During a recent piece re-capping the NBA offseason, Simmons applied 50 quotes from one of the best movies of this decade, Almost Famous, to cover the NBA's summer. On a tangent, he's polling his audience on the best movie of the past decade. His argument for the best movie is Almost Famous - especially the "Untitled" bootleg version found in the special edition DVD. While I disagree, I totally respect the pick. If you read his article, his rational justifies it to land somewhere in your top 20. (Don't worry, I'll post a link at the bottom)
Intrigued by his idea, I'm following his footsteps. If you don't know me yet, you'll soon discover that most of my entries are lists representing the Top 10 of whatever I can think of. If you've seen the film or read the book High Fidelity, you'll quickly compare me to the main character, Rob Gordon. Just picture your basic good-guy who never lives up to his potential, lives in a big city, owns a beat-down record store, and hangs out with the same 2 people because he's too lazy to meet new friends. That's my plan-B if I ever fail to live up to my potential ... except instead of a record store, I'll have a Blockbuster, DVD Warehouse, or something involving movies.
Being 24 years old, the 2000s have been my friends' coming-of-age decade. We can now drive; we've voted (most of us, twice); and we've graduated from high school and college; and most of us have started the career path or actively pursue graduate degrees.
For two of my friends, we've filled in the gaps of these major events by talking about the same thing for the last 10 years.
For Sam Gooley, it's movies. In March, 1999, we were so pissed that Shakespeare in Love beat out Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture of 1998 at the Oscars, we decided to start our own awards ceremony ... even if nobody else cared or even knew about it. Every year since, on Oscar Night, we have the Sullivan-Gooley Awards to honor the TRUE best pictures, best performances, and technical achievements of the previous year. It's been 10 years of SG Awards (Sports Guy, I hope you're reading this), and we've only just begun. Sam's in NYC - I'm in Raleigh, NC; but we catch up on movies every week and meet up every year for the annual SG Awards.
For Chris Miller, it's college football. While we haven't started our own version of College Gameday yet (we like the original too much), we start making our personal Top-25's every week starting about now, and already can't wait to see which SEC powerhouse will pounce on a Big Ten joke in January. Every August we cristen the season with a long chat about Florida (my team since birth), Georgia (his alma mater), and how awful the Big Ten is at everything. He's in Charleston, SC - I'm still in Raleigh; but our conversation picks up without a beat every August.
Throughout August, I've written a series of articles dedicated to Sam, Chris, and the 2000s. Up first comes the Top 20 Films from 2000 - 2009, thanks to a thought sparked while reading an article on the NBA offseason by Bill Simmons. We'll begin with 20-11, and will feature a separate article for each of the Top 10. Following the films, we'll count down NCAA football traditions in the BCS era. So if you don't like me rambling about movies, just wait a couple weeks and we'll chat football.
Criteria for the Top 20:
1. Quality of film
2. Lasting effect on the memory - remembering not just seeing the movie, but the feelings you felt while watching it. We've all seen movies that were great, yet we forgot them the next day. Those movies will not make this cut.
3. Rewatchability - whether you can discover new things with each viewing, sheer entertainment value, or putting it on when you're in the mood to watch something great.
#20: No Country For Old Men (2007)
If you're anything like me, your first thought after watching No Country for Old Men was, "WTF?" I know I liked it - it was technically flawless, captured the tension perfectly with pin-point editing and cinematography, and had a character who would give Hannibal Lectar nightmares - but I still had no idea what just happened over the course of two hours.
So I saw it again; still I thought "WTF'" but I had much more respect. I now knew that Ed Tom Bell (classic redneck name, by the way) was the main character, although he didn't appear until a half hour into the movie. I also knew that it was a character study - not by the characters, but on the idea of evil. Having already known what to expect in terms of suspense in plot, I could study the endless symbolisms recurring throughout the film ...so many symbolisms...
...that I saw it again. And loved it. I've never had to see a film three times to finally discover that I loved it. It's not your fairy-tale, happy-go-lucky movie. It's evil. It's a warning of what can happen if you don't adapt to a change in times. Do you remember that killer in your nightmares that seems to be moving at the same pace; yet you can never escape him, no matter how fast you run? That's what No Country For Old Men is about ... that ever-present pace of "what's coming if you don't move on."
Moving on...
#19. Gangs of New York (2002)
This film makes the list for 3 scenes:
1.) The first 10 minutes. Everything from the score (the high-pitch flute, followed by Peter Gabriel's "Signal to Noise"), art direction, flowing cinematography, and classic showdown between Priest Vallon and Bill the Butcher.
2.) When the Irish arrive, there's one shot that shows the men receiving their Union uniforms, boarding new boats, and being brought home in "wooden suits" that line the harbor. This scene is haunting, especially with Scorsese using an Irish lullaby as the score.
3.) Bill the Butcher's monologue - sitting bedside to Amsterdam, draped in the American flag - about Fear.
#18. Children of Men (2006)
Imagine what it was like when Jesus was born. Baby boys were being slaughtered across the largest empire in the world, and ordered to do so by their king. The world was in turmoil - consumed in evil; and Mary and Joseph had to risk their lives in a daring escape to have their child.
Such is the backdrop of Children of Men - a modern-day Christmas story told through the eyes of visionary director Alfonso Cuaron. It's violent, graphic, and so realistic that non-believers may miss the moral of the story: through our darkest hour comes the our brightest hope for the future. Although most of the film focuses on our darkest hour, it's in the last 10 minutes - when a crying baby brings soldiers to their knees - do tears of joy flood they eyes of all who see it.
#17. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
What quickly turns from "one of the greatest sports films ever" to "let's make a statement on euthanasia," Million Dollar Baby's controversial twist is saved by the storytelling of director, writer, actor, and composer (yup, he even wrote the music, too) Clint Eastwood. For the first 90 minutes, Eastwood had me fooled: I thought it was a movie about boxing. Instead, it's a movie about pulling the plug - pulling the plug on a life of regret; pulling the plug on a life filled with loss; pulling the plug on the inability to forgive yourself for the mistakes you've made throughout your lifetime. Million Dollar Baby is about letting go, even when it goes against everything you stand for.
#16. There Will be Blood (2007)
Nearly 18 minutes into the film, we are greeted by our protagonist, Daniel Plainview. "Ladies and gentleman," he begins. Thus, we are introduced to one of the most ambitious characters portrayed on screen. Much like No Country for Old Men was a study on the idea of evil, There Will Be Blood is a study on the idea of power, and the sacrifices two men make in order to acquire it.
The first is Mr. Plainview, portrayed by Daniel Day Lewis in one of the most haunting performances in cinematic history. Plainview doesn't hesitate to adopt a fatherless boy for the sole purpose of convincing prospects he's a family man; pretend to get "saved" at a Christian worship service so he could drill a pipeline through a church-member's property; or kill a man who pretends to be a long-lost brother.
The other is Eli Sunday, a young pastor who runs the town Mr. Plainview wishes to take over. Sunday - while gentle and pious on the surface - unravels throughout the course of the film, compromising his own faith in exchange for monetary reward and control of his parishioners.
At the end of the film there will, in fact, be blood; and while the image at first may disturb and bother many, the viewers will feel regret neither for the killer nor the victim.
#15. Kill Bill (Vol. I & II) (2003-2004)
Volume One makes the statement while Volume Two fills in all the cracks. While each could stand on its own, Vol. I & II work together like Metcalf's Law to prove Kill Bill is more than the sum of its parts. It's a classic tale of revenge, style and homage to classic martial arts as only Quentin Tarantino can tell it.
#14. Chicago (2002)
I hate musicals. No matter how good I feel, I will never spontaneously break out into song and dance. I'm a logical person, and I know people just don't do that. You'll never see me singing in the rain; you'll never see me tell a story about the West Side that involves choreographed fighting; and you will NEVER see me skid-a-ma-ring-kee-dink anything.
But Chicago is different. The only musical number that takes place in real time - and not in the mind of the characters - is the opening sequence of "All That Jazz." Most of the others are interpreted through the eyes and imagination of Roxy Hart, the wannabe performer who makes her name by killing the man she's sleeping with. "Cell Block Tango," "They Both Reached for the Gun," and "Tap Dance" are Roxy's disillusioned interpretations of the situations she finds herself in. Director Gary Marshall drawns a clear line between Roxy's rendtions and the reality she inhabits; this separation gives audience members who aren't big fans of musicals (myself included) the opportunity to actually enjoy a musical.
Chicago is not like any other musical in that it's realistic. Are some of its plot lines a bit over the top? Absolutely, but so is Chicago. Pay close attention to John C. Reilly (Amos Hart, aka Mr. Cellophane) as he steals almost every scene he's in. Reilly was in 4 movies in 2002, and 3 were nominated for Best Picture (Chicago, The Hours, and Gangs of New York. The other was The Good Girl, an fantastic dark comedy starring Jennifer Anniston and Jake Gyllenhaal), making him one of the most underrated actors of the decade.
#13. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Arguably the most complete film of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring introduces the world to Frodo, Sam, and the clan who depart to save Middle Earth and destroy the "one ring to rule them all." Through not as epic in scope as The Two Towers or The Return of the King, The Fellowship of the Ring spends most its time allowing us to meet the characters. Since so many play an intricate role in Frodo's journey, we must be able to relate to them when their time comes to contribute.
With so much riding on the future of the franchise (at the time of its release, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy was the most expensive project ever, at $300 million), The Fellowship of the Ring not only catapulted the trilogy into the limelight, but set the tone for the greatest journey in film history.#12. The Dark Knight (2008)
"Heath Ledger is going to play the Joker? The same guy who played Casanova - who starred in the biggest gay romance ever; THIS is the guy they chose to take over the villain played so perfectly by Jack Nicholson? Dang, this movie is going to suck."
Those were my words. Those were a lot of people's words when they found out who signed on to play the Joker. The good news: director Christopher Nolan knows precisely what to include in each of his works. And just take a look at his brief, but strong resume: Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight.
This man knows how to create a dark character, and his work couldn't have been better exemplified than Heath Ledger's rendition of the Joker. Not only did Ledger pick up an Oscar and Sullivan-Gooley Award, his performance will go down as one of the most memorable, and one of the most haunting. Nolan also proved himself capable of handling an ensemble production and larger scale than Batman Begins. Several compared The Dark Knight to another sequel that took the original to another level: The Godfather, Part II. While it may not receive the accolades of The Godfather, The Dark Knight will surely be placed next to the Corleone family as an unforgettable masterpiece.
#11. The Departed (2006)
We're 17 minutes into The Departed when the Dropkick Murphy's come crashing in with "I'm Shipping Off to Boston." Such is the Boston Police Department: not as much a police force you're willing to serve for; rather, a police force you're shipped off to ... like going to after-school detention.
17 minutes in, and I feel like I've seen an entire film. The first sequence is an addrenaline rush brought about in swift strokes by Martin Scorsese. We're quickly brought up to speed with all of our characters:
Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) is recruited as a boy to work for crime lord Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). Colin graduates the police academy along with Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), and gets promoted through the ranks so fast that he's already a private detective before Costigan leaves his post-graduation interview with Chief Queenan (Martin Sheen) and Detective Dignam (Mark Wahlberg). Instead of becoming a true-blue cop, Costigan (DiCaprio) gets sent undercover in order to infiltrate Costello's (Nicholson's) regime.
Such begins the best cat-and-mouse game I've ever seen. Damon's a criminal posing as a cop; DiCaptrio's a cop posing as a criminal. Damon's assignment is to catch the rat in the police force (himself); and DiCapio's assigned to look out for the cop in Nicholson's crew (himself). Both realize the stress involved in playing both sides, and soon discover that nobody's on your side if you're on nobody's side.
There isn't a weak performance in the film (except Vera Cormiga, whose role could have been played by anyone), with stellar supporting turns led by Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, and Ray Winstone (Mr. French). While the fate of most of these characters lies within the film's title, it's how they meet their fate that makes The Departed the #11 film of the 2000s.
Stay tuned for #10, posting real soon.
For more information on Bill Simmons, check out his blog at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
For more information on Sam Gooley, check out his blog at http://gooleysmovies.blogspot.com/
I voted for WallE and it didn't show----?
ReplyDeleteI just enjoy reading your writing style -- not so sure about all the 'bloody' movies you've picked thus far -- but will hold until the final 10 appear. As you know, I walked out on 'Gangs'-the rabbit was the last straw for me.