Posts filed under 'Lists'
August 17th, 2009
Here, to get you in the mood for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, is Quentin Tarantino talking about his favorite 20 movies since 1992Â — which is the year his first movie, RESERVOIR DOGS, hit theaters).
It’s a pretty good list — several of these movies might make my own tally, and I feel the same way about THE MATRIX as he does.
By the way, try to ignore the clips from DEATH PROOF that, for some unexplained reason, run under Quentin for the duration of the clip.
August 14th, 2009
Continuing in this series leading up to an actual Top 10 list sometime near the end of the year, here are three more movies that might be counted among the best the Oughts had to offer. Can you name them?
I don’t think these are too tough, but here’s something to tie all three stills together: The people pictured were all nominated for Oscars in the last decade (and one of them won), but they were nominated after they made these movies.
August 4th, 2009
Following up on this post, here are three more contenders for my list of the best movies of the past 10 years. Can you guess ‘em?
I don’t think 1 and 2 are too tough, but I’ll be impressed if anyone can name No. 3. Make your guesses in the comments.
July 27th, 2009
Ten years ago this December, I compiled the following list of my favorite movies of the 1990s. Though I stand by most of the picks and still think GOODFELLAS deserves the top spot, in retrospect I’d probably replace TOY STORY with TOY STORY 2 (a better, richer movie) and leave off, believe it or not, SCHINDLER’S LIST, which frankly doesn’t seem as good as it did 10 years ago. (Schinder’s final speech is way too over the top, and destroys much of the subtle power of what came before.) What would I replace it with? Maybe, believe it or not, the documentary AMERICAN MOVIE, which is one of the best films I’ve ever seen about life in modern America that I’ve ever seen. Spielberg’s “masterpiece” for a horror movie making-of? Hey, It’s my list. I can do whatever I want.
Here’s that list, just as it originally appeared on Dec. 26, 1999, with all my decade-old, cringe-inducing writing left intact.Â
1. GOODFELLAS — The best movie of the decade finds America’s finest director at the top of his game. In telling the life story of gangster Henry Hill, Martin Scorsese uses scenes and shots like tiny, overlapping brushstrokes that gradually form a fascinating portrait not just of Hill, but of an entire era in American history. (1990)
2. FIGHT CLUB — Director David Fincher’s “Seven” held this spot until October, but his most recent movie, which opened that month, is even better. A bold script, revolutionary visuals and bracing performances from Brad Pitt and Edward Norton make this provocative, funny film striking in every sense of the word. It demands repeat viewing. (1999)
3. RUSHMORE — The best comedy of the decade. Writer/director Wes Anderson crafts this movie like a Swiss watch, and each piece - acting, music, cinematography, script - works in perfect synchronization with the rest. At its calm center spins Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzmann), one of the most memorable characters of the decade. (1998)
4. SLING BLADE — No special effects and no stars, just a heartbreakingly human story about loss and redemption. Billy Bob Thornton writes and directs “Sling Blade,” but his greatest achievement is the creation of Karl Childers, a good-hearted man who will go to any length to protect the innocent. (1996)
5. SCHINDLER’S LIST — Director Steven Spielberg leaves the sharks and aliens behind for this harrowing look at the Holocaust. Brilliantly shot in black and white and featuring a trio of great performances (from Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley), “Schindler’s List” manages to explore the 20th century’s darkest moment and somehow end on a hopeful note. (1993)
6. PULP FICTION — The noble hitman. The femme fatale. The proud boxer. Cliches one and all, but Quentin Tarantino makes them fresh by infusing the story with a dose of humor and shocking bursts of violence. It revived the career of John Travolta, jolted the career of Samuel Jackson and reminded us that Bruce Willis really can act. (1994)
7. BOOGIE NIGHTS — Director Paul Thomas Anderson reveals his love of cinema in every frame of this sprawling epic about the ’70s porn world. And, for a movie about such a seamy subject, what shines through is the film’s striking sense of compassion for its characters. (1997)
8. THE MATRIX — Hard science-fiction, Hong Kong fight scenes and mind-blowing special effects unite in this invigorating thriller. The Wachowski brothers demonstrate that an action flick actually can be about something, which, of course, makes it even more exciting. (1999)
9. TOY STORY — Proving that a computer-generated movie can have humanity, this revolutionary animated film also has humor, rich characters and nail-biting suspense. This year’s sequel is just as good, but I’m listing “Toy Story” because it came first. (1995)
10. JFK — Oliver Stone takes the Kennedy assassination, shatters it into a million pieces, then examines the conspiracy behind each one. Stone’s theory about what happened is a little nutty, but he conveys the impending chaos lurking behind the shiny curtain of Camelot. (1991)
July 27th, 2009
It’s hard to believe, but the first decade of the 21st century ends in a mere five months.* That means it’s already time for movie critics (and fans) to think about compiling their “best of the decade lists” so they’ve got them polished and perfect by the time December rolls around. Being a complete film nerd, I’m considering my picks now. Here are three contenders. I’m not saying they’re earned their spots yet, but they’re definitely among the ones to beat…
 
 
 
So now it’s your turn. Post some of your picks in the comments, and hopefully you’ll knock some of my memories loose and remind me of a movie I’ve forgotten. I’ll make more of these posts as the year continues, then sometime around Dec. 31, 2009, I’ll reveal the whole Ten Best in the paper and here, online. Film fans love few things more than lists, so I hope we can have fun putting ours together.
I didn’t list of the names of the above three movies on purpose. Can you name ‘em?
* I realize that — technically speaking — the year 2010 is, in fact, part of the first decade of the 21st century too, which means that the decade really doesn’t end in five months, but instead in 17 months. After all, we went through the same sort of confusion 1o years ago during the turn of the century. But, for the sake of argument, let’s just pretend that this Dec. 31 will be the end of the decade, OK? Thank you in advance.
July 8th, 2009
Simon Hsu isn’t just any film fan. When he’s not watching movies, he spends his time doing research on protein structure at the University of California San Diego’s School of Medicine. He’s been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and will be publishing in an upcoming issue of Biochemistry.
But he is a film fan, and in this post from The House Next Door, he lists and discusses five movie scientists. Skipping the usual subjects who tend to put the word “mad” in front of the word “scientist,” he comes up with some intriguing selections — including one of my personal favorites, Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) from Wes Anderson’s THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU. Sure, he’s more moviemaker than scientist (and more goof-off than anything else), but as Hsu points out, he’s on a constant search for the truth — not so much in Anderson’s deliberately fake deep blue sea as much as in his own head.
The more I think of it, the more I love THE LIFE AQUATIC. I’m putting together a list of the best movies of the decade for later this year, and this largely ignored oddball epic keeps bobbing up to the top. Here, in case you’ve never seen it, is a sample of its strange charms…
June 26th, 2009
If you’ve got plenty to time to play around on the Internet today (and you’re tired of reading about Michael Jackson), here’s a link that will kill several hours: IFC.com has compiled its list of the 50 greatest movie trailers of all time, and thanks to the miracle of You Tube, you can both read about them and watch them.
Thing is, it’s one of those list where every trailer has its own page, so it takes a while just to click through them, even if you don’t watch every one. Here, to whet your appetite, is one of my personal favorites, which earned the No. 25 spot: Albert Brooks’ REAL LIFE. I especially like it when champion paddle ball player Randy Brown makes a guest appearance for no reason except the most obvious, shameless one imaginable.
The real joke, see, is the movie is not in 3-D.
April 29th, 2009
Turner Classic Movies recently compiled a list of the most influential movies of all time. Over at Slashfilm, they’ve compiled a list of the 10 most influential films of the last 10 years, and it’s an interesting collection. Naturally, THE MATRIX is there (and not for positive influence, according to the Slashfilm folks), but so are some non-blockbusters like RUSHMORE and CHILDREN OF MEN and a few out-and-out flops, like SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW ( a movie I enjoyed quite a bit, though not one without a few major flaws).
Any thoughts?
April 17th, 2009
As part of its 15th anniversary celebration, Turner Classic Movies (the greatest movie channel in the history of the universe, incidentally) has compiled a list of the most influential films of all time. In chronological order, they are…
1. BIRTH OF A NATION
2. BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN
3. METROPOLIS
4. 42 STREET
5. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
6. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
7. GONE WITH THE WIND
8. STAGECOACH
9. CITIZEN KANE
10. THE BICYCLE THIEF
11. RASHOMON
12. THE SEARCHERS
13. BREATHLESS
14. PSYCHO
15. STAR WARS
I’ve seen all but one (THE BICYCLE THIEF), and I’ve have to argue, this is a pretty influential bunch. PSYCHO, in particular, shaped horror movies (and even non-horror movies) for decades after its release. You can read the reasons behind the picks here.
February 16th, 2009
Courtesy of my fellow rrstar.com blogger Pat Cunningham, here’s a list from the NATIONAL REVIEW’s online site of the 25 “Best Conservative Movies.”
It’s tough to argue with some of the picks — FORREST GUMP, 300, RED DAWN (of course!) and TEAM AMERICA, but it seems like a stretch to label a movie like GROUNDHOG DAY ”conservative.” I’d say it embraces something more along the lines of a Buddhist philosophy, which doesn’t exactly follow a conservative, religious, god-centered belief system. I’m glad we both agree it’s a great movie, though.
And I’d especially disagree with BRAZIL, a movie where the government keeps the populace under a constant state of fear, watches them nonstop, encourages paranoia and — it is strongly suggested — uses fake terrorist attacks to justify ever-escalating losses of freedom. I’m sure the staff of the NATIONAL REVIEW sees this as a portrait of what happens in communist countries, but I’d wager writer/director Terry Gilliam (a free-thinking ex-hippie type) would say his inspiration came from this side of the Iron Curtain.
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