22 January 2010

Cinema 2000-2009

My favourite films of the decade, in chronological order:
  • Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
  • Tears Of The Black Tiger (Wisit Sasanatieng, 2000)
  • Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001)
  • Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2002)
  • City Of God (Fernando Meirelles & Katia Lund, 2002)
  • OldBoy (Park Chan-Wook, 2003)
  • Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004)
  • Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
  • Cache (Michael Haneke, 2005)
The worst movie of the decade:
  • Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen (Michael Bay, 2009)

6 comment(s):

. said...

I don't know if it's middle age spread affecting my mind, but as the years roll by I have more respect for a modest little movie that makes us laugh, than for the dramatic or edgy artistic statement.

In the absence of a new Kubrick movie, then, I vote for the long version of That Thing You Do, a harmless bit of goodhearted fluff that just happens to be as perfect as movies can get. Great story, note-perfect setting, charm-your-socks-off performances from everyone, a sharp script that stays true to character, and a terrific original score. What's not to like?

(Incidentally, I weighed in with a late Avatar response down there somewhere.)

Matthew Hunt said...

I see that we share a love of Kubrick's films.

I think I saw the original version of That Thing You Do, but I haven't seen the extended version. Absolutely, a modest film successful on its own terms often feels more satisfying than an arthouse film, in terms of entertainment value. I still like those edgy artistic statements, though. As Kubrick once said, it would be perfect if one film could do both: achieve the popular success of, say, Star Wars, yet maintain the director's reputation for artistic integrity.

. said...

Kubrick was being modest - 2001 was a massive box-office hit, even if most of the audience left the cinema saying "I'm, like, huh?"

Matthew Hunt said...

He was not exactly known for his modesty!

Tony (The Angry Man) said...

My favorite also City of God,Oldboy and Tropical Malady. Especially the last one drive me crazy, I remembered I felt lost for three days, and I promise myself that I'll never ever see its again.

p.s. You should see Infernal Affair Trilogy (The original one of The Departed) I think It much better than Western version.

Matthew Hunt said...

I saw Infernal Affairs yesterday. I was surprised by how closely Scorsese followed the plot of the original, and how many scenes he copied. Also, Infernal Affairs is much leaner/faster than The Departed.

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