Favorite Movies of the Decade: 20 - 16

Day 2 of my favorite movies of the decade list (for my Slices of Fried Gold: The Decades Edition) is upon us, with today breaking down my 20th to 16th favorite films of the decade. Before we go to that here is a link to numbers 25 through 21 and see below for what preceded this list:

25. Up
24. In Good Company
23. In Bruges
22. Everything is Illuminated
21. The Departed


20. Wall-E (Directed by Andrew Stanton, written by Stanton, Pete Docter and Jim Reardon - 2008)

Pixar, as I said in my breakdown of Up, is the apex of filmmaking in the 2000’s. While some filmmakers may have had higher highs than Pixar, there is no company that is more automatic in terms of quality than Pixar. Of course, even for them Wall-E is an enigma. This is a movie that is effectively silent for the entire first act, has a protagonist whose primary goals in life are to make cubes of trash, find weird knick knacks, and to hold someone’s hand, and basically a pretty obvious statement about humanity’s mass consumerism and overconsumption. Oh yeah, and the perception is it’s a children’s movie.

When Pixar is involved you should always expect the unexpected, as this film may be serious at times but it is every bit as entertaining a romp as any of their other films to date. Wall-E, the incredibly likeable robot protagonist, is another pantheon level character for Pixar, delivering as much emotion with slight sounds and mannerisms as the best actors today can with an intense love monologue. Not only that, but Thomas Newman provides a completely brilliant score to this film, as the music involved with this is a very important aspect throughout (especially the excerpts from musical “Hello Dolly!”). While everything about this movie is a bit out of the ordinary (and strangely hasn't stood up to repeat viewings as well as other Pixar flicks have), it’s hard to argue that this is one of the best, and most unconventional, love stories of the decade.


19. Snatch (Written and directed by Guy Ritchie - 2000)

When this movie first came out, I saw it in theaters with my mom. We were both big fans of Guy Ritchie’s first movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and were very excited for this. That was a Friday. By the end of the weekend, I’d seen it three times, twice more with my friends (who also love this). While Lock, Stock was incredible in its own right, Snatch really was the culmination of Ritchie’s incredibly stylish and massively entertaining British gangster flicks. While he’s returned to form with RocknRolla to a certain degree, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll make something that is as sprawling, hilarious, and deliciously dirty as this ever again.

Ritchie’s style really brings a lot to this flick, as his quick cutting was still fresh back in 2000, his sprawling soundtrack that touches on many genres and era’s but always entertains, and biting and quotable script really form the backbone of this movie. It helps that he had an incredible cast to lean upon, with Benicio Del Toro, Jason Statham (minus kung fu, plus gangster charisma), Rade Šerbedžija, Vinnie Jones (“he…dodges bullets Avi…”), and Dennis Farina bringing the awesome throughout. They all pale in comparison to Brad Pitt in this movie though. Pitt plays a pikey bare-knuckle boxer named Mickey who speaks in an intense accent that is as ridiculous as you’ll likely ever hear, and Pitt gives the performance a level of gusto and hilarity that makes him steal every scene he’s in. Hell, he’s the only performance that features a laugh that is quotable (or at least I try to). An incredibly entertaining crime flick that somehow gets better with additional viewings.


18. About a Boy (Written and directed by Paul and Chris Weitz, co-written by Peter Hedges – 2002)

About a Boy is my favorite Nick Hornby adaptation of the decade (of which there were many, with Fever Pitch and High Fidelity also joining the ranks), and while it is another film that isn’t anything technically incredible, there is something to be said about a film that is so effortlessly charming and so emotionally true. While there are many reasons for this movie being so exceptional (Badly Drawn Boy’s delightful soundtrack, an exceptional supporting cast, a funny and surprising script), the two biggest reasons are the two protagonists: Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult.

Hugh Grant plays Will, a romantic lead who for once is completely and utterly despicable. He goes to meetings for single parents to pick up women (he even invents a child), he takes on a kid so he can pretend even better, and even defers from being a friend’s daughter’s Godfather, as he readily admits he’s likely to shag her when she turns 18. The kid he takes on is Marcus (Hoult), an awkward kid without real friends and with a depressed mother who recently tried to kill herself. This pair ends up being quite perfect, as Will (effortlessly cool, through and through) helps Marcus learn how to be comfortable in his own skin and to help repair his family life, while Marcus teaches Will how to be a decent person who doesn’t lie to build relationships. Their relationship is the core of the film, and allows it to be the heartwarming charmer it could have been.


17. The Constant Gardener (Directed by Fernando Meirelles, written by Jeffrey Caine - 2005)

This is where I have to admit a horrible, horrible truth about myself: I’ve never seen Meirelles’ film City of God. City of God is one of the most well reviewed films of the decade and the 17th highest rated film in IMDB’s top 250, but for some reason I’ve never seen this Brazilian stunner. Yet, I have seen Meirelles’ follow up The Constant Gardener, and it is a stylish and deeply emotional film, filled with power, politics and intrigue through and through. This film is told in a non-linear style that allows this film to avoid being a downer and instead slowly build the emotional power, developing the relationship between the two leads (a husband and wife played by Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes) while simultaneously having Fiennes slowly but surely unravel the mystery of Weisz’s death, and the unfortunate circumstances that surround it.

While Weisz is the one who received the Oscar for this film (deservedly so, she’s utterly entrancing while on screen), it’s Fiennes who gives a career performance in this film. His Justin Quayle is a devastated wreck, desperate to find the truth wherever he can and becoming more and more distraught as he gains more wisdom. The relationship between Fiennes and Weisz is one of the most organic and touching ones of the decade, as the scenes that are weaved into his search form the emotional backbone of this incredibly powerful film. Combine that with a tale of deceit and real world meaning, and you have another incredibly underrated film from this decade.


16. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Directed by Peter Jackson, written by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh – 2001)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy was one of the most epic undertakings of the decade, as it was a huge risk by all involved. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent, a lengthy and robust tale of fantasy told, and an uncertain (but large) fan base confronted this series, but thanks to Peter Jackson, Howard Shore, and a very talented cast this film showed that they had nothing to fear from the beginning. Some prefer the more action oriented Two Towers or the finale Return of the King (the Academy definitely did), but not I. Fellowship of the Ring captured the spirit of the series best, pairing lighthearted fun, big adventure, intense action, tight pacing, and a joy that was often missing from the last two installments. Pound for pound, this was the best in my mind, and that’s saying something from this powerhouse trilogy. I’d go more into detail about this film, but pretty much every and their mother (mine loves it) has seen this series. Rest assured though, it is worth all the accolades that were placed upon it.

Best Movies of 2008

It was really hard to finalize my top 10. Strangely enough, even with all of my complaining, it ended up being a pretty awesome year in movies. Typically for these things I preface by saying these are my favorite movies of the year, not best, but I really do feel like these are the best. One note to make is that this list is mostly devoid from comedies, but I do want to stress that I thought this was a great year for comedies: I really, really enjoyed Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and even Step Brothers and Definitely, Maybe. If I made a favorite list, the first two at least would likely be on there.

No less, first once, this is the best of 2008 list from yours truly. I highly recommend everything on this list, but it's a definitive and inseparable two way tie at the top.

Also, from time to time I will steal my own old reviews in places where I think I already captured what I said correctly.


1a. Slumdog Millionaire (Directed by Danny Boyle; Written by Simon Beaufoy)

Taken from my review in December...

Once again, a preface is necessary. Typically I swerve wildly into the realm of hyperbole way too easily, and this situation may be no different. Also, to each their own, as your opinion will almost assuredly not jive with mine.

I'm going to call it a tie with Wall E (because I have no guts and it's hard to decide), but Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle's new film, is my favorite movie of the year. Not only that, but it quickly has jumped into the category of "one of my favorite movies of all time." It's that good.

Strangely enough, that makes it two straight years of Danny Boyle directing my favorite movie of the year (with Sunshine taking the nod last year). The man is one of the most prolific directors in the industry, and is perpetually excellent. On his rap sheet you have great films like Trainspotting, Millions, 28 Days Later, and the aforementioned Sunshine.

This is better than all of them.

This film takes on the feel of the fantasy like Millions, studying the life of a young man who goes on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? simply because he thinks the love of his life will be watching. You find out what makes a person like they are, how they learn, and how they grow to be the adult they're supposed be in this film. It's one of the most human and real movies I've ever seen, with parts that are shocking, hilarious, touching, and flat out incredible coming up nearly every minute.

Very few films actually make me want to get up and cheer during the midst of it, and I nearly did multiple times during it. It's a roller coaster of a movie, and every aspect of it is uniformly excellent. I just can't say enough about it. There is no part of the creation of this movie that was not well prepared and put together. It's the perfect fusion of script, acting, direction, cinematography, editing, and music (loaded with lots of M.I.A., how are you going to go wrong with that?).

I won't go into the plot at all, as it's better to be surprised by it (as this movie I somehow knew very little about, at least in the details, before going to see it). However, know this. It's very akin to Wall E in the fact that it's impossible not to like (or love). I have no doubt that this movie is for everyone, and I hope when the time comes it pulls in the nominations it deserves.


1b. Wall-E (Directed by Andrew Stanton; Written by Stanton, Pete Docter, and Jim Reardon)

Even though I love Pixar with immense passion, and many of their movies rank as all time favorites (both Toy Story's, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo), Wall-E managed to pull off the seemingly impossible and surpass all of them in my mind.

This movie managed to do more with silence, small motions, and longing looks than other movies this year did with 30 minutes of film. With apologies to Slumdog, this was the most romantic movie of the year and the most human, even though it was a story about a selfless robot and his pursuit of love. I wholeheartedly believe it deserves a Best Picture nomination.

Regardless of the fact it is an animated feature that some automatically demerit it for (archaic way of thinking if you ask me), this movie features better visuals, sound, and altogether cinematic appeal than almost anything else this year. The filmmaking talent behind it is almost unrivaled, and the idea that it being animated changes any of those previous ideas is ludicrous and backward thinking if you ask me.

I have no problem calling this one of my favorite movies of the year, and I really hope the Academy grows a heart between now and next week.

/rant

3. Let the Right One In (Directed by Tomas Alfredson; Written by John Ajvide Lindqvist)

Taken from my review from earlier this month...

When going through a large sum of movies to round up my Best of 2008 list, I really did not expect a miminalist Swedish love story between a Vampire in the form of a 12 year old girl and a bullied prototypical Swedish kid to stand out amongst the rest. Who would really, mostly because one would have to openly wonder whether or not a movie that fit under that description could possibly exist.

Yet it does. And it did.

It's name is Let the Right One In, and it's a remarkable movie that has a guaranteed spot in my favorite five movies of the year. Everything about it, from the two brilliant lead performances by the two child actors (Kåre Hedebrant as Oskar and the "wears sadness better than most Oscar winning actresses" vampire Eli as performed by Lina Leandersson) to the haunting music, from the subtle script to the brilliant direction (Tomas Alfredson...remember that name when he makes your next favorite American movie - he can set a scene like nobody's business), is phenomenal.

It's definitely not for everyone. Not into foreign film? Probably not for you. Not into movies with slow but thoughtful pacing? Avoid like the plague. But if you're an adventurous movie goer and want to see something truly excellent, check this out.

You'll be happy that you did.

4. In Bruges (Written and directed by Martin McDonagh)

In an incredibly surprising year that was highlighted by movies whose main characters were Indian youths from Mumbai, an incredibly loving and brave robot, and a Swedish vampire and her put upon best friend, this movie was possibly the most surprising of all.

Even though I saw the previews and immediately thought it looked awesome, I really expected some sort of zany crime comedy from them. What I got was one of the most affecting crime movies in recent memory, showing us what happens when everything goes wrong in a young criminals career. Plus, it provides us with hysterical humor, whip fast dialogue, and three brilliant lead performances.

While Brendan Gleason and Ralph Fiennes have earned their kudos over the years and were expectedly wonderful in this movie (Fiennes rageaholic boss character was particularly fun), it was Colin Farrell who really took this movie to the next level. He needed to be sympathetic while being a bastard, able to switch from a devestatingly tragic scene to one where he judo chops a midget, and give the most balanced performance of his career to make it work.

He did more than that, and that's why this is one of the best movies I saw this year.


5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Directed by David Fincher; Written by Eric Roth)

After the middling word about this movie, I was unsure. Sure it had a pedigree that was to die for. David Fincher, a brilliant director. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, incredible leads. Eric Roth, Academy Award winning screenwriter. What could go wrong?

Very little, when it got down to it. This movie was 2 hours and 47 minutes long, but it never dragged, it never sagged, and it always keep you involved with the story of this most unique character. Roth really hit another home run with this script, finally reaching the highs of Forrest Gump once again after years of mediocrity, and Fincher abandoned his visual panache for a more prestigious look, although he still occasionally threw in some trademark edge.

Of course, the movie was carried by performances, with Pitt and Blanchett being predictably superb. Blanchett, in my mind, was ravishing in this movie, looking better than she ever had and really establishing herself as a believable figure that was irresistable for her truly one-of-a-kind beau.

However, one note I do want to make is while these performances were good, it was the supporting performances that really made this movie what it was. Here's a shout out to Taraji P. Henson, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Jason Flemyng, Julia Ormond, Jared Harris, and Tilda Swinton for really making this great film a little bit greater.

6. The Dark Knight (Directed by Christopher Nolan; Written by Nolan and Jonathan Nolan)

This is not the best movie ever made. I want that to be known.

But it is a great one that is a gritty crime drama and the best comic book movie ever made, all wrapped up into one.

I'm not going to waste time going into this. You all know the count on this one. Ledger gave one of the legendary film performances in this. Nolan directed with a steady and precise hand. The story was grounded in realism, which is the element that most comic movie directors forget.

Yada yada yada. We've all seen it. We all love it.

7. Man On Wire (Directed by James Marsh)

From my review back in October...

You may have heard of this movie. It's a little documentary called Man on Wire and it is about a tightrope walker named Philippe Petit and his friends on an adventure to walk across a wire suspended between the Twin Towers. Hannah and I went and saw it tonight at Bear Tooth, and it flat out blew me away. Definitely one of the best movies I've seen this year, and probably the best documentary I've ever seen (although I do not consider myself a documentary connoisseur).

The whole film is an emotional powerhouse, providing the viewer with alternating moments of great levity and true sorrow. The story of one man's quest to live his dream and how it affects those around him, about the drive it takes to really accomplish what you want to do in life. It is absolutely incredible and inspirational, but the parts that really struck home were the ones that expressed what a person has to give up to get what they want. Of course, in the end I don't believe Petit would trade what he did for anything, as he was filled to the brim with joy over what he had accomplished.

All of the people within the film are brilliant, so full of life and so haunted by the one act they all shared. Haunted by the fear, by the joy, by the success, by everything it presented to them. This is the type of movie that makes you want to reconsider delaying your own dreams, and one that throws caution into your mind as you attempt to fulfill them. One way or another, it is more full of life than nearly any other movie you'll see.

This is a great film, and one that should be seen by everyone. It's for all of the dreamers out there, whether your dreams have been fulfilled or not.

8. The Visitor (Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy)

This is the most underrated movie of the year. It's an incredibly affecting movie that was very small and very ignored, but is getting some late breaking buzz to get character actor Richard Jenkins a deserved nomination. It follows a very lonely man (portrayed by Jenkins) whose wife has died and is now trying to find solace in music. Except he lacks all discernable talent in his wife's instrument of choice and clearly feels as if he is a failure, thoughts which he seemingly brow beats himself over.

It all changes when he goes to New York City for a conference and finds a couple from Syria and Senegal living in his home, and ultimately befriends them.

This movie brings together thoughts of relationships, of fairness of laws, of understanding your government, of loneliness, and of doing what is right simply because it is the right thing to do. The cast in this is uniformly excellent, but I wanted to give a shout out to the underrated Haaz Sleiman. As a coworker told me recently, he didn't believe this movie would work unless Sleiman made his Syrian character likeable. He did, and the whole movie works because of it.

Incredible film that needs as much love as it can get, which so far has not been much at all.

9. Frost/Nixon (Directed by Ron Howard; Written by Peter Morgan)

Taken from my December review...

Now, tonight we have Frost/Nixon, a film (you could almost describe it as a study/dramatic retelling that is incredibly play like, which is unsurprising given it's origin as a play) that delves into the unlikely interview that took place between British talk show host David Frost and the as of then recently resigned President Richard Nixon. While the structure itself seems as if it would lay credence to the film being technically sharp with a bore at its core (my bad for rhyming), I'm happy to say that I was riveted the whole way through.

There are a number of reasons why, but you have to start with Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost. I have to admit, after watching Sheen portray Frost, I immediately want to search out other roles he's done. He's remarkably charming, incredibly smooth, and a damn fine actor. The fact that Langella is getting all of the accolades is a shame.

Except it isn't, because his performance really is a tour de force. He manages to make his Nixon believable, forgiveable, despicable, and pitiable all at once. The man he portrays is like a wounded tiger, casually unfurling in a lurch, prepared to jump all over the clearly overmatched Frost at one point, then pulling back and seeming to be wounded and really just looking for some help. His character is an absolute enigma, sort of like the actual Nixon.

Ron Howard really proves himself as an actors' director in this, getting bravura performances from the primary duo, and supurb performances as well from Kevin Bacon and the holy trinity of Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt (hysterical as always), and Matthew MacFadyen as Frost's investigative team. His direction is assured, well structured, and reliant upon the gripping script that Peter Morgan culled from his critically ravished play. As it should have been.

This is an incredibly accomplished work from a wonderful team, and it deserves all of the accolades it has earned to date.


10. Gran Torino (Directed by Clint Eastwood; Written by Nick Schenk)

When getting down to the last two spots, it came between the Wrestler and Gran Torino. Both were buoyed by wonderful lead performances. Both had incredible directors. Both had great, but barely there scores.

They had a lot of overlap, in short.

However, when it came down to it, I loved Eastwood's Walt character. He was the ultimate crotchety old man, seemingly an extension of Eastwood himself in an attempt to share all of the racist jokes he's gathered throughout the years, yet deep down a man with a sense of honor, a sense of morale, and a great heart.

When I thought about it, I had to go with Torino, a great film by one of the all-time Hollywood legends.


11. The Wrestler (Directed by Darren Aronofsky; Written by Robert Siegel)

In the opposite of Eastwood's Walt character, we had Randy "the Ram" Robinson as portrayed by Mickey Rourke. I will admit it: this is the best performance this year. Rourke absolutely nails every scene and perpetually breaks your heart like he does to his daughter and everyone around him throughout the movie.

Aronofsky manages to balance a very minimalist style with the brilliant performance Rourke unleashes to make a great film, however, unlike in Gran Torino, I found myself ultimately disliking "The Ram." This sounds unfair of me to rate like this, but in terms of tiebreakers, them's the breaks kid. With all else being equal, the tiebreaker here is which character could I ultimately relate more with, and in that case Torino wins. This really was excellent however.

The Curious Case of the Oscar Season

Today was a wonderful day for the movie watching pirates of the world, as the day we'd all been waiting for arrived.

DVD screener day!

For the film enthusiast in Anchorage, Alaska, it's hard going most of the time. Whatever Oscar contender that comes out, always seems to come out way later here than anywhere else. However, you can get around that, as DVD screeners for Oscar viewing purposes always seem to make their way onto the internet around mid December. Over the last few days, it happened, with Frost/Nixon, Seven Pounds, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and many others making it on to torrent sites (and my computer eventually).

Of course, going back to the post I made a few weeks back, it's still a mediocre year one way or another for Oscar contenders, especially with films that I had high hopes for like Australia and Milk turning out to be good, not great.

Strangely enough, this excites me, as it opens up the race for year to date favorite Wall E and my most anticipated yet to be seen movie Slumdog Millionaire to pull in Best Picture nominations. Of course, could an animated nearly silen film and a movie based in Mumbai directed by Danny Boyle possibly pull in nominations? Check this:

Wall E: Best Picture from Los Angeles Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics, Boston Film Critics, Time Magazine, and one half of Entertainment Weekly.

Slumdog Millionaire: Best picture from Boston Film Critics, London Film Critics, D.C. Film Critics, Dallas Film Critics, and Florida Film Critics.

If this were a Presidential election, you could say these two are pulling in the major battleground states. Regardless, with each passing day it becomes more and more likely that both will pull in Best Picture nominations, along with most likely Milk, Frost/Nixon, and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

If that happens, I'll be a happy guy. The more movies that are heartwarming and just good for the soul, the better I say. I'm just a sucker for heart I guess. Here's hoping when the nominations are announced on January 22nd, they call out the movie about the little robot and the little slumdog that could.

Also, for a dark horse, if you haven't caught the trailer for the Wrestler, get excited. Mickey Rourke looks unbelievable in this movie. I want it now!