January 8, 2010

Ten from the Decade

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22 comments:

  1. Nice to see ANCHORMAN on your list. Hands down, THE funniest comedy of the decade with a ton of insanely quotable dialogue.

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  2. Very interesting group here Dan! Well, what with your long time passion and close association with documentary cinema, I can't say I'm surprised at CITY OF GOD's ultimate placement, but I'll agree it's a formidable and powerful piece of cinema, and came very close to my own list. CITY OF GOD of course is not a documentary, but it's close in style as we know. I always found it perplexing that at a number of blogsites this film is attacked, despite the overwhelming critical adoration from the professional establishment. Of the others, I can certainly corroborate your inclusion of Lynch's masterwork, and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, even if the latter was lower with me, making #50 of the top 50. But again, this is a film that has impressed so many, and has stood its ground. Terridic presentation here with the clips too.

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  3. Tell me about it, J.D. I shrugged the movie off when it was first released but ended up seeing it in the theater alone right before it was gone, mostly because I was bored. I loved it then and I love it now - Ferrell has never been better.

    Thanks, Sam, and I need to peruse your list of 50. I really had no idea there wasn't a friendly place for City of God in the blogosphere, but I'll watch my step. That's my #1 choice with a bullet.

    I had fun with this list simply because I didn't think too hard about it. I likely saw close to 1,000 movies in the decade, so narrowing it down to 10 or 20 or 50 with any real "authority" would have driven me mad. Obviously there are dozens more that I would like to mention from the decade, but I just thought, "Nah, what are ten that I immediately think of that really mattered to me?". These aren't necessarily the 10 "best" that I saw or 10 "favorites" that I'll cherish forever, but they're a fair mix of both.

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  4. And that's exactly the best way to put such a list together. When one takes this task too seriously (as I did) it definitely drives you up a wall. One needs to pull back a little, and address the most important consideration here, which above everything else, "what did I really like?" You've done that exquisitely here.

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  5. That's an interesting list you've compiled, no doubts about that. What what I liked more, if that's possible given your fine choice of movies there, was the refreshingly ingenuous way you served them. Any film lover will instantly recognise the movies from the images. And ones who don't really watch movies, well this space isn't really meant for them anyway :)

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  6. Thanks, Shubhajit, but it's funny you mention the format because I just went over and saw that Sam had done the exact same thing earlier this week. Great minds...

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  7. Daniel Getahun: I couldn't agree more with you re: ANCHORMAN. I even have the special edition set with the largely improvised additional film (basically scraps and outtakes from the theatrical film). Pretty funny stuff. I sure hope they do a sequel some day. Most of the main cast seems eager to do it.

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  8. You know I always wanted to take a look at that additional film but I've never gotten my hands on the special edition. Regarding a sequel, well, I've already said my piece on that that. Seems like it's been so long now, though, I can't picture it happening. Especially not if my dreams come true and the next decade sees the decline of film franchises...

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  9. Interesting selection, Daniel. I find the prospect of ranking the best of the decade too daunting - so many great films across different genres. However, City of God, Mulholland Drive, and Amelie are in the top tier for me.

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  10. Cheers, sartre. "Daunting" is the word, alright. This may not be the most sophisticated selection, but hey, anyone who likes Anchorman can't be that sophisticated anyway (no offense, J.D.).

    You made me consider, sartre, that three of these films are from 2001 - Mulholland, Amelie, and Waking Life. No other year is represented more than once except for 2004 and, appropriately, 2007, a.k.a. the "Best Year of the Decade".

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  11. Which raises a question about the age and circumstances in which we encounter and respond to art (or not, maybe 2001 was an exceptional year and these films would have been tops for you regardless of when released). I must admit the high placing of Anchorman baffles me. But that's the beauty of taste - it can be so unexpected.

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  12. Very well rounded list, and quite a good choice as the number one! I think I need to go back and watch it again...come to think of it, I don't think I've watched it since the first time I saw it. Isn't that screwed up?

    As for the best year of the decade, I'd likely vote for either 2004 (MILLION $ BABY, SIDEWAYS, I HEART HUCKABEES, GARDEN STATE) or 2008 (THE DARK KNIGHT, WALL-E, SLUMDOG, THE WRESTLER).

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  13. Best year of the decade for me was 2007 - There Will be Blood, No Country, Jesse James, Diving Bell, Zodiac, Once, 4/3/2, I'm Not There, Eastern Promises, The Lives of Others etc.

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  14. Sartre, the age and circumstances are without question a factor in my list, from City of God to United 93 to Anchorman. I very well would have reacted to any or all of these in a different way had I seen them for the first time yesterday, for example.

    As bizarre as Anchorman is, I'm more surprised no one has called me out on Across the Universe yet...

    Thanks, Hatter, and I'd like to see CoG again, too. So many new movies to get excited about, it's hard to find time to go back and revisit the old favorites.

    You make a strong case for both '04 (also some other gems that year) and '08 (lots of small movies to celebrate from last year), but I have to side with sartre. You could even do a best of the decade and choose all from '07 if you were so bold.

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  15. I'll echo the above sentiments. A very "Daniel" list, which means it encompasses a global theme and includes some irrefutably outstanding films. I'm only saddened by the fact that I haven't seen them all. Yes, Anchorman stands out the most, and it wouldn't place anywhere on a list of mine, but its inclusion might be my favorite aspect of your list.

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  16. You know me well, sir. But not a fan of Anchorman? Blasphemy!

    Also, considering how similar our taste in cinema is, I'm surprised we only shared Amelie among our 10. But again, mine are not necessarily THE ten, just ten. Most of your other nine would be in my top tier list as well, were I to make one.

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  17. Daniel -

    Interesting list. You obviously went with personal choices that meant something to you - for me, that's the best kind of list.

    I'm intrigued that just about everyone (except me) has "Amelie" on their list. I liked it fine when I saw it, but haven't given it a single though since. Just goes to show you that everyone's taste is different.

    Nice to see the love for "Slumdog Millionaire" though; it was a very close 'also-ran' on my own decade list.

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  18. Thanks, Pat. You're right that like you, I obviously chose some films that were just important to me - not necessarily everyone else.

    Funny thing about Amelie is it was maybe the last one I thought of, and even then the only one I second-guessed, mostly because I haven't seen it in years. But I know I was swept away by the visuals and whimsical spirit (I think I saw it twice in the theater, if not three times), and I fondly remember the scene in which Amelie is in the movie theater and we learn that she likes some particular quirk about a character that no one notices. I fell in love with her then; it was a kind of movie within a movie/multi-layer perspective with me in my own seat. I don't know if that's actually what the details of the scene are, but it's what I remember now and it left a great impression on me.

    Now that you mention it, I've seen it on a lot of best of decade lists, too, and I think they've all been made by men. I don't think that's a coincidence...

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  19. Love your choices. City of God was my number one also.

    My blog is currently down and under a revision, but my friend posted my picks to his blog. Curious what you think of my picks. Here is the link: http://anothertakegaming.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/the-best-films-of-the-decade-2000-2009/

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  20. Thanks for visiting, Matt, and glad to see City of God in your top spot as well. The only one of yours I haven't seen is The Proposition, but by all accounts I've heard it's excellent. I also like that you made a spot for a Pixar film. The decade in animation was really dominated by Pixar and for as outstanding as each of their films is, the company as a whole deserves a lot of credit.

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  21. 2001 was also a big year for me, but not for the same reasons as for most of you -- I'm thinking Donnie Darko, Vanilla Sky, Gosford Park and Memento, in addition to Waking Life, which you included.

    Love Waking Life. Smart inclusion.

    I was ready to be annoyed by Across the Universe, but it sure did win me over.

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  22. Thanks for stopping by, Vancetastic. Always glad to hear from another Waking Life fan. Three of the other four from 2001 that you mention I can appreciate, but for whatever reason Gosford Park really did not win me over. I think my head was in the wrong place when I saw it and never revisited it. Anyway, Across the Universe...yeah I'm not a big "Glee" fan or anything but this teeny-bopper musical showcase really did it for me. I'm definitely looking forward to Julie Taymor's next film later this year.

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