments in the talkbacks - WALL-E.
Why WALL-E? Well for that we need to back up to 2003. PIXAR somehow dug into my brain and combined my 2 favorite things on this planet, SCUBA DIVING and movies. FINDING NEMO was the ultimate entertainment film for me combining both of my loves. I really did not think it was possible to top that, ever! But they did. And they did that by taking animation film making to an entirely different level, the level of a high quality dramatic film that will be watched for decades to come. To date, I have watched WALL-E 4 times. Each and every additional time I find some small detail to love it that much more. Yes, I am not lost on the irony of a film attacking consumerism to have a hundred different tie in toys. In fact, I even was given the dancing WALL-E as a Christmas gift. So why is this hypocritical film so good? Because it plants the seed that if we keep up this pace of consumption, the world as we know it is doomed. And to me, if I had to say what do I care more about then spending time in nature is protecting nature so we all can enjoy it in the future. PIXAR once again tapped into my subconscious and pulled out my desire to save the planet and combined it with R2D2. How could I not fall for that little guy? Easily my favorite film that I will watch for decades to come.
Wait a minute, did I forget THE DARK KNIGHT? How could I forget it? Heath Ledger's last performance was really once in a lifetime. And for that he makes my best list. But to be honest, my favorite over-all superhero movie this year was IRON MAN. Robert Downey Jr once again brought his career back from the dead and kicked ass. So with that I leave you with a recap -
Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, THE DARK KNIGHT
Best Supporting Actress - Tilda Swinton, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Best Actor - Tom Arnold, GARDENS OF THE NIGHT
Best Actress - Tilda Swinton, JULIA
Best Screenwriter - Simon Beaufoy, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Best Director - Bryan Singer, VALKYRIE
Best Picture, WALL-E
Ciao...
-Mastidon
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doodoo
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I get posting lists from the AICN head honchos, but when does it stop? So do we look forward to everyone who ever contributed something to AICN in the last 10 years or so??
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Jan 03, 2009 1:28:32 PM CST
Who the hell is this person? WHY AREN'T THERE SCOOPS ANYMORE?!
by jimcurry
Enough with the lists and make like you used to - by actually being a news site.
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It was a real nail-biter. Even though I knew it was going to end tragically, I found myself thinking that maybe these guys could still pull off this risky coup.And, yeah, I think THE DARK KNIGHT should be on that top ten list. Magnificent film.
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I'm the winner here. especially since some of these flicks are entirely new to me. Tom Arnold?! who wulda thunk. I'll be checking these out....btw Valkyrie did rock what a tight thriller that was. Singer gave the smallest actions and details in the movie an enormous amount of weight making an intimate movie seem like a grand opera.
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Tilda Swindon is not going on a date with you.
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For the life of me, I can't understand why Bill Maher is so opposed to those who value religion. It's intolerence in a whole new way.
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...then I expect Jondough's list soon, too. Right?
By the way, if any poor soul actually read it, did the doofus throw in anything about Charlton Heston? -
Hey Harry! How about each talkbacker gets his own top ten of 2008 article too? We post on this site a lot more than Mastidon or Nordling!!!
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Pretty good, tense movie...Would have been better if Hollywood threw out the book and actually had Tom kill L. Ron...I mean Hitler! That would have taken HUGE balls and people would have talked about that forever!!!!!!
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Seriously, who is this clown? What a shocker- THis guy likes Walle and Harry posts his list
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They kick-started it last year, with Harry saying it would be bigger this time around. "...next year we'll have physical awards and we'll organize this way classier...it'll really be quite a production." (node/35156)
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By far the best film I've seen this year. It deserves to win what City of God should have.
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Or in a Borat, Not naaaht, kind of way?
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When they pick a best director and not pick the film he/she directed for best pic...or vise versa.
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10. Twilight
I'd like to preface this pick by saying that I only saw maybe 30 films from this year (none in the last "Oscar" month). Twilight was one of them because I have a girlfriend. The women in the film all have some vague connection to teenage hotness and from the sighing women in the theater I believe the guys must have also been attractive. The direction was pretty straightforward with a few borrowed tricks that were necessary because this is a fantasy romance. That is all. That is about all this film was ever meant to offer. It was designed to cash in on the success of the book, and as long as it had 90% of the scenes from the book and attractive leads it would do so. I give the number 10 spot to twilight because it succeeded in doing what it wanted to do, a lot of guys will give credit to films that overreach and fail to succeed. I reserve my number 10 spot for success.
future reviews forthcoming.
9.Zach and Miri make a porno
8. Casino Royale
7. Hulk
6. Pineapple Express
5. Indiana Jones IV
4. Tropic Thunder
2. Wall-E
2. Dark Knight
1. Iron Man -
A good double feature if you want the cinematic equivalent of having your soul crushed. Unbelievably depressing. Although, the former is good, the latter is great. The Wrestler is definitely the most effective film I've seen in years. If you like those kind of experiences, you can't miss it.
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And KEEP THE FUCK AWAY.
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I like the idea of AICN awards, tho.
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ok now i know...The End is Near!!! REPENT!!! REPENT!!!
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You know, I thought EXACTLY the same thing before seeing this movie. But hey, from what I hear about THE WRESTLER (which still hasn't opened in Germany) people whould have said the same thing about Mickey Rourke.
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Hurray. When do the reviews and exciting news start again? God, I hate Christmas and New Years sometimes.
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oh thats not shakey cam thats just tom arnold.
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It's stupid to pin the bulk of the world's ills on religion because a)religion is not a monolithic entity b)looking at religion this way divorces religious experience from the host of other issues that are endemic to conflict c)such a position betrays prior biases that masquerade as "free thought". If anything, this position is a convenient alternative to thinking the issue through. Blanket statements stating that literally everyone who says they can prove God's existence are "out to make a buck" do no justice to the religious. It's not only that it's bigoted to assume that all ministers are greedy, it's also too simple and reductionistic to also assume that we have to accept the way that some atheists have framed the argument (i.e. the goal of the religious is to prove God's existence, and therefore a claim is made for the purpose of gaining both material and immaterial gain). To reduce human beings as static creatures driven only by ulterior motives does no justice to either the religious or the anti-religious. This site drives me crazy sometimes because religion is almost always referred to pejoratively. The problem with what Bill Maher has been doing with regards to religion has little to do with the substance of his arguments but rather the straw man that he has set up that is garnished with a few trinkets of what is ostensibly religious. The results are flawed arguments based on a flawed methodology. He never looks for the best people to argue with, just the easiest targets.
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Jan 03, 2009 3:14:50 PM CST
Stop blaming organized religion for everything wrong in the worl
by quin the eskimo
Human evolutionary instinct gives us our urges to survive or be killed, organized religion, unless co-opted by politics, teaches us to transcend our instinct. Christians would call it our "sin nature."
Just, enough with the shortsighted intellectual road rut thinking. -
She is judge at Berlinale this year so you never know... :). But seriously, I think Tilda Swinton is by far the best actress out there today and has easily proven it with both of those performances just like she did last year with MICHAEL CLAYTON.
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It's unnecessarily muddled and decidedly corny. But I still enjoyed it.
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Jan 03, 2009 3:45:27 PM CST
Hobocode- you probably loved previous winners like Chicago....
by jugdish
English patient, Shakespare in love, Million Dollar Baby- you know all those best picture winners we can never watch again...At least this film can be seen more than once.
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How much balls does it take to tackle religion head-on? NONE!
Especially when you go after the pacifists. If Maher wanted to do his thing in a Mosque or Rev. Wright's church, THAT would be ballsy. But until he has the guts to confront the people that truly are out front with their nuttiness in a loud and (more to the point) ANGRY way, well it's just too easy...like bashing on a nerd.
And let's not forget how many people who have died under NON-religious institutions. Mao's communist revolution killed @ 60 million or more chinese people and Stalin had @ 40 million Ukrainians starved to death during and after WWII. Communism alone in less than 100 years has killed more people than the inquisition, the crusades and the jihad put together...not that it all matters when in the end you still have a bunch of dead people to show for it.
Other than that, how are you? >:) -
I don't think so. Rourke's always been a pretty compelling actor. Tom Arnold not so much. Still, glad he finally gives a decent performance.
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good grief. this was obnoxious when talkbackers did it, but geez,, a site contributor too?
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I agree.
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Really? This? I thought it was basically garbage. Is it really brilliant to take a simplistic story and set it in the future? You could transplant everything in the film exactly to today - some guy from Mexico goes across the border to work illegally, then tack on a trite love story from a reporter covering his story. The sci-fi aspects don't exaggerate or make commentary on anything, they just draw attention to the budget problems and are an excuse for the terrible performances across the board. Frankly, the whole thing is just boring - skip it.
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It's about automation.
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is Neil Cumpston's. Remember him? The guy who used outrageous hyperbole to review both 300 and Grindhouse? Whatever happened to that guy? He should have become an AICN regular staffer after those reviews.
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...is to negotiate the difficult path that lies somewhere between accepting public opinion and opening our eyes to that which might have escaped our attention whilst also throwing in one or two movies that make us go 'woooooo' because we haven't heard of them.well done Mastidon for satisfying the tedious pre-requisites of all Top Tens.Why, for fuck's sake, doesn't this film site do stuff more compelling and original like offering genuine insights that can be supported by more objective evidence other than "I weally, weally liked...blah, blah, blah."Come on AICN! Give us the skinny on who is pushing boundaries/techniques/the right buttons. Not more of the fucking same...
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I think the lists these strangers are giving us are pulled from a small pool of films. No way all these people watched a majority of what was released and pay for them. I think Ebert hates lists. I am with him.
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in the same Top 10 list. But I'd have done the same thing so good for you, Mastidon.
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Jan 03, 2009 5:25:00 PM CST
BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT: BRINGINGSEXYBACK'S TOP 11 du 08!!!
by bringingsexyback
1. The Dark Knight
2. Tie
3. Tie
4. Tie
5. Tie
6. Tie
7. Tie
8. Tie
9. Tie
10. Tie
11. Cloverfield -
Not that she wasn't amazing. It was just a little surprising. I'm also very happy with your Valkyrie and Slumdog picks. I hate the haters. Those movies were fuckin' good. Tom Cruise was just Tom Cruise, sure, but you're right, the direction was top notch and the third act was fucking BRILLIANT I tell you. Still though, I don't think I can say anyone was as good as Cate Blanchett in Button. She is a goddess.
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Thanks for your efforts, its always good to see film lovers take bold risks by issuing lists like this for cunts like me to pick apart. So here goes, I've thought long and hard about this, and this is what I've come up with...
WRONG.
Thank you for your time. -
Did someone forget to pay the hitman? What the eff?
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Neil Cumpston's X2 and Matrix Reloaded reviews from 03 are still the best laugh I've had in nearly 10 years. I kid you not, after reading the X2 review at work, I quit my job and took a job offer with the Australian Gov't and my life has rocked ever since.
If you settle for mediocrity, and can't be awesome all the time (like Neil), then that's all you'll ever know. -
wish Mastidon could switch places with him.
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Maher never blames religion for "the bulk of the world's ills on religion," only the ills that are caused by religion and more specifically on the notion of "faith." Arrogantly asserting you know the nature of the entire universe and have complete moral authority is a BIG PROBLEM in the world and if you don't think so, then you should really start picking up a newspaper and watching the news every once and a while.
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Jan 03, 2009 5:40:55 PM CST
WHAT? YOU WANT MORE? HERE'S BRINGINGSEXYBACK'S WORST 10 du 08!!!
by bringingsexyback
1. Valkyrie
2. Tie
3. Tie
4. Tie
5. Tie
6. Tie
7. Tie
8. Tie
9. Tie
10. Tie
11. The Incredible Hulk
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Who's got the 411 on dat?
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Bill Maher doesn't speak to the ture thinkers in the faith. He speaks to people who make themselves excellent hillbilly targets. I'm talking PAt Robertson types who don't speak for the THINKING religious. He should have spoken to a Ravi Zacharies type. True religion, I reiterate, is a higher form of societal evolution, because it keeps in check, by the voluntary followers of a religion, mans natural tendency to be an asshole.
And honestly if we we were all followers of nothing, what would change for the better? -
That sounds fucking insane! I'm scared to death of spiders (decrepit little fuckers, they are), so if it were real spiders having sex, I'd probably puke. But models dressed up as spiders?! I'm there! This sounds like a truly crazy idea that I have to see to believe.
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I'm so excited I didn't read the list all the way...I guess it came in at number 1 or 2?
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Then why else focus on violence in religion? Why not treat it as part of the whole phenomenon of religion? It's like talking about the failure of the education system based solely on the phenomenon of school shootings. If I were to argue that we shouldn't have schools because some people who don't fit into the social aspect of a school, I would have a pretty poor argument. With regard to making any claim to the metaphysical, you used the term "arrogant". It's just as arrogant to claim that knowing anything about the metaphysical is impossible. The exemplars of Christianity aren't noted for their pride but the humility. That someone would consider all of them delusional is just another blanket statement. In now way does such a judgment mean that every person is taken into an account. This isn't merely skepticism, it's adopting a complete attitude of denial. There can be no arguing with someone who says that an entire phenomenon is impossible and therefore any claim supporting it is immediately wrong. Atheistic humanism contains a host of philosophical presuppositions that are simply taken for granted. It claims to say "we can't know" when the more honest description of that position is "we WON'T know".
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some people seem to think it resembles the "Jamie Bulger" case, it does not, and the writer has been more than clear on the matter. It doesn't resemble the 'Mary Bell' case either.
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mighty morphin power rangers was da bomb yo.
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1.Power Rangers 3: Return of the White Ranger
2.holdon... after 10000 years rita repulsa is FREE! i need teenagers with attitude!!!! -
I mean the movie was great and all, but its still just a kids movie as soon as you meet the humans. great but never ever top spot deserving. oh and by the way... everyone who rates tdk under iron man is stupid. IM was nice but tdk was a masterpiece
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10 - the good, the bad, the weird
9 - vicky christina barcelona
8 - funny games u.s.
7 - revolutionary road
6 - the chaser
5 - timecrimes
4 - the wrestler
3 - milk
2 - let the right one in
1 - wendy and lucy
and if you disagree then "eat shit and live, bill"...and slumdog is hugely overrated. HUGELY!
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I liked Valkrie because of the insanely good actors and the fantastic story...however, that movie needed better direction and editing. And for the record I LIKE Bryan Singer...the movie was just too "Hollywood," for me. They made a incredibly true story seem like some kind of crime caper...
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Jan 03, 2009 7:51:06 PM CST
Organized religion has caused more death and destruction in the
by the funketeer
I get tired of arguing this with people but I'll say it here just because I'm bored. Reglion has not and can not cause anything. It's an abstract, a concept, a belief. It has no will. People who assign blame to religion for anything just as bad as those who use it for an excuse. Only a person has the free will to make choices and act on them. Also, if you think Bill Maher has big balls for making this movie, then I'm pretty sure you don't know what balls are.
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Jan 03, 2009 8:02:59 PM CST
BRINGINGSEXYBACK'S TOP MOVIE OF 2008 WITH WORD COCK IN IT
by bringingsexyback
1. Hancock
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1. Valkyrie
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,,,,
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that would be more appropriate..
get some fuckin taste ahole -
er did someone let the special school kids out?
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You put Casino Royale on your top 10 list of 2008? For the record, Quantum of Solace made my WORST 10 list of 2008.e
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..computer animated movies from Pixar, Disney and Dreamworks. My god I have no words in my lexicon to describe how utterly sick to my soul I am of these cookie-cutter cg films, every time I see another ad for one I think: "Okaaayyy...can we just not as a society opt to make these stoopid, shitty 2 hour babysitter features?" because that's what they fucking are, someplace for lazy fucking parents to get their fucking leeches off their backs for 2 hours and because it's a "cartoon" they don't have to worry about taking the kids. And furthermore, if I see one more computer animated animal shaking it's mother fucking ASS at the camera I'm fucking going to explode and take half the midwest with me. Just warning ya. Oh, and fuck you AND your shitty list whoeverthefuck you are.
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Excellent comments.
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...is poorly researched, offensive, spoon-fed hypocrisy preaching to an already converted audience. It's not ballsy, it's just obnoxious, repetitive and boring. My vote for worst film of the year.
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though i don't think this is a particularly good one, given the reviewer hasn't seen many of the most lauded films of the year.
I think 2008 was weak in general. There are 20+ movies i would recommend from 2007. I'm struggling to find 10 from 2008.
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good list. and i agree, Slumdog is overrated.
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oh wow, you brought it.
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And I care, why?
Great post Angry White baby! Two morons jacked on Captain Morgan could give a better dialog on religion than Religulous. Funny, no mention of Ben Stein anywhere in your list here. Oh, that shit isn't PC. Oh sorry... I didn't mean to bring that up. -
Did no one notice he put a movie directed by MADONNA IN HIS TOP TEN?!
That automatically disqualifies his opinion. -
Does it really seem like AICN is slowly dying? This is what they post? Really? He's not even a contributor. I mean, sure, he's written articles here, but he's not staff. Why? And I don't want to come off bitchy or anything toward him. I mean, more power to the guy, but isn't there something more relevant this site can post?
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1. WALL-E / 2. In Bruges / 3. The Dark Knight / 4. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father / 5. Redbelt / 6. The Visitor / 7. Milk / 8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army / 9. Doubt / 10. Transsiberian
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Obvious your handle is bit of an oxymoron because if you were something cool, you would know Eugene Hutz is about the coolest guy on the planet making FILTH & WISDOM one of my favorite movies this year. His acting and live performance in the film are fantastic. So don't judge it unless you have seen it.
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I love Cate's performances in just about everything. I'M NOT THERE still stuns me that she was the perfect Dylan. She would have had my Best Actress nod for CCoBB if it was not for JULIA.
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And why should we care when AVATAR is fucking our eyeballs in 2009?
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Geesh!
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http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno/
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Avatar. Not by James Cameron, by fanboys who ruined AICN threads that have nothing to do with Avatar. Incidentally, I rank Iron Man and Wall-E over TDK. I guess I'm stupid then. Burtgajaghaja
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It ends.Tonight.
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How does it end tonight? I've replied to people who are interested in the film but contain themselves to relevant threads, and they're coolio chaps. But you... you post the same ridiculous statement in every talkback. It's annoying as fuck. If you want to discuss Avatar, go bump one of the old TBs.
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THANK YOU for the link! A couple of those I had not seen until just now. I had no idea they were online.
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... some top 10 love for religulous. this is the first one i've seen to acknowledge the best documentary of the year. and yes, i've seen man on wire and i really enjoyed it, but i had been waiting for a movie like religulous to come around for years. only guys like maher and larry charles had the balls to pull this one off.
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That's all that matters.
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You all know this.
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Why is that we blame ALL believers for what a few nuts do with religion? So a bunch of people kill others in the name of religion. Religion is also does the most charity work in this world. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater on Religion. It does as much to inspire hope and faith as others use it abuse their power. Democracy leads to many evils but we aren't exactly going to give up on that now are we?
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Wall-E was the better film. Sometimes The Dark Knight forgot that a story could be told visually instead of through dialogue. Wall-E reminded people how powerful images without dialogue could be. It's a lesson for all directors out there.
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Is the Patron Saint of Pussy Eating.
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No really. It's true. God told me so. I heard him speak to me. Really.
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Did he speak to you before or after he fist fucked you?
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I thought he was your idol?
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...to publish a top 10 list on this site these days? Is a silly nickname the only credential you need? Just wonderin'...
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With this dialogue raging on as long as at has, I would like to be able to doubt that critics of the Judeo-Christian tradition really believe that all believers have no sense of the allegorical. But I can't. If someone reads the creation accounts in the context of the rest of the Book that proceeds it, they just might come to the conclusion that it highlights deeper meanings than a surface reading. The last thing the writer of Genesis was concerned with was writing our equivelant of an earth science textbook.
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my god, the people on this geeky site are geeky...I don't see how crappy genre films end up at or near the top of the list. I'm geeky myself and I even can see they don't deserve it. Oh well...
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1. Wall E... Everything else sucked.
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I understand all the words, yet for some reason I can make no sense of that sentence.
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Gotham Central Vol. 3: Unresolved Targets, the one that's only Gotham City cops and there was a Joker story in there where he was sniping cops and there was a bit in there that was totally ripped by Nolan where the Joker gets worked over by a cop and he gets the upper hand and escapes to the squadroom and shoots a bunch of cops (as opposed to blowing them up as in the movie) but still that bit was ripped, sure as shit. Did Nolan ever acknowlege that he was 'borrowing' elements from the Bat Man titles because I don't remember seeing Brubaker's name in the credits.
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Damn you Mastidon
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I haven't seen this many tools slobber over such a boring, unentertaining, crummy piece of film since TITANTIC. I fell ASLEEP watching WALL-E in the theater and would have probably forgotten it even existed by now, if so many self-proclaimed "film critics" didn't keep dredging the stupid movie up every two minutes and proclaiming it "BEST FILM OF THE YEAR!"All you guys are doing is demonstrating how low your standards of filmmaking really are.
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Fascists, not Communists.
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..it lulled you into an unsuspecting slumber. And while you slept theatre employees secretly implanted a chip in the back of your head that will compell you to buy, see or steal everything with Jennifer Aniston's face on it. How else could you explain having such a mediocre dullard on so many magazine covers? Check your noggin' and don't be surprised the next time you take a dump and notice a stack of US magazines under the towel rack.
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The most over-rated film of the year. The plot is flimsy. The coincidence of it all barely believable and the acting mediocre at best.
Oh and it has zero re-watchability. None.
(BTW the sequence at the end over the credits - if you've seen it you know what I mean. Completely unearned and out of character with the rest of the film.) -
Uhm... thanks?
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After.
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One of the most overrated shitty directors ever never needs to be mentioned in the same sentence as best of anything. Some more best of lists.
http://tinyurl.com/pv8do -
damagedinc, to focus only on the physical violence caused by fanatics is focusing on the symptoms and not the disease. The problem is not simply that a few bad apples take their faith too far but faith itself. Any system that is embraced as having absolute moral authority is a recipe for disaster. What modern religious critics argue for is not intolerance of people but the same kind of conversational intolerance that is expected when equally delusional claims are made. For instance, if someone says they know that Holocaust never happened, it's seen as perfectly reasonable to mercilessly criticize their position, to ridicule them as a wacko, and such a belief might even cost that person a job--all for good reason. The superstitious claims of religion like that a cracker magically turns into the bodily flesh of a god are no more plausible than the Holocaust denier except that religion has been given a free pass that says criticism is off limits. Well why is it off limits? Why is it okay to express harsh criticism of one ideology like Communism but not another ideology like Christianity? So your education example is a total false analogy and a straw man. Similarly, it's perfectly acceptable to reject the notion that leprechauns exist or that Zeus exists without apology but not okay to be reject Yehweh, Allah, or any of the other recently invented gods. This is inconsistency. And when did Maher or myself ever claim that knowing anything about the metaphysical is impossible? You seem to treading out the old canard that it takes just as much faith to not believe in god than to believe in god. As I pointed out above with Zeus and leprechauns, that's an absurd position. The burden of proof is on those making the supernatural claim, not on those who demand evidence, which is all Maher ever asks for in the movie.
Then you said, "The exemplars of Christianity aren't noted for their pride but the humility. That someone would consider all of them delusional is just another blanket statement." Believe it or not, reputations are often not accurate. Maher interviewed people across the spectrum of belief (not just the "wackos") and almost all of them clearly lacked humility. You'd be hard pressed to find any position more arrogant than one where a person is claiming to know that god exists and exactly what that god wants because you feel "the truth" in your heart. And delusional just means that they're belief is wrong. And since we know that they're wrong and that the universe wasn't created in 6 days, how is that a blanket statement?
"This isn't merely skepticism, it's adopting a complete attitude of denial."
If a person denies evidence then it's denial. If a person merely demands evidence of a claim and doesn't get that evidence, it's skepticism. If you can prove that god exists, I'm more than willing to change my mind, as I'm sure so would Maher.
:There can be no arguing with someone who says that an entire phenomenon is imossible and therefore any claim supporting it is immediately wrong."
That's like saying that there's no arguing with someone who says that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is impossible and therefore any claim supporting it is immediately wrong. You really don't think you can reasonably dismiss the Noah story as a myth by now? Really?
"Atheistic humanism contains a host of philosophical presuppositions that are simply taken for granted."
Atheist humanism only has one simple tenet: "lack of belief in a god." So not only can I find a single presupposition in that position but I don't see how it's even possible to find more than one idea, let alone presupposition in it.
"It claims to say 'we can't know' when the more honest description of that position is 'we WON'T know'. No, it just says we lack belief in a god. -
Spirituality is an inescapable and beautiful conundrum that every human being must wrestle with for the entirety of their existence on this planet. Religion, by which I mean institutional orginized religion, is nothing but a box that people are willed to stick their head inside, so they don't have to wonder about the frightening concepts that exist in the scheme of things larger than their own consciousness. All religion is is an excuse to stop wondering and thinking. It exists primarily as a response to fear, and at its roots every religion is a club meant to control, and to influence people to think in the same way. I know religion does a lot of good for people, but I think whatever that good is could exist without the need for concrete, exclusionary dogmas.
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i mean really, how could you look at older superhero moves the same way again after TDK? they just seem silly. its like trying to love the stuff you loved before you got your first blowjob: even if it was good once, it all just seems lame now.
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..some people really need that aspect of themselves catered to in that way. The world is full of people in various stages of development and not everyone is able to grapple with larger truths. In the old days, as now, religions used fear to keep people in line, it still works to a great extent and sadly with some people it is necessary.
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That is all.
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Serious. TDK may be the greatest of all superhero movies, but Iron Man is a close second. That movie fuckin ROCKED your ballz.
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Once more. Damn, you! Damn you to hell!
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Thank you. And a nice sunny day to you too.
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....huh.....
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Jan 06, 2009 11:46:36 AM CST
Lamerz, winner of the most reasoned argument of the year award
by jacksparasites
Malificus, isn't it pretty arrogant to take the position that, well, you and I might not need religion but other people do? You and I are not special. Everyone is just as capable of accepting the world as it really is. People don't need consolation; they need liberation. Liberation from charlatans who insist they've got all the answers despite the fact that they they're ignorant of science and possess no greater access to knowledge than the rest of us. As the old adage says, "Follow those who seek truth; run from those who claim to have found it already." That is good advice for EVERYONE.
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