The decade doesn’t end until midnight, December 31, 2010, and they’re already compiling a list?
I’ve only seen three films in this top ten list and for the life of me I don’t understand their appeal.
To each his own cinema, I suppose.
actually,the list is pretty interesting!
alright,to be honest,Saraband (on the full scale list) is a travesty,Cafe Lumiere is a critic’s darling and some films to and fro (including Godard’s film from the top 10) are based on the typical academic lists of several 2000’s years,which is inevitable with “serious” lists like these.
but overall,it’s been some time since i’ve seen a rather tasteful list like the one from TIFF.
I’m not feeling Beau Travail rather than Intruder, just not. Without Denis Levant, I don’t know if that film is quite as strong. (Here’s where Daniel Kasman jumps on in here talking about Beau Travail’s materialist presence, and I’d agree with him, but still…). Elsewhere, I’ve already said what I needed to about In The Mood For Love, so I’ll skip that. I’d rather see Cafe Lumiere there, but that’s just me. Now, I’ve already promised the Auteur Gods that I will have another go at Apichatpong Weerasethaku. I have not shut the door on him, so don’t hate on me.
Dimitris, I’m surprised you’re so accommodating of such a tasteful list?
haha,i have plenty of complaints but compared to a British List i’ve seen recently or that Times List (notorious as it was from that thread i recall,hehe)
moreover,i do have complaints on the particular Haneke film,and if there was one del Toro film that SHOULD have been on a list,that would have been his debut.same for Anderson and Rushmore (different decade though for both directors)
History of Violence is also overrated like with Cafe by Hou,and i’d love to see more additions from obscure directors but that will never happen in “official” lists,i mean,where’s Dumont or Kawase when you need them?
i just don’t want to contradict at the moment,maybe some directors have more films than needed (Van Sant) yet,i really can’t complaint too much all the time,can i?
I believe you’d find a way ;)
This decade could find no love for either Andrey Zvyagintsev’s The Return, or for Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s 4? Those Russian’s will have their day later, I guess.
I’m pleasantly surprised that they apparently think Jia Zhang-ke is the most important director of the decade.
Is that what is called a tongue-in-cheek remark?
I’m surprised by the following:
-In Vanda’s Room nearly upset Colossal Youth as highest Costa film on the list.
-I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone is ahead of Goodbye Dragon Inn.
-Three Times is the highest Hou film, when it seems like all Hou fans (the kind of person who was picked for this poll) has been calling it “Hou-lite” and favoring Cafe Lumiere and Flight of the Red Balloon as “purer” Hou.
-Kings and Queen over A Christmas Tale (is it too recent for that film to be considered Canon?)
-Aren’t Beau Travail and The Wind Will Carry Us both 1999? (in that they both debuted at the Venice Film Festival in 1999)
@Harry: The 2000s is the decade that started on January 1, 2000 and will end on December 31, 2009.
(at least that’s what wikipedia says, and therefore it must be true ;)
@KJ- No, I really think he’s the most important director of the decade.
Just out of curiosity, how does one define “most important director of the decade?” I’m not arguing with this; I’m just wondering how one comes to such a conclusion about any director.
It’s impossible for me to come up with the best film of the decade, much less the director.
how does one define “most important director of the decade?
Influence upon the decade’s cinema or capturing the zeitgeist of the decade’s cinema or critical consensus or hell, BO for that matter
Well, not one Costa in that top 10. That’s interesting. Ok, based upon the plaudits each has received on the festival circuit, and the amount of ink and digital characters spent discussing their work, I’d say Costa/Jia seem to be running neck and neck for the “Best Director of the Decade” honor, if we’re going to do it this way. Although Jia has won one major award- the Golden Lion, Venice ’06 for Still Life- Costa has yet to snag one of his own. Advantage Jia.
So, Fredo, if we’re trying to establish a basis for such, there are many filmmakers who are celebrated justly, but Costa/Jia are the most highly regarded.
Hmmmm…..
“So, Fredo, if we’re trying to establish a basis for such, there are many filmmakers who are celebrated justly, but Costa/Jia are the most highly regarded.”
Fredo IS right however (and Gringo is once again an absolutist),there is no way to distinguish a best director by polls and lists like the above,the most profane example is this: how come Jia and Reygadas are considered the “cream of the crop” by today’s standards when ignorant academics and “well-established critics” don’t even know of the legendary Mexican and Chinese directors of 30’s and 40’s and keep pondering their tiny,fucked up brains with the same Langs and Murnaus and Hitchcocks and Ozus all over and over again….
now,all of a sudden,Jia is the God of Chinese cinema?
that’s what mostly pisses me off by lists and critics of today……oh yeah,and if there are any critics around here who do support these things……sue me!
Put Syndromes and a Century at the top of any list and I’m okay with that. To be fair, I haven’t seen any of the others.
Could someone copy/paste the whole list here please? I can’t seem to find it.
I don’t know KJ. I’m not completely sold. To be fair though, I haven’t seen Syndromes and a Century nor an Costa films. But I just think summing up any decade to one director as having superior influence is a fool’s paradise. This goes in line with my inability to name my “favorite director.” Even the best directors makes bad films and no director can do everything; they’re all limited in making only films they can make. So for me, it’s difficult to name just one.
And as for films, I guess it should come as no surprise that the first American film on this list is a Malick film. Those Canadians, they just crack me up.
To each his own, to each his own…
Jake – Here is the link to the complete list:
http://www.cinemathequeontario.ca/newsrelease_detail.aspx?Id=678
“And as for films, I guess it should come as no surprise that the first American film on this list is a Malick film. Those Canadians, they just crack me up.”
my mother is Canadian,she doesn’t “crack up” people so often.
i just love these “by-mistake” discriminatory comments,i’ve noticed them in so many threads,it was imminent that Canadians would get smacked one way or another.
Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.
Werkmeister Harmonies is certainly an inventive and engaging piece of work. It almost feels like Tarkovsky on a societal level as opposed to a psychological level. I guess the real marvel is that the film is nearly 2 1/2 hours long, yet contains less than 40 shots!
That list is so predictable its mediocre.
I don’t think a top ten list of the best films of this decade can be compiled without at least one from America.
My reaction to this list: lighten up, get some variety in your diet.
“I don’t think a top ten list of the best films of this decade can be compiled without at least one from America.”
i do hope this was a charming sense of irony!
Given that there are so many excellent films made outside of this country, and so few excellent films made within it, you could easily go much higher than ten films before hitting one from America.
I keep forgetting that The New World is so highly thought of. For some reason I cannot shake the remembrance of the negative reception it got in America upon its release. Highly deserving of being the best American film of the decade imo.
Mel Brown
Over 60 curators, historians, archivists, and programmers from around the world have been polled by TIFF/ Cinematheque’s Senior Programmer to determine what they thought were the most important films of the past decade. Their list ultimately included 54 films.
I have listed the top rung here. For the complete list and more information please see
. http://www.cinemathequeontario.ca
’
-———————————-.
1 / Syndromes and a Century (2007 – Thailand -Apichatpong Weerasethakui)
2 / Platform (2000 – China/France – Jia Zhang-ke)
3 / Still Life (2006 – China/France – Jia Zhang-ke)
4 / Beau Travail (2000 – France – Claire Denis)
5 / In the Mood for Love (2001 – Hong Kong – Wong Kar-wai)
6 / Tropical Malady (2004 – Thailand -Apichatpong Weerasethakui)
7 / The Death of Mr. Lazarescue (2005 – Romania – Cristi Puiu)
" / Werckmeister Harmonies (2001 – Hungary – Bela Tarr)
9 / Eloge de l’Amour (2001 – France – Jean Luc Godard)
10/ 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (2007 – Romania – Cristian Mungui)