1SO vs. the 00s: Best of the Decade Marathon

[ferris]

Drumline
Drumline is a thinly veiled Top Gun remake.  But the new setting - a college band where the drummers are king - brings a very fresh and original angle to the material.  The direction is spirited, highly creative and there's even a wonderful tension throughout.  The editing so crisp, it deserved an Oscar nomination.  Nick Cannon displays Will Smith levels of star-powered charisma.  (It's amazing that he's been hugely annoying in every film since.)  I also liked the film's theme of musical education vs. entertainment.  And the drumming scenes are as exciting as you will ever see.  (Like the puppetry in Being John Malkovich, I was amazed by how much you could do with the art.)  All of that being said, this is still little more than a well-done version of an age old story.  And while most of the scenes carry more emotional weight than you might expect, there's a few moments where the film could be even stronger.  I'm going to put this at the bottom of my list, just in case too many films fall away.

This review is pretty close to my opinion as well.  It was a great new take on pretty tired storyline so it's hard to exactly how to judge it.  And I spent a lot of time in drumline!

[1SO]

Best of the Decade Marathon Update


Blade II
This marathon is chock full of great double feature ideas, and with Blade II I now have a film to match with Versus.  Again the action scenes are frequent and very well choreographed.  In fact, the ballet between stunts and camera work might not be any better in the rest of my Top 100 than they are here.  There's a shot in the opening chase that's easily one of my Top 10 shots of the year.


The camera follows behind Blade as he leaps out of a building.  The camera then jumps with him, gets in front of him, stays on his face and lands just before Blade hits the ground.  Blade then fires his gun, the camera tracks with the bullet as it hits its target.  We come around the victim as two more bullets enter and the vampire disintegrates.  One shot.  18 seconds.  Pure movie magic.

And there's plenty more where that came from.

Wesley Snipes is the star on the poster, but the film's real star is director Guillermo del Toro.  This was his first studio film and it's one of the decade's best "work for hire" jobs.  Del Toro meshes the vampire mythology perfectly to his own twisted imagination, bringing us the Reavers and their chin-splitting mouths (which get some disgusting close-ups.)  His technical prowess and personal favorite themes are all over this film.  At the same time, he does the job he was hired to do... he makes Snipes look like a super cool action hero.

The problem with Blade II is the script, which is a lazy pile of vampire poop.  Dialogue scenes are mostly painful to sit through.  Guillermo tries to minimize them, but that creates another problem, we end up with too much frosting and not enough cake.  By the end, I was more than a bit worn out by all the kung fu.  Still, this is one of the decade's best action films and the rewatchability factor is very high.


My Current List...

102. Whale Rider
103. Interstella 5555
104. Dirty Pretty Things
105. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
106. Zoolander
107. Blade II
108. Versus
109. X2: X-Men United
110. Drumline

Next Up...
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
J.S.A.: Joint Security Area

[Sam the Cinema Snob]

Yea, the story sucks, which is why I say it isn't among the best of the decade. However it's still a fun watch and like you say there's a lot of strong direction.

[Melvil]

I should check Blade II out again. I remember it being pretty cool. When I saw it I had no idea who Guillermo Del Toro was.

[1SO]

Youtube has all of Blade II available.

The great shot is 6:11 into this section.

Blade 2(2002) - Part 1

[1SO]

Best of the Decade Marathon Update


The 40-Year-Old Virgin

Another eye-opener.  Last time I saw this film it was just after Knocked Up came out, when the Judd Apatow style was spreading like a virus.  I watched the Director's Cut and was let down by the slack pacing and obvious improvisation.  These are the most negative aspects of the Apatow style, and you find that laziness on all the bro-mances that followed, with characters seemingly created on the spot.  Apatow himself is NOT excluded.

I began my look back at 40-Year-Old Virgin certain that it would not hold up.  That all those bad habits would drag down the film.  But it was not the case at all.  I feel confident saying this film is a modern comedy classic, definitely funnier than The Hangover (which I did enjoy a lot.)  I was surprised by the control on display here.  Yes, there's a lot of improv, but it's carefully crafted within the story.  It feels like it belongs and isn't just actors trying to crack each other up.  There's a scene where Paul Rudd brings Carell a big box of porn and you feel two characters are having a conversation, not two actors playing types.

I enjoy Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd, but they've never given better comedy performances that they do here.  Nowadays, they're like Eddie Murphy, believing that their improv gifts will lift a lazy script.  And sometimes, that's the case.  But they're so much stronger with good material supporting them.  (I say that as a general rule, knowing that the most obvious bit of improv - "You know how I know you're gay" - is Rudd and Rogan's best scene.)

And what happened to Romany Malco, who is just as funny as the other 3 guys here?  

I strongly advise those of you who think Apatow has ruined the modern comedy with a lack of ambition during the prep stage, take another look at this film to see how good it is when done right.  I wish he would do the same.


There are a handful of films that could rehash a never-ending debate about the film's quality.  I don't want to say too much about them.

 
Lost in Translation
I think Lost in Translation has one of the widest spreads of opinion, from All Time Top 100 love to outright venom.  I think it's an excellent mood piece with top notch cinematography, editing and music.

I hesitate to post this, but here's my take on the film... Sofia Coppola is not as good of a director as Hou Hsiao-hsien, but Lost in Translation is better than any of the HHH films I've seen.



The Dark Knight

One of the most discussed movies in our Spoiler Thread.  There are many, many great sequences.  The film takes a dip in its final section, with the two boats and that bat sonar confusing the action.  It's not the best Chris Nolan film this decade because it's not the best Batman film this decade.  Heath Ledger's performance is one of the Top 5 of the decade.

...and it's not as good as The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

My Current List...

99. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
100. The Dark Knight
101. Whale Rider
102. Interstella 5555
103. Dirty Pretty Things
104. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
105. Zoolander
106. Lost in Translation
107. Blade II
108. Versus
109. X2: X-Men United
110. Drumline

Coming Up...
I'm still waiting for JSA to arrive, so I've had to jump ahead in the meantime.  Stay Tuned for...
Hustle & Flow
Infernal Affairs
Into The Wild

[sdedalus]

I hesitate to post this, but here's my take on the film... Sofia Coppola is not as good of a director as Hou Hsiao-hsien, but Lost in Translation is better than any of the HHH films I've seen.

Pffft. 

[smirnoff]

Way to put the kibosh on 3 pages of bickering

I'm glad to see all three of those films getting another look. I agree that 40 year old virgin is, or will be, a classic.

[ferris]

Liked one of those and LOVED the other two.  Glad you're giving all these another look. 

Remind me what the numeric system is?  (100 Dark Knight)  Is this the best-of-the-decade ranking or your own personal top 100 or whatever?

[Sam the Cinema Snob]

I hesitate to post this, but here's my take on the film... Sofia Coppola is not as good of a director as Hou Hsiao-hsien, but Lost in Translation is better than any of the HHH films I've seen.

Pffft. 

I actually kind agree with what 1SO is saying.

[1SO]

Remind me what the numeric system is?  (100 Dark Knight)  Is this the best-of-the-decade ranking or your own personal top 100 or whatever?

Throughout the decade I built up a Top 150, adding in each new year's Best Of list.  A couple of weeks ago, I made a revision creating a list of 112 films for the Decade.  Most of these films I haven't watched in at least a year, so I'm rewatching most of them from the bottom to the top.  That's why my numeric list keeps changing as I add in the next film.

I currently have a pad of 10 extra films, so I'm ready if something like Chicago doesn't hold up for me after this latest viewing.  The placement numbers will continue to change with each rewatch.  Ultimately, this trip down memory lane will produce a Top 100 of the 00s that I'm gonna feel real good about.

All of this is a warm up to my All Time Top 100 marathon, which will start soon after.

[ferris]

Remind me what the numeric system is?  (100 Dark Knight)  Is this the best-of-the-decade ranking or your own personal top 100 or whatever?

Throughout the decade I built up a Top 150, adding in each new year's Best Of list.  A couple of weeks ago, I made a revision creating a list of 112 films for the Decade.  Most of these films I haven't watched in at least a year, so I'm rewatching most of them from the bottom to the top.  That's why my numeric list keeps changing as I add in the next film.

I currently have a pad of 10 extra films, so I'm ready if something like Chicago or Little Miss Sunshine doesn't hold up for me after this latest viewing.  The placement numbers will continue to change with each rewatch.  Ultimately, this trip down memory lane will produce a Top 100 of the 00s that I'm gonna feel real good about.

All of this is a warm up to my All Time Top 100 marathon, which will start soon after.

Excellent!  It's so nice being around people that do the same type of nutso things I do...

[pixote]

I love this project.  If it weren't for my commitment to the Far East bracket, I'd totally steal the idea.  Though, with me, I'd probably kick out like half my Top 100 and end up only with an Top 43.

JSA'd better arrive soon.  You've been teasing a review of that for too long!  I'm dying to hear how it holds up.  I've only seen it once myself, not yet having watched the copy I bought at a dying Hollywood Video for $4.

pixote

[1SO]

One of my favorite movie nights this decade was when a friend of mine got import DVD's for JSA, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy.

All 3 films are on this list.

And I just picked up J.S.A 

[1SO]

Best of the Decade Marathon Update

A couple of disappointments tonight.


J.S.A.: Joint Security Area

JSA has everything going for it.  The plot, dealing with a murder investigation that uncovers friendship and tension from both side of the Korean boarder, makes for many layers of good drama.  The stars are Yeong-ae Lee (aka. Lady Vengeance), Byung-hun Lee (A Bittersweet Life, The Good The Bad The Weird) and Kang-ho Song (who literally stars in every Korean film you've ever heard of, except Oldboy).  This was the breakthrough film for writer/director Park Chan-wook, who went from this to The Vengeance Trilogy and Thirst.

If you're looking for a solid thriller, the film is excellent.  I would put this on a list of the first 5 South Korean Films you should see.  It's a great starter.  But if you're looking for an excellent film, like a Top 100 of the 00s kind of film... well the film is merely solid.  I couldn't help but think about all the much better projects the creative artists would go on to do.  JSA handles the potentially confusing material very well, peeling back the layers of mystery and repeating events.  Each time Park shows the murders, you know more about what's really going on.  Only in the final shot does it really ascend to greatness.  Among all the great films I've watched in this marathon so far, JSA is the least Great.



Hustle & Flow

In movies, a bad beginning can be forgiven just like a bad ending can destroy a film. The best section of Hustle & Flow is the last half hour.  In fact every 20 minutes this film gets better.  (Not hyperbole.  I put a clock on it.)

Terrence Howard raps his own songs, and he does it in character with a pronounced Memphis accent. There are also shots where the camera just lingers on his face. The scene is over, but Howard keeps on acting. You can feel everything that’s going on in this man’s life. He gives you a feeling for how his music is changing him into something better. He realizes the power of his own art.



The film's a bit dodgy with the pimpin' aspects of Howard's character. Kind of like a movie about a likable drug dealer, the writing has to jump through a few hoops to make you root for him. So he's not really that much of a pimp, and he's very nice to his ho's. What the script wisely keeps is a pimps silver tongue for working out a deal to the best advantage. Those scenes, where Howard must snake oil around to strike a deal, are the film's best. In one brilliant moment, we see him failing. He steps back, collects himself and attacks from a new angle. It’s the kind of acting magic that makes the hairs on your neck stand up.

The other great piece to this film is the music itself. There's three key songs in the movie and they're all fun to watch as they're put together and catchy as hell.

The first 15 minutes of HUSTLE & FLOW you can pretty much toss.  The dialogue is okay, but a bit forced. The characters are sketchy and the filmmaking is what you'd expect from a low budget film about a pimp. If writer/director Craig Brewer knew how much acclaim his film was going to get he might have wisely edited out gratitutios shots of big booty's shaking and flapping.  But the film is ultimately a real good one and Howard was my favorite performance of 2005 (over Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain.)

My Current List...

97. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
98. The Dark Knight
99. Whale Rider
100. Interstella 5555
101. Dirty Pretty Things  
102. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
103. Hustle & Flow
104. Zoolander
105. Lost in Translation
106. Blade II
107. Versus
108. X2: X-Men United
109. Drumline

Highly Recommended, but dropped from the list...
Joint Security Area, School of Rock, Touching the Void

Coming Up...
Chicago
Infernal Affairs
Into The Wild
Super Size Me
X-Men

[Clovis8]

I love Hustle & Flow. Great music movie.

[1SO]

A little trivia for those who know me well.

Currently, Pixar films can be found in positions...

70
52
28
26
5
and 2

[FroHam X]

Huh? Which Pixar didn't make it? Cars? Because it'd prolly be in my Top 100 of the decade.

[1SO]

I'm a Cars defender, but it doesn't make the cut here.

[pixote]

My Current List...

97. The 40-Year-Old Virgin
98. The Dark Knight
99. Whale Rider
100. Interstella 5555
101. Dirty Pretty Things
102. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
103. Hustle & Flow
104. Zoolander
105. Lost in Translation
106. Blade II
107. Versus
108. X2: X-Men United
109. Drumline

It'd be cool (for me anyway) if you could also track the films that you've kicked out ... and, if you want to get all crazy and stuff, maybe link all the listed titles back to the corresponding reviews. 

pixote