Top 50 Movies of the Decade – part 3

Part 1 (#46-50)

Part 2 (#41-45)

And…

As promised, here’s our next 5 selections.  Visit tomorrow to see picks 31-35.

—

(trailer)

Taos: Oh man, I love everything Mamet does. Not even Tim Allen could bring this movie down.

David: A quiet David Mamet. There’s a lot in Redbelt that could be criticized. But the protagonist’s arc–by movie’s end–just the stuff of greatness. Solidified Chiwetel Ejiofor as one of my favorite actors.

—

(trailer)

David: [note: the flip of a coin, and 2046 may as well be here instead] The ever-wistful In the Mood for Love is the first of a more refined Wong Kar Wai. I prefer his early-mid summer period (maybe that’s because I myself am still young), but I still adore his late summer now autumn flags. A great piece of cinema in its own right, once seen in the context of its loose trilogy (Days of Being Wild, Mood, 2046), another dimension of allure–something mysterious–amplifies in the mind.  Aaaaand… another Chris Doyle photographed pic makes the list.

Taos: Cinematography looks amazing, but I haven’t seen it yet.

—

(trailer)

Taos: Finally a sci-fi film that doesn’t forget the science. Duncan Jones might be the next big thing. Especially if he gets to make the movies he wants. Not much can be said without ruining it. In the case of this movie: more is less. (Duncan Jones is David Bowie’s freakin son!)

David: Supposed to be better than it looks. I’ll find out come its dvd release next month.  A score by Clint Mansell can’t hurt its chances.

—

(trailer)

David: One of the most visceral movie experiences I’ve had.  Apart from the spotty prehistoric stampede, I was there for the ride the full three hours topside.  A supreme beauty of an epic.

Taos: Hard to like at first, but grows with reflection. If I were to pick a movie I hated at first but grew to love, I probably would have went with War of the Worlds instead.

—

(trailer)

David: Letting Matt Damon kick ass for six hours was one of the best decisions of the decade. Simply enough, what really pushes this one past its bookends (and by a sturdy margin) is its emotional primacy, succeeding, too, at what Quantum of Solace later failed to make happen for 007.

Taos: The Bourne films run together in my mind. I know the action was great and the story was outstanding, but I cannot tell you the individual storylines. Influenced half a decade of action films: nuff said.

—

Until tomorrow!

Top 50 Movies of the Decade – part 1

Starting today and continuing through New Year’s Eve, Something Offensive will be unveiling its official TOP 50 MOVIES OF THE DECADE list.  (Referring to the 2000s here, McFly.)  We’ll provide our brief, individual explanations for each selection as they’re posted.  Readers are encouraged to comment on the films, ask questions about why we chose what we did or ask questions about the films themselves, and finally, to offer up their own suggestions for great films released these last 10 years.  And once we’ve revealed our five favorite stories of The Oughts, we’ll post the entire list for your perusal.

The list was composed by way of an overly complex voting process not even Taos or I comprehend.  All we know for sure is that these are movies we endorse  with hooker moneys.

Before we break any cineastes’ hearts, know it skews more toward populist fare.  Also:  all foreign films require subtitles + the original language audio track. Don’t even bother if you’re unwilling to go this route.  We’re linking a trailer with each entry; be forgiving of the non-American ones as their international trailers are often terrible.  One final caveat:  the list was conceived and completed prior to Avatar.  Cameron’s pic is a stunning experience that should be seen by everyone, but it simply couldn’t be included at this time.  But fret not.  After the holiday cheer begins to subside, there’ll be a subsequent list featuring the 3-D Na’vi and other excellent works that didn’t make this first cut for whichever of a variety of mysterious reasons.

So then, let us begin…

—

(trailer)

David: I think what makes Assassination so powerful is all that it suggests.  Poetry in pictures and song, of menace and tragedy.  Grueling suspense wrapped up tightly in the hungry stares of its distressingly rummaging actors.  Though its pace and narration may seem double-edged, the presentation nevertheless lingers cautiously, treading through a memory haunted and forgotten.

Taos: A delectable character study. Enhanced significantly by Nick Cave’s enchanting soundtrack. Do I need to mention Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt too???

—

(trailer)

Taos: Probably more symbolic of a younger psyche. Still, its impact on my quarter-life self is more than enough to receive a nod. One of my favorite non-scored soundtracks.

David: I think Taos and I are in agreement here. While the film has and continues to endure a not fully warranted backlash (I’m guessing thanks to the pandering, middling tide of Searchlight-esque labels arguably setting back the American independent movement), it has its obvious limitations. But placing all the bullshit aside, Garden State spoke to me at just the right moment in my life.  It sent me looking for better movies and considering a career making them, too.  I am left grateful.  Also:  Natalie Portman!  Natalie Portman, Natalie Portman, Natalie Portman.
…
Natalie Portman.

—

(trailer)

David: The discovery of Park Chan-wook, transitioning here from a skilled filmmaker into a full-blown artist.  (Does that sound cheap?  Forgive me.)  The frame is knicked in spots; a regrettable flaw fleetingly mars its end.  But Park finds, or more accurately, shares with us for the first time his voice beyond an EP.  Shocking to most, the director excavates something primal, both within us and in our classical literary roots.  And yet something new protrudes.  Old versus new, East/West, comedy/tragedy, right & wrong–therein lies Park’s cunning: the tension of conflicts.

Taos: Just your straight-up revenge fare here. Severely overshadowed by Oldboy, and I find that good.

—

(trailer)

Taos: This is what Scorsese won on? Aside from Jack’s overacting, it was good, but Aviator was so much more deserving.

David: Scorcese and writer William Monahan make fresh an already exciting concept in redrawing The Departed‘s appreciable if less knowing predecessor (Infernal Affairs; but let’s not distract ourselves with a trite Venn diagram dispute).  I do think its irreverence ultimately gets in the way of its staying power, but Scorcese and crew’s execution is formidable.  More movies should feature Vera Farmiga.

—

(trailer)

David: My second Hirokazu (following the delightful After Life), the director approaches his material with honest restraint while still finding wonder in life’s most overlooked of places.  Along with the effort of a terrific child cast, more immediately, Nobody Knows conveys a human quality often forgotten in the politics of adulthood, something that will deeply affect those with little ones close to their hearts.

Taos: I too do not know. Have not seen it.

—

Be sure to come back tomorrow to check out part 2!

Team America: Watchmen Police

Heh.

Tell me I have led a good life (film draft)

Saving Private Ryan

I’ve been on a recent Tom Hanks kick. In my opinion, he isn’t the best actor, but the guy sure is likeable, and that has to count for something.

I haven’t seen this film since it came out, but for a war movie, it has stuck with me more than any other. The Omaha Beach scene really frightened me; it is so graphic and real. I never want to go to war, but I respect and thank those that do volunteer to put themselves in such peril to support our country and its ideals. Thank you veterans.

Steven, you are the man.

MATT DAMON (condemns Palin)

Awesome.