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Mr. Beaks Presents His Top 100 Films Of The Decade! At Last, The Final Twenty-Five!
A word on the final twenty-five: once again, whenever possible, I have relied on previously-published reviews so long as I haven't done a complete 180 on the film in the interim (which is why I'm ignoring everything I wrote initially about film number fifteen). As for the length of each capsule, some films require more strenuous defenses than others. And some are so inarguably great, what more needs to be said? Finally, if any of this reads like I'm experiencing capsule fatigue, that's because I am.
The "Just Missed" list, and the complete 1 - 100 are below.
Part One is here. Part Two is here. Part Three is here. Part four is now.
25. A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005, d. David Cronenberg, w. Josh Olson)
Just a nude bathhouse brawl away from hitting the Top Ten. From my Best of 2005 list for Collider: "Is there a filmmaker alive more qualified to delve into this picture’s titular subject than David Cronenberg? And was any film more open to interpretation than this thematically ambiguous exploration of man’s dormant capacity to kill, what it takes to awaken this inclination, and how far he’ll go to protect that which is threatened by his violent acting out? It’s the way Cronenberg and screenwriter Josh Olson’s story twists that makes it such a fascinating and perverse study. Midway through the film, Tom Stahl (Viggo Mortensen), having piled up an impressive body count in two violent encounters, goes primal and practically rapes his wife, Edie (Maria Bello), on an unforgiving flight of wooden stairs. That scene seems to be the bye-bye point for most audiences, but it launches the film into highly provocative waters; is Tom the victim of moral decay, or is he really a monster? And, if so, is every man a monster at his core? Cronenberg offers no answers."
24. THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (2001, w. & d. Joel and Ethan Coen)
With the great Roger Deakins going full-noir with his sumptuous black-and-white cinematography, this could've been a shot-for-shot remake of HARDLY WORKING for all I care. Thankfully, it's a little more substantive than that - though it does get awfully wacky in its own way. Joel and Ethan Coen return to the duplicitous world of James M. Cain for the sad tale of Ed Crane (Billy Bob Thornton), a small-town, small-time barber who gets enmeshed in a blackmail plot that very slowly leads to his demise. The narrative drifts along at a pleasingly dreamlike pace (set by Carter Burwell's "Pathetique"-inspired score), which both revels in and ridicules our parents'/grandparents' tranquil memories of post-WWII America. Lots of awful events transpire in this Coen-classic, but it's all so serene and beautiful that you don't much mind. Simpler times, simpler transgressions. People really smoked back then.
23. MONSTERS, INC. (2001, d. Pete Docter, w. Andrew Stanton, Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird, Rhett Reese and Jonathan Roberts)
Pixar made the mistake of following up their greatest achievement (TOY STORY 2), with their second second greatest achievement, and the nearly-imperceptible fraction of a drop in quality cost them the first-ever Academy Award for Best Feature Animation. Eight years later, MONSTERS, INC. is still an all-timer, while SHREK is a dated, wasn't-funny-in-the-first-place parade of pop-culture references. It gets old praising the storytelling dexterity and visual invention of the Emeryville Gang, but it's all there and it's just a little more wonderful and uplifting than usual. The central relationship between big blue Sulley (John Goodman) and the not-quite-articulate "Boo" (voiced by a then three-year-old Mary Gibbs) is the most shamelessly effective heart-melter in the Pixar canon, while the clever alternative energy message is up-front without being insistent. Everything works in this one.
22. FEMME FATALE (2002, w. & d. Brian De Palma)
From my 2002 AICN review: "Falling under the spell of movies is at the heart of FEMME FATALE just as it’s always been lurking at the (some would say, to belabor the Stanwyck-ian symmetry, 'rotten') core of every film De Palma has ever made, only now it’s the blatantly expressed focal point. No longer content to engage in simple homage, De Palma has instead applied a Pirandellian conceit and crafted an existential lark that amplifies the obligatory elements of the Noir genre and revels in them with a naughty, unabashed glee that unfolds in almost strictly visual terms. It’s as daringly headlong a leap into formalism as the director has ever taken, but unlike RAISING CAIN, which came at the audience like a traditional thriller only to devolve into a grandly staged, yet narcissistic song of praise to the director’s own greatness, FEMME FATALE at least makes an effort to inform the viewer that they are in for a postmodern pisser of a film.
Brian De Palma, now well into his sixties, has not only returned to form, but evolved into a more daring filmmaker than I’d ever imagined possible. By conceiving a clever, postmodern antidote to the staleness of the modern-day thriller in which the cold-hearted heroine is able to glimpse her future and enact a change that is in equal parts benevolent and self-serving, he’s, rather amazingly, made his most adventuresome picture since PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, and crafted a genre demolishing masterpiece that stands as one of the proudest moments of his career."
21. SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR (2000, w. & d. Roy Andersson)
A bleak and surreal vision of society in decline, Roy Andersson's SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR languished for two years without U.S. distribution before being quietly dumped to DVD. This was no way to treat one of the decade's most visually arresting films - which I've often described as Jacques Tati's PURGATORY. But that doesn't quite cover it. Nothing, not even a 3,000 word essay (which I wrote and joyously lost to a computer crash years ago), could completely cover the bizarre enormity of Andersson's episodic achievement. (I once heard someone say it's like listening to August Strindberg trying to tell a joke.) The film moves from one vignette to another, each depicting some form of misery with droll humor. Andersson packs his frame with such detail that you could examine them for days - though the DVD I watched does his compositions a grainy disservice. Again, I beesech thee, Criterion.
20. SPIRITED AWAY (2001, w. & d. Hayao Miyazaki)
HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE contains several of my all-time favorite Miyazaki set pieces, but this is the world's greatest living animator at his magical best. The journey of Chihiro, a moody young girl none-too-pleased with the idea of moving to a new town with her parents, is one of constant surprise and enchantment. Though Miyazaki is working from a vaguely familiar template (the hook is that mixture of horror and elation a child feels at being separated from their parents), the story glides along at its own, unhurried pace, and is far more interested at making emotional sense than adhering to any kind of rigid psychological interpretation. Perhaps there exists a decoder for this and many other Miyazaki films; if so, keep it the hell away from me. When he's cooking, Miyazaki is like a family-friendly Jodorowsky; it feels like he's dreaming for you.
19. WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? (2001, w. & d. Tsai Ming-liang)
The best work this decade from one of the world's most uniquely gifted directors. From my 2001 AICN review: "The film opens with a typically static opening shot of an old man (Miao Tien) just sitting down for dinner. Rather than begin eating, though, he lights a cigarette and wanders about his house looking for, we presume, a dinner companion. Unable to find anyone, he proceeds to step outside and smoke by himself while his dinner goes cold and uneaten. In the intervening moments between this shot and the next, the old man will be dead, leaving behind a grief-stricken wife (Lu Yi-Ching), and a seemingly emotionless son, Hsiao Kang (played by the star of all of Ming Liang’s films, Lee Kang-sheng), who spends his days on the streets hawking watches out of a suitcase; a vocation that brings him into contact with a pretty young girl (Chen Shiang-Chyi) who, unimpressed with his selection, pesters him for the very watch on his wrist. After a day, he relents, and is rewarded with a cake for his trouble; however, their relationship is to end there, as she is off to Paris that very same day. That night, Hsiao, seeking refuge from his mother’s desperate adherence to traditional rituals designed to bring about his father’s reincarnation, works out the time difference between Taiwan and France, and proceeds to first set all of his watches to Paris time, followed by every watch and clock in the entire city.
Ming-Liang has said that the genesis of this project was the suicide of Lee Kang-sheng’s father, the sheer tragedy of which forced the director to reflect upon his own father’s passing some eight years prior; thus, lending the film a persistently mournful undercurrent that leaves an indelible impact on the viewer. Ming-Liang’s most audacious gambit, however, is his use of Truffaut’s THE 400 BLOWS as a sort of guiding spirit hanging over the film, linking Hsiao and Chen in an irresistibly cinematic manner. That is, until the film’s final moments at the Tuileries gardens, where the surprise appearance of the film’s second “angel”, followed by a haunting rendition of the main theme from Truffaut’s original masterpiece over the closing credits, makes the reference work in a bizarre, but ineffable manner.
18. DOGVILLE (2003, w. & d. Lars von Trier)
That irrepressible humanist Lars von Trier is at it again: this time, he eschews his Dogme pretensions and opts for Brechtian artifice to tell the Depression-era tale of a community coming together in a most delightful way. Von Trier loses about eighty percent of his audience by staging his film on a selectively-unadorned stage with chalk outlines; he loses the rest when he informs them that, deep down, they're rotten human beings. Von Trier continues to get blasted, by people who haven't seen his movies, as anti-American. This couldn't be further from the truth. As he recently proved with the cock-bludgeoningly crazy ANTI-CHRIST, it's not Americans he's a distaste for; it's human beings.
All joking aside, DOGVILLE represents von Trier's finest hour as a filmmaker. A tremendous script brought to contentious life by a cast which includes John Hurt, Paul Bettany, Patricia Clarkson, Ben Gazzara, Chloe Sevigny and Stellan Skarsgard. Even if you don't have the stomach for what von Trier is saying, this is a superbly crafted film through and through.
17. THE NEW WORLD (2005, w. & d. Terrence Malick)
From my Best of 2005 list for Collider: "Terrence Malick recovers from his inscrutable, nature-obsessed adaptation of James Jones’s quite human THE THIN RED LINE with a meditation on the irresistible force of manmade progress. Whereas the philosophical inquest of his previous film fit uneasily with his gruntish dramatis personae, the florid musings of Captain John Smith, Pocahontas and John Rolfe flow organically out of the picture’s otherworldly tone. James Horner’s score is, once again, a collection of tired cues from prior works (this time it’s FIELD OF DREAMS, BRAVEHEART and STAR TREK II), but Malick atones for the sins of his composer with some evocative selections from Mozart and, most triumphantly, Wagner). The film feels as if it could do with some tightening, but there’s something right about this first cut’s wildness. I hope it isn’t scrapped entirely."
Malick's cut is wonderful (and it sure would be nice to see it screened somewhere). No film this decade has aged more gracefully. I'm even coming around on THE THIN RED LINE.
16. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004, d. Michel Gondry, w. Charlie Kaufman)
From my 2004 interview with Michel Gondry: "It’s a movie that will probably live and die on one’s personal connection to the material. Fortunately, that shouldn’t be a problem, since this film is about falling in love and maintaining a relationship even after both parties have discovered ample reasons to resent each other. Cheery stuff, right? Maybe not, but in the hands of maestro Michel Gondry, it’s a visually audacious trip through the emotional minefield of modern romance that’s impossible to shake. With one film, Gondry has moved far past his previous misstep, HUMAN NATURE, and made his peace with the peculiar universe of Charlie Kaufman."
I know they didn't enjoy the most harmonious collaboration, but these two can't reunite soon enough: Gondry's childlike wonder is an ideal match for Kaufman's unremitting gloom. Together, they hooked into something startlingly true and created the most resonant love story of their generation. The potential for creative conflict is absolutely worth the possibility of transcendence.
15. A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001, w. & d. Steven Spielberg)
Dating back to the 1980s, A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE was the Stanley Kubrick film nearly everyone wanted. Based to a then unknown extent on Brian Aldiss's "Supertoys Last All Summer Long", it was to be the maestro's return to science-fiction, the genre he redefined with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. In so many imaginations, it was to be the next giant leap... somewhere. Technically, artistically, intellectually... only Kubrick knew. So when he announced during the mid-'90s that his next project would be some psychosexual drama about marriage derived from the work of Arthur Schnitzler, there was a good deal of disappointment. Given Kubrick's age, and the glacial clip at which he worked, the clock was ticking on this much-anticipated film. And then, on March 7, 1999, the clock ran out.
When Steven Spielberg announced that he would honor his "good friend Stanley" by shooting A.I. to the deceased filmmaker's exacting specifications, skepticism was abundant. No matter how fervently (and, perhaps, opportunistically) Spielberg played up their fax-machine camaraderie, he seemed an ill-fit for what many just assumed would be Kubrick's pessimistic take on Pinocchio. Their worst fears were realized when Spielberg tacked on a happy ending in which David, the robot boy desperate to know maternal love, gets his wish granted by benevolent mecha from the distant future. Kubrick's final project, the one we'd craved for decades, had been Brundleflied into a pus-spewing mutation of hope and cynicism. It was hideous - a crime worse than a thousand HOOKs.
Except, when you think about it, the ending ain't all that happy. David's wish is to be a real boy to the real mother who, not for nothing, abandoned him in the woods when he got psychotically intense about pleasing her. But, due to a flaw (or a carelessness) in his programming, he has imprinted on this woman, and won't be satisfied until he's with her forever and ever. And then, when he's rescued by the mechas and given his twenty-four-hour romp with a genetic approximation of his "mother", the whole reunion is rather creepy and Oedipal. And then the mechas just switch him off for good - much to the horror of his loyal supertoy sidekick, Teddy (who, in the film's sad final image, falls back on the bed in despair).
I know Spielberg claims the ending of A.I. is indeed a happy one, but a careful reading of the film reveals it to be the through-the-looking-glass subversion of his popular escapist fantasies. Notice how he puts a sinister spin on familiar visual tropes like the moon from E.T., the aliens from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (which the mechas resemble), the driver's-side mirror gag from JURASSIC PARK (as David's mother leaves him for dead)... hell, even the submerged ferris wheel from 1941 makes a rusted-out appearance. This is Steven Spielberg on the other side of middle-age, and he's telling us (consciously or subconsciously) that the view is bleak, getting bleaker.
This was Kubrick's final masterstroke: he dragged Peter Pan out of Neverland.
(Misses the top ten thanks to Robin Williams and Chris Rock, who briefly put me in the mind of HEARTBEEPS.)
14. PRIMER (2004, w. & d. Shane Carruth)
If time travel were in any way possible, Robert Zemeckis would've already zipped back to 2004 and made PRIMER himself. From my 2004 AICN review: "It’s the inelegant, mechanical opening of a garage door that serves as an appropriate raising of the curtain on the no-budget miracle, PRIMER, a $7,000 garage-band go at hard science-fiction that packs more mindblowing ideas into its fleet seventy-eight minutes than was likely discussed, to flog the genre’s most recent imagination-starved whipping boy, throughout the entire development and physical production of Fox’s recent $120 million dumb-down of Isaac Asimov’s I, ROBOT. And if you have any desire to keep pace with the film’s characters and the pivotal early goings-on in their ersatz lab, you’d better be paying close attention, because writer-director Shane Carruth steadfastly refuses to spoon-feed the dizzying theoretical concepts being tossed about by his brainy characters as they struggle first to invent, then to figure out what in the hell they’ve actually invented. It’s a daring conceit – one that will surely alienate more passive audience members – and the script’s barrage of information will likely necessitate at least one repeat viewing even for those with the particularly acute antennae.
Not since MEMENTO has a film so brilliantly toyed with an audience’s temporal perception without courting its ire. As with Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, the confusion generated by PRIMER is invigorating; you want to figure it all out, and can’t wait to buy a ticket to further plumb its secrets. Though no time travel tale is ever free from basic implausibility, Carruth’s variation, couched confidently in the vernacular of hard science, is probably the most convincing ever brought to the screen. That such verisimilitude is partially the product of its bewildering narrative is hardly a detriment, because Carruth – with his bracingly economical plotting trimmed down to the essential, and abetted by a fine sense for scene transitions – wins our trust by demonstrating early on that he’s an uncommonly smart director; i.e., we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt even when the logic gets utterly indecipherable."
13. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004, d. Edgar Wright, w. Wright and Simon Pegg)
A film on which all decent people can agree.
Jokingly sold as a "Rom-Zom-Com" during its theatrical release, SHAUN OF THE DEAD can now take its place in the pantheon as one of the great romantic comedies, full stop. The triumph of Edgar Wright's film (written with SPACED co-creator Simon Pegg) is that it isn't dating. Though loaded with pop culture references, even those jokes are character-based: e.g. the scene in which Shaun and Ed deliberate over the individual quality of Shaun's LPs before flinging them at a slow-approaching zombie is funny because they're being so stupidly precious at a moment of life-or-death; that you might've owned Prince's BATMAN soundtrack simply allows the gag to work on another level (though no one should be ashamed of having that uneven, but far-from-dreadful album still in their collection). At its core, SHAUN OF THE DEAD is really just a bittersweet comedy about a man awkwardly transitioning from bachelorhood to that thing where people try to live together and have sex occasionally - with zombies representing the flesh-eating pressures of the outside world. Romero would be is proud.
Another ten years down the road, I think we'll be referring to SHAUN OF THE DEAD as one of the most beloved films of our time - if it isn't there already.
12. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY (2004, d. Adam McKay, w. McKay and Will Ferrell)
A return to the anarchic glory of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE and CADDYSHACK - and just as quotable, too. Many hilarious films have reunited chunks of this cast and crew (as have several dreadfully unfunny films), but Adam McKay and company got it blissfully right with ANCHORMAN - and this why I hope they never, ever make a sequel. CADDYSHACK II exists for a reason, people.
Explaining the lunacy of ANCHORMAN (or any joke for that matter) is to kill the thing. So rather than run through the film's litany of now-classic scenes, let's leave it at this: if you love ANCHORMAN, you know why it's here; if you don't, I'm sure there's a YES, DEAR rerun on somewhere.
11. STATE AND MAIN (2000, w. & d. David Mamet)
Go you Huskies! David Mamet takes a second shot at show-biz (after SPEED-THE-PLOW), and knocks the entire industry flat on its deluded ass. This was Mamet at the end of a hot streak (following THE SPANISH PRISONER and THE WINSLOW BOY), and he outdid himself in every conceivable manner with this Hollywood-comes-to-the-sticks satire about the making of THE OLD MILL. It's cliche (and usually incorrect) to say that a modern film's dialogue has the wit and zip of classic screwball comedies, but STATE AND MAIN really does. It's every bit as quotable as ANCHORMAN, but precision-crafted in the best Mamet tradition, which is why it ranks a spot ahead of the funniest movie of the decade. (The payoff in the final shot drew audience applause the likes of which I hadn't heard since The Old Man fired Ronny Cox.)
10. YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (2000, w. & d. Kenneth Longergan)
The character-driven indie drama that redeemed decades of sloppy, uninspired and sometimes just plain stupid character-driven indie dramas. A peripatetic young man (Mark Ruffalo) pays a visit to his unconditionally loving sister (Laura Linney), who's divorced with a child and still living in the town where they grew up. Neither sibling has completely recovered from the shock of losing their parents at a young age, and the trauma has misshapen them in different ways: Ruffalo has skipped from town to town working odd-jobs and running afoul of the law (and knocking up his very young girlfriend), while Linney, despite landing a steady job at a local bank, has repeatedly made poor choices in men. Most indie filmmakers mistake eccentricity for nuance, but not Lonergan; he's an astute observer of human behavior - and a very witty fella when the situation calls for it (including his cameo as a local minister). This isn't a movie about slaying one's inner demons or finding spiritual peace. It's about knowing where the port in the storm is, and understanding that it's there for you no matter how enormously you fuck up.
9. AFTERSCHOOL (2008, w. & d. Antonio Campos)
By the time I caught up with this debut feature from Antonio Campos, the twenty-four-year-old filmmaker's style was already being compared to Gus Van Sant, Frederick Wiseman and Stanley Kubrick. Curiously, some of these comparisons were negative. Was Campos harnessing the techniques of these great directors, or was he just ripping them off? Even if the latter was true, here's my problem with that charge: to effectively "rip off" a master like Wiseman or Van Sant, you have to be one hell of a technician in your own right. More than that, though, you have to be attuned to the hidden lyricism of life; you have to know what alienation or sorrow or regret - or the disconcerting absence of it all - feels like. Ideas can be plagiarized, but it's pretty damn impossible to pilfer whole aesthetics. This isn't like cheating on a term paper.
So I don't understand, and am somewhat appalled by, the dismissal of Campos's AFTERSCHOOL, a stunningly-assured first film that, yes, does evince some technical swagger, but never to an overwhelmingly self-satisfied extent. Set at a boarding school somewhere on the East Coast, the film uses the accidental, caught-on-camera overdose of two popular girls (twin sisters, actually) as a jumping off point to get at the desensitization induced by the advent of streaming media. (There was a time when you had to know someone in television news to see the infamous Budd Dwyer "resignation"; now, it, and a thousand other sickening deaths, are readily available.) Campos's protagonist, a socially-awkward loner who spends most of his time watching extreme pornography and the like on YouTube, gets corralled into assembling the video "tribute" to the twins (as he was the last to see them alive), and proves a poor study in empathy. But this is true of most of his classmates - many of whom are medicated into placidity thanks to the school psychiatrist.
There's a chance AFTERSCHOOL is actually better than this ranking, but there's also a chance that Campos states his theme so emphatically that repeat viewings may be less rewarding. Regardless, the craft, the many beautifully composed shots (this kid knows exactly where to place a camera and how long he can milk a take without calling attention to himself), and Campos's eloquence on a subject that has a tendency to invite finger-wagging will endure. And what a relief to see a young filmmaker who doesn't shoot for the edit.
8. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007, w. & d. Paul Thomas Anderson)
From my Best of 2007 list for CHUD: "Undeniable. Up until THERE WILL BE BLOOD, it was still possible to downgrade Paul Thomas Anderson as a master technician hampered by a dearth of life experience. Now, he is a giant - which is appropriate in that he's reconfigured George Stevens's big-hearted GIANT as a misanthropic commentary on the attainment of the American Dream. Clearly, Anderson's toned down his referential aesthetic, but he's still paying homage to the classic westerns by subverting certain iconic images (e.g. the gusher from GIANT, Henry Fonda's chair-lean from MY DARLING CLEMENTINE and the boom up over the station house from ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST - though Anderson, ever seeking to burrow, takes us through the structure). What he's saying about the capitalistic, gettin' over mentality that's made America the most powerful country in the world is far more straightforward than you might think (even with the bugfuck Kubrick-ian final chapter), but it's refreshing to find Anderson pouncing on a theme and driving it home until he strikes the mother lode."
7. YI YI (2000, w. and d. Edward Yang)
From my 2006 review for Collider: "The fullness of Edward Yang’s YI YI (A ONE AND A TWO...), the completeness with which it depicts, through one extended family unit, the discontentment and malaise of middle age, the wide-eyed yearning of adolescence and the oblivious joy of early childhood is nothing less than miraculous. It’s so honest, and, yet, so enveloping in a relatively conventional manner that it’s a shock the movie never caught on with American audiences outside of the major media centers of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Though Yang’s previous work has – and, sadly, we can still use the present tense since he has yet to complete a follow-up to this six-year-old masterpiece – drawn comparisons to the stately work of Yasujiro Ozu, it’s got just as much in common with the sprawling family dramas of James L. Brooks; in fact, Yang occasionally evinces a gag writer’s timing, particularly when setting up bits involving young shutterbug Yang-Yang (Jonathan Chang). (The score, by Kaili Peng, is also as winsome as those by Michael Gore and Bill Conti.) Yang may be far more patient than most American directors, but he’s hardly as contemplative as his Taiwanese film industry comrades Tsai Ming-liang (brilliant) and Hou Hsiao-hsien (puzzling, possibly talented), which is why it’s strange that a more substantial distributor than the now-defunct WinStar couldn’t be bothered to give the massively accessible Yi Yi a wider rollout.
I hate to capsulize YI YI, because, after two viewings, I feel I’ve only begun to appreciate the precise construction of Yang’s triumph (which, by the way, is the only of the director’s seven features available on DVD in America). When something as innocent and offhandedly staged as a sequence in which gaggle of bullying little girls flick the back of Yang-Yang’s head as they pose for a wedding day picture figures prominently in setting up the film’s emotionally overwhelming payoff (itself a bit of a blindside), you know you’re in the hands of a master. For nearly three hours, Yang doesn’t waste a shot, a gesture, or a line of dialogue, and the number of directors capable of such exactitude don’t far exceed the sum total of the film’s title."
Edward Yang passed away on June 29th, 2007. YI YI was his final film.
6. THE LORD OF THE RINGS (2001 - 2003, d. Peter Jackson, w. Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens)
The most culturally significant fantasy film since STAR WARS. There were doubts as to whether Peter Jackson could sell the general public on a three-part epic concerning the heroic journey of a Hobbit named Frodo, but he streamlined J.R.R. Tolkien's minutiae-laden narrative and, with the help of the geniuses at WETA (as well as the variable geography of New Zealand), created Middle Earth. The results were profitable. The movie's pretty good, too.
And it's aging fine. I know this because whenever I run across any of the three installments on cable, I find myself sucked right in as if it were THE GODFATHER. Yes, the movies are huge and sprawling and, at times, a little messy, but so are Tolkien's books. Obviously, they work better in Extended Edition form (where secondary characters like Faramir are fleshed out - and I'd vote for THE TWO TOWERS as the best of the EEs), but they're plenty captivating in their "truncated" three-hour form, too. Credit Jackson for loving the material enough to know what had to go (remember when people were up in arms over the omitting of Tom Bombadil?), and what needed to be embellished. Imagine if he'd taken the Miramax deal for two films?
5. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007, w. & d. Joel and Ethan Coen)
From my Best of 2007 list for CHUD: "Nothing man-made is perfect, which is why I'll be re-watching No Country for Old Men several times over the next few months just to confirm what I've always kinda believed: Joel & Ethan Coen are not "men". Though they appeared mortal over the last few years with Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers, that was obviously just a feint; these fuckers are operating on an elevated plane that isn't simply isn't accessible to the strictly flesh-and-blood. Scenes and motifs from previous films (most notably Raising Arizona and Fargo) are revisited in this pitch black comedy adapted from the novel by Cormac McCarthy, but the echoes are hardly reassuring. What kind of world is this to live in? Is there purpose in moving through it morally? And who's to say we haven't all been visited by Anton Chigurh already, metaphorically speaking? Everything adds up in the Coens' finest work to date, and, spiritually, the sum is nothing worth celebrating."
4. 25TH HOUR (2002, d. Spike Lee, w. David Benioff)
From my Best of 2002 list for AICN: "From the ugly sounds of a dog being beaten to death over the Touchstone Films emblem, through the brazen opening credits placed against the spotlight memorial to the World Trade Center, I was hooked. Spike Lee’s films have always throbbed with the insistent pulse of New York City, but, by acknowledging the undeniable scarring of not only the city’s physiognomy, but its psyche as well, an unsettling arrhythmia has set in. That unease finds a perfect accompaniment in Monty Brogan (Edward Norton), a once-successful drug dealer trying to fit way too much activity into his last day of freedom before going to jail for seven years. His world, like the city in which he’s lived all his life, has been rocked to the core. Now is the time for him to put his house in order, but there’s a sense of dread hanging over his actions; an uneasy finality pervading his every move. In other words, Monty has a feeling that he may never be coming home again.
As a New Yorker, and a man who’s never shied away from controversy, no one should be surprised that Lee has chosen to place 9/11 front and center in his first post-tragedy work, but I bet many will be absolutely shocked that his take is so unabashedly compassionate. And contrary to some critics’ complaints, it is absolutely germane to the story being told. Lee’s after bigger game than some pat crime-and-punishment parable; he’s speaking to that part of every person who felt, for one terrible moment, like a New Yorker on that early-September day in 2001. He’s evoking that feeling of wanting to turn back the clock, to run some place safe, to do anything other than face an uncertain future. But in heading down that uncharted path, he’s also reminding us that, no matter how different we are, no matter how much we may hate each other at one time or another (masterfully encapsulated in the picture’s much-buzzed-about mirror sequence), we’re all in this fucking thing together. And, deep down, when the worst occurs, we’ll all be there for each other because, as Brian Cox says, “you’re a New Yorker”.
3. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000, w. & d. Wong Kar-wai)
"Mood" is everything with Wong Kar-wai, and he's never made a more rapturously romantic film than this. No one has. Shot and designed like a Sirk-ian melodrama, Wong effortlessly captures the longing and regret of a love affair briefly indulged and forever mourned. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung star as two married people who fall into each other's orbit at the exact moment they realize their spouses are having an affair. Over dinner and lots of Nat King Cole (the key to many a successful seduction), something begins to develop. Soon, it's an affair. But how it's pursued and where it ends is, again, secondary to the mood. Reflecting what would've been appropriate for a 1960s movie, Wong avoids the tired gymnastics of hot-and-heavy movie sex and gives us a furtive glances and cautious banter. He also gives us Cheung in high-necked dresses, which makes me wish I could've been Olivier Assayas a decade ago. I've said nothing about Christopher Doyle's cinematography because superlatives are insufficient.
2. MEMENTO (2000, w. & d. Christopher Nolan)
The best screenplay of the decade, and an exemplary piece of neo-noir that announced the arrival of a master filmmaker. And it almost went without a U.S. theatrical release because, no joke, distributors didn't understand it, and didn't think you would either.
The silly knock against MEMENTO is that it's a gimmick film like THE SIXTH SENSE, and that, once you know the nasty little punch line, there's no reason to go back. Not so. First, the memory-loss device is no more a gimmick than the poison in D.O.A.; it's actually a novel (if medically-nonspecific) twist that sharpens the viewer's attention rather than lulling them into passivity with some ho-hum revenge horseshit. Second, like any other well-wrought screenplay (e.g. DOUBLE INDEMNITY) repeat viewings are rewarded because it's fun to see how perfection is achieved. At least it is for me.
When MEMENTO finally made it to theaters, it was the culmination of an indie film fetish for non-linear narratives that probably kicked off with PULP FICTION and EXOTICA. This was Christopher Nolan's way of throwing down the gauntlet and saying, "Top this!" To date, no one has - including him.
1. IRREVERSIBLE (2002, w. & d. Gaspar Noe)
The way I felt walking out of this movie the first time is pretty much the way I feel heading into 2010: appalled, furious and just not a huge fan of the human race. All that's missing is the guilty sense of exhilaration.
Gaspar Noe's follow-up to the equally challenging I STAND ALONE hit U.S. theaters the week before we invaded Iraq, and it felt perfectly suited to the grim mood of the nation at the time. Here was a film in which hastily-sought revenge results in several deeply unsatisfying acts of violence - the final one punctuated with a man's skull being smashed flat by a fire extinguisher. Okay, deeply unsatisfying for non-animals. But if you enjoyed that, not to worry! A couple of scenes later, Noe shows you, in excruciating, thrust-for-thrust detail, the reason for all that retribution. And if you don't know what I'm referring to, just Google "Irreversible", and streaming video of this sickening sequence should be readily available (thus reinforcing why AFTERSCHOOL placed so highly on my list).
And that's all in the first thirty minutes or so.
From there, Noe calms things down and walks us back in time through a party, a provocative subway conversation, post-coital preparations for said party, a portentous moment in a local park, and, finally, what appears to be the creation of the universe (or, if you're epileptic, a huge fucking seizure). And if you think Noe is trying to impart some saintly Stanley Kramer bullshit about the futility of revenge, forget it: in IRREVERSIBLE, the whole shebang is predetermined because "time destroys everything".
Do I subscribe to this theory? I try not to. Philosophically, I do my best to maintain an inner dialogue akin to the one dramatized in I HEART HUCKABEES (Number Seventy-Seven). But when you watch helplessly as half of the country voluntarily swallows lies and marches merrily off to war because they'd like to feel as though we did something in response to a savage act that claimed the lives of over 2,000 innocent civilians (Deep Breath)... an impeccably-crafted film like IRREVERSIBLE sort of confirms your worst notions about humanity.
I went back to see IRREVERSIBLE two more times that weekend. It just felt like the movie of the moment. It still does. Ergo, it's Number One.
As promised, the Just Missed List (in no particular order):
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Knocked Up
Watchmen
Adventureland
The Prestige
Humpday
In the Loop
Dreamgirls
Paranoid Park
Step Brothers
The Wrestler
Juno
I'm Not There
Zodiac
The Devil Wears Prada
Dallas 362
Tropical Malady
Closer
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
A Scanner Darkly
Old Joy
Bad Boys II
Down with Love
All the Real Girls
Catch Me If You Can
Unfaithful
Wonderland (2000)
May
The Break-Up
Lovely and Amazing
Fat Girl
The Son's Room
Hannibal
Moulin Rouge!
Morvern Callar
Spy Game
Pootie Tang in Sine Your Pitty on the Runny Kine
Gladiator
Unbreakable
Mission to Mars
Finding Nemo
Finally, the list from 1 - 100 without my yappin':
1. Irreversible
2. Memento
3. In the Mood for Love
4. 25th Hour
5. No Country for Old Men
6. The Lord of the Rings
7. Yi Yi
8. There Will Be Blood
9. Afterschool
10. You Can Count on Me
11. State and Main
12. Anchorman
13. Shaun of the Dead
14. Primer
15. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
17. The New World
18. Dogville
19. What Time Is It There?
20. Spirited Away
21. Songs from the Second Floor
22. Femme Fatale
23. Monsters, Inc.
24. The Man Who Wasn't There
25. A History of Violence
26. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
27. Everyone Else
28. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
29. Bad Santa (January 2003 Pasadena Test Screening Cut)
30. Gerry
31. Fantastic Mr. Fox
32. Brick
33. Dave Chappelle's Block Party
34. Kill Bill
35. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
36. Up
37. Pan's Labyrinth
38. City of God
39. Goodby Dragon Inn
40. Ghost World
41. Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut
42. The Incredibles
43. Jackass: The Movie
44. Audition
45. Black Hawk Down
46. Memories of Murder
47. Inglourious Basterds
48. Spider-Man 2
49. Red Lights
50. Before Sunset
51. Mulholland Dr.
52. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
53. Into the Wild
54. The Pianist
55. Munich
56. Oldboy
57. Burn After Reading
58. Hero
59. Tsotsi
60. The Host
61. Grindhouse
62. Time Out
63. Kairo
64. Time of the Wolf
65. Lake of Fire
66. The Constant Gardener
67. Where the Wild Things Are
68. Superbad
69. WALL-E
70. Brokeback Mountain
71. The Holy Girl
72. United 93
73. The Fountain
74. American Splendor
75. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
76. Miami Vice
77. I Heart Huckabees
78. Nowhere to Hide
79. Ratatouille
80. Late Marriage
81. Drag Me to Hell
82. Adaptation.
83. Code Unknown
84. Chopper
85. Observe and Report
86. The Wayward Cloud
87. Friday Night Lights
88. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
89. Ali
90. Last Days
91. Y Tu Mama Tambien
92. Gone Baby Gone
93. The Squid and the Whale
94. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
95. Raising Victor Vargas
96. The Piano Teacher
97. Wet Hot American Summer
98. Kinsey
99. The Ice Harvest
100. Bring It On
Thank you for reading and debating. The feedback has been incredible. For the record, I still haven't seen AVATAR, but SHERLOCK HOLMES was good enough that I considered placing it on the Just Missed list. Too soon to tell, though.
Faithfully submitted,
Mr. Beaks
Brian De Palma, now well into his sixties, has not only returned to form, but evolved into a more daring filmmaker than I’d ever imagined possible. By conceiving a clever, postmodern antidote to the staleness of the modern-day thriller in which the cold-hearted heroine is able to glimpse her future and enact a change that is in equal parts benevolent and self-serving, he’s, rather amazingly, made his most adventuresome picture since PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, and crafted a genre demolishing masterpiece that stands as one of the proudest moments of his career."
Ming-Liang has said that the genesis of this project was the suicide of Lee Kang-sheng’s father, the sheer tragedy of which forced the director to reflect upon his own father’s passing some eight years prior; thus, lending the film a persistently mournful undercurrent that leaves an indelible impact on the viewer. Ming-Liang’s most audacious gambit, however, is his use of Truffaut’s THE 400 BLOWS as a sort of guiding spirit hanging over the film, linking Hsiao and Chen in an irresistibly cinematic manner. That is, until the film’s final moments at the Tuileries gardens, where the surprise appearance of the film’s second “angel”, followed by a haunting rendition of the main theme from Truffaut’s original masterpiece over the closing credits, makes the reference work in a bizarre, but ineffable manner.
All joking aside, DOGVILLE represents von Trier's finest hour as a filmmaker. A tremendous script brought to contentious life by a cast which includes John Hurt, Paul Bettany, Patricia Clarkson, Ben Gazzara, Chloe Sevigny and Stellan Skarsgard. Even if you don't have the stomach for what von Trier is saying, this is a superbly crafted film through and through.
Malick's cut is wonderful (and it sure would be nice to see it screened somewhere). No film this decade has aged more gracefully. I'm even coming around on THE THIN RED LINE.
I know they didn't enjoy the most harmonious collaboration, but these two can't reunite soon enough: Gondry's childlike wonder is an ideal match for Kaufman's unremitting gloom. Together, they hooked into something startlingly true and created the most resonant love story of their generation. The potential for creative conflict is absolutely worth the possibility of transcendence.
When Steven Spielberg announced that he would honor his "good friend Stanley" by shooting A.I. to the deceased filmmaker's exacting specifications, skepticism was abundant. No matter how fervently (and, perhaps, opportunistically) Spielberg played up their fax-machine camaraderie, he seemed an ill-fit for what many just assumed would be Kubrick's pessimistic take on Pinocchio. Their worst fears were realized when Spielberg tacked on a happy ending in which David, the robot boy desperate to know maternal love, gets his wish granted by benevolent mecha from the distant future. Kubrick's final project, the one we'd craved for decades, had been Brundleflied into a pus-spewing mutation of hope and cynicism. It was hideous - a crime worse than a thousand HOOKs.
Except, when you think about it, the ending ain't all that happy. David's wish is to be a real boy to the real mother who, not for nothing, abandoned him in the woods when he got psychotically intense about pleasing her. But, due to a flaw (or a carelessness) in his programming, he has imprinted on this woman, and won't be satisfied until he's with her forever and ever. And then, when he's rescued by the mechas and given his twenty-four-hour romp with a genetic approximation of his "mother", the whole reunion is rather creepy and Oedipal. And then the mechas just switch him off for good - much to the horror of his loyal supertoy sidekick, Teddy (who, in the film's sad final image, falls back on the bed in despair).
I know Spielberg claims the ending of A.I. is indeed a happy one, but a careful reading of the film reveals it to be the through-the-looking-glass subversion of his popular escapist fantasies. Notice how he puts a sinister spin on familiar visual tropes like the moon from E.T., the aliens from CLOSE ENCOUNTERS (which the mechas resemble), the driver's-side mirror gag from JURASSIC PARK (as David's mother leaves him for dead)... hell, even the submerged ferris wheel from 1941 makes a rusted-out appearance. This is Steven Spielberg on the other side of middle-age, and he's telling us (consciously or subconsciously) that the view is bleak, getting bleaker.
This was Kubrick's final masterstroke: he dragged Peter Pan out of Neverland.
(Misses the top ten thanks to Robin Williams and Chris Rock, who briefly put me in the mind of HEARTBEEPS.)
Not since MEMENTO has a film so brilliantly toyed with an audience’s temporal perception without courting its ire. As with Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, the confusion generated by PRIMER is invigorating; you want to figure it all out, and can’t wait to buy a ticket to further plumb its secrets. Though no time travel tale is ever free from basic implausibility, Carruth’s variation, couched confidently in the vernacular of hard science, is probably the most convincing ever brought to the screen. That such verisimilitude is partially the product of its bewildering narrative is hardly a detriment, because Carruth – with his bracingly economical plotting trimmed down to the essential, and abetted by a fine sense for scene transitions – wins our trust by demonstrating early on that he’s an uncommonly smart director; i.e., we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt even when the logic gets utterly indecipherable."
Jokingly sold as a "Rom-Zom-Com" during its theatrical release, SHAUN OF THE DEAD can now take its place in the pantheon as one of the great romantic comedies, full stop. The triumph of Edgar Wright's film (written with SPACED co-creator Simon Pegg) is that it isn't dating. Though loaded with pop culture references, even those jokes are character-based: e.g. the scene in which Shaun and Ed deliberate over the individual quality of Shaun's LPs before flinging them at a slow-approaching zombie is funny because they're being so stupidly precious at a moment of life-or-death; that you might've owned Prince's BATMAN soundtrack simply allows the gag to work on another level (though no one should be ashamed of having that uneven, but far-from-dreadful album still in their collection). At its core, SHAUN OF THE DEAD is really just a bittersweet comedy about a man awkwardly transitioning from bachelorhood to that thing where people try to live together and have sex occasionally - with zombies representing the flesh-eating pressures of the outside world. Romero
Another ten years down the road, I think we'll be referring to SHAUN OF THE DEAD as one of the most beloved films of our time - if it isn't there already.
Explaining the lunacy of ANCHORMAN (or any joke for that matter) is to kill the thing. So rather than run through the film's litany of now-classic scenes, let's leave it at this: if you love ANCHORMAN, you know why it's here; if you don't, I'm sure there's a YES, DEAR rerun on somewhere.
So I don't understand, and am somewhat appalled by, the dismissal of Campos's AFTERSCHOOL, a stunningly-assured first film that, yes, does evince some technical swagger, but never to an overwhelmingly self-satisfied extent. Set at a boarding school somewhere on the East Coast, the film uses the accidental, caught-on-camera overdose of two popular girls (twin sisters, actually) as a jumping off point to get at the desensitization induced by the advent of streaming media. (There was a time when you had to know someone in television news to see the infamous Budd Dwyer "resignation"; now, it, and a thousand other sickening deaths, are readily available.) Campos's protagonist, a socially-awkward loner who spends most of his time watching extreme pornography and the like on YouTube, gets corralled into assembling the video "tribute" to the twins (as he was the last to see them alive), and proves a poor study in empathy. But this is true of most of his classmates - many of whom are medicated into placidity thanks to the school psychiatrist.
There's a chance AFTERSCHOOL is actually better than this ranking, but there's also a chance that Campos states his theme so emphatically that repeat viewings may be less rewarding. Regardless, the craft, the many beautifully composed shots (this kid knows exactly where to place a camera and how long he can milk a take without calling attention to himself), and Campos's eloquence on a subject that has a tendency to invite finger-wagging will endure. And what a relief to see a young filmmaker who doesn't shoot for the edit.
I hate to capsulize YI YI, because, after two viewings, I feel I’ve only begun to appreciate the precise construction of Yang’s triumph (which, by the way, is the only of the director’s seven features available on DVD in America). When something as innocent and offhandedly staged as a sequence in which gaggle of bullying little girls flick the back of Yang-Yang’s head as they pose for a wedding day picture figures prominently in setting up the film’s emotionally overwhelming payoff (itself a bit of a blindside), you know you’re in the hands of a master. For nearly three hours, Yang doesn’t waste a shot, a gesture, or a line of dialogue, and the number of directors capable of such exactitude don’t far exceed the sum total of the film’s title."
Edward Yang passed away on June 29th, 2007. YI YI was his final film.
And it's aging fine. I know this because whenever I run across any of the three installments on cable, I find myself sucked right in as if it were THE GODFATHER. Yes, the movies are huge and sprawling and, at times, a little messy, but so are Tolkien's books. Obviously, they work better in Extended Edition form (where secondary characters like Faramir are fleshed out - and I'd vote for THE TWO TOWERS as the best of the EEs), but they're plenty captivating in their "truncated" three-hour form, too. Credit Jackson for loving the material enough to know what had to go (remember when people were up in arms over the omitting of Tom Bombadil?), and what needed to be embellished. Imagine if he'd taken the Miramax deal for two films?
As a New Yorker, and a man who’s never shied away from controversy, no one should be surprised that Lee has chosen to place 9/11 front and center in his first post-tragedy work, but I bet many will be absolutely shocked that his take is so unabashedly compassionate. And contrary to some critics’ complaints, it is absolutely germane to the story being told. Lee’s after bigger game than some pat crime-and-punishment parable; he’s speaking to that part of every person who felt, for one terrible moment, like a New Yorker on that early-September day in 2001. He’s evoking that feeling of wanting to turn back the clock, to run some place safe, to do anything other than face an uncertain future. But in heading down that uncharted path, he’s also reminding us that, no matter how different we are, no matter how much we may hate each other at one time or another (masterfully encapsulated in the picture’s much-buzzed-about mirror sequence), we’re all in this fucking thing together. And, deep down, when the worst occurs, we’ll all be there for each other because, as Brian Cox says, “you’re a New Yorker”.
The silly knock against MEMENTO is that it's a gimmick film like THE SIXTH SENSE, and that, once you know the nasty little punch line, there's no reason to go back. Not so. First, the memory-loss device is no more a gimmick than the poison in D.O.A.; it's actually a novel (if medically-nonspecific) twist that sharpens the viewer's attention rather than lulling them into passivity with some ho-hum revenge horseshit. Second, like any other well-wrought screenplay (e.g. DOUBLE INDEMNITY) repeat viewings are rewarded because it's fun to see how perfection is achieved. At least it is for me.
When MEMENTO finally made it to theaters, it was the culmination of an indie film fetish for non-linear narratives that probably kicked off with PULP FICTION and EXOTICA. This was Christopher Nolan's way of throwing down the gauntlet and saying, "Top this!" To date, no one has - including him.
Gaspar Noe's follow-up to the equally challenging I STAND ALONE hit U.S. theaters the week before we invaded Iraq, and it felt perfectly suited to the grim mood of the nation at the time. Here was a film in which hastily-sought revenge results in several deeply unsatisfying acts of violence - the final one punctuated with a man's skull being smashed flat by a fire extinguisher. Okay, deeply unsatisfying for non-animals. But if you enjoyed that, not to worry! A couple of scenes later, Noe shows you, in excruciating, thrust-for-thrust detail, the reason for all that retribution. And if you don't know what I'm referring to, just Google "Irreversible", and streaming video of this sickening sequence should be readily available (thus reinforcing why AFTERSCHOOL placed so highly on my list).
And that's all in the first thirty minutes or so.
From there, Noe calms things down and walks us back in time through a party, a provocative subway conversation, post-coital preparations for said party, a portentous moment in a local park, and, finally, what appears to be the creation of the universe (or, if you're epileptic, a huge fucking seizure). And if you think Noe is trying to impart some saintly Stanley Kramer bullshit about the futility of revenge, forget it: in IRREVERSIBLE, the whole shebang is predetermined because "time destroys everything".
Do I subscribe to this theory? I try not to. Philosophically, I do my best to maintain an inner dialogue akin to the one dramatized in I HEART HUCKABEES (Number Seventy-Seven). But when you watch helplessly as half of the country voluntarily swallows lies and marches merrily off to war because they'd like to feel as though we did something in response to a savage act that claimed the lives of over 2,000 innocent civilians (Deep Breath)... an impeccably-crafted film like IRREVERSIBLE sort of confirms your worst notions about humanity.
I went back to see IRREVERSIBLE two more times that weekend. It just felt like the movie of the moment. It still does. Ergo, it's Number One.
The Dark Knight
Knocked Up
Watchmen
Adventureland
The Prestige
Humpday
In the Loop
Dreamgirls
Paranoid Park
Step Brothers
The Wrestler
Juno
I'm Not There
Zodiac
The Devil Wears Prada
Dallas 362
Tropical Malady
Closer
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
A Scanner Darkly
Old Joy
Bad Boys II
Down with Love
All the Real Girls
Catch Me If You Can
Unfaithful
Wonderland (2000)
May
The Break-Up
Lovely and Amazing
Fat Girl
The Son's Room
Hannibal
Moulin Rouge!
Morvern Callar
Spy Game
Pootie Tang in Sine Your Pitty on the Runny Kine
Gladiator
Unbreakable
Mission to Mars
Finding Nemo
2. Memento
3. In the Mood for Love
4. 25th Hour
5. No Country for Old Men
6. The Lord of the Rings
7. Yi Yi
8. There Will Be Blood
9. Afterschool
10. You Can Count on Me
11. State and Main
12. Anchorman
13. Shaun of the Dead
14. Primer
15. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence
16. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
17. The New World
18. Dogville
19. What Time Is It There?
20. Spirited Away
21. Songs from the Second Floor
22. Femme Fatale
23. Monsters, Inc.
24. The Man Who Wasn't There
25. A History of Violence
26. When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
27. Everyone Else
28. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
29. Bad Santa (January 2003 Pasadena Test Screening Cut)
30. Gerry
31. Fantastic Mr. Fox
32. Brick
33. Dave Chappelle's Block Party
34. Kill Bill
35. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
36. Up
37. Pan's Labyrinth
38. City of God
39. Goodby Dragon Inn
40. Ghost World
41. Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut
42. The Incredibles
43. Jackass: The Movie
44. Audition
45. Black Hawk Down
46. Memories of Murder
47. Inglourious Basterds
48. Spider-Man 2
49. Red Lights
50. Before Sunset
51. Mulholland Dr.
52. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
53. Into the Wild
54. The Pianist
55. Munich
56. Oldboy
57. Burn After Reading
58. Hero
59. Tsotsi
60. The Host
61. Grindhouse
62. Time Out
63. Kairo
64. Time of the Wolf
65. Lake of Fire
66. The Constant Gardener
67. Where the Wild Things Are
68. Superbad
69. WALL-E
70. Brokeback Mountain
71. The Holy Girl
72. United 93
73. The Fountain
74. American Splendor
75. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
76. Miami Vice
77. I Heart Huckabees
78. Nowhere to Hide
79. Ratatouille
80. Late Marriage
81. Drag Me to Hell
82. Adaptation.
83. Code Unknown
84. Chopper
85. Observe and Report
86. The Wayward Cloud
87. Friday Night Lights
88. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
89. Ali
90. Last Days
91. Y Tu Mama Tambien
92. Gone Baby Gone
93. The Squid and the Whale
94. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
95. Raising Victor Vargas
96. The Piano Teacher
97. Wet Hot American Summer
98. Kinsey
99. The Ice Harvest
100. Bring It On
Faithfully submitted,
Mr. Beaks
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That movie blew.
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Blow Harder. Interesting call on Irreversible. I'm guessing you've had a similar experience.
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Hopefully that movie will get released to the masses.
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I think that's the first pic that's ever wanted me to really see it. I'll have to dig through my DVR to find it.
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I'm more of a fan of the tampon as a tea bag from Anatomy of hell.
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Up In The Air, is not the best movie of the decade?
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On every late show next week. Too bad James pulled Leno.
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I was surprised to see no mention of "In the Bedroom," which I thought was a fantastic film, but overall well done.
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What happen to those guys?
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I cannot take a list seriously which leaves Dark Knight off but includes Anchorman in it's top 12.
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... is a good movie, but it's not even in my Top Ten of 2009.
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He group all three Rings movies into one movie.............is that fair?
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I applaud you. Too bad Up In the Air will probably get its salad tossed by the Oscars.
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this list is awesome. even though I LOATHE LOATHE LOATHE the movie Irreversible, there's been so much to like on this list, I gotta give it up to you Beaks. Good stuff...
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Stay tuned. Shane Carruth will return.
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that first scene, where the camera is just floating around like a bubble, is annoying but at the same time amazing.
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Let the Right One In, Letters from Iwo Jima, Zodiac, Sideways, Children of Men, Borat, Dark Knight, Lost in Translation, The Fog of War, Capturing the Friedmans, Donnie Darko, Amelie, The Departed, Downfall, Hotel Rwanda, Battle Royale, Finding Nemo, Cache, Casino Royale, Eastern Promises, Bourne Identity/Ultimatium, Sunshine, The Prestige,Spring Summer Fall Winter.... Spring, , Almost Famous, Requiem For a Dream.
Hard to take the list serious to be honest now -
After seeing it once in a packed theater.
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How did your list of your favorite movies not include a great many of MY favorite movies?!?!AAAAHHHHHH LOOOUD NOISES!!
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Glad to see "Primer" make the list!
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If nothing else...
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Dec 10, 2009 11:12:35 PM CST
Is there really a difference between Eastern Promises and Histor
by series7
They were just both failed HBO pilots.
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I know a lot of people have given you crap about some of your choices and placements, but I say again, it's your list! I think you did a fine job of remembering some films we all love - but also reminding us of some we may have forgotten; of opening our eyes to films some of us have probably never heard of at all (I certainly didn't know all of them); and of simply being brave enough to include the films you truly love regardless of what critics, geeks or anyone else might have to say about it. Kudos to you. It's seriously been a highlight of all the years I've been reading and posting at AICN. Now, on to the tearing apart... uh, I mean commenting on - of course, of your top 25. : )
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Your list looks like it would blow.
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its about the exclusion of so much good cinema and the inclusion of the likes of ; Bring It On,Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Friday Night Lights, Observe and Report, Miami Vice, Spider-Man 2, Jackass: The Movie, Dave Chappelle's Block Party.
Beaks I hope you were stoned when you came up with this list. -
But if you think about it, more movies have been released this decade then any other decade. So you've got more choices then any other decade.
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SOoooo every list needs to only contain movies that got 70% or more on rotten tomatoes to be valid? Lets face it no movie is really better then the next. It all comes down to personal taste. Seriously someones favorite movie in the world is Mannequin.
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Some guy liked District 9 better.
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My least favorite film ever is number one on your list. I guess it speaks to that film's ability evoke a powerful reaction.
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Did not expect that. Not just from you but from anyone. I think it's a great movie. It was on my list too. But nowhere near that high. Dude, you must hate people. Not that that's a bad thing. I don't like them either but for that to be your favorite movie? I'm not gonna piss you off anytime soon. Of the two I liked 'I Stand Alone' better but that wasn't this decade. I identified with that guy mostly. Having said all that I think that knowing your #1 makes it more difficult to understand The Dark Knight NOT being there. I mean it's Batman. The dude's all about revenge and then it doesn't make it? I dunno, maybe you list your favorites for different reasons than I do. TDK is my #2 after LOTR:FOTR. Hmm. Interesting, Mr. Beaks. Interesting.
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...I too totally thought Bring It On was a better film than The Wrestler.
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really, its not even in your just missed category. kinda surprised.....make that really surprised
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What the hell!!!!
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Was good but outside of the soundtrack totally forgettable.
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Dec 10, 2009 11:23:38 PM CST
Yeah Series 7 true - someone probably has a shrine to Battlefiel
by miyamoto_musashi
And I really get your point on a top 10 list, or even a top 25, but a top 100 doesn't wash with me.
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BULLSHIT!
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I know. How thoughtless of me.honestune: I expect a lot of that. Don't know many people who are middle-of-the-road on IRREVERSIBLE.
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Yeah but I bet part of this was Beaks trying to be different. Though I've seen Anchorman on a bunch of list.
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No matter what I think of his choices, he has got balls to put them out there.
Harry where is your list ?
Also beaks is incredibly unpredictable. Though in hindsight, seeing Bring it On at number 100, I should have thrown critical thought out the window at that point and just enjoyed the ride. -
Dec 10, 2009 11:27:12 PM CST
WORD ON THE NET IS WORTHINGTON HAS BEEN APPROACHED TO PLAY CAPTA
by billy_boomstick
... I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE, BUT SOME TALKBACKS ARE GOING NUTS ABOUT IT... UNDOUBTEDLY THE RUMORS STARTED IN ENGLAND AFTER THE AVATAR SCREENING... HAS ANYONE ELSE HEARD THIS?
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Hottest sex scene of the decade as well?
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Happy to see Monsters Inc. on the list and up there so high. Actually pretty bummed out that Finding Nemo isn't on the list or even in the honorable mentions.
REALLY surprised that The Dark Knight didn't make your top 100. But it kind of fits with the personal nature of your list that it's not up there. It would definitely have made mine. Glad to see it's honorably mentioned, anyway.Dig History Of Violence quite a bit, but I think I only watched it once. On the other hand I actually purchased Eastern Promises and have watched it several times. I think I need to go back and re-watch HOV some more. Can't say why I never purchased it.Femme Fatale? Really? That's kind of a head scratcher for me - and I paid to see it in the theater. Definitely not my favorite De Palma film. It felt to me like there was a lot of holding back goin' on.Spirited Away! Hells yeah! I would have put it even higher. But I got a big ol' geek smile when I saw that it made your top 25. I love that film soooo much. It's just so pure and right, and I've been told it looses very little of it's heart with the English dub. Since I prefer to watch it that way that makes me very happy.Dogville. Siiigh. Without apologies I hate that film and to be honest I hate Lars von Trier's films, period. I don't get him. Obviously.The New World. Wouldn't have expected it that high, but that's a really nice inclusion. It hits me in the same places as The Assassination of Jesse James. It's got that meditative sit back and watch it all unfold quality.That's probably a fair spot for Eternal Sunshine, but again I get the happy geek feelings about it being there.AI... get outta here! lol Next post... -
Dec 10, 2009 11:29:27 PM CST
WORD ON THE NET IS WORTHINGTON HAS BEEN APPROACHED FOR...
by billy_boomstick
CAPTAIN AMERICA... I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE, BUT SOME TALKBACKS ARE GOING NUTS ABOUT IT... UNDOUBTEDLY THE RUMORS STARTED IN ENGLAND AFTER THE AVATAR SCREENING... HAS ANYONE ELSE HEARD THIS?
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Stars the woman I think is the most beautiful (different to sexy) woman alive, and a man who is as a result the luckiest man alive as he is married to her.
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Really? Anchorman is 12, Bring It On at 100, and ... IRREVERSIBLE at 1?!?!?!? And not even a mention of 500 Days?!?!! Really man I am at a loss for words.
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Did you ever get around to watching The Hammer?
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The More i watch that film the more i see it was made for "shock Value" rather than having any redeeming point.
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"SHUAN" SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIGHER... IMHO.
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This is coming from a guy that is obsessed (my friends would say in an unhealthy way) with Asian girls, and is married to a Japanese girl
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And Knocked Up combined. Then again at the same time is pretty much was Annie Hall 2: Die Harder. Though unlike the other two movies it was actually funny and good.
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I'm a little miffed about Anchorman. I think it gets way too much credit for being a weaker version of Zoolander.
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Song From The Second Floor, What Time Is It There, Afterschool, Yi Yi or, ummm, Irreversible. At least I don't think I've seen Irreversible - it sounds like something I'd remember if I had. I'm sure I'm a bad geek for not knowing all those films. But hey, this list will allow me to check them out and maybe find some new favorites.
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Yeah that whole ass to ass scene, which EVERYONE even your mom has to mention when that film is brought up. Is nowhere to be seen in the book. In the book its just like she goes in and bad things happen then she runs out and pukes everywhere, its like a couple of sentences.
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once was enough for me. not saying it was bad, just like my horror a little less real. just finished MEATBALL MACHINE, and now i need a nap
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Should be on the Just Missed list. Looks like I accidentally deleted it somehow. It was definitely in the running.
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Dec 10, 2009 11:35:52 PM CST
IRREVERSIBLE'S GRATUITOUS ANAL RAPE AND FACE BASHING SCENES
by bringingsexyback
turned me off to French movies forever. France can get nuked for all I care.
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I've been wanting to see it, since I read about that guys other movie that came out this year. Though I did stumble upon a similar director who had a movie come out this year around the same time called Dog Days, there's an out of nowhere orgy scene in that movie. Its odd but I liked it.
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I'm just glad it didn't make the list. I think it's the most overrated movie of all time.
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TMNT or Battle for Terra? Or even Up? Say Waaaaaaa.
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Wow, I thought for sure that'd be a top 10 pick. And where are all the Danny Boyle films?
Oh well, to each their own. Thanks for sharing your list, Beaks. It's really made for some fun talkbacks. -
that dubious honor goes to Crash...it is not a matter of opinion.
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http://tinyurl.com/y96v4wf
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MUCH BETTER than your actual choices.
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I'm totally baffled, Beaks. 300 was damned visionary. A work of art that showed passion in every frame. Oh fuck me I'm at a loss for words again.
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Needs a top ten of all his films of this decade. Between him Adam Shankman, Berg and Steven Soderbergh they make all other directors look lazy. Granted Berg directs via web cam these days.
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That means you like Knocked up and The Break Up? Those are worse then anything on the actual list.
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Was the movie 300 wanted to be. 300 was a damn good trailer though.
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are we ever gonna get the prequel/sequel that showed Tom Stalls crime & his best friend ending up like a gimp for 20 + years
why Cronenberg left that out of the movie is beyond me -
I completely agree with Momento being placed that high on an even level with my disagreement that 25th Hour is up that far. I'm sure there are many fans of that film out there. As much as it apparently hooked you, it turned me off. I simply lost interest. Momento on the other hand, I completely agree about re-watching to see "how it was done". It never gets old for me. And it's still fun to sit down and watch it with people who haven't done so yet. The looks on their faces and the overwhelming need to ask questions is just awesome.No Country For Old Men, as we've already discussed at great length in one of your other installments, is near perfection. I say near, because no matter how many interpretations of the ending were proposed (and some were quite good), I still hate it. It just cheeses me out. But I love 99% of that film with all my movie geek heart and soul.The LOTR Trilogy. : ) I'm sure there will be much discussion of it's inclusion, it's placement and the fact that you bundled the trilogy, so I'll just wait for it. Really glad to see you placed it so high, though. OK, maybe I'm a bit daft or something, but I really hadn't thought about how Kubrickian the bat-shit final act is until you wrote it. But I'll be damned if you're not right. Love that film for it's pure, greasy ugliness. Err... no pun intended. Shaun of the Dead and Primer. Again, I'll get hate, I know - but I find them both to be overrated. One looks like it cost what it cost (the ideas are great, I agree), the other is a zombie film, even if it's some kind of deconstructionist zombie film. Zombie films just aren't my thing. A'ight. Enough rambling opinions. I wanna discuss now. Thanks again, Beaks.
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That's because History of Violence and Eastern Promises were both just failed pilots for HBO shows.
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That's not even the fanboy in me talking. You have to have Begins or the Dark Knight.
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It's like a freaking conspiracy or some shit.
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Up made the list.
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Are Spiderman 2 and LOTR:1-3.
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Good film that, I think, juuuuust missed being great. It's one of those that a lot people seem to have forgotten, though.
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Biggest Loser!!! Not someone who posts on this site!
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Ichi the Killer is my favorite Miike.
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...on the almost list! You now officially rule! People think I'm kidding when I tell them I love that movie. I'm not! I love that movie!
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I'm going to assume that was a type when you listed it as 2I must say though the lack of the Dark Knight in the top 25 really highlights your idiocy beaks
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Love or hate Crazy Mel, he makes a helluva movie.
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didn't you go ape shit over that movie back in the day? in fact, no Soderbergh at all is a little weird, isn't it? granted, his best stuff was in the late 90's, but Traffic was 2000, wasn't it?Hell, Ocean's 11 is a damn fun picture, and it would at the very least be in my top 100. it showed hollywood that big budget, huge actor collaborations could be fun again. (Rat Race, did NOT do it, despite what, well, no one thinks).
I would have thrown Erin Brokovich, Traffic, Oceans 11, or Solaris on there just so the Soderbergh is in there somewhere. or at least Good Night and Good Luck...that's pseudo-Soderbergh direction.the more I think about this, I would NEVER want to publish a list like this, because I know I'd forget movies and second guess myself later.not saying that's the case with Solaris, of course. I'm just, you know....you know. -
Starring: Norman Anstey, Anthony Bishop, listed for District 9? Sorry I'm making my christmas list. They are gonna feel REAL when he wins the best actor Oscar.
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Needs a fucking directors cut.
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That one surprises me. I expected it to be one of those films where the hype overpowered the actual watching experience. But when I finally got around to checking it out (which was on cable) I found I was genuinely moved. And, although not to the same extent, it falls into the out of sequence storytelling you mention above.
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...as his films would have dominated my list. But hey, this ain't my list! lol
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Was better then Slumdawg.
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Some I wanted to applaud, others I wanted to argue, and all the ones I hadn't seen, I now want to track down. This is the sort of list that demands several hours of debate and discussion over beverages, which is my favourite kind. Kudos, sir.
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"I'm going to assume that was a type when you listed it as 2"typing a typo while typing "typo"? priceless.god, you are a sad sack now, my friend. a shell of your former phony self.
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Probably directed the most movies out of any major non Asian director this decade.
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Cool beans. : )
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Grossed more then Nolans.
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Loveeeee De Palma, and while some could easily argue that Femme Fatale is just the poor man's Mulholland Dr., at least all of his films still look gorgeous. I had Irreversible on my list and got rid of it at the last second. Zodiac and INLAND EMPIRE for the win.
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Dec 10, 2009 11:58:02 PM CST
OK! Bout to watch one of the best of the year (possible) decade
by series7
Hopefuls. Taking of Pelham 1,2,3.
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...has a very personal place in my film-loving life. I love that film quite a lot. So much so, in fact, that I am able to completely overlook the fact that it's Jim Carrey. It just, I don't know.. it moves me. And I love Kate Winslett with a freaking passion, so that doesn't hurt at all. However, I really would have thought Slumdog would AT LEAST have made the "almost" list.
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I see the symbolism and reasoning for placing it at 1 now - but shit, I think the world could do without that movie in existence.
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Wrong Sunshine. Think harder.
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How is Children of Men not in the top ten? Let alone in the top 100. Let alone in the just missed list. Am I missing something here?
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fuck this list
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Anybody else have a soft spot for that film? It's one of the few that we haven't discussed over the course of the four installments that definitely would have made my list.
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Seriously? A wretched piece by that hack DePalma, but no The Dark Knight? Finding Nemo just missed, but you have Femme Fatale?
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Eternal was amazing when I saw it in theaters. Didn't do much for me on VHS though. Then again, I'm not a huge re-viewer of films. Can't stand having to rewind all the time.
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...but not everybody worships that film. I'm one of those people. Heh.Series, errr... I don't wanna. What Sunshine are you talking about?
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Made number 1 movie of the decade in some British newpaper or magazine..... Really? That's fucking pathetic. I could understand a good documentary like The Cove or Stevie. But some fat guy with too much time on his hands and too much access to C-Span clips, really that is what you are saying is the best film of fuck even the month it came out? Movie probably took about 5 days to make. And Moore gained 30 pounds within that five days.
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(anywhere in the Top Five would've sufficed), but ETERNAL NOOGIES OF DAMNATION! for leaving "Let The Right One In" off both your lists.
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Dec 11, 2009 12:03:32 AM CST
WHO'S DOING A LIST NEXT? THEY SHO MAKE FO FUN TALBACKIN.
by bringingsexyback
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Slumdog.....Boyle.....Sunshine.....Boyle
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That gets ruined by having Irreversible at #1.
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Sunshine, Slumdog, Millions, 28 Days Later... I even liked The Beach. Still a little surprised that none of them even got into the top 100. Thankfully there weren't any Uwe Boll films on the list either.
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after seeing this list. Minus Ron Burgundy there's nothing there I didn't love. I would personally put LOTR at number 1 since it really was a huge part of my childhood (saw the trilogy at ages 11-13) and I still am loving it.
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Twilight on this list? I'm betting its at least in the top ten for Harry's....though I think Harry is like 2 years behind on top ten list. I guess he's been busy?????
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shit...i hate getting old
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...dude, you just made me officially old! lol
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He had some good tv movies as well. Alien Love Triangle and Vacuuming Complete Nude in Paradise.
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I'll admit that I love that film more than most, but even if you don't love it you'd probably still have to admit it that it is one of the top 130 films of the decade.
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Ohhhh there's gonna be hell 2 pay.
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...I haven't seen it. I'll make it a priority to do so.
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Dec 11, 2009 12:08:07 AM CST
Think beaks will look back at this list in 10 years time
by miyamoto_musashi
and wonder what he was thinking, kind of like me when I think about the 8/9 year old version of myself spouting on about A-Team and Knight Rider being the best tv ever!
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this whole list makes me feel fucking old. wasn't Ocean's 11 like a year ago?
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Man that movie looks awful. Looks like Michael Cera's brother has surpassed him in acting ability.
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Yeah man Sunshine is fucking awesome. Hopefully you got a big TV.
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I think I might just have to try and make my own list at some point and see what happens. I'm sure it's much harder to do that it looks. We discussed Children Of Men at length in one of the other installments and I simply came to the conclusion that I need to watch it again. Several things were pointed out to me that I'll take into account when doing so. But on first viewing I really wasn't that blown away by it.
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Actually my least favorite Gondry joint. Is it okay to call non-Spike Lee movies joints? I feel like Gondry makes joints. I'm more into Block Party and Be Kind Rewind. They get better with each viewing, whereas I pretty much "got" Eternal Sunshine the first time.
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Year One for worst of the decade.
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Thanks for the heads up on those other titles. I'm going to give them a look-see as soon as I get a chance.
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Since I looked up Ramis' IMDB and saw that he's been heading in this direction ever since Groundhog Day wrapped.
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...that he never finished and people continually clamored for? He's not on the site anymore.Thanks, Beaks. Enjoyed the read. I will aspire to check out the ones I have not seen, as there are many.These frothing Dark Knight supporters who consider anyone who doesn't find it to be the greatest film ever to be intellectually bankrupt are something. It's a good movie and all, but jeez. Get over it. Many of us think it's overrated.
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Dec 11, 2009 12:13:57 AM CST
Top 100 for the decade and the decade is still to close
by miyamoto_musashi
Who knows if Avatar or Sherlock Holmes etc will be top 100 material, but it says a lot about our society that we can't wait and reflect in proper time.
So beaks when is your highly anticipated movies for 2010 list coming out, I want to read, I want to read it now, give me, give me,!!!! -
Good luck finding that, just read the IMDB trivia on it. Vacuuming though stars Timothy Spall and its really quite good. Probably my second favorite Boyle film after Sunshine.
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When it was called Die Hard 3: Die Hard With A Vengeance.
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Beaks. You're articulate. But you're like one of those annoying offensive coordinators who's more about 'winning HIS way'...than actually looking at the field and calling the sensible play that will actually lead to victory. I feel like a lot of your picks are more about presenting yourself as 'populist', 'eclectic' and 'contrarian' than actually selecting the best films of the past decade. I LOVE the Coens, but 'Man Who Wasn't There' was just treading water for them. No way, no how does it belong on a best of the decade list. Not even in the same league as NO COUNTRY or Andersen's THERE WILL BE BLOOD. And how could you leave out GRIZZLY MAN, or DARK KNIGHT? DK is not by any means a perfect film, but it is a challenging one, and it captured the zeitgeist and America's ambivalent attitude towards the War on Terror perfectly. And it featured what may be the most iconic performance of the decade. I have no doubt that Ledger's Joker will be as immortal as Hopkin's Lecter (and I think it's a superior acting job.) It was nice to see love for THE NEW WORLD, which is a masterfully crafted and hugely underappreciated movie. But it doesn't make up for the omission of Todd Solendz's HAPPINESS or STORYTELLING. But I guess I should be grateful that you were sane enought to include SPIRITED AWAY. And you're right; THE TWO TOWERS is the finest LOTR film. I think the biggest problem with this list is that it largely omits documentaries, which have almost eclipsed fictional films as the vanguard of the medium. Apart from the aforementioned GRIZZLY MAN, there's CAPTURING THE FREIDMANS, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, RAMONES: END OF THE CENTURY, and the utterly incredible, monumental achievement of THE STAIRCASE. But deep down, don't we all know that the uncontested, best 'film' of the decade is THE WIRE.
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Are you saying "The A-Team" WASN'T the greatest TV show ever? That's a bold statement, hoss.OK, maybe it's number three after "The Facts Of Life" and "What's Happening?", but any lower is just plain boob tube heresy.
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Haven't seen a lot of those and the number 1 sounds positively, dreadful. Anyhow, I enjoyed reading the list.
A little sad that Waitress didn't appear anywhere in there. I really thought that was a great movie. -
It was just a bunch of editing. I mean it was good, but nothing ground breaking. Awesome bear fight though.
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as GOODFELLAS=BUNCH OF SHOTS OF GUYS SITTING AROUND TALKING
Hey, Series7! Go get your fucking shinebox! -
Total top 100 material.
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Watching Herzog sit there and listen to the dudes death and then say its too much to show us?
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Now I feel bad about forgetting Waitress. Not sure if it'd make my top 100 but I think it would be close.
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. . . around the internet are better. "Anchorman" is better than "You Don't Mess with the Zohan"? Come on.
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From bring it on would like, tottally own the joker , batman and that dude with the skin condition!! Omfg teh lolz ! Nah what Im sayin?
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It would make it much easier to find a critic whose taste aligns with yours all in one list. That being said, I find Beaks' list leaves to many great films out and replaces them with incredibly suspect films....at least in my eyes. Bring It On, Wet Hot American Summer, Talladega nights, Ron Burgundy....are you serious? I guess we shouldnt harrass a guy for his opinion but wow. As I said earlier, lists like these let us know who to follow as a critic and who to dismiss when it comes to future reviews. Beaks gets a pink slip from me.
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. . . with myself about Zohan. One of the best of the decade. It says a lot more about the region than "Paradise Now".
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for allowing this idiot to post his top 100 reasons why he is unqualified to review movies.
And if its a troll attempt it even fails at that. -
Dec 11, 2009 12:37:58 AM CST
THIS JUST IN THE PASADENA BAD SANTA CUT
by supercowbell5thecowbellhasspoken
Has been removed from the list and replaced with the 50 First Dates cut that only was shown once on a tuesday 6 years ago at 4:37 pm. That's the best cut!
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Beaks it the greatest troll on this site now..shitty list
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Any movie that begins with a CGI scorpion fight = AWESOME!!!
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It's a personal list. If you don't like it, fine. But it doesn't give you the right to insult people. Grow up, first of all. Second, make your own list and see how people react to it.
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You can disagree with some of his picks but Beaks does let you know why he chose the movies he did. Everybody on here would probably have a film that someone else would think shouldn't even sniff the top 100 of the decade list.
Yes, it might be girly, but I'd have The Notebook on mine easily... right next to The Descent. I do like a little variety. ;) -
You suck. Several Pixar (mind you, they make enjoyable movies, but they are highly derivative, and hardly brilliant), oddly.
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Dec 11, 2009 12:41:35 AM CST
I can not take a list seriously that contains the likes of...
by havingsaidthat
Anchorman, A.I., Femme Fatale, Bring It On, Irreversible, Talladega Nights, Jackass, Hero and Miami Vice - yet doesn't have films like The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, Juno, The Departed, Gladiator, Eastern Promises, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Requiem for a Dream, The Lives of Others, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Let the Right One In, and countless other better movies.
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"I love it when a plan comes together", but yes sorry its a bold statement, ha ha
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But the point is that Beaks DID IT! He made a list, and here it is. We've all disagreed with some of it, but so far, it's the only one.
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Dec 11, 2009 12:45:41 AM CST
Hey critics, The Fall and Amelie were from this decade too
by _phantom_of_teh_paradise_
Hey critics, The Fall and Amelie were from this decade too.
...so were Tekkon Kinkreet, and Phoebe in Wonderland, but nobody fuckin saw or gave two shits about those masterpieces, so. Yep. I'm angry. -
Love Cronenberg. Love Harris. Love Viggo, but the relationship between Vigo and his wife in the film SUCKED. Most fakey, unreal depiction of a married couple that I have ever seen on film. It was like the turd you couldnt stop looking at in what could have been a classic. EASTERN PROMISES had nothing so hokey to distract you, hence its a way better movie.
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..and I think I was supposed to. This one girl was definitely expected me to... and we don't hang anymore. Hmmmm.
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Sucked, it was like a decent Lifetime movie.
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Yes...that would be in my top 5, for definitely. Not a lot of people saw it though, unfortunately.
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In my top ten of all time
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Beaks got no cred... no cred at all. I'm officially firing Mr Beaks.
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Though after watching the trailer again having seen the movie. That's pretty much it, everything in that movie is in the trailer. Also saw a trailer for Da Vinci Code 2, god it looks like direct to VHS crap.
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Maybe top 20. The ending is sort of a huge let down.
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You can thank the at the movies guys for making every internet critic go back and watch it again.
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Getting your top ten choice through. Now it is time for me to watch 1 of the last 4 movies I need to see in order to make my best of 2009 list. The only movie since the first Fantastic Four trailer to have the balls to use, Counting Bodies Like Sheep To The River Of the War Drums in the trailer. The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3
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...over in The Zone with our own top 100 (or whatever number you can get to) of the last decade. That's my proposal, anyway. Lets see how many people actually follow through with it. If nobody else does it I'll start the thread tomorrow. I'm going back to an almost finished book.
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Really happy to hear that.
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Paranormal Activity.
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this is what Beaks wrote initially about his list:
"As for criteria, these are not "The 100 Most Important Films of the Decade", nor are they "The 100 Most Award-Worthy Films as Determined by a Group of Fifteen or So Oscar Bloggers Trying To Decipher The Whims of Academy Voters." This is my list. These are the films that moved me, that connected emphatically on their own terms. In other words, just because you tried to put the kibosh on the trading of conflict diamonds doesn't mean your film is automatically worthier than a pseudo-documentary that climaxes with some idiot shoving a toy car up their ass. Pedigree and genre are irrelevant to me; conviction, on the other hand, is key."
so fucking relax. maybe if you stop screeching like retarded banshees, Beaks will actually drop in here and participate.I still want to know what happened to Solaris, Beaks... -
... are both top 10. To dismiss this fact is folly. How neither of them are up there, and EP isn't even in the top 100 reaffirms why this site is insanely gay.
Enjoy your middle-aged virginity, AICN reviewers. Your Japanese anime must taste delicious with it.
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I'll probably cobble together a list of 100 sometime so I can be endlessly mocked and ridiculed.
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I have not nearly seen as many movies as I should. It is my love not my life and it is hard to see everything that comes out where I live, so these are MY personal favorite of the decade -
10. American Psycho
9. The Ninth Gate
8.No Country for Old Men
7. Closer
6. United 93
5. The Fellowship of the RIng
4. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
3. The Fountain
2. Inglorious Basterds
1. Children of Men -
Will someone explain to me why the 25th Hour is suddenly getting its dick sucked so much all of a sudden? It seems like everyone is trying to include a "hidden gem" near the top of their lists. Another movie that is inexplicably in the top 10-20 of every list is The New World. Absolutely a stunningly gorgeous film. One of the best looking movies I've ever seen, but boring with zero structure and no characters let alone character development. It was just a series of happenings. I fell asleep twice trying to watch it. I think people are more in love with the idea of this movie than the *actual* movie. And notice I'm all for a slow paced meanderer (Jesse James), but The New World is not something that I can understand getting sucked off so much too. Any takers explaining this to me?
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I have not yet seen AVATAR, UP IN THE AIR, BROTHERS, or LOVELY BONES. Now, here are the films I enjoyed most...
GLADIATOR;NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN;THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS; THE TWO TOWERS; CASINO ROYAL; THE HOST; SIGNS; MINORITY REPORT; MASTER AND COMMANDER; THE INCREDIBLES; HELLBOY; V FOR VENDETTA; THE DARK KNIGHT; THE FANTASITIC MR. FOX; THERE WILL BE BLOOD; THE HURT LOCKER; LET THE RIGHT ONE IN; CHILDREN OF MEN; PARANORMAL ACTIVITY...and the single, most surprising film I saw, the one that took me somewhere new, that blew me away? Easy. Its APOCALYPTO! To bad Mel got drunk and started ranting about 'Jews' like an idiot. If he hadnt, this film would get alot more attention, but after Mels arrest, this movie became radioactive to the critics. That being said, this movie took me to a place and time I had never imagined. Awesome flick. -
Thank you for this! They reviewed this on At the Movies, and I was intrigued by it, but then I couldn't remember the title or any other identifying thing about it. It's been bugging me for years. I had confused it with...wasn't there a film called The Dancer Upstairs or something? So now I can finally track it down. I'm kinda flabbergasted that Children of Men isn't on the list, though.
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with some notable movies I haven't seen for one reason or another listed at the end. I arrogantly cannot understand how TWBB, No Country, or LOTR could be outside anyone's top five.
1. There Will Be Blood
2. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
3. No Country for Old Men
4. City of God
5. Darwin’s Nightmare
6. Brokeback Mountain
7. Eastern Promises
8. Mulholland Drive
9. The Proposition
10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
11. Fog of War
12. Memento
13. Inglorious Basterds
14. The Royal Tenenbaums
15. The Fountain
16. 28 Days Later
17. The Assassination of Jesse James
18. Before Sunset
19. The Dark Knight
20. Superbad
21. Match Point
22. The Man Who Wasn’t There
23. High Fidelity
24. The Departed
25. Let the Right One In
26. Children of Men
27. Borat
28. Cast Away
29. The Wrestler
30. Requiem for a Dream
31. The Prestige
32. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
33. Once
34. Burn After Reading
35. You Can Count on Me
36. Team America: World Police
37. The King of Kong
38. Insomnia
39. Doubt
40. Session 9
41. Kill Bill Vol. 2
42. 25th Hour
43. Knocked Up
44. Monsters Inc.
45. Road to Perdition
46. Little Miss Sunshine
47. Notes on a Scandal
48. 2 Days in Paris
49. Master and Commander
50. Rescue Dawn
AI, Candy, yi yi: a one and a two, hunger, the descent, Inland Empire, Primer, dogville, the fall, Gerry, cold mountain, vicky chritsina barcelona, whale rider, hotel Rwanda, last king of Scotland, millions, gosford park, amelie, in the bedroom, the rules of attraction, capturing the friedmans, open range, primer, the lives of others, hidden (cache), punch drunk love, downfall, far from heaven, chopper, spirited away, in the mood for love, oldboy, confessions of a dangerous mind, the pianist, michael clayton,
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1. There Will Be Blood
2. The Lord of the Rings
3. No Country for Old Men
4. City of God
5. Darwin’s Nightmare
6. Brokeback Mountain
7. Eastern Promises
8. Mulholland Drive
9. The Proposition
10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
11. Fog of War
12. Memento
13. Inglorious Basterds
14. The Royal Tenenbaums
15. The Fountain
16. 28 Days Later
17. The Assassination of Jesse James
18. Before Sunset
19. The Dark Knight
20. Superbad
21. Match Point
22. The Man Who Wasn’t There
23. High Fidelity
24. The Departed
25. Let the Right One In
26. Children of Men
27. Borat
28. Cast Away
29. The Wrestler
30. Requiem for a Dream
31. The Prestige
32. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
33. Once
34. Burn After Reading
35. You Can Count on Me
36. Team America: World Police
37. The King of Kong
38. Insomnia
39. Doubt
40. Session 9
41. Kill Bill Vol. 2
42. 25th Hour
43. Knocked Up
44. Monsters Inc.
45. Road to Perdition
46. Little Miss Sunshine
47. Notes on a Scandal
48. 2 Days in Paris
49. Master and Commander
50. Rescue Dawn
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clearly i don't know how to format anything. Oh well
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Dec 11, 2009 1:30:29 AM CST
I can't believe how much this shit the bed RIGHT at the end
by industrykiller!
it's almost absurd. I mean I cannot remember the last time someone pissed away built up credibility so hard and so fast. So apparently A.I., a film that will be best remembered for the fact that it would have been ALOT better had Stanley Kubrick actually directed it, is apparently a better film than Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight. Two films that are more or less cultural landmarks in their own respective ways. I don't even feel bad or angry about what did and didn't make it or in what order because it makes no difference in the context of this top 25.
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No one is ever going to hear from that guy again. Like most first time filmmakers that disappear, he had one idea and that was it, like that idiot that wrote and directed The Tao of Steve. Beaks is wrong on this one. And Primer was a load of shit. Interesting idea very poorly executed.
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It suiprises me. I don't recall it being that loved. It's stylish yes, buut that bullshit "Twist" kills the movie.
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Dec 11, 2009 1:34:25 AM CST
And leaving All the Real Girls out of there is inexcusable
by industrykiller!
It's one of the most honest portrayals of young love ever put to screen. But apparently Bring it On is better.
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I happen to really like Herzog, but of every movie that I see repeatedly listed in the top 20 other places or that people *specifically* mention in comments as a great movie, Grizzly Man is by FAR the most baffling consensus pick to me. It's something that if I saw on Independent Lens on PBS or something I'd be like "hmm, that was somewhat interesting" and never think about again. People build up all this underlying "meaning" about our struggle to find meaning and this great character study and I just see a middle of the road doc. Don't get it at all.
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We disagree on Star Wars Episode 3 (mostly because you're dead wrong) but you pretty much pegged Beaks tehre. I mean come the fuck on, at least a few of those films are inarguably the best films of the last decade. This is fucking ridiculous. I wish I had Beaks phone number so I could call him and tell him what a jackass he is.
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movie reviewing criteria should have higher standards than just how it made some dipshit "feel."
Talkbackers have more wisdom and talent for reviewing movies than that fuckin idiot beaks.
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you gotta be shitting me.
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did Beaks look at your boyfriend funny? why are you so whiny and angry?
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ha ha I love it, I love it when people don't hold back.
My my memorable 10 of the decade list, open for savaging:
1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Battle Royale
3. Lost in Translation
4. Amelie
5. Spirited Away
6. Old Boy
7. Dark Knight
8. Memento
9. Kill Bill 1 and 2
10. Children of Men
1 and 2, were clearly 1 and 2 for me, 3-7 could have been in any order, with 8,9 and 10 being easier for me to order.
If anyone had a top 10 that looked like mine I would be incredibly suprised, shocked even especially with the choice of Amelie and Lost in Translation -
I recall it fading out with David with the cloned mother and Kingsley saying something about that night he dreamed for the first time. Am I just seriously misremembering?
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Probably a hundred other films that are better than that including Dark Knight and In Brujes
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I'll savage you and you can savage my list above if you like. I can't argue with #1. Monumental achievement and classic films that will stay around for a long ass time. Number 2 is pretty much just genre garbage. 3--Why in the world would this be 3rd best of the decade. To be sure it was a pleasant little movie, but it didn't do anything new, wasn't particularly moving, didn't say much. It's one of those movies you watch and think "oh, that was nice" and then move on. Haven't seen 4,5, or 6 (but I rented Amelie today actually). Dark Knight--ok good flick. I have it so high in my list most of all for Ledger. With a lesser actor it wouldn't be a top 50 for me. Memento yes. Kill Bill to me is not as good as IB. A little too in love with genre and style, whereas the scenes in IB were expertly crafted. The opening scene in IB alone is better than anything in Kill Bill. Children of Men. Good but more from a filmaking perspective. I thought it was beautifully crafted and could have been top 5 good, but got heavy handed. Cuaron should have used a scalpel instead of a hatchet on some of the story elements and imagery.
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It's just bad storytelling. You can't have a quest that is impossible. "I want to be a real boy." Sorry, you can't be. Roll credits.
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Like 500 Days of Summer for people you either connect with it or you don't, I think the movie is more about being memorable, and you are right from a cinema achievement perseptice its not like LOTR trilogy, its not something major or new.
I have watched Lost in Translation at least 10 times subsequent to seeing it in the cinema, and enjoy it more each time. I see for a lot of the critics top 50 or 100 it usually makes their list, but not nearly as high as it does for me. Thats fair enough.
Kill Bill is all about making a movie for yourself, combine all your geek wants and desires into one movie, make it and maybe others will enjoy it. Even though Tarantino made the movie for himself, for me watching it, experiencing it felt like he had made that movie just for me. If I had an ounce of talent and money I would probably make a movie for me too and it would be a combination of Seven Samurai and Aliens, don't worry I don't have any writing or directing talent nor a pile of money
Battle Royale, I just love it, to you its garbage but to me its just incredible. Its a movie I can watch over and over, and love it everytime. -
...My hat is off to you for comprising this lengthy list and actually offering thoughtful mini-reviews for each of them. I noted down some of the movies I hadn't seen or even heard of. Nice work.Of course, I think the list is absolutely ridiculous. (DOGVILLE at #18? And you actually describe it as "delightful". Jesus.)In your initial "Preamble" to the list, you complain that the past decade has been a "regression" for the medium. Yet, you've failed to recognize certain benchmark films, like Nolan's Batman flicks or Boyle's 28 DAYS LATER, both game-changers in their respective genres. In fact, you show little to no regard at all for the horror genre. Last year gave us one of the best vampire flicks ever - LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Instead of honoring the excellence of a science fiction landmark, like DISTRICT 9, you sing the praises of AI: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, Spielberg's most sickeningly sentimental film of the decade. (Kubrick is rolling in his grave over this movie - believe it.)Finally, there is you number 1 pick, IRREVERSIBLE, and that's a real head-scratcher. It's a terrific film, no doubt about it. But to parade it around as THE film of the decade smells like a bit of a stunt.I'm really glad you did this list, all the same. Respect.
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Dec 11, 2009 2:35:47 AM CST
WTF?!? A.I. and IRREVERSIBLE are pieces of horseshit!!!
by motoko kusanagi
A.I. is an epic failure, shockingly showing how silly, unimaginative and downright boring a movie can be even if it's directed by such an acclaimed director as Mr. Spielberg. It should be on a bottom 100 list. Way below. Kubrick would've HATED this crapfest.IRREVERSIBLE is quite astonishing on a technical level (long takes with seemless/hidden cuts), but also a total failure on a story/cinematic level. It shows brutality for brutality sake. That's not shocking, it's simply dumb. And why the frack couldn't you mention the rape scene directly?As I said before, MEMENTO should've been on no. 1.
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Whats interesting also for me, is they both take place in cities I love. I lived in Tokyo for 3 years and visited Paris a few times. And have to be honest my feelings towards those two cities have no doubt strengthed my emotional connection with both movies.
And it makes sense how your life does influence how affected or how you feel about all kinds of art, movies of course included. -
...equals fuck-your-list-to-hell.That is all.
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Fuck off!
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Great list but missing a couple of classics. As much as I love Spider-Man 2, TDK is far better!
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...on the Just Missed list....but Step Brothers is. You've lost all credibility, Beaks. No wonder BadMrWonka likes your list.
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And he might be done, but it will be no fault of his own. He was a nice guy who was also smart, talented and very hard working. His big problem was that he thought you should always try and make the best, smartest film you can. I think that scared all the producers and executives away.
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But I will compliment you for not folding to geek pressure and putting TDK on your list. Damn right, no compromises, no succumbing to the opinion of the masses.
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I mean, yeah it's a good movie. But is it really that great? If Heath Ledger hadn't knocked it out of the park, the movie would just be okay.
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Lost in Translation would have special resonance if you lived in Tokyo. Meh. And when I said Battle Royale was garbage, I didn't necessarily mean it so pejoratively. To me it's a throwaway. It's a high concept gore diversion, but that's it. I guess I'm just not enough of a genre fan, but I can't put movies that are so firmly genre with a capital G towards my top. To me, a movie like 28 Days Later is a perfect blend of genre and substance and something I can easily put high on a list. But most of your top ten are on my list somewhere. Your list is very logically consistent anyway. The more I think about Beaks list though, the more I'm left scratching my head. The ordering just seems really haphazard. It seems to smack of differentness for the sake of it, but who knows. His is a VERY random 100 in my eyes... but at the same time very calculated if that makes sense.
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Oh, Beaks, you're adorable.
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For any of us talkbackers...what you said would be true. Our list is our list and it doesn't make a difference what anyone thinks. For a movie reviewer....the same doesn't hold true because we read movie reviews to figure out whether or not we should see certain movies...and for that, we need to trust that reviewer's taste in movies and know that their taste is in sync with ours. In that regard, as far as I'm concerned, Beaks has lost all credibility.
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I like your inclusion of Cast Away. I have that in the high 20's or something, but it's one of those movies that I always end up watching when it's on. I like that they didn't make everything great/back together with Helen Hunt when he was back. He still wasn't fully back. Shaun of the Dead I think is really overrated. Pretty funny, but I can think of many movies this decade I laughed harder at, and for me the tone shift just doesn't work at all. Requiem for a Dream is a movie I absolutely adored when it came out and pointed to as brilliant direction. I still think that aspect of it is top shelf, but it hasn't aged incredibly well for me. Just my 2 cents.
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I can see why someone would say it's overrated, not THAT great or whatever. But I simply cannot fathom it not being in the top 100, solely for Ledger's performance. It was great. When he wasn't on screen you wanted more of him. It was magnetic. Between his work in that, Brokeback, and DDL in There Will Be Blood.. it's some of the best or most perfect acting for the movies ever put to film. For that reason alone, TDK can't be denied a top 100. It doesn't make sense.
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I can handle intense cinema, I just found that movie to be too caught up in its own horror- like it was relishing in its worst aspects, trying hard to be shocking. It may have its good aspects, but best movie of the decade? Beaks, you're the only person I'm aware of that would make that argument. I bet the film's director wouldn't agree with your pick there either. But hey, thanks for playing!
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It doesn't get you off the hook, but you're not in solitary either. Now, go make some license plates!
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Fuck this List. Final post.
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Well, that's a mistake you'll hate yourself for making in years to come. For shame, you silly man. Shame!
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Dark Knight dropped for 'just' being a comics book movie?? ... YUP, I think so! ........... pathetic.
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Most of my list is initial reaction too (or what I weighted the most), just because I don't do a lot of repeat viewing of movies. Like you, Requiem was a total gut punch. Made me feel emotionally sick which was quite something. But I have seen it since and it now is too heavy handed. Granted still top 50 for me. I think the "initial reaction" is the most important thing in weighing a movie's personal merit, though for sure.
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Dec 11, 2009 3:49:45 AM CST
as I said before making a top 100 is not a good idea
by miyamoto_musashi
People can argue all they want about a top 10 or even top 25, and can comment, "oh you have differnet taste", or "yeah maybe thats top 50 stuff for me, but not top 10".
But as soon as you make it a large list you can start to look stupid rather just having a differnt opinion. Its like "you filled the gaps with that, when you didn't even include this".
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Dec 11, 2009 3:51:48 AM CST
I hope Beaks' list doesn't get in the way of us haveing a good T
by yackbacker
It hasn't ruined our efforts yet, so keep up the good work, people!
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sorry, it's late/early and I'm shot.
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Humans are incredibly ugly throughout the movie. Machines are proven to be more compassionate and insightful than humans ever could be. The ending may seem happy because David got his wish but it only emphasizes the fact that machines outclassed the human race in every way. They're so giving and merciful where humans emotional starved and abandoned something that's biggest crime was wanting to be loved. It's so bleak and honest which is why people either love it or hate it. I love it. Humans are forced to look in the mirror and it ain't pretty. Machines were get closer to godliness than their selfish creators.
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does Harry do all day? I'm being serious here. "His" website is almost entirely run by other people. It seems like he basically just writes a DVD column so he can get some free shit and then sits on his ass the rest of the week.
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...ROTS. I mean its really SUPERBAD. Initally the SIGNS all pointed to this list taking BEST IN SHOW quicker than a GRAN TORINO racing a 300 foot IRON MAN. Instead it stumbled and CRASHed with a thud louder than a GLADIATOR falling atop a DARK KNIGHT. You allowed greatness to be SNATCHed away by being pretentious and cocky when you could have done it OLD SCHOOL. Instead of wanting to read more of your reviews, I just wish you were one of THE DEPARTED. While I actually dont wish anything bad upon you I will just say GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK.
Sincerely, SHREK from DISTRICT 9 -
And that is AI. Fucking terrible.
In a way I am pleased to see Beaks wasnt blinded by Dark Knight mania, but I would have put Star Trek in my top ten. -
#1 movie of the decade.
Seriously Beaks, do you watch films just to fuel a need to cut yourself?
Ps. Your list is a noobish joke and you're only slightly less evil than Devin Faraci. -
a legitimate criticism of the choice. There has to be a better argument against it, find it.
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It is no more depressing than TDK, and if that had been number one, no one would be moaning.
Except Me. -
Spielberg did NOT tack on the ending to A.I. That ending is pretty much the whole reason Kubrick wanted to do it in the first place. Our machines will outlast us, and maybe that's a good thing.
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For the record, I own it on dvd. I've watched it twice. I doubt I'll ever watch it again. Technically speaking, it's well made. Narratively, it's a disaster. Take the same film, show it in reverse and you have a badly told tale of a random rape and revenge.
But it has a scene where two people lay in bed with big doe eyes, so it's brilliant, right? -
That is one heady list. Will Ferrell does nothing for me- he just comes across like one of those kids in drama class who always try too hard by shouting a lot, and consequently get high marks- so I guess I disagree with a few of those choices, but who gives a second fuck? That list ended up enlightening about the author, educational (bunch of stuff for me to track down) and sparked off some very interesting talkbacking (and a whole bunch of TB naval-gazing). Job well done, I'd say!
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More and more people are realising it's actually a great film.
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So dumb. I'm glad that someone likes it, because when I watched it, I thought it was the most unlikable movie of all time. Shallow, crass, and clunky. Miami Vice baffles me, but at least there's a level of production quality that I can get behind. I guess people watch movies for different reasons and I applaud anyone with the suspension of disbelief required for a film as terrible as Femme Fatale.
Also where is AsimovLives in here ranting about Jar Jar Abrahms owning AICN. -
WTF?
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This list started fucking terribly, from 75-100, went down to simply bad at 75-50, got a bit worse again from 50-25 and finished with utter shit from 25-0.
The train to shitsville is in the station. I won't be going round to Beaks's house for a movie-night anytime soon!
Good job on taking the effort to do this 100 though Beaks, even though our tastes wildly differ, you've obviously put a deal of thought and effort into these four threads. -
Not including TDK, that was a brave and possibly correct choice.
Remember people, this is a very personal thing writing out a list like this, and to not include the biggest grossing film of the decade, if that is what Beaks thinks, then he is entitled to his opinion.
I imagine a lot of people will be very angry though.
And btw, so happy to see my favourite Pixar on there, Monsters Inc makes me smile to just think about it. -
Bad Boys 2 on the Just missed list? Why? That movie shouldn't be on any fucking list other than the Ignore list.
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It tires me out to read all of these critic's best of the 00's lists and see that of all the Spielberg movies in the 00's AI is the one they have chosen as their champion. Munich and Minority Report were both better films. I feel like AI is actually too safe a choice because it's the marriage of critical darling Kubrick with the more commercial Spielberg. As if by choosing AI you're essentially reclaiming Spielberg as an auteur even though his other work realized his vision more clearly.
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Dec 11, 2009 4:59:30 AM CST
Mentioning Dark Knights box office is so beside the point
by industrykiller!
it has nothing to do with why that film is brilliant. Its because the film is at once brilliant post 9/11 allegory, pulp romp, and maybe the most perfect examination of the hero/nemsis relationship ever put to screen. And all this from a superhero film, which I say not out of surprise, but that someone finally realized that these characters are works of genius that have untold depths that are to be taken seriously.
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Dec 11, 2009 5:01:23 AM CST
Moreover the lack of Dark Knight is clearly Feracis influence
by industrykiller!
and I dont hate Devin Feraci, but he has a hard on for espousing things that are absurdly wrong without giving any explanation that isnt just a shallow layer of snark. Coincidence that Feraci constantly espouses the overrated and hollow SPider Man 2 over The Dark Knight and guess which one of htose films made the list?
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It was also an oddly stuctured, bad acting on some parts, worst batsuit ever, boring showing of Gotham City, and clinicaly directed depressing summer blockbuster.
And I liked it! Star Trek was better. -
BATMAN BEGINS. What an audacious, incredible film.
The way it plays with time in the opening hour, MEMENTO-like, with no title cards or dumbing down to elucidate the younger audience (little boys love Batman as much as big ones).
The incredible cast - not just containing all the faces emblazoned in the memory from TDK - but also the likes of Rutger Hauer, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe and Liam fucking Neeson.
And most of all for the strength of its theme. FEAR. Fear is the driving force behind everything in this movie and it seeps into every frame. The fear serum visions of Batman from the criminal's perspective are stunning to behold.
And 'entertaining'.
Too often 'entertainment' is seen by critics as a dirty word - but Nolan showed us with BATMAN BEGINS that a film could be all things - including perhaps the most important, entertaining.
So glad Beaks included this incredible, decade-defining piece of cinema on his list. Oh wait... he didnt. -
I also think in a top 100 of 00's people need to remember how much we connected with that first Pirates of the Carribbean film and Johnyn Depp's performance despite the nose dive the series would eventually take. It hurts that even our self proclaimed "film geeks" would miss out on an opportunity to praise our iconic cultural junk food when it gets it right.
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Good point...for me...one of the things which makes the POTC trilogy difficult to watch..is the nauseating, booming score playing throughout the movie that tries to elevate scenes and force emotions. The theme is fine...the use of the music is overdone.
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If TDK was oddly structured it was a better film for it. Never has a comic film juggled its principle and necessary characters so perfectly. As Ive said before, its a Gotham City film, not a Batman film. The story and the arcs are sprawling, making it at once a personal story and a sweeping epic. The structure not only works, but is one of the films biggest assets and as far as Im concerned is revolutionary in its design for any further comic film that has a few stories to juggle.
And bad acting? Where. Gyllenhaal is the only principle who doesn't give a tour de force performance and thats because Nolan took a horrible character that was forced on him by Goyers terrible Begins script and wisely made her into a cypher for Harvey Dent's arc.And while I agree that Gotham could use a little more stylization it's got tons of scope and its blue color scheme is certainly far more appropriate and engaging than Begins' yellow and brown (two colors that should never bee associated with Batman).As for the batsuit, it allowed the actor inside of it to actually move believably, making it by default the best batsuit thus portrayed in film. Hopefully next time they can go even further than that, and maybe lose some of the futuristic stylings and make it sleeker.As for it being depressing, Im really fucking getting sick of that excuse. Take Star Trek if you like, the film was a bit of fun, but also dumber than a bag of hammers with one of the most ridiculously plot hole heavy scripts in recent memory. Ill take brains over lightness any day. -
For Beaks it is! Where the fuck is MASSA's top 100? He is the only opinion that counts in this place. And ANCHORMAN, fucking ANCHORMAN, is better than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? FUCK. YOU!
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He was in line waiting for the next Will Farrel comedy to come out.
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Its a decent action flick. Nothing more. I curse all of you playstation kids. A plague on all your houses.
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"Saying Irreversible is too depressing is not a legitimate criticism of the choice. There has to be a better argument against it, find it." IndustryKiller
'Entertainment'. That's the answer. Taken from the point I made about BATMAN BEGINS which also applies to TDK and many of the decade's best films. The best of the best films should excel in all areas including *entertainment*.
You can say IRREVERSIBLE is fantastically acted, shot and plotted but you cant say its entertaining. In fact it's the opposite - featuring a sickening snuff-like rape and murder at its core.
It's un-entertainment. That is why it's the wrong choice as film of the decade.
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What kind of rudimentary bullshit is that? Don't even bring that childs play to my doorstep man. Entertainment? How daft do you have to be to not understand that, like the words "fun" or "boring", entertaining is a bland descriptor of an effect, not a cause. What CAUSES the film to not be entertaining Cobra Kai? A lack of laser guns? Not enough talking babies? I personally find organically told human dramas to be riveting, fulfilling, informative, insightful ,and entertaining. The difference between you and I is that I can explain why. Tell me WHY Irreversible isn't entertaining.
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yes, any dumb fuck can have an opinion, but not every dumb fuck gets it published on a movie review website. This list is TRASH and damages the credibility of aicn. I respect you all who have higher standards than "feelings" as criteria for a good film. I want to hear about all the aspects of a film. The acting, directing, production, writing, etc. Otherwise, this website is nothing more than a fuckin blogger.com where any shit head can pretend to be a critic.
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The bad acting I was refering to, was that of Christian Bale, I thought everyone else was great in it.
My biggest issue was with the look of Gotham itself, even in Batman Begins the city was brimming with personality, and it was all gone in TDK.
I found Batman Begins to be a thousand times more enjoyable, evrything seemed very organic and fresh, both acting and film making style. Nolan is a terrific director, and his films always have this wonderful look to them, but TDK seems to clinical is the best word I can think to describe it.
Look, I dont hate TDK, if I did then I deserve to be locked up in Arkham myself. The film will always be remembered for Ledger's inspired performance, and the fact that it was such a huge success.
If you love TDK, that is cool, and I have no beef with you or your opinions. -
IndustryKiller, thought we were going to have an interesting discussion on this board. No need to insult me. Our discussion is over.
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Ugh. Was it the hackneyed script throwing its theme in your face through the spoken word CONSTANTLY, the wasting of the villains, the totally unintelligible action, the piss poor origin that doesnt explain one bit how a man becomes the superhero on Earth, the total ignoring of Bruce Waynes intellect, the abysmal love story, the laughably obvious sound stagey sets, the way the film is realistic until realism becomes inconvenient and then it throws it out the window comepletely? Which one of those things are organic and/or fresh? It had a faster pace (at the expense of that origin I might add) and was treading obvious familiar territory, which many find comfortable. THATS the real reason people like Begins at all, whether they admit it or not. It's a bland film in almost every respect. David Goyer is a terrible screenwriter.
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I do slightly agree with, it is an unpleasant film, I think it might be the general style of the film that drew Beaks to it.
It isnt entertaining at all, but it does have some great acting and cool style.
It wouldnt have been my choice. -
I dont like Begins because its comfortable, it isnt a bland film at all, quite the opposite.
If you think Begins wastes villains, TDK is far more guilty of that.
The stupid bit at the beggining with the Scarecrow, what a waste of bringing back a great actor and character. And the waste of Two Face, he was hardly in the film at all, and his motivations towards the end of the film were convenient for the plot not the character! Having Harvey Dent in the movie was a fantastic move, but killing Two Face the way they did was a waste.
We are not going to agree on this point, we have very different opinions. -
Dec 11, 2009 6:01:57 AM CST
The Dark Knight hasn't held up as well for me.
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
I'm not surprised to see it hit the honorable mentions list. The film has towering highs but a few lows as well. I'm not to rehash the good stuff, tt's a great film experience, but the whole thing really is too big and unwieldy. It's fairly melodramatic, too, substituting mood for substance that isn't there. I certainly think it deserves to be up there compared to hollow tripe like Femme Fatale or the sweet nothings of A.I, though.
Irrevesible is a bold choice that I'm in favor of and I appreciate the risks Beaks takes in this list. Overall, it shows very good taste and a person who is really willing to accept what a movie wants him to accept. My number one would have been Zodiac, easy. Also, I'd have put Red Planet on my honorable mentions list, not for the quality of the movie, but for the line "Fuck this Planet!" -
...was almost as deserving of multiple spots on this list as Danny Boyle, and neither got a mention. Aside from that, I don't see how such an obvious fan of Asian cinema can completely neglect both Ki-Duk Kim and the masterful Battle Royale. Last of all, if a guy posts in a forum and tree falls down, will the author respond? I'm going to make like a tree and get the fuck out of here.
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This guy is certifiably bug-nuts!
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WTF?
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I'm supposed to refrain from pitching a complete fucking hissy fit over this list because it's, like, just his opinion man. Given that, this post is my middle finger to everybody in this thread. Fuck you and your personal favorite, Reconstruction was better.
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Literally had to destroy the DVD after watching it.
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Dec 11, 2009 6:23:43 AM CST
IT SHOULD BE VINCENT CASSEL WHAT SHOULD BE ASSRAPPED
by bringingsexyback
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NOT ULCERS!!!!!!
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Good thing I can still type!!!!!!
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History of Violence is a great film. I'm still not sure which one I prefer, that or Eastern Promises. I know one shouldn't lump them together, but it's so easy to do. I think I prefer the ending to Eastern Promises, so for today, it gets the nod. Wa-hoo!
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I am pleased it is so high on your list, even though I would have had it in my top three. I remember I saw that movie after my high school graduation and what a gift it was. Maybe it was because I lost my mom the year before, or the fact I was moving on to the next part of my life, but that film hit me HARD. I was so wrapped in David's journey. The final scene is so beautifully done. You understand why Speilberg chooses to work with Williams. The images and music go beautifully together. I haven't watched that film through in a long time. I think may do that this weekend.
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When I saw that in the cinema, I don't where I got this idea from (bad trailers perhaps?) but I was under the impression that Viggo was playing a guy who had been incredibly violent in his past. And that the people getting him to revisit that violent side of himself simply didn't know what they were letting themselves in for. In the vein of Shane or Pale Rider.
But I don't honestly remember that being explicitly stated in the movie.
Now, from this review above, I get the impression that Viggo was literally supposed to be an "everyman" just pushed into incredible violence.
I may have to watch it again.
But did anyone else have this confusion about it, or was it just me? -
I've read those two paragraphs a couple of times now. They're all words I recognise, but I still don't have a fucking CLUE what the movie is about.
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Totally agree with everything you state in your batman begins post..
What an incredible movie on its own and was a bit bothered it is no where on the list.
Do you feel it is better than TDK? I sure do -
A History Of Violence, you are right on both counts. He used to be involved with the mob characters (violent past), but left it all behind and know one has a clue who he is (the everyman), and when he attacks the people this alerts his former employers to his whereabouts.
And watch it again, because it is an amazing film. Eastern Promise might be better though. -
...he's in no way an every man, he has a "history of violence", but was trying to live the every man life. I liked this film, too...but my interpretation was far different...but I won't get into it. It opens a political can of worms.
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and Harry Potter or Star Wars didn't get a look in, in the top 25.
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Proof, if any were needed, that distributors are retards, who can't believe the audience might be smarter than them.
That explains a LOT about the current state of movies. -
Thanks for clarifying that. I guess I just don't agree with Beaks' interpretation of it then.
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Really?
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also: AI?? Jude feckin LAW???
please, please, why don't you organise a talkbacker's poll of the best films of the decade in time for the END of the decade in ONE YEAR'S TIME?? -
I was going to post "Ah go on, talkbacks are exactly where one is supposed to set ALL the worms free."
But then I remembered how the talkback about Lynch directing Jedi dissolved into fucking insanity, with Dems and Republicans both claiming the other side was the Sith lords.
So, okay, if your interpretation of A History Of Violence is likely to set off another pointless flame war, I won't ask. :) -
The film was at its most watchable whenever Gigolo Joe was on screen.
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No Jersey Girl??
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Dec 11, 2009 7:24:43 AM CST
Without trying to sound like the opening few seconds
by seppukudkurosawa
of an early '90s indie movie:
Subjective, adjective.
Def: 1. Particular to a given person; personal: subjective experience.
2. Expressing or bringing into prominence the individuality of the artist or author. -
Dec 11, 2009 7:30:27 AM CST
It's a subjective list...but it's written by a movie reviewer
by chakraborty
It's like if a chef were to put out a list of their favorite dishes, and it includes peanut butter sandwiches or liver and onions. Or an architect who says their favorite structure is the golden arches at the local McDonald's. Or a music group who says their favorite bands are Boyz 2 Men and Culture Club. Sure, they are entitled to their taste...but as consumers, you probably aren't going to hire them for their services if your taste is not the same as theirs. Same applies to reading movie reviews.
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...the balls or the soul or anything. It was pretty much an intellectual exercise...a good one, but ultimately sterile nevertheless.
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Comes in totally under the radar, then massive ordnance.
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but the ending to AI is kubricks...and next time watch empire of the sun and AI back to back...if you dare..i recommend some chivas for the occasion.
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Dec 11, 2009 7:51:47 AM CST
I WOULD'VE THOUGHT G.I. JOE WOULD RATE AN HONORABLE MENTION
by bringingsexyback
I thought wrong.
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Dec 11, 2009 7:56:05 AM CST
...I like Beaks, but this list is revealing. He mostly likes...
by flickapoo
...movies that stay in your head. Good movies (well, mostly good...FEMME FATALE is um, pleasurable), but I rarely feel compelled to see this sort of film again and again...I love some of these movies, but head exercises rarely make it into heavy rotation at my house.Maybe that's revealing about me, too.
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But just as I wouldn't discriminate against a gay man, I am no closer to appreciating his enjoyment of anal sex.
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KevinMuller, thanks for the kind words. I personally liked BATMAN BEGINS slightly more, but perhaps this can be attributed to the 'thrill of the new'. Seeing how masterfully the likes of Oldman, Caine, Bale, and Freeman made the parts their own, etc. Im certainly not going to knock down TDK in order to boost up BB - they are both great films.
Plus i've always had a soft spot for HIGHLANDER and who couldn't be reminded of the MacLeod/Ramirez relationship in the training montage section between Bale and Neeson! Great stuff. -
Dec 11, 2009 8:03:50 AM CST
Massa, Quint a list , top 25 even, anyone there , hello
by miyamoto_musashi
Given up on Harry, too much effort for him
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Yack, anal sex is a wonderful thing when performed correctly - sticking it to your wife/girlfriend with plenty of lube!
Sorry, now back to movies... -
Deserves at least an honorable mention. It's in my top 10.
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that would make my top 10 of funniest lines on this TB
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I'd never even heard of FEMME FATALE and would consider myself a De Palma fan.
Just looked it up, the film was a total bomb. Savaged by critics and only took $16 million gross worldwide.
I might have to rent it anway. Not on Beaks recommendation, but just because I havent missed a De Palma movie yet.
Anyone else here seen this film? Is it worth a watch? -
...couldn't stomach the whole thing. De Palma's films slowly devolved into TV movies, and that's what it feels like you're watching...a bad TV movie.
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Miyamoto I think my top ten faves of the Noughties would be rather more full of the slam-bang spectacle movies than Beaks (just off the top of my head and in no particular order)...
LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN DIRECTORS CUT
SPIRITED AWAY
CASINO ROYALE
SHREK
MOULIN ROUGE
WALL-E
CHILDREN OF MEN
BATMAN BEGINS
MASTER AND COMMANDER
Probably missed out alot of great films but there you go!
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(in no particular order) 1. Traffic 2. Lost in Translation 3. Memento 4. City of God 5. The Lives of Others 6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 7. The Royal Tenenbaums 8. Matchpoint 9. No Country for Old Men 10. Children of Men
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Yeah, whatever, that movie was between yawn and meh. Anchorman?!?! Laughable. Kudos to your "Personal List." You had a point, and you made it. Sorry if all it made you sound like is an elitist prick. To me anyway, just a personal opinion, like the load of shit you delivered in 4 "top stories" posts.
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1. Lost In Translation
2.Star Trek
3.Shaun Of The Dead
4. Master And Commander
5. Revenge Of The Sith
6. Monsters Inc
7.Kill Bill
8. LOTR
9. The Prestige
10. The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.
That is my top ten of the past decade, there are loads more I wanted to add, but if I had to do a top ten, that would be it. -
but thats the interesting thing about these lists.
I like a lot of what is there, I always like to see Spirited Away love and your post is another reminder for me to see the director's cut of kingdom of heaven.
The biggest disappointment of Casino Royale is that it was followed by Quantum of Solace. -
Massively enjoyable reading. Hopefully will lead to some massively enjoyable watching...
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I have to say nice job, man. I do not agree with some of your choices, but rethink and rate 10 years of filmmaking is a task I would not atempt. I wonder how long it took to make the list. I will check out some of the movies I have note even heard of. Irreversible being no.1 gives you some credibility in my book.
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huge surprise there with the royal tenebaums.
but good to see some lost in translation love and children of men.
Got to say that when I read other TBs top 10 they all seem to resonate more with me than beaks. -
That damns the list for me personally. Putting State and Main (which is good, but c'mon, really dude?) and not hvaing In Bruges, which has the best screenplay of any film of the decade, is a little insulting. Sorry, I'm with you on almost all of this, but neglecting that film is ludicrous.
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Seriously? Top 25? That destroys your credibility. The other 98 can't be trusted. I give you a pass on Momento, that is why I didn't say 99.
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You have balls, no doubt about that listing ST and ROTS on this site. I also really enjoyed ROTS and ST was fun for me, as well for most critics. Will be interesting to see the top 10 lists for this year
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I just judge my movies on how much I enjoy them, I'm sure loads of people here will have a go for a few choices, but all those movies on my list made me happy.
Also. Only one of them makes it onto my top ten of all time, so that says a lot about this decade. -
Please don't be mad guys. Just trying to clarify.
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Miyamoto, yeah I think if you like 70% of someone elses list then you can say you have v.similar taste. My problem with Beaks' list was I agreed with only about 7% of it!
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Worthy of this list and worth checking out if you haven't seen it.
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Dec 11, 2009 8:43:18 AM CST
...Beaks list is mostly movies I admired. Not movies I loved...
by flickapoo
...there's a difference.
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Is this the top 100 of the decade or every slow depressing film I can think of that may or may not be represent what I think is art,..I cannot believe your number one...garbage..Your List ...Garbage,..Please quit pretending to be a cinaphile with a list thats just a pile,...or change your name to Mr Bleaks....sheesh!!what a joke
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My Top 3
1. Lost In Translation
2. In The Mouth Of Madness
3. Raiders Of The Lost Ark -
...in a Rebecca Romijn (r.i.p Stamos) light lesbian scene, then it's worth checking out. The Mrs. will probably enjoy it too. Not top 25, or even top 100 material. Not even close.
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Didn't stay awake for all of the Taking of Pelham 123, but from what I saw I don't think it'll be making the top ten of anything anytime soon.
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WTF!
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Thanks for recommending that, Beaks! I had never heard of it before. I'm a huge fan of Playtime, so I'll be checking it out.
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I loved Lost in Translation too, interested to see what made it for you.
First visited Japan in 2004, and whilst in Tokyo went to the bar from the movie, Park Hyatt. Was travelling by myself inspired by the movie and wanted to go there. That was the night I knew I wanted to live in Japan, 2 years later I moved there, met my wife and lived in Tokyo for 3 years. Best 3 years of my life. -
48 films on Beaks list, and I only like 22 of them. Its such a personal choice.
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"If you have any interest...in a Rebecca Romijn (r.i.p Stamos) light lesbian scene, then it's worth checking out."
Does a bear shit in the woods. Flickapoo my man, sold. -
and LOTR only at 6? BOOOOOOOOO
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For me it was a combination of things, I was feeling a bit lost in my own life at the time, and watching it just made feel...great. The relationship between the two main characters is just wonderful, the cinematography of the film is epically stunning, and Bill Murray cracks me up just as he always has.
It was also the first film I saw with Scarlett Johanssen, and she is simply brilliant.
Its a film about two unlikely friends who save each other from one of the worst things, boredom. The story is so simple and magical.
I do not enough time to explain all the reasons I love it so much, it just connected with me, and still does. I'll always watch it when I feel down.
And I would love to go to Tokyo at some point, ever since I watched the film. -
yeah all good points, I love how they need sleep together, that would have been you trypical hollywood movie, it wasn't about an old guy trying to bang a younger girl (though who could blame him with scarlett johanseem), it was about making a connection
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Beaks, you honestly think that Spider-man 2 is a better film than The Dark Knight? Really? There's no accounting for taste and there's nowt queerer than folk. I admire your honesty because you're not afraid to put your credibility on the line and kiss goodbye to some of it with that decision...
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Glad to see Primer, Yi-Yi and Irreversible on the list. I've seen each only once, but still think about each one of them, and often. Real impact. Great films. And talkbackers, if Irreversible gets you down, pop in Yi Yi. It's good for a lift.
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Dec 11, 2009 9:25:31 AM CST
...Cobra, I figured. Come to think of it, maybe it would be...
by flickapoo
...in my top 100. Mrs. FlickaPoo dug it too...that was a fun night.
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I don't see how stuff like Bring It On can be on there but no Dark Knight, Letters From Iwo Jima, A Bug's Life, Hellboy 2, Blade 2, King Kong, Serenity, Donnie Darko, and many others. I also would have put some of those movies higher up and some of them lower. But glad to see Shaun of the Dead and Eternal Sunshine in the Top 25.
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I must have seen a different Anchorman because the one I seen was complete and utter shit.
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Someone wanted to know why that movie was not on the list....it's not on there because it is an incredibly boring movie. If you suffer from insomnia, put on that movie, you will nod out in 20 minutes.
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...I forget. Belongs in the top 50 for sure in my book.
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CHILDREN OF MEN is not in your Top 100 for the decade??? I MEAN COME ON. SERIOUSLY?
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1. MY BALLS 2. MY COCK 3. THE HEAD OF MY COCK 4. MY FRIZZY PUBES 5. MY SCROTUM 6. MY SWOLLEN PROSTATE 7. MY BROWN ASS HOLE 8. THE TOILET PAPER STUCK IN MY ANUS HAIRS 9. SHIT GIGGLES 10. MYSELF AND MY GIANT MEMBER
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Just watched the trailer...looks really amateur.
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Children of Motherfucking Men not even on your lengthy list of honorable mentions?? What the fuck is wrong with you Beaks? Well at leats you put The New World in here. Tha tsomewhat saves you. But not really.
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It's not a rank of quality, it's a ranking of Beaks 100 (or so) favorite films of the last decade. He's not telling you any single one of them is "better" than another, or whatever films you would put in their place. He simply put his favorite 100 films of the decade is some kind of order. Why is this so hard to understand?
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PRIMER WILL FUCK YOUR ASS HOLE. IT'S FUCKING BRILLIANT. FUCK, MAN.
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Dec 11, 2009 9:42:22 AM CST
can anyone help me find the special directors cuts of:
by miyamoto_musashi
Bring it On and Observe and Report, apparently they are amazingly good.
I have only seen the normal versions and they are at best both slightly amusing -
Dude, are you serious? This film is THE BEST SUPERHERO film yet,(and yes-I agree, Spider-man 2 is daaaamn good-and SECOND in line for this pedigree).But to exlcude it? WOW!
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Someone's credibility is not destroyed, or whatever ridiculous crap I've been reading here, because their favorite films aren't the same as your favorite films.
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That film is not as universally loved as some of you believe. Personally, although there are many other films that would be on my list, or at least placed in a different position, I'm happy Beaks didn't bow to the pressure on that one.
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YOU HAVE AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM.
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It's not as universally loved because most people are fucking idiots like you.
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its very easy to understand, right from the start at number 100, you wonder how on earth could this be included with so much amazing stuff left out
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Beautiful film. So is his follow-up "2046" but I don't know if that made your list anywhere. It should have though.
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Lost in Translation is a fucking amazing movie, I imagine not enough stuff explodes to hold your attention span, try a Michael Bay flick instead!!!
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It's a sign that Beaks is a very funny person. Bravo, Beaks- you tried hard to piss people off (probably too hard) but you also did it with exhaustive flair. Beaks gets the top list of lists of the past decade. I'm not sure I would have gone through the effort, but just like how I admire George W. Bush for invading Iraq, I salute you sir- you showed us that you COULD do something, just because you can. Fucking guy...
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I'm not saying that my personal list would resemble this one even a little... I'm just saying who cares if a dude on the internet has different favorite films than you? It's not like he irreversibled you.
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You're nutty.
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People seek out movie reviewers who share their taste. If a reviewer lays out their taste for all to see with a top 100 list...for some, their credibility will be destroyed if that taste is vastly different. For those of you who love Will Ferrell movies more than films like Requiem for a Dream, Royal Tenenbaums, and the like...then it won't. Depends on the reader. Stop kissing Beaks's ass those of you who feel the need to do so. He's a big boy...he knew his taste would be criticized for posting this. That's the whole point.
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Seriously?
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... the just missed list?!?
Unbelievable. -
I'm done listening to you people and I'm certainly not going to comment any further as plain, clearly spoken, non-aggressive english is obviously lost on you anyway. Thanks for the list Beaks. I really enjoyed it.
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Dec 11, 2009 10:00:24 AM CST
I have to agree with the Children of Men backers ...
by colonelfatheart
That is an essential movie.
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better than The Dark Knight to you?
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"Beaks list makes me laugh."
"If Matrix was here, he'd laugh too." -
Just for you! http://tinyurl.com/4h3cf TTFN!
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...at the end. Six of the top ten movies I've never even heard of, and Tropic Thunder and the Departed aren't even on the list! Shameful.
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There isn't another person on the internet who would even remember that film enough to put it in a Top 100. That was, honestly, trying too hard to come up with something unique. It just doesn't fit, especially where you put it. To not put In Bruges or Children of Men on the list anywhere, but State and Main at 11, is fucking laughable. Objectively laughable. I know its your subjective list...but thats just silly.
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What did it just miss? Being the worst movie of all time?
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State and Main is one of those movies that thinks it's much more clever than it actually is.
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Dec 11, 2009 10:09:23 AM CST
And I Don't Believe You Are Smart Enough to Put Primer That High
by crow3711
I, honestly, don't think anyone is smart enough. Only a physicist could follow that movie. I'm a smart person, but the fact remains that I don't know every word in the english language, especially scientific words pertaining to theories and practices I've never heard of. I know Primer was fascinating, awesome sci-fi...but I didn't understand half the things they said...and I don't believe you if you said you did too. It's not a matter of paying attention, its literally a matter of knowing the definition of words that you would only hear in advanced college level physics courses...which 99 percent of people will never attempt. I liked the movie...but there is no way a film critic or film lover like us understood a fukcing thing about it. I just don't believe you
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Tropic Thunder is so shit it sucks monkey balls through a straw made from Michael Bay's pubic hair!
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Les Grossman says to take a big step back and...you know the rest.
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Tropic Thunder is beyond hilarious, don't know if it really deserves a spot on this list, but it is a wonderful comedy. SamBeckett can go fuck his own face.
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How eloquently delightful
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I absolutely LOVE that these two movies got placed so highly on this list. However, this list really falls apart at some points. For instance, according to this list, and what didn't make it, you think BRING IT ON is a better film that Dark Knight and Watchmen?!? What the fuck is wrong with you?!? Seriously. And how the fuck did Adaptation come in so low on your list? You ranked Miami Vice ahead of Adaptation...wow. Miami Vice LOOKED gorgeous, but story-wise...how many fucking showers can characters take in one film? Retarded, and insulting.
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And its nice you're 'with' GunRunner. I hope you two are very happy together.
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Implying I'm gay because I stand on another persons side of the argument..."how eloquently delightful" And its not like I really want you to fuck yourself, it just a quote from a very funny movie. Go make lame jokes that attack sexual preference somewhere else. Get over yourself.
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but Anchorman was very disappointing. It made Dodgeball and Old School look like instant classics. To list Anchorman in the same sentence is sacrilege. OTOH, if you want to include comedies where's the Hangover?
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Scratched my head for no Dark Knight, but you slide since you have Monster's Inc @ 23, and Memento @ #2. I love Monica Bellucci but I don't want to see the "realistiq" stuff that happens to her in Irreversible. + I can't find a place that has that fliq/too lazy to search.
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The lists are a window into how a person thinks, views, and experiences the world. As long as the list maker is being honest with themself there is no downside, really.
For what it's worth, here are my Top Ten Movies of the 2000's:
10. Watchmen (The only comic book movie I've ever fully enjoyed from beginning to end. Nice to see someone eschew the usual superhero vs. supervillian mold and head into more cerebral territory.)
9. Ratatouille (Remi's journey to achieving his personal dream over all manner of obstacles is life affirming of the highest order. And I always mist up at the end when his Dad, brother, and the entire rat clan show up to help Remi in his hour of need.)
8. Requiem for a Dream (a much needed bitchslap to the drugs are harmless and cool era, much in the same vein Hardcore nailed the early go-go porn era of the 1970's. On the personal side, Requiem plays like a home movie about my own mother and older brother.
7. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (The best musical to come along in quite a while. While most modern movie muscials - Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, Rent, etc. - were going bigger and louder, this ones went small, quiet, and intimate. Love the raw honesty John Cameron Mitchell brings to whole proceeding. And never, ever forget, "It's a wicked little town".)
6. Spirited Away (Miyazaki's 2nd best work ever, after his lyrical My Neighbor Totoro. Visually lush and tone perfect in every detail.)
5. Fahrenheit 9/11 (While I personally can't stand Michael Moore or his movie making style, and I don't agree with his positions I've got to give him credit where credit is due for making the right movie about the right topic at the right time. Pro or Con this film was impossible not to see and discuss during the 2004 presidential campaign.)
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Loved how it showed not just the nebulousness of how romantic relationships actually are, play out, and are perceived by each person in them; but, also how we each struggle to hold on and create meaning out of them in our own way.)
3. There Will Be Blood (A near-great all-American epic of ruthless selfdetermination. Like it or not, everyone has some Daniel Plainview in them. I just wish Paul Thomas Anderson could have figured out exactly where he wanted to go with this and had come up with a more focused final act.)
2. LOTR - The Fellowship of the Ring (You could put the entire trilogy here, but that seems like cheating to me. Wonderful film and successful adaptation of the beloved novel. Probably the movie event of the decade. Dominated the movie landscape from Dec 2001 to Dec. 2003 like few films ever have.)
1. The Lives of Others (Gets my vote not only for my personal favorite movie of the decade, but my vote for best movie of the decade overall. A stunningly realised close-up look at life lived under a police state for the watched as well as the watchers. The movie is basically one guy eavesdropping in on another man's life, and comparing and contrasting the two; but is more effective in all its quiet ways than most louder preachier films ever come close to accomplishing. Achieves a frighteningly paranoid verisimilitude, yet ends with one of the most joyously free and individually celebratory lines in recent memory. And I consider it poetic justice that this paean to individual liberty knocked off the pro-communist Pan's Labyrinth for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. -
I wasnt attacking anyones sexual preferences, How am I suppossed to you are both guys?
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10. The Olive Garden in Times Square, 9. Tad's Steaks (multiple locations), 8. The dirty water dog stand on 34th & 10th, 7. The Food Bank by the Port Authority Bus Terminal ("best gruel in town!"), 6. FRIDAY'S by MSG, 5. Panda Express (multiple locations- "Love the lo mein but hate the long lines!"), 4. a dumpster behind The Pink Tea Cup- "cheap, pre-chewed soul food!", 3. The stale wafers at an unnamed Catholic church in Queens, 2. the packing popcorn at the Kinko's/FedEx (multiple locations) and 1. The KFC/Taco Bell in Greenwich Village with the mutant-sized rats "Extra protein, supersized poop!"
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Wasn't til recently I was informed they were advanced machines. I mean when they first find David and marvel that he "knew humans" I thought that meant they were aliens. Also, I like the ending; I've seen too many twilight zone episodes so him ending up in the ocean would not bake my cake.
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I mean, AI? Crikey!
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That was good.
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I always thought it was open for interpretation, they sure look like aliens.
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Because it was more culturally significant than LOTR
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Ever since my older brother and I stumbled into a theater in the early seventies showing Sisters, I've been a great fan of DePalma. His love of cinema and technique is crystal clear. Blow Out is one of my all time favorites (BluRay where are you?). But if I wanted to watch 90 minutes of DePalma masturbating, I would. Oh wait. I have. Its called Femme Fatale. The fact that Beaks put Mission To Mars on his almost list is just as suspect.And I've never seen Primer, but I haven't seen a better film involving time travel and its consequences than the recent Timecrimes. Understand the director has already been scooped up by Hollywood.
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But The Dark Knight had just as many plot holes as did Star Trek. You and everyone else was just blinded by the performances and seemingly intelligence of the script to notice. As much as I think half of this list is a huge mistake, I credit Beaks for not going the mainstream route and including it.Someone up above said it right, the almost made it list is actually better than the top 100.I mean, I like Will Farrell, I mostly enjoy his schtick, but Anchorman beating out Children of Men (which wasn't even mentioned period) doesn't make a lot of sense, personal list or not.And count me in as one of those people who thought Primer was a really neat idea but was a poorly executed as Michael Jeter in The Green Mile.
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Damn, Beaks. You fell for it. You got tricked, son! Taken in by spectacle without substance. Which I suppose is a good enough way to sum up the decade as a whole, come to think of it.
But really, you thought that movie was the BEST? Of the decade? Geeeeeez....... -
I went to see this film in the theatre. At the time I hadn't known about the Kubrick connection, only that it was Spielberg with robots in.I'm glad it placed so high on your list. I've always felt it was misunderstood and unappreciated. I was shocked by how cold it was, how observational - far from Spielberg's usual sentimental stuff. And the last sequence is terribly creepy.Overall a very compelling list Mr. Beaks. There are a handful of films I've never even heard of so I look forward to tracking them down.
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I decided to actually read WHY you liked Irreversible so much. Dude! Again, really???
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Royal Tenenbaums (2001) * Dogville (2003) * Kill Bill (2003, 2004) * Master and Commander (2003) * Collateral (2004) * The Constant Gardener (2005) * Children of Men (2006) * The Lives of Others (2006) * The Prestige (2006) * In Bruges (2008)
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On purpose?
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On purpose?
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It should have been in the top twenty. And there Will Be Blood is superior to No Country & Irreverisible, cannot account for Yi Yi and Mood For Love because I haven't seen them. And Zodiac not in the top 100? Hell it shhould be in the top ten!! And why is Mission To Mars in the list of "just missed the top 100", it's aweful!
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It's in the just missed list and #44 in list.
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In Bruges, Zodiac, and Children of Men are the most blatantly stupid omissions from this list. I'm glad so many people agree with this.
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Yeah... sorry, kiddo, but your list is invalid.
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Is DEFINITELY top ten for me. Dogville and A History of Violence as well.
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In Bruges is possibly in my top ten movies of all time, let alone the ONE HUNDRED in a DECADE.
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Is my favourite film of all time. I didn't realize it was 2001 - boo to you Mr. Beaks.
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i really enjoy your list even though the geek in me wants Dark Knight somewhere. I love the fact that it's just a different take and you voiced your opinion clearly, the one movie absence that just weirded me out was "Hunger" ... I was gonna bet money that was make the top ten... If you read this, Mr. Beaks, please let me know your thoughts.
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Your approval of the horrible rape scene paints quite a picture of whom you are as a person. Do you have a Mother? A Sister? It may have been a well made and very well acted film but number 1 of the PAST 10 YEARS?
Please. You did it for shock value, it's a stunt. Rape is a part of our society, a base part, but so is child molestation and I want to see niether in any movie I watch. I can see where you get your hatred of humanity - you focus on the least (and worst) part of it. -
It's okay though, because I know you meant to put Memento at #1. If you can just go ahead and correct this, it would be appreciated. Memento makes other screenwriters and directors curl up and cry.
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Agreed. And I would add Apocalypto. The fact that with the exception of Zodiac, none of them even made his "almost" list "almost" null and voids this list.It's like someone saying, "Yeah, you know, I kinda like oxygen, water, electricity and food, but none of them would make my Life Essentials List."
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Oh crap, I just wikipedia'd the dude- he's DEAD! Okay, I'm aborting the joke at this point...
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You have lost me as a reader of your column. Since you have the access to watch movies free and have unlimited time to assess the films, 10 of your movies in the just missed category eliminates you from any consideration. Bye and thanks
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What that movie did to me in that dark theater is more horrifying than anything depicted in Irreversible.
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"Beaks top 10 restaurants in NY" = brilliance. LMFAO!
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Dec 11, 2009 11:41:23 AM CST
Someone in the office yelled "Too soon!" YackBacker
by hawaiian organ donor
But I said fuck it, Jeter was great but he's been dirt napping for a while now and proceeded with the joke anyway.
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If it's the best film of the decade, then it belongs on a list of The Best Films of Each Decade, which could then be renumbered as Best Films of All Time. Get me? So the best film of the 30's, say, Modern Times or King Kong or Snow White or whatever, and the 40's, Citizen Kane or Casblanca, and the 50's, Seven Samurai or Sunset Blvd, and the 60's, Dr. Strangelove or 2001, and the 70's, the Godfather Parts 1+ 2 or Taxi Driver, and the 80's, uhm, Bueller? Empire? Shining? and the 90's, Pulp Fiction, would be in the running as Best Film of All Time, along with... Irreversible? Yeah, it's an arresting, unsettling, thought provoking masterpiece, but how exactly does it stack up against those others? Well, it would have to be at the end of that list. No contest (well, it might beat out Ferris.) But Memento, or LOTR, or even freaking No Country are more in line with the others. Also, I agree with those above that Dark Knight should take Anchorman's place, and Anchorman should take Ricky Bobby's place. Because Will Farrell should not show up that many times in anybody's list of best anything.
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and Sexy Beast were a couple other favs of mine.... i just realized there are a loottt of movies lol can't please everybody. Overall good list, Beaks. there's like 5 I haven't seen which I'm looking forward too. Always an excited thing!
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IN BRUGES or TEAM AMERICA. It's possible that he can levitate objects with his mind.
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And to those who didn't find it funny, thanks for remaining silent on the matter.
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Cause I'd really like to talk about what people do and don't understand about it. As I said before, I understand what happened in an overall, full plot type of way. At the end, I could connect the dots from A to B to C and understand what happened. But the details, moment to moment...very little. And I wasn't totally clear earlier either (not that anyone cares) because its not just the words I didn't understand..but the functions at play. Most of the dialogue, the actual script, is serious, serious techno-speak, talking about mixing atoms and subatomic particles to create new atoms, etc and the effect that those have on the materials they are using for their experiment etc. How can anyone except a true scientist follow any of this at all? Maybe that isn't the point really...because I recognized it as astounding film making while I was watching it, and even though i didn't fully understand, i was still mezmorized for most of the film by the kinetic energy and just how original and how...real?...it seemed. But, for me personally, I prefer a screenplay I can actually understand. I hate things that are "dumbed down" for audiences, and I despise transformers-esque cinema, but I'm just saying, I don't understand Primer on a very basic level. So I'm not sure how it could ever be in a Top Anything list for me. Its incredible sci-fi...but its also way over my head. Anyone else?
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I, too, am a being of logic, and your breakdown of why his choice makes no sense is just about perfect. I love quantifying things in that type of logical systematic way...and your system just raped Beaks a little bit. It's still his own opinion, etc, and who knows, maybe his "best films" of all those decade woulnd't include a single one of the films you mentioned at all...but your argument is compelling nonetheless. well played.
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Where else can you see a guy masturbate jizz into his own mouth?
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No, you couldn't renumber them as Best Films of all time. Just because one film is #1 in one decade does not mean it is better than #10 in another decade. You can interpret it as meaning one decade is a lot more shit than another.
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Because, tachyon fields and all that aside, you can't actually send weeble wobbles into the past.
I found this useful after seeing the film tho': http://primermovie.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=541
As for Beaks' list...I think this last 25 deviated farther from mine than any other section. Some of the same names are there: ETERNAL SUNSHINE, THE NEW WORLD, LOTR. But others wouldn't be in my top 500: FEMME FATALE. To each his own, of course. -
You said:"There is a discussion to be had on the deploying of factually sketchy events to drive the point home, but dramatic license is hardly synonymous with dishonesty."Do you actually realize that George Jonas' book is not "dramatic license", but a complete hoax?When I hear people praise this film, it really makes me feel like I'm living in an alternate universe. I keep asking myself questions like, "Doesn't Spielberg know that Juval Aviv is a con artist?", and "How could he fall for this type of ruse?" I've never seen a satisfactory answer, so I must assume that Spielberg is a legitimate fool, as is anyone else who thinks this film is an accurate portrayal. Do you people who like this film know how inaccurate and false it is? The real Avner (Juval Aviv)is the real-life equivalent of Nick Nolte's Four Leaf Tayback in Tropic Thunder; he made it up. He lied; and he was exposed for it! Did Spielberg not get the message?Anyone who knows the slightest thing about the way intelligence, specifically Mossad, works would know that almost everything in the film regarding the reciprocity operations was false. I will give the film credit for accurately depicting the actual massacre and Operation Spring of Youth. But the film is patently dishonest in the way it uses a fake story to bring about the moral relativism of Israel haters like Tony Kushner. The events aftermath of the events of Munich DID NOT HAPPEN THIS WAY! The movie is a lie and I don't think I can ever forgive Spielberg for it, much less the disgusting scene at the end where Eric Bana has flashbacks while humping his wife. God I hate that movie. You people that keep praising it should be ashamed of yourselves for being willfully duped.
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I'm certainly not a Beaks apologist. I bet that at least 70% of my contributions to talbacks have consisted of the words, "Beaks is a pretentious douchebag". The best thing I have to say about him is that eventually Merrick showed up and made everyone look a little better.I agree that people tend to seek out reviewers who tastes mirror their own, but at the worst all these articles did is help you make the decision. I think that some people are losing sight of the fact that favorite and best are not the same thing. As for destroying his credibility I'm not certain that anonymous internet film critics with ridiculous aliases have any to destroy, but that's another argument.Finally, a loy of you are shocked that he put say Bring It On on this list over other films you consider more worthy. While I would never put it in my top 100 of a decade list I did enjoy Bring It On as a fun piece of harmless fluff. The reason I was shocked to see it is because, as I may have mentioned I think Beaks is a pretentious douchebag, and I, honestly, thought that enjoying fun was not something of which he was capable.
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I wrote a column for www.mediaite.com detailing my top 10 - #1 is Almost Famous, #2 is Gladiator, and #3 is The Dark Knight
Here's the link if you'd like to check out my masterpiece (and the lego Dark Knight trailer)
http://www.mediaite.com/columnists/my-top-ten-fave-films-of-the-00’s/ -
Dec 11, 2009 12:22:46 PM CST
OK, I have to disagree on the best of all time thing
by hawaiian organ donor
Just because someone's best of the decade list might not make the AFI best of list doesn't make it a bad choice. As much as I think Beaks was tanked off 150 proof while he made this list, I have to defend his choices as valid to him.And Primer stunk it up because what those guys used time travel for was retarded. You give me the ability to change the past and I just need to travel back once. I'll fix things with Latte Girl and win the lottery motherfucker. Anyone who would do that stock market crap or crash a party is a moron.And Anchorman sitting at #12 is still irritating the crap out of me.
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which makes you a bad man.
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Good to see it in the top 20... Beautiful movie that I feel was entirely overlooked. The Indians were unbelievably authentic, and I felt like I was transported to that time and place. I thought the score was great, Beaks.
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for me, too.
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Thanks my holiday luncheon is coming up shortly. I think I lost my appetite.
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one of the best dramedy movies ever...
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Didn't know that, that's a shame, Kaufman is great, but Gondry on his own is kind of aimless and boring.
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You just forgot to include all the movies from 2010, since that's the final year of the decade. You don't start counting to ten with zero. I may be an asshole, but I'm correct!
:D -
... after all the hype and gushing and proclamation of being the best movie of 2009... and in the end Mr Beaks doesn't include Jar Jar Abrams's Shit Trek in the top best list of the 2000s? I'ts not even part of the runners up lit? WOW!!! Wow!!! I'm impressed!! I'm very pleasantly impressed! Can this be that AICN is starting to run from under the evil spell of Jar Jar Abrams and finally admiting that Shit Trek is nothing but, at the very best, a deeply flaweed mediocre movie that doesn't even deserve to be mentioned as a runner up to the best top 100 of the decade, even despiste all the asskissign that had been going on? Is there hope for AICN?Anyway, thank you, Mr Beaks. I don't always agree with you, but thank you. Though it's a shame that you didn't oput The Dark Knight on the list. There's some two or ten movies in your list which should had The Dark Knight instead. But no matter. A worst harm was not done, and that is what counts.
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was some pretentious twaddle!
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Beaks apparently forgot it though :(
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Dec 11, 2009 12:36:39 PM CST
You're Both Incorrect AND an Asshole, If You Can Believe It!
by crow3711
To start this incredibly stupid and insipid argument one more time. You. Are. Wrong. Tell me, what years encompass the decade known as the 1930's? Oh, thats right, 1930-1939 you complete dolt. 1990's? 1990-1999. Moron. I'm so sick of this stupid argument. You are right that you don't count to ten starting at zero, but that has NOTHING to do with decades!!!! YEARS DON'T START AT ZERO, THEY START AT 10! 1990 (A TEN) 2000 (TEN) I fucking hate it! 2000-2009 equal the decade of the 2000's. How fucking hard is that? 50's. 1950-1959. So how in the fucking name of God would this decade be 2001-2010? Thats FUCKING INSANITY! What is wrong with you people! I feel like I am taking crazy pills!
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That didn't come out clear enough,and someone will call me a moron for that, but my argument is correct, and nitpicking that won't make it right. Decades don't "start at ten" but they start on a tenth year, always. That's all I meant. 1990-1999 = 90's. 2000-2009 - 2000's. 2010-2019 - two-thousand teens. To quote Daniel Plainview...I'm finished.
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Really, I think that has to be a joke to list it under honorable mention.
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But try to explain that to the fucking dumbfucks in the media. They don't know how to count to ten.
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That means I've lived exactly 3 decades. The first year of my life was year zero. I didn't get to 1 until I'd lived 1 year. So the first year was zero. Hope that makes it easy enough for you to grasp.
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Basically, which movie is so terrible that it's made even worse for taking CHILDREN OF MEN's rightful spot? I nominate OBSERVE AND REPORT.
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is available free on demand in HD!
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BEAKS HATES BALE
CNN report that news outlets across the world are uniting in their condemnation of cult film website Aint It Cool News.
Aint It Cool News which recently ran a 100 best films of the decade article seems to have snubbed Hollywood actor Christian Bale.
Bale, the hardest working man in Hollywood made 19 films in the decade but was overlooked in the list. The author of the list 'Mr Beaks' (real name Monica Fairbrass) has refused to comment but world leaders have been quick to jump to Bale's defense.
President Barack Obama said "Bale made 19 films this decade. That's your top 19 right there." He also offered to give Christian Bale his Nobel Peace Prize in an expression of solidarity to The Dark Knight star.
Christopher Nolan commented "I made a bunch of movies this decade, all starring Christian Bale. Beaks picked the only that didnt. Im sad and confused by the whole affair."
Dave Chapelle, who's film Block Party did make the top 100, also made a statement "If I'da known that I was gurna keep a Bale movie outta the list then I'da never made the movie in the first place. Fuck, it's not like it was any good anyways."
The films made by Bale, and snubbed by Beaks include:
THE DARK KNIGHT
PUBLIC ENEMIES
3:10 TO YUMA
THE PRESTIGE
RESCUE DAWN
BATMAN BEGINS
THE MACHINIST
HOWLS MOVING CASTLE
EQUILIBRIUM
and AMERICAN PSYCHO. -
It's the Children of Men, Once, Traffic, Minority Report and Apocalypto total snubs that should be pissing people off.
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I mean....with some of the other dog shit on this list why not include it? No In Bruges, MOON or Snatch?? We've all learned a lesson here, stay clear of Beaks' future recommendations.
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is better than Beaks' number 1 film, which even most (MOST) talkbackers are afraid to bash because it deals with the issue of rape. And every one of those films is certainly better than Bring It Fucking On.
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...I liked your restaurant list, very clever and appropriate analogy to the subject matter...gave me a good laugh.
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I think another very good western was Open Range. And here would be my top ten, in no particular order: Fellowship of the Ring, Master & Commander, Kingdom of Heaven:DC, The Visitor, The Lives of Others, Black Book, Red Cliff, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Daisy, and Casino Royale. I'd probably put Fellowship as my #1 if I had to.
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I guess our taste for movies is as different as our tastes for music. I didn't agree with 60% of the films on this list. You think that BAD SANTA was better than THE DARK KNIGHT? CHILDREN OF MEN? Nope...not for me.
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of the past 25 years. I think old Bob needs to garrote Beaks into saddling up a few changes to this list.
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Good call about MOON being ignored. But we gotta make room for Beaks' Will Ferrel man-crush, right?
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Maybe I should give #15 a second chance, too.
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DRAG ME TO HELL, why did you charm Beaks oh so much? I'm calling Daniel Craig and telling him that his movies need more mucus.
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Love the list .. gave me quite a few options to check out ... Besides the omission of The Fall and Children of Men (which i don't understand how either of these films could be kept off anyone's list) I enjoyed reading it very much and look forward to seeing some of the lesser know films on this list
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Glad I was able to introduce you to 3 of those entries.The Visitor and Black Book? Bold kick ass choices.
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If someone other than Mel Gibson had directed the film, it would have made plenty of BEST FILM lists. That movie rocked! The acting, direction, cinematography and soundtrack were incredible. Unfortunately, it had Mel Gibson's name on the film. Thus, it was delegated to a few unimportant Oscar nominations...and that was that.
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Pillow Talk, another talkbacker pwning Beaks with a superior list.
One question, what's DAISY? -
I agree 100% with Irreversible at #1. When I got down to #5 and Beaks hadn't mentioned it yet, I didn't think it was even going to make it. Nice work, my man. Also, I've only seen Irreversible twice, both time on mushrooms. I highly recommend the experience if you can handle it.
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Thank you, Liberated- you've done us proud by proving the point.
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Face it. The first two hours of TDK is flawless but the last act is weak. Two-Face's arc was rushed and sloppy. And the "Sonar" sequence was worse than anything in Daredevil.
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But if you take your #1 favorite movie of each decade, make a list, and then number those movies, you should arrive at your all-time favorite movie. For instance mine would be Pulp Fiction. Doesn't mean the 90's were a better decade for film than say the 50's. But I do think that each of the choices of Best Film of Each Decade does belong on a a list of best films of all time. And that Irreversible does not belong on that list.
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You're a sick man, Liberated. A sick sick man.
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Liberated, I suppose your best film of the Nineties was THE ACCUSED? Jodie Foster make sexy time with lucky men.
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...should include THE DARK KNIGHT, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, MYSTIC RIVER, APOCALYPTO, CHILDREN OF MEN, CASINO ROYALE, THE PERFECT STORM, CAST AWAY, and BIG FISH. Of course, I guess it comes down to taste.
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It began in the first. Harvey was around for the entire film. The climax of his character is him becoming the villain. I thought he was very well developed. And the sonar sequence was fucking badass on Imax, that's all I know.
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No Cobra--Kai, the best film of the 90s was Fight Club. The rape scene isn't why I like Irreversible. I like it because I think it pushes cinema forward.
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once he became Two-Face he wasn't given much to do. Had the movie ended with him becoming Two-Face it would've been perfect. Batman 3 should've had Two-Face as the villain.
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Have any of you people read Watchmen?? because if you had you would know that the movie is CRAP!!! (i have not yet watched the DC because i'm still angry but no new ending= CRAP!!!!!) The way Snyder shit all over one of the best comics of all time is unforgivable .. The glazing over of important storylines such as Hollis Mason and the Silk Specter II / Comedian relationship is terrible .. Turning the Rorschach jail scene into a scene from Saw was TERRIBLE .. If you wanna really see Watchmen ... Get the motion comic .. and hire voiceover actors to do individual characters (dont know what they were thinking going with only one narrator) sadly thats the closest you will get
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I hate the "Harvey Dent Not Developed" argument. His arc follows through the entire film, and him becoming two-face is only part of it. He does take center stage in the last act, and maybe its a teensy bit "rushed", but it works perfectly IMO. You don't need a whole two-face movie. They did it justice. They justified his actions, imo, and finished both his story and gothams story, in terms of the dark knights scope, in one fell swoop. it was masterful. The last scene, between Bats, Dent, and Gordon is perfect, in my taste. He was exactly what he needed to be, with nothing more and nothing less. I don't tihnk Bats 3 should have had two-face as the villain. Durden says he wasn't given much to do, but in reality, two-face isnt that interesting of a villain. His "chance" shtick woulndt last through a whole film. And his motivation to destroy all of gotham would be bullshit. He wanted justice for rachel by hurting the people he blamed..not everyone. He woulnd't make a good threat for a full movie. It just woulnd't be as good as what they already did. His arc as two-face was short and sweet, his arc as harvey dent was long, full featured, and powerful.
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I read WATCHMEN twice and I fucking loved Snyder's version. I think the criticism the movie has had to endure boils down to overly-possessive fans thinking the story belongs to "them" and that frankly, NO adaptation would ever be good enough.
So stay home and read. Simple choice, really... -
We have Hawaiian to thank for this introduction of Daisy...http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_Daisy.php
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I've seen most the movies on this list and didn't even think of this movie.
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Dec 11, 2009 1:35:27 PM CST
I'm a pretty open-minded, live & let live type, but...
by cletus van damme
...this list is BS. Ordinarily I'd just click away from the page and laugh it off but come the fuck on!I mean you've got fucking Femme Fatale, and State and Main in the top 25...The Devil Wears Prada, Bad Boys II, and Pootie Tang in Sine Your Pitty on the Runny Kine are on the "Just Missed" list, but Superman Returns, Sideways, Batman Begins, Iron Man and the Hellboys are nowhere to be seen?
Beaks, you're dead to me. -
is that including Batman's raspy ass eulogy? Damn that was some of the most unintentionally hilarious shit I've seen in a theater in a long time. His stupid voice ruined whatever power that scene had.
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...made your list.
You're a world class asshole. -
Dec 11, 2009 1:41:52 PM CST
This just in - Beaks' top 10 things he can't live without!!!
by hawaiian organ donor
1. Crystal Pepsi2. E.T. video game (it's landfill approved!)3. Windows ME4. Heinz purple ketchup5. Apple Newton (Eat up Martha)6. McDonald's Arch Deluxe7. Pets.com stock options8. Nintendo Virtual Boy9. New Jersey Hitmen XFL jerseyCold fusion at-home kit
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Dec 11, 2009 1:44:09 PM CST
So Beaks, you honestly think Jackass is a better movie
by mattmanreturns
than Gladiator?
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Y'know, I like an arty film as much as the next guy (I would have topped the list with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN), but that movie was just a fancy-pants, pretentious "gorno" substitute safe for the latte-slurping elite. If not for the MEMENTO-style scene reversal, it wouldn't have a leg to stand on artistically, unless seeing a guy's head being bludgeoned into an unrecognizable mess, the longest rape scene ever put on celluloid and the most homophobic movie ever screened (with all the hetero rapists in the world, WHY WAS BELLUCI'S RAPIST GAY?!) is your idea of an aesthetic accomplishment. I'm not even going to get into the endless opening, with what seemed like an hour of some fat, sweaty half-naked guy bitching...sheesh.
Beaks, you've REALLY got to be careful which movie you choose to top out a list with (and I don't care for the ranking bullshit at all...just alphabetize them)...this misstep pretty much invalidated the entire exercise.
What a shame. -
HE HATE CHILDREN OF MEN too!
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Dec 11, 2009 1:47:15 PM CST
"The difference between Mr. Beak's taste and mine..."
by ccchhhrrriiisssm
"...is that I have some." (Quote borrowed from Rose in James Cameron's TITANIC, and reportedly a swipe at a certain film critic) =)
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I agree with you about the Watchmen motion comic; having only one narrator was a little annoying, especially when he did the female voices. It sounded like a bad puppet show. But overall the motion comic was fantastic. But they should have at least hired a female second narrator to do the female voices. I did love the movie though, and I liked the fact that Nite Owl was actually shown to give a shit about Rorschach's death, unlike in the comic. The scene with Doc Manhattan on Mars is one of the most powerful scenes in cinema.
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are overrated. NCFOM is pitch-perfect for a while but it goes into the shitter once Brolin bites the big one (SPOILER). TWBB suffers from no one in the cast being nearly as awesome as Daniel Day Lewis. He's the whole show; which is fine, but that doesn't necessarily make it a classic.
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I just thought if Beaks was going to go on about things about as useful as an outhouse in a sewer, he shouldn't stop with a list of movies.
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I have Beaks' top 10 bacteria list in the works as we speak...
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"I did love the movie though, and I liked the fact that Nite Owl was actually shown to give a shit about Rorschach's death, unlike in the comic. The scene with Doc Manhattan on Mars is one of the most powerful scenes in cinema."
Very much agreed. It drove me bonkers in the comic when Nite Owl doesn't even register Rorschach's death...just bones Silk Spectre II in one of the mansion's rooms. Not only did you see the misery on Manhattan's face at Rorschach's decision (and it was HIS decision), you saw Nite Owl's pain at the death of his friend and even Ozymandias's regret when he allows NO to beat the snot out of him. Nearly perfect sequence, really. As was the Mars sequence.
I think a lot of viewers are going to come back and re-evaluate this film in years to come. -
BEAKS SPEAKS!
Newsflash. CNN have secured an exclusive interview with the controversial 'Mr Beaks' who recently caused a furore with his Bale-less top 100 list.
When asked why he chose IRREVERSIBLE as his number one movie of the decade Beaks boasted "Irreversible was the only choice. In my opinion it's right up there with The Accused as the best of all time."
Beaks went on to explain "I actually saw between 100 and 150 snuff films this decade, but because they didnt get a theatrical release they weren't eligible for inclusion on my list."
"Irreversible may not have been an 'actual' snuff film but it came closer than any to replicating that sensation of prolonged rape. Obviously you get the murder too with the fire extinguisher mushing in the guy's face - to be honest that's just a bonus."
"I'd go as far to say that Irreversible was actually *better* than some of the genuine snuff films I enjoyed this decade. The camera angles ensured you really got a great view of the raping and the murder. Yeah, the film makers did a good job."
When pressed regarding his omission of Bale films, Beaks commented "I did think about including American Psycho because Bale literally eats out that woman's pussy - but all the sex scenes in it start off consensual. Lame, Just lame." -
ROFLMAO!
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...that I can safely ignore anything Beaks ever says about film or anything else. If Beaks were to tell me the sky is blue, I'd have to look outside for confirmation before believing him. What a fucking tard. There are some absolutely egregious choices in your 100 films.
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Thanks. Let me up the ante. The second time I saw it, was on my birthday with a group of co-workers at the movie theater I use to work at. Then we watched United 93, which I hadn't seen before. Then everyone else left and I watched A Scanner Darkly for the first time. I finished it off by watching my By Brakhage DVD. Best birthday ever.
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I love it when people say someone's opinion is "wrong." Art is subjective. In my book The Dark Knight was a 2 1/2 star snooze-fest. It had plot holes and screw-ups all over the place.
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funny stuff.
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There are some excellent movies on this list but some were HUGE surprises to see so high on the list. ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY i just don't get it, he says a lot of crazy catch phrases but i did not find the movie all that funny, one of my least favorite Will Ferrell movies, and Momento higher than In the Mood for Love? i don't think so:P
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....would eat History of Violence's lunch and steal it's milk money. Now, I'll give ya this- the last 15 minutes of History of Violence is pretty damn good, but, as a whole, EP is the superior movie.
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It felt like the first two acts of a good movie... but then it ended. Not a bad movie, just not nearly as satisfying as History of Violence.
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Your opinion on opinions is totally wrong.
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Viggo's story continues, but Naomi's part in the bigger story is done.
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Dec 11, 2009 2:27:35 PM CST
You think Beaks was hanging in the closet next to Carridine
by hawaiian organ donor
When he last watched Irreversible?
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1. Beaks has shit taste in film. 2. Talkbacks are still worth visiting.
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Was one of the most powerful cinematic experiences I've ever had... period. I can't say it would be my number one, but I get it.
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And he is listing all movies, period. Not top ten comedies, dramas, no, everything, including foreign films, in his top 100 list. I'm pretty sure I see at least 700 films a YEAR... This just means that these movies really touched you in a special way, so this list is not about how good this or that movie were, but how they moved you. So people, stop bickering about which movie did or did not made it, because it's pointless. Do your own damn list and compare it with this list to see how alike or different your list is. It is his list, after all, and there is nothing you can say that will change it.
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which does not necessarily mean the "BEST".
1. American Psycho (Works not only as a satire of yuppies but also as a paronoid feminist view towards men as a sexual creature. Bale at the top of his game. I can't go to the ATM without thinking of this movie.)
2. Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith (People will crucify me for this but I don't care. I saw this five times in the theater. It's every bit as good as ROTJ. The first forty minutes are some of the best SW action ever and the final confrontation between Vader and Obi-Wan lives up to the years of waiting. Only debit: Vader screaming NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!)
3. Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (Again, I lose all credibility here but I still maintain that the final act of the movie is relentlessly action packed. After years of wondering what the Clone Wars was all about, I was not disappointed. And c'mon tell me you didn't cheer when Yoda started fucking shit up. Only debit: Mannequin like performances, but still no worse than Ford or Fisher in Jedi.)
5. Rambo (The last act of this movie is total fucking destruction. To me, the best of the Ramboses.)
6. The Protector (Tony Jaa is the new Bruce Lee. He fucks shit up left and right with his badass knees. Moral of the story, do not fuck with Tony Jaa's elephants.)
7. Batman Begins (What makes this movie work is that unlike every other adaptation of the comic, Bruce Wayne is an actual CHARACTER. Strong villains and great action makes this the best Batman movie ever made. It also has my favorite "Oh shit" moment of any movie in the 00's: When Batman sprays Scarecrow with Fear Gas and becomes a big black snarling beast.)
8. Spider-Man (One of the rare instances where the expectations are met. I'm a life-long Spider-Man geek and this movie made me feel like a kid again. Easily Raimi's best non-Evil Dead movie. I like it better than 2 because Peter Parker doesn't get so Emo about not wanting to be Spider-Man and/or dances.)
9. Land of the Dead (This was the first Romero zombie movie I've ever seen in the theater and it didn't disappoint. Romero's social commentary has never been stronger and the zombie scenes still pack a punch despite numerous imitators and rip-offs.)
10. Grindhouse (Not necessarily the best movie of the decade but certainly the most fun I've had at the movies since I was a kid. I admit Death Proof wasn't as good as Planet Terror or the fake trailers, but Kurt Russell is a FUCKING GOD.)
Now a list of what I would consider to be the "BEST" films of the decade would be quite different. if I did a top ten list in terms of "quality" the winners would be...
1. American Psycho
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. Gran Torino
4. Ghost World
5. Rocky Balboa
6. Apocalypto
7. The Wrestler
8. Son of Rambow
9. The Machinist
10. Shine a Light
Let the hating begin... -
4. Rocky Balboa (The Rocky saga comes full cirle, perfectly bookending the series. At 60, Stallone shows he still got what it takes.)
5. Rambo (The last act of this movie is total fucking destruction. To me, the best of the Ramboses.)
6. The Protector (Tony Jaa is the new Bruce Lee. He fucks shit up left and right with his badass knees. Moral of the story, do not fuck with Tony Jaa's elephants.)
7. Batman Begins (What makes this movie work is that unlike every other adaptation of the comic, Bruce Wayne is an actual CHARACTER. Strong villains and great action makes this the best Batman movie ever made. It also has my favorite "Oh shit" moment of any movie in the 00's: When Batman sprays Scarecrow with Fear Gas and becomes a big black snarling beast.)
8. Spider-Man (One of the rare instances where the expectations are met. I'm a life-long Spider-Man geek and this movie made me feel like a kid again. Easily Raimi's best non-Evil Dead movie. I like it better than 2 because Peter Parker doesn't get so Emo about not wanting to be Spider-Man and/or dances.)
9. Land of the Dead (This was the first Romero zombie movie I've ever seen in the theater and it didn't disappoint. Romero's social commentary has never been stronger and the zombie scenes still pack a punch despite numerous imitators and rip-offs.)
10. Grindhouse (Not necessarily the best movie of the decade but certainly the most fun I've had at the movies since I was a kid. I admit Death Proof wasn't as good as Planet Terror or the fake trailers, but Kurt Russell is a FUCKING GOD.)
Now a list of what I would consider to be the "BEST" films of the decade would be quite different. if I did a top ten list in terms of "quality" the winners would be...
1. American Psycho
2. Pan's Labyrinth
3. Gran Torino
4. Ghost World
5. Rocky Balboa
6. Apocalypto
7. The Wrestler
8. Son of Rambow
9. The Machinist
10. Shine a Light
Let the hating begin... -
You see 700 movies a year?????
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Your only saving grace is the mention of the great Tony Jaa.
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Beaks - you fucked up. Big time. Not a bad list though Von Trier's movies don't deserve space as all are garbage (and I'm including 'Breaking The Waves' in that statement). I think Bad Santa should be top ten. Also, we owe a whole generation of comedy to 'Old School'. It's what made Will Ferrel a star.
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These lists totally bore me, they invariably always feel like snobbish posturing and forced iconoclasm. A bunch of "look at me!" foreign art films and too-glowing recollections of average crap. And some of you watch 700 movies a year? Damn. I guess I'm just not that much of a movie lover anymore. This has been my stereotypically dour internet post of the day. I dedicate it to Lockes. -
FAIL
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Since it's maybe my all-time favorite movie (along with Jaws), I can't hate on a list that puts Memento at the top. Also love History of Violence. And now there is someone besides me who loves A.I. because literally everyone else I ever watch movies with finds it dull.
I don't like Shaun of the Dead at all. I find it lame and amateurish, and don't like it as a romance, a comedy or a thriller. But I know some people do. Some people also find The New World isn't the best cure ever for insomnia.
Also, I have to respect anyone who has the balls to put Femme Fatale on a best list, since it's widely derided.
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dammit!
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American Psycho, Pan's Labyrinth, Gran Torino, The Wrestler: fucking professional. The rest... I'm gonna kick your fucking ass!
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Series7 that was a great allusion. And the critique of it not being there for being a "comic book" movie is unwarranted. It had no place to be there. Bale was a bad choice for Bruce/Batman. Nolan cast Bale because of American Psycho, therein lies the fault because that was not Bruce Wayne just because he was rich and wore suits.
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So let's not lie about or even go there. To say that AI is my favorite movie of the decade is an understatement. It is a masterpiece and it's ending isn't just heartbreaking it's destroying. I was under the fim's impressions for weeks afterwards.
P.S. AI and Munich are movies Kubrick would love. -
her asshole.
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You just fucking lost all fucking credibility there.
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When we have close to 100 episodes of LOST. February 2 bitches. LA X.
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Dec 11, 2009 2:59:05 PM CST
I'm glad Casino Royale didn't get any mention whatsoever
by takingscorpioscalls
Casino Royale, your kung fu powers are weak, even with all that grittyness, new Bond high, and "Fleming adaptation" just holding it up like a pair of crutches.
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Having just finished the Watchmen Motion Comic this afternoon...I think Snyder did a very good job on the movie. I watched the Motion Comic because I wanted to see how different the graphic novel was, and it really wasn't that different. I think the movie's ending was better. The only real difference is the graphic novel has a little more backstory and the ending. But I was expecting it to be DRASTICALLY different, and it wasn't.
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And had Shine a Light as Honorable Mention....
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Except one is engaging, witty, and thought-provoking while the other is an exercise in horseshit, base, audience manipulation?
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Something like the memory lane of Quint's AMAD only moreso.
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I'm with you on Casino Royale. I LIKE the flick but after catching it on SyFy's Bond marathon, it doesn't have the replay value of a Licence to Kill, Goldeneye, Diamonds are Forever, or heck even The Man with the Golden Gun.
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I must say though, your list does lead me to believe you're a schizophrenic. No one (sane) can start with Bring It On and end with Irreversible.
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Out-take from Beaks CNN interview.
"Wasn't this the decade of the superhero. Where's Batman, Watchmen, and Iron Man on your list?" CNN Reporter
"There's only one superhero worth a shit. Hollow Man. He gets to rape Rhona Mitra. He's the guy we all want to be right? I would've put that in my top five but the film pussies out and doesn't show the rape. What's the fucking point in having a rape if you don't show it?? Lame, just lame." Mr. Beaks -
one of the worst movies ive ever seen
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That makes me laugh.
If Matrix were here, he'd laugh too.
I saw all the gushing over that film when it came out. I watched it over the Thanksgiving holidays and it was just... ok. It sure as shit shouldn't have beat out many of the movies on the "Just missed it" list.
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What is clear is that Beaks is a real sucker for critic pandering gimmicks. Dogville? There is no way you could sit through that twice. Irreversible? Both films blew and were made by pompous asses out to stroke themselves. vacuous critics eager to show they were in on it fell in line. Shame on you Beaks. Wong Kar Wai himself would tell you that was by far his worst film. Loved Memento but again, a gimmick. Still, the list is a little earthier than most.
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Dec 11, 2009 3:13:06 PM CST
This just in - Beaks' top 10 deathbed regrets!!!
by hawaiian organ donor
10. Voting for Bush Sr. Twice.9. Not deleting the file called "Memories fucks a goat" on my desktop.8. Failing to file income taxes in 2004. And every year after.7. Cupping a feel on prom night. Mom was pissed.6. Building the Eiffel Tower out of macaroni. That's 10 years of my life I'm not getting back.5. Not enough missionary work. Woman on top? What was I thinking?!4. Voting for Bush Jr. Twice.3. Didn't invent a faster way to cook bacon.2. Not replacing this mattress years ago. Fuck this bitch is uncomfortable!1. Putting Irreversible at the top of my best of the decade list.
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#5 is classic vaudeville too, I love it.
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Yeah I agree... and Beaks has none.
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Hod, very funny! No.2 as a deathbed regret is a gag 'for the ages'.
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Have I died and woken up in an alternate universe where this movie was never made?
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Dec 11, 2009 3:20:54 PM CST
"There's only one superhero worth a shit. Hollow Man."
by mattmanreturns
That killed me.
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Think of all the shit movies we've seen this decade... Norbit, all the Seltzer/Friedberg shit like Epic Movie, Disaster Movie, and Meet the Spartans, Paul Blart, Twinklight, Twinklight 2 Werewolf Boogaloo, Babylon AD, The Spirit (which would be #1), Transformers 2, The Grudge, The Grudge 2, and a bunch of other shitty J-horror remade in the US, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, The Medallion, The Tuxedo, Garfield 2 (shit both of them if they're both from this decade), G Force, Alvin and the Chipmonks (holy shit I saw a trailer for part 2 the other day!), and on and on... fuck I need a tums after remembering the existance of all of those!
FUCK. -
SHIIIIT! Uwe Boll was unleashed on the world this decade, wasn't he! Hahahah. More for the 100 worst right there.
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I agree that FOTR was the best of the LOTR movies, by far. I recently re-watched the Bashki animated version, and now I understand why: nearly everything from PJ's FOTR was lifted from Bashki's version, down to specific camera angles. Every change from the novel that worked was also present in the Bashki version. Perhaps that's why ROTK was such a mess; PJ didn't have a good example to base himself on. Bashki's version is generally considered to be a failure (and I agree), but this realization has stripped quite a few notches of my estimation for PJ's version.
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"Misses the top ten thanks to Robin Williams and Chris Rock.."
Both of which were cast and directed by Kubrick himself.
You're such an authority on film, Beaks. I'm guessing if Joe and David had gang-raped Teddy it would be the film of the Millennium.
BTW, I.T.M.F.L > 2046 = INSTANT FAIL
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Thanks guys. I try. And it's almost time to head out. Got a date with a bottle of wine tonight.
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I've seen the Bashki version and I'm not sure what you're smoking. Jackson's version is very different. They are both based on the same story, so maybe that's why you're finding similarities. And saying that "every change from the novel that worked was also present" is just a blatant lie.
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Hey I tried to add that Steam ID and got a message saying it doesn't exist, haha.
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lol Of course, a recent Gallup poll reveals that 53% of Americans who voted for Obama already regret having voted for him. 44% of those who voted for President Obama would now vote for George W. Bush in a hypothetical presidential matchup. How's that for an "opinion" wake up call? Other than that, I think that your assessment is correct. =)
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Sorry Beaky!
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and it blows my mind!
MASTER AND COMMANDER had no ending, and there will be no ending filmed. it was a good 1/3 of a story... and it goes nowhere! hey, lets just take that idea and make NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN! again, no ending, the protagonist dies off camera.... goddammit! THERE WILL BE BLOOD? when? at the very end, when i had to endure the awful horror film music the entire time and NOTHING happened? change the score and all tension drops out of this film. THE NEW WORLD? slowest fucking movie ever, Bale has like 2 minutes screen time. -
That movie is the most overrated piece of shit I've ever seen. Wow, a hitman comedy. What is this 1996? And the "clever" dialogue put Joss Whedon or Kevin Williamson or Diablo Cody to shame for its sheer annoyance factor. I could just picture the writer jacking off in the mirror, thinking to himself "my god I'm so fucking clever...hahhha". And dwarves? Really!? Fucking dwarves? Shit story, huge plotholes, terrible dialogue, rehashed bullshit. SHIT SANDWICH!
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Shogun, that ID doesn't exist, eh? Hmmmm, weird. Did I type it here correctly? Scadooshbag, right?Try again. If not, then send an e-mail to my AIBN account: hawaiian.organ.donor@gmail.com with your info and I'll try to add you.ccchhhrrriiisssm, yeah, I voted for Obama and while I don't hate the guy, he's been a massive disappointment for me. I'm convinced we're just at the mercy of Wall Street and corporations. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
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Nowhere on the list.
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Granted Master and Commander was uneven. But what exactly do you mean by ending? Do they have to blow up the death star and then get medals in every movie? No Country? The whole thematic point of the entire movie was reinforced by the character dying that way you dingleberry! And it did have an ending, just one you don't like. TWBB had nothing happen? Terrible music? I don't say this EVER, but fucking hell you're a phillisine. And while The New World is indeed incredibly overrated, one of your criticisms is Bale's screen time!? Good god man you really don't know shit about movies.
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I wish I could wake up in that world.
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"44% of those who voted for President Obama would now vote for George W. Bush in a hypothetical presidential matchup."
Yeah I hate having an articulate, confident and level headed president that the rest of the world actually respects. Things were MUCH better when we had a retarded cowboy w/ an itchy trigger finger who failed economics.. right? NOTHING bad happened under Uncle W's watch.. riiiiighhhht?
Please, take one of the guns in your redoubtably gigantic collection and do us all a favor and blow your empty fucking head off your shoulders. -
to call Beaks out on his B.S. comparison of Irreversible to Bush' unprovoked and unnecessary war against Iraq.
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10. Hannibal (More fun than Silence of the Lambs. Any time you have Academy Award winners eating brains; you're winning in my book.)
9. Reindeer Games (The second best dress up like a beloved figure and rob a casino movie of the decade. This movie is fast becoming a holiday tradition in my house. Danny Trejo's dissertation on "Christmas 2" cracks me up.)
8. 3000 Miles to Graceland (The best dress up like a beloved figure and rob a casino movie of the decade. How can you go wrong when you have BOTH Wyatt Earps in your movie?)
7. Cursed (This movie is bat shit insane. Say what you will about it, but any movie in which a female werewolf becomes enraged and gives someone the finger because they said she has a bony ass deserves to be on some sort of list.)
6. Snakes on a Plane (Lived up to the "instant cult classic" hype. Sure we've seen this all before on the SyFy Channel, but have we seen it with Samuel L. Jackson? I think not.)
5. Transporter 2 (Possibly the best braindead action movie of the decade. The scene where Jason Statham flips the car upside down to knock the bomb off the bottom of his car is one of the looniest things I've ever seen in a movie. That is to say, it's awesome.)
4. Final Destination 2 (The best CGI splatter fest on record. Everyone has a favorite kill from this movie. Mine's the airbad scene. Between this and Snakes on a Plane, David R. Ellis should be allowed to direct any thing he wants.)
3. My Bloody Valentine 3-D (One helluva great 3-D horror movie. 3-D titties, 3-D gore, 3-D Tom Atkins. What more do you want from a movie? I smell Oscar.)
2. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (STTTTTTTTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSS!)
1. The Hills Have Eyes 2 (The best mutant rape movie of the decade. Possibly of all time. I'll never go into a Port-A-Potty again, that's for damn sure...) -
Thanks for the list, Beaks, it was fun to read! While I don't agree with all of your choices (I would've included Dark Knight in the top 100, for example), it's still fun to read your list and reasoning!
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And yet Bring It On is there. His very first selection negates the value of the list in its entirety.
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I'll shoot you an email
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Consider the following changes: (1) starting with prologue - in similar form, including which races got how many rings - explaining the origins of the ring, rather than gradually laying it out. (2) omitting Tom Bombadil & Barrow-wights. (3) Showing Gandalf meeting with Saruman and imprisonment at Orthanc in real-time, rather than in flashback form in Rivendell. (4) showing Saruman creating and addressing his troops (well, that was in TTT, really, but still, you get my point). And so on and so forth.
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Just cant get on board with the end .. Taking the cheap way out and blaming a former hero of the nation (all be it reluctantly) for the end situation and no mention at all of the kidnapping of the scientists, artists and writers really doesnt paint the picture of Veidt being "the smartest man alive" it basically waters down one of the greatest villains and plots in comic history .. that being said i do enjoy some of the liberties taken like Nite Owl actually showing some emotion about Rorschach and leaving out the newspaper stand was essential for the flow of the movie .. But the cinematic crime of giving the masses a easy ending and taking the cheap way out was my biggest problem with the film
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Because Gus van Sant made two better films in Last Days and Gerry, right? Cause experimental is automatically better right? Man the hits just keep on coming here. I would bet 500 dollars Beaks couldn't even come close to articulately defending some of these decisions in person. It's laughable.
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MASTER AND COMMANDER didnt have a final act, it ended in a chase scene that we do not know the outcome of. that would be akin to the ending of Star Wars being the x-wings approaching the deathstar.. and roll credits. NO COUNTRY, i have no problem with the bad guy getting away, but the tacked on scene with Tommy Lee Jones ruined the logical ending point however. that scene was out of place. to me, the hero dying off screen was very lame. it tried to be clever and failed. TWBB? let me put it this way, nobody wants to watch it. i manage a video store and the consensus from every customer was "waste of time". change the score for the film and all tension drops out. DDL's character has no arc, no development. he simply is an asshole the entire film. preacher boy was annoying every time he was on screen. there was not one like-able character, or bit of humor. the film dragged on and on. need i say more? and yes, Bale had less screen time than Russell Crow had spent making out with Pocahontas. just because a movie is beautifully filmed does not mean it is a good movie. oooohhh pretty! nothing is happening....
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beaks, helluva list. you're good. the talkbackers...errr
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Yet you only really named three similarities. The 4th doesn't count because it's in the book. The prologue's are quite different in both movies. Omitting Tom Bombadil is a natural choice that almost any filmmaker would make, because he doesn't move the main story along. So really the Saruman/Gandalf thing is all you're left with. Yes, a similarity, but also common sense. That's something anybody would want to see. I have a feeling it would've been in Jackson's version whether the animated version existed or not.
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but i expected nothing more.
and TDK was not boring. -
but i expected nothing more.
and TDK was not boring. -
So, according to you, the first decade of the AD era went 1 to 9. Right? See how wrong you are? Becasue acording to you, then the very first decade of the AD era only had 9 years. The very reason why decades REALLY START AT THE YEAR 1 is because of that, because of the first year of the Ad era is a year one. Can you finally understand such a simple concept now? Thus, the first year of the 21th century and this decade was 2001. Deal with it.
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Only morons mistake TDK for a boring movie.
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You missed the point of the final scene if you think it was tacked on. In fact you may have misinterpreted the theme of the entire film.
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And I think the LotR trilogy (#2 on my list) went above and beyond anything we had any right to expect. Amazing films.
That being said, the Bakshi film does a much better job, imho, with the Ford at Bruinen scene. It's my only major problem with PJ's FotR -- he completely whiffed the "Come back, to Mordor we will take you" stuff. Frodo's turning on account of his wound -- the Nazgul know this, and they just hang back and try to seduce him over at first. Bakshi nailed that sequence; PJ kinda blew it. -
all be it = albeit. That is all.
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you dont always get what you want? perhaps when i purchased my ticket, i had an idea of what i wanted.... and therefore was disappointed by the fact that the movie wanted to teach me a lesson.
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I never claimed to be the smartest man alive
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sigh.. master and commander was uneven. But you don't seem to be able to wrap your head around anything even sliiiiiightly different. I think my analogy is apt. You seem to think movies must literally move in acts with someone getting a medal at the end. The "point" plot wise of M&C was capturing the ship, which happened. The ending reinforced Crowe's character and was not open ended. Are you a fucking baby? do you need to know whether he gets the French captain? No country--again the characters death was incredibly important thematically. And the center of *NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN* is as the name implies the old man who can no longer make sense of the world. FFS. And don't tell me TWBB is bad based on some slack jawed mouth breather saying "ain't nothin' happen in it" as he shuffles over to rent TF2. You seemed locked in a box of plot as the only thing that matters in a rigidly structured way. You seem like someone who would say Catch-22 is a shit book "'cause nothin' happens". TWBB is an expertly crafted character study and allegory of America. Besides that, plenty *happens* in the movie. But I digress, yes, two movies that are damn near consensus picks for top 10 of the decade are a waste of time. AND what the flying fuck does Bale having screen time have to do with a movie's merit!? Granted TNW was pretty shitty b/c it didn't have a story, but fuck man. Fucking phillistines. This is why we get shit like TF2. Lots of "stuff happens" in that movie.
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The movie's primarily about death, how people deal with it and how they face it when their time is coming. Ultimately no one can escape it, and it's pure chance as to whether it happens now or later. We're not as in control of our fate as we think we are. The ending speaks directly to that in an abstract way.
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A.I shouldn't be #515. Utter, icky dreck. And no Prestige? I know I'm the only person who thinks Brokeback Mountain doesn't belong in a top 100 list for any decade, but I can't be the only one who thinks A.I. being in a top 15 list is crazy.Primer was cool, though.
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Dec 11, 2009 4:29:22 PM CST
Holy shit, has something been wrong with this site lately?
by soylentmean
I haven't been able to login for the past couple of days! Anybody else have any trouble?
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Read the book. The "tacked on" ending is there verbatim.
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Dec 11, 2009 4:31:25 PM CST
My list is infinitely superior (that's what everybody thinks)
by soylentmean
I hope we get Harry's top 100 of the decade, I bet that would really irk folks on here. The best part of this has been Beaks' pics that I've never seen. The old Netflix queue has been putting on the pounds since this little shindig started...
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But Benjamin Button doesn't even make the list? Zodiac doesn't make the list? But Hannibal almost made the list? What else almost made the list? Twilight? Transformers?I generally like Beaks's articles, but the choices on this list are whack.
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Would be better than Beaks. I guarantee you, A.I. wouldn't be frickin' #15. Harry hated A.I., as all right-thinking people should.
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but trying to make my own list has been infuriating. Although the movies my friends and family haven't seen is appalling.
Stuff like this and Quint's AMAD are why I frequent this site (well, and Harry's DVD reviews) and anytime someone can point me in the direction of some hidden gem I've never seen or even heard of, well I'm thankful.
Fuck all you naysayers. -
You realize of course that "decades" are a construct and not some objective reality yes? That it is merely a grouping of ten years that we've made for ourselves, and we have decided as humanity that those start on 0 and end in 9? Yes? That we group things as the 80's, 90's and so forth which makes for the usefullness of defining decades that way. That your "objection" has only some limited sense rooted on the vagaries of BC and AD and the year 1, but has no practical application for a modern world, right?
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Dec 11, 2009 4:39:06 PM CST
Ah crap, are we going to have another "objective v. subjective"
by yackbacker
Abort! ABORT!
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I don't recall anyone actually belly-aching about Bombadil being left out of the FOTR film.But I do recall myriad Jackson apologists using Bombadil ad nauseum as their convenient straw man--claiming (as you did in your article) that hordes of Tolkien purists were actually complaining about Bombadil being cut from FOTR. Not true. They were actually complaining about other changes (any of which Jackson champions irrationally tried to equate with the Tom Bombadil cut). Me, I'm glad TB was cut--made sense. Without reopening old wounds, though, some other major cuts (and unfortunate additions) to Jackson's LOTR did NOT make sense at the time (and still don't).To me, only FOTR was worthy of being included in any top 100 films of the decade list. TTT was a magnificent mess. And ROTK was simply a wreck of a film with some stellar moments.That stated: nicely laid out and justified list, Beaks. You just may be the most competent writer at AICN now that Drew is gone. And--yeah--that's saying a good bit.
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Since they were filmed together and are intended to be seen as such. While it can be argued that they aren't the greatest flicks of the decade (although I think I'll steal Beaks' idea and lump 'em as one movie, and yes, they'll be at the top of my list) it seems pretty close to fact that the Lord of the Rings trilogy was the greatest cinematic achievement of this decade. A huge fuckin' gamble that paid off tremendously.
Here's hoping The Hobbit is just as much a landmark film for the coming decade. -
actually, too much happens in TF2, to the point of being numb to all the action. you just stop caring. you compare my dislike for these films i mentioned with a film that i at best "like" for its technical merits, but is simply a garbage cash grab. yes i want to know if they catch the other ship! MASTER AND COMMANDER is the equivalent of GOLDEN COMPASS or ERAGON, its the start of a story that we will never see the end of because for whatever merits it had, people did not buy tickets. yes it is a far better film than the other two mentioned, but still, it is part of a series. one that will never be finished. TWBB, character study? as i said, DDL plays a one note character. everybody in this movie is one note. change the music and you have a comedy. ( i think, this would be great with the benny hill theme)
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...irreversible but why the hell would you condone watching the most impactful scenes out of context!!! not only does that defeat the point of the film but is almost like saying go and watch a snuff film. no point whatsoever.
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When AICN releases several reviews of the same movie but by different reviewers (ie. Capone, Quint, Harry, MassaWyrm, Beaks)....do you read them all? I certainly don't. All of them should release their top 100 lists...it would save me some time and I could know whose review I can trust most. After I've seen a movie, I don't give a shit about anyone's review because at that point, the only opinion that matters to me is mine, and it should be the same for everyone. So reviews really only have a purpose to me before I've seen the movie. It's kind of like on Netflix, if you look at the user reviews beneath the movies, netflix also gives you a percentage telling you how much their taste is in sync with yours based on movies you've rated...so it lets you know if you can trust their review. That's how it should be. When reading a review, sometimes you just can't tell if they are reviewing it as such because the movie really possesses those flaws or merits...or because that reviewer's taste is a bit off. But let me clarify, Your Moms Box, I'm not mad at Beaks for choosing those movies and not choosing others. Those are his picks! I'm just realizing that his taste is wayyyy out of sync with mine...that's all. That's what I mean when I say he's lost all credibility...to me. I didn't include "to me" originally...because it's like including "I believe" before all your opinions.
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I'm pretty sure I'd have to say Lord of the Rings. Counting all 3 as 1. Preferring the Extended Editions. But it's not an easy call. A lot of great films came out in the last 10 years, when you think about it.
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but not one I'd willingly revisit. I guess that's a testament to the film's power, in that just thinking about it makes me shudder.
I don't personally agree that it's the number one movie of the decade, but its impact is undeniable. If you've seen it, it has CHANGED you.
I'll keep it off my own list, because to me, a great film is a film I want to watch again and again. Not a film I wish I could unsee. -
"The 4th doesn't count because it's in the book." It is? Where? "The prologue's [sic] are quite different in both movies." No, they aren't, they are more-or-less the same: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT18OJEPU9Q. Even so, my point was that it's the same change from the book; in the book, the history of the ring is revealed gradually throughout the story ("Shadows of the Past" and "Council of Elrond"), rather than in a prologue.
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Even though historians refer to the first year as "Year One," astronomers will correctly tell you it is "Year Zero." For example, when you're born, you are not "1 year old." You start at zero. All fucking math starts at zero. You can't argue math. You're not one year old until you've lived a year!
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#1 movie of the decade is Children of Men. How can it not be?
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to see that Irreversible was number one on your list. Really, really surprised, in a good way. I actually gasped. I fucking love this movie, even have a "Les temps detruit tout" tattoo on my back that will age with me. This is one of those movies that after you watch it, you definitely cannot say it is the best movie you've seen in a while. A week later, it's still on your mind. Two months later, you're telling the plot to interested parties. A year later you are still emotionally reacting to it. You go on youtube and watch the end a few times, and still FEEL something about it. This movie is fantastic in a really subversive kind of way. I can't think of anything I'd vehemently defend more for the number one position on your list. Beaks, you've got my respect for the rest of your life.
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So if you want to be a real smartass, do your research.
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Dec 11, 2009 4:49:48 PM CST
The only Pixar movie released in the aughts not on my list
by soylentmean
is Cars. While I liked Cars more than I thought it would, it certainly didn't resonate with me enough to even remotely consider it in a top list of anything.
Unless I was making a "Merchandising Cash Cow" list. -
Reasons why this list was a waste of time...
Instead of Almost Famous, Dark Knight, May, Zodiac, A Scanner Darkly, Gladiator...we have cinematic masterpieces like Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Jackass: The Movie, Miami Vice, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, and Bring It On.
WTF dude? WTF?
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Jesus tapdancing christ! In M&C they resolved the plot point of the ship they were chasing the ENTIRE FUCKING MOVIE. They defeated and captured it. Just b/c they had a nice little twist in the French captain using trickery to get away doesn't mean the rest of the movie fails. It's reinforcing character and setting up a sequel. Goddamn, so you're not satisfied that you don't get to see that new story play out? Again, are you a fucking baby? So the movie is only good if at the end, the captain is dead, Crowe and Bettany give out some medals, high five each other and the screen fades to black? Do you even know what character study is? Not every character has to go through some formulaic progression a la a romantic comedy or some bullshit. The characters are far from one note, just powerfully driven. Why am I bothering? You completely missed the entire point of No Country and are clearly a bit simple when it comes to movies. Loud noises and shiny objects.
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...my favorite film of the decade.
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Yep. I likes 'em bleak.
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Dec 11, 2009 4:57:30 PM CST
Femme Fatale first 10 minutes bonered the shit out of me
by quin the eskimo
serious
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then you should make up your own damn list. I pretty much skip tv until it hits DVD and would rather kill a couple hours watching a film than mindless drivel top heavy with advertisements. so I definitely watch more than 100 films per year.
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Eternal Sunshine. I posted this in an earlier talkback, but to review:
100. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (2006)
99. Star Wars Episode III (2005)
98. Unbreakable (2000)
97. Borat (2006)
96. The Quiet American (2003)
95. The Savages (2007)
94. About a Boy (2002)
93. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
92. L’Auberge Espagnole (2003)
91. King Kong (2005)
90. Capote (2005)
89. Star Trek (2009)
88. Inside Man (2006)
87. Munich (2005)
86. Meet the Parents (2000)
85. Sin City (2005)
84. Bloody Sunday (2002)
83. The Squid and the Whale (2005)
82. Primer (2004)
81. American Psycho (2000)
80. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
79. Drag Me to Hell (2009)
78. Michael Clayton (2007)
77. The Fountain (2006)
76. The Fog of War (2003)
75. The Queen (2006)
74. Dirty Pretty Things (2003)
73. U2 3D (2008)
72. Oceans’ 12 (2004)
71. In the Valley of Elah (2007)
70. Boiler Room (2000)
69. Jackass (2002)
68. (500) Days of Summer (2009)
67. Bamboozled (2000)
66. Lord of War (2005)
65. Master and Commander (2003)
64. Mystic River (2003)
63. Secretary (2005)
62. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
61. Iron Man (2008)
60. Batman Begins (2005)
59. Good Night and Good Luck (2005)
58. District 9 (2009)
57. Wonder Boys (2000)
56. The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
55. The Descent (2005)
54. Ballets Russes (2005)
53. Battle Royale (2000)
52. Zodiac (2007)
51. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
50. The Proposition (2005)
49. The Bournes (2000,2004,2007)
48. The Prestige (2005)
47. WALL-E (2008)
46. The Royal Tenenbaums (2000)
45. 24 Hour Party People/Control (2002/2007)
44. Coraline (2009)
43. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
42. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
41. The Pianist (2002)
40. Knocked Up (2007)
39. Sideways (2004)
38. Let the Right One In (2008)
37. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
36. X2/Spiderman 2 (2003/2004)
35. The Wrestler (2008)
34. The Hurt Locker (2009)
33. A Serious Man (2009)
32. The Cooler (2003)
31. Moon (2009)
30. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
29. Sexy Beast (2000)
28. Milk (2008)
27. Layer Cake (2005)
26. Garden State (2004)
25. Donnie Darko (2001)
24. High Fidelity (2000)
23. In the Mood for Love/2046 (2000/2004)
22. The 25th Hour (2002)
21. Mulholland Drive (2001)
20. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)
19. The Incredibles (2004)
18. Memento (2001)
17. In the Loop (2009)
16. Traffic (2000)
15. Lost in Translation (2003)
14. Syriana (2005)
13. Children of Men (2006)
12. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
11. The Lives of Others (2007)
10. The Dark Knight (2008)
9. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
8. Before Sunset (2004)
7. No Country for Old Men (2007)
6. United 93 (2006)
5. In the Bedroom (2001)
4. The New World (2005)
3. I’m Not There (2007)
2. The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)
[Special Award. The Wire* (2002-2008)]
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
I haven't posted the big decade-post yet -- waiting for AVATAR and IMAGINARIUM -- but my reviews of all above are at http://www.ghostinthemachine.net.
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Daniel starts out hard but his heart is slowly melted by his little deaf boy and the accident that caused it. He grows to love and care for him, eventually abandoning the oil business to open a school for the handicapped. There he learns to live and love, eventually falling for the shy, deaf headmistress. The end scene is their joyous marriage as everyone looks on. The end. HOLLYWOOD contrived shit!
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Dec 11, 2009 5:00:59 PM CST
Le Vicious, nice choice, certainly one of the best Horror flicks
by soylentmean
of the decade. That movie actually scared me, and that's no small feat.
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That is two hours of my life that I want back.
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C'mon gimme a fuckin' break. Monsters Inc rocks, Lotr series is all fine, Memento is over-rated, 25th Hour wasn't up to say Michael Clayton, Good Night and Good Luck or Iron Man. You know it's true. But hey, good going on the list, these are not easy. Your number #1 pick is a bad joke though.
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Brolin and Bardem duel atop a skyscraper. When their bullets run out, a twenty minute fistfight ensues. Brolin ultimately tosses the money off the skyscraper, and Bardem leaps for it, falling screaming to his death. Brolin then goes home to wife, fucks her, gives the camera a thumbs up and a wink, and says "And I thought Christmas only comes once a year." The end.
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I thought of that reading this list and TB. I feel No Country and TW Be BLood are two of the most over rated movies of the decade. I love both the Coens and Anderson. But I think both are boring and pretentious. No Country is a zillion times better, because if the ending had been in any way satisfying, the overall movie would deserve the hype. I agree that there was an ending. An anticlimactic ending, and if that's the point...well, I don't like the point. Blood was slow, full of itself, over acted and self satisfied and I don't like it at all.
ps. The Van Sant talk made me think of Elephant. It's my favorite Van Sant movie. Last Days and Gerry are just too boring. Was Elephant this decade? Too lazy to wiki it. -
Not that you're wrong, but, for instance, I shudder when I think of Dogville.
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without a grammatical error. Dammit.
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Two things. Any list that doesn't have There Will Be Blood in the top 100 is clearly inept, if nothing than for DDL's performance. I have yet to see a list from any reviewer that doesn't include it. Second, I am baffled by any list that can place The New World at 4 and not even place The Assassination of Jesse James. They are both gorgeously shot, meditations. However, whereas the former has no story and no charecter and is just a random happening of events, many of which are chasing each other in fields or silently embracing, longingly the latter has perfectly drawn and engaging characters, expertly acted with an interesting story. The Assassination of Jesse James matches the beauty of TNW, but surpasses it in every other regard. It simply doesn't make sense to have one at #4 and the other absent from the list.
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Well, that's a fair list. Are you sure you didn't mean Ocean's 11 instead of 12?
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It was way too low, I'd have said top ten. Come on man! I honestly can't believe its getting such hate. It was easily the funniest movie of the decade.
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Dec 11, 2009 5:15:35 PM CST
Also, if Unbreakable and Dark Knight weren't at least top 25
by johnnyangel
You're working for the wrong website.
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There *was no year zero*. In the Gregorian calendar, the year 1 BC is followed by 1 AD. See e.g. here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_zero. Thus, the first century AD began in 1 and ended in 100; the third millennium began in 2001, and the first decade of the the third millennium began in 2001 and ends in 2010.
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The one thing all these lists have shown me is that people are mostly quiet about the stuff they love. Seeing 25th Hour, The New World, In the Mood For Love and Master and Commander on so many lists makes me wonder why these films weren't receiving fanboy raves the years they were released.
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I liked Assassination of Jesse James quite a bit, and thought of it having replace Dirty Pretty Things at #74 (which I think I may be overrating on account of Chiwetel Ejiofor's breakout performance.) But it didn't speak to me the way The New World did. To take that example, I love the scene with Wes Studi in that cold English garden with the "what the fuck is wrong with these people?" look about him. "The New World" cuts both ways.
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is the great american movie in the same way that The Great Gatsby is the great american novel. The movie is prescient to the meaning of America itself, metaphorically and literally. Beyond that, I don't know how someone could watch that movie and want to take their eyes off of DDL, in the same way Ledger cannot be denied in Brokeback or TDK.
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I guess Beaks really didn't seek the treasure. That Coen Bros. film is definitely on my list. Burn After Reading is not. Although time might treat Burn After Reading well, I viewed it as a step down in quality after no Country for Old Men. Of course the follow up to a masterpiece is going to be judged harshly, but other than shock value, I didn't think Burn After Reading delivered too much on its initial viewing.
Maybe when I revisit it I'll appreciate it for more than a shocking shot to the face and a chair with a built in dildo. -
I get a lot of grief from this in a lot of corners, but I did in fact mean Ocean's 12. If Ocean's 11 and Ocean's 13 are heist movies, 12 is the "hanging with the rat pack" aspect of the old Sinatra movie. I love the sprawling meta-ness of it: talking about MILLER'S CROSSING and Topher Grace "totally phoning in that Dennis Quaid movie" and Eddie Izzard's cliched hot secretary and the gymnast getting lost in the luggage. And, yes, the Julia Roberts-Bruce Willis bit.
Your mileage may vary, of course, but I thought OCEAN'S TWELVE was what Soderbergh was going for in FULL FRONTAL and failed at. -
at least if I made one.
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2000 was the first year of the decade... the 2001 symbolizes that a year of that decade has past... that's where the 1 comes from. 2002 symbolizes that 2 years have passed, and so on. Or do you also think the new century began in 2001, and not 2000?
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Dec 11, 2009 5:23:08 PM CST
How is Anchorman the funniest movie of the decade?
by hawaiian organ donor
I love movies that are endlessly quotable too (Kingpin), but the movie was nothing but buffoonery and childish antics without a story to back it up. The fucked thing is that Will Farrell's best movie is Stranger Than Fiction and unless he comes back around it will always remain so. Yet he's remembered for shit like Anchorman. I really enjoyed Talladega Nights but no fucking way in hell it's better than Children of Men or Apocalypto.
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Decades are a *verbal* not a mathematical construct. They are nothing more than an easy way for us to group years and makes sense of time. They make no sense if started on years ending in 1. Decades are what we say they are, and the world has spoken. Deal with it.
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Mostholy, I guess you've been posting under a previous nick in the past cos dont remember seeing your name before, but I have to say I like your list a lot more than Beaks' (even if you do have an inexplicable double up on number 36).
Plus no IRREVERSIBLE to be seen? What's the matter, you dont like rape? -
That's just wrong.
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To me, THERE WILL BE BLOOD is, like GANGS OF NEW YORK, a movie with an amazing DDL performance and some really glaring flaws. I *loved* the first hour of the movie -- everything from the digging in the dirt intro to the flaming DAYS OF HEAVEN oil rig. But then the second hour with the mystery brother gets lost in PTA's family-issues.
And the ending of the movie to me is ludicrously dumb in so many ways. Having DDL kill Paul Dano at that point is like using a blunderbluss to kill a gnat -- he was already broken, his milkshake was drunk. (Also, and this is a minor nitpick, but since we're on the subject: nobody, and I mean nobody, was losing money on real estate or oil in 1927 -- the stock market quadrupled that year, hence the crash two years later on account of all the profits taken with nothing to back them up.) -
I'll respect you brother. Ocean's 12 made my worst of the decade list over on the other site but you recognized Letters From Iwo Jima, Traffic and Michael Clayton (how did Beaks not have even one) so you're a-OK in my book.
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Thanks. This has always been my nick, for over a decade now, but I'm not a particularly frequent poster.
The double-up on 36 is just because I got sick of trying to figure out which of X2 and SPIDERMAN 2 I preferred. I thought they were both great summer fanboy rushes. (I also cheated on the Ian Curtis double-up at 45.)
And, no, not into the rape so much. But notice I do have SECRETARY at 63 so apparently I'm still a sick bastid. -
having now seen the entire list-I've decided Beaks is a punk ass bitch motherfucker.
Get a job you useless cunt.
Beaks Loves Rape-pass it on.
Twat. -
the second half is the progression down the pit of Daniel's mind. And the brother thing fits perfectly and is the *most* crucial aspect of the film. It is the point at which Daniel completely snaps and disabuses himself completely of humanity. Which also sets up his behavior later, being locked up in the mansion, treating his son viciously and finally the bludgeoning. He has completely hit the bottom of his irredeemable contempt and so the end to me makes perfect sense.
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I can understand it not being in the top ten, but fucking Beaks didn't have it in his top 100. Not even in his honorable mentions. Now, shit in life is subjective. But Children of Fucking Men not being in a list of 100+ best movies of the decade list is unforgivable for a movie geek.
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Certainly the most complete. EVERYTHING that makes Daniel Plainview tick is present right before your eyes. Not a single motivation or tick is untraceable. It's an insanely voyeuristic view of humanity at it's most....human. Showing how nothing is uncomplicated, not even unconditional love, within the confines of the human mind. The best film of the decade....easily.
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was in the 80's I think. It's sad when sarcasm is reality.
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Fucking loved "You Can Count on Me" That hasn't made a whole lot of lists, but it deserves to. C'mon, "Lost in Translation" isn't one of the 100 best of the decade? Really?
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To see, see, see it. Is to hate, hate, hate it. And I do, and I do, and I do.
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It's all Bush's fault! Rape! Revenge! Your #1 film does speak to this decade: the ability of filmmakers to produce volumes of materials critiquing current events and come to all the wrong conclusions while indulging in the hoariest tropes that exist. It reminds me of the critical turnaround in some corners on Avatar. Once reviewers realized that it was very anti-Bush, they started putting away all the long knives they had out and started cooing nice things.
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Solid list, Beaks. Some head-scratching and outright disagreement here on a few, but much to love and seek out. However, the real question is, if you were being sent to live out your life in an alien zoo on Tralfamadore, and were aloud to take only ten movies with you, WHAT WOULD THEY BE!?? Seriously, this is an important question, OK?
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the only one with a strong political agenda appears to be you. Just sayin'.
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only ten movies...
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This would be a list-but right know it looks to be another plugolla scheme-WTF?
These movies were all fucked no shows at the BO-for obvious fucking reasons.
Yo Beaks-here's 50 cents, maybe you can go buy a dollar. -
Not on Beaks list!
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The short film they made from scenes that were cut from the movie.
Champ Kind in the car with Ron finally expressing him love, pure comedy gold. -
with his choice of Irreversible at #1. On no level is this the best film of the decade. Ok, it may be his FAVORITE, but if so, then that says a lot about him.
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Dec 11, 2009 5:52:28 PM CST
I once saw a list of the 100 Most Influential artists...
by industrykiller!
Of the last 50 years or something like that, in which Shania Twain ranked several spots above David Bowie. Read that more than twice and your head will explode. This list has elements like that.
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I'm not sure what you are arguing. Are you seggesting we abandon the Gregorian calendar?
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One poster says it's the best character study ever, another poster says the characters are all one-dimensional.
I found the characters to be cartoonish as well, but of course it's just my perception. -
Dec 11, 2009 5:55:12 PM CST
Anyone think this list was posted to drive site traffic?
by hawaiian organ donor
I mean FUCK, no Children of Men or Apocalypto anywhere? Jesus Ass Fucking Christ!
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Some people didn't get it or like it. Big deal. I enjoyed the movie but I found flaws in it - it isn't perfect.
I love GoodFellas and Taxi Driver but I am not going to blow a gasket if someone doesn't like them. I'll just disagree.
Some of you guys are acting like Nolan is divine. What, if you don't accept the greatness of TDK you can't get into geek heaven? -
I can't believe that film is still so underrated.
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA > GOODFELLAS.
Why? It has rape!
Rape is no.1
The longer you linger over it the better... -
you are being an obtuse contrarian. There are in fact no rules for what a decade is beyond a grouping of ten years. As humanity we have decided that we call decades the 80's, 90's and so forth. Meaning we have decided that they ALWAYS start with motherfucking ZERO. It's not a hard concept. I truly don't give a flying fuck if it doesn't work for the year 1 to 9 and you are being a douche for arguing that the world is wrong and you are right. A decade is not an objective reality, numbnuts. It is little more than a verbal convenience.
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APOCALYPTO only has a teensy bit of rape. Sadly not enough to get onto Beaks 'almost made it list'.
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Especially the unrated, extended rape scene version.
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This is all he thinks about,"chicks in wigs are naughty,chicks in wigs are hot".
And that's it.Just recycle that shit in every film he does. -
ANCHORMAN doesn't deserve hate. It was okay. If Beaks had stuck it in somewhere around 91 on his list no one would have been too bothered.
Top 25 however... hmmm. Is there a RAPE scene in ANCHORMAN that i've forgotten about?? -
Dec 11, 2009 6:11:09 PM CST
TheHumanBeingAndFish, you know the ocean isn't actually blue?
by mattmanreturns
It's simply reflecting the sky, therefore it's a common misconception that the sea is blue. However, if you go around calling people stupid for saying the ocean is blue, you're nothing more than an asshole. Sure, that's an interesting fact, but it has no practical use. A decade, by current standards, is year 0-9. That's why we call it the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, etc. The whole calendar system is a mess anyway, there are much greater things you could nitpick about it.
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nothing special. But A Clockwork Orange is just rapey enough to make it to the top 100 all time. Granted it's not rape in Irreversible good, but pretty good rape nonetheless. 8 violated vaginas out of 10 overall.
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If Anchorman had been in the 90s, no issue. But to suggest it's better than a movie like Master and Commander? Really? Is there one other human being on the planet who would do that?
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...and strange to see ANCHORMAN up so high. But well done.
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If you truly believe that George W. Bush (a guy who graduated from Yale University with a GPA higher than John Kerry's [during the same time] AND with a graduate degree [MBA] from Harvard with honors), then you are listening to liberal talking points far more than you should. You are quite a gullible guy! LOL! Where was your talking-point criticism of Bush when unemployment was at an all-time low during three of Bush's years in office? In fact, the economy tanked only after the Democrats took over Congress following the 2006 election. Barney Frank and his fellow liberals have done a wonderful job of screwing up banks and then trying to bail them out. Of course, this has nothing to do with movies. Of course, many folks in Hollywood did their best to promote an unqualified, inexperienced nice speech-giver into office. Over a year later, the current Administration continues to blame the economy on Bush (who they label as an "idiot" who was able to "deceive" the world into war)...even though the responsibility for the budget goes to CONGRESS (controlled at the time by the Democrats). The good news it that the liberals won't be able to blame Bush for problems forever. Then again, they have tried to blame him for global warming, Hurricane Katrina and a banking crisis that was created by Democrats led by Christopher Dodd and gay child prostitute pimp Barney Frank. I wouldn't put anything past them.
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Children of Men.
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I agree. CHILDREN OF MEN > THERE BE BE BLOOD
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I'm thinking Cannibal Holocaust should be on it, plus we get shit in there that is more disturbing.
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And you are quite an asshole! LOL!!! Good times.
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LMAO! Keep 'em coming.
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That's still fucking bullshit dude. You can go back to the historically not written about and non-existent "year zero" all you want, but the fact is, as our term for DECADES go, not the mathetical breakdown of ten years by tens years from the mythical year zero (when would that start anyway? The moment Jesus' heart stopped beating on the cross or something?), then any normal, not fucktarded person would understand, that when someone publishes a best of decade list, or anything having to do with encapsulating a decade, they mean the common fucking definition of what I said, the 1930's are 1930-1939. That isn't 9 years. January First 1930 to December 31 1939 is ten years. Everyone on the fucking planet goes by this. If you told someone on the street the 1930's went from 1931-1940, they'd tell you you were a fucking moron. So why is this issue, on this site, so fucking different? The 90s were from 1990 to 1999. Everyone agrees on that. NO ONE INCLUDES 2000 IN THE NINETIES. So why the fuck are you? 2000-2009 is a fucking decade. Its ten years, midnight 1/1/2000 to 11:59 is ten fucking years. Thats a decade. Thats this decade. Those are these movies! I must be taking crazy pills...because you people don't have an argument, and yet this is still going on. Argue against what I just said. Find a way. Go back to the stupid year zero shit. We are talking about a list that encapsulates a decade in the modern fucking world, in which we live. I can't get any simpler than 1990-1999 and 2000-2009. I FUCKING HATE YOU for making me this angry right now.
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But he opted for a Memento ripoff with rape instead.
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Of course I had to make a mistake
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It raped my wallet.
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I've spent all day on here, when I could've been doing something productive, like jacking off. Anyway, BurnHollywood, Cobra Kai, you're fucking professionals, along with anyone else who agrees with me and/or makes me laugh. Uhm... what else? Oh yeah, Beaks is a faggot.
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If I remember correctly, I had some serious debates a year ago with you during the presidential election cycle. And while I still think Dubya was a bad president, one thing the past year has taught me is that even the most intelligent, eloquent leaders can sell our asses out.But jebus fuck bless the power of film. The fact that you so highly regard Children of Men makes me think highly of you regardless of whether we're on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Maybe it's the wine talking but right now I don't want to hate anything but Beaks' list.
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"then you are listening to liberal talking points far more than you should. You are quite a gullible guy! LOL!"... Proceeds to spout off the most ridiculous conservative talking points imaginable. Irony 1, ccchhhrrriiisssm 0.
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* GANGS OF NEW YORK > THERE WILL BE BLOOD I guess I was still fuming about politics. :-P But, yeah...
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AI would have been great if they ended it with Halley Joel Osment at the bottom of the ocean forever with the Blue Fairy. Unfortunately, Speilberg tacked on another 20 minutes that ruined the film for me.
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We need a dedicated talkback for our pics, talkbackers unite!
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You know the guy has opinions, now let's demand them. Where's the list, Harry?
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Monsters, Inc.? Lame ass list. Mr. Beaks doesn't get out much, apparently...
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For me, that's only part of it.
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Start a 2 week thing where readers submit thier top 20 or so films of the decade, and you order them however is necessary but # of times the movie is mentioned.
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but I'm suspicious of a letdown after the abysmal Black Dahlia.
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somewhere at the bottom of the next bucket of fried chicken... he promises. Hey-ooo!
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Are you stupid? Pointing out ridiculous myths and talking points isn't "spouting off...talking points." It is pointing out the irony of a group of people who labeled Bush an "ignorant cowboy" and then claiming that he "deceived" most Americans and many other nations. To be honest, I think that the best candidates in 2008 were Hillary Clinton, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Of course, what do I know? Some raging TBers will flame me simply because I didn't drink the Kool-Aid in 2008 (let alone in 2009).
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Mr. Beaks listed 142 movies including the movies that just missed the top 100 and "Almost Famous" isn't mentioned at all. Bad Boys II and Mission to Mars got higher bill than Almost Famous. WTF?!?
Average movies like Bring It On and Talladega Nights make the list and Almost Famous, TDK, The Prestige, The Wrestler, Memento, and other is a crime.
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Femme Fatale is ok. Probably the best thing about it is the opening heist scene scored with a wonderful piece of music by Ryuichi Sakamoto titled "Bolerish," and based on Ravel's Bolero. After that...ehh. I rate the movie a 6/10.
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And Watchmen should be #1.
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Thanks. I don't think that Obama is an idiot at all. I think that he is extremely articulate and well educated (but not the "brain child" that some would have us believe). However, I told people in 2008 that Obama was NOT going to do the things that he promised. He made a lot of promises to a lot of people and groups. Ultimately, I think that this will be Obama's political downfall in 2012. All that his opponents will have to do is replay his own words from 2008...and then contrast them with his words and actions after the election. And, yeah, CHILDREN OF MEN not only deserves to be on this list...but I would question the rationale of any list that it doesn't appear on.
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By the way, I can't figure out how to pronounce your talkback name, which amuses me. Almost like Lovecraft's Cthullu...
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blaming democrats for the banking crisis and the economy and saying Barney Frank is a gay child prostitution pimp, etc. Very reasoned indeed. Not talking points at all. You sir are a moron. Don't bother replying, b/c it won't get you anywhere. Blind political rage doesnt interest me.
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Holy cow...was THE PRESTIGE even on the list?!? Yet BAD SANTA and MISSION TO MARS were there?
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Watchmen at #1
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I see Obama as the next Carter, the dude has got too much to deal with.
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...and you will find the guy had a gay child prostitution ring running out of his own house. Then google the banking crisis + Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank. You shouldn't be afraid of the truth, dude.
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You wrote: "You sir are a moron. Don't bother replying, b/c it won't get you anywhere. Blind political rage doesnt interest me." Nope...not a moron. And this isn't "blind political rage." I would have voted for Hillary Clinton over John McCain. She was smart enough to be honest during the primaries. Obama? He even accused both Hillary and Bill Clinton to be "racist." Yeah, you may not tolerate "blind political rage" (if it is different than your own), but to label Bush (or me) as a moron is just a display of raw stupidity.
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I knew I could depend on you.
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Dec 11, 2009 7:00:41 PM CST
OK, let's not turn this list into a political debate but....
by hawaiian organ donor
Let's face it. We fucked ourselves. Between the housing market and the banks collapsing and spending billions on wars overseas there was never going to be a solution to bring us out of this shit.And let me tell you, I'm OK with that. Time to hit the reset button and see where the wake carries us. I don't give a shit who the skipper in charge of the boat is at this point, we're fucked. I'm at home alone on a Friday night, no Latte Girl, one bottle of wine gone and AICN to keep me busy. Shit, I might as well be a body swinging from a ceiling fan.And if I really had to pinpoint the reason this list is a failure greater than New Coke, it comes down to 5 glaring omissions: Children of Men, Apocalypto, Zodiac, Gladiator and Red Cliff. At least one, ONE of those should have made his top 100. To say that Anchorman is better than all five is a fucking insult.
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yes, barney frank had someone who he employed and was involved with running a regular old gay prostitution ring from his house. It was not children, and he was fired when he found out. The banking crisis can almost entirely be traced to the repeal of the Glass-Steagall act in 1999, a bill pushed through by Phil Gramm and singed into law by Bill Clinton. It allowed for the increased leveraging of assests that we saw in credit default swaps. That's the problem. Here's what's infuriating. You saw some bullshit on some conservative websites, repeated as fact and are completely witless. What you are saying is the very definition of talking points, you buffoon. You think you're more informed than everybody else and know the "truth" but really you're just repeating bullshit and conspiracy theories. You are the worst kind of useful idiot. Crawl back in a hole somewhere and please stay there.
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1. LOST
2. BSG
3. THE BIG BANG THEORY
4. THE SOPRANOS
5. DEXTER
6. THE OFFICE
7. SIX FEET UNDER
8. ROME
9. 24
10. Arrested Development
Honorable Mentions: THE WIRE, Deadwood, Friday Night Lights, Chappelle's Show, Rescue Me. -
no he didn't. That is a fact. He said he was going to stay in Afghanistan, he has. He said he was going to reform health care, that's what he's doing. He said we needed bailouts, he issued them. He said Bush's tax cuts should expire, that's his position. He has done pretty much all the major things he said he would during the campaign. The fact that YOU projected a bunch of garbage up there doesn't mean shit to me. You have proved yourself to be ill informed. I don't want to hijack this thread anymore, so lets leave it there.
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Shocked to see Irreversible even place.
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STOP SUCKING YOUR OWN LIBERAL DICK. Those sort of brain warts might spread from brain to your mouth and then to your dick...and then to your palm. That is all. BTW, don't argue policy to me while lying, fucktard. I know the difference between truth and spin. Your Huffington Post talking point nonsense is as far to the left as Rush Limbaugh and his fat ass is to the right.
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...stop sucking Obama's cock too. It is quite...disturbing. *shivers
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that Shane Carruth (Primer) was working on a project about 'people that start feeling compelled to build devices unaware of what they are, or why they are doing it'. Loved Primer . . . still dont get it.
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10. The Accused
9. Baise-moi
8. Clockwork Orange
7. Death Wish II
6. Last House on the Left
5. Jackson County Jail
4. Once Upon a Time in Americ
3. Irreversible
2. Deliverence (change of pace)
1. I Spit On Your Gave
Dishonorable Mention: Rashomon (they don't show it!)
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your rebuttal has proven my point. You have nothing substantive to say. I give you specific facts and you respond with sucking dick and lying fucktard. Bravo. Now go read the fountainhead again you douche nozzle.
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It's not worth it, and its not interesting. This talkback got ugly fast.
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As a change of pace, since the girl in that one kinda liked being raped.
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I'm sure he loves man-boy rape, too.
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OK, that's a really decent list ccchhhrrriiisssm. And please, I beg you guys, stop the political talk. If we take anything away from this year it's that's ALL politicians are assholes. They don't give a fuck about me or me. So leave it be. End of line.But top ten TV shows of the decade:1. Band of Brothers2. Rome3. Lost4. BSG5. Arrested Development6. The Office7. Curb Your Enthusiasm8. 30 Rock9. Harvey Birdman10. 24Keep in mind I'm a piece of shit and have never seen an single episode of The Wire, Rescue Me, Deadwood or Dexter. I have a lot to catch up on.
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He didn't forget to include that one. Even though it really does deserve its spot. If not higher, imo.
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1. The Wire
I don't feel like doing the rest. -
Aren't here. They are CRAP. How somebody can drag out 7-8 hours of something that was almost perfectly fleshed out in 3-5 minutes of exposition is not only insanely dull, you did not even follow through with the skeleton you started out with. Pay attention to what you did before, and give us something relevant. Not more Clone Wars crap that we already know the outcome to.
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Are you finished trying to be witty? Regardless, your "witty" responses don't hide either your hate or your lies. Keep spewing your liberal propaganda...and calling people "morons" for simply disagreeing with you. You might even get paid for it one day! Something tells me that the Prez will need a few new spinsters over the next few years. 'Nuff said.
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This list isn't even New Coke, it's that clear Pepsi they marketed 15 years ago.
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I'm disengaging. Shouldn't have engaged at all in the first place.
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As far as Beaks' favorite rape movies go you forgot the mack daddy: City of Life and Death, based on the events of the RAPE OF NANKING. 50,000+ women raped by soldiers. The ultimate roofie movie. Fuck.
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HOD, you gotta get on that. THE WIRE is perfection, but DEADWOOD is such a juicy show.
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Yeah, I need to stop. It just gets frustrating when someone feels the liberty to spew their propaganda...but they can't accept criticism of it. BTW, that is a great list. I forgot about some of those shows! BAND OF BROTHERS was great! I never really cared for 30 Rock...but the rest of them are great picks!
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I extended an olive branch earlier. Let's just get back on topic dude: trashing Beaks' list. So much more fun than trashing each other.
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the clapping bear. When he see's that one-inch dude's wang and starts clapping, I fucking die every single time.
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But i figured Beaks doesn't like it when the enjoy it. Ruins the power fantasy for him.
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Nothing like good 'ole prison rape.
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1. The Wire
2. Mad Men
3. Lost
4. Battlestar Galactica
5. Arrested Development
6. Deadwood
7. 30 Rock
8. Dexter
9. Brotherhood
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm
And yes, I've seen every episode of all, and lots of other great shows you've mentioned. I'm fairly sure my top 3 are entirely correct. it is my opinion, though -
to The Sopranos. Totally set the standard for everything afterwards. I think people forget how good it was and is. Every good show on HBO or showtime after that owes something to that show and the characters and story are pitch perfect.
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Yeah, I so intended to watch Deadwood and The Wire, had the DVDs all lined up and then my daughter was born and shit, there goes that.But I still have the discs so maybe it's time to stop making excuses and get onboard.But Christ if I will EVER find a show that sucked me in more than Rome.And am I the only guy who watches Harvey Birdman? That is total brilliance.
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You and me, we the same!
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not having it. wong kar wai is box office poison and a total failure at everything. he is not half what ozu and imamura were, and nobody liked them either. if the jude law piece didnt change yer mind then goddamnit... and where tjhe fuck is john kleguizamo's cronicas!? that was the fuckest best thing in 10 years hands down!
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...irrational hatred of Obama is his reason for existing, you'd have a more worthwhile conversation with an actual effigy made of straw. And Crow3711's best of TV 2000-2009 is the only factually correct list here. Top 2-9 are debatable but anyone who's seen The Wire and doesn't put it at the top of the list is objectively full of shit.
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How the hell did I forget that one. Jesus that's a great show.
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Might have TOO much rape. I think Beaks prefers to keep it personal and preferably one-on-one.
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I like Assy McGee.Wouldn't list it too high, but I like a talking ass.
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I loved ROME. I just hated the fact that they rushed through the series during the second season. I guess that time flies when you're an HBO drama.
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I do understand how important The Sopranos was/is to television overall, and how much it really did change tv almost entirely. Basically every show I listed, the dramas at least, only exist because of the sopranos. So in that way, it probably should be on any list. But, having watched through the 4th season after it was all over and done with...I just don't like it that much. It's good tv and all, fantastic acting, everything you need really...but its repetitive as fuck. The first season was basically perfect. After that...it never got that good again as far as I could tell. Tony bangs some girl, Carmella gets mad, they fight, the kids have problems, the crew robs someone, soemthing goes wrong, maybe someone gets whacked or beat up. Every season seemed the same to me. I think if I hadn't watched it all in a row, but week by week, it wouldn't seem so bad. But I got really bored. Even thematically, each season seemed fairly identical. No characters ever, EVER seemed to evolve or change. So that's why it wasn't on my list. I understand it should be, but for me personally, thats why it isnt.
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I don't hate him. I just think that he needs a career change. However, I agree that THE WIRE is a very, very good show. B-)
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I have never seen The Wire. I'm going to start watching it next week.Yack, my favorite moment of Birdman is the Jetsons when they come into his office and because he doesn't have a moving sidewalk it takes them all night to get to his desk. And half of them die of exhaustion.
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and it was pretty good, but didn't really knock my dick off. The second season was just, same shit different day. I don't know, i like Deadwood and the Sopranos much more. Even Dexter is is more soap opera-ish fun for me.
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Any episode of THE SOPRANOS > Irreversible.
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But I won't argue with you? I added it to my netflix, thats for sure. I'll be sure to see what all the fuss is about. The Sopranos isn't bad, and some episodes are standout examples of fantastic tv. But watching it episode after episode wore me out. I just wasn't interested. Doesn't mean it wasn't good.
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That I know how the final episode ends because everyone made such a fuss about it and it was impossible to avoid learning about the fade to black, etc etc. I know Tony survives, aas does his whole family...so there was no real tension for me I guess. Certainly didn't help
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Good movie, I guess, but not #1. I think the movie goes in for shock more than anything else and I just don't think if you take away the two most critical scenes you would have much of a movie. It's interesting though, the rape and murder are certainly powerful, I just don't know if they're strong enough on their own to warrant this being the #1 movie of the past 10 years. Anyone can make a gruesome murder and rape in a movie, just like anyone could make a scene of a puppy being tortured and killed. Interesting movie and certainly powerful, but I'd argue one-dimensional compared to the great films.
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Irreversible is quite simply the most powerful film I've in the last decade, so yeah I can see it being number 1, I guess.
Haven't seen Collateral anywhere on any list? -
C: Might be the first time ever, but on that second point, we're in complete agreement. It's still better than LOST, though. ;) HOD: I envy anyone who gets to sit down and enjoy The Wire for the first time, such a rewarding show... but you really have to pay attention (I used to watch the show once when it aired, and again with subtitles on just to pick up all the dialogue), they don't spoon feed you anything. LOTS of minor-but-important characters and little subtextual details. Still, if you can get through 3-4 episodes, it's a pretty safe bet you'll be hooked for the whole 5 season stretch.
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I posted this in the second article of the series, but, here it is again. Note that this isn't a hard ranking, but simple numerical ratings of each show. I think a case can be argued for any of the shows rated a 10 to be the best show of the decade, though, obviously The Wire has a HUGE lead on the other shows. 10s: BSG, Deadwood, Firefly, Mad Men, Rome, The Shield, The Wire
9s: Breaking Bad, Damages, Dexter, In Treatment, Sons of Anarchy
8s: Angel, Band of Brothers, John Adams, Pushing Daisies, True Blood, Wonderfalls
I imagine Carnivale belongs in that list, but I haven't seen it, so can't rank it. The same with Californication, Weeds, Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me, and probably several others I've forgotten. I don't list The Sopranos as a 2000s show, it's a 1990s show (it was what, the fourth season before the credits were updated to show the missing WTC?). I feel pretty confident in saying that the 9s and 10s are pretty much set though. Oh, and of course, my usual predilection for drama prevails. Comedy is for plebs (hence no Entourage or anything like that). And Reality TV is for brain-dead fucking morons who should be rounded up and sterilized to prevent them from polluting the gene pool. -
The Sopranos has one of the most infamous and brutally realistic rape scenes I've ever seen, and probably ever put on television. ..so there's that.
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it's not exactly difficult to make graphic rape "powerful". It's a gimmick movie. There isn't the same kind of technical achievement, allegorical depth, or character that so many other movies have.
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I have no idea how to pronounce it either. It's from a shitty novel that I loved when I was a stupid ignorant kid, but now realize is fucking trash. Rhuragh is a fall-back name for when my preferred handle is unavailable (and that's Strabo). I used to post here as Strabo, but last January my ID suddenly stopped working. My old posts are here, so I don't think I was banned. It just stopped working.
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Collateral made my big monolithic list (not artificially limited to 100 movies, it's 223 movies currently). Collateral was much better than Miami Vice, so I'm really surprised that it made Beaks' list over Collateral.
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How could I forget John Adams. That belongs in the number 3 spot. That was just an amazing series.I'm so far behind on TV though. Along with the above mentioned, I've never seen an episode of Californication, Weeds, Six Feet Under or Dead Like Me.
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I know it's in the animation ghetto, but the Venture Brothers has to be included. Absolutely hilarious send-up of sci-fi/pop-culture without resorting to random Family Guy nonsense, and it has actually built itself an organic storyline with real characterization beyond just one-note rip-offs. I'd say The Monarch is the villain of the decade, and Brock Samson's method of getting into the driver's seat of a car through the windshield is the most hilarious display of badassness in a long time. Also good but slightly more hit or miss is Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Charlie Day is the funniest person on television right now. And I forget when it aired, but IFC's Dinner for Five with our boy Favs was great television when they had an inspired selection of guests. I would expect that a bunch of film geeks like the ones here would appreciate a show like that.
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My apologies but I haven't seen any of that stuff either. For the longest time I gave up cable so I could just focus on movies. And now that I have high def cable all I still do is watch movies.
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I mean, the nerve! J/K, I've actually been that way about movies lately, in fact the last movie I saw in a theater was Terminator: Salvation, and I probably should have stayed home for that one. I've been catching stuff as it premieres on cable-- just saw Gran Torino for the first time last night-- but I'm way behind on all the recent releases, and that's not very conducive to a timely discussion of those movies here on AICN.
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about some of those selections.
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Ahh, Gran Torino, a paean to the healing power of racism. You gook.
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I gotta say that Ledger was amazing in it, but it just wasn't that good of a movie. I thought the first one was much better. But neither of them were near as good as Memento which made the list.
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And I mean that.... You should call your list, top 100 movies to watch if you're a "horny bastard" who likes to watch his movies while drunk or on drugs.. Irreversible at number 1..lol.. Reading your list has been a waste of time. However you should thank me for adding to this websites hit's. ;) Merry Christmas
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Mad Men - Well done, great psychological study, of some serious drinking, smoking, cheating pigs, and that's just the gals. It's pretty funny too.
Rescue Me - Funny as hell one second, damned painful the next.
Two and a Half Men - Always funny.
Smallville - I guess.
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Yeah, that was a little weird-- who knew talkback flame wars were the model for how real men talk?-- but anytime Clint gets the finger gun out I consider it time well spent. It WOULD have been better if it was his orangutang that had died instead of his wife, though.
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Rescue Me gets a 7 in my scoring. It's good, but it's far too uneven. I should say though that the ghost scenes in the bar this last season were incredible.
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...almost made it, but Sexy Beast didn't?
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I love it when they do drama on Rescue Me, but, for the last few seasons, it seems that when they want to interject some drama they kill off one of Tommy's family members. The technique is becoming a little tiring.
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If I remember right, alot of people at AICN loved that movie when it first came out.And, what about Neil Marshal, Dog Soldiers or The Descent was better than Manderlay.
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Dec 11, 2009 8:38:42 PM CST
SPIELBERG DID NOT TACK ON THE END OF A.I.!!!!!!!
by theumpirestrokesbach
Goddamn, where do you people get that shit? It's always said with such confidence as well. For once in your fucking life, would you actually look somewhere besides your own colon and back up your utterly fucking moronic claims with facts? I'll say it again.
SPIELBERG DID NOT TACK ON THE END OF A.I. -
the Chris Rock robot...why was it there? What purpose did it serve? So Chris Rock could say he worked with Spielberg? That scene needed to be darker, not lighter in tone.
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Now that is an example of something Spielberg tacked on. I totally agree with you about that whole Flesh-Fair scene being fucked though. IMHO that scene is one of the major fuck-ups of the entire film.
He also expanded on Gigolo Joe in his own ways, as Kubrick had not quite figured that character out yet. -
The first 85% of this show is nearly perfect, and Cruise is just amazing as he acts against type and creates a truly fascinating villain/mentor (Scientology be damned). I particularly loved the way the entire theater gasped as he did his "two in the chest, one in the head" thing to a hapless street thug. Priceless.
Then that FUCKING ENDING. The moment Foxx finds out that the girl of his dreams is Cruise's ultimate target...I remember groaning aloud. And kept groaning, as it degenerated into a pointless chase movie from there on out. What a waste.
What the movie DID need was Cruise to finish his job, put a gun to Foxx's head, and explain to him that, if in a year's time, he's still driving a fucking cab and not acting on making his daydreams come true, he'll do him the favor of killing him. Count on it. The End. -
I have the movie on DVD, but haven't re-watched it in awhile.I would say that that is the best Crusie movie ever. And, it is way better than Miami Vice (actually didn't bother with the whole movie).
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I didn't mean he literally tacked on the last 20 minutes. I meant that David going to the bottom of the ocean and spending the next 2,000 years with the Blue Fairy was the perfect ending for the movie. It was a false ending and always intended that way. I just think the last 20 minutes was unneccessary and ruined what could have been a near perfect film. I felt the ending was too forced with it's sentimentality and trying to tie up loose ends. I didn't need David having to come with the reality that he will never become a real boy or being able to spend one last day with Monica just so he can have his perfect moment. It really didn't fit in well with the overall movie. That was my point.
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was because he didn't think the ending worked and he couldn't figure out a good way to end it.
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1. Lost
2. Sopranos
3. The Shield
4. Dexter
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm.
6. The Wire
7. Battlestar Galactica
8. Six Feet Under
9. Mad Men
10. Venture Bros
Just missed out is ; Deadwood, West Wing, In Treatment and Arrested Development.
Lost is my favourite show of all time and thus clearly was easy for me to put at number 1.
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...was because that's the ending Kubrick wrote. His outline consisted of the family relationship issues at the beginning and David 'getting' his final wish at the end. Spielberg filled in everything else, namely the darker aspects that one would expect came from Kubrick.
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SPIRAL - UZUMAKI - SKY CAPTAIN (EAT ME) - MIRRORMASK - MR BROOKS - RAMBO - EVIL ALIENS - ACROSS THE UNIVERSE - RENAISSANCE - RETURNER - NATURAL CITY - SALTON SEA - STREET KINGS - RIDDICK - SESSION 9 - NOTORIOUS BETTY PAGE - FOUNTAIN - FALL - 28 DAYS LATER - KUNG FU HUSTLE - FEAST - IMMORTAL - NIGHT WATCH - PAN'S LABYRINTH - IDIOCRACY - WANTED - CHILDREN OF MEN - CORPSE BRIDE - [REC] - ZOMBIELAND - SURVEILLANCE - SILENT HILL - SMOKIN' ACES - of what i've seen, these are some of my favorites. no particular order, but #1 is definitely DISTRICT 9
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Well, according to Sara Maitland (a british author) who worked on the script with Kubrick in the 90s was that Kubrick never filmed the film because he never liked the ending and could get it to work. So even if it is 100% Kubrick, even Kubrick didn't like it.
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Yep all of those you mentioned are better Bond than it.
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...I find The Fall to be completely overrated. Maybe this is because I go to and Art School and everyone there has seen it and thinks it's the best thing ever.
I find it to be extremely beautiful, but ultimately hollow and pretentious. -
But that has always been the problem with Tarsem. He is all visual with no substance.
The Cell was the same way. It was a B-Movie rip off of Silence of the Lambs with brilliant imagery. You take out the visuals out of the movie and you have a generic thriller.
Tarsem was a brilliant music video director, but from a plotline standpoint, he is no better a movie director than former music video director Michael Bay. But where Bay hides his obvious flaws with explosions, Tarsem hides his with brilliant imagery. -
Never heard that about Kubrick not being sure of his ending. Everything I've read has indicated that he held off because the effects weren't quite there yet. Now, Kubrick was obviously not totally finished hammering out the script and polishing it, but I do feel that the last 20 minutes is still, in essence, very close to what he would have done. Here's some copypasta for your perusal.
"People pretend to think they know Stanley Kubrick, and think they know me, when most of them don't know either of us," Spielberg told film critic Joe Leydon in 2002. "And what's really funny about that is, all the parts of A.I. that people assume were Stanley's were mine. And all the parts of A.I. that people accuse me of sweetening and softening and sentimentalizing were all Stanley's. The teddy bear was Stanley's. The whole last 20 minutes of the movie was completely Stanley's. The whole first 35, 40 minutes of the film – all the stuff in the house – was word for word, from Stanley's screenplay. This was Stanley's vision." -
1: Monica B being raped. 2. Hostel. 3: I Spit on Your Grave. 4: Salo. 5: Asslives' 100 hours of Goat-porn(self-directed)stash. 6: I Drink Your Blood. 7: I Eat Your Skin 8: Target for Torture. 9: Heavy Into Jeff. 10: Hills Have Thighs.
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Personally, whether it was Kubrick's or Spieberg's vision, I didn't think the last half hour worked on film. I felt David on the bottom of the ocean asking the Blue Fairy to change him into a boy in perpetude was the perfect ending based on the tone of the film.
Maybe if Kubrick had figured out a way to make the ending work, the ast 20 minutes would have worked a lot better, but I just thought it was too jarring and too sentimental for the overall piece of work. I guess my wording should have been different so that it could have been inferred I thought that Spielberg tacked on an additional 20 minutes to give a sentimental ending to Kubrick's work. But the end as it was filmed (and apparently written) really ruined the overall movie for me. I have watched in subsequential viewings and turned off the DVD after the David at the bottom of the ocean scene and I enjoy the movie more. -
EVERYONE hates this Portuguese POS goat-fucking Bastard. Mammaries--on the Abrams Trek you are Complete wrong, on your choice of Sexual partners-gay lepers and GOATS-you are all wrong, and on your calenders-Fuck off and DIE. Crow711 is 100% right. You are a fucking sack of shit. Please step in front of a cement truck doing 80 and DIE.
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Dec 11, 2009 10:22:05 PM CST
Beaks..Why was "The Devil's Rejects" left off of this list
by chocolatejesusman
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to disagree. That ending section, for me, allows a cathartic release from all of the emotional momentum that has built up and is the total summation of every philosophical theme put forth from the moment the film began. David praying to the Blue Fairy at the bottom of the ocean is only the end of the second act and could never suffice for an ending. That would leave the film and it's conceits only 2/3's complete IMO.
Funnily enough, I myself, when getting bored during that second act, have fast-forwarded to the final twenty minutes because I love them so much!
But hey, "different strokes" as they say. -
I think wikipedia states they're *supposed* to be aliens, I forgot where I read that. Also, I love your name, but hate the ending of that show. Sam Beckett never made it home, or some crap. That suqs.
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The section up through Monica's abandonment of David is just heartbreaking brilliance.
Middle section is a mess, although Gigolo Joe is a truly great supporting character (the Tin Man with a sex drive...loved it).
Flooded New York and David encountering his creator, then finding the "Blue Fairy"...more brilliance.
Ending...out of control schmaltz when, in fact, David should have been allowed to savor getting the last laugh on humanity: super advanced "alien" robots (his "descendents") now rule the universe. A happy ending was actually in order, for once.
Bonus points to Spielberg for correctly pointing out that one day, NYC will again yield to the onslaught of glacial activity... -
Absolutely HORRIFIC list you got there. What did you do, grab the last copy of some movie encyclopedia from the local Barnes & Noble and flip pages randomly. I mean, I loved Memento too, but the 2nd best of the DECADE??? C'mon Man!
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This is far and beyond the most awe-inspiringly abysmally conjured up Top [Insert Number Here] list I do believe I have ever come across in all my years on the internet. No, I'm not over-exaggerating I'm being brutally honest and refreshingly candid. That list mindfucks me more than primordial dwarves. I salute you. Bravo.
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I didn't realize that. My list is full of Bale. How can this be? Is he the Antibale? Seriously though, that's weird. The guy made some great films.
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so you can honestly say u feel that bring it on is better than the dark knight and almost famous ??
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MULHOLLAND DRIVE - MONSTER HOUSE - REPO - HELLBOY/2 - MACHINIST - EQUILIBRIUM - AMERICAN PSYCHO - CRANK - HIGHWAYMEN - 300 - SIN CITY - SPLINTER - TATTOOIST - UNDERWORLD - WIZARD OF GORE - DEATH SENTENCE - DOG SOLDIERS - IRONMAN - CLOVERFIELD - ALTERED - RESCUE DAWN - DARK KNIGHT - notice the pointed lack of dramas, romcoms, or any other feel-good nonsense. bring on the 100 worst...
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Hard not to like a guy who puts LotR in his top 10. But some of the movies on the Just Missed List? That takes balls, man!
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don't know where to begin.
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absolutely terrible list; pretentious and self serving. And lazy too, judging from all the cut and paste "reviews."
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I can't sit here and let Beaks take all this beating when some of the movies that are giving you guys convulsions are on my list too. Magically A.I. is also #15 on my list. Irreversible is #27. Femme Fatale is #79. And I'm sure I've got some that didn't make Beaks' list that would make you guys call a priest. So what? You wanna fight? *puts up her dukes* I don't sweat you guys.
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Your last line was simply pathetic. Forget the debate about the Clintons comments on WMD along with most major nations intelligence (its no debate you just don’t seem to know about It for some reason). …but worse than that your understanding of the theory behind this is about equal to that of Chamberlain’s .
To agree or disagree with the final decision is fine…the blatant ignorance to the gamble either way as evidenced by your closing ramble and the incessant simplification of the decision by leftists is just laughable and simply represents an ignorance of history.
But to the list- it started out good, but Anchorman, A.I. and Shaun of the dead in the top 20 of the DECADE??? They were at the lower end of the top 20 for their respective YEARS man.
And History of Violence at @ 25??? I actually really like that movie- but it’s a guilty pleasure not an actually great movie….and certainly not even in the same league with Dark Knight which is lost in space. Glad to know Sherlock Holmes was good though. The trailers made that one look promising. -
Dec 12, 2009 12:39:44 AM CST
Cherry, where do you have OBSERVE AND REPORT on your list?
by yackbacker
And Dave Chapelle's BLOCK PARTY? Do you also ignore CHILDREN OF MEN and THE DARK KNIGHT too? Just curious.
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Well, this is STUPID.
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Never met a person who liked it. Huh.
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The most daunting film I've ever seen.
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http://tinyurl.com/yh38t8w I don't have O&R, Block Party or CoM. I don't like CoM that much but it doesn't stink or anything. TDK is 2nd. But I've got loads of bad ones and there is other stuff I left off for all kinds of reasons. If everyone had the same favorites it'd be boring.
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What about SIGNS?
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What about (500) DAYS OF SUMMER?
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What about THE WRESTLER?
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shitty shitty shitty list
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Dec 12, 2009 2:26:38 AM CST
No TDK/Casino Royale=instant stamp of approval from me
by takingscorpioscalls
as long as those two shitheads arent here you can go on your merry way listy.
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http://bigempire.com/filthy/500daysofsummer.html
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Fuck you, Mr. Beaks. Dipwad.
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And stop mistaking yourselves for the rest of mankind.
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Dec 12, 2009 2:39:12 AM CST
"...and the incessant simplification of the decision by leftists
by ptsdpete
The guy who said this. Arrogant twit. Man, you fuckers are so going to PAY.
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You know Mr. Asimov would've spotted the plot holes in TDK a mile away.
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Not just in the 'also rans.'
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And if you can't find your way to having 3 Linklater films in the list (I can understand that) I'd even take out Before Sunset but I really don't want to ...
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The man made 2 highly acclaimed AND very successful films - Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona - and neither of them are on your list? And yet you have slots for utter tripe like Bring It On, Jackass, Superbad and Observe and Report? Are you completely braindead?
This is the kind of crap that makes me seriously consider never coming to this site again. I will certainly never read anything written by this Beaks halfwit again. -
Charlie Kaufman's freaking MASTERPIECE. It must've had a tiny release because I totally missed it in the theater but somehow Netflixed it months after the fact ... it blew my mind. I don't even recall AICN covering it though I might've missed it.
If you don't like Charlie Kaufman's usual weird shit you won't like it, but if you're a Kaufman fan I think it'll blow you away because he takes his weird insanity to whole new levels. Just the first scene -- where we literally watch a year (?) pass in Philip Seymour Hoffman's kitchen in a matter of minutes using only dialogue and sight cues -- is cinema magic. And the concept of an obsessed theater director who ends up building a full-size replica of New York City inside an impossibly huge warehouse and goes around casting people to play himself and act out his life story (including the casting of people to play himself...etc) is a mind-bender of Malkovichian proportions. -
Every talkback for every article he ever writes from now on will have rape comments. You know it to be true.
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Don't analyze this fucking mess too much...I'm not even sure Mr. Beaks wants to work on this site, given his apparent contempt for genre flicks...
This list is only significant the way a particularly voluminous fart in a societal circle is...the world at large little notices nor takes any measure of interest therein... -
...yet you left off Who's Your Caddy?!? And Baby Geniuses 2?!? What's wrong with you?!?
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Good to see Dogville on a list like this. I don't know if I'd put it that high, but there's no doubt that it's a movie that stays with you. That single quote above was one of the most powerful and haunting moments ive ever seen in a film. I saw the movie once when it came out and I still think about that scene. Good on you for putting Primer that high as well.
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Nuns getting raped.
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Any takers?
The wrestler, star trek, hurt locker, children of men, blood diamond.......
fine.
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Collateral was on my list...
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Dakota Fanning getting raped. Media Messiah jerks off to that...and sadly, I'm not joking.
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What about '77 (formerly known as 5-25-77)?
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I never saw that. What about in Funny People? Never saw that, either.
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Who doesn't jerk off to rape scenes? Outside of the context of the movie, they can be pretty fun...
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Someone offends you by having a different take on film than you, so you automatically bombard him with accusations of being a rape-fetishist. Do you guys also whack people over the head with sledgehammers for accidentally bumping into you, or fillet the paperboy's balls for being half an hour late? I know it's easy to get White Box Syndrome and get totally drunk on the whole Extreme Talkbacker thing, but I'd recommend snapping out of it every now and then, just in case it bleeds into your everyday life and you land yourself in serious trouble.
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See what I did there?
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Dec 12, 2009 5:39:54 AM CST
Dude, I only ever rape anyone if they've been diagnosed insane
by seppukudkurosawa
and they don't even know what's happening either way. What kind of animal do you take me for, anyway?!
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BOUAHAHAHAHAHA thank god i dont give a fuck about the movie reviews from 'professional' critics like Beaks or anyone else.
irreversible no1..haha...Vaso do u hear it? its his no1 movie,so u r not alone...haha ;) -
Beaks, as a fan of movie music I had to add my 2 cents. Horner doesn't only rip off his own music. The New World score (as it sounds on the cd) is an almost exact copy of a theme in Patrick Doyle's Hamlet score. Malick may have recognized this as he buried the score in the film with other music and sounds. Also the opening bit of music in Aliens with Ripley's shuttle is taken directly from 2001 (though I'm not certain if it's an existing piece of music or not).
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Of all the movies on your list, State and Main is my favorite inclusion in the top 100. No one else seems to remember or have heard of this, but it is definitely one of my favorite comedies of the last decade. With any less of a writer or director or cast, the simplest lines like, "So, that happened" would be stupid. I love the exchange between Philip Seymour Hoffman and the doctor at the end too. "It's the truth that you should never trust anybody who wears a bow tie. Cravat's supposed to point down to accentuate the genitals. Why'd you wanna trust somebody whose tie points out to accentuate his ears?" "Aren't you supposed to set an example?" Nope, I'm just supposed to hold your hand as you die."
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AICN told me it was brilliant numerous times through their advance reviews. I never got around to seeing it because I heard it was too good to fathom. That and GOLDEN COMPASSS...
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A.I. in the top twenty?!? Seriously?
Also, I just read somewhere that of the 20 highest grossing movies of the decade, only ONE was an original screenplay - Finding Nemo. Damning indictment of a pretty poor ten years. -
Dec 12, 2009 10:55:11 AM CST
Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc should both be in the top 10.
by supermans
I mean cmon..lol..
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BAM, smoke it.
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Dec 12, 2009 11:58:05 AM CST
Cobra Kai you cant have thoughtful discussions with IndustryKill
by dvader
BC ultimately, remember, he's always right, you're wrong, and he'll go about insulting your opinions in a very passive-aggressive manner as a way to prove his correctness. How dare you think Irreversible isn't entertaining!
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“and the incessant simplification of the decision by leftists”
I said that Pete- and its not arrogance - it’s just true.
Do yourself a favor and crack a few history books dude. Your simple arguments were proven brutally and irrefutably wrong 70 years ago after people just like you nearly screwed the world permanently.
Guess you juts missed that memo from history.
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Which films were you referring to when you said this?: "In terms of ranking, this list is, aside from the top fourteen, not set in stone. In writing up the first twenty-five movies, I dropped out two titles and bumped one up into the top fifty. One of the films was omitted because I felt I was kowtowing to its cultural significance; when pressed, I decided I really liked the film, but not enough to put it above forty-seven other excellent movies. That film (and many others) will be found on the "Just Missed" list, which I'll publish with the top twenty-five." Dark Knight?
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Bc based on the number he throws out, he's talking about Spider-Man 2, but its on the BEST list, so why would it be on the "Just Missed List" too? Confusing.
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Really? When Dark Knight, The Wrestler, Donnie Darko, Gladiator and Unbreakable don’t even make the list?
Maybe we are getting to the point where “Ass-The Movie” really does become a number one hit.
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I'll try not to bitch about your list (except to say that I think squeezing a trilogy into one choice is cheating--surely Fellowship is the best of the bunch) but I will say that this has been a surprising and eloquently defended list, and now I have many movies to check out that I otherwise would never have known about. Primer, Afterschool, and Yi Yi are at the top. Thanks again.
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I like A.I., too. Sure it's got some problems, but damn, it's not a shit movie or anything. There's also a lot that's great about it.
And don't give up on Wolves! It would be nice to have you around again, even if the nights are slow... -
with a lot of your movies on your list. cause when you omit by all accounts a very good movie movie that gives cinema one of the great villianous performances it should be included for that alone. but with that being said...
how about a top 100 list of best movie scores? -
Amores perros, 21 Grams, Babel. 3 beautiful and brutal films from a very talented director, Alejandro Iñárritu. The New World by the man. Hurlyburly, Before Night Falls, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Ellie Parker, You Can Count on Me, Dare I say it: Lions for Lambs, Cold Mountain, The Proposition, Bad Santa, The Yards, The Weight of Water, The Good Thief, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and for the ladies: Bridget Jones's Diary, and my boy Woody ended up having a great turn around with Match Point, Melinda and Melinda, Vicky Cristina Barcelona Cassandra's Dream. And of course The Wrestler. The Human Stain, No Country for Old Men North Country, Monster, Brokeback Mountain, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Cobb, "Angels in America" Adaptation, About a Boy, Wonder Boys, Good Night, and Good Luck. Zodiac, Pta's There Will be Blood. The Notorious Bettie Page, 25th hour, The Singing Detective, Dummy, Broken Flowers, The Royal Tenenbaums, History of Violence, Pollack, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Lost in Translation, CQ, Marie Antoinette, Swimming Pool, Far from Heaven, The Shape of Things, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Atonement Eastern Promises Burn After Reading, Possession, Nurse Betty Auto Focus State of Play, Candy, Quills, Lantana, Public Enemies, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Tailor of Panama, Miami Vice, Dawn of the Dead, Blow, Choke, In her Shoes, Walk the Line, Shopgirls, I Heart Huckabees, Sideways, Man on Fire, Phone Booth, Solaris, Thirteen, The Deep End Cast Away Tigerland Sexy Beast, Woman on Top, Vanilla Sky, The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Matador, Harsh Times REscue Dawn, Lucky Number Slevin, Shut Up & Sing, Control, The Cooler, Thank You for Smoking, The Good Shepherd, The Queen, State and Main, Heist, The Prestige, Redbelt, Spartan, Pieces of April Friday Night Lights Antwone Fisher, Hotel Rwanda Undertow Saved, Coffee and Cigarettes Assassination Tango, City of Ghosts, Factotum, One Night at McCool's, North Country, What Planet Are You From? The Man Who Wasn't There, O Brother, Where Art Thou? Intolerable Cruelty Empire Falls Road to Perdition, The Savages Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Catch Me If You Can Junebug, Doubt Million Dollar Baby Mystic River, Shadow of the Vampire Gladiator Gosford Park In the Bedroom Ghost World The Affair of the Necklace About Schmidt Unfaithful,Master and Commander, House of Sand and Fog In America, Dirty Pretty Things Blood Diamond, Vera Drake, Collateral, Kinsey, Munich, Hustle and Flow, Syriana, The Squid and the Whale Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Half Nelson Venus, Little Children, Notes on a Scandal Children of Men, Apocalypto, Eastern Promises Away from Her The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford American Gangster Gone Baby Gone I'm Not There, Lars and the Real Girl, 3:10 to Yuma Towelhead, No End in Sight, The Reader Frozen River Revolutionary Road In Bruges Happy-Go-Lucky Breaking and Entering, Encounters at the End of the World The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream and last but not least: Ang Lee's "Hulk."
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do it do it do it do it
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One of my favorite and one of the most overlooked films. Overall, a great list, and don't disagree with any of them. Except A History of Violence. Eastern Promises was much better imho.
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The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Tigerland, Vanilla SKy, Half Nelson, Quills.
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What THE fuck?
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but A.I. is? *fart*
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We open on a stark field in an unnamed location (for audiences looking to be spoon-fed the details, this ain't your movie!) We linger on this shot -- no actors, no music -- for the first 20 min. If you don't get the symbolism of this shot, then you can go watch your Paul Blart and National Treasure pablum. This movie ain't for you. My movie challenges the preconceptions of cinematic pulchritude, in favor of a subliminal scent of hopelessness. I really heap on the hopelessness. There's a scene where our main character gets on his knees to pray, but then feels alone, so he cries so hard he vomits. Saturated with despair. And did I mention the hopelessness? (Bonus points!) The ennui of this lost generation is further symbolized in another 20 min. shot, this one of an old, wrinkled man staring longingly at a photo, but we can't see the photo from our POV. What's the photo of? His deceased wife? The lover he abandoned so long ago? Don't look for answers, because I'm too awesome to provide any of these details. If you're smart, you'll fill in the details yourself. If you liked Transformers and G.I. Joe, you'll probably call my movie "boring", but as we know, the only people who use the word "boring" when describing an extremely slow-paced movie are the masses with pedestrian tastes who don't like to be challenged. Did I mention there's a shitload of hopelessness in my movie? Like, loads of it.
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CreasyBear, any rape in your movie?
And by *any* I mean at least 50% of the film. -
Beak, you have to stop perpetuating the myth that AI's ending came from Spielberg. The "happy" ending was straight out of Kubrick. That has been confirmed many times over.
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And I instantly fell in love with it. It hits me right in the same place Lost in Translation hits me, and thus, rockets into my top films of the decade. 10/10.
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And I'm an elitist fuck, but at least my tastes are honest. I've never ever liked something simply because I felt the theme was important or that it's technical achievements overcame a meandering listless story or characters. That's Beaks' problem. Read that Femme Fatale review and honestly tell me he likes that film for anything other than some inflated notion of post modern importance. I do think "boring" is a terrible way to describe something you didn't like though. Last Days is a boring film, but it's boring because it lacks emotional resonance and any desire to take a stand on it's subject matter, it's an utter cop out of a film. Like making a film about Lincoln pondering silently for two hours and through the simple act of observation you're supposed to construct a portrait of a great man. It's an absurd device that someone who had nothing to say about Lincoln uses to fool faux cinephiles into intellectual submission. Beaks' LOVES that trope and he's the lesser for his gullibility.
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Trust me, Sam Beckett made it home.
And he had many more adventures, or rather his daughter did. -
Yes, I too will proudly admit to being an elitist fuck. Hilariously, CreasyBear's mock film sounds like it could be describing any scene from Malick, or something like TAOJJBTCRF.
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That was funny stuff ...balloon...punctured
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Fuck that animated shit. Jar jar binks quality characters are ok as long as its in a cg feature right?
Gettign tierd of hearing how pixar are gods of story, structure and all that. You faggots like Harry Potter also. Fuck me.
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It went from being personal to being public and therefore definitive (whether he likes it or not). So I don't wanna hear anymore of, "it's his list jeez, he's entitled to his opinion, blah blah blah" if it was so personal, he wouldn't have uploaded it...and therefore his taste comes into question by him doing so, and he's being judged accordingly. By taking this from a personal list, something on your harddrive you share with a few friends, to making this a feature on the site to be seen by THE WORLD, you go from, "hey these are my favorite movies of the decade", to, "these are the 100 best movies of the decade"...this is a professional movie site, with pro reviewers who get the same courtesy as someone like Todd MaCarthy of Variety or Peter Travers of Rolling Stone, they all go to the same screenings, etc(imagine if any of those critics put out a list like this, there'd be an uproar)...so anything they offer the public is by definition, definitive. An executive at a company does not bring his personal life to work unless he wants to be judged by it...he does not pull a Jerry Maguire and type an accusational memo (mission statement), bring it to work and not expect to be fired. A movie reviewer does not type a list of the 100 best movies of the decade, personal or not, upload it onto the site and not expect to be judged harshly by it, unless he's insane. The only exception I see is if EVERY OTHER REVIEWER uploaded a similar list (Harry, Quint, etc), and therefore expressed the "personal" in "personal list" and sideswiped some of the harshness...but they didn't. Beaks did this on his own and is going to reap the fucking whirlwind. That said, it's a horrible horrible fucking list, full of ridiculous inconsistencies and blatant oversights. Beaks does something right by putting NCFOM at #5 (a bit low), but then has Femme Fatale at #22??? - A.I. #15??? Primer #14??? Shaun of the Dead #13??? 25th Hour #4??? I understand that it's hard to classify one movie against another, because they're so insulated...but there's just no getting around There Will Be Blood (should have been #1 by a wide margin) being lower than 25th Hour...they're not even in the same league craft-wise. Primer being higher than A History of Violence(should have been in the top 5)? Primer??? I'm not going to get myself angry by continuing, but Beaks just lost all credibility.
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Beaks also put “Jackass: The Movie” at least 58 places AHEAD of The Dark Knight.
I have pointed out in the past that the Dark Knight is by no means perfect, has some plot holes, but it is still an amazing movie and indeed one of the all time great/landmark genre movies.
For it to not MAKE THE LIST is a joke. For Jackass: The Movie to outplace it by 58 spots or more….is just idiotic. -
Make that by 44 places....Don't type while your on the phone when there is no edit function.
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You cant offer a list and then hide behind subjectivity.
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While I vehemently disagree that LOTR has aged well (removing the emotional investment of "the moment" exposes it for the gay mess it actually is), I really enjoyed your list. Thanks for all the hard work over the years!
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Dec 12, 2009 7:21:11 PM CST
Was right the first time, it was #43, but how did Miami Vice
by 900lbgorilla
Also make this list? My goodness ... that is a global tragedy.
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Where'd you read/see about his "daughter"? I have vague yet good memories about the show since I haven't seen it in ages, just remember little "stephen king," roddy mcdowell, the awesome theme song, him meeting his dad or some ancestor etc. Could ya clue me in if it was in an episode, fan fiqtion etc?
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Demand it and they might do it. Possibly. Maybe.
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should be thanked. At least ten movies I haven't heard of, but that I've just ordered through Zip.
Thanks. -
... For perpetuating the myth that Spielberg created the "happy" ending to A.I. Go troll IMDB's trivia page so you don't look like such a pretentious dipshit for once.
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Especially when he VERY clearly says from the getgo that these aren't the "best" films, but the ones that MOVED him? Its subjectivity- look it up.
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Fact. Don't believe me? Then make your own so I can shit all over it.
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I would have said "dojo", but Cobra--kai has a court ordered injuncture against me using that word.
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That's fo sho, Conti-O.
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Napolean Dynamite? Hilarious and a cultural phenomenon.
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I always here how AI was ruined with its "tacked on" happy ending. How do you guys think that's happy? Forgive me it's been awhile since i've watched the film but: Yes leaving the kid at the bottom of the sea would have been bleak, but I think granting his wish was much darker. Future robots say you're a real boy (happy!) - well not really, it's just that humanity is destroyed and you're the closet thing that remains to "natural" (not so happy!) Mom's gonna say she loves you (happy!) - but she's not real (sad) - she's actually a simulation like you were and programmed that way...coming full circle (sadder) - oh and we're only going to allow you this imaginary happiness once (even sadder) - and then you'll be our experimental toy to help us understand history (boo dark) Seriously, how is that "happy"?
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You just highlighted the dire state of cinema today about the lack of original screenplays, covered up by many ultra fine layers of the present.
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GI Joe as good a film as There Will Be Blood because some housewife in Ohio thought that Daniel Plainview was just so mean and she thinks it's neat when the Eiffel Tower falls down. Right, what was I thinking? I mean we wouldn't want feelings to get hurt.
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I don't think there is any such thing as a definitive list of films, but there are some that can clearly be argued over others, and while there will always be debates about little things it's possible to get a talkback full of people to at least respect it. Beaks just plays the provocatuer. The list taken as a whole is completely unable to reconcile. I also like to think that Im pragmatic enough to make some choices based on actual film quality over personal connection. For instance, I love Wes Anderson, Darjeeling Limited is my personal favorite film of his, but I would never rank it higher on a list of great films than The Royal Tenenbaums. See how that works?
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Beaks very implicitly said this was NOT a list of what he thought were the best films. He said it was a list of films that moved him most, ie, the ones he *liked* best, his favorites. So this isn't a definitive list so much as a grouping of his personal favorites. If he had implied that this was going to be a BEST of and not a MY FAVORITES list, then yes, it would be more acceptable to slam a choice like Darjeeling Limited being ranked higher than Royal Tenebaums. But if you made your own list and prefaced your list by saying "these are my favorites, not necessarily the best", then it would be perfectly fine to do so. See how that works?
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Immensely. But I can't get that upset over them bc these are his favorites. He's not telling me that Talladega Nights is a better film than Children of Men, only that he liked it better.
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...for opinions. That's the chief purpose of this site: to disseminate the opinions of the site's authors. To get a list like this, and find out that one of the more prolific authors here has such terrible taste is very disappointing.
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Dec 13, 2009 11:01:03 AM CST
The chief prupose of site is to present 'Cool' news
by hey_kobe_tell_me_how_my_ass_tastes
If anyone truly bases their movie watching solely on the opinion of others - regardless of who those others are, then you are mindless sheep who deserve to be fucked by bad movies.
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Don't know if you will see this or not, don't care cause I need to respond.So because I didn't like something you found to be great, means I am a shallow movie goer who only likes explosions? Fuck you. You don't know one fucking thing about me, who the fuck are you to judge me by one fucking statement about a boring movie? I am not even going to defend myself against someone as ignorant as you, because if you are so quick to judge on the basis of one statement, then you are way to ignorant to understand anything I might say to you.Oh and BTW, Bay makes big loud dumb nonsensical movies that are fine for what they are, but hardly what one would call great cinema...good enough for you? Not that I really care if it is. Judgmental prick.
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Everyone's tastes are different, that's why we are individuals people. I think Beaks made some bold choices and I applaud him for that, instead of just going the safe route and picking what the masses would agree with, he made his own PERSONAL choices. So they don't exactly match up with ours, who fucking cares? Do we agree with what every movie critic in the world says? No we don't. He has his reason's for his choices, because we may not agree with them does not make his opinions any less relevant then our own. Grow up people. If we all agreed on everything this world would be one hell of a boring place. Deal with it.
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About him putting it up in public changes it from just personal opinion, is just that bullshit. Critics are people just like everyone else, and that's all they do IS PRESENT THEIR OPINIONS. Get off your high horse and just accept the fact that just because Beak's opinions do not match yours does not make them invalid.
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Agree with your posts bro, it's clear some people just are not getting this at all. I disagree with some of his choices as well, but I am sure a lot of people would disagree with a lot of my choices were I do to a similar list.
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...about Irréversible. I was terribly annoyed about the spinning crane shots and seemingly gratuitous violence. Then I realised it was running backwards, then got the point about time destroying everything. Pompous shock theatre or art? Should I like it or hate it? I can't decide. At least, it managed to stir me and provoke a reflexion. Not sure I'll see it again, though.
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Spoiler FFS!!!!!!
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1. Lost
2. Mad Men
3. Carnivale
4. The Wire
5. Battlestar Galactica
6. The Office
7. Flight of the Conchords
8. Californication
9. Dexter
10. Black Books -
Insert 10 reality shows......there ya go.Reality TV is the worst thing to happen to TV....ever it's the same bullshit over and over, and whatever, if any decent ones there may be are overshadowed by all the other bullshit there is. One show that is NOT bullshit, and is really reality...Deadliest Catch. No script, no bullshit.
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The above article also describes the device used. I don't think it spoils the experience in any way, since it's pretty obvious early on and is a mean to make a point, not the point itself. Anyways, thanks for pointing this out and admins please remove my previous post if deemed too spoilerish.
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...reading your entire list I only thought about twenty of the movies had no place on anyone's list and only had seriously visceral disagreements about the placement on the list of another thirty. Same as with most lists I see. So I guess well done. That much disagreement is within the margins of taste. Still, really, even as a throw-in at 100? That was a place one of the many superior films on your almost list could have sat. And in five years time neither Mr. Fox nor Drag Me to Hell would be on the list you made. I can't diagnose your reasons for including Fatale, which was a slightly above average thriller, but maybe it was the talking dog reaction. And Jackass, just no. Still, thanks for the 25th Hour love.
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You wouldn't have combined 2 Weekend At Bernies movies for the list would you?
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...Kill Bills. And not feel a moment's guilt for doing so.
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To find out one of the authors has such terrible taste? Try to construct a reasonable top 100 of the last (yeah, I already knew not by Julian) decade without including at least half of the films Beaks listed. Taking a rather more careful look at his list I would guess mine would share sixty-eight titles, though if I was to sit down for the heavy lifting of actually making the list it might go up or down by a handful. Other than the fact that Beaks is overly moved by film gimmicks and clearly has a weakness for lowbrow humor, neither of which means he has terrible taste (though maybe it means he has young taste) I don't really find much to dislike. But terrible taste? Overexcited much?
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...though Irreversible would have made my list (though not at number one) and Talladega Nights would not have, if you asked me which one I wanted to watch tonight...
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is overrated.
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I wrote my own QL sequel, a whole new season of stories, I had to bring Sam Beckett home, every time I watched that final episode I choked up. So I fixed it.
And there are many references in the QL novels about Sam Having a daughter, due to one of the events he changed. -
There's an awesome rape scene in the remake of 'The Hills Have Eyes'...and it's Claire from LOST getting raped. That should defo have made Beaks list.
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Eternal Sunshine, A.I., There Will Be Blood...excellent choices.
Lost In Translation would have easily made my list. But hey, I'm now loading up my queue with a gaggle of films that were never on my radar.
Good Stuff. -
If you're a big RAPE fan, check out ROME. Lots of RAPE in ROME. It was socially acceptable back then.
Beaks would have loved it. -
Hmmm. It is one of the very very rare movies that I walked out on. It is like fingers on a chalkboard from the open credits on as far as I'm considered. How odd that it Beaks favorite. Very very odd and perhaps quite telling of Beaks.
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Seriously? I'm as much of a browncoat as the next but at best that movie should only get honorable mention.
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aren't even on the just missed list. What the fuck!?
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I know it's a couple days later and all...but do you need a hug?
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my favourite film of all time, I'm not angry that it isnt on someone elses personal list.
The way people got so angry that TDK wasnt on the list, so funny. -
and no Dark Knight? really? I haven't seen IRREVERSIBLE (not sure I even really want to), but certainly you could have put The Dark Knight SOMEWHERE on there right?
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only good thing about it was Rebecca Romijn's hotness, definitely way too high on this list
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now THERE'S a movie that should have been on this list
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just because
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It was a sleeping pill of a movie. Murray was ok, but I found nothing interesting at all about it. How Coppola got the Oscar for that screenplay I will never know. To each his own I suppose, but I will never get the love for it. Boring movie.
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any movie that starts with a close-up of Scarlett Johansson's ass in see-through pink panties gets a pass from me
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but most of the talkbackers have already pointed out most of the flaws with this list, so Beaks I have to say even though your list is flawed I'd be lying if I said I didn't really enjoy reading it
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one of the greatest films of this decade or any other. Leaving it off this list is criminal.
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If a girl told me she liked IRREVERSIBLE more than AMELIE, I'd break up with her...if it were a guy, I'd kick him out of my fucking house into a blizzard, and if it were a critic on a website, well, I'll just never trust his opinion on anything ever again. I'd even consult Wikipedia if he told me arsenic were poisonous just to be sure...
Beaks, you're SUCH a pretentious douche. -
Who the fuck leaves Sideways and Amelie off the list!?
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...She'd been RAPED for nine minutes by a gay guy, after we saw another gay guy get his head bashed in.
But yeah, I know...some guys can only warm up to a female character if she's a winsome, quirky gal with a head for odd solutions. Others need to watch her be punished for sassing her boyfriend at a party by being brutalized, raped, forced into a miscarriage and left in a coma. In reverse, 'cause it's all, like, beautiful and thought provokin' and stuff. -
...it's produced by the French (like Mulholland Dr), Gaspard Noe was born in Argentinia and raised between Buenos Ayres and NYC. I guess only crazy French producers would have anything to do with the man ;-) I absolutely detested Irreversible (breach of implicit spectator/director's trust) but, like others, I applaud this eclectic list. Memento remains Nolan's masterpiece. Glad to see the greatest Pixars (IMHO) up there, glad to see some smaller independent efforts that are true gems. The only great absences in my book are Amelie, Beat My Heart Skipped, About Schmidt, The Pianist, Hustle and Flow, Mysterious Skin, I'm Not There, Speed Racer, The Fall, Man on Wire, Casino Royale, Black Book, Diving Bell and Butterfly, Team America, Three Burials and Synecdoche, NY (maybe Mar Adentro as well). And of course, one of the very best films of the decade: Amores Perros. Forgetting that one proves Beaks is only human and fatally flawed or he hasn't seen it ;-) Haven't seen Let Right One In or Twilight Samurai but will tonight, or Disctrict 9 (I'm ashamed by that, so don't rub it in).
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Dec 16, 2009 9:04:06 AM CST
I think Beaks and I just share completely tastes
by kevin_costners_recycled_piss
The simple fact that you almost included Bad Boys II, Moulin Rouge, Hannibal and Mission to fucking Mars in there tells me that we just share different views on what makes a good movie.
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This whole list stinks of the smell of a man desperately trying to be different.
"Everybody is going to put instant classics like The Dark Knight and The Wrestler on their list, but I desperately need to prove that I'm smarter than the masses. That I'm edgy, cool, different, a true non-conformist. I know! I'll leave those two films off my list, then stick utter crap like The 25th Hour and Irreversible in my top ten! Then, I'll try to cram as many big words as I can into my little summaries to justify it all!"
Leaving films like The Wrestler, The Dark Knight, and A Scanner Darkly off your list and putting Bring it On!, Irreversible, Monsters Inc., and A.I. on your list doesn't make you edgy, sir. It makes you an idiot.
Personally, I don't buy it for a second. If this list really is representative of your taste, then it's safe to say that you wouldn't know what a good movie is if it raped you on an uncomfortable set of wooden stairs. -
The moment this list hit the web, all pretenses of subjectivity were rightfully lost. To try to hind behind that paper-thin argument, instead of, you know, defending your opinion, is cowardly.
Then again, this is Beaks we're talking about here, so this behavior isn't exactly new, is it? -
Why do you work here again?
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...and should be in your top ten shows of the decade...
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it came off as overly sacchrine in the boy quest for his mom's acceptance and love, but Kubrick has always traded in deceptively simple stories. The real drama is in the narrative puzzles below the surface.
A.I. is essentially a fairy tale told *by* mecha *for* mecha, intelligently derived from their creators' fairy tales, myths, storytelling techniques. Once this is realized, its a completely disembodying film experience because we're looking at myth making through the eyes of what we "made in our image". How creepy is that -
I just watched the Wackness. The truth, no gimmicks. Great performance by Ben KIngsley. Is this not a truest story about the summer before leaving for college. This movie has more ingenuity about frienship, lonliness, and first love than than many movies that aim for those qualities. I was interested in anybody elses feedback on what they think.
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But it's depressing that some people still rate Memento so highly. Overall, nice choices and a lot of new films for me to watch. Happy to see State and Main up there.
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Off the top of my head,I can't think of a better horror flick this decade.
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I completely understand that tastes differ and these lists are highly personal, so I understand lists that aren't fond of movies that strongly appealed to me. but it puzzles me when a movie that is firmly in my top-5 just seems to be completely forgotten... Sam Mendes's "Road to Perdition." i think 3 or 4 talkbackers mentioned it on their personal lists(good going there), and outside of that, I've seen it mentioned NOWHERE. is this movie just completely washed out of peoples minds, or is it really not as good as I feel it is? more poignant, gripping and memorable than Mendes's "American Beauty," to me at least. a great, against-type performance by Hanks, and a career-defining villainous turn by Jude Law. shit, that movie could make my top-10 based solely off of that dolly-zoom shot of Jude Law pacing towards the camera, underneath the bridge. just great, great shit.
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"I mean it was good and all, but it was no Bring It On."
Just a way of showing how fucked up this list is. -
A 'work' beyond pretension. And disgusting.
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Untitled Document
11.Candy (2006) - This is a bonus film, which I put on my list before I whittled down my Top 10 and I decided to keep it on to draw attention to one of the most heartbreaking and honest films about drug addiction ever made. If anyone has any doubts about Heath Ledger's talent: watch this film. If anyone wants to permanently scare their kids away from drugs: show them this film. I challenge anyone to keep a dry eye as the two main characters hold their dead miscarriaged baby in thier arms. One of the most powerful images put on film I have seen in the last 10 years and maybe ever. The movie also includes an excellent supporting performance by one of my all time favorite actors, Geoffrey Rush.
10.Meet the Parents (2000) - I really wanted to put a comedy on this list and I thought long and hard about this choice, but I really believe this is one of the funniest movies of the past decade, which doesn't say much about comedy in the Aughts since this was released in 2000. Some would argue the 00's were owned by Judd Apatow, but, to me, he is way overrated and I just think that what passes for comedy in recent history is just not that funny. I loved the Austin Powers films and think that Jay Roach has a far better grasp of comedic timing and setting up gags then Apatow ever will. Too bad that he disappeared after the 3rd Powers film. He is sorely missed. Laugh for laugh, no other film in the last 10 years delivered more LOL moments than Parents. And it also includes, sadly, the last great performance by Robert DeNiro, who is hilarious here.
9.Donnie Darko (2001) - I'm aware, a lot of people are going to call me a pretentious twit for including this movie, but I love surrealism and David Lynch and this film gave me my Lynchian fix for the decade more so than any of Lynch's own films did. And I only just recently first watched this movie in the past year, so, no, sorry, my judgment is not clouded by time. Unfortunatley, Richard Kelly seems to have proven himself a one-hit wonder with his embarrassing follow-ups, but there is no denying that Darko is a cult classic and destined to be so for a long time to come, like it or not.
8.The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) - I felt the need to include a documentary since the last decade saw the popularity of docs soar thanks in part to reality tv, unfortuantely, and Michael Moore. No documentary I have ever seen has entertained me as much as Kong. Two Donkey Kong geeks square off to get the all time highest Donkey Kong score: a down on his luck family guy schmuck challenger and the alpha male ubergeek and all around asshole who currently holds the record. Loved this movie!
7.Monster (2003) - One of the greatest serial killer films ever made. Certainly the most honest and realistic. Charlize Theron gives the best performance of the decade, in my opinion, as Aileen Wuornos the tragic prostitute who only wants a shot at love and the American Dream just like anyone else, but unfortunately everything was stacked against her from day one. When a john tries to rape and kill her she fights back and ends up killing him. This sets in motion her killing spree, Aileen having realized it is more palateable and profitable for her to kill her johns than to have sex with them. And she does it all for the love of a woman, Chritina Ricci in a great supporting role. And that's what surpirsed me the most about this movie: is that it is more of a love story between two lost souls than a serial killer film. While the story is tragic it never romanticizes Aileen's actions, but presents them in all their gruesome reality.
6.Casino Royale (2006) - Finally, a return to a Bond I can get behind and not have to hold my nose while watching a movie of my favorite spy in action. Because, I love James Bond, have read every Fleming novel and short story and seen every movie in the theater since I was alive and able to go to the theater. Sean Connery is the best Bond and will always be! This is indisputable! Don't bother arguing with me. But, Daniel Craig is the next best thing: just not as charming or good-looking, but more ruthless. I love the physicality of this Bond and how he is just as comfortable with using his bare hands and body as a weapon as his Walther PPK, maybe more so. And I love the showdown with the big bad in the Poker game. This is the Bond I know and love. Too bad they had to go ruin it with the extremely disappointing follow-up. I can only hope that the conclusion redeems the series. Eva Green ain't bad to look at either.
5.The Dark Knight (2008) - This film made many a Top 10 lists and understandably so. There's not much I can add. Heath Ledger's Joker is one of the greatest villians ever committed to film (pun intended). I would say my personal take on TDK is that it made me care for a comic book character that I was never a huge fan of. The movie truly did transcend the genre, which I think Ebert also said. TDK is a constant reminder that big blockbusters do not have to compromise rich character and a compelling story in order to achieve commercial success. This is important to remember in these days of Transformers and CGI hamsters.
4.The Lord of the Rings (2001) - This is for the entire series which is really just one extremely long movie, which it is especially if you include the Extended Editions, which you must. If I had to just pick just one of the films it would be Fellowship of the Ring. For all those that will malign Peter Jackson's magnus opus, I will ask you to go watch as many medieval fantasy films prior to Rings that you can (Krull comes to mind) to realize just how much Jackson contributed to the genre. What he contribute to the art of film was a return to filmmaking on an epic scale that focused on story over special effects.
3.Once (2006) - Call me a hopeless romantic, call me a pussy, but I loved this film and it is seriously underrated. One of the most artistically successful musicals ever. I love how the music is seamlessly incorporated into the story in a realistic cinema verite manner. I always had problems with musicals when I was younger: people breaking into song and dance for no reason in the middle of the story. As I've grown older I have learned to appreciate a good musical now and then. But, here is a musical that does not offend my realistic aesthetic. And it is also one of the most touching and realistic love stories. So real, in fact, that the two leads are lovers and musical partners in real life. I cried like a pussy during this movie as I watched it with a 6-pack of Guinness pub cans. I'm not a fan of the music, but I loved it in this movie and I loved the characters and really wanted them to end up together in the end. The ending is both realistic and heartbreaking.
2.The Girl on the Bridge (2000) - Patrice Laconte, for those who are not familiar with him, is one of the best French filmmakers working today. And this film of his is simply magical. A dark comic twisted love story about two seriously screwed up people and their bizarre adventures and love affair. An aging circus knife thrower meets a damaged but beautiful young woman on a bridge as she is about to jump off. Since she is about to kill herself anyway it is not hard for the man to convince her to take the dangerous job of becoming his target in his act. It is extra dangerous because he is losing his touch. Knife throwing becomes a metaphor for sexual intercourse as the two slowly fall in love and the film takes us through the Fellinesque carnival world of Eastern Europe. Highly recommended.
1.Synecdoche, New York (2008) - And the award for most underrated film of the decade goes to... This movie will come to be appreciated one day. I'm sure of it. Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut and most challenging work to date. Written by one of the decade's greatest screenwriters and starring arguably the greatest actor of the Aughts, Phillip Seymore Hoffamn. This is a film about an artist commenting on his craft, on par with Fellini's 8 1/2. And it is also a complex metaphor for life and human existence and how each of us sets up our own play we call life, casts it with our friends and lovers and loses ourselves in the role we have created for ourselves. It is deep, it is a little pretentious and it is definitely self-indulgent. But it is also one of the few films in recent history that I can honestly say is a work of genius. A masterpiece.
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no doubt about it.
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i loved your list so much. it brought about great reflection in me about why i enjoy movies, and you inspired me to see many that i have avoided over the years for whatever reason. thanks for your time
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...of the Noughtie Oughties.
1)Let the Right One In
2)Where the Wild Things Are
3)Moulin Rouge
4)Batman Begins
5)Lord of the Rings Trilogy
6)Pan's Labyrinth
7)The Fountain
8)The Phantom of the Opera
9)Wall-E
10)Watchmen -
Got hit with the banhammer too many times
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1. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
2. City Of God
3. Spirited Away
4. Memento
5. The Hurt Locker
6. Pan's Labyrinth
7. Zodiac
8. Kill Bill
9. Children Of Men
10. 28 Days Later
11. Cache
12. Let The Right One In
13. No Country For Old Men
14. United 93
15. The Lord Of The Rings
16. There Will Be Blood
17. The Class
18. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
19. Where The Wild Things Are
20. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
21. Letters From Iwo Jima
22. A History Of Violence
23. Adaptation
24. Finding Nemo
25. King Kong
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