My favourite films of the decade, in no particular order :
A.I Artificial Intelligence ( Spileberg )
Mulholland Drive ( Lynch )
Russian Ark ( Sokurov )
Dolls ( Kitano )
Gangs of New York ( Scorsese )
The New World ( Malick )
demonlover ( Assayas )
Mysterious Skin ( Arakki )
L’Enfant ( Dardenne Bros )
Three Times ( Hsieo-Hsian )
Grizzly Man ( Herzog )
I’m Not There ( Haynes )
Waking Life ( Linklater )
Ten ( Kiarostami )
Dogville ( Von Trier )
The World ( Zhang-Ke )
Tropical Malady ( Weerasethakul )
Before Sunset ( Linklater )
Zodiac ( Fincher )
The Departed ( Scorsese )
Elephant ( Van Sant )
Last Days ( Van Sant )
Paranoid Park ( Van Sant )
Hero ( Yimou )
Lemming ( Moll )
Miami Vice ( Mann )
Pistol Opera ( Suzuki )
A History of Violence ( Cronenberg )
As for the topic heading, favourite film of the decade? Easy. Malick’s THE NEW WORLD.
Normally, I have trouble picking my favourite ten films for a single year, so choosing ten for the decade is an exercise I will skip ( too frustrating and my choices tend to change every day ), and instead come up with a list of 30 titles
My favourite 30 films of the decade, in no particular order :
A.I Artificial Intelligence ( Spileberg )
Mulholland Drive ( Lynch )
Russian Ark ( Sokurov )
Dolls ( Kitano )
Gangs of New York ( Scorsese )
The New World ( Malick )
demonlover ( Assayas )
Mysterious Skin ( Arakki )
L’Enfant ( Dardenne Bros )
Three Times ( Hsieo-Hsian )
Grizzly Man ( Herzog )
I’m Not There ( Haynes )
Waking Life ( Linklater )
Ten ( Kiarostami )
Dogville ( Von Trier )
The World ( Zhang-Ke )
Tropical Malady ( Weerasethakul )
Before Sunset ( Linklater )
Zodiac ( Fincher )
The Departed ( Scorsese )
Elephant ( Van Sant )
Last Days ( Van Sant )
Paranoid Park ( Van Sant )
Hero ( Yimou )
Lemming ( Moll )
Miami Vice ( Mann )
Pistol Opera ( Suzuki )
A History of Violence ( Cronenberg )
Kung Fu Hustle ( Chow )
And Now….Ladies and Gentlemen ( LeLouch )
To pick ten from these 30 is hard, but one film stands out for me. My favourite film of the decade, Malick’s THE NEW WORLD.
Why do people have to compare it to the ‘33 original? I don’t like Peter Jackson much, I couldnt stand his over-rated Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I thought King Kong was a modern adventure/action masterpiece.
I wouldn’t even have bothered to check it out if J Rosenbaum had not praised it highly. JR gets it right more often than not, especially with big budget Hollywood films.
Lord of the Rings ( all three )
Star Wars ( all 6 or however many there are )
SAW ( all )
Moulin Rouge
all Michael Bay films
Would like to add I havent got anything against commercial cinema. I loved Jackson’s King Kong and Luhrmann’s Australia, I like the odd superhero film as well
THE KID by Chaplin, Disney’s SNOW WHITE, DUMBO and PINOCCHIO, THE WIZARD OF OZ by Fleming, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
( 1940 version ),THE 5000 FINGERS OF DR T from 1953, MOONFLEET by Lang
From more recent offerings, I would recommend THE WITCHES, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, EXPLORERS, MATINEE, LOONEY TUNES BACK IN ACTION, THE INCREDIBLES, FINDING NEMO
Why do people say so-and-so film is the BEST of the decade? How can one film be the best ? It is all personal opinion. Like Godard said, “all films are created equal.” All one can do is nominate their personal favorites, no more and no less.
I don’t get the time to watch TV shows, as I am a film-nut and I’d rather watch CITIZEN KANE for the umpteenth time than watch an episode of LOST or anything else on TV. But, once in a blue moon when a TV show gets rave reviews, I definitely give it a chance.
I am glad I decided to give THE WIRE a chance. It took me a few epsiodes to get used to the structure of the show, but after that I was really into it. My favourite TV show of all time along with TWIN PEAKS.
I don’t get the time to watch TV shows, as I am a film-nut and I’d rather watch CITIZEN KANE for the umpteenth time than watch an episode of LOST or anything else on TV. But, once in a blue moon when a TV show gets rave reviews, I definitely give it a chance.
I am glad I decided to give THE WIRE a chance. It took me a few epsiodes to get used to the structure of the show, but after that I was really into it. My favourite TV show of all time along with TWIN PEAKS.
SUNRISE ( Murnau )
THE GOLD RUSH ( Chaplin )
ORDET ( Dreyer )
BRIEF ENCOUNTER ( Lean )
A MAN ESCAPED ( Bresson )
LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD ( Resnais )
THE LEPOARD ( Visconti )
AU HASARD BALTHAZAR ( Bresson )
LE MEPRIS ( Godard )
PLAYTIME ( Tati )
OEDIPUS REX ( Pasolini )
WOODSTOCK ( Wadleigh )
PERFORMANCE ( Camell, Roeg )
THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE ( Eustache )
BARRY LYNDON ( Kubrick )
EDWARD MUNCH ( Watkins )
STALKER ( Tarkovsky )
LUNA ( Bertolucci )
IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN ( Antonioni )
MADE IN HEAVEN ( Rudolph )
DEAD MAN ( Jarmusch )
BEYOND THE CLOUDS ( Antonioni, Wenders )
THE SHELTERING SKY ( Bertolucci )
POLA X ( Carax )
THE NEW WORLD ( Malick )
thanks Edwin. La Maman et La Putain is an amazing film, isnt it. The first time I saw it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks on end.
Trouble with top 25s is that they are a bit too limited. I usually have trouble making a top 100, so a top 25 means I have to leave out a lot of favorites. I see some titles on the lists here that could have easily made my own top 25.
Law, I adore Teorema, Zabriskie Point and White Dog. Hmm..The Serpent’s Egg? I was going to buy that but couldnt find any cool recommendations. Is it that good then?
Wow. I like the fact that having a great aesthetic sense for film invariably implies having a great musical taste. The Velvets are heavily represented in the above lists. Awesome.
My favourite all time bands /musicians ( in no particular order ):
The Velvet Underground / Lou Reed / John Cale
Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Big Star
Scott Walker
Kraftwerk
David Bowie
Joy Division / New Order
The Cure
Sonic Youth
David Sylvian
Talk Talk
Teenage Fanclub
Wilco
THE SHELTERING SKY ( Bertolucci )
CLOSE-UP ( Kiarostami )
LA BELLE NOISEUSE ( Rivette )
BITTER MOON ( Polanski )
BEYOND THE CLOUDS ( Antonioni , Wenders )
LATCHO DROM ( Gatlif )
SATANTANGO ( Tarr )
DEAD MAN ( Jarmusch )
LOST HIGHWAY ( Lynch )
THE BLACKOUT ( Ferrara )
POLA X ( Carax )
WEST BEIRUT ( Doueiri )
THE THIN RED LINE ( Malick )
THE WIND WILL CARRY US ( Kiarostami )
BEAU TRAVAIL ( Denis )
EYES WIDE SHUT ( Kubrick )
Right, I am going to check it out.. I was going to anyway but not on a priority basis ( have seen almost all of Bergman so I was trying to catch up with other auteurs I have neglected so far )
I love Bergman, and there are some real underrated gems in his CV. I like some of his lesser known films as much as the famous ones ( I am a huge fan of A LESSON IN LOVE ( 1954 ) and THE RITE ( 1969 ) )
1. The New World
2. A.I Artificial Intelligence
3. Tropical Malady
4. Eloge De L’Amour
5. Mulholland Drive
6. Three Times
7. demonlover
8. The World
9. Russian Ark
10. Ten
Honorable mentions: Dogville, Elephant., Irreversible, Grizzly Man, L’Enfant, Waking Life, Syndromes and A Century, Platform, Dolls, Miami Vice, I’m Not There
Most of the lists I have come across are predictable, conventional and cater to popular taste. Richard Brody’s list is acceptable, as it points viewers towards titles they probably missed ( isnt that the point of a list? to educate the reader, to give under-publicised movies their due? ). I am waiting for Rosenbaum’s list. His personal canon of 1000 favorites is the best film list I have ever seen.
Anyway, the TIFF list for best of the decade is, in my opinion, the best list so far. Some predictable choices can be found here too, but how does one leave out films like Mulholland Drive and In the Mood for Love from a list of 50 odd best films of the decade? I think this list is more or less the one all film buffs can respect.
The TIFF list
1. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand).
2. Platform (Jia Zhang-ke, Hong Kong, China/China/Japan/France)
3. Still Life (Jia Zhang-ke, China).
4. Beau travail (Claire Denis, France).
5. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, China),
6. Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, France/Thailand/Germany/Italy).
7. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, Romania); Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr, Hungary).
8. Éloge de l’amour (Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland/ France).
9. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, Romania).
10. Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/Netherlands).
11. Russian Ark (Alexander Sokurov, Russia/Germany).
12. The New World (Terrence Malick, U.S.)
13. Blissfully Yours (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, France/Thailand).
14. Le Fils (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France).
15. Colossal Youth (Pedro Costa, Portugal/France/Switzerland).
16. Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (Agnès Varda, France); In Vanda’s Room (Pedro Costa, Portugal/Germany/Italy/Switzerland); Songs from the Second Floor (Roy Andersson, Sweden/Denmark/Norway).
17. Caché (Michael Haneke, France/Austria/Germany/Italy); A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, classified as a U.S. film despite the director’s Canadian nationality.); Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, France/USA); Three Times (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan).
18. Rois et reine (Arnaud Desplechin, France).
19. Elephant (Gus Van Sant, U.S.)
20. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain).
21. The Wind Will Carry Us (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran/France); Yi Yi (A One and a Two) (Edward Yang, Taiwan/Japan).
22. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, Spain).
23. L’Enfant (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France); The Heart of the World (Guy Maddin, Canada); I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan/France/Austria); Star Spangled to Death (Ken Jacobs, U.S.)
24. The World (Jia Zhang-ke, China/Japan/France).
25. Café Lumière (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Japan); The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Spain/France/Italy); L’Intrus (Claire Denis, France); Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan/France); My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin, Canada); Saraband (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden); Spirited Away (Hiyao Miyazaki, Japan); I’m Not There (Todd Haynes, U.S.)
26. Gerry (Gus Van Sant, U.S.).
27. Distant (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey); Dogville (Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/UK/France/Germany); The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, U.S.);
28. Alexandra (Alexander Sokurov, Russia/France); Demonlover (Olivier Assayas, France).
29. Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner (Zacharias Kunuk, Canada); Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan).
30. Longing (Valeska Grisebach, Germany); Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong, South Korea); Vai e Vem (João César Monteiro, Portugal); Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, U.S./France).
Den, Russian Ark made the top ten of the TIFF list I posted on Page 2. It is the best list out there so far, largely because it polled 60 curators and festival organizers from around the world.
From your post, it seems that you have invested a lot of time and energy in checking out all the major tv shows. Have you done the same with Cinema though? You really need to dig deep if you want a proper idea. On the surface, yes everyone’s seen N C for Old Men, LOTR, Dark Knight, etc. But these popular films do not represent the best of cinema.
Law mentions a couple of Asian auteurs who are so talented, whose films are so rich and inventive, that there are no parallels to be found on the small screen. The best writers, actors, directors, in any given country, more often than not opt to work in film.
Out of all the shows you mentioned, only the Wire stands out for me as being comparable to film. But even with The Wire, would it have the same power if you compressed it into a 2 hour film ? The great thing about the Wire was the script and how it allowed over 50 characters to develop over time. Thats the luxury of tv series…time is cheap. In film, time is of essence.
( by most people I am assuming most of the reviews I have read on this site )
right, I love all that Michael Mann has done this decade. I am not a fan of his 90s output ( and everything before that ) but I really believe he has become a true visionary these last 10 years. Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice and Public Enemies have more than their fair share of detractors, indeed Mann has been ridiculed in some quarters. I for one love the use of DV and the mise en scene of these four films. Both Collateral and Miami Vice went up in my estimation on second viewing. Ali and Public Enemies, I have seen once but I know they have more to impart on subsequent viewings. Collateral had the most concrete plot out of these four, but the other three seem to be beautifully sewn together tapestries of moments in time in the lives of these characters. I love these films for the way in which there is no conventional character development, no plot twists or shocks, no cliches whatsoever, just random moments where these characters are inhabiting their beautifully shot surroundings.
Another film maker whose 2000s output I have come to adore more than his older work is Scorsese. Gangs of New York, Aviator, Departed, seem to have disappointed most of his fans, but I love these 3 movies. I find all three fascinating portraits of larger than life characters, and the acting is top notch in all three. Scorsese’s visual style has matured and become more formidable over the years in my view, just like Mann’s.
I also love Beowulf. Zemeckis has made a beautiful, fascinating medieval adventure fable with his telling of the age old poem, and its another film I can watch again and again. Madly entertaining.
Thats good Josh. I hope you get to see the other two soon enough.
Its ultimately a matter of taste though isnt it. The personality and individuality of an auteur shines through his or her films, which some people can connect to while others may find it dull or uninteresting.
For the record, my favorite directors of the decade are Van Sant, Hou , Weerasethakul and Denis but I find myself strangely drawn to Mann’s four films.
Josh, Public Enemies does not seem to get the recognition it deserves, but I am pretty sure it will go up in people’s estimations as the years roll by. Reminds me of The New World and how it was considered a failure by most critics when it was released, but 3 and a half years later it makes it into the top tens of both the TIFF list and the Film Comment list, the two most respected consensus lists out there.
Public Enemies is a masterpiece, there is no doubt in my mind about that. Like Miami Vice, it begs for a second viewing. I have seen PE once, but I am looking forward to seeing it again soon. It played like no gangster film I had seen before, and the DV look of the film was so rich I think it put people off the film. I just think people went to see a Dillinger film subconsciously expecting it to conform to their ideals of an American gangster film, which it didnt conform to at all. Even the actors in the film ( Depp, Bale, Crudup ) seemed to confound our expectations of how criminals and lawmen are supposed to behave in movies. Bale was so subtle and subdued, I dont think people connected with that at all. Oh well. At least you and I know its a great work of art.
I took the liberty of checking out your profile just now and I have to say I love your list of faves! One of the more unique lists, I have to say. But you have Public Enemies at # 15 and youre still not sure its a masterpiece? lol
>>> It’s sudden and abrupt, not merely guiding you into this world. You’re simply there. I believe that since this is not a biographical film, though the people are real, no background is necessary. We see them the way they were, already fully-realized with an opening that creates a sense of ‘continuity’, that there’s more to what is shown but that our concern should be with what we see. >>>
Josh, you hit the nail right on the head with this passage. The ‘sudden’ and ‘abrupt’ opening acts of the film threw a lot of viewers off the track.
Good review, right on the money. Good points regarding the use of digital cinematography and why people didnt like it much ( I thought of the same thing myself when I saw the film, I found the hyper-reality of the 30s viewed through DV more real and believable than say the Rembrandt lighting of the Godfather films )
I agree with most else of what you say, but for me the music was not jarring. In fact, I love the way Mann has used music in all of his last four films ( and his choice of music too ) . Yes, it was too loud at times, but it perfectly matched and complimented the similarly loud gunfire. The film was an assault on the senses, both visual and aural. Things like character development and plot machinations were secondary, to no detriment it should be added.
Nice blog by the way. I have come across it before. Are you a regular columnist for LFC?
Josh, maybe you’re right about the ending. Cliched use of music, perhaps. I really need to see it again though because I cant remember it in too much detail. I do agree however that it probably would have played better without any music.
So which Mann films have you yet to catch up with?
Josh, The Keep should be interesting. I have yet to see it. For my money, Mann came into greatness with Heat. His vision got clearer and matched his ambitions from that film onwards.( But maybe I should reserve that comment until I catch up with his 80s output. )
Polaris, yes people got worked up over nothing. Why shouldn’t Mann try his own thing? He knows he cant shoot a crime picture on film stock as beautifully as Coppola or cut it as stylishly as Scorsese, so he tries it in a medium where there is still a lot of unexplored potential. As things stand right now, Mann is at the forefront of DV technique. Russian Ark perhaps takes the cake as No 1 film on DV but Mann’s visuals are refreshing and innovative. Collateral and Miami Vice…some of the most impressively photographed urban skylines at night I have seen in all of cinema.
Haha yes Josh I am a bit hesitant myself to see his early stuff. I once saw the opening ten minutes of Thief on cable and it didnt really impress me.
I have indeed seen Lynch’s work on DV, I forgot to mention Inland Empire as one of the great DV films. That film had the feel of an amateur video ( like some mad character from Lynch’s fictional alternate universe was following Dern around and shooting her with a home camera ) which made it even more creepy. I think I read an interview of Lynch’s somewhere around the time Inland Empire came out in which he said that he was going to stick to DV in the future. He said he found it easy to use and edit and he liked the look of it all. Cant say I disagree with him. Inland Empire would not have had the same effect on me had it been shot on film.
Polaris, I still have to see Ink. Thanks for the recommendation.
Josh, apologies for the late reply. Had a power breakdown in the neighborhood.
I don’t think Lynch has made much else beside Inland Empire on DV. I have seen all of Lynch apart from some early shorts ( The Grandmother, from ’69, is worth seeking out..its on youtube if you cant find a hard copy ) and I find myself most drawn to Eraserhead, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. The Straight Story is another favorite.
From what I have seen of international DV film-making, I have been most impressed by Timecode ( Figgis, 2000 ), Ten ( Kiarostami, 2002 ), Hotel ( Figgis, 2002 ) , Russian Ark ( Sokurov, 2002 ), Collateral ( Mann,2004 ), Miami Vice ( Mann,2006 ), Inland Empire ( Lynch, 2006 ) and Public Enemies ( Mann, 2009 ). I am sure there is much more I need to see though. Always on the lookout for anything I can get my hands on.
Favourite film of the decade (so far)? over 2 years ago
My favourite films of the decade, in no particular order :
A.I Artificial Intelligence ( Spileberg )
Mulholland Drive ( Lynch )
Russian Ark ( Sokurov )
Dolls ( Kitano )
Gangs of New York ( Scorsese )
The New World ( Malick )
demonlover ( Assayas )
Mysterious Skin ( Arakki )
L’Enfant ( Dardenne Bros )
Three Times ( Hsieo-Hsian )
Grizzly Man ( Herzog )
I’m Not There ( Haynes )
Waking Life ( Linklater )
Ten ( Kiarostami )
Dogville ( Von Trier )
The World ( Zhang-Ke )
Tropical Malady ( Weerasethakul )
Before Sunset ( Linklater )
Zodiac ( Fincher )
The Departed ( Scorsese )
Elephant ( Van Sant )
Last Days ( Van Sant )
Paranoid Park ( Van Sant )
Hero ( Yimou )
Lemming ( Moll )
Miami Vice ( Mann )
Pistol Opera ( Suzuki )
A History of Violence ( Cronenberg )
As for the topic heading, favourite film of the decade? Easy. Malick’s THE NEW WORLD.
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Who Was/Is The Most Beautiful Film Actor Ever? over 2 years ago
Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, Montgomery Clift, James Dean, Alain Delon, Johnny Depp.
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The Greatest Film of the 2000s over 2 years ago
Normally, I have trouble picking my favourite ten films for a single year, so choosing ten for the decade is an exercise I will skip ( too frustrating and my choices tend to change every day ), and instead come up with a list of 30 titles
My favourite 30 films of the decade, in no particular order :
A.I Artificial Intelligence ( Spileberg )
Mulholland Drive ( Lynch )
Russian Ark ( Sokurov )
Dolls ( Kitano )
Gangs of New York ( Scorsese )
The New World ( Malick )
demonlover ( Assayas )
Mysterious Skin ( Arakki )
L’Enfant ( Dardenne Bros )
Three Times ( Hsieo-Hsian )
Grizzly Man ( Herzog )
I’m Not There ( Haynes )
Waking Life ( Linklater )
Ten ( Kiarostami )
Dogville ( Von Trier )
The World ( Zhang-Ke )
Tropical Malady ( Weerasethakul )
Before Sunset ( Linklater )
Zodiac ( Fincher )
The Departed ( Scorsese )
Elephant ( Van Sant )
Last Days ( Van Sant )
Paranoid Park ( Van Sant )
Hero ( Yimou )
Lemming ( Moll )
Miami Vice ( Mann )
Pistol Opera ( Suzuki )
A History of Violence ( Cronenberg )
Kung Fu Hustle ( Chow )
And Now….Ladies and Gentlemen ( LeLouch )
To pick ten from these 30 is hard, but one film stands out for me. My favourite film of the decade, Malick’s THE NEW WORLD.
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Peter Jackson's King Kong - Unjustly Forgotten? over 2 years ago
Why do people have to compare it to the ‘33 original? I don’t like Peter Jackson much, I couldnt stand his over-rated Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I thought King Kong was a modern adventure/action masterpiece.
I wouldn’t even have bothered to check it out if J Rosenbaum had not praised it highly. JR gets it right more often than not, especially with big budget Hollywood films.
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Movies you hated that everyone else loves over 2 years ago
I do not like these films at all:
Lord of the Rings ( all three )
Star Wars ( all 6 or however many there are )
SAW ( all )
Moulin Rouge
all Michael Bay films
Would like to add I havent got anything against commercial cinema. I loved Jackson’s King Kong and Luhrmann’s Australia, I like the odd superhero film as well
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Scary movies for kids on Halloween over 2 years ago
THE WITCHES by Nicolas Roeg. DRAG ME TO HELL is pg-13 so maybe if you really want to scare them…lol
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Film Education for My Children over 2 years ago
So many great films out there for family viewing.
THE KID by Chaplin, Disney’s SNOW WHITE, DUMBO and PINOCCHIO, THE WIZARD OF OZ by Fleming, THE THIEF OF BAGDAD
( 1940 version ),THE 5000 FINGERS OF DR T from 1953, MOONFLEET by Lang
From more recent offerings, I would recommend THE WITCHES, THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN, EXPLORERS, MATINEE, LOONEY TUNES BACK IN ACTION, THE INCREDIBLES, FINDING NEMO
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The Greatest Film of the 2000s over 2 years ago
Why do people say so-and-so film is the BEST of the decade? How can one film be the best ? It is all personal opinion. Like Godard said, “all films are created equal.” All one can do is nominate their personal favorites, no more and no less.
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A.V. Club's Best of the 00s over 2 years ago
I don’t get the time to watch TV shows, as I am a film-nut and I’d rather watch CITIZEN KANE for the umpteenth time than watch an episode of LOST or anything else on TV. But, once in a blue moon when a TV show gets rave reviews, I definitely give it a chance.
I am glad I decided to give THE WIRE a chance. It took me a few epsiodes to get used to the structure of the show, but after that I was really into it. My favourite TV show of all time along with TWIN PEAKS.Go to Comment
A.V. Club's Best of the 00s over 2 years ago
I don’t get the time to watch TV shows, as I am a film-nut and I’d rather watch CITIZEN KANE for the umpteenth time than watch an episode of LOST or anything else on TV. But, once in a blue moon when a TV show gets rave reviews, I definitely give it a chance.
I am glad I decided to give THE WIRE a chance. It took me a few epsiodes to get used to the structure of the show, but after that I was really into it. My favourite TV show of all time along with TWIN PEAKS.Go to Comment
Personal All-Time 25 over 2 years ago
My favorite 25 films, in chronological order
SUNRISE ( Murnau )
THE GOLD RUSH ( Chaplin )
ORDET ( Dreyer )
BRIEF ENCOUNTER ( Lean )
A MAN ESCAPED ( Bresson )
LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD ( Resnais )
THE LEPOARD ( Visconti )
AU HASARD BALTHAZAR ( Bresson )
LE MEPRIS ( Godard )
PLAYTIME ( Tati )
OEDIPUS REX ( Pasolini )
WOODSTOCK ( Wadleigh )
PERFORMANCE ( Camell, Roeg )
THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE ( Eustache )
BARRY LYNDON ( Kubrick )
EDWARD MUNCH ( Watkins )
STALKER ( Tarkovsky )
LUNA ( Bertolucci )
IDENTIFICATION OF A WOMAN ( Antonioni )
MADE IN HEAVEN ( Rudolph )
DEAD MAN ( Jarmusch )
BEYOND THE CLOUDS ( Antonioni, Wenders )
THE SHELTERING SKY ( Bertolucci )
POLA X ( Carax )
THE NEW WORLD ( Malick )
Probably look different next week.
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Personal All-Time 25 over 2 years ago
thanks Edwin. La Maman et La Putain is an amazing film, isnt it. The first time I saw it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks on end.
Trouble with top 25s is that they are a bit too limited. I usually have trouble making a top 100, so a top 25 means I have to leave out a lot of favorites. I see some titles on the lists here that could have easily made my own top 25.
Law, I adore Teorema, Zabriskie Point and White Dog. Hmm..The Serpent’s Egg? I was going to buy that but couldnt find any cool recommendations. Is it that good then?
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Off Topic - Ten favorite bands / music artists over 2 years ago
Wow. I like the fact that having a great aesthetic sense for film invariably implies having a great musical taste. The Velvets are heavily represented in the above lists. Awesome.
My favourite all time bands /musicians ( in no particular order ):
The Velvet Underground / Lou Reed / John Cale
Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Big Star
Scott Walker
Kraftwerk
David Bowie
Joy Division / New Order
The Cure
Sonic Youth
David Sylvian
Talk Talk
Teenage Fanclub
Wilco
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Best film of the '90's? over 2 years ago
the films that I love the most from the 90s
( in no particular order )
THE SHELTERING SKY ( Bertolucci )
CLOSE-UP ( Kiarostami )
LA BELLE NOISEUSE ( Rivette )
BITTER MOON ( Polanski )
BEYOND THE CLOUDS ( Antonioni , Wenders )
LATCHO DROM ( Gatlif )
SATANTANGO ( Tarr )
DEAD MAN ( Jarmusch )
LOST HIGHWAY ( Lynch )
THE BLACKOUT ( Ferrara )
POLA X ( Carax )
WEST BEIRUT ( Doueiri )
THE THIN RED LINE ( Malick )
THE WIND WILL CARRY US ( Kiarostami )
BEAU TRAVAIL ( Denis )
EYES WIDE SHUT ( Kubrick )
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Personal All-Time 25 over 2 years ago
regarding The Serpent’s Egg
Right, I am going to check it out.. I was going to anyway but not on a priority basis ( have seen almost all of Bergman so I was trying to catch up with other auteurs I have neglected so far )
I love Bergman, and there are some real underrated gems in his CV. I like some of his lesser known films as much as the famous ones ( I am a huge fan of A LESSON IN LOVE ( 1954 ) and THE RITE ( 1969 ) )Go to Comment
Personal All-Time 25 over 2 years ago
Glad to see there are others who think Miami Vice is top 25 material.
Great lists by the way, Roujin and Edwin N.Go to Comment
THE AUTEURS BEST OF THE DECADE: FILMS over 2 years ago
1. The New World
2. A.I Artificial Intelligence
3. Tropical Malady
4. Eloge De L’Amour
5. Mulholland Drive
6. Three Times
7. demonlover
8. The World
9. Russian Ark
10. Ten
Honorable mentions: Dogville, Elephant., Irreversible, Grizzly Man, L’Enfant, Waking Life, Syndromes and A Century, Platform, Dolls, Miami Vice, I’m Not There
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Critics Top 10 films of the Year/Decade - If you see anything please post... over 2 years ago
Most of the lists I have come across are predictable, conventional and cater to popular taste. Richard Brody’s list is acceptable, as it points viewers towards titles they probably missed ( isnt that the point of a list? to educate the reader, to give under-publicised movies their due? ). I am waiting for Rosenbaum’s list. His personal canon of 1000 favorites is the best film list I have ever seen.
Anyway, the TIFF list for best of the decade is, in my opinion, the best list so far. Some predictable choices can be found here too, but how does one leave out films like Mulholland Drive and In the Mood for Love from a list of 50 odd best films of the decade? I think this list is more or less the one all film buffs can respect.
The TIFF list
1. Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand). 2. Platform (Jia Zhang-ke, Hong Kong, China/China/Japan/France) 3. Still Life (Jia Zhang-ke, China). 4. Beau travail (Claire Denis, France). 5. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, Hong Kong, China), 6. Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, France/Thailand/Germany/Italy). 7. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, Romania); Werckmeister Harmonies (Béla Tarr, Hungary). 8. Éloge de l’amour (Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland/ France). 9. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu, Romania). 10. Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas, Mexico/France/Netherlands). 11. Russian Ark (Alexander Sokurov, Russia/Germany). 12. The New World (Terrence Malick, U.S.) 13. Blissfully Yours (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, France/Thailand). 14. Le Fils (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France). 15. Colossal Youth (Pedro Costa, Portugal/France/Switzerland). 16. Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (Agnès Varda, France); In Vanda’s Room (Pedro Costa, Portugal/Germany/Italy/Switzerland); Songs from the Second Floor (Roy Andersson, Sweden/Denmark/Norway). 17. Caché (Michael Haneke, France/Austria/Germany/Italy); A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, classified as a U.S. film despite the director’s Canadian nationality.); Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, France/USA); Three Times (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan). 18. Rois et reine (Arnaud Desplechin, France). 19. Elephant (Gus Van Sant, U.S.) 20. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain). 21. The Wind Will Carry Us (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran/France); Yi Yi (A One and a Two) (Edward Yang, Taiwan/Japan). 22. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, Spain). 23. L’Enfant (Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Belgium/France); The Heart of the World (Guy Maddin, Canada); I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan/France/Austria); Star Spangled to Death (Ken Jacobs, U.S.) 24. The World (Jia Zhang-ke, China/Japan/France). 25. Café Lumière (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Japan); The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel, Argentina/Spain/France/Italy); L’Intrus (Claire Denis, France); Millennium Mambo (Hou Hsiao-hsien, Taiwan/France); My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin, Canada); Saraband (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden); Spirited Away (Hiyao Miyazaki, Japan); I’m Not There (Todd Haynes, U.S.) 26. Gerry (Gus Van Sant, U.S.). 27. Distant (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey); Dogville (Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/UK/France/Germany); The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, U.S.); 28. Alexandra (Alexander Sokurov, Russia/France); Demonlover (Olivier Assayas, France). 29. Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner (Zacharias Kunuk, Canada); Goodbye, Dragon Inn (Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan). 30. Longing (Valeska Grisebach, Germany); Secret Sunshine (Lee Chang-dong, South Korea); Vai e Vem (João César Monteiro, Portugal); Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, U.S./France).Go to Comment
Critics Top 10 films of the Year/Decade - If you see anything please post... over 2 years ago
russian ark didnt make any lists?
Den, Russian Ark made the top ten of the TIFF list I posted on Page 2. It is the best list out there so far, largely because it polled 60 curators and festival organizers from around the world.
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Do you think more innovative and original work is being produced on television rather than film? over 2 years ago
From your post, it seems that you have invested a lot of time and energy in checking out all the major tv shows. Have you done the same with Cinema though? You really need to dig deep if you want a proper idea. On the surface, yes everyone’s seen N C for Old Men, LOTR, Dark Knight, etc. But these popular films do not represent the best of cinema.
Law mentions a couple of Asian auteurs who are so talented, whose films are so rich and inventive, that there are no parallels to be found on the small screen. The best writers, actors, directors, in any given country, more often than not opt to work in film.
Out of all the shows you mentioned, only the Wire stands out for me as being comparable to film. But even with The Wire, would it have the same power if you compressed it into a 2 hour film ? The great thing about the Wire was the script and how it allowed over 50 characters to develop over time. Thats the luxury of tv series…time is cheap. In film, time is of essence.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
…..films I love that most people hate..
( by most people I am assuming most of the reviews I have read on this site )right, I love all that Michael Mann has done this decade. I am not a fan of his 90s output ( and everything before that ) but I really believe he has become a true visionary these last 10 years. Ali, Collateral, Miami Vice and Public Enemies have more than their fair share of detractors, indeed Mann has been ridiculed in some quarters. I for one love the use of DV and the mise en scene of these four films. Both Collateral and Miami Vice went up in my estimation on second viewing. Ali and Public Enemies, I have seen once but I know they have more to impart on subsequent viewings. Collateral had the most concrete plot out of these four, but the other three seem to be beautifully sewn together tapestries of moments in time in the lives of these characters. I love these films for the way in which there is no conventional character development, no plot twists or shocks, no cliches whatsoever, just random moments where these characters are inhabiting their beautifully shot surroundings.
Another film maker whose 2000s output I have come to adore more than his older work is Scorsese. Gangs of New York, Aviator, Departed, seem to have disappointed most of his fans, but I love these 3 movies. I find all three fascinating portraits of larger than life characters, and the acting is top notch in all three. Scorsese’s visual style has matured and become more formidable over the years in my view, just like Mann’s.
I also love Beowulf. Zemeckis has made a beautiful, fascinating medieval adventure fable with his telling of the age old poem, and its another film I can watch again and again. Madly entertaining.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Thats good Josh. I hope you get to see the other two soon enough.
Its ultimately a matter of taste though isnt it. The personality and individuality of an auteur shines through his or her films, which some people can connect to while others may find it dull or uninteresting.For the record, my favorite directors of the decade are Van Sant, Hou , Weerasethakul and Denis but I find myself strangely drawn to Mann’s four films.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Josh, Public Enemies does not seem to get the recognition it deserves, but I am pretty sure it will go up in people’s estimations as the years roll by. Reminds me of The New World and how it was considered a failure by most critics when it was released, but 3 and a half years later it makes it into the top tens of both the TIFF list and the Film Comment list, the two most respected consensus lists out there.
Public Enemies is a masterpiece, there is no doubt in my mind about that. Like Miami Vice, it begs for a second viewing. I have seen PE once, but I am looking forward to seeing it again soon. It played like no gangster film I had seen before, and the DV look of the film was so rich I think it put people off the film. I just think people went to see a Dillinger film subconsciously expecting it to conform to their ideals of an American gangster film, which it didnt conform to at all. Even the actors in the film ( Depp, Bale, Crudup ) seemed to confound our expectations of how criminals and lawmen are supposed to behave in movies. Bale was so subtle and subdued, I dont think people connected with that at all. Oh well. At least you and I know its a great work of art.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Josh, I look forward to reading your review.
I took the liberty of checking out your profile just now and I have to say I love your list of faves! One of the more unique lists, I have to say. But you have Public Enemies at # 15 and youre still not sure its a masterpiece? lolGo to Comment
Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Many thanks Josh. Will read it in a minute.
Oh, I totally agree with you. My own faves list is based on the same principle.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
>>> It’s sudden and abrupt, not merely guiding you into this world. You’re simply there. I believe that since this is not a biographical film, though the people are real, no background is necessary. We see them the way they were, already fully-realized with an opening that creates a sense of ‘continuity’, that there’s more to what is shown but that our concern should be with what we see. >>>
Josh, you hit the nail right on the head with this passage. The ‘sudden’ and ‘abrupt’ opening acts of the film threw a lot of viewers off the track.
Good review, right on the money. Good points regarding the use of digital cinematography and why people didnt like it much ( I thought of the same thing myself when I saw the film, I found the hyper-reality of the 30s viewed through DV more real and believable than say the Rembrandt lighting of the Godfather films )
I agree with most else of what you say, but for me the music was not jarring. In fact, I love the way Mann has used music in all of his last four films ( and his choice of music too ) . Yes, it was too loud at times, but it perfectly matched and complimented the similarly loud gunfire. The film was an assault on the senses, both visual and aural. Things like character development and plot machinations were secondary, to no detriment it should be added.Nice blog by the way. I have come across it before. Are you a regular columnist for LFC?
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Josh, maybe you’re right about the ending. Cliched use of music, perhaps. I really need to see it again though because I cant remember it in too much detail. I do agree however that it probably would have played better without any music.
So which Mann films have you yet to catch up with?
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Josh, The Keep should be interesting. I have yet to see it. For my money, Mann came into greatness with Heat. His vision got clearer and matched his ambitions from that film onwards.( But maybe I should reserve that comment until I catch up with his 80s output. )
Polaris, yes people got worked up over nothing. Why shouldn’t Mann try his own thing? He knows he cant shoot a crime picture on film stock as beautifully as Coppola or cut it as stylishly as Scorsese, so he tries it in a medium where there is still a lot of unexplored potential. As things stand right now, Mann is at the forefront of DV technique. Russian Ark perhaps takes the cake as No 1 film on DV but Mann’s visuals are refreshing and innovative. Collateral and Miami Vice…some of the most impressively photographed urban skylines at night I have seen in all of cinema.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Haha yes Josh I am a bit hesitant myself to see his early stuff. I once saw the opening ten minutes of Thief on cable and it didnt really impress me.
I have indeed seen Lynch’s work on DV, I forgot to mention Inland Empire as one of the great DV films. That film had the feel of an amateur video ( like some mad character from Lynch’s fictional alternate universe was following Dern around and shooting her with a home camera ) which made it even more creepy. I think I read an interview of Lynch’s somewhere around the time Inland Empire came out in which he said that he was going to stick to DV in the future. He said he found it easy to use and edit and he liked the look of it all. Cant say I disagree with him. Inland Empire would not have had the same effect on me had it been shot on film.
Polaris, I still have to see Ink. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Films you love but most people hate. over 2 years ago
Josh, apologies for the late reply. Had a power breakdown in the neighborhood.
I don’t think Lynch has made much else beside Inland Empire on DV. I have seen all of Lynch apart from some early shorts ( The Grandmother, from ’69, is worth seeking out..its on youtube if you cant find a hard copy ) and I find myself most drawn to Eraserhead, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire. The Straight Story is another favorite.
From what I have seen of international DV film-making, I have been most impressed by Timecode ( Figgis, 2000 ), Ten ( Kiarostami, 2002 ), Hotel ( Figgis, 2002 ) , Russian Ark ( Sokurov, 2002 ), Collateral ( Mann,2004 ), Miami Vice ( Mann,2006 ), Inland Empire ( Lynch, 2006 ) and Public Enemies ( Mann, 2009 ). I am sure there is much more I need to see though. Always on the lookout for anything I can get my hands on.
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